Graham Gets No. 2!
by Rachel on 06.23.09, 8:25 am
Matt “mattg1983″ Graham has claimed his second World Series of Poker bracelet, winning the $10K World Championship of Pot-Limit Omaha.
Graham outlasted Vitaly Lunkin heads up despite facing 9-to-1 chip count at one point and losing two all-in pots that would have given him the victory if he’d won them, an experience that he later admitted deflated his hopes of victory.
Graham was crippled to 600K when his Q
Q
87 couldn’t hold up against Lunkin’s A
K53
on a board of A2426.
But double up after double up later Graham and Lunkin limped before a flop of T64. Graham checked and Lunkin bet 120K. Graham raised to 480K and Lunkin called. The turn was the 9. Graham led out this time for a bet of 1.1 million. Lunkin moved all in and Graham called quickly.
Graham: TT65
Lunkin: KJ92
Graham was ahead with his set of tens. He put his hands on his head and asked desperately for the hand to hold.
After the customary pause for drama, the dealer was given permission to reveal the river. It was the…A.
Graham and his friends celebrated, high fiving and hugging briefly before refocusing on the table and the countdown of each player’s stack. Silence fell over the huge, almost completely empty Amazon Room until it was determined that Graham had Lunkin covered and was the PLO World Champion of 2009.
The celebration could then begin in earnest. Graham respectfully shook hands with Lunkin, who then exited quietly. Graham then rushed over to his newest bracelet and picked it up for a quick look. He put it back after a few moments so that the formalities of photographs and interviews could begin.
He was told how to wear his hat, how and when to hold his winning cards, how to pick up the bracelet and just how much to smile. 
He gladly obliged, looking over once in the middle of all the direction to give an exasperated look that seemed to be a combination of relief, happiness and bemusement all at once.
Then his friends had a request.
“Show them the muscles, Matt,” Scott “gunning4you” Seiver requested before other members of his rail, including Jon “FatalError” Aguiar, Carter “ckingusc” King, Darryll “DFish” Fish among others, joined in.
“Which way is it to the gym, Matt?” Seiver asked.
He ignored them for a while, but when the rest of the photos were done he stood up from his chair and flexed his right arm over the table, a well-deserved and all together appropriate display of strength from Graham after he conquered one of the toughest fields the 2009 World Series of Poker.
