2007 WSOP Event #38 – Robert Cheung Wins $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em

In a relatively short final table, in terms of hands played, Vancouver’s Robert Cheung prevailed in another massive $1,500 buy-in no-limit tournament, defeating 2,777 other players to win his first bracelet and $673,628. 

Cheung came into the final table second in chips with $1.1 million, but two other players, John Kranyak and Erica Schoenberg, were within $80,000. 

Schoenberg jumped ahead of Cheung immediately, getting all-in versus Nick Goodall on a flop of 7-6-2 (Cheung was involved in the hand, as well, but folded when Schoenberg pushed).  She had 2-2 for bottom set, while Goodall held 8-8, an overpair.  Schoenberg made a boat on the turn and the river could not save Goodall, putting him out in 9^th place. 

Cheung got the chips he lost back and then some, working his way up to almost $1.3 million after thirteen hands.  On the fourteenth hand, he kept it going, winning the next two pots to take his stack to his around $1.7 million. 

By the time the tournament was five-handed, though, Cheung had lost his momentum, not finding places to accumulate chips.  His stack had fallen to close to $1 million.  With the blinds at $40,000/$80,000 and a $10,000 ante, he really didn’t have much breathing room.  Each trip around the table would cost him $170,000.  He obviously realized this and three hands after Chris Bjorin was eliminated in 6^th, Cheung raised pre-flop and then too a chance by calling when Andrew Lee (who had almost double Cheung’s stack) moved all-in.  It was a good call, as Lee had A-8, but Cheung held A-10.  Lee did not improve and Cheung doubled-up on this, the fiftieth hand, to jump into second place ($2.255 million in chips) behind Schoenberg.   

But as was the case earlier, Cheung was not able to keep the ball rolling, dropping back down to $1 million in chips within the next twenty-five hands.  Undeterred, Cheung worked his way back quickly, adding more than $2 million to his stack within ten hands, taking chips from the two leaders, Schoenberg and John Kranyak.   

That was just the boost Cheung needed.  Within minutes of that run, he won the tournament. 

First, Cheung eliminated Kranyak in 4^th place with a monster hand confrontation: K-K versus Q-Q.  Then, he knocked out Schoenberg on the very next hand, when his 8-8 won the race against her A-J.  That gave him a tremendous chip lead going into heads-up play against Richard Murnick, $7.1 million to $1.2 million.   

On the first hand of heads-up, the players were all-in pre-flop, Cheung with A-K and Murnick with 8-7.  Murnick was unable to improve and Cheung hit an Ace for good measure, giving him his first bracelet and $673,628. 

Three hands, three eliminations, one bracelet.  Not a bad few minutes. 

Final Table Standings 

1. Robert Cheung -- $673,628
2. Richard Murnick -- $417,117
3. Erica Schoenberg -- $261,646
4. John Kranyak -- $170,639
5. Andrew Lee -- $119,447
6. Chris Bjorin -- $87,215
7. Suey Wong -- $68,255
8. Ernie Crespo -- $51,192
9. Nicholas Goodall -- $40,195