Event #38: $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-Handed

Rafael Lebron has enjoyed the poker week of a lifetime.

Consider this:  He came in second in a Six-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha tournament just four days ago.  Then, he entered another Six-Handed tourney and this time he finished in first place.  His winnings just for this week – about $380,000.  Not a bad payout for a player that until now hadn’t posted any high finishes of note.

Lebron, a poker pro from Puyallup, WA won the $3,000 buy-in Six-Handed Limit Hold’em tournament, which was played over three days and nights and just concluded on the ESPN main stage at the Rio in Las Vegas. 

Lebron collected $169,337 in prize money, making this the biggest win of his career.

Lebron won his victory by coming out on top at a final table which included a tough lineup, no one more formidable perhaps than three-time WSOP title holder and Limit Hold’em specialist Matt Matros.  Once Matros finished fifth, Lebron’s odds improved considerably.

Oh, and there was one other player at the final table poker fans might have heard of.  His name was Joe McKeehen.  He’s the current world poker champion, the winner of the 2015 WSOP Main Event, which paid out more than $7.6 million.  These weren’t lightweights Lebron was facing.

“I wasn’t the best player at the final table at all,” Lebron confessed afterward.  “I might have been the worst.  But, I got lucky.  This was my day.”

Lebron started the final day lowest on chips.  But he hammered away and pushed every advantage and even managed to catch a few cards at the right moments.  The final moment of triumph came when Lebron scooped the final pot of the tournament against Greek player Georgios Zisimopoulos who finished as the runner up.  The second place consolation prize amounted to $104,646.

As for the winner, he took the dream of winning in stride.  “I only play about once a year,” Lebron said.  “Sure I’ll come back again next year, as long as I haven’t spent all the money.”

This tourney attracted 245 entrants which created a prize pool totaling $668,850.  The top 37 finishers collected prize money.

Aside from the winner, here’s a brief report of the other top finishers who made the final table:

Second Place:  Georgios Zisimpoulos, from Athens, Greece finished as the runner up.  He collected $104,646.  This was his deepest run, highest payout, and fifth time to cash at the series.

Third Place:  Brad Libson, from Annapolis, MD came in third.  He now has 26 cashes at the WSOP and more than $300,000 in winnings after pocketing $68,896 for this nice run.  This was Libson’s fourth time to appear at a series final table.

Fourth Place:  Joe McKeehen posted yet another impressive showing at the WSOP by coming in fourth in this tournament.  His payout amounted to $46,489.  McKeehen, the 2015 WSOP Main Event Champion, posted his best finish at the series aside from that other big tournament he won last year.  McKeehen now has more than $8.5 million in WSOP earnings.

Fifth Place:  Matt Matros, from Brooklyn, NY is undoubtedly one of the world’s top Limit Hold’em tournament specialists.  He’s won three WSOP titles in Hold’em, but failed to go the distance in what could have been gold bracelet number four.  Matros now has 33 career cashes and more than $1.5 in career earnings at the series – not bad for a part-time poker player who spends much of his time as a writer.  Matros collected $32,172.

Sixth Place:  Alex Queen, from Bethlehem, PA cashed in sixth place for the second time at this series, after coming in the same position in a Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event.  He’s now gone to the payout window 23 times at the WSOP.  This time, he collected $22,848.

This was the 38th official event on this year’s schedule.  This leaves 31 gold bracelet events still to be played at the 2016 WSOP.

Georgios Zisimopoulos raises and Rafael Lebron three-bets. Zisimopoulos calls and the flop is    . Lebron bets and Zisimopoulos calls.

The turn is the   and Lebron bets again and his opponent folds.

Georgios Zisimopoulos raises and Rafael Lebron calls.

The flop is     and Lebron bets. Zisimopoulos calls. The turn is the   and Lebron bets again. Zisimopoulos calls again.

The river is the   and Lebron checks. Georgios Zisimopoulos bets and Lebron calls.

Georgios Zisimopoulos shows    for two pair and wins the pot

Georgios Zisimopoulos raises and Rafael Lebron calls. The flop is    . Lebron checks and Zisimopoulos bets and Lebron calls. The turn is the   and both players check.

The river is the   and both players check.

Georgios Zisimopoulos shows    and wins the pot

Georgios Zisimopoulos raises and Rafael Lebron calls.

The flop comes    . Lebron checks, Zisimopoulos bets, and Lebron calls.

The turn is the  . Lebron checks, Zisimopoulosbets, Lebron raises, and Zisimopoulos calls.

The river is the  . Lebron bets 80,000 and Zisimopoulos calls.

Lebron shows    and takes the pot.

Georgios Zisimopoulos calls from the small blind, Rafael Lebron raises, and Zisimopoulos calls.

The flop comes    . Lebron bets and Zisimopoulos folds.