CLEMENTS IS NEW NORTH AMERICAN POKER CHAMP

9 November 2007

Poker pro picks up a World Championship seat.....and Cdn$ 1 387 224 for big win


Scott Clements beat a high-powered final table to win the WPT North American Poker Championship title this week, earning Cdn$ 1 387 224 and a $25 500 seat in next year's WPT World Championship scheduled for April, 2008.

The event took place at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario, where a large spectator turnout saw crowds appreciating some exciting action and skilled poker playing.

Among the final table contenders were pros and two highly competent young Internet players ambitious to win the large top prize and pit their skills against the likes of Jonathan Little, David Cloutier and Barry Greenstein.The two 19-year-old Internet pros in the field were Jeff Garza and Kofi Farkye.

Jonathan Little and Scott Clements were top chip stacks as final table action commenced, and the heads up was decided between the two at the end of an entertaining and exciting final table contest, although for the first hour the contestants were sparring and the action was slow.

Garza was the first elimination, falling to Clements and out in sixth place with a paydat of Cdn 170 216 for his trouble and time. The young Internet gun was followed by fellow online player Farkye, also a victim to the on-form Clements. Farkye’s fifth-place finish saw him collect a check for Cdn$218 849 from the cashier - his first big win in his first major $10 000 buy-in tourney.

Greenstein was next, out in fourth place to Cloutier and pocketing Cdn 291 798 as the good natured and partisan Canadian spectators gave him a round of applause. It was some time - almost 140 hands of play and five hours - before the next elimination, where Little took out Cloutier in third place for Cdn 355 021, opening the way for the heads up between Clements and Little, with the former holding almost double the chipstack of his opponent.

After the long drawn out fight for third place, the heads up was almost an anti-climax and was decided in less than 15 hands, with Little eliminated on Hand # 271 of the final table competition - a new WPT record. Little headed for the rail in second place, earning Cdn$ 680 862.

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