2007 WSOP Event #23 – Scott Clements Wins $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha

It looks like Scott Clements has established himself as one of poker’s bright, young stars.  Last summer, he won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in the $3,000 Omaha High-Low event.  He followed that up by winning the WPT Canadian Open in the fall and then making another WPT final table this January.  He came in 5^th in the tournament in which Phil Hellmuth won his 12^th bracelet this year, and now he has earned his second bracelet, winning the $1,500 pot-limit Omaha event. 

Clements started as the big stack at the final table with $445,000 in chips.  Tommy Ly was in second, $150,000 chips behind.  Clements even took $50,000 from Ly on the very first hand of the day, widening his lead.  With the blinds at $3,000/$6,000, Clements was in very comfortable shape. 

Richard Olofsson, one of the short stacks at the table, was the first to go, getting himself all-in pre-flop with Qc-Js-10s-5c against Clements, who had 8d-7d-4h-2h.  Clements out-flopped him and then rivered a straight for good measure to put Olofsson out in 10^th place. 

Seven hands later, on the thirteenth deal of the day, there was a double elimination.  Both K.U. Davis and Anthony MacCanello were all-in on a flop of Qc-10h-8h, and were both covered by Clements, who had already re-raised the pot on the flop.  Davis had Ad-Jh-Jd-10s, MacCanello had Ah-As-Ks-4d, and Clements had Ac-Kd-9c-Js.  Clements had flopped the nut straight.  Both of his opponents would need running cards to win, and neither of them got them.  Davis was eliminated in 9^th place and MaCanello was eliminated in 8^th place, based on their chip counts to start the hand. 

It took about an hour for the next player to go home.  Will Durkee, already a bracelet winner this summer, raised to $28,000 pre-flop and called when Andy Black, who made the final table of the Main Event in 2005, went all-in for $78,000 total.  Durkee had A-A-A-K while Black had K-K-6-4.  While three-of-a-kind in the hole is not typically a good hand in Omaha, it was good enough here, as neither player improved.  Black was eliminated in 7^th place. 

At the dinner break, a few hands after Black’s elimination, Clements was still the chip leader with $845,000 in chips,  four times as many as the second place Durkee.  This was clearly Clements’ tournament to lose. 

Almost an hour after dinner, Tommy Ly limped in ($12,000 big blind) and Mark Davis checked pre-flop.  On a Q-10-10 flop, Davis bet $20,000 and Ly called.  Same betting when an Ace came on the turn.  When the river showed a 5, Davis bet another $20,000, but this time Ly put Davis all-in.  Davis called, only to see Ly had flopped quad 10’s and left in 6^th place. 

Just seven hands later, a severely short-stacked Jason Newburger pushed for his last $25,000 and was called by both Ly and Durkee.  They both checked it down on an A-A-J-J-4 board and Ly ended up winning with trip Jacks, punching Newburger out in 5^th place. 

Durkee lost his bid for a second bracelet fifteen hands later.  He and Clements raised and re-raised each other pre-flop until Durkee was all-in with A-K-J-9.  Clements held K-K-10-7.  The flop was Q-Q-J, giving both players something to work with.  The Ace on the turn gave Clements a straight, leaving three 10’s in the deck to five Durkee a chop.  The river was no help and he was gone in 4^th place. 

That was hand 90.  Clements was dominating with $1.2 million, compared with Ly’s $300,000 and Lynch’s paltry $118,000.  Again, that was hand 90. 

On hand 94, Ly was all-in pre-flop and was called, as has been the trend, by Clements.  Clement’s hand, J-10-6-3 with three spades was not a very good one, but he could afford the call, especially after he had re-raised pre-flop and committed himself to the pot.  Ly had a much better hand, A-Q-Q-2.  The Q-9-4 flop gave Ly a set, but Clements picked up an open-ended straight draw.  Clements completed his straight with a King on the turn, and the board did not pair on the river to bail out Ly, as he was eliminated in 3^rd.   

On hand 95, the very next hand and the first hand of heads-up play, Lynch moved his $100,000 all-in pre-flop and Clements, of course, called.  Lynch held Q-7-2-2 while Clements held K-9-9-8.  Lynch took the lead on the Q-4-3 flop and held the lead on the turn, but a 9 on the river gave Clements a set and his second WSOP bracelet in a wire-to-wire victory.

Final Table Standings 

1. Scott Clements -- $194,206
2. Eric Lynch -- $119,508
3. Dau Ly -- $78,624
4. William Durkee V -- $52,285
5. Jason Newburger -- $38,133
6. Mark Davis -- $29,877
7. Andrew Black -- $22,408
8. Anthony MacCanello -- $16,511
9. K.U. Davis -- $11,794
10. Richard Olofsson -- $7,862