Jerry Yang Becomes 2007 World Series of Poker Champion!

By Justin West

On July 17, 2007, nine players took their seats, each with their eyes on an astounding $8.25 Million payday, and the most sought-after prize in poker: the bracelet that would go to the player who became the next World Series of Poker world champion. Play would not stop until that champion was crowned. Ninth place would receive $525,934, and our first millionaire would be made when we reached five remaining players.

Philip Hilm entered the day with the chip lead, sitting on approximately 23,000,000 in chips. Hilm's lead, however, was only 3 Million above second place Tuan Lam. Starting the day in third place was Jon Kalmar, just a few small chips shy of second place. In short, there was no "Jamie Gold Effect" as we started this year's final table... anything could happen.

This was the World Series of Poker that was in the truest sense of the word, the world series. The nine players that started the day hailed from a total five different countries, less than half from the United States: Philip Hilm and Jon Kalmar from the United Kingdom; Raymond Rahme from South Africa; Tuan Lam, of Canada; Alex Kravchenko, from Russia; and Lee Childs, Jerry Yang, Hevad "Rain" Khan, and Lee Watkinson, from the United States.

Less than two hours into play, we lost our first player... and there was no shortage of surprise when it became Philip Hilm, who had started the day as the chip leader. In Philip's first big hand of the day, he found himself in the big blind and facing a pre-flop raise of 2.5 Million from the small blind, Jerry Yang. Philip made the call. The flop brought out 8s Td Ah. Philip checked over to Yang, who made a 3 Million chip continuation bet. Again, Philip just flat-called the raise. The 3d fell on the turn, and Philip had to fold to an all-in bet from Yang. Yang's considerable cheering section was elated, shouting and clapping as he stacked his newly-found mound of chips.

The very next hand, with Philip in the small blind, Yang again made a considerable pre-flop raise, this time from the button and in the amount of 1 Million. Philip called. The flop showed Jd Kd 5c. Hilm checked, Yang bet 2 Million, and Phil flat-called. When the turn brought the 2h, Hilm checked, Yang bet 4 Million, and Philip decided it was time... he check-raised all-in for the rest of his chips.

This was the first truly huge hand of the day, and the spectators were eager to see the action. Could we have our first bust-out? We did, when Yang called the raise and showed Ad Ks, good for top pair best kicker, and Hilm showed only the 5d 8d for a pair and a flush draw. The 2h hit the turn, the 6c fell on the river, meaning Yang's hand stood up, and Philip Hilm, who had entered the day in the chip lead, finished in 9th place, taking home $525,934.

As we entered play today, there was much talk of the fact that there was no clear-cut, out-in-front favorite to take it home. No Phil Hellmuths, no Scotty Nguyens, no Allen Cunninghams. This was anyone's game. The speculation tended to gravitate from the outset to two players: Alex Kravchenko, who had performed admirably at the 2007 WSOP, even earning his first World Series of Poker bracelet, and Lee Watkinson, winner of a World Series of Poker bracelet and two-time World Poker Tour runner-up. It came as quite a shock to many when Lee Watkinson became our second victim of the day.

Jerry Yang had shown his aggressiveness to the table from the outset, and taking out Philip Hilm certainly didn't slow him down. Thus, no one was surprised when Yang came out swinging with bet of 1 Million after the action had folded around to him in the small blind. Lee Watkinson, immediately to his left, squeezed his hole cards and announced: "Raise." The raise wasn't small... Lee put himself all-in.

There was confusion following Watkinson's all-in, as tournament director Jack Effel had to coordinate a lengthy countdown of Lee's stack. Once the proper amount was determined, the action was passed back to Yang, who paced near his chair, contemplating his move. Finally, Yang made the call and showed As 9h, while Lee Watkinson flipped over the Ac 7h. Wow! The board improved neither hand, and Lee Watkinson, whom many considered a front-runner when the final table went under way, finished in 8th place, earning $585,699.

Having started the day with just 8.5 Million in chips, no one could have guessed that in just two and a half hours, Jerry Yang would have busted two players, including the day's starting chip leader and a former bracelet winner, taking the chip lead for himself in the process. Yang was playing an incredible number of hands, and what's more, he was winning most of them.

The story did not change when Yang faced a raise of 720,000 from small-blind, Lee Childs. Instead of calling, Yang moved all-in and put Childs to a decision for all of his chips. Lee made the call. Lee held the Kh Jc, while Yang had the Js 8s. It appeared, even after a flop of 4d 4c 6c, that Childs was in prime position to double up. The crowd let out a collective gasp when the 8c fell on the turn, putting Yang in the lead with a pair of eights. The 9d sealed the deal, and Lee Childs finished in 7th place, good for $705,229.

With that, Yang had moved up to more than 62 Million in chips. Yang wasn't the only player making upward movements, however. Alex Kravchenko, who earned his first WSOP bracelet in a 7-Stud Hi/Lo event earlier in the series, had begun the day as the short stack with only 6.5 Million in chips. His demeanor remained constant throughout play, however, never wavering, always stern and without showing the slightest hint of desperation despite having lost half of his stack four hours into the day.

It was at that time that Alex picked his moment, moving all-in pre-flop for his remaining 3 Million in chips. Hevad "Rain" Khan, most notable for his playing of more than two-dozen online single table tournaments at once, was first to act behind Alex's all-in. Khan had shown the players (and spectators) more enthusiasm on his trek to the final table than perhaps any player had all year long. His antics frequently included dancing, singing, and perhaps even exuberantly shouting with a chair lifted atop his head. There was no dancing in this situation, however, even after he announced that he, too, was all-in after Alex. The pot became heads-up.

Alex showed the Ks Js, and Khan flipped over the 3h 3s.... a coin flip. Unfortunately for Khan, it was a coin flip he did not win, as the board showed 9d Qd Jc Ah 4d. Khan's pair of threes was bested by Alex's pair of jacks right out of the gate. While Khan's stack was sliced down to just 7 Million, Alex doubled up to his original starting stack of 6 Million and put himself right back in the game.

Just twenty minutes later, Jerry Yang, still the big stack at the table with more than 60 million in chips, called a raise pre-flop from Rain Khan. But before the flop could come out, Rain announced: "I'm all-in in the dark." That bet, though uncommon, is most certainly binding. When the flop came out Kc 2d 4c, Yang made the call and showed down pocket Jacks. Khan had only the As Qs, and would need to catch well on the turn and/or river to stay alive. With the 3c and 3s showing on the turn and river, respectively, that was it. Hevad "Rain" Khan finished in 6th place, earning $956,243.

Alex Kravchenko, who doubled up earlier, showed he was unafraid to put his chips in play at the risk of either doubling up again, or ending his chase for the bracelet of bracelets. Alex knew that 6 Million was not nearly enough to provide comfortable breathing room, making him the shortest stack at the table. Alex again picked his spot, and moved all-in from the small blind with A-10, and no one was surprised when Jerry Yang called him with J-10, dominated. This time, however, luck was not on Yang's side and Alex doubled up to just over 2 Million in chips.

At this point, not much had been heard from either Raymond Rahme or Jon Kalmar. That being so, the crowd was certainly most interested when Raymond, under the gun, made a huge raise of 2.5 Million. Necks craned. Eyes darted to Raymond first and then to the other players in anticipation. The action folded around to Jon Kalmar, who moved all-in the instant he saw his hole cards. Rahme, with Kalmar out-stacked, made the quick call and we were heads-up with Kalmar's tournament life on the line. The cards were flipped, and Rahme, holding the Js Jd, had a lead over Kalmar's As Kh, but it was a race. It was a race that Kalmar didn't win, with a board showing Tc 9h 6h 3c 3h, keeping Rahme's jacks the best hand. Jon Kalmar finished in 5th place, our first million-dollar finisher at the final table with $1,255,069.

The first four players to drop left in relatively rapid succession after just five hours of play. It would take almost another eight hours before we lost our next player. During that time, Yang never lost the chip lead, but he certainly saw a lot of chips distributed out to the others at the table. Before the dinner break, Alex Kravchenko had doubled up through Yang to move his stack up to 18 Million. Shortly after the return from dinner, both Alex and Tuan Lam doubled up through Yang, moving to 27 and 23 Million, respectively. A stack that had at once surged to more than 70 Million for Yang had dropped to around the 50 Million mark.

The next few hours saw numerous all-ins, but the player on the line always seemed to have the best hand or catch that perfect card to keep themselves in play. Almost 8 hours after we lost our 5th place finisher, number four hit the road.

Alex Kravchenko raised to 2.1 Million from the small blind. Jerry Yang came over the top with an all-in raise from the big blind, and Alex instantly made the call. Another race ensued, with A-K for Alex and 8-8 in the hole for Yang. After a series of tough hits to his stack, Yang had the chance to get all of his chips back and take Alex out in the process. An 8 on the flop put a dagger through Alex, giving Yang a set of eights. The turn and river offered no help to Alex Kravchenko, who ends his incredibly successful 2007 World Series of Poker in 4th place in the main event, earning $1,852,721.

Just two hands into three-way play, we lost our third place finisher. On that second hand, Jerry Yang raised to 2.6 Million pre-flop. Raymond Rahme raised to a full 8.7 Million, and Yang just made the call. The flop showed Ad Jh 8h. Rahme checked, Yang bet an even 10 Million, and Rahme came right on over the top for his remaining 17.3 Million.

Yang stood, pacing behind his chair as he had done numerous times when faced with such a tough decision. After minutes of debate, Yang said: "My decision, I think you're on a draw... alright, I call." He was wrong. Rahme was not on a draw, which he proved by turning over the Kh Ks. While Yang may not have announced the correct read, his gut proved correct as he showed his hand to be the Ac 5s, good for a pair of aces that bested the kings of Rahme. The 3s on the turn and the 2d on the river brought no help to Raymond Rahme, who finished in 3rd place, earning $3,048,025 in the process.

And then there were two. Jerry Yang, who had busted nearly every single player at the final table, went into heads-up play with an astonishing chip lead. Yang had 104 Million, compared to the 23 Million of Tuan Lam. It would be a tough hill to climb for Tuan, but was by no means insurmountable.

It was clear from the outset of heads-up play that Jerry Yang was not going to take it easy on Tuan Lam. Jerry followed suit with his extremely aggressive play, putting constant pressure on Lam. But, after folding hand after hand to Yang's aggressive bets, Lam finally decided to pull the trigger and moved all-in from the button. After short deliberation, Jerry Yang made the call. The entire audience exclaimed, standing to their feet in rapt attention. Some spectators held their breath, others shouted. Could this be the hand?

The cards were turned over. Lam showed the 3d 4d, Yang showed the Ac 9h. Things looked tight for Lam, until the flop brought out Kh 8s 4d. Cue the requisite emphatic release of tension as Lam vaulted into the lead with a spiked four for a pair. But two cards were still to come. On the turn came the 6h. Lam was still in the lead. The river... the Ks. Lam had done it! His pair of fours turned two-pair was good, and with that hand he double up to just shy of 20 Million.

After that double-up, it looked as though Lam was poised for an incredible comeback, taking down three pots in a row and picking up speed. Next it was Yang's turn to win a pot, and on the very next hand he raised to 3.3 Million pre-flop. Tuan had to consider his position carefully. One wrong move could spell disaster, and that bracelet was literally within an arm's reach. At last, Tuan Lam moved over the top for the rest of his chips and Jerry Yang quickly made the call. Yet again, Lam's entire tournament, and the world championship, were at stake.

The two turned over their hands. Lam showed the Ad Qd, but Yang proved he was in the lead when he turned over his own hand, a pair of eights.

The flop: Qc 9c 5s

Lam had caught a queen on the flop to hit top pair, best kicker, and move out in front!

The turn: 7.

While it seemed on the surface as though that card was as far from dangerous to Lam as possible, keeping his pair of queens the best hand, Yang could still win it with an 8. Only now, a gutshot straight draw made its appearance, and if a 6 came it would be all over for Lam. Jerry Yang would be crowned the new world champion.

The river...

Miraculous...

The 6h.

Jerry Hang had done it! Moving from near the bottom of the field at the start of play, Jerry overcame all odds, using his chips and cards as weapons that proved fatal to his opponents. The 6h on the river gave Jerry that incredible straight, and the crowd in the stands jumped to their feet in uproarious applause. It was over. Jerry Yang had risen to the top of the second largest field in WSOP history to become the 2007 World Series of Poker $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Champion, earning a phenomenal $8.25 Million.

Tuan Lam, who pushed through almost every player in the field, failed to make that final stand and finished in 2nd place, earning $4,840,981.

The 2007 World Series of Poker has officially drawn to a close. Over a series of 55 events, new champions were crowned, veterans proved they still have what it takes, and heartache ensued for thousands. And now, our new world champion, Jerry Yang, has been crowned. Every step of the way was filled with heart-pounding excitement, stories of pain and joy, bad beats and fantastic plays abound. The best players in the world gathered in one place yet again, and now, we have our new world champion.

PokerPages thanks you for following the World Series of Poker with us. The past weeks have been more exciting than we ever could have guessed, and the consistent positive feedback from readers gave us the gas we needed to keep pushing to work even harder. Thank you ever so much, constant readers.

Until next year...

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"Photo Courtesy IMPDI"

Justin West played poker since the age of 17, he spent more than a year earning a living on the green felt; a modest living, to be sure, but a living nonetheless. His aim was at one point to win the WSOP main event, thus causing Hell to freeze over. However, given his penchant for sin and his extreme dislike of cold weather, Justin has put that dream to rest.