August 30 2012, Rich Ryan

On Wednesday, after four days of battle at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, California, the final six players returned for Day 5 of the World Poker Tour Legends of Poker. Josh Hale held a commanding chip lead with over 7.3 million chips. His closest competitor, Greg Mueller, began the day with almost 3.5 million chips.

WPT Legends of Poker Final Table

According to the World Poker Tour Live Updates team, on the 20th hand of the final table, the action folded to Max Steinberg, who called out of the small blind. Jeff Madsen, commanding the shortest stack at the table, moved all in from the big blind. Steinberg called with , dominating Madsen’s . Then the flop, turn and river came , eliminating Madsen in sixth place with $75,400.

On Hand #56, the third hand of Level 30 (50,000/100,000/10,000), Mueller moved all in from under the gun for around 2 million. Action folded to Steinberg in the small blind and he tanked before reshoving all in. Raouf Malek surrendered his big blind and the hands were opened to a classic race situation with Mueller’s slightly ahead of Steinberg’s , and the flop kept Mueller in the lead. The turned, however, giving Steinberg a better pair and the completed the board. Mueller was eliminated in fifth place, taking home $97,100.

Four hands later, Malek doubled through Ali Eslami, leaving Eslami with just 120,000 chips (less than two big blinds). The action started when Hale raised to 210,000 from under the gun. Eslami called on the button, and Malek moved all in for 2.4 million from the big blind. Hale folded, and Eslami tank-called. Eslami’s was dominated by Malek’s , and the board ran out .

Miraculously, in the next six hands, Eslami doubled, tripled, then doubled again, rocketing his stack up to over 1.5 million chips. On the seventh hand after being crippled, Eslami effectively three-bet jammed (he left one chip behind as a card protector) over a raise from Malek and a call from Hale. Malek tank-folded, Hale quickly called, and Eslami’s were way ahead of Hale’s . The board came , and suddenly Eslami was back up to 3.4 million chips (34 big blinds).

Hale, who had been dominating, dropped to 6.5 million chips, and on the 74th hand lost another sizable pot to Eslami. For the first time at the final table, Hale was not the chip leader.

Hale’s stack continued to drop, and he was even all-in and at risk on Hand #87 against Malek. Hale’s out-raced Malek’s as the board came , giving Hale the chip lead once again. Malek was now up against the ropes, but then he tripled up through Hale and Eslami two hands later when both players held kings! Malek’s was of course trailing, but he spiked an ace on the turn to stay alive.

Finally, nearly 40 hands after Mueller was eliminated in fifth place, Eslami bowed out in fourth. Hale limped the button with the blinds at 60,000/120,000/20,000, and Eslami moved all in from the small blind. Steinberg asked for a count, then reshoved from the big blind. Hale folded. It was another race with Eslami holding and Steinberg . There was a king on the flop, giving Steinberg a commanding lead, and the turn and river came , , respectively. Eslami was eliminated but earned $133,700 for his efforts.

Malek, Hale, and Steinberg battled back and forth three handed, but Steinberg maintained the chip lead throughout. On Hand #119, Malek opened to 300,000 on the button, and Steinberg defended his big blind. The flop was , Steinberg checked, and Malek continued for 325,000. Steinberg called. The turn was the , and both players checked. The completed the board, and Steinberg led out for 900,000. Malek raised to 3 million, and Steinberg moved all in. Malek called with for a king-high straight, but Steinberg turned over for Broadway, eliminating Malek in third place ($192,400).

Heads Up Chip Counts

On the 13th hand of heads-up play, after chipping up a bit, Hale received a monster double-up. The blinds were 100,000/200,000/25,000 when Steinberg raised to 500,000 on the button. Hale called, and the flop came . Hale checked, Steinberg fired 550,000, and Hale moved all in for just under 5 million. Steinberg called with for tens and sixes, and Hale showed for a naked flush draw. The turn was red, but the was no help to Hale. The spiked on the river however, and Hale took down the pot with a flush, taking a near two-to-one chip lead.

Hale never looked back, and on Hand #145, it was all over. Hale raised to 550,000 with the blinds at 125,000/250,000/25,000. Steinberg quickly moved all in for 3.25 million, and Hale snapped it off. Hale tabled , and Steinberg showed . The board ran out , and Hale was the champion of the 2012 WPT Legends of Poker.

WPT Legends of Poker Final Table Payouts

Along with a half million dollars, Hale has earned a seat in the 2013 WPT World Championship. This concludes PokerNews’ recap coverage from the WPT Legends of Poker. We’ll see you next time at the Aviation Club in Paris, France.

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Photo and data courtesy of WorldPokerTour.com.

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March 01 2012, Donnie Peters

The 2012 World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic closed the books for another year after an amazing final table completed on Wednesday night at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, California. Walking away with the title and the $1,370,240 first-place prize was start-of-the-day chip leader Sean Jazayeri.

When play began, Jazayeri led a tough final table. Joining him was a very strong cast of characters that included David Sands, Noah Schwartz, Dan Kelly, Jason Somerville and Jason Burt. Somerville and Burt were essentially tied as the two shortest stacks returning to play.

Somerville’s final table lasted just a couple of hands. According to the WPT Live Updates Team, on the second hand of play Somerville shoved all-in for 820,000 from under the gun with the blinds at 30,000/60,000/10,000 in Level 28. Jazayeri called from the button and everyone else folded. Somerville was at risk, and turned over , against Jazayeri’s .

The flop produced three clean cards for Somerville as the rolled out. The turn was the and left him with just one more punch to dodge on the river. When the was turned over on the end, it gave Jazayeri the winning hand and sent Somerville out the door in sixth place. His payday was worth $202,910 and Jazayeri increased his chip lead with over five million in his stack.

Not too long after Somerville fell, Burt made his exit in fifth place. With the blinds the same, the dealer pitched Burt his 12th hand of the final table, and it turned out to be his last.

Burt had built his stack up to nearly two million after entering the day with 835,000. When action folded to him in the small blind, he raised to 160,000. Kelly made the call from the big blind and the flop come down . Burt continued with a bet of 180,000, and Kelly made the call.

The turn card was the and Burt fired 370,000. Kelly paused briefly and then moved all-in. Burt tanked for a few minutes and then called holding for top pair. He was at risk with fewer chips and up against Kelly’s , who had turned an open-ended straight draw. The river brought the and successfully completed the straight Kelly needed to win the hand. Burt was eliminated and earned $252,980.

Noah Schwartz was the next player to go. He fell at the hands of Jazayeri on the 34th hand of the final table and earned $355,750.

With the blinds up to 40,000/80,000/10,000 in Level 29, Jazayeri raised from under the gun to 210,000. Kelly flat-called from the button and then Schwartz reraised all-in from the small blind for 1.555 million. Jazayeri reshoved his stack of nearly eight million and that knocked Kelly out of the way. Schwartz tabled and Jazayeri showed .

“I played so bad this tournament,” said Schwartz. “Jeez. I’m the worst!”

From there, a flop, turn and river of ran out and Schwartz was second best. Jazayeri collected the chips and moved to slightly under 10 million.

With three players out in the first 34 hands of the final table, things were moving along in rapid succession. It took a little bit longer to determine the third-place finisher, who fell on the 69th hand of play.

During Level 30 with the blinds at 50,000/100,000/10,000, Sands raised from the button to 200,000 and Kelly reraised all-in from the big blind for 1.655 million. Sands requested a count, received it, then made the call with . Kelly held two Broadway cards – – but was behind.

The flop gave Kelly some more outs, because he could now counterfeit Sands’ hand by hitting a seven on the turn or river to make a better two pair, but he was still behind. The turn didn’t change a whole lot of things and Kelly was now looking for a king, a jack or a four to win the pot, while spiking a seven could chop it. The river failed to give him what he needed and Kelly exited the tournament in third place for $521,770.

When heads-up play began, the chip counts were 9.47 million to 7 million in favor of Sands. At the time, only 24 big blinds separated the two, but Sands went to work right away at widening the gap. During the first 20 hands of the duel, Sands was up as high as 11.365 million, but ended that batch on the wrong side of a big flip.

Jazayeri knocked Sands back down to 10 million on the 88th hand of play before the two got all of the money in on the very next hand. Sands opened from the button to 280,000 with the blinds at 60,000/120,000/20,000 and Jazayeri three-bet to 800,000. Sands four-bet to 1.84 million and Jazayeri jammed for 6.925 million. Sands snapped holding and Jazayeri tabled .

The flop gave Jazayeri the lead when it fell . The turn and river kept him in front and allowed Jazayeri to double through. Sands was whacked all the way back to 2.58 million. From there, things only lasted one more hand.

The blinds jumped to 75,000/150,000/25,000 and Jazayeri raised to 400,00 from the button. Sands moved all-in for a little over 2.5 million and Jazayeri made the call holding . Sands held .

The flop was exciting for Sands’ fans because it came down , and put him in front for the double up. The turn, , kept Sands in the lead. The river landed with a miracle and Jazayeri smacked the winning trips to win the hand. Along with winning the hand, Jazayeri won the tournament. Sands was eliminated in second place for $806,370, the largest score of his live poker career.

2012 World Poker Tour LAPC Final Table Payouts

The L.A. Poker Classic has wrapped up and the WPT is on to the next stop, which will be the Bay 101 Shooting Star beginning on March 5, 2012. PokerNews will once again be providing daily recaps of the event, so be sure to stay tuned.

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*Photo courtesy of the World Poker Tour.

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