Yevgeniy Timoshenko Wins WPT Championship

The final table of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship played out on Saturday and, in the end, Yevgeniy “atimos” Timoshenko took home the $2.1 million first place prize, besting Ran Azor heads-up.

The victor of the $50,000 HORSE tournament held during the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP), Scotty Nguyen, was eliminated in sixth place from the WPT Championship final table for $285,000. Short-stacked, Nguyen pushed for just over three times the big blind and was called by Shannon Shorr and Christian Harder. The duo checked down to the river, when Harder bet 600,000, inducing a fold from Shorr. Harder flipped over A-9 on the A-K-2-A-7 board, out-kicking the A-4 of Nguyen. Nguyen failed to become just the second player ever to win the WPT Championship and WSOP Main Event. Carlos Mortensen remains the only person to have accomplished that feat.

Shorr was sent packing in fifth place, taking home $408,000. On the 44th hand of final table play, Shorr pushed for 2.6 million when blinds were 80,000-160,000 with a 15,000 chip ante. Timoshenko called with pocket fours, finding himself in a race against Shorr’s 6-7. The board ran out A-9-3-J-K, sending Shorr out of the WPT Championship. His elimination secured the title of WPT Player of the Year to Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, who was also vying to be the next WPT champion. Last season’s Player of the Year honors went to Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little. Others have included Howard Lederer (Season I), Erick Lindgren (Season II), Daniel Negreanu (Season III), Gavin Smith (Season IV), and J.C. Tran (Season V).

The 63rd hand of final table play in the WPT Championship marked a double elimination. Harder pushed on the button for 1.9 million, Azor made the call, and Grospellier shoved over the top for 2.9 million. Azor had both covered, called Grospellier’s all-in, and the hands were turned up. Azor showed A-7, Grospellier revealed A-J of hearts, and Harder revealed A-8 of spades. The flop came K-7-3, sending Azor out in front. The turn came a queen, giving Grospellier a straight draw. However, a harmless deuce fell on the river, eliminating two players in one fallen swoop. Grospellier officially took third place for $776,000, while Harder finished in fourth for $571,000.

Heads-up play began between Timoshenko and Azor with the former holding just over a 2:1 chip lead. Eighty-one hands later, Timoshenko emerged as the winner of the Season VII finale. Azor called Timoshenko’s all-in for his final 800,000 chips when blinds were 150,000-300,000 with a 25,000 ante. Azor showed Q-10 and was up against A-3. The flop came Q-J-7, giving Azor top pair. The turn came a king, which gave Timoshenko a straight draw. Sure enough, it hit on the river, as the 10 of spades was the “money card” for the youngster. Timoshenko became the second youngest player ever to win a WPT title. He was just 21 years, two months, and 15 days old. The honor of youngest WPT champion is held by Nick Schulman, who was exactly 21 years and two months when he took down the Foxwoods World Poker Finals four years ago.

Here is a recap of the payouts from the WPT Championship:
1. Yevgeniy Timoshenko - $2,149,960
2. Ran Azor - $1,446,265
3. Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier - $776,245
4. Christian Harder - $571,965
5. Shannon Shorr - $408,550
6. Scotty Nguyen - $285,985

The final hand dealt at the WPT Championship marks the end of Season VII in the United States, although the tournament series’ Venice event kicks off on May 6th. The non-televised tournament is sponsored by bwin and boasts a €4,400 buy-in. It will crown a winner on May 10th. The WPT Spanish Championship begins on June 24th at the Casino Barcelona and comes with a €5,300 price tag. No official schedule for Season VIII has been released, but its events will once again air on Fox Sports Net.

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Poker jargon:

POT LIMIT - A game where the maximum bet is determined by the size of the pot at the time. Note that a player wanting to raise first calls the bet, then totals the pot to determine the maximum amount he can raise.
SHARK - A good/crafty player often posing as a fish early in the game.
QUALIFIER - A minimum standard that a hand must meet in order to win. Usually applied to the lowball side of a high-low split pot.
DOOR [CARD] - A player's first upcard in stud games.
RAIL - A barrier dividing the card playing area from a public area.
POCKET PAIR - Generic Hold'em term for 2 hole cards of the same rank.

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