For those of you following the $1,500 NLH event in Tunica a few days ago, below is the official WSOP report. The hand Todd went out on really was a bummer — particularly since he is arguably one of the best set-floppers in Dallas. Skipping to the good part:
We were now playing with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and 1,000 antes. Two hands into the new level, Todd “Tiny B†Phillips suffered a heart-breaker. After Williams moved in, Phillips called for his last 48,000 with pocket aces and flopped a set. But the flop also contained two hearts. A third one turned, and Williams, with Ah-2h, broke Phillips’ heart and left him in fifth place, which paid $19,904. Phillips, a 35-year-old real estate broker from Dallas, learned poker in a “great home game†in his city.
Click below to read the full story of how everything shook down …
2006 World Series of Poker Circuit
Grand Casino Tunica – Tunica, MS
Official Report
Event #7
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $1,500 (+70)
Number of Entries: 228
Total Prize Money: $331,740
Final Results:
1. Andy Alina $106,161
Hernando, MS
2. Ed Corrado 58,386
Naples, Florida
3. James Williams 29,857
Ocean Springs, MS
4. Alan Barnes 23,222
Barton, AR
5. Todd Phillips 19,904
Dallas, TX
6. Rogen Chhabra 16,587
Madison, MS
7. John Davis 13,270
Tampa, FL
8. Joe Simmons 9,952
Shreveport, LA
9. James Henson 6,635
Augusta, GA
10.Michael Ciaravino 3,981
Rockledge, FL
11.James Harris 3,981
Melbourne, FL
12.Richard Becker 3,981
Austin, TX
13.Larry Vance 3,217
Torrance, CA
14.Gabriel Cook 3,317
West Terre Haute, IN
15.Paul Shoultz 3,317
Houma, LA
16.Steven Gersch 2,654
Mt. Prospect, IL
17.Clint Brotherton 2,654
Taylorville, IN
18.Terence Ferentinos 2,654
Alpharetta, GA
19.William Gordon $1,990
Largo, FL
20.Jae-Chul Chang
McKinney, TX
21.Randy Huston
Oklahoma City, OK
22.Ben Gordon
Gulf Breeze, FL
23.Stephen Murphy
Clearwater, FL
24.Russell Saterfield
Geraldine, AL
25.John Morris
Whitesburg, GA
26.Vincent Mack
Palm Bay, FL
27.Randolph Parker
LR, AZ
Ex-Dealer Andy Alina
Slow-Plays His Way to Win
in $1,500 No-Limit
Tunica, MS– The conventional wisdom in poker is that you shouldn’t slow-play pocket aces because doing so can get you in a lot of trouble. Andy Alina, a former dealer at the Gold Strike, ignored that advice, trapped a player into going all in, and ended up raking in a pot of over 180,000 that gave him a chip lead he would never relinquish. He went on to win the seventh event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Grand Casino Tunica, $1,500 no-limit hold’em, for a payday of $106,161, his biggest by far to date.
Alina is testing the waters before deciding whether to play poker professionally. He’s had two other tournament cash-outs in no-limit events this year, but his game of choice is pot-limit Omaha.
When players knocked off work on day one, 17 were still left. They picked up the next day with John Davis leading the pack with exactly 100,000 chips.
Only nine players made it to the final table when two were knocked out at once. One of them, Michael Ciaravino, went out in spectacular style. He was all in with pocket 10s, and got crushed by Joe Simmons, whose pocket jacks turned into quads. “And I was all set to move to the final table,†he lamented.
Final table starting chip count:
SEAT 1 James Henson 39,000
SEAT 2 Roger Chhabra 84,500
SEAT 3 James Williams 124,500
SEAT 4 Todd Phillips 54,000
SEAT 5 Alan Barnes 32,000
SEAT 6 Andy Alina 88,000
SEAT 7 Ed Corrado 46,500
SEAT 8 John Davis 95,000
SEAT 9 Joe Simmons 120,000
Play began with 2,000/4,000 blinds and 500 antes, 29:05 left. James “Smokey†Williams, with 124,500, and Simmons, with 120,000, were chip co-leaders.
James Henson lasted six hands. He had Jc-9c and moved in when a flop of Kc-Qc-2h gave him an inside draw to a straight flush. Alina called with K-Q for top two and filled on the river. Henson, 57, a contractor from Augusta, Georgia, has been playing poker three years and took home $6,635 for ninth place.
After picking up another pot, Alina moved in front with about 140,000. Later there was heads-up action between Simmons and Ed Corrado. The board showed 10-9-5, and Simmons moved in. Corrado, who would have only 7,000 left if he called and lost, thought at great length before finally doing so with A-10. Simmons reluctantly turned up a meager pair of treys, Simmons couldn’t help, and finished eighth. “It would have been hard to lay down top pair with top kicker,†Corrado said as he raked in enough chips to take over the lead.
Simmons, originally from the Philippines, now lives in Shreveport, Louisiana. He started playing poker two years ago, but didn’t offer much additional information about himself. Eighth place was worth $9,952.
Later, Davis moved in pre-flop from the big blind with pocket 10s for about 90,000 after Alina had limped. Davis was then understandably upset to discover that he fallen into a trap when Alina turned up aces. Alina had him covered and now regained the lead, while Davis cashed out seventh for $12,871. Davis, 36, from Tampa, Florida, learned the game three years ago from his father and friends.
Rogen Chhabra was next out. Williams moved in, Chhabra called with K-J and was in very bad shape when Williams showed pocket jacks. Rags hit the board, and Chhabra, a 33-year-old attorney from Madison, MS, took home $16,587 for finishing sixth. His most notable feat was cashing in at a $3,000 Word Poker Open event, but there’s little chance of him ever turning pro. “I love my job,†he wrote on his bio sheet. “No matter what happens in poker, I would never quit.â€Â
In later action, Williams had a straight on fifth street, but the board was paired with spades as well. After Alina checked, Williams, leery of him after his move with aces, simply checked as well and took the pot. “I knew I had the best hand,†he said, “but he’s sneaky as hell.â€Â
At the next break, Alina was still in front, now with about a quarter-million in chips, while Williams and Corrado were about tied for second with around 180,000 and 170,000 respectively.
We were now playing with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and 1,000 antes. Two hands into the new level, Todd “Tiny B†Phillips suffered a heart-breaker. After Williams moved in, Phillips called for his last 48,000 with pocket aces and flopped a set. But the flop also contained two hearts. A third one turned, and Williams, with Ah-2h, broke Phillips’ heart and left him in fifth place, which paid $19,904. Phillips, a 35-year-old real estate broker from Dallas, learned poker in a “great home game†in his city.
In subsequent action, Alan Barnes had only 6,000 left in the small blind when Carrado raised to 25,000. “Why did you raise?†Williams complained, laying down A-K. Carrado and Barnes both had A-Q. They split the pot, and in any event would have outrun William’s big slick when a queen on the river paired them.
Barnes survived a couple more of all-ins, but finally succumbed halfway through the level. He moved all in for 7,000 with A-J. Alina and Corrado called and checked the pot down. Corrado had 10-3 and a flopped trey was all he needed to leave Barnes in fourth place. Barnes, 51, whose nickname is “Big Al,†is a sawmill and logging owner from Barton, AR. He’s been playing in home games for 30 years, in casinos two, and his best tournament finish was a third in the Gold Strike Poker Classic this year. His payout was $23,222
Soon after the tournament became three-handed, Williams moved in with Qh-10h. Alina called with 8c-7c. A flop of Qc-9d-6c gave Alina draws to a straight and a flush. An Ac turned to give him the flush, and Williams was drawing dead. Williams, from Ocean Springs, MS, is in retail sales, owning a chain of tobacco stores. Williams,†who has been playing poker five years, describes himself as “easy-going but highly competitive, and says his poker highlight was playing with WSOP champion Joe Hachem. Tonight he got $29,857 for third place.
Two-handed, Alina had about 375,000 to a bit under 300,000 for Corrado.
As heads-up play began, Alina took the first few pots and Corrado quickly dropped down. He recovered somewhat, but could never really challenge Alina.The final hand saw a board of 6-5-4-9 and Corrado moved in. “I’ll gamble,†Alina said, calling with a Q-7 for a straight draw. He was surprised when Corrado turned up a nothing 10-8 hand. The queen-high held up, and Alina had his victory and a championship ring.
“If I didn’t have so many chips, I never would have called,†Alina said, shaking his head.
Corrado, who is a 75-year-old Florida retiree originally from Chicago, has been playing poker for half a century, and took home $58,386 for second.
Alina, who lives in Hernando, MS, won $23,901 for a second-place finish at the Gold Strike’s World Poker Open Event this year, and also had a $10,000 cash in the Oklahoma State Championships. â€â€Max Shapiro