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McCorkell wins WSOP bracelet, $368,593 in $3K NLH shootout25 June 2012Craig McCorkell won the $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em shootout at the World Series of Poker, claiming his first WSOP bracelet and the $368,593 first-place prize on Thursday night. But a huge six-figure score and a gold bracelet were mere exclamation points to what was unquestionably the most entertaining and exciting final table of the entire 2012 WSOP -- which is really a bold claim considering the stellar lineups that have starred at the 36 events that have been completed up to this point. In fact, McCorkell’s victory was as memorable as it was shocking. At one point late in the tournament when play was three-handed, former gold bracelet winner and poker superstar Antonio “the Magician” Esfandiari held about 80 percent of the total chips in play. It appeared that the two underdogs – McCorkell and Jeremiah Fitzpatrick (who ended up finishing second) -- were positioning themselves to hold on long enough to jump up into second place -- a money leap worth nearly $80,000. Then, the most stunning turn of events so far at this year’s WSOP took place when Esfandiari not only lost the chip lead, but was knocked out of the tournament. All it took was three brutal hands for “the Magician” to disappear from the ESPN Main Stage. No doubt, the turning point of grand finale came when Esfandiari held pocket nines. He had one of his opponents (Fitzpatrick) all in and drawing as a huge dog – holding pocket sevens. Fitzpatrick needed a miracle. A seven flopped, igniting a temporary comeback for Fitzpatrick which was orchestrated in perfect unison with a monumentally painful fall for Esfandiari. Five minutes later, Esfandiari was toast. Burned toast. At that instant, and spectators were packed five deep on the rail and Esfandiari received a nice ovation as the wounded ex-champion, it seemed almost a foregone conclusion that this would become Jeremiah Fitzpatrick's first WSOP victory. When heads-up play commenced, Fitzpatrick enjoyed a 3-to-1 chip lead. Perhaps more importantly, the part-time poker player from North Carolina was on an emotional and financial free roll, just one player away from a thrilling triumph on poker's grandest stage. But that one player in the way was a human roadblock named Craig McCorkell, who (before this night) was in the midst of what can best be described as a state of poker purgatory. Alas, there was nothing in McCorkell's record or background that indicated he was about to become the latest gold bracelet winner. Two min-cashes this year and about $14,000 in winnings in eight events played. Zero-for-12 in events entered last year. A grand total of about $40,000 in WSOP earnings for his lifetime. From that moment forward, it seemed a switch was flipped. The electricity that had powered Fitzpatrick's stunning comeback suddenly blacked out, just as McCorkell's prospects began to light up. In fact, McCorkell proceeded to give Fitzpatrick a taste of his own medicine -- and that taste would be very bitter indeed. Over the course of the next half-hour, McCorkell completely reversed the chip positions -- one hand at a time. The 26-year-old Brit from West Sussex had a commanding chip lead when the final fateful hand was dealt as the large and boisterous crowd rose to its feet in a drunken haze of anticipation. McCorkell ended up making a pair of eights on the final hand of the tournament, which raked in the last pot of the night. Oddly enough, the final board was an inappropriately anti-climatic swan song of a thrilling final table that included eight full hours of ecstasy, tragedy, jubilation, and heartbreak. Yet, the ten player-finalists were just part of the story. The final table was the wildest of any event, thus far -- due mostly to the crowd. Large mobs of Brazilian and British poker players and fans camped out on opposite sides of the arena, cheering for players from their respective country. The atmosphere resembled championship soccer match, with constant singing, chanting, and merriment. The Brits certainly got their wish -- a victory for their fellow countryman. The heavily-accented fish and chip eaters finally got to witness the first U.K. winner of the 2012 WSOP, no doubt a long overdue victory. McCorkell obliged the shining moment and the support his adoring fans had given by leaping from his chair, dashing over the rail filled with the swarm, and embracing the entire gallery in one fell swoop, which behaved as though England had just won the World Cup. If not the poker moment of the year, it was most certainly one of the WSOP's most thrilling moments. Craig McCorkell got to enjoy the biggest celebration of all, as the newest WSOP gold bracelet champion. Even a disappointed third-place finisher Antonio Esfandiari would likely agree -- this moment was magical. Fitzpatrick claimed $228,261 for second place, while Esfandiari won $151,613 for third. Jonathan Lane finished fourth for $112,512. Other final table finishers included Athanasios Polychronopoulos (fifth), Alessandro Longobardi (sixth), Roberto Romanello (seventh), Thaigo Nishijima (eighth), Joe Tehan (ninth) and Sardor Gaziev (10th). The tournament drew 587 players, with the 60 players who won their first table finishing in the money. Notable players who won thier first table but did not advance to the final table included: James Akenhead, Justin Bonomo, Matt Jarvis, David "Bakes" Baker, Christian Harder, Steve Billirakis, and Jean-Robert Bellande. Modified from tournament notes provided by WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla. |