Tournament Details

It sounded like a great science experiment: what would happen if you took all 14 of World Poker Tour's Season II champions and pitted them against each other in a winner-take-all No Limit Hold ‘Em freeze out, with a single $25,000 seat at the WPT World Championship at stake?

Given the fact that in the final petri dish you had funky fan favorite Phil “Unabomber" Laak (WPT Invitational champ) heating up the works, you’d be right to hypothesize that the results would be highly volatile. Along with Laak in Seat 1 on the short stack with 178,000 in chips, the final equation contained five other tough pros, not a soft spot in the bunch: in Seat 2, the elegant and dangerous international pro David Benyamine (Grand Prix de Paris), with 699,000. In Seat 3, the crafty – some say crazy – long-time pro Noli Francisco (Borgata Poker Open), dominating chip leader with 1,570,000. In Seat 4, the former beautician, wily Australian Mel Judah (Legends of Poker), with 449,000. In Seat 5, the “Alabama Cowboy" Hoyt Corkins (Foxwoods World Poker Finals), with 992,000. And finally, in Seat 6, 26 year-old Poker-Made-Millionaire Antonio “the Magician" Esfandiari (L.A. Poker Classic), with 183,000. Play began with antes and blinds at 2,000, 8,000, and 16,000.

Good friends Esfandiari and Laak injected a good bit of jovial by-play into things right from the start. Laak pushed all-in on the first hand with Qd-Td, but survived when Judah folded. Esfandiari pulled the same move with the same result soon after with A-K offsuit, followed on the next hand by Laak - this time with Ah-Qd. Benyamine made a great laydown, dropping Ac-Js, to give the wild man the early momentum. It didn’t last too long. After collecting a large pot showing down a K high against the ever-aggressive Corkins, Esfandiari found Qc-Tc and brought it in for 43,000 to go. Laak, finding As-Jd, quickly pushed in his whole stack of 207,000. After a moment to calculate whether the pot was laying him sufficient odds to call, Antonio did so, finding himself a pretty good dog. The flop came 9c-6d-5d, good for the ever-smiling Laak, but as he and Antonio perched themselves on the elbow of the dealer to get first glance at the turn card, Antonio’s luck changed when the Jc added both a flush and open-ended straight draw to his outs. Now openly cheering a club to fall for his buddy, Laak roared with painful glee when the 5c hit on the river, knocking him out in 6th place. He good-naturedly transferred his stacks personally, and shook everyone’s hand on his way to the rail.

Esfandiari, still short-stacked, proceeded to keep pushing a lot of chips around in an attempt to move up, but picked the wrong time to make a play when he came over the top of Francisco’s opening 45,000 bump, going all-in for 160,000 more,with Qc-2s. It wasn’t that he didn’t have a good read on Francisco, who was sitting on a highly-foldable Ts-9s, it was that he didn’t expect Benyamine - in the big blind - to wake up with Ac-Kh. But that the affable Parisian did, snapping off the Magician mid-trick. After Francisco bowed out, he was immediately punished for his good laydown with a flop that would’ve given him top pair and an up-and-down straight draw, Th-8d-7h, but it was no help at all to Esfandiari. 7d on the turn put Esfandiari on the ropes, and 9c on the river pushed him all the way out of the ring in 5th place. He joined his friend Phil Laak in the crowd, where they proceeded to cheer for their buddy Noli Francisco.

Now down to four, Mel Judah found himself with the bull’s-eye on his chest, out-chipped by about 3-to-1 by all three of his competitors. He wasted no time trying to make a move. Benyamine, with Kd-Jh, opened for 72,000, and Judah, with Ac-8h, decided now was the time to take a stand, pushing all-in over the top with his remaining 231,000. Benyamine, figuring he might be a dog to Judah’s holdings, but getting a sizable discount, called the extra 59,000 to try and get rid of his tough fellow international journeyman. The flop came 6d-6h-3c, improving Judah’s spirits, and they further improved with a Qd on the turn. But Benyamine spiked a fateful Jc on the river, and Judah’s run was done. He went out empty-handed, in 4th place.

Now down to a surprisingly even-stacked three, antes and blinds went up to 3,000, 12,000, and 24,000. On the very next hand, Corkins, the nominal short-stack with a little over a million, found 9d-9c, a strong starter for three-handed. He tossed out a moderate raise of 82,000. Benyamine, the chip leader, with 1,559,000, looked down to find pocket 8’s of his own. After a few moments of consideration, Benyamine pushed all-in over the top of the Alabama Cowboy, exactly as Corkins had hoped, and he quickly called. It looked as if Benyamine would be severely crippled, a 4-1 dog pre-flop to the overpair, but the flop came Js-8d-5h, instantly flipping the odds the other way. A philosophical Corkins mused at fate, but there would be no redemption for him on this hand, the board running out 6s, 2h. Corkins was sent to the rail, as Benyamine sucked out for the 2nd consecutive hand, knocking out his third opponent at the same time.

Now down to two, Benyamine, with 2,682,000, was the dominating favorite over Francisco, with 1,389,000. Antes and blinds remained the same as they commenced heads up play. Both men came out with great aggression, but the first game-changing hand came when Benyamine raised with Kd-Qc, only to be re-raised by Francisco, who pushed all-in with Ah-Jc. Benyamine, pot-logged and still capable of knocking out Francisco, called. This time, the Frenchman would not come from behind, though. The flop came 7h-6h-3d, then the turn and river came Ts, 5s, and just like that, Francisco had doubled up and taken the chip lead, 2,145,000 to 1,925,000. The next hand, Francisco was pleased to see pocket A’s, but his tempting 100,000 got no action, Benyamine dodging yet another bullet. After Francisco then skirted trouble, first bluffing successfully with a good read, then making a good laydown, he again found aces in the whole. This time he decided to limp on the button, but could get no further action again, as Benyamine was unwilling to chase an inside straight draw.

The critical hand of the tourney then took place. Benyamine, with 4h-3h, called Francisco’s smallish 70,000 raise with Kc-Qd. The flop came 7-5-4, all diamonds, but giving Benyamine his dream, two pair. He checked, and so did Francisco, hoping to take off a free card and hit his flush. Instead, Qc fell on the turn, giving Francisco top pair to go with his flush draw. Benyamine now led out with 100,000, and Francisco went over the top for another 300,000. This time Benyamine pushed right back, going all-in over the top. Francisco called quickly, and found himself behind but with a boat load of outs. Unfortunately for him though, the 9c fell on the turn, and Benyamine had once more faded a card, doubling up to take a dominating 3-1 chip lead. The end was swift, Benyamine finding As-8c on the next hand, and pushing all-in. Francisco took a shot with a strong hand of his own, Kc-Qh, calling for his remaining 803,000. The flop came with some extra outs for Francisco, J-9-7 rainbow, adding an inside straight draw, but the turn came 5s, then the river followed 5d. Francisco busted out in 2nd, crowning David Benyamine as the WPT Season II Champion of Champions.