Poker Tournament Results

Legends of Poker / WPT Event Season 7

John Bon Phan

Tournament Report

The final table of the 2008 Legends of Poker Championship began Thursday afternoon with one well-known pro and five lesser knowns. The first to go was Kyle Wilson. He was fourth in chips coming to the final table, but just 19 hands in, he got all in with pocket Kings and got them cracked by AJ. He finished 6th for $176,035. Kyle is 25 years old, born and raised in Calgary, Canada, and is married with four kids. He's self-employed and has been playing poker for five years. This was his first final table in a major live tournament, (and is his biggest live cash) but he does have a PokerStars bracelet. He's also no stranger to the high pressure of top-level competition, as he attended the University of Massachusetts on a basketball scholarship. Trong 'Mike' Nguyen was last in chips coming to the final table, but managed to move up to fifth place. He got all in on a 7 7 2 flop with KQ (two overcards) but ran into pocket 6s and couldn't find a pair. He finished 5th for $211,245. Trong is 23 years old and was born in Vietnam. He's been playing poker professionally for the past three years since finishing school and his biggest prior cash was for $35,000. This was his first final table in a major live tournament. Paul Smith was fifth in chips coming to the final table and ended up getting his chips in against John Phan in a battle of the blinds. Paul shoved from the small holding A7 suited and John called from the big with pocket 8s. Paul flopped trips to take the lead, but John went runner-runner to make a straight and send Paul home to Chicago with 4th place and $246,450. Paul Smith is the elder statesman on this final table at the ripe old age of 38. He's married with one child and plays online under the name "uclabruinz." He was a lawyer before recently becoming a professional poker player and he's already showing some strong results, with two WSOP cashes and a victory in a $2,000 no-limit hold'em prelim event at Bellagio, earning more than $200,000. This is his first final table in a major high-stakes tournament. Three-handed play went more than three hours before the next elimination. After the other two players limped, Zachary Clark shoved from the big blind. Amit Makhija looked him up with A6 suited. Zachary's K2 offsuit would have to improve for him to survive. An Ace hit the turn, however, and it was over for Zachary. He's another 23-year-old online player, but he comes from stronger poker lineage than most. His uncle is the legendary David 'Chip' Reese. This was Zachary's first WPT final table but he does have six WSOP cashes over the past two years. Heads-up play lasted about three and a half hours and about 64 hands. Amit Makhija held the chip lead until an hour into heads-up action, when John Phan got all in with AK against Amit's pocket 2s. John's hand would have to improve or it was all over. Amit's pair held up until the river, when a King fell to send the pot and to John and double him up. That also gave John the chip lead for the first time in this tournament. During the heads-up battle, the chip lead changed a few times, but in the end, John prevailed, picking off a key bluff and catching cards when he needed to. The final hand had Amit all in with K7 suited against John's pocket 3s. This time the little pair held up, giving John his first WPT title, $1,091,428, and a $25,000 seat in the Season 7 WPT Championship. Amit settled for second place and $563,320. Amit Makhija is yet another 23-year-old online player. He's from Wisconsin and has been playing poker professionally for the past three years. He's already had quite a bit of success, with $340,000 in live tournament earnings. His biggest score came this past summer, when he finished fifth in the first event of the 2008 WSOP, $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em, earning nearly $200,000. John 'the Razor' Phan has more than $4 million in career earnings, not including today's. He's also running well right now, with a WPT final table in March at Bay 101, (finishing 6th) two WSOP bracelets in June, and the WPT Bellagio Cup IV final table (finishing 5th) in July. John is currently the leader in the Player of the Year race and this win might give him enough of a lead that he cannot be caught.