Jerry Yang has won the WSOP Main Event 2007, taking home a cool $8.25 million for his efforts. The elated Yang beat over 5000 players at this year’s main event to come out on top and seal his name in poker history. The win came in the early hours of Wednesday morning, where after a tedious head up battle, Yang beat his opponent Tuan Lam in a tense all-in preflop race.
The heads up battle between the two players had been the longest in over 3 years, playing nearly 40 hands between them. The heads up battle in the 2004 Main Event with Greg Raymer and David Williams lasted only 3 hands, then 6 hands between Joe Hachem and Steve Dannenmann in 2005 and most recently 7 hands in 2006 between Jamie Gold and Paul Wasicka.
Although many hands were played between the two, there was very little in the way of action, with only a few hands making it to the flop. Jerry Yang dominated the game from the start, as he used his 4 to 1 chip lead to bully Tuan Lam out of numerous pots. There was one all in moment where Lam appeared to get sick of the bullying and pushed all in with 3d4d, to then get called by Yang’s AcTh. Lam needed a lot of help as the audience rose to their feet, which he received in the form of a 4h on the flop, giving him a pair. The turn and river brought no help for Yang as Lam doubled up. However, Yang still maintained a huge chip lead over Lam despite losing the all-in race.
The final, winning hand for Yang came in the form of another all-in race. Yang held a pair of 8s against Lam’s AdQd. Jerry Yang raised it to $2.3 million, to which Lam replied with an all-in push holding AdQd. Yang then though for a while before making the call with his pocket pair of eights, so the hopes of both players lay within the cards. The flop came Qc9c5s, who picks up a pair of queens on the flop. The turn came a 7d, giving Yang a gut-shot straight draw. The crowed then leaned forward in anticipation of the river, as a 6h was flipped onto the table giving Yang a straight to the 9, and $8.25 million in prize money.
Jerry Yang is then mobbed by his friends and family, and proceeds to make a victory lap around the table before hugging the dealer. Yang also shakes Tuan Lam’s hand, who is walking away with a very respectable $4.84 million. The final table payout’s are as follows:
1st - Jerry Yang - $8,250,000
2nd - Tuan Lam - $4,840,981
3rd - Raymond Rahme - $3,048,025
4th - Alex Kravchenko - $1,852,721
5th - Jon Kalmar - $1,255,069
6th - Hevad ‘Rain’ Khan - $956,243
7th - Lee Childs - $705,229
8th - Lee Watkinson - $585,699
9th - Philip Hilm - $525,934
