21-Year-Old Pro Justin Filtz Captures
Horseshoe Hammond #5, $500 No-Limit
He Began Playing Poker in Minnesota
Casinos At Age 18, Where it is Legal
Hammond, IL--Justin "Fluffdog" Filtz, who is 21-year-old pro from Stevens Point, Wisconson, got a head-start on the game because it is legal to play in casinos in nearby Minnesota at age 18, and that's when he began. The experience showed tonight as he dominated the fifth event of the WSOP Circuit Tour at Horseshoe Casino Hammond, $500 no-limit hold'em. He quickly built chips at the start, was the chip leader with two or three tables left, and arrived at the final table of 10 still in front with 458,000 of the 1.8 million chips in play, and held the lead until the end. First place brought him $29,566, a gold and diamond trophy ring and a $5,150 buy-in into the main event.
"I just kept pounding away," said Filtz, who describes his style as very aggressive, especially pre-flop. "They think I'm going crazy," he said. "If I can pick up a lot of pots that way, then I can afford to lose some hands. I'm on a freeroll."
Filtz plays mostly cash games, mostly $10-$20 no-limit hold'em, along with larger tournaments. His biggest cash by far was for $214,139 when he placed third in a $2,500 no-limit event at the WSOP this year.
There were 262 entrants in this event, and a $127,070 prize pool. Ten players survived day one, and they returned the next day playing with blinds of 3,000-6,000 and 500 antes, Filtz in the lead.
Here were the final table chip counts:
Seat Name Chips
1. John Bravos 74,000
2. Curtis VanGilder 12,500
3. Scott Rokita 12,500
4. Justin Filtz 458,000
5. Aaron Steury 441,000
6. Maurice Nelson 178,000
7. Harvey Bundy 229,000
8. Pat Heneghan 132,000
9. Kevin Beck 102,500
10. Mike Book 99,500
After 10 minutes blinds wen to 4,000-8,000 with 1,000 antes. First to leave was Kevion Beck when his A-Q couldn't catch Aaron Steury's pocket 10s. Tenth paid $2,134. Beck, 29, is a salesman from Schereville, IN. He started playing 15 years ago, learning from his grandmother. This is his first Circuit try. Besides poker, he enjoys just hanging out with friends.
Players returned from a break with blinds now 5,000 and 10,000. Michael Book went out at this level. Holding Kh-6h, he had a flush draw when the flop came Qc-8h-3h. But he missed when an offsuit 8 and 6 came, losing to Filtz's Q-5. Ninth place paid $3,048. Book is from Trevor, Wisconsin, where he runs poker tournaments. He learned poker from his grandfather over 40 years ago. This is his first Circuit.
Shortly after blinds escalated to 6,000-12,000 with 1,000 antes, another player went out. Scott Rokita, all in with A-5, was dominated by John Bravos' A-10. The board showed A-K-K-8-9, and Rokita left with $3,962 for eighth. Rokita, 37, is a union ironworker from Willowbrook, Illinois. He began playing poker as a kid, in money tournaments a year ago. This is his first Circuit. He has a fifth at the Heartland Poker Tour, and earlier this year won $36,000 in an event at Majestic Star.
As play continued, Filtz lost chips to an all-in Bravos holding J-10 to Bravos' pocket queens. But he got them back when he knocked out the next player, Maurice Nelson. This time Filtz held the queens to J-J for Nelson. The board of A-K-8-7-3 missed both players, and Nelson, departing in seventh place, collected $4,877. Nelson, 40, is a real estate broker from Chicago who started playing in home games five years ago. His nickname is "Phantom." He is mainly a cash-game player, though he's entered 10 Circuits now. His cashes include one in the WPO at the Gold Strike in Tunica.
Three more players would go out at this level. Next in line was Curtis VanGilder. He moved in with the better hand A-5 against Filtz's K-Q. But then a flop of K-9-9 gave Filtz the lead, and VanGilder cashed sixth for $6,096. VanGilder, 48, is a business owner from Port Byron, Illinois. He learned poker from his grandmother 30 years ago. His prior cashes include a 43ist in the 2007 WSOP main event, a second in the 2007 Heartland main event and a final table at the WSOP Circuit in Tunica. He also enjoys travel.
Harvey Bundy III was the third player to bust out at this level. He was all in with 9d-8d to Filtz's Kh-Qh. Once again Filtz paired his king when the board came A-10-6-K-10, and we were down to four. For finishing fifth, Bundy was paid $7,620. Bundy is a 64-year-old investor from Winnetka, Illinois who started playing at age 9. He also likes to golf.
Bravos was next. He was all in with K-Q against Filtz's A-Q and nothing changed when all small cards hit the board. Fourth paid $9,449. Bravos, 39, whose nickname is "Robber," is a driver (a getaway driver?) from Mt. Prospect, Illinois. He grew up playing poker with his family 20 years ago. This is his first Circuit. Sports is his other hobby.
Blinds now moved up to 8,000-16,000. As play went along, Aaron Steury was left short-chipped when Pat Heneghan doubled through against him when his pocket 10s held up against Steury's A-Q. Meanwhile Filtz, who had built up to about 900,000 chips, half those in play, had doubled up a couple of players and was down to about 600,000, but still led.
Blinds now were 10,000-20,000. Steury dropped down even further when his A-7 lost to Heneghan's A-9. He finally went out when he was all in with A-K against Filtz's pocket treys. Filtz won the toss-up when the board came 8-8-2-4-Q and this tournament was now two-handed. Steury is a 21-year-old poker player from Fort Wayne, Indiana who started playing with friends in home games six years ago. This is his fourth Circuit, and he has a cash in this year's WSOP main event.
Heads-up, Filtz had a huge lead with around 1.4 million to about 380,000 for Heneghan. The match ended after blinds had moved up again to 15,000-30,000 with 4,000 antes. Filtz moved in with Qs-5s and Heneghan called with Kc-Jd. As he had done several times before, Filtz outdrew his opponent when the board came 9d-7s-4c-Qc-4d, and his paired queen ended the evening and brought him his win.
For finishing second, Heneghan was paid $18,288. He's 56, lives in Chicago, has been playing 20 years, and declined to list his poker accomplishments, noting that he's "not a braggart." Well, let's brag for him. Pat now has $320,000 in tournament cashes, including $106,238 for a second in the Jack Binion World Poker Open event in 2005, and $100,000 for winning a Seniors second chance event in Las Vegas.
--Max Shapiro
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