Homemaker Tiffany Gleason Wins
Ladies After Long Head-ups Battle
It took only 31 hands to get heads-up at the final table, but it took another 48 more before Tiffany Gleason could claim victory in the sixth event of the Harrah's WSOP Circuit at Caesars Indiana, the ladies championship. Gleason is 35-year-old homemaker and mother of two from Elkhart, IN. Before marriage she was a restaurant manager. Her final opponent, Reyna Bennett, is a restaurant owner.
Bennett had the chip lead when the final match-up began. After Gleason took over, she gradually wore her opponent down, but was frustrated in her inability to put her away, because every time Bennett moved in, Gleason would be holding hands like 5-2 — or worse. Bennett had nearly pulled even until Gleason took a big lead again with just ace-high and a bigger kicker. On the final hand, Gleason had the worst of it, Ah-3s to As-5s, but when five hearts hit the board, Gleason's ace-high flush gave her the win.
Visibly excited and near tears over her victory and $13,873 prize, happily clutching the impressive gold pendant symbol of victory, it took Gleason a long time to regain a semblance of composure. She explained that she started playing poker nine years ago when a friend came over to teach a game he felt was going to be hot: hold'em. This was her second try at the ladies championship. Last year she finished 31st. Gleason, who describes herself as a solid player, also plays cash games, either $10-$20 limit or $1-$ and $2-$5 no-limit. Her poker highlight until tonight was finishing in the top two in her local poker league four consecutive years.
There were nine and a half players at the final table because one of the women, Tracy Malvestuto, is pregnant. She was also carrying the most chips, 75,800. Action at the final table got underway with blinds of 1,500-3,000, antes of 400, and 25 minutes remaining in the round.
Here were the seat positions and chip counts:
SEAT 1 Tiffany Dearman 31,500
SEAT 2 Gina Herr 23,700
SEAT 3 Marijane Stouder 6,400
SEAT 4 Rebecca Summers 31,400
SEAT 5 Tiffany Gleason 39,200
SEAT 6 Janine O'Neill 53,300
SEAT 7 Reyna Bennett 18,100
SEAT 8 Tracy Malvestuto 75,800
SEAT 9 Denise Van Burkleo 53,900
It didn't take very long to lose the first player. Rebecca Summers, 50, has been playing poker only nine months. On the second hand, she raised from the small blind, then put in the rest of her chips when Gleason moved in with pocket kings from the big blind. When a board of A-6-5-4-A didn't help, Summers finished ninth, which was worth $861. Summers, 35, is self-employed and lives in Swayzee, Indiana. Her final-table cash-in tonight was important to her, but not nearly as important as her impending grandmotherhood.
It took only two more hands to send another lady to the sidelines. Marijane Stouder, a 54-year-old retiree from Zionsville, Indiana, arrived at the final table with the shortest stack, 6,400. Now down to 3,300, she moved in confidently with pocket kings. Janine O'Neill, in the small blind, only had 6c-4c, but she also had close to 50,000 chips and wasn't about to fold for only 300 more. She flopped an open-ended straight draw with 10-5-3, then closed it with a river deuce. Stouder has been playing poker for 10 years, and this is her biggest cash-in ever. Her other hobby is skiing.
By hand nine, we were down to seven players. Next to exit was Gina Herr, on a bad beat. She was down to 17,000 when she moved in with A-J after the flop came A-K-3, and was a 70 percent favorite when Tracy Malvestuto called with A-6. A harmless 9 turned, but then a 6 on the river gave Malvestuto a winning two pair. Herr, 24, is an independent health and life agent from Lexington, Kentucy, who has been playing poker for a year. She learned the game by watching other players. Her other hobby is blackjack. Her seventh place finish was worth $1,723.
A new level brought new blinds of 2,000-4,000 and a new chip leader. Malvestuto now was in front with 126,000. But Gleason immediately surged ahead. A flop of 7-5-4 brought an all-in bet of 77,000 by Gleason. Tracy, with A-7, seemed to have a pretty good hand, and she called. Gleason turned over pocket 7s for a set, and suddenly she was well in front with about 150,000.
Bennett, meanwhile, was in trouble. On a board of J-6-2-3, she was down to 8,000, and moved in. Malvestuto called the small bet with Kd-10d, and Bennett, with 6-2 for two pair, survived.
The other Tiffany, Tiffany Dearman, was the next player out. First Bennett opened for 8,000. Van Burkleo called, and Dearman moved in for 14,000. On a flop of 9-5-2, Bennett moved in for 23,000. and Van Burkleo called with A-9 for top pair. Dearman turned up 7-6, and Bennett, with pocket deuces, had a set. A queen and a 9 came to give Van Burkleo trip 9s, but Bennett filled and took the main pot. Dearman got $2,153 for sixth place. She is a 21-year-old factory worker from Lincoln, Kentucky who learned poker from her boyfriend two years ago.
Not long after, Van Burkleo went out on a bad beat. Down to only 1,900 after losing to Gleason's set, she moved in with 8-7 and was called by Bennett, who had K-7. The flop was J-10-8, putting Van Burkleo in the lead. But then another 10 and another jack came, giving both players two pair, and Bennett's king kicker played. Van Burkleo got $2,584 for fifth place. A former school teacher, the 37-year-old resident of Franklin, Tennessee, is now a stay-at-hom mom with three children. She learned poker from her father six years ago, and also enjoys golf, vacationing and watching her kids play soccer. While this is her major poker accomplishment to date, she feels much greater things are in store for the future.
Two hands later O'Neill lost her last 18,000 when her K-10 couldn't catch Bennett's pocket 6s. O'Neill, 36, is a pharmacist from New Philadelphia, Ohio with three children. She's been playing poker since she was eight or nine. Her poker highlight was flopping quad eights when she had the big blind with 8-5 in this year's WSOP ladies event. O'Neill, whose nickname is “Neener,” says she plays for fun. Her other hobbies are riding horses and skiing. Fourth place paid her $3,015.
On hand 29, the blinds went to 3,000-6,000 with the same 500 antes. At this stage, Bennett was in front with about 175,000, while Gleason had around 125,000, and Malvestuto was down to 22,000. The soon-to-be a mom for the first time went all in a couple of hands later with A-8 and was called by Gleason with pocket 9s. The board showed J-10-5-6-5, and Malvestuto finished third for $3,876. Malvestuto, 32, from Champaign, Illinois, is a coordinator of special programs, has been playing poker for 27 years, hold'em for six, placed fifth in a women's event at the World Poker Open in Tunica , and goes on the road with her husband's band.
Heads-up, Bennett still had the lead. A dozen hands into the match-up, the flop came K-Q-J. Bennett, with Q-2, moved in for 119,500 and was beaten and down to 52,000 when Gleason called with A-K. But Bennett later doubled up with pocket 10s. When blinds went to 4,000-8,000 with 1,000 antes, the count was Gleason, 203,000, Bennett 131,000. As play continued, Gleason kept raising and moving in and Bennett kept folding until she was down to 65,000. Then she later made a comeback, Beating Gleason's K-J with a Q-8 when a queen flopped and nearly pulling even. But a couple of hands later, Gleason took over with a bigger kicker to her ace. On the final hand, her heart flush ended the match. Bennett has a degree in criminal justice, but later joined her family-owned Greek restaurant. She is single, from Tennessee, and earned $7,580 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 |
