There’s no doubt that the highlight of day 3 at the 2008 World Series of Poker came with three players left in event #1, the $10,000 pot-limit world championship. Coming at the tail end of a remarkable final table, it was the hand that would ultimately propel Canadian Nenad Medic to his first WSOP bracelet win.
The event proved the perfect beginning to the world series. The nine-player final table saw four stars –Phil Laak, Mike Sowers, Patrik Antonius and Chris Bell—get eliminated in a row before online guru Anit Makhija went out fifth. Then, after hours of four way play, the legendary Mike Sexton was taken out in fourth. That left Medic, Andy Bloch and Kathy Liebert to fight for the title.
With Liebert short-stacked, she needed to make a move. Medic was on the button and made a raise to T300,000. Kathy moved all-in on the strength of 6s-6d only to be re-re-raised by Bloch, who was looking to get Medic out and go heads up with Liebert on the strength of his pocket nines. Unfortunately for Andy, Medic’s hand was too strong to fold. He called and turned up Qc-Qh.
The flop signed Liebert’s death warrant. Ah-Qs-2c gave Nenad top set, and the turn 4c meant he couldn’t lose. Liebert was out in third and Medic held a 5:2 chip advantage that he’d never lose. He won the heads-up portion in less than twenty hands.
The win puts medic in rarified air, with a WPT win and a WSOP bracelet. For Bloch, it was another bridesmaid-but-never-bride moment in a remarkable career of second place finished. For Liebert, already the all-time winningest woman tournament player, it was a rough ending to a remarkable performance.
Gary Wise
gary@wisehandpoker.com
