Mortgage Consultant Brian Brashaw Finds His Zone and Wins Omaha/8
He Prefers Omaha for its Excitement And Feels it's a 'Thinking Man's Game'
Council Bluffs, IA —"It was a weird feeling, but just like sports, I felt in the zone today," remarked Brian "Poker Beast" Brashaw, winner of the fifth event of the WSOP Circuit at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $300 Omaha high-low. "I kept my head down and never thought about the money. You can't think too much about the money and play well." Brashaw said there were two or three dozen better players than him in the tournament, but tonight he played "exceptionally well, patient and focused." He also said he got very lucky, "but you have to be to win tournaments." His victory tonight was worth $13,954 and the traditional gold trophy ring.
Brashaw, 27, is a mortgage sales consultant from Papillon, Nebraska who learned poker early on from his uncle, a semi-pro in Kansas City. He favors Omaha because he feels it's more exciting and more of a thinking man's game. This is his second Circuit and his major cash. He also has seven other cashes in small events here. His other interests are his two young children and hole-in-one golf.
Final table action began at level 15, with 27 minutes left and blinds of 3,000-6,000 and 6,000-12,000 limits. Brashaw had the lead 84,500 chips, with Manny Varela just behind him with 83,000.
Here were the starting chip counts:
Seat 1. Steve Quiroz 44.000
Seat 2. Richard Walter 27,000
Seat 3. David Andersen 61,000
Seat 4. Curtis Diede 23,500
Seat 5. Bill Short 36,000
Seat 6. Shawn Ng 33,500
Seat 7. Manny Varela 83,000
Seat 8. Brian Brashaw 84,500
Seat 9. Kevin O'Donnell 52,500
Lowest-chipped was Curtis Diede, and he was first out. Holding 9-8-7-4, he had a pair and an open-ended straight draw when the flop came A-8-6. Holding A-J-10-5, Brashaw beat him with a paired ace and a 6-low after a deuce turned and a 4 rivered. Ninth paid $861.
Diede, 55, works for Burlington North Santa Fe Railroads. He lives in Jamestown, North Dakota, but learned poker, playing lowball, in Deadwood, the town he was born in. His poker highlight is a win in the Rough Rider championship event, and he also enjoys lake fishing.
Kevin O'Donnell was left with 1,500 after he started with a top starting hand of A-2-3-4, but couldn't make a low and lost to Shawn Ng's flush. However, he proved himself a master escape artist, surviving once by scooping a pot with a set of 4s, then chopping a couple of times with a low, and then surviving a fourth time by scooping again with aces-up before finally going out in seventh place.
After blinds went to 4,000-8,000, Richard Walter was all in on the turn with pocket aces. Steve Quiroz had Kh-Qs-Jh-6c and called with a flush draw. An 8h hit the river, and Walter finished eighth, worth $1,292.
Walter is from Shickley, Nebraska where he is in insurance and real estate. He learned poker at age 6 from his grandfather. This is his third Circuit. When he was a junior in high school, he read Amarillo Slim's first book and did a book report on it for an English class.
O'Donnell finally gave up the ghost when he was all in with three-way action. He had A-A-2-J against A-K-2-8 for Shawn Ng and J-9-5-5 for Bill Short. The board came 10-9-4-8-9. There was no low, and Short's trip nines left him in sevent place, paying $1,723.
O'Donnell, 51, is from Seward, Nebraska and owns a manufacturing company. He learned poker as a child from his father. This is his first Circuit, and he has a $4,001 win in the first event of the sixth Horseshoe Classic. He also has a final table in a second-chance event Tuesday. His other hobbies are golf and bowling, and he can boast of two perfect 300 games.
Next to depart was Manny Varela, in three-way action. Both his opponents had pocket aces, but it was Brashaw, holding A-A-K-7, who knocked him out when a board of J-7-6-7-J gave him trip 7s. Sixth paid $1,723. Varela, 53, is originally from Cuba and now lives in Aurora, Colorado, where he is self-employed. This is his first Circuit event.
David Anderson had been all in twice and got away, before being all in from the big blind with his last few chips holding K-Q-8-3. He had two callers, Brashaw with A-10-9-9, and Quiroz with 2-3-7-7. The board came J-8-4-5-A, Anderson was beaten by Brashaw's paired ace, while Quiroz took low with a nut hand. Fifth paid $2,584.
Anderson, 38, is from Council Bluffs and is a realtor with Heartland Properties. He learned poker in high school playing with his brother and friends, and this is his third Circuit. He also enjoys "hanging out" with his 7-year-old son, Isiah.
At the break, the chip counts were Brashaw, 174,000; Ng, 78,000; and Short, 43,000.
Blinds were now 6,000-12,000, with 12,000-24,000 limits. On the first hand at the new level, Short was all in with A-K-K-10 to A-2-10-Q for Quiroz. A board of 8-4-3-A-5 gave Brashaw a wheel, and Short settled for $3,445 for fourth.
Short, with the obvious nickname of "Doc," is a 37-year-old physician from Abilene, Kansas. He's been playing six years and has a cash in a WPT event.
Ng then took the lead when he won a big pot from Quiroz after a flop of A-J-7 gave Quiroz aces and jacks, but also gave Ng a set of jacks. Quiroz went out soon afterwards in a close match-up. He had A-2-3-7 to Brashaw's almost identical A-2-3-9. The board came A-K-2-9-9, giving Brashaw nines full of aces, leaving Quiroz in third place, worth $4,307.
Quiroz, 51, whose nickname is "Worm," is a training instructor from Omaha. He learned poker as a kid and this is his poker high point. His other interest is sports.
Heads-up, Brashaw and Ng were very close in chips, but Ng quickly picked up two pots to move into a big lead. Blinds now became 8,000-16,000 with 16,000-32,000 limits. On the fourth hand heads-up, the pot was capped pre-flop, with both players putting in 80,000. Brashaw bet the flop of K-K-Q and then the turn when a 10 came. Ng gave it up, and now Brashaw was way ahead.
The 12th hand heads-up was three-bet pre-flop. Brashaw, with pocket queens, made a winning set on the river, and Ng was now down to 30,000. He lost it on the next hand, all in with 3-6-8-10 to Brashaw's K-10-8-7. The board came Q-10-3-9-Q. Both players had queens and 10s, but Brashaw's king kicker was the deciding card ending the evening.
Ng, collecting $7,322 for second, is 32 and originally from Malaysia, now living in Lincoln Nebraska. A part-time player, he learned the game playing in free bar poker games and finished eighth in a $300 limit hold'em Circuit event here last year. --Max Shapiro
For more information, please contact:
Max Shapiro -- WSOP Media Director at (323) 356-3303
Or visit our official website: www.worldseriesofpoker.com
World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel
Horseshoe Council Bluffs Poker Room Manager – Gary Margetson
Tournament Director -- Janis Sexton
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