Home / Poker News June 2009 / Rami Boukai wins $2,500 NL Holdem/Omaha event
Rami Boukai wins $2,500 NL Holdem/Omaha event
Posted by: James Carter. - Sun, 2009-06-07 13:06
Event #10 of the 2009 WSOP, the $2,500 PL Holdem/Omaha one was by no means a light affair for those who lasted all the way to the final table. It took 3 days to decide the winner and no fewer than 29 hours of play, at he end of which it was San Diego’s Rami Boukai who stood triumphant, with a gold bracelet in one hand and the $244,862 first prize in the other.
This win wasn’t Boukai’s first WSOP cash finish, but it was definitely his best. His previous career cash record clocked in at $58,940, money received for his 25th place finish at the EPT’s Monte Carlo Grand Final.
Once again, the goal of playing right down to the final table on day 2 of the event proved illusive and the organizers called the day with 18 players left in contention.
Day 3 began with these 18 survivors bellying up to the tables. All these people were guaranteed at least $10k in tournament payouts, but of course, the sights were all set much higher than that.
The first elimination of the day was an affair between the SB and the BB. Tony Cousineau was in the SB and when the action folded around to him, he saw an opportunity to seize some much needed chips. Paul Parker in the BB had different ideas though and he re-raised him. Cousineau went all in with Jh, 5h against Parker’s J,9o and as the board bricked out, he was eliminated.
Hevad Khan was another notable elimination before the final table bubble was reached. His A,8o proved to be no match for Daniel Makowsky’s Ad, 10d and he was done in 11th.
Gary Do would become the final table bubble boy, when he took a bad beat from Cornel Cimpan. His K,K was cracked by Cimpan’s A,7 when an A landed on the turn.
Boukai took control of the action as soon as the final table was reached, and built up quite a nice chip lead, which he only relinquished a couple of times before the end of the tournament.
Ben Grundy was eliminated in an Omaha round to set the heads-up stage between Najib Bennani and Rami Boukai.
The final hand of the event featured Boukai’s pocket 9s going up against Bennani’s J,Qo, on a board of A, K,Q, 9, A. The set of nines gave Boukai his first ever WSOP bracelet win.
