Michael Ciaravino Declared Winner
Of $300 No-Limit After 3-Way Deal
Construction Owner Turned Pro Now
Travels Country with Wife and Kids
Tunica, MS--Michael Ciaravino once owned a construction company in New York, but 15 years ago sold it to turn pro and then move to Melbourne, Florida to be close to his parents and his wife Michelle's mother. Today, with two teenage children, the whole family travels the country together, with Michelle home-schooling the kids. This is one family that stays together and plays together.
Today, even though he was lowest in chips, he was declared the winner of the seventh event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Grand Casino Tunica, $300 no-limit hold'em, after a three-way chop arrangement that ended play. So that's how it goes into the books, with his official win being $30,127.
Ciaravino describes himself as a 'fairly tight/solid' player. (Because of that, he was able to make a great laydown with A-K suited when an opponent moved in with pocket aces. 'I knew he knew my play,' he explained, 'and to move in on me he had to have a very big hand.') Ciaravino's poker highlight came this year at the WSOP, where he made three cashes, 38th, 58th, and 76th, for a total of about $50,000. And last year he made three final tables at the Circuit here.
When the final table deal was made, he had roughly 200,000 chips to about 450,000 for Daryl 'Terminator' Gordy Sr. and 340,000 for William 'Rooster Bill' Johnson.
But perhaps the most drama in this tournament revolved around Gebrehiwet Goitom, a Dallas driver who's cashed some 50 times for more than $200,000 in various tournaments the past 10 years. He came to the final table with a commanding chip lead, holding 304,000 of the 1,025,000 chips in play. He held that lead for 45 hands. Then disaster struck as he lost four times in seven deals, dropping down to 36,000 before going broke three hands later.
Here were the starting chip counts:
Seat 1 Gebrehiwet Goitom 304,000
Seat 2 Jody Milhouse 40,500
Seat 3 Michael Ciaravino 123,500
Seat 4 William Johnson 183,500
Seat 5 Daryl Gordy 138,500
Seat 6 Larry Tomaszewski 13,000
Seat 7 Stan Wofford 35,500
Seat 8 Jeff Griffith 44,000
Seat 9 Kenneth Gortney 120,000
The first flop didn't come until the seventh hand, and it was the last flop that Larry 'Tomahawk' Tomaszewski would see. He was down to 500 in the big blind when the flop came A-4-4. 'I don't have a chance,' he said, after a bet and a call from a third player, but with resignation threw in his last chip. The pot was checked down, Goitom turned up a winning A-9, and Tomaszewski mucked his cards.
Tomaszewski, 53, from Selmer, Tennessee, is an auctioneer turned pro with 35 years experience. He's entered 'too many Circuit events to count,' has made eight final tables, and ranked 1,242nd in the world last year. His hobby is umpiring college softball. He's married with four children and gave tribute to his wife Linda, who goes with him to every final table, for 'holding me together for over 25 years.' He got $1,944 for ninth.
Two hands later, another player went to the payout line. Stan 'Moose' Wofford, in the big blind with Kd-8d, raised all in for his last 8,000. William Johnson looked him up with A-8. The board came A-K-4-J-5, and two were gone. Wofford, 43, is vice president of a construction company. He's played for three years, is married with three children, and his other hobby is golf. He got $2,916 for eighth
Five hands later Jody Milhouse was in the small blind with pocket 6s and tried to get the big blind to fold by moving in for 31,000. No chance of that. Ciaravino had pocket kings and flopped a set. Fourteen hands and three down.
Milhouse, 50, is self-employed and from Orangeburg, South Carolina. He learned poker from his father 38 years ago, is married with two children. He's played six Circuit events, and has a seventh in no-limit previously. Seventh place brought him $3,888.
Three hands later the level ended with Goitom still in command, holding 301,000 chips. We were now playing with 4,000-8,000 blinds and 1,000 antes.
On hand 24, Goitom opened for 18,000 and Jeff Griffith re-raised all in for 6,000 more holding Q-J. He finished sixth for $4,860 when he couldn't overtake Goitom's ace-high.
Griffith, a business owner from Columbia, South Carolina nicknamed 'CKPlayer,' celebrated his 39th birthday today by making the final table. Married with one child, he's been playing for four years, enjoys music, ultimate fighting and photography.
Goitom's meltdown started on hand 47 when he mucked his 7-6 after Gordy moved in for 130,000 with a board of 8-7-5-3. He next lost to Kenneth's Gortney's two pair, then again to Gordy, who now had the lead with close to 300,000. Then, on hand 53, Goitom re-raised Ciaraveno, moving in with pocket jacks. Ciaraveno had A-K and won when a king flopped. Finally, right after the blinds went to 6,000-12,000, Goitom lost his last chips. Gordy opened for 40,000 with Ac-Jc, Goitom moved in with pocket treys, and went out when a jack rivered.
Goitom, 44, is originally from Eritrea and is married with two children. He learned poker by playing, and his extensive tournament activity includes many Circuit entries. He had to settle for $5,832 for fifth place.
At this point, Gordy's lead had increased to around 320,000. Five hands later it was all over. Gortney tried to make a play with 9-8 and Gordy picked him off with A-Q, hitting a queen on the river. And the deal was made, with last in chips getting an official first and first in chips getting last out of three.
Gortney, 30, is from Murfressboro, TN, learned poker from friends three years ago, and is married with two children. He's had three Circuit cashes and likes sports gambling. He earned $6,804 for fourth.
In the deal, Gordy took third, worth $7,776. He is 53, from Ringold, Georgia, learned poker from TV, and his cashes include a win in a $200 no-limit event at the Gold Strike Poker Classic and a second at a Caesars Indiana $500 no-limit Circuit tournament. This is his third Circuit final table. He is married with three children.
Johnson got second, worth $15,551. He is a 'senior citizen' janitor from Ray, Ohio, who has been playing three years and has played in many Circuit events. He's married and listed 'Sky diving, deep sea diving and flying' as his hobbies.
—Max Shapiro
|
