Amateur Player Burt Tichelman
Wins Tunica Circuit Championship
He is in Management and Stages
Corporate Poker Tournaments
Tunica, MS -- Starting the final table with one of the lowest stacks, Bart Tichelman came on strong in late going and ran off with the championship in the WSOP Circuit at Grand Casino Tunica. Victory was worth $415,595 plus a seat in the 2008 WSOP main event and the traditional gold trophy ring. Tichelman, 51, is originally from Vancouver, British Columbia and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. He is in management, an executive CEO who stages corporate tournaments. He's had relatively little poker experience, playing only three years, learning from friends. Although he wrote that his poker highlight was cashing in the first three tournaments he played, they had to be small events, since there is no listing on poker databases.
However, he said his relative inexperience playing poker was offset by the knowledge he gained about people in his management job, another example of the crossover between business and poker.
Tichelman is married with two children, and his other hobbies are golf and autombile racing. This is his first Circuit, which he got into through a mega-satellite.
The final table played out on a soundstage of the Special Events auditorium, with Bluff Media filming an hour-delay live Webcast sent to WorldSeriesofPoker.com. John Devia held the lead with 929,500 chips, and there were two short stacks, Jordan Rich with 147,000 and Tichelman, 164,000. Average was 400,000. Play started at level 16 with blinds of 4,000-8,000 and 1,000 antes, four minutes left on the clock.
Here were the starting chip counts:
Seat 1. Tom Schneider 422,000
Seat 2. Ben Sabrin 417,000
Seat 3. John Devia 929,500
Seat 4. Giovanni Marcacci 465,000
Seat 5. Jordan Rich 147,000
Seat 6. Mark Garner 213,500
Seat 7. Bart Tichelman 164,000
Seat 8. Donald Nicholson 325,000
Seat 9. Ryan Young 521,000
Blinds crept up to 5,000-10,000. On hand 13, Jordan Rich moved in under the gun for 97,000 holding Jd-10d, and then Nicholson pushed in for 270,000 with pocket aces. The board came Js-7c-6h-3s-4h. Rich's paired jack was no help, and he cashed ninth for $25,404.
Rich, 25, is a self-employed/professional from Portland, Oregon who's been playing 17 years, learning from family and friends. He has a fifth in the Doyle Brunson/WPT Classic last year that paid $289,070, a sixth in the Aruba Classic, and a couple of $40,000 wins at Wildhorse in Pendleton. This is his second Circuit which he bought into. Rich played varsity basketball in high school, and still enjoys the game, along with reading and outdoors.
Before the final table started, Tom "Donkey Bomber" Schneider said he planned to "keep it simple," and in fact he saw very little action for the first 21 hands. Then, after he raised to 30,000 on the next hand, Mark Garner re-raised all in for 249,000. Schneider called with his pocket 9s, and took a big hit when Garner beat him with pocket jacks.
The round ended and blinds became 6,000-12,000 with the same 1,000 antes. Devia still led with 929,000.
A few hands later, Devia opened for 35,000. Ryan Young re-raised to 105,000 with pocket kings and Donald "Chief Fire Head" Nicholson moved in for 353,000 with pocket aces. Devia folded, Young called, and was left with about 170,000 after Nicholson flopped a set.
As action continued, Devia took down a 260,000 pot with kings full against Nicholson's 10s full. Then, on hand 42, a board of 10-9-4-J gave Young, with Q-8, a straight. He slow-played it, checking the turn. On the river, Schneider, with K-9, was very unlucky to catch a third 9. Young moved all in, Schneider called with fewer chips, and went out eighth, which paid $37,991.
Schneider, 48, is from Scottsdale, Arizona. He learned poker at age 12 from his mom, and was a CPA and CEO before turning pro. Last year he won bracelets in 7-stud hi-lo and Omaha hi-lo/7-stud hi-lo and was named WSOP Player of the Year. The same year he also had a fourth at the Legends of Poker/WPT main event. He also has written a book, "Oops, I Made Too Much Money," and co-hosts a podcast, "Beyond the Table." Schneider is married with three children, and has entered 10-15 Circuits. His hobbies are golf and writing.
Play resumed after a break with blinds of 8,000-16,000 and 2,000 antes. Nicholson at this point had taken over the lead with about 1.2 million. A dozen hands went by without a flop. Then, Giovanni Marcacci raised all in for 115,000 with A-Q, surviving against Devia's pocket 7s when an ace came on the river.
The level ended with all players intact. Nicholson still had the same chip lead of about 1.2 million, followed by Ben "Berny Blanco" Sabrin with 727,000. Then another round went by with seven still left. Nicholson still led, now with 906,000.Blinds went to 15,000-30,000 with 3,000 antes. On the first deal, we finally lost another player. Young moved all in with K-Q. Marcacci, calling with A-K, had him covered in cards and chips. All little cards came, and Young went out with $50,578 for seventh.
Young is a 23-year-old pro from Torrance, California who won a bracelet and $615,955 in $1,500 no-limit last year. He's been playing six years and likes basketball.
As play continued, now past the 100-hand mark, Tichelman suddenly became the new chip leader. He opened for 90,000 with pocket jacks, Nicholson moved in with Ac-Kc, and Tichelman called all in for 446,000. Tichelman, hit a set on the river, and now had 904,000 chips. Two hands later, Garner put in his last 239,000 with As-7s, busting out when he ran into Devia's pocket aces and the board came 10-8-3-6-8. Sixth place paid $63,165.
Garner, 44, is a fixed-income broker from Little Rock, Arkansas, who is married with two children. He placed 25th for $494,797 in the 2006 main event at the WSOP, and also placed ninth in the Championship Circuit event here last year. He's been playing four years and likes hunting and golf.
Tichelman picked up a lot more chips in a pot that was raised pre-flop to 240,000. On a flop of Ks-Qs-10h, Devia bet 160,000, Tichelman moved in, and Devia folded.
Players now went on a dinner break, returning to blinds of 20,000-40,000 with 5,000 antes, Tichelman in front with 1.275 million. A couple of hands into the new level, Sabrin moved in with Ac-2c. Marcacci, calling with pocket aces, crushed him when the board came Kc-Js-7d-2s-As. Sabrin got $75,751 for fifth.
Sabrin, 48, lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and is a VP of business development for a software company. Before it was sold, he helped build another company from four workers to 300 with $60 million in revenue over four years. He became interested in poker 20 years ago from watching his dad. His poker highlights: 15th in a $10,000 main event at Mandalay Bay/WPT, and "winning a nice pot against Phil Ivey." His other interests are golf and playing in a rock band.
Action continued to pick up as Tichelman raised to 150,000, and Devia moved in with 10h-9h. Devia picked up a flush draw when the board came Ah-As-4c-5h, but he missed and cashed out fourth for $100,925.
Devia, 34, is from West Palm Beach, Florida. He is self-employed, married with two children, and won his way into the main event through a mega-satellite.
New level. Blinds of 25,000-50,000. Tichelman had 1.8 million; Marcacci, 1.235 million; Nicholson, 570,000.
On the second deal, Marcacci opened for 200,000, and Tichelman made it a half-million to go. The flop came 6c-7c-9s, Marcacci had pocket 10s, while Tichelman, with Ah-8c, had an open-end straight draw. He hit it on the turn when a 5 turned, and Marcacci failed to make a higher straight.
Marcacci, 35, originally from Toronto, Canada, now lives in Brooksville, Florida where he is a contractor. Marcacci is married with one child. He taught himself poker 15 years ago and won a satellite to this event. This is his 10th Circuit. He has a 13th-place finish in this event in 2006.
Heads-up, it wasn't much of a contest. Tichelman had 6.3 million to 510,000 for Nicholson. On the second deal, Nicholson re-raised all in with QS-8S, and Tichelman called with Ks-4h. The board came Ac-3s-4c-Kd, and with two pair, Tichelman had a lock hand.
Nicholson is 28 and lives here in Tunica. Nicholson is a pro who started law school this year after a four-year break. He said he learned poker "slowly" since he could write. He's entered some 40 Circuits, won a mega into this event, and has a 20th-place finish in a $1,000 no-limit WSOP event last year.
$100,000 prize pool best all-around competition:
1. Dale Morrow $25,000
2. Ben Mintz $15,000
3. Robert Castoire $8,000
4. Kenny "Bad Hat" Piel $6,000
5.Michael Ciaravino $4,200
6. David Rylander $4,000
7. Bobby Moon $3,800
8. Denis Davenport $3,600
9. William Rector $3,400
10. Dina Rylander $3,200
11. Patrick Reeners $3,000
12. Doug Taylor $2,800
13. Chad Berthelson $2,800
14. Tim Gray $2,400
15. Michael Hanelin $2,200
16. Paul Distefano $2,000
17. Jeremy Morrow $1,800
18. Rami Jradeh $1,600
19. Mark Ellis $1,400
20. Brian Wolfe $1,100
21. Greg Stillsmith $900
22. Michael McKuin $800
23. Terence Ferentinos $600
24. Rory Monahan $400
25. Scott Dreicer $200
-- by Max Shapiro
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