Tournament of Champions
 

2005 Tournament of Champions
Caesars Palace – Las Vegas
Official Report

Day One
No-Limit Hold’em
Number of Entries: 114
Total Prize Money: $2,000,000


End of Day One Standings:


Name Hometown Chips Table Seat
1 Phil Hellmuth Palo Alto, CA $110,900 1 3
2 Mike Matusow Las Vegas, NV $107,600 2 3
3 Hoyt Corkins Glenwood, AL $65,700 3 3
4 Lonnie Alexander Las Vegas, NV $58,600 3 7
5 Aaron Bartley Las Vegas, NV $53,200 2 7
6 Mike 'the Grinder' Mizrachi Hollywood, FL $46,700 1 7
7 Johnny Chan Cerritos, CA $46,500 1 9
8 Mark Hanna Cincinnati, OH $44,700 2 9
9 Neal Gersony Rocky Hill, CT $42,300 3 9
10 Chad Brown Los Angeles, CA $40,800 3 5
11 Yosh Nakano Long Beach, CA $39,700 2 5
12 Daniel Bergsdorf Umea, Sweden $38,900 1 5
13 Keith Sexton Dayton, OH $36,200 1 1
14 Stan Goldstein Cypress, CO $33,700 2 1
15 Brandon Adams New Orleans, LA $30,000 3 1
16 Steven Dannenmann Severn, MD $28,700 3 4
17 James Giordano Miami, FL $27,900 2 4
18 Jonathan Shecter Las Vegas, NV $27,700 1 4
19 Tony Ma S. El Monte, CA $27,200 1 8
20 Rene Angelil Henderson, NV $26,600 2 8
21 Doyle Brunson Las Vegas, NV $25,000 3 8
22 Imre Leibold Tallinn, Estonia $24,000 3 2
23 Tony Bloom London, England $22,900 2 2
24 David Levi Las Vegas, NV $22,800 1 2
25 Aaron Kanter Lodi, CA $22,700 1 6
26 Ted Lawson Fort Lauderdale, FL $21,300 2 6
27 Grant Lang Brookfield, CT $19,700 3 6
28 George Saca Folsom, CA $17,900 3 10
29 Salim Batshon Foster City, CA $16,300 2 10
30 Jeff Stanely Tucson, AZ $13,800 1 10



Hail Caesar!
Ceasars Palace Las Vegas Hosts the
2005 Tournament of Champions
After Day One, Phil Hellmuth is the chip leader,
Mike Matusow is close second

Caesar’s Palace has accommodated many epic events over the years. From Evel Knievel’s daredevil motorcycle jump over the imperial fountains back in 1968 to numerous heavyweight championship prizefights spanning four decades, Caesars Palace has long been associated with gargantuan sporting spectacles. Now, add poker to Caesar’s carte du jour.

For the first time since 1990, Caesars hosted a live poker tournament. Fifteen years after the last ‘Super Bowl of Poker’ concluded (historical footnote: T.J. Cloutier was the winner), tournament poker returned to Las Vegas’ most urbane palatial paradise. The 2005 Tournament of Champions (TOC) commenced at Caesars on Sunday, November 6th.

This year’s TOC foreshadows Caesars’ grand design to soar back into the poker business. On December 20th, Caesars will open Las Vegas’ largest poker room. Caesars new poker room will spread 63 tables – 33 specifically designated for tournaments and 30 for live action.

“For many years, Caesars was one of the biggest names in poker,” said Michael Matts – Caesars Palace Poker Room Manager. “Starting on December 20th, a new poker era will begin when we bring poker back to one of Las Vegas’ most legendary and luxurious casinos. Whether it’s recreational games, mid-limit poker, big-bet poker, or our ongoing tournaments, Caesars plans to set a new standard in excellence.”

This is the second year of the TOC. The annual no-limit hold’em qualifying tournament is a special $2 million freeroll. Invited players include all of the highest finishers at World Series of Poker Circuit events held during the previous year. From January-July 2005, six WSOP events were held – at Atlantic City, San Diego, Lake Tahoe, New Orleans, and two in Las Vegas. The top 20 players from each event qualified to play in this invitational tournament, competing for two million dollars in prize money. First place will pay $1 million.

With so much prize money and bragging rights for one of poker’s most prestigious titles at stake, many of poker’s biggest names converged inside the Caesars Augustus Ballroom. The starting field of 114 players included six current and former world poker champions – Joe Hachem (2005), Chris Ferguson (2000), Russ Hamilton (1994), Phil Hellmuth (1989), Johnny Chan (1987, 1988), and Doyle Brunson (1976, 1977). Several former WSOP gold bracelet winners entered, as well – including Joe Awada, T.J. Cloutier, Allen Cunningham, Antonio ‘the Magician’ Esfandiari, Scott Fischman, Jennifer Harmon, Phil Ivey, Howard ‘the Professor’ Lederer, Tony Ma, Mike ‘the Mouth’ Matusow, and Robert Williamson III.

Few of these big names made it past the first day. One of the first players to exit was defending WSOP champ, Joe Hachem, from Melbourne, Australia. Hachem flopped a set of threes, but lost to a flush. Many others would follow with similar bad beat stories. During the initial 13 hours, the TOC played down to 30 survivors. At the end of Day One, the chip leaders are familiar names to those who follow tournament poker and watch the WSOP in ESPN. Phil Hellmuth, Jr., the 1989 world champion, enjoys a slight chip lead over Mike Matusow and the rest of the field.

Hellmuth stunned the poker world 16 years ago when he won his title. He has since won a total of nine WSOP gold bracelets. Remarkably, all nine victories have been in hold’em events. In the last few years, Hellmuth has become a virtual corporation. He has written three poker books, endorsed popular video games, and commands speaking fees which rival former presidents and heads of state. But the TOC remains an elusive poker prize for Hellmuth. He finished a disappointing second-place at last year’s TOC, prompting a well-documented outburst on ESPN (Annie Duke was the winner).

Mike ‘the Mouth’ Matusow, who is unquestionably playing the best poker of his life at the moment, is second in chips – with 107,600. Former champions Doyle Brunson (with 25,000) and Johnny Chan (with 46,500) also remain in contention.

The past year has been a wild roller-coaster ride for Matusow, one of poker’s most combustible characters. Matusow is known just as much for his verbal tirades as his poker accomplishments. Whatever one thinks personally about Matusow and his behavior, there is no questioning his poker talent. Matusow has made it to two WSOP (main event) final tables over the past four years. Only one other player, Dan Harrington, has accomplished that. The next two days will determine if Mike Matusow achieve what would be a breakthrough victory and personal triumph. Although he won $1 million four months ago at the WSOP (finishing 9th), winning this tournament would solidify a special place in history for a player who was at rock bottom at the start of 2005.

With poker bad boys Hellmuth and Matusow setting the pace, this promises to be one of the most dramatic poker events of the year. Day Two (Monday) will eliminate another 21 aspiring millionaires. Then, the nine finalists will return on Day Three (Tuesday). Prize money will be divided, as follows:

1st Place -- $1,000,000
2nd Place – 325,000
3rd Place – 250,000
4th Place – 150,000
5th Place – 100,000
6th Place – 75,000
7th Place – 50,000
8th Place – 25,000
9th Place – 25,000

On Day Two -- play resumes at 12 noon PST.


Note: All content in this report may be re-printed by media.


Official Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director

Caesar’s Poker Room Manager – Michael Matts
Tournament Director – Robert Daily

Day 2 results are up on Cardplayer. It's down to the Final Table. Hellmuth has a pretty good chiplead. Matusow is still in second too. Pretty crazy.

There also seems to be a lot of controversy in the poker world, because this was supposed to be a freeroll reserved for anyone who finished Top 20 in any WSOP circuit event last year as well as the people who final tabled the Main Event. This was supposed to be one of the perks of playing in the circuit events. But at the last minute, they invited, Phil, Johnny Chan, and Doyle to play. Several pros, like Daniel Negreanu (you can read his blog about it), were pretty pissed for the sake of all the players who earned their way into it. It really doesn't come off as a jealous rant either. Probably more of a comment on the state of poker promoters right now, who don't really care about the players and only care about the bottom line.

Not to say that this won't make amazing television with Phil and Mike at the final table.

tp

you have anything to say about the way that harrahs/espn added hellmuth, doyle and chan to the tourney after they set the qualification rules, and none of those guys qualified?

seems pretty bunk to me. i dont have a problem with it if they actually said somewhere in the rules that they were going to add a few stars to bump up the tourney appeal for tv, but it doesnt seem like that is the case.

negreanu said some stuff about this on his blog, and he made some good points, but he is getting flamed at other places for his views.

just curious what you might have to say about this, as you have at least played in world series events and this could be something that is a bigger problem in the future.

What's the url for his blog?

I haven't read what Daniel wrote yet (at fullcontactpoker.com I assume), but I probably agree with him. As eddo said, if the original plan was to invite a bunch of superstars, but also allow a number of other players qualify from the circuit events, then great, that's fine. But I highly doubt thaty was the plan, or else there would be a lot more superstars in the field. If the plan was to invite EVERY Main Event Bracelet winner ever, in addition to this year's qualifiers, again, I'm fine with that. But I don't think they did that either, and I think it sucks that they are giving those few guys special treatment. Yes, two of them have won multiple Main Event Bracelets and 10 total (each), but how does Phil get in and not other worthy players?

Overall, I don't like it. Invite none or invite them all (Main Event Winners is how I would do it), but don't randomly pick just a few.

Daniel's Blog:

Somebody cut and paste the bit about the TOC exemptions. I can't access the blog at work.

I think the more important question here is...

Why the hell didn't they invite TP then? :D

Tournament of Champions
Sunday, November 6th, 2005

The TOC was a nice way for them to give something back to the players- a $2 million free roll to those players that followed the WSOP circuit events and/or made the final table at the main event.

They didn't have to do that, but it was a nice promotion and certainly helped garner some interest for the WSOP circuit events. The rules were simple: from the five stops on the Circuit, if you finished in the top 20 at one of the stops you would qualify for the Tournament of Champions. Or, if you were lucky enough to make the final table of the main event you would also qualify, for a final total of 109 players with a chance at a $2 million free roll, or $18,350 in equity.

Early on, many of the players didn't believe that it would happen this way. I did, though, as naive as that may have been. I truly believed that they would keep their word and that would be that. At the time, I had no reason to think otherwise.

Well, they lied. To all of those players that went from circuit event to circuit event trying to qualify for that event, guys like Bob Hume, Harry Cullen Jr., Corey Bierria, Jonathan Schecter, Don Mullis, and several others, you all received a pay cut.

The players were promised on SEVERAL occasions that if they qualified, they would be facing off against 108 other players for a chance at $2 million. They were lied to.

It was announced about a week or so prior to the event that there would be three exemptions added to the list: Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Phil Hellmuth! So how do you like that Corey Bierria! All three of those men had a chance to qualify just like you, but didn't make the cut. Ah, but that's ok, they let them in anyway.

They chopped into your equity Mr. Don Mullis without ever bothering to consult with you. Hey Bob Hume, were you ever consulted or asked to vote on whether or not it was ok for them to chop into your equity? Didn't think so.

Poker players are not stupid. Things like this are not forgotten. They took a nice gesture by giving away some free money and found a way to screw that up to.

Now, don't get me wrong I can totally understand why they would want to add some higher profile players to the event, but that had to be clear BEFORE Harry Cullen Jr. decided to fork over his money for the circuit event he qualified in.

Had they said this, "20 players will qualify at 5 different locations along with the 9 final table members from the main event and anyone who has more that 8 WSOP bracelets," then who could have a beef with that?

Since they didn't, how do you explain to the other players that they while they thought they only had to face 108 other players, that oh, by the way, you'll also have to face Doyle, Johnny, and Phil? How do you explain to them that you promised them $18,350 in equity, but that at the last minute you took about $500 out of their pocket and only give them $17, 850 in equity?

I played in a couple of the Circuit events myself in an attempt to qualify but didn't make it. That's totally fine, rules are rules and I was VERY happy to hear that the TOC players would get there based on a clear system as apposed to last year where the selection process was faulty.

Now this whole thing isn't a "huge" deal really, but where do we draw the line? What if they had told Don Mullis that they were going to add anyone who'd won a bracelet to the tournament? So then, rather than facing off against 100 players he would have had to face off against 200+ players?

Marlon Labbe, John Smith, Eric Cloutier, Tommy Reed, Glyn Banks, and all of the players who were lied to are owed at LEAST an apology. Equity was taken from their pockets and they didn't even have a say in the matter.

It's bad etiquette to complain about a "free gift," but not in this case. In this case, each player paid their $10,000 PLUS JUICE to enter the tournament knowing that if they made the top 20, they'd be getting $18,350 in added equity. Not to mention airfare, hotel accommodations, as well as food (the players weren’t t given as much as a free bag of chips!)

Of course, they don't want to talk about all that. Instead, they'd rather sneak it in under your nose so you don't even realized that you are being screwed. Had they told you Tommy Reed, that they were going to add these players, would you have voted YES, please make it more difficult for me to win the $2 million, or NO, they didn't qualify like everyone else, so they shouldn't be allowed to play.

Poor business decisions like this one leave a bad taste in customers mouths. The decision didn't really affect me personally, as I may have played the tournaments anyway, but this decision DOES affect every person who did qualify, as well as others who played in the tournament knowing that they would only have to beat 108 other players to win.

Hopefully stuff like this doesn't become the norm, but unless the players themselves band together and police these types of things internally, nobody else will.

Daniel N.

I agree that they should set the rules before the start of the first event in the series. The WSOP is in a constant state of change these day (figuring out how to accommodate larger fields, revamping the structures/# of events/locations, etc), but that doesn't mean they shouldn't have waited till next year to add this loophole in.

It was not really a "freeroll" since you had to qualify for it through a paid event. I would categorize this as a bonus event (along the lines of similar online events based on play at real money tables, etc)

When I first read some of the posts above I thought they REMOVED the circuit players...they in fact just added a few more prominent players in at the last minute. This does cut into the players odds and it should have been clear up front, IMO....

No schit! I mean, sure, I didn't "qualify" based on their little rules, but I have more POY points than Hellmuth!

LMFAO!

So, you can trade those points in for bracelets? 9 of em? :p

I don't think so, no. But I'll look into it.

I think it's fine to have some "wild card" entrants (like in professional tennis) but, yeah, they should notify everyone up front that they'll be adding X number of wild cards.

Maybe I need to start a professional poker players association.

End of Day 2 Report...
 

2005 Tournament of Champions
Caesars Palace – Las Vegas
Official Report

Day Two
No-Limit Hold’em
Number of Entries: 114
Total Prize Money: $2,000,000


Battle of the Gladiators:
Final Nine Set for 2005 Tournament of Champions

Phil Hellmuth Remains Chip Leader, Mike Matusow Second


The 2005 Tournament of Champions (TOC) continued at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Day Two began with two of poker’s most combustible personalities, Phil Hellmuth and Mike Matusow, basking in a sizeable chip lead versus the rest of the field. Hellmuth and Matusow began the second day as the only players with more than $100,000 in chips. Hoyt Corkins, the genial Alabama cowboy, started in third place with $65,000. Remarkably, very little changed on Day Two. Hellmuth and Matusow remained as the chip leaders. Corkins fell to seventh place in the chip count, but survived.

Play started at 12 noon and continued for only six hours, a lightening-fast pace by World Series of Poker standards. By late afternoon, 21 aspiring millionaires had been eliminated. Several famous names fell by the wayside, including Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, Tony Ma, Johnny Chan, and Rene Angelil (Caesars is home turf for Angelil, who is the manager-husband of international diva, Celine Dion, who performs nightly next door at the $80 million Coliseum). But it was the tenth place finisher who was the biggest story of the day.

For poker players, there is no worse feeling than finishing on what is called “the bubble.” At the TOC, the unlucky tenth place finisher can boast of outlasting 103 opponents (out of 114). But the bottom line is that “the bubble” position pays absolutely nothing. Zilch. It’s tournament poker’s ultimate bad beat.

Poker legend Doyle Brunson suffered the cruelest of poker’s indignities when he was eliminated on the final hand of Day Two. It was a big disappointment for Brunson, a ten-time gold bracelet winner and two-time world poker champion. “Texas Dolly” was short-stacked throughout the tournament and was never able to be the dominant force which has characterized his unrivaled 50-year poker career. When Brunson moved his last $20,000 in chips into the pot, and lost, the entire audience gathered inside the Caesars Augustus Ballroom burst into applause. No one clapped more loudly, or with more reverence than his nine competitors, who were fortunate enough to return for Day Three.

(continued)

The nine finalists for the 2005 Tournament of Champions are now set for tomorrow’s third and final day:

Seat 1: Steve Dannenmann
Hometown: Severn, Maryland
Qualified Via: World Series of Poker (Main Event)
Chip Count: $122,000

No poker player is more modest than Steve Dannenmann. He is a 39-year-old CPA and mortgage broker who currently lives in Severn, Maryland. Dannenmann graduated from the University of Baltimore. He is married and has one child. Dannenmann shocked the poker world by outlasting 5,617 players in the main event at the 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP). He came to within one big hand of achieving immortality, but ended up as the second place finisher to the world champion, Joseph Hachem. When he’s been asked about his incredible personal achievement and winning $4,250,000 in prize money, Dannemann is often reserved and says he is just lucky to be playing with so many great players. But the truth is now becoming self-evident. As he is proving in this event, Dannemann’s timid manner masks an awesome talent in tournament poker. It’s been said that no one remembers the second place finisher. But a victory in the Tournament of Champions will give Dannenmann the recognition he rightly deserves.


Seat 2: Grant “G-Money” Lang
Hometown: Brookfield, Connecticut
Qualified Via: Rio -- Las Vegas
Chip Count: $61,500

Grant Lang is accustomed to sitting in front of a huge stack of poker chips. He was the chip leader coming into his last final table, at the World Series of Poker Circuit held at the Rio-Las Vegas last February. Lang looked as if he would be a force, but he ended up as the fifth place finisher – netting $126,000. Lang’s poker nickname is “G-Money.” G-Money was born in Bronx, NY and now resides in Connecticut. He is married with three children. Prior to his appearance at the Rio, Lang’s biggest poker accomplishment was a victory at the Costa Rican Classic in 2004. Like so many others on this day, Lang has something to prove. We will see if G-Money can take a low stack and turn it into a million dollar first prize.


Seat 3: David Levi
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Qualified Via: Harrah’s Rincon – San Diego
Chip Count: $41,000

David Levi is one of the most experienced players at the final table. He has paid his dues for a decade on the poker tournament trail, grinding out a living with more than 100 cashes and numerous wins in his distinguished poker career. Levi, 42, became a full-time poker player after he retired as a professional soccer player ten years ago. Levi played on a pro soccer team in Tel Aviv, Israel. But today, his goal is different. While Levi has loads of tournament experience, what he does not have at the moment, is -- chips. He will start today as the shortest-stack at the final table. We will see if Levi can stage a huge comeback and score the biggest payday of his poker career.


Seat 4: Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Hometown: Palo Alto, California
Qualified Via: Former WSOP Champion (sponsor exemption)
Chip Count: $281,500

If this poker tournament was a horserace, Phil Hellmuth is beginning to look a lot like Secretariat. He is on a pace to run wire-to-wire and win yet another poker title, adding to his distinguished 16-year career as a professional poker player. Hellmuth is the 1989 World Series of Poker champion. He has won a total of nine gold bracelets – second only to Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan, each with ten. At this year’s World Series, Hellmuth drew even with another poker legend, Barry Johnston. Hellmuth now is tied for the most cashes ever in WSOP history. But what defines Hellmuth in the public eye is his mesmerizing personality. Love him, or hate him – he’s a superstar. You never know quite what to expect when Hellmuth is sitting at a poker table. In the 2004 Tournament of Champions, the former world champion finished an intolerable second, and some say he’s been fanatical about getting back here ever since. Today, we will see if Hellmuth – a successful author, conglomerate, and living poker legend – can redeem himself with a rousing TOC triumph, or will again storm away in disappointment. One way or another, it should be quite a show.


Seat 5: Hoyt Corkins
Hometown: Glenwood, Alabama
Qualified Via: Harrah’s Atlantic City
Chip Count: $95,000

Hoyt Corkins was born in rural Alabama and still lives in the “Heart of Dixie” when he’s not traveling around the world as a professional poker player. Corkins has emerged as one of poker’s most instantly recognizable players and likeable personalities. He’s made numerous final tables in recent years, but Corkins’ poker success dates all the way back to 1989, when he first made it to a WSOP final table. Two years later, in 1992, he won a gold bracelet – in the Pot-Limit Omaha championship. Corkins has won major events at the Diamond Jim Brady, Super Bowl of Poker, and other prestigious titles. But he has steadily earned the respect of his peers through not only his aggressive playing style, but his venerable character, which makes him one of the game’s true role models. Corkins is overdue for a big win, and this might be the day when the man in the cowboy hat rides off into the sunset with a $1 million first prize.


Seat 6: Keith Sexton
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Qualified Via: Harrah’s Rincon – San Diego
Chip Count: $95,500

Keith Sexton is a 55-year-old real estate investor turned poker pro and sports bettor. He is originally from Ohio and now lives in Las Vegas. He has played at the World Series of Poker eight times and has several in-the-money finishes, including an impressive second place finish in the 2005 Seven-Card Stud world championship event. In a recent interview, when Sexton was asked what person had the most influence in teaching him the game of poker, he answered with great respect and reverence – his mother. Sexton is certainly a serious threat at this final table, and with just enough chips to be dangerous, he will be one of the players to watch.


Seat 7: Brandon Adams
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Qualified Via: Harrah’s New Orleans
Chip Count: $135,500

If ever there was someone you want to cheer for, it’s Brandon Adams. He finished 21st in the championship event at Harrah’s New Orleans last May, and due to a bizarre eight-way tie in the scoring system, he barely qualified to play in the TOC. That said, Adams blocked out the devastation that was caused to his hometown by Hurricane Katrina a few months ago, and has made the most of this unique opportunity. He has played exceptional poker over two days and has soared into third place in the chip count. The great thing about tournament poker is that, truly – anything is possible. Adams will need to use his aura of anonymity to pull off what would be an astonishing surprise victory. Perhaps today, a new poker superstar will be born and eight unsuspecting opponents will stagger away, wondering how an unfamiliar face from hurricane-ravaged New Orleans got some overdue measure of rightful justice.


Seat 8: Tony Bloom
Hometown: London, England
Qualified Via: Harrah’s Rincon – San Diego
Chip Count: $130,000

Tony Bloom, from London, England, is the only non-US resident at today’s final table. But he is certainly no stranger to the final table, especially at big events in Europe and overseas. Bloom’s biggest tournament win was in the main event at the 2004 Australasian Poker Championship, where he won $400,000. He also won London’s prestigious Victoria Club poker championship held in August – good for another $350,000. Today, we will see if Bloom can parlay an 18th place finish at Rincon last February into a $1 million first prize.


Seat 9: Mike Matusow
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Qualified Via: World Series of Poker (Main Event)
Chip Count: $179,000

Matusow is one of poker’s most controversial figures. He is famous, make that infamous, for baiting his opponents and incessantly chattering while he is playing. If there was a lifetime record for most time-out penalties given in World Series of Poker history for foul language and inappropriate behavior, Mike Matusow would be Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Phil Hellmuth -- all rolled into one. Mike “The Mouth” Matusow has won two gold bracelets at the World Series. Perhaps even more impressive, Matusow has made it to two final tables in the main event over the past four years. He finished fourth in 2001. He finished ninth in 2005. His most recent cash was worth $1 million in prize money. Whatever happens today, this has been an incredible personal odyssey and triumphant comeback for Matusow. He was admittedly at the lowest point in his life at the start of 2005, and now as the end of the year approaches, Matusow is unquestionably playing the best poker of his life. If you don’t believe it – just ask him.


The nine finalists will return to play for the TOC title in front of ESPN television cameras and a live viewing audience. Play resumes at 2:00 pm PST. Prize money will be divided, as follows:

1st Place -- $1,000,000
2nd Place – $325,000
3rd Place – $250,000
4th Place – $150,000
5th Place – $100,000
6th Place – $75,000
7th Place – $50,000
8th Place – $25,000
9th Place – $25,000



Note: All content in this report may be re-printed by media.


Official Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
Caesars Poker Room Manager – Michael Matts
Tournament Director – Robert Daily

Was last year's TOC (the one where Annie Duke came in 1st and Phil 2nd) just a 9-10 player tourney? Did they have any criteria last year? If I recall it was Raymer, Ivey, Daniel N, Duke, Chan, TJ, Phil, Doyle, Lederer and one or two others? Sounds like they just picked the group last year as oppose to any entry requirements.

The truth comes out...
 

Of course there had to be an ugly greedy story behind it.



A national Pepsi marketing campaign? Wow.

Very interesting. The thing is, there would have been such a happy solution here. Harrahs was willing to shell out $2 million for this. When Pepsi offered to cought up the dough and demanded their "exceptions," Harrahs should have told them they needed to cought up $2.5 million. If Pepsi balked at the idea, Harrahs could have chipped in a half a mil from their own pocket (still saving themselves $1.5 million) and everyone would be happy.

3 new players. $500,000 more. I don't think a single qualifier would complain, and everyone would be happy.

Go Phil

Really? Come on? He's so pretentious. At least Matusow is joking when he talks about being so much better than everybody else. He knows as well as everybody else just how fucked up he is.

And if ya'll aren't reading the Cardplayer updates, you should be. It's hilarious, and this is gonna make for great tv.

P.S. How can anybody pull for Phil when he shouldn't have ever been there?

Hard as it is to admit, I'm rooting for the Mouth. He's a much better poker player than people give him credit for...

Great updates... I just glanced through them. I can't wait to see this on tv.

Of the quotes, this one was my favorite:
"Hellmuth is asked by the tournament director to stack his chips, as they are spread out over a large area in front of him. Hellmuth lightly challenges him, and it's not long before he and Matusow are back into it. Eventually, even Steve Dannenmann jumps into things, saying that as a professional poker player, he isn't acting very professionally. They exchange a few more words, and Dannenmann caps it off by saying, "Nobody should buy your books or CDs, because you're a punk." Phil is taking a lot of abuse today, but he seems to be taking it very well. Of course, some would say he's had a lot of practice."

But I liked this one a lot too:
"Tournament Director Jimmy Sommerfeld asks the audience to give a round of applause to ESPN and SoBe's new energy drink (Adrenaline Rush) for sponsoring this event. Mike Matusow then asks the crowd to give a round of applause to Harrah's for inviting Phil Hellmuth to show up and take all of their money. The crowd applauds, but it's likely that only a dozen or so really get the joke."

Actually, this is pretty damn good stuff too. I've found a whole new respect for Steve Dannerman in these past couple of weeks:
"In between hands, Dannenmann gives Matusow a wrapped gift. Matusow asks, "Is it the four million you stole from me this summer?" (Referring to the World Series final table.) It's a small globe, similar to the one that Dannenmann uses as a card protector. He explains that he and Matusow were sitting next to each other on day one, and Matusow kept singing, "He's got the whole world in his hands," referring to the globe.


Phil Hellmuth then takes a moment to tell the TV cameras, "Merry Christmas," because this is scheduled to air on Christmas Eve. The crowd lets out a condescending "Awwwww."


Dannenmann has also given Hellmuth a gift, which he opens, ignoring the fact that it could be dangerous. The box is opened, and he pulls out a stuffed donkey. The crowd has a great laugh, but Phil takes it in good spirits.


The action is coming fast and furious ... and we've only had four hands so far."

Is Dannerman the guy who busted a nut after bluffing lederer?

ya, but i loved how about 15 min. later in that same episode he tried to push lederer around again and got caught when lederer had aces and danneman lost a big portion of his stack - he didnt jump on the phone and brag that time now did he

Danneman seems like a pretty cool guy. He's from MD and he calls into a local sports radio show (guys always talking poker). He had some good stories from the WSOP.

On a related note, he lives pretty close to Brian :D

That's it that's all
 

The mouth won.

Maybe he can pay off a few more markers with this second million.

Well done, Mike.

I sense a "Las Vegas Man Dies of Celebratory Binge Drinking" headline on the horizon....

2005 Tournament of Champions
Caesars Palace – Las Vegas
Official Report

Final Day
No-Limit Hold’em
Number of Entries: 114
Total Prize Money: $2,000,000

Official Results:

1st – Mike “The Mouth” Matusow Las Vegas, NV $1,000,000
2nd – Hoyt Corkins Glenwood, AL $ 325,000
3rd – Phil Hellmuth, Jr. Palo Alto, CA $ 250,000
4th – Tony ‘The Lizard’ Bloom London, England $ 150,000
5th – Steve Dannenmann Severn, MD $ 100,000
6th – Grant ‘G-Money’ Lang Brookfield, CT $ 75,000
7th – David Levi Las Vegas, NV $ 50,000
8th – Keith Sexton Dayton, OH $ 25,000
9th – Brandon Adams New Orleans, LA $ 25,000


Veni, Vidi, Vici!

Mike Matusow Comes, Sees and Conquers
the 2005 Tournament of Champions at Caesars Palace Las Vegas

After a long year of many disappointments, Matusow wins electrifying final table

It was, quite simply, one of the greatest final tables of all time. It had everything – drama, tragedy, humor, passion, laughter, tears, a fight, a downfall, a comeback, and an ending no one could possibly have predicted.

It was twenty times longer than an episode of “SportsCenter”, eight times longer than the movie “Rounders”, and four times longer than a Super Bowl game. Clocking in at just over 11 hours, it was perhaps the only final table where the standing-room only crowd departed the arena feeling completely exhausted -- yet wanting, even screaming for more.

It was a final table which had nine compelling stories. The second place finisher in the Main Event at this year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP); a player who arrived at the final table as chip leader at his last big tournament, busted out a disappointing fifth; a player who has grinded out a living for ten years on the tournament trail but who has yet to earn a televised breakthrough victory; a poker megalomaniac who finished second in the Tournament of Champions (TOC) last year; a player who has enjoyed tremendous success in poker recently, but who had not won a WSOP-related event in 13 long years; a professional poker player who has yet to win a major poker tournament. although he has made it to several final tables; a player from New Orleans who barely qualified for the TOC and lost much in the devastation that was Hurricane Katrina; an Englishman who has won big events overseas, but who has yet to make it big on the American poker scene; and finally, there was a fabulously-talented, admired by some, despised by others poker pro who started off the year as far away from a table at Caesars Palace and ESPN television cameras as humanly possible. Whoever won, had a great story.

The 2005 TOC concluded in a way which will be the yardstick of all future televised tournaments. Some events, such as the World Series of Poker may be considerably bigger, but no major poker tournament has ever offered so much human drama as the three-day invitational event, which concluded late on a Tuesday night at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Fortunately, ESPN was there to capture it all for posterity. A special three-hour telecast will air on Dec. 24 from 1-4 pm EST. Postpone the holidays and let Santa Claus wait on the delivery of presents. When the TOC airs on Christmas Eve, you won’t want to miss this one.

The nine finalists for the 2005 Tournament of Champions and starting chip-counts were:

SEAT 1: Steve Dannenmann $122,000 in chips
SEAT 2: Grant Lang $ 61,500 in chips
SEAT 3: David Levi $ 41,000 in chips
SEAT 4: Phil Hellmuth $281,500 in chips
SEAT 5: Hoyt Corkins $ 95,000 in chips
SEAT 6: Keith Sexton $ 95,500 in chips
SEAT 7: Brandon Adams $135,500 in chips
SEAT 8: Tony Bloom $130,000 in chips
SEAT 9: Mike Matusow $179,000 in chips

The final table’s opening moments began with a series of hysterical pranks. The banter made it seem more like a comedy act than a multi-million dollar poker tournament. Given the colorful cast of characters, it was hardly surprising that egoistical Phil Hellmuth would be everyone’s favorite target. It all started off when Mike Matusow joked with Hellmuth about his new line of designer sunglasses. Matusow had his own designer label and whipped out a pair of sunglasses, which will require one to use the imagination. Superimposed in the lenses was a hand, with one extended finger, tilted upward. One gets the idea.

Steve Dannenmann had his own prank in store for Hellmuth. Knowing that the telecast will air on Christmas Eve, Dannenmann presented Hellmuth with a colorfully wrapped holiday gift. Hellmuth was shocked. Encouraged to open the gift by the audience, Hellmuth unwrapped his box like a 4-year-old and pulled out a doll resembling a donkey. The audience roared. Even Hellmuth cracked a smile. Ironically, the jovial spirit which characterized the Hellmuth-Dannenmann relationship early would become increasingly poisonous from that moment forward.

With cards in the air, the first big hand of the day took place when Hoyt Corkins found himself in a horrible spot. He was dealt pocket Queens against Brandon Adams’ pocket Aces. Just when it looked like Corkins would be the first casualty of the day, an angelic Queen on the turn delivered saintly salvation and Corkins went from being one step away from the rail to second place in the chip count. What a huge hand that turned out to be. The $220,000 pot put Corkins onto the heels of Hellmuth. Meanwhile, Brandon Adams was down to his last $30,000.

(continued)

9th Place – Brandon Adams arrived as a crowd favorite. The amateur player from New Orleans who lost so much in Hurricane Katrina was playing for far more meaningful reasons than just a poker championship. Adams pledged that ten percent of his tournament win would be donated to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. It was a remarkable gesture since he and his family lost many of their possessions in the hurricane and flood. Had Adams won the TOC, it would have been the ‘feel-good’ story of the year. As it turned out, Adams could not recover from the devastating early beat. Adams collected $25,000 in prize money.

8th Place – The hand which eliminated Keith Sexton was even more cruel. He went from big dog, to big favorite, to big dog within a 45 second span. Sexton was dealt pocket Tens. Hoyt Corkins picked up pocket Queens (again). Sexton moved all-in with a re-raise before the flop. Corkins quickly called. Corkins was a definitive favorite when the flop fell with all blanks – 9-4-2. But a Ten rained down on the turn and shocked the room full of spectators. Just when it looked like Corkins would lose in the same manner where he doubled-up, the river was dealt. Wham! A Queen rocked the table and Sexton’s dreams were crushed. All Corkins could do was shake his head in disbelief and rake in a huge $305,000 pot. Keith Sexton earned $25,000 in prize money, but was clearly disappointed with the outcome.

That extraordinary hand was the first in a series of earthquakes which shook Phil Hellmuth. The 1989 world poker champion went card dead during the early stages of the final table and watched as his tall towers of chips slowly disappeared. By essentially busting the first two players, Corkins rocketed into the chip lead for the first time and surpassed the $300,000 mark. It was the first occasion since late on Day One that Phil Hellmuth was not the tournament chip leader.

7th Place – David Levi’s patience earned him an extra $25,000. Hopelessly short-stacked from the start, Levi survived two full hours and catapulted into seventh place, moving from an anticipated $25,000 in prize money up to a cash of $50,000. Levi had an opportunity to move up even higher. He moved all-in with A-Q and caught a Queen on the flop. But Mike Matusow hijacked the top pair with his pocket Aces and crushed Levi’s dream of staging a comeback. David Levi, a former pro soccer player from Israel who now plays poker full time, earned $50,000 in this freeroll. Not bad for three days of poker playing.

6th Place – An hour passed before the next elimination. Grant Lang went out on a hand that was baffling to the casual observer. But given the scenario, the hand actually serves as a demonstration of what tournament poker is like at the highest level. After not playing a big pot for a while, Lang was dealt 9-5 of diamonds in the big blind. He called a raise by Tony Bloom, sitting in late position. The flop came K-J-10, normally a fold situation for the 9-5, but Lang played his opponent and the situation, hoping (wrongly, as it turned out) that his opponent might fold a stronger hand. Lang moved all-in after Bloom bet out. He said later that he hoped Bloom had a small pair and would fold. Lang went on to say he hoped Bloom would give him credit for A-K (top pair, top kicker). Unfortunately, Lang picked the wrong time to be creative. Bloom had pocket Aces all along, and Lang’s mental gymnastics resulted in a crash and burn in sixth place. Lang, a.k.a. “G-Money” collected $75,000 for sixth place.

With that hand, Corkins still retained his chip lead with nearly $400,000. Bloom was second with $230,000. Meanwhile, Hellmuth continued to lose ground. He was down to $145,000 when play became five-handed. Then, more fireworks came.

Tony Bloom took a tough blow when he had Steve Dannenmann all-in and drawing slim. Dannenmann was dealt A-4 of hearts and tried to steal, but Bloom woke up with A-K and called. Desperate for hearts, the deck delivered. Two hearts flopped and a third heart came on the turn, giving Dannenmann new tournament life. Dannenmann flashed a big smile, looking like the cat that ate the canary. Suddenly, Dannenmann was back in the race with $185,000 in chips.

Then, it was Bloom who caught a big hand, doubling up against Hoyt Corkins. Bloom moved all-in after the flop came A-10-2 (all spades). Bloom had K-Q, with the Queen of spades. Corkins thought for a while, then called holding J-10, with the Jack of spades. Bloom was facing elimination, and then caught a lifesaving Jack on the river which completed a straight. Corkins two pair hit the muck and Bloom was back in the game. That marked Corkins’ first serious setback at the final table.

At a final table with so much at stake, and with so many combustible personalities, an explosion was foreseeable. What wasn’t expected was who would light the fuse. Bothered by Phil Hellmuth’s constant toying with his chips, and not stacking them in a conventional manner which allowed them to be easily counted by opponents, Steve Dannenmann had enough and insisted that Hellmuth cease his covert chip activities. Hellmuth refused. That brought about a barrage of insults that made for great television, but which certainly detracted from the jovial spirit which had characterized the final table up to that point.

“I don’t understand why you can’t stack your chips like everyone else,” the normally reserved Dannenmann declared. “You are disrespecting the game.”

Still, Hellmuth refused to comply.

“I’m here playing as an amateur, and I know I’m up against professionals,” Dannenmann said. “You above everyone else should know the rules…..you sell all those books and products. But you aren’t a professional – you’re a punk!”

Coming from Matusow, the insult might have been expected. But delivered by the normally soft-spoken Dannenmann, the words stung the crowd like diving into a wasps’ nest. Half of the audience had their mouths open in disbelief. The other half were bent over in hysterical laughter. Unfortunately, the casualty of the verbal barrage would ultimately be Steve Dannenmann himself. He lost two critical pots, which destroyed what might have one of poker’s greatest soap operas.

Dannenmann’s first blow was one for the ages. Mike Matusow, who chatted incessantly throughout the initial stages of the final table, became decreasingly vocal as his stack-size dwindled. Unable to needle his favorite target (Hellmuth), Matusow was silenced when he was all-in with A-K against Steve Dannenmann’s pocket Jacks. By the fourth card, Matusow was in serious trouble. The Jacks were best, but four hearts were on the table, including Matusow’s Ace of hearts. Desperate for an Ace, King, or heart, he leapt into the air, fists raised, when a heart tumbled down on the river. Matusow spiked his flush and the standing room only crowd went wild. As it turned out, that would be a huge hand. Even more ironic was the fact that at last year’s WSOP final table in the Main Event, Dannenmann eliminated Matusow when he caught runner-runner hearts. Payback time.

5th Place – Steve Dannenmann’s misery continued. He tried to make a move at the pot with A-10 after the flop came Q-J-3. On a semi-bluff, Dannenmann moved all-in and Mike Matusow quickly called with K-Q. The top pair held up. Dannenmann was out. Steve Dannenmann, a self-described amateur poker player who is “the fourth best poker player in his weekly poker game (quoting him from the 2005 World Series of Poker),” finished in fifth place and collected $100,000.

The real story is what took place in the post-elimination interview. With ESPN cameras rolling, Dannenmann blasted Phil Hellmuth. “We don’t need players like that in the sport,” Dannenmann said, raising a few eyebrows. Adding insult to injury, Dannenmann stated unequivocally, “Mike Matusow is the best player I have ever played with.” As they say, war and poker create very strange bedfellows.

4th Place – Tony Bloom was blinded down to his last $100,000 in chips. He made a fateful call when he took K-8 up against Phil Hellmuth’s A-Q. Both players flopped a pair, but Hellmuth’s pair of Queens topped Bloom’s Eights. Bloom wilted. Tony ‘The Lizard’ Bloom, one of Europe’s most dynamic young stars, slithered away in fourth place and collected $150,000.

It was interesting that the three players who had dominated the Tournament of Champions from Day One ended up as the final trio of combatants. Hellmuth and Matusow had the chip lead during most of the tournament. Meanwhile, Hoyt Corkins (third after Day One to Hellmuth who was first, and Matusow who was second) vacillated up and down in the chip count before catching lightning early at the final table and stealing the chip-lead away from the two chatterboxes.

The next hand appeared mind boggling at first glance. But upon closer inspection, it revealed the strategic complexity of tournament poker. Corkins, dealt 5-4 suited, made a seemingly inexplicable play when he re-raised enough to put Matusow’s all-in before the flop. Matusow had A-6 and called. The Ace-high held up and Corkins had just given Matusow renewed confidence and $150,000 in chips. Corkins would later explain that he thought Matusow was weak and would not play a big pot with a marginal hand. “My re-raise was just big enough to possibly make Mike lay down the hand,” Corkins explained. “Even if Mike had two overcards like I believed and decided to call, I was still not that much of a dog and had (correct) pot odds.”

(continued)

After shaking heads settled and applause died down, the chip counts stood as follows:
Hellmuth -- $ 510,000
Matusow -- $ 320,000
Corkins -- $ 290,000

Now, Matusow was back on his game. He began threatening Hellmuth. “I’m going to bust you … Don’t bluff off all your chips … Philly can’t play.” For the most part, the stoic Corkins stayed out of the war of words during the entire day. Perhaps it was opponents’ respect for the stone faced Alabama cowboy or the simple acknowledgment that no amount of chatter would induce a tilt factor, that persuaded supermouths Hellmuth and Matusow to leave Corkins out of the toxic exchange of insults that continued over ten full hours.

Corkins won a series of small pots, which increased his chip stack to the point where he regained the chip lead. After the merry trio had played for an hour, Corkins had $460,000 to $330,000 for Matusow, and $310,000 for Hellmuth.

Then, disaster struck for Corkins. He moved all-in with a re-raise holding A-4 of hearts. Matusow, with pocket fives, made a heart-wrenching call. When the hole cards were revealed, even Hellmuth had to proclaim, “Great call, Mike.” Corkins made things interesting when he caught a four on the flop, but two successive blanks gave Matusow the biggest pot of the night to that point, and a 3-2 chip lead over his rival Hellmuth.

Just when it looked like Corkins was about to exit, he outfoxed his two opponents and climbed back into contention. It was an amazing display. It took him another hour to regain those lost chips and retake the chip lead. Just as the clock struck midnight, another electrifying moment occurred when Matusow foiled poker’s grim reaper. Holding A-Q, Matusow moved all-in with a re-raise. Corkins, holding A-K called instantly. With a sword at Matusow’s neck, it appeared ‘The Mouth’ would finally be silenced. Yet another miracle happened at this final table in a night filled with jokers. A Queen fell for Matusow on the turn and the crowd went ballistic. All poor Corkins could do was smile and shake his head. That pot lifted Matusow into a decisive chip lead with $700,000. Hellmuth and Corkins were left to battle for the scraps that were left.

Hellmuth sensed the crowd heavily favored Matusow. In a bold public relations move, Hellmuth pledged to buy 30 bottles of Dom Perignon champagne if he won the tournament. At $150 a bottle, that amounted to a $4,500 prize for the audience. So much for poker player allegiances. Suddenly, the crowd started whooping it up for Hellmuth, chanting “Phil! Phil! Phil!” leaving Matusow mystified. Score one for Hellmuth.

After getting punched twice, Corkins was down to his last $150,000. With blinds up to $6,000-$12,000 Corkins had plenty of time left to make his stand. But with Hellmuth and Matusow steadily pounding away, Corkins knew he desperately needed to catch a big hand and double up. He did exactly that. Then, Corkins shifted into overdrive and essentially raised 12 out of the next 15 hands. “I call him ‘Mr. All-In,” Hellmuth described earlier. “Just when I wanted to be the aggressor, Hoyt would move in his chips and I had to (fold).”

The final confrontation almost everyone in the audience had been expecting, anticipating, perhaps even hoping for never materialized. Arguably, no two opponents had more to prove to themselves and the poker world by achieving victory. Mike Matusow, hoped to make the TOC triumph the final chapter in what has been the comeback story of the year. Phil Hellmuth, the runner up in this event last year, not only hoped, but expected to return and earn a victory. If that wasn’t enough, the parents were in attendance. Matusow’s mother and Hellmuth’s father sat proudly in the audience. Add the individual theatrics, that Matusow and Hellmuth are probably the two most controversial personalities in poker, and the final stage was nearly set for a bloody duel that would have left one player with perhaps his most personally satisfying victory, and the other emotionally crushed, crying, and cursing off in a dark corner.

Hoyt Corkins wouldn’t let it happen. Demonstrating an uncanny fortitude for tournament hold’em and raw courage that is easy to glorify but impossible to learn, Corkins regained those lost chips and lots more. When Hellmuth looked down and saw A-Q, he assumed this was the gauntlet hand that would put an end to Corkins’ relentless all-in moves. Hellmuth called Corkins raise instantly and was horrified to see the Dixie cowboy flip over two red Aces. Corkins doubled up on the hand and Hellmuth was left with just over $100,000.

Hellmuth began jumping around the table, declaring that he would “never give up.” Like a kamikaze warrior trapped on a desert island fighting a lost cause, Hellmuth made one last desperate dash to win the poker war. But he was ultimately defeated, thus extinguishing the tempestuous nine-time gold bracelet winner’s final flicker of hope. Hellmuth went out with 10-8 suited against Corkins’ K-5. Neither player caught a pair, and the King-high played.

3rd Place – “I come here to win. Third-place is unacceptable,” Hellmuth declared in a post-tournament interview. “No one remembers who finishes second or third, except for my swearing tirades afterward.”

“I played so great. But, so what? It doesn’t mean anything. The American public doesn’t understand how unlucky I got. I had Hoyt stealing my blinds over and over and just when I have a chance to bust him (with A-Q), he wakes up with Aces. I mean, how unlucky is that?”

When asked about how this year’s third place finish compares with second place last year, Hellmuth replied, “This year is far more frustrating. I had to listen to all this B.S. (talking), and still I overcame it. But I could not overcome the bad luck…..I never had my chips all-in at any point, except late. I played perfect poker. Great poker is not moving all-in every time. The public doesn’t understand that.”

Hellmuth was asked about the two confrontations with Matusow and DanneNmann. “No one should have to put up with that at a final table,” Hellmuth declared. This is not Worldwide Wrestling.”

About Dannenmann, Hellmuth said: “I forgive him for that outburst. He is not experienced in tournaments and hasn’t played much at this level. I still shook his hand because there’s nothing personal about it (the conflict).”

Phil Hellmuth, the former world champion and nine-time gold bracelet winner collected $250,000 for third place.

The heads-up duel between Mike Matusow and Hoyt Corkins started off with Matusow holding a decisive three to one chip advantage. But Corkins would prove to be an incessant thorn in Matusow’s backside. With Hellmuth out of the room, the banter ceased and the poker became more serious. Amazingly, Corkins seemed to read Matusow perfectly every time, and knew exactly when to make a bold move with a raise. After 30 minutes of heads-up play, the two gladiators were locked into a virtual dead-heat.

The final hand came out of nowhere. After a series of hands where one player tried to steal with a big raise and the other player moving all-in (resulting in a fold), Corkins decided to make his final stand on a semi-bluff. Corkins was dealt Q-10. Matusow was dealt K-9. The flop came K-J-4. Matusow made a large bet and Corkins moved all-in. Matusow called. Corkins was on an outside straight draw. Matusow had top pair. Two blanks fell on the turn and river and Matusow won the $1,110,000 pot with a pair of Kings.

2nd Place – There’s no question that Hoyt Corkins got lucky a few times early at the final table. It’s just as certain that Corkins has a unique talent for playing a short-stack and intimidating opponents, even great players. Corkins was down to the felt at least two times and staged a roaring comeback each time. Perhaps had he filled the straight on the final hand, Corkins would have proudly lofted the TOC trophy. As it turns out, Hoyt Corkins had to settle for $325,000 and runner-up status.

1st Place -- Mike Matusow’s win might very well be the greatest comeback story in poker history. It’s certainly the greatest story since the late Stu Ungar’s stunning victory at the 1997 World Series of Poker, after a 16-year hiatus. Matusow was broke and isolated from the poker world last January. Surrounded by only a few close friends and family, Matusow never gave up on himself. When afforded an opportunity to enter the 2005 World Series of Poker, Matusow registered and nearly eliminated himself on the first day (Note: He was given 40-minutes worth of timeouts for inappropriate conduct). Remarkably, Matusow survived amongst a record-field of 5,618 other players and went on to make it all the way to the final table. He busted out ninth, but managed to earn $1 million. The money was gone shortly thereafter.

Back to where he started, Matusow entered the TOC on a freeroll, having qualified via his WSOP appearance. He raced into the chip lead on Day One, but ended up trailing Phil Hellmuth (and later Hoyt Corkins) most of the way. In the end, Matusow overcame several downswings and waited for opportune moments, making possibly the biggest tournament win of Matusow’s life.

“I knew I was up against great players at this final table,” The two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner said afterward. “This table had the greatest poker I have ever been exposed to. I’ve never seen or been involved in poker played at this level.”

Matusow was sentimental about the significance of the victory. “This is the greatest moment of my life,” Matusow said. “All the disappointments I’ve had. All the bad beats. All the bad decisions. This win means everything to me.”


Note: All content in this report may be re-printed by media.


Official Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
Caesars Poker Room Manager – Michael Matts
Tournament Director – Robert Daily

thats cool mike matasau won right?
it was awesome
can you trade points for bracelets?