In 2003, an accountant from Tennessee with an ironic last name blew the doors off of the World Series of Poker by capturing $2,500,000 and the Main Event title. The so-called "Moneymaker Effect" that followed vaulted poker to previously unimaginable heights at a time when the world was ready to embrace the game. At PokerNews TV, our video team has been piecing together a production that explores the entire 40-year history of the World Series of Poker. This third and final part of the video series delves into the Moneymaker Effect and the development of online and international poker over the course of the past six years.
Christopher Bach limped from late position, Tommy Vedes also called from the button, Steven Begleiter completed from the small blind, and Jesse Haabak checked from the big blind.
The flop came , and all four checked. The turn was the . It checked around to Vedes who bet 220,000, and all folded but Bach.
The river was the . Bach checked. Vedes reached for chips, but before he made his bet Bach went ahead and folded.
Vedes is up to 9.75 million and Bach now down to 860,000.
Donnie Peters
The action went check, check on the flop of between Jason Brice and Andrew Lichtenberger. The turn brought the and Brice fired 210,000. Lichtenberger called.
The river produced the and Brice fired 260,000. Lichtenberger tanked for quite some time. He eventually made his decision and it was to raise. He did so to 1.035 million. Brice took a minute and thought. He counted his own chips and then checked his cards a few times. Finally, he folded, leaving himself with just under two million in chips.
Hieu Luu - eliminated
And so we bid toodle-oo and adieu to Hieu Luu. The "Lucky Donk" was down to 410,000. Action folded to small blind Marc McLaughlin who elected to put Luu all in. Luu called.
McLaughlin:
Luu:
With the cards on their backs, the table was forced to wait for a camera crew. "I don't care anymore," said Luu.
Once the camera crew was in place, the dealer started burning and turning. At the end the board made a pair of nines for McLaughlin to win the pot and eliminate Luu in 48th place.
Dennis Phillips has been very active today and his stack has fluctuated quite a bit to match. Sitting with the button, he called a raise to 155,000 made by Ben Lamb. Lamb bet 220,000 on a flop of . It looked like Phillips meant to raise that bet to 525,000 but inadvertently wound up raising to only 475,000. Lamb called.
The turn was the . Lamb checked, then called a bet of 675,000. On the river Lamb checked again. Phillips decided to move all in and induced a quick fold to take down the pot.
Marc McLaughlin raised to 150,000 from middle position, Phil Ivey reraised to 500,000 from the button, the blinds folded, then McLaughlin reraised to 1.25 million. Ivey paused a beat, then pushed all in. McLaughlin made the call.
McLaughlin turned over and Ivey . The flop came , making the turn and a little added trivia.
After that big chop, McLaughlin has 3.6 million and Ivey 7.9 million.
Ludovic Lacay led off the action, making it 150,000 to go from early position. Christopher Bach called from the cutoff, Tommy Vedes called from the small blind and Steven Begleiter called from the big blind.
The flop was . Everyone checked to Lacay, who bet 325,000. Bach called, Vedes called and Begleiter folded. The hit the turn. Vedes checked, and both his opponents checked behind. Same story on the river, which fell the .
Vedes turned over for a flopped full house. Begleiter and Lacay mucked.
Hung Pham grinding away
Hung Pham is back on the all-in train. He moved in on the turn during the last hand to pick up a nice little pot, moving him back over the million-chip mark. Two hands later, Ian Tavelli opened with a raise to 150,000, and Pham shoved again. The table instantly folded around, and Pham pulls in another uncontested pot. He's gone from under 500,000 to nearly 1.7 million without a showdown.
Donnie Peters
Action folded to Andrew Lichtenberger in the small blind and he raised to 180,000. The dealer pulled in the two blinds and then Eric Buchman raised to 460,000. Lichtenberger counted his stack and then moved all in. Buchman quickly called.
Buchman tabled two red nines -- . Lichtenberger showed .
The flop came down . The turn brought one of the cards Buchman didn't want to see, the . The river was the and Lichtenberger was able to pull ahead and double up.
Ivey's active.
There are tons of chips on Blue #5. Billy Kopp has more than 16 million. Kevin Schaffel has about 5.5 million. And the ever-dangerous Phil Ivey has about 7.6 million.
Ivey has played the last three pots in a row, with only one of them seeing any betting action after the flop. Ivey opened for 150,000 from early position and was called by Schaffel from the small blind. Schaffel check-called 225,000 on a flop of . When the turn fell , Schaffel checked again. Ivey bet 525,000, then folded to a hefty raise to 1.975 million from Schaffel.
, and all four checked. The turn was the 
. It checked around to Vedes who bet 220,000, and all folded but Bach. 
. Bach checked. Vedes reached for chips, but before he made his bet Bach went ahead and folded.
between Jason Brice and Andrew Lichtenberger. The turn brought the 
and Brice fired 210,000. Lichtenberger called.
and Brice fired 260,000. Lichtenberger tanked for quite some time. He eventually made his decision and it was to raise. He did so to 1.035 million. Brice took a minute and thought. He counted his own chips and then checked his cards a few times. Finally, he folded, leaving himself with just under two million in chips.
board made a pair of nines for McLaughlin to win the pot and eliminate Luu in 48th place.
. It looked like Phillips meant to raise that bet to 525,000 but inadvertently wound up raising to only 475,000. Lamb called.
. Lamb checked, then called a bet of 675,000. On the river 
and Ivey 
. The flop came 
, making the 
a little added trivia.
hit the turn. Vedes checked, and both his opponents checked behind. Same story on the river, which fell the 
. The river was the 
