Poker pro Prahlad Friedman took down the 2009 World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker, banking just over $1 million for his efforts. He defeated 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member Kevin Schaffel heads-up.
It took 127 hands of final table play in the Legends of Poker for Friedman to emerge victorious. After entering with the third largest chip stack behind Schaffel and Todd Terry, Friedman battled back, winning two out of the first three pots. Five hands into final table play, Mike Krescanko hit the exits in sixth place, earning $89,000 for his few minutes’ worth of work. Krescanko shoved pre-flop with A-Q, but ran into Friedman’s wired pair of kings. The flop came king-high, keeping Friedman in the lead, and Krescanko was drawing dead on the turn when a queen fell.
Schaffel busted Sam Stein in fifth place after coming out on the winning end of a race holding pocket sevens against Stein’s K-Q. Schaffel flopped a third seven and made a boat on the river, sending Stein to the exits as the second casualty of the final table. He earned $116,000 for his efforts. The hand gave Schaffel a comfortable chip lead over the pack holding 3.5 million against Freidman’s second place stack of 2.5 million.
After doubling up at the expense of Schaffel, Toto Leonidas promptly hit the rails in fourth place. After Friedman raised pre-flop, the board fell K-6-2 with two clubs. Friedman put in a continuation bet and Leonidas shoved. Friedman snap-called with A-K for top pair, while Leonidas flipped up A-9 of clubs for the nut flush draw. The jack of spades on the turn and deuce of spades on the river were no help to Leonidas, who earned $144,000. Friedman catapulted into the chip lead as a result.
Terry was the next to go. Friedman put in a raise pre-flop and Terry promptly shoved over the top with a wired pair of fours. Friedman made the call with A-Q and the two were off to the races. The flop came Q-J-6, giving Friedman the lead with top pair; running kings did not fuel Terry’s WPT title hopes. Terry, who finished as the runner-up to William Durkee in a $2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event during the 2007 WSOP, pocketed $231,000 for his third place showing in the hallmark WPT event.
Friedman’s eliminations of Krescanko, Leonidas, and Terry left him with a sizable chip lead heads-up. Friedman held a mountain of 6.6 million, while Schaffel was a 7:2 underdog with just 1.8 million. Both have experienced success in the WSOP Main Event, as Friedman, a bracelet holder, took 20th in 2006 for $494,000. Schaffel will return to the Rio in November to play down to a winner in the $10,000 buy-in tournament this year, where he holds the sixth largest stack.
On the 113th hand of final table play, Schaffel doubled up through Friedman to narrow the gap. On a flop of A-Q-3 with two clubs, Schaffel moved all-in over the top of a bet by Friedman, who called with J-4 of clubs for a flush draw. Schaffel turned over Q-3 for two pair. The board bricked out for Friedman and the two were nearly even in chips. At the end of the day, Schaffel pushed all-in with K-J, but ran into Friedman’s A-Q. The board featured five cards 10 or lower, handing Freidman his first WPT title, the $1 million payday, and a $25,000 entry into the Season VIII WPT Championship at the Bellagio.
Here were the final payouts from the final table of the Legends of Poker:
1st Place: Prahlad Friedman – $1,009,000
2nd Place: Kevin Schaffel – $471,670
3rd Place: Todd Terry – $231,300
4th Place: Toto Leonidas – $144,600
5th Place: Sam Stein – $116,225
6th Place: Mike Krescanko – $89,220
Next up for the WPT is a cross-country trip to Atlantic City for the Borgata Poker Open. The Main Event features a discounted $3,500 buy-in and kicks off on September 19th.
