The 2014 World Series of Poker Asia Pacific (WSOP APAC) is nearing its conclusion, with only the Main Event and High Roller still to be finalized. The series has seen a player secure their third 2014 bracelet, another clinch their sixth career bracelet, and Phil Hellmuth nearly changing the course of history. Today, we’re revisiting the most prominent stories of the WSOP APAC preliminaries.
Ivey Skips WSOP Asia-Pacific
Aside from the actual events, the series’ major highlight was the absence of Phil Ivey, a 10-time WSOP bracelet winner. Ivey did not participate in the event as he was trying to win his case against London’s Crockford’s Casino.
Regrettably, the High Court determined that Ivey unlawfully manipulated the punto-banco game and will therefore not be awarded the $12 million he won in 2012. Ivey, along with his legal team, are considering their next steps, which will probably involve pursuing some form of appeal.
Jeff Lisandro Wins Bracelet #6 in $1,650 PLO Event
Jeff Lisandro, an Australian Poker legend, claimed his sixth career bracelet at the WSOP APAC, winning the $1,650 PL Omaha Event. The final table featured Australian Hall of Famers Jason Gray and Gary Benson.
In the end, it came down to Lisandro and Gray vying for the championship. They fought tooth and nail for nearly 100 hands before reaching the decisive round. Gray risked everything on the flop with two pairs, while Lisandro only had a bottom pair and a chance for a flush. However, luck favored Lisandro, as a consecutive straight on the turn and river gave him the winning hand and the title.
Lisandro is one of only two players in history who have claimed victory in all three WSOP variants, earning him a bracelet in each. This achievement also netted him a prize money of $44,796.
Phil Hellmuth Missed Out on #14
As Event #7, $2,200 Six-Max NL Hold’em, was nearing its final stages, Phil Hellmuth found himself with a short stack and was anticipating the next day’s 8-Game. A late surge doubled his stack, sparking a winning streak that saw Hellmuth end Day 1 of the event among the top 10 players.
Hellmuth used that momentum to advance towards the final table of his event. As he entered the final table, Hellmuth held the fourth largest number of chips and promptly ousted 2014 November Niner Bruno Politano, securing the sixth place. However, he couldn’t maintain this position for long as he encountered quad jacks from Michael Tran.
Hellmuth ended up as one of the players with the smallest stacks. Despite his skillful play which took him to the final four, he couldn’t fully bounce back. He finally went all-in with Ah-7s against Tran’s pocket fours. Tran’s fours stood strong and Hellmuth was eliminated, finishing in 4th place.
Hellmuth reached his 51st career final table and 108th cash at WSOP.
George Danzer Wins Third Bracelet of 2014 in $5k 8-Game
After winning Event #8, the $5,000 8-Game Mixed Event, George Danzer was on the verge of securing the 2014 WSOP Player of the Year award. Danzer, who was trailing Brandon Shack-Harris, was hoping to win his third career bracelet in this event.
The journey to the final table was far from simple. He had to endure a final table that comprised of Tino Lechich, Sam Khouiss, Scott Clements, and Jonathan Duahmel, the 2009 WSOP Main Event Champion.
The competition for the bracelet between Danzer and Clements was intense. Initially, Danzer held the chip lead, but soon lost it to Clements. However, he managed to double his score against Clements and secure a 6.5:1 chip lead. Remarkably, Clements fought back and the one-on-one competition continued for several hours.
Ultimately, Danzer managed to reclaim the lead relying on a pair of PLO, leaving Clements to take a risk with NL Hold’em. Clements went all in with Qs-6s and Danzer responded by calling with Jd-10d. Danzer gained the upper hand when a ten appeared on the flop, and this pair would secure his victory, earning him his third bracelet of the year 2010.
George Danzer became only the fifth player in poker history to secure three bracelets in one year. The most recent player to achieve this before him was Jeff Lisandro in 2009.
Only two events are left in the 2014 WSOP Asia Pacific. The $10,000 Main Event and the $25,000 High Roller Event are both ongoing with packed fields. The High Roller Event will end with a winner on Friday, and the Main Event final, which will be televised, will wrap up on Saturday.
