When the heads-up final began in the WPT Rolling Thunder Main Event, the chip stacks were nearly even. Given the skill level of two-time World Poker Tour champion Mohsin Charania and experienced professional Harrison Gimbel, it was apparent that the final battle was going to be a clash of titans. Throw in extremely deep stacks and the finale at Thunder Valley Casino Resort did not disappoint.
The final two players had emerged from a field of 409 players, and the final bust out of the event proved to be the toughest. The two played 96 hands before there was an all-in confrontation, and it wasn’t until the 115th hand (longer than the 107 hands prior to heads-up play) that the final hand transpired.
After winning a massive pot off of Charania, Gimbel had his opponent all in and at risk. Gimbel’s five-four suited trailed the king-queen suited of Charania, but Gimbel flopped an open-ended straight draw and improved to a pair of fives on the turn. The river was a blank, and Gimbel earned his first WPT title and $275,112.
He now boasts $3,737,806 in career live tournament earnings, despite being just 25 years old.
While he was denied a record-tying third title, Charania still earned $192,132 for his efforts. Charania now has nearly $5 million in career live tournament earnings.
Final Table Results
1: Harrison Gimbel – $275,112
2: Mohsin Charania – $192,132
3: Russell Garrett – $123,682
4: Markus Gonsalves – $91,616
5: Hafiz Khan – $68,712
6: Derek Wolters – $54,970
The average stack was more than 100 big blinds when the final table kicked off on Wednesday, and that ensured the final table would start slow. It played true to form and there wasn’t even an all-in pot until 31 hands in, when Markus Gonsalves survived with A-10 against the K-10 of Russell Garrett.
The next all-in pot produced the first elimination for the night. Derek Wolters was all in on the 57th hand of play with 
on a board reading 
, and Harrison Gimbel had him covered holding 
. The river delivered the 
and Wolters was eliminated in sixth place, good for $54,970.
Ten hands later, Hafiz Khan was at risk for the first time at the final table. Khan was all in preflop with pocket threes and he was up against the 
of Garrett. The board was dealt 
and Khan was out in fifth place, good for $68,712.
The rush of eliminations continued when Gonsalves got the last of his stack into the middle half-a-dozen hands after Khan busted. Gonsalves had his tournament hopes pinned on 
in the hole. Gimbel had him covered holding 
and the board ran out 
. Gonsalves was eliminated in fourth place, good for $91,616.
Three-handed play then pushed past 100 hands before the next player would hit the rail (Mohsin Charania doubled through Garrett on Hand 85 thanks to a straight). Hand 107 saw Garrett get all in preflop with 
. Charania called to cover him holding 
and the pocket pair held on a board dealt 
. Garrett was eliminated in third place, good for $123,682.
That concludes our coverage from the WPT Rolling Thunder Main Event. Congratulations to our California Swing champion, Ankush Mandavia, who finished in 23rd place at WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star and in 8th place at WPT Rolling Thunder. He earns:
1. Up to six nights of complimentary accommodations, complimentary airport transfer, and one complimentary massage at the Meridian Spa during the 2017 WPT L.A. Poker Classic.
2. Shooting Star status during the 2017 WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star.
3. Up to five free nights of accommodations in a suite, plus a $500 room credit during the 2017 WPT Rolling Thunder.
Thunder Valley Casino Resort has confirmed that, during the 2017 California Swing, they will offer one night free for every player who participated in both the WPT L.A. Poker Classic and WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star.
Be sure to follow the live updates from the partypoker WPT Vienna Main Event, which began yesterday and concludes on Sunday, March 20.
Photography by Joe Giron / PokerPhotoArchive.com