blonde poker

 
With 504 players forming a $5.13 million (Canadian dollars) prize pool at the 2007 North American Poker Championship at Niagra Fallsview Casino Resort, it was evident that the WPT rocket was still hurtling at break neck speed and showing no signs of slowing down.

Within that field were the usual array of star-studded names, but come final day, it was the eclecticism and calibre of the final 6 that was of intrigue rather than the mere notoriety of their names: a poker legend, two recent WPT winners, two teenage whizzes and a hometown (or, more accurately –country) hero - the latter of which heavily supported by the understandably biased crowd.

Seat 1: Kofi Farkye -- 1.5 mil
Seat 2: Jonathan Little -- 2.6 mil
Seat 3: Jeff Garza -- 1.3 mil
Seat 4: David Cloutier -- 1.6 mil
Seat 5: Barry Greenstein -- 450,000
Seat 6: Scott Clements -- 2.5 mil

As always, there was the usual splattering of big names in Ontario, Canada, but few seemed to go deep, David Singer (43rd), Allen Cunningham (40th) and recent WSOP bracelet winner Bill Edler (21st) perhaps being the only notable cashers. One player who will be more disappointed than most, however, is loudmouth Jean Robert Bellande, his formidable Day 1 performance failing to earn him the payday his 200,100 stack deserved. Similarly, Marc Karam, third on Day 1 with 126,600 will perhaps be ruing missed opportunities and wondering how he didn’t cash.

Although Scott Clements and Barry Greenstein were the focal point of many piercing stares, most eyes were firmly fixed upon Jonathan Little, the online pro presented with the opportunity of not only becoming a double WPT winner, but also finishing the year as Card Player’s Player of the Year – a prestigious honour indeed.

If the camera crew were hoping for an early night, then they would be sorely disappointed, as out of the event’s climaxing day emerged the WPT’s longest (in number of hands player) ever final table, a hard fought out battle which took an hour to lose its first victim: Jeff Garza, whose open ended straight draw was called, and defeated, by Clement’s flopped flush draw.

After the Poker Gods finally ended the lifelines of Farkye ($219k), Greenstein ($292k) and Cloutier ($355k), we were left with a young (Little - right) versus er… not quite as young (Clements) heads up encounter that reflected the ever-changing status of modern poker and the rising dominance of a new generation of players.

However, once the smoke had cleared and the dust settled, it was the more experienced of the two who took WPT gold,  Scott Clements rising triumphantly as his Qd 5d found Little pushing all-in with Kc 4h on a 7s 5c 5h 4s board. Hailing from Mount Vernon, Washington, Clements took home a mammoth 1.5 million for his troubles.