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 Isaac 'the General' Galazan wins inaugural WSOP 'Shootout' championship, earns victory in first-ever tournament of its kind
Poker is a fascinating game for many reasons, not the least of which are the seemingly contradictory objectives and strategies required to win. If asked, What is the ultimate objective of every single poker hand? the expected answer would be, To win the pot. Accordingly, one is led to believe that the player who wins the most pots at a poker table would be the biggest winner. Furthermore, one might assume that the player who wins the most pots at a final table normally wins the tournament.
To the contrary, this is not the case. The player who wins the most pots is not necessarily the biggest winner. The player might even be a loser. Winning many pots comes at a price. At that price is -- more often than not losing more pots than anyone else at the table.
Ultimately, the objective is to win the pots that really matter. And no pot matters more than the final pot of the night. Isaac 'the General' Galazan won far fewer pots than his heads-up rival, Harry Demetrion. In fact, Demetrion won more than twice as many pots as anyone else at the final table. But it was Galazan who won the pots that mattered most, resulting in his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet, and a first-place payout of $315,125.
This was the first WSOP 'Shootout' in history. Influenced by the public demand wanting a competition that tests short-handed play, tables in 'Shootouts' are six (not nine) handed. This means that blinds orbit around the table more quickly. Furthermore, it is even more critical to know your opponents in six-handed play. In short, a 'Shootout' is quite a different game than standard, full-table no-limit hold'em.
There were 548 entries in this inaugural event each paying $2,500 to enter. The total prize pool amounted $1,260,400 the fourth of six events that have exceeded $1 million. The final table composition included one former gold bracelet winner (Antonio 'the Magician' Esfandiari), and one player who made it to the final table of the championship event two years ago (David Singer). The chip leader was Harry Demetrion:
THE FINAL TABLE:
Seat 1: David Barnes 148,000 Seat 2: David Singer 122,500 Seat 3: Tommy Grimes 278,000 Seat 4: Harry Demetrion 453,500 Seat 5: Isaac Galazan 285,000 Seat 6: Antonio Esfandiari 86,000
Players were eliminated as follows:
6th Place David Barnes went out just a few minutes after the final table started. His A-J was topped by fellow-countryman Demetrion's pocket 10s. Barnes, who is a security consultant from London, England, has enjoyed phenomenal poker success in Europe. He won a European poker championship in 2003 and won a British championship that same year. However the best he could do was 6th place in this event, which paid $50,415.
5th Place Demetrion's dominance continued as next, he knocked out Antonio Esfandiari. 'The Magician' couldn't pull off any magical finishes at this final table, and he disappeared in 5th place, with $63,020 in prize money. On his final hand, Esfandiari had K-J against Demetrion's pocket 8s, and failed to hit one of his overcards.
4th Place Again, it was Demetrion who put the finishing touches on one of his opponents. David Singer, a Brooklyn-born poker pro who specializes mostly in high-limit seven-card stud, was dealt pocket 9s. He lost when Demetrion had A-4 and flopped an ace. Singer sang a sad song, ending up with $75,625 for 4th place.
3rd Place Tommy Grimes has made it to numerous final tables in his distinguished poker career. But the Houston gambler (mostly poker and sports betting) has yet to win a WSOP gold bracelet. Grimes got close in this tournament, but ended up busting out third, good for $85,705.
2nd Place Heads-up play began with Demetrion holding a marginal chip lead, which he increased slowly. Then, Galazan won a few key spots, and seized the chip lead 10 minutes into the duel. A few minutes later, the final hand of the tournament came out of nowhere. Galazan was dealt Q-9 and moved 'all in' hoping to steal. Galazan had K-J and called, leaving the result in the left hand of the dealer. The final board showed all blanks, 8-5-4-5-2, which meant Galazan's king played as the high card.
Runner up Harry Demetrion was gravely disappointed he failed to win. He could take solace in knowing his total payout amounted to $163,850. But by the look on Demetrion's face, you'd have thought he busted out on the bubble. To some, winning is everything.
1st Place Isaac Galazan is a 34-year-old nightclub owner. He has two homes one in Miami and the other in Bangkok, Thailand. His win in this event amounted to $315,125.
The lesson here it that what you see is not always what you get. Reality is all a matter of perspective. Harry Demetrion won far more pots than anyone else at the final table, but it was a player nicknamed 'the General' who ended up putting on a commanding performance.
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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