02 Jun 10
WSOP Champions Invitational: Tom McEvoy Wins The Roadster
On day two of the inaugural Champions Invitational, some of the biggest names of poker had to take their leave and watch Tom McEvoy and Robert Varkonyi dig it out from the rails.
Severely short-stacked, Phil Hellmuth - who was considered favourite to win the event beforehand - was the first to go to the rails on the second day of the WSOP Champions Invitational.
Being forced to start in the big blind, he didn't have much choice but to call and was happy to see his 
flip against Carlos Mortensen's 
, but the board didn't help Hellmuth and he was eliminated.
Peter Eastgate (pictured right) followed him to the rails only a few hands later, when his
ran into Dan Harrington's 
.
The game calmed down a bit for the shorter stacks as the two biggest stacks exchanged some action, allowing McEvoy to take over the chip lead early on. Next to be eliminated was Doyle Brunson, when he moved in with a flush draw but couldn't improve.
Being forced to start in the big blind, he didn't have much choice but to call and was happy to see his flip against Carlos Mortensen's , but the board didn't help Hellmuth and he was eliminated.Peter Eastgate (pictured right) followed him to the rails only a few hands later, when his
ran into Dan Harrington's . The game calmed down a bit for the shorter stacks as the two biggest stacks exchanged some action, allowing McEvoy to take over the chip lead early on. Next to be eliminated was Doyle Brunson, when he moved in with a flush draw but couldn't improve.
TOM MCEVOY CARRIES HIS LEAD ALL THE WAY
|
| Photo credit: IMPDI for 2009 WSOP |
This worked out very well for Robert Varkonyi in particular, who would find himself in the heads-up against Tom McEvoy after doubling up three times.
McEvoy (pictured left) was able to conserve his chip lead for most of the time, and after he took out Dan Harrington on third place, he also put Robert Varkonyi into his place and thus became the first WSOP Champions Invitational Champion ever.
The deciding hand started out as a limped flop, which came
. Varkonyi bet out with his 
only to be called by McEvoy's 
. When the turn showed up with the dangerous 
, things were certain to heat up. McEvoy bet, Varkonyi pushed all-in with his pair and open-ended straight flush draw - just to see his shove called by a higher flush draw and straight. This left Varkonyi's monster draw with just a single effective out - the
. The 
on the river thus didn't change much, and Tom McEvoy could wrap up the title.Instead of a bracelet, Tom McEvoy could take the first-ever Binion Cup home - and to sweeten things up, he also won a fully restored vintage 1970 Corvette Stingray convertible and is now ready and set for a hot ride through the dunes of Las Vegas.
| World Series Of Poker Champions Invitational Standings |
|
| Rank |
Name |
| 1st |
Tom McEvoy |
| 2nd |
Robert Varkonyi |
| 3rd |
Dan Harrington |
| 4th |
Jim Bechtel |
| 5th |
Carlos Mortensen |
| 6th |
Huck Seed |
| 7th |
Berry Johnston |
| 8th |
Doyle Brunson |
| 9th |
Peter Eastgate |
| 10th |
Phil Hellmuth |
Links
Related news:
- Hellmuth Favoured To Win WSOP Champions Invitational
- 2009 World Series of Poker Unleashed
- WSOP Champions Invitational: Final Table Set
