The final table of the WPT Final, Bellagio. Over $8 million in prize money for the last six players left out of over 600, and just under half of that officially reserved for first place:
1st $3,970,415
2nd $2,011,135
3rd $1,082,920
4th $696,220
5th $464,110
6th $309,405
This is who took their seats as the cameras started to roll and an unexpectedly enthusiastic audience packed into Bellagio Ballroom Number Six:
Paul Lee 11,828,000
Juan Carlos Mortensen -- 6,501,000
Guy Laliburte -- 4,690,000
Kirk Morrison -- 4,194,000
Mike Wattel -- 2,887,000
Tim Phan -- 2,162,000
The firm chip lead had been held, unusually, by the same person for more than a day – the quiet Paul Lee had reached the top of the chip standings and stayed there. His rise to chip monster status was helped by the final table bubble, 7th place finisher Thomas Wahlroos, who squeezed a raise and call from Lee with As-Ts only to be called by Lee’s A-Q. This 8 million pot knocked out the second-in-chips Finn leaving Carlos Mortensen the only European hope for the top spot. He’d come from short stacked to uncountable-stacked, making a trademark chip tower which sadly didn’t get recreated on the TV table, where he was sat with Guy Laliberte on his right and Mike Wattel on his left. Guy, billionaire creator of Cirque du Soleil, had apparently qualified in a satellite, while Mike did so at the last possible minute on a single table.
With the blinds starting at 60k/120k ante 15k we weren’t sure that the fantastic structure of the previous five days would translate to the table where so much prize money was at stake. Just before the end of that level, Mike Wattel was eliminated, finding himself short stacked with a million in chips (that sounds odd) and pushing with Jd-9d over the top of Kirk Morrison. Kirk found his preflop bet merely doubled and called with Kc-Js, more than enough to see off the first player.
The blinds went thence to 100k/200k ante 20k, and we weren’t surprised to see Tim Phan soon all in (for ten big blinds), holding Nines. Kirk Morrison had the Aces, however, and he finished fifth, after playing a solidly impressive game the whole way through. Carlos Mortensen seemed to be in a few more hands than the other players, closing the gap between his chips and Paul Lee’s before taking the lead after about an hour and a half’s play. But a rare confrontation with Kirk Morrison changed all that – after Kirk called a preflop re-raise to 2 million from Carlos, a Qc-Jc-9d saw a push from Carlos (holding As-Qs) and a rather surprisingly lengthy dwell from Kirk before he called with his Jh-Jd. An Ace on the turn brought more possibilities for Mortensen, but the river brought a Nine and he was knocked to one million in chips (three big blinds, now that the T.D. announced yet another elevation, to 150k/300k).
Carlos, however, doubled through Kirk (A-T vs. A-6) while it was Guy Laliberte who finished in 4th place. The hand which took him out also propelled Kirk Morrison to a powerful chip position – after he check-raised all in on a Queen high all-club flop (with Deuces) he was called by Guy with Ad-Jc. No club came, and the little pair stayed ahead. We were somewhat surprised by this hand; a brief lull followed during which Paul Lee became the short stack for the first time in days after Carlos got his second double through courtesy of him. This left Paul to finish 3rd and the comeback of the tournament was suggested if Carlos Mortensen could take on the 20 million chip stack of Kirk Morrison.
A short ways into the heads up match, Kirk took about 5 million from his opponent making a plucky
river call with Ace-high in his hand (three Tens on board) – down to around 6 million Carlos’ stack dwindled until the blinds were announced as being about to rise to 300k/600k. Carlos’ four million moved across the line preflop with A-T, and Kirk took a shot at knocking him out with K-6. It didn’t work – it was a reprieve for Mortensen which lasted through the 800k/1.6mil level; while this might sound like a good deal of time, the blinds were shortened and raised with an alacrity which brought cries, of, “Booo!” from the audience. The best structure in the world turned into one you’d be reluctant to pay three figures for, and time and again it was all in with a winner picked out of the air.
That’s not to say that the eventual champion, Carlos Mortensen, didn’t play well – although both of them attempted to continue to play flops etc. long after the blinds didn’t really allow for it. The eventual final hand (A-4 vs. K-J all in preflop) was a perfect example of a ‘cross your fingers, we’ve run out of play’ situation. Carlos Mortensen, receiving the trophy, was lost for words as he was reminded that he was the only person to have won both the WSOP Main Event and the WPT Championship, while Kirk Morrison was a gracious second place, and a very successful player in his own right (four cashes in four WPT entries). Whatever they may find to criticise in the tournament, they’re both waking up tomorrow multiple-millions better off.
