2009 WSOP: Wong, Traply Among Final Five in Shootout #41

Jun 23, 2009 4 min read

Day 2 of Event #41, $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout, dawned with only 30 players remaining, but there was still plenty of star power present as Barny Boatman, Jennifer Harman, and Phil Ivey all drew the same table for their second level shootout. Other big names included Peter Feldman, John Monnette, Neil Channing, and David ‘The Dragon” Pham. Over the course of Day 2, the 30 survivors played five single-table matches to set up the five-handed final table for Day 3. The five players who will occupy those seats are Danny Wong, Peter Traply, Maxim Lykov, Andrew Lichtenberger, and [Removed:197].

In a shootout, the players compete in single-table tournaments, with the winner of each table advancing. This event had 300 total entrants, so there were 30 10-handed tables on Day 1. Those 30 tables yielded 30 Day 2 competitors, which created five six-handed Day 2 tables. Those five tables yielded one winner each, to set up a five-handed final table. All of the players on Day 2 started with equal chip stacks, and everyone who busted on Day 2 picked up $16,740 for the event.

It’s normal in shootouts for one or two tables to have much faster action than the others, and Event #41 was no exception. Neil “Bad Beat” Channing lived up to his name early on Day 2 when his pocket kings were outflopped by Roland Isra’s A-K. Isra caught an ace, Channing couldn’t improve, and his day was done almost before it started. Other quick eliminations were John Monnette, Michael Mercaldo, and Joe Serock. Serock moved all in with A-Q and was well behind David Baker’s pocket kings. Nothing out of the ordinary happened on the board, and Serock was sent packing in 26th place.

As the field began to thin, more big names started heading to the rail. Mark Teltscher ran top pair, top kicker into the nuts on the board of A♣5♥4♦6♠3♠ when he moved in on the river with A♦K♥. Danny Wong snap-called with 7♥8♥ and Teltscher was done. Jennifer Harman drew the table of death for Day 2, sharing a table with Barny Boatman and Phil Ivey. Harman and Boatman got it all in preflop, and Boatman had her dominated with A♠K♠ to Harman’s A♣Q♣. The K♥A♦3♠ flop all but decided things, and when the turn and river ran out 6♦ and 3♦, Harman’s day was done in 21st place.

Maxim Lykov and Lex Veldhuis were heads up on Table 61 when Lykov took down a huge hand to lock up his spot at the final table. Veldhuis opened for a raise preflop, and Lykov reraised. Veldhuis four-bet with his A♦4♠, and Lykov moved all in. Veldhuis called and saw that he was dominated as Lykov tabled A♠J♦. Lykov faded the fours on the board of K♠K♥7♦10♣9♥ to eliminate Veldhuis and move on to the final table.

Peter Traply locked up the second final table seat when he busted Davidi Kitai in 12th place. They got all the money in on the flop, with Kitai drawing to the nut flush holding A♥3♥ on the board of 8♥2♠6♥. Traply was ahead with 10♠10♥, and when the turn and river ran out 4♠ and 9♣ he sent Kitai to the rail and secured his spot at the final table.

Peter “Nordberg” Feldman made it all the way to the final nine, but fell short of a final table berth when he was knocked out at the hands of Danny Wong. Their final hand was a coinflip for all of Feldman’s chips as he pushed all in with 4♥4♣ to Wong’s A♥Q♠. Feldman held the lead after the 9♥7♥J♣ flop, but the 10♦ on the turn meant that almost any face card would give Wong the win. The river brought the K♦ to make Broadway for Wong and send Feldman to the exit. With Feldman’s elimination Wong locked up the third seat at the final table.

David Pham was one of the few big names still in the hunt for a final table seat, and he took a sizable chip lead into heads-up play against Andrew Lichtenberger. Lichtenberger took it all back and more as he finally put out The Dragon’s fire to earn his seat at the final table. Lichtenberger raised from the button, Pham three-bet, and Lichtenberger called to see the 5♦J♦Q♣ flop. Pham led out with K♥K♣, and Lichtenberger raised. Pham moved all in with his overpair and Lichtenberger quickly called with Q♠5♠ for flopped two pair. Lichtenberger improved to a full house on the Q♦ turn, leaving only two outs for Pham to improve. The 7♠ on the river wasn’t one of them, and Lichtenberger’s seat for Day 3 was secured.

It was no surprise that the table starting with Barny Boatman, Jennifer Harman, and Phil Ivey was the last to finish. It was no surprise that Ivey and Boatman were in contention until the bitter end. It may have been a surprise, at least to Ivey and Boatman, when [Removed:197] was the last man standing at their table and neither of them made the final. As the night drew to a close, Boatman busted Ivey in eighth place when his 8♦8♣ held up against Ivey’s A♥4♦. Then Boatman and [Removed:198] settled in to play heads up for the last spot at the final table.

It didn’t take long for everything to be decided. On the board of K♦K♠8♥, [Removed:198] check-raised Boatman’s flop bet. Boatman called to see the 3♠ on the turn, then called [Removed:198]’s all-in. Boatman’s 7♦7♣ was in trouble against [Removed:198]’s A♠8♦, and when the 10♠ came on the river, Boatman was done and the final table was set. [Removed:197] joined Andrew Lichtenberger, Danny Yong, Maxim Lykov and Peter Traply as the final table players for Event #41.