Paul Klann Wins 2013 World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic
After six long days, the 2013 World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic ended on Thursday night with Paul Klann emerging victorious over a 517-player field to capture the $1,004,090 first-place prize and adding his name to the coveted WPT Champions Cup. Klann’s road to victory at the Commerce Casino wasn’t easy as he had to overcome a field with 43 former WPT champions and a tough final table that included Paul Volpe, Daniel Fuhs, David Fong, Jesse Yaginuma and Toby Lewis.
2013 WPT LAPC Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paul Klann | $1,004,090 |
| 2nd | Paul Volpe | $651,170 |
| 3rd | Jesse Yaginuma | $429,810 |
| 4th | Daniel Fuhs | $316,650 |
| 5th | David Fong | $236,250 |
| 6th | Toby Lewis | $193,560 |
Day 6 began with six players remaining in Level 27 (25,000/50,000/5,000), and it took only 13 hands for the first elimination to occur. According to the WPT Live Updates Team, it happened when Fuhs min-raised to 100,000 from the cutoff, Klann called from the small blind, and Lewis three-bet all in for 1,015,000 from the big. Fuhs tanked for over two minutes before calling, and Klann quickly got out of the way.
Fuhs: A♦9♦
Lewis: A♥10♥
Lewis was well out in front as his 10-kicker bested Fuhs’ nine, and according to the PokerNews Odds Calculator, Lewis was a 64.34% favorite to win the hand while Fuhs had a 26.04% chance of scoring the knockout. The 9♣6♣6♠ flop was gin for Fuhs because it paired his nine and made him an 85.45% favorite. Neither the 6♦ turn nor 5♠ river helped Lewis, and the 23-year-old from Southampton, England was eliminated in sixth place for $193,560.
The next elimination didn’t occur until Hand #94 in Level 30 (50,000/100,000/15,000) and happened when Fuhs min-raised to 200,000 from the cutoff and then snap-called when Fong, a 26-year-old poker pro from San Jose, California, moved all in from the big blind for 1.205 million. Fong was ahead with the Q♦Q♠ and racing against Fuhs’ A♣K♥. The 8♠4♠2♥ flop was dry for Fuhs, but the turn wasn’t as the K♠ spiked to give him a hammerlock on the hand. The 5♥ river failed to deliver Fong a queen, and he became the fifth-place finisher for $236,250.
Four-handed play was an extended affair that saw the chips move back and forth across the table. At one point, Fuhs was the big stack, but as time wore on he began to slide. Volpe doubled through Fuhs in Hand #157, and then the latter met his demise five hands later. It happened in Level 32 75,000/150,000/25,000) when Fuhs moved all in for 525,000 from the button, and Volpe isolated with a three-bet from the small blind. Everyone folded, leaving Volpe and Fuhs to do battle.
Fuhs: Q♣9♠
Volpe: K♦J♥
Fuhs was behind with two live cards, but it wouldn’t matter as the board ran out an uneventful 7♣6♦4♣A♥7♥. With that, the 40-year-old poker from San Diego, who had four WPT cashes for $149,764 headed into the final table, hit the rail in fourth place for $316,650.
On Hand #169 of the final table, which happened in Level 33 (100,000/200,000/25,000), Volpe min-raised from the button and Yaginuma, who had finished in 10th place at the Season IX LAPC, moved all in from the big blind for 2.575 million. Volpe made the call with the A♣10♠, and it was good as Yaginuma held the inferior Q♣J♠. The 9♦8♣5♣ flop gave Yaginuma a gutshot straight draw, but he was left wanting as the 7♥ blanked on the turn followed by the 3♠ on the river. Yaginuma, a 27-year-old poker pro from Bethesda, Maryland, exited in third place for $429,810, his largest career score to date.
Heads-up play began with Volpe holding a chip lead of 10.225 million to 5.275 million over Klann, and it seemed PokerNews’Rich Ryan was in excellent form to make good on his prediction of Volpe winning a $1 million in 2013. Unfortunately for Volpe, that didn’t happen as Klann proceeded to even the stacks over the next dozen hands. In Level 35 with the blinds at 150,000/300,000/50,000, Klann was just two big blinds behind when the determining hand happened.
Klann began Hand #202 by min-raising to 600,000 from the button and then called off for 7.4 million when Volpe moved all in. Klann rolled over the K♣10♥, and it was out in front of Volpe’s J♥9♥. The hand was essentially for the title, and things came down in Klann’s favor after the board ran out an uninspiring 4♥3♠2♣Q♥6♦. Volpe, who was left with just 600,000, got it in on the very next hand with the 10♥9♠ and was at risk against Klann’s Q♥5♥. The J♥8♣4♦ flop gave Volpe an open-ended straight draw, but neither the 2♥ turn nor A♠ river would complete it. Volpe finished as the runner-up for $651,170.
Klann became the Season XI L.A. Poker Classic champion and took home a Remington trophy from the Commerce Casino, $1,004,090 in prize money, and a guaranteed seat into the $25,000 WPT World Championship at the end of the season. He also joins a very distinguished list of WPT LAPC champions, as you can see from the list below.
Past WPT L.A. Poker Classic Champions
| Season | Player | Entrants | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gus Hansen | 136 | $532,490 |
| 2 | Antonio Esfandiari | 382 | $1,399,135 |
| 3 | Michael Mizrachi | 538 | $1,859,909 |
| 4 | Alan Goehring | 692 | $2,391,550 |
| 5 | Eric Hershler | 791 | $2,429,970 |
| 6 | Phil Ivey | 665 | $1,596,100 |
| 7 | Cornel Andrew Cimpan | 696 | $1,686,760 |
| 8 | Andras Koroknai | 745 | $1,788,001 |
| 9 | Greg Brooks | 681 | $1,654,120 |
| 10 | Sean Jazayeri | 549 | $1,370,240 |
| 11 | Paul Klann | 517 | $1,004,090 |
The next stop on the WPT is just around the corner, and it's the always fun WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star. The $7,500 buy-in Main Event will begin on Monday, March 4 with a few interesting twists. First, each starting day will have a group of preselected "Stars," each with a $2,500 bounty on their head. Furthermore, the chip leader at the end of Day 1a and Day 1b will receive $10,000. It's sure to be an extremely enjoyable event as it always is, and PokerNews will be providing daily recaps, so be sure to check back often.
Lead photo courtesy of LAPCnews.com. Fong and Volpe photos courtesy of WorldPokerTour.com.
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