World Poker Tour Hollywood Poker Open Day 5: Scarborough Denies Seidel Second WPT Title
The World Poker Tour Hollywood Poker Open concluded on Wednesday in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, at the Hollywood Casino with Mike Scarborough claiming his first WPT title and $273,664. It was no small feat for Scarborough who had to get past Erik Seidel, William Reynolds, Tom Marchese and Ali Eslami at the final table to claim victory.
The fast action began with the start of play as can be seen on coverage by the WPT Live Update Team. Within the first seven hands, two players were sent to the rail. First to go was Eslami in sixth place with $50,962. Following him out the door in fifth place was ClubWPT qualifier Andy Whetstone with $62,041.
Eslami went out on the third hand of the official televised final table with the blinds at 2,500/5,000 with a 500 ante. Reynolds opened with a raise from the cutoff seat to 11,000, and Eslami called in the big blind to see the flop come down J♣7♣7♦. Both checked and the turn brought the A♠. Eslami bet 13,500 and Reynolds raised to 36,000. Eslami reraised all in and Reynolds snapped with J♦J♠. Eslami held the 9♥7♥ for an extreme cooler of a hand. The river completed the board with the K♣ and Eslami was eliminated.
On the seventh hand, Whetstone moved all-in on the flop of K♦Q♥9♣. Holding A♠Q♠, Scarborough called. Whetstone had an underpair to the board with 3♣3♦. The turn brought the 6♦ and the river the K♣ to send Whetstone to the rail.
The next elimination came on the 28th hand with Marchese bowing out at the hands of good friend Reynolds. With blinds of 3,000/6,000 with a 1,000 ante, Reynolds opened from the button to 14,000. After Seidel called from the small blind, Marchese reraised to 48,000 from the big blind. Reynolds took a minute before making it 100,000 straight. Seidel folded and Marchese moved all-in. Reynolds called and turned over 10♦10♥. Marchese held two overcards with A♠K♥, so off to the races they went.
The flop, turn and river ran out A♣J♣10♠Q♥Q♠ in dramatic fashion. First, Reynolds flopped a set to Marchese’s top pair. Then Marchese turned a straight, but in the end, Reynolds made a full house. Marchese finished in fourth place with $77,551.
Although the first three players were eliminated within the first 30 hands at the table, the next elimination didn’t come until the 170th hand of play, 142 hands after Marchese went out. Reynolds was the player to hit the rail in third place after starting the day as chip leader.
With the blinds up to 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante, Scarborough raised from the button to 47,000. Reynolds moved all-in from the small blind for 548,000, and Seidel folded in the big blind. Scarborough made the call and rolled over A♣J♥. Reynolds was dominated with A♦10♦. The board ran out Q♠8♦6♣K♦5♥ and Scarborough’s ace-jack high was the winning hand. Reynolds finished in third place for a $110,788 payday.
When heads-up play began between Scarborough and Seidel, Scarborough held the chip lead with 2.336 million. Seidel held 601,000 and on the 12th hand of heads-up play, Seidel reached the end of the line.
With the blinds at 12,000/24,000 with a 4,000 ante, Scarborough raised to 62,000 from the button. Seidel moved all-in from the big blind for 361,000 and Scarborough called, revealing J♥10♥. Seidel held the A♦9♦.
The flop paired both players but put Seidel in second place with 10♣9♠7♥ falling. The turn brought the 8♠ and gave Scarborough an unbeatable straight. Seidel could then only chop on the river if a jack fell but the river completed the board with the 10♦ and Scarborough’s straight won the pot.
Seidel finished in second place with $155,103 to add another great finish to his record in 2011, coming up just short of claiming his second WPT title. Scarborough walked away with his first WPT title, $273,664 in prize money, a WPT bracelet and a $25,000 entry into the season-ending WPT World Championship held in May at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Scarborough | $273,664 |
| 2 | Erik Seidel | $155,103 |
| 3 | William Reynolds | $110,788 |
| 4 | Tom Marchese | $77,551 |
| 5 | Andy Whetstone | $62,041 |
| 6 | Ali Eslami | $50,962 |
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*Photo courtesy of WorldPokerTour.com
