If you are going to win a World Poker Tour (WPT) event, you might as well do it on a whim. Such was essentially the case for James “Flushy” Dempsey Sunday night, as he won the 2011 WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic. The Brit was not in Las Vegas specifically to play in the prestigious tournament at the Bellagio, but rather to pick up some money as a favor to friend and fellow poker player Chris Moorman. In the process, he picked up $821,612 of his own after beating one of the toughest final tables in recent memory.
While Dempsey was in good shape going into final table play with 3.86 million chips, he was staring up at 2010 November Niner Soi Nguyen, who was over a million chips ahead. Just behind Dempsey was online star Andrew “luckychewy” Lichtenberger, who had already amassed around $1.4 million in live tournament earnings, including $500,000 from an 18th place finish in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Next was Vanessa Selbst, holder of two North American Poker Tour (NAPT) titles, a Partouche Poker Tour crown, a WSOP final table, and a 3rd place finish in the 2007 WSOP $5,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em event. Then there was Antonio Esfandiari with 1.255 million chips. You know, a poker nobody. He only won this event last year to go along with another WPT title from 2004 and had won about $4.5 million in live tournaments worldwide. Bringing up the year was Vitor Coelho with 560,000 chips. Coelho was coming off a 4th place finish at WPT Jacksonville.
To review, here were the chip counts to start final table play:
Soi Nguyen – 4.995 million
James Dempsey – 3.86 million
Andrew Lichtenberger – 3.605 million
Vanessa Selbst – 2.25 million
Antonio Esfandiari – 1.255 million
Vitor Coelho – 560,000
Fast forward to heads-up, which featured the two chip leaders to start the day. Nguyen and Dempsey were in a virtual deadlock to start the one-on-one match, with Dempsey leading slightly, 8.32 million to 8.225 million. Dempsey extended the lead for a while, getting up above 10 million chips, but Nguyen struck back, grabbing a 3.8 million chip pot to reverse the standings and take a 1.1 million chip lead.
From there, Nguyen took off, winning and after hand after hand and eventually building up what looked to be a devastating chip lead, about 13.5 million to 3 million. Dempsey clung to life, though, as Nguyen couldn’t put him away, despite having a gigantic lead for at least a couple dozen hands. Dempsey was able to close the gap slightly, bringing Nguyen down to 10 million chips, and then it happened.
Nguyen min-raised pre-flop to 300,000, Dempsey three-bet to 850,000, and Nguyen called. After the flop of Qs-4c-2s, Dempsey put out a one million chip bet and Nguyen called again. When the Ts was dealt on the turn, Dempsey moved all-in and, after getting a count and thinking for several minutes, Nguyen made the call. Dempsey didn’t have a made hand. His Ad-Js gave him a flush draw and a gut-shot Broadway draw. Nguyen had As-5d, a hand that was outkicked by Dempsey’s, though he did have Dempsey’s flush draw trumped. Dempsey needed his kicker to hold and it did. The Kh gave him a straight and a double-up to 12.925 million, completely flipping the table from just a few hands earlier.
Just five hands later, it was all over. Nguyen went all-in pre-flop for 3.6 million with Kc-Jd and Dempsey called him with a dominating Kh-Qc. Nguyen took the lead on the flop, though, as it came Jc-9h-6c, giving him top pair. The turn was the 4h, a blank. But the river came the Td, completing a King-high straight for Dempsey and giving him the championship.
This win at the 2011 WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic marks James Dempsey’s second major title, as he won the $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em event at the 2010 WSOP. The winner’s purse just about doubled Dempsey’s lifetime live tournament earnings, which now stand at $1,726,528.
2011 WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic – Final Table Results
1. James Dempsey – $821,612
2. Soi Nguyen – $517,478
3. Vanessa Selbst – $338,351
4. Andrew Lichtenberger – $218,933
5. Vitor Coelho – $159,224
6. Antonio Esfandiari – $119,418
