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David Eller |
I finished on the bubble in the No-Limit Hold’em event a few days ago, and I made up my mind going into this tournament to get in the money,” said David Eller, whose determination & and a bit of luck at the right time & enabled him not just to cash, but to claim first place in the $500 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split competition. For topping a field of 239 players in the seventh event of the 2001 Jack Binion World Poker Open, Eller took home $42,888 in prize money, plus a traditional WPO gold and diamond bracelet.
“This is incredible & just phenomenal,” exulted Eller of his first major tournament title. “I’ll be proud of the bracelet all my life.” A 38-year-old electrical contractor from Daytona Beach, Florida, he has played poker since childhood but became a serious competitor just three years ago.
Eller came to the final table as a chip underdog but had confidence in his abilities. “I didn’t recognize anybody, so I wasn’t intimidated,” he commented. Choosing his spots carefully, he won a few small pots to stay in the game while several of his short-stacked opponents were quickly eliminated. The first to go was Can Hua, who held A-A-K-8 in the big blind and was called by Bruce Atkinson, who was in the small blind with A¨ 9ª 6ª 4¨. On the turn the board showed Jª 7ª 3ª/5ª, and when the J" fell on the river, Hua called all in only to see Atkinson scoop the pot with a heart flush and a seven low. For placing ninth in his second final-table appearance at this year’s WPO, Hua pocketed $1,854.
On the very next round, Chris Bjorin raised before the flop with 6-4-3-2 and was also challenged by Atkinson, who was again in the small blind, this time holding Q-Q-7-4. The flop brought J-6-3, Bjorin went all in with his two pair, and Atkinson called. On the turn came a queen, and when the board paired sixes on the river, Bjorin was gone in eighth place for $2,318.
It wasn’t long before Robert Selman was sent home when he raised all in before the flop with A-A-4-2 and was called by both Kevin Lam, who was in the big blind with K-Q-8-7, and Bruce Kelley, who held A-K-9-5. When the final board showed K-Q-J/9-6, Lam took down the money and Selman was forced to depart in seventh place for $2,897.
A few hands later, Lam and Kelley also took out Jesse Knigh, who had already lived through four all-in battles and decided to stake his future survival on J-10-8-8, calling a raise in the big blind. When the flop came A-8-6, Lam bet out with 8-5-4-3, Kelley raised with 5-4-3-2, and Knigh called all in with his trip eights. But a four on the turn and a river seven split the spoils between Lam and Kelley, shutting Knigh out in sixth place for $4,057.
Up until now Dave Smith had held his own, but he soon lost a sizeable pot with two pair to David Eller’s trip sevens and suddenly found himself low on bullets. He took his last shot when he called from the big blind with A-A-9-6 against his nemesis, who had raised with Q-Q-10-9. On the turn, Smith called all in with the board showing 10-10-4/J, but he failed to help on the river and bit the dust in fifth place for $5,216.
David Eller had now picked up steam and before long saw an opportunity to run down Bruce Atkinson, who hadn’t won a pot in several rounds and was in imminent peril. Dealt A-Q-9-2 under the gun, Eller raised before the flop and Atkinson called all in from the button with K-Q-8-7. The flop came 9-4-3, then Eller turned a five for a killer wheel, crushing Atkinson in fourth place for $6,954.
On a full-fledged heater, Eller relentlessly pursued his remaining two opponents. He soon scooped two pots in a row against Kevin Lam, then won a big pot from Bruce Kelley to put him almost down to the felt. Moments later, Kelley was dispatched when he raised before the flop with Q-J-8-3 and was reraised by Eller, who held 10-5-5-4. Kelley kicked it up again, going all in, but when the final board showed Q-8-5/3-4, he had to settle for third place and $11,011. This marks the highest major-tournament finish to date for Kelley. A 47-year-old retired chief of police from Calhoun, Georgia, he restores classic cars in his spare time.
When the heads-up battle began, Eller held only a slight advantage over Lam, who had come to the final table with almost one-third of the chips in play. Though Lam rallied several times over the course of the next hour, he couldn’t sustain the momentum and was ultimately eliminated when he took 9-7-5-3 up against Eller’s K-J-J-10. On the turn, Lam was all in with the board showing 10-9-8/K, but the river brought him no help and Eller scooped the pot and won the title with kings up.
For placing second in his first final-table appearance at a major tournament, Lam was awarded $22,023. The 36-year-old co-owner of a family restaurant business in Shawnee, Kansas, he has won several smaller competitions in the five years he has played poker seriously.
“This was a great experience & really fun,” Lam said. “I’ll be back next year.”"
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