$1,500 Limit Hold’em Shootout (Event #36) Final Table
The $1,500 limit hold’em shootout started with 524 participants spread out over 37 tables. The nine-handed Sit n’ Go format saw the field whittle down until only six players remained, each with a shot at a $157,338 first place cash prize and a gold WSOP bracelet.

The players involved in final table action were:
1. Ralph “Rep” Porter
2. Anders Henriksson
3. Marianno Garcia
4. Victoriano “Victor” Perches
5. Tom Schneider
6. Arnold Spee

All players started with $150,000 in chips and play began at 2:18 p.m. PDT with $1,000 - $2,000 blinds and $2,000 - $4,000 stakes.

Marianno Garcia became the first player picked off in the shootout. Just under three hours into play, and after a series of raises, he pushed all in on a 1073 flop. Rep Porter called and Garcia’s A 10 top pair put him in a huge hole against Porter’s A J flush. Garcia’s hand failed to improve and he exited play in sixth place ($17,882).

Five suits flushed another player out of the tournament on the next elimination. After calling the preflop all in raise, Arnold Spee’s 9 6 needed help against Tom Schneider’s K 3. The A8762 board gave Spee the heart flush, and sent Schneider home as the fifth place finisher ($28,610).

An Anders Henriksson full house, sixes full of threes, crippled Porter and he moved all in from the big blind on the next hand. With his remaining chips in the pot, Porter found his 10 8 up against Victoriano “Victor” Perches’ A 4. The AQ8 flop gave both players a pair. The aces held up for Perches, and Porter’s day ended with a fourth place finish ($39,339).

Players entered three-handed action nearly equal in chips, but Spee took down a number of pots and built a $250,000 lead.

Perches closed the gap with his elimination of Henriksson in third ($50,068). Perches’ K 10 made two pair on the K9766 board, crushing Henriksson’s A 8.

Spee lost his chip lead only a few minutes after action went heads up when Perches dragged a big pot with top pair. Once in front, Perches never looked back. He flopped trip sevens to crack pocket nines, leaving Spee with $100,000 in chips.

The hand crippled the 2005 World Poker Championship winner and the tournament ended on the following hand: With an AJ9 flop, Perches bet $15,000 and Spee called. Perches re-raised Spee all in on the 6 turn and Spee flipped over the Q J for a pair of jacks. But Perches’ A 6 gave him two pair. The 8 river brought Spee no help, and Perches raked the final pot of the day.

Spee netted $78,679 for his runner-up finish.

Perches, a limit hold’em specialist with two previous WSOP cashes, took home his first bracelet and $157,338 in prize money.