Mackey Wins Event 22 Over Tough Final Table

Filed in archive Tournament News on June 30, 2007

Win races, get lucky, win as a donkey, and getting there are slang ingredients for putting together a victory in any multi table tournament. But, skill will carry you further along with the above terms as extracting your opponent's chips with skill helps a player get through the field and perhaps a World Series of Poker winner's bracelet at the end of the day.

Event number twenty two's $5,000 No Limit Hold Em' champion James Mackey managed to skillfully takes his final table chip lead all the way to a $730,740 win over an extremely packed nine player final.

Two World Poker Tour champs Michael Gracz and Nick "The Takeover" Shulman and two WSOP Main Event final tablers in Michael Binger and Tex Barch made for an exciting final day of poker.

Mackey held on to his chip lead at the end while defeating runner up Stuart Fox for the title when his Brunson (Ten-Deuce) overcame Fox's King-Four to win his first bracelet.

Earl Burton recaps the victory once again for Pokernews.com:

Mackey and Nick Schulman tangled next. Mackey raised from the small blind, only to have Schulman move all in. Mackey made the call with A-10 off, and was ahead of Schulman's A-5. Once the board blanked for both players, Nick Schulman was out in sixth place ($108,457) and Mackey's lead was extended.

Early chip leader Karga Holt never caught cards here and made his stand against Michael Binger. Karga tried a steal with Q-3 off and was met by Binger's pocket jacks. Holt found no help, leaving in fifth with $140,091.

Within the next 20 hands, the event would be decided; it was one of the fastest final tables of this year's WSOP. Mackey decided to look up William McMahon after an all-in push and was behind with 10-7 to McMahon's A-6 off, but found a seven on the flop. McMahon left the Bluff Tent with the fourth-place prize of $194,319.

At this point Mackey held a 3:1 advantage over the remaining two players. Mackey next took out Michael Binger on a race situation (Mackey's A-Q versus Binger's pocket tens) when an ace flopped and, down to heads up action, it only took four hands to decide the champion.

Mackey (as he had done repeatedly), moved all in and Stuart Fox found a hand to call with. Fox held K-4, and it led Mackey's 10-2. The flop missed both, but the turn gave the lead to Mackey and, after another ten arrived on the river, James Mackey was the champion of the $5,000 No Limit Hold 'Em event (#22) at the World Series of Poker.

PLAYER - EARNINGS

1. James Mackey - $730,740
2. Stuart Fox - $448,892
3. Michael Binger - $295,245
4. William McMahon - $194,319
5. Karga Holt - $140,091
6. Nick Schulman - $108,457
7. Jan Sorensen - $81,343
8. Tex Barch - $60,254
9. Michael Gracz - $43,684