After starting the day as the chip leader – and then finding himself in a 10-1 hole during heads up competition – Poker Hall of Famer and World Poker Tour announcer Mike Sexton earned the championship of the partypoker WPT Montreal Main Event early this morning in Quebec.
From the start of the day’s action on Thursday, there was a buzz of anticipation on the rail. Could Sexton (6.215 million in chips), who for years was denied the ability to play in any WPT events, finish off the deal against a youthful field. Or would it be the last remaining woman in the field, Ema Zajmovic (second in chips with 5.385 million), who would break the curse of no woman ever winning a WPT open event on the Main Tour.
Then there were the contenders behind them in the form of World Series of Poker 2013 “Millionaire Maker” champion Benny Chen (2.48 million), veteran international pro Ilan Boujenah (2.29 million) and an on-a-roll professional in Jake Schwartz (1.55 million), who had made deep runs in the last two WPT tournaments. Only businessman Nadir Lalji (1.52 million) seemed to be a bit of a “soft spot” and that would have been a misconception; Lalji has cashed in tournaments stretching from his native Hungary to Las Vegas.
It was Lalji who drew the first blood in the tournament in a clash with Schwartz. The two shortest stacks from the start of the day clashed in a “blind versus blind” battle after Schwartz moved all in from the small blind and Lalji looked him up. Schwartz had chosen the wrong moment to push with his J-9 off suit as Lalji’s Big Slick was in good shape. The ugly (for Schwartz) A-K-J flop squarely hit Lalji for Aces up and Schwartz could never catch up. After a deuce and a Queen finished out the board, Schwartz found the cage to collect his sixth-place prize.
It would take more than 30 hands for the next contestant to be eliminated and surprisingly it came between the start of day chip leaders. After Sexton raised out of the cutoff, Zajmovic (who had doubled up Chen to put a dent in her stack) moved all in off the button and, after the blinds got out of the way, Sexton was more than happy to call with his pocket Aces. Zajmovic was caught with her K-Q off suit and, once the board ran out nine-high, the misstep cost Zajmovic her tournament life in fifth place.
Down to four-handed action with Sexton the dominant stack, the players were still very deep and very deliberate with their play. Almost 40 hands of action elapsed before Boujenah found pocket sixes and pushed all in over Chen’s bet in another “blind versus blind” situation. Much like Sexton, Chen was happy to call with his pocket Aces and head to the flop with a 4-1 advantage over Boujenah. An Ace on the flop virtually ended the sweat for Boujenah and, once a blank came on the turn, he was drawing dead and out of the tournament in fourth place.
Chen and Sexton were now about even in chips as Lalji looked to make himself relevant in the tournament. Using flopped trips that turned into a boat, Chen would take a big hand off Sexton to open some space, but Sexton would close back up in eliminating Lalji when his pocket eights flopped a set against Lalji’s Big Chick. As the duo went to heads up play, Chen was about 1.7 million chips in the lead for what would turn out to be an epic battle.
Over 148 hands of action, Chen played outstanding heads up poker as Sexton attempted to patiently wait for a moment to strike. Over 40 hands into heads up, Chen had worked his way out to a monstrous 17.35 million-to-1.825 million (almost a 10-1 advantage) over Sexton, but he just couldn’t seem to put the Poker Hall of Famer away. Even very late in the event, Chen seemed to have the tournament in his grasp but, when the end came, it came in rapid fashion.
On Hand 262, Sexton rivered a Jack-high straight to best Chen and wrest the lead from him and, two hands later, would end the tournament. On Hand 264, Chen moved all in for over eight million chips with K-J and Sexton, waking up with pocket Queens, immediately called. The Queen on the flop improved Sexton but, along with a nine, presented outs to the straight for Chen. An Ace didn’t do the trick and, once a deuce peeled on the river, Chen’s excellent play would fall short as he finished runner-up to Sexton.
1. Mike Sexton, $317,896 (U. S.)
2. Benny Chen, $213,515
3. Nadir Lalji, $136,806
4. Ilan Boujenah, $99,067
5. Ema Zajmovic, $76,127
6. Jake Schwartz, $61,000
With the victory, Sexton adds to what is already a legendary career. Sexton adds the WPT title to the two WSOP bracelets he has won (a 1989 Seven Card Stud championship and the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions) and the plaque for his induction into the Poker Hall of Fame. While the money won for the WPT Montreal might not be his biggest score (his ninth-place finish in the 2012 WSOP “Big One for One Drop” earned him a $1,109,33 score), it is probably one of the more satisfactory ones for Sexton after years of not being allowed to play in the tournaments offered by the WPT.
