Event #17: Texas Hold'em (Limit) $300 4/10/01
TOTAL PRIZE MONEY: $73,914
ENTRIES IN THIS EVENT: 254
Report by Lynn Loomis
"I love playing poker tournaments, and
it's great to win," exulted Ben Durham,
who charged past a field of 253 opponents to capture top honors in the 17th event of the 2001 Jack Binion World Poker Open. For taking first place in the $300 buy-in Limit Hold'em competition, Durham was awarded $27,348 in prize money, plus a traditional WPO gold and diamond bracelet to commemorate his victory.
A 60-year-old retiree from the carpet business, Durham has previously won several small events, but this marks his first major tournament title. "I've played poker since I was a kid," he recalled. "When I was 14, I got picked up for playing poker and had to pay a fine."
Durham came to the final table in middle chip position, managed for the most part to stay out of trouble, and steadily built up his stack. Several of his opponents, however, were not so lucky and were quickly eliminated. First out was Skip Wilson, who was low man on the chip totem pole and saw a chance to move up a notch with A-Q. He reraised all in, making it four bets to go before the flop, and was called by Shae Drobushevich, who held pocket fours. When the board came 9-8-6/3-7, the fours stood up and Wilson was knocked down in ninth place for $1,183.
The next to go was Bryan Givens, who also was short-stacked and placed his hopes for survival in Q-J, calling all in before the flop. But Shae Drobushevich held K-J, and when the board brought 9-9-2/7-3, Givens was outkicked and exited in eighth place for $1,479.
After forfeiting a couple of pots and losing a third, Minh Nguyen was almost down to the felt. He soon made his last stand when he called all in from the big blind with J-4 offsuit against Ben Durham, who had put in a pre-flop raise with As 5s. The flop came Qh 9s 9h, and the 10s fell on the turn, giving Nguyen an open-ended straight draw. But Durham rivered the 7s for a flush, and Nguyen was gone in seventh place for $1,847.
After recently pumping up his stack, Shae Drobushevich saw it quickly deflated when he lost a big pot to Neil Sobel's eight-high straight. Drobushevich survived one all-in confrontation but soon met his demise when he took A-7 in the big blind up against Ben Durham, who'd raised from the small blind with Q-5. On fourth street the board showed 9-9-6/5, and when Drobushevich got no help on the river, he was washed up in sixth place for $2,586.
Up until now Quoc Vinh had held his own and even managed to accumulate a few chips. But he lost them all when he took pocket eights in the big blind up against Richard Cleamons, who held A-Q. Vinh led the betting and was still in front on fourth street with a board of K-J-3/2. But a river ace proved lethal, and Vinh expired in fifth place for $3,326.
On a chip roller-coaster ride all along, Neil Sobel saw his stack rise and fall for another hour before it plummeted for good when he raised all in before the flop with K-J and was challenged by Ben Durham, who held A-3. The fourth-street board showed A-8-5/Q, and Sobel needed a 10 to stay in the game. But the river brought an eight instead, and he was sent home with fourth place and $4,434.
Proving he had more lives than the toughest alley cat, Richard Cleamons had managed to survive countless all-in battles before he was dispatched on the very next hand. Holding Q-3 in the big blind, he called all in against Gene Frank, who had raised before the flop with A-5. The flop came 3-2-2, but an ace turned to leave Cleamons drawing slim. When the river failed to deliver a two-outer trey, his lives were used up and he bit the dust in third place for $7,021.
A 45-year-old distributor of petroleum products, Cleamons has played poker for 30 years but this was the first time he's ever entered a tournament. "I just decided to do it on a whim, and I had a great time," he said.
Arriving for the final showdown as the undisputed chip leader, Gene Frank still held a 3-to-2 advantage over Ben Durham when heads-up play began. But Durham wasted no time in attacking his opponent's stack, and after a few false starts, he seized the lead for good when he called Frank all the way down and won a monster pot with ace high. It was all over moments later when Frank raised before the flop with K-J and Durham called from the big blind with 7-2. The flop came 10-7-3, and when another seven turned, Durham check-raised and Frank called all in. But he was drawing dead, and Durham won the pot and claimed the title with trip sevens.
For his runner-up finish, Gene Frank of Evansville, Indiana, pocketed $14,043. The 57-year-old owner of an insurance agency, he has played poker since childhood but is also a tournament newbie. "This is the first one I've ever played," Frank said. "I came to watch my son Robbie play in the main event tomorrow -- to give him some support -- and I decided to enter this tournament because of the low buy-in. It was a fun experience and surpassed all my expectations. I'll be back next year."
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