Russian Pro Alexander Kuzmin Wins WPT Southern Poker Championship
February 3, 2011 10:17 amAlexander Kuzmin has won the 2011 WPT Southern Poker Championship, after overcoming a field of 214 players over five days to capture the title, as well as collect the $601,469 first place prize.
The $10,000 buy-in event was held at the Casino Beau Rivage in Biloxi and managed to attract a top flight of pros all vying for a share of the $2,011,600 prize pool.
By the time the final table of six had been reached, the remaining players were comprised of an incredibly talented group including the 2009 winner Allan Carter, with all the other players with their fair share of past tournament poker success except relative rookie Pat Mahoney.
First player to be eliminated from the table was Ryan Hughes in 6th place ($89,374) after a battle of the blinds saw small blind Hughes holding 7c-4h up against Shorr with Jh-10c. With the flop falling Jd-9c-4c, Hughes bet out then re-raised Shorr all-in only to see the bad news for himself.
Soon after, Pat Mahoney bowed out in 5th Place after getting all his money in pre-flop holding Kc-Kd to Leif Force’s Qh-Qs. Unfortunately for Mahoney the Js-6s-2c-Ks-7s board brought Force a flush and so Mahoney was gone but with an extra $113,208 added to his bankroll.
Next, a short-stacked Shannon Shorr busted in 4th place ($144,985) after moving in from the small blind holding Jh-7d only to be called by big blind Carter with Qh-Js.
Carter’s jubilation was short lived, though, after another escalating battle of the blinds saw Carter all-in and fighting for his tournament survival with Jc-9d to Kuzmin’s Ad-Qd. The board eventually ran out 10c-7d-2c-Jd-10d to dispatch Carter in 3rd ($218,471) and set up the heads-up phase between Kuzmin and Leif Force.
However, after Force badly affected his tournament chances with a bluff gone wrong, Russian Pro Kuzmin then moved-all in pre-flop with Kd-4c against his diminished opponent holding Jc-9c, who then made the call. A pair of fours was all that was needed to send Force to the rail as the runner-up for $315,790, while Alexander Kuzmin took down the coveted WPT title for $575,969 to take his live career earning to $1,008,320.