$5000 No Limit Hold'em-Event #13-2006 WSOP Results

Event #9
$5,000 buy-in
No Limit Hold'em
2006 World Seires of Poker
(WSOP)
Final Tournament Results

2006 World Series of Poker
Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino – Las Vegas
Official Results and Report

Event #9
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $5,000
Number of Entries: 622
Total Prize Money: $2,923,400
Defending Champion (2005):
T.J. Cloutier

Official Results:

Place Name Hometown Prize

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46.
47.
48.
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63.
64.

Jeff Cabanillas
Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Eugene Todd
Marcel Luske
Isabelle Mercier
Thomas Schreiber
Douglas Carli
Vinnie Vinh
Danny Smith
Dang Trinh
Thomas Fuller
Keith Tilston
Tommy Vedes
Paul Wasicka
Conor Cornelius
Robert Hollink
Van La Hung
Joseph Toth
Erik Cajelais
Michael McDonald
Jean-Robert Bellande
Michael McNeil
Stephen Crockett
Galen Kester
Wayne Boich
Matt Wolf
Danny Fuhs
Casey Kastle
Richard Tatalovich
Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf
Joe Monro
Thomas Koo
Carl Olsen
Chad Brown
Gabriel Thaler
Richard Freire
John Esposito
Steven Prentky
Shawn Chaconas
Elton Beebe
Kostantin Anastasyadis
Scott Numato
Robert Hume
Jeffrey Freedman
Nicholas Gibson
Marco Traniello
Brian Wilson
Brian Fleming
Rene Angelil
Chau Giang
Randy Haddox
Thomas D. McCormick
Dewey Tomko
Tom Roupe
Raymond Joll
Feming Chan
Richard Mornick
Stanley Goldstein
Scott Bohlman
Robert Fox, Jr.
Brian Lesser
Michael Mizrachi
Eric Ford
John Roveto

Los Angeles, CA
Palo Alto, CA
Brooklyn, NY
Amsterdam, Holland
Montreal, Quebec
Danielson, CT
Alliance, OH
Houston, TX
Folsom, CA
Toronto, ON
Boulder, CO
Austin, TX
Bullhead City, AZ
Westminster, CO
Manchester, UK
Groningen, Netherlands
Manhattan Beach, CA
Sharpsville, PA
Mascovche, Quebec
Wichita, KS
Los Angeles, CA
Wheeling, WV
Costa Mesa, CA
Senatobia, MS
Las Vegas, NV
New York, NY
Scottsdale, AZ
Chicago, IL
Scottsdale, AZ
Los Angeles, CA
Beverly Hills, MI
Burnaby, BC
Seattle, WA
Los Angeles, CA
NA
Miami, FL
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
New York, NY
Austin, TX
Amsterdam, Holland
Campbell, CA
Orlando, FL
Simi Valley, CA
Windsor, England
Las Vegas, NV
Fort Myers, FL
Bradenton, FL
Henderson, NV
Las Vegas, NV
Houston, TX
Fargo, ND
Winter Haven, FL
Houston, TX
Pittsburgh, PA
Cranbury, NJ
Montclair, NJ
Los Angeles, CA
Homer Glen, IL
Los Gatos, CA
Weston, MA
Hollywood, FL
Tigarel, OR
Shellville, GA

$818,546
$423,893
$233,872
$204,638
$175,404
$146,170
$116,936
$87,702
$58,468
$32,157
$32,157
$32,157
$26,311
$26,311
$26,311
$20,464
$20,464
$20,464
$14,617
$14,617
$14,617
$14,617
$14,617
$14,617
$14,617
$14,617
$14,617
$10,232
$10,232
$10,232
$10,232
$10,232
$10,232
$10,232
$10,232
$10,232
$8,770
$8,770
$8,770
$8,770
$8,770
$8,770
$8,770
$8,770
$8,770
$7,309
$7,309
$7,309
$7,309
$7,309
$7,309
$7,309
$7,309
$7,309
$5,847
$5,847
$5,847
$5,847
$5,847
$5,847
$4,386
$4,385
$4,385
$4,385

Tournament Report

The Doors of Perception

Jeff Cabanillas Makes Poker History

Latest WSOP champ pulls off stunning upset; denies Phil Hellmuth gold
bracelet Number Ten

Las Vegas, NV – When Jeff Cabanillas first strolled through the doors of the
mammoth Rio poker tournament room three days ago, few people recognized
him. Few appreciated his talent. Fewer still gave him any chance
whatsoever to win one of the toughest competitions in all of tournament
poker -- the $5,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em event at the World Series of Poker.

Cabanillas is the epitome of all unknown poker players who walk through
doors hoping that on this day, at this moment, this will be the tournament
where everything changes. On July 4, 2006 Cabanillas took his seat along
with 621 other aspiring champions to compete in an event rich in history and
tradition. The list of previous event winners -- in what for years was been
the second-toughest test in all of poker -- reveals the prominence of the title
– Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth, and T.J. Cloutier, just to name a few.

Cabanillas won his way into this event through a single-table satellite. He
played the best poker of his life and survived the first day. On Day Two,
Cabanillas made it into the money. Then, ten hours later -- he was all set to
return for the final table on Day Three. And so, the Cinderella story that
started 22-years ago in East Los Angeles now continues.

Cabanillas, who attended Cal-State-Los Angeles and owned a cell phone
store before becoming a low-stakes professional poker, was set to take a
seat on poker’s grandest stage. When he sat down on the ESPN set in seat
number five, few people recognized him. Few appreciated his talent. Fewer
still gave him any chance whatsoever to win. But this would be the
tournament where everything would change.

It was not just that Cabanillas won, but how he won and who he won it
against. Phil Hellmuth – part icon, part bad boy, part poker legend, part
egotistical leviathan -- all wrapped up into a towering 6-foot, 5-inch frame
just that is just as psychologically as physically intimidating. Hellmuth, poker’
s Goliath facing a sea of potential slayers, and one David in the end.

Hellmuth enjoyed other advantages, too. It seemed almost everyone sitting
in the huge gallery packed inside the Rio Convention Center was rooting for
the nine-time WSOP gold bracelet winner. Many of the biggest names in
poker sat right at ringside, including Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson, who
both distanced themselves from Hellmuth at last year’s World Series by
winning their record-tenth gold bracelets. All were present to bear witness
to poker history being made. In the end, the history they witnessed was a
much different version that might have been expected.

It’s hard to say how much pressure was on young Cabanillas. In one sense,
he may have been on both an emotional and financial freeroll, which allowed
him to continue playing daring, but stress-free poker. After all, no one except
a few close friends lost in the mob of Hellmuth worshippers expected the kid
to win.

Fittingly, Hellmuth sat in the nine seat. It is a seat he has, at least
symbolically sat in for three long years. After winning his last WSOP title in
2003, Hellmuth (with nine WSOP titles, currently second on the all-time list)
was forced to take a backseat in the gold bracelet chase to longtime
legendary rivals Chan and Brunson. Fact is, on this night Hellmuth had the
weight of the world upon his shoulders. Every eye was on the captivating
1989 world poker champion – every second or every minute of every hand.
From the onset of play on Day Three, it appeared that chip leader Vinny Vinh
would be Hellmuth’s biggest obstacle. Dutchman Marcel Luske, French-
Canadian star Isabelle Mercier, and five other formidable opponents would
also pose significant challenges.

In a World Series already packed with memorable moments – from Mike
Sexton’s crowd-pleasing victory in the Tournament of Champions two weeks
ago to Dutch Boyd’s conquest of world champ Joe Hachem a few days ago --
this final table was, quite frankly, as good as it gets. History, colorful
personalities, and great poker – it was all there.

Unfortunately, Danny Smith did not get the chance to stay around long
enough to witness much of the drama that would later unfold. Smith, a
student from northern California was expelled from the final table and
finished ninth. He received $58,468.

The next player to go out was a total shock. In a stunning reversal of
fortune, the reckless Vinny Vinh, who had arrived with a substantial chip lead,
squandered most of his chips off to Marcel Luske. Then, what chips remained
went over to Phil Hellmuth. The backbreaker was when Vinh moved all-in
with king-queen suited, which was bested by Hellmuth’s ace-ten after an ace
flopped. Vinny Vinh, the flamboyant Vietnamese poker pro from Houston,
collected $87,702 for a disappointing eighth-place finish.

Next, Douglas Carli went out when he was short-stacked and was forced to
play a weaker hand than he would have liked under the circumstances. Jeff
Cabanillas made a pair and knocked Carli off the stage. Douglas Carli, a
retired stockbroker from Ohio, cashed out for $116,936.

Thomas Schrieber was eliminated in sixth place when his pocket sevens were
cracked by the emerging table terminator, Cabanillas. The ultimate victor
showed ace-king and made a straight. The retiree from Connecticut received
$146,170.

Isabelle “No Mercy” Mercier was making her first-ever WSOP final table
appearance after enjoying much success on the European circuit and at
several major tournaments in the United States. The former attorney and
casino host who formally worked at the Aviation Club in Paris took a few
tough beats and ran card-dead during her last hour, resulting in a fifth-place
finish. It was a mixed blessing for Mercier, who collected $175,404.

Marcel Luske’s hopes that this would be a breakthrough victory were dashed
in what turned into a heartbreaker. Luske, who has won just about
everything in poker except a WSOP title, seized the chip lead for a time
before taking a number of beats that obliterated his chip castle. The Flying
Dutchman few away in fourth place, good for $204,638.

In what would foreshadow an eventual duel of epic proportions, Jeff
Cabanillas provided a hint of what was to come later when he bluffed Phil
Hellmuth out of a monster-sized pot. After several rounds of cautious play,
on the bluff hand the final board showed Q-J-9-7-6. With 400,000 in chips at
stake, Cabanillas moved all-in for 600,000 more. Hellmuth thought long and
hard before finally mucking his cards. When Cabanillas flipped over ace-king
for no pair, the short fuse that is the Phil Hellmuth psyche was instantly lit.
Hellmuth stood up and erupted, slamming his chair against the stage in an
apparent rage more directed at himself for not following his razor sharp
instincts. Hellmuth must have sensed the bluff for how he reacted
afterwards, and was angry for not making what would have been a tough
but courageous call. He would certainly regret that gaffe much later in the
night.

All that stood in the way of a Cabanillas-Hellmuth heads-up match was
Eugene Todd, who went out next. Todd moved all-in with top pair on his final
hand and lost to an overpair. Todd, who is a stockbroker from Brooklyn, NY
had to ‘fuhgetabout’ a victory. Instead, third place paid $233,872.
In what turned out to be the largest live audience in World Series history –
hundreds of spectators encircled the stage. They were crammed a dozen
deep around the stands. There was, quite simply, not an empty seat or free
standing space anywhere within viewing distance of the final table. It was
poker’s Times Square on New Years Eve.

Those sitting and standing in the crowd and listening over the global Sirius
satellite radio network (Bluff Radio) who were expecting to see the 22-year
old unknown crumble under the pressure playing against one of poker’s
biggest superstars were in for a very long wait, and ultimately a shocking
surprise.

Over the next fours hours, Hellmuth made a number of brilliant plays and
took the chip lead several times. But just when it seemed Hellmuth might
finish off his opponent, Cabanillas somehow managed to reverse the
momentum and frustrate his opponent.

On a night with countless numbers of big hands and exciting moments, the
finale was dealt out at just after midnight. Holding more than a 5 to 1 chip
lead, Cabanillas called Hellmuth’s all-in move after the flop came 6-4-3 (with
two diamonds). Cabanillas revealed five-three of diamonds, for a straight
flush draw. Hellmuth showed five-four offsuit, good for a pair with a straight
re-draw. Hellmuth caught another four on the turn, which only added to the
drama of the final seconds of the tournament. The river card was red, which
is exactly what Hellmuth saw when a diamond crashed to the felt. Cabanillas
won $818,546 with a flush. Poker’s biggest name had been slain upon poker
biggest stage by the least-likely of challengers. The final chapter in the
Cinderella story had been written.

It was tough to predict just how many spectators in the crowd were present
to see Hellmuth throw a temper tantrum versus making poker history. Many
might have expected the nine-time champ to be an emotional basket case
following such a crushing defeat. Instead, Hellmuth, who collected $423,983
as the runner-up, was extraordinarily considerate and complimentary. Even
Hellmuth, who has seen just about everything in the world of poker, had to
admit that Cabanillas had played an exemplary game and – as tough as it
was to admit – probably deserved to win.

Tomorrow, when Jeff Cabanillas walks through the very same door, into the
poker room at the Rio, with a shiny gold bracelet dangling from his right wrist,
he will be perceived in a very different way by friend and foe alike. On July 6,
2006 a new era began for Cabanillas. His old life is now over. His new life
has begun. He will be recognized and immortalized as the man who did what
few have done, someone who met poker’s biggest test under the most trying
of conditions, and won. Henceforth, Jeff Cabanillas will be remembered as a
champion – forever.

Report by Nolan Dalla

Overall Tournament Statistics (through end of Event #9):

Total Entries to Date: 10,862

Total Prize Money Distributed: $ 17,544,290

World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack

Director, Sponsorship and Licensing -- Ty Stewart

Director, Communications and Operations – Gary Thompson

Director, Broadcasting and New Media – Craig Abrahams

Vice President of Specialty Gaming -- Howard Greenbaum

WSOP Tournament Director – Robert Daily

WSOP Tournament Director/Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s
Entertainment – Jack Effel