Robert Nehorayan Wins Event #41: $1,500 Limit Hold'em for $173,568
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One bet at a time, Robert Nehorayan battled through a 596 player field that generated an $804,600 prize pool to win Event #41: $1,500 Limit Hold'em for $173,568 and secure his first bracelet. It is Nehorayan's best live cash, with his previous greatest also coming at the WSOP when he was awarded $58,570 for 146th place in the 2007 Main Event.
Over the last three days, plenty of action has taken place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino which concluded in a heads-up battle between Nehorayan and winner of the 1997 Event #1: $2,000 Limit Hold'em, Kevin Song. Song nearly missed out on winning his second bracelet 21 years after claiming his first.
Official Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Nehorayan | United States | $173,568 |
| 2 | Kevin Song | United States | $107,242 |
| 3 | David Gee | United States | $73,860 |
| 4 | Terricita Gutierrez | United States | $51,733 |
| 5 | Michael Jex | United States | $36,860 |
| 6 | Brad Albrinck | United States | $26,725 |
| 7 | Oleg Chebotarev | Russia | $19,723 |
| 8 | Matt Russell | United States | $14,820 |
| 9 | Matt Woodward | United States | $11,343 |
The final table saw players swing up and down in the chip counts, but Nehorayan was one of the constants throughout.
Speaking after his win, he said "It feels pretty good. I got a little frustrated throughout the match but fortunately was I able to overcome my emotions. The cards helped too obviously."
Nehorayan commended Terricita Gutierrez and spoke of his relief of getting past a player he saw as his toughest opponent.
"Terri was my toughest opponent because she's a limit pro. She plays 80/160, 40/80 every single day. That's her game."
Nehorayan admitted he doesn't see himself as a poker pro and even has a nickname due to his recreational nature.
"People call me 'Rec Rob.' Funny thing, I was playing No-Limit Hold'em one night, I think 20/40/80 at Commerce and I called a huge bet on the river with just an ace. This kid just flipped out, and he said: How do you call with just an ace!? Another kid was like: that's Rec Rob! He's a recreational player; he can't fold an ace!" Nehorayan laughed.
Despite his recreational nature, Nehorayan was able to defeat a wealth of experienced players who took their shot in Event #41 such as Dutch Boyd, Chris Ferguson, Daniel Negreanu, David Bach, Ari Engel, Marcel Luske and Jesse Sylvia.
Final Day Action
A total of 19 players returned for the third and final day who all had the goal of winning a bracelet, but for many of them, the dream didn't last long at all as seven players fell in the first 90 minutes of play.
Bracelet winner Matt Grapenthien was eliminated in 12th place for $8,846, securing his second cash of the series after a fifth-place finish in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship for $50,669, with Michael Lipner and Jeffrey Scheibner also fell before the official final table of nine.
Start-of-day chip leader Matt Woodward was the first player to go once the final table was set after Terricita Gutierrez rivered two pair with king-queen to beat Woodward's ace-king. Matt Russell finished in eighth place, with Oleg Chebotarev, the only non-American player at the final table taking seventh.
The action was them moved to the Brasilia Room Main Stage and at this point, Terricita Gutierrez, the final remaining lady, had built up quite a lead on her opponents. Two-time WSOP ring winner Brad Albrinck found out he would have to wait another day for a third bracelet after he was eliminated in sixth-place when Robert Nehorayan found the queen he needed with king-queen after Albrinck was all in on the turn and ahead with pocket fours.
Michael Jex, who made an amazing comeback from 30,000 chips to 400,000 before the final table was set, could not write the fairytale after he was left short once more and ultimately took fifth place for $36,860. His final chips went in again Gee with four-trey against queen-ten, but there was no help in the cards.
When the four remaining players returned from their dinner break, Terricita Gutierrez had nearly half of the chips in play but lost a series of big hands, which ultimately, saw her all in on the flop with ace-six-suited against Nehorayan. He took the lead when his king-queen hit on the flop and held to win the pot and send Gutierrez to the rail in fourth-place for $51,733.
David Gee, who now has $201,272 in WSOP earnings, was the last player to fall before heads-up play got underway after he lost a big hand against Nehorayan when his top pair ace lost to Nehorayan's queen-six two pair. Just several hands later Gee was all in with jack-seven and went up against Song's pocket aces and Nehorayan's king-seven with the latter taking the pot with two pair to eliminate Gee in third for $73,860.
Nehorayan took more than a 3/1 chip-lead into heads-up against Kevin Song but didn't have it all his way. Song made a comeback and at one stage took the lead, but Nehorayan was able to pull it back and ultimately sent Song to the rail after his ten-seven off suit beat Song's eight-six suited when the board came two-queen-ten-four-jack. Nehorayan joined Song as a bracelet winner and takes away the $173,568 first-place prize.
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