Auto
Salesman Mark Ketteringham
Wins First Tourney in Wild Finish
With
four players left in tonight’s tournament,
and four hands to go, auto salesman Mark
Ketteringham had the third-lowest chip
count. One hand later he took down a huge
pot with a set of deuces and became the
leader. Three hands later, another player
was knocked out in fourth place, the remaining
three made a deal and Kettingham had his
first tournament win ever, in event 13
of Hustler Casino’s Grand Slam of Poker
Tournament III.
Ketteringham,
who plays $20-$40 to $30-$60 hold’em cash
games, has been playing poker for seven
years, tourments for just eight months.
He describes his play as ABC, “with a
little bit of craziness.” His previous
best cash-out was a three-way chop in
a $1,000 event at the Bellagio.
This
$300 no-limit hold’em event, the final
one before the $3,000 buy-in championship,
had a $100,000 guarantee. The guarantee
was exceeded by nearly 50 percent, with
first place paying $55,850.
The
chip lead in this tournament moved all
around the table, starting with Mark Seif,
who arrived with a huge lead of $156,000,
but quickly lost it. Kenna James, who
finished third, also lost something in
this tournament: a chance to win it. In
one of the key pots of the night, he laid
down pocket jacks in three-way action
when a player moved all in. Had James
called he would have flopped a set, would
have ended up with virtually all the chips
on the table, and he’s probably still
kicking himself right now.
Only
nine players made it to the final table
after Seif broke two players. He had Q-J
and hit a queen to beat Mike Carson, who
had pocket 6s, and Charlie Shoten who
had K-7.
Action
got under way with $400 antes, blinds
of $1,200-$2,400 and 11 minutes left at
that level. On the fourth hand, Seif gave
up a $20,000 investment in the pot after
Ketteringham moved in. Two hands later,
after James bet $12,000 into a J-7-2 flop,
Seif raised $20,000, then faced an all-in
re-raise by James. After long and painful
deliberation, he finally shook his head
and gave up the $90,000 pot. “A tough
way to make a living,” said James, who
now had the lead. Seif later accused James
of stealing the pot, but Kenna wasn’t
saying.
Soon
after blinds went to $1,500-$3,000 with
$500 antes, a short-chipped Paul Javier
went all in with K-7. Louis Laxineta gave
him “protection” by moving in. Some “protection.”
He had pocket 8s, flopped a set and eight
were left.
On
the next hand, Tony Ma tried to pick up
the blinds by moving in with his last
few chips with A-6, and James Grimes picked
him off with pocket 7s. Then, when Grimes
himself moved in, Laxiter decided he didn’t
have that good a hand and made a good
call with A-3. Grimes had only Jd-5d,
but flopped a 5 to stay alive. It would
not be the only time that a 5 did Laxiter
in.
Seif,
who couldn’t do anything at the final
table, finished seventh on hand 20. Aftter
Ketteringham opened for $9,000, Seif raised
$50,000 and then Joseph Cordi moved in.
Seif, who has a whole clutch of tournament
titles, called with A-J and lost to lost
to Cordi’s A-K. Cordi, a businessman who
played online for the first time last
year and won the World Championship of
Online Poker, now had the lead with about
$185,000.
After
blinds went to $2,000-$4,000 with $500
antes, James took a big pot from Laxineta
when he check-raised on a flop of A-10-6,
then moved in when another ace turned,
and Laxineta folded. Laxineta, a builder
and semi-pro, went out on the next hand.
He moved in from the small blind for $40,000
with A-Q and got called from the big blind
by Ketteringham, who had A-5. Once again
a 5, this time on the river, was the jinx
card for Laxineta, who finished sixth.
A rough count at this point showed Cordi
still leading with about $160,000, followed
by James, $130,000; Ketteringham, $90,000;
Grimes, $65,000; and David Lambad, a contractor,
$45,000.
With
blinds of $3,000-$6,000 and $1,000 antes,
the pot that might have been for James
came down. Grimes opened for $14,000,
James raised $30,000 with his pocket jacks
and Cordi moved in. Grimes called. Putting
Cordi on queens, James folded. As it turned
out Cordi had A-K and Grimes had aces.
The aces won and now Grimes had the lead
with about $170,000, but a jack that came
on the flop would have won it for James.
On
hand 58, Cordi opened for $20,000 with
Q-Q. Lambard moved in for $36,000 and
finished fifth when Cordi flopped a set.
Everything
turned around on hand 66. Kettering moved
in for $102,000 with pocket deuces. Chip-leader
Grimes called with Ac4c. A board of A-7-2-6-10
crippled Grimes and gave the lead to Kettering
with about $210,000, followed by roughly
$130,000 for Cordi and $100,000 for James,
while Grimes was down to just $50,000.
Three
hands later, with blinds of $4,000-$8,000
and $1,0000 antes, it was over. Cordi
moved in with A-9 and Grimes called with
pocket 7s. A board of J-8-2-9-8 gave Cordi
a bigger pair and Grimes finished fourth.
The
chip count now was: Ketteringham, $209,000;
Cordi,$181,500; James, $98,000. The deal
was made and the books were closed.
Max Shapiro
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