Pittsburgh Attorney Runs $500 Home
Game Win into 65K Event 2 Cash-Out
First Major Tournament for Him
And the Runner-up, Lance Perry
Elizabeth, IN—Christopher 'Wills' Williams, 32, an attorney in the trust department of a Pittsburgh bank, won $500 in a home game, decided to invest in by playing in his first major tournament, and ended up taking home $65,239.50 by winning the second event of the WSOP Circuit at Caesars Indiana, $500 no-limit hold'em. He won despite starting lowest chipped at the final table. It was a wild final table, with more than its share of lucky breaks, unusual hands and chip lead changes, that lasted until 4 a.m. It was also a friendly, talkative table, with Williams leading the word parade. He would eventually say the wrong word, but we'll get to that later.
By contrast, his final opponent, Lance 'Sir Lancelot' Perry, a software developer with deep religious convictions, was quiet and sedate. He had about an 8-6 chip lead when he got heads up with Williams and would have won when he had Williams all in with pocket 6s against pocket 5s, but a board of A-A-7-7-K made a split pot and saved Williams, who went on to his win.
Williams had visited his brother in Cincinnati when the two decided to come here and play. Williams has been mostly a cash game player, favoring $2-$5 no-limit. His brother described him as a good player, loose/aggressive, 'not afraid to put it in.' Williams is single, has been playing four years, learning by TV. His hobby is basketball. Until now, his poker career highlight was meeting and playing with Daniel Negreanu.
It was nearly 1 a.m. when the final table got underway with blinds of 4,000-8,000, 1,000 antes. Four players were in the 200,000 range, with Perry in front with 221,000. Three others had 60,000 or less, while Williams had the fewest, only 40,000.
Here were the starting chip counts:
SEAT 1 Christopher Williams 40,000
SEAT 2 Charles Casavant III 211,000
SEAT 3 Adam Curry 199,000
SEAT 4 Jody Shadbolt 153,000
SEAT 5 Lance Perry 221,000
SEAT 6 Gebrehiwet Goitom 141,000
SEAT 7 Andrew Kloc 53,000
SEAT 8 Jeffrey Jones 203,000
SEAT 9 Alex Tainsh 60,000
After 17 hands, blinds went to 6,000-12,000 with 2,000 antes, and on the next hand we lost our first player. Andrew 'Drew' Kloc, one of the short stacks, tried a move from the small blind, pushing in with 8-5. Jeffrey Jones had a fairly easy call with A-J from the big blind and then flopped an ace. He earned $4,349.30 for ninth. Kloc, 36, is from Naugatuck, Connecticut and is self-employed. His hobby is football, he's been playing six years, learning by books, and this is his 20th Circuit event.
An incredible hand came down four hands later. Jones raised to 125,000 and Perry moved in. Both had more than 200,000 chips. After long thought, Jones called. He had two black jacks, Perry two black queens. Jones flopped a set when the board came Ad-Jd-8d. Then a fourth diamond turned. 'No diamond!' Jones yelled. But it came on the river all the same, and the pot was split.
Soon after, another short stack went out. Alex Tainsh risked his last chips with K-10. He had two live cards to Perry's A-J, but they died when the flop came A-7-5. He collected $6,523.95 for third. Tainsh, 44, is an executive from Louisville and a Mensa member.
He's married with four children, enjoys golf, and has been playing three years.
Two hands later, Gebrehiwet Goitom also departed. He put in last 45,000 with Q-5. Williams called with K-10, and the king-high was enough when the board came 6-4-2-7-2. Goitom, 44, is a driver from Dallas with more than 50 tournament cashes, mainly in Los Angeles, the largest being $41,000 for a second in a Legends of Poker event. He's married with two children, has been playing 10 years, and this is his second Circuit. Seventh paid $8,698.60.
On hand 30, Williams made another kill. This time he had A-7 against Jody Shadbolt's Q-J, and caught two more aces on the flop. Shadbolt, 39, is a self-employed roofer from Lexington, Kentucky who is married with two children. He taught himself poker 15 years ago. His other hobby is pool. He gained entry via satellite and earned $10,873.75 for sixth.
A few minutes after the table got down to five, Williams let the f-word slip. Contrite, he was ready to take his punishment penalty, but the table came to his defense. 'It was a colorful superlative, not derogatory in any way,' Sir Lancelot testified. An exception was made, and Williams was set free. Then, as the level ended, he got a lucky
break. All in with A-8 versus A-10, he escaped by making an 8-high straight.
Players took a break, returning to blinds of 8,000-16,000 and 2,000 antes with Perry holding a substantial lead of just over 500,000 chips. A few hands into the new level, Charles Casavant III took 123,000 from him when he was all in and his A-K held against Perry's A-J.
It took 36 hands after Shadbolt went out to lose another player. On hand 66, Williams button-raised to about 60,000, and Adam Curry re-raised all in for about 150,000 with K-5. Williams quickly called with A-J and, won when the board came Q-6-4-J-5.
Curry is a student from Cincinnati. He's single, has played six years, and his other hobbies are fishing and golf. Fifth paid $13,047.90.
Eight hands later, Williams made his fourth straight kill. This time Casavant moved in for 80,000 with A-6 and Williams called with A-Q. A queen flopped to finish Casavant and leave him in fourth place, which paid $17,397.20.
Casavant, 40, is from Avilla, Indiana where he owns a hardware store and pizza shop. He's married, learned poker in home games and has been playing tournaments four years. This is his fifth Circuit cash.
By now, Williams had moved into a big lead with more than 600,000 of the 1,377,000 chips in play.
Blinds now went to 10,000-20,000 with 2,000 antes. Right after, Perry moved in from the big blind with A-9. 'All right, I'll call, said Jones, all in and turning up pocket 7s. A flop of A-9-4 gave Perry top two, and Jones, dead to a third 7, went out in third place, which paid $17,397.20, while Perry now took over the chip lead.
Jones is a professional player from Rolla, Missouri. Before that he was a self-employed trucker. He's been playing for three years, has entered dozens of Circuit events, and in the past 18 months has had four Circuit final tables and eight cashes. Jones, nicknamed 'Slick,' is married with three children, and his other hobbies are race and classic cars.
Heads-up, Williams kept talking deal, and Perry kept saying no. As play went on, Perry twice raised to 100,000, then folded when Williams moved in and lost the lead. Offered another deal, Perry said, 'One more hand.'
It would be his last. He moved in with Qs-Js, losing to Williams' Ks-8d when the board came 8-5-2-K-A.
Perry, 45, is from Franklin, Tennessee, and like Williams, he was playing in his first major tournament. He learned poker in Vegas five years ago. Married with three children, his interests are religious studies and 3-D art. Second place paid him $36,011.87. —Max Shapiro
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