Event
#12
"Come to Pappa!"
The final table of the $1,000 buyin No-Limit
Texas Hold�em event was a cross between
a poker game and a circus sideshow. The
five-hour Tuesday night marathon featured
a little bit of everything -- including
several chip-lead changes, two dramatic
comebacks by short-stacked players, and
numerous emotional outbursts by one of
poker's most eccentric personalities,
Avner "Pappa" Levy. Always one to make
things interesting, Levy, arrived third
in chips. Levy's dynamic presence electrified
the crowd and had the seating area filled
to capacity -- with all eyes focused on
the combustible former tennis pro. In
the end, Levy won his first World Poker
Open title and collected $84,699.
Play
was cautious during the early rounds until
short-stacked Scott Glaze was dealt 4-4
and moved all-in with his last $10K. Chip
leader Kent Washington called immediately
with 9-9 and knocked out Glaze with the
overpair. Glaze, who resides in suburban
Washington, DC and has made final tables
at Foxwoods, received $3,663 for 9th-place.
Next,
Wayne Hatcher was dealt A-10 and tried
to steal with an all-in re-raise before
the flop. David Pham called with 8-8.
Hatcher failed to catch a pair, which
eliminated the antique slot machine dealer
from Louisiana. Hatcher, former champion
of the now-defunct "Cajun Cup," which
was once the South's most popular and
prestigious poker tournament, finished
in 8th place. He collected $4,578.
A
short time later, Atlantic City poker
pro Jason Viriyayuthakorn (a.k.a. "Jason
V"), with A-K, crippled Pittsburgh's Gary
"Haub" Haubelt, who was holding A-Q. A
queen failed to save Haub, and he was
left with only a few thousand in chips.
Like
Haub, Judge Leo Boothe was also low on
chips and moved all-in with his last $7K,
with A-10. David Pham called with K-Q
and was delighted to see the final board
show Q-10-4-9-3. The pair of queens beat
Boothe's tens, so the Louisiana judge
was out of the tournament. Judge Leo Boothe,
winner of the $500 No-Limit Hold'em event
at last year's World Poker Open, finished
in 7th place and received $5,723. There
went the Judge.
Desperately
low on chips, Haub made his final stand
with J-3 of hearts in the big blind. Kent
Washington, still with a commanding chip
lead, called with K-J. The final board
showed 9-2-2-7-4, meaning the king played
as the high card. Gary "Haub" Haubelt,
a retired accountant/manufacturer and
the winner of several previous poker tournaments,
collected $8,012 for 6th place.
The
World Poker Open has been very good to
Jason V. He won this event in 2001 and
finished 5th in the championship final
in 2000. However, he could do no better
than 4th-place in this tournament when
he was dealt J-9 and moved all-in with
his remaining chips after the flop came
Q-8-7. Kent Washington's A-J played when
two blanks fell on the turn and river.
Jason Viriyayuthakorn took $10,301 for
5th place.
Thus
far, no one could shake Kent Washington's
dominance at the final table. However,
the first blow of the night came when
he called David Pham's all-in bet and
lost a big pot. Pham was dealt the K-5
of clubs and moved all-in after the flop
came J-9-2 -- with two clubs. Washington
called with J-8. When a club fell on the
river, Pham was saved from going busted,
while Washington had suffered his first
significant beat of the tournament.
The
previous hand left Washington with a 3-1
chip lead over Pham -- with Avner Levy
and Rob Hollink as the short stacks. Incredibly,
the two players who would ultimately wind
up as the finalists faced-off in the next
major confrontation. Levy called an all-in
bet by Rob Hollink with 4-4. Hollink had
K-J. Levy's pocket 4s held up and Hollink
was now desperately low on chips. "Come
to Pappa!" Levy screamed as he avoided
elimination.
Down
to his last $22K, Hollink tried to steal
from the small blind with 9-8 and was
called by Washington with A-Q in the big
blind. Hollink was all-in and in serious
trouble. But he managed to spike an 8
on the turn and survive. That hand ignited
a stunning comeback by Hollink, who was
cheered on by an enthusiastic group of
European players. Hollink, from The Netherlands,
won the next three pots in a row and was
suddenly within striking distance of the
chip lead.
The
remainder of the tournament might as well
have been called "The Avner Levy Show,"
with Rob Hollink as Best Supporting Actor.
Levy's Oscar-caliber performance began
when he shattered Kent Washington with
an over-the-top re-raise after the flop,
and then showing a stone cold bluff. That
clever move put Levy nearly even in chips
with Washington.
Next, a bit of controversy erupted when
Hollink squared-off against Washington.
The final board showed 9-8-7-3-10. Hollink,
thinking Washington had checked on the
end, turned up his hand and showed A-9
for a pair. In fact, Washington had not
acted yet. Washington took several minutes
to contemplate his action and bet $22K.
Hollink made a crying call, and Washington
mucked his cards. It was a stunning blow
to Washington, who failed to recover from
the loss. Meanwhile, Hollink had gone
from $22K to over $80K in twenty minutes.
Surprisingly,
Tournament veteran David "Dragon" Pham
was not much of a factor in the later
stages of the final table. After a flop
of Q-J-9, Pham moved his chips all-in.
He was practically run over by a freight
train as Hollink called instantly and
rolled over A-A. Pham still had outs,
but failed to catch a life saver. The
Dragon was slayed in 4th place with $13,735.
Kent
Washington played magnificently during
most of the tournament. He dominated his
opponents during much of the night and
managed to run over the table at various
stages, adding to his massive chip lead.
However, Washington lost a critical hand
when he called Levy's all-in pre-flop
re-raise. Washington showed 6-6 versus
Levy's J-J. Levy's jacks held up, and
the chips were pushed to "Pappa."
Washington's
final hand occurred a short time later
when he tried to bluff with J-5, which
was called by Levy with 8-8. When the
flop came 9-9-8, Levy could barely contain
himself, sitting on a full house. While
he screamed and pumped his fists into
the air, Washington backed away from the
table quietly. Kent Washington, a Poker
Dealer at the Lucky Chances Casino near
San Francisco, collected $21,747 for 3rd
place.
Over
the final hour, Levy and Hollink locked
into an epic battle. The two finalists
exchanged the chip lead a few times before
Levy finally started to seize control
of the tournament. Each time Hollink raised
the pot before the flop, Levy came over
the top with a $25K reraise. It was maddening
for Hollink, who waited to pick up a big
hand so he could trap Levy for all his
chips
The
big hand finally came when Hollink was
dealt A-A. It looked to be the perfect
trap. The flop came K-K-5 and all the
money went into the pot. Hollink showed
the pocket aces, which normally would
have been a devastating hand to any opponent.
But Levy nearly went hysterical as he
showed K-4, which amounted to three kings.
An ace failed to save Hollink from elimination
and he gracefully took 2nd place. Hollink,
a pro who plays regularly on the European
poker circuit, collected $43,495.
For
Levy, the victory was arguably the highlight
of a career filled with many ups and downs.
Cheered on by dozens of supporters, Levy
jumped into the arms of his backers and
was literally carried away from the final
table in tears. Levy became the proud
"Pappa" of $84,699 and his first gold
and diamond bracelet.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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