Katchalov Wins the WPT Final Table

After almost a week of poker play, the 2007 World Poker Tour Doyle Brunson Classic has a champion.  664 poker players started and that created a prize pool of $9,661,200 with first place receiving $2,482.605.  This made this tournament the biggest in history behind the WSOP and the WPT World Championship.

The final day started with 6 players: 

Ken Rosen - 1,135,000
Ted Kearly - 1,620,000
Jordan Rich - 6,585,000
Eugene Katchalov - 8,360,000
Ryan Daut - 330,000
David "Devilfish" Ulliott - 1,900,000

It tool all of one hand for Daut to get all his money in with AJ but was called by Kearly with 88, Kearly flopped a set and 6^th place and the $192,715 went to Daut.

The two dominate chips stacks also tangled twice in the early going. The first time Rich raised the button and was called by Katchalov in the small blind.  After a Q high rainbow flop, there was a raising war and Rich finally mucked losing a good portion of his stack.

Just a mere 13 hands later the are at it again, this time Katchalov ends up all in and Rich calls. Katchalov had AA and Rich JJ, no improvement for Rich came and the player second in chips was eliminated 5^th, earning $289,070.

Rosen was next to go in 4^th earning $433,675. It was Katchalov who eliminated him and now had a commanding chip stack totaling 15 million. There was one small detour though as Kearly doubled through they chip leader showing that this may not be a cake walk for Katchalov.

The feeling was short lived though as Katchalov came back strong eliminating David Ulliott in 3^rd place. The Devilfish got $674,500 for his efforts. Now it was down to heads up with a very big chip difference,

Katchalov - 16,755,000
Kearly - 3,175,000

Katchalov never looked back and won the 2007 WPT Doyle Brunson Classic, earning $2,482,605 and a $25,500 seat in the 2008 WPT World Championship, which will take place here at Bellagio in April. On his way to the win he also broke Doyle Brunson's record for fastest final table winning in 53 hands.