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Grand Casino Tunica Poker Tournament - WSOP Circuit Event

Event #8 - No Limit Hold'em

January 13, 2007 at 3:00 PM
Grand Casino Tunica
Tournament Schedule

Buy-In	$500 + $50
Prize Pool	$363,750
Entries	750
Report Available

Donaldson Brown

Place	Name	Prize
1	Donaldson Brown (Saltillo, TX, USA)	$98,184
2	Lyde Wagers (Louisville, KY, USA)	$51,471
3	Dale Poynter (Waynesboro, VA, USA)	$29,100
4	Trophy John Bradley (San Antonio, TX, USA)	$25,463
5	Jim Johnson (Chicago, IL, USA)	$21,825
6	Peter Martin (Washington, DC, USA)	$18,188
7	Scott Bell AKA "Cabbagehead" (Tuscaloosa, AL, USA)	$14,550
8	John Marinca (Atlanta, GA, USA)	$10,913
9	Quang Tieu (New Orleans, LA, USA)	$7,275
10	Rob Fulfer (Lebanon, TN, USA)	$4,002
11	Don Epp (Gulf Shores, AL, USA)	$4,002
12	Craig Thames (Collins, MS, USA)	$4,002
13	Paul Jenkins (Panama City, FL, USA)	$3,274
14	Jim Shands (Birmingham, AL, USA)	$3,274
15	Rodney Ellenburg	$3,274
16	Ronald Hastings (Cape Girardeau, MO, USA)	$2,547
17	John Matthews (College Grove, TN, USA)	$2,547
18	Bruce Neidecker (Van Buren, AR, USA)	$2,547
19	Steven Roche (Ponder Spring, GA, USA)	$1,819
20	Dan Mitnick (Atlanta, GA, USA)	$1,819
21	Jimmy Pruitt (Inman, SC, USA)	$1,819
22	Robert Verzera (Fuquay Verina, NC, USA)	$1,819
23	Jason Drake (Londonderry, OH, USA)	$1,819
24	Thomas Ryan	$1,819
25	Robert Johnson (Westerly, RI, USA)	$1,819
26	Jason Miller (Cleveland, OH, USA)	$1,819
27	Michael Todd AKA "Bear Trap" (Cumming, GA, USA)	$1,819
28	Lucas Rumler (Montgomery, AL, USA)	$1,274
29	Rodney Reynolds (Keller, TX, USA)	$1,274
30	Jeff Souza (Havana, AR, USA)	$1,274
31	James English (Tamarac, FL, USA)	$1,274
32	Riley Sims (Tuscaloosa, AL, USA)	$1,274
33	Christopher Casias (Helotes, TX, USA)	$1,274
34	David Russ (Marieta, GA, USA)	$1,274
35	Dylan Drazer (Brooklyn, NY, USA)	$1,274
36	Charles Stremel (Duluth, GA, USA)	$1,274
37	Andrew Jones (Dacula, GA, USA)	$1,055
38	Kris Hawkins (Austin, TX, USA)	$1,055
39	Jeffrey Engles (Watertown, TN, USA)	$1,055
40	Eric Leathers (Normal, IL, USA)	$1,055
41	Chad Nguyen (Travelers Rest, SC, USA)	$1,055
42	Larry Willoughby (Nashville, TN, USA)	$1,055
43	Rodney Baker	$1,055
44	Joe Gerson (Millbrook, GA, USA)	$1,055
45	Travis Copeland (Decatur, GA, USA)	$1,055
46	Steven Jones AKA "Steak" (Marietta, GA, USA)	$855
47	Daniel Petty (Sugar Hill, GA, USA)	$855
48	Marty Ernest (Joshua, TX, USA)	$855
49	Eric Croone (Atlanta, GA, USA)	$855
50	Mike Sica AKA "Little Man" (North Brunswick, NJ, USA)	$855
51	Jason Chappell (Atoka, OK, USA)	$855
52	Jeffrey Savage (Austin, TX, USA)	$855
53	John Raycher (Little Rock, AR, USA)	$855
54	Mark Rowland (Dacula, GA, USA)	$855
55	Tony Carson (Shreveport, LA, USA)	$728
56	Edwin Kline (Portland, OR, USA)	$728
57	Darren Eide (Oakland, TN, USA)	$728
58	Mitchell Moffitt (Atok, MS, USA)	$728
59	Marty Morris (Grand Haven, MI, USA)	$728
60	Arthur Evans (Davie, FL, USA)	$728
61	James Allen (Glendale, CA, USA)	$728
62	William Dallar (Rayleigh, NC, USA)	$728
63	Gerald Esposito (Beach Grove, IN, USA)	$728
64	David Jun (Bristol, TN, USA)	$637
65	Kyle Fisher (Kenner, LA, USA)	$637
66	Leland Phillips AKA "Leebo or Moleebo" (New Madrid, MO, USA)	$637
67	Mark Tichenor (Russellville, KY, USA)	$637
68	Fred Offermann (Plainfield, IL, USA)	$637
69	Jeremy Sestie (Germantown, MD, USA)	$637
70	Ray Matthews (University Park, TX, USA)	$637
71	Douglas Pullen (Muscle Shores, AL, USA)	$637
72	Walter Rasmesser (Marieta, GA, USA)	$637

Tournament Report

Victory is Sweeter, the Second Time Around

Donaldson Brown Tops Huge Field in No-Limit Hold'em Event
Oil and Gas Investor from Texas joins elite poker company by winning his second WSOP Circuit championship
Tunica, MS - One of the largest fields in the three-year history of the World Series of Poker Circuits turned out at the Grand Tunica Casino-Resort. Event #8 at this year's Tunica series attracted a whopping 750 entries, generating a prize pool totaling $363,750.
The winner was Donaldson Brown, a 40-year-old oil and gas investor from Copper Canyon, Texas. If Mr. Brown's name sounds familiar to poker players in the Tunica area - it should. He won an event here at the Tunica Grand Casino-Resort last year. His victory in the $500 buy-in no-limit hold'em event this month makes him one of only five players in history who have won multiple WSOP Circuit events.
Mr. Brown overcame long odds to win this time around. He arrived at the final table fifth in the chip count, and was behind most of the way. After 715 players were eliminated during 14 hours of play on Day One -- 35 players returned for Day Two. It took another three hours to play down to the final nine. Seventy-two players received prize money. The seating positions and starting chip counts began as follows:

Seat 1 Donaldson Brown 101,000 Seat 2 Lyde Wagers 248,000 Seat 3 Peter Martin 83,000 Seat 4 John Bradley 90,000 Seat 5 Dale E. Poynter 506,000 Seat 6 Scott Bell 127,000 Seat 7 Quang Tieu 25,000 Seat 8 John Marinca 88,000 Seat 9 Jim Johnson 233,000

Quang Tieu (a.k.a. 'Ken T') was lowest in chips. He busted out early, losing to pocket jacks. Mr. Tieu, a 28-year-old business owner from New Orleans, Louisiana, received $7,275 for ninth place.
Romanian-born John Marinca went out next. The 30-year-old poker player now living in Atlanta, Georgia finished in eighth place. He collected $10,913 in prize money.
Scott Bell lost most of his chips with Q-J versus A-K. An ace flopped and that left Mr. Bell with just 6,000 in chips. He went out a few hands later. Mr. Bell, who works in sales and lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama picked up $14,550 for seventh place.
Peter Martin busted out next, holding pocket sixes. His pair lost to pocket jacks, effectively ending his hopes of victory. Mr. Martin, who works in marketing in Washington, DC has an impressive track record of tournament finishes, especially those he has played online.
Interestingly, he had a 200 to 1 side bet with a friend (for $20) that he would win this tournament. The friend breathed a heavy sigh of relief ($4,000 was at stake) when Mr. Martin was eliminated. His payout amounted to $18,188.
Jim Johnson took the worst beat at the final table. He was dealt 5-4 in the blind and flopped a straight. He moved all-in against Dale Poynter on the turn. Mr. Poynter had two pair and called. Incredibly, Mr. Poynter caught a four-outer on the river and made a full-house to destroy Mr. Johnson's straight. Jim Johnson, a graphic designer from Birmingham, Alabama, earned $21,825 in his first-ever final table appearance.
John Bradley, from Irving, Texas went out next. He was low on chips and moved all-in with Q-J, which was called by Donaldson Brown, holding A-8. An ace came on the flop which ended what hopes Mr. Bradley had of doubling up. The 34-year-old dental technician drilled into the prize pool for a payout of $25,463.
Third place went to Dale Poynter. He ran out of momentum late in the night and nearly busted out on a straight draw. On the key hand, Mr. Poynter was dealt J-9 and moved all-in to a flop of Q-10-3. His outside straight draw missed completely. The eventual champ Mr. Donaldson ended up scooping the sizable pot with an ace-high. A few hands later, Mr. Poynter with considerably less chips, went out with a pair of jacks against Lyde Wagers' pair of kings. Mr. Poynter, who has already cashed twice in Tunica this week (he also made it to a final table at a WSOP Circuit event held at Caesar's Indiana last year), collected $29,100.
After Donaldson Brown doubled up on a big hand, holding A-6 versus Lyde Wagers' K-J (the board showed 6-5-3-8-Q giving Mr. Brown a pair of 6s), he won the final hand of the night just a short time later. Mr. Brown was dealt A-5. He moved all in and was called by the short-stacked Mr. Wagers with 9-8. Mr. Donaldson turned an ace, and won the last hand of the tournament.
The runner up was Lyde Wagers from Louisville, Kentucky. He also enjoyed success at Caesars Indiana last year on the WSOP Circuit (second in cashes there in 2006). Mr. Wagers - true to his name - wagered a $500 entry in this tournament and ended up making over 100 times that amount -- $51,471.
The winner was Donaldson Brown who admits proudly that poker has become a big part of his life. With so much tournament success over the past year, and $98,184 in prize money from this event alone -- who can blame him? It's no surprise that a man who was successful in his career as a wildcatter in the oil and gas business in Texas would find a natural home at the poker table.
by Nolan Dalla