Andy Black(credit: Full Tilt Poker)
Andy Black and Tony G made their way to the final table at the PartyPoker Premier League neck in neck for the top slot. Both men sailed through much of the preliminary rounds. Joining them at the final table were Marcel “The Flying Dutchman” Luske and Alex Kravchenko, who won two bracelets at the WSOP in 2007. These four had to wait to find out who the final two combatants would be.
The remaining two slots were decided via a best of five heads-up match-up between the four players who had the highest point totals and were still left in the competition. Roland de Wolfe faced off against Eddy Scharf. The Londoner handily defeated the German pilot in three straight matches after catching some great cards.
Annie Duke played David “The Devilfish” Ulliott. The perky mom of four needed all five matches to put her opponent away. Unfortunately, Annie’s luck didn’t hold out once the final table got underway. Kravchenko made short work of the former doctoral student, sending her to the rail in sixth place.
Luske headed home next. De Wolfe defeated his Q,8 with a pair of sevens in the hole. At this point, the lone Russian at the table, Kravchenko sang his swan song when Andy “The Monk” Black – he earned the moniker due to his Buddhist faith – cracked his queens.
Ouch!
Tony G, who seemed poised to take this title after winning three preliminary matches, bid the competition farewell in third position. De Wolfe dispatched the Lithuanian-born Aussie transplant with a pair of kings.
As heads-up play got underway, De Wolfe had a 3-to-2 chip advantage over Black. However, the Irishman battled back. On the final hand, he limped in with his pocket queens. De Wolfe checked with a Q,6. The flop was 4,8,6. De Wolfe check-raised all-in. Black happily called. The turn and the river yielded blanks for both players so the kings held up.
Black got emotional upon winning his first major tournament title. The Irishman has come close many times before, but, as he said, “I’ve been waiting 20 years for this.”
A well deserved win indeed!
These are the results:
1) Andy Black - $250,000
2) Roland De Wolfe - $120,000
3) Tony G - $60,000
4) Alex Kravchenko - $40,000
5) Marcel Luske - $30,000
6) Annie Duke - $20,000
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