Home / Poker News December 2009 / PokerStars WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic – Daniel Alaei wins
PokerStars WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic – Daniel Alaei wins
Posted by: James Carter. - Tue, 2009-12-22 03:42
Generally known as a cash game specialist, Daniel Alaei has proved over the weekend that his tournament game wasn’t too shabby either. He won the
PokerStars WPT’s Five Diamond Poker Classic by defeating Josh Arieh heads-up for the $1,428,430 top prize. This win, together with his two
WSOP bracelets officially established him as a perpetual poker tournament menace, and took his overall tourney winnings to an impressive total of about $4 million.
It took 47 hands for the first player to be bounced from the final table. Steve O’Dwyer was the victim and Scotty Nguyen was the executioner. O’Dwyer decided to move all-in from the Small Blind, holding Ad, 6d. Nguyen was more than happy to call him with his pocket Js. Not only did O’Dwyer fail to get anything going, the board brought another J to give Nguyen a set and to seal the deal for good.
Following O’Dwyer’s elimination, the pace of the action slowed a little. The next elimination came at the end of a 57 hand stalemate. Scotty Nguyen was involved in this incident too, although not in a way he would’ve liked to be. Faraz Jaka called Scotty’s all-in move with his pocket Ks, forcing Arieh to get out of the way. The Prince’s pocket 9s were thoroughly dominated and the board did nothing to help him out.
Shawn Buchannan ran his K,8 into Daniel Alaei’s Ac, Kc next to bust out of the poker tournament in 4th place, with $333,332 in his pocket.
It only took the remaining 3 players 13 more hands to send the next victim to the rail. Faraz Jaka began the day with the chip lead, but he failed to capitalize on his early advantage. In the last hand he played, he was in the button, from where he shoved all-in holding A, 6o. Alaei held pocket Ks though and he promptly called him. Instead of an A, the board landed yet another K for Alaei and Jaka was done in 3rd place.
Going into the heads-up stage of the poker tournament, Josh Arieh held a very comfortable lead. Alaei was far from conceding defeat though. He kicked and clawed his way right back into the books and soon he had Arieh cornered. The final hand of the event saw Alaei’s flopped and rivered two pair dispose of Arieh’s pocket 7s.
