2009 WSOP Event 13 Recap

2009 WSOP $2,500 No Limit Hold’em (Event #13) Recap
by Chad Holloway of Predictem.com

Event: #13
Game: No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $2,500
Number of Entries: 1,088
Total Net Prize Pool: $2,502,400
Number of Places Paid: 117
First Place Prize: $506,786
Date: June 5-7, 2009

Event #13 of the 2009 World Series of Poker, $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em Championship, attracted 1,088 entrants and created a prize pool of $2,502,400, which was to be distributed among the top 117 finishers. The tournament officially began on Friday, June 5th, at 12 noon and ended on Sunday, June 7th, at 8:45 pm.

The defending champ, Duncan Bell (a.k.a. “Pumper”) from Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada) did not enter this year’s event so all eyes were focused on Phil Ivey, who had won bracelet number six a few days earlier and was entering Day Three on a short stack; however, it was not to be and Ivey ultimately busted in 18th place. Others who found success and cashed included former bracelet winners Svetlana Gromenkova (39th), An Tran (49th), Matt Keikoan (56th), and Ronald Kirk (43rd).

Within the first 90 minutes of the final table, it took just 33 hands to eliminate five players; in fact, the final table was played in a lightening-fast four hours and five minutes. This means that not including the dinner break, actual play lasted just over three hours, or 70 hands. The first to go was Gregg Merkow, from Plano, Texas in 9th place. Merkow won the 2005 WSOP Circuit Main Event at the Tunica Grand (Mississippi). Matt Lynn from San Diego, California exited in 8th place followed by Todd “Turkish” Altinbas from Miami, Florida in 7th. Antoine Berube from Quebec City, Quebec (Canada) was knocked out in 6th place and Torrey Reily from New Orleans, Louisiana in 5th. Bahador “Baha” Ahmadi from Burnaby, British Columbia (Canada) finished in 4th place while 29 year-old Las Vegas poker pro, Shawn Glines, took 3rd. This left Angel Guillen, from Mexico City, Mexico against Keven Stammen, who held a 5 to 2 chip lead, in heads-up play.

The final hand of the tournament occurred when Guillen’s chips went into the pot on a 9-8-2 flop. Guillen had J-9 for top pair but Stammen held pocket jacks, which held up. Stammen became the 2009 WSOP $2,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em champion.

Stammen, from Celina, Ohio, is a 23-year-old professional poker player who started playing poker with friends. “Ever since I was like 15 or 16, I played poker in the clubs in Ohio,” Stammen stated. “I used to play in some of the small tournaments they had when I was younger.” Stammen collected $506,786 for first place. “It’s good to have a bracelet,” he said. “Last year I came out here and cashed four times. I got close a few times. But I took a few beats. This (win) sure makes up for it.”

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