Home / Poker News July 2009 / Brandon Cantu scores another bracelet in $1,500 PL Omaha Hi/Lo event
Brandon Cantu scores another bracelet in $1,500 PL Omaha Hi/Lo event
Posted by: James Carter. - Wed, 2009-07-01 01:26
Brandon Cantu started the final day of the $1,500 PL Omaha event of the 2009 WSOP in the chip lead. Lee Watkinson was also there at the final table and eventually faced off with Cantu heads-up for the title. Both players had already taken down a gold bracelet in this year’s Series.
That meant that by the time the heads-up stage was reached, the fact that someone would walk away with a second 2009 bracelet was certain.
The first victim of the final day was William McMahan, who locked horns with Tommy Vedes early on and got the shorter end of the stick. McMahan had his A,A,K,Q matched up against Vedes’ A,10,10,4 as the flop fell 8,4,4 giving Vedes a set. McMahan never managed to rebound and he failed to make a low, allowing Vedes to scoop the pot and to eliminate him in 9th.
Ronnie Hofman was bounced by Lee Watkinson next. The money went into the middle on a flop of 7,4,2 as Watkinson had two pairs against Hofman’s high-card. The turn and the river brought no change and Hofman was done in 8th.
Ted Weinstock took care of Aaron Sias next. The two of them shoved all-in preflop and Weinstock tabled A,A,6,K vs Sias’ A,3,7,8. The flop gave Weinstock a set of As and Sias failed to make a low on the turn and the river, to leave the tournament in 7th.
Lee Watkinson took down a few big pots at the expense of Steve Jelinek and Ted Weinstock. That, coupled with a near crippling blow delivered to Brandon Cantu’s stack by Jelinek, allowed Watkinson to move into the chip lead.
Despite the chips he’d managed to collect off Cantu, Jelinek didn’t last long in the meat-grinder. He got his chips all-in against Tommy Vedes on a hand in which he had Ks up against Vedes’ set of 6s. Jelinek finished 6th for $36,893.
Tommy Vedes would be the next player to go. After having chipped up nicely during the early stages of the final day, he dropped his entire stack to Mathieu Jacqmin, when his straight and flush draws failed to fill up against Jacqmin’s set of 8s.
Jacqmin then proceeded to drop those chips to Brandon Cantu, who managed to retake the chip lead this way.
Jacqmin then tackled Ted Weinstock and managed to bounce him in 4th place. That move put Jacqmin right back into contention.
The chip lead moved back and forth for a while during 3-handed play. Jacqmin and Watkinson would tangle next, and as his flush draw failed to fill up against Watkinson’s set of Qs, Jacqmin found himself ejected in 3rd place, for a $92,946 prize.
Watkinson started the heads-up action with a 2.5-1 chip lead and successfully managed to erode Cantu’s stack before the latter managed to bounce back. Things were back and forth for a while until it was all decided within the span of two hands. The first one went Cantu’s way on a pair of 6s. The second one was the final hand of the tournament and it saw Cantu’s set of 4s prevail for the win and the $141,873 prize.
