Jeff Forrest Wins the 2010 WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals

Level 29: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante

Jeff Forrest Finds a Little Beginner's Luck in Foxwoods

Level 29: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante

For most players, simply taking part in a World Poker Tour tournament is wishful thinking. Jeff Forrest was thrilled to be playing in his first-ever WPT event at Foxwoods. Once he started making a deep run it was just icing on the cake. Making the money was a pleasant surprise, and making the final table was more than he could ever ask for. Once it got down to heads-up play with Forrest and satellite qualifier Dave Inselberg, all Forrest could say was, “I keep thinking I am going to wake up.”

When the final table began, all six players had hopes of claiming their first WPT title and, thanks to a series of memorable suck outs, crazy chops, and swinging stacks, they all had moments where it seemed as though the tournament was theirs. Mohsin Charania rallied on Day 5 to enter the final table with a seven-figure stack, but when his AQ fell to Nikolai Yakovenko’s A2, he went from middle of the pack to shorter stack. Shortly after that, he ran pocket sevens into Keven Stammen’s pocket eights, and he was eliminated in 6th place on the very next hand.

Stammen would be the next player to fall, running A10 into Inselberg’s AQ to finish in 5th place. That hand, plus a couple of other crucial pots helped to propel Inselberg past the million-chip mark, after spending virtually the entire tournament on the short stack.

Inselberg would continue his rise up the counts with another elimination, that of Yakovenko in 4th place. Yakovenko got lucky against both Charania and Tom Marchese to stay alive in the event, but it would be a suck out by Inselberg that would send him to the rail. Yakovenko had the best of it preflop with AA, but got it in with the worst of it against Inselberg’s K8 on a K87 flop. Yakovenko failed to improve and busted, while Inselberg inched closer to Marchese’s massive stack.

If things weren’t crazy before, three-handed play was when things really became unhinged. The players took turns doubling through each other, starting with Forrest, whose pocket fours outflopped Marchese’s AK. Then, Inselberg’s A9 flopped two pair on Marchese’s AK after getting it all-in preflop. Marchese seemed to be the player most down on his luck, but even he had some good fortune when his pocket threes ran out a flush against Forrest’s pocket fours to stave off elimination.

Forrest would get those chips back plus some when his A9 held against Marchese’s A6. While Forrest’s dream was starting to become a very likely reality, Marchese’s nightmare final table appearance continued to spiral out of control. Desperate for chips, Marchese shoved all-in over the top of a raise from Forrest, who called for not much more with K6. Marchese had him in bad shape with AK, but a six on the flop meant the end for Marchese, who was gone in third place.

That left the WPT novice squaring off against Inselberg, an amateur an inexperienced WPT player himself, who won his way into this event via a $250 tournament. Both seemed truly happy just to make it to heads-up play and, for both, the win would be a crowning achievement of their poker career.

Forrest had the substantial chip advantage when heads-up play began and it only took ten hands for him to wrap up his first WPT victory. On the final hand of play, Forrest min-raised the button and Inselberg defended out of the big blind. Inselberg checked the 985 flop, then put in a quick check-raise after Forrest bet. Forrest moved all-in with an overpair of queens and Inselberg called with 69 for top pair and a guthsot. The queens held with the Q on the turn and the A on the river, giving the 22 year-old from Orlando, Florida his first WPT victory and the top prize of $548,752.

Here are the final table results:

1st: Jeff Forest - $548,752
2nd: Dave Inselberg - $325,608
3rd: Thomas Marchese - $211,759
4th: Nikolai Yakovenko - $170,773
5th: Keven Stammen - $128,650
6th: Mohsin Charania - $104,741

Hand #203: Jeff Forrest Wins WPT Foxwoods! ($548,752)

Level 29: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante

Forrest min-raises to 200,000, and Inselberg calls. The flop comes 985, Inselberg checks, Forrest bets 250,000, and Inselberg snap-check-raises to 600,000. Forrest pauses for about 10 seconds and says, "I'm all in." Inselberg pauses for a beat and says, "I call."

Forrest shows QQ for an overpair, and Inselberg turns over 96 for top pair with a gutshot straight draw. Inselberg needs to improve to stay alive.

The turn card is the Q, and Forrest improves to a set. Inselberg needs to catch a seven to stay alive.

The river card is the A Jeff Forrest wins the pot -- and the tournament -- with a set of queens.

Dave Inselberg finishes as the runner-up, earning $325,608.

Jeff Forrest wins the 2010 WPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals, earning $548,752, a WPT bracelet, and a Foxwoods trophy. Forrest's prize includes a $25,500 entry into the season-ending WPT World Championship.

Hand #202: Dave Inselberg

Level 29: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante

Inselberg raises to 250,000, and Forrest folds.

Jeff Forrest  -  4,715,000
Dave Inselberg  -  2,600,000

Hand #201: Jeff Forrest

Level 29: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante

Forrest min-raises to 200,000, and Inselberg calls. The flop comes 1094, Inselberg checks, Forrest bets 250,000, and Inselberg folds. Forrest takes the pot.

Jeff Forrest  -  4,825,000
Dave Inselberg  -  2,490,000

Hand #200: Jeff Forrest

Level 29: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante

Inselberg min-raises to 200,000, Forrest reraises to 600,000, and Inselberg folds. Forrest takes the pot.

Jeff Forrest  -  4,615,000
Dave Inselberg  -  2,700,000

Hand #199: Dave Inselberg

Level 29: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante

Forrest raises to 200,000, and Inselberg calls. The flop comes J99, Inselberg bets 300,000, and Forrest folds. Inselberg takes the pot.

Jeff Forrest  -  4,405,000
Dave Inselberg  -  2,910,000

Hand #198: Jeff Forrest

Level 29: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante

Inselberg folds, and Forrest takes the pot.

Jeff Forrest  -  4,615,000
Dave Inselberg  -  2,700,000

Hand #197: Dave Inselberg

Level 29: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante

Forrest min-raises to 200,000, and Inselberg calls. Both players check to the turn on a board of AK7Q, Inselberg checks, Forrest bets 300,000, and Inselberg calls.

The river card is the 5, and both players check. Inselberg shows J-10 for the nuts -- an ace-high straight -- and Forrest mucks. Inselberg says, "Nice check on the river."

Jeff Forrest  -  4,555,000
Dave Inselberg  -  2,760,000

Hand #196: Dave Inselberg

Level 29: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante

Inselberg completes the small blind to 100,000, and Forrest checks. The flop comes A93, Forrest checks, Inselberg bets 200,000, and Forrest folds. Inselberg takes the pot.

Jeff Forrest  -  5,075,000
Dave Inselberg  -  2,240,000