Chasing the Bracelet
The last time Phil Laak was this close to a bracelet was back in 2005 over in Las Vegas. He was heads up with living poker legend Johnny Chan in the $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em after Richard Osborne went out in third. Late into the night Laak and Chan battled, until the final hand came up that saw Laak fall in second place while Chan claimed his tenth gold bracelet.
Laak and Chan got all the money in on a flop of 
. Laak held 
and Chan 
-- pretty much a cooler situation in heads-up play. After two blanks fell on the turn and river, it was all over and Chan was the winner.
Although that was the closest Laak has ever come to a bracelet, he's had some other extremely deep runs that has left him just several spots short of a WSOP bracelet.
In 2007, Laak finished in 11th place in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the WSOP, just failing short of the final table. In 2008, Laak final tabled the $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em, but went out in ninth place. First, his jacks ran into the kings of Patrik Antonius to crush him on the first hand of the final table and then he ran pocket jacks into pocket aces of eventual winner Nenad Medic.
Laak is ever so close again and it's not often that players can get this opportunity more than once in their poker career. Will he be able to do it? Stick with us and find out!