News / Matthew Pitt / 02 July 2009 / Leave a comment

Twenty hours and 492 hands after the final table of the $50,000 HORSE Event started it was David Bach who emerged victorious clutching a custom World Series of Poker bracelet, the commemorative Chip Reese Memorial Trophy and $1,276,802 in prize money.

Over the course of four days, the 95 players had been reduced to the final eight and at 1400 Las Vegas time play at the 2009 $50,000 HORSE Event got underway.

Seidel first to be eliminated

Just an hour into play saw the first player head to the rail, that dubious honour went to eight-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel. During a Omaha-8 rotation Seidel ended up all-in versus David Bach and Vitaly Lunkin and by the time the river had been dealt Bach won half the pot with a set of eights whilst Lunkin took the other half with a smooth seven-low.

Another hour and another elimination, this time in the form of high-stakes cash guru Chau Giang during the Hold'em rotation. After opening for a raise, Giang then called a three-bet from Erik Sagstrom who was seated in the small blind. The flop came down AcQs5d and the table erupted into a flurry of action which resulted in Giang being all-in. The players turned their cards onto their back to reveal Sagstrom was way ahead with AhQh versus the Qd9d of Giang. The Td on the turn gave Giang some hope but 4h on the river sent him packing.

We would have to wait a further three hours before the next player busted out and it was Ville Wahlbeck who did so in sixth place, winning $219,655 when he missed his low draw in the Omaha-8 rotation whilst David Bach made a full-house. This cash was Wahlbeck's sixth of the series, very impressive indeed.

Five hours in and down to four players

Five hours after the start of the tournament Huck Seed was eliminated in fifth place, earning him his 37th World Series of Poker cash but meaning he would have to wait to add to his collection of four bracelets. There was plenty of action preflop during the Hold'em rotation which saw Seed all-in from the big blind for his last 195,000 chips. By the time the board ran out AcTh4cQs5d John Hason won the large pot with his AcJc making top-pair and causing Seed to muck his hand.

Vitaly Lunkin was the next to go in fourth place, two hours after Seed collected his $276,620. During the Stud-8 rotation he locked horns with Swede Erik Sagstrom who scooped the pot with a set of aces which was enough to beat Lunkin's set of eights. The $368,813 fourth place money took the Russian's 2009 World Series of Poker earnings to over $2,700,000.

The man who started this final table with a commanding chip lead, Erik Sagstrom was next to fall, another two and a half hours after Lunkin's departure and again during the Omaha-8 rotation. He contested a three way pot with John Hanson and David Bach but mucked when Hanson showed 8c8sXX on a 7h6sKcJsKs board. Third place was good enough for $522,394.

Start of an epic seven hour heads-up battle

When the heads-up phase started both players were even with 7,100,000 chips each and both had experience of going deep in this event. Bach finished 11th in last year's $50,000 HORSE whilst Hanson was best known for his third place finish in the 2007 version of this tournament, which Freddy Deeb won.

The chip lead swung backwards and forwards with twice Bach taking a commanding lead only to be pegged back by a determined Hanson. Finally, after seven hours of heads-up and twenty hours in total the 492nd and final hand was dealt.

After capping the betting preflop during the Razz rotation John Hanson did not have many chips remaining and they all went into the middle on fourth street. The dealer continued to deal the remaining streets and by the river David Bach's 9-7-6-4-A was good enough to beat Hanson's 9-8-6-5-2 and a new World Champion was crowned, earning Hanson $789,199 for his troubles and Bach a staggering $1,276,802.

Either player would have been a deserving winner but it is David Bach who will be remembered in the history books for becoming the 2009 $50,000 HORSE World Champion.