Chef-Turned Pro Benjamin Hock Wins Council Bluffs Circuit Championship
Council Bluffs, IA-- Playing patiently and conservatively, Ben Hock, a 28-year-old former chef who turned pro just eight months ago, took down the championship event of the WSOP Circuit at Horseshoe Council Bluffs. His win brought him $169,327, a championship gold ring, and a $10,000 seat into this year's WSOP championship event, plus $1,000 expense money. Hock's only prior cash before had been $17,432 for finishing 34th in a $5,000 no-limit event at the WSOP last year.
Hock, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, plays about one tournament a month. He was self-effacing and modest about his win and had high praise for his final opponent, Michael "Martine" Martin, another young pro. In this event Hock had been low-chipped most of the way, down to 3,000 chips on day 1 and with only 7,600 chips when blinds were 1,000-2,000. Martin, meanwhile, had come to the final table with a big chip lead and held it until after he got heads-up with Hock. The ex-chef took over and then held the lead until the end after Martin made a big bet on the flop, then folded after Hock moved in. Earlier, Hock had also gotten very lucky when he was about to be knocked out until a river card gave him a set of 10s against pocket queens.
Hock is married with no children (but two dogs) and also enjoys sports.
Incidentally, the players who cashed in tonight got very lucky in one respect. With 99 entrants, there were nine places paid. Had there been one more sign-up, then 18 spots would have been paid, greatly reducing the individual payouts.
In opening ceremonies, poker room manager Gary Margetson, flanked by two young ladies, marched in bearing a tray holding nearly $500,000 in cash and the championship ring
The final table started with Martin holding a substantial lead of 214,500 chips. Blinds were 3,000-6,000 with 500 antes, 18:45 left in the round.
Here were the starting chip counts:
Seat 1. Ron Koenemann 43,000
Seat 2. Benjamin Hock 122,000
Seat 3. Nicholas Manganaro 75,000
Seat 4. Michael Martin 214,500
Seat 5. Keith Murrell 116,500
Seat 6. Samuel Shamburg 117,000
Seat 7. Howard Wolper 63,000
Seat 8. Dan Jensen 83,500
Seat 9. Bernard Lee 155,500
Play started cautiously with only one flop during the first level. Blinds then went to 3,000-6,000 with the same antes, putting additional pressure on the short stacks. In the first all-in hand, Ron Koenemann, starting lowest-chipped, doubled up when his 8c-6c made a flush to outrun Sam Shambury's pocket 6s.
Thirty hands went by with only four flops. Finally, Howard Wolper pushed in his last chips with Ad-2c from the big blind and was called by Martin with pocket 3s. Martin made a set when the board came K-9-4-10-3, and Wolper, first out in ninth place, took out $14,508.
Wolper is a poker player, artist and aspiring poet from Atlantic City, New Jersey. He has entered numerous Cicruit events and has two major wins at Lake Tahoe and the Trump Classic within five days of each other, along with cashes at five Circuits and at WSOP and WPT events.
Three hands later, Bernard Lee opened for 17.500 and Koenemann moved in for another 7,000. He had Ah-6h, Lee pocket queens. A board of J-9-5-8-2 made no difference, and Koenemann was paid $19.199 for eighth. Koenemann, 36, is a recreational player from Omaha and self-employed. This is his first Circuit.
Meanwhile, local boy Nick Manganaro (from nearby Omaha) was being supported with by far the noisiest rooting section in the room.
Players went on break, returning to blinds of 4,000-8,000 and 1,000 antes. Martin still had the lead with about 300,000, while Lee was still in second place with 222,000. With antes and blinds now costing 19,000 a round, Jensen was dangerously low with 44,000 chips. Then, one away from the big blind, he made his move with Kh-Jd. He was called by Keith "Kasino" Murell with Ac-Qs, and when small cards hit the board, Jensen checked out in seventh place, which paid $23,981.
Jensen, 50, is a packing company sales manager from Omaha. He learned poker in home games, this is his third Circuit, and his top poker achievement was winning a seat into this main event. He's been married 31 years, had two children, and enjoys golf.
Twenty-five minutes into this level, another player went out. Samuel Shamburg moved in from the cut-off seat holding A-K and was called by Lee on the button and Ben Hock from the small blind. The board of J-4-2-10-9 was checked down, Hock turned up two queens, and Shamburg got $28,582 for sixth.
Shamburg, nicknamed "Sham" aka "chest hair," is 23, from Lincoln, Nebraska, and is a pilot trainer for the U.S. Air Force. This is his first Circuit, and his hobbies are flying, fishing, sky diving and "taking Bernard Lee's chips" (but not this time).
As play continued, an all-in Manganaro flopped a set of 8s to outrun Keith "Kasino" Murrell's pocket jacks and doubled through to more than 200,000 as his cheering section deafened the room.
Soon after, Murrell, short-chipped now, moved in with A-K. Martin chased him down with J-8, flopped an 8, and his pair held up as Murrell exited in fifth place, taking $33,273 with him.
Murrell, 31 is a musician/real estate investor from Kansas City, Missouri who's been playing five years. He has 20 first-place finishes at his local pub and was "nominated as one of the best poker players in the world by his daughter." He is also a member of an upcoming R&B group from Kansas City called "Heat."
A couple of hands later, Lee raised 20,000 from the small blind, and Hock called from the big. On a flop of Kh-Kc-8h, Lee took a stab at the pot by betting 32,000 and Hock called. When Hock moved in after a 10h turned, Lee folded, and was now left with less than 100,000.
The level ended with the chip counts showing: Martin, 342,000; Hock, 336,000; Manganaro, 202,000; and Lee, 110,000. Blinds were now 6,000-12,000 with 2,000 antes. As play resumed, Lee immediately went all in with under the gun Q-J and got a call from Martin, who had As-5s. The board came K-8-3-K-3. Lee, cashing fourth, was paid $37,965, a pretty good sum, but a disappointing finish for him, because he was shooting for a win after getting a good read on all the players.
Lee, 37, from Wayland, Massachusetts, is something of a Renaissance Man of Poker. Formerly a marketing manager, he is now a professional player with $1.2 million in lifetime cashes, writes about poker for ESPN and in a weekly column for the Boston Herald, has a weekly poker radio show out of Boston, and teaches at WPT Boot Camp. He also ran the Boston Marathon twice. Lee won $400,000 for finishing 13th in the WSOP main event in 2005, has two championship wins totaling $608,061 in the World Poker Finals at Mashantucket, and was 91st in Player of the Year rankings last year. Lee is married with two children.
Next, Manganaro's supporters went crazy as he doubled through against Hock. He moved in with pocket kings, which held up against Hock's pocket 10s when the board came 7-7-5-6-5. The next hand looked like a complete duplication. All the chips went in with Hock holding pocket 10s to Manganaro's pocket queens. With a board of 8-7-4-J, Hock was on the verge of elimination as the walls shook with yells. Then a river 10 saved Hock, and the room suddenly was almost silent.
Down to about 70,000, Managanaro soon departed. He moved in with J-10 after Martin raised with Kd-5d. Martin called, the board came Ah-9s-6s-6h-4h, and Manganaro went home with $52,039 for third.
Manganaro is 26, a poker player from Omaha and a University of Nebraska graduate. He has a couple of prior Council Bluffs Circuit cashes, and two small cashes in $1,500 no-limit WSOP events. Travel is his hobby.
Heads-up, Martin had 580,000 to 422,000 for Hock. There was a short break while the money was rearranged, by which time Hock had moved up slightly to 453,000.
On the 15th hand heads-up, Martin re-raised pre-flop, bet 150,000 into a board of of 10d-6c-9s, then folded when Hock moved in. Hock now had the lead with about 600,000, took down a couple more pots, and now was past the 700,000 mark.
Action now slowed down to a snail's pace. By the time the level ended, the two had played some 50 hands heads-up, and the only all-in came on the hand when Hock took the lead. Bets since then had been small and action almost non-existent as Hock obviously was trying not to double up his opponent and Martin was trying to stay alive. When the new level started, with blinds of 8,000-16,000 and 2,000 antes, Hock had 776,000 chips to 214,000 for Martin.
In early going in the new round, Martin picked up most of the pots, closing the gap as he approached the 400,000 mark.
Then, on the final hand, the flop came 10h-6s-3h. Holding 6c-3c, Hock had flopped two pair, but just called when Martin bet 23,000. Martin, holding 8h-4h for a flush draw, bet 50,000 after a 7c turned, also giving him a straight draw. Hock then raised another 100,000 and Martin moved in. A black trey came on the river, Martin missed his draws, and a new champion was crowned. For second, Martin pocketed $94,263.
Martin, 23, a student turned poker player, is from Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. He's been playing three years and earned $700,000 for finishing second in the Amsterdam Masters Classic of Poker. He also has four WSOP cashes, including a 232nd in the 2006 main event. His other hobby is travel. --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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