Poker Tournament Results

39th World Series of Poker 2008

Grant Hinkle

Tournament Report

Tournament Notes: • This tournament was truly history-making. With 3,929 total entries, it was the largest poker tournament in the 39-year history of the WSOP - amongst all non-Main Events. Only the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Main Events attracted more participants. Hence, this tournament currently ranks as the fourth-largest tournament in poker history. • The previous high-mark turnout for a non-Main Event was 3,151 players for Event #49 in 2007 (also a $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament). The starting field was so large this year that it was split into two starting days, with separate flights. The first day attracted 2,048 players. The second day attracted 1,881 players. The fields combined on Day Three. • According to the official press release, WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack had this to say about the record turnout: 'This is a great start. The sound of chips chirping throughout the Rio is a welcome return for all of us who love poker.' Pollack joined with Tournament Director Jack Effel for the customary 'Shuffle Up and Deal' announcement made on Day One. The following day, Pollack was joined by defending world poker champion Jerry Yang on the Milwaukee's Best Light stage, who delivered the most famous words in poker to the record crowd, 'Shuffle Up and Deal.' • The total prize pool amounted to $5,363,085. The top 378 finishers collected prize money. First place paid $831,279. • In what must be considered as a near-heroic feat for WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel and his entire staff, the tournament began and resumed play on time each of the four days - despite the record field size. • Given the record turnout, long days (and nights) were expected. The longest day proved to be Day Three. Play was expected to reduce the field down to the final nine. But after a brutally long 16-hour day extending until the early morning hour, tournament officials consulted with ESPN and the decision was made to give the players some much-needed rest and bring the remaining 18 survivors back on Day Four, which then played down to the nine finalists. The final table began play at 7:30 pm and concluded at 5:00 am. Hence, the tournament was actually played over five days, instead of four. • Clocking in at a total duration of 53.5 hours, this was the fourth-longest tournament in WSOP history. • When play was 18-handed, there was some interesting table chatter between two former WSOP gold bracelet winners, Perry Friedman and Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson. Friedman was discussing the WSOP Main Event and his chances of winning this year. The normally low-key Ferguson couldn't restrain himself. After hearing Friedman chattering about becoming the 2008 world champion, Ferguson quipped, 'If he wins, I'll cut off all my hair and shave my head just like Perry.' It should be noted that Perry Friedman sports a Mohawk. • Players from 12 different nations were represented on the cash list. These countries included players from - Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Russia, Scotland, and the United States. • The winner was Grant Hinkle, from Kansas City, MO. He is a 27-year-old marketing manager. Hinkle's birthday is later this week, on June 7th. He is married. Hinkle also enjoys playing basketball and (of course) poker. • Hinkle was cheered on by his mother, several friends, and his brother Blair Hinkle, who is a professional poker player. All made an overnight flight to Las Vegas to watch Grant play at the final table. • Down to two tables in the tournament, Hinkle had a below average stack. He held an average to slightly higher than average stack during the first half of the finale. Then, he seized the chip lead when play was four-handed. He lost the lead briefly during heads-up play. But he never appeared to be in serious danger of elimination. • The winning hand brought an astounding end to a marathon tournament. Holding a 2 to 1 chip lead, Hinkle was dealt 10-4 of diamonds. He tried to push his opponent out of the pot with an all-in pre-flop re-raise. At first glance, it was a case of very bad timing by the chip leader. Akenhead called and showed A-K. The flop brought cheers and screams, depending on one's allegiance. When 10-10-4 flopped, Hinkle's cheering section went bonkers. Another ten on the turn gave Hinkle the biggest pot of the night and his first-ever WSOP gold bracelet. • The runner up was James Akenhead, from England. He is part of a London-based poker team called 'The Hitsquad.' This group consists of six poker pros, including Akenhead, Praz Bansi, Chaz Chattha, Sunny Chattha, Jim Kerrigan, and Karl Mahrenholz. The group filled the stands and made the final table seem like a sporting event, particularly when things went Akenhead's way. He collected $520,219. • 2000 World Series of Poker main event champion Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson made it to the final table, which ensured a standing-room only crowd shoehorned around the ESPN stage. Ferguson almost did not make it past the second day. His remarkable discipline allowed him to survive a key hand which would likely have eliminated 90 percent of all poker players. Desperately low on chips, Ferguson posted a 9,000 blind and was left with just 7,500 in his stack. The button raised more than enough to put the former champ 'all-in.' But Ferguson decided to fold his hand. In this case, patience paid off. Two hours later, Ferguson had more than 200,000 in his stack. • Ferguson ended up as the third place finisher. Ferguson currently owns five WSOP gold bracelets. He is also the only player to have won three WSOP Circuit championships. His 51st career in-the-money finish in this tournament now ranks fifth on the all-time list. This was Ferguson's 27th final table appearance, which ranks fourth all-time - now one spot ahead of Johnny Chan. • A sentimental crowd favorite was Mike Ngo, which finished in fifth place. Now residing in Los Angeles, Ngo lived in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina. He worked in a hospital which was devastated by the storm. After moving to California, he started playing poker and ended up making this final table. • The final table Cinderella was 28-year-old Melvin Jones, from Hopkinsville, KY. This was Jones' first time to play in a WSOP tournament. The factory worker who makes cake mixes for a living, said: 'This is not a fluke. I did not think that I could play against competition this good, but I had confidence in my play.' Jones took seventh place. • David 'Gunslinger' Bach finished in eighth place. He was runner up in the $1,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low event last year. Before turning to poker as a career, Bach was a professional bowler. • Several former WSOP gold bracelet winners finished in-the-money. They included Andre Boyer (24th), Mark Vos (146th), Gavin Griffin (251st), Chris Bjorin, Todd Brunson (292nd), and Victor Perches (335th). • Last year's champion, Ciaran O'Leary entered this event. But he did not cash. • The tournament included at least two professional athletes, Jeremy Roenick of the San Jose Sharks (NHL) and Earl Barron of the Miami Heat (NBA). • This was the second of six tournaments at this year's WSOP to be filmed for broadcast on ESPN. The show will air July 29th. • Through the first two events of the 2008 WSOP, the total prize money awarded to all in-the-money finishers amounts to a whopping $8,671,885. Incredibly, that is more prize money in just the first two events than every tournament played during the first decade of the WSOP (1970-1979) combined!