Home / Poker News June 2009 / Ray Foley takes down $1,500 NL Holdem event
Ray Foley takes down $1,500 NL Holdem event
Posted by: James Carter. - Thu, 2009-06-25 05:51
Event #39 of the 2009 WSOP, another $1,500 NL Holdem event, saw a mix of professional and recreational players belly up to its tables. 26 players returned on the final day of action and when everything was said and done, it was amateur player Ray Foley who took down the gold, coupled with the lion’s share of the prize-pool.
Jim Mitchell and Steve Mohs had barely survived the previous day of action and they returned for the final day as the shortest stacks. Compelled to swing into action early, they became the first two victims of the final day.
They were followed to the rail by Christopher Kolla, Steve Banner and Conrad Monica. It took two more eliminations – those of Joe Bartholdi and Mohsin Charania to allow the remaining field to condense to two tables.
John Woolen was eliminated in 18th, followed by Nicolas Derke in 17th. Michele Iacovone started the day in the chip lead and spent most of it accumulating more and more, doubling up through one player after another. He then dropped all of his chips to Tyler Spalding who rivered a straight to dispose of Iacovone in 16th.
Matt Livingston became the official final table bubble boy, when he was ejected in 10th place by Ray Foley.
Patrick O’Connor became the first victim of the final table, as his As, 4s fell to Brandon Cantu’s pocket 3s just before the dinner break.
Ray Foley dropped some of his chips to Cantu and Spalding to fall to 3rd on the provisional leader board. By then, Cantu had the lead and Richard Lutes was trying to chip up at his expense. He went all-in against Cantu on a flop of 4h, Ah, 7c, holding Ks, 10s. Cantu was quick to call him with his Jh, 10h and proceeded to land a 2h on the river to fill his flush draw and to eject Lutes in 8th.
Chairud Vangchailued was eliminated in 7th place, by Alex Jacob, who went on to double up through Brandon Cantu. Wei Mu and Jonathan Markham tangled next in a hand, in which both of them had a monster. Markham flopped a King to round his pocket pair up to a set and Mu hit the nut straight. The money went all-in and Markham headed home in 6th. Tyler Spalding was the next victim, sent home by Alex Jacob.
Jacob himself fell in 4th place, as his A,3 was first sunk by Foley’s pocket Js to send him onto the edge, and a few hands later Foley took him out for good on a J,9 vs A,4 match-up.
Wei Mu finished 3rd to set the heads-up stage between Foley and Brandon Cantu.
Cantu started the heads-up with a marginal lead, but Foley quickly bounced back and took over on a hand in which his pocket 10s caught another 10 on the turn to make a set and to beat Cantu’s pair of Ks.
The final hand was a J,7 vs Q,J match-up in which Foley’s superior kicker decided the tournament sending Cantu home in second place, and giving the amateur the WSOP bracelet.
