WSOP Event #5: Final Table

The final table of Event #5 is scheduled to begin in about half an hour. However, the TV tables rarely start on time. Regardless, when the players get started, so will we.

Here's how the 2005 World Series of Poker Champion and his opponents are stacked:

1. Russ 'Dutch' Boyd -- $909,000
2. Michael "anakinso" Goodman -- $573,000
3. Joe Hachem -- $297,000
4. Peter Hassett -- $150,000
5. David Soloman -- $93,000
6. Jeff Knight -- $62,000

***********UPDATES BELOW*************

7:51pm--Behind 2-1 in chips, Hachem came in for a raise with AQ, Boyd pushed with A5. The flop and turn brought AK9J. Boyd had three outs for the win, and six more for the split pot. A five spiked on the river to put Hachem out in second place for $256,800. More later after I stop sighing.

7:49pm--Hachem killed by three outer on the river. Out in second place.

7:42pm--Joe Hachem, all in for his tournament life pre-flop with AQ gets called by Boyd's K3. JJ3 on the flop makes it look horrible for Hachem. Then runner, runner tens give him a better kicker with jacks and tens. Hachem doubles up.

7:27pm--A half hour into heads-up play, and Hachem is struggling to gain a foothold. He lost a couple of big pots early and is now chipping back up. Boyd still has him 3-1 in chips.

6:37pm--Another restroom conversation with Joe Hachem ended with this line... "I'm in the zone, mate." Boyd has the chip lead, but not by much.

6:23pm--Joe Hachem is heads up for the Event #5 bracelet. Boyd eliminated Jeff Knight. I'd say Boyd has about a 2-1 chip lead on Hachem as they head into heads-up play.

6:08pm--Back from break and each trip around the three-handed table is costing the players 24,000 in chips. Dutch Boyd is back in the chip lead. Hachem sits second.

5:44pm--We're on a 15-minute break.

5:29--Michael Goodman just left in fourth place. He jammed from the button, hoping to pick up some blinds. Knight called from the small blind. Then Boyd re-raised from the big blind. What's odd is...Boyd was re-raising with QJ. Strange isolation move there. Regardless, although Goodman flopped a five, Boyd made broadway on the river and Goodman is out in fourth. Nice run, Mike.


5:18pm--Happy chip syndome is a real thing. Hachem's chip lead has fallen as he doubled up a short-stacked Micahel Goodman, then lost a sizable pot to Boyd. Goodman just doubled up Knight. Things are looking pretty even between Boyd and Hachem at the moment. Goodman is crippled.

4:59pm--So, now Joe Hachem has a 2-1 chip lead on second place (Boyd). Boyd had been running over the table for the first two levels and refusing to let players show down a hand. Boyd had amassed so many chips, it seemed impossible to believe he would not get heads up with the most chips. Instead...inside of two hands with Hachem, Boyd went from having a 4-1 lead on second to being a 2-1 dog.

I got a chance to talk to Hachem in the only place I could. As we stood next to each other in the bathroom, I conducted the briefest of interviews.

On the A8 vs A5 hand, Hachem said, "I'd been waiting for him. He actually had more than I gave him credit for."

But I could see it in Hachem's eyes (I'm looking there instead of anywhere else, because we were in the john). He's ready to win this thing.

Hachem said he had been waiting for Boyd to make a move just like that. Now, it Hachem will have the stack to control this game, should he desire.

Camera crews are following Hachem around the Rio while he is on break. His wife is phoning in updates to people on the outside. Suddenly, the story has shifted from Boyd's re-emergence into poker and back to the reigning WSOP champion.

Okay. Back to the action.

4:57pm--On the last hand before break, Hachem doubled through Boy again. Boy called off half his stack pre-flop with KQ when Hachem pushed with AQ.

4:56pm--Um...wow. Hachem with chip lead. Standby...I just talked to him.

4:48pm--Here's how it went down...Boyd check-raised Hachem on an AQx (2 clubs) board. Hachem came over the top all in and Boyd called. A collective gasp rose from the crowd, as Hachem only had A8 and Boyd only had A5. Maybe the both read each other for the flush draw. Hard to say. Regardless, Hachem now sits at second in chips and Boyd has stumbled for the first time today.

4:47pm--Holy cow. Hachem doubles through Boyd.

4:35pm--It's getting ugly. Boyd is using his monster stack to put his opponent's in submission. At this moment, there's not much anybody can do. Poor Mike Goodman, even after re-raising Boyd from the big blind couldn't wiwn with pocket kings against Boyd's K9.

4:19pm--Hachem eliminates Peter Hassett. Following a Dutch Boyd raise, Hachem jammed with AJ of hearts. After some though, Hassett called all in with KQ. An ace flopped and that was all she wrote.

4:09pm--We're headed up to 4000/8000/1000

4:01pm--Chip counts at the break:

Dutch Boyd 1,100,000
Michael "anakinso" Goodman 493,000
Joe Hachem 240,000
Jeff Knight 130,000
Peter Hassett 127,000

3:48pm--Players are on break. Just before they broke, Hachem raise-folded to a Boyd re-raise.

3:38pm--Maybe it's just that I'm very little sleep, but it's a little surreal when an alarm is accidentally tripped, every door in the entire building slams shut, the sirens are wailing, a recorded announcement is blaring, and six guys are playing for a bracelet. It's very Stanley Kubrick.

3:36--We've lost a player. David Soloman just moved in with K6 against Micahel Goodman's KQs. No help and Soloman is out.

3:26pm--A common story in poker is ahead on the flop, behind on the turn. After checking a queen-high flop, Hachem bet into it. Thing is, Boyd had turned the straight. Hachem ende dup losing a little more than $50,000 in the hand.

3:13pm--As the players start to feel each other out, Dutch Boyd is playing the role of the big stack. So far, no one, including Hachem, cares to deal with Boyd much post-flop.

2:56pm--Play has started at the final table. As play began, Hachem limp-folded to an all-in raise from Jeff Knight. Blinds are 3000/6000 with a 1000 ante.

2:40pm--Players are about to take their seats. The gallery is packed with people. Word on the street is Doyle Brunson will actually call the first hand of the event. One note...if you've been following coverage here before and refreshing and scrolling to the bottom, now you can start looking for the most recent update at the top of this section.

2:20pm--As expected, we're getting a late start here. No worries. Everyone is excited for this one. I suspect the rail will be insane.