Home / Poker News June 2008 / John Phan holds on to chip lead in the $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw event, takes down second bracelet in one week
John Phan holds on to chip lead in the $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw event, takes down second bracelet in one week
Posted by: James Carter. - Fri, 2008-06-27 05:00
Despite the fact that there was some heat between him and Gioi Luong earlier in the day, John Phan managed to keep his calm and won his second WSOP bracelet, together with a prize of $151,896.
Phan managed the chip lead with which he started the final table well, and won event #40, the $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw one. Just about a week ago he had no WSOP bracelet to back the claim of many of his fans that he was indeed one of the best tournament players in the world. He now has two. On his way to the WSOP gold and a $151,896 prize, Phan sent Robert Mizrachi and the great David Sklansky to the rail, along with just about everyone who dared cross his path.
Sklansky started the final on a mere 78,000 chip stack, and began to feel the pressure as soon as play commenced. He went all-in on a hand before the first draw, and got into a heads-up with Mizrachi who showed down 8,7,5,3,2 while Sklansky got hit by a 6 on his final draw for a pair, which meant he’d head to the rail with the $20,525 prize, awarded for his 6th place finish.
Ben Ponzio started the day just a tiny bit ahead of Sklansky in the chip count, and he was the next to go. He succumbed to Phan’s 8,7,4,3,2 when the last draw failed to toss him a proverbial straw to cling on to and hit him right in the face with a 10 which meant he’d head to the rail to keep Sklansky company for the remainder of the event.
Robert Mizrachi left in 4th, after he got tarred and feathered by Gioi Luong in what started out as a three way pot.
What followed was a tense and grueling three-way battle between Shun Uchida, Gioi Luong and John Phan. At one point, Luong had the rail cleared behind him, concerned that his cards could be seen by the observers. He was the one who’d be eliminated in third though as he ran into Phan’s 7,6,5,4,2 on his last hand.
The heads-up between Uchida and Phan lasted for less than one hour. Phan made the nuts (7,6,4,3,2) and trapped Uchida on a 8,7,6,5,3 to confine him to second place and a prize of $95,795.
