Lots of tournament results
Took a break from everything, including the blog, during the three-day weekend, and now there's a lot of tournament results to update. So let's get that out of the way. I'll offer other updates a little later.
No-Limit TexasHold’em
Buy-In: $1,000
Number of Entries: 677
Prize Money: $630,818
Official Results:
1. Johnny Landreth, Lanett, AL, $175,597 plus a seat in the $10,000 buy-in championship event
2. Charlie Dawson, Lexington, KY, 90,929
3. Lee Grove, Superior, NE, 50,167
4. Larry Butler, Colorado Springs, CO, 43,896
5. Tracey Phan, Los Angeles, CA, 37,625
6. Karl Limbert, Margate, UK, 31,355
7. Vince Byrd, Dayton, TN, 25,084
8. Steve Hohn, Overland Park, KS, 18,813
9. Gio Rocca, Toronto, Canada, 12,542
10. Edward Moncada, Oakland, CA, 6,898
11. Scott Loye, Weatherford, TX, 6,898
12. Michael John Dean, Dunedin, FL, 6,868
13. Phil Johnson, Atlanta, GA, 5,818
14. Michael Johnson, Charleston, IL, 5,818
15. Mark Seif, Incline Village, NV, 5,818
16. Rob Hollink, Groningen, Netherlands, 4,525
17. Brian Owens, Lexington, KY, 4,525
18. David Randall, Tucker, GA, 4,525
19. Fred Brown, Howell, MI, 3,232
20. Guillermo Ruz, Tampa, FL, 3,232
21. Mike Pruett, Carrollton, GA, 3,232
22. Bill Seber, Houston, TX, 3,232
23. Charles Blair, Hodgenville, KY, 3,232
24. J.C. Tran, Sacramento, CA, 3,232
25. Richard Cohen, Cincinnati, OH, 3,232
26. Bill Eichel, Parker, SD, 3,232
27. Gino Sabella, New Bern, NC, 3,232
28. Dennis Waterman, Myrtle Point, OR, 2,263
29. Mousey Davis, Houston, TX, 2,263
30. Parviz Amleshi, St. Louis, MO, 2,263
31. Eric Seiler, St. Louis, MO, 2.263
32. Jo Jo Trevino, Corpus Christi, TX, 2,263
33. Jo Handman, London, England, 2,263
34. Chris Hunt, Paris, KY, 2,263
35. Buster Jackson, Elm City, NC, 2,263
36. Andy ‘Turtle’ Pachman, Atlanta, GA, 2.263
37. Earl Holmes, Valdosta, CA, 1,939
38. John De Francis, Kendall Park, NJ, 1,939
39. Paul Fehlig, St. Louis, MO, 1,939
40. Roy Swindle, Valdosta, GA, 1,939
41. Sonny Perry, 1,939
42. Louis Adat, 1,939
43. Joey Ganim, 1,939
44. Jeff Gibralter, 1,939
45. Carlos Fuentes, 1,939
46. Shamill Kostashuk, 1,616
47. William Banks, 1,616
48. Phillip Hernke, 1,616
49. Dan Delnoce, 1,616
50. Jerry Zehr, 1,616
51. Chris Grigorian, 1,616
52. Glen Bean, 1,616
53. Richard Abrell, 1,616
54. Thomas Stinson, 1,616
55. Jack Markowitz, 1,293
56. Don Sekorky, 1,293
57. Wilson Carnes, 1,293
58. Don McCarthy, 1,293
59. Dayne Baverman, 1,293
60. Steve Hobbs, 1,293
61. Pete Cikesh, 1,293
62. Andy Fine, 1,293
63. Phi Nguyen, 1,293
‘Paint Drying Contest’ won by Johnny Landreth:
Alabaman Makes Deal with Opponents, then Wins Bracelet
On the broad spectrum of poker tournament final tables, there are ‘legendary’ clashes such as the Chan-Seidel rematch at the 2001 World Series of Poker. There are ‘great’ final tables, such as Sirous Baghchehsaraie’s stunning comeback win after being down 87 to 1 against Scott Fischman at this year’s JBWPO. There are ‘good’ final tables, such as gadfly Avner Levy’s victory over Maria Stern here last week. There are ‘average’ final tables – which constitute many of the mid-level events. And occasionally, there are lackluster final tables, which happen every so often. Then -- there is Event #9, the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event at this year’s Jack Binion World Poker Open – which stands alone in the colorful kaleidoscope that is the poker world.
To say that this final table lacked drama would be a gross understatement. There were few big hands, no turning points, no amazing comebacks, nor lively banter that normally characterizes just about every tournament finale. It wasn’t necessarily the players’ fault. They played well, and deserved to be here, having topped a very tough field of 677 entrants. Most of them were relative newcomers to the final table experience, having never played for these stakes before. It certainly wasn’t the fact that the stakes were below par – this event awarded the third-highest prize money pool so far this year, including a whopping $175,597 for first place. Fact was -- the final table was so utterly without drama that the sparse crowd gradually got fed up with the match, especially when play became short-handed, and drifted off to watch the NFL playoffs on television or play in live games.
It all comes down to deals and dealmaking. When play became four handed, the remaining players cut a deal. They reportedly took $90,000 and change each. Such is the case with poker tournaments, where as long as the prize money is being put up exclusively by the players, they have the right (in most cases) to cut up the loot as they wish, whenever they want. We can debate the practice of dealmaking, and whether it’s good or bad for poker. Or, we can simply say that deals are a part of the game and acknowledge the fact. They happen.
Following Day One, during which 668 players were eliminated, the nine finalists took their seats at the final table. Thereafter, players were eliminated in the following order:
9th Place – Giovanni Rocca, from Toronto, Canada, arrived lowest in chips. He flopped a flush draw with K-Q of clubs, but missed on the final two cards and lost to Lee Grove’s pocket Kings. Rocca, who won a poker tournament at St. Ignace, last year, added $12,542 to his poker bankroll.
8th Place – Steve Hohn was second lowest in chips, and par for the course, he went out next. The Overland Park, KS-based poker player, who has won major tournaments at the Commerce Casino in the past, and finished in the top spots at World Series events in recent years, played his last hand with A-J, which lost to Charlie Dawson’s Q-Q. A Queen fell on the turn, for overkill, eliminating Hohn. He received $18,813.
7th Place – Vince Byrd, a Supervisor for the LA-Z-BOY chair company (man, couldn’t we have used some of his products at this final table), went out next with A-Q against Karl Limbert’s 9-9. The pocket Nines held up, and Bryd had to recline from his chair in 7th place, good for $25,084.
6th Place – After doubling up ‘all in’ with pocket Aces early, Karl Limbert went out with J-J against Johnny Landreth’s A-Q, when two queens came on board. Limbert, a UK bookmaker (it’s allowed by law there, folks), booked a nice payday -- $31,355.
5th Place – Tracey Phan, a Long Beach, CA poker player who finished third in the women’s event at the 2004 World Series of Poker, moved ‘all in’ hoping to steal the blinds with A-J. Lee Grove had Q-Q. Phan baited Grove into calling, by saying “please call – I want you to call.” Grove was only too happy to call with the pocket queens which held up and eliminated Phan. Phan, who stated her goal is to be “the first and youngest Vietnamese lady to win the poker world championship,” received $37,625 for fifth place.
4th Place – After the four finalists made a deal, Larry Butler, who has finished in the money multiple times at the JBWPO in the past, took a tough beat when his top pair of Aces lost to a set. Charlie Dawson flopped a set of Threes, which ripped most of the chips out of Butler’s stack. Butler, a trauma surgeon, was now on life support. A few hands later, Johnny Landreth flat-lined Butler with a set of Jacks. Butler took home $43,896 officially.
3rd Place – Lee Grove a wheat farmer from Nebraska was next cut from the chafe. Grove, who had two 4th place finishes at the World Series, and was playing in the JBWPO for the first time, collected $50,167.
The heads-up match between Johnny Landreth and Charlie Dawson lasted nearly two full hours. During the duel, neither player seemed willing to commit his stack at any time. Often, the opponent would fold whenever either player showed the least bit of aggression. The snoozefest was occasionally overshadowed by Dawson’s cheering section, made up of family and friends. The Kentucky crew did everything to encourage Dawson, even calling out the board cards at one point – which begat a rebuke from Tournament Director, David Eglseder.
Dawson enjoyed a 3 to 2 chip lead at the start, but after Landreth made a flush on one key hand, he had Dawson by 3 to 1. Half an hour later, Landreth made another flush, and the end seemed mercifully near. But Dawson, rooted on by his cheering section, staged a rally and drew back close to even. The monotony went on, and on, and on, as blinds and a few chips moved back and forth in an apparent cat and mouse game.
After a short break, the end came in bizarre fashion. Dawson tried to make a move on the pot by raising ‘all in’ with 7-3 off-suit (not exactly they type of hand one would expect to see after two hours of tedious conservatism), which was called instantly by Johnny Landreth holding Q-10 of clubs. Okay, so it was sooooted.
The final board showed Q-10-J-J-4, giving Landreth a sledgehammer of a hand over Dawson – two pair.
For second place, Dawson officially collected $90,929. Given that he agreed to a deal, this is about the same money he would have received anyway as the runner-up. Dawson, an engineer, was playing at the JBWPO for the first time. It was quite a payoff for a first-time visit.
Johnny Landreth, a retired used car dealer from Alabama, was the ‘winner.’ Afterward, as bystanders stood around anxiously anticipating even a tiny morsel of drama, it became clear there would be none. It was as though a business deal had just been consummated in a boardroom somewhere. There were no cheers. There was no confetti. There were no tears of joy or sadness. It was just business.
Final Table Started at: 4:00 pm CST
Final Table Ended at: 10:30 pm CST
Report by Nolan Dalla – JBWPO Media Director
Tournament Director – David Eglseder
Co-Tournament Director (Horseshoe) – Ken Lambert, Jr.
Co-Tournament Director (Gold Strike) – Robert McGovern
Limit TexasHold’em
Buy-In: $1,000
Number of Entries: 310
Prize Money: $283,214
Official Results:
1. Nick Yobbagy, Fort Collins, CO, $90,171 plus a seat in the $10,000 buy-in championship event
2. Hung Ly, Los Angeles, CA, 49,594
3. Gene Bowden, Yuma, AZ, 25,361
4. Norman Ketchum, Rockford, IL, 19,725
5. Minh Nguyen, Lake Elsinore, CA, 16,907
6. Sam Oliverio, Bridgeport, WV, 14,089
7. Matt Palmer, Ontario, CA, 11,271
8. Jose Rosenkrantz, San Jose, Costa Rica, 8,454
9. Matt Overstreet, Oxford, MS, 5,810
10. Ronald Leo Surenkamp, Indianapolis, IN, 3,486
11. Bruce Harris, Cordova, TN, 3,486
12. Frank Kassela, Germantown, TN, 3,486
13. Stan Kusy, Jr., Lafayette, LA, 2,905
14. Earl Holmes, Valdosta, GA, 2,905
15. Mark Bassham, Cooper, TX, 2,905
16. Sammy Nooner, Hondo, TX, 2,324
17. Janie Trevino, Corpus Christi, TX, 2,324
18. J. Benjamin, The Woodlands, TX, 2,324
19. J.C. Tran, Sacramento, CA, 1,743
20. Jimmy Tran, Las Vegas, NV, 1,743
21. Phi Nguyen, Hawaiian Gardens, CA, 1,743
22. Davood Mehrmand, Frankfurt, Germany, 1,743
23. Chris Venne, Boulder, CO, 1,743
24. Pete Ketzmer, Hernando, FL, 1,743
25. Robert Ed Leger, Houston, TX, 1,743
26. Joe Davanzo, Palm Harbor, FL, 1,743
27. Andy Wynn, New York, NY, 1,743
Persistence Pays Off:
After 20 tries and six straight years at the JBWPO, Nick Yobbagy wins first poker tournament – defeats newcomer Hung Ly in epic four-hour heads-up marathon
The game of poker can be divided into two distinct eras – before and after.
In the before era, Limit Hold’em was king. All live hold’em games were limit. Limit Hold’em tournaments attracted the largest fields and generated the vast majority of tournament circuit prize money. No-Limit was a distant second in popularity, and was non-existent as an option inside virtually all cardrooms within the United States. From Tunica to Las Vegas, it was easier to find a professional full-time keno player than to find a No-Limit Hold’em cash game.
Then came televised poker – and everything changed.
After the revolution, No-Limit Hold’em became the game. Today’s poker neophytes are drawn to No-Limit. As proof, look no further than this year’s Jack Binion World Poker Open. The first two No-Limit events at this year’s tournament – comprised mostly of new faces -- set all-time attendance records. Indeed, No-Limit games of all sizes have popped up in cardrooms from coast-to-coast – including games with tiny blind structures all the way up to the biggest games in the world. Strangely enough, Limit Hold’em now seems to be poker’s proverbial stepchild, still part of the family of course, but no longer the most desired and loved of the bunch.
The winner of Event #10 at this year’s JBWPO was a throwback to the ‘before’ era. “I learned how to play poker when everything was Limit Hold’em,” said Nick Yobbagy, a former executive with Eastman-Kodak and now a newly crowned poker champion. “The first time I played was back in 1969 at the Stardust (Las Vegas). I grew up on limit poker. I like limit poker because I can manage myself better. I know what a hand is going to cost me. So, it’s a very different game than No-Limit where one hand can cost all of your chips. In Limit poker you can take more chances.”
There were 310 entries in this event, up 18 percent over last year. Following Day One, during which 301 players were eliminated, the nine finalists took their seats at the final table. Players were eliminated in the following order:
9th Place –Matt Overstreet came to the final table lowest in chips and went out within the first ten minutes. For Overstreet, a 21-year-old college student playing in his first major poker tournament, this was quite an accomplishment. He collected $5,810 for 9th place. Someone please whisper to Overstreet that it’s not always so easy to make a final table.
8th Place – Former JBWPO bracelet winner (from 2003) Jose Rosenkrantz was eliminated next. The Costa Rican industrialist who now lives in Miami, FL received $8,454.
7th Place – Matthew Palmer was low on chips and went out in 7th place. The 26-year-old Canadian took home $11,271 for a fine effort.
6th Place – Sam Oliverio, a business owner from West Virginia went out next. On his final hand, he started with the best of it – A-Q versus A-7, but lost when Nick Yobbagy made a straight with a board of 9-8-6-9-10. Oliverio, who made the final table at the Las Vegas Bellagio’s No-Limit Hold’em event last summer, earned $14,089 in prize money.
5th Place – Minh Nguyen was certainly one of the most accomplished players of the nine finalists. Nguyen won two WSOP gold bracelets back in 2003. However, the best he could do here was 5th place. Nguyen, now living in Lake Elsinore, CA, received $16,907.
4th Place – Norm Ketchum also won a gold bracelet at the WSOP, in 2004. Ketchum, who has made many final tables (he came in second in an event here in 2000, along with 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th in various events over the years), went out at the 4th place finisher. Ketchum, from Rockford, IL, took $19,275 in prize money and is way overdue for a win at this tournament.
3rd Place – Gene Bowden, a 65-year-old business owner from Yuma City, AZ won his way into this event by winning a single-table satellite. That proved to be a wise $120 investment. The dividend was $25,361 in prize money for 3rd place.
The heads-up match between Hung Ly and Nick Yobbagy lasted four excruciating hours. There were 299 hands played in all during the six hour final table. Two thirds of them were played head’s up. The duel was interesting from several unique perspectives, not the least of which was the mutual respect by the two players for each other. As it became obvious that a victory would not be fast or easy, the players dug in and played the best poker of their lives, carefully plotting one decision at a time.
It was a contrast of players and personalities. For Yobbagy, age 62, it was finally reaching the ‘promise land’ after many years of trying and failing to make the big dance. Yobbagy has entered 20 majors by his own estimate. This was his first time ever to make a final table. By grace of the poker gods, he earned this one. Hung Ly, age 30, on the other hand was entirely new to the tournament poker scene. He was eager to test his skills and play at the highest level. The money seemed to be a secondary concern to the experience he was gaining in the heads-up match.
In fact, the two men never discussed nor made a deal. With $40,000 the difference between first and second place, one might have expected some kind of financial arrangement. But it was Ly who insisted he wanted to play the game as it should be played to the end -- for all the money, for the gold and diamond bracelet, for the $10,000 buy-in into the championship finals, and for the satisfaction of declaring a bona fide ‘victory.’ Some things have no price.
At various points during the showdown, either player could have won the title. Ly was at a disadvantage much of the way, but staged a dramatic comeback when he won a critical pot by spiking a second pair on the river. Yobbagy had Ly nearly ‘all in’ and held A-5. Ly felt pot-committed with Q-6 after the turned showed A-J-10-6. Yobbagy had top pair with Aces. Ly had bottom pair 6s, with an inside straight draw. On the final card, Ly spiked a Queen (two pair) to stay alive.
That hand ignited a see-saw battle that would continue for another two hours. At one point, Ly had Yobbagy down 4 to 1 and was close to victory. But Yobbagy scratched and clawed his way back into the chip lead and was able to inflict the knockout punch just shy of the 300th hand. With blinds and limits high enough to swing the outcome, virtually all hands were playable. Yobbagy was dealt K-9 to Ly’s 9-5. Both players made top pair when the turn brought a Nine, but in the end – Yobbagy’s King was the better kicker.
In a noble and gutsy first-time effort, Hung Ly took $49,594 as the runner up. Perhaps just as meaningful, Ly won a lot of respect and encouragement from the crowd, including the winner Yobbagy.
“Hung is a very fine player and a real gentleman,” Yobbagy said afterward. “When you sit and play with someone for so long, you learn about a person. Hung sure has a lot of character and stamina.”
The victory had special meaning to Yobbagy, not just because it was his first time to break the barrier en route to a final table, but for a much more personal reason. “My wife is having surgery later this month,” he said. “I’ve made arrangements to have my 2005 main event entry here rolled over into 2006 to be with her. She doesn’t know it yet, but this win is my gift to her.”
Indeed, some things have no price. Whether it’s Hung Ly in his uncompromising quest for first place in a poker tournament, or Nick Yobbagy being able to call his wife and say that he finally ‘did it’ after years of trying – this was truly an epic battle of two poker champions.
Final Table Started at: 4:00 pm CST
Final Table Ended at: 10:35 pm CST
Report by Nolan Dalla – JBWPO Media Director
Tournament Director – David Eglseder
Co-Tournament Director (Horseshoe) – Ken Lambert, Jr.
Co-Tournament Director (Gold Strike) – Robert McGovern
No-Limit Texas Hold’em
Buy-In: $1,000
Number of Entries: 314
Prize Money: $435,200
Official Results:
1. Ruben Ybarra, Chicago, IL, $138,647 plus a seat in the $10,000 buy-in championship event
2. Jac Arama, London, England, 76,256
3. Judge Leo Boothe, Fairriday, LA, 38,994
4. J. C. Tran, Sacramento, CA, 30,329
5. Thomas Komulainen, Iron River, MI, 25,996
6. Glyn Banks, Smithville, TN, 21,664
7. Jeff Burns, Mt. Juliet, TN, 17,331
8. Davood Mehrmand, Frankfurt, Germany, 12,998
9. Jo Handman, London, England, 8,665
10. Hilbert Shirey, Winterhaven, FL, 5,360
11. Tony Cousineau, Daytona Beach, FL, 5,360
12. Cleve Haley, Vornorny, TX, 5,360
13. Tim Moneymaker, Lubbock, TX, 4,467
14. Mark Boudewijn, Gouda, Netherlands, 4,467
15. Greg Aston, Ft. Worth, TX, 4,467
16. Bruce Van Horn, Ada, OK, 3,573
17. Adrian Swinger, Retford, England, 3,573
18. Jack Ward, Gulfport, MS, 3,573
19. Jeff Graves, Mt. Juliet, TN, 2,680
20. Roger Van Driesan, Titusville, NJ, 2,680
21. Peter Vilandos, Houston, TX, 2,680
22. Butch Wade, Knoxville, TN, 2,680
23. Matthew Dunn, Atlanta, GA, 2,680
24. Don Mullis, Mooresville, NC, 2,680
25. Vince Burgio, West Hills, CA, 2,680
26. Andrew Dakcski, Akron, OH, 2,680
27. Kevin Bott, Brexburo, ID, 2,680
Déjà vu All Over Again:
Ruben Ybarra Wins First Poker Tournament – Chicago poker player overcomes big chip disadvantage late, tops UK-champ Jac Arama in heads-up play for $138,647 prize
History has a strange way of repeating itself. The $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2005 Jack Binion World Poker Open featured yet another stunning comeback victory and a breakthrough win for a new poker champion. Ruben Ybarra, a 36-year-old mortgage broker from Chicago, IL made his first final table ever after more than 20 tries. He ended up with first-place prize money of $138,647, the coveted gold and diamond bracelet, and an entry into the $10,000 championship event. He did it the hard way.
Consider the hand he won early on Day One, way prior to making it to the final table: With 200 players remaining, Ybarra started with pocket Aces, made a pre-flop raise, and was inexplicably called by a player holding 2-3. A deuce came on the flop, and Ybarra bet out. The opponent called. The turn brought another deuce, and Ybarra made a bet and was check-raised ‘all in.” He called. The river brought a beautiful Ace.
“If I wouldn’t have caught that Ace yesterday, I wouldn’t even be here,” Ybarra said. That turned out to be the biggest hand of Ybarra’s life.
The lifesaver of a card propelled Ybarra all the way to the final table, as he entered Day Two as the chip leader. The nine finalists took their seats and were eliminated in the following order:
9th Place – Jo Handman was the third woman to make it to a final table at this year’s tournament (Maria Stern and Tracey Phan were the others). Handman, from London, England was making her first visit to the JBWPO. She busted out early with A-2 against J.C. Tran’s A-A and collected $8,665 for 9th place.
8th Place – This was Iranian-born Davood Mehrmand’s second trip to the final table this year. He finished 4th in the $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event (against 869 entries) – proving that this 38-year-old man knows how to play tournament hold’em. Mehrmand, who now lives in Frankfurt, Germany lost most of his chips holding pocket 10s when Glyn Banks was ‘all in’ with pocket 5s and spiked a Five. Mehrmand was eliminated a short time later and received $12,998 in prize money.
7th Place – Just about everything went wrong for Jeff Burns at this final table. He arrived second in chips but was never able to generate any momentum in his hour-long stay in the finale. Burns was torched holding A-K on his final hand, and lost to pocket 5s. Nevertheless, Burns – who won his way into this event by wining a $220 single-table satellite – took home $17,331 for 7th place, which was a nice return on his investment.
6th Place – Glyn “Ratchet” Banks has enjoyed some success at this tournament. He’s made two WPO finals tables in the past, and has an impressive record of satellite wins. “Ratchet” arrived lowest in chips and moved up the prize money ladder until he got hammered on his final hand when J.C. Tran caught a miracle card on the river to make a set of 8s. Ratchet received $21,664 for 6th place.
5th Place – Thomas Komulainen, a logging contractor from Michigan, ran into a buzz saw on his final hand when he lost to a full house. Komulainen took 5th place, good for $25,996.
4th Place – J.C. Tran made the biggest move of the day – inching up from 8th place in chips at the start to a 4th-place finish. Tran was eliminated in one of the key hands of the tournament (see details below). Tran, a Sacramento poker-pro who made 13 final tables in 2004 on the tournament circuit, received $30,329 for 4th place.
3rd Place – “Judge” Leo Boothe was eliminated on the same hand with Tran (see details below). The former Louisiana judge, who won the $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event here in 2003, had his motion to stay at the final table overruled. He collected $38,994.
One of the key hands of the tournament took place when J.C Tran was short-stacked and made a raise with K-8, trying to take the blinds. Judge Leo Boothe called with 8-8. Jac Arama looked down and saw pocket Aces. Arama moved ‘all in,’ and Boothe reluctantly called. In the three-way pot, the final board showed A-Q-5-10-5, giving Arama a full house, Aces full of Fives. Tran busted out 4th, and Boothe finished 3rd, due to his larger stack size.
When heads-up play began, Ruben Ybarra had a slight 4 to 3 chip lead over the 2003 British Poker Champion Jac Arama. Then, the real drama began. In one of the most exciting 20 minutes of any tournament this year, Ybarra lost nearly all of his chips on one hand -- then made a stunning comeback. What made the event more thrilling was Jac Arama’s rowdy cheering section, comprised mostly of English poker players, and Arama’s own vocal gyrations of Austin Powers’ “Yeah, Baby!” whenever he won a big pot.
Ybarra lost most of his stack with A-J when he got into a pre-flop raising war at the worst possible time. Arama was ‘all in” with K-K. Ybarra failed to catch an Ace, and Arama was on the verge of winning his first American title. “Yeah, Baby!”
One of the funniest railbird comments ever followed. Brit Gary Jones, who had been in an identical spot four days earlier, was standing amongst the boisterous crowd. Seeing his fellow-countryman with a huge chip lead, Jones barked out, “Finish him off Jac – only an idiot would lose with a chip lead like that” – an ‘inside’ joke referring to the fact that Jones himself astoundingly lost an 87 to 1 chip advantage in a previous event, effectively earning the booby prize as the biggest choke job in poker history.
Little did anyone know at the time how prophetic Jones’ words would become.
Ybarra was ‘all in’ on the next hand with his last 39,000, and won. Next, he won two more big pots, stole the blinds a few times, and was soon back up to 180,000 in chips. A few minutes later, the final hand was dealt. It was a stunner.
Before the flop, Arama made a standard triple-the-big-blind raise. Ybarra tried to make a move at the pot by re-raising ‘all-in’ with A-3. Arama called instantly, holding 7-7. The flop came K-J-4, giving Arama the lead. A Deuce on the turn gave Ybarra extra outs, with an inside straight draw. Then, a mind-blowing card fell on the river – a Five.
At first, Arama thought he had won the tournament and shouted out, “Yeah, Baby!” But Ybarra had caught onto the fact that the Five on the end had completed a runner-runner straight. While Arama was desperately looking for someone to ‘high-five,’ Ybarra was getting handshakes and pats on the back. Arama was shocked and stunned and in a state of utter disbelief – after all it was a $62,000 leap in prize money. For a moment, it was like England had just lost the World Cup finals to the French. Dead silence. The English contingent wallowed away, with Gary Jones’ previous comments clearly on their minds. Jac Arama received $76,256 as the runner up.
When asked about his good fortune on the final hand, Ybarra said: “There are times when you have to just play. I sometimes get bogged down by the odds, but to win you really just have to figure out who you are up against, devise a counterstrategy, and play. At the beginning of a tournament, the odds and the math is more important. But later on, you have to make moves.”
Yeah, baby.
Final Table Started at: 4:00 pm CST
Final Table Ended at: 8:50 pm CST
Report by Nolan Dalla – JBWPO Media Director
Tournament Director – David Eglseder
Co-Tournament Director (Horseshoe) – Ken Lambert, Jr.
Co-Tournament Director (Gold Strike) – Robert McGovern
No-Limit Texas Hold’em
Buy-In: $2000 + $90
Number of Entries: 125
Prize Money: $250,000
Official Results:
Alan Schein, N. Miami, Fl. $90,000
Jon Finkel, N.Y., N.Y. $50,000
Adam Green, Reston, Va. $27,500
Chris J. Reslock, Atlantic City, N.J. $20,000
Frank Giaramida, N. Massapequa, N.Y. $17,500
Brian S. Mogelefsky, Huntington, N.Y. $15,000
James Keller, Fayetteville, N.C. $12,500
John F. Brown, Lake Grove, N.Y. $10,000
Allen Cunningham, Ventura, Ca. $7,500
Final Table Started at: 4:00pm EST
Final Table Ended at: 9:30pm EST
Tournament Report by Nolan Dalla
Tournament Directors – Ken Lambert and Johnny Grooms
Limit Texas Hold’em
Buy-In: $2000 + $90
Number of Entries: 51
Prize Money: $102,000
Official Results:
John Spadavecchia, Lighthouse Pt., Fla. $36,720
Martin Julius, Hassleholr, Sweden $20,400
Alexandra Vuong, Rancho Verdi, Ca. $11,220
Nikolaos Frangos, White Plains, N.Y. $8,160
David Chiv, Rowland Hts, Ca. $7,140
Ted Forest, Las Vegas, NV, $6,120
Robert Mackie, Staten Island, N.Y. $5,100
Anthony DeAngelo, Sewell, N.J. $4,080
Daniel Shak, Rosemont, Pa. $3,060
Final Table Started at: 4:00pm EST
Final Table Ended at: 11:30pm EST
Tournament Report by Nolan Dalla
Tournament Directors – Ken Lambert and Johnny Grooms
No-Limit Texas Hold’em (Ladies)
Buy-In: $200 + $30
Number of Entries: 168
Prize Money: $33,600
Official Results:
Esther Ludwig, Edison, N.J., $11,088
Kathleen Liebert, Las Vegas, NV., $6,115
GiGi Dong, Westminster, Ca., $3,360
Kathleen Hartman, Moncks Corner, S.C., $2,688
Gina Saladino, Fairview Village, Pa., $2,016
Pat Galasso, Ridgewood, N.J., $1,680
Terry Smith, Laurel, MD., $1,344
Bonnie Kornstein, Wyncote, Pa., $1,008
Kathryn Dowling Newark, De., $672
Sumontha Evans, Wilmington, De., $470
Kelly Voci, Mays Landing, N.J., $470
Taacey Strasky, Voorhees, N.J., $470
Gloria Lorusso, Staten Island, $403
Allyn Jaffrey, Luguna Niguel, Ca., $403
Melinda Flythe, Fayetteville Pa., $403
Chantell Laskoskie, Hamburg Pa., $336
Susan Sherman, Troy N.Y., $336
Sylvia McNamara, White Plains, N.Y., $306
Final Table Started at: 12:00pm EST
Final Table Ended at: 9:00pm EST
Tournament Report by Nolan Dalla
Tournament Directors – Ken Lambert and Johnny Grooms
No-Limit Texas Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 +$60
Number of Entries: 172
Prize Money: $86,000
Official Results:
Brad Pierce, Newark, De. $28,380
Judith Frame, Cape May Ct. Hs. $15,652
Noam Freedman, Cambridge, Ma. $8,600
Jack Hirschman, Jericho, N.Y. 6,880
Mark A. Weber, Sicklerville, N.J. $5,160
Sanjay Pandya Smithville, N.J. $4,300
Richard Wampler, Charlottesville, Va. $3,440
Troy Lambe, Jackson, N.J. $2,580
Stephen Delvecchio, Baltimore, MD. $1,720
10. Michael Fontan, Parsippany, N.J. $1,204
11. Jason Calnan, Revere, Ma. $1,204
12. Norris Sydnor, Mitchellville, Md. $1,204
13. Thomas Clark, Brooklyn, N.Y. $1,032
14. Marc Schubbe, Minnetrista, Mn. $1,032
15. William Baxter, Las Vegas, Nv. $1,032
16. James Peera, Washington, D.C. $860.00
17. Allyn Jaffrey, Laguna Niguel, Ca. $860.00
18. Joseph Pecoraro, Bayville, N.Y. $860.00
Final Table Started at: 4:00pm EST
Final Table Ended at: 11:45pm EST
Tournament Report by Nolan Dalla
Tournament Directors – Ken Lambert and Johnny Grooms
Jack Binion World Poker Open - Event 9
No-Limit TexasHold’em
Buy-In: $1,000
Number of Entries: 677
Prize Money: $630,818
Official Results:
1. Johnny Landreth, Lanett, AL, $175,597 plus a seat in the $10,000 buy-in championship event
2. Charlie Dawson, Lexington, KY, 90,929
3. Lee Grove, Superior, NE, 50,167
4. Larry Butler, Colorado Springs, CO, 43,896
5. Tracey Phan, Los Angeles, CA, 37,625
6. Karl Limbert, Margate, UK, 31,355
7. Vince Byrd, Dayton, TN, 25,084
8. Steve Hohn, Overland Park, KS, 18,813
9. Gio Rocca, Toronto, Canada, 12,542
10. Edward Moncada, Oakland, CA, 6,898
11. Scott Loye, Weatherford, TX, 6,898
12. Michael John Dean, Dunedin, FL, 6,868
13. Phil Johnson, Atlanta, GA, 5,818
14. Michael Johnson, Charleston, IL, 5,818
15. Mark Seif, Incline Village, NV, 5,818
16. Rob Hollink, Groningen, Netherlands, 4,525
17. Brian Owens, Lexington, KY, 4,525
18. David Randall, Tucker, GA, 4,525
19. Fred Brown, Howell, MI, 3,232
20. Guillermo Ruz, Tampa, FL, 3,232
21. Mike Pruett, Carrollton, GA, 3,232
22. Bill Seber, Houston, TX, 3,232
23. Charles Blair, Hodgenville, KY, 3,232
24. J.C. Tran, Sacramento, CA, 3,232
25. Richard Cohen, Cincinnati, OH, 3,232
26. Bill Eichel, Parker, SD, 3,232
27. Gino Sabella, New Bern, NC, 3,232
28. Dennis Waterman, Myrtle Point, OR, 2,263
29. Mousey Davis, Houston, TX, 2,263
30. Parviz Amleshi, St. Louis, MO, 2,263
31. Eric Seiler, St. Louis, MO, 2.263
32. Jo Jo Trevino, Corpus Christi, TX, 2,263
33. Jo Handman, London, England, 2,263
34. Chris Hunt, Paris, KY, 2,263
35. Buster Jackson, Elm City, NC, 2,263
36. Andy ‘Turtle’ Pachman, Atlanta, GA, 2.263
37. Earl Holmes, Valdosta, CA, 1,939
38. John De Francis, Kendall Park, NJ, 1,939
39. Paul Fehlig, St. Louis, MO, 1,939
40. Roy Swindle, Valdosta, GA, 1,939
41. Sonny Perry, 1,939
42. Louis Adat, 1,939
43. Joey Ganim, 1,939
44. Jeff Gibralter, 1,939
45. Carlos Fuentes, 1,939
46. Shamill Kostashuk, 1,616
47. William Banks, 1,616
48. Phillip Hernke, 1,616
49. Dan Delnoce, 1,616
50. Jerry Zehr, 1,616
51. Chris Grigorian, 1,616
52. Glen Bean, 1,616
53. Richard Abrell, 1,616
54. Thomas Stinson, 1,616
55. Jack Markowitz, 1,293
56. Don Sekorky, 1,293
57. Wilson Carnes, 1,293
58. Don McCarthy, 1,293
59. Dayne Baverman, 1,293
60. Steve Hobbs, 1,293
61. Pete Cikesh, 1,293
62. Andy Fine, 1,293
63. Phi Nguyen, 1,293
‘Paint Drying Contest’ won by Johnny Landreth:
Alabaman Makes Deal with Opponents, then Wins Bracelet
On the broad spectrum of poker tournament final tables, there are ‘legendary’ clashes such as the Chan-Seidel rematch at the 2001 World Series of Poker. There are ‘great’ final tables, such as Sirous Baghchehsaraie’s stunning comeback win after being down 87 to 1 against Scott Fischman at this year’s JBWPO. There are ‘good’ final tables, such as gadfly Avner Levy’s victory over Maria Stern here last week. There are ‘average’ final tables – which constitute many of the mid-level events. And occasionally, there are lackluster final tables, which happen every so often. Then -- there is Event #9, the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event at this year’s Jack Binion World Poker Open – which stands alone in the colorful kaleidoscope that is the poker world.
To say that this final table lacked drama would be a gross understatement. There were few big hands, no turning points, no amazing comebacks, nor lively banter that normally characterizes just about every tournament finale. It wasn’t necessarily the players’ fault. They played well, and deserved to be here, having topped a very tough field of 677 entrants. Most of them were relative newcomers to the final table experience, having never played for these stakes before. It certainly wasn’t the fact that the stakes were below par – this event awarded the third-highest prize money pool so far this year, including a whopping $175,597 for first place. Fact was -- the final table was so utterly without drama that the sparse crowd gradually got fed up with the match, especially when play became short-handed, and drifted off to watch the NFL playoffs on television or play in live games.
It all comes down to deals and dealmaking. When play became four handed, the remaining players cut a deal. They reportedly took $90,000 and change each. Such is the case with poker tournaments, where as long as the prize money is being put up exclusively by the players, they have the right (in most cases) to cut up the loot as they wish, whenever they want. We can debate the practice of dealmaking, and whether it’s good or bad for poker. Or, we can simply say that deals are a part of the game and acknowledge the fact. They happen.
Following Day One, during which 668 players were eliminated, the nine finalists took their seats at the final table. Thereafter, players were eliminated in the following order:
9th Place – Giovanni Rocca, from Toronto, Canada, arrived lowest in chips. He flopped a flush draw with K-Q of clubs, but missed on the final two cards and lost to Lee Grove’s pocket Kings. Rocca, who won a poker tournament at St. Ignace, last year, added $12,542 to his poker bankroll.
8th Place – Steve Hohn was second lowest in chips, and par for the course, he went out next. The Overland Park, KS-based poker player, who has won major tournaments at the Commerce Casino in the past, and finished in the top spots at World Series events in recent years, played his last hand with A-J, which lost to Charlie Dawson’s Q-Q. A Queen fell on the turn, for overkill, eliminating Hohn. He received $18,813.
7th Place – Vince Byrd, a Supervisor for the LA-Z-BOY chair company (man, couldn’t we have used some of his products at this final table), went out next with A-Q against Karl Limbert’s 9-9. The pocket Nines held up, and Bryd had to recline from his chair in 7th place, good for $25,084.
6th Place – After doubling up ‘all in’ with pocket Aces early, Karl Limbert went out with J-J against Johnny Landreth’s A-Q, when two queens came on board. Limbert, a UK bookmaker (it’s allowed by law there, folks), booked a nice payday -- $31,355.
5th Place – Tracey Phan, a Long Beach, CA poker player who finished third in the women’s event at the 2004 World Series of Poker, moved ‘all in’ hoping to steal the blinds with A-J. Lee Grove had Q-Q. Phan baited Grove into calling, by saying “please call – I want you to call.” Grove was only too happy to call with the pocket queens which held up and eliminated Phan. Phan, who stated her goal is to be “the first and youngest Vietnamese lady to win the poker world championship,” received $37,625 for fifth place.
4th Place – After the four finalists made a deal, Larry Butler, who has finished in the money multiple times at the JBWPO in the past, took a tough beat when his top pair of Aces lost to a set. Charlie Dawson flopped a set of Threes, which ripped most of the chips out of Butler’s stack. Butler, a trauma surgeon, was now on life support. A few hands later, Johnny Landreth flat-lined Butler with a set of Jacks. Butler took home $43,896 officially.
3rd Place – Lee Grove a wheat farmer from Nebraska was next cut from the chafe. Grove, who had two 4th place finishes at the World Series, and was playing in the JBWPO for the first time, collected $50,167.
The heads-up match between Johnny Landreth and Charlie Dawson lasted nearly two full hours. During the duel, neither player seemed willing to commit his stack at any time. Often, the opponent would fold whenever either player showed the least bit of aggression. The snoozefest was occasionally overshadowed by Dawson’s cheering section, made up of family and friends. The Kentucky crew did everything to encourage Dawson, even calling out the board cards at one point – which begat a rebuke from Tournament Director, David Eglseder.
Dawson enjoyed a 3 to 2 chip lead at the start, but after Landreth made a flush on one key hand, he had Dawson by 3 to 1. Half an hour later, Landreth made another flush, and the end seemed mercifully near. But Dawson, rooted on by his cheering section, staged a rally and drew back close to even. The monotony went on, and on, and on, as blinds and a few chips moved back and forth in an apparent cat and mouse game.
After a short break, the end came in bizarre fashion. Dawson tried to make a move on the pot by raising ‘all in’ with 7-3 off-suit (not exactly they type of hand one would expect to see after two hours of tedious conservatism), which was called instantly by Johnny Landreth holding Q-10 of clubs. Okay, so it was sooooted.
The final board showed Q-10-J-J-4, giving Landreth a sledgehammer of a hand over Dawson – two pair.
For second place, Dawson officially collected $90,929. Given that he agreed to a deal, this is about the same money he would have received anyway as the runner-up. Dawson, an engineer, was playing at the JBWPO for the first time. It was quite a payoff for a first-time visit.
Johnny Landreth, a retired used car dealer from Alabama, was the ‘winner.’ Afterward, as bystanders stood around anxiously anticipating even a tiny morsel of drama, it became clear there would be none. It was as though a business deal had just been consummated in a boardroom somewhere. There were no cheers. There was no confetti. There were no tears of joy or sadness. It was just business.
Final Table Started at: 4:00 pm CST
Final Table Ended at: 10:30 pm CST
Report by Nolan Dalla – JBWPO Media Director
Tournament Director – David Eglseder
Co-Tournament Director (Horseshoe) – Ken Lambert, Jr.
Co-Tournament Director (Gold Strike) – Robert McGovern
Jack Binion World Poker Open - Event 10
Limit TexasHold’em
Buy-In: $1,000
Number of Entries: 310
Prize Money: $283,214
Official Results:
1. Nick Yobbagy, Fort Collins, CO, $90,171 plus a seat in the $10,000 buy-in championship event
2. Hung Ly, Los Angeles, CA, 49,594
3. Gene Bowden, Yuma, AZ, 25,361
4. Norman Ketchum, Rockford, IL, 19,725
5. Minh Nguyen, Lake Elsinore, CA, 16,907
6. Sam Oliverio, Bridgeport, WV, 14,089
7. Matt Palmer, Ontario, CA, 11,271
8. Jose Rosenkrantz, San Jose, Costa Rica, 8,454
9. Matt Overstreet, Oxford, MS, 5,810
10. Ronald Leo Surenkamp, Indianapolis, IN, 3,486
11. Bruce Harris, Cordova, TN, 3,486
12. Frank Kassela, Germantown, TN, 3,486
13. Stan Kusy, Jr., Lafayette, LA, 2,905
14. Earl Holmes, Valdosta, GA, 2,905
15. Mark Bassham, Cooper, TX, 2,905
16. Sammy Nooner, Hondo, TX, 2,324
17. Janie Trevino, Corpus Christi, TX, 2,324
18. J. Benjamin, The Woodlands, TX, 2,324
19. J.C. Tran, Sacramento, CA, 1,743
20. Jimmy Tran, Las Vegas, NV, 1,743
21. Phi Nguyen, Hawaiian Gardens, CA, 1,743
22. Davood Mehrmand, Frankfurt, Germany, 1,743
23. Chris Venne, Boulder, CO, 1,743
24. Pete Ketzmer, Hernando, FL, 1,743
25. Robert Ed Leger, Houston, TX, 1,743
26. Joe Davanzo, Palm Harbor, FL, 1,743
27. Andy Wynn, New York, NY, 1,743
Persistence Pays Off:
After 20 tries and six straight years at the JBWPO, Nick Yobbagy wins first poker tournament – defeats newcomer Hung Ly in epic four-hour heads-up marathon
The game of poker can be divided into two distinct eras – before and after.
In the before era, Limit Hold’em was king. All live hold’em games were limit. Limit Hold’em tournaments attracted the largest fields and generated the vast majority of tournament circuit prize money. No-Limit was a distant second in popularity, and was non-existent as an option inside virtually all cardrooms within the United States. From Tunica to Las Vegas, it was easier to find a professional full-time keno player than to find a No-Limit Hold’em cash game.
Then came televised poker – and everything changed.
After the revolution, No-Limit Hold’em became the game. Today’s poker neophytes are drawn to No-Limit. As proof, look no further than this year’s Jack Binion World Poker Open. The first two No-Limit events at this year’s tournament – comprised mostly of new faces -- set all-time attendance records. Indeed, No-Limit games of all sizes have popped up in cardrooms from coast-to-coast – including games with tiny blind structures all the way up to the biggest games in the world. Strangely enough, Limit Hold’em now seems to be poker’s proverbial stepchild, still part of the family of course, but no longer the most desired and loved of the bunch.
The winner of Event #10 at this year’s JBWPO was a throwback to the ‘before’ era. “I learned how to play poker when everything was Limit Hold’em,” said Nick Yobbagy, a former executive with Eastman-Kodak and now a newly crowned poker champion. “The first time I played was back in 1969 at the Stardust (Las Vegas). I grew up on limit poker. I like limit poker because I can manage myself better. I know what a hand is going to cost me. So, it’s a very different game than No-Limit where one hand can cost all of your chips. In Limit poker you can take more chances.”
There were 310 entries in this event, up 18 percent over last year. Following Day One, during which 301 players were eliminated, the nine finalists took their seats at the final table. Players were eliminated in the following order:
9th Place –Matt Overstreet came to the final table lowest in chips and went out within the first ten minutes. For Overstreet, a 21-year-old college student playing in his first major poker tournament, this was quite an accomplishment. He collected $5,810 for 9th place. Someone please whisper to Overstreet that it’s not always so easy to make a final table.
8th Place – Former JBWPO bracelet winner (from 2003) Jose Rosenkrantz was eliminated next. The Costa Rican industrialist who now lives in Miami, FL received $8,454.
7th Place – Matthew Palmer was low on chips and went out in 7th place. The 26-year-old Canadian took home $11,271 for a fine effort.
6th Place – Sam Oliverio, a business owner from West Virginia went out next. On his final hand, he started with the best of it – A-Q versus A-7, but lost when Nick Yobbagy made a straight with a board of 9-8-6-9-10. Oliverio, who made the final table at the Las Vegas Bellagio’s No-Limit Hold’em event last summer, earned $14,089 in prize money.
5th Place – Minh Nguyen was certainly one of the most accomplished players of the nine finalists. Nguyen won two WSOP gold bracelets back in 2003. However, the best he could do here was 5th place. Nguyen, now living in Lake Elsinore, CA, received $16,907.
4th Place – Norm Ketchum also won a gold bracelet at the WSOP, in 2004. Ketchum, who has made many final tables (he came in second in an event here in 2000, along with 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th in various events over the years), went out at the 4th place finisher. Ketchum, from Rockford, IL, took $19,275 in prize money and is way overdue for a win at this tournament.
3rd Place – Gene Bowden, a 65-year-old business owner from Yuma City, AZ won his way into this event by winning a single-table satellite. That proved to be a wise $120 investment. The dividend was $25,361 in prize money for 3rd place.
The heads-up match between Hung Ly and Nick Yobbagy lasted four excruciating hours. There were 299 hands played in all during the six hour final table. Two thirds of them were played head’s up. The duel was interesting from several unique perspectives, not the least of which was the mutual respect by the two players for each other. As it became obvious that a victory would not be fast or easy, the players dug in and played the best poker of their lives, carefully plotting one decision at a time.
It was a contrast of players and personalities. For Yobbagy, age 62, it was finally reaching the ‘promise land’ after many years of trying and failing to make the big dance. Yobbagy has entered 20 majors by his own estimate. This was his first time ever to make a final table. By grace of the poker gods, he earned this one. Hung Ly, age 30, on the other hand was entirely new to the tournament poker scene. He was eager to test his skills and play at the highest level. The money seemed to be a secondary concern to the experience he was gaining in the heads-up match.
In fact, the two men never discussed nor made a deal. With $40,000 the difference between first and second place, one might have expected some kind of financial arrangement. But it was Ly who insisted he wanted to play the game as it should be played to the end -- for all the money, for the gold and diamond bracelet, for the $10,000 buy-in into the championship finals, and for the satisfaction of declaring a bona fide ‘victory.’ Some things have no price.
At various points during the showdown, either player could have won the title. Ly was at a disadvantage much of the way, but staged a dramatic comeback when he won a critical pot by spiking a second pair on the river. Yobbagy had Ly nearly ‘all in’ and held A-5. Ly felt pot-committed with Q-6 after the turned showed A-J-10-6. Yobbagy had top pair with Aces. Ly had bottom pair 6s, with an inside straight draw. On the final card, Ly spiked a Queen (two pair) to stay alive.
That hand ignited a see-saw battle that would continue for another two hours. At one point, Ly had Yobbagy down 4 to 1 and was close to victory. But Yobbagy scratched and clawed his way back into the chip lead and was able to inflict the knockout punch just shy of the 300th hand. With blinds and limits high enough to swing the outcome, virtually all hands were playable. Yobbagy was dealt K-9 to Ly’s 9-5. Both players made top pair when the turn brought a Nine, but in the end – Yobbagy’s King was the better kicker.
In a noble and gutsy first-time effort, Hung Ly took $49,594 as the runner up. Perhaps just as meaningful, Ly won a lot of respect and encouragement from the crowd, including the winner Yobbagy.
“Hung is a very fine player and a real gentleman,” Yobbagy said afterward. “When you sit and play with someone for so long, you learn about a person. Hung sure has a lot of character and stamina.”
The victory had special meaning to Yobbagy, not just because it was his first time to break the barrier en route to a final table, but for a much more personal reason. “My wife is having surgery later this month,” he said. “I’ve made arrangements to have my 2005 main event entry here rolled over into 2006 to be with her. She doesn’t know it yet, but this win is my gift to her.”
Indeed, some things have no price. Whether it’s Hung Ly in his uncompromising quest for first place in a poker tournament, or Nick Yobbagy being able to call his wife and say that he finally ‘did it’ after years of trying – this was truly an epic battle of two poker champions.
Final Table Started at: 4:00 pm CST
Final Table Ended at: 10:35 pm CST
Report by Nolan Dalla – JBWPO Media Director
Tournament Director – David Eglseder
Co-Tournament Director (Horseshoe) – Ken Lambert, Jr.
Co-Tournament Director (Gold Strike) – Robert McGovern
Jack Binion World Poker Open - Event 11
No-Limit Texas Hold’em
Buy-In: $1,000
Number of Entries: 314
Prize Money: $435,200
Official Results:
1. Ruben Ybarra, Chicago, IL, $138,647 plus a seat in the $10,000 buy-in championship event
2. Jac Arama, London, England, 76,256
3. Judge Leo Boothe, Fairriday, LA, 38,994
4. J. C. Tran, Sacramento, CA, 30,329
5. Thomas Komulainen, Iron River, MI, 25,996
6. Glyn Banks, Smithville, TN, 21,664
7. Jeff Burns, Mt. Juliet, TN, 17,331
8. Davood Mehrmand, Frankfurt, Germany, 12,998
9. Jo Handman, London, England, 8,665
10. Hilbert Shirey, Winterhaven, FL, 5,360
11. Tony Cousineau, Daytona Beach, FL, 5,360
12. Cleve Haley, Vornorny, TX, 5,360
13. Tim Moneymaker, Lubbock, TX, 4,467
14. Mark Boudewijn, Gouda, Netherlands, 4,467
15. Greg Aston, Ft. Worth, TX, 4,467
16. Bruce Van Horn, Ada, OK, 3,573
17. Adrian Swinger, Retford, England, 3,573
18. Jack Ward, Gulfport, MS, 3,573
19. Jeff Graves, Mt. Juliet, TN, 2,680
20. Roger Van Driesan, Titusville, NJ, 2,680
21. Peter Vilandos, Houston, TX, 2,680
22. Butch Wade, Knoxville, TN, 2,680
23. Matthew Dunn, Atlanta, GA, 2,680
24. Don Mullis, Mooresville, NC, 2,680
25. Vince Burgio, West Hills, CA, 2,680
26. Andrew Dakcski, Akron, OH, 2,680
27. Kevin Bott, Brexburo, ID, 2,680
Déjà vu All Over Again:
Ruben Ybarra Wins First Poker Tournament – Chicago poker player overcomes big chip disadvantage late, tops UK-champ Jac Arama in heads-up play for $138,647 prize
History has a strange way of repeating itself. The $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2005 Jack Binion World Poker Open featured yet another stunning comeback victory and a breakthrough win for a new poker champion. Ruben Ybarra, a 36-year-old mortgage broker from Chicago, IL made his first final table ever after more than 20 tries. He ended up with first-place prize money of $138,647, the coveted gold and diamond bracelet, and an entry into the $10,000 championship event. He did it the hard way.
Consider the hand he won early on Day One, way prior to making it to the final table: With 200 players remaining, Ybarra started with pocket Aces, made a pre-flop raise, and was inexplicably called by a player holding 2-3. A deuce came on the flop, and Ybarra bet out. The opponent called. The turn brought another deuce, and Ybarra made a bet and was check-raised ‘all in.” He called. The river brought a beautiful Ace.
“If I wouldn’t have caught that Ace yesterday, I wouldn’t even be here,” Ybarra said. That turned out to be the biggest hand of Ybarra’s life.
The lifesaver of a card propelled Ybarra all the way to the final table, as he entered Day Two as the chip leader. The nine finalists took their seats and were eliminated in the following order:
9th Place – Jo Handman was the third woman to make it to a final table at this year’s tournament (Maria Stern and Tracey Phan were the others). Handman, from London, England was making her first visit to the JBWPO. She busted out early with A-2 against J.C. Tran’s A-A and collected $8,665 for 9th place.
8th Place – This was Iranian-born Davood Mehrmand’s second trip to the final table this year. He finished 4th in the $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event (against 869 entries) – proving that this 38-year-old man knows how to play tournament hold’em. Mehrmand, who now lives in Frankfurt, Germany lost most of his chips holding pocket 10s when Glyn Banks was ‘all in’ with pocket 5s and spiked a Five. Mehrmand was eliminated a short time later and received $12,998 in prize money.
7th Place – Just about everything went wrong for Jeff Burns at this final table. He arrived second in chips but was never able to generate any momentum in his hour-long stay in the finale. Burns was torched holding A-K on his final hand, and lost to pocket 5s. Nevertheless, Burns – who won his way into this event by wining a $220 single-table satellite – took home $17,331 for 7th place, which was a nice return on his investment.
6th Place – Glyn “Ratchet” Banks has enjoyed some success at this tournament. He’s made two WPO finals tables in the past, and has an impressive record of satellite wins. “Ratchet” arrived lowest in chips and moved up the prize money ladder until he got hammered on his final hand when J.C. Tran caught a miracle card on the river to make a set of 8s. Ratchet received $21,664 for 6th place.
5th Place – Thomas Komulainen, a logging contractor from Michigan, ran into a buzz saw on his final hand when he lost to a full house. Komulainen took 5th place, good for $25,996.
4th Place – J.C. Tran made the biggest move of the day – inching up from 8th place in chips at the start to a 4th-place finish. Tran was eliminated in one of the key hands of the tournament (see details below). Tran, a Sacramento poker-pro who made 13 final tables in 2004 on the tournament circuit, received $30,329 for 4th place.
3rd Place – “Judge” Leo Boothe was eliminated on the same hand with Tran (see details below). The former Louisiana judge, who won the $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event here in 2003, had his motion to stay at the final table overruled. He collected $38,994.
One of the key hands of the tournament took place when J.C Tran was short-stacked and made a raise with K-8, trying to take the blinds. Judge Leo Boothe called with 8-8. Jac Arama looked down and saw pocket Aces. Arama moved ‘all in,’ and Boothe reluctantly called. In the three-way pot, the final board showed A-Q-5-10-5, giving Arama a full house, Aces full of Fives. Tran busted out 4th, and Boothe finished 3rd, due to his larger stack size.
When heads-up play began, Ruben Ybarra had a slight 4 to 3 chip lead over the 2003 British Poker Champion Jac Arama. Then, the real drama began. In one of the most exciting 20 minutes of any tournament this year, Ybarra lost nearly all of his chips on one hand -- then made a stunning comeback. What made the event more thrilling was Jac Arama’s rowdy cheering section, comprised mostly of English poker players, and Arama’s own vocal gyrations of Austin Powers’ “Yeah, Baby!” whenever he won a big pot.
Ybarra lost most of his stack with A-J when he got into a pre-flop raising war at the worst possible time. Arama was ‘all in” with K-K. Ybarra failed to catch an Ace, and Arama was on the verge of winning his first American title. “Yeah, Baby!”
One of the funniest railbird comments ever followed. Brit Gary Jones, who had been in an identical spot four days earlier, was standing amongst the boisterous crowd. Seeing his fellow-countryman with a huge chip lead, Jones barked out, “Finish him off Jac – only an idiot would lose with a chip lead like that” – an ‘inside’ joke referring to the fact that Jones himself astoundingly lost an 87 to 1 chip advantage in a previous event, effectively earning the booby prize as the biggest choke job in poker history.
Little did anyone know at the time how prophetic Jones’ words would become.
Ybarra was ‘all in’ on the next hand with his last 39,000, and won. Next, he won two more big pots, stole the blinds a few times, and was soon back up to 180,000 in chips. A few minutes later, the final hand was dealt. It was a stunner.
Before the flop, Arama made a standard triple-the-big-blind raise. Ybarra tried to make a move at the pot by re-raising ‘all-in’ with A-3. Arama called instantly, holding 7-7. The flop came K-J-4, giving Arama the lead. A Deuce on the turn gave Ybarra extra outs, with an inside straight draw. Then, a mind-blowing card fell on the river – a Five.
At first, Arama thought he had won the tournament and shouted out, “Yeah, Baby!” But Ybarra had caught onto the fact that the Five on the end had completed a runner-runner straight. While Arama was desperately looking for someone to ‘high-five,’ Ybarra was getting handshakes and pats on the back. Arama was shocked and stunned and in a state of utter disbelief – after all it was a $62,000 leap in prize money. For a moment, it was like England had just lost the World Cup finals to the French. Dead silence. The English contingent wallowed away, with Gary Jones’ previous comments clearly on their minds. Jac Arama received $76,256 as the runner up.
When asked about his good fortune on the final hand, Ybarra said: “There are times when you have to just play. I sometimes get bogged down by the odds, but to win you really just have to figure out who you are up against, devise a counterstrategy, and play. At the beginning of a tournament, the odds and the math is more important. But later on, you have to make moves.”
Yeah, baby.
Final Table Started at: 4:00 pm CST
Final Table Ended at: 8:50 pm CST
Report by Nolan Dalla – JBWPO Media Director
Tournament Director – David Eglseder
Co-Tournament Director (Horseshoe) – Ken Lambert, Jr.
Co-Tournament Director (Gold Strike) – Robert McGovern
WSOP Circuit Atlantic City - Event 7
No-Limit Texas Hold’em
Buy-In: $2000 + $90
Number of Entries: 125
Prize Money: $250,000
Official Results:
Alan Schein, N. Miami, Fl. $90,000
Jon Finkel, N.Y., N.Y. $50,000
Adam Green, Reston, Va. $27,500
Chris J. Reslock, Atlantic City, N.J. $20,000
Frank Giaramida, N. Massapequa, N.Y. $17,500
Brian S. Mogelefsky, Huntington, N.Y. $15,000
James Keller, Fayetteville, N.C. $12,500
John F. Brown, Lake Grove, N.Y. $10,000
Allen Cunningham, Ventura, Ca. $7,500
Final Table Started at: 4:00pm EST
Final Table Ended at: 9:30pm EST
Tournament Report by Nolan Dalla
Tournament Directors – Ken Lambert and Johnny Grooms
WSOP Circuit Atlantic City - Event 8
Limit Texas Hold’em
Buy-In: $2000 + $90
Number of Entries: 51
Prize Money: $102,000
Official Results:
John Spadavecchia, Lighthouse Pt., Fla. $36,720
Martin Julius, Hassleholr, Sweden $20,400
Alexandra Vuong, Rancho Verdi, Ca. $11,220
Nikolaos Frangos, White Plains, N.Y. $8,160
David Chiv, Rowland Hts, Ca. $7,140
Ted Forest, Las Vegas, NV, $6,120
Robert Mackie, Staten Island, N.Y. $5,100
Anthony DeAngelo, Sewell, N.J. $4,080
Daniel Shak, Rosemont, Pa. $3,060
Final Table Started at: 4:00pm EST
Final Table Ended at: 11:30pm EST
Tournament Report by Nolan Dalla
Tournament Directors – Ken Lambert and Johnny Grooms
WSOP Circuit Atlantic City - Event 9
No-Limit Texas Hold’em (Ladies)
Buy-In: $200 + $30
Number of Entries: 168
Prize Money: $33,600
Official Results:
Esther Ludwig, Edison, N.J., $11,088
Kathleen Liebert, Las Vegas, NV., $6,115
GiGi Dong, Westminster, Ca., $3,360
Kathleen Hartman, Moncks Corner, S.C., $2,688
Gina Saladino, Fairview Village, Pa., $2,016
Pat Galasso, Ridgewood, N.J., $1,680
Terry Smith, Laurel, MD., $1,344
Bonnie Kornstein, Wyncote, Pa., $1,008
Kathryn Dowling Newark, De., $672
Sumontha Evans, Wilmington, De., $470
Kelly Voci, Mays Landing, N.J., $470
Taacey Strasky, Voorhees, N.J., $470
Gloria Lorusso, Staten Island, $403
Allyn Jaffrey, Luguna Niguel, Ca., $403
Melinda Flythe, Fayetteville Pa., $403
Chantell Laskoskie, Hamburg Pa., $336
Susan Sherman, Troy N.Y., $336
Sylvia McNamara, White Plains, N.Y., $306
Final Table Started at: 12:00pm EST
Final Table Ended at: 9:00pm EST
Tournament Report by Nolan Dalla
Tournament Directors – Ken Lambert and Johnny Grooms
WSOP Circuit Atlantic City - Event 1B
No-Limit Texas Hold’em
Buy-In: $500 +$60
Number of Entries: 172
Prize Money: $86,000
Official Results:
Brad Pierce, Newark, De. $28,380
Judith Frame, Cape May Ct. Hs. $15,652
Noam Freedman, Cambridge, Ma. $8,600
Jack Hirschman, Jericho, N.Y. 6,880
Mark A. Weber, Sicklerville, N.J. $5,160
Sanjay Pandya Smithville, N.J. $4,300
Richard Wampler, Charlottesville, Va. $3,440
Troy Lambe, Jackson, N.J. $2,580
Stephen Delvecchio, Baltimore, MD. $1,720
10. Michael Fontan, Parsippany, N.J. $1,204
11. Jason Calnan, Revere, Ma. $1,204
12. Norris Sydnor, Mitchellville, Md. $1,204
13. Thomas Clark, Brooklyn, N.Y. $1,032
14. Marc Schubbe, Minnetrista, Mn. $1,032
15. William Baxter, Las Vegas, Nv. $1,032
16. James Peera, Washington, D.C. $860.00
17. Allyn Jaffrey, Laguna Niguel, Ca. $860.00
18. Joseph Pecoraro, Bayville, N.Y. $860.00
Final Table Started at: 4:00pm EST
Final Table Ended at: 11:45pm EST
Tournament Report by Nolan Dalla
Tournament Directors – Ken Lambert and Johnny Grooms
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