2008 North American Poker Championship News:
News and Updates for the 2008 North American Poker Championship coming soon.
2007 North American Poker Championship News:
DAY 1A:
Recap From Day1A of the World Poker Tour's North American Poker Championship
Barry Greenstein
169 entrants made their way to Niagara Fallsview Casino in Canada on Friday for Day 1A of the World Poker Tour's North American Poker Championship.
Professionals to make their appearance included Canadian Tuan Lam, most notable for his placing second at the 2007 World Series of Poker main event. Barry Greenstein, PokerPages' own Kenna James, Cory Carroll, Gavins Smith and Griffin, and John Phan were also among those to take a seat at the felt on Friday.
Rhynie Campbell, who quite recently brought the World Poker Tour to Turks and Caicos and then proceeded to actually win the tournament, found his end come quite early on as play began on Day 1A.
Facing an all-in for 17,000 from Jonathan Little on the button, with a flop showing 8-9-J, Campbell called for his entire stack. Cambpell held J-J, looking to have the 8-8 in the hole well dominated with a better set. But, the case eight fell on the turn, giving Little nothing short of quads. Campbell would have to catch his own miracle jack on the river to best Little's hand but, as they say, lightning doesn't strike twice, and while Little doubled up, Campbell was out of the tournament.
Jeff Williams, winner of the Grand Final of the second season of the European Poker Tour, has also been eliminated from the tournament. With Barry Greenstein holding the cards that did Williams in, looks like Barry would get to keep that copy of his book on his hands for a little while longer.
Following the hand in which he took Rhynie Campbell out, Jonathan Little had become the chip leader in the tournament.
Barry Greenstein also found fate's hand tip his direction in a hand he played from the small blind. A multi-way pot found itself unraised into a flop of 8-7-6. Barry checked, while the big blind made it 1,000 to go. The bet found one caller, and when it came back to Greenstein he wasted no time and put out a tremendous bet... 20,000 total.
Perhaps to the surprise of onlookers and players alike, Barry's opponent in the big blind actually began to mull the call over. Finally, he would muck, and Barry would not show his hand after dragging the pot following the remaining player's fold, his stack sitting at a healthy 40,000 or so.
Say "goodbye" to Jason Sagle, whose chances of winning this event disappeared along with his stack on Day 1A.
In a hand that saw Sagle bet out on a flop of K-8-3 for 4,000, while a player to follow him raised to the total bet to 10,000. When the action folded around to the small blind, that player pushed all-in, and both Sagle and the remaining player made the call. The small blind showed Kd 8d, Sagle holding 3-3, and the last player holding Kh 10h. Sagle was all-in and in the lead with a set, but when a seven fell on the turn and an eight fell on the river, one of Jason's opponent's had picked up a full house. With that hand, Sagle was dispatched to the rails.
Jonathan Little
Cory Carroll is out. With a flop shoing 8-10-7, Tim Reiman put in a bet of 3,000. Cory Carroll moved all-in for a total of just 13,000. Reimand made the call, holding 10-7 for two pair. Carroll, holding only a pair of pocket queens, would need improvement. None would come with a seven and an ace filling out the board, and with those cards Cory Carroll was out of the running.
Steve Paul-Ambrose and Gavin Griffin also made their way past the exit signs before Day 1A was over.
PokerPages' own Kenna James, mentioned earlier, suffered a fatal blow near the end of play on Day 1A. Holding Q-Q against two opponents, one with Q-J and the other holding 4-4 on a flop of J-4-9. No help on the turn or river, and Kenna James' tournament had come to an end.
As play draw to a close, just 77 players remained, prepared to make their way to the felt for Day 2, scheduled to begin on Monday. Jonathan Little looked to be our Day 1A chip leader, with more than 100,000 in chips.
Day 1B is currently under way, so check back tomorrow for a full recap of all the best action!
Recap From Day1B of the World Poker Tour's North American Poker Championship
Vanessa Rousso - Busto
Day 1B of the World Poker Tour's North American Poker Championship, hosted by the Niagara Fallsview casino, got under way on Saturday. Players started with 20,000 in chips for their $10,000 buy-in, with levels a comfortable 90 minutes each.
While Day 1A certainly its fair share of well-known players, Day 1B proved to be even more star-studded. David Pham, Chad Brown, Dan Shak, Freddy Deeb, Alan Goehring, Jeff Madsen, Kathy Liebert, and Vanessa Rousso were just a few of the notable players to take a seat at the felt for what would be quite the exciting day of play.
Though she certainly made an appearance, Vanessa Rousso's tournament came to an abrupt end shortly after play got under way. Shane Schleger was the player to deal the fatal blow, and Vanessa headed to the rails.
John Juanda, also in attendance, found himself involved in a hand during level one that would see his stack improve while his oppenent, David Pham, suffered a hit.
In a hand that saw David "The Dragon" Pham raise from late position, John Juanda re-raised from the cutoff. Heads-up now, Pham made the call and the players saw a flop of 10-8-10. No action on the flop, and a second 8 fell on the turn to put two pair on the board. Pham bet 1,000, and Juanda smooth-called the bet. The 7 river appeared relatively harmless, and this time Pham checked it over to Juanda, who bet 1,800. Pham made the call, showing A-Q for two pair, ace kicker. Juanda showed an ace... two of them, actually, in the hole. Juanda dragged the pot with the best two-pair.
Pham's stack continued to diminish in a hand that later followed, this time at the hands of Allen Kessler.
It was reported that Kessler and Pham saw a flop of K-10-7, and Kessler held 7-7 in the hole for a flopped set. By the end of the hand, Kessler's hand proved to be the best, and a pot of around 8,000 or so was shipped on over to Kessler while Pham suffered another hit.
Jeff Madsen - Not Busto
Jeff Madsen, who took the World Series of Poker by storm in 2006 with multiple cashes and two first place finishes that earned him a combined total of more than $1 Million that summer, got off to a rough start on Day 1B but rebounded shortly after the first break.
On K-10-9 board, with around 9,000 or so in the pot, Jeff Madsen pushed his remaining 5,000 into the middle. His opponent went into the tank for minutes on end before finally making the call, showing A-J. Madsen turned over Q-Q, which meant some of his opponents outs were taken. When a 9 and a 6 finished out the board, Madsen dragged the pot to move back up to around 20,000.
Alan Goehring's tournament came to an end shortly after the first break, when his all-in with pocket kings proved to be the worst move possible, his opponent flipping A-A. The aces held, and Goehring made his exit from the tournament.
David Pham never could quite recover from his rocky start.
Facing both a raise and a re-raise, Pham moved all-in for his last 4,000 in late position. The original raiser made the call, but the button moved all-in. The all-in was retracted, however, as David Pham's raise was a dead one, meaning it had been less than the amount of a full raise so all the remaining players could do was call the bet. After his raise was nullified, the button instead folded and Pham faced just one opponent going into a flop of 9-8-7, all betting action done and his tournament life on the line.
The board filled out as 9-8-7-J-6, and while Pham flipped over A-K for nut no-pair, his opponent turned up Q-Q in the hole. With those fateful cards David Pham's tournament had drawn to a close.
Tom Schneider, who earned a name for himself at the 2007 World Series of Poker by earning two WSOP bracelets, won't be adding a World Poker Tour title to his list of his successes as a result of this tournament.
In a hand that saw Schneider call a raise to 475 raise from the small blind, three players saw a flop of 2-9-6. Betting was checked to the initial raiser, who made it more than 1,000 to go. Schneider, next to act, check-raised the bet to a total of 3,000. The sandwiched player made an exit, while the raiser made the call. With a double-checked 8 on the turn, on the river fell an A.
Schneider checked, but this time his opponent bet a total of 3,750. Schneider made the call, but was forced to muck his hand when his opponent turned up Q-Q. The hand left Schneider on the ropes, and only a few hands later Schneider would make his exit from the game. Johnny Chan - Not Busto John Juanda proved to be one of the next big-named pros to make their exit, looking at a board of Q-8-3-6 and a hefty pot of around 16,000 at stake. Allen Kessler was his opponent, and when Juanda pushed all-in on the turn, Kessler made the call, turning up 6-6 in the hole for a turned set. Juanda held only 9-10 for a double-gutter. No help on the turn or river meant that Kessler's set held up and John Juanda was eliminated from the tournament. Allen Kessler's stack moved to close to 50,000 after dragging that sizeable pot. By the end of Day 1B, a number of other professional players had made their exit from the tournament, including Anna Wroblewski, Mark Seif, and John Phan, while David Williams, Johnny Chan, and Gus Hansen managed to make it through to the next day.
Recap From Day 2 of the World Poker Tour's North American Poker Championship
Gavin Smith - Busto
Day 2 of the World Poker Tour's North American Poker Championship has drawn to a close.
A total of 504 players entered the tournament, each contributing their $10,000 buy-in to generate a prize pool of almost $5 Million. First place in this event will take down an impressive $1,361,724!
Only 232 players remained in the tournament as Day 2 got under way, the first day of play in which all remaining players in the tournament were seated at the same time. Our chip leader to start the day was Jean-Robert Bellande, the only player with more than 200,000. By the end of the day that chip lead would disappear, his stack having falling below the 200,000 mark.
Gavin Smith, who looked down to see A-K just a few hands into play, moved all-in with that hand. Ted Lawson, holding A-Q, made the call. Smith was well ahead going into the flop, but the fateful board brought out two queens, besting Gavin's hand and sending Gavin Smith home early.
Alan Sass was another notable player to make his exit. Adam Levy had flopped a straight and Sass hit a very unfortunate river, one that would give him a set and ensure his stack would be shipped on over to Adam Levy. Alan Sass was eliminated.
Allen Cunningham, a well-known professional who added another World Series of Poker bracelet to his credits this past summer, found himself all-in with the blinds at 500-1,000.
Holding J-J in the hole, Cunningham raised pre-flop to 2,500, and his opponent came over the top to make it a total of 13,000. Cunningham moved all-in, and his opponent made the call. The board improved neither player's hand, and Allen doubled up.
Ted Lawson - Busto
Despite having sent Gavin Smith packing, Ted Lawson's luck would run out.
In a hand that saw JC Tran raise from middle position, Ted Lawson re-raised in late position. Tran called, and the heads-up players saw a flop of J-6-3. Tran checked, and Lawson put in a bet of 12,000. Tran raised it, and Lawson pushed all-in.
Tran, who turned over J-J for a made set, was more than happy to make the call. Lawson held A-A, but with no ace on the turn or river, instead two sevens filling both the board and Tran's hand, Ted Lawson was eliminated from the tournament.
Some bust-outs can be truly impressive and no less heart-breaking. Alex Bolotin and Fred Goldberg can attest to that, as they were both eliminated on the same hand. Both of them got their entire stacks into the middle against a third player who had them both covered, with the board showing 10-3-7-6. With Bolotin tabling K-J, and Goldberg showing K-Q, the third player was in the lead with A-10. The river was a mere 8, and both Bolotin and Goldberg hit the rail.
Players to make their exodus on day two also included: Nam Le, Isaac Baron, David Chiu and Evelyn Ng.
Gus Hansen, who had started the day seeking to improve, would end up doing precisely the opposite. After shoving his last 30,000 into the pot on a flop of K-10-2, Hansen was called by an opponent who showed A-A. Hansen had only K-Q, but still had outs. neither came, however, with a 10 on the turn and a 7 on the river, and Gus Hansen won't be seeing another World Poker Tour title at the completion of this event.
Bill Edler - Not Busto
Bill Edler, who recently took down his own World Poker Tour victory, saw his stack move to more than 100,000, and ended the day in prime position to make some movements and potentially take a second WPT title this year.
Shortly before play drew to a close on Day 2, Roy Winston saw his own day of play end much sooner than he'd have liked.
Roy pushed his entire stack into the middle with 9-9, and looked to double-up against the pocket 5-5 of Lee Markholt. A third five fell on the flop, however, giving Lee a set. Roy wouldn't improve his hand, and Roy Winston was eliminated from further player.
Official numbers for Day 2 have yet to be released, but we'll fill you in with all the details once we're able to.
DAY 3 - 2007 North American Poker Championship - Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada
Of the 504 players that took their seats on day one of the World Poker Tour North American Poker Championship, only 79 would remain as day three got under way.
Among those in the chip lead were Joe Cassidy, who sat atop the list with just over 400,000, with Giuseppe Galuzzo, and Arunullah Jamasi in close contention.
A number of notable professional players counted themselves among the ranks as the players took the felt on day three, including Jeff Jadsen, Barry Greenstein, Bill Edler, Jordan Morgan, Dan Shak, Allen Cunningham, Kathy Liebert, and Scott Clements.
Jordan Morgan and Barry Greenstein both were fortunate enough to double up just a few hands into play.
Morgan, down to his last 25,000, put it all in the middle in a hand before the flop while holding Q-Q in the hole. His opponent called, but was behind with only K-Q. When the board dropped 9-2-2-5-6, Morgan's queens stayed pure and he doubled up to over 55,000.
Barry Greenstein, all-in for his last 50,000, was called by an opponent who held only A-Q on a board showing 8-5-2-10. Barry held 8-8 in the pocket, however, good enough for a set that would remain the best hand when the river finished out the hand with a 5. Barry doubled up on that hand to over 100,000.
Kathy Liebert was not lucky enough to double up on her all-in, however.
When Kathy and Peter Feldman got into raising match pre-flop, Kathy would end up all-in for the last of her chips with only 8-3! Feldman held K-K and a distinct advantage going into a flop of J-7-2. The turn and river brought a 6 and a 4, meaning Kathy Liebert was eliminated from the tournament outside of the money.
Although he took out Kathy Liebert, Peter Feldman would be out of the tournament just a few hours later, along with Jeff Madsen, Blake Moore, John Racener, and Ty Reiman.
Uur bubble boy proved to be Nick Schulman. In a hand that saw Kofi Farkye raise pre-flop, Nick made the call. The heads-up players saw a flop of J-7-4. Schulman checked, Farkye made a bet of 16,000, and Schulman made the call.
Both players checked the Q on the turn, and when the river paired the 7 on the board, Schulman bet out for 35,000. Farkye raised to 210,000, and Schulman responded by moving his entire stack into the center of the table. Farkye called, showing 4-4 in the hole for a full house, while Schulman merely mucked his hand, eliminated and just missing the cash. All remaining players were in the money.
Allen Cunningham moved his entire stack of 170,000 into the middle after a lot of action pre-flop from his opponents. Kofi Farkye made the call with A-J, against the 10-10 of Allen. An A fell instantly on the flop, and when no further improvement came for him, Allen Cunningham finished in 40th place, earning just shy of $20,000.
DAY 4 - 2007 North American Poker Championship - Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada
18 players remained as Day Four of the World Poker Tour's North American Poker Championship got under way at the Niagara Fallsview casino in Canada, Wednesday.
Here's a full list of the final 18, organized by chip count:
- Jonathan Little 1,576,000
- Kofi Farkye 1,212,000
- Harry Tsoukalos 1,079,000
- Steven Silverman 857,000
- Barry Greenstein 612,000
- Adam Levy 557,000
- Cheryl Lynn Deleon 486,000
- Wei Kai Chang 485,000
- William Hames 351,000
- Dale Pinchot 263,000
- Dan Shak 261,000
- Giuseppe Galluzzo 239,000
- Jeff Garza 225,000
- Scott Clements 190,000
- Ryan Aiken 129,000
- Narinder Khasria 124,000
- Arun Jamasi 98,000
Player Chip Count
Jonathan Little, who took down the Mirage Poker Showdown WPT event in May of 2007 and earned more than $1 Million in the process, went into this day as the chip leader. Buy Kofi Farkye and Harry Tsoukalos were in close contention, the only other two players with more than 1 Million in chips to start the day.
Our first player to make their exit was Narinder Khasria, taken out by Scott Clements. Khasria moved all-in from mid position and received a call from Clements, who held A-Q and the K-Q of Khasria severely dominated. When the board panned out with 5-3-3-2-9, the A-Q of Clements stood up and Khasria was crippled.
Just a few hands later, pushing what was left of his stack into the center of the table with 10-J, again Khasria was called by Clements who this time held Q-Q. Khasria received no help. That was the deciding blow, as Narinder Khasria finished in 18th place, earning $48,633.
Next up on the chopping block: Ray Aiken. In a hand in which Barry Greenstein raised to 30,000 from the button, Ray moved all-in for roughly 55,000. Greestein was the only remaining player, and he made the call with 8-8. Aken flipped over A-9. The board improved neither players hand, meaning Greenstein's eights were good enough to drag the pot and send Ray Aiken home in 17th place with $63,233 for his efforts.
Dan Shak and Weikai might have been able to share a cab home if they wanted to, given that they busted out on the same hand.
Dan Shak
On what would prove to be his last hand, Dan Shak raised pre-flop and Weikai Chang moved all-in, as did Cheryl Deleon, who had them both covered. Dan tabled A-K, Chang held Q-Q, and Deleon showed the dominating A-A. When the board panned out with J-7-6-9-J, Cheryl's rockets stood up. Dan Shak was eliminated in 15th place, with Chang following him in 16th, both players earning $63,233.
Arun Jamasi was the next player to make an exit. After chip-leader Jonathan Little made a raise, Jamasi spied Q-Q in the hole and instantly moved all-in. Little, holding K-K, was all too happy to make the call. The board showed the heads-up players 10-7-3-6-K. That last K was just salt in the wound as Arun Jamasi was eliminated in 14th place, taking home $63,233.
The bust-outs were coming fast and furious. Harry Tsoukalos was eliminated in 13th place, Giuseppe Galluzzo in 12th, William Hames in 11th by Barry Greenstein, and Steven Silverman in 10th, all players earning $63,233 for their spots.
With just nine players remaining, in most tournaments we'd have our final table. But as you well know, the World Poker Tour favors a six-handed final table so as to make it go a little faster for the benefit of the T.V. audience.
Adam Levy moved his stack into the middle following a break, and Dave Cloutier made the call with A-10. Levy, holding J-10, would need some help. It wouldn't come, however, as the flop brought out A-10-5 to give Cloutier an immediate two-pair. A nine on the turn and a three on the turn would mean that Adam Levy was eliminated in 9th place, taking home $77,813.
Next up: Dale Pinchot. After raising a hand to 48,000 pre-flop, Cheryl Deleon, fresh off of elminating two players, moved all-in. Pinchot, chipped by Deleon, made the call with A-Q. It would be a coin flip, as Pinchot held 8-8 in the pocket. It was a coin flip that Deleon would win, a Q wasting no time in making its appearance on the flop. No help came from Dale Pinchot, who was eliminated in 8th place, taking home $97,266.
Scott Clements (from the 2007 WSOP)
Having reached the final table bubble, players took a dinner break. Leading the last seven at that time was Scott Clements, with more than 2 Million in chips. Jonathan Little wasn't too far behind, with just under 2 Million, and Jeff Garza behind him with 1.6 Million.
When play resumed, Cheryl Deleon was looking to make some big moves with her newly found chips. Just a few hands back from the break, Cheryl would lose most of her chips in a hand that greatly benefited Kofi Farkye. Shortly thereafter, Cheryl moved all-in for her last 300,000 from the small blind and found one caller in Jeff Garza, who held J-J. He was way ahead, as Cherly held only 10-5. No help on the flop, turn, or river, and Cheryl Deleon was eliminated in 7th place, taking home $121,583.
With that elimination we had our final table. Here were the chip counts heading into the final day: Player Chip Count
- Jonathan Little 2,616,000
- Scott Clements 2,483,000
- David Cloutier 1,614,000
- Kofi Farkye 1,504,000
- Jeff Garza 1,320,000
- Barry Greenstein 447,000
The stage was set, the players ready to go as the final table of the World Poker Tour's North American Poker Championship got under way on Friday.
After seven total days of play, just six players remained in the fight for a first place prize of $1,361,724:
| Seat | Player | Chips |
| Seat 1 | Kofi Farkye | 1,504,000 |
| Seat 2 | Jonathan Little | 2,616,000 |
| Seat 3 | Jeff Garza | 1,320,000 |
| Seat 4 | David Cloutier | 1,614,000 |
| Seat 5 | Barry Greenstein | 447,000 |
| Seat 6 | Scott Clements | 2,483,000 |
There was certainly no shortage of star power at this final table.
Jonathan Little already had one World Poker Tour title under his belt, and going into this final day with the chip lead his chances at taking down a second looked promising.
But Scott Clements, who has earned more than $2.5 Million in his career, including two World Series of Poker bracelets and a World Poker Tour title, came into the day in a very close second. Jon Little would have his work cut out for him.
Barry Greenstein, who needs little introduction given his success in the sport of poker, entered the day as the short stack with less than 500,000 in chips.
As play began, the action was present but the going was slow, as the players were playing quite conservatively, no one eager to sacrifice their chips.
Of course, we had to lose five players to crown our winner, so it was only a matter of time...
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| Jonathan Little |
8
2, Garza checked, and Clements bet 150,000. After consideration, Garza moved all-in and Clements made the call. Garza held 9
10 for the straight draw, while Clements held A 9 for ace high and the nut flush draw. It wouldn't take long to seal the deal for Clements, as the 3 fell on the turn to give him the flush. Jeff Garza, drawing dead, finished in 6th place, taking home $170,216. Scott Clements would continue to exert his dominance over the table, taking out yet another player just a few moments later.
When the action folded around to Scott in the big blind, he made it a total 80,000 to go. With only Kofi Farkye in the big blind making the call, the heads-up players saw a flop of 10
8 7. Clements checked, while Farkye moved all-in. Clements insta-called, showing 10
8 for top pair, while Kofi held only 5 6 for a straight draw. The Ks on the turn didn't change much, but the 7 on the river was the deciding factor. While Scott Clements' stack increased, Kofi Farkye was elminated in 5th place, earning $218,849. No doubt pleased to see two players make their exit before him despite having started the day with the short stack, Barry Greenstein would give himself a little breathing room after doubling through Scott Clements. His stack moved up to more than 1 Million following that double-up. Unfortunately for Barry, it wouldn't be enough...
David Cloutier raised to just shy of 150,000 in what would prove to be Greenstein's last hand. Barry moved all-in for roughly 1.4 Million and Cloutier made the call, showing K
9 against the A 9 of Greenstein. With the flop bringing out Q 10 6, Cloutier picked up the gutshot straight draw. The turn further improved Cloutier's hand, being the K to give Cloutier a pair. Barry would need some help on the river, but the 5 offered none and Barry Greenstein was eliminated in 4th place, walking away with $291,798. Despite having earned the chip lead through a series of aggressive plays, at one point moving his stack to above the 6 Million mark, David Cloutier would fall short of the first place prize after doubling up Jonathan Little and then seeing his way to the exit after a hand with that same player.
Jonathan Little raised to 180,000 from the small blind, and David Cloutier moved all-in for around 1.7 Million. After mulling it over, Little made the call and showed J
9. Cloutier held A 10, so both players had live cards.The flop was 8
6 3, and Cloutier earned a flush draw. With a Jack hitting the turn, Little picked up a pair. Cloutier still had many outs, but the 3 on the river wasn't one of them. David Cloutier finished in 3rd place, taking home $355,021. And then there were two...
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| Scott Clements (from the 2007 WSOP) |
Scott Clements 6,400,000
Jonathan Little 3,685,000
The two went back and forth for about ten hands, little to no action, when finally came the deciding moment.
Jonathan Little raised to 180,000 from the button and Scott Clements made the call. On the 7
5 5 flop, both players checked to see the 4 hit the turn. Clements checked, and Little fired out 250,000. Clements made a raised to a total of 550,000, but Little wasn't comfortable playing for such small stakes and moved his remaining 1.5 Million into the pot. Clements called. Jon was drawing dead. He held only the K
4, while Clements held Q 5 for three of a kind. The turn and river mattered none, as Scott Clements was already the winner. Jonathan Little finished in second place and took home $680,862.Scott Clements earned his second World Poker Tour title with this victory, earning $1,387,224 in the process. With his win came an entry into the $25,000 World Poker Tour championship in April.
Congratulations to Scott and to all the other players to cashed in this spectacular North American Poker Championship!