WSOP Circuit New Orleans - Main Event Final Table

SEAT 1: Walter Chambers, Baton Rouge, LA
Chip Count – 576,000
Wally Chambers is a 31-year-old business owner from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He earned his college degree in psychology from Louisiana State University. Chambers has been a real ‘Tiger’ in this tournament. He comes into the final table as the chip leader. Chambers is no stranger to final table appearances. He finished second here last year at the New Orleans Bayou Poker Challenge – earning nearly $35,000 in prize money. But that’s chump change. Chambers is guaranteed to do much better than that today, as everyone sitting here will earn $49,000 and up.

SEAT 2: Nick ‘Chairman’ Mao, Long Beach, CA
Chip Count – 522,000
Nick ‘Chairman’ Mao certainly isn’t in the red at this final table. He arrives second in the chip count. Mao was actually born in 1975 in war-ravaged Cambodia. He arrived in the United States seeking to build a better life. He is now living the American dream. Today, Mao is a real estate broker in Long Beach, California. He has won major poker tournaments held in Los Angeles, and just won an event at the Heavenly Hold’em Classic held last week – good for 55 grand. He started playing poker only a year ago, which means that ‘Chairman Mao’ – like his namesake -- will only be more dangerous later in life. The Chairman hopes to stage his own revolt here today, and says he will take no prisoners at the poker table.

SEAT 3: Harry Cullen, Jr., Houston, TX
Chip Count – 202,000
Harry Cullen, Jr. is a 47-year-old Houston native who is married and has three children. Cullen is a real gambler -- a wildcatter in the oil and gas exploration business. While his poker contemporaries are playing cards, Cullen is usually out in the oil fields trying to strike it rich. He hopes to put a drill to his opponents today and produce a steady flow of chips towards his stack. We’ll soon see if Cullen can build a pipeline, or instead discover if his well has come up dry.

SEAT 4: Antonio ‘The Magician’ Esfandiari, San Francisco, CA
Chip Count – 320,000
Antonio Esfandiari is unquestionably the most well-known poker player at today’s final table. He has been featured on television many times, due just as much to his natural charisma as his immense poker talent. Esfandiari is better known as ‘The Magician’ because he performed magic tricks for a living before turning to poker. The Magician was actually born in Iran and immigrated to the United States at the age of nine. He now lives in San Francisco. Last year, he won his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet, in pot-limit hold’em – earning nearly $600,000 for the top prize. Esfandiari is quite philosophical about his poker success: “Money is not the answer,” Esfandiari says. “More money – that’s the answer.”

SEAT 5: Imre Leibold, Tallinn, Estonia
Chip Count – 169,500
Imre Leibold traveled the greatest distance to play at today’s final table – all the way from Tallinn, Estonia. He is 29-year-old soon-to-be married professional poker player who has won major European tournaments -- including the 2005 Baltic Open Championship held earlier this month. He is ranked among the top European tournament finishers so far this year. Leibold has proven to be a dangerous player over the past three days and we will see if he ends up as the last man sitting at what is certainly one of the most enigmatic final tables on this year’s World Series of Poker Circuit.

SEAT 6: Marlon Labbe, Lafayette, LA
Chip Count – 163,000
Marlon Labbe is a 28-year-old salesman from Lafayette, Louisiana. He is one of two poker players at the final table from the New Orleans region. Labbe is married and has two children. This is the first time Labbe has ever made it to the final table of a major poker tournament. When he’s not playing poker, he enjoys hunting and fishing. Today, Labbe hopes to be the shark inside the fish tank. If so, he’ll complete what might have been just a dream a few days ago – to win a World Series of Poker event and end up with nearly $800,000 in cash. Today, we’ll see if dreams do come true.

SEAT 7: Cyril ‘Sid’ Gittens, Miami, FL
Chip Count – 338,500
Sid Gittens was born in Trinidad and now lives in Miami, Florida. He is a 48-year-old manager and is married. Gittens won his seat into this tournament by playing at an online poker site. This is his first time to make it to a final table at any poker tournament. Today, we will see if Gittens can translate his online poker skills into a huge tournament victory. Gittens is certainly sitting in good position at the start, as he comes into today third in the chip count. Hey, maybe these online players can play poker, after all. Just ask Greg Raymer and Chris Moneymaker.

SEAT 8: Corey A. Bierria, Atlanta, GA
Chip Count – 191,000
This is a sort of homecoming for Corey A. Bierria. He was born right here in New Orleans, but now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Bierria is 28-years-old, engaged, and owns a small business. He is also an LSU graduate – one of two ex-LSU Tigers sitting at today’s final table. Bierria says that he plays poker mostly in Tunica, Mississippi – and occasionally online, as well. Oddly enough, Bierria admitted that he considered selling off his entry into this $10,000 buy-in event, but it was his fiancé who ultimately talked him into playing. If only all poker players received such encouragement and confidence.

SEAT 9: Mark Cole, Greensboro, NC
Chip Count – 107,000
Mark Cole is a 43-year-old owner of a restaurant business, who lives in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is married and has two children. This is his second taste of success at the World Series of Poker. Cole finished in 11th place in last year’s pot-limit hold’em championship in Las Vegas. He has the biggest challenge of anyone at today’s final table – since he arrives with the lowest stack size. Cole, who enjoys sailing when he’s not playing poker, is hoping for smooth sailing in today’s final. But this final table will not be a breeze. Cole will need to get chips early to stay afloat at today’s final table, or he’ll end up like the Titanic.

NOTE: Play at the final table will start on Saturday, May 28, 2005 at 2:00 pm CST

WSOP Circuit New Orleans - Main Event, Day 2

Harrah’s New Orleans hosted the fifth stop on the 2005 World Series of Poker Circuit. The championship event attracted a record 259 entries competing for nearly $2.5 million in prize money.

The chip leader after Day Two is Antonio ‘the Magician’ Esfandiari, from San Francisco, CA. Esfandiari is one of poker’s brightest young stars. He won a gold bracelet at last year’s WSOP in Las Vegas. Close behind in second place is tournament poker’s hottest player, Don ‘Final Table’ Mullis. The former North Carolina car dealer has made it to an astounding 7 of 10 final tables – amongst the last ten WSOP Circuit events dating back to Lake Tahoe in April.

Day Three will resume on Friday, May 27th at 2 pm CST. Amongst the remaining players -- David Williams, who finished second to world poker champion Greg Raymer in the 2004 WSOP main event, is third in chips. Yesterday’s chip leader, Nick ‘Chairman’ Mao fell to fourth place in the chip count. Other poker notables include Howard Lederer (6th), Russell Rosenblum (26th), and five local players from the New Orleans area.

The final table of the championship event, comprised of nine players, will be played on Saturday, May 28th, starting at 2 pm CST.

END OF DAY TWO CHIP COUNTS (REMAINING PLAYERS):
Last Name, First Name, Hometown, Chip Count
Esfandiari Antonio San Francisco, CA, 240,700
Mullis, Don, Mooresville, NC, 226,200
Williams, David, Las Vegas, NV, 197,900
Mao, Nick, Long Beach, CA, 183,000
Hobbs, Bill, New Iberia, LA, 144,300
Lederer, Howard, Las Vegas, NV, 135,500
Leibman, Joe, Fort Atkinson, WI, 128,400
Cullen, Jr., Harry, Houston, TX, 127,900
Chambers, Walter, Baton Rouge, LA, 125,300
Gittens, Cyril, Miami, FL, 125,100
Bierria, Corey A., Atlanta, GA, 100,100
Labbe, Marlon, Lafayette, LA, 91,500
Williamson, Reno, Mooresville, IN, 83,200
Hellmann, Tony, Louisville, KY, 79,300
Cloutier. Eric, Mt-Laurier, Quebec, 70,600
Adams, Brandon, New Orleans, LA, 70,000
Leibold, Imre, Tallinn, Estonia, 67,000
Cole, Mark, Greensboro, NC, 52,500
Lazar, Stephen, New Orleans, LA, 50,300
Lipton, Jeffrey, Palos Verde, CA, 46,600
Lawson, Ted, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 46,400
Perry, Dennis G., Williamstown, KY, 46,300
Pullen, Thomas, Sumrall, MS, 43,100
Bihl, Thomas "Buzzer", Frankfurt, Germany, 36,300
Gardner, Matt, Charleston, SC, 26,000
Rosenblum, Russell, Bethesda, MD, 25,600
Schmiech, Dan, Houston, TX, 25,400

PRIZE MONEY DISTRIBUTION:
1. 787,340
2. 433,050
3. 221,445
4. 172,235
5. 147,630
6. 123,025
7. 98,420
8. 73,815
9. 49,210
10. 29,525
11. 29,525
12. 29,525
13. 24,605
14. 24,605
15. 24,605
16. 19,685
17. 19,685
18. 19,685
19. 14,765
20. 14,765
21. 14,765
22. 14,765
23. 14,765
24. 14,765
25. 14,765
26. 14,765
27. 14,765

Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
Harrah’s New Orleans Poker Room Manager – Rick Korte
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert

I know, I know ...

I guess I better get on here and explain why I'm now several days late on posting my promised update. Quite simply, work has been hell on greased roller skates this week. I can't remember the last time I've had a stretch like this: 10 hours Monday, 14 hours Tuesday, 10 hours Wednesday, 15 hours Thursday ... oh, and Friday isn't even here yet.

And it just doesn't look to get any better. Friday will also be a late day. Of course, there's that beautiful three-day weekend coming up, right? Hell, no. Sure, I'm getting three days off, but the mother-in-law is coming in so that she and my wife can paint the living room, which means moving furniture for me and some god-forsaken ugly surprise that is bound to rear its ugly head. They've had two of these mother-daughter home improvement weekends so far this year, and both times have flat out kicked my ass. First it was to paint the bathroom and lay down new tile. Simple, right? Not after they pulled up the old tile, which suddenly made my job "replace the entire fucking bathroom floor." Then it was time to paint the kitchen and laundry room, but somehow that turned into me replacing a storm door (hell has no greater torment) and finishing the painting once they got sick of it, on top of all the prerequisite moving refrigerators and shit. And now, on one of exactly two three-day weekends I get this year, it's time to do it all over again.

I've already told the wife that I am hoping to have a car wreck Friday night, preferably fatal, but I'll settle for anything that puts me in the hospital for the next six months or so.

On the positive side (read: the past), I've had some fantastic poker results lately. Not anything too spectacular for the old bankroll, but at least some improvement that has netted me a slow, steady gain and a buttload of new confidence in my game. But, alas, I only had enough energy to get on here and bitch about having to actually work. I'll have my war stories for whenever my servitude comes to a sufficient pause.

Until then, I'll just have to entertain you with Day 1 results from the WSOP Circuit N'awlins Main Event:

WSOP Circuit New Orleans - Main Event Day 1

No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $10,000
Number of Entries: 259
Prize Pool: $2,460,500

Harrah’s New Orleans hosted the fifth stop on the 2005 World Series of Poker Circuit. The championship event attracted a record 259 entries competing for nearly $2.5 million in prize money. The chip leader after Day One is Nick Mao, from Long Beach, CA. Mao, with 90,075, has a sizable chip edge versus the rest of the field. Howard Lederer is in second place with 67,525.

Day Two will resume on Thursday, May 26th at 2 pm CST. Two former world champions, Doyle Brunson (1976, 1977) and Huck Seed (1996), remain in the event.

The final table of the championship event, comprised of nine players, will be played on Saturday, May 28th, starting at 2 pm CST.

END OF DAY ONE CHIP COUNTS (REMAINING PLAYERS):
Nick Mao, 90,075, Long Beach, CA
Howard Lederer, 67,525, Las Vegas, NV
Don Mullis, 57,675, Mooresville, NC
David Williams, 57,325, Las Vegas, NV
Woody Van Stratum, 56,975, Cookeville, TN
Matt Gardner, 55,725, Charleston, SC
Ryan Buckholtz, 51,425, San Diego, CA
Jason Tate, 51,150, Brentwood, TN
William Hobbs, 50,100, New Iberia, LA
Scott Clements, 49,525, Mt. Vernon, WA
Jonah Rogers, 48,600, Houston, TX
Thomas "Buzzer" Bihl, 46,500, Frankfurt, Germany
Barry Greenstein, 45,900, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Russell Rosenblum, 43,050, Bethesda, MD
Jush "Haas" McCallie, 42,175, San Marcos, TX
Craig Hueffner, 40,725, Franklin, WI
Matt Overstreet, 40,200 8-8 Oxford, MS
Eric Cloutier, 39,550, Mat-Laurier, Quebec
David Clayton, 38,200, Blackpool, England
Marvin Duarte, 37,650, Miami, FL
Marvin Davis, 36,650, Houma, LA
Patrick Connelly, 36,050, Lacombe, LA
Ted Lawson, 35,450, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Aldo de Luca, 34,450, Dutch Caribbean
Tracy Scala, 33,400, Boca Raton, FL
Robert Williamson III, 33,250, Dallas, TX
Vincent Napolitano, 31,000, Williston Park, NY
Roy Nelson, 30,700, Madisonville, LA
Rafael Perry, 30,050, Las Vegas, NV
Philip Crock, 30,025, Manchester, UK
Dennis G. Perry, 29,300, Williamstown, KY
Alex Balandin, 29,075, New City, NY
Antonio Esfandiari, 28,775, San Francisco, CA
Bob Kahan, 27,175, Tiburon, CA
Evelyn Ng, 26,900, Toronto, Ontario
Imre Leibold, 26,900, Tallinn, Estonia
Marlon Labbe, 26,450, Laffayette, LA
Matt Smith, 25,425, Tallahassee, FL
Joe Leibman, 25,250, Ft. Atkinson, WI
Johan Koops, 24,975, Groningen, Sweden
Jamus Jacobs, 24,900, Covington, LA
Harry Cullen, Jr., 23,900, Houston, TX
Walter Chambers, 23,875, Baton Rouge, LA
Erik Seidel, 23,825, Las Vegas, NV
Corey A. Bierria, 23,800, Atlanta, GA
Reno Williamson, 23,100, Moorseville, LA
Doyle Brunson, 22,900, Las Vegas, NV
Robert Willis, 22,900, Grenada, MS
Jeffrey Lipton, 22,425, Palos Verde, CA
Mike Graffeo, 22,075, Fort Mill, SC
Minh Ly, 22,075, Las Vegas, NV
Darrell Hardin, 22,025, Gastonia, NC
Dewey Tomko, 21,825, Winter Haven, FL
Payne Farrell, 21,575, Kenner, LA
Brian Green, 21,225, San Jose, Costa Rica
Jason Loverdi, 20,900, New Orleans, LA
Bob Shallow, 20,175, Gulf Shores, AL
Jeff Campbell, 19,875, Atlanta, GA
Brandon Adams, 18,725, New Orleans, LA
Herbie Montalbano, 18,625, New Orleans, LA
Mitchell Curole, 18,450, New Orleans, LA
Mark Cole, 18,225, Greensboro, NC
Dan Schmiech, 18,050, Houston, TX
Michael Loos, 17,500, Hopewell Junction, NY
Eliyahu Levy, 17,250, N. Miami, FL
Stephen Lazar, 16,775, New Orleans, LA
Bui Van Nguyen, 16,600, Harvey, LA
Doug Booth, 16,375, Bowling Green, KY
William Henrickle, 16,350, Kenner, LA
John Juanda, 16,250, Marina Del Rey, CA
Nick Rumore, 16,000, New Orleans, LA
Adam Cirnigliaro, 15,575, East Northport, NY
Thomas Pullen, 14,000, Sumrall, MS
Blake Buffington, 13,225, Arlington, TX
Michael Capener, 12,825, Phoenix, AZ
William P. Matthews, 12,475, Longview, TX
Cyril Gittens, 12,450, Miami, FL
Nathan Wade, 12,400, Knoxville, TN
Chuck Goldhammer, 12,300, Naples, FL
Mark Burkland, 12,225, Houston, TX
Larry Speck, 12,150, Bossier City, LA
Marc Horowitz, 11,875, New York, NY
Radar Nguyen, 11,825, Murphy, TX
Tony Cason, 11,800, Shreveport, LA
Mike Caro, 11,775, Shell Knob, MO
Jose Rosenkrantz, 11,175, San Jose, Costa Rica
Louis Bonnecaze, 10,850, Baton Rouge, LA
Niklas Nilsson, 10,700, Stockholm, Sweden
Jeff Purpera, 10,075, Denham Springs, LA
Sonny Perry, 9,775, Nashville, TN
Huckleberry Seed, 9,725, Las Vegas, NV
Ted Mullikin, 9,275, Gatlinburg, TN
Wayne J. Landry, 8,500, New Orleans, LA
Stephen Walker, 8,175, London, UK
Chau Giang, 8,050, Las Vegas, NV
Fred Berger, 7,850, Slidell, LA
Ross Romash, 7,550, Golden Beach, FL
Torrey Reily, 7,500, New Orleans, LA
Dan Hicks, 7,275, Tampa, FL
Ben Loesel, 7,200, Milwaukee, WI
Vince Palma, 6,425, Egg Harbor City, NJ
Richard Neal Hensarling, 6,375, Laffayette, LA
Brian Kaplan, 5,575, McHenry, IL
Sam Von Duhn, 5,225, Woodale, IL
Danny Haag, 4,900, Metairie, LA
Matt Keikoan, 4,125, Richmond, CA
Tony Sevnsom, 3,950, Houston, TX
Robert Black, 3,625, Slidell, LA
Tony Hellmann, 2,075, Louisville, KY

Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
Harrah’s New Orleans Poker Room Manager – Rick Korte
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert

It's my damn birthday

Yay, me. Wanna get me something? How about doing me a solid and signing up a new account with any of the poker sites over on the right side of the page. I'll love ya forever.

Shameless grab for bucks now complete, I will leave for now. Be back tonight or tomorrow with a longer post chock full of poker goodness.

Maybe they should call it 'How to make an ass of yourself on national TV'

LAS VEGAS -- Post Oak Productions Inc., a Toronto based event production company, announced today the launch of Camp Hellmuth, Phil Hellmuth's poker fantasy camp weekend.

Lead by nine-time World Series of Poker Champion Phil Hellmuth, Camp Hellmuth will run from August 18th through August 21st at Caesars Palace, in Las Vegas, NV. The "Ultimate Weekend of Poker" will be jam-packed with poker lessons, tournaments, workshops and entertainment. Whether a seasoned poker player or a novice to the game, Camp Hellmuth promises to improve the poker skills of all those in attendance. The weekend will feature many of the game's top poker stars. Joining Phil will be poker greats including T.J. Cloutier, Josh Arieh, David Williams, Evelyn Ng, John Bonetti, and Barry and Jeff Shulman.

"We are thrilled to announce the launch of Camp Hellmuth," said Jeff Goldenberg, Managing Director of Post Oak Productions. "The Camp will give poker players the opportunity to learn from the best." Added Managing Director Brandon Rosen, "Poker players always dream of having the chance to test their skills against the pros from television. Camp Hellmuth will give them this chance."

Post Oak Productions also announced that UltimateBet.com has signed on as the presenting sponsor of Camp Hellmuth, and will be promoting the Camp through online satellite tournaments. Four of the world's top poker players, UK's celebrated Dave Ulliott (The Devilfish), and Americans Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke, and Antonio Esfandiari worked closely with software designers of ieLogic to develop UltimateBet.com, the web's most authentic poker playing site. Jack McClelland (and the late James Albrecht) also contributed their expertise to define tournament direction for UltimateBet. Known as TEAM UltimateBet.com (TEAM UB), in addition to consulting, their mission is to educate, inform and promote the sport of poker.

More information about Camp Hellmuth, including weekend itinerary, poker player bios and sign up information can be found at http://www.camphellmuth.com or by calling 1-888-HELLMUTH.

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Main Event, Final Results

Championship Event
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $10,000
Number of Entries: 173
Total Prize Money: $1,643,500

Official Results:
1. Jeffrey Lisandro, Australia/Italy/U.S.A., $542,360
2. Phil Ivey, Las Vegas, NV, 299,360
3. James Van Alstyne, Las Vegas, NV, 164,350
4. Jonathan Shecter, Las Vegas, NV, 131,480
5. Tommy Reed, Chapel Hill, NC, 98,610
6. Salim Batshon, Foster City, CA, 82,175
7. David Pham, Ceritos, CA, 65,740
8. George Saca, Folsom, CA, 49,305
9. Joe Awada, Las Vegas, NV, 32,870
10. Alan Goehring, Henderson, NV, 23,010
11. Sam Von Duhn, Woodale, IL, 23,010
12. Michael Mizrachi, Hollywood, FL, 23,010
13. Scott Fischman, Las Vegas, NV, 19,720
14. Tony Le, Reno, NV, 19,720
15. John Smith, La Habra Heights, CA, 19,720
16. Frank Kassela, Germantown, TN, 16,435
17. Tony Prestigiacomo, Genoa, NV, 16,435
18. Robert Hume, Orlando, FL, 16,435

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Main Event, Final Table

SEAT 1: David Pham, Ceritos, CA
Chip Count – 195,800
David Pham is originally from Vietnam. He is a 38-year-old professional poker player from the Los Angeles area. Pham won Card Player magazine’s “Player of the Year” in 2000. Pham earned a World Series of Poker gold bracelet in 2001, when he won the mixed-game S.H.O.E. event. He also has 14 first-place finishes at major poker tournaments during the past four years, which may very well be the highest number of wins of any player in tournament poker. Prior to turning to poker playing as a profession, Pham was a manicurist. He is married and has four children. David Pham’s poker nickname is ‘The Dragon,” because he is constantly putting heat on his opponents. If the Dragon catches fire today, he’s going to burn up the final table.

SEAT 2: Phil Ivey, Las Vegas, NV
Chip Count – 296,600
Phil Ivey was born in Riverside, CA. He moved to New Jersey when he was very young and crafted his trade in the poker rooms of Atlantic City with a fake ID. By the time he was playing inside casinos ‘legally’ at age 21, Ivey was already crushing the $200-400 game, often whipping players twice his age. Now at age 28, Ivey has become one of poker’s most famous player-celebrities, due to his natural charisma and great poker talent. Ivey has won four gold bracelets to date, including three wins back in 2002 – one of only three players ever to win three WSOP events within a single year. This is Ivey’s second straight final table appearance at a WSOP Circuit event; He made the final table at the Rio Las Vegas. Phil Ivey is a dangerous player at any poker table. With chips, he’s even more formidable. Ivey arrives today third in the chip count.

SEAT 3: Tommy Reed, Chapel Hill, NC
Chip Count – 63,700
Tommy Reed is a 35-year-old businessman from Chapel Hill, NC. Reed earned a college degree from the University of North Carolina and launched a successful marketing company -- which he still owns. Prior to today’s championship event, Reed’s only previous tournament experience had been as a player in three small daily tournaments in Las Vegas. He just so happened to win two of them. That’s two out of three. Given his 66 percent win rate in poker tournaments, maybe it’s time for Reed to sell his business and become a poker pro. He does face the biggest challenge of any player at today’s final table since he’s lowest in the chip count. We will find out today if a new poker star is born.

SEAT 4: Joe Awada, Las Vegas, NV
Chip Count – 73,300
Joe Awada is a 47-year-old gaming consultant from Las Vegas, NV. He has invented several casino games through his company, Gaming Entertainment, Inc. – a few of which have been tested and successfully implemented by casinos. Awada was born in Beirut, Lebanon. When he arrived in the US at age 13, he didn’t speak a word of English. Awada never attended school and as a young boy he sold snow cones and cotton candy for a touring circus. He sent money back home to his relatives in war-torn Lebanon. On the side, Awada practiced and eventually became part of the Ringling Brothers Circus as a juggler and acrobat. Awada later became a poker dealer – his first job was at (appropriately enough), Circus-Circus. He was arguably the 2004 World Series of Poker’s greatest ‘comeback’ story. Awada came within a single card of winning his first gold bracelet early at the Series -- losing when his opponent caught runner-runner and drew out for the win. That crushing blow gave Awada second place. One week later, justice was served as Awada came back to win the $5,000 buy-in Seven Card Stud event. ‘Juggling Joe’ Awada is the reigning “Seven-Card Stud World Champion.”

SEAT 5: Jonathan Shecter, Las Vegas, NV
Chip Count – 347,200
Jonathan Shecter is a 36-year-old media entrepreneur originally from Philadelphia, PA. He now lives in Las Vegas. Shecter graduated from Harvard University in 1990. He has one final table appearance on his poker resume – a 7th place finish at the Bellagio last month. Shecter appeared in the 1998 movie largely about poker, called “Rounders.” His poker nickname is “Shecky Green,” after the legendary stand up comedian. One thing is for sure – his opponents won’t be laughing if Shecter continues to play poker as he has these past three days. His aggressive style and second place status in the chip count makes him the wild card at today’s final table.

SEAT 6: Jeffrey Lisandro, Salerno, Italy
Chip Count – 402,800
Today’s chip leader is originally from Perth, Australia. He now has homes in Salerno, Italy and Santa Barbara, CA. Jeff Lisandro is a 39-year-old property investor who regularly plays poker tournaments and big live-action games in both the US and Europe. He has made it into the money eight times at the WSOP and has five final table appearances. Third-place was his best WSOP showing, so far. Lisandro says that his mother first taught him how to play poker when he was five years old. He adds that he doesn’t care if he takes 9th place or 2nd place in a tournament. To Lisandro, there is no difference. All that matters is winning the top prize. Lisandro adds that he would like nothing more than to win this event and show his mother back home that he won something. “I’d love to win one just for her,” he says.

SEAT 7: Salim Batshon, Foster City, CA
Chip Count – 148,600
Salim Batshon is one of five foreign-born players at today’s final table. Batshon, now age 46, was born in Palestine and arrived in the US in 1975. He owns a coffee business in the San Francisco Bay area – but also plays poker seriously for income. Batshon’s poker nickname is ‘Sam B.’ He is married and has four children. ‘Sam B’ has cashed three times at the WSOP. His best finish was 5th place in last year’s $5,000 buy-in no-limit event. Sam B will be cheered on by a large following in today’s finale. They are all hoping to see Salim Batshon win a breakthrough tournament victory.

SEAT 8: James Van Alstyne, Las Vegas, NV
Chip Count – 113,400
James Van Alstyne is a 38-year-old professional poker player originally from Columbus, GA. He was an engineer before taking on poker as a profession. Van Alstyne has won two major tournaments – at the Ultimate Poker Challenge and the Poker Royale. Both of those victories paid over $100,000 each. He has a total of 24 cashes at major tournaments since 1998 – including 3rd and 4th place finishes at events at the WSOP Circuit held at the Rio. Van Alstyne now resides in Las Vegas and is seeking his biggest payday ever.

SEAT 9: George Saca, Folsom, CA
Chip Count – 89,000
George Saca was born in Bethlehem. He is a 48-year-old general manager in retail sales now living in Folsom, CA. In his spare time, Saca enjoys snow skiing, golf, racquetball, and soccer. That is – when he’s not playing poker. Saca played in the 2004 World Series of Poker main event and, by his own admission finished ‘in the middle of the pack.” Saca has certainly surpassed that performance today, as this is his first final table at a major tournament. We will see if Saca can take a modest chip count, and pull off an upset by winning his first-ever WSOP championship.

NOTE: Play at the final table will start on Wednesday, May 11, 2005 at 2:00 pm PST

Here's a tip ...

Do not make the mistake of adopting "lucky" hands, no matter how many times in a row you manage to win with it against all odds, no matter many days or weeks or months this streak extends. Just don't do it. If you do, you're just asking for a whole plate full of whupass somewhere down the road.

With that said, may I forever relegate Q8 to the deepest pits of hell.

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Main Event, Day 2

Harveys Lake Tahoe is hosting the fourth stop on the 2005 World Series of Poker Circuit. The championship event attracted 173 entries competing for over $1.6 million in prize money. The chip leader after Day Two is Tony Le, from Reno, NV. Day Three will resume on Tuesday, May 10th at 12 noon PST. The final table of the championship event, comprised of nine players, will be played on Wednesday, May 11th, starting at 2 pm PST.

END OF DAY TWO CHIP COUNTS (REMAINING PLAYERS):
Tony Le, 136,700, Reno, NV
Jeff Lisandro, 110,800, Salerno, Italy
Frank Kassela, 103,700, Germantown, TN
John Smith, 97,200, Lahabra Hts. CA
Michael Mizrachi, 96,600, Hollywood, FL
Scott Fischman, 93,200, Las Vegas, NV
Alan Goehring, 88,100, Henderson, NV
Robert Hume, 83,500, Orlando, FL
Jonathon Shecter, 81,300, Las Vegas, NV
James Van Alstyne, 80,200, Las Vegas, NV
Sam Von Duhn, 79,500, Woodale, IL
Phil Ivey, 66,000, Las Vegas, NV
David Pham, 66,000, Ceritos, CA
Salim Batshon, 65,200, Foster City, CA
Tommy Reed, 60,000, Chapel Hill, NC
Matt Keikoan, 56,500, Richmond. CA
George Saca, 53,600, Folsom, CA
Robert Glenn, 51,500, Carson City, NV
Joe Awata, 46,100, Las Vegas, NV
John Juanda, 40,600, Marina Del Rey, CA
Doc Barry, 34,600, Huntington Beach, CA
Tony Prestigiacomo, 34,100, Genoa, NV
Eric Cloutier, 28,600, Montreal, Quebec
Marlon Santos, 22,300, Las Vegas, NV
Chad Brown, 19,300, Los Angeles, CA
Nasser Hamedani, 14,100, Danville, CA
Don Zewin, 13,000, Las Vegas, NV

PRIZE MONEY PAYOUTS:
01. $542,360
02. $299,360
03. $164,350
04. $131,480
05. $98,610
06. $82,175
07. $65,740
08. $49,305
09. $32,870
10. $23,010
11. $23,010
12. $23,010
13. $19,720
14. $19,720
15. $19,720
16. $16,435
17. $16,435
18. $16,435

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Main Event, Day 1

Number of Entries, 173
Total Prize Pool, $1,643,500

End of Day One Results
Jeffrey Lisandro, 114,875, Salerno, Italy
Alan Goering, 106,450, Henderson, NV
Eric Cloutier, 91,000, Montreal, Quebec
John Smith, 84,350, LaHabra Heights, CA
Tony Le, 82,700, Reno, NV
Todd Earnshaw, 63,025, Kansas City, MO
Scott Fischman, 54,750, Las Vegas, NV
Phil Ivey, 46,600, Las Vegas, NV
Freddy Deeb, 43,800, Las Vegas, NV
John Juanda, 43,675, Marina Del Ray, CA
Matt Keikoon, 41,900, Richmond, CA
Mel Judah, 41,825, London, England
Salim Batshon, 41,475, Foster City, CA
Steve Crockett, 40,800, Costa Mesa, CA
Josh Prager, 40,600, Yuba City, CA
Doc Barry, 40,550, Huntington Beach, CA
Dewey Tomko, 38,575, Winter Haven, FL
Mark Seif, 36,750, Incline Village, NV
Robert Hume, 35,775, Orlando, FL
Jom Kalmar, 32,250, Chorley, England
Chad Brown, 31,950, Los Angeles, CA
Tony Prestigiacomo, 31,675, Genoa, NV
Michael Mizrachi, 30,975, Hollywood, FL
Frank Kassela, 29,875, Germantown, TN
Doyle Brunson, 29,575, Las Vegas, NV
Marlon Santos, 29,000, Las Vegas, NV
Howard Tahoe Andrew, 27,500, Walnut Creek, CA
Tommy Reed, 25,400, Chapel Hill, NC
George Saca, 25,050, Folsom, CA
Sam Von Duhn, 25,025, Woodale, IL
Yosh Nakano, 24,000, Okinowa, Japan
Alan Boston, 21,950, Old Orchard Beach, ME
David Pham, 21,775, Bell Gardens, CA
James Van Alstyne, 21,500, Las Vegas, NV
Robert Glenn, 21,250, Carson City, NV
Dennis G. Perm, 20,100, Williamstown, KY
J.C. Tran, 18,500, Sacramento, CA
Joe Awada, 18,300, Las Vegas, NV
Rafael Cienfuegis, 17,875, Laredo, TX
Mark Rose, 16,025, Edna, TX
Clay Warnock, 15,900, Stateline, NV
Allie Prescott, 15,325, Memphis, TN
Don Zewin, 15,225, Las Vegas, NV
Jonathon Shecter, 11,500, Las Vegas, NV
Scotty Nguyen, 11,275, Las Vegas, NV
John Brewster, 9,675, Dublin, GA
David Singer, 9,450, Mamaroneck, NY
Eddie Woodard, 9,425, Valley, AL
Champie Douglas, 8,950, Las Vegas, NV
Alex Vuong, 7,400, Rancho Palas Verdes, CA
Dale Friend, 6,375, Zepher Cove, NV
Nasser Hamedani, 5,725, Danvill, CA

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Event 11

L.I.P.S.
Lake Tahoe Ladies Championship
Buy-in: $200 (+25)
Number of Entries: 112
Total Prize Money: $20,228

Official Results:
1. Randi Calabro, Sacramento, CA, $7,283
2. Sandy Duncan, Lincoln, CA, 4,045
3. Jessica Encarnacion, Elk Grove, CA, 2,225
4. Renee Karach, Pleasanton, CA, 1,620
5. Lisa Vong, Sacramento, CA, 1,415
6. Michelle Rovello, Irvine, CA, 1,215
7. Michelle Schell, Mound, MN, 1,010
8. Donna Persinger, Shingle Springs, CA, 810
9. Kathy Liebert, Las Vegas, NV, 605

Randi Calabro Wins Ladies Championship

Randi Calabro won her first major poker tournament, defeating a field of 112 players in Lake Tahoe’s L.I.P.S. championship. Calabro came to the final table fifth in chips and blasted through nine finalists en route to a nice payday of $7,283. Sandy Duncan, from Lincoln, CA was the runner up.

Calabro was delighted with her victory. She was awarded a crystal trophy and a beautiful gold pendant, given to each winner of the special ‘ladies only’ invitational. Calabro’s victory was all the more impressive, as she defeated several very strong players, including Kathy Liebert – a former WSOP gold bracelet winner.

Each World Series of Poker Circuit event stop hosts a special ladies tournament called L.I.P.S., in which the buy-in is $200 and the game is No-Limit Hold’em. The next Ladies Championship series will be held at Harrah’s New Orleans on May 24th.

Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Harveys Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis
Harrah’s Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Event 10

No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $2,000 (+80)
Number of Entries: 133
Total Prize Money: $258,020

Official Results:
1. Tony Abesamis, W. Covina, CA, $92,895
2. Dan Schmiech, Houston, TX, 51,605
3. Ben Sarnoff, San Francisco, CA, 28,380
4. David Brock, Stateline, NV, 20,640
5. Mike Heshmati, Morgan Hill, CA, 18,060
6. Toan Nguyen, Sacramento, CA, 15,408
7. Hans ‘Tuna’ Lund, Sparks, NV, 12,700
8. Glen Bean, Biggs, CA, 10,320
9. Mark Edwards, Irvennes, CA, 7,740

Tony the Tiger: Southern California poker pro Tony Abesamis becomes WSOP Circuit’s second two-time winner

Two months ago, Tony Abesamis arrived at the Harrah’s Rincon WSOPC tournament and won the first event, netting $35,950. Most impressive was the fact that Abesamis topped a huge field of 639 players. Now, at Lake Tahoe’s $2,000 buy-in no-limit event, on the eve of the $10,000 buy-in championship, Abesamis has done it again.

The W. Covina, CA-based poker pro topped a field of 133 players and carved out his share of $258,020 in the prize pool. First place paid $92,895. Abesamis now has two gold rings on this year’s World Series of Poker Circuit. He states that he will be shooting for his third gold ring at Harrah’s New Orleans later this month. Alan Schein, who won events in both Atlantic City and Rincon is the only other player with two WSOPC victories.

Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Harveys Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis
Harrah’s Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Event 9

No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $1,500 (+70)
Number of Entries: 134
Total Prize Money: $194,970

Official Results:
1. ‘Miami John’ Cernuto, Las Vegas, NV, $70,190
2. Patrick McMillan, St. Charles, MO, 38,995
3. Mike Ruter, Huntington Beach, CA, 21,445
4. Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew, Walnut Creek, CA, 15,600
5. Aidilily Eluro, Hollywood, FL, 13,650
6. Tony O’Hagan, Las Vegas, NV, 11,700
7. David Levi, Las Vegas, NV, 9,750
8. Abraham Gray, Lawrenceville, GA, 7,800
9. John Hoang, Alhambra, CA, 5,850

It’s Miami John!
Three-time gold bracelet winner Cernuto adds a gold ring to his collection

In June 1982, John Cernuto was fired from his government job. Cernuto was an air traffic controller based in Miami. His union went out on strike and rather than negotiate a settlement, President Reagan fired the air traffic controllers. Out of work, Cernuto wasn’t sure what to do next.

Cernuto admits going through a tough readjustment period during the mid-1980s, trying to find his place in life. He started playing in poker tournaments during this period, and to his surprise discovered that he had a talent for the game. That led to a series of tournament victories over the next several years and a gradual decision that his career choice would turn to playing poker professionally. Cernuto gravitated to Las Vegas, and true to his Florida roots, was tagged with the nickname “Miami John.”

“At the time, getting fired was not the best thing that ever happened to me, because it was my chosen lifelong profession,” Cernuto said. “But in the end, things have really worked out and looking back now, it really was a good thing.”

Cernuto added yet another tournament victory to his impressive poker resume, which includes three WSOP gold bracelets. Cernuto is widely acknowledged as one of the best Omaha High-Low players in the world, although he admits he is “still learning” no-limit hold’em. With big wins in no-limit at the Commerce Casino (Los Angeles) last year, and another victory here at Lake Tahoe, one must wonder how long his no-limit ‘education’ will continue.

The ironic thing about Cernuto’s latest victory is that it, quite frankly, shouldn’t have happened. Although Cernuto came to the final table close to the chip lead, his first two hours of play were not encouraging. Cernuto lost half of his stack and was ‘all in’ at least a few times. At one point, Cernuto was completely down to the felt and was drawing very slim. When play was six handed, Cernuto was dealt 7-7 and moved ‘all in’ against Tony O’Hagan’s A-A. Just when it looked as if Cernuto would be eliminated, he miraculously caught a third seven on the river, completely reversing the outcome of the final table. That was the jet stream that put the former air traffic controller into the winners’ circle.

Lake Tahoe’s $500 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament, attracted 134 entries competing for $194,970 in prize money. Day One resulted in the elimination of 125 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with Tony O’Hagan holding a slight chip lead over the field. Finalists arrived with the following seat positions and chip counts:

SEAT 1: Abraham Gray, 43,700
SEAT 2: John Hoang, 16,700
SEAT 3: Aidilily Eluro, 22,600
SEAT 4: David Levi, 11,900
SEAT 5: Tony O’Hagan, 83,400
SEAT 6: Mike Ruter, 29,100
SEAT 7: ‘Miami John’ Cernuto, 81,000
SEAT 8: Patrick McMillan, 28,200
SEAT 9: Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew, 18,900

Players were eliminated as follows:

9th Place – It took 90 minutes for the first elimination to occur. John Hoang arrived second-lowest in chips and could not survive the gradual increase in blinds and antes. The Vietnamese-born poker player, currently ranked 6th in Card Player’s tournament rankings (eight final table appearances thus far in 2005) took 9th-place prize money,

8th Place – This was Abraham Gray’s second trip to the final table. He went out in the third hour of play when his Q-J lost to A-Q. Gray collected $7,800 for 8th place.

7h Place – David Levi moved ‘all in’ with pocket 4s but was dominated by Mike Ruter’s pocket jacks. On the turn, the board showed 3-4-7-J giving Ruter trip jacks. But Levi had and inside-straight draw. A harmless ace fell on the river, and Levi was out in 7th place with $9,750.

6th Place – One of the most exciting hands of the tournament took place next when ‘Miami John’ Cernuto was ‘all in’ with 7-7 against Tony O’Hagan’s A-A. Just when it looked Miami John would be bounced off the final table, a lucky 7 fell in the river and Miami John survived. That hand would doom Tony O’Hagan to a 6th place finish. He went out a short time later when he was short-stacked and lost a hand to Aidilily Eluro. This was O’Hagan’s third final table appearance at this year’s Lake Tahoe event. He collected $11,700.

5th Place – Aidilily Eluro was the only woman at the final table. She had a decent chip count, but was ultimately knocked out with 10-10 against Miami John’s A-J. The flop of K-Q-J gave Eluro several outs, but two blanks put her on the rail in 5th place, good for $13,365.

4th Place – Miami John continued to spike good cards. With plenty of chips where he could afford to gamble, he called Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew’s ‘all in’ raise with 10-9. Tahoe had A-10, leaving Miami John as a big underdog. Bang! A nine fell on the turn, sinking Tahoe in 4th place. Tahoe, a two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner, received $15,600.

3rd Place – Mike Ruter was short-stacked and made his final stand of the night with a hand that was not shown. Cernuto and McMillan checked the hand down and McMIllan ended up dragging the small pot with an ace-high. Ruter was routed in 3rd place with $21,445.

The heads-up duel between ‘Miami John’ Cernuto and Patrick McMillan began with Cernuto holding a formidable 200,000 to 135,000 chip advantage. McMillan made things interesting, drawing close to even in chips at one point. But this was Cernuto’s night.

McMillan increased his stack with several aggressive moves, causing Cernuto to surrender the pot on many occasions. McMillan took advantage of Cernuto’s caution, which evolved into a counter-strategy whereby Cernuto would look for the right opportunity to set a ‘trap.’

The trap hand came when Cernuto allowed McMillan to keep betting at the pot, when the turn showed J-J-2-A. With 60,000 already in the pot, Cernuto bet 15,000, McMillan raised 30,000 more, and Cernuto moved ‘all in.” That prompted McMillan to fold and following the hand, he was outchipped by more than 6 to 1.

A few hands later, the six-hour finale ended when Cernuto was dealt pocket aces against McMillan’s A-10. McMillan was ‘all in’ before the flop and the final board – 7-3-2-2-K gave Cernuto the victory.

Patrick McMillan played a strong game and earned a well-deserved $38,995 as the runner up. The St. Charles, MO-based poker player, who prefers playing pot-limit Omaha, started the final table low on chips, outgunned by more than 3 to 1 against two opponents, including Miami John. He took his cards and stack as far as he could given the situation, coming close to the chip lead when the tournament was down to one-on-one. But Cernuto was too strong a force, especially with a flurry of well-timed cards.

‘Miami John’ Cernuto is one of the elite players in World Series of Poker history. He is a member of the “Millionaires Club,” an exclusive group of poker players with over $1 million in lifetime earnings at the WSOP. He added $70,190 to his poker bankroll for this victory. Looking back now, he can thank a lucky seven, pocket aces, and Ronald Reagan – not necessarily in that order.

Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Harveys Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis
Harrah’s Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Event 8

No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $500 (+50)
Number of Entries: 182
Total Prize Money: $88,270

Official Results:
1. Jerry Reed, Palo Alto, CA, $29,125
2. Paramjit Gill, Diamond Bar, AZ, 16,065
3. Steve Schicchitano, Pleasanton, CA, 8,825
4. Mike ‘Shoes’ Gambony, Scottsdale, AZ 7,060
5. Bobby ‘Turbo’ Martin, Austin, TX, 5,295
6. Josh Ewing, S. Lake Tahoe, CA, 4,415
7. Keith Rahman, Bend, OR, 3,530
8. Don Mullis, Mooresville, NC, 2,650
9. Dan Owen, Napa, CA, 1,765
10. Shane Schleger, 1,235
11. Devin Bacon, 1,235
12. Michael Rahm, 1,235
13. John Spadavecchia, 1,060
14. Jae Kang, 1,060
15. Sue Karon, 1,060
16. George Geros, 885
17. Charles Pratt, 885
18. John Waddell, 885

A Man for All Seasons: Jerry Reed tops field of dreamers and wins his first WSOPC championship

Every successful person endures failure -- whether it’s in business, athletics, or even relationships. In fact, failing is part of life’s process. Anyone who hasn’t failed at some point in his life has probably not accomplished anything, either. The measure of achievement is not in how many times one has failed, but how many times he has rebounded and tried again and again.

Meet Jerry Reed. He was a pitcher in the Los Angeles Angels farm system in the early 1960s. However, Reed was released before he could make it to the majors. Nights spent in hotel rooms in the minor league system did gradually lead to another competitive passion – poker. “I used to play poker with the other ballplayers players at night,” Reed said. “We used to make odds on who would be released the next day. I used to always be the favorite. Sure enough, one morning, I was cut.”

After leaving baseball, Reed started and owned a successful video production business. His recreational interest in poker led to game development and a brand new advanced concept – a video poker table. In the late 1970s, Reed developed a multi-player poker table with video graphics. He was inspired to develop the new high-tech table because many poker games (including all games in California) were self-dealt and riddled with problems. Reed’s video poker table assured accuracy, randomization, and fairness to all players. He introduced the game in California. Unfortunately, legal authorites were confused by the “video poker” tag and thinking it was a slot-related device, they pulled the plug. Reed’s mistake was that he was too far ahead of his time. Note: Other video poker tables have been developed since then, and at least one is in the testing phase.

Reed’s ‘failures’ were, in fact, learning experiences which motivated him to try new things and develop alternative ideas to the status quo. Now age 67, he is promoting a new poker venture, and playing in major tournaments.

Lake Tahoe’s $500 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament, attracted 182 entries competing for $88,270 in prize money. Day One resulted in the elimination of 173 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with Jerry Reed holding a commanding chip lead over the field. Finalists arrived with the following seat positions and chip counts:

SEAT 1, Keith Rahman, Bend, OR, 25,100
SEAT 2, Bobby ‘Turbo’ Martin, Austin, TX, 38,500
SEAT 3, Paramjit Gill, Diamond Bar, AZ, 22,900
SEAT 4, Josh Ewing, S. Lake Tahoe, CA, 29,300
SEAT 5, Jerry Reed, Palo Alto, CA, 86,700
SEAT 6, Don Mullis, Mooreseville, NC, 17,700
SEAT 7, Steve Schicchitano, Pleasanton, CA, 32,500
SEAT 8, Mike ‘Shoes’ Gambony, Scottsdale, AZ, 20,000
SEAT 9, Dan Owen, Napa, CA, 1,400

Players were eliminated as follows:

9th Place – The final table started out with a bang. Steve Schiccitano was dealt pocket aces, flopped trip aces, and still lost the pot. Dan Owen had K-J, flopped a made-straight, and also had a royal flush redraw. The straight held up and Owen had avoided elimination, at least for the moment. Unfortunately, that would be Owen’s only bright moment of the finale, as he was knocked out a few hands later when his ace high failed to pair. Dan Owen, a retired business executive, collected $1,764 for 9th place.

8th Place – Bobby ‘Turbo’ Martin (second in chips) took a beat and then doubled up twice, putting him back into the race. Meanwhile, it took an hour before the next player was eliminated. Don Mullis was short-stacked throughout his stay, and finally went ‘all in’ with second pair (9s), losing to Jerry Reed’s top pair (aces). Mullis has enjoyed a fabulous Lake Tahoe tournament, to date. This marked his fourth final table appearance, in six tries. Mullis, a classy North Carolina-based retiree who is traveling around the country in a mobile home, also won Event #4. Eighth place paid $2,650.

7h Place – Keith Rahman made an ‘all in’ raise from the button with A-9 and was called instantly by ‘Turbo’ in the blind with A-K. Rahman failed to make a pair and went out in 7th place. The private security manager from Oregon locked up $3,530.

6th Place – Josh Ewing was making his second final table appearance. The 24-year-old Lake Tahoe local was blinded down to felt and ultimately took $4,415 for 6th place.

5th Place – Bobby Martin, a.k.a. ‘Turbo’ ordered a kamikaze (shot) and true to his maniacal image, moved ‘all in’ for the fifth time in ten minutes. Unfortunately, he picked the wrong time to be hyper-aggressive. Jerry Reed looked down and saw A-K and called the raise in a flash. Both players flopped an ace, but when a king fell on the turn, Turbo was drawing dead. Turbo finally ran out of gas, but did pocket $5,295 as the 5th-place finisher.

4th Place – Mike ‘Shoes’ Gambony, a former professional pool player who has converted to poker playing, went out next. The native Texan now living in Scottsdale, AZ won the Iowa State Poker Championship in 2001 and has also made three WSOP final tables. But his shot at victory in this event hit the rail. Fourth place paid $7,060.

3rd Place – That left three players remaining, with Jerry Reed holding a better than 3 to 1 chip lead versus both opponents. However, if Reed thought the final stretch would be easy, he was in for a battle. The trio played for 90 long minutes before Steve Schicchitano finally had to commit his final chips on a draw. Schicchitano was dealt 9-8 and watched as the flop came 10-10-7. An outside straight draw led Schicchitano to move ‘all in,’ which was called by Reed with A-7. The second pair held up, and Schicchitano, a business agent from Pleasanton, CA was out with third place prize money -- $8,825.

The heads-up duel between Jerry Reed and Param Gill began with Reed holding a formidable 222,000 to 52,000 chip advantage. On the first hand of play, Reed was dealt A-A and raised, which caused Gill to fold. That hand would pretty much define the closing chapter of the tournament. Gill managed to survive six hands before the odds ultimately caught up with him and he was eliminated. Reed was dealt 9-5 versus Gill’s Q-4, which amounted to two ugly hold’em hands. But the worst hold’em hand can sometimes be a thing of beauty. Reed thought the flop was beautiful, when 7-7-5 put him into the lead. Successive rounds brought two blanks, and Reed was the latest WSOPC champion.

Runner-up Param Gill was born in India and now lives in Arizona. He won an event at the California State Poker Championship last year and hopes to do well enough in tournaments to eventually play poker full-time. Second-place price money amounting to $16,065 will surely help Gill’s path to poker glory.

“Everything was going my way tonight,” said Reed following his victory. “It seemed like whatever I was doing ended up right. Even the last hand when I was a dog, I had things go my way.”

Jerry Reed is working on a new project. He is creating a $100,000 buy-in poker tournament to be called the “World Heavyweight Poker Championship,” a novel concept which includes a series of heads-up matches which would be televised. He expects to get 100 players committed to play in the event and hopes it may come about as early as December 2005.

You win some. You lose some. Whatever happens to Jerry Reed and his ambitious ideas, you can be certain he will continue to keep swinging for the fences. On this night, an unseasonably cold night in the Sierra Nevadas, Reed stepped up to the plate and hit one out of the park.

Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Harveys Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis
Harrah’s Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Event 7

Pot-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $500 (+50)
Number of Entries: 97
Total Prize Money: $47,045

Official Results:
1. John Phan, Long Beach, CA, $16,935
2. Abraham Gray, Lawrenceville, GA, 9,410
3. James Lea, Kent, WA, 5,175
4. Kevin Hay, Tallahassee, FL, 3,765
5. ‘Chico Mike’ DuFloth, Chico, CA, 3,295
6. Mike Sica, N. Brunswick, NJ, 2,825
7. J.C. Tran, Sacramento, CA, 2,350
8. Eric Ford, Lawrenceville, GA, 1,880
9. Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew, Walnut Creek, CA, 1,410

John Phan Puts on a Show: 30-year-old Southern California poker crushes the competition in Lake Tahoe’s pot-limit hold’em championship

Bad poker players need good cards to win. Good poker players can win, even when they are dealt bad cards. But give a good poker player a great run of cards, and the end result is a massacre. It took tournament pro John Phan just over three hours to destroy a strong final table, winning his first-ever World Series of Poker tournament. Phan had previously won two events at the 2004 Jack Binion World Poker Open, but the top prize at the World Series had, at least until now, eluded the colorful Long Beach poker pro. It was, quite simply, one of the most effortless displays of poker ever witnessed.

The final table was the least suspenseful of any WSOPC-Lake Tahoe event thus far – not because there weren’t plenty of interesting personalities and big hands – but because from the point Phan seized the chip lead midway through the finale, his victory seemed to be a foregone conclusion. In every confrontation where cards were shown, Phan held the advantage. And, on every single occasion -- his hand held up to win the pot. This was a far cry from the previous day, when Phan was fortunate to make the final table, at all. He drew out on Vince Burgio (who finished on the bubble in 10th place) and then on Day Two absolutely destroyed everyone in his path. For Phan’s eight opponents, it was like trying to stop a tidal wave.

Lake Tahoe’s pot-limit hold’em event, a $500 buy-in tournament, attracted 97 entries competing for $47,045 in prize money. Day One resulted in the elimination of 88 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with tournament pro J.C. Tran as the chip leader. Finalists arrived with the following seat positions and chip counts:

SEAT 1, James Lea, Kent, WA, 12,900
SEAT 2, Kevin Hay, Tallahassee, FL, 21,900
SEAT 3, Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew, Walnut Creek, CA, 17,100
SEAT 4, Eric Ford, Tigard, OR, 13,100
SEAT 5, Mike Sich, N. Brunswick, NJ, 7,900
SEAT 6, Abraham Gray, Lawrenceville, GA, 12,800
SEAT 7, J.C. Tran, Sacramento, CA, 28,800
SEAT 8, ‘Chico Mike’ DuFloth, Chico, CA, 18,500
SEAT 9, John Phan, Long Beach, CA, 13,100

Players were eliminated as follows:

9th Place – 70-year-old Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew was way overdue to make it to a final table. The Tahoe-area native has won two WSOP gold bracelets (both in 1976) and hoped to add a gold ring to his jewelry collection. But this wasn’t Tahoe’s day as his A-K lost to John Phan’s K-J when the final board showed K-J-8-9-4. Tahoe, which means ‘deep water’ in the native Washau Indian language, sank in 9th place good for $1,410.

8th Place – Eric Ford went out next when his A-J lost to Abraham Gray’s A-7. Gray rivered a flush, which put Ford in the junkyard. Eighth placed paid $1,880.

7h Place – The final table was a nightmare for J.C. Tran. The early chip leader lost most of his chips to John Phan when his Q-Q was crushed by Phan’s A-A. Down to just a few chips, he busted out two hands later. Tran, who won the WSOPC (Rio Las Vegas) $1,500 buy-in no-limit hold’em event, received $2,350 for 8th place.

6th Place – Mike Sica started with the lowest chip count, but did move three spots up the money ladder. His final hand, 9-5 played out of desperation, failed to connect while Abraham Gray made two pair. Sica was one of two former gold bracelet winners at the final table (he won the $3,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em event in 2004). Sixth place paid $2,825.

5th Place – ‘Chico Mike’ DuFloth went out next when his A-9 was dominated by John Phan’s A-10. When both players flopped an ace, DuFloth declared ‘all in.’ Unfortunately, a nine failed to rescue DuFloth from elimination and he ended up in 5th place – good for $3,295. DuFloth has several final table appearances to his credit, mostly at big tournaments in California.

4th Place – Kevin Hay, a college student from Florida, hit the rail next when his A-Q was cracked by John Phan’s Q-Q. Hay was ‘all in’ pre-flop and watched as the flop came J-9-4, with two clubs. He had the nut flush draw. Unfortunately, a club failed to fall, and Phan added to his chip castle while Hay bailed out in 4th place with $3,765.

3rd Place – James Le started his final hand with 6-6 and was nosed out by Phan’s 7-7. The final board showed A-5-3-Q-4. Le, a contractor from Washington State with many final tables and tournament wins in the Pacific Northwest, was out 3rd.

The heads-up duel between John Phan and Abraham Gray began with Phan holding a 110,000 to 37,000 chip advantage. It took only five minutes for the final wave of cards to crush Gray. On his final hand, Gray moved ‘all in’ with 10-9 after the turn showed 8-2-2-9 – good for top pair. However, Phan was slowplaying pocket kings, and was delighted to see Abraham’s last chip roll into the pot. A blank fell on the river, and Phan was the latest WSOPC champion.

The runner up, Abraham Gray has numerous final table appearances to his credit. He also finished in the money in the WSOP main event last year. Gray can certainly be proud of his accomplishment, particularly in light of the fact that Phan was not going to be stopped on this night. Second place paid $9,410.

Phan eliminated six of his eight opponents – and 7 of the last 9 including Burgio yesterday. Second-place finisher Gray knocked out the other two. In every confrontation, when the money went ‘all in,’ Phan had the best hand. Not once did Phan take a beat. After his win, Phan pointed out that he bluffed many times, as well, which kept his opponents guessing at all times.

“I was playing my A-game tonight and the cards really hit me,” Phan said afterward. “My game is very strange. I have a game that no one can figure out. Even myself – I don’t know what I’m going to do sometimes.”

“I think the key to winning is to play every player different. That way, they have no way to know your style or to predict you.”

Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Harveys Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis
Harrah’s Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Event 6

No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $1,000 (+60)
Number of Entries: 84
Total Prize Money: $81,480

Official Results:
1. Boyd Fricke, Reno, NV, $29,325
2. Eric Cloutier, Mont-Laurier, Quebec, 16,295
3. Tony O’Hagan, Las Vegas, NV, 8,965
4. Chris Grigorian, Los Angeles, CA, 6,520
5. Keith Collins, Portland, OR, 5,705
6. Sam Lam, San Jose, CA, 4,890
7. Greg Cash, Tunica, MS, 4,075
8. Bert Cardenas, McAllen, TX, 3,260
9. Yuctan Hodge, The Valley, Anguilla, 2,445

Words of Wisdom: Boyd Fricke gives us all something to think about

When you grow up in open spaces, you always wonder what is on the other side of the hill.
-- Boyd Fricke

Every poker decision is truly unique. Every poker hand is unique. Every poker tournament is unique. And, every single poker player is unique. Given the millions of poker players, one would be hard pressed to find a man with a more interesting background or an individual filled with as much personal conviction as a 54-year-old Reno man named Boyd Fricke.

Fricke was born into a very poor family on a farm in North Dakota. His boyhood home had no electricity, nor indoor plumbing.

Fricke joined the United States Marine Corps and served in Vietnam.

Fricke has two uncles. One was a B-24 pilot in World War II. The other was a prisoner is Stalag 3-B, on which the movie ‘The Great Escape’ was based. He was one of the men who escaped.

Fricke worked for a company after graduating from college, but decided very early that he wanted to work for himself, instead. So, he started his own company – which was ultimately quite successful. Later, he retired from his business and decided to ‘see the world.’

Fricke has backpacked around the world – twice. He trekked from Lisbon Portugal to Shanghai, China in 80 days on his first circumnavigation. On his second trip, Fricke backpacked in the opposite direction, going through Khazakstan, Turkmenistan, and other out-of-the-way places. “I have visited all 50 states, and have seen even more countries,” Fricke says.

Fricke was married, but following his divorce -- he raised his children alone. Today, Fricke’s daughter is serving on the city council where she lives and his son is preparing to start law school at the University of Notre Dame.

And now, Fricke is the latest champion on the World Series of Poker Circuit.

Lake Tahoe’s $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em event attracted 84 entries competing for $81,480 in prize money. Day One resulted in the elimination of 75 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with Tony O’Hagan and Chris “The Armenian Express” Grigorian as the chip leaders. Finalists arrived with the following seat positions and chip counts:

SEAT 1, Bert Cardenas, McAllen, TX, 20,500
SEAT 2, Greg Cash, Tunica, MS, 11,600
SEAT 3, Keith Collins, Portland, OR, 15,800
SEAT 4, Tony O’Hagan, Las Vegas, NV, 38,600
SEAT 5, Eric Cloutier, Mont-Laurier, Quebec, 11,200
SEAT 6, Boyd Fricke, Reno, NV, 21,700
SEAT 7, Chris Grigorian, Los Angeles, CA, 32,600
SEAT 8, Sam Lam, San Jose, CA, 12,400
SEAT 9, Yuctan Hodge, The Valley, Anguilla, 3,800

Players were eliminated as follows:

9th Place – Yuctan Hodge, a retired businessman from the Caribbean island nation of Anguilla arrived lowest in chips, had J-J and lost to A-K when a king flopped. Hodge earned $2,445 for 9th place.

8th Place – Bert Cardenas, a 27-year-old contractor from McAllen, TX took a bad beat and went out next. He had A-A and was ‘all in’ against Tony O’Hara’s 6-6. Just when it appeared Cardenas would double up when the turn showed Q-9-8-K, a six fell on the river giving O’Hara a set and Cardenas was eliminated. Cardenas earned $3,260.

7h Place – Eric Cloutier doubled up and took the chip lead over Chris Grigorian when his A-Q spiked an ace, crushing Grigorian’s pocket jacks. Greg Cash wasn’t so fortunate. A short time later, the Tunica, MS-based player who has won numerous poker tournaments was short-stacked and lost to Grigorian’s two pair. Grigorian got some of those chips back and it was a two-way tie for first in the chip count. Meanwhile, Cash cashed for $4,075.

6th Place – Sam Lam desperately needed to double up and decided to make a stand with 2-2. The tiny pocket pair lost to A-K when an ace flopped, and Sam went on the lam in 6th place, good for $4,890.

5th Place – Keith Collins had A-3, moved ‘all in’ and was covered by Grigorian, with A-J. Neither player made a pair and the jack played. Collins a business owner form Portland, OR collected $5,705.

4th Place – At this point, Tony O’Hagan was the chip leader, by virtue of a few big hands. Then, Chris Grigorian started off with 7-7 and was ‘all in’ against Cloutier’s A-K. The ‘coin flip’ hand turned out very well for Cloutier, when an ace flopped. Grigorian, a.k.a. “The Armenian Express” was derailed in 4th place, which meant a payday of $6,520.

3rd Place – Tony O’Hagan lost a few pots and gave up the chip lead. Then, he committed his final chips with 10-6 when a 10 was the high-card on the turn. Unfortunately, Boyd Fricke (holding 3-4) had flopped trip 4s and that pretty much settled the hand. O’Hagan, who finished 4th previously here in Lake Tahoe, took 3rd place this time. He collected $8,965.

The heads-up duel between Boyd Fricke and Eric Cloutier began with Fricke holding a 2 to 1 chip advantage. Cloutier had been in this spot before, finishing second in Event #4. The Quebec-born former Boston Bruins (NHL) player hoped to avoid repeat bridesmaid status, but was doomed to yet another finish as the runner up. Just a few hands into play, Cloutier moved ‘all in’ with A-9 and was called by Fricke holding A-7 suited. The two spades in Fricke’s hand were the difference as the turn brought a third spade – giving Fricke the flush and a WSOPC victory. Eric Cloutier took the ‘loss’ in stride. He received $16,295 and has won over $50,000 this year at Lake Tahoe.

Following his victory, Fricke had a number of interesting comments about poker, and life:

ON WINNING:
“It’s quite simple: The tournament winner is usually the most aggressive player who hooks up with cards.”

ON HOW THE GAME IS CHANGING:
“I think the average player coming into the game is better than he/she was five years ago. But they tend to have certain traits, which are predictable.” One Tip: “They tend to overplay A-K.”

ON PLAYING IN BIG CASH GAMES:
“You shouldn’t play if the money is going to change your life (one way or another). The guy who is playing for his rent money is a huge dog.”

ON TOURNAMENT POKER:
“The sport needs to clean up its act and stop the bad behavior. You see these guys on TV and some of them look and act like they’re (criminals). They pump their fists in the air and jump up and down. The worst thing is, younger kids see this and they start to emulate that sort of behavior.”

ON POKER TRENDS:
“I think they should do away with sunglasses at the final table. I mean, where does it all end? Does it mean I can play poker wearing a welding mask?”

ON THE POKER SCENE IN RENO AND LAKE TAHOE:
“I don’t like playing in a game where the atmosphere is not hospitable. The games in Northern Nevada tend to be polite. This is why I prefer playing here.”

ON KEEPING THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE:
“It’s all just a game of cards. That’s all poker is. I had one guy tell me, ‘I’m not afraid of anything.’ I said, ‘Oh yeah? You ever been shot at?”

ON BEING A WORLD TRAVELER:
“You learn about people and you learn about yourself. When a guy gets upset at the table, and we’ve all been disappointed before, remember – unlike three-quarters of the rest of the world -- you can actually afford to sit down and buy into a poker game. You have nothing to complain about. Every day you get up in this country, you are on a freeroll. If you live in America, you have won life’s lottery.”

At the end of a long night, when Fricke was asked if he plans to play more major tournaments, including the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas which begins next month, his answer was predictable. “If it doesn’t conflict with some travel plans, maybe I’ll play.”

Indeed, for Boyd Fricke, there is always another hill to cross, to see what’s on the other side.

Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Harveys Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis
Harrah’s Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr

Off topic

When I started my blog, it was my primary intention that it focus exclusively on poker. I could write about a zillion other things, but I don't figure anyone really cares about my opinions on politics, religion or anything else. A lot of folks probably don't care about my opinions on poker, either, but that's beside the point. I wanted to create a poker blog and not clutter it with other topics.

But today, I feel compelled to digress. Last night, I attended visitation for one of my old high school chums who died over the weekend, less than a week shy of his 35th birthday. And while I certainly mourn an old friend's passing, his death is far more complex for me emotionally.

"R" and I had only seen each other twice over the past 17 years. Although we frequently hung around together in high school, our lives took divergent paths afterwards. I went away to college, found a career afterwards and put together a family. R sank deep into the drug culture that ultimately killed him.

As noted on many previous occasions, I live in Eastern Kentucky. If you do not live here, what you might not know is how this region has fallen victim to an epidemic of drug abuse in recent years. No, I'm not tossing out the typical anti-drug hyperbole in making that statement. Drugs have always been here in one form or another, although it was largely marijuana in the past, which has minor societal impact. But right around the turn of the millennium, prescription painkillers, such as Lortab, Vicodin and, most famously, Oxycontin, became the new drugs of choice, and the result has been catastrophic. Drugged driving now surpasses drunk driving. Crime has truly skyrocketed, with pharmacies now forced to install steel bars over their windows. Drug overdose deaths are now tenfold what they were five years ago. R fell into that trap, but his troubles began long before the pills took hold.

I'm ashamed that I cannot remember exactly when it was, but shortly after I graduated high school, R ran into some trouble. He had always been the type to allow his mouth to get him in trouble, but he didn't have the fighting skill or will to get him out of it. Fortunately for him, he usually had his cousin, T, there to bail him out. T seemingly loved to fight, and although he often griped at R for having to repeatedly come to his defense, I don't think he really had much of a problem with it. T, though wiry, was a damn good fighter, and he seemed to relish that fact. They made a good team: R would start the fights and T would finish them.

But one night, T wasn't there. Instead, R was hanging out with H, who was a year or two younger than T and wanted to be just like him. I wasn't there and have only heard about everything that happened secondhand. But from what I understand, the two of them ended up in some drug dealer's trailer that night, and R's mouth got him him trouble once again. When R got into one of his moods, he could be one of the most obnoxious people you could come across, and he evidently got under the skin of some other guy at the trailer that night. That guy got so angry at R that he left the trailer vowing to come back and kill him. A short time later, he came back with a gun and pointed it at R's head. H, seeing his opportunity to come to R's rescue, just as he imagined T would have done, jumped up and said, "Why don't you stick that gun in my face?"

He did.

A few days later, H was buried. Even though I'd gotten quite close to H, I never made it to the funeral. I had attended the visitation the night before and grew sickened at all of the pretty and popular people who were suddenly distraught over H's passing. Our group of friends had always been outcasts of sorts, and I knew that if H were in the room right then, many of them wouldn't have given him the time of day. Now they were suddenly best friends. I wasn't there long before I'd had enough of what I felt was their phony grief, and I left in anger. It was childish, I know, but I was a child in many respects, even though I was 18 or 19 at the time, and I was deeply hurt by H's death. I reacted the only way I knew.

But I was also angry at R. I knew his tendencies and was convinced that he was just as responsible for H's death as the guy who pulled the trigger. Once again he had run his mouth a little too long and, once he got in trouble, he waited for someone to save him. This time, though, his reluctance to fight his own battles had cost us a dear friend. I don't know if I'm justified in feeling that way, but I still feel that way. To this day, I've never forgiven him.

I only saw him twice after that. The first time was a few weeks after H's funeral. We ran into each other on the street and tried to talk. It was uncomfortable. I could see that he blamed himself for what had happened, and although that softened me toward him some, it also cemented in my mind his culpability. I asked him how he was holding up and we spoke a little about what a tragedy it all was. But then we changed the subject to trivial matters, and then we said our goodbyes, each heading in our own directions.

The last time that I saw him was a couple of years ago. I was at the local hospital to be consulted about getting a vasectomy and was sitting in a waiting room shared by several doctors when I saw R come in. At first, all the anger slipped away and I was genuinely happy to see my old friend. But then I took note of his condition and knew without a doubt what had become of him. We eventually spoke for a few minutes. He told me he was there to see one of the pain specialists for his back, that he had injured it a few years before. I knew he was only there for whatever prescription he could get. Once again we made another uncomfortable attempt to revive the friendship we'd once had, but after a few minutes of talking I knew that the drugs had already killed any chance of that, just as I knew that they would eventually kill him.

But they almost didn't get the chance. R had come to abuse his friendships almost as badly as he abused drugs. Growing up, we could see the beginnings of that in his constant need to be rescued from someone who wanted to beat him to a pulp. He felt no need to monitor his behavior because he knew someone would step in to save him. Then, last year, I got word that R had pissed off the wrong people. A few weeks or months earlier, several dozen drug traffickers were arrested in one of those drug sweeps the police stage from time to time. R's name surfaced as one of the people who ratted out several of those arrested, and I heard that those people wanted him dead. I don't know how serious those threats were, or how truthful the accusations behind them, but knowing him as I did and seeing how his life fell apart around him, it's all very plausible. Still, he had once been a friend, and out of loyalty to that person he was long ago, I tried to get word to him that he was in danger. I don't know if it ever got to him, but he survived long enough for the drugs to kill him instead.

Monday night, looking at him in his coffin, it was somehow appropriate that he seemed almost unrecognizable to me. Gone except for some small trace was the boy I had known, replaced by a man I never wanted to know. He didn't look like he had been sickly before his death, like you might read about some addicts wasting away before your eyes. But he didn't look quite real, either, like maybe the mortician had gone to great lengths to make him presentable, only to end up making him look plastic.

Prior to attending the visitation, I didn't know what to expect from myself emotionally. While we had once been friends, I felt no connection to the person he had become. Maybe I would feel sorrow or maybe I would feel nothing.

Instead, I felt anger toward him, the same rage that overcame me when H died. I feel like he should have been the one to have died all those years ago, not H. Instead, he not only ended up getting H killed, he lived long enough to cause even more misery. In a perfect world, neither would have died; in a just world, R would have died instead of H.

If he had died then instead of now, he wouldn't have put his family through the agony of trying to save him from his addiction. If he had died then instead of now, he wouldn't have left behind three children who must now come to terms with his death. If he had died then instead of now, we would have mourned his tragic death, instead of his tragic life.

I know all of this sounds cold, but I can't help feeling this way. I can't help being angry because I feel like R wasted the life H died trying to save. In the end, both are gone, and for what?

Deep down, I know I am mourning the loss of my friend, even if I can't quite feel it yet. I know R's life was more than these horrible circumstances, that there was far more than these terrible glimpses I've witnessed. I know there was something there that made him worthy of living and of being loved. I know these things because he was a friend, so long ago, and I really miss that friend now, even if I can't quite see him for the hurt I feel.

Wherever you are now, old buddy, I hope you are finally at peace.

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Event 5

Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $1,000 (+60)
Number of Entries: 51
Total Prize Money: $49,470

Official Results:
1. Don Mullins, Mooresville, NC, $17,094
2. Steve Severin, La Jolla, CA, 9,894
3. Dinh Quang Le, Sacramento, CA, 5,442
4. Richard Pilewicz, Phoenix, AZ, 3,954
5. Bobby Quiring, Pullman, WA, 3,463
6. Jon Turovitz, Granite Bay, CA, 2,968
7. Paul Evans, Mt. Shasta, CA, 2,474
8. Ammon Brown, Ithaca, NY, 1,979
9. Scott Laird, Oakland, CA, 1,484

Knock Three Times:
In his third final table appearance, North Carolina poker player Don Mullis wins Lake Tahoe’s WSOPC limit hold’em championship

In the long litany of live-action poker tournaments, perhaps as many as a thousand major events played around the world every single day and night, year around, there are rare instances when the magnitude of victory has a profound emotional impact on the winner. Sure, it’s nice to win a poker tournament and collect big prize money. But there are extraordinary occasions when the achievement itself surpasses the value of money.

Last fall, Don Mullis, a 41-year-old former golfer and the semi-retired owner of a new car dealership in North Carolina, decided to join with his wife and ‘see America.’ So, Mr. and Mrs. Mullis bought a motor home. For the past seven months, they have been traveling around the United States. They decided to visit Northern Nevada upon hearing that the WSOP Circuit would be held at Harveys Lake Tahoe. Mullis couldn’t possibly dream of what was about to come.

Prior to establishing a successful auto dealership, Mullis was an aspiring pro golfer – good enough to compete in several minor golf tournaments, but never great enough to make it as a touring golf pro. That put Mullis, entering his 40s, at a crossroads. Mullis admits he is driven to succeed in whatever he does. When he discovered poker last October, it became his ‘new’ obsession. Determined to learn more about the game and improve his skills, Mullis played more and more on the Internet.

Then, Mullis decided he was ready to play poker at the highest level. That means one thing – playing in the World Series of Poker. One week ago, a new motor home with North Carolina license plates turned into the Harvey’s Lake Tahoe parking lot. Five days later, Don Mullis had not only become the only player at this year’s WSOPC tournament to make it to three final tables, he also became the latest poker champion. The victory was made even sweeter by the fact that at both previous final tables, Mullis had been the first player out (9th in both events). In this event, he lasted about seven hours longer. It was well worth the wait.

The $1,000 buy-in limit hold’em event attracted 51 entries. After setting record numbers the previous week, it’s become clear that ‘limit’ hold’em is now a distant second to no-limit’ hold’em in popularity with tournament players. Day One resulted in the elimination of 42 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with Bobby Quiring from Pullman, WA holding a slight chip lead. Finalists arrived with the following seat positions and chip counts:

SEAT 1, Jon Turovitz, Granite Bay, CA, 8,900
SEAT 2, Steve Severin, La Jolla, CA, 16,200
SEAT 3, Scott Laird, Oakland, CA, 7,300
SEAT 4, Bobby Quiring, Pullman, WA, 19,600
SEAT 5, Ammon Brown, Ithaca, NY, 2,300
SEAT 6, Dinh Quang Le, Sacramento, CA, 15,000
SEAT 7, Richard Pilewicz, Phoenix, AZ, 13,800
SEAT 8, Don Mullis, Mooresville, NC, 12,300
SEAT 9, Paul Evans, Mt, Shasta, CA, 6,700

Players were eliminated as follows:

9th Place – It took 40 minutes for the first player to be eliminated. Scott Laird, a commercial real estate broker from Oakland, was the first player to be cut. Laird has previously made several final tables in tournaments held at his local cardroom, The Oaks (Emeryville, CA). He went out 9th and collected $1,484.

8th Place – Ammon Brown, from Ithaca, NY arrived with the shortest stack. On his final hand he was dealt Q-Q and liked his chances to double-up pre-flop when his last raise was called by Richard Pilewicz, holding 9-9. But the situation was about to change. The board crushed Brown like a ton of bricks as Pilewicz ended up with quad nines. Brown’s pocket ladies hit the muck and the New Yorker exited with $1,979 for 8th place.

7h Place – Paul Evans took two consecutive beats and went out next. First, he lost a big hand to Jon Turovitz. Then, low on chips made his final stand with A-8, paired the ace on the flop, but lost to a straight. Evans, a business owner from Mt. Shasta, CA who finished second in the $3,000 no-limit hold’em event at last year’s WSOP, earned $2,474 for this finish.

6th Place – Jon Turovitz felt the sting of defeat a short time later when he was dealt pocket 10s. Steve Severin was holding Q-Q. Neither hand improved, and the pocket queens took down the pot. Turovitz, a real estate broker, ended up in 6th place -- good for $2,968.

5th Place – It took another hour-and-a-half before the next player was eliminated. Bobby Quiring, from Pullman, WA was short-stacked and caught a strong hand with A-2 when he flopped two pair. Steve Severin had top pair with A-J and when the board paired, it meant Quiring’s second pair (deuces) was dead, while Severin’s jack played as the fifth-card kicker. Bobby Quiring, a poker room manager from Washington State, collected $3,463 for 5th place.

4th Place – At this point, Dinh Quang Le had seized the chip lead. That glory was fleeting as he lost a big pot to Steve Severin – which meant the chip counts were close to even amongst the four finalists. Then, things really went south for Phoenix-based Richard Pilewicz. The 48-year-old real estate investor made a big hand – a straight to the king on the turn and it looked like he might get close to the chip lead with the big pot. But three hearts on board gave Don Mullis a flush draw. Wham! A heart on the river was the final nail in Pilewicz’s coffin. Pilewicz took 4th-place prize money -- $3,958.

3rd Place – Just when it appeared Don Mullins had all the momentum, Steve Severin caught a nice rush and catapulted into the chip lead. Most of those chips came at Quang Le’s expense. After 40 minutes of struggle, Quang Le ran into Steve Severin’s set of aces and lost most of his chips. That huge loss left Quang Le with a single 500 chip, which went into the pot on the next hand. Both opponents checked their hands down, and Quang Le’s night was over after a seven-hour finale. Quang Le, who finished second in Event #2 collected $5,442 for 3rd place.

The heads-up duel between Don Mullis and Steve Severin began with Mullis holding a very small 53,000-47,000 chip advantage. Then, lightening struck. Mullis caught everything he needed to win. It was as if the poker Gods were apologizing to Mullis for early eliminations at both of his previous final tables.

It took three big hands to get over the last obstacle, Steve Severin – who played with just the right mix of patience and aggression. Unfortunately, Severin could not overcome Mullis’ nice rush of cards in the closing stages and the determination of a highly-competitive poker player to win his first tournament. On the final hand of the tournament Mullis was dealt 5-5 versus Severin’s Q-9. Severin tried to make a move at the pot with an inside-straight draw, but Mullis called the last bet of the night with a pocket pair. The final board showed K-J-6-4-8.

The runner up was Steve Severin, a 37-year-old business owner from La Jolla, CA. Severin plays mostly in big no-limit cash games, although he admits he will play more tournament poker in the near future. His goal is now to win a WSOP gold bracelet. He’ll get his chance. Second place paid $9,894.

“I couldn’t care less about the money. All I want is the ring,” said a smiling Mullis after his victory. “I could almost cry right now. Words can never express what this means to me. I don’t think there is a man breathing that can appreciate this ring more than I do. I’m on cloud nine.”

Mullis went on: “I was never good enough to make it on the pro golf tour. So, when I started playing poker last October, I wanted to get really good at it because I thought I could succeed if I applied myself….My wife knows this and she had to put up with it. As beautiful as my wife is on the outside, she is even more beautiful on the inside, and she has given me a lot of support – I spent 15 hours a day playing poker trying to learn the game. To make a final table was amazing. That was enough for me to go back to North Carolina and say to myself ‘I can play this game.’ To make three final tables is unheard of. Then to win this event and the ring – I am so happy and thankful.”

Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Harveys Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis
Harrah’s Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Event 4

No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $1,000 (+60)
Number of Entries: 131
Total Prize Money: $127,070

Official Results:
1. Scott Clements, Mt, Vernon, WA, $45,745
2. Carlos Ramirez, Cameron Park, CA, 25,415
3. Earl Odom, Pinole, CA, 13,975
4. Tony O’Hagan, Las Vegas, NV, 10,165
5. Christopher Cue, Burlingame, CA, 8,895
6. Daniel Flanigan, Sunnyvale, CA, 7,625
7. Stuart Spear, Reno, NV, 6,355
8. Gerald ‘All In’ Cheatham, Philadelphia, PA, 5,085
9. Larry Satterwhite, Houston, TX, 3,810

The Changing Face of Poker
23-year-old aspiring poker pro, Scott Clements seizes victory in Lake Tahoe’s $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em championship

Poker is not the same game it was a few years ago. Sure, the cards, chips, and rules are all the same. But the composition and nature of poker games has changed dramatically. A decade ago, poker rooms were filled with mostly middle-aged men passing the time away. In today’s poker room the average player age is probably somewhere in his (or her) late 20s. Indeed, there far are more young people playing poker today than at any time in history – a trend that is certain to continue as the game spreads across college campuses.

The consequences of the ‘youth movement’ are truly revolutionary. Cowboy hats have been replaced by ipods. No-limit hold’em, a dinosaur only a few years ago, is now poker’s most popular game. Everyone, it seems now wears sunglasses. The influx of young, smart, assertive poker players can only mean one thing – more young poker champions. Ladies and gentlemen -- meet Scott Clements.

Clements is a 23-year-old aspiring poker professional from Mt. Vernon, WA. He works for a mortgage company, but has seen his poker earnings increase to the point where he now believes he can make it as a professional. Most poker dreams end up on the ash heap of one’s own imagination. But at least for one shining moment, on a cool crisp Sunday night at Harveys Lake Tahoe, one poker player’s dream came true. Clements won first place and $45,745 in the $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em championship – the fourth event in this World Series of Poker Circuit tournament. It was a mix of obvious determination, good timing, and even a bit of luck that determined the outcome.

There were 131 entries. Day One resulted in the elimination of 122 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with Tony O’Hagan from Las Vegas, NV holding nearly a 2 to 1 chip lead over his closest rival, Christopher Cue. Few in the crowd or at the table expected much out of the young man quietly perched in Seat Eight, who was one of the lowest in chips. Finalists arrived with the following seat positions and chip counts:

SEAT 1, Earl Odom, Pinole, CA, 21,400
SEAT 2, Carlos Ramirez, Cameron Park, CA, 21,800
SEAT 3, Daniel Flanigan, Sunnyvale, CA, 15,600
SEAT 4, Gerald Cheatham, Philadelphia, PA, 15,100
SEAT 5, Larry Satterwhite, Houston, TX, 20,900
SEAT 6, Stuart Spear, Reno, CA, 34,400
SEAT 7, Christopher Cue, Burlingame, CA, 42,300
SEAT 8, Scott Clements, Mt. Vernon, WA, 18,200
SEAT 9, Tony O’Hagan, Las Vegas, NV, 72,400

Players were eliminated as follows:

9th Place – Larry Satterwhite is many things, perhaps best described as a ‘jack of all trades.’ Just 15 minutes into Day Two, the poker player/real estate agent/used car dealer from Houston started his final hand with pocket 10s, but was eliminated by A-J when a jack rained down on the turn. Satterwhite earned $3,810 for 9th place.

8th Place – Gerald “All In” Cheatham, true to his name, wasn’t afraid to push chips into the pot. He moved ‘all in’ with Q-10 after the flop came 10-7-7 and was practically beat into the pot with his chips by Earl Odom, who had flopped a monster full-house with 10-7. That essentially ended Cheatham’s stay in the finale. Gerald Cheatham, an engineer from Philadelphia who finished 5th at a WSOP event last year, collected $5,085 in prize money.

7h Place – Stuart Spear, a general contractor from nearby Reno, arrived third in chips but was ultimately condemned to a 7th place finish. On his final hand of the night, Spear was impaled by Tony O’Hagan’s diamond flush. Spear has several impressive finishes, including final table appearances at tournaments in Reno and Las Vegas. Seventh place was good for $6,355.

6th Place – Daniel Flanigan (another 23-year-old) appeared to be in a great position to double up when he was dealt pocket kings. After the flop, Flanigan moved ‘all in’ and was called instantly by Tony O’Hagan, holding J-10. O’Hagan had flopped a pair of jacks and when another jack fell on the turn, Flanigan was drawing very slim. A blank sealed Flanigan’s fate – a 6th place finish and $7,625 in prize money.

5th Place – Down to the final five, it seemed that Tony O’Hagan was primed to run away with the tournament. O’Hagan catapulted up over 100K, and had nearly half of the total chips in play. But that would be O’Hagan’s high point of the tournament. The next hour brought a dismal run of cards for O’Hagan that a stock trader might describe as a ‘poker correction.’ After a steady stream of big cards, pairs, and flushes – O’Hagan couldn’t win a pot. Christopher Cue knew the pain all too well. Cue moved ‘all in’ before the flop with A-3 and was called after some hesitation by Scott Clements, holding 3-3. Clements decided he had to gamble, and made a gutsy call at just the right moment. The flop gave Cue both a straight and a flush draw, but two successive blanks on the turn and river allowed the pocket 3s to drag a large pot. Clements was now a force to be reckoned with while Christopher Cue got to watch the rest of the tournament from the rail. Fifth place paid $8,895.

4th Place – Meanwhile, Tony O’Hagan couldn’t win a hand. Every move at the pot brought a re-raise from someone. Every draw was missed. O’Hagan made his final stand of the night with A-8 and predictably, was completely dominated by Scott Clements’ A-10. A ten on the river sealed O’Hagan’s fate – 4th place and $10,165 in prize money.

3rd Place – When play became three-handed, Scott Clements was in total command of the final table. His chip lead was approximately $200K to only about 30K each for his two opponents, Carlos Ramirez and Earl Odom. It was déjà vu all over again a few hands later for Clements, who called an ‘all in’ raise with a dominant hand over his opponent. Earl Odom was dealt A-9 and Clements had A-K. Although it wasn’t needed, a king flopped and the effectively ended Odom’s evening. Odom, a safety consultant from the Bay Area, slipped and fell in 3rd place. He received $13,975. Odom also made it into the money in last year’s WSOP championship event, against a record 2,576 players.

The heads-up duel between Scott Clements and Carlos Ramirez began with Clements holding what seemed to be in insurmountable 8 to 1 chip advantage. Ramirez staged a brief rally when he doubled up in the unlikeliest fashion with 9-2 offsuit, which made two pair against Clements’ pocket aces. But that would be the lone moment of suspense in a duel almost totally devoid of excitement.

The end came when Clements was dealt J-2, normally not much of a hold’em hand, but certainly playable heads up with a big chip lead. Ramirez raised ‘all in’ with Q-10. Clements called. The final board showed A-8-7-2-8 giving Clements a little pair of deuces and his first major poker tournament win.

The runner up was Carlos Ramirez, a private-practice physician who has previously worked as an obstetrician, surgeon, pediatrician, and in a hospital emergency room. Ramirez hopes and expects to play in many more tournaments and can certainly be proud of his finish in this event. Second place paid $25,415.

The most ironic thing about Scott Clement’s tournament victory is that it almost didn’t happen. In fact, he was very fortunate to be sitting at the final table so late in the day. When play was eight-handed, Clements was severely short-stacked. He looked down and found A-Q. The pot had already been raised enough to cover Clements, and he had a very tough decision to make. Clements decided to call and was ‘all in.’ When Clements saw that his A-Q was dominated by A-K, he stood up from the table ready to walk away. But the poker Gods smiled upon the Clements on this day and with all the emotional impact of a lightning bolt, a queen saved Clements.

Indeed, it takes several qualities to make a poker champion….skill, courage, conviction – and a little luck.

Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Harveys Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis
Harrah’s Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr

WSOP Circuit Lake Tahoe - Event 3

No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $500 (+50)
Number of Entries: 287
Total Prize Money: $139,195

Official Results:

1. Jory Post, Santa Cruz, CA, $44,540
2. Eric Cloutier, Mont-Laurier, Quebec, 24,500
3. John Bryant, Stockton, CA, 12,530
4. Michael Capener, Phoenix, AZ, 9,745
5. Mani Zarrehparvar, Copenhagen, Denmark, 8,350
6. Josh Ewing, S. Lake Tahoe, CA, 6,960
7. Don Mullis, Mooresville, NC, 5,570
8. John Buchanan Las Vegas, NV, 4,175
9. Carl Sciandri, Napa, CA, 2,785
10. Gabriel Bletnisky, 1,670
11. Howard ‘Tahoe’ Andrew, 1,670
12. Austin Jones, 1,670
13. Leo Angel, 1,392
14. Matthew Baltz, 1,392
15. Carlos Ramirez, 1,392
16. Peter Nguyen, 1,114
17. Howard McClune, 1,114
18. Robert Mohn, 1,114
19. Tyrone Goring, 835
20. Ross Kline, 835
21. Jason Heidma, 835
22. Michael Ruter, 835
23. Ammon Brown, 835
24. Sue Karow, 835
25. Frankie Keeth, 835
26. Nicholas Manganaro, 835
27. Craig Parsons, 835

It’s Post Time!
Bay Area educator Jory Post rides to victory in Lake Tahoe’s $500 no-limit hold’em championship

”I believe in the importance of education,” said Jory Post immediately following his first-place win and $44,540 payday at Lake Tahoe’s World Series of Poker Circuit tournament. “Going back to my early days at UC-Santa Cruz what I learned as an educator is no so much the importance of mathematics or social studies, but teaching kids how to think for themselves in a meaningful way in a democratic society.”

Learning, and by inference ‘self improvement’ is important to Jory Post. When he’s asked a question – it’s whether about poker or something more personal -- he pauses and gives the issue serious thought before speaking with obvious conviction. Post spent several years in a classroom setting teaching 5th and 6th graders, before gravitating into education technology consulting and writing. “I started out as a psychology major, which I think really helped me in the game of poker,” Post said. “I later learned that I enjoyed working with kids and loved the process of learning, so that became my career choice.”

Post provided quite a poker lesson to the 287 players who entered the $500 buy-in no-limit hold’em championship, the third event in this WSOPC tournament series. Day One resulted in the elimination of 278 players. Places 10 through 27 received prize money ranging from $835 up to $1,670. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with John Bryant from Stockton, CA holding a shaky 3 to 2 chip lead over his closest rival Don Mullis – who was making his second final table appearance in just three days. Finalists arrived with the following seat positions and chip counts:

SEAT 1, Carl Sciandri, Napa, CA, 31,300
SEAT 2, Josh Ewing, S. Lake Tahoe, CA, 43,700
SEAT 3, Michael Capener, Phoenix, AZ, 28,300
SEAT 4, John Bryant, Stockton, CA, 95,700
SEAT 5, Mani Zarrehparvar, Copenhagen, Denmark, 64,000
SEAT 6, Eric Cloutier, Mont-Laurier, Quebec, 38,600
SEAT 7, Don Mullis, Mooresville, NC, 67,200
SEAT 8, John Buchanan, Las Vegas, NV, 26,700
SEAT 9, Jory Post, Santa Cruz, CA, 35,100

Players were eliminated as follows:

9th Place – Carl Sciandri arrived as one of the lowest stacks and failed to win the critical first pot that might have allowed him to become a force on Day Two. Twenty minutes into play, he was callously eliminated in 9th place. Italian-born Sciandri, who now lives in the Napa Valley in northern California, added $2,785 to his poker bankroll. With that hand, former NHL player Eric Cloutier became the new chip leader.

8th Place – Cloutier’s rush continued as he knocked out another player a few minutes later. Cloutier was dealt Q-Q and called an ‘all in’ re-raise’ by Internet poker professional John Buchanan, who was holding A-K. Buchanan failed to catch either an ace or king, and buste