WSOP & WPT Tournament Blog

Local Amateur Defeats Gavin Smith in Heads-Up Play

By Tom Bostic

Set in one of the most beautiful sites in all of the natural world, Niagara Falls played host to the 2008 North American Poker Championship at the Fallsview Casino in Ontario Canada. After running satellites for the better part of three months the tournament attracted much local action as well as tournament professionals from around the globe – 454 in total to battle for the over $4,000,000 CAD prize pool. Six long days of exciting action culminated in a final table that would boast five native Canadians as well as the most successful woman tournament player of all time. The lineup going into the day was:

Seat 1 – Kathy Liebert – 1,620,000
Seat 2 – Gavin Smith – 2,815,000
Seat 3 – Marc Karam – 1,850,000
Seat 4 – Glen Witmer – 3,710,000
Seat 5 – James Trenholm – 1,365,000
Seat 6 – Ryan Fisler – 2,285,000

The cards were in the air at exactly 4:17pm and players sat down to blinds of 15,000 and 30,000 with a 5,000 chip ante. The relatively low blinds allowed players to use all available weapons, as even the short stack still had well over forty big blinds.

However, it was the short stack coming into the day that would see his tournament come to an end by the 38th hand of play when his pocket sevens were defeated by the pocket kings of Gavin Smith. James Trenholm had a dream to play at the World Poker Tour for this event. It was realized after he won a 25 week long local “poker house league” that he started. Vicariously living out his dream were members of his home game that were eagerly supporting him on the rail. And although 6th place may not bring home a title, it is still certainly a victory Trenholm and friends.

By cashing in this event Mark Karam achieved a near impossible feat; three consecutive cashes three years in a row at in the same tournament. Last year Karam was the chip leader for a point late in the tournament, but was eliminated in 25th place. The year before, he made this final table finishing in 6th place, watching fellow Canadian Soren Turkewitsch bring home the glory for Canada. This year Karam could only improve one additional spot when he busted in 5th place at the hand of Glen Witmer. Karam got it all in before the flop with pocket queens against the ace-king of Wimer, but after an ace hit on the flop followed by two blanks on the turn and river Karam was forced to walk away with his $171,175 payday.

The World Poker Tour has had seen its share of internet professionals turning to the live arena to make final tables, and at the NAPC it would be veteran online player Ryan Fisler that would hold it down for the cyber generation. At 27 years old, Fisler is already an old man in the internet poker world. Playing under various screen names over the years including “gotskillz” and “eatschips”, Fisler was making his first televised final table and looking for the biggest score of his career. Hoping to join other Season Seven high profile internet winers Vivek “Psyduck” Rajkumar and Mike “SirWatts” Watson, Fisler’s chance came to an end when he also ran into the hot hand of Glen Witmer. Fisler appeared to be a little over anxious and played his AK aggressively into the AJ of Witmer. After re-raiseing preflop and hitting air when the flop came, Fisler shoved his 1.96 million chip stack into the middle. Witmer called with top pair and after the turn gave him trip jacks, Fisler made his exit in fourth place.

When play reached three handed the room was filled with whispers of “Can he really do it!?” referring to Glen Witmer. Coming into the final table no one gave Witmer much of a shot to take down this title. Sure, he was the chip leader, but could any unknown player really be expected to walk in today and take it away from Smith. Or Karam. Or Liebert. Or even Fisler for that matter. But with almost 10,000,000 he had 75% of the chips in play. Pulling off an upset started to look more and more feasible, even against the two strong players left in Gavin Smith and Kathy Libert.

All time leading Women’s money earner in tournament poker, Kathy Liebert, was looking for the one thing that has eluded her in her poker career: a WPT title. Having already secured her place in the poker world as one of the top female players by winning a WSOP Bracelet, and making four open buy-in WPT final tables Kathy was looking to cap her accomplishments with a win here today. Unfortunately she was not been able to get too much going, having chopped three large pots over the course of the final table. After being severely short stacked, she managed to double up earlier in the day to stay alive. However, when she returned the favor to Gavin Smith during three handed play she was crippled to fewer than four big blinds. Witmer again was the devils accomplice, finishing off what Gavin had started two hands prior. A visibly emotional Liebert picked herself up and shook the hands of her competitors, leaving to a standing ovation.

With the elimination of Kathy Liebert the chance of a woman winning a WPT title before the day was over dropped to zero, while the odds of a Canadian winning jumped to 100%. Both Witmer and Smith hail from the land of maple syrup, Celine Dion, and tax free gambling earnings.

Witmer went into the match with the lead at 9,830,000 while Smith faced an uphill battle with 3,815,000 in chips. Witmer had been running over the final table since yesterday, but most believed that the odds were still in Smith’s favor.

Gavin is usually one of the most outspoken voices at any tournament he plays. It had been the case throughout the entire NAPC, with one exception: this final table. Smith had been uncharacteristically quiet the entire evening, appearing more focused than the WPT has ever seen him in the past. He had been telling anyone that would listen since Day Two that if no one put a bad beat on him, he was taking this tournament down.

In the end it would not be a bad beat that defeated Gavin, but the toss of a coin.

In the 49th hand of heads up play Smith limped from the button and faced a large raise of 500,000 from Witmer in the big blind. Gavin paused for just a moment and then declared “All-in”. Witmer made the call and showed AK while Gavin revealed 55. The stands still full after seven hours of play, rose to their feet to see what would come next.

QJ2

Smith remains safe, but Witmer picks up four additional outs for the broadway straight.

J

Again, a close one but Smith is still ahead. However, any Ace, King, Queen or Ten would end Smith’s day.

A

Glen Witmer catches his ace on the river and eliminates Gavin Smith to win the 2008 North American Poker Championship.

Congratulations to Glen Witmer for outlasting a tough field and rising above the ranks of pokers unknown to take down the most coveted poker title in Canada.

Final Results:
1st – Glen Witmer – $1,254,152 CAD / US $1,090,589
2nd – Gavin Smith – $612,427 CAD / US $532,545
3rd – Kathy Liebert – $319,337 CAD / US $277,684
4th – Ryan Fisler – $ 262,469 CAD / US $228,234
5th – Marc Karam – $196,851 CAD / US $171,175
6th – James Trenholm – $153,107 CAD / US $133,137

2008 North American Poker Championship Niagara Falls Post Tournament Video