In what must rank as one of the most alluring narratives in recent World Series of Poker times, James Moore successfully defends his title in the $1,000 Super Seniors event.
As a radiologist, James Moore has seen the bones of thousands of people, but when it comes to the World Series of Poker (WSOP), it seems he can see through to people’s souls.
One of the beautiful narratives of the WSOP played out in the Super Seniors event as Moore successfully defended his title to become a two-time bracelet winner, overcoming a field of 1,720 entrants, 16.53% bigger than the field he sent to the incinerators in 2016.
Speaking to the WSOP crew, eyes narrowing like a satisfied cat, Moore explained how he had put some concerted effort into improving his game since his 2016 win, and the evidence is there to see.
The Super Seniors event was so in vogue you couldn’t get to the rail, not because of the supporters, but because of the sheer number of mobility scooters parked with handbrake applied.
Coming into the final table, Moore wasn’t the only player with a gold bracelet sitting in a bank vault. Ken Aldridge defeated 1,459 entrants to win a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six Handed event back in 2009. And although he didn’t win the bracelet, David Smith, finished third in the Seniors Event in 2014.
Smith fell by the wayside in seventh, and Aldridge’s journey ended in fifth. After John Isler had hit the rail in third, Goldberg began the heads-up battle with Moore with a 5.6m v 2.9m chip lead – and what a battle it was.
The pair traded blows for three hours, and 133 hands until Moore was able to use his experience of 12-months previous to take the honours. Remarkably, last year was the first year that Moore was eligible to even compete in the Super Seniors event.
Final Table Results
1. James Moore – $259,230
2. Kerry Goldberg – $160,120
3. John Isler – $115,357
4. Veronica Daly – $84,005
5. Ken Aldridge – $61,842
6. Darrell Ticehurst – $46,029
7. David Smith – $34,641
8. Daniel Favreau – $26,365
9. Terry Stuhldreher – $20,296
Other experienced players who flew longer than a blackboard eraser destined for the forehead of a naughty boy were the Academy Award nominated actor, James Woods (34th), multiple Poker Hall of Fame nominee Chris Bjorin (72nd), and Jennifer Shahade’s Dad, Mike Shahade (118th).
Faraz Jaka Leads Stacked Final Table in the $5k; Michael Gathy Eyeing Fourth Bracelet in the $1k
Global Poker League (GPL) San Francisco Rush manager, Faraz Jaka, takes a slight chip lead into the final table of Event #36: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed. It’s Jaka’s third cash of the series, and his second final table after finishing sixth in The Marathon for $123,105. It promises to be a cracking final table with Sam Soverel, Kenny Hallaert, and Chris Hunichen also in the frame.
Final Table Seat Draw
1. Kenny Hallaert – 2,960,000
2. Christian Rudolph – 1,305,000
3. Nadar Kakjmazov – 2,925,000
4. Sam Soverel – 2,200,000
5. Faraz Jaka – 3,150,000
6. Chris Hunichen – 1,860,000
And 20-players are remaining from the 2,020 that entered Event #37 $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em. Chris Johnson has a healthy chip lead. Keep your eye on the Belgian star Michael Gathy in that one, currently lying in third.
