Event #13: Texas Hold'em (Limit) $1,000 4/7/01
TOTAL PRIZE MONEY: $132,890
TOTAL ENTRIES: 137
Report by Lynn Loomis
"This is unbelievable; I'm speechless.
I never dreamed I'd win," exulted
Brian Green, whose aggressive play -- and a bit of luck at the right time -- enabled him to top a record field of 137 players to claim first place in the $1,000 buy-in Limit Texas Hold'em competition. For his triumph in the 13th event of the 2001 Jack Binion World Poker Open, Green was awarded $53,156 in prize money, plus a traditional WPO gold and diamond bracelet.
"I'd like to thank Humberto Brenes -- he made this possible for me," said Green. "His family and mine do a lot of things together, and I took up poker socially to spend more time with him and other friends." A 39-year-old businessman from Alton, Utah, Green owns a telecommunications company in Costa Rica and has been playing poker for just five months. He has previously entered a few events, but this marks the first time he has cashed.
Though Green arrived for the showdown in middle chip position, he couldn't seem to make a hand and saw his stack steadily shrink. In fact, no one could win a pot except Dan Alspach, who'd come to the final table as a chip leader and within an hour had managed to accumulate half of the chips on the table without dispatching a single opponent.
By now Green was struggling to stay alive, but he soon survived one all-in confrontation, then got back in the game when he eliminated Andy Rich, who had raised before the flop with A-2 suited. Green three-bet from the big blind with K-Q, and Rich called all in. But when the board brought K-J-3/4-J, he was forced out in ninth place for $2,127.
Over the next half-hour, four players toppled like dominoes. The first to fall was Kenny McCollough, who was forced all in for the big blind with pocket eights and was called by Justin Westmoreland, who held pocket queens. When the board brought 10-6-2/3-K, McCollough was done and collapsed in eighth place for $2,657.
But Westmoreland's victory was brief, as he was the next to crumple when he raised before the flop with K-J and was challenged by Jerri Thomas, who reraised with pocket queens. Westmoreland called all in, but a board showing Q-9-7/K-3 shot him down in seventh place for $3,322.
Though Ralph Perry came to the final table as the chip leader, he suffered a run of bad cards, then forfeited a huge pot to Dan Alspach for a bet on the turn. Left close to the green, Perry was soon dispatched when he called all in before the flop with A-K against Reid Grainger, who held 9-8 in the big blind. The flop came J-9-2, and when he got no help on board, Perry was gone in sixth place for $4,651.
Even after eliminating Perry, Grainger was still low on ammo and took his last shot a few hands later when he raised from the small blind with K-Q against Brad Peeples, who called with Q-10. When the flop came A-8-3, Grainger fired his last chip into the pot and Peeples called. A harmless six turned, but a 10 fell on the river and Grainger was gone in fifth place for $5,980.
Meanwhile, Alspach had now amassed three-fourths of the chips in play without getting into any large confrontations. But that soon changed when he lost several pots in a row to level the playing field, and the chips moved around the table for the next hour, with no one gaining an advantage.
Finally, Brad Peeples lost two substantial pots in a row and soon met his demise when he called from the big blind with 6-5 against Brian Green, who had raised before the flop with pocket sevens. On fourth street the board read Q-Q-2/J, and when an eight fell on the river, Peeples bluffed at the pot all in. But Green called, and Peeples was washed up in fourth place for $7,973.
At three-handed play Alspach still had a slight lead, but he saw his stack pummeled over the next hour and found himself almost down to the felt. He threw his final punch when he took Q-10 up against Green, who had put in a pre-flop raise with K-Q. The flop came K-Q-2, and both players checked. When a trey turned, Alspach called all in but failed to catch on the river and was knocked out in third place for $13,289. The 60-year-old president of an engineering services company, Alspach has cashed numerous times in major competitions, including placing second in the WPO $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event held March 31.
When heads-up play began, Green held almost a 3-to-1 lead over Jerri Thomas, who had fought long and hard to maintain a decent position and continued battling to the end. But it was finally all over when she raised all in before the flop with pocket 10s and Green called with As Qc. On fourth street the board showed 10c 9c 3c/Jc, and when Thomas failed to fill on the river, Green won the pot and claimed the title with a queen-high flush.
Thomas took home $26,578 for her runner-up finish. A homemaker from Hamilton, Ohio, she is the reigning World Series of Poker $1,500 Stud Champion and has cashed in numerous other major tournaments.
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