Event
#3
When
corporate sponsorship ultimately comes
to tournament poker, Mike Hatfield will
be the perfect pitchman for Miller Lite.
Slinging at least a six-pack of Miller
Lites, Hatfield obliterated a highly competitive
field of nearly 200 players, and bulldozed
over the final table in less than three
hours to capture his first major tournament
victory. Incredibly, it was the first
time Hatfield had ever played in a seven-card
stud tourney.
Play
began with a $300 ante and limits at $2K-$4K.
Lamar Hampton was the first player to
be eliminated when he went all-in with
two pair -- queens and deuces. However,
he ran into Hatfield's full house -- aces
over jacks. Hampton, from Winter Springs,
Florida captured $1,930 for 8th place.
Next
to fall was tempermental Atlantic City
semi-pro, Fran ("Frannie") Pinchot.
Frannie was mentally torn whether or not
to make his final stand with (A-2) 2,
and reluctantly commited himself on third
street hoping to improve his hand and
accummulate some chips. "It's rare
that I'll call when I know I don't have
the best of it," Frannie later explained.
Opponent Vince Ballinger was dealt split
kings, which held up to knock out Frannie
in 7th place, good for a $2,895 payday.
After
Hatfield beat Frank McCool with trip kings
to become the co-chip leader, Australian
Alex Horowitz found himself in a desperate
chip situation. Dealt (A-K) 9 on the first
three cards, Horowitz made his final bet
of the night. Unfortunately, he ran into
Dwain Fulcher's five diamonds in just
five cards, which sent Horowitz packing.
Horowitz, an attorney who won the Australasian
poker championship in 1999, was sentenced
to 6th place and $3,861. G'day, mate.
Last
year, one of the most interesting stories
of the World Poker Open was Frank McCool
-- a college student who skipped a day
of classes to play in the poker tournament
-- who went on to win $54,000 for his
truancy. Fortunately, this event fell
on a weekend. One of the most interesting
hands of night came when McCool showed
a pair of queens on sixth street and made
a bet. Vince Ballinger's board cards didn't
seem to pose much a threat (several assorted
blanks), yet he raised McCool. McCool
wasn't happy with the raise but called.
On seventh street, Ballinger bet directly
into McCool's queens which had failed
to improve. McCool folded, convinced he
was beat -- leaving the content of Ballinger's
hand a mystery. Whether or not he had
"the goods," it was a strategy
that worked.
McCool's
misery continued. He was dealt (6-6) 9-7-9-10
(4) which lost to Bill Byers' (9-9) 3-K-10-Q
(J). The king-high straight put McCool
out in 5th place, with $4,826.
Byers
had a slight chip lead, with Dwain Fulcher
the lowest in chips. Fulcher played marvelously
most of the day, coming to the final table
with a paltry $5,600. He managed to survive
for two hours and made his final stand
with a powerhouse drawing hand. On the
first four cards Fulcher was dealt (3-5)
2-4 -- all hearts, which amounted to an
outside straight-flush draw. Sadly, three
black bricks were dealt to Fulcher, which
eliminated the Las Vegas pro in 4th place
with $5,600. This was Fulcher's second
final table this year, in just three events.
Down
to three players, Mike Hatfield made his
move. First, Hatfield made a full house
against Ballinger. Then, with the chip
lead, he became increasingly aggressive
as the tournament progressed. Bill Byers
ran card-cold at the worst possible moment,
failing to win a hand in his final 20
minutes at the table. His final hand came
when he was dealt (Q-4) A-3-2-3 on sixth
street. Byers raised Ballinger with a
small pair and a straight draw -- hoping
to take the pot right there. Ballinger
called with (K-9) 9-2-K-5. Byers caught
a blank on the end and Ballinger's two
pair won a big pot. Byers, who lives in
Florida and plays poker professionally,
took third place and $9,652. "This
is the best tournament around," Byers
said of the World Poker Open as he exited
the table.
When
heads-up play began, Hatfield held a slight
chip lead over Ballinger -- $84K to $65K.
The two finalists traded off chips for
the next ten hands, before Hatfield established
a 2-1 chip lead over his opponent.
The
final hand of the night was a stunner.
Third-street showed:
HATFIELD:
(7-7) Q
BALLINGER: (K-2) A
Hatfield bet. Ballinger raised. Hatfield
re-raised. Ballinger flat called. On fourth
street:
HATFIELD:
(7-7) Q-Q
BALLINGER: (K-2) A-K
Hatfield
bet. Ballinger raised. Hatfield re-raised.
Ballinger flat called. On fifth street:
HATFIELD:
(7-7) Q-Q-7
BALLINGER: (K-2) A-K-5
Hatfield
bet. Ballinger called and was all-in.
The two players' final hands showed:
HATFIELD:
(7-7) Q-Q-7-10 (7)
BALLINGER: (K-2) A-K-5-2 (2)
Ballinger
had made a full house (deuces over kings)
but was essentially drawing dead. Hatfield
already had a full house on fifth street,
and ended up with four 7s -- which amounted
to massive overkill. Ballinger played
a remarkable tournament, arriving at the
final table with only $8K but somehow
managed to climb up the money ladder.
Ballinger, who is a bar owner in Indiana
who comes to the World Poker Open every
year, collected $19,303 for second place.
The winner, Mike Hatfield, is quite a
remarkable success story. Hatfield is
a real-life wildcatter who works for an
oil and gas company in West Texas. He
plays regularly in private games in Texas,
including the famous Redmen's game back
in Dallas. He plays about a dozen events
per year, but this was his first major
tournament victory. After it was over,
Hatfield toasted his win with another
bottle of Miller Lite. For Hatfield, $38,605
in prize money is hardly "less filling,"
and the victory sure "tasted great."
-- by Nolan Dalla
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