2007 WSOP Event #22 – James Mackey Wins $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em

Chalk up another one for the young internet generation.  As another player who took a hiatus from school to take up poker professionally, James Mackey became the third youngest person to win a World Series of Poker bracelet, taking the title in the $5,000 no-limit hold’em event.  He had attended the University of Missouri for two years with plans to study medicine, but decided to try his hand at poker full time.  He has been so successful that he is not sure when he will go back, but he said he does intend to complete his education.   

This was by far the fastest final table of the World Series, lasting only 48 hands and two and a half hours.  The stacks weren’t deep – only averaging 23 big blinds to start – so a lot of all-in action was expected. 

It still, however, took sixteen hands for the first elimination, meaning that all eight knockouts took place within thirty-three hands.  All of them had the players all-in pre-flop.  So much for post-flop poker.  As such, we will just list the eliminations, as the poker wasn’t all that interesting: 

Hand 16: James Mackey (Q-Q) eliminates Michael Gracz (9-9).

Hand 18: Stuart Fox (A-J) eliminates Tex Barch (A-10).

Hand 20: Michael Binger (10-10) eliminates Jan Sorensen (A-A) – Binger flopped a set.

Hand 21: Mackey (A-10) eliminates Nick Schulman (A-5).

Hand 23: Binger (J-J) eliminates Karga Holt (Q-3).

[Players catch their breath for a few hands]

Hand 38: Mackey (10-7) eliminates William McMahon (A-6) – Mackey flopped a 7.

Hand 44: Mackey (A-Q) eliminates Binger (10-10) – Mackey flopped an Ace. 

Going into heads-up play, Mackey had an almost insurmountable 6-to-1 chip lead on Stuart Fox.  He moved all-in on Fox in the first two hands, forcing folds, and then Fox actually folded his button on the third hand.  Finally, on the fourth hand, Mackey pushed with 10-2 (why not) and Fox called with K-4.  Mackey turned and rivered 10’s to win the pot and the bracelet. 

Perhaps more so than Mackey’s age or the speed of the final table, this final table may be remembered as the one where Fox played only one hand and made it all the way to second place.  His elimination of Barch was the only hand he played until the final one.  He may get criticized for playing so passively and not trying to win, but at the same time, it’s hard to fault somebody for sitting back, letting other people drop out, and collecting over $400,000. 

Final Table Standings

1. James Mackey -- $730,740
2. Stuart Fox -- $448,892
3. Michael Binger -- $295,245
4. William McMahon -- $194,319
5. Karga Holt -- $140,091
6. Nick Schulman -- $108,457
7. Jan Sorensen -- $81,343
8. John "Tex" Barch -- $60,254
9. Maciek "Michael" Gracz -- $43,684