Table Image Helps Yong An to Steal
Pots and Craft Win in $2,000 Event
'I am a very selective, very tight player,' Yong 'A.Y.' An said after his victory in event 11 of the Harrah's Circuit tour at Caesars Indiana. That helped him build his stacks until, almost halfway through the final table, he broke Ed Corrado in a big hand and moved into a commanding lead which he held to the end, finally beating professional player Thomas 'Moon' Fuller. First place in the $2,000 no-limit event paid $67,884. It was his first major cash.
An, 36, is originally from Korea and manages a Japanese restaurant in his current hometown of Dallas, Texas. (Jay Chang, a restaurant owner he had previously worked with, finished sixth in the $5,000 championship event at Tunica.) He is single, enjoys playing basketball and baseball, and started playing poker five years ago with family and friends. He prefers tournaments but also plays $2-$5 and occasionally $5-$10 no-limit. Last night he was very short-stacked with two tables left but got going when he won two pots with pocket pairs.
Five of the nine finalists were from Florida (did they all come in on the same bus?). Fuller was the chip leader with 99,300.
Here were the seat positions and chip counts:
SEAT 1 William O'Reilly 93,900
SEAT 2 Ricardo Rodriguez 40,900
SEAT 3 Thomas Fuller 99,300
SEAT 4 Edward Corrado 75,300
SEAT 5 Yong An 46,500
SEAT 6 Robert Cole 23,200
SEAT 7 Jeremiah Hamman 41,200
SEAT 8 Manelic Minaya 16,000
SEAT 9 Chad Batista 46,800
Opening blinds were 800-1,600 with 200 antes, 23 minutes remaining. Through the first level there were five all-ins but no calls. 'Gotta start gambling,' Manelic 'Manny' Minaya chided the table, after forcing everyone to fold and then showing 10-7.
Blinds moved up to 1,000-2,000 with 300 antes. On the second hand, Corrado raised and then An moved in. 'Have to call,' Robert Cole said, holding pocket kings. After Corrado folded, An turned over A-K. Cole was still alive on the flop, but then an ace turned to leave him in ninth place, which paid $4,190. Cole, 44, is a real estate developer from Lexington, Kentucky. He finished second in the $5,000 main event of the Midwest Regional Poker Championship, winning $82,190. He is married with two children, has been playing poker 29 years, and his other hobby is golf.
As play proceeded, Minaya moved in. Jeremiah Hamman folded and showed Ah-3h. I'm here to win, not to gamble,' he announced. 'If you want to gamble, put your money in the slot machine.'
Finishing eighth, in a somewhat unusual manner, was Ricardo Rodriguez. He opened for 5,000, and just called when Corrado re-raised to 20,000, leaving himself with only 1,300. On a flop of 10-10-3, Corrado bet and Rodriguez, who would be getting something like 35-1 odds for his remaining chips, folded. It was a good fold because Corrado showed pocket aces, but there was a big incentive to call. No difference. His remaining chips were posted in the big blind the next hand. He had just 7-3 to An's K-Q and lost big time when An made a straight.
Rodriguez is a professional player from Cuba who now lives in Tampa, Florida. He has three children, has been playing poker 10 years, and was in the trucking business before playing full time. His cashes include a seventh at a $1,000 Circuit event in Tunica, and a 14th at the Borgata Open. Eighth place tonight was worth $6,286.
The key hand came three deals later. Corrado raised with K-Q and called all in for about 80,000 when An pushed in with pocket queens. An had him covered. A junk board of 10-7-6-5-5 made no difference as Corrado, making his fourth final table here in the various Circuit series, finished seventh, collecting $8,381. An, meanwhile, now had a big lead with about 175,000.
Corrado, 75, nicknamed 'Eddy C,' is retired and lives in Naples, Florida. He's been playing poker 50 years and enjoys golf and tennis. He got $8,381 for his seventh-place finish.
William 'Willy' O'Reilly lasted only four more hands. On a flop of J-9-6, An moved in with A-K and O'Reilly, with a 9-6 for middle pair, called for his remaining 34,000. A king turned to pair An, the river didn't help, and O'Reilly collected $10,476 for sixth as An kept building his stacks. O'Reilly, 34 born in Cuba, now lives in Tampa, Florida.
Two hands later, Hamman, the man who didn't gamble, got crippled He didn't gamble on this hand because he held pocket kings against pocket 8s, but, as everyone knows, the best hand doesn't always win. Hamman made a small raise to 500. Minaya bit and moved in with his 8s. Hamman called for 24,600, and when the board showed 9-9-2-8-Q, Minaya scored a full house, and Hamman was left with just 6,300.
A few hands later, An busted him. He raised to 8,000 with K-10. Hamman called all in with Ad-8d, and An outdrew him on a board of 10-8-2-3-6. Hamman cashed fifth for $12,571.
Hamman, 31, listed his occupation as 'entrepreneur.' He's married with two children and has played poker for 12 years, learning in home games, and his best finish was a $37,000 cash-out when he finished third at a Bellagio $1,000 event. His biggest disappointment was that there was no TV audience tonight.
Blinds were now 1,500-3,000. On the second hand, Thomas Fuller opened for 9,000, An called and then Minaya, in the big blind, moved in for 51,000. His two opponents folded and Minaya, showing Kh-2h, flung his cards on the table, shouting, 'Leave my blinds alone !'
Chad 'Lilhold'em' Batista, the third professional at the table, went out in fourth place. Holding Q-7, he went all in on a flop of 9-7-6, and ran into Fuller's pocket kings. The next two cards didn't help him, and the young pro got $16,762.
Batista, from Coral Springs, Florida, taught himself the game and has been playing poker for six years.
The table got heads-up on hand 58 when Minaya called all in with pocket 6s after An moved in with pocket 8s. When the board came 9-7-3-5-Q, Minaya, who is in billing and collections, collected $20,952 for finishing third..
Minaya, 54, is from the Dominican Republic, where he learned poker 40 years ago. His poker resume contains five final tables, including a fourth at a WSOP Omaha high-low event in 2005 and a second in this year's championship event at the WSOP Circuit in Tunica, which paid $160,557, along with a 61st in the WSOP main event last year, worth $145,875.
Heads-up, An enjoyed a lead of about 295,000 to 135,000 for Fuller. Play was fairly cautious until the level ended, with Fuller picking up about 25,000.
The next level only lasted one hand. An had pocket treys to A-7 for Fuller. There was a bet and a raise pre-flop, and a small bet by An when he had a set on a board of A-10-3-5. He checked the river, and Fuller, with two pair, bet all in for 92,000 into a pot of about 140,000. After some hesitation, An called and claimed victory.
Fuller, 23, is from Boulder Colorado A college grad, he's played six years, two seriously. He is single and enjoys sports and the Internet, and considers himself lucky to be be able to play poker, 'no matter how the cards fall.' The cards fell pretty well for him tonight as he cashed for $35,618. —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 |
