On June 9th, 2009, poker pro Brian Lemke won the $5K No Limit Holdem world series of poker, taking home a total of $692,658 following a showdown against German poker pro Fabian Quoss. Lemke was very happy about his victory saying that he does not expect it. He had to edge out a final table that features well-known names like online sensation Isaac "WestmenloAA" Baron.
Baron looked armed and ready to dominate the final table of the $5K No Limit Holdem in the early stages, edging out David Pham and Christian Iacobellis in the same card hand to set himself up with a large stack. But he could not maintain his momentum, finishing in 7th place to Lemke when his top pair was dismissed and he was unable to recover. Danny Illingworth hit the rail next and was immediately joined by Lika Gerasimova, the girlfriend of 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event runner-up, Ivan Demidov.
Gerasimova's 5th place finish will further strengthen her reputation as a formidable poker player. During the four-handed play, it appears that Quoss was the man to beat. The German poker player amassed a huge chip stack, which he effectively used against the other players in the final table.
Quoss sent Mike Sowers home with his set of eights. Quoss also sent Thomas Keller home with his aces. The heads-up showdown looked to be a done deal for Quoss, as he out chipped Lemke before the start of the heads-up. After a three hour game, Lemke delivered the finishing blow against Quoss that sent his fans into rapture as he won the WSOP bracelet. But it was not just winning the bracelet that Lemke had on his mind during the event.
06/28/2009, Sunday
Todd Sanders