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Goldstrike World Poker Open / WPT Season 4

Event #3 - WPO No Limit Hold'em

January 12, 2006 at 12:00 PM
Gold Strike Casino Resort
Tournament Schedule

Buy-In	$2,000 + $80
Prize Pool	$273,540
Entries	141
Report Available

Galen Kester

Place	Name	Prize
1	Galen Kester (Senatobia, MS, USA)	$101,212
2	Steven Hipes (St. Louis, MO, USA)	$60,179
3	Brian Mizok (Scranton, PA, USA)	$30,089
4	Fred Sigur (Chalmette, LA, USA)	$16,412
5	Liz Lieu (Los Angeles, CA, USA)	$12,309
6	Chris McCormack (Las Vegas, NV, USA)	$9,574
7	Chris Trotter (Ringgold, GA, USA)	$6,839
8	Tony Boles (Cumming, GA, USA)	$5,471
9	Joe Foley (Tuttle, OK, USA)	$4,377
10	Albert Shaw (Lawton, OK, USA)	$3,282
11	Mike Haney (Marion, AR, USA)	$3,282
12	Gary Crow (Flowery Branch, GA, USA)	$3,282
13	Earl Holmes (Valdosta, GA, USA)	$3,009
14	Men "The Master" Nguyen (Bell Gardens, CA, USA)	$3,009
15	Farzad Rouhani AKA "Freddie" (Gaithersburg, MD, USA)	$3,009
16	William Payne (N. Richland Hill, TX, USA)	$2,735
17	Robert Park (Orlando, OK, USA)	$2,735
18	Bruce Van Horn (Ada, OK, USA)	$2,735

Tournament Report

Galen Kester Collecting Bracelets
Tunica Mississippi (January 13, 2006) Galen Kester entered today's final table of the Gold Strike's World Poker Open Event #3 $2000 NLHE as the chip leader. He also entered with an enviable track tournament track record. Among his many money finishes and first place victories, Galen Kester has a WSOP bracelet and two World Poker Open bracelets. Today he added another bracelet to his collection.
Kester improved his chip lead early in the tournament when he called Joe Foley's post-flop all-in bet. Foley had flopped top two pair, but Kester flopped both an open ended straight and flush draw. The turn was a blank, but the river delivered a flush to Kester and a 9th place finish for Joe Foley.
Tony Boles made a move with Q7 and got called by Chris McCormack's A5. The board brought two insurance aces, sending Tony Boles home in 8th place. Chris Trotter came over the top of a raise by Galen Kester. It looked good for Trotter when Kester showed J8 to Trotters pocket 9's. But a jack on the turn dashed Trotter's hopes for a finish better than 7th.
Chris McCormack was Galen Kester's next victim. McCormack pushed all-in with A6 and ran into Kester's AT. The board didn't improve McCormack's fate and he finished in 6th.
Liz Lieu made her major tournament debut last year by making the final table at the WSOP $1500 NLHE event. Liz finished 5th in that tournament and she finished 5th today. It was Kester, again, taking a player down when he pitted his pocket tens against Lieu's pocket sevens. Steven Hipes managed to break Galen Kester's terminating streak when Hipes' nut flush sent Fred Sigur to the rail in 4th place.
Our remaining three players started today as our top three chip leaders. If their starting chip counts were to be a predictor, Brian Mizok who started the day 3rd in chips, would be the next to go. And that's exactly what happened when Mizok got it all-in with his KJ against Steven Hipes' A8. The board made a straight for Hipes and Brian Mizok was our 3rd place finisher.
Steven Hipes and Galen Kester had met at a final table before - just a few nights ago during a $500 NLHE event here at the Gold Strike. Hipes took first honors that night, but it was Kester who would prevail tonight. Kester had amassed a huge stack by the time this tournament got heads-up and Hipes was faced with an uphill battle. The swan song was Hipes' suited K5 versus Kester's pocket fours. Kester made a set of fours to put Steven Hipes out in 2nd place. Kester won $101,212, a $10,000 seat in the main event - and of course - another bracelet for his collection.