Other Paid Places
19th - 27th $400
Real Estate Developer Mike Welsh
Is Winner of 'Pat and Mike' Show
Tonight was the 'Pat and Mike' show as real estate developer Mike Welsh and construction contractor Patrick Wachs kept exchanging chip leads and finally got heads-up for the final 15 hands. In the end, Welsh wore down his opponent and took home $24,055 in the second event of Grand Slam of Poker 2005, $200 no-limit hold'em.
Welsh, a bridge player who has always felt 'comfortable' with cards, began playing poker just a year ago after watching it on TV. He plays $15-$30 and $25-$50 limit hold'em once or twice a week, and this is his first major tournament cash-out.
Also in attendance tonight was actor and dedicated poker player James Woods, who finished 17th. He hoped to go much farther, but his chips flattened when his aces got cracked in three-way action
Final table play began with 500 antes and 1,500-3,000 blinds, and soon went to 2,000-4,000. Wachs started with the most chips, 115,000, followed by Welsh with 72,500. Minh 'Poker Host' Nguyen, with two bracelets and a second-place finish in a $1,500 no-limit WSOP event this year, had the most credentials. He never could accumulate many chips tonight, but hung on with careful play and managed to finish third.
First to depart, on hand 7, was John Szeps. After Wachs opened for 14,000 with Kh-Kd, Szeps moved in for 20,000 more with A-K. The director of Temple Sinai seemed to have his prayers answered when an ace flopped, but four diamonds gave Wachs a flush.
Three hands later, home inspector Rafael Maronyan moved in for 30,000 with A-9. Chris Celery called with K-K. The cowboys held up, and two were gone.
A few hands later, the chip lead changed hands. On a flop of K-7-3, Welsh, with a set of treys, moved in for 65,000. Wachs, with 10c-7c, called and lost as Welsh took a slight lead with about 175,000. Two hands later, Wachs reclaimed first position at the expense of David Limor. The clothing businessman pushed in his last 14,000 with A-7. Welsh decided to go after him with just 5-4 and flopped trip 4s.
Blinds now went to 3,000-6,000 with 1,000 antes. Hand 28 was unusual. Vitor Galkis, all in with Q-J, made a nut straight on the turn, but had to settle for a split when Wachs, with Jh-8h, hit the same hand on the river. Kevin Lu, a casino dealer who plays for fun, hadn't seen much action to this point. When he did, it was his last. He moved in with Ks-10s. Wachs called with 9-7 and once again outdrew an all-in player when a 7 flopped.
Three hands later, the hands were pretty much reversed. This time Galkis, all in from the small blind, had the 9-7 and Wachs had Q-J. What Galkis lacked was luck, because while he paired his 7 on the flop, Wachs paired his jack, and that left Galkis in fifth place.
By now, Nguyen was down to 9,000 in chips, but managed to stick around a while and move up a notch by doubling up twice in a row against Wachs. The first time he moved in with A-5 and flopped an ace after Wachs called with 10-3. On the next hand, he moved in again, this time with Q-J against Wachs' 8-4. The board came A-J-8-6-7, and Nguyen had survival chips.
Chris Cellery, meanwhile, hadn't seen many good hands. Finally dealt pocket 8s, they looked pretty good to him, and he decided to go with them even with a flop of A-3-5. Hoping Wachs didn't hold an ace, he moved in. He guessed wrong, because Wachs held A-J. No 8 rescued him, and he ended fourth.
Hand 46 saw the blinds move up to 4,000-8,000. The first hand at these levels proved to be Nguyen's last. Pre-flop, Wachs raised 45,000 and Nguyen moved in with his last chips. He was in big trouble with K-10 to Wachs' A-10. A board of 9-8-3-Q-9 changed nothing, and after 47 hands of play we were heads-up.
Wachs had a modest lead at this point, 275,000 to 235,000 for Welsh. When Welsh remarked that he had to be somewhere else before long, Wachs asked if he'd like both players go all in blind on the next hand. Welsh was willing, but Wachs was just being playful, and the two began to fight it out for the title and trophy.
'Im not going to check to you this time,' Welsh promised after the heads-up action began. Keeping his word, on the button/small blind, he opened for 34,000. Wachs bet 30,000 on a board of 10-8-3-10, and then bet another 35,000 when a deuce rivered. When Welch called, Wachs folded his bluff without showing his cards.
Welsh had now regained the lead and built it up by moving in without being called on the next two hands.
When the players took a short break, Welsh had close to a 2-1 lead with 336,000 to 177 for Wachs. The action continued for another nine hands without much happening. Finally, after Wachs opened for 40,000, the flop came K-10-3. Holding Q-10, Wachs bet 50,000. Welsh moved in with K-2, Wachs called for his last 190,000, a 4-A came, and Welsh's paired kings ended the evening. —Max Shapiro
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