EX-BASKETBALL PLAYER WINS
TROPHY IN SHOWDOWN HAND
For the second time in this series, a player won the title and trophy without having the most chips at the final bell. Here's what happened tonight in event number 18, $1,000 no-limit hold'em shootout. When it got heads-up, Jean Gaspard had about 10,000 chips to 17,000 for Michael Gillian. A suggestion was made for each player to take second-place money ($23,440) plus $7,000 for Gillian and $3,000 for Gaspard, and to play one hand for the title/trophy.
The players agreed and the cards were dealt. Gaspard got 7-4, and Gillian was dealt K-10. A flop of 8-6-5 brought Gaspard a surprise straight, and he was the winner.
Gaspard played college basketball for four years, and later played in the overseas NBA trials. A pro now, he plays $100-$200 stud at Commerce and up to $80-$160 hold'em at the Bellagio. His prior tournament cash-ins include a second at the Bellagio and a sixth at Legends of Poker.
Gillian is a Wisconsin financial consultant who plays mainly online.
Attendance for this event was likely affected by the Super Bowl, but in any event, 110 players got their priorities straight and showed up. There were 11 finalists, and after Vinny Vinh was knocked out, the final table got going with blinds of 25 and 25, and a full 30 minutes on the clock. When it started, the final table for the prior day's no-limit event was still going, which made coverage of both a bit challenging.
Their were a number of top pros at the table, including David'The Dragon' Pham, Kevin Song and David Levi, who as usual serenaded the table in song.
First out was Chris McCormack. After Gaspard raised with pocket queens, McCormack moved in with A-K. Gaspard proceeded to flop a set, and McCormack cashed out tenth.
Song then had a close call. All in with pocket 10s, he was up against a set of treys on the flop, but caught a third 10 himself on the turn.
After blinds rose to 25-50, Jack Boghossian, making yet another final table, busted out. When he moved in with A-J, he was pretty much dead to Song's pocket aces.
Shortly after blinds went to 50-100, Steve Hohn, another pro, was all in with K-10 against Gillian's A-J. Hohn flopped a king, but it wasn't much use against one ace that flopped and another that hit the river.
Pham found himself short-chipped
after a hand where he had 8-6 to Gillian's J-10. Gillian took the lead on a flop of J-8-2, Pham took it back when a 6 turned, and then Gillian won when another jack rivered. But he got to stick around when he was all in with pocket 7s against Gillian and Levi, and outran Gillian's paired king by hitting a set on the river. Pham got lucky a second time when he was all in for 250 with A-6 and made a straight on the river.
All for naught, because soon after he was al in again with A-5. Gaspard had K-K and flopped a set.
A short-chipped Levi was next to go all in for 300 with Q-9. Albert Ng, a full-time player from San Francisco, and Song went after him. Song had A-3, and the ace-high did the trick when nobody paired.
After blinds went to 75-150, Gaspard took the lead when restaurant owner Paul Vinci, moved in for 825 and got called by Gaspard and Song. Gaspard bet 1,000 on a flop of 6-4-2 and Song called. When a 5 turned, Gaspard moved in for 3,325, and after lengthy thought and figuring, Song called with two 7s, losing to Gaspard's J-J, while Vinci cashed out in fifth place. Gaspard now had about 11,000.
Song had another close call when he was all in for 2,700 with A-J. Ng, with A-Q, made trips when the flop came Q-Q-10. Song got away when a 9-8 gave him a straight.
At the next break, the rough count was Gaspard, 12,125; Gillian, 7,200; Song, 6,000; and Ng, 1,400.
Blinds moved up to 100-200. Ng got away with five all-ins, the fifth time with a chop when he had A-9 to Song's J-9, and two pair hit the board. Several hands later, he went all in, from the big blind, for the last time. He had K-3. Song, with A-5 and Gillian, with A-5, went after him. The board came 10-8-7-Q-10, and the two ace-highs chopped him up.
Song found himself left with 1,000 when he bet 800 into a board of 10-5-4-Q, and Gaspard raised 1,500. Song then folded when a queen hit the river and Gaspard bet 2,200. With that pot, Gaspard kept the lead.
At the next level, 25 antes were added to the blinds of 100-200. A few hands into that level, Gillian bet 1,500 when the flop showed K-J-10, and Song called, holding K-5. Gillian, with Q-J, had middle pair and an open-end straight. The turn was a queen, giving Gillian two pair, and a river deuce didn't change anything. Song was all in, finished third, and Gillian now took over the chip lead.
The two finalists made their deal, and Gaspard took the victory with his showdown straight.
-Max Shapiro |
