Jim Harnden Snags the WSOPC Palm Beach Main Event Ring! ($226,395)
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It could well have been a long day of poker here at the WSOP-C Palm Beach Main Event if not for a dominating performance by Jim Harnden. The gregarious Canadian has just conquered the 778-player starting field here at the Kennel Club to collect his first gold ring, nearly a quarter-million dollars, and a seat in the National Championship this summer.
The final day began with 21 players vying for their seats at the final table, and it took less than four hours to shrink that down to the requisite nine. Harnden was well above the chip average by that point, and his day would only improve from there.
You might not guess it from your first peek at Harnden, but he is one aggressive, crafty player, and he really put the hurt on what was a talented final table. Early on, he took a big pot from Drazen Ilich in a four-bet pot that had Harnden leading the action. He fired again on a 
flop, then insta-shoved when the 
hit the turn. Ilich was forced to surrender, and Harnden moved across the three-million-chip mark.
Just a short while later, he was approaching five million after another four-bet pot. This time it was Matthew O'Brien doing the heavy lifting, but Harnden led out into him on the 
flop. O'Brien raised to 1.1 million, but Harnden shoved his 
right down O'Brien's throat, drawing a snap-muck and moving the eventual champion into the chip lead.
Harnden lost a big flip with 
to double Rob Williamson and his 
, but he rebounded very quickly. Jamil Wakil fell to him in fifth place in a whale of a pot that's certainly worth retelling. Wakil was the preflop raiser, and Harnden defended his big blind with 
. He led out again on the 
flop, then fired a second bullet on the 
turn. Wakil shoved on him in response, and Harnden made a fantastic call with his small pair to snap off the airball 
.
Harnden went on to KO Roman Valerstein in fourth place, then Matthew O'Brien in third place in the biggest pot of the tournament. O'Brien tried to run a big bluff with 
on a 
board. It's hard to bluff a man with a full house, though, and Harnden's 
earned him the knockout and a pot containing close to 80% of the total chips in play.
The heads-up duel was a quick, two-hand series that saw Rob Williamson dented and then eliminated. The short stack got his money in good with against Harnden's 
, but a timely queen on the flop was the card that slipped the ring onto Harnden's finger.
The 58-year-old contractor has thusly become the newest WSOPC Champion, and he was beaming with smiles as he fielded a few congratulatory phone calls and posed for the winners' shots. His first prize is worth $226,395, more than quadrupling his previous combined career cashes. The bragging rights are priceless, though, and Harnden will be the toast of the town tonight.
From our dynamic duo here in Palm Beach, we want to thank you for reading along with us, and we hope you'll join us in sending our congratulations to Jim Harnden, the champ!