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 Thom Werthman Wins Largest Pot-Limit Hold'em Event in World Series History
Thom Werthman, a 35-year-old owner of a high-tech telecommunications company in Detroit, MI, staged a memorable comeback and won a stunning upset victory over one of poker's most enigmatic personalities. When play became heads-up, Wertherman overcame a 3 to 1 chip deficit versus the always-unpredictable Layne Flack, who was shooting for his 6th WSOP gold bracelet. But after a two-day, 26-hour poker marathon, it was the newcomer Werthmann who earned his first major tournament victory.
The $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold'em championshipp started with 1,071 players, making it the largest pot-limit hold'em event in WSOP history. In fact, it was the third largest field ever to play in a WSOP event a statistic expected to be short-lived since this year's tournament is smashing records daily.
When the final ten players assembled around the final table, Layne Flack had an impressive chip lead. Other than Englishman Martin Green no one seemed to pose a threat to the freewheeling poker enigma originally from Missoula, Montana -- who has drawn comparisons to the late Stu Ungar. No one could possibly foresee that the mild-mannered, self-admitted recreational poker player in Seat 7 would be the last man sitting at the final table at 1:55 am. The finalists started with the following chip counts:
THE FINAL TABLE:
Seat 1; Arash Ghaneian 87,000 Seat 2: Ernest Patrick 118,000 Seat 3: Gavin Smith 73,000 Seat 4: Mario Valenzuela 116,000 Seat 5: Pierre Nasr 118,000 Seat 6: Tony Ma 48,000 Seat 7: Thom Werthmann 265,000 Seat 8: David Bach 130,000 Seat 9: Layne Flack 391,000 Seat 10: Martin Green 282,000
After Gavin Smith went out in 10th place, players were eliminated as follows:
9th Place Tony Ma plays a short-stack as well as anyone in poker. He came in desperately hoping to double up, and did better than that. He tripled up. Twenty minutes into the finale, Ma moved 'all in' with K-K. Arash Ghaneian had A-Q and a third player, Ernest Patrick had 8-8. The flop came K-J-J good for a full-house -- which catapulted Ma back into the game. Meanwhile, Patrick was down to the felt and exited in 9th place. Ernest Patrick, a 56-year-old builder from Birmingham, MI, collected $29,560.
8th Place Arash Ghaneian, an Iranian-born poker pro who now lives in Marina Del Rey, CA went out next. He took a blow on the previous hand losing to Ma, then tried to steal from the button with 7-6 suited. Mario Valenzuela was sitting in the small blind with K-J and re-raised, and Ghaneian was pot-committed. A jack flopped and Ghaneian was forced to take the walk of shame. He received $44,340.
7th Place Pierre became short-stacked and was delighted to look down and see pocket queens. David 'Gunslinger' Bach lived up to his name and called a 30,000 raise with K-2 suited. The crowd became electrified as the hand was played out. The flop came 9-5-4, with one diamond. Nasr smiled with confidence. The queen of diamonds fell on the turn, which gave Nasr a set (three queens). Then, the crowd roared when a third diamond fell on the river, giving the Gunslinger a flush. Nasr, a Lebanese-born jeweler now living in Canada, backed away from the final table in shock and disappointment. He received $59,120 for 7th place.
6th Place Layne Flack was right on schedule to win another gold bracelet. With all due respect to the other players, it seemed Flack might run away with the title when he crushed Mario Valenzuela, thus eliminating another player and taking nearly a 3 to 1 chip lead. Flack was dealt 10-10 and hot a ten on the flop. Valenzuela had pocket queens and was 'all in' and drawing to two outs. He missed. The Mexico City-born demolition contractor now living in southern California imploded earning $73,900 for 6th place. After the hand, Flack had 740,000 in chips.
5th Place It was the Gunslinger's time to get shot down. David 'Gunslinger' Bach went up to nearly 300,000 in chips at one point, but had a tough run in his final half hour at the table. He made his last stand with A-K and was covered by Thom Werthmann, holding pocket 2s. With 350,000 in the pot, the Gunslinger needed to catch an ace or king, but missed. Bach, a former pro bowler who has turned to poker playing for a living, ended up with poker's equivalent of a spare. Fifth-place paid $88,680. With that pot, Thom Werthmann rocketed up close to 500,000 in chips and suddenly Layne Flack had competition.
4th Place England has produced a long line of great pot-limit players. Martin Green hoped to add his name to the Brit legacy, but fell three spots short of the top prize. Green was getting short on chips and pushed in under the gun with A-J. Flack, with a mountain of chips called with K-4 and spiked a 4 on the river, making Mr. Green blue. Green, who edits a major horseracing publication in Brighton, jockeyed into 4th place good for $103,460.
3rd Place Tony Ma survived three hours with a short stack before finally succumbing to defeat. Ma looked down, saw and ace, and moved in. Thom Wethermann couldn't get his chips in fast enough with A-J and when a jack flopped, Ma was essentially bounced to the rail Vietnamese-born Tony Ma, who has won numerous poker tournaments in his distinguished career (he was Card Player magazine's 'Player of the Year'Â in 1999) received $118,240 for 3rd place.
When heads-up play began, Flack enjoyed a substantial chip lead over Werthmann 1,150,000 to 480,000. Twenty minutes later, Flack was up 3 to 1. Then, the winds of fate shifted. Arguably the most decisive hand of the tournament took place when Werthmann made a pot-sized bet holding 8-6 after the flop came 6-3-2. Flack re-raised the pot with two overcards and a spade flush draw. Werthmann moved the rest of his chips in, and it was essentially a coin flip situation with two cards to come. Flack failed to catch the spade or overcard which would have given him his 6th gold bracelet, and Werthmann had new life. The chips counts were now close to equal.
Werthmann seized the chip lead when he took a 300,000 pot on non-showdown hand, then Flack won most of those chips back when he made two pair and Werthmann missed a straight draw.
With the championship hanging in the balance, the final hand of the night was dealt on Sunday night at 2 am, with throngs of spectators jammed around the table observing the two glary-eyed finalists. Flack was dealt 5-5 and was the clear favorite over Werthmann's A-2. Werthmann desperately needed to catch and ace. He caught not one ace, but two. The final board showed A-K-Q-A-J, which gave Werthmann trip aces and his first WSOP title.
Flack, who normally is not sentimental about gold bracelets or poker glory, was visibly disappointed with the outcome. He commented earlier that he had given his previous five bracelets as gifts to various family members. He hoped his sixth bracelet might go to his brother. But alas, that bracelet ended up on the wrist of the new unanticipated champion. Layne Flack, the Montana-born poker wunderkind, collected $185,855 as the runner up.
For Thom Werthmann, this was a two-day dream come true. He had previously cashed two times, including 179th in the main event last year (2,576 entries). He earned a whopping $369,535 and the coveted gold bracelet studded with diamonds.
Official Report by Nolan Dalla World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director of Operations Ken Lambert World Series of Poker Tournament Director John Grooms Rio Poker Room Manager Michael Matts Rio Poker Tournament Director Robert Daily
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