Poker Tournament Results

Caesars Indiana WSOP Circuit Event

Tim Laws

Tournament Report

Making the Circuit Rounds, Tim Laws Registers First Win in $300 No-Limit Elizabeth, IN--Tim Laws had a job installing granite and marble in home kitchens and bathrooms until last December when he decided to quit work and turn pro. Since January he's played in eight WSOP Circuit events and made two prior final tables, finishing sixth in a $500 no-limit event at Tunica and third in a $300 event at Council Bluffs. Tonight he hit the jackpot as he won the fourth event of the current Circuit stop at Caesars Indiana, $300 no-limit. When he got heads-up with Mark Wright, he had a sizeable lead. The two made a deal, played a couple of necessary showdown hands, and Laws ended up winning an official $49,239. Laws, 29, is from Columbia, Missouri, and also owns rental properties. His winnings tonight, he said, will let him pay off his duplex. Laws describes himself as a "pretty solid" player with a tight, Dan Harrington image, though he also mixes up his play. Tonight he was never all in and avoided going up against big stacks -- partially because he never had the hands to do it -- instead calling all-in short-stack players. He's been trying to learn Omaha, but pretty much sticks to no-limit, since there isn't much else these days. He also gave credit to his mom for his support. "She gets excited and keeps waking up her sisters with phone calls," he said. Other hobbies for Laws include golf and playing softball a couple of times a week. The decks of this giant riverboat casino were packed as 622 players climbed aboard and generated a prize pool of $175,852, which paid 63 spots. By 7 p.m., everyone was in the money, and we got down to nine at exactly 11 p.m. when John Der's pocket jacks were crushed by Justin Scott's pocket aces. Arriving at the final table with a huge lead was Scott with 560,000 chips, close to half those on the table. Lowest-chipped, with only 54,000, was Douglas "Rico" Carli, but he was happy just to be at the final table. Down to 2,700 on the bubble, he pushed in, doubled through and moved up from there. "After that I was freerolling," he said. Meanwhile, Darleen Johnson of Cincinnati placed 11th, the highest woman finisher to date. Here were the starting chip counts: Seat 1. Thad Haas 54,000 Seat 2. Douglas Rich 40,000 Seat 3. Tim Laws 214,000 Seat 4. Dan Hill 99,000 Seat 5. Brian Tweedie 209,000 Seat 6. Stephen Raz 98,000 Seat 7. Mark Wright 170,000 Seat 8. Matt Ready 129,000 Seat 9. Justin Scott 560,000 Action began with just 2:35 on the clock, and blinds soon went to 8,000-16,000 with 2,000 antes. Carli didn't last long. On the third hand he called Matt Ready's all-in bet with A-J. Ready had Ad-Kd, and when all small cards came, Carli bowed out ninth, which paid $3,517. Carli, 52, is a retired stockbroker turned pro from Alliance, Ohio. He began playing as a child, learning from his brothers and sisters. Carli now has some 25 WSOP Circuit cash, a world's record. His biggest cash, however, was $116,936 for finishing seventh at a $5,000 no-limit event at the 2006 WSOP. Carli, who played college baseball, also enjoys golf, baseball and being with his supportive wife, who travels with him on his poker sojurns. Two hands later, Scott, holding pocket 7s, put Thad Haas all in for his last few chips. Haas' pocket treys couldn't catch up when the board came A-5-5-8-7, and two were quickly gone. Haas, who collected $5,276 for eighth, is 34 and a consulting actuary from Naperville, Illinois who passed all exams to become a fellow in the Society of Actuaries. This is his sixth Circuit and second final table. He learned poker from books and TV and also likes hockey, baseball and family time. Scott then knocked out the next player. Stephen Raz was left short-chipped after his pocket deuces lost to Dan Hill, all in with pocket 7s. On hand 18 Raz moved in for 30,000 with pocket treys. Scott made a big raise with A-4, got heads-up, and edged Raz when the board came K-J-8-4-5. Seventh paid $7,034. Raz is a 51-year-old engineer from Ft. Wayne, IN playing his first Circuit. He learned poker from a co-worker, and be careful what you say to him, because his other hobby is karate. Blinds were now 10,000-20,000 with 3,000 antes. At this point, Scott's huge stacks were evaporating, and would continue to do so, as he kept getting outdrawn, once with queens against A-9, another time with 10s against A-6, another with pocket 9s against A-3. Then, soon after limits went up, he took a big hit and lost his lead for good. This time he was the underdog, calling with A-Q after Mark Wright pushed in for 99,000 with A-K. He was now down to about 350,000 and trailed Wright slightly. Brian Tweedie was next out. He was all in with Ac-4c and lost when Laws' A-K prevailed, taking out $8,793 for sixth. Tweedie, 24, is a machine operator from Independence, Missouri who learned poker at 12 from his parents. He mostly plays cash games, and this is his first Circuit. Scott lost yet more chips when, holding just 5-2, he tried to bust an all-in Matt Ready and couldn't catch his K-4. But a few hands later, Ready went out anyway. He moved in under the gun for 45,000 with pocket treys and got a call from Laws, holding Ac-9c. Laws drew out when the board came A-K-2-Q-Q, and four were left as Ready went home with $10,551 for fifth. Ready, 35, is a bank manager from Cincinnati. He learned by playing six years ago and this is his first Circuit. Other hobbies are video games and hanging with friends and family. When blinds moved up to 15,000-30,000 with 3,000 antes after43 hands of play, both Laws and Wright had over 600,000, while Scott had around 180,000 and Dan Hill, 150,000. Soon after, Laws opened for 90,000, and Hill added the rest of his chips to go all in. Laws had Ac-Js, Hill Jc-8c. A board of K-Q-8-10-4 gave Laws a straight, and Hill cashed fourth for $12,310. Laws now had a commanding lead with close to 800,000 chips. Hill is 32, an engineer from Mason, Ohio who's entered five Circuits and has a sixth in a $300 event here in 2006. He's also proud of being a "great dad." Five hands later, Scott pushed in his last 95,000 from the button holding pocket deuces. Law called with A-9, Wright with A-7. The board of 9-8-4-J-10 was checked down, Laws took down the pot, and Scott, finishing third, collected $14,068. Scotti, 23, is a carpenter from Redford Township, Michigan, who has a bracelet in a $2,000 no-limit event at the 2006 WSOP which paid $842,262. He's played between five and 10 Circuit events Heads-up, Laws had over a million of the 1.573 chips in play. He and Wright went off to talk deal, then played a couple of show hands. On the final deal, Laws had 8-3 to 10-4 for Wright. The board came Q-5-8-2-7 and the event was over. Wright, who gave his age as "old," is a taxi driver from Nashville, Tennnessee. His nickname is "Donkey/Fish," he learned poker in the Army in 1980, and this is his second Circuit. --Max Shapiro