Event #2 of the 2008 World Series of poker began with record breaking entries and ended with what may be the longest running preliminary event in the history of the WSOP. This was certainly one for the books, and 27-year-old Grant Hinkle would be happy to purchase the first copy; to go alongside his brand new gold WSOP Bracelet and 1st-place prize of $831,426!
What was originally scheduled for a mere 2-day event saw an enormous field of 3,929 participants battling it out for what turned into a three-day event with a 16 hour delay to end the second evening. As day 3 began, 18 players took their seats at the last two tables. A lingering six hours later, the remaining nine would take their seats at the final table.
Heads-up play eventually commenced, pitting Grant Hinkle’s high stack of 7,595,000 against James Akenhead’s 4,235,000. It became a marathon competition that last more than two hours before coming down to one of the WSOP’s most intriguing final hands.
With fairly even stacks, Hinkle raised 350,000 on the button, followed by a 1.2 million raise from Akenhead. Hinkle pushed all-in and was immediately called by his formidable opponent. Caught in what would seem to be a bluff, Hinkle unveiled his 10d-4d. Akenhead must have been happily surprised as he flipped an Ac-Kh.
When the flop fell, the crowd burst with astonishment – 10h-4h-10s – giving Hinkle not only a boat, but a Flush draw. There was little hope for Akenhead at this point, but the 10c Turn sealed the deal, resulting in a boisterous eruption of near-deafening enthusiasm from the crowd.
Hinkle’s quad-10’s awarded him the 1st place prize of a WSOP gold bracelet, along with $831,462, while Akenhead earned $520,219 for a 2nd place finish.
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.