The greatest final tables in poker history
Following the star studded finale at the EPT Grand Final, Barry Carter picks out five of the toughest final tables in the history of the game.
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| Dream match ups are rare |
Last weekend, Steve O'Dwyer took down what many people - myself included - consider to be the greatest ever final table in the history of the European Poker Tour.
There was once a time when every final table in WPT, WSOP, and EPT events would be filled with big names. It was so regular, in fact, that these players attained the nickname 'TV Pros' as a direct result.
This phenomena even made it into the iconic poker movie Rounders, where Mike McDermott famously said:
"Why do you think the same five guys make it to the final table of the World Series of Poker every year? What, are they the luckiest guys in Las Vegas?"
The rise of the unknown player
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| Inivitational events replace big finals |
However, soon after the boom, these star-studded, made-for-TV final tables started to dry up. The sheer number of players who flocked to poker, coupled with the increasing standard of the game, meant that we were lucky to see more than one big name at a final table. If we managed to get three well-known players, it would officially be referred to as a 'stacked' final table.
In fact, the "glamour finals" became so rare that the situation prompted tournament organisers and TV producers to create elite events where only the big names could play; invitational TV tournaments, televised cash games and super high roller events, for example.
So when a final table nowadays is made up of big names, it makes the event that much more special. Of course you could argue that an event like One Drop, with a million dollar buy-in, was a special final table - but it was always going to be; the fields for these events are very small and elite.
However, events in which you know anyone could have entered, yet all the big names still managed to navigate fields of 100+ players, it really does make everyone sit up and pay attention. I have picked out five final tables that will always stick out to me as special for this reason. These are by no means in order of greatness; they are all special in their own way:
€10,000 European Poker Tour Grand Final, May 2013
I'll start with the final table which prompted me to write this. There was literally no dead money at this final table; even the lesser-known Grant Levy is a superstar in his native Australia and boasts over $1.8m in tournament winnings.
Had Daniel Negreanu won this event, he would also have won the Triple Crown; had Jake Cody or Jason Mercier won it, either would have been the first player to win two EPT titles.
The eventual winner was Steve O'Dwyer, a man who has been knocking on the door of a major title for a very long time.
And the final hand? Quads on the river!
| €10,000 EPT Grand Final Monte Carlo, 531 Entries |
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| Position | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Steve O'Dwyer | €1,224,000 |
| 2nd | Andrew Pantling | €842,000 |
| 3rd | Johnny Lodden | €467,000 |
| 4th | Daniel Negreanu | €321,000 |
| 5th | Jake Cody | €251,000 |
| 6th | Noah Schwartz | €189,000 |
| 7th | Jason Mercier | €137,000 |
| 8th | Grant Levy | €103,000 |
$25,000 World Poker Tour Championship, April 2010
Normally the official World Poker Tour final tables consist of only the final six players, but the unofficial final table of this event was so notable that it needs to be displayed in its 9-handed entirety.
At the time there were 26 bracelets at this final table, with 23 of them being owned by just three players - Phil Hellmuth (11), Billy Baxter (7) and Scotty Nguyen (5).
David Williams emerged as the champion on the night, scoring his second-biggest win after his runner-up finish to Greg Raymer in the 2005 WSOP Main Event.
| $25,000 WPT Championship Las Vegas, 195 Entries |
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| Position | Player | Prize |
| 1st | David Williams | $1,530,537 |
| 2nd | Eric Baldwin | $1,034,715 |
| 3rd | Shawn Buchanan | $587,906 |
| 4th | David Benyamine | $329,228 |
| 5th | Bill Baxter | $246.921 |
| 6th | John O'Shea | $199,888 |
| 7th | Phil Hellmuth | $152,856 |
| 8th | Scotty Nguyen | $105,823 |
| 9th | Nikolay Evdakov | $75,252 |
$10,000 WSOP No-Limit 2-7 Championship, June 2011
2-7 Single Draw is an incredibly niche game, which almost guaranteed that it would only be seasoned players who entered this event in 2011.
Every single player at the final was a household name in poker circles, each of whom would have been the clear favourite to win at any other final table.
It was to be John Juanda's day, however, and it was also notably the first of three non-Hold'em championship events at the series that year in which Phil Hellmuth came runner-up (denying him his first non-Hold'em bracelet until the following year).
| $10,000 WSOP 2-7 Draw Championship Las Vegas, 126 Entries |
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| Position | Player | Prize |
| 1st | John Juanda | $367,170 |
| 2nd | Phil Hellmuth | $226,907 |
| 3rd | Richard Ashby | $143,833 |
| 4th | Steve Sung | $97,416 |
| 5th | Nick Schulman | $69,216 |
| 6th | David Baker | $51,485 |
| 7th | Hasan Habib | $40,020 |
| 8th | Joe Cassidy | $32,440 |
| 9th | Greg Raymer | $27,928 |
$5,000 WSOP Pot-Limit Omaha Rebuy, June 2008
This event was always considered the "pro's event" because of the immense action involved (483 rebuys from 152 players) and the fact that it was Omaha.
John Juanda, Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth, and Daniel Negreanu all made this a great TV spectacle but it would be then-up-and-coming online player Phil Galfond who took it down.
Galfond went on to establish himself as one of the best Omaha players in the world and was the last player to win this title, as the WSOP did away with rebuy events the following year.
| $5,000 WSOP Pot Limit Omaha Rebuy Las Vegas, 152 entries (483 rebuys) |
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| Position | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Phil Galfond | $817,781 |
| 2nd | Adam Houran | $493,748 |
| 3rd | David Benyamine | $316,307 |
| 4th | Johnny Chan | $246,874 |
| 5th | Kirill Gerasimov | $192,870 |
| 6th | John Juanda | $154,296 |
| 7th | Daniel Negreanu | $123,437 |
| 8th | Phil Hellmuth | $100,292 |
| 9th | Brian Rast | $84,863 |
WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship, July 2006
This was a very stacked field in its own right, but what really made this final table special was the historical significance of it.
Not only was it the first ever $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship, it also featured three players who were considered the best of their generation - Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese and Phil Ivey.
You can't see Ali fight Tyson, or Pele play against Messi, but you did get to see these three legends play against each other. It was the late Chip Reese who won the title, and in fitting tribute the trophy was named for him after his passing.
| $50,000 HORSE Championship Las Vegas, 143 Entries |
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| Position | Player | Prize |
| 1st | David 'Chip' Reese | $1,784,640 |
| 2nd | Andy Bloch | $1,029,600 |
| 3rd | Phil Ivey | $617,760 |
| 4th | Jim Bechtel | $549,120 |
| 5th | TJ Cloutier | $480,480 |
| 6th | David Singer | $411,840 |
| 7th | Dewey Tomko | $343,200 |
| 8th | Doyle Brunson | $274,560 |
Have I missed a big final table in an open event which had more than 100 runners? Let me know about it in the comments box above.
By Barry Carter
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