Alexander Farahi entered Wednesday's final table at the $3,500 WPT Rolling Thunder
Championship second in chips. He left Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Northern
California with the title.
Farahi defeated Matt Salsberg heads-up for the championship. The $193,725
first-place prize reflected his share of a two-way deal the pair struck before
heads-up play began. Salsberg, a Southern California tournament grinder and TV
writer, collected $151,275.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Farahi | $193,725 |
| 2 | Matt Salsberg | $151,275 |
| 3 | Arish Nat | $100,000 |
| 4 | Marco Johnson | $74,000 |
| 5 | Darrell Cain | $56,000 |
| 6 | Alec Gould | $43,000 |
Six Players, Same Order Out
All six finalists exited in the same order they ranked at the start of the day,
with little movement among stacks throughout the session.
Alec Gould, who began play with just 15 big blinds, was the first player out.
His pocket kings lost to Marco Johnson's ace-queen, sending Gould to the rail
in sixth for $43,000. Darrell Cain, also a short stack entering the day, was
next when he lost a race to Farahi and was eliminated in fifth for $56,000.
Farahi then hit a flush to bust Johnson's top pair,
sending Johnson to the cage with a $74,000 fourth-place payout. Just 28 hands
accounted for the first three eliminations. Salsberg then won a key race to
end Arish Nat's run in third place for $100,000.
A Deal, Then a Long Battle
Before heads-up play began, Farahi and Salsberg agreed to a two-way deal.
An additional $34,500 and a $10,400 seat into the season-ending WPT World
Championship in December remained at stake for the winner.
Farahi quickly extended his advantage, winning seven consecutive hands to build
a nearly 4:1 chip lead. Salsberg, still holding around 36 big blinds, fought
back and pulled nearly even. Farahi answered with a check-raise on the flop,
then bet the turn and river to force a fold in a sizable pot, swinging the
match back his way.
Salsberg kept the pressure on and closed the gap again, but could not find a
double-up or win a big enough pot to take the chip lead. With his opponent
down to eight big blinds, Farahi moved all in on the 93rd hand of the final
table holding A♦6♦. Salsberg called with A♣2♣. The board ran out
6♥5♠2♦7♥10♦, and Farahi captured his first recorded live tournament title.
Farahi Joins WPT Champions Club
Farahi, who now holds more than $2.7 million in live cashes, joins the WPT
Champions Club with the victory. Salsberg had been a member since 2012.
