Legends of Poker Photo Recap

Less than a week ago, the WPT took the Bicycle Casino by storm for both the Main Event of the Legends of Poker and the open casting call for the WPT’s new Raw Deal correspondent. The Royal Flush girls (from left to right Katrina, Sunisa, Melanie, Jen) were on hand all week and even found some time to see the California sights, including a trip to the beach.

WPT hosts Vince Van Patten and Mike Sexton were on hand for the Raw Deal auditions along with Kimberly Lansing. The trio of WPT veterans interviewed auditioners and offered critcism a la American Idol.

The Raw Deal open auditions drew a mix of actors, pros, and poker fans. Oh, and Allen Kessler.

The Legends of Poker began with a toast to Kathy Liebert, who was playing in her 100th career WPT event. Liebert’s first event was the Season I Legends of Poker tournament. Liebert made the final table of that event, finishing in sixth place. Her 100th event did not go so smoothly. She was eliminated late in the day on Day 1, but did get to take home a chip commemorating her milestone (Kimberly Lansing is holding the chip in the photo).

Even though it was only his fifth poker tournament, November Niner Soi Nguyen turned heads early on Day 1A when he vaulted to the top of the counts in the first two levels of play. Nguyen wasn’t able to match Kevin Schaffel’s second place finish at last year’s event, but he did cash, finishing in 34th place.

Royal Flush Girl, Melanie, has fun with ‘Downtown’ Chad Brown on Day 1A of the Legends of Poker.

Phil Hellmuth was one of the very last entrants in the Legends of Poker field. He took his seat shortly after registration closed and played for only a couple of hours before taking an extended dinner break. While everyone else in the event took 60 minutes to eat, Hellmuth’s dinner lasted over two and a half hours.

This season the WPT is expanding its coverage of the earlier days of tournaments. Kimberly Lansing sat down with Season VII Legends of Poker runner-up Amit Makhija midway through Day 2 to discuss Makhija’s second run in the event.

Erica Schoenberg was the last woman standing, and the only woman who survived to Day 3 of the WPT Legends of Poker. Schoenberg would bust out in 30th place, earning $11,500.

Phil Collins isn’t going to let a little thing like food poisoning keep him from a poker tournament. Collins battled through illness and a short stack on Day 2, ending the day with a massive chip lead. He was unable to carry that momentum through to the final table though, busting out late in Day 3 in 29th place.

Day 3 ended with 15 players and two big chip leaders–Andrew Frankenberger and Jonathan Little. The Season VI WPT Player of the Year was looking to win a record-tying third WPT title. Day 4 would not be so kind to Little though. He drew the seat to Frankenberger’s immediate right and the two clashed in several pots, including two crucial hands in which Frankenberger backdoored flushes to take the pot, leading to Little’s 12th place finish.

Little was not Frankenberger’s only knockout on Day 4. The former options trader busted a number of players and won five hands in a row before doubling up Kyle Wilson at the unofficial final table. That hand diminished Frankenberger’s chip stack, but he was still the chip leader headed into the televised final table.

Kimberly Lansing gets a birds-eye view of the final table from high atop her anchor desk.

The Royal Flush Girls look on as the final six players get ready to play for the WPT Legends of Poker title.

What are they playing for? $750,000 in cash, a custom made Wild Bill Hickok trophy, a WPT bracelet, and the title Legend of Poker.

Franco Bruenetti would be the first to bust after being crippled in a hand where Tom Braband rivered a gutshot straight againt his top pair top kicker. Bruenetti would then be eliminated in 6th place by Kyle Wilson, earning $63,000.

This was Jared Jaffe’s second WPT final table of 2010. Jaffe finished 4th at the Southern Poker Championship in Biloxi back in January. Unfortunately, he couldn’t better that finish as he ran jacks into Kyle Wilson’s trip sevens to bust in 5th place, earning $68,000.

Tom Braband, better know in the online poker world as Titan Tom, tried to hold onto the shortstack by doubling up twice, but the third time was not the charm and Braband was eliminated by Kyle Wilson in 4th place. Braband’s 4th place finish earned him $109,000.

Kyle Wilson (left) and Tom Lee (right) were not afraid to play pots against each as three-handed play centered around the action of these two players. In the end, Tom Lee would bust in 3rd place earning $174,722 while Kyle Wilson would move on to face Andy Frankenberger heads up for the title.

Heads-up play came down to Andy Frankenberger and Kyle Wilson. While Wilson, who finished 6th in this event just two years ago, had experience on his side, it was not enough to overcome Frankenberger’s substantial chip lead. Heads-up play was a short-lived affair, lasting only six hands before Frankenberger took it down.

In only his second WPT event, Frankenberger captured $750,000, a WPT bracelet, the Jon Hair-designed Legends of Poker title, and the honor of being called a WPT champion.