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February 28th 2007
WPT LA Poker Classic: Day Four – Tran pushes for revenge
When J.C. Tran was eliminated on the final table of the LA Poker Classic last year it was arguably the most excruciating, and most exciting moment in the World Poker Tour’s history.
Tran had begun the final table as the chip leader, and despite a period of fast and furious all-in action, he remained as one of the tables biggest stacks when disaster struck. Predictably, it was pocket rockets that were responsible for the heartbreak, but when Tran raised and Alan Goehring re-raised all-in with pocket fives there were no sense of what was about to come.
The flop came down 8s-7s-2s, prompting an agitated Tran to point out to the rail that Alan now had only one out (Tran had the ace of spades, so the five of spades would give him a flush.)
As Tran paced around by the rail and Alan stood holding his head in his hands the dealer flipped the turn card; a second deuce. This meant the five of spades was now back in play (it would give Alan a full house), but Alan was still hanging on by a very thin thread. The $6 million plus pot was surely coming Trans way.
But as Goehring stood contemplating his imminent departure the dealer burned a card and revealed the river card: a five! The Commerce erupted, Alan Goehring practically jumped through the roof, and poor J.C. Tran disappeared out of the arena. It was the cruellest of blows. The man who had arrived at the final table with the chip lead, and who had ostensibly played the best poker of the remaining competitors up to this point, was out: Goehring had exactly one $5000 chip more than Tran, and it was he who would scoop the $6 million pot and ultimately go on to win the LA Poker Classic.
Fast forward a year, and with just 18 players remaining in the LA Poker Classic J.C. Tran is half way through a most improbable fairy tale. The conquered would-be victor of 2006 is back at the head of the table, sitting with three times as many chips as his nearest competitor, and looking ready for redemption.
Day Four of the LA Poker Classic began with 54 players, and with everyone guaranteed a minimum $22,780 payout there was the expected flurry of early eliminations, as players decided it was time to go for broke, which many of them promptly did (go broke that is).
Meanwhile at the other end of the leaderboard there was also plenty happening. Nam Lee won the first huge pot when his kings stood up against Ed Moncada’s jacks, but it was a clash between Isaac Haxton and Bill Edler that culminated in the biggest pot of the day so far. Edler emerged victorious after a second queen on the turn turned his flopped set of nines into a full house, while making Haxton three queens to a king kicker. Predictably both players got their money in the pot and a crippled Haxton was eliminated a few hands later.
While Edler quickly donated over $300,000 in chips to Jason Strasser, J.C. Tran was in no mood to be so charitable, and before the day was done he had taken a huge pot from Hans Lund, turning trip eights to beat Lund’s paired king with an ace kicker.
Tran ended the day with $3,461,100, significantly ahead of Jacob Fernandez in second place with $1,334,000.
The chip counts at the end of day four were as follows:
J.C. Tran $3,461,000
Jacobo Fernandez $1,334,000
Jason Strasser $1,196,000
Bill Edler $1,160,000
Tad Jurgens $1,059,000
Ben Johnson $1,055,000
David Bach $985,000
Chau Giang $813,000
Paul Wasicka $806,000
Eric Hershler $745,000
Chris Bell $636,000
Joseph Cordi $512,000
Vincent Procopio $512,000
Richard Munro $371,000
Jay Chang $333,000
Kristy Gazes $307,000
Juan Carlos Alvarado $282,000
Shan Jing $266,000
Submitted: 28/02/2007 12:29:08
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