WSOP Update #6

With so many big names at the final table of the $5000 Pot-Limit Omaha W/Rebuys tournament, I guess it's fitting that someone by the name of Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond wins the title and over $800,000 in prize money. Phil Hellmuth would finish in 8th, followed by Daniel Negreanu in 7th, John Junada in 6th, Johnny Chan in 4th, and finally David Benyamine in 3rd, leaving a heads-up battle between Galfond and Adam Hourani. Both players, who can often be found playing high-stakes PLO on-line at Full-Tilt Poker, would then go on to battle for more than 100 hands before Galfond would claim victory

When asked afterwards whether he felt intimidated amid so many high profile pros, Galfond replied with a mix of humility and confidence. "I felt blessed to be here, but I didn't feel outmatched," answered Galfond. "I wasn't afraid. I just wanted to play my best game." Galfond has made several appearances on various made-for-tv tournaments, and is also a noted poker blogger.

The final table is now set in the $3000 No-Limit Hold'em event, and David Singer is looking to add a 2nd bracelet to his collection for 2008. Although he has slightly more than half the chips of the big stack at the final table, David sits comfortably in 3rd place. John Phan is also at the final table, with less chips, but it seems that the grouping between 3rd and 8th is close enough that one hand could easily change the fortunes of any player in that grouping. It's going to be an uphill climb, but I have a feeling Singer will be trying on a 2nd 2008 WSOP bracelet, a feat that would likely put him atop the Player of the Year standings, he currently sits in 13th place.

Here's the top 5 for the 2008 WSOP POY at this point:

Erick Lindgren 185 pts $567,088
Daniel Negreanu 170 pts $378,224
Barry Greenstein 165 pts $390,777
Vanessa Selbst 163 pts $350,391
Jacobo Fernandez-Hernandez 157 pts $425,762