DAVID BAKER, AL BARBIERI CHOP MONEY; BAKER TAKES TROPHY
David Baker, a pro from Texas, had just a few chips more than fellow pro Al Barbieri when they got heads-up. It was getting close to 7 a.m., so rather than play on, they agreed to an even-money chop, with Baker taking the handsome Remington "Bronco Buster" replica trophy. "I've got no room for it, anyway," Barbieri joked.
This is the first major win for Baker, who has been playing professionally for less than two years and plays mainly cash games. Before that, he was in sales. His only prior win was in a $300 Holiday Bonus event. He also has final tables in three other events, including the earlier $1,000 no-limit. His strategy tonight, he said, was to keep changing he gears.
But while Baker got the victory, Barbieri's finish was perhaps the more noteworthy. While Baker was one of the chip leaders from the opening bell, and held steady all through this tournament, Barbieri got very short-chipped at the final table, went all in six times, yet managed to stay in action and win enough key pots to forge ahead to his near dead-heat finish. Barbieri, who was tutored by the legendary John Bonetti, is noted for doing a dead-on imitation of his mentor.
With 93 players, this was another play-through event. When we got to the final table after 11:30 p.m., blinds were 500-1,500, with 1,500-3,000 limits, 40:14 left to go.
James Gordon, a student, had a very big chip lead with 147,500 of the 465,000 chips on the table. Gordon says he paid his tuition and student loans by playing poker.
After 30 hands, there were four short-chipped players, all under 15,000: Barbieri, Gavin Smith, Billy Seber and Amit Sheth. But it took another 27 hands to lose the first player. Sheth, a second student at the table, was all in on the big blind with a mere 10-8. He flopped an open-ender, but missed, lost to Baker's queen-high, and was first out at the final table.
Seber, a two-bracelet winner from Houston finished ninth soon after when his A-9 lost to A-Q.
Gavin Smith is a Vegas pro whose various cash-outs include a first place at the WPT/Mirage Poker Showdown. Tonight, he busted out in eighth place when his Ks-5s wasn't able to catch up with Barbieri's pocket 7s.
Not long after, Barbieri starting going all in, surviving twice with chops, the third time when he held 8-7 in three-way action, hit a full house on a flop of 8-7-7, and now was in contention.
Tim McCormick, who is president of Northern Improvement Co. and has 19 WSOP cashes, had a close call when he needed and made a flush to survive against Kelly Hameed's straight.
On hand 91, poker player Matt Szymaszek finished seventh. He had pocket jacks and lost when Peter Placey, a business owner, had Q-10 and flopped a queen.
Then Placey cashed out sixth on hand 96 after he went all in with Q-6. Barbieri had Ac-10c, and the board came A-K-9-9-4. At this point, Gordon, with 170,000, and Baker, with 165,000 chips, were virtually tied.
Hameed, who is a chief operating officer, later had to go all in with 9-8. was up against Baker with 10-7, and finished fifth after a 10 flopped.
Blinds now became 2,000-4,000 with 4,000-8,000 limits. McCormick lasted but three hands at these limits. With the board showing 10-5-3, Baker raised and McCormick re-raised all in. "What could I do?" he shrugged when Baker turned up pocket queens. When a 4 and a 7 didn't do him any good, McCormick had to settle for fourth place.
We were now into hand 146. Barbieri got lucky. Holding A-8 to Gordon's A-K, he flopped trip 8s and filled on the turn to draw close to chip-leader Baker, with about 180,000 to Baker's 200,000. Then, after picking up the next two pots, he moved in front with about 215,000 to 180,000 for Baker and 70,000 for Gordon.
James then got even lower in chips a few hands later when Baker, with 10-7, paired his 7 on the flop.
When blinds rose again, to 3,000-6,000, with 6,000-12,000 limits, Gordon was down to 14,000. On hand 165, the first and last at these limits, he went all in with J-10. Baker and Barbieri both called and checked the pot down. The board came K-J-9-6-K. Barbieri turned up K-2 for trip cowboys, and the tournament now was heads-up. The two virtually-tied finalists discussed various deals, and finally agreed to split the money and let Bake claim the win and the trophy. -Max Shapiro
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