Veckey dumps KK and wins $$
The 2009 WSOP $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em champion is Tony Veckey, from Lake In the Hills, Illinois. Veckey collected $673,276 for first place and was also awarded his first WSOP gold bracelet.
He is a 30-year-old software engineer who works for Motorola. He has worked there ever since graduating from Devry University.
This was the first WSOP tournament he had ever entered and he intended to play in the previous No-Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #51), but it was sold out.
Veckey stated he does not intend to play in this year’s WSOP Main Event. He plans to return to work and may play in next year’s Main Event.
His most memorable hand at the final table was actually one he folded. Veckey folded after being dealt pocket kings pre-flop, when he was convinced his opponent, who made an all-in re-raise, held pocket aces. Veckey tabled his kings face up, much to the astonishment of the other players and the crowd. Although the other player’s cards were not shown, the rare fold (pocket kings is almost never folded pre-flop) was discussed throughout play at the final table. Veckey certainly enjoyed getting the last laugh as he ended up as the winner.
On making the rare fold of kings pre-flop: “He (the opponent) was playing very tight. He re-raised my re-raise. So, I thought he had aces and just folded. That is the first time I have ever folded kings pre-flop.”
On his future plans: “I am going to go back to work. That is what I am going to do. But if I win the Main Event next year, that will be a tougher decision.”
This was arguably the least experienced lineup of any final table held at this year’s WSOP. The combined previous WSOP prize money winnings of the top nine finishers combined coming into the final table was $59,113 – which is about the sum received by the 10th-place finisher alone in this tournament. Just by making the final table, every player was guaranteed to earn their biggest career payout, to date.
The final table included players from four different nations – including France, Russia, Slovenia, and the United States.
The runner up was Jason Wheeler, from San Diego. He is a poker pro. Wheeler cashed for the fourth time at this year’s WSOP. Second place paid $418,122.
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