WSOP Event #25: David “The Dragon” Pham Roars to a Bracelet

The $2,000 buy-in no-limit shootout event at the World Series of Poker was one of the most intriguing events of the summer so far, but this is not a good thing. A shootout works a bit different than your typical tournament. In a shootout, each player is actually only playing in a single table tournament. If you beat everyone at your table, you move on to the next round, try to win another single table tournament comprised of the previous round’s winners, and so on until there is one ultimate winner.

When the 600 players sat down to begin the tournament, something struck most of them as strange. There were only six players at each table, rather than the customary ten, but the chips for the four missing players were in play, posting blinds like anybody else. But then, just a few minutes into play, after some people had stolen the empty seats’ blinds, and some people had lost chips trying to do so, the dealers were instructed to remove the chips from the non-existent players.

All of this caused an outrage among many players, particularly pros. They had registered and paid the entry fee under the assumption that they would be playing at full tables. The event was not advertised as a short-handed tournament and the rules never stated that there was a six-player minimum per table. Harry Demetriou, the well-regarded European pro, screamed bloody murder and called for a tournament director. When he was essentially told “tough toodles,” he became even more livid and demanded his money back. His money was returned to him, but not until after he was escorted out. Other players, such as Daniel Negreanu, have also requested their entry fee be returned.

But, the show did go on, and there was a final table to be played on Wednesday. It was an interesting mix of players in the final ten, with pros such as David Pham and Chad Layne, top internet player, Dustin Woolf, and WPT champ, Roland DeWolfe, all competing for the bracelet.

There was plenty of action early, but not many eliminations, as all of the players started with $200,000 in chips and low blinds. Both Jason Dewitt and Jerald Williamson lost the majority of their stacks within the first ten hands, but both also doubled-up shortly thereafter to find some breathing room (although both only had about half their starting stacks). Then, just like that, they both doubled-up again, getting right back into the mix.

The biggest move of the first hour came from David Pham. Calling a Jeffrey Heiberg raise in the big blind, Pham checked the K-8-3, two heart flop. Heiberg bet $36,000 and Pham raised him to $101,000. Heiberg then pushed all-in, and after some though, Pham made the call. Pham showed 8-6 of hearts for middle pair and a flush draw, while Heiberg was in the lead with K-10 (10 of hearts) and top pair. The turn was a brick, but the river was the 4 of hearts, giving Pham the flush and the double-up. Pham now had almost $600,000 chips, more than twice that of his closest opponent. Heiberg was crippled and eliminated in 10th place shortly thereafter.

Five hands later, Adam Kagin was sent to the rail in 9th place when his A-9 fell to De Wolfe’s A-Q. Perhaps surprisingly, the chips went in after the flop when neither player had hit anything.

With eight players remaining, it looked like a three-horse race, as Charlie Sewell, De Wolfe, and Pham all had over $400,000 while nobody else had more than $152,000. While the first two hours had been a little slow, the next two sped up a bit.

Just ten hands after the first break, internet superstar Woolf moved all-in with his last few chips holding Q-J, but couldn’t get any help against Dewitt’s A-K.

Just eight hands later, David Bach bowed out in 7th place. His pocket Queens were excellent, but unfortunately for him, De Wolfe held one of two better starting hands – pocket Kings.

With six players left, the three horse race was still intact. But from this point, aside from a couple pots, it was all David “The Dragon” Pham.

He proceeded to knock out the next three players in less than an hour, leaving him just ahead of Sewell, with De Wolfe in third position. Pham took a hit from Sewell to drop into second position, but on the last hand before dinner, Pham essentially sealed up the victory.

It is not typical to see a big hand right before dinner, as usually the players just want to take off, but this was not a typical hand. Pham was in the small blind and raised to $40,000, with Sewell calling. Both players checked the 10-7-5 flop. After the 5 on the turn, which paired the board, Pham led out with a $60,000 bet, which Sewell re-raised to $200,000. Pham made the call. The river was a 4 and Pham checked. Sewell bet another $200,000 and again, Pham called. So what did they have? Trips? A full-house? Maybe a sneaky straight? Nope. They both missed completely. But Sewell’s Q-3 missed worse than Pham’s A-Q.

That pot of almost $1 million catapulted Pham to the top with over $1.2 million, compared to Sewell’s $432,000 and De Wolfe’s $281,000.

While both Sewell and De Wolfe made up little ground once play resumed at 8:00pm, it only took Pham less than an hour to put them away. First, he eliminated De Wolfe when his A-8 dominated De Wolfe’s A-6. Then, with a 7-1 chip lead going into heads-up play with Sewell, Pham finished it in three hands, when his pocket Jacks overwhelmed Sewell’s A-8.

This was David’s second World Series of Poker bracelet and his first major tournament victory in over a year.

Originally published July 21, 2006