2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions

[Reel Deal]

published on: Monday Jun 26, 2006

2006 Tournament of Champions Day 1
The Wild Bunch
Jesus, A Great Dane, and A Mouth walk into a casino…for the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions.

Day 1 of the exclusive invitation-only tournament played out in the Rio’s Amazon Room, the massive space that will soon be the site of the World Series of Poker, and featured an eclectic starting field. Of the 27 players, the majority earned entrance by placing first in a WSOP Circuit event. These players included Greg Merkow (Grand Tunica), Daniel Negreanu (Grand Tunica), Vinny Vinh (Caesar’s Indiana), Chris Reslock (Harrah’s Atlantic City), Chris “Jesus” Ferguson (Harrah’s Las Vegas), Darrell Dicken (Harrah’s San Diego), Abraham Korotki (Harrah's Atlantic City), Jeffery King (Harrah's Atlantic City), Peter Feldman (Harrah’s New Orleans), John Spadavecchia (Caesars Las Vegas), Thang “Kido” Pham (Paris/Bally’s), and Clint Baskin (Harrah’s Lake Tahoe).

The now famous members of the 2005 WSOP main event final table also gained entrance into the TOC and the event marked the first tournament to feature Joseph Hachem (1st), Steve Dannenmann (2nd), John “Tex” Barch (3rd), Aaron Kanter (4th), Andrew Black (5th), Scott Lazar (6th), Daniel Bergsdorf (7th), Bradley Kondracki (8th), and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow (9th) together since last year’s championship.

A number of players received special invitations to the tournament, including Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Sexton, Gus Hansen, Mike O’Malley, and Sarah Strom, who won her seat through a contest held by sandwich restaurant chain Quizno’s.

At 12:10 p.m. the action kicked off with $25-$50 blinds and $10,000 chip stacks. Fans in bleacher seats and standing three rows deep behind the rails witnessed a much lighter tournament atmosphere than usual as all 27 players had freerolled into the event. Daniel Negreanu spent most of the day joking with the railbirds and all the big name players took time between hands to sign autographs and have their pictures taken.

Despite the free entry, players entered the day with a chance to take home a $1 million first-place prize, and the stakes created some tension among the pros. Mike Matusow, the TOC defending champion, and Phil Hellmuth traded verbal shots early in the tournament and the floor manager was called over on numerous occasions to intervene.

The arguments ended, however, when Hellmuth became the first poker star to be eliminated. He bowed out of the tournament after his pocket queens failed to improve against Chris Ferguson’s pocket aces.

Negreanu, in between chatting with fans and practicing his golf swing, enjoyed the rare honor of knocking out the 2006 WSOP champion and runner-up finisher on the same hand. The action began when Joseph Hachem, a short stack for the majority of the day, pushed all in preflop and received calls from both Steve Dannenmann and Negreanu. Hachem took an early lead when he showed Q Q, while Dannenmann flipped over 8 8 and Negreanu turned over A Q. But the A J 10 10 4 board gave Negreanu two pair and he eliminated Hachem and Dannenmann from the tournament.

With a goal of playing down from 27 to 10, the final elimination of the day came nearly 12 hours after the first cards had hit the air. In a heads-up hand that featured the WSOP fourth- and fifth-place finishers, Aaron Kanter moved all in on a A 10 6 flop and Andrew Black called. Black flipped over A 10 and Kanter became an instant dog with A K. The 8 turn and 3 river offered Kanter no help, and he finished the tournament in 11th place.

The chip counts going into the final table are as follows:

1. Andrew Black - $94,175 (Seat 6)
2. Daniel Negreanu - $44,325 (Seat 5)
3. Daniel Bergsdorf - $24,500 (Seat 10)
4. Thang “Kido” Pham - $23,825 (Seat 1)
5. Mike “The Mouth” Matusow - $21,300 (Seat 4)
6. Chris “Jesus” Ferguson - $16,600 (Seat 2)
7. Mike Sexton - $16,100 (Seat 7)
8. Darrell Dicken - $15,425 (Seat 3)
9. Gus Hansen - $7,375 (Seat 8)
10. Chris Reslock - $6,375 (Seat 9)

The final 10 players return tomorrow at 1 p.m. PST. Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com for live updates, chip counts, and photos.

Quote of the Day: “I’m the Anti-Button” – Mike “The Mouth” Matusow

[2Tone]

Meanwhile, Full Contact has a video of Daniel's take on Day 1 action

[Talking Poker]

Video diary, eh?

Way cool.

[Talking Poker]

Here is the official press release in case anyone wants more info:

-----
2006 Tournament of Champions
Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino – Las Vegas
Official Report
No-Limit Hold’em
Number of Entries: 27
Total Prize Money: $2,000,000

Current Standings:
1. Andrew Black Dublin, Ireland 94,175
2. Daniel Negreanu Las Vegas, NV 44,325
3. Daniel Bergsdorf Umea, Sweden 24,500
4. Kido Pham Dallas, TX 23,825
5. Mike Matusow Las Vegas, NV 21,300
6. Chris “Jesus” Ferguson Pacific Palisades, CA 16,600
7. Mike Sexton Las Vegas, NV 16,100
8. Darrell Dicken Las Vegas, NV 15,425
9. Gus Hansen Copenhagen, Denmark 7,375
10. Chris Reslock Atlantic City, NJ 6,375

Black Back on the Attack!
Rio Hosts the 2006 Tournament of Champions

As final table begins, Irishman Andrew Black is the chip leader,
Daniel Negreanu a distant second, eight more round-out the field
Las Vegas, NV -- The third annual Tournament of Champions kicked off today at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The TOC is a one-of-a-kind freeroll competition consisting of the top World Series of Poker and WSOP Circuit players of the past year. The high-level of competition makes the tournament one of the toughest events to win in poker. Annie Duke was victorious the inaugural TOC held in 2004. Last year, Mike “the Mouth” Matusow won the championship.

The invitational tournament offers a total prize pool of $2 million – including a million-dollar first-prize. Nine places will be paid. For all players -- the special event cost nothing to enter, as all prize money is posted by Harrah’s Entertainment and its esteemed corporate partners -- including Sobe Adrenaline Rush (energy drink) and PartyPoker.net (online poker school).

The 27 invited players this year included all of the WSOP Circuit event winners from August 2005 through June 2006 (12 seats). Players who made it to the final table of the 2005 WSOP main event were also invited (nine seats). The remaining seats were filled by individuals selected by Harrah’s Entertainment and its sponsors (six seats). Those players ranged from poker legend and two-time WSOP champion Doyle Brunson, to Sarah Strong, who beat out 100,000 competitors to win sandwich-king Quizno’s special promotional qualifying tournament.

With so much prize money and bragging rights for one of poker’s most prestigious titles at stake, ESPN was on hand to film the entire event for future broadcast.

On Day One, 17 players busted-out. Players were eliminated in the following order:

27th – Abe Korotki went out first when he flopped a set of eights against Daniel Negreanu’s set of jacks. The higher set won.

26th – 1989 WSOP champion Phil Hellmuth went out early when his Q-Q was flattened by 2000 WSOP champion Chris “Jesus” Ferguson.

25th – Greg Merkow flopped top pair but lost to Gus Hansen’s 6-6 when “The Great Dane” caught a six, good for a set.

24th – Peter Feldman was dealt 4-4 and had the best hand until Chris “Jesus” Ferguson caught a jack on the river to go with A-J. Feldman went out 24th.

23rd – Steve Dannenmann was eliminated when his 8-8 lost in a big three-way pot with Daniel Negreanu and Joe Hachem. Negreanu had A-Q and flopped an ace, putting Dannenmann out of the tournament.

22nd – The reigning world poker champion Joe Hachem had the best hand when he moved all-in with Q-Q. Steve Dannenmann was all-in as well, holding 8-8. Daniel Negreanu had A-Q and caught an ace on the flop, eliminating the top two finishers of the 2005 WSOP in one single hand.

21st – Jeff King started his final hand with A-K but lost to Andrew Black’s 9-9. A nine came on the river, which was the crowing blow for King.

20th – Law student Brad Kondracki busted out with A-J. He ran into Chris “Jesus” Ferguson’s Q-Q. A queen came on the turn and ended Kondracki’s hopes of a winning verdict.

19th – Sarah Strom, a crowd favorite, showed she could play poker with the best. She outlasted champions Hachem and Hellmuth, and might have finished higher had it not been for some very bad luck. Strom was low on chips and moved all-in with A-Q against Daniel Negreanu, holding an embarrassingly bad hand – 5-2. When the flop came A-3-4 giving Negreanu a straight, he went over and gave Strom a conciliatory hug. Strom smiled and waved to the crowd. She could be proud of her play in this tournament.

18th – John Spadavecchia, a veteran of many poker battles lost this one when he played an A-8 aggressively and missed, losing to Doyle Brunson when the final board showed J-10-7-8-5.

17th – Mike O’Malley busted-out when his A-Q was crushed by Daniel Negreanu’s 3-2. It proved to be yet another weak hand that turned into a monster. O’Malley moved all-in holding top pair when an ace flopped, and Negreanu called with a pair of threes. Another three fell on the turn (good for three-of-a-kind) and O’Malley waved goodbye.

16th – Vinny Vinh went out with 6-6 against Chris Reslock’s 7-7. Reslock would be a giant killer over the next hour, as he eliminated three consecutive players.

15th – Clint Baskin was eliminated when his 9-9 was cracked by Chris Reslock’s A-K. Reslock rivered a king, and Baskin melted away in 15th place.

14th – Tex Barch was short on chips and moved in with J-9 against Chris Reslock’s K-Q. Reslock made a pair. Barch didn’t. Barch went home.

13th – Poker icon Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson went out in unlucky 13th place when his K-Q lost to Aaron Kanto’s Q-Q.

12th – Scott Lazar, a movie producer in Hollywood, went out next with A-K against Kido Pham’s Q-Q. Lazar failed to make a pair, and was cut from the script in 12th place.

11th – Aaron Kantor took a tough beat when his A-K lost to Andrew Black’s A-10. Black flopped two pair (aces and tens) and Kantor was left wondering what went wrong and ended up going out just short of the money.

That left ten players to return tomorrow for the final table. The ten finalists, born in six different nations, represent four different countries – USA, Sweden, Ireland, and Denmark. The ten finalists of the 2006 Tournament of Champions consist of the following players:

Seat 1: Kido Pham
Thang “Kido” Pham was born in Vietnam and now lives in Dallas. He pulled off a major upset in the Bally’s Las Vegas WSOP Circuit championship and arrives at the final table in fourth place.

Seat 2: Chris “Jesus” Ferguson
Chris Ferguson is one of the world’s most popular poker players. He won the WSOP in 2000, and currently owns five gold bracelets. He arrives at this final table in the middle of the pack.

Seat 3: Darrell Dicken
Darrell Dicken, a.k.a. “GigaBet” won the WSOP Circuit championship at Harrah’s Rincon, near San Diego. He arrives with a modest chip stack.

Seat 4: Mike “the Mouth” Matusow
The defending champion of this event is Mike Matusow, who won last year’s $1 million top prize. He also finished ninth in the WSOP main event last year, earning another $1 million. Should he repeat as TOC champion, he would truly be the million-dollar man.

Seat 5: Daniel Negreanu
Canadian-born Daniel Negreanu now lives in Las Vegas. When he won his first WSOP gold bracelet in 1998, he was the youngest winner in WSOP history at the time. He now owns three gold bracelets and arrives second in the chip count.

Seat 6: Andrew Black
Andrew Black finished fifth in the WSOP main event last year, earning $1.75 million. The mystical Irishman is clearly on a mission here and arrives with an impressive chip lead – twice the amount of chips as his closest rival.

Seat 7: Mike Sexton
Mike Sexton has evolved into one of poker’s greatest ambassadors and is one of the game’s most recognizable faces. Sexton is a widely-respected television poker commentator and writer and won a WSOP gold bracelet in 1989.

Seat 8: Gus Hansen
“The Great Dane” is one of poker’s most aggressive players. He has enjoyed much success in poker – yet for all his poker glory, he has yet to win a WSOP gold bracelet. He has a big challenge at the final table, as the player in ninth position.

Seat 9: Chris Reslock
Chris Reslock won the Showboat Atlantic City WSOP Circuit championship. He was tough on the first day, eliminating three players. But he ran cold towards the end of Day One and arrives at the final table as the shortest stack.

Seat 10: Daniel Bergsdorf
Daniel Bergsdorf finished seventh in the WSOP main event last year, earning $1.3 million. The Swede is third in chips at the start of the final table.

Prize money will be distributed, 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

Final table play starts on Monday, June 26 at 12 noon PST.

by Nolan Dalla
Note: All content in this report may be re-printed by media.
__________________________________
For official news and latest updates from the 2006 World Series of Poker, please visit:
For official photographs from the 2006 World Series of Poker, please contact Eric Harkins (Image Masters PDI) at:
Or visit:
For additions news and information from the 2006 WSOP, please contact:
_________________________________

World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Sports and Entertainment Marketing (Licensing) -- Ty Stewart
Director of Sports and Entertainment Marketing (Communications) – Gary Thompson
Vice President of Specialty Gaming -- Howard Greenbaum
WSOP Tournament Director – Robert Daily
WSOP Tournament Director / Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel

[Talking Poker]

Looks like CardPlayer is doing a sweet job with the updates and chip counts (so far) this year. This is encouraging...

Chip Counts:


Live Updates Blog:


We're down to the final 4 now:
1. Daniel
2. Mike Sexton
3. Mike Matusow
4. Chris Reslock

Edit: Here is the main page for their WSOP updates (this will be the one to check often):

[Robbie Robb]

And they're STILL playing! They started heads-up play at about 11:30pm PDT. So they've been heads-up for 5 hours now.

Current chips stacks as of about 5 minutes ago:
Sexton: 1,600,000
Negreanu: 1,100,000

[Robbie Robb]

Wow!!! Not too long ago things did NOT look good for Negreanu. Sexton had about a 4:1 chip lead and now, with the players on a 15 minute break, the count is:
DN: 1.5M
MS: 1.2M

I'm actually really kinda torn on who I want to win. I think that DN winning this would give him the boost he needs to do well for the rest of WSOP but I also think that Sexton's a great player too.

At least Matusow didn't make final two.

[Robbie Robb]

Well, it's all over. I'll put the results in white in case anyone wants to place a bet on this a few weeks down the road:

Mike Sexton knocked out Negreanu with AA, winning the 2006 ToC and the $1M prize that goes with it. Negreanu, for his second place finish takes home $325K.

Good goin' guys. That seemed to be a marathon HU battle!

[Talking Poker]

Pretty awesome that Mike won this. This will make for great tv (I assume it's going to be televised).

-----
2006 Tournament of Champions
Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino – Las Vegas
Official Report
No-Limit Hold’em
Number of Entries: 27
Total Prize Money: $2,000,000

Official Results:
1st Place Mike Sexton Las Vegas, NV $1,000,000
2nd Place Daniel Negreanu Las Vegas, NV 325,000
3rd Place Mike Matusow Las Vegas, NV 250,000
4th Place Chris Reslock Atlantic City, NJ 150,000
5th Place Andrew Black Dublin, Ireland 100,000
6th Place Darrell Dicken Waterloo, IA 75,000
7th Place Chris “Jesus” Ferguson Pacific Palisades, CA 50,000
8th Place Kido Pham Dallas, TX 25,000
9th Place Daniel Bergsdorf Umea, Sweden 25,000

A Most Deserving Victory!
Mike Sexton Wins Third-Annual Tournament of Champions

Poker’s greatest ambassador and popular television commentator outlasts Daniel Negreanu in grueling 17-hour final table marathon, and takes million dollar first-prize

Las Vegas, NV – The third-annual Tournament of Champions concluded today at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. TOC competitors included the top World Series of Poker and WSOP Circuit players of the past year. The high-level of competition and intense play makes the TOC one of the most prestigious titles in poker.

The special by-invitation-only tournament offered up a total prize pool of $2 million – including a one-million dollar first-prize. For all 27 players -- the special event cost nothing to enter. All prize money was posted by Harrah’s Entertainment and its corporate partners -- including Sobe Adrenaline Rush (energy drink) and PartyPoker.net (online poker school).

The invited list of players this year included each of the WSOP Circuit event winners from August 2005 through June 2006 (12 seats). Players who made it to the final table of the 2005 WSOP main event were also included (nine seats). The remaining places were filled by individuals selected by Harrah’s Entertainment and its sponsors (six seats). Those players ranged from poker legend and two-time WSOP champion Doyle Brunson, to Sarah Strong, who beat out 100,000 competitors to win sandwich-king Quizno’s special promotional qualifying tournament. However, neither player would survive past the first day.

With so much prize money and bragging rights for one of poker’s most prominent titles up for grabs, ESPN, the leader in sports television, was present to film the entire two-day event for a later broadcast.

Seventeen of 27 starters busted-out yesterday on Day One. The ten finalists returned to the Rio for Day Two. The final table’s composition was truly international. Finalists were born in six different nations, representing four different countries – the USA, Sweden, Ireland, and Denmark.

Seat 1: Kido Pham
Seat 2: Chris “Jesus” Ferguson
Seat 3: Darrell Dicken
Seat 4: Mike “the Mouth” Matusow
Seat 5: Daniel Negreanu
Seat 6: Andrew Black
Seat 7: Mike Sexton
Seat 8: Gus Hansen
Seat 9: Chris Reslock
Seat 10: Daniel Bergsdorf

Andrew Black arrived as the chip leader, with a commanding 2 to 1 chip lead over his closest rival, Daniel Negreanu. One unfortunate player would be forced to make an unpaid appearance at the final table. Since only the top-nine finishers received prize money, the unlucky tenth-place finisher had the cruel misfortune to make it to a final table, yet walk away penniless.

That unlucky tenth-place finisher turned out to be Gus Hansen, one of poker’s most feared and respected top professionals. “The Great Dane” arrived with the second-lowest stack stick and went out quickly. Despite his success at tournaments elsewhere, Hansen has yet to win a WSOP-related event and seems way overdue for a breakthrough victory. Hansen exited to a round of applause from the crowd and sighs of relief from the remaining nine players, who were guaranteed prize money once the nine finalists were set.

Daniel Bergsdorf was the next player to be eliminated. About an hour into play, the Swede who finished seventh in the WSOP main event last year, moved all-in with pocket kings after the flop came J-9-8. Unbeknownst to Bergsdorf, opponent Daniel Negreanu had flopped a monster hand, holding queen-ten -- good for a straight. Bergsdorf failed to improve and finished in ninth place, which paid $25,000.

Kido Pham, who won the Bally’s WSOP Circuit championship held in Las Vegas last year, went out next. Pham was low on chips and tried to steal with a weak hand. Andrew Black made the call, caught a pair, and ended Pham’s dream of becoming a millionaire. Eighth place paid $25,000.

One of the tournament’s most decisive hands occurred mid-way into the finale. The hand completely altered the fortune of at least two players, and set the stage for the remainder of the tournament. Daniel Negreanu was dealt pocket kings and called an all-in re-raise by Andrew Black, holding ace-king. It’s rare in tournament poker to see a confrontation between the two largest chip stacks, but this is precisely what happened. The kings held up and Negreanu rocketed up into the chip lead for the first time. In an instant, Black’s humongous chip stack went from a castle to a farmhouse.

Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, the 2000 world poker champion and five-time WSOP gold bracelet winner, was low on chips throughout play. He finally busted-out when his pocket sixes were flattened by Darrell Dicken’s pocket eights. Neither player improved, so the higher pair won. Ferguson collected $50,000 for finishing seventh.

“At the end, it was necessary to make a move,” Ferguson later explained. “I made a move and got called by a better hand – it’s that simple….I’m not really happy with seventh place, but you can’t win them all.”

The WSOP Circuit champion from Harrah’s Rincon, near San Diego, went out in sixth place. On his last hand, Darrell "Gigabet" Dicken moved in on a semi-bluff with a diamond flush draw. Mike Sexton had top pair (kings) and called. Dicken failed to catch a much-needed diamond, and picked up $75,000 for two days of poker playing.

Andrew Black, who suffered a brutally disappointing experience at this final table, became the tournament’s next fatality. With his massive chip advantage at the start, Black certainly expected to finish higher than fifth. But he could not overcome the big loss to Negreanu. Black went out on a flush draw with king-nine suited, but missed. Mike Matusow anxiously scooped up and meticulously stacked Black’s final chips, making the mystical Irishman the latest final table outcast. Black’s prize amounted to $100,000.

East Coast poker champion Chris Reslock won the WSOP Circuit main event at the Atlantic City Showboat, held last year. He held tough at the final table, finishing fourth, despite arriving as the player lowest in chips. On his final hand, Reslock was dealt ten-nine and flopped a pair of tens. Daniel Negreanu also flopped a pair of tens, with a king-kicker. The higher side-card played, and Reslock was busted. The former Atlantic City taxi driver rode away with a ‘fare’ amount of cash -- $150,000 for fourth place.

Trickled down to a trio, it was fitting that the three TOC finalists were among the most well-known poker personalities in the world. Although quite different in background and temperament – Mike Sexton, Daniel Negreanu, and Mike Matusow have all captured the public’s imagination and attention in very dissimilar ways. The verbal fireworks that many in the standing-only crowd were anticipating went off almost immediately. Matusow consistently baited his favorite target, Negreanu which only encouraged a combative and comedic rebuttal, more often than not leaving the entire table in stitches. Even the calm and collected Mike Sexton broke up a few times, making it seem like the audience was watching a modern-day performance by poker’s version of “the Rat Pack” rather than an intense multi-million dollar tournament.

After trading chips back and forth for over an hour, the next major confrontation took place when Mike Matusow admittedly made a mental mistake and “slipped.” Matusow’s fateful hand started off innocently enough, with Mike Sexton making a standard raise with pocket sevens. Matusow had A-4 and re-raised all-in. Sexton contemplated his decision for a time and finally decided to call. Judging by the look of despair on his face, Matusow knew he was in trouble. Predictably, the sevens turned out to be lucky for Sexton, and the defending champ was out. Matusow’s share of the prize money amounted to $250,000.

“I got tired. I played spectacular most of the day. I was in ‘the zone,’ but I slipped,” Matusow admitted afterward. “On the final hand I pressed too hard, and I lost. Mike played amazing poker. I’ve played against him a thousand times. He made the right call. I am the first to say I was defeated.”

As ESPN cameras rolled in a post-tournament interview, the normally bombastic Matusow reserved his harshest criticism for himself. “I wanted to defend my title so bad,” he said. “It sucks, especially because I am the one who screwed up.”

If Matusow was feeling exhausted as the tournament entered a third unscheduled day, he had no inclination of the unexpected test of mental and physical dexterity that was to befall the two finalists. When heads-up play began, Mike Sexton enjoyed a slight chip lead over Daniel Negreanu – 1,488,000 to 1,212,000. The duo would duel for more than five hours, initially trading the chip lead back and forth. But as the night grew longer and morning came to light, it was Sexton who was both more aggressive and appeared to catch a more favorable run of cards in the tournament’s later stages. As the clock inched toward 4 am, Sexton had improved to a 3 to 1 chip lead and the end seemed eminent.

But poker tournaments are often impossible to predict. One hour later, Negreanu reversed Sexton’s advantage and seized a 3 to 2 chip lead. With all but the most hardcore poker aficionados still conscious, a late break from the action revealed the exceptional desire to win burning within the two former poker champions. Negreanu approached the press table and candidly stated, “Whoever wins this tournament will really have something to be proud of. There has been some great poker played here over the last several hours.”

No one could, or would, dare argue. In fact, it became obvious that both players essentially played mistake-free poker for a total of 17 hours. In the end, one critical yet erratic hand, two cards randomly passed between the arched fingers of two phenomenal players would ultimately make a champion out of one player and the other a heartbroken victim of chance.
That hand took place when Sexton was dealt king-queen. Negreanu was dealt queen-jack (two diamonds). After the flop came K-8-4 with two diamonds, Negreanu (on a diamond flush draw) moved all-in and Sexton (holding top pair) called. Two non-diamond blanks fell on the turn and river, and Sexton regained the chip lead – this time about 4 to 1 over his adversary. Negreanu was unable to recover from that devastating blow.
Then, the clock struck six. With both players visibly weary from the dusk to dawn duel of staying power, the final hand of the TOC was dealt at 6:07 am PST. Negreanu, with queen-jack moved all-in with two overcards and a straight draw after the flop came 10-8-4. Sexton, with pocket aces, could not move his chips into the pot fast enough. An ace on the turn seemed to be a big card for Sexton, but it actually helped Negreanu considerably more. He picked up four additional out (four kings to make a straight). But an eight on the river paired the board, giving Sexton a full house – aces over eights – and his first WSOP-related victory in more than 17 years.

It was tough to see if Negreanu was more disappointed or fatigued afterward. The three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner expressed no regrets. “It was really tough – there were a lot of great of players at this final table,” said Negreanu. “Looking back, I really do not have any regrets about the way I played my hands. I must have missed just about every big draw I had, and that cost me in the end.”

Mike Sexton’s victory was well-deserved for many reasons. Sexton won his only WSOP gold bracelet back in 1989, in the game of seven-card stud eight-or-better. But due to the demands of his celebrity as a poker commentator on television, Sexton has not been able to play in as many tournaments as he would like.

“I am so happy to win,” a choked up Sexton said in a post-victory interview. “To win the million-dollar prize and this title means everything to me. But to be perfectly honest, there is nothing quite like that feeling when you win your first (gold bracelet) at the World Series of Poker. To come back again all these years later and win this tournament, especially against such tremendous competition, in addition to defeating a great champion like Daniel Negreanu after five hours, really makes me proud.”

At the start of the tournament, Sexton – the eternal goodwill ambassador – pledged half of his TOC win to charity. That means a collection of Sexton’s favorite charities will split a whooping half-million dollars. “I have been blessed with so much good fortune,” Sexton said. “I really want to give something back from the game that has been so good to me and has taught me so many things.”

The win for special for at least one more reason. Back in 1998, long before the current poker craze, Sexton had a grand vision for an exclusive yearly poker tournament which would only feature the greatest poker champions. That tournament, both in name and concept, eventually became the “Tournament of Champions.”

Nearly a decade later, Sexton would win the very tournament he helped to inspire.

“When I first helped to create the TOC concept, it was really ahead of its time,” said Sexton. “I am thrilled to see (Harrah’s Entertainment) take that idea and create its own World Series of Poker-version of the TOC. Of course to actually play in it and win it – well, that’s justice.”

by Nolan Dalla
Note: All content in this report may be re-printed by media.
__________________________________
For official news and latest updates from the 2006 World Series of Poker, please visit:
For official photographs from the 2006 World Series of Poker, please contact Eric Harkins (Image Masters PDI) at:
Or visit:
For additions news and information from the 2006 WSOP, please contact:
_________________________________

World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Sports and Entertainment Marketing (Licensing) -- Ty Stewart
Director of Sports and Entertainment Marketing (Communications) – Gary Thompson
Vice President of Specialty Gaming -- Howard Greenbaum
WSOP Tournament Director – Robert Daily
WSOP Tournament Director / Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel