WPT Hollywood 2011 Won By Mike Scarborough
April 14, 2011 9:42 amMike Scarborough has just triumphed at the WPT Hollywood Poker Open, after overcoming a field of 92 players over four days to lift the prestigious title, as well as collect the $273,664 first place prize.
Prior to his recent victory in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, Mike Scarborough had notched up $65,783 in live tournament earnings since 2010 but after taking down the biggest score of his career, the 34 year-old announced:
“This win is just a dream come true. It means so much more to me to win in my local casino. Playing with Erik Seidel was very intimidating at first. But I just told myself to play like you would with anybody else.”
Day 4 of the $10,000 buy-in tournament saw the final table of six get underway and just three hands later Ali Eslami was eliminated in 6th place ($50,962). Eslami held 9-7 on a J-7-7-A board but unfortunately for him he ran into William Reynolds’ pocket jacks.
A mere four hands later and Andy Whetstone, too, was eliminated in 5th ($62,041) after going all-in holding pocket threes on a K-Q-9 flop only to be called by Mike Scarborough with A-Q.
An hour and a half later, Thomas Marchese moved all-in holding A-K and was called by Reynolds with pocket tens. Amazingly, the board ran out A-J-10-Q-Q giving Marchese the straight but his opponent a full-house and so Marchese was sent to the rail in 4th for a $77,551 pay-day.
Nevertheless, William Reynolds himself was the next player to fall after going all-in holding A-10 to Scarborough’s A-J and so he collected $110,788 for his 3rd place finish.
Heading into the heads-up phase of the competition, Scarborough held a commanding 4 to 1 chip advantage over Erik Seidel and just twenty minutes later Seidel’s tournament was at stake after Seidel with Ad-9d re-raised Scarborough holding Jh-10h all-in.
However, the board then ran out 10-9-7-8-10 to eliminate Erik Seidel in 2nd ($155,103), while Mike Scarborough was crowned the WPT Hollywood Poker Open Champion and received a $25,000 seat to the WPT Championship to go with his $273,664 first place winnings.