Remarkable Recovery In WSOP Event 19

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Low start for $521 785 winner Francois

Nothing is really predictable in poker, and that applies especially to play in the World Series of Poker currently running at the Rio in Las Vegas.  Take Event 19 - the $2 500 No Limit Hold 'Em - for example; Francois Saffieddine started the final table low on chip count but eventually triumphed to take home $521 785 and a gold bracelet.

Before he sat down at that final table, however Saffieddine had to survive an entry field of 1 013 players. Typically for WSOP the field was full of prominent names and gifted players, including David Plastik, Jennifer Tilly, Billy Baxter, Daniel Negreanu, Kirk Morrison, Erik Seidel, Kido Pham, Michael Binger, Michael Gracz, Joe Tehan, Humberto Brenes Mike Matusow, Rene Angelil, Sorel Mizzi, John Juanda, Annie Duke, Phil Laak, Jeff Madsen, Gavin Smith, David "The Dragon" Pham, Andrew Black, Layne Flack, and Bill Chen.

And many of those big names exited during the first round of play, such as David Plastik, Men 'The Master' Nguyen and Andy Black. The second round brought more, including Daniel Negreanu, Ralph Perry, Jamie Gold, Chau Giang, 'Bodog Ari' Engle, Greg  Raymer, Isabelle Mercier, Roland de Wolfe and David Williams.

By Day 2 the field was down to 99 survivors, each safe in the money bubble for at least $3 844 thanks to the $2.3 million prize-pool, and this field was rapidly thinned out to leave a Day 3 final table with a hard-nosed nine expert players seeking the big first prize payout.

Lars Bonding (882 000) had the chip lead with Devin Porter the nearest chaser at 819 000 and Humberto Brenes - on his third WSOP final table this year - and John Phan not far behind. Francois Safieddine was at this stage the low man on the chip count list.

Bertrand Grospellier was the first to exit, felled by Devin Porter early in the game. Within the next hour, four others were to go to the rail, starting with Alex Bolotin at number 8, after his flush draw failed to materialise and Marcus Obser's set of eights held up. Around a quarter hour later, Humberto Brenes' was on his way to the exit in seventh place, courtesy of Devin Porter. Only 11 minutes after that, Bonding, who had been chip leader all the way through the first two days of play, headed for the rail as well - eliminated by Phan in sixth position.

Less than five minutes later it was Shawn Hattem departing the table in position 5 after Francois Safieddine hit a set of aces, and just missing a six figure payout with a fifth placing paycheck of $97 856.

Four players remained as the second hour of play commenced, with a fairly even distribution of chips around the table. Play became more cautious for several rounds until Porter was ousted at position 4 - busted when Safieddine's pocket sevens beat his suited A-J. Porter's payday was the first of the big money at $139 794.

Increasing blinds made for more daring play as the three finalists faced off, and Obser cleared the way for a Saffaieddine vs. Phan heads up when he was eliminated by Saffieddine, collecting a $212 021 third place payout on the way to the exit.

It was a fairly even contest, with Saffieddine marginally in the lead.  Despite a valiant effort by Phan this was how the game ended - a great recovery by Saffieddine to take the WSOP bracelet and the main prize of $521 785, leaving Phan as the runner-up with a payday worth $330 846.