Poker Tournament Results

Grand Casino Tunica Poker Tournament - WSOP Circuit Event

Corey Sanders

Tournament Report

Semper Fidelis Former Marine Marches to Victory in Tunica Iraq War Vet Corey Sanders wins first major poker tournament, collects $75,939, and receives WSOP Circuit gold ring for first place Tunica, MS - The motto of the United States Marine Corps is 'Semper Fidelis,' which is Latin for 'always faithful.' It's an ideal which has served the Marine Corps, and a thankful nation well, for more than 200 years. It is no coincidence that many brave men and women who served in the military tend to do very well as poker players. Perhaps it's the tough training that every new recruit must endure. Maybe it's the exposure of exotic foreign lands and unusual situations. Or, it may be the pressure of battle and the constant threat of death that makes playing in a poker tournament a walk in the park, by comparison. Corey Sanders served eight years in the Marine Corps. Part of that time was spent in Iraq. He returned from active duty to the United States in March 2005. Since then, Mr. Sanders has spent much of his time playing poker. He enjoys playing in cash games and found it to be a constructive diversion while he was enlisted in the military. 'Like many other people, I saw Chris Moneymaker win the World Series on television,' Mr. Sanders said - referring to his fellow Tennessean, who won $2.5 million at the 2003 World Series of Poker. 'After I saw that, I was hooked.' On January 11, 2007, Mr. Sanders joined 539 other poker players and put up $500 at Tunica's World Series of Poker Circuit, held at the Grand Casino-Resort in Tunica, Mississippi. The large field generated a total prize pool of $261,900. After 532 players were eliminated during 14 hours of play on Day One, eight finalists returned to the final table for Day Two. Corey Sanders found himself in second place, slightly behind the chip leader - Parker Binion from Houston, Texas. The seating positions and starting chip counts were as follows: Seat 1: Mark Lucas 83,000 Seat 2: Parker Binion 216,000 Seat 3: Kevin Elwood 159,000 Seat 4: Nick Andricopulos 123,000 Seat 5: Julio Fernandez 100,000 Seat 6: Corey Sanders 212,000 Seat 7: David Nunel 146,000 Seat 8: Mitch Sporleder 46,000 It didn't take long for the first player to exit. On the third hand of play, Kevin Elwood picked up A-K and moved all-in before the flop. Parker Binion looked down and saw every hold'em player's dream come true -- pocket aces. He jammed the pot and won 150,000 from Mr. Elwood, thus taking a commanding chip lead in the tournament. Mr. Binion had nearly 400,000 in his stack while his closest threat (Sanders) had less than 200,000. The remaining players were left with 140,000 and less. Meanwhile, Kevin Elwood, a grocery store manager from Springfield, Missouri left the finale and stocked $7,857 into his bankroll for eighth place. On the very next hand, another player went out when Mitch Sporleder was low on chips and decided to try and steal the blinds. With blinds set at 4000-8000, Mr. Sporleder moved all-in holding K-6, which was called by Nick Andricopulos with K-9. Sporleder was dominated and failed to make a pair. That resulted in a seventh place finish for the restaurant manager from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He received $10,476. Hand number six was potentially devastating to Parker Binion, who had built up hip chips to about 425,000 as the chip leader. Mark Lucas moved all-in with 78,000 pre-flop holding pocket kings and Binion reluctantly called with Q-J. The kings held up and Lucas rocketed up to nearly 200,000 in chips. But Mr. Binion's controversial strategy of calling all-in raises with weaker hands in an effort to eliminate the competition paid off a few hands later. Julio Fernandez raised with A-Q and was called with K-5. Mr. Binion caught a king on the flop and ended up crushing Mr. Fernandez with two pair - kings and fives. Julio Fernandez was left to wonder what might have happened had he won his final hand, but instead was forced to settle for a payout of $13,095. The mortgage broker from Miami, Florida was proud of his finish and could not be bitter having moved all of his chips into the pot with the best hand. It took an hour for the next player to exit. That unfortunate finalist was Nick Andricopulos, from Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Andricopulos was getting low and chips and made his final stand with A-8 offsuit. That turned out to be an ill-timed decision as Parker Binion showed that he was just as capable of calling with powerhouse hands, as with marginal ones. Mr. Binion called the raise instantly and showed pocket queens. The royal pair held up which meant a fifth-place finish for Mr. Andricopulos. The 50-year-old restaurant owner feasted on $15,714. With Mr. Binion holding 60 percent of the total chips in play, it looked as if the night might end early, with Mr. Binion taking home his first poker title. But poker tournaments are impossible to predict - a fact soon sadly realized by Mr. Binion. After Mark Lucas doubled up to nearly 300,000 in chips, next it was David Nunel's turn to leap back into contention. Mr. Nunel doubled through holding pocket nines against Mr. Binion's A-J. That pot gave Mr. Nunel about 300,000 in chips and after a few more hands were played, all four players were virtually even in chips. The last two days were quite a birthday present for the youngest player at the table, Mark Lucas. Barely 48 hours after his 21st birthday (allowing him to legally play in Mississippi), Mr. Lucas entered his first poker tournament ever. It was either a case of beginners luck, or poker skill learned elsewhere that accounted for a phenomenal first-time result. Mr. Lucas outlasted all but the final three players en route to a payout of $18,333. That left three players still alive. Parker Binion (no relation to the great poker legend) had dominated much of the play during the earlier rounds. But he took a tough beat on his final hand of the night when dealt pocket queens and faced Corey Sanders' pocket kings. The bigger pair held up and Mr. Binion was forced to exit in third place. Parker Binion, the man with the perfect literary name for a poker champion, earned a well-deserved $20,952. When heads-up play began, Corey Sanders enjoyed the chip lead, -- with 832,000 versus David Nunez 252,000. After a brief rally by the underdog during which he cut the margin to a 2 to 1 chip lead, it took eight hands for the fateful end to come. The final chapter was written when both players were dealt what would normally be classified as 'bad' hands. Mr. Sanders had 6-4. Mr. Nunez had 5-4. The flop came 8-5-3. A flurry or betting and raising broke out and Nunez found himself all-in - albeit with the best hand. Mr. Nunez held a pair of fives. Mr. Sanders had two inside straight draws (a three or seven completed the straight). Wham! The magical three rained down from the sky on demand, and Mr. Sanders high-fived several friends and supporters in the audience. Mr. Nunez, from Doral, Florida ended up as the second place finisher. This was his first WSOP final table appearance. He collected $40,071 in prize money. Following his victory, poker's newest champion reflected back on his experience and what winning this tournament meant. 'I've been doing this some time now (since I left the Marines), and I was not sure I could make a go of it,' Mr. Sanders admitted. 'I've been playing poker with some success, but it's very tough sometimes. To win one of these big events really gives me confidence.' When asked about his plans for the $75,939 in prize money, Mr. Sanders seemed to have his priorities straight. 'I just bought a new house,' he said. 'A large chunk of the money this will go to pay off some of the house.' As for the rest of the prize money - look for Corey Sanders to wage battle in many future poker tournaments. True to his Marine Corps roots, he's keeping the faith. by Nolan Dalla