Event #6, the $1,000 Limit Hold’em tournament, mustered a field of 910 players, creating a modest first prize of $280,715. Perhaps due to the limit format or the relatively low buy-in there was not the concentration of pros we have seen in other events, and the final table was slightly lacking in start quality. Nevertheless that won’t bother Gary Styczynski, the New Yorker who held off Varouzhan Gumroyan to collect his first WSOP bracelet.

Next to finish was Event #9, the $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo tournament. Again a relatively modest field assembled for their shot at the bracelet, with just 690 players ponying up the $1,500 buy-in to create a first prize of $228,466.

This one went the way of Alex Kravchenko, a Moscow based Russian, who won the gold bracelet after a terrific heads-up duel with Bryan Devonshire. Devonshire was aggressive and entertaining, and his popularity amongst the Vegas pros was clear from the number of high-profile Vegas pros such as Layne Flack and Jeff Madsen who turned up to sweat him. In the end however the Russian’s calm and calculated style, combined with his superior chip count going into the heads-up stage, ensured he was able to keep Devonshire at bay.

Event #8 was the always entertaining $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em with rebuys tournament. Last year I recall Michael Mizrachi pushing all-in blind (and losing, and rebuying) for the first nine hands in a row, while the record for rebuys by a single player stands at a staggering 33. This year was not much different, with the 884 player field rebuying a staggering 1,814 times, creating a $2.5 million prize pool and a $575,774 pay day for the winner.

The final table featured a number of well-known pros at the top of the leaderboard, with Amir Vahedi at the top and Michael Gracz in second place at the start of proceedings. In the end however the day was not to belong to these two, but to the much lesser known Michael Chu. Despite having more experience than the rest of the table combined, and starting with the biggest stacks, Gracz and Vahedi were both short on luck when it really mattered.

Gracz in particular was very unfortunate, losing over and over again after starting with the best hand, eventually bowing out in 6^th place. Vahedi meanwhile, had fallen just before in 7^th after his set of queens was busted when Dolph Arnold hit a straight on the river.

Shane Schleger, eliminated in fifth, also had reason to be aggrieved. He first lost a big all-in to Barry Cales when Cales caught two eights on the end with A-8 to crack Schleger’s A-T. He was then busted a few hands later when all-in with A-Q versus Michael Chu’s K-T. A ten hit the flop and that was it for the “Shaniac”.

With four players left Tommy Vu took control of the table, playing with extreme aggression and finding cards at just the right time to double through Michael Chu and then eliminate Dolph Arnold. Soon after Michael Chu eliminated Barry Cales in third place and the heads-up battle began.

Vu started the heads-up stage with a small chip lead but increased it almost immediately with a huge bluff. After Chu raised to $200,000 preflop Vu re-raised to $700,000 and Chu called. After both players checked the flop and turn Vu fired an $800,000 bet on the river, with the board showing Qs-7d-4d-Ts-7s. Chu mucked and Vu turned over 8-2, for a total bluff.

Vu almost had the title in the bag a few hands later after both players got their chips in the middle after a flop of 9-8-3. Vu tabled 8-6 for middle pair but Chu showed J-T for the open end straight draw. Chu was a v slight favourite, but when the turn blanked out it was Vu who was one card away from the bracelet. Unfortunately for him that one card just happened to be the seven of hearts, making Chu’s straight and giving him a huge double up.

A few hands later the aggressive Vu open pushed with Ks-8s and was called by Chu with A-3o. The 6s-5c-3s gave Chu bottom pair but Vu still had two overcards and the flush draw, making him a slight favourite. In the end though he couldn’t catch his outs and Chu took down the bracelet and the $585,774 first prize.