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19th - 27th $255
Contractor/Farmer Wins Event #3
After Most of $ Goes to 3k ‘Save'
The third event of Grand Slam of Poker 2005, $200 no-limit hold'em, produced perhaps the strangest final table this writer has ever seen. The first 24 hands went by with only one flop as some players kept suggesting various deals while others impatiently demanded no further talk.
Finally, an ongoing proposal was accepted that guaranteed all 10 players $3,000 each, with the winner taking all of the remaining $6,170. Later, a couple of the players said they hadn't understood the deal, but (having no choice anyway at that point), they went along and agreed to accept it.
Jan Holubowicz, the tournament director, was incredulous. 'If three of you are at the same table tomorrow, I'm separating you,' he warned.
Oh, yes, the winner was Perry Webb, who is both an industrial contractor here and a farmer in Arkansas. (Honestly.) And wait...the deal was changed with five players left. At that point, Webb, dealt pocket aces twice in late going, had amassed about 200,000 of the 327,000 chips in play, but generously agreed to an even chop of the remaining $6,170. (At least I think that's what happened.)
And thus ended a rather bizarre evening.
Webb is in the process of selling his contracting business and concentrating on farming. He's been playing poker for only four years, mostly tournaments. His biggest cash-out thus far was $12,000 for second place in a Bicycle Casino event. In Tunica he plays $20-$40 hold'em, and $30-$60 during 'crazy time' when tournaments hit town. He describes himself as a 'pretty solid' player. 'Maybe too tight,' he admits, since he played very few hands this evening. 'Tried one bluff and got caught,' he added.
When the final table assembled, we were playing with 1,000-2,000 blinds and 200 antes. Food distributor George Gazelian held the chip lead with 57,700, but in early going, Webb took over. He doubled through after he flopped aces-up and moved in. George Kozel, a loan officer, called and missed his flush draw.
That was hand number four, and then it was raise-and-fold-and-talk-deal, raise-and-fold-and-talk-deal, for the next 21 hands.
It took an hour to lose our first player. On hand 27, with blinds of 1,500-3,000 and 500 antes, Judith Von Klug, a manager, moved in for 11,000 with A-Q. Danny Morgan called with Jh-10h. The flop of A-Q-6 looked pretty good for Von Klug, the only woman to make a final table in the three events thus far. But then a king turned to give Morgan a straight and we were finally down to nine.
Blinds now went to 2,000-4,000. Things were getting red hot, because by hand 37 we had seen five flops! It was the last one that Kozel saw. He put in his last 4,000 with J-9. Alan Gilbert, a software engineer with several major final tables, was in the big blind with A-3 and won when the board came 3-2-2-K-4.
Anthony 'Big Bad Wolf' Guadagni was all in a few hand slater, surviving when his ace-high held up.
On hand 43, Webb played one of his few hands. 'First hand in three hours,' one of his opponents remarked, exaggerating slightly. Well, it took pocket aces to bring him in. He moved in and business owner and disk jockey Michael Ortega, holding Jh-10h, called all in for 25,000. A jack flopped, but that's as far as Ortega went and he cashed out in eighth place.
Webb now took a big lead with about 125,000. Two hands later there was three-way action. Gazelian, with A-J, raised to 10,500. Webb, looking at aces again, just smoothed called, and then Morgan also called, with K-J.
When a flop of K-9-6 gave Morgan top pair, he moved in for 45,000. A turn-card 9 and then a queen didn't the two all-in players, and Webb busted them both. Morgan, with more chips, finished sixth while Gazelian was credited with seventh. It didn't much matter to them who finished higher, because they both got the same $3,000 in the agreed-to deal.
A few more hands went by. First Webb moved in and wasn't called, and then Gilbert pushed in all his chips without a caller.
On the final hand, it was Guadagni who tried an all-in move holding A-K. He was called by John Freeland, an investor from Florida. Freeland, all in with fewer chips, turned up pocket 6s and doubled through when he made a set on the flop.
Webb still had most of the chips in play, but presumably wanting to lock up his first major win and get the trophy, he decided to let the six grand be divided up five ways.
In the official standings, David Taylor, a pro with six final tables in Commerce Casino events, was next in chips and got second place, while Gilbert was third, Guadagni fourth and Freeland fifth. They got their unexpected bonus and we were ready for tomorrow's event number four, no-limit shootout. —Max Shapiro
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