On March 6, 2007, one PocketFiver successfully navigated a field of 385 of the best Hollywood and professional poker had to offer. From the Hilton sisters to Vince Vaughn, Hollywood was represented in force at the fifth annual World Poker Tour Invitational. Held at the Commerce Casino immediately following the L.A. Poker Classic, the Invitational also featured some of poker’s elite: Hoyt Corkins, Layne Flack, Vanessa Rousso, and more. PocketFiver Tim “Tmay420” West reached the final table of the event and finished third, taking home a cool $20,000. In the end, an amateur captured the title – Adam Weinraub, a 45 year old who, according to the WPT, won a “blind charity auction” to get into the event. Also at the final table with Weinraub and West were poker pro and three time WSOP bracelet winner “Miami” John Cernuto, Glenn Morshower (of television series 24 fame), Nick Cassavetes (director of She’s So Lovely and John Q), and David Mosikian (an employee at the host casino). Headed into final table play, West had 1.1 million chips, around 300,000 more than his next closest opponent. Early on, however, his chip stack would take a huge hit as he lost with pocket kings versus Weinraub’s pocket aces. He would gradually chip back up to over 850,000 without showing a hand. Here's a shot of the final six combatants:
Down to three players remaining, West picked up A-10 offsuit in the big blind. First to act in the hand and on the button, Cernuto pushed all in with A-7 for just under 700,000 chips and West called. A devastating seven on the river crippled West’s chip stack. A few hands later, West, needing chips, made a re-raise all in with A-3 and was called by Weinraub (the original raiser), who had K-Q. The flop came A-K-Q and West was sent packing, finishing third and receiving $20,000 for his efforts.
All was not lost for West. Besides the $20,000, PocketFivesLive Tournament Reporter Court Harrington also took a picture of him with his favorite star of 24, Morshower, during the break just before West was eliminated (see picture at left). Harrington comments, “Tim, as always, had a great attitude throughout, was friendly even in tough situations, and a class act. He enjoyed himself at the table, and earned the respect of everyone else there.” PocketFives Co-Owner Adam Small talks about West's rise to greatness: "Tmay420 rose quickly through the rankings in 2006, becoming one of the top 10 players online and even reaching the number one ranking for a couple of months. He's a dominant force in online tournaments, and now he's showing he can do the same thing in the live arena."WPT founder, President, and CEO Steve Lipscomb commented about the 2007 field in a WPT media release: “Since the first [WPT] Invitational, we’ve resisted the urge to level the playing field. This year’s event is yet another testament to the fact that celebrities and amateurs who love this game are improving to the point that they can compete against the pros at the top levels of the sport. Having two celebrities at the final table and Weinraub’s amazing win were the perfect cap to the fifth anniversary of this event.”
Congratulations to Tim West on his final table appearance and five figure cash. We’ll see him on Wednesday, July 11, when the WPT Invitational will air on The Travel Channel.
Canada
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Australia
Mexico
Denmark
Russian Federation
Sweden
Brazil
Germany
