Event
#2
A
staggering 682 players entered the second
event of the 2003 World Poker Open, shattering
the all-time tournament record for number
of entries. After a grueling 16-hour marathon
on day one, 9 finalists arrived at the
final table on the second day to compete
for a whopping $330,000 in prize money.
Unorthodox tournament pro Eskimo Clark
came to the final table with an impressive
chip lead, causing some bystanders to
anticipate an Eskimo runaway. But ultimately
it was John Oetker, a small business owner
from Iowa, who pulled-off the upset and
walked away with $122,383 in prize money.
With
betting limits at $4K-8K, Texan Thomas
Ferguson had to catch a hand to survive
-- and fast. His dream came true when
he was dealt A-A and managed to get into
a pre-flop raising war with John Oetker,
holding J-J. After four raises, all of
Ferguson's chips were in the pot. Ferguson's
dream hand turned into a nightmare when
a jack flopped, and the final board read
Q-J-9-10-2. Oetker's set of jacks made
Ferguson the first casualty of the final
table, which meant the retired teacher
and coach from Woodville, TX was out in
9th place with $5,292.
Ninety
minutes passed before the next player
was eliminated. During this time, Oetker
slowly increased his stack size from $50K
to over $100K. Then, without warning,
three players were knocked out in rapid
succession. Next to get the ax was another
Texan, Don Moseley. Moseley liked his
chances with A-Q against the Eskimo man,
who called a small all-in raise from the
blind with 9-5. Unfortunately for Moseley,
a wicked 5 fell on the river, knocking
the retired Houstonian out in 8th place
with $6,615.
Literally
seconds later, Craig DiSalvo found himself
down to the felt and had to make his last
stand with K-7. Josh Arieh was thrilled
to fade DiSalvo's action, holding (wouldn't
you know it?) pocket aces. The board was
cruel and unusual punishment for DiSalvo
-- A-J-8-8-J -- giving Arieh a full house.
It was a disappointing final table for
DiSalvo, who has played tournament poker
for 20 years and has cashed in many majors.
He simply ran "card cold" at the worst
stage of the tournament. DiSalvo took
$8,269 for 7th place.
A.J.
Kelsall found himself in much the same
predicament. Forced to commit his remaining
chips, Kelsall was none to happy to be
dealt 9-3 on his final hand, which turned
out to be dominated by Eskimo's 9-8. Neither
player made a pair, but Eskimo's "8" played.
Kelsall, a self-employed semi-pro who
concentrates mostly on cash games and
only plays 2 to 3 majors per year, received
$11,577 from 6th place.
Bruce
Van Horn is perhaps best-known for his
second place finish in the 1996 World
Series of Poker. Quiet and unassuming
much of the time, Van Horn can always
be counted to make the most of his opportunities.
However, the opportunities were few and
far between on this night. The good Oklahoma
doctor was stuck in the big blind with
3-4 suited, and called a raise with his
last chips in a three-way pot (getting
2-1 on his money, he later explained).
John Oetker made a full house and Van
Horn was gone. Van Horn came to the final
table fifth in chips and finished 5th,
taking home $14,885.
With
blinds raised to $10K-20K, Former Tournament
of Champions finalist Josh Arieh made
his last stand with 4-4. However, he ran
into pocket 6s and was forced to make
an unwelcome exit. Arieh received $19,846
for 4th place.
One
of the most dramatic hands at the final
table took place when Eskimo Clark and
John Oetker contested a huge pot. Eskimo
held A-J versus Oetker's K-K. The final
board showed A-K-5-J-7, giving Eskimo
two pair. But Oetker had flopped a monster
hand with trip kings. That hand proved
to be the turning point in the tournament.
For the first time, Oetker had taken the
chip lead.
In
the first two hours, Norm Ketchum wasn't
much of a factor at the final table. He
slowly managed to move up the money ladder,
and sat quietly while the other players
went to war. However, with blinds and
limits escalating, Ketchum finally had
to make a stand and committed his final
chips with Q-J. Ketchum caught a jack
on the turn to make a pair. However, he
might as well have been looking at a freight
train from the railroad tracks. Oetker
had been dealt 5-6 and was thrilled to
see the flop come 8-7-4. The 5-6 made
a straight and Ketchum, who finished second
in this same event two years ago, won
$31,423 for 3rd place. Oetker was on a
roll.
The last two players squared off, with
Oetker sitting on a 5-2 chip lead over
Eskimo. Demonstrating why he's one of
the most feared competitors in tournament
poker, Eskimo staged an impressive comeback
and drew back to even in chips at one
point. In a stunning exhibition of courage
and good card sense, Eskimo four-bet his
opponent when the flop came A-A-2. Convinced
he was probably beat, Oetker mucked his
hand. Eskimo showed a worthless Q-6.
But
this night belonged to Oetker, who kept
coming over the top of Eskimo at opportune
moments, throwing the experienced pro
off his game. He slowly, but surely, chipped
away at Eskimo's stack, until he had the
chips back he'd lost previously, and more.
When Oetker made trip 8s on a critical
hand, Eskimo knew end was near. Down to
only a few chips, Eskimo made his final
stand with K-3 in the big blind. Oetker
was dealt 8-6. Incredibly, Oetker flopped
a straight (again) when the board came
9-7-5. It was all over. Eskimo, the winner
of four previous World Series of Poker
events, took second place -- and Oetker
was congratulated as the winner.
Afterward,
Oetker paid tribute to his opponents and
said he was delighted to win his first
major. Of Eskimo in particular, Oetker
said, "He's great. He's one of the best
in the world. I've been watching him play
for years." All the watching and waiting
seemed to finally pay off for Oetker,
who collected $122,383 and his first World
Poker Open gold and diamond bracelet.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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