Great Memories of WSOP Circuits Past
Four Years in the Big Easy (2005-2009)
New Orleans, LA (May 11, 2009) – Some cities bring out the best and worst in people. I would say New Orleans brings out who we really are. Whatever your passion – be it music, food, culture, nature, sports, gambling, poker, voodoo, or whatever – New Orleans is a year-around carnival of self-expression.
It’s also been said that we reveal ourselves at the poker table. Accordingly, New Orleans’ colorful cast of characters and court jesters has made for plenty of exciting poker action. The World Series of Poker Circuit initially came to New Orleans four years ago, in May 2005. Since then, millions of dollars has been won and lost, hundreds of thousands of poker hands have been played, and 57 gold rings have been awarded to the winners (through this year’s Event #5).
Here are a few of the most memorable highlights from WSOP Circuit action at Harrah’s New Orleans, from 2005-2008 (Note: This is the first in a series of reports to come):
Don “Final Table” Mullis’ Amazing Run in 2005 – If the first season of the WSOP Circuit gave out an MVP award, it would have gone to Don “Final Table” Mullis, from North Carolina. Mullis had just begun playing tournament poker. He earned his nickname because he made eight final tables at WSOP Circuit event that first season, which included just four stops on the schedule. At Harrah’s New Orleans, Mullis took 2nd, 3rd, 7th, and 10th in his four cashes. Since the tournaments were two day events, Mullis could only enter a total of six tournaments that year. He may not have won first place, but his run was as impressive as anything seen at tournaments in recent years.
The Inspiring Story of Jose Jimenez – A sentimental story, since forgotten, is the incredible tale of Jose Jimenez, a 28-year-old Mexican immigrant, who won Event #2 at the 2005 WSOP Circuit in New Orleans. The story of how Jimenez topped a then-record field of 847 players and claimed $66,527 in prize money would in interesting enough. But add the implications of what winning a poker tournament meant to the man personally, and the victory extends far beyond the symbolism of a gold ring and poker glory. Jimenez was born in the bronze desert of northern Mexico. He arrived in the United States a few years earlier and worked as a waiter, hoping to get by, save his money, and eventually bring is family to the U.S. Meanwhile, his wife remained back in Mexico. Jimenez said after his victory that he hoped to bring his wife to America legally, where the family could settle down and be together. Incredibly, winning a poker tournament helped him to achieve that goal.
After Car Trouble, Tim Whaley Drives 700 Miles and Wins $67,230 – Tim Whaley had the perfect plan. He would meet up with his friends who all planned to pile into Whaley's car and drive 700 miles from home in Atlanta to New Orleans. The final destination was the WSOP Circuit at Harrah's New Orleans. Then, the unexpected happened. The car broke down. Whaley and his friends were forced to camp at an auto repair shop, desperately waiting for a spare part to arrive. It was not a good way to start a poker trip. Whaley was just about to give up on the idea of driving across four states to play in a poker tournament. Then, he decided to rent a car and just a short time later he was barreling down I-20 on his way to New Orleans. It was an all-night road trip that left the three young men mentally and physically exhausted. Somehow, Whaley and his friends made it to New Orleans and started playing poker the next day. Whaley entered the $500 buy-in no-limit hold'em tournament and a day later later, he had a gold ring and $67,230. There was no word on whether Whaley took some of the prize monbey to buy a new car.
Walter Chambers Comeback at the 2005 Main Event – It was an all-LSU heads-up finale the very first year the Circuit championship was played in New Orleans. The top two finishers were graduates of Louisiana State University. Walter Chambers (Class of 2000) defeated Corey A. Bierria (Class of 1998). Most impressive was that Chambers was dead last in chips when play was seven-handed. But he made an astounding comeback and ended up outlasting a tough field of 259 players. Chambers earned $787,340 – the highest poker prize ever awarded in the state of Louisiana.
Brian Belle Rings and Takes Event #6 — Wins Gold Ring at Harrah’s New Orleans
The sixth of twenty scheduled gold ring events was completed today at Harrah’s New Orleans. The $300 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted a more modest field than the previous events, as 142 players entered the two-day competition which started on Mother’s Day.
The tournament winner was Brian Belle. He is a 35-year-old salesman from Daphne, AL. Belle, who is originally from Pensacola, FL, works in home improvement. He is married and has four children. Due to tougher economic times, Belle has seen a decline in his business and has been playing more poker in his free time, a decision validated perhaps by his first major tournament victory, coming in a WSOP Circuit event, no less.
Belle started the final table as one of the lower stacks. But he became chip leader about three hours into play and ultimately prevailed. The final hand of the tournament came when his rival Lewis Campbell was dealt 9-6 and flopped top pair (nines) to go along with a flush draw. Belle slowplayed pocket aces and trapped his opponent for all his remaining chips. Campbell still had many outs, but failed to catch another pair or the flush, which resulted in his fate as the runner up.
This marked Belle’s second major cash, following a second-place finish last month at the Spring Break Poker Classic in Mississippi. Belle won first place prize money totaling $13,388. He was also presented with a gold ring, the ultimate achievement for winning a WSOP Circuit event.
The top in-the-money finishers were as follows:
1st Place – Brian Belle, a home improvement salesman from Daphne, AL won his first major tournament and $13,388.
2nd Place – Lewis Campbell was disappointed with his second-place finish. He now has five WSOP Circuit cashes, and three final table appearances. He previous results were 4th, 8th, 14th, and 27th at Caesars Indiana and Harrah’s Tunica. Campbell wanted to note that he is the proud father of five, one of which is graduating from college this month. He also wanted to thank “Terri” for sticking with him through the years.
3rd Place – This was the first time to cash for Beanz McGriff, a 27-year-old self-described “donkey” from Houston. The mule managed to come in third in this tournament, his highest tournament finish ever.
4th Place – Larry Vance is either very consistent or snake bit, depending upon one’s perspective. The Lakewood, CO-based poker player has amassed nearly half-a-million dollars in tournament winnings. He has also cashed nine times in WSOP Circuit events. But Vance has yet to finish higher than fourth in those events, which occurred two previous times. Vance added another fourth-place finish to his record in this event. He has won three tournaments elsewhere in previous years.
5th Place – Jerrard Parfait, a storage company manager from Houma, LA, was the fifth-place finisher. This was his first time to cash in a major tournament.
6th Place – J.R. Hamilton became the first player at this year’s series to make two final table appearances. He previously finished fifth in Event #2. It was déjà vu all over again for the doctoral student and clinical psychologist visiting from San Francisco. Again, he took fifth. Hamilton has only entered two events so far in New Orleans, so he is two for two.
7th Place – Kai Landry, from Biloxi, MS, arrived at the final table as the lone former WSOP Circuit championship ring winner. Landry won the Main Event held earlier this year at Harrah’s Tunica, good for $185,000. Landry, who blogs about his poker experiences regularly at: www.gulfcoastpoker.net ended up as the seventh-place finisher in this tournament. He has now cashed three times this year on the WSOP Circuit.
8th Place – Michael Andrews, a.k.a. “Frat House” was the eighth-place finisher. The New York City nightclub owner started playing tournaments about two years ago, after spending the last 20 years concentrating on cash games. In fact, Andrews invested his poker winnings in the nightclub. This was his fourth final table appearance. He previously cashed at the WSOP in Las Vegas twice and last year’s Circuit event at Harrah’s New Orleans.
9th Place – Once the final table was set, Dwight Lemoine, a physician and anesthesiologist passed out first. The LSU graduate who served in a MASH unit in the first Gulf War (Iraq) has four previous final table appearance, and one win.
Notable Players Who Finished In-the-Money – Tenth-place finisher and local Timothy Martin won a WSOP Circuit gold ring at Harrah’s New Orleans in 2007. Englishman Andrew Finch became the first player to cash three times at this year’s Bayou Poker Challenge – taking 13th place. | 
