Apr 12, 2007

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We at Bluff have been busy debating the greatest final tables on Earth. Could anything compare to the 2006 HORSE, nosotros wondered. Here are the most monumental concluding tables of this century, each filled with bracelets, legends and big-time paydays.

No. ane: 2006 World Series of Poker, $50,000 Horse (143 entrants)

At that place's no argument about the No. one spot. The 2006 $50,000 HORSE last tabular array was one of the greatest spectacles in modern poker. The table consisted of nine of the fiercest players in the game, with 27 WSOP bracelets between them, battling each other at the greatest test of skill in poker. The $fifty,000 buy-in was unprecedented, and for many it was this event and not the main upshot that would determine poker'southward true world champion.

The air was charged with excitement at the Rio that nighttime as Chip Reese worked his fashion through the assembled legends to confront off against Andy Bloch in the longest heads-upwards match upwardly in WSOP history. We can simply imagine where this event is going in the future. Ane thing's for sure -- nosotros'll take another addition to this listing after the '07 HORSE last table.

(one) Chip Reese -- $1,716,000
(ii) Andy Bloch -- $1,029,600
(iii) Phil Ivey -- $617,760
(4) James Bechtel -- $549,120
(v) TJ Cloutier -- $480,480
(6) David Singer -- $411,840
(7) Dewey Tomko -- $343,200
(8) Doyle Brunson -- $274,560
(9) Patrik Antonius -- $274,560

No. two: 2004 Borgata Poker Open up, $10,000 no-limit agree 'em (302 entrants)

The Borgata always draws a great field of poker players, and in belatedly September 2004, the cream rose to the summit of this WPT title event. The six at the terminal tabular array included two legends (Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey) and two young guns fresh off a WSOP main event final table (David Williams and Josh Arieh). We detest to say information technology, but the 2 other guys didn't really matter.

There was furious action from the get-go, and it seemed to be turning into a boxing of who could pull off the bigger bluff. Negreanu employed his usual mind games, forcing Arieh to make a huge laydown, and and then showing him merely ane card, making him think he'd folded the winner. Arieh was eliminated before long later when his busted bluff ran into Negreanu's rivered straight.

Negreanu continued to utilise the pressure when he found himself heads-upward with Williams. The action swung back and forth, but Negreanu eventually nailed the bury close when his aces held up against Williams' top pair on the flop. Information technology was Daniel'south night as he showed once again why he is amid the greatest ever, while Arieh and Williams proved they were no i-hit wonders.

(1) Daniel Negreanu -- $1,117,400
(2) David Williams -- $573,800
(iii) Josh Arieh -- $286,900
(iv) Chris Tsiprailidis -- $181,200
(5) Brandon Moran -- $135,000
(6) Phil Ivey -- $105,700

No. iii: 2002 5 Diamond Earth Poker Classic, $10,000 no-limit agree 'em (146 entrants)

We all look at Chris Moneymaker'south WSOP win in 2003 as the beginning of mod-day poker. What we sometimes forget, all the same, is that the nativity of the WPT came near a year earlier at the earth-famous Bellagio Casino in the heart of Las Vegas. With its now legendary studio lights and pigsty-carte du jour cameras in place, poker history was nearly to be fabricated by this stellar concluding table. And while the lineup included Freddy Deeb, John Juanda, John Hennigan and Scotty Nguyen, it was a newcomer named Gus Hansen who stole the show. His ambitious style and sometimes reckless play baffled the competition. There was even some trash talk, with Deeb stating later, "He played very bad. I would like to play this game with him every day for the rest of my life." Little did Deeb know that Hansen would go on to be one of the winningest players in WPT history. This inaugural WPT final tabular array was a great way of kick off this new "big thing" chosen poker.

(one) Gus Hansen -- $556,460
(2) John Juanda -- $278,240
(3) Freddy Deeb -- $139,120
(4) John Hennigan -- $83,472
(5) Chris Bigler -- $62,604
(6) Scotty Nguyen -- $48,692

No. four: 2005 World Series of Poker, $5,000 vi-handed no-limit hold 'em (301 entrants)

For a few summer nights in 2005, Johnny Chan stood astride the poker world with his record 10 WSOP bracelets. It wasn't long, withal, before his old pal Doyle Brunson sat downward at a final table at the Rio with the single aim of knocking Johnny off the top spot. It wouldn't be easy, however; Doyle had some pretty stiff competition. Four of the 6 at that table had fabricated the last table of the WSOP main event (Brunson, Nguyen, Minh Ly, Jason Lester); ii of the six had primary upshot bracelets (Brunson, Nguyen), and 2 others had WSOP bracelets (Layne Flack, Lester). In total, there were a whopping 18 bracelets between the players the table.

When action got underway, it was Flack and Brunson who seemed to dominate the play, fighting each other for every single chip. Doyle finally got the better of Layne when his K-9 caught a second 9 against Flack's K-ten, on a 10-9-three-9 board. Doyle establish himself heads-upwards with Ly and proved he still had the stamina to close the deal, moving in with ten-iii, slightly off from his infamous x-2. It had the same effect, though, and when he flopped a three against Ly'southward K-Q, the bracelet was his.

(1) Doyle Brunson -- $367,800
(2) Minh Ly -- $203,715
(three) Scotty Nguyen -- $106,105
(four) Layne Flack -- $99,030
(5) Ayaz Mahmood -- $82,055
(6) Jason Lester -- $67,905

No. 5: 2003 World Series of Poker -- no-limit hold 'em -- $three,000 purchase-in -- 398 Entrants

You just have to await at the final three to see why we chose this particular tabular array. Sure, in that location were some big names other than Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu and Erik Seidel at this $3,000 bracelet upshot -- Marker Seif, who has two bracelets of his own, finished 9th, and Jay Heimowitz, with six bracelets, finished sixth -- merely the sight of three legends battling it out for a WSOP bracelet and over $400,000 must've been something else. We weren't born in 2003 -- just a twinkle in our publisher's eye -- but we'd give anything to have been a wing on a hole-card cam at this ane.

(1) Phil Hellmuth -- $410,860
(ii) Daniel Negreanu -- $210,980
(3) Erik Seidel -- $105,480
(4) Mike Lesle -- $66,720
(five) Al Stonum -- $49,960
(6) Jay Heimowitz -- $38,860
(7) Curt Kallberg -- $27,760
(viii) Alan Brodsky -- $22,200
(9) Marking Seif -- $17,760

#6. 2000 Globe Series of Poker, $x,000 no-limit hold 'em (512 entrants)

The 2000 principal outcome terminal tabular array was the last to characteristic multiple "big name" players. The quiet-still-dangerous Chris "Jesus" Ferguson applied his calculated, aggressive way to secure himself the victory and the $1.v million prize. Tournament legend T.J. Cloutier was correct backside him, the second fourth dimension he had placed runner-up in the Big One. The residuum of the table offered a lot for the spectators, too: Hasan Habib, Jim McManus, Jeff Shulman, "Captain" Tom Franklin, Mickey Appleman and Annie Knuckles were all in the peak x.

In perhaps the nearly dramatic final hand of a chief event, Ferguson spiked a 9 with his A-9 on the river confronting the A-Q of Cloutier. Information technology volition probably be the terminal time that two truthful icons of poker face off heads-up for the biggest prize in the game, but this tabular array provided enough memories to last a long time.

(1) Chris "Jesus" Ferguson -- $ane,500,000
(2) T.J. Cloutier -- $896,000
(3) Steve Kaufman -- $570,500
(4) Hasan Habib -- $326,000
(5) Jim McManus -- $247,760
(6) Roman Abinsay -- $195,600
(7) Jeff Shulman -- $146,700
(8) "Captain" Tom Franklin -- $97,800
(9) Mickey Appleman -- $74,980
(10) Annie Duke -- $52,160

No. 7: 2005 5 Diamond Globe Poker Archetype, $xv,000 no-limit hold 'em (555 entrants)

The first face you lot'll recognize at this table is the godfather himself, Brunson. Making it through such a big field at such a grand old historic period, when it requires multiple 12-hr days, was a nifty achievement in itself. And although he was coming in fifth place in fries, there wasn't much to separate the field, and Doyle was the early favorite.

In stark contrast to Doyle was the immature Patrik Antonius, who many consider the best no-limit greenbacks game player in the earth, and ane who is feared at any tabular array at which he sits with a load of chips. Darrell Dicken might not be a familiar name to you, only if you play online, you just might know the proper name "Gigabet." One of poker'due south great thinkers, Dicken volition not be intimidated at whatever table. And nosotros can't leave out the wacky and unpredictable Phil "The Unabomber" Laak. Beyond his table antics, all players know that Phil is a very solid and smart tournament player who is willing to get his chips in the center. Nonetheless, despite the sharks at the tabular array, it was immature Danish newcomer Rehne Pedersen who defeated Antonius heads-upwardly to take the championship.

(one) Rehne Pedersen -- $2,078,185
(ii) Patrik Antonius -- $i,046,470
(three) Doyle Brunson -- $563,485
(4) Joanne "JJ" Liu -- $362,140
(v) Darrell Dicken (aka "Gigabet") -- $241,495
(vi) Phil "Unibomber" Laak -- $160,995

No. 8: 2006 Five Diamond World Poker Classic, $fifteen,000 no-limit hold 'em (583 entrants)

It had been a while since a World Series champion had any success on the World Poker Tour. Joseph Hachem broke the curse by winning the $fifteen,000 buy-in Five Diamond Championship in tardily 2006. What made this feat even more incredible was that Hachem had to overcome the monster stack of Daniel Negreanu, the near accomplished player in the history of the WPT. Daniel came in with a mountain of fries and was the odds-on favorite to take downwards the title. Still, through consistent, solid poker, Hachem chipped up and picked the right spots to cripple the eccentric Canadian. The climax of the tournament would show to be 1 of the most exciting hands in the history of the WPT and the hand that would prove nearly crucial to Hachem's victory. The Australian got all his chips in the center preflop with Q-Q against David Redlin'south A-Q. The flop was safe for Hachem, but the turn was the dreaded ace that gave Redlin the better hand. Hachem flung his arms up in disbelief and headed to the rail. When the dealer peeled off the last queen in the deck, the room erupted, as did Hachem, who used the momentum to carry himself to victory and over $2 million.

(1) Joseph Hachem -- $2,182,070
(two) Jim Hanna -- $1,099,430
(3) Daniel Negreanu -- $592,000
(iv) Mads Andersen -- $380,630
(5) David Redlin -- $253,715
(six) Edward Jordan -- $169,145

No. 9: 2005 World Serial of Poker, $five,000 pot-limit Omaha with rebuys (134 entrants, 229 rebuys)

Yeah, folks, nosotros accept a second table on our listing that isn't no-limit hold 'em! This table was an awe-inspiring collection of talent. Not but did we have 2005 Bluff Player of the Year Phil Ivey, just likewise Phil Hellmuth, hell-bent on reaching the pinnacle of his poker career by winning his 10th bracelet. And the others? Well, in that location's Mr. Omaha himself, Robert Williamson 3, who finished 2nd in the same event in 2004. To top information technology off, we accept Surindar Sunar and 4-fourth dimension bracelet winner Allen Cunningham. The action didn't disappoint, although if y'all enquire Hellmuth he might disagree, as he headed to the track when his set of queens ran into Williamson's set of kings. Ivey then seemed to boss the play, working through this field of meridian-name pros like it was simply another solar day at the office, to grab his fifth WSOP bracelet.

(1) Phil Ivey -- $635,603
(two) Robert Williamson -- $353,115
(3) Davood Mehrmand -- $194,210
(4) Allen Cunningham -- $141,245
(5) Surindar Sunar -- $123,590
(half dozen) Sigi Stockinger -- $105,935
(vii) Eduard Scharf -- $88,280
(8) Phil Hellmuth -- $lxx,625
(9) E.C. Cohen -- $52,965

No. 10: 2001 Earth Series of Poker, $10,000 no-limt concord 'em (613 entrants)

When looking back at all of these great final tables, we noticed one thing: Poker players really show up for the WSOP main consequence. These guys come to play and win. The Yr 2001 was no exception, and we saw an astonishing array of talent. "The Matador," Juan Carlos Mortensen, who has since become i of a very select few to win both a WSOP main event and a WPT title, stole the glory that dark. He battled through a table that included Hellmuth, Dewey Tomko, Phil Gordon and Mike Matusow. We would take loved to have heard the table talk betwixt rivals Hellmuth and Matusow, but yet again, this was back in poker's Dark Ages, before televised tables. Luckily for us, most of these guys take graced many concluding tables in the Telly-poker era. Oh, and in example you were wondering, Daniel Negreanu came in twelfth, just missing out on this final-table fireworks brandish.

(one)Juan Carlos Mortensen -- $ane,500,000
(two) Dewey Tomko -- $i,098,925
(3) Stan Schrier -- $699,315
(iv) Phil Gordon -- $399,610
(5) Phil Hellmuth -- $303,705
(vi) Mike Matusow -- $239,765
(7) Henry Nowakowski -- $179,825
(8) Steven Riehle -- $119,885
(nine) John Inashima -- $91,910

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