TRIPLE GLORY FOR LISANDRO AT WSOP (Update)

26 June 2009

Aussie pro becomes only the fifth 'experten' to win 3 bracelets in the same year
 

Jeffrey 'Iceman' Lisandro (43) has continued his remarkably successful run at the 40th Anniversary World Series of Poker by winning his third bracelet this year - a feat matched previously by only four others in the 40 year history of the world's greatest poker extravaganza. The last WSOP player to make this benchmark achievment was Phil Ivey in 2002.

'Iceman's" previous victories this year were in Event 16 ($124 959) and Event 37 ($431 656).

The Aussie-born but Italian resident Lisandro defeated all before him in the 315-player, $792 500 prize pool Event 44 - the $2 500 buy-in Seven Card Razz competition to claim the $188 370 main prize and his third bracelet this year, bringing his career bracelet haul to 4 and total winnings to $3 957 388 in a track record that includes 9 first place finishes in major international tourneys and 46 cashes.

The current win positions Lisandro among the all-time greats of stud poker with a bracelet in each discipline - stud high, stud eight or better, and Razz.

With a 2 to 1 chip lead going into the final table of the event, the poker ace demolished his opposition, taking out four of the final table players in an impressive display of cool, accomplished poker. Arrayed against Lisandro on 814 000 were Ryan Fisler (412 000), Michael Craig (343 000), Warwick Mirzikinian (271 000), Kenna James (210 000), Eric Rodawig (171 000), Steve Diano (96 000) and Allen Bari (55 000).

Going into the heads up Lisandro held the chip lead at 2 153 000, well ahead of his last opponent, the author Michael Craig on 210 000 who was at a massive disadvantage but nevertheless gave the champ a really good run for his money before being defeated and leaving with the second prize of $116 405

Event 42 - the $2 500 buy-in Mixed Games contest also concluded, with 32-year-old American poker pro and book author Jerrod Ankenman (he co-wrote “The Mathematics of Poker” with two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Bill Chen) taking the honours, his first WSOP bracelet and the first prize of $241 637.

The event attracted 412 entries and recorded a prize pool of $947 600.

Ankenman started final table play with over half-a-million chips more than his nearest rival, Jon 'Pearljammer' Turner (591 000) who was followed by Russian ace Sergey Altbregin (387 000), Eric Crain (355 000), Jeff Tims (260 000), Chris Klodnicki (109 000), Dario Alioto (103 000) and Layne Flack (60 000).

The surprise player was Klodnicki who despite starting with a relatively low stack managed to hang in and make third place and a $97 897 payday before being bundled out by Ankenman to set up a late night heads up between Ankenman and Altbregin. Although the duo started the action on a more-or-less even footing, it was not long before Ankenman began to dominate - especially in the Omaha 8 action and later the Stud game, with Ankenman cheered on from the rail to victory by his co-author Chen.

Altbregin had the consolation of a second prize of $149 342.

The win gives Ankenman - a real 'math' player - his first gold bracelet, outranking his previous 7 firsts in major tournaments and 36 cashes, which have given him career earnings of $807 531....so far!

Event 41 - the $5 000 buy-in No Limit Hold 'Em Shootout, which offered a prize pool of $1 316 000 from an entry field of 280 has also been decided, with Hungarian player Peter Traply (22) winning against exceptionally aggressive competition to collect his first gold bracelet and the first prize of $348 728.

Traply, who is a young pro player from Budapest, took just under five hours of final table action to emerge the winner in a five-player thriller that had the railbirds cheering. At the death it was Traply vs. Andrew Lichtenberger in the heads up, with a recount proving necessary at one point when Traply thought he had won, but it transpired that Lichtenberger still had 250 000....and went on to briefly seize the chip lead.
Playing a masterly game, Traply fought off the attack and went on to win, claiming a first ever WSOP bracelet for his country and ending a WSOP run in which he had not yet cashed. Lichtenberg collected a well-earned check for $215 403 as the runner-up in great event.

"I feel amazing," said Traply. "This is one of my poker dreams and it came true." The Hungarian paid tribute to his final table opponents, Danny Wong, Nasr El Nasr, Maxim Lykov and Lichtenberger, saying it had been a tough table to beat.

Event 43 - the $1 000 buy-in Seniors No Limit Hold 'Em World Championship predictably attracted a massive field of 2 707 entrants, generating a prize pool of $2 463 700.

The event culminated in a final table comprised of Barry Bounds, Dan DeLatorre, Robert Beck, Michael Morusty, Richard McCall, Art Duncan, Charles Simon, Michael Davis and Scott Buller, and although he was one of the lower stacks at the start Michael Davis was the last man standing after playing smart, often low-profile poker but gaining ground steadily.

Davis entered the short but exciting heads up with Scott Buller, who had earlier looked like the man who would prevail and started heads up play with the chip lead. But in the last quarter hour of heads up play it was Davis who took the lead and called the shots to win the game.

Davis, who told reporters that he had just sold his business, picked up a check for $437 358 and a bracelet for his time and trouble, leaving Buller with a second place payday of $268 507.  

Online Casino News Courtesy of Infopowa

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