Congratulations to Richard Austin, Winner of Event 35 ($409,484)!

[user75032]

Wow! What a finish to Event 35. Who could have seen it coming? We have to imagine that not even Richard Austin saw it coming. After playing small ball with Cliff Josephy and Sorel Mizzi for most of the day, all hell broke loose and Austin managed to knock out both of his opponents during a single hand after each player put in almost one million chips before the flop!

We shouldn't take anything away from Richard Austin. He played marvelous poker the whole day, keeping pots small when he needed to and using position to chip up without frequently going to showdown. It's a good day when you can win a tournament without having to show down most of your winners.

A good word is in order for Cliff Josephy and Sorel Mizzi as well. Both got very unlucky in the final hand -- Mizzi's aces being outflopped by Josephy's kings; and Josephy's set of kings losing to Austin's gutshot and flush draw combination.

A confused member of the media who stepped away from the table for a few minutes returned to see the stage clear. "What the hell happened?" he asked, and we could excuse him for his confusion. Sorel Mizzi and Cliff Josephy probably feel the same way.

For his win, Richard Austin will bank $409,484 and a 2009 WSOP gold bracelet. Congratulations Richard!

Tags: Richard Austin