Las Vegas – California psychologist Jerry Yang pounced when he sensed weakness. When he needed outside help, his prayers were answered.
Yang began playing poker only two years ago, but he quickly jumped from eighth in chips at the final table and won the World Series of Poker’s main event. He used his dominant position to knock out seven challengers and take home an $8.25 million payday and poker’s most coveted bracelet early Wednesday morning.
“I study my opponents very carefully, and when I sensed something, when I sensed some weakness, I took a chance,” said Yang, 39. “Even if I had nothing, I decided to raise, reraise, push all-in or make a call.” Yang and a huge mountain of cash were all that was left after plowing through a field of 6,358 players that began to play in stages July 6. Everyone paid or won $10,000 to enter the no-limit Texas Hold ’em main event, the biggest poker tournament of the year.
The ethnic Hmong immigrant from Laos had nearly the shortest stack of chips when nine finalists began play at about noon Tuesday. Despite being the smallest player at 5-foot-3, the married father of six was an intimidating force at the table from the beginning whenever he stood up to stare down an opponent or to reach for his chips.
In what surely will be one of the most talked-about faceoffs this year, Yang quickly declared an all-in reraise on the ninth hand of play. Lee Childs, a 35-year-old software engineer from Reston, Va., folded pocket queens, face up, on a board with a seven, four and deuce.
“I raised when I had even deuce-four,” Yang said. “And fortunately they folded.” Later, when players fought back, they were quickly dispatched.
Philip Hilm, a 31-year-old Dane making a living playing poker in England, busted out after pushing all-in against Yang with a pair of fives after the flop and the chance for a flush.
Yang made the call holding an ace and king for a pair of kings and Hilm never improved, finishing ninth for $525,934.
