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June 29th 2006
“The Charitable Ambassador” wins 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions (TOC)
Mike Sexton, known to many as the ambassador of poker for the tireless work he does promoting the sport, and for his role as host of the WPT, proved on Day One of the WSOP that he is still as great playing the game as commentating on it when he won the 2006 WSOP TOC.
The opening day of the much-anticipated 2006 WSOP began with the $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em event, which, unsurprisingly, drew a record 1100 entrants. But however exciting this opener may have been, the public had eyes for only one event: the star-studded TOC.
This year the TOC featured a trimmed field of just 27 players: the final table from the 2005 TOC, the 12 WSOP Circuit main-event winners, and six Harrah’s sponsor’s exemptions.
Such a trimmed field meant an overdose of talent, and it was no surprise when the final table looked like a who’s who of poker. This was how it looked when the final table kicked off:
Seat 1: Thang "Kido" Pham (WSOPC event winner), $238,000 chips
Seat 2: Chris "Jesus" Ferguson (2000 WSOP Champion), $166,000
Seat 3: Darrell "Gigabet" Dicken (online poker pro), $154,000
Seat 4: Mike Matusow (2005 TOC Champion), $213,000
Seat 5: Daniel Negreanu (2004 WSOP Player of the Year), $443,000
Seat 6: Andrew Black (5th in 2005 WSOP), $942,000
Seat 7: Mike Sexton (WPT host and WSOP bracelet holder), $161,000
Seat 8: Gus Hansen (4 times WPT winner), $74,000
Seat 9: Chris Reslock (WSOPC event winner), short stacked at $64,000
Seat 10: Daniel Bergsdorf (7th in 2005 WSOP), $245,000
Gus Hansen was the unlucky player to be knocked out first, making him the last player to receive no prize money!
Next out was Bergsdorf (prize: $25,000), butchered when his pocket kings ran into Negreanu’s flopped straight. He was followed by Pham (also $25,000), caught stealing with J3 by chip leader Andy Black with A7. It was a further 75 hands before Chris Ferguson ($50,000) followed Hansen and Bergsdorf out of the arena; he had had difficulty adding to his shortstack, and eventually was called all-in by Darrell Dicken who had a higher pocket pair.
With six players left Andy Black’s big stack took a huge knock when he clashed with Negreanu. His AK needed help against his opponent’s KK, and it wasn’t forthcoming. After Dicken ($75,000) was knocked out by Sexton in sixth Andy Black ($100,000) was on his way next, and again it was pocket kings that proved his undoing. This time however they belonged to Mike Matusow and holding only Kd-9d he needed a miracle to survive. Two diamonds flopped to give hope of that miracle, but the third never arrived.
After Chis Reslock ($150,000) exited in fourth place we were in for a mouth watering final three. Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu and Mike Sexton were about to put on a show befitting three of the biggest names in poker.
It took sixty hands for Matusow ($250,000) to be eliminated; frustrated by his opponents play Matusow let it get the better of him, and moved all-in with the relatively weak A-4. Sexton was happy to call with pocket sevens, and he started heads up with fractionally more chips than Negreanu.
The ensuing heads-up battle lasted THREE HUNDRED hands. No kidding. The chip lead swung back and forth but neither seemed able to really take control. Finally in what proved to be the key hand Sexton doubled through Negreanu when his K-Q maintained its lead against his opponents Q-J. He then delivered the knockout blow when trapping Negreanu ($500,000) with AA.
But if that looked like the end of the excitement it wasn’t, as Sexton promptly declared he was going to donate half his winnings to charity proving he really is the finest ambassador a sport could ask for.
Submitted: 29/06/2006 13:28:43
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