Excitedly jumping into the bleachers after he had defeated the dangerous David “Devilfish” Ulliott, local stockbroker Burt Boutin donned his first World Series bracelet for his victory in the $2,000 pot-limit hold’em event. His previous biggest win had been in a $1,000 pot-limit event at the Rio. It was only the third tournament over $500 he had played since last year. In fact, Boutin, 33, had given up poker entirely for a time when his girl friend disapproved. Fortunately, he came to his senses and broke up with her.
This was the second time in the last five events that the Devilfish played bridesmaid. Still, he put on a spectacular performance. At the third table he had only a handful of $500 chips, but ended up with the second chip lead.
Leader was Men “The Master” Nguyen, who got pumped by beating Minh Ly, aces against nines, in a $100,000 pot at the second table. When he arrived with almost 40 percent of the chips and immediately knocked two players out, it looked like a quick night for him. One Corona, maybe two at the most. But he ended up needing six bottles of fuel and then could only make it to third place.
Blinds at the final table started at $1,500 and $3,000. On the third hand, Tournament of Champions consultant Mike Sexton found himself in the big blind with only $11,500 left. Sexton, a bracelet holder with 33 WSOP final tables to his credit, moved in with A-10.
Nguyen called with 7c, 9c, and flopped a seven. One down. On the next hand Men held exactly the same cards. He raised to $9,000, retired attorney Roger Easterday re-raised with pocket aces and Nguyen moved him in and proceeded to make a flush. Two down.
“I play to win, not play scared,” boasted The Master, whose motto might be, “Always fearless, never beerless.”
Glenn Hughes, who sold out his satellite TV business and moved to Arizona to play golf, was obviously the most inexperienced player at the table. He bet his chips awkwardly and had to repeatedly ask how much he was allowed to raise. The bespectacled, mild-mannered Hughes looked and acted like Clark Kent-but he played like Superman. He was not intimidated by a table full of seasoned pros and eventually made it all the way to fourth place.
Some 26 hands into the final table, Kassam “Freddie” Deeb ran into the flop from hell. Holding A-7, he and Boutin called when Ulliott raised. An ace and a seven flopped, giving Deeb top two, but a seemingly harmless five gave Boutin a set. What happened next was entirely predictable. Burt checked, Freddie bet $10,000, Burt check-raised him $44,000, Freddie went all in with $5,000 more and busted out in seventh place when two rags hit.
A hand later, Men, with K-J, bet $16,000 into a J-7-3 flop. Hughes raised all in and The Master confidently called by banging his chips down. But Clark Kent had a set, then hit a fourth seven. A few hands later, Glenn wasn’t intimidated when Devilfish made a stab at a pot by betting $10,000 with Q-9-5-10 showing. He called, bet the river and David folded.
Cy Jassinowsky, a poker player from South Africa, was eliminated when he raised with A-10 and Devilfish put him in with pocket nines which held up. Then, on a flop of K-A-5, Men bet $25,000 with K-Q. “Syracuse” Chris Tsiprailidis raised all in with K-10. He sucked out on the turn when a 10 hit, but Men did the same to him on the river when an ace fell. Both had aces and kings, but Men had the higher kicker and kicked Chris out of action.
When blinds went to $3,000 and $6,000, Nguyen still held the chip lead with $205,500. Boutin had $163,500, Hughes had $126,000 and Ulliott now trailed with $41,000. But then the Devilfish bit a toe off The Master. Men raised his blind, he re-raised all in for $35,000 and Men folded. “Don’t steal my blind or get in the water with the Devilfish,” Ulliott warned him.
Hughes got hurt in a hand against Nguyen. He called an $18,000 raise, then bet $20,000 on a flop of 9-7-5. Nguyen shoved in all his chips, as though it were no-limit. Hughes pondered. Boutin called for a clock and he finally folded. When Men asked what he had and he said, “K-Q,” Men laughed at him. “How could you bet with K-Q?” he taunted. On the next hand, Glenn tried an all-in bluff raise on a Q-7-3 flop. Boutin called with Q-9 and put him away when a nine turned
Men got crippled when he re-raised to $39,000 with Ks, Js, and Ulliott moved in with A-10. Ulliott won with ace-high and took a $115,000 pot. There was a break and blinds rose to $5,000 and $10,000. Burt and David were almost dead even with over $260,000 each. Men was almost dead broke with $16,500. He doubled up once, but then Devilfish swallowed him with a set of fives after Men moved all in for $32,000 with A-J.
Playing heads-up now, Boutin jumped up and did a moonwalk when Ulliott raised $95,000, then folded after Boutin came over the top. Not to be outdone, Devilfish later set spectators roaring when he did his own dance after winning a piddly pot with a 10-high. After making kings-full, Ulliott pulled into a lead with over $300,000, but went steadily down after that. On the final hand the Devilfish raised $20,000 with A-10 and Boutin moved him in with pocket jacks and made a winning straight. The broker’s $2,000 investment had paid off handsomely.
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