Casino Choice UK News Archive
23-year-old scoops $1.7 million at Foxwoods World Poker Finals
Nenad Medic, from Niagara Falls in Ontario, took a subtle approach to the biggest final table of his career, allowing his opponents to do most of the work.
The heaviest burden fell on 58-year-old amateur E.G. Harvin, who carried it with aplomb, eliminating four of his five opponents at the final table, but falling short at the final hurdle.
It would have been a true Cinderella story, or Moneymaker story to be more accurate, as he was the only amateur on the final table, having won entry via a $150 online satellite. He had led the massive 609 player field from almost start to finish but just missed out on the ultimate prize.
Besides Harvin there were other aspects of this WPT final table to excite the crowd, not least the presence of two famous female pros. Mimi Tran and Kathy Liebert are two of the world’s best-known female poker players, and they made history by reaching the final table together; the first time a WPT final table has featured two female players.
Unfortunately for Liebert and Tran neither player was able to become the first female to go on to win a WPT title. Liebert was gone within 20 minutes, eliminated after losing two big pots early on. In the second she turned a flush but ran into Harvin’s nut flush. Game over.
Tran did a little better, playing by far the most aggressive game at the table, and by raising close to 80 percent of pots pre-flop she was able to outlast three opponents. However in Harvin and Medic she encountered the worst enemies of aggression: patience and stubbornness. Harvin was determined not to let Tran overrun him, and Medic was content to pick his spot. It was a combination that sent Tran to the rail in third.
When heads-up play began Harvin had a very slender chip lead over Medic. It would have been bigger but Harvin had just doubled-up Medic before eliminating Tran, choosing a very poor moment to try and pull off an all-in bluff; Medic, holding a full house, called without hesitation to even the scores.
After taking two large pots off Harvin on about the ninth and eleventh hands of heads-up play Medic then pulled of the title coup on the fourteenth hand. After a flop of 5-5-3 Medic bet $150k and was re-raised by Harvin to $650k; Medic called. The turn card was a nine and Harvin now bet out $1 million. Again Medic called, this time after a short deliberation. The river was second nine, and Harvin moved all-in. Medic thought about the bet for over a minute, before finally calling with a five for a full house. The title was his.
Nenad Medic - $1,717,194
EG Harvin - $904,389
Thithi "Mimi" Tran - $472,228
Michael Omelchuk - $343,439
Kathy Liebert - $257,579
Michael Perry - $200,340
The heaviest burden fell on 58-year-old amateur E.G. Harvin, who carried it with aplomb, eliminating four of his five opponents at the final table, but falling short at the final hurdle.
It would have been a true Cinderella story, or Moneymaker story to be more accurate, as he was the only amateur on the final table, having won entry via a $150 online satellite. He had led the massive 609 player field from almost start to finish but just missed out on the ultimate prize.
Besides Harvin there were other aspects of this WPT final table to excite the crowd, not least the presence of two famous female pros. Mimi Tran and Kathy Liebert are two of the world’s best-known female poker players, and they made history by reaching the final table together; the first time a WPT final table has featured two female players.
Unfortunately for Liebert and Tran neither player was able to become the first female to go on to win a WPT title. Liebert was gone within 20 minutes, eliminated after losing two big pots early on. In the second she turned a flush but ran into Harvin’s nut flush. Game over.
Tran did a little better, playing by far the most aggressive game at the table, and by raising close to 80 percent of pots pre-flop she was able to outlast three opponents. However in Harvin and Medic she encountered the worst enemies of aggression: patience and stubbornness. Harvin was determined not to let Tran overrun him, and Medic was content to pick his spot. It was a combination that sent Tran to the rail in third.
When heads-up play began Harvin had a very slender chip lead over Medic. It would have been bigger but Harvin had just doubled-up Medic before eliminating Tran, choosing a very poor moment to try and pull off an all-in bluff; Medic, holding a full house, called without hesitation to even the scores.
After taking two large pots off Harvin on about the ninth and eleventh hands of heads-up play Medic then pulled of the title coup on the fourteenth hand. After a flop of 5-5-3 Medic bet $150k and was re-raised by Harvin to $650k; Medic called. The turn card was a nine and Harvin now bet out $1 million. Again Medic called, this time after a short deliberation. The river was second nine, and Harvin moved all-in. Medic thought about the bet for over a minute, before finally calling with a five for a full house. The title was his.
Nenad Medic - $1,717,194
EG Harvin - $904,389
Thithi "Mimi" Tran - $472,228
Michael Omelchuk - $343,439
Kathy Liebert - $257,579
Michael Perry - $200,340
Submitted: 2006/11/20 at 16:45:55
