WSOP - Event #2 Results... $1500 No-Limit Hold’em

[Talking Poker]

2006 World Series of Poker
Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino – Las Vegas
Official Report
Event #2
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $1,500
Number of Entries: 2,776
Total Prize Money: $3,789,240
Defending Champion (2005): Allen Cunningham

Official Results:
1. Brandon Cantu Las Vegas, NV $757,839
2. Phong “Mark” Ly Los Angeles, CA $416,816
3. Dr. Drew Rubin Hollywood, FL $226,597
4. Lee Padella Modesto, CA $176,579
5. Brent Roberts Staten Island, NY $151,570
6. Don A. Zewin Las Vegas, NV $126,940
7. Ronald E. Stanley Henderson, NV $107,614
8. Mark Swartz Phoenix, AZ $88,668
9. Juan Carlos Mortensen Las Vegas, NV $71,617
10. Tom Nguyen Reno, NV $56,081
11. Jennifer Harman Las Vegas, NV $51,155
12. Jack Rosenfeldt Hobrq, Denmark $46,987
13. Ali Eslami Van Nuys, CA $43,197
14. Chad Burum Novato, Canada $39,408
15. David Baker Katy, TX $35,619
16. Adam N. Smith Mansfield, TX $31,830
17. Steven Hohn Overland Park, KS $28,040
18. Stuart Krasney Tustin, CA $24,251
19. Jorge R. Walker Cerritos, CA $20,462
20. Paul Smith San Diego, CA $20,462
21. Young V. Phan Irvine, CA $20,462
22. Ronnie Jackson Henderson, NV $16,673
23. Kyle Burnside Somerset, MA $16,673
24. David "Devil Fish" Ulliott Hull, England $16,673
25. Michael LaBonte Richfield, WI $13,641
26. Michael Bertolini Las Vegas, NV $13,641
27. Kent Roman Wyandotte, MI $13,641
28. Christopher Larue Mantica, CA $11,368
29. Rick Burke Chicago, IL $11,368
30. Ali Zargari Las Vegas, NV $11,368
31. Tam Hang Seattle, WA $11,368
32. Paul Darden, Jr. Las Vegas, NV $11,368
33. Mark Schaech Baltimore, MD $11,368
34. Jeffery Peterson Corona, CA $11,368
35. Albert Krux Fayetteville, NY $11,368
36. Rohn Schutsky Freehold, NJ $11,368
37. Vaughan Machado Red Bank, NJ $9,094
38. Motoyuki Mabuchi Osaka, Japan $9,094
39. Ryan Even Henderson, NV $9,094
40. Bill Gazes Miami, FL $9,094
41. Tony "Pokerthug" Lay OK City, OK $9,094
42. Arsenio Javier Fullerton, CA $9,094
43. Don Leone Greendale, WI $9,094
44. Michael Miller Northridge, CA $9,094
45. Ty Takishita Honolulu, HI $9,094
46. Phil Gordan Las Vegas, NV $9,094
47. Paul Gratsch Cocoa, FL $9,094
48. Trent Schuler Springfield, OH $9,094
49. Erik Seidel Las Vegas, NV $9,094
50. Emmett Burns Fort Worth, TX $9,094
51. Bernard "BeeNO" Ko Chino Hills, CA $9,094
52. Preston Ritchie New Orleans, LA $9,094
53. Ken Koski Howell, MI $9,094
54. Greg Noren Phoenix, AZ $9,094
55. Scott Lychwick Gilbert, AZ $7,578
56. Michael Kim New York, NY $7,578
57. Danny Fuhs Las Vegas, NV $7,578
58. Shane Stephenson Pittsburg, PA $7,578
59. Reza Zand Henderson, NV $7,578
60. Chris Henchcliffe Olympia, WA $7,578
61. Bill Chen Lafayette Hill, PA $7,578
62. Danny Adelson Los Angeles, CA $7,578
63. Greg Raymer Raleigh, NC $7,578
64. Gorden Smith Tool, TX $7,578
65. Unknown NA $7,578
66. Christpoer Budak Cypress, TX $7,578
67. Phil Helmuth, Jr. Palo Alto, CA $7,578
68. Derek Neumman Bothell, WA $7,578
69. William Lin Denver, CO $7,578
70. Ben Boyd Los Angeles, CA $7,578
71. Tad Jurgens Phoenix, AZ $7,578
72. Paul Tran Houston, TX $7,578
73. Nick Guagenti Westerville, OH $7,578
74. Sam Chung Las Vegas, NV $7,578
75. Tuan Le Los Angeles, CA $7,578
76. Bill Maguire Robstown, TX $7,578
77. Charles Gambino Brooklyn, NY $7,578
78. Jim Bechtel Gilbert, AZ $7,578
79. Mike Ngo New Orleans, LA $7,578
80. Dan Nemec Menomonee Falls, WI $7,578
81. Dan Nguyen San Jose, CA $7,578
82. Cathleen Tran Irvine, CA $6,063
83. Tom Slater Danville, CA $6,063
84. Bob Rasmussen Seattle, WA $6,063
85. Carl Olson Seattle, WA $6,063
86. John Bonetti Houston, TX $6,063
87. Darryl Oauenhauer Laughin, NV $6,063
88. Victor Demolo Sarasota, FL $6,063
89. Richard Talerico Brookshire, TX $6,063
90. Nick Voyatzis Los Angeles, CA $6,063
91. Armen Kara Brea, CA $6,063
92. Dom Auzzi Bronx, NY $6,063
93. Brian Taylor Macon, GA $6,063
94. Bruce Yamron Naples, FL $6,063
95. Jordan Rich Portland, OR $6,063
96. Matt Holtzclaw Elk Grove, CA $6,063
97. Keith Seradzki Blontown, NJ $6,063
98. Eric Froelich Washington DC $6,063
99. Brett Cuccarelli Modesto, CA $6,063
100. Blair Rodman Las Vegas, NV $6,063
101. Rigo Vangarelli Acworth, GA $6,063
102. Adam Green Reston, VA $6,063
103. Robert Sweedler Portland, OR $6,063
104. Sagar Patel Morton Grove, IL $6,063
105. Frank Senipoli Hollywood, FL $6,063
106. Fred Yazber Semi Valley, CA $6,063
107. Casey Kastle Chicago, IL $6,063
108. Jim Gentry Vancouver, WA $6,063
109. James Weston Stanhope, NJ $4,547
110. Tom Pniak Las Vegas, NV $4,547
111. William Shanks College Park, MD $4,547
112. Gregory Whiting Jr. Philadelphia, PA $4,547
113. Michael Copener Phoenix, AZ $4,547
114. Bruce Leyser Los Angeles, CA $4,547
115. Eric Mellott Woodland Park, Co $4,547
116. Arms Yongyuth Carlsland, CA $4,547
117. Derrick Ho San Jose, CA $4,547
118. Darrell Stoner Orlando, FL $4,547
119. Dave Chaput Brookeville, MD $4,547
120. Dave Fisher Buffalo, NY $4,547
121. Tom Noble San Diego, CA $4,547
122. Richie Wong Las Vegas, NV $4,547
123. Zachary Fritz Las Vegas, NV $4,547
124. Adam Friedman Gananna, OH $4,547
125. Chris Campochiard Granada Hills, CA $4,547
126. Nevio Nicolich New York, NY $4,547
127. Tanhdah Tran El Monte, CA $4,547
128. Chad Wiedenhoeft Whitewater, WI $4,547
129. Chaechon Yim Kent, WA $4,547
130. David Byer Las Vegas, NV $4,547
131. Larry Rossland Mandan, ND $4,547
132. David Mann Long Beach, CA $4,547
133. Greg Higginsbotham Janesville, WI $4,547
134. Todd Reynolds Holtsville, NY $4,547
135. Kenneth Johns Pitchford Sutton-In, Ashfield, England $4,547
136. Michael Hill Wiesbaden Germany $4,547
137. Bradley W. Anderson Fresno, CA $4,547
138. Patrick Poels Mesa, AZ $4,547
139. Michael Ruth Schenectady, NY $4,547
140. Thomas Sanduski Las Vegas, NV $4,547
141. John Yahnig Louisville, KY $4,547
142. Andy Miller Abilene, TX $4,547
143. Kenneth Brosnahan Marietta, GA $4,547
144. Michael Rohland Downey, CA $4,547
145. Jason Akay Honolulu, HI $4,547
146. Ryan Buckholtz San Diego, CA $4,547
147. Chris Odle Middletown, De $4,547
148. Rodney Johnson Mechanicsville, VA $4,547
149. Abraham Iannous Henderson, NV $4,547
150. Ryan Harrington Portland, OR $4,547
151. Burelle Almaello Honolulu, HI $4,547
152. Hung Na Manhatten Beach, CA $4,547
153. James Kilaryian Moneta, VA $4,547
154. Neal Matthews Colorado Springs, CO $3,410
155. Walter J. Davis Las Vegas, NV $3,410
156. Brandon Leeds Phoenix, AZ $3,410
157. Jason Strasser New York, NY $3,410
158. Unknown NA $3,410
159. David Siegel Calabasas, CA $3,410
160. Roger Houston West Minister, CA $3,410
161. David Wekks Toledo, OH $3,410
162. Angie Tran Houston, TX $3,410
163. Peter F. Horn Jr. Acworth, GA $3,410
164. Thomas Carrion Jr. Fairfield, CA $3,410
165. Jose Rosenkrantz Miami, FL $3,410
166. Unknown NA $3,410
167. Benjamin Lin Rockville, MD $3,410
168. Raed Abdulfihat Kyle, TX $3,410
169. Dustin Goff Las Vegas, NV $3,410
170. Jason Howard Gutherie Parrish, FL $3,410
171. Johathan Little Pensacola, FL $3,410
172. Stephen Grockett Costa Mesa, CA $3,410
173. CJ Hammett Katonah, NY $3,410
174. Alex Baldwin NA $3,410
175. Alexander Porter Tucson, AZ $3,410
176. Michael Davis Norcross, GA $3,410
177. Ehren Ezzel Austin, TX $3,410
178. Joseph Shukys Las Vegas, NV $3,410
179. Joseph Cordi Indian Wells, CA $3,410
180. Benedicto Cruz Freemont, CA $3,410
181. Douglas Gladstone San Francisco, CA $3,410
182. Zvi Groysman Thornhill, Ontario $3,410
183. Pierre Bergeron Quebec, Canada $3,410
184. Dawna Wilson Teton Village, WY $3,410
185. Rob Goetschins Westlake, CA $3,410
186. Michael Kennedy Surprise, AZ $3,410
187. Noah Kelley Eugene, OR $3,410
188. Jason Farkas Oak Creek, WI $3,410
189. David Unketer Arlington, TX $3,410
190. Todd Bourgault Fair Haven, MA $3,410
191. Robert Tyburski Henderson, NV $3,410
192. Russell Giorgianni Las Vegas, NV $3,410
193. Michael Epstein Las Vegas, NV $3,410
194. David Skinner Las Vegas, NV $3,410
195. Evan Paushter NA $3,410
196. Kenneth Meier Pittsburgh, PA $3,410
197. Stephen Gin NA $3,410
198. Jethro Horowitz Double Bay, South Wales $3,410
198 Aaron Price Barsto, CA $2,274
200. Troy Kidwell Austin, TX $2,274
201 Jeremy Lux Shelbyville, IN $2,274
202 Gerald Johonnot Las Vegas, NV $2,274
203 Andrew Wade Adrian, MI $2,274
204 Sammy Lewis N. Las Vegas, NV $2,274
205 Daniel John Stanton Northfield, IN $2,274
206 Adam Zinn Henderson, NV $2,274
207 Richard Wilcox Danville, CA $2,274
208 Ahavle Lehr Bossier, LA $2,274
209 Randy Campbell Villa Park, CA $2,274
210 Steven Wegel Wedowle, AL $2,274
211 Jason Hodges Las Vegas, NV $2,274
212 Richard Paulsen Weburn, MA $2,274
213 Duane Capes Rochelle, IL $2,274
214 Edward Piper Mogador, OH $2,274
215 Joseph Sorren Flagstaff, AZ $2,274
216 David Doyen West Hills, CA $2,274
217 Unknown NA $2,274
218 Amis Naderi Santa Monica, CA $2,274
219 Brendan Taylor Henderson, NV $2,274
220 Isabelle Mercier Victoriaville, QC $2,274
221 Jason Gonong Dallas, TX $2,274
222 Howard Elkins Hendersonville, NC $2,274
223 Robert Dacleb Vallejo, CA $2,274
224 William Mietz Littleton, CO $2,274
225 John Roveto Snellview, GA $2,274
226 Michael Rutherford NA $2,274
227 Scott Moore Arroyo Grande, CA $2,274
228 Peter Bell Marina Del Ray, CA $2,274
229 Wendeen Eolis New York, NY $2,274
230 Neil Channing London, UK $2,274
231 Joseph Cutri Southhampton, PA $2,274
232 Kirk Heflin Kansas City, MO $2,274
233 Jeffery King Colochester, CT $2,274
234 James Mercurio Los Angeles, CA $2,274
235 Michael Brittan Englewood, NJ $2,274
236 Unknown NA $2,274
237 John Winslow Dallas, TX $2,274
238 Hyon Chun Los Angeles, CA $2,274
239 Matthew Shell Farmington, MN $2,274
240 John Fagerile Orting, WA $2,274
241 Elio Reyes Las Vegas, NV $2,274
242 Hassaw Assaheuri Las Vegas, NV $2,274
243 Clonie Gowen Sache, TX $2,274
244 Kristy Gazes N. Hollywood, CA $2,274
245 Joseph Zewin Las Vegas, NV $2,274
246 Daniel Hill State College Park, PA $2,274
247 David Hatfield Federal Way, WA $2,274
248 Daniel Bakker Branson, MO $2,274
249 Bret Tannenbaum Delray Beach, FL $2,274
250 Hamberto Brenos Miami, FL $2,274
251 Richard Aquino Kearney, NJ $2,274
252 Jon K. Weekly Denver, CO $2,274
253 David Sands Bozman, MT $2,274
254 Robert Neyorayan Sherman Oaks, CA $2,274
255 Joe Pharo Scottsdale, AZ $2,274
256 John Gill II San Bernaraino, CA $2,274
257 Jean Gluck Alhambra, CA $2,274
258 Brian Tracy St. Louis, MO $2,274
259 Richard Abbamonto Lakewood, CA $2,274
260 James Burns Murfreesboro, TN $2,274
261 Unknown NA $2,274
262 Bryan Griggs New Cast $2,274
263 Danny Jensen Arvada, CO $2,274
264 Paul E. Kroh Jr. Battle Mountain, NV $1,299
265 Charles E. Swell Oklahoma City, OK $1,299
266 Joshua Nordmark Sciota, PA $1,299
267 Isaac E. Khalil Las Vegas, NV $1,299
268 John Burk Nugent Spokane, WA $1,299
269 Rodney Clements NA $1,299
270 Kathy Koon Chicago, IL $1,299
271 Juan Carlin Laredo, TX $1,299
272 Anthony Girouard Las Vegas, NV $1,299
273 Claudie Holland Fayetteville, NC $1,299
274 Richard Grisalva Las Vegas, NV $1,299
275 Cody Way Amarillo, TX $1,299
276 Brian Swinford Rantoul, IL $1,299
277 Stefeno Cancellwil Bowmanville, OWT $1,299

Cantu Can Do!
Brandon Cantu Wins Second-Largest Live Poker Tournament in History!
25-year-old Las Vegan wins a whopping $757,839 in prize money

Las Vegas, NV – Each and every poker player needs a little luck. Just ask Brandon Cantu. Sure, poker is a game of skill. But luck can also carry a good player a very long way.

On June 28, 2006 Cantu, a 25-year-old semi-professional player from Las Vegas, was competing in his biggest poker tournament ever. With 64 players still contending in the tournament on the second day, Cantu found himself nearly all-in with most of his chips in the pot and drawing slim against none other than Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, the 2004 World Series of Poker Champion. With Cantu’s tournament life hanging in the balance, Raymer had the best hand, by far. But luck sometimes appears when least expected. The angels of mercy resuscitated Cantu with two near-miracle diamonds to complete a flush, which eliminated the poker superstar and stunned those who witnessed the decisive moment. That pot ignited a flame in Cantu that would never extinguish. In fact, as it turned out, that crucial hand made Cantu three-quarters of a million dollars in extra prize money.

In Event 2, Cantu burned through a record-field of 2,776 players – an astonishing number in size and scale. Consider that the $1,500 buy-in no-limit hold’em event was the second-largest poker tournament ever in history. Already on pace to shatter every previous poker mark ever recorded, the first open event of the 2006 World Series of Poker was a complete sell-out. Only the 2005 WSOP main event attracted more participants (with 5,619). The total prize pool amounted to $3,789,240. There were 277 players who collected prize money.

After two long days of play, the final table was set. ESPN was on hand to film the finale for later broadcast. When the first hand was dealt out in front of a standing-room only crowd packed inside the Rio Convention Center, the seating positions and chips counts were as follows:

Name Chip Count Seat
Lee Padilla $753,000 1
Phong “Mark” Ly $516,000 2
Mark Swartz $359,000 3
Brent Roberts $260,000 4
Juan Carlos Mortensen $337,000 5
Brandon Cantu $773,000 6
Ron Stanley $283,000 7
Drew Rubin $573,000 8
Don Zewin $337,000 9

The first player to be eliminated was a bit of a surprise. In fact, the final stages of the tournament were an absolute nightmare for Carlos Mortensen, the 2001 world poker champion. Towards the end of play on Day Two, the superstar Spaniard (who was actually born in Ecuador – a little-known fact) was sitting comfortably, with an impressive chip lead. Given Mortensen’s aggressive style, he was clearly a favorite to go far. Many poker observers began speculating that Mortensen might be on his way to a third WSOP gold bracelet. Then, everything began to unravel. Mortensen lost about half of his chips late on the previous night, and then proceeded to lose the other half within an hour at the final table. The final dagger came quickly. On his last hand, Mortensen was getting perilously low on chips and moved all-in with pocket fours. Phong “Mark” Ly was in the blind and called. Ly caught a queen on the turn to make a higher pair, which dashed Mortensen’s dreams of victory. Mortensen, a.k.a. “The Matador” got to play the ill-fated role of the bull in this event, and was dragged out of the ring in ninth place good for $71,617 in prize money.

After Mark Swartz was eliminated in eighth place (good for $88,668) two more long-time poker veterans were eliminated. Ron Stanley, perhaps best-known for his close encounter with poker legend Stu Ungar at the 1997 WSOP final table, moved all-in with A-9 suited after Lee Padilla opened for a raise. Don Zewin, who has been playing in WSOP events for 25 years, re-raised all-in with 8-8. Padilla was pot-committed and made a tough call with A-J of spades. Remarkably, Padilla caught three spades – good for a flush. Within mere seconds, Padilla had knocked out two consummate professionals and the tournament was suddenly down to just five players. Ron Stanley, a.k.a. “The Carolina Express” (1991 WSOP gold bracelet winner), was derailed at the seventh-place finisher, good for $107,614. Don Zewin -- who finished third in the 1989 main event (losing only to Phil Hellmuth and Johnny Chan) -- collected $126,940 for sixth.

That big hand put Padilla up over 1,000,000 in chips for the first time -- only 15,000 behind Cantu in the chip-count. That would be as close as he would get.

Brent Roberts, a college student from Staten Island, NY, arrived at the final table as a player primed to make history. Roberts, who turned 21 only three weeks ago (Note: The legal age to enter the WSOP is 21), would have been the youngest World Series winner in history, eclipsing Eric Froehlich’s mark set last year. But it was not to be. Roberts took 7-7 up against Lee Padilla’s A-Q and lost when a queen fell. One must now wonder where Roberts will go from here. Winning $151,570 in his first WSOP tournament ever is quite a benchmark of accomplishment. (Note: It is believed that Roberts is the youngest player in WSOP history ever to make it to a final table)

Lee Padilla’s last hour was a complete disaster. He went from a million in chips down to the felt in what can only be described as a disappointing series of bad hands and unfortunate breaks. Padilla, an almond farmer from Modesto, CA, went out fourth when his A-3 was cracked by Mark Ly’s A-10. Fourth place paid a very respectable $176,579.

Mark Ly was the only player to knock Cantu from his chip perch at any point. Ly hit the 2,000,000 chip-mark when he won a monster pot with A-Q versus Cantu’s 6-6. But Cantu wasn’t fazed. Soon thereafter, Dr. Drew Rubin was eliminated when his A-6 lost to Cantu’s 8-8. Rubin, a clinical psychologist from Hollywood, FL, was diagnosed as the third-place finisher and billed the prize pool for $226,597 – which came to about $7,500 an hour for his time.

Down to heads-up play, Brandon Cantu enjoyed a 3 to 2 chip lead over Mark Ly, about 2,400,000 to 1,760,000. The final outcome did not take long. Ly lost most of his chips when he overplayed his hand holding J-4, after the turn showed A-J-6-7. Ly re-raised all-in holding second pair. Big mistake. Cantu called instantly with A-K – good for top pair, top kicker. The river failed to rescue Ly, who went out just two hands later.
Phong “Mark” Ly a Vietnamese-born 27-year-old professional poker player, was the runner up. Ly, who is married with two children, now resides in Los Angeles. He received $416,816

In his first major final table appearance, Brandon Cantu won an astounding amount of money -- $757,839 for first place. He also received the coveted gold bracelet, traditionally presented to each and every WSOP winner.

“I have no skills in life other than poker,” Cantu joked afterward when asked why he decided to turn pro. “That’s it for me, maybe I’ll retire.”
But Cantu also admitted to having at least one goal, which he has not yet achieved. “I still have not won our home poker game tournament,” he said. “It has a $20 buy-in. They all keep making fun of me that I never win. When I win that one, my life will be complete.”

by Nolan Dalla

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

Overall Tournament Statistics (through end of Event #2):
Total Entries to Date: 4,008
Total Prize Money Distributed: $ 4,343,640
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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