The big money tournaments were coming thick and fast in Vegas this
week as the World Series of Poker juggernaut continued to provide
great poker and plenty of excitement and rewards for winners.
Event 7, the $3000 Limit tournament played on the US 4 July holiday
had a smaller starting field than expected at 415 players but that
didn't stop some pretty intense action at the tables, leading to a
final table of nine top players with Carlo "The Wizard"
Lopez holding the biggest stack. Other players were Canadian Allan
Puzantyan, Danny Ciasamella, circuit champ Jeff Lisandro, Yucqi Zhu,
casino manager Larry Thomas and poker pros Ernie Scherer, Henry Nguyen
and William Chen.
Keeping spectators entertained with some amusing commentary were 1983
world champ Tom McEvoy and Susie Isaacs, twice winner of the Ladies
champion title.
Lisandro was the first to be eliminated, with Scherer following not
long afterward. Puzantyan went home in seventh place just before the
break, together with Thomas. Only 15 minutes after play resumed following
the break it was the turn of Ciasamella to leave the table in fifth
place. Chen then seemed to dominate the game and soon eliminated Lopez,
leaving the final three players to go at it with Chen holding a 45
000 chip lead. He played a confident and masterly game, knocking Nguyen
out at third place and then going head to head with Zhu for the big
prize.
After a dinner break the action resumed for just on an hour and a
half with some thrilling exchanges between two men who now held very
similar chip stacks. By the end of the level, Chen held a commanding
ten to one lead of 1.150 million to Zhu's 150 000 and when play resumed
after the break it only took three hands for Chen to triumph in a
level with 10 000 to 15 000 blinds and limits of up to 30 000.
Chen's paycheck for the match was $343 618, with Zhu's second place
consolation check at $184 409.