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Within the fifty-five events at the 2007 World Series of Poker are a number of events termed ‘world championship;, with their titles including the reign of champion for the next year in their respective formats.
One such event was event 18 - $5,000 limit hold’em. Just 257 players put up the cash to play. Likely because of the heavy entry fee and the parity of the field. Despite that, a solid final table emerged including long-time solid poker citizen Thor Hansen and 2006 main event thirteenth-place finisher William Thorsson.
In the end, it was two lesser-known players –Saro Getzoyan and Geoff Sanford—who got down to the heads-up portion of the event. Prior to this event, they had a combined one WSOP cash, with Sanford finishing 873rd in the 2006 main event. It was hardly a marquee match-up, but in a tough field playing a tough game, there was little doubt they’d earned their spots in the final.
Heads-up began with Getzoyan holding a 1,580,000-970,000 chip lead despite Sanford having been the one to take out Thorsson in third place. Despite the stakes, the two kept things friendly, sharing one side of the table and a few jokes. In the end, the experience was a bonding one.
Getzoyan eventually emerged the victor, with the chips flowing his way throughout the finale. The final hand came after Getzoyan had bullied his way to a plethora of consecutive pots. Sanford raised the small blind and Getzoyan called. When the flop came Js-8h-4c, Saro bet out, Sanford raised, Saro re-raised and the chips got in.
Sanford had second pair, with 9h-8s, but he was behind Getzoyan’s Qh-Jh. The turn and river didn’t change anything, with Jc on the turn proving the nail in the coffin before 7d ended it all. Getzoyan was the champion and $333,379 richer.
Gary Wise
gary@wisehandpoker.com
