The saying “No good deed goes unpunished” now needs an asterisk next to it that reads: “Unless, that is, you’re British poker pro James Dempsey.”
Dempsey ventured to Las Vegas this past week as a favor to his friend and fellow poker pro Chris Moorman. The latter had some money owed to him, and Dempsey agreed to pick it up. In the process, the 29-year-old poker pro with the nickname “Flushy” turned his errand for a friend into some money of his own — $821,612 to be exact — by beating out a beyond-tough final table to win the Season X WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic.
On his way to victory, Dempsey outlasted a supremely talented field; the kind we no doubt are used to seeing year-after-year at the Five Diamond. Among the 413 runners who entered the $10,000 buy-in event, nearly 40 were WPT Champions Club members. And the final six who ended up playing for the title rank right up there among the best tournament players in the game. They included: reigning champ and two-time WPT winner Antonio Esfandiari, November Niner Soi Nguyen, young tournament ace Andrew Lichtenberger, WPT Jacksonville Fall Series 4th place finisher Vitor Coelho and WSOP-bracelet winner Vanessa Selbst.
Both Esfandiari and Selbst were looking to make WPT history, with Esfandiari gunning to become the first ever to win the same event twice and Selbst hoping to become the first ever woman to win a WPT title. It wasn’t to be for either, though, and in the end Dempsey found himself heads-up against Soi Nguyen. Nguyen went up early and maintained the lead during a stretch of back and forth action. However, after doubling up, Dempsey’s KhQc held up against Nguyen’s KcJd as Dempsey made a straight on the river. In addition to his prize money, Demspey also takes home the Tiffany and Co.® WPT Champions Award, the WPT Champions Trophy, and entry into the WPT Champions Club.
Here are the final table results from the Five Diamond Main Event:
1st: James Dempsey – $821,612 (includes $25,500 WPT World Championship seat)
2nd: Soi Nguyen – $517,478
3rd: Vanessa Selbst – $338,351
4th: Andrew Lichtenberger – $218,933
5th: Vitor Coelho – $159,224
6th: Antonio Esfandiari – $119,418
Read the entire Final Table recap from the WPT Live Updates team here, and watch Jess Welman’s post-win interview with James Dempsey below.
Official WPT press release announcing James Dempsey’s win here.
JAMES DEMPSEY WINS THE DOYLE BRUNSON FIVE DIAMOND WORLD POKER CLASSIC AT BELLAGIO IN LAS VEGAS
Stacked WPT® Final Table Featured Defending Champion Antonio Esfandiari and Vanessa Selbst
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Las Vegas (December 12, 2011) – As one of the world’s most prestigious poker events, the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic once again attracted the biggest players in the game. 413 runners, including nearly 40 WPT Champions Club members, created a prizepool of more than $4 million. A week of phenomenal action at Bellagio led to an impressive final table featuring Vanessa Selbst and defending champion Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari. However, only one player could claim victory in this historic tournament and in the end, James Dempsey triumphed over the talented field to etch his name on the WPT Champions Cup.
Day 1 commemorated the tenth edition of the first event ever on the World Poker Tour® as Mike Sexton, Vince Van Patten, Kimberly Lansing, the Royal Flush Girls and Tournament Director Jack McClelland celebrated this legacy before announcing Shuffle Up and Deal. The most famous names in poker including Daniel Negreanu, Erik Seidel, Phil Hellmuth and the tournament’s namesake Doyle Brunson turned out in force as players registered through the opening eight levels. The money bubble burst during the middle of Day 3, and by the end of the day, five WPT Champions had hit the rail, including Will “The Thrill” Failla (93rd – $11,942) who picked up 50 more points to extend his lead for WPT Season X Player of the Year. WPT Raw Deal Analyst Tony Dunst made his first deep run at a WPT Main Event, busting late on Day 4 (18th – $31,845) to eventual champion James Dempsey. WPT Season IX Ones to Watch William Reynolds (13th – $39,806) and WPT Season VIII World Champion David Williams (10th – $47,767) couldn’t survive the final playdown day, and when Soi Nguyen knocked out Larry Wells (7th – $91,554), the WPT final table was set.
In World Poker Tour history, no player has ever won the same event twice, let alone in consecutive seasons, but defending champion Antonio Esfandiari nearly pulled off this heroic feat. During the WPT final table, The Magician came out swinging, and moved all-in on just the tenth hand. While Esfandiari’s Ah10s had James Dempsey’s Ad4h dominated, an unlucky Four on the turn eliminated The Magician in sixth place. The action had begun at a feverish pace and did not let up. Two hands later, Soi Nguyen busted Vitor Coelho in a three-way pot involving Vanessa Selbst. Vitor not only picked up $159,224 for his fifth place finish, but also 900 WPT Player of the Year points to push him into 2nd in the Season X POY race.
Vanessa Selbst was looking to become the first woman to win an open WPT Main Event, and soon after Coelho’s elimination, Selbst doubled through WPT Season IX Ones to Watch Andrew “LuckyChewy” Lichtenberger. Once again, only two hands later Soi Nguyen eliminated another challenger as his pocket nines held up against Lichtenberger’s pocket eights. Three-handed play did not last long. Just fifteen minutes after “LuckyChewy” hit the rail, Vanessa Selbst would fall to Dempsey, ending her bid to make WPT history.
To get his name onto the Cup, James Dempsey had to overcome a strong challenge from Soi Nguyen. The two players entered heads up play nearly even as both held slightly over $8 million in chips. Nguyen went up early and maintained the lead during a stretch of back and forth action. However, after doubling up, Dempsey’s KhQc held up against Nguyen’s KcJd as Dempsey made a straight on the river. James Dempsey claims $821,612 for the win, in addition to receiving the Tiffany and Co.® WPT Champions Award, the WPT Champions Trophy, and entry into the WPT Champions Club.
Final Table Standings
1st – James Dempsey – $821,612
2nd – Soi Nguyen – $517,478
3rd – Vanessa Selbst – $338,351
4th – Andrew Lichtenberger – $218,933
5th – Vitor Coelho – $159,224
6th – Antonio Esfandiari – $119,418
Player of the Year Standings
1st – Will Failla – 1,650
2nd – Vitor Coelho – 1,500
3rd – James Dempsey – 1,400
3rd – Bobby Oboodi – 1,400
5th – Vanessa Selbst – 1,300
6th – Soi Nguyen – 1,250
7th – Andrey Pateychuk – 1,200
7th – Jin Hwang – 1,200
7th – Matt Waxman – 1,200
10th – Daniel Buzgon – 1,150
The final WPT Main Event of 2011 kicks-off tomorrow from Italy. WPT Venice runs from December 13 – 18 at Casino di Venezia. The €3,300 re-entry tournament is poised to attract a strong turnout of local and well-known professionals. For more information, visit www.wpt.com.
Coming up in 2012, WPT Season X will feature many of poker’s biggest events. WPT returns in February to Commerce Casino for the world-renowned Los Angeles Poker Classic. In March, Season X visits San Jose, CA for the popular Bay 101 Shooting Star. April will become a milestone month for Florida poker, as WPT arrives for back-to-back televised Main Events – the second-ever Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown and the debut WPT tournament in the brand new Jacksonville Poker Room. WPT Season X concludes in May with the WPT World Championship at Bellagio in Las Vegas.
WPT Media Contact:
Max Sloan – [email protected]
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World Poker Tour (WPT) is the premier name in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online and mobile. Leading innovation in the sport of poker since 2002, WPT ignited the global poker boom with the creation of a unique television show based on a series of high stakes poker tournaments. WPT has broadcast globally in over 150 countries and territories and is currently airing the ninth season on FSN in the United States. Season X of WPT is sponsored by ClubWPT.com, a unique online membership site which offers inside access to the WPT as well as a sweepstakes-based poker club and is available in 35 states across the U.S. WPT participates in strategic brand license, partnership and sponsorship opportunities. WPT Enterprises Inc. is a subsidiary of bwin.party digital entertainment plc. For more information, go to WorldPokerTour.com.