Shawn Fakhimi Wins Caesars Showdown
Source: World Series of Poker
Apr 27, 2008 - 7:33:31 AM
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Las Vegas, NV – The country of Iran is known for many things. Poker is not one of them. It might be time to change all that after yet another Iranian-born poker player won a major poker tournament. Gholam “Shawn” Fakhimi, won first place and $60,815 in prize money in the seventh event held at this year’s World Series of Poker Circuit which is currently taking place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He defeated a sizable field of 418 players who all competed in the $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event.
Fakhimi now joins with other notable Iranian-born poker champs – including Mansour Matloubi, Hamid Dastmalchi, Farzad Bonyadi, Antonio “the Magician” Esfandiari, Ben Roberts, and Amir Vahedi – who have each won WSOP-related events.
Fakhimi arrived in the United States more than 20 years ago as a college student. He attended the University of Arkansas where he earned a degree in computer science. Since then, he has settled down in Fayetteville, AK where he now owns and operates a successful luxury car dealership. He also loves to play poker and has recently begun to travel around the country to attend various poker events.
Despite the challenge of competing amongst a talented field of players, Fakhimi’s first major tournament victory seemed to come relatively easy. It took Fakhimi only two hours to take down his final eight opponents competing at the final table. After 409 players were eliminated on day one, the final nine players began play with Robert Lee in the chip lead with 221,500. Respected poker pro Allie Prescott was close behind with 212,500. Fakhimi was a close third with 196,500. The exact starting chip counts were as follows:
Seat 1. Bugan Selcuk 42,000
Seat 2. Robert Lee 221,500
Seat 3. Andreas Melin 109,500
Seat 4. John Alm 115,000
Seat 5. Jorge Valdez 146,500
Seat 6. Eric Conti 89,000
Seat 7. Gholam Fakhimi 196,500
Seat 8. Allie Prescott 212,500
Seat 9. Tim Vance 127,500
Opening blinds were 3,000-6,000 with 500 antes. There wasn't much action during the first 17 hands with two all-ins but no calls. Fakhimi, the early aggressor at the table, picked up some extra chips during this time, with a flurry of bets and raises.
9th Place -- On hand 18, the first player was eliminated. The flop came 8c-7d-9c. Holding 9-2 (top pair), Bugan Selcuk moved in with his last 28,500. Fakhimi, holding K-10 for an open-end straight draw, called. He hit his straight when a six fell on the turn. Hence, Selcuk was bounced out in ninth place. The Turk who now lives in Germany collected $4,055 in what was his first-ever final table appearance.
8th Place -- On the very next hand, Eric Conti pushed in for 52,000 with Ah-8d. He was in big trouble when Fakhimi called with A-Jc. When a jack flopped, Conti was virtually drawing dead, and the river 8 wasn't much help. For eighth place, the Floridian collected $10,137. Meanwhile, Fakhami had moved into a formidable chip lead, holding 501,000 in his stack.
7th Place – After blinds went to 4,000-8,000 with 1,000 antes, hand 26 began with a raise by John Alm, a re-raise by Allie Prescott, and an all-in re-raise by Alm -- who held pocket kings. Prescott called with pocket 7s, flopped a 7, filled up when the board paired. Alm – a cattle rancher from Wyoming -- was branded as the seventh-place finisher, worth $8,109.
6th Place -- A few hands later, Andreas Melin was left with only about 20,000 after Lee doubled through against him. On a flop of A-9-8, Andreas bet 85,000 holding K-Q. Lee, with 9-7, called and his pair of 9s held up. On the next hand, Melin was all in from the big blind with J-7 against Fakhimi's A-J. Fakhimi won with his ace-high. Melin – who lives in Sweden -- cashed sixth for $10,137.
5th Place -- A dozen hands later, Jorge Valdez was all in holding the best hand. His A-K faced off against A-J for Prescott. The final board came 4-Q-7-J-3, and Prescott drew out with his paired jack as Valdez went out fifth, taking home $12,164.
4th Place -- Next out was Robert Lee, a.k.a. “the General” who moved in for 60,000 from the small blind with Ac-2d. Once again Fakhimi took up the challenge, holding pocket sevens in the big blind. Fakhimi didn't hit a set of 7s as Prescott did earlier, but the pair was sufficient to leave Lee surrendering in fourth place, which paid $14,191.
3rd Place -- Blinds increased to 6,000-12,000 with antes at 2,000. Fakhimi had rocketed to nearly 600,000 in his stack, about half the chips in play. Two hands later, Tim Vance, holding 8-3, made a low pair when the flop came J-8-10. When a 10 turned, he moved in, winning after Fakhimi called down the bet with K-Q. Picking up 198,000 chips, Vance suddenly took a small lead. The hand was a potential turning point, but it also made Fakhimi more resolute in the decisions that followed. "There's still a long way to go," Fakhimi said prophetically.
Actually, there wasn’t much longer to go, and Fakhimi began to sense victory approaching on the horizon. Six hands later Fakhimi regained the chip lead when he bet 80,000 into a board of J-9-6-Q-10. He had K-3, and the river 10 gave him a straight.
On hand 59, Fakhimi raised pre-flop holding J-8 against Prescott's A-4. He made a small bet on a flop of J-5-A, then moved in when an 8 turned to give him two pair and outrun Prescott's paired ace on the flop. Prescott called the big bet and finished in third place when he failed to improve. Prescott, perhaps the most accomplished player sitting at the final table and clearly a favorite to win when play began, was left with third place which paid $16,218. Prescott has made final tables at Circuit events in New Orleans and Atlantic City. He’s also cashed six times at the WSOP.
2nd Place – When heads-up play began, Fakhimi enjoyed a 2 to 1 chip lead over Tim Vance. The match lasted only nine hands, with Vance taking a bad beat on the closer. On the last deal of the tournament, Vance went out when Fakhimi moved in with A-9. Vance called with A-J. The board came K-9-3-8-5, which meant Vance couldn't catch Fakhimi's paired 9. The tournament was over. The poker pro nicknamed “the Clayton Hillbilly” who has done well previously at the WSOP Circuit held at Caesars Indiana, settled for second place which paid $32,640.
1st Place – Shawn Fakhimi is 51-years-old. He has three boys. Prior to his win at Caesars Las Vegas, Fakhimi’s best tournament showing was a second-place finish at last year’s WSOP Circuit held in Tunica, MS.
The day clearly belonged to Fakhimi. He eliminated 6 of his 8 opponents at the final table and steamrolled over his last two adversaries, despite losing the chip lead at one point. It was an impressive showing by the first-time winner and if history is any indication will not be the last time we see Persia represented at poker’s pinnacle.
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