Poker Teacher/Writer Nick Brancato Wins $1,500 No-Limit in 4-Way Chop
Las Vegas, NV--The fifth event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Caesars Palace, $1,500 no-limit hold'em, abruptly ended in a in a four-way deal with Nick "Numbers" Brancato declared the winner. Brancato, 27, of Jersey City, New Jersey, is a former high school computer instructor turned pro who is also a teacher at WPT Boot Camp as well as a columnist for Bluff magazine. First place paid an official $98,244 along with a gold and diamond trophy ring.
Eleven players were left when day one ended at 2 a.m., and five hours of play had gone by on day two when the four finalists decided to call it a day. At that point, Brancato, Durwood Murray and Surinder Sunar were all in the 300,000 chip range, while attorney Dorothy von Sachsen trailed. Murray was given second, Surinder third, and von Sachsen fourth.
Brancato learned poker four years ago and began playing full time two years later. His nickname is "Numbers" because he has a computer science degree and his math background gives him great skill at statistical analysis at the table. Numbers and odds are his strong suit, he said. Tonight he picked up chips earlier by knocking out three players and was never all in. This is his third Circuit, and he was a member of a team that won a Poker Bowl championship.
When the 11 finalists returned on the second day. Sunar, the celebrated player from England with scores of cashes worldwide, had an enormous lead with 298,600 chips, 30 percent of all those in play. When the final nine started, he was still in front with 302,500.
Here were the starting chip counts:
Seat 1. Carl Restifo 115,500
Seat 2. Dorothy von Sachsen 61,500
Seat 3. Nick Brancato 135,000
Seat 4. Mark Kroon 105,500
Seat 5. Durwood Murray 158,400
Seat 6. Francisco Navarro 90,500
Seat 7. Doug Skoczek 48,500
Seat 8. Surinder Sunar 302,500
Seat 9. Brendan Lynch 32,500
Play began with blinds of 2,000-4,000 and 500 antes with 52:43 on the clock. It took a while to knock out the first player. Meanwhile, the simultaneous Omaha 8 or better event, which returned on the second day with 18 players left, was already down to seven at an adjoining table. Finally, a short-chipped Doug Skoczek was all in with just 6-5. Dunwood Murray had A-10 and flopped trip 10s to leave Skoczek in ninth place, paying $6,140. Skoczek, 53, is from Kalispell, Michigan and is a property developer. He started playing four years ago, has entered three Circuits, and has a ninth in a $1,000 no-limit event at the fifth annual Five Diamond World Poker Classic. He also likes hunting and fishing.
The next player to go out did so after a flop of 5-7-9, gave Murray a set of 9s. He checked and Francisco Navarro bit, moving in with A-Q. Navarro was drawing dead to the set, and finished eighth, worth $9,210. Navarro, 52, is a doctor who has lived all his life in Guadalajara, Mexico. He is also a lecturer. He learned poker four years ago by watching television.
As play went on, von Sachsen was down to 30,000 but got to stick around when she went all in with A-J, which held up.as she doubled through against Carl "Sonny" Restifo. Not long after, Restifo was also all in for 30,000, but he wasn't as fortunate. He moved in with A-Q, a big favorite when Brancato called with K-Q. They both flopped a queen, but then Brancato drew out when a king turned, leaving Restifo in seventh place. It paid $12,280. Restifo, 44, is a securities trader and semi-pro poker player from New Rochelle, New York. He started playing poker with friends when he was 12. He's entered numerous Circuits, and his poker highlight is a seventh-place finish at a WPT main event at Foxwoods last year that paid $116,959. Poker is his only hobby.
Limits now were 4,000-8,000 with 1,000 antes. Soon after, Mark "Poker Ho" Kroon tried an all-in move from the small blind for 62,000 holding just 4c-2c, and lost to von Sachsen's pocket jacks when the board came 3-6-6-K-7. Finishing sixth, Kroon was paid $15,350. Kroon, 45, from Madison, Wisconsin, is a former bar owner turned pro who learned poker from Phil Hellmuth. He's played in 10 Circuit events, has a final table in the Euro Finals of Poker main event in Paris and his best cash was $28,236 for third in a $2,000 no-limit World Poker Challenge/WPT event in Reno this year. He also enjoys golf.
Down to 18,000, Brendan Lynch doubled through once when he hit a 5 to his 5s-3s. But not much later, he was all in again for 47,000 after re-raising Brancato. In a replay of the hand where he drew out to bust Restivo, Brancato was the underdog with Q-J to Lynch's K-10, and once again he drew out, this time by catching a queen on the river. For fifth, Lynch was paid $18,420.
Lynch, 39, is a poker pro now living in Vegas. He started playing five years ago and this is his third Circuit. His poker highlights include a seventh in the $5,000 Circuit main event at Tahoe, a 22nd in a Mirage/WPT main event, and a 318th in the WSOP championship event, all in 2006.
The four players left now agreed on an arrangement, and just like that this event was over. For fourth, von Sachsen took home $21,490. The attorney learned poker together with her husband two years ago. This is her first Circuit. Last year she had a small cash in her first WSOP event in a $1,500 no-limit event, and made a TV final table at the NPL at the Venetian.
Sunar, paid an official $27,630 for third, is an electronics engineer from India now living in Wolverhampton, England. Sunar has been playing for more than 20 years, has $3.47 in lifetime earnings, and his poker highlight was winning the 10,000 euro Grand Prix de Paris/WPT event in 2004 that paid $828,956.
Murray, 42, from San Diego, was paid an official $54,033 for second. He is retired, began playing years ago around his family, and has entered three Circuits. He has several cashes in other Circuit tourneys, including a 19th in a Rincon event earlier this year, but tonight's cash was by far his largest. --Max Shapiro
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