Event 26 - $1,500 Limit Hold'em | 2009 World Series of Poker

06-14-2009 15:09 UTC-12

Boat on the River

Shamus

Jason Tam raised from the button, and Tomas Alenius called. The flop came {J-Diamonds}

. Alenius checked, Tam bet, Alenius check-raised, and Tam called. The turn was the {A-Spades}

. Alenius bet, and Tam called.

The river was the {8-Diamonds}

. Alenius bet again, and with a wincing expression Tam made the call. Alenius turned over {8-Clubs}

for the rivered full house, while Tam showed {K-Spades}

for the beaten flush. "Sick," said Tam, as the pot was pushed his opponent's way.

Alenius has taken the upper hand again with 2.2 million to Tam's 500,000.

06-14-2009 15:18 UTC-12

Jason Tam Eliminated in 2nd Place ($122,000)

[user25067]

Jason Tam raised from the button, Tomas Alenius three-bet, Tam raised all in and Alenius called.

Tam {Q-Spades}

Alenius

Alenius' railbirds were clapping and cheering for their man as the cards were turned over, and they erupted as the board ran out {10-Clubs}

to give him the win a career-high score of $197,488 and his first WSOP bracelet.

For his runner-up finish, Jason Tam earned $122,000.

06-14-2009 15:23 UTC-12

Congratulations to Tomas Alenius, Champion of Event No. 26 ($197,488)

Shamus

A field of 643 came out for the $1,500 Limit Hold'em event, and when all was said and done Tomas Alenius of Sweden had claimed all of the chips, one bet at a time. This marks Alenius' second WSOP cash this summer -- and fifth overall -- and his first WSOP gold bracelet.

There were 15 players left standing after the first two days and 20 levels of play, at which point Al "Sugar Bear" Barbieri held the chip advantage. When play began today, escalating stakes quickly caught up with half of the field, and in just two levels the field had shrunk to six players.

With six left, Barbieri was still the clear leader with nearly 1.2 million chips, with Glenn Engelbert his nearest competitor at the time with 465,000. However, after the shorter-stacked players, Dominik Kulicki and Demetrios Arvanetes, went out in sixth and fifth, respectively, Engelbert found himself on the slide. Unfortunately for him, Engelbert found it necessary to commit the last of his chips on a hand when Alenius held pocket aces, and he went out in fourth.

The three remaining players -- Barbieri, Alenius, and Jason Tam -- were nearly even in chips when three-handed began, but Sugar Bear quickly lost ground and was out in third. When heads-up play began, Tam had a 3-to-1 chip advantage with 2.175 million to Alenius' 720,000. But with limits of 40,000/80,000 -- and eventually 50,000/100,000 -- a couple of good hands could change things quickly.

And change they did. After over an hour of back-and-forthing, Alenius had the big advantage, and eventually all of the chips. Congratulations to Tomas Alenius, champion of Event No. 26!

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Event 26 - $1,500 Limit Hold'em

Day 3 Completed