342 players paid the $5,000 entry fee, and they battled it down to the last 6 who were:
In Seat 1 Paul “Eskimo” Clark with $829,000
In Seat 2 Tony Bloom with $533,000
In Seat 3 Harry Knopp with $708,000
In Seat 4 Pete Muller with $430,000
In Seat 5 Young Phan with $183,000
In Seat 6 Michael Kinney with $759,000
Young Phan looked down to find Ac 6h, and raised to $36,000. It folded around to Harry Knopp who called with Kc Jc, who called. Flop came Ad Kd Td, giving Phan top pair, and Knopp middle pair with a straight draw. Knopp checked, and Phan pushed all-in. Knopp quickly called. A 3d at the turn helped neither, but a Qc on the river made Knopp’s Broadway straight, Young Phan was the 6th place finisher, with $57,180.
Eskimo Clark with Jd Td in the small blind, he raised to $35,000. Tony Bloom, big blind, with Jc 9s, called. The flop came Js 8h 7s, giving them both top pair and straight draws. Eskimo checked, and Bloom bet $41,000. Eskimo then re-raised making it $150,000 more, and Bloom then went all-in for $465,000. Eskimo, called. Bloom was dominated and when the board went 3h, 6h, Tony Bloom was out in 5th place, with $73,517.
Pete Muller went all-in for $92,000, with Kh 6c. Michael Kinney, quickly called with Kc Td. When the board went Qh 7d 4d, 2h, 2d, Muller was out in 4th place, with $98,022.
Eskimo, with 9h-7d, limped to see a flop, but was raised by Knopp, with Qc-Td, $50,000. Eskimo called, the flop was 7c 7s 3s, giving him trips. Eskimo checked. Knopp raised an exploratory $175,000, and Eskimo called. A Ts on the turn, Eskimo checked, and now Knopp pushed his $388,000 all-in. Eskimo called, and after Jd on the river, Knopp was out in 3rd place with $155,202.
Eskimo called Kinney’s pre-flop all-in bet, with Kd Ts. Kinney flipped over a dominated Js 6h, but when the flop came 9h 6d 4d, the turn and river came 7s, 2c, Michael Kinney had knocked out Paul Clark, sending him back home with $310,403.
For himself, Kinney took the title, the final guaranteed $25,000 seat at the WPT World Championship, and $629,469 payday.
- Thomas Hardy
