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Dr. Scott Aigner
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After a grueling heads-up battle lasting almost three hours, Dr. Scott Aigner of Dubuque, Iowa, finally defeated the last of 207 opponents to claim top honors in the fifth event of the 2001 Jack Binion World Poker Open. His victory in the $500 buy-in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split competition brought “Doc Scott” $37,325 in prize money, a traditional WPO gold and diamond bracelet, and his first major tournament title.
A 42-year-old urologist, Aigner placed second in the $500 buy-in Stud High-Low Split event at the Reno Hilton’s recent World Poker Challenge and has cashed in several other major competitions. He played some poker while attending medical school but became reacquainted with the game just five years ago.
Early on in the tournament, at the $50-$100 level, Aigner was down to only $300 in chips. But he soon made back-to-back wheels, scooped both pots, and suddenly was back in action. Continuing to steadily build his stack, he arrived for the final showdown with almost twice as many chips as his nearest challenger, never relinquished his top position, and saw four of his short-stacked opponents quickly eliminated.
In fact, it was on the third deal that Dave Rabbi was washed up in eighth place for $2,119 when he took A-5/5 up against Aigner, who started with K-K/8. Rabbi made fives up on sixth street, but Aigner rivered a third nine to fill, leaving Rabbi high and dry.
The next to go was Dr. Mark Burtman, who made his last effort at survival when he raised on third street with Q-2/A and was challenged by Gene Timberlake, who held A-5/2. By sixth street, Timberlake had kings up and Burtman was all in with no low draw and a pair of queens. Only an ace or a third queen could save him, but the river brought no help and he was gone in seventh place for $3,027.
After losing a big pot with trip deuces to Joel Alpert’s set of kings, Chris Grigorian found himself in sudden jeopardy. He saw a chance for salvation in 4-2/6 and called a raise on third street against Scott Aigner, who held A-A/J. On fourth street Grigorian picked up a low draw, then raised all in on fifth. But he failed to make a low, or even a pair, and was sent home with sixth place and $4,035.
Though Brian Foley had earlier scooped a big pot to stay alive, he couldn’t sustain the momentum, soon lost two hands in a row, and was again low on bullets. He fired his last volley when he called all in on third street with K-7/5 against John Bonetti, who had raised with 10-9/10. On fourth street Foley paired his king, and he still had the lead on sixth. But Bonetti made queens up on the river, and when Foley failed to improve, he bit the dust in fifth place for $5,044.
Though the small victory over Foley enabled Bonetti to survive a few more rounds, he’d had difficulty all along making his hands and saw his chips dwindle away after being forced to fold numerous times. Still playing on short money, he was finally dispatched when he raised all in on third street with 4-2/6 and was called by Joel Alpert, who started with 10ª 9ª/2ª. No low came to save Bonetti, who exited in fourth place for $6,052 when Alpert rivered a flush.
But Alpert’s gain proved short-term, as his stack was soon decimated when he lost a big pot with trip eights to Gene Timberlake, who showed down three 10s. A few hands later, Alpert made his final stand when he raised with Q-10/Q and was challenged by his nemesis, who held 6ª 4ª/7ª. Alpert called all in on sixth street with his pair of queens and a gutshot straight draw, but he was drawing dead to Timberlake’s made flush and had to settle for third place and $9,583.
“I’m satisfied with how I did today & I’ll beat ‘em the next time,” commented Alpert, who was playing at his first final table after finishing 11th in this same event during last year’s WPO. The 32-year-old owner of sports memorabilia and rare coin shops, he has been playing poker since childhood.
When heads-up play began, Scott Aigner held a 4-to-3 lead over Timberlake, who put up a furious fight and managed to survive for almost three hours without ever holding a chip advantage. Finally Aigner scooped a big pot with trip treys to put Timberlake almost down to the felt, and the end was nigh. The decisive hand came down when Timberlake called all in on fourth street with A" 9"/8u 3". Aigner held J-5/J-7, and when neither player helped, he scooped the pot and claimed his first major tournament title with a pair of jacks.
“It was a good heads-up competition,” Aigner commented. “Gene was tough and didn’t make any mistakes. He just got unlucky, while I got lucky.”
Timberlake, who pocketed $19,167 for his runner-up finish, more or less concurred: “I played as well as I could with the cards I got,” he said. A 57-year-old financial consultant from Houston, Texas, he was named the Best All-Around Player at Johnny Hale’s 2000 Seniors World Championship of Poker and also cashed in last year’s Tournament of Champions."
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