$1,500 No Limit Hold'em. Mark Seif wins!

Seif At Any Speed

by Mike Paulle

Final Table Placings:

1. Mark Seif , Incline Village, NV, USA $611,145
2. Minh Nguyen,  Bell Gardens, CA, USA $329,975
3. Bill Gazes, Marina Del Ray, CA, USA $202,790
4. Webber Kang, Dallas, TX, USA $175,010
5. Peter Lee,  Queens, NY, USA $147,230
6. Gregory P Raymer, Stonington, CT, USA $119,450
7. Steve Carter,  Frisco, TX, USA $91,670
8. Steve Rassi, Morton, IL, USA $63,895
9. Dave Ulliot, Hull, United Kingdom

My thanks for the more than 10,000 readers who tuned in to this Final Table at least once. It's a personal record for me. And something I'm very proud of.  Thank you again. You make all this work worthwhile.

Mike Paulle

Mark Seif might be the only player in WSOP history to win two bracelets in one week. We'll have to do a search on that one.

Mark made it 100k to go. He got exactly what he wanted heads up. Minh raised to 600k. Mark went all-in with 

Minh called with . "You can't win," Minh said before the flop.

Oh, yeah?

Flop Minh was drawing dead to running Q J.

Nguyen didn't win when a 9 came on the turn, making the river irrelevant.

Mark's regained a 2-1 chip lead.

Lots of gamemanship between these two friendly rivals. They are showing each other their cards at every opportunity.

We have a winner!

Seif makes it 100k, call. Flop A 5 4 two spades. Mark bets 150k and Minh folds.

Minh on the button. He limps. Mark raises to 40k call. Minh bets 100k on the turn of a 3 on a flop of 8 5 2. Mark bets out 200k and is called when a 9 comes. Minh calls. Mark shows a 9. Minh had a flush draw.

Flop K J 8 two clubs, turn 8d, river 9d. Mark wins with Ace high.

It's costing 35k a hand for the two players who, in effect, are both in the blinds. The small blind has the button and has to act first. There is no reason for either to gamble at this level, but we hope they do just for fun.

Minh takes over the chip lead with 1.55 million when he hits a Jack for two pair. Mark had 10's.

Back from break. 1.83 million for Seif. 1,2 million for Nguyen ,3-2 chip lead for the PPT commentator who will get a lot more respect for his views on TV now.

Ten minute break. 5k ante, 20k/40k blinds aren't a concern for 1.5 million average stack.

The third nine on the board to give Nguyen quads may have turned the worm. Minh has won three in a row since. Mark is getting his mean face back.

Minh got some of his chips back with quad 9's. Mark only raised once for 300k. Minh couldn't soak him for anymore.

Both these gentleman want the title, but there is also a $291,160 difference in prize money between 1st and 2nd. 

1st $611,145

2nd $329,975

2.2 for Seif, 800k for Minh.

Mark has torqued it up a notch.

Minh raises 100k to stop the bleeding.

Two gunslinger with three bracelets already, Minh pumped it 400k and Mark went all-in to make Minh muck. What a big hand early.

Heads up, after the money is dumped on the table, Mark Seif goes for his second bracelet this week with 1.69 million. Minh Nguyen has 1.34 million.

There's the explosion I expected. Terrible flop for Gazes eliminated his A K pair draws.

Bill Gazes goes all-in and he gets knuckled by Mark and Minh. K 2 2 5 A. Minh has a King. 

Gazes is 3rd for $202,790 and a kiss from the lovely Deborah.

In a rerun, Minh Nguyen is up against Webber Kang. 

Wow! Bill Gazes called all-in. Bill has them both covered. Minh has Webber covered. 

A Ko for Gazes

J J for Nguyen

10 10 for Kang

Flop: J 10 2! Set over set and a straight draw.

Turn 6

River 9 Minh Nguyen wins a great hand.

Webber is 4th for $175,010.

Bill has 50k left.

Bill Gazes finally picked Mark Seif off on a bluff. Bill made 9's and 2's on the river and waited for the inevitable bet by Seif who was playing the board. Bill flat called to pick up the 60k last bet and the small pot. 

Whatever Mark's doing, it's working. He's up to the 1.8 million level.

In a 420k pot, Webber Kang doubled up from the big blind when he called all-in Minh Nguyen's 200k raise from the small blind. Kang turned over K J off and flopped K J to crack Minh's A 4 off.

I'm as stunned as you might be that these guys have tightened up so completely. The average stack is still about 25 big blinds, but four handed it costing almost 20k a hand or 38 hands. That should cause an explosion pretty soon. 

A 6 3 flops. Seif bets 60k with his mean face on. Shakes his head when he gets no call. That looks like a bluff to me.

Heads up flop between the blinds. Kang bets 45k from the small. Gazes starts his chip dance as he goes through the possiblilites. Bill raises 55k more to win it. 

I'd love to tell you about all the exciting hands that we are seeing...but there aren't any. One showdown with a split for the last twenty minutes. We can't get a call to see a flop.

In a 400k pot, Webber Kang went all-in on the river that had a flush draw and he got no callers.

During the dinner break, Mark Seif told me he flopped the nut flush on the hand that Bill Gazes had so much trouble calling. We'll see if he's telling the truth in a couple of months. He said he called the clock on Bill to show weakness.

Minh Nguyen goes all-in preflop counting Gazes down. Bill gives him a look and folds. Am I up to a case of beer yet?

Minh raised to 150k from the small blind. Kang went all-in from the big. In a 1.1 million pot, it was split when the board double paired. Bad beat for Minh with the best hand A 10 of Hearts to A 6 offsuit for Webber.

The first four hands back from dinner have avoided a flop. Welcome back.

Dinner break until 9:15. Come back then for the exciting conclusion.

Seat 1 Minh Nguyen 780k

Seat 4 Webber Kang 462k

Seat 6 Bill Gazes 545k

Seat 9 Mark Seif 1.243k

We're at about 30 big blinds for an average stack. And there are no short stacks to try to run over. So it's slowed to crawl. Only a few minutes to dinner. Maybe the players can consume some energy.

In a fascinating hand that I hope you get a chance to see in a few months, Mark Seif finally had to call the clock on Bill Gazes. The board was Q J 5 of Diamonds. There was a Jh on the turn and a blank deuce on the river. Mark made it 200k on the river and Bill just couldn't decide where he was at. He keep sturying Mark's face for any clue. He talked to Mark to get him to talk. After several minutes of this Seif had enough. Bill mucked as his minute ran out. These will be great hands to see.

25 minutes to dinner . I'm starving. Where's Max Shapior with a buffet ticket when I need it.

Seat 1 Minh Nguyen 810k

Seat 4 Webber Kang 638k

Seat 6 Bill Gazes 517k

Seat 9 Mark Seif 1.059k 

Seif continues to keep the pressure on with preflop raises. Since Mihn Nguyen is right behind Mark, Minh is taking over the bully role whenever Mark folds.

It looks like we'll need to get to the next level after dinner to get some action.

10 8 6 two diamonds, checked by Seif and Nguyen. A of Clubs on the turn. 75k from Mark. Fold.

It's gotten so slow, lately. Strange because there isn't much betting. It's like slow-motion.

None of the last four guys is wearing any glasses, dark or otherwise. Only Webber Kang is without logo.

Q J 6 flop, Mark bets 25k called by Mihn. Turn 3h. Check by Mark, 50k by Minh. Mark checkraises to 250k and Minh Nguyen goes all-in immediately. Hand in cookie jar, yes. Mark folds.

A 10 6 2 5 checked down to Seif for 100k on the river. Gazes calls the 100k and shows a 10 to Seif's pocket 8's. Bill makes 170k and I get another beer, is that fair?

8 5 4 with two spades. Kang 40k, Nguyen raises to 110k to take it.

In a gutsy play, Webber Kang put all his 355k in the pot on a call of Mark Seif. Kang ony had the Q 10 offsuit. No surprise that Mark had an overcard with the K 7 of Spades, but Webber caught a 10 on the flop that held up.

New chip counts after that hand

Seat 1 Minh Nguyen 610k

Seat 4 Webber Kang 740k

Seat 6 Bill Gazes 410k

Seat 9 Mark Seif 1.27k

Minh moves all-in for about 600k over a 75k bet by Seif. So much for being afraid of the big stack. Minh shows big slick offsuit when Mark folds.

Mark tries 75k again on the next hand. It works this time. No callers. Seif shows little slick, 3 2 suited.

9 7 2 two clubs three way. 24k by Seif called by Kang. 10 on turn, checked by Kang. 80k bet by Mark. He has his determined face on, which usually means he's bluffing. Kang doesn't know that tell and folds.

Nguyen on the button and he raises to 80k. Gazes to act in the big blind. Bill doesn' thave Minh covered. Bill is doing his typical chip stacking dance. Gazes moves all-in and takes it.

Webber Kang isn't afraid to go out fourth. He moved all-in on the flop against Mark Seif and he didn't get a call.

Seif opens for 75k. No call.