Poker Tournament Results

Tournament of Champions 2001

Tournament of Champions III Day One by Lee Munzer The Tournament of Champions of Poker™ (TOC) is a poker treasure. This one-of-a-kind, prestigious event combines the highest level of tournament play with pageantry and camaraderie. From the welcoming party through the final presentation on day three players and spectators are treated to a first-class show. This year a magician entertained, a live band performed, and many demonstrated their considerable dancing skills on the eve of play. Others left early hoping to preserve energy that would be needed for the grueling 12 hour days that lay ahead. The winner must defeat the best players in the world. Thats because you cannot buy your way into this tournament one must be a TOC champion, World Series of Poker™ (WSOP) title holder, or winner of a sanctioned TOC event. The organization and the direction of this event is top notch. President and co-founder Chuck Humphrey oversees the operation. Mike Sexton and Linda Johnson host to the most. Mike Vento, Orleans Poker Manager and Tournament Director, oversees the tournament activities. If you have ever played at an Orleans tournament you know Mike starts events on time, they run smoothly, and every decision is made with care and experience. His team conducts more than 700 tournaments each year! Perhaps what I like most about the TOC is the challenging format. On days one and two entrants compete in limit Texas holdem, limit Omaha high-low eight-or-better, and limit seven-card stud. On day three the surviving 27 players clash in the king of poker games, Texas holdem no-limit , until a champion is crowned. Play is scheduled to begin at 12:15 ... it does. I look at my watch, smile, attach my press pass to my shirt pocket and make my way inside the ropes. My first stop is at Andy Glazers table. By the way, if you are reading my words, that means Andy is building stacks of chips. We have a deal as long as he survives, I write. Last year Andy played 24 hours during the first two days. After play ended, he (amazingly) tapped out quality reports. This year Andy will concentrate on poker. The way Andy plays (he has a strong record including finishing 35th in this event last year) I expect you will be reading my words. Watching Andy Glazer: Andy is quiet, but polite while playing. Today, he appears to be thinking and absorbing continuously. He starts off poorly not getting much to play and not attempting to force action. Several players stop by and ask me if I know "the count". I leave Andy and approach Dave Lamb. The tournament coordinator tells me the number is still "shaking out" but unofficially he thinks 402 players entered the TOC. Im disappointed as I know most will be. As I decide who to visit next I ponder the number. We have slumped from 664 in 1999 and 486 in 2000. Is it the economy? Is the excitement of the TOC "getting old"? Do the players want a higher (or lower) buy-in than the current $2,000? Is the expanded pay schedule a stumbling block? As I contemplate solutions, I spot the hottest player in the world. Watching Amir Vahedi: Amir and I are new friends. I wanted to meet the man who ripped up the Orleans Open. Ripped up? Amir defeated 587 players to win the initial Omaha/8 tournament, came back two days later to snag 8th out of 429 in limit holdem, followed with a 5th place in Omaha/8, captured an Omaha/8 evening event, and capped off his incredible performance by winning the no-limit holdem main event worth $65,475. Amir is deceiving. He is a large, bear-like man who sports an unlit cigar. He appears unapproachable, but thats not the case. Amir is soft-spoken, well-spoken, and friendly. Today Amir appears to be playing pretty close to the vest. Well, lets see each player gets $5,000 in chips and we are playing $50-$100 Texas holdem. So, the players have plenty of chips for the level they are playing. Correct play at this point is careful play. Currently, the game is holdem (for 25 minutes), then Omaha/8 (for 35 minutes). A 30 minute round of seven-stud will complete the first limit. Watching Jim McManus: An unusual incident occurs 20 minutes into play. The renowned free lance writer and 2000 WSOP finalist gets rivered and mutters a cuss word under his breath. The dealer calls for a floor person and Jim is penalized (10 minutes away from the table). He reacts in disbelief and summons another floorperson who supports the ruling. Jim learns any bad word (I guess I have to obtain a list from Howard Stern and the FCC) whether "aimed" at the dealer or not is subject to this penalty. Further use of profanity will lead to more stringent penalties. It gets more bizarre. Jims 10 minute clock is winding down and he is in the small blind. He stands over his cards and reaches for them. The floorman physically stops him while counting, "seven, six, five ". On the count of two, Jims left-side opponent raises in turn. Jim is deprived of playing the hand. Again he reacts vociferously and in disbelief. He tells me, "Thats something you can use." I agree. I watch Jim off and on for the next hour to see if he can regain focus. He does. Watching murderers row number one: I stroll by table no. 52 and spot Berry Johnston, Richard Tatalovich, and Young Phan in seats six, seven, and eight respectively. They dont look happy about their draw. I have written more than 18,000 words on Tatalovich (to be reprinted by Poker Pages shortly), so Ill concentrate on the concentration abilities of Berry and Young. If you believe the ability to focus is one of the keys to tournament success, I agree. If you seek a role model in this area, look no further Berry is your man. The highly successful competitor is all business. Young provides a contrast in style. He has a quick wit, great sense of humor, and is one of the most gregarious players in the game. However, his attention is usually focused on a television screen during baseball season. Incredibly, Young still wins (recall he finished 5th in last years TOC). Hes so good I picked him to win this years WSOP (he was 3rd out of 613 after day one and went under holding atrocious cards on day two). But, forget emulating him when it comes to focus. Heres a probability occurrence that will run your calculator out of digits. What are the odds a player will be rolled up (three-of-kind) in seven-stud consecutively and lose both hands? I saw Tatalovichs rolled up sixes, then tens go down in flames at this table. The "tens" hand was particularly brutal since Berry pondered a fifth street call, decided to take a card off, and it was Richards fourth ten! Watching murderers row number two: Playing at table no. 79 seats no. 1, 2, and 3 are Steve Kaufman (awesome record for dollars earned per event entered), David Chiu (legendary ring game skills and inaugural TOC champ), and T.J. Cloutier (consensus pick for best tourney player in the world). The great Phyllis Meyers played under this "whos who" list from seat no. 9. I like Phyllis thus could not bear to watch much action at this table, but at 10 p.m. when the table broke, Phyllis had some chips and David was gone. Watching John McIntyre: The young Canadian player was the first out. His ace-queen high in Omaha (the result of a failed nut flush and nut low draw) was no match for the two pair that sent him home. For this dubious distinction, he was serenaded by bagpipes and led to the podium. His embarrassment turned to joy as he was presented with $500, a fancy dinner for two at a strip casino, seven poker books, and well wishes from all. I asked John what he will take away from this experience. He smiled and said, "This was definitely unexpected. I came down here hoping for some notoriety and distinction. I wanted to do something that would get me recognized in the world of poker I just never thought it would be this." Watching Dave Lamb: Dave oversees his staff from the podium and, drawing on his vast experience, attempts to head off questions and problems before they occur. For example, as the players returned from break, he boomed, "Players, you must be inside the playing area to call time-out. We will not hold up play if you yell from the rail." Later he stated, "Players, in case the question comes up, a maximum of four raises are allowed this includes heads-up play." As play concluded at 11:30 p.m. the players bagged their chips and retired for some well-deserved rest. But, the Orleans tournament staff kept working. They provided me with this end of day one summary: Players remaining in action = 202 (average stack size = $9,950) The chip leaders are: 1) Bernard Ko $29,875 2) Daniel Negreanu $29,800 3) Allen Cunningham $25,850 4) David Kelly $25,625 5) David Banyamine $24,675 6) Phil Hellmuth Jr. $24,475 7) Peter Vilandos $24,475 8) Anthony Hamilton $24,400 9) Anthony Tran $23,925 10) Martine Oules $23,825 11) Robert Blechman $23,375 12) Richard Kirk $22,225 13) Jim Geary $21,775 14) Miami John Cernuto $21,725 15) Steve Kaufman $20,900 16) Andy Glazer $20,650 17) Bill Johnson $20,225 18) Jack Matney $20,000 19) Michael Danino $19,850 20) Kristy Bidar $19,850 24) June Field $19,100