2008 WSOP Event #46 $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed: Commisso Beats Lyndaker in Marathon
Going into the final table of the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed Event #46, Richard Lyndaker and Joe Commisso were one and two on the leaderboard. They would be the last two standing. By the end of their grueling, six-hour heads-up match, Commisso emerged the winner of Event #46, earning his first WSOP bracelet and his first WSOP cash – $911,855. Lyndaker finished in second, taking home over half a million dollars for his second WSOP cash in just over a week
In the first 90 minutes of play, there were three eliminations. First out was Belgian Davidi Kitai, who unable to match his win in Event #38 last week. Sitting on the short stack, Kitai went over the top of Richard Lyndaker all in preflop with 10♠10♣. Lyndaker called, turning over K♠K♣ and Kitai needed help. Unfortunately for him, the board ran out A♠3♦A♥2♣A♦ and he was out in sixth place with a $120,693 payday.
The next elimination again involved Lyndaker. After heavy betting preflop, he and Tom Lutz got it all in after a flop of 9♣Q♣8♥. Lutz showed A♥A♦, but Lyndaker tabled 9♥9♠ for a flopped set. The turn fell the 4♣ and Lutz was looking for one of the two remaining aces, but the river brought the 2♠ and Lutz finished in fifth place, taking home $174,041.
Pocket pairs brought down the next player as well. Sam Trickett had raised preflop 90,000 and Edward Ochana in the big blind went along to see the flop. It came 10♥8♥6♣ and Ochana led out for 105,000. Ticket reraised and Ochana shoved all in, having Trickett covered. Trickett had K♥K♠ for an overpair, but Ochana had flopped a set with 6♥6♦. The 9♠ and 4♦ turn and river failed to improve Trickett, and the Brit shook hands with the rest of the table as he exited in fourth place, with $245,927.
Ochana, though, was the next out, in a hand against Lyndaker. Ochana raised to 125,000 from the button, and Lyndaker called from the big blind. They both checked the 2♦3♦8♠ flop. The turn was the 9♥; Lyndaker check-raised Ochana to 310,000 and Ochana called. After the 10♦ river, Lyndaker moved all in, having Ochana covered. After tanking for some time, Ochana called. Lyndaker turned over J♣7♣ for the rivered straight. Ochana showed Q♣10♠ for a pair of tens. Ochana was the third-place finisher, leaving with $368,891.
Las Vegas local Commisso had won other large pots during the final and began heads-up play ahead in chips, 5.3 million to 2.68 million. He then expanded his lead to a seven-to-one advantage after hitting a winning two pair while holding a modest 6-4 off. But then Lyndaker mounted one of many comebacks, taking his first lead in heads-up play with a pair of sixes over the A-high of Commisso. Lyndaker's stack rose to over five million in chips, only to drop back down when, on a board of 2♥10♥A♥5♥4♦, Commisso showed A♣3♥ for a baby flush to beat Lyndaker's pair of tens.
At one point, about five hours in, Lyndaker had dropped down to just one million, only to double up twice in a row, once when he had A-Q against Commisso's Q-6, and again when he had K-J to his opponent's K-9. They were almost back to even. Over the entire battle, Lyndaker survived nine all-ins, but his luck finally ran out.
Commisso had just taken the chip lead back when his 9-7 found a friendly board – K-8-6-5-5 – besting Lyndaker's pair of kings. Two hands later, Lyndaker moved all in from the button with his own 9♠7♥. Commisso called and showed A♦Q♠. The board held no surprise this time, coming Q♥4♠10♠10♥7♣, and Lyndaker was eliminated. For his second-place finish, he earned $570,551. Joe Commisso, whose only prior cash had been in a WSOP Circuit event, is now a WSOP bracelet winner, taking home a whopping $911,855.
