Phil Laak takes down WSOPE Event #1 for £170,802
Phil Laak, who is the face behind Cake Poker’s Unabomber Online poker room, came into the 2010 WSOPE £2,650 Six-Handed No-Limit Holdem Event #1 with the third most chips and found an early momentum that rarely faltered.
He eventually went heads-up against Andrew Pantling before finally winning, not only his first WSOP Europe bracelet, but his first WSOP bracelet period. Laak also pocketed a tidy £170,802 to go along with the hardware. Additionally, he managed his victory came on the birthday of his girlfriend, Jennifer Tilly.
The sold out event had 244 entrants battle it out over three days. The final table saw Willie Tann eliminated first in sixth place (£23,900), followed by Ilan Rouah in fifth place (£33,617), David Peters in fourth (£48,202), and Chris Bjorin in third (£70,473) leaving Andrew Pantling and Laak to go heads-up.
The final hand came when Pantling raised from the button and Laak pushed back with his entire stack. Pantling called for his final 350K and showed Ah-9h to lead over Laak’s Kd-5c. The flop fell 7h-4h-4c giving Pantling plenty of hope by adding a flush draw. But the turn brought a 5d and the crowd became electrified as Phil took the lead. The Qc on the river changed nothing for Pantling and Laak took down his first WSOP bracelet.
“It feels so good - maximum cheeze shippage and some gold as a bonus!" Laak said of his win. “What timing!! And to win it on Jennifer's birthday -- it just makes it that much more sweet! Holla!”
To celebrate this landmark in Laak’s career, Unabomber Poker is hosting a final table promotion of its own, with the winner moving on to a heads up match against the Unabomber himself. From September 16 through to Sunday October 3rd, each day you play at Unabomber Poker you will be awarded a ticket for the final table promotion. The more tickets you have, the more chances you have to make the final six. On Monday October 4th, six lucky winners will be drawn to play a final table with the winner moving on to a $1,000 heads up challenge against Laak. Take down the Unabomber and the $1,000 is yours.
Phil Laak is an internationally recognized poker pro, known for his iconic look at the poker table where he wears sunglasses and a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head. He is also a regular on televised poker shows like Poker After Dark and High Stakes Poker. His animated personality, banter at the tables and interest in participating in sometimes bizarre propositional bets have also contributed to his renown.
