Poker Tournament Results

Harrah's Atlantic City Poker Tournament - WSOP Circuit Event

Mircea Ionescu

Tournament Report

Cash-Game Player Mircea Ionescu Tops Record Field to Win HAC Opening Event 901 Players Turn Out, the Most for Any Event In Five Harrah's Atlantic City Circuit Tours Atlantic City, NJ—A record-smashing field of 901 players filled the tournament ballroom at Harrah's Atlantic City for the opening event of the WSOP Circuit tour here, $300 no-limit hold'em. It was the largest number of entrants to date for any of the five Circuit stops at this casino. The winner was Mircea 'Merciky' Ionescu, 41, an assistant engineer for an air conditioning company. Ionescu is originally from Romania and now lives in Brooklyn. He is a high-stakes ($5-$10 and $10-$20 no-limit) cash-game player who rarely tries tournaments. But with a $67,575 win and a handsome gold-and-diamond trophy ring, he definitely plans to play more events, including the $5,000 championship here. Ionescu, describing himself as an aggressive player, only plays no-limit. He gave up on limit when he found he couldn't do much bluffing. He said he found the two tables before the final one tonight very tough, but the last one was more to his liking. He arrived a bit above average in chips, built them up with bluffs and good cards, took a lot of blinds, was able to make good laydowns, and before long had taken the lead, which he easily held until the end. Ionescu learned poker from his father, a big-limit player, when he was six. He came to this country four years ago, and is married with no children. A total of 90 places were paid in this event. The 22 players left at the end of day 1 returned the next day to play down to nine. At that point, Ionescu held the lead with 445,000. When the 10 players assembled, with blinds of 15,000-30,000 and 3,000 antes, Kevin Crumlish had taken the lead with 810,000. Here were the starting chip counts: Seat 1. Dan Hayden 402,000 Seat 2. Eliano Mesquita 545,000 Seat 3. Sonny Lusha 212,000 Seat 4. James Zinkand 340,000 Seat 5. Carlos Chavez 184,000 Seat 6. Ashley Shuey 150,000 Seat 7. Mircea Ionescu 408,000 Seat 8. Robert Stanley 248,000 Seat 9. Howard Wolper 313,000 Seat 10 Kevin Crumlish 810,000 The table resembled a miniature United Nations. Besides Romanian-born Ionescu, there were players originally from Brazil, Peru and Albania. We reached the final nine when Robert Stanley opened for 80,000 with A-J and Crumlish put him in for 100,000 more with A-K. All rags came and Stanley cashed out 10th for $2,973. Stanley is a plant manager from Avenel, New Jersey. He's married with two children, has been playing 25 years, enjoys sports, and this was his 10th Circuit and poker highlight to date. On the third deal nine-handed, Dan 'Dano' Hayden busted when he moved in for 206,000 with Q-J, losing to Ionescu's A-J when the board came K-3-2-5-10. Ninth paid $5,406. Hayden, 42, is a service manager from Stafford, Virginia playing his 10th Circuit event. Hayden, married with two children, learned poker at an early age from his father and has been playing tournaments for two years. His poker highlight was winning a $10,000 Circuit seat in 2005, losing with pocket queens when Chris Ferguson flopped an ace to his A-9 (the same hand, by the way, that got 'Jesus' the WSOP championship in 2000). Four hands later, James Zincand pushed in his last 55,000 from the small blind with Ks-3d. Ashley Shuey called with Js-10s. He hit a flush on the turn when the board showed 9h-6s-5s-9s. Kincaid needed another spade to survive, but missed and cashed out for $8,109 in eighth place. Zincand, 50, is self-employed in the home improvement business. He's played four years and this is his first Circuit. He's married with two children and enjoys hunting and fishing. After a break, play resumed with one-hour levels, playing with blinds of 20,000-40,000 and 4,000 antes. Crumlish remained well in front with 970,000. Using his chips as a hammer, he made a couple of uncalled raises, and soon passed the million mark. Ionescu, meanwhile, starting with half as many chips as Crumlish, began picking up pots, and before long had taken over the lead. Howard Wolper, meanwhile, down to about 200,000, began his move seven hands into the new level, doubling through with pocket kings when Ionescu missed his straight draw. On hand 23, Shuey departed on a bad beat. After Sonny Lusha moved in with pocket 9s, Shuey called for about 100,000 with pocket jacks, only to see a 9 flop. Seventh paid $10,812. Shuey, 29, self-employed, and from Shartlesville, PA., has been playing 10 years. This third Circuit is his poker highlight. Three hands later, Carlos 'Machette' Chavez moved in for about 160,000 with Kc-9c. He was drawing dead on fourth street when Ionescu called with Ah-10h and flopped an ace. Chavez, 40, originally from Peru, now lives in New York and is a solutions architect. Married with three children, he enjoys golf and has played three Circuits. Sixth paid $13,515. Hand 29 saw the biggest pot thus far. On a flop of 9c-5c-5s, Wolper opened for 100,000 and Crumlish doubled it. Wolper then called a 100,000 bet when a 2s turned. When a 10c rivered, he moved in and took a 620,000 pot when Crumlish folded. The level ended and action continued with 30,000-60,000 blinds and 5,000 antes. Ionescu was well in front in chips with about 1.5 million, but Wolper was well in front in chatter, continually making comments, often of a needling nature. When he bet and an an opponent asked if he were bluffing, he bristled. 'My hand might be better or worse than yours, but I assure you it will not be a bluff,' he declared. Perhaps, but a bluff is what he eventually would go out on. It took until hand 57 to lose another player. The flop was 6h-4-2h and Eliano Mesquita, thinking he still had the best hand, moved in with As-Ks. 'Got a heart?' Ionescu asked, adding. 'Well, I gotta call.' Holding 10h-8h, Ionescu had flopped a flush, and now four were left. Mesquita, Brazilian-born, lives in Toms River, New Jersey and likes to play in home games with other Brazilian friends. His other hobby is skydiving. This is his sixth Circuit, and fifth paid $16,218. On the next hand, Wolper, in the small blind, tried a steal by moving in for 200,000 with 10-5. He actually had the better hand when Crumlish, getting short-stacked, decided to call from the big blind with 8-7. The board came J-J-8-Q-K, and Crumlish's paired 8 left Wolper in fourth place, paying $18,921. Wolper, 54, a poker player and artist, is from Atlantic City. He's entered numerous Circuits, and his many cashes include a Tahoe Circuit win and a $13,847 cash in a Borgata/WPT championship event. When the level ended a few hands later, Ionescu had 1,830,000 chips to 1,240,000 for Crumlish, while Sonny Lusha trailed with 540,000. We were now playing with blinds of 40,000-80,000 and 5,000 antes. Lusha hung on for another 10 hands. Then, in three-way action, he moved in for 450,000 on a flop of 10-3-2 with pocket 7s and ran into Ionescu's pocket aces. Ionescu made a set on the river, and Lusha cashed third for $21,624. Lusha 45, was born in Albania and now lives in Staten Island, New York. He is in the construction business. Heads-up, Ionescu had a lead of about 2.2 million to 1.4 for Crumlish. The match lasted six hands. When a flop came Qc-10d-4s, Crumlish, holding Q-5, moved in for 1.1 million. After long thought, Ionescu called with K-Q, and his better kicker ended the evening. Crumlish, 40, nicknamed 'Crum,' is a fire protection engineer from Wall, New Jersey. He's been playing four years, learning from a neighbor. He's married with two children, enjoys skiing, hockey and soccer, and his poker highlight was winning an event at Caesars Atlantic City. Second place tonight paid $36,720. —Max Shapiro