Young Pro Zac Fronterhouse Wins
First Six-Handed Tourney Here
Runner-up Greg Bowling Makes Deal,
Feeling Zac is Too Tough to Play Against
Elizabeth, IN--The game was six-handed (alternately called short-handed) no-limit hold'em, the first such tournament ever offered during the WSOP Circuit tour at Caesars Indiana. It drew 217 players, and Zac Fronterhouse, a gregarious 23-year-old pro from Indianapolis, played and talked his way to victory.
When the event got heads-up, Fronterhouse had 365,000 chips to 286,000 for Greg 'Big G' Bowling, a contractor and horse farm owner. The two made a deal and Fronterhouse was declared the winner, pocketing an official $32,030 and a seat into the $5,000 main event.
The two finalists bonded out of mutual respect, and Bowling was effusive in complimenting his competitor. 'I gave him a generous deal because he was much better than me, the best I've ever played with here, other than name players,' Bowling said. 'His reads on me were great, and I know he'll go places. It's also a young man's game and I'm 40,' Bowling added.'
The two also had high praise for Craig Carman's expertise in running the tournament.
Fronterhouse began playing poker in home games at age 14. He worked for a time as a server at a Red Lobster restaurant, quitting to play full time when he was 21 and spending the last two summers in Vegas, where he won a $100 Binion's Poker Classic event that paid $10,667. Fronterhouse devotes 85 percent of his poker time to tournaments because he feels he understands tournament strategy very well. I know how to apply pressure at the right time, when to switch, and how to minimize my losses and maximize my wins,' he explained.
The final six assembled when Rita Davison's pocket 8s were beaten by pocket queens and she just missed becoming the first woman to make a final table at any open events here thus far. Blinds started at 3,000-6,000 with 500 antes, 34 minutes left on the clock. Bowling, with 252,000 chips, had a big lead.
Here are the starting chip counts:
SEAT 1 Robert Spicuzza 95,500
SEAT 2 Scott Dalton 45,500
SEAT 3 Chris Shubert 68,000
SEAT 4 Zac Fronterhouse 135,000
SEAT 5 Ken Jenkins 57,500
SEAT 6 Greg Bowling 252,000
In early action, Scott Dalton, starting with the fewest chips, 45,500, managed to stay alive with frequent raises and all-ins. He was called a couple of times. Once his pocket jacks held up. The other time he had A-J against Fronterhouse's pocket queens. Dalton called for an ace, saying 'I haven't gotten one all day.' This time he did, and survived again.
We lost our first player on hand 18. Fronterhouse moved in with pocket 6s and Chris Shubert called with A-9 suited. The board couldn't help him and Shubert finished sixth, worth $5.005.
Shubert, 27, is from Newport Richey, Florida, married with one child, a carpenter who turned pro six years ago. He had a good finish in his first live (weekly) tournament in Vegas this year and then placed 26th in a $2,000 WSOP event.
When the level ended, Bowling, playing carefully, had extended his lead slightly to 269,000. Play continued with blinds of 4,000-8,000.
A couple of hands into the new level, Dalton finally hit a wall. Bowling raised to 17,000 and Dalton called. Then Fronterhouse moved in, Bowling folded and Dalton called. He had pocket 6s to Fronterhouse's A-Q. A queen turned, and Dalton was down to 10,000. He put in his last chips on the next hand with K-9 and ran into Bowling's pocket rockets. The board came J-7-4-2-6, and Dalton placed fifth, worth $6,006.
Dalton, from Harts, West Virginia, is 51, a self-employed contractor, married with two children. He began playing in home games 20 years ago. He won his seat into this event in a satellite, and this final table is his best finish to date.
As the level neared its end, Fronterhouse was up against Ken Jenkins. The board showed Ks-5h-2c-7h-10h and Jenkins bet a surprising 55,000. 'Do you have a flush?' Fronterhouse asked, trying to get a read. Jenkins offered to show his cards if Fronterhouse folded. That convinced Fronterhouse he was bluffing (the turn had been checked), and he called with A-K. All Jenkins had was Q-J offsuit. But Jenkins recovered on the next hand, doubling through against Bowling when he caught a king on the river to his K-J to pass Bowling's paired 7.
Blinds rose to 6,000-12,000 with 2,000 antes, with Fronterhouse now leading with about 240,000 chips.
Two hands into the new level, Robert Spicuzza moved in under the gun for 120,000 holding A-K. Fronterhouse called with pocket 5s. He won the toss-up when the board came J-8-7-9-J, and we were down to three. Fronterhouse now held 340,000 of the 651,000 chips in play.
Spicuzza is a bar owner from Lexington, Kentucky whose prior poker highlight was a fourth-place finish in a $1,000 Circuit event at Grand Casino Tunica. Tonight he got $7,007 for finishing in fourth place.
Five deals later, on hand 52, the event ended. Down to 7,000 chips Jenkins put them all in with J-4 and both players called for the 12,000 blind. Bowling had the same hand and Fronterhouse, with 8-4, took the pot when an 8 flopped. The deal was made and the event was over.
Jenkins, whose nickname is 'K.J.,' is 37, unmarried and owns a sports marketing company. He's been playing four years, his hobby is football, rooting for the Colts, and his poker highlight was winning a Bellagio event in 2005. Third was worth $9,009.
For placing second, Bowling took home an official $17,617. He is from Trafalgar, Indiana, married with three children and began playing poker with his family 20 years ago. He has entered about 50 Circuit events, winning three. He also has won three events and cashed in two others at the Midwest Classic. Years ago he also worked as a male model. His other hobby, he said, is eating. -- Max Shapiro
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