Words of Wisdom:
Boyd Fricke gives us all something to think about
When you grow up in open spaces, you always wonder what is on the other side of the hill.
-- Boyd Fricke
Every poker decision is truly unique. Every poker hand is unique. Every poker tournament is unique. And, every single poker player is unique. Given the millions of poker players, one would be hard pressed to find a man with a more interesting background or an individual filled with as much personal conviction as a 54-year-old Reno man named Boyd Fricke.
- Fricke was born into a very poor family on a farm in North Dakota. His boyhood home had no electricity, nor indoor plumbing.
- Fricke joined the United States Marine Corps and served in Vietnam.
- Fricke has two uncles. One was a B-24 pilot in World War II. The other was a prisoner is Stalag 3-B, on which the movie 'The Great Escape' was based. He was one of the men who escaped.
- Fricke worked for a company after graduating from college, but decided very early that he wanted to work for himself, instead. So, he started his own company - which was ultimately quite successful. Later, he retired from his business and decided to 'see the world.'
- Fricke has backpacked around the world - twice. He trekked from Lisbon Portugal to Shanghai, China in 80 days on his first circumnavigation. On his second trip, Fricke backpacked in the opposite direction, going through Khazakstan, Turkmenistan, and other out-of-the-way places. 'I have visited all 50 states, and have seen even more countries,' Fricke says.
- Fricke was married, but following his divorce -- he raised his children alone. Today, Fricke's daughter is serving on the city council where she lives and his son is preparing to start law school at the University of Notre Dame.
- And now, Fricke is the latest champion on the World Series of Poker Circuit.
Lake Tahoe's $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em event attracted 84 entries competing for $81,480 in prize money. Day One resulted in the elimination of 75 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with Tony O'Hagan and Chris 'The Armenian Express' Grigorian as the chip leaders. Finalists arrived with the following seat positions and chip counts:
SEAT 1 Bert Cardenas McAllen, TX 20,500
SEAT 2 Greg Cash Tunica, MS 11,600
SEAT 3 Keith Collins Portland, OR 15,800
SEAT 4 Tony O'Hagan Las Vegas, NV 38,600,br>
SEAT 5 Eric Cloutier Mont-Laurier, Quebec 11,200
SEAT 6 Boyd Fricke Reno, NV 21,700
SEAT 7 Chris Grigorian Los Angeles, CA 32,600
SEAT 8 Sam Lam San Jose, CA 12,400
SEAT 9 Yuctan Hodge The Valley, Anguilla 3,800
Players were eliminated as follows:
9th Place - Yuctan Hodge, a retired businessman from the Caribbean island nation of Anguilla arrived lowest in chips, had J-J and lost to A-K when a king flopped. Hodge earned $2,445 for 9th place.
8th Place - Bert Cardenas, a 27-year-old contractor from McAllen, TX took a bad beat and went out next. He had A-A and was 'all in' against Tony O'Hara's 6-6. Just when it appeared Cardenas would double up when the turn showed Q-9-8-K, a six fell on the river giving O'Hara a set and Cardenas was eliminated. Cardenas earned $3,260.
7h Place - Eric Cloutier doubled up and took the chip lead over Chris Grigorian when his A-Q spiked an ace, crushing Grigorian's pocket jacks. Greg Cash wasn't so fortunate. A short time later, the Tunica, MS-based player who has won numerous poker tournaments was short-stacked and lost to Grigorian's two pair. Grigorian got some of those chips back and it was a two-way tie for first in the chip count.
Meanwhile, Cash cashed for $4,075.
6th Place - Sam Lam desperately needed to double up and decided to make a stand with 2-2. The tiny pocket pair lost to A-K when an ace flopped, and Sam went on the lam in 6th place, good for $4,890.
5th Place - Keith Collins had A-3, moved 'all in' and was covered by Grigorian, with A-J. Neither player made a pair and the jack played. Collins a business owner form Portland, OR collected $5,705.
4th Place - At this point, Tony O'Hagan was the chip leader, by virtue of a few big hands. Then, Chris Grigorian started off with 7-7 and was 'all in' against Cloutier's A-K. The 'coin flip' hand turned out very well for Cloutier, when an ace flopped. Grigorian, a.k.a. 'The Armenian Express' was derailed in 4th place, which meant a payday of $6,520.
3rd Place - Tony O'Hagan lost a few pots and gave up the chip lead. Then, he committed his final chips with 10-6 when a 10 was the high-card on the turn. Unfortunately, Boyd Fricke (holding 3-4) had flopped trip 4s and that pretty much settled the hand. O'Hagan, who finished 4th previously here in Lake Tahoe, took 3rd place this time. He collected $8,965.
The heads-up duel between Boyd Fricke and Eric Cloutier began with Fricke holding a 2 to 1 chip advantage. Cloutier had been in this spot before, finishing second in Event #4. The Quebec-born former Boston Bruins (NHL) player hoped to avoid repeat bridesmaid status, but was doomed to yet another finish as the runner up.
Just a few hands into play, Cloutier moved 'all in' with A-9 and was called by Fricke holding A-7 suited. The two spades in Fricke's hand were the difference as the turn brought a third spade - giving Fricke the flush and a WSOPC victory. Eric Cloutier took the 'loss' in stride. He received $16,295 and has won over $50,000 this year at Lake Tahoe.
Following his victory, Fricke had a number of interesting comments about poker, and life:
ON WINNING:
'It's quite simple: The tournament winner is usually the most aggressive player who hooks up with cards.'
ON HOW THE GAME IS CHANGING:
'I think the average player coming into the game is better than he/she was five years ago. But they tend to have certain traits, which are predictable.' One Tip: 'They tend to overplay A-K.'
ON PLAYING IN BIG CASH GAMES:
'You shouldn't play if the money is going to change your life (one way or another). The guy who is playing for his rent money is a huge dog.'
ON TOURNAMENT POKER:
'The sport needs to clean up its act and stop the bad behavior. You see these guys on TV and some of them look and act like they're (criminals). They pump their fists in the air and jump up and down. The worst thing is, younger kids see this and they start to emulate that sort of behavior.'
ON POKER TRENDS:
'I think they should do away with sunglasses at the final table. I mean, where does it all end? Does it mean I can play poker wearing a welding mask?'
ON THE POKER SCENE IN RENO AND LAKE TAHOE:
'I don't like playing in a game where the atmosphere is not hospitable. The games in Northern Nevada tend to be polite. This is why I prefer playing here.'
ON KEEPING THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE:
'It's all just a game of cards. That's all poker is. I had one guy tell me, 'I'm not afraid of anything.' I said, 'Oh yeah? You ever been shot at?'
ON BEING A WORLD TRAVELER:
'You learn about people and you learn about yourself. When a guy gets upset at the table, and we've all been disappointed before, remember - unlike three-quarters of the rest of the world -- you can actually afford to sit down and buy into a poker game. You have nothing to complain about. Every day you get up in this country, you are on a freeroll. If you live in America, you have won life's lottery.'
At the end of a long night, when Fricke was asked if he plans to play more major tournaments, including the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas which begins next month, his answer was predictable. 'If it doesn't conflict with some travel plans, maybe I'll play.'
Indeed, for Boyd Fricke, there is always another hill to cross, to see what's on the other side.
Report by Nolan Dalla - World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director - Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director - John Grooms
Harveys Poker Room Manager - Vince Contaxis
Harrah's Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr
Four o'clock and we start off with 9 hot rods; engines revved and ready to go.
Two repeat final table contenders are in our midst; Tony O'Hagan and Eric Cloutier have made the cut once again. Tony O came to the table as the chip leader holding 38,600 in chips. Within the first ten minutes we had the first major crash on the track by losing Yuctan Hodge to Tony O's suited Ace. Tony made it 20,000 to go and Yuctan blessed him with an all in raise holding J J. Tony went along with the challenge. The flop took Tony to the lead with Ac 3d Kc. A 5d skidded in on the turn with a 9c on the river and his engine flamed out for Yuctan. His win today gave him $2,445. Yuctan came and talked to me for a while and was still smiling. This was his first live tournament and he is very proud to have made the final table. He has been learning and playing the game for 17 months and has won two big tournaments online. He is from the Caribbean and is a lovely man. I hope to get to see him again.
When I said revved to go, I mean, revved to go. No one is showing any fear today. They are laughing and cutting up and actually seem to be enjoying themselves. One player has primed his motor with double STP and is way out in front of the field, perhaps by a full lap. Tony blasts another player off the table by crushing his perfect preflop hand, A A. Tony is so top heavy in chips, he called Bert Cardenas all in move with ease and shows only 6 6. The burn was on as the flop came Q 9 8, turn K and drum roll please.river, the magic 6 for Tony O. Within the first 15 minutes of the event, we lost two players. Bert accepts his $3260 for his Aces and ends this race in 8th place. What an atrocious way to go. Bert is from my home State, Texas and is a contractor. He has played for only two years and really like the direction poker is going.
Red flag on the track Chris Grigorian tries to win with JJ and runs into wild man Eric Cloutier. Chris came to the table with 32,600 and lost some ground over the first 45 min of this race. Chris raises 2500 from UTG and Eric says, not enough. He wants it all, so in go his chips. Eric is in the small blind and it is heads up play and all eyes are on the table. Eric has As Qs and snags an Ace on the flop. Only one of two cards can help Chris and they fail to surface. Chris has damage to his front end, but the computer is still in tact and nothing will stop him from this competition.
Another blowout has occurred for a pair against a naked ace. In late position Chris raises and Greg Cash goes all in with a pair of fours. Chris calls with an A 8 and has to wait to the river to make his hand work. The 8 appeared on cue, and the fours petered to dust for Greg. The board came Q 9 9 , the turn a 5 and the card from hell for Greg, the 8. He collected $4075 for his 7th place and leaves the table disappointed with the race today. Greg and his wife are on the circuit tour so be sure to know that we see Greg again at a final table in New Orleans.
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Just as a NASCAR race goes around and around and around so does the merciless killing with the pair versus A repetition. Chris had a K with his A this time and Sam showed 2 2 after committing all his chips. Straight away the ace shows as if on command. Sam got up after the flop and knew he was defeated with only 2 outs to save him. Sam kisses this event good bye and settles for 6th place and $4890.
The "Grigorianmobile" is on a rush. After the meager start of getting slammed by Eric, it seems nothing can stop Chris now. Chris runs over two players back to back. After polishing off Sam, he interlocks with Keith Collins and another flame out is in order. Chris is on the button with Keith in the small blind Keith raises all in and Chris obliges. It is time for the Ace-to-Ace clash and unfortunately for Keith, his Ace isn't big enough. He did pick up a nice spade flush draw on the turn, just enough to give him that all trusting poker hope, only to get dashed and smashed on the river. Chris had Ad Jd and Keith had As 3s. The board was riffraff, 9d 5s 2c Qs Kh and left the J holding the power. Keith and Chris shake hands and Keith congratulates Chris on the best hand and goes to pick up 5th for $5705. Keith is a very young 41 years old and comes from the beautiful State of Oregon to play this week. He has been playing for 25 years. Now folks, look at Keiths picture. Are these some great genes or what? I put this kid on 28 at the most. I'm in awe and very jealous.
Four men remain in this race. The chip count is Tony O'Hagan holding the lead with 73,000. Chris is now in second place with 44,000 followed by Eric with 33,000 and Boyd hanging in there with 17,000 chips. There have been a few skirmishes and some chips have exchanged hands, but, the 4 remain and the table has certainly quieted down. Tony and Chris are matching wits now, with Tony in position against Chris in heads up play. Tony bets out 4000 after the flop of 5 9 6, and 4000 after the turn Q and with a 3 on the river, Tony bets the ranch. Chris is in a quandary and relinquishes his cards to the dealer. Tony boosts his stash once again.
After a few hands of bad luck for Chris, he ran into a wall with Eric Cloutier. All in play shows a 7 7 for Chris and Ac Kc for Eric. Not much to be said, as the magic rabbit hops out of the deck again and demolishes Chris's pair of sevens with an Ace on the flop. Sometimes I believe there are more aces in a deck than we think, of course unless I need one. Chris takes down a very worthy 4th place and adds to his bank roll $6520. Chris The Armenian Express Grigorian is a gentleman and a scholar. He came in 22nd in the main event of the WSOP in 2003 and too many final tables across America to list. He desires a bracelet and win from the WSOP main event. He is very happy the way things are going and hopes that sponsorships will follow as it has in all sports.
The three remaining have become pensive and every move appears to have purpose. Boyd Fricke and Tony O got into it and it shook out this way. Tony is the button, and Boyd the big blind. There is some preflop betting, and when the turn hits the table, Qd 3h 2c,Jh, Boyd makes a bet and Tony raises 10,000. Boyd obliges and we see the river. Boyd checks and Tony moves all in. Boyd folds and Tony shows the 5c 6h. Boyd answers the exposed cards by saying, you had the best hand. OK. Had I been Tony, there would have to be some major surgery to remove chair fabric from where the sun don't shine if you get my drift. Boyd and Tony go at it again and this time J J holds up for Boyd against Tonys Ad Kc. Tony is crippled now and on the very next hand, Boyd and Tony set in motion the final hand for Tony. It was like Tony had given up the ghost and made his last big move by pushing all in against Boyd. The exposed hands concealed a little bit of humor, at least for me, as Tony O had a 6 T off suit and Boyd held the power of a 3 and a 4. The board crucified Tony's ten high by making Boyd 3 fours on the flop. 9 4 4 T 2 finished the game for Tony and he took 3rd for $8965.
This was the quickest final table I have seen this trip. The event ended at 6:40 when, after several hands of each player pretending to have something, they both decided they had found the payout hand. Boyd had a 2 to 1 chip lead over Eric. And for the final hand of the evening, all the glory was given to a beautiful flush. Eric had Ac 9s and Boyd an As 7s. I could see the wind leave Eric's sails when a Js 2s and 4c hit the felt. The turn clinched it with the 8s and the river was of no use to anyone. Eric picked up another 2nd and a wad of cash, $16,295. Boyd made 1st taking home $29,325 in cash. This race was a great competition for all, and the remaining player pulled into the pit unscathed.
There is so much to say about Boyd Fricke. He has so many accomplishments in his life and seems to be a very solid, personally happy man. He is one of the many Americans who fought in Viet Nam. I am always in awe when I meet a veteran from this conflict. It makes this game seem so meaningless, especially when we see players lose their tempers, lash out in anger, belittle their opponents and dress like they just got out of bed. Boyd would like to express his desire to see poker rooms and the sport of poker become one of decorum, good manners and respectability. Our chosen sport is on a roll right now and we need to strike while the iron is hot to make ourselves proud of what we do. Boyd has been a mechanical engineer and has owned his own business for years and is frankly burned out. He has backpacked around the world two separate times in the past 8 years. He has a lot of gusto for life and believes that if you are born in America, you have won lifes lottery. I couldn't agree more. Good night from Lake Tahoe.
Sharla Lehrmann
sharla@pokerpages.com |
