Wilbur Futhey Survives Wild Coaster
Ride, Wins Caesars Indiana 5k Finale
Elizabeth, IN -- Wilbur Futhey retired two years ago as a salesman supplying plush toys to carnivals. Tonight, playing in the WSOP Circuit championship event at Caesars Indiana, he must have felt like he was back in one of those carnivals, riding a roller coaster, as his chips went up and down over and over. He got lucky time and again when he was forced to go in with mediocre hands, but also had his share of bad beats along the way. The final hand was a case in point. He started with the best cards, Ac-Ks versus As-10c, a 72 percent favorite. When the board showed 6s-Qc-Qs-10h, he was a 4-1 underdog. And then a river jack gave him a straight and the tournament win. "He (his final opponent, Steve Merrifeld) got lucky on me a few times, and I got lucky on him too," he said. Futhey had high praise for Merrifield, a recent college grad turned pro. "He's smart and should do very well," he said.
For finishing first, Futhey, 62, from Crossville, Tennessee, took home $180,290, a gold and diamond trophy ring, and an $11,000 package to the main event at this year's WSOP. He's had a number of tournament cashes, including $42,408 for finishing third in a Circuit main event here last October, and $48,602 for third in the Midwest Regional main event, also last year, but this is his first win. The victory helped shake off the jinx he's felt after having kings cracked five times in Circuit event final tables at Atlantic City, and another time at a New Orleans Circuit. Futhey, who's been playing poker all his life, retired and began playing full time two years ago after his wife passed away. "I lost interest in working and I had nothing else to do," he said.
He said poker is a funny game because sometimes you pick up cards and can do anything and sometimes you can't buy a hand. He was down to 10,000 or 20,000 several times during the tournament, and blew off most of the 198,000 chips he brought to the final table before making a recovery.
Day one of this event ended at nearly 4 a.m. after the remaining 20 players voted to keep playing down to 18, with everyone in the money. Those finalists returned at noon today to finish the tournament. Chip leader, with 212,400, was bracelet-holder Robert Cheung. The only woman left in the field was Beth Shak of Bryn Maur, Pennsylvania, and she went out 16th. It would be a long day, with the final table taking 236 hands to complete.
Robert Cheung, who had the chip lead when the final 18 returned, finished 11th. He was in the small blind holding two small cards when he went out. Cheung, from Vancounver, British Columbia, has over $1 million in tournament cashes, most of it coming when he won a $1,500 no-limit event at the WSOP last year that paid $673,278.
We got to the final table after Jason Glass, who cashed for $39,000 in last year's WSOP main event, had his A-K beaten by Futhey's J-10 after the board came J-3-6-6-8. Sitting down as chip leader with 213,000 was Dale Poynter, with three other players close behind. Rounds were now 90 minutes.
Here were the starting chip counts:
Seat 1. Benjamin Hock 87,999
Seat 2. Wilbur Futhey 198,000
Seat 3. Dale Poynter 213,000
Seat 4.Steven Merrifield 19,000
Seat 5. Jason Mann 203,000
Seat 6. Doug Carli 52,500
Seat 7. Giovanni Marcacci 136,500
Seat 8. Michael Iacovone 55,000
Seat 9. Jerry Martin 40,000
Action began with blinds of 2,000-4,000 and 500 antes, 47:37 left. On the fourth hand, Futhey, one of the big starting stacks, lost nearly half his chips when Benjamin Hock's pocket 8s beat his A-K. Then, Doug "Rico" Carli, the secod-smallest stack, doubled through against Futhey who moved in on a flop of 4-8-6. Futhey had A-Q, but Carli had flopped a set of 4s. Now low-chipped himself, Futhey finally won a pot when he had A-Q again and it prevailed against Michael Iacovone's A-J.
Iacovone then put in his last chips holding Qh-5h and had two callers. With the board showing 2-10-K-J-10, Dale Poynter bet out holding 10-8, and his trip 10s left Iacovone in 9th place, which paid $11,129. Iacovone, 45, originally from Italy, now lives in Cleveland where he works as a plumber. He learned poker playing in a social club.
Seven hands later, on the 22nd deal, Jerry Martin raised all in for his remaining 8,000 and also got two callers. The board came J-K-9-9-Q. Martin's A-Q lost to Jason Mann's K-10, and he cashed eighth for $16,604. Martin, 34, is a retail worker from Indianapolis. He learned poker watching ESPN and from friends. This is his first Circuit and on his bio sheet he wrote, "This is my dream!!" His other hobbies are pool, video games and sports.
A few hands later the round ended and players returned from break to blinds of 3,000-6,000 with 500 antes. At this point Steven Merrifield had moved in front with about 260,000. On the first hand, three queens flopped. Carli, with pocket 5s, bet 40,000, and Hock check-raised all in, representing a fourth queen. With resignation, Carli called for the extra chips anyway, and Hock showed Q-J.
Hand 50 brought set over set. The flop came J-4-7. Hock moved in and Giovanni "Big P" Marcacci called. He had pocket 4s, but Hock had him dominated with a set of jacks. Bowing out seventh, Maracacci picked up $22,258. Hock, meanwhile, moved into a rough tie with Merrifield, both around 300,000 or so. Marcacci is a poker player originally from Canada, now living in Brooksfield, Florida. Before that he was a contractor. He learned to play 20 years ago with friends and family. His poker highlights are a third in the Circuit main event at Tunica paying $124,000. He also has a 13th in the same event at Tunica the year before. His other pastime is golf.
A few deals later, Jerry Mann had A-K, the flop of K-Q-6 looked great, and he had a seemingly easy call when Poynter moved in. Then Poynter turned up two more 6s. He just had Mann covered, and one more player went out. Mann, 29, a phone tower builder from Hermitage, Arkansas, took home $27,823 for sixth. Mann, nicknamed "The Super Weez," learned poker from books five years ago. He won a $1,000 Circuit events here in 2006 paying $454,687, and also has several cashes in several WSOP events.
Futhey, all in and up and down a number of times, finally made a nice score when his pocket 9s stood up against Poynter's A-Q, and now he was in the 300,000 range.
After a short break, players returned to blinds of 4,000-8,000 with 1,000 antes. After taking down a three-way pot, going all in on a flop of 2-A-5 and causing Ricci and Merrifield to fold, Futhey took a clear lead with more than 400,000.
After that, for nearly 40 hands, this was a paint-dry round, with nobody willing to risk calling all-in bets, and nothing much happening. Finally, we had action. Hock raised with pocket jacks, Poynter re-raised with Ad-Qh, and Hock moved in. The board came 7d-3h-2d-6d. Poynter called for either an ace or a diamond (how about a queen?), and got a 6d on the river. For a moment he wasn't sure he had won, but he indeed had a flush, and Hock was out fifth, which was worth $33,387. Hock, nicknamed "Old Milwaukee," is a cook turned pro from Milwaukee. He won the Circuit championship event at Council Bluffs in 2006 which paid $186,327. He also cashed in a $5,000 event at the WSOP. Hock learned poker in grade school and also enjoys outdoor sports.
Eight hands later, Carli, who had gotten low on chips because he felt he had played too aggressively, moved in with Ac-Jc. Futhey called with A-K. Carli was close to dead when the flop came K-3-7, and when a 5 and 9 didn't help, he was out in fourth place, which paid $44,516. This was Carli's fourth final table out of 11 open events here, extending his record-setting performance of most Circuit final tables in the world to 29. The 52-year-old Carli, is a retired stockbroker from Alliance Ohio turned pro. He started playing poker as a child with his brothers and sisters. He has nearly 70 tournament cashes, the largest being $116,936 for a seventh in a $5,000 WSOP event two years ago. As usual, his devoted wife Karen was nearby, sweating and encouraging him.
The players now went on a dinner break. The chips stood at: Futhey, 544,000; Poynter, 341,000; and Merrifield, 300,000. They returned to blinds of 6,000-12,000 and 2,000 antes. Futhey, playing the most aggressively, took in most of the pots and after eight hands had built his stacks to 700,000.
During this round, Poynter would go all in nine times, getting called just once and then chopping the pot. As it neared an end, on the 202nd hand, there was a big turnaround in chips when Futhey suffered one of his beats. Merrifield was all in with A-4 against Futhey's A-K. The board came 2-10-7-Q, and then a three-outer 4 on the river saved Merrifield.
On the next hand, Poynter went all in for the last time, with K-J against Merrifield's A-K. When the board came A-7-9-9-Q, Merrified took his 231,000 chips as Poynter finished third for $55,645. Poynter, 48, is a manufacturing business owner from Waynesboro, Virginia. He has six prior Circuit cashes, including a third at Tunica in a $5,000 event that paid $29,000. He's played in a dozen Circuits, learned poker, along with other card games with his family when he was 12 or 13. He also enjoys fishing and racquetball.
Heads-up, Futhey had roughly 620,000 chips to 555,000 for Merrifield. The match lasted 35 hands. On the 23rd deal, Merrifield opened for 40,000 with pocket 9s and Futhey moved in with Ah-Qd. Four hearts hit the board, and suddenly Merrifield was down to about 50,000. He managed to double through a couple of times, but finally went out when he raised 40,000 with A-10 and Futhey, with A-K, made his straight. Merrifield made $94,596 for second. Merrifield, nicknamed "Ball Game," is 23, and a poker player from Fairmont, West Virginia with a seventh and an eighth in Circuit cashes at Atlantic City. A college graduate with a degree in finance, he learned poker in his freshman year.
Futhey, meanwhile, plans to go fishing and then prepare for the WSOP in Vegas.
-- by Max Shapiro |
