Congratulations to Daniel Idema, Event #27 Champion ($378,642)
The $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship is one of the most prestigious tournaments held at the annual World Series of Poker. It also has a reputation as being one of the toughest. This year 153 players began Event #27 and played three grueling days of poker. In the end, only one man remained to claim the WSOP gold bracelet and the $378,642 first-place prize. That man was Daniel Idema, who redeemed himself after finishing runner-up in this very event just one year ago.
Day Three began with just 14 players including Matthew Gallin, who entered as chip leader with 575,000. Joining him were some tough competition in last year’s runner-up Daniel Idema; three-time bracelet winner and Team PokerStars Pro (USA) Barry Greenstein; runner-up in the 2009 WSOP $40K NLHE tournament, Isaac Haxton; Microsoft millionaire Richard “Quiet Lion” Brodie; online sensation Justin “Boosted J” Smith; and Nick Schulman, who has numerous titles to his credit including a WSOP bracelet in the 2009 $10K No Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw event.
As Day 3 progressed, five players succumbed to the high betting limits. They included Marwan Abdelal (14th- $24,060), Matt Hawrilenko (13th- $24,060), Tam Hang (12th- $28,990), Darren Woods (11th- $28,990), and Hoyt Corkins (10th- $28,990). Their eliminations brought about the official WSOP Final Table, with Daniel Idema’s stack of 740,000 leading the pack.
Official $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship Final Table
| Seat | Player | Chip Counts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Schulman | 252,000 |
| 2 | Daniel Idema | 977,000 |
| 3 | Domenico Denotaristefani | 461,000 |
| 4 | Steve Landfish | 649,000 |
| 5 | Justin "Boosted J" Smith | 484,000 |
| 6 | Barry Greenstein | 428,000 |
| 7 | Matthew Gallin | 514,000 |
| 8 | Richard Brodie | 384,000 |
| 9 | Isaac Haxton | 409,000 |
The first final-table elimination came when Schulman ran pockets nines into Greenstein’s pocket sevens on a 
flop. The 
turn and 
river changed nothing and Schulman was sent packing in ninth place ($35,519). Next out the door was Brodie who grew short stacked and couldn’t improve his 
against Greenstein’s 
.
It took a long time before the next elimination, but it finally came when Haxton got his stack in preflop with 
againt the 
of Landfish. The board ran out 
to give Landfish a flush and send Haxton out the door in seventh place ($55,908). Not long after, short-stacked Smith got his chips in with 
against Greenstein’s . The board ran out 
and Boosted J followed Haxton out the door in sixth place ($71,897).
Five-handed action lasted a long time, which was surprising considering the high blinds. It just seemed like every time a player was all in, they doubled. That all changed when Denotaristefani raised on the button only to have Landfish snap three-bet from the small blind. Denotaristefani made the call and watched as the 
came down on the flop. Landfish led out, Denotaristefani raised, Landfish three-bet, and Denotaristefani called off his last 35,000.
Landfish: 
Denotaristefani:
Denotaristefani’s tournament life was at stake but he was way out in front. The 
turn changed nothing and left Landfish looking for one of two remaining nines on the river to steal the pot and eliminate his opponent. When the 
spiked on the river, Landfish slapped the table in celebration. Denotaristefani's supporters fell deafly silent as their man was eliminated by a two outer. Denotaristefani took home $94,029 as he made his exit in fifth place.
Landfish’s luck ran out soon thereafter when he ran 
into the of Gallin. Three-handed play didn’t last long either as Greenstein received a bad beat after getting it all in with 
against the 
of Gallin on 
. Unfortunately for the fan favorite, the turn came the followed by the on the river.
Heads up play lasted less than five hands as Idema entered with a commanding chip lead of 3.6 million to Gallin’s 900,000. While Idema hadn’t eliminated any opponents up to that point, he steadily increased his chip lead throughout the final table; in fact, he was the only player who was never all in during final-table play. His perseverance and patience paid off when he cracked Gallin’s pocket queens by flopping two pair. After suffering with the title of $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship runner-up for a year, Idema has validated himself and found redemption as he claimed the title of Champion!
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Winnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Daneil Idema | $378,642 |
| 2nd | Matthew Gallin | $233,944 |
| 3rd | Barry Greenstein | $169,512 |
| 4th | Steve Landfish | $125,120 |
| 5th | Domenico Denotaristefani | $94,029 |
| 6th | Justin “Boosted J” Smith | $71,897 |
| 7th | Isaac Haxton | $55,908 |
| 8th | Richard Brodie | $44,207 |
| 9th | Nick Schulman | $35,519 |
Former $5,000-$10,000 Limit Hold’em Champions
| Year | Event | Entrants | Player | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Event #28 ($5,000) | 269 | Dan Schmeich | $404,585 |
| 2007 | Event #18 ($5,000) | 257 | Saro Jason Getzoyan | $333,379 |
| 2008 | Event #30 ($10,000) | 218 | Rob Hollink | $496,931 |
| 2009 | Event #33 ($10,000) | 185 | Greg Mueller | $460,836 |
| 2010 | Event #29 ($10,000) | 171 | Matt Keikoan | $425,969 |
| 2011 | Event #27 ($10,000) | 152 | Daniel Idema | $378,642 |
Congratulations to Daniel Idema on capturing his first bracelet and becoming the 2011 WSOP Limit Hold’em Champion. That does it for our coverage from Event #27, but there are still plenty of more events to track in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back soon.