Edward Moncada Newest WSOP Bracelet Winner

The odds were high that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) was going to see yet another first time champion Tuesday, as eight of the nine final table competitors in the $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em event had never been fitted for a bracelet. The gregarious Freddy Deeb was the lone champ at the table. And the odds played out as Edward Moncada bested the field to take the title and $298,070.

The lack of WSOP resumes did not hurt the quality of play, however. Aside from some small chip stacks needing to make bold moves early, the eight-hour competition was full of well-thought out, strategic plays, calculated bluffs, and strong lay-downs. Once play was down to the final five, it was difficult to tell who was going to prevail, as all five players held the chip lead at some point, and nobody looked like they were about to go anywhere.

Moncada made the bluff of the day (or at least the bluff that everyone knew about) early on in the final table battle. With blinds at $3,000/$6,000, Deeb raised pre-flop to $16,000 and Moncada went over the top, re-raising to $54,000. Deeb deliberated for a long time and then folded, showing an Ace. Moncada flipped over 2-4 offsuit, earning an ovation from the audience.

What may have seemed like just a reckless bluff by a less experienced player was actually a well thought out move. Moncada explained the re-raise in an interview with ESPN commentator, Norman Chad. One of the small stacks was in the big blind (Moncada was the small blind), two seats to Deeb’s right. At the time, Deeb was one of the big stacks at the table. Moncada thought that if he had the number of chips Deeb had, he might try to pick on the small stack, especially when the small stack was in a blind. Thus, he thought Deeb might be trying to play the part of a bully. Additionally, he remembered a couple instances where he re-raised Deeb the day before, getting Deeb to fold. Both times, Moncada showed him pocket Kings. So, when he combined the guess that Deeb was trying to make a move on top of the hope that Deeb remembered him re-raising with a strong hand, Moncada hoped that he could get Deeb to lay down his hand. He was right.

Moncada did seem to have Deeb’s number, getting him to fold a few times. He admitted that Deeb was the player at the table that scared him the most, but for some reason, Moncada was just able to play him perfectly.

Deeb got involved in big hands with regularity, oftentimes seeing his raises get re-raised before and after the flop. He was very patient, however, and frequently folded, rather than taking any unnecessary risks. At one point, Marco Traniello muscled Deeb out of a pot and proceeded to go to the stands and talk to his wife, former WSOP bracelet winner, Jennifer Harman, and fellow poker pros Mike Matusow and Daniel Negreanu. Deeb, always keeping his sense of humor, yelled to Traniello’s wife and friends, “What did he have? Ace-Ten? Two sixes?”

Matusow, living up to his nickname, “The Mouth”, jokingly yelled back, “Just go play!”

Two hands after the bluff by Moncada, and one hand after getting forced out of another hand, Deeb yelled to Negreanu, “Everyone’s trying to bluff me!”

Deeb got back at Traniello later, though. Traniello raised pre-flop to $28,000 and Deeb re-raised to $78,000, putting Traniello all-in. Traniello called, showing A-10, up against Deeb’s 5-5. The flop was great for Traniello: A-K-2. The turn 9 left Deeb with only two outs, and one of them, a 5, came on the river, knocking Traniello out in 7th place. Harman, who had walked up next to the stage, covered her head, turned her back to the table, and doubled over when she saw what transpired. The audience exploded, some in cheers, some in disbelief. It was by far the most exciting hand to that point.

In the end, it came down to Moncada and twenty-one year old, Steven Hudak. Hudak went into heads-up play with the chip lead, $608,000 to $472,000, and surprised many spectators with his skill at such a young age. Hudak was surprisingly poised throughout the competition. He was quiet, thoughtful, and rarely found himself in desperate situations. Even when he was in danger of being eliminated, he didn’t flinch. He evaluated the situation, calculated his odds, and made his move, usually winning.

Unfortunately for Hudak, he got trapped early in heads-up play. He raised to $48,000 preflop with pocket 9’s and was called by Moncada. When the flop came 8h-Jd-5d, Moncada bet $50,000, Hudak raised to $246,000, and Moncada called, going all-in. To Hudak’s dismay, Moncada held J-5, for two pair. The Qd on the river gave Hudak a fighting chance, though, as one of his cards was a diamond, adding the remainder the diamonds as outs for a flush and any Ten for a straight to the two 9’s that were left. The 4h on the river, doubled-up Moncada and left Hudak crippled.

Hudak made a small run, doubling-up once, but Moncada finally put him away. Hudak raised to $48,000 with A-8, but Moncada put him all-in with 8-8. Hudak called and got no help from the board.

Before heads-up play started, some discussions took place that had some members of the audience buzzing. Both Hudak and Moncada had boisterous rooting sections, and during the break before the final one-on-one, each player was huddling with his respective posse. Occasionally, they would go over and speak to each other, and eventually, the two stepped aside and had a private conversation. To spectators who could not hear what they were discussing, it appeared as if they were making some sort of deal to split the winnings. As they took their seats, they shook hands, appearing to have agreed on a deal.

It remains to be seen if the two players did, in fact, have some sort of deal in place, but Moncada did tell Norman Chad that both groups of friends had made plans to go out later together and celebrate. So, the whole conversation may very well have been social planning, not financial wrangling. Either way, the two men, and for the most part, all of the final table players, seemed to have a well-deserved respect for one another.

Complete Final Table Standings

(Place/Player/Prize Money)

1. Edward Moncada - $298,070
2. Steven Hudak - $159,970
3. David Cossio - $79,490
4. Shah Ajay - $69,550
5. Freddy Deeb - $59,615
6. Sharbel Koumi - $49,860
7. Marco Traniello - $39,745
8. Elia Ahmadian - $29,810
9. Yoshitaka Oku - $19,870

Originally published June 15, 2005