Assembly Worker ‘Bones' Morris in
His First Cash-in, Wins Limit Event
Sam 'Bones' Morris, a 32-year-old assembly worker at Ford Motor Company, made his first-ever tournament cash-in a big one as he took first place in $500 limit hold'em, the second event in the WSOP Circuit at Caesars Indiana. The victory for the Leitchfield, Kentucky resident was worth $26,240. Bones (the nickname he got growing up as a beanpole) gave his wife credit for the win. 'I was down to the felt twice the first night,' he said. 'But she told me not to worry and just have a good time, and that gave me a good attitude.'
He normally plays $10-$20 cash games and began playing in family 7-stud games at age 13. He said he plans to set aside some of his prize money and take a shot at next year's World Series of Poker
Morris struggled in early action, going all in halfway through the final table, and surviving with pocket kings. He said things began to go his way in the latter stages when he pushed mediocre hands and either forced his opponents to make laydowns, or else caught what he needed to edge out a win. The turning point came with three players left when he flopped a flush draw, missed, but made a runner-runner two pair to take the chip lead and leave earlier leader Todd Spencer very short-chipped.
Some 167 players showed up for this event, as opposed to yesterday's turnout of 870 for the no-limit opener. (The game is called limit because it limits the size of the field.) The final table started with 1,000-1,500 blinds and 1,500-3,000 limits, 15:30 remaining on the clock. David Burch and Brent Corder led with 59,000 and 55,000 chips respectively.
Here were the seat positions and chip counts:
SEAT 1 John Barlow 38,500
SEAT 2 Craig Thorp 26,500
SEAT 3 David Burch 59,000
SEAT 4 Brent Corder 55,000
SEAT 5 John Hegele 18,000
SEAT 6 Sam Morris 34,000
SEAT 7 Maurice Dix 27,500
SEAT 8 Todd Spencer 61,000
SEAT 9 Billy Joy 15,000
There was the same 15-plus minutes remaining in yesterday's final table first round. Action then was furious, and by the time the round ended, four players were gone. When today's much more leisurely first level ended, no players were gone. Craig Thorp came close. He took a hit on the first hand when his pocket aces lost to Spencer's straight, lost the second hand and later went all in, escaping when his pocket 9s held up.
Seven hands into the next level, with limits of 2,000-4,000, we lost our first player. Billy Joy, who is 35, self-employed, and a poker player for 10 years, raised with Qc-Jc and was re-raised by Morris, who held A-K. On a flop of 9-6-4, Morris put Joy all in and caught another ace on the river to cut the field to eight. Joy, a resident of Terre Haute, Indiana, picked up $1,620 for the day's work.
A bit later, a short-chipped John Hegele had A-3 to Thorp's K-J. When two jacks flopped, Thorp slow-played, checking the flop and turn. Hegele had the bad luck to catch a trey on the river. Thorp bet to put him all in, and Hegele finished eighth, worth $2,430. Hegele, 35, is a food service operator from Beckley, West Virginia. Last year, he finished third at a $2,000 no-limit event here.
Players returned from a break with limits at 3,000-6,000. Maurice Dix by now had worked his way into the lead with 98,000 chips, followed by Spencer with 70,000. Morris was low-chipped with 1,600, but later recovered in a pot that was capped before the flop where his pocket kings held up against Dix's pocket 10s.
Two hours had elapsed before a third player was eliminated. Thorp had Kh-8h to John Barlow's Q-7. He moved in for his last 1,000 on a flop of Q-J-10. He missed his straight draw while Barlow caught a third queen, and went out with $3,240 for seventh place. Thorp, 41, is a poker player from Louisville who won the second event of the Denny Crum Open here three weeks ago.
A key pot developed on hand 71. Burch, one of three pros at the table, was hungry for a win, his last one being at the Four Queens 11 years ago. Tonight he was down to 4,000 after folding a pot on the river and then taking his small blind. A few hands later, after Barlow raised, Burch looked at an ace and called for his last chips. Brent Corder then re-raised, and a big pot started to develop. Barlow had A-7 and two more 7s flopped. His trips crushed Burch's A-4, and the 53-year-old pro from Loogootee, Indiana, had to settle for $4,050 for sixth place, while Barlow moved into the lead.
When the players returned from break, playing with 4,000-8,000, the chip count was: Barlow, 145,000; Spencer, 100,000; Morris, 36,000; Dix, 35,000; and Corder, 16,000. A few hands later, Corder went out on a tough beat. Holding 9c-3c, he flopped a flush when the board showed Jc-10c-5c. But then a 5c turned to give Spencer, holding Ac-10d, the nut flush. Corder, 37, is a mechanic from Monticello, KY who learned poker playing on the Internet, and has won a few tournaments there.
On the next hand, Spencer took the lead from Barlow. They both paired a king, but Spencer's queen kicker played.
Next, Dix, whose nickname is 'Mo,' was down to two chips when Barlow, with K-10, flopped trip cowboys. The 2,000 went in on Dix's small blind the next hand. He had Jd-10d and Spencer had K-5. A board of A-3-3-6-3 changed nothing, and Mo, who hadn't been catching much, had no mo' chips. He got $6,480 for fourth place. Dix, a 56,-year-old grandfather, is a CPA from Campbellsville, Kentucky who's been playing the game for 35 years.
As play continued, 'Bones' went on a small rush, picking up pots as the chip count tightened among the three finalists. Then, with the number of deals now past the 100 mark, Morris, with Jc-5c, flopped a flush draw against Spencer. He missed, but, to Spencer's frustration, a 5 turned and a jack rivered to give Morris a winning two pair. The chip lead changed yet again, while Spencer was suddenly down to 45,000.
The round ended, and when players resumed play, Morris had a substantial lead with 193,000 to 105,000 for Barlow, while Spencer was down to 37,000.
Limits were now 5,000-10,000, and Spencer would last only four more hands. Holding K-2, he raised pre-flop, bet into a flop of J-8-4 and put his last 9,000 in when a 9 turned. Holding Q-9, Barlow passed him on the turn, then finished him with another 9 on the river. Spencer, just 22, is from Sellersburg, Indiana, and was a restaurant manager before deciding to turn professional. He's single and has been playing the game for eight years, learning from books and from just playing. Third place paid $8,100.
Heads-up, Morris enjoyed a substantial lead with 225,000 to 110,000 for Barlow. Things continued to go Morris' way as he kept winning most of the pots. It took him 22 hands to defeat his final opponent. Barlow was down to 40,000 when he held 7-4 to Morris' 6-2 and hit a 4 on the turn only to have Morris catch a 6 on the river.
After that, Barlow after winning two all-in hands, finally succumbed by going all in with Q-5. Morris had pocket 7s, and they did the trick when the board came 4-4-3-J-A. Barlow, an engineering technician from Bedford, OH, earned $13,769 for second.
—Max Shapiro
For more information, please contact:
Max Shapiro -- WSOP Media Director at (323) 356-3303
Or visit our official website: www.worldseriesofpoker.com
World Series of Poker Commissioner - Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah's Entertainment - Jack Effel
Caesars Indiana Poker Room Manager - Jimmy Allen |
