Phil Hellmuth Wins 2014 Pittsburgh Poker Open
In the early morning hours of Monday, Nov. 17, Phil Hellmuth topped a field of 254 entrants to win the Pittsburgh Poker Open $1,000 buy-in Main Event for more than $54,000. The 13-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner claimed his first major victory since 2012 by defeating David “ODB” Baker in heads-up play. Baker took home $40,000 for his second-place finish.
“Surreal week. Won a 2015 Corvette Stingray, filmed ESPN live coverage of WSOP, filmed Poker Night in America, and won Pittsburgh Open Main Event,” Hellmuth tweeted after taking down the tournament.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Hellmuth | $54,414 |
| 2 | David Baker | $40,813 |
| 3 | Joseph Couden | $19,788 |
| 4 | Matt Glantz | $17,315 |
| 5 | Derek Dempsey | $14,841 |
| 6 | Michael Marzano | $12,368 |
Hellmuth put himself in position to win the tournament with a dozen players remaining. There were two six-handed tables at the 15,000/30,000 level when an under-the-gun player (617,000) raised to 80,000 holding the 7♣7♦ and Hellmuth (574,000) three-bet to 130,000 from the hijack with the J♥J♣. The rest of the field folded, the original raiser called, and the flop came down 5♥10♥5♣.
The under-the-gun player checked, Hellmuth bet 100,000, and his opponent check-raised all in. Hellmuth snap-called off his remaining 344,000 and doubled to 1.2 million after the 3♣ blanked on the turn followed by the 6♦ on the river.
Also of note in the tournament was the fourth-place finish of Matt Glantz and Shaun Deeb finishing in the money. Last year, the Pittsburgh Poker Open Championship attracted 296 entries and created a prize pool of $287,120. That event was won by Larry Pileggi for $71,782.
The annual tournament series, which took place over 19 days at Rivers Casino, also featured a high-stakes cash game that was filmed for future episodes of Poker Night in America. Among those to participate were Hellmuth, Baker, Jennifer Tilly, Greg Mueller, Tom Schneider, Matt Russell, Dr. Jaclynn Moskow, Jack Schanbacher, and Matt Bochkoris, MD.
Speaking of the cash game, one of the biggest winners was top criminal defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden, who is best known as defending several celebrities and athletes in murder trials.
The Rivers Casino, which opened in 2009, was voted “Best Overall Gaming Resort” in Pennsylvania by Casino Player magazine and “Best Overall Casino” in Pennsylvania by Strictly Slots magazine. The property features a 30-table poker room in addition to 2,900 slots and 83 table games.
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