2009 WSOP Updates: Events #4 & #5
by Bodog Poker | Jun 4 2009
The
WSOP introduced a discount $1K event this year in an attempt to attract as many lower-stakes players as possible. The idea worked rather well because the event ended up being one of the biggest
poker tournaments ever played. Over 6000 players entered the event, and in true amateur fashion 90% of them were eliminated on the first day of play. The winner ended up being poker pro Steve Sung, who continues to play well since he won almost $400K for his fourth-place finish last December in the $15 WPT Doyle Brunson Classic.
Steve went into the final table in good shape, but quickly fell to one of the short stacks after a couple of bad hands. He managed to stay patient and fought his way back to the chip led after a run of good hands. He controlled the head-to-head battle against Panayote Vilandos, who was at a sizeable chip disadvantage for most of the heads-up battle. The bracelet is Sung's first to date, but his stellar play indicates that this won't be his last.
The
WSOP $1500 PLO event #5 was won by one of the most dominant young poker players in the world right now. Poker Pro Jason Mercier has added a WSOP bracelet to his already impressive cash-out record that includes an EPT San Remo win and a European Poker Championship High Roller event win, totalling over two million dollars. Since April of 2008, after becoming old enough to play in casinos, he's won almost $3 million in live tournament action.
The 22-year-old compiled a massive chips stack early in the tournament and managed to hold on to his chips for the entire event. In the heads-up match he outplayed Steve Burkholder, who had almost the same size stack as Mercier at the start of the match. Mercier controlled the play heads-up and eventually beat him when both players hit trips and Mercier hit a queen on the river for a full house and the WSOP bracelet.
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