The domination by PocketFivers at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Bellagio Cup continued this week. Amid the fanfare at National Poker Week in Washington, DC, PocketFivers took the top four spots in the fifth installment of the Bellagio Cup in Las Vegas, led by Alexandre Allingomes Gomes (pictured at right), who banked $1.1 million. Heads-up, Gomes bested fellow PocketFiver Faraz The-Toilet Jaka, a Triple Crown winner who currently sits in 48th worldwide on the Online Poker Rankings. The tournament wrapped up late Sunday night from the Bellagio and marks the third straight victory by a PocketFiver in the event. Let’s take a look at the results.
New Doyle’s Room pro Alec traheho Torelli (pictured at left) was the first PocketFiver to hit the exits from the Bellagio Cup, claiming fourth place for $271,000. Gomes pushed over the top of a raise by Torelli, who called for his tournament life with A-Q. Gomes turned over pocket tens and the two were off to the races. The flop came J-8-6 with two clubs, keeping Gomes in the lead. The turn was another club, giving Torelli more outs with a flush draw, but a seven of diamonds on the river sealed his exit. The hand boosted Gomes’ stack to over eight million, putting him in prime position to take down the tournament. Three-handed, Gomes held 8.4 million, while Jaka and Justin Boosted J Smith held 6.1 million and 1.5 million, respectively.
Smith (pictured at right) was ousted in third place, earning $464,000 for his efforts in the $15,000 buy-in tournament. He actually tore his ACL during a double-up at the final table, but elected to keep playing despite the freak accident. Smith eventually found himself all-in holding A-4 against Jaka’s pocket kings. The flop came Q-8-6, keeping Jaka’s wired pair out in front, and a nine on the turn and five on the river sent Smith to the rails in third place. WPT officials brought Smith a wheelchair and he was escorted out by Full Tilt Poker pro Mike “The Mouth” Matusow. Smith’s Twitter posts following the Bellagio Cup confirmed the rumors of a torn ACL.
Smith’s elimination closed the gap between Gomes and Jaka (pictured at left) heads-up, as the former held a slight chip lead of 8.4 million to 7.7 million. In the final hand of the tournament, Jaka pushed all-in with A-7, but found himself up against A-J. The flop of 8-6-2 left Jaka calling for a seven or running straight cards, but no help came with a six on the turn and nine on the river. Jaka earned $774,000 for his runner-up showing.PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Jessica Welman, who was on-hand for the Bellagio Cup final table, commented, “Alex patiently grinded through the early days of this tournament and started running hot at exactly the right time. His relentless aggression served him well at the final table. His extremely supportive rail helped him keep up his energy over the course of the 10 hour day and he chipped away at Jaka heads-up to win his first WPT title.”
Gomes has two cashes on World Series of Poker (WSOP) felts to his name; one is for a bracelet. Gomes stormed through the field in a $2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event in 2008 for $770,000. He defeated fellow PocketFiver Marco CrazyMarco Johnson in that tournament, which featured a final table that also included Kirill Gerasimov. Here are the final results from the WPT Bellagio Cup V, which will air as part of Season VIII on Fox Sports Net:
1. Alexandre Gomes - $1,187,670
2. Faraz Jaka - $774,870
3. Justin Smith - $464,870
4. Alec Torelli - $271,165
5. Christoffer Sonesson - $203,385
6. Erik Seidel - $164,640
Congratulations to PocketFivers for taking the top four spots at the Bellagio Cup. Last year, Mike SirWatts Watson led the charge at the event, defeating poker pro David Benyamine heads-up. In 2007, Kevin BeL0WaB0Ve Saul outlasted Matusow to bank $1.3 million in the Bellagio Cup III. Visit PocketFivesLive.com for WPT coverage of online poker players during Season VIII.
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