WSOP Grudge Matches Won By Johnny Chan and Chris Moneymaker

The newly introduced ‘WSOP Grudge Match’ is an entertaining concept designed to recreate defining moments from past WSOP Main Event heads-up finishes. In other words past champions are given the opportunity to shine once more on the big stage or be defeated by the former runner-ups.
Taking part in this year’s inaugural Grudge Matches event were the following players:
Match One: Chris Moneymaker vs. Sam Farha
Match Two: Phil Hellmuth vs. Johnny Chan
Match Three: Johnny Chan vs. Erik Seidel — (Although this match is currently postponed as Seidel competes in another WSOP event).
Match One: Chris Moneymaker famously became the 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion after winning a $39 online satellite thus launching a poker boom.
In this best of three recreation of the final battle, Moneymaker took the first match after getting lucky with A-8 against a short-stacked Farha’s A-10 all-in push. Farha then came back to take the second match but the third round then went to Moneymaker holding K-J to his opponent’s K-10.
Consequently, Chris Moneymaker triumphed once more and collected $50,000, while Farha pocketed $20,000.
In the second Grudge Match, a recreation was staged of the 1989 WSOP final where Johnny Chan missed out on three back to back wins after Phil Hellmuth won his first WSOP bracelet, holding pocket nines to Chan’s suited A-7.
This time around, though, Chan extracted a measure of revenge after the 2 hour battle culminated in Hellmuth pushing all-in with K-10 to Chan’s pocket eights.
Following the contest Chan then exclaimed: “I hope everyone enjoyed it. That is what it is about. It doesn’t matter to me winning or losing, if everyone has a good time. We both played our hearts out at the table (for the fans).”
Now all that remains is for Chan to play Erik Seidel in a recreation of the 1988 Main Event final table made even more famous by the poker movie “Rounders.”
However, with Eric Seidel’s recent heater we could have a while to wait yet as he goes ever deeper in other 2011 WSOP events.