"Phwap" Looking for Another Final Table

One of the players sitting in here at Mid-States Poker Tour Golden Gates is Kevin "Phwap" Boudreau, a beloved pro who suffered a stroke at the 2013 WSOP. Boudreau was out of the spotlight as he recovered for a year before making a brief appearance at the 2014 WSOP, playing a couple of sit-n-goes at the Rio and seeing old friends.

A few months later, Boudreau made his return to live tournament poker at this very tournament in November. It turned out to be a triumphant one, as Boudreau navigated his way through a 500-player field to finish fourth for $34,678. Phwap came agonizingly close to winning the tournament, getting all in against chip leader Reza Yazdi late in the tournament with the latter at risk holding against Boudreau's . An eight on the board threw a monkey wrench into the storybook ending, leaving Boudreau with just a handful of big blinds, which he busted shortly thereafter. Yazdi had 80 percent of the chips at that point and went on to win the tournament.