WSOP Classic Moments – Jerry Yang Wins 2007 Main Event

The 2007 WSOP Main Event was the first time since 1992 that the Main Event saw player shrinkage. Due primarily to the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Ace (UIGEA), many sites pulled out of the U.S. market and sites that did provide satellites no longer required players to play at the Main Event if they won a seat. As a result, 6,358 players turned out for the event. A hefty prize of $8.25 Million was still up for grabs and the top five players would finish Millionaires.

Lee Watkinson headlined a final table filled with amateur and as of yet unknown players. Wakinson finished the event in 8th place and left a table of seemingly unknown players to fight for the title. One of those was short stack Jerry Yang. Yang was a social worker that won a satellite at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, CA. Yang started pouring on the aggression and ultimately worked his way to the chip lead and 2nd place.

Tuan Lam was the other player to make heads up play. Lam seemed to be folding his way to a bracelet. He entered the final table with a reasonable amount of chips and didn’t play very many hands, seemingly content to let Yang eliminate players. The final hand saw Yang raise to 2.3 Million pre-flop with pocket eights. Lam moved all-in with Ad-Qd and off to the races they went. The flop of 5s-Qc-9c put Lam in the lead with a pair of queens. Lam was in great shape to double up to 50 Million. The turn fell the 7d and a straight draw. The river then fell disaster for Lam as the 6h hit the river, completing Yang’s straight and giving him the title.

After winning the 2007 WSOP Main Event, Yang has only had one tournament cash, a small cash in a Binion’s Poker Open event in 2007. After winning the Main Event, Yang stayed mostly out of the spotlight and did not take part in many of the shows and events that former champions do. Odds are that this mild mannered players realized that he had accomplished more than he could ever imaging and rode off into the sunset to help take care of his family. Another American dream achieved.

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