After six grueling days, the L.A. Poker Classic has found a champion in relative unknown Alan Goehring. Although the tournament attracted the upper crust of professional poker and Hollywood alike, many of the more famous names busted out during the first two days of competition. In total, close to 700 poker enthusiasts came to Commerce Casino for the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold 'em tournament.

Notable participants included poker celebrities Phil Ivey, Men “The Master" Nguyen, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Harman, Barry Greenstein, Antonio “The Magician" Esfandiari, Michael Gracz, Erick Lindgren, Mike “The Mouth" Matusow, John Juanda, and Ted Forrest. All of the above-mentioned poker pros busted out before the end of day two. As far as the Hollywood poker constituency is concerned, it boasted the usual lineup, namely Shannon Elizabeth, Gabe “Mr. Kotter" Kaplan, Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, Jennifer Tilly, and James Woods.

Although the first two days spawned harsh competition, with nearly 85 percent of the player pool being eliminated by that point, the final 100 players remaining after day two were a bit more stubborn. Another four days of poker play came and went before the six final table players emerged. With the big names out of the tournament, competition was left to lesser-known poker players. Two talented players by the names of Alan Goehring and Daniel Quach remained in the game when play went heads-up. Goehring then clinched the win in less than an hour. For his second place finish, Quach claimed $1.2 million, while Goehring took home $2.4 million and a $25K spot at the WPT Championships at the Bellagio in April.

Source: Poker777 Staff

Wednesday, 22 February 2006