Bach Emerges Victoriously After Seven-Hour H.O.R.S.E Race

After an over enduring 20 hours of play and staggering 492 hands, the WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E event was finally decided in Vegas when David Bach beat John Hansen after 7 hours of intense heads up play.

With 94 players entering the event, no one presaged the tournament to be a walk over; but even the fans and players were aghast with the length of time it took Bach to take home his first WSOP bracelet and the $1,276,802 cash prize.

When the line up for the final table was completed, most spectators were wondering if Erik Seidel would get his hands on his 9^th WSOP bracelet, a man who currently holds the 3^rd highest number of WSOP bracelets to date.  Unfortunately Seidel capitulated early however, leaving the tournament in 8^th place.   Not too soon after, Chau Giang had relinquished his future in the tournament, after starting the day the designated short stack.

Huck Seed, yet another player in this tournament with bracelets to his name, managed to improve on his own 7^th place finish last year by obtaining a creditable 6^th place finish.

With players and shoves coming and going, the pace of the game changed drastically by the final quartet, where a subdued mood and little activity tiresomely prolonged the length of the game.  After an epoch of small game action, an undesirable run of cards led Lunkin to fall out of the tournament 4^th place, who won’t be too displeased with his efforts after previously netting two top four finishes in the WSOP this summer, netting him $3 million in winnings.

Sagstrom left the tournament in a bewildering hand. On a 7h-6f-Kc flop, Sagstrom was all in, in a 3-way pot. The Js turn and Ks river put a potential flush and full-house on the board, yet it was Hanson who won the pot, with two pair Kings and eights. Sagstrom elected to muck his hand, perhaps holding 89 for a busted open end straight draw. H.O.R.S.E event finally came down to an epic heads-up clash between Hanson and Bach, however chips came and went in a space of time Mr. Jackson could’ve directed all three Lord of the Rings films. Bach however, finally overcame the exhausted Hansen after a well deserved and venerated performance, where he can feel satisfied with the recognition and guaranteed respect sure to come from his peers.

The tournament will also be remembered for Freddy Deeb’s foul mouthed tirade, just before the final table bubble. After being riled by the obnoxious ‘Tony G’ all day, Deeb finally flipped, repeating the ‘F-word’. Tony G had been deriding Deeb’s play all day, which culminated in the fiery Lebanese player telling him he would ‘spit’ on the cocky Australian.

1st David Bach $1,276,806

2nd John Hanson $789,199

3rd Erik Sagstrom $522,393

Credit: Sam M