27 year old LA stock trader wins WSOP event 8

Another huge WSOP winner's check was cut this week, this time for 27 year old Los Angeles stock trader Michael Chu, who took home an impressive $585 744 and a WSOP bracelet after taking down an entry field of 844 competitors in Event 8 - the $1000 No Limit Hold 'Em (w/rebuys)

This is Chu's second World Series of Poker tournament, and he entered the final table in the Rio's Amazon Room with the fourth largest chip stack of the nine players. Tough opponents around the final table included Shane 'Shaniac' Schleger, Maciek Gracz, Tommy Vu, Dolph Arnold, Jan von Halle and Amir Vahedi (chip leader), along with newcomer Barry Cales and the more WSOP-experienced Robert Aron.

The televised action began immediately and by hand 11 Von Halle had been eliminated by Chu for a ninth place finish worth $34 196. Solid play continued until, just before the dinner break at hand 23, Aron fell victim to Tommy Vu, headed for the rail and a number 8 placing check of $46 862.

Following the break, around hand 47, Schleger doubled up through Chu and simultaneously eliminated Vahedi in seventh place - carrying a take-home of $63 327 - when Vahedi couldn't complete an open-ended straight draw against Schleger's flopped pair of aces. Only three hands later it was Gracz's turn to exit in position 6 after he lost the hand to Vu. Gracz collected $84 858 for his tough tournament's work.

Schleger was the victim eliminated at 5th place on hand 63 by Chu. 'Shaniac's' consolation 5 place prize was $111 455, and his departure marked the start of a rather long (thirty five hands) passage of play with no-one going out right up to the break. Post-break Chu was the clear chip leader on 2 205 000 with Dolph Arnold his closest competition on 1 640 000, then Vu and finally Cales, who was doing well for a WSOP newbie.

The situation had changed dramatically by the next rise in blinds (to 30K/50K with 5K antes) as the hand count approached 100, with a more even distribution of chips around the four remaining players. By hand 105 it was Arnold's time to exit, eliminated by Vu for a 4th placing and $157 050.

11 hands further into the game Vu's position as overall chip leader was seriously eroded by some astute play by Cales, but the new guy then came under attack by Chu at hand 128 when his busted bluff sent him to the rail with a third place worth $235 575 - a very creditable first time performance under the stress and bright lights of WSOP.

Going into the heads up it was Tommy Vu vs. Michael Chu, with the former holding a 500K chip advantage, which Chu immediately started chipping away. By hand 132 Chu looked the stronger player, and by hand 138 it was all over - Chu had the winner's check and the bracelet and Vu picked up the second placing prize of $364 761.

The big win was Chu's first-ever cash at WSOP, and at no stage did he need to make a re-buy in the event.