Home / Poker News July 2009 / $50,000 HORSE bracelet goes to David Bach
$50,000 HORSE bracelet goes to David Bach
Posted by: James Carter. - Sat, 2009-07-04 03:07
The $50,000 HORSE event is not just the highest buy-in event of the Series, it is also one that hits players with the most intricate test of skill and can thus be considered the most accurate measure of poker ability. Its description abounding with superlatives, the $50,000 HORSE event of the 2009 WSOP can now add another superlative to the already long list used to describe it: the most monstrous final table of this year’s Series.
David Bach survived a marathon 7-hour heads-up to claim the bracelet and the $1.2 million first
prize. Bach can rightfully indulge in the privilege of having his name forever etched into poker history books, as he’s not only survived a final table as long as this one, but he’s also defeated some illustrious opposition too.
Huck Seed, Vitaly Lunkin, Ville Wahlbeck, Erik Seidel and Chau Giang were all final table participants and they were joined by Erik Sagstrom and John Hanson.
Sagstrom had the most chips going in to the final table action (3,675,000) and Ville Wahlbeck was the short-stack with 645,000. The first elimination of the day was Erik Seidel, who had had under 1 million chips himself when the final table was set.
He got into a 3-way Stud Hi/Lo tussle against Vitaly Lunkin and David Bach. When the dust settled after Seidel had shoved all-in, Lunkin had a nice 7-low and Bach had a set of 8s for the high to split the pot, leaving Seidel with no option but to head to the rail.
Chau Giang decided to make his decisive move shortly after Seidel’s ouster, but it all blew up in his face in a Holdem round.
He made his move on Q,9 on a A,Q,5 flop, but Bach called him with A,Q for two pair and even though he did pick up a 4-card flush on the turn, the river spelt the end for Giang, who picked up $187,084 for his 7th place.
Ville Wahlbeck rode his short-stack along nicely, but his bell rung in an Omaha Hi/Lo round in which his wheel draw fell to Bach’s two pair. His 6th place was worth $219,655.
Huck Seed was bounced by the combined efforts of Sagstrom, Lunkin and Hanson next. Hanson picked up that pot, which cost Vitaly Lunkin dearly too.
The loss pushed him closer to extinction and the Russian was all-in in a Stud Hi/Lo hand against Sagstrom, looking to bounce right back. Unfortunately for him though, Sagstrom made a set of As against his set of 8s to scoop the pot and to eject him in 4th.
Three-handed play continued for over two hours, before it became 2-handed through the elimination of Erik Sagstrom. Sagstrom busted out at the hands of John Hanson, in an Omaha Hi/Lo hand, to earn $522,394 for his 3rd place.
The two remaining players started the heads-up action nearly even in chips, and that’s exactly how they would struggle on back and forth for about 7 hours. The final hand of the event was a Razz one in which Bach’s 9,7,6,4,A edged Hanson’s 9,8,6,5,2 to give Bach his well-deserved bracelet, the $1.2 million prize and the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy.
