Chrysler Financial employee Ray Foley became the newest World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner on Monday night, defeating a field of 2,715 players in a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event (#39). Foley outlasted Brandon Cantu heads-up.
Patrick O’Connor was bumped in ninth place for $80,049. O’Connor pushed from the small blind with A-4 and Cantu called holding pocket threes. The board was no help to the Irish dentist who also dabbles in cash games and he was sent packing as the first elimination of the feature table. O’Connor took 38th in the 2004 WSOP Main Event and formerly made the final table of the Irish Open.
After a flop of 4-A-7 with two hearts, Richard Lutes shoved and was also called by Cantu. This time, Lutes showed K-10 for air, while Cantu flipped up J-10 of hearts for a flush draw. The turn completed Cantu’s flush and sent Lutes packing $85,608 richer for his wear.
After a raise by Alex Jacob, Chairud Vangchailued called all-in for his tournament life with J-Q. However, Jacob’s pocket jacks had him dominated. The flop came K-Q-J, preserving Jacob’s leading in the hand with a set against Vangchailued’s two pair. Needing to catch a queen for a full house, Vangchailued found an eight and a five on the turn and river, respectively, sealing his fate. Event #39 marked Vangchailued’s first career WSOP cash.
Hitting the skids in sixth place was Jonathan Markham. Wei Mu check-raised Markham all-in on a flop of A-K-J with two spades. Mu turned over Q-10 for the nuts, while Markham showed pocket kings for a set. The turn was a six and the river was a three, sealing Markham’s exit after the bad beat.
Chicago engineer Tyler Spalding made his first WSOP event count, turning in a fifth place effort and banking $143,421. Spalding pushed pre-flop with J-2 of diamonds and was called by Jacob, who held pocket nines. The board fell 10-7-6-3-Q and the better hand held, widening Jacob’s chip lead even further.
However, Jacob doubled up Foley holding A-3 against Foley’s pocket jacks in a misread. The error would ultimately prove fatal, as Jacob was bounced in third place for $190,857. Foley sent him out with A-4 against J-9 after spiking a four on the flop and never looking back. It was Jacob’s second six-figure payday at the WSOP. In 2007, he finished third in another $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event for $282,000 in a tournament ultimately won by Irishman Cairan O’Leary.
Mu was eliminated in third place for $269,609. He shoved over the top of a bet by Cantu, who promptly called with K-10 on a flop of K-4-3. Mu showed K-9 for the same top pair, but with a lower kicker. The turn and river fell a six and five, respectively, giving Cantu a 7:5 chip lead entering heads-up play. The tournament was nearly decided within a few minutes, as Foley pushed with A-7, running into Cantu’s A-Q. However, two pair on the board resulted in a chopped pot.
In the final hand, Foley pushed over the top of a bet by Cantu with J-Q on a flop of J-3-9. Cantu called for his tournament life with J-7 and found himself out-kicked. A ten on the turn and five on the river solidified Foley’s win over the final table’s lone bracelet winner. The runner-up showing in the $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event marked Cantu’s third WSOP final table and third six-figure payday.
Foley told WSOP officials following his big win, “My friends and I usually play in only one event per year. We have a poker league where we send nine guys to play a $2,000 event. I played in that and busted out at the fifth level. So, I bought into the $1,500 buy-in on Saturday and I was supposed to fly out Sunday night and Midnight. I was second in chips at the end of Day Two. I missed my flight and fortunately….that’s about it.”
Here were the final results from Event #39 of the 2009 WSOP:
1. Ray Foley – $657,969
2. Brandon Cantu – $403,951
3. Wei Mu – $269,609
4. Alex Jacob – $190,857
5. Tyler Spalding – $143,421
6. Jonathan Markham – $114,514
7. Chairud Vangchailued – $96,355
8. Richard Lutes – $85,608
9. Patrick O’Connor – $80,049
