Frankenberger Wins Legends of Poker
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Andrew Frankenberger started in front at the final table of the Legends of Poker World Poker Tour event, and though there were some bumps in the road, the leader ended the day where he started – in first place. Frankenberger won $750,000 for first place in the $5,000 buy-in tournament, held at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles.
The battle for the title came down to a heads up battle between the eventual champion and Kyle Wilson, a Canadian who had already made the final table at the Legends of Poker tournament in 2008. Just making the final two was an improvement over his result in that tournament, where he finished 6th.
However, Wilson’s ultimate goal of winning the event was going to be difficult. Frankenberger entered heads up play with a better than 3-1 chip advantage, having knocked out Tom Lee in third place with the nut flush to gain a significant lead.
Heads up play did not last long. After Frankenberger raised preflop, Wilson moved all-in over the top and was called. Wilson showed A3 of diamonds, while Frankenberger was ahead with the A9 of clubs. The flop came 975 with two diamonds, giving Frankenberger top pair, but giving Wilson hope thanks to his flush draw. However, neither player improved on the turn or river, giving Frankenberger his first major tournament title.
Along with the $750,000 in prize money, Frankenberger will also receive a seat into the $25,000 WPT World Championship to be held at the end of the WPT season. Wilson took home $370,000 for second place. In both cases, this tournament marked each player’s biggest cash ever in a live event. Frankenberger had previously won a $2,000 buy-in event at the Venetian in June, while Wilson’s previous best was winning $234,546 for another second place finish at a tournament held at The Wynn in Las Vegas.
The World Poker Tour is currently in the middle of its 9th season. There are still a dozen tournaments to be held before the season-ending WPT World Championship, scheduled for May 14-20, 2011 at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas.