Maintaining the sizeable chip lead he carried into the final table was going to be difficult, but 22-year old Griffin Paul managed to maneuver well through his opposition, eventually defeating Joe Ebanks for the championship of the World Poker Tour’s Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.
Paul came to the final table with nearly a four million chip lead over local phenom Andre Crooks, 14.29 million to 10.35 million. In fact, they were the only two players to be in that rarefied air as the remainder of the field – Ebanks (6.585 million), Brian Green (5.205 million), Day 1B chip leader Ryan Rivers (4.17 million) and Shawn Nguyen (3.615 million – looked to make themselves relevant at the baize. Another consideration for the four shorter stacks to get back in the mix? The million dollar prize that sat at the top of the totem pole for the eventual champion of the event.
Surprisingly, it would take only about ten hands for the chip lead to switch seats. Crooks got into a fight with Ebanks on an A-J-3-K-K board and, once Crooks showed down an A-10, Ebanks only mucked his cards and sent more than two million chips over to the Florida resident. Paul and Crooks would stay out of each other’s way for the most part, content in taking chips off their shorter stacked opponents while they shifted the lead between themselves. It wasn’t until a misstep by Crooks that the situation changed.
After a Crooks raise, Ebanks looked him up from the small blind and went to the A-5-4 flop. Both players checked it over to see an intriguing six hit on the turn, which brought a check-call out of Brooks. The board got even more interesting when a seven came on the river, bringing a third check from Ebanks. Crooks powered out a bet of 1.45 million and, after considering the options for what seemed to be an eternity, Ebanks made the call and, stunningly, Crooks immediately sent his cards to the muck. Ebanks showed an A-9 for a pair of Aces and picked up the 4.6 million chip pot to knock Crooks down to the second place position and move into third behind him.
The six men would continue to shuffle chips amongst each other as the first 50 hands passed without an elimination. On Hand 57, that first elimination came up when Rivers pushed out his stack under the gun and Ebanks made the call out of the big blind. Ebanks dominated Rivers, his A-8 ruling over Rivers’ K-8, and the eight on the flop found both men. There would be no King in store for the turn or the river, however, and Rivers found his way to the exit of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino as the sixth place finisher.
Ebanks, now holding down the chip lead, tried to take advantage with his newfound chips, but that lead didn’t last long. On a flush and straight heavy board, Ebanks sent enough chips over to Crooks to allow him to take the lead but, on the next hand, Ebanks would take it back. Then Paul got into the game, wresting the chip lead from Ebanks on the very next hand. Paul would solidify his lead in knocking off Green in fifth place when his pocket Jacks stood against Green’s A-10.
Nguyen, now the definitive short stack on the table, was able to take a sizeable number of chips off of Crooks to try to get back in the game, but it wasn’t to be for him. After a bet from Ebanks on the button, Nguyen popped it up to 1.1 million out of the small blind. An undaunted Ebanks moved a four-bet to the center and Nguyen, just as quickly, moved all in and Ebanks quickly called. Ebanks’ pocket nines were ahead of Nguyen’s A-10 pre-flop and the Jack-high board did little to change the situation. As Nguyen walked away in fourth place, Ebanks rocketed to the chip lead over Paul.
Only six hands later, heads up play would be set. After a pre-flop raising war, Crooks would get his chips in the center against Ebanks with the best of it, pocket Kings versus pocket nines. The poker gods, however, dealt a cruel blow to Crooks in coming down with an A-J-9 flop. Now needing one of two Kings or some running cards to switch his fate, Crooks instead saw a four on the turn and a ten on the river, ending his run at the Seminole title in third place.
Ebanks came to the heads up match with Paul holding a 26.475 million/17.75 million edge and Ebanks wasted little time in extending that lead. Only six hands into the action, Ebanks had grown his stack over the 32 million chip mark while Paul looked to gain his footing. He found that footing on Hand 92 when, after an Ebanks min-raise, Paul three-bet the action to 1.8 million. Ebanks once again didn’t back down, four-betting Paul and Paul moved all-in. Ebanks immediately called, tabling his pocket sixes against Paul’s A-J, and Paul’s tournament life was on the line. An Ace was in the window on the flop and, once a six failed to appear on the turn or river, Paul had gotten a critical double up to now take the lead.
Paul would never let Ebanks ever get close. Over the final 25 hands, Paul slowly ground down Ebanks and, on Hand 117, both men would see a K-J-4 flop. Paul moved all-in following the flop and an excited Ebanks made the call. Ebanks was confident with his A-J for middle pair, but Paul was the beneficiary on the flop with his K-9 for top pair. Looking to dodge a host of outs, Paul saw a four on the turn and a six on the river to earn him his first ever major championship.
1. Griffin Paul, $1,000,000
2. Joe Ebanks, $615,000
3. Andre Crooks, $383,000
4. Shawn Nguyen, $323,500
5. Brian Green, $269,000
6. Ryan Rivers, $217,500
Paul doesn’t have much time to rest on his laurels. With his victory on Wednesday night, Paul also earned a seat to the WPT World Championship, which begins on Saturday at the Borgata in Atlantic City. The crème of the poker world is expected to be in the Garden State this weekend as the World Poker Tour wraps up its Season XIII schedule.