2002 Jack Binion World Poker Open
Event #2
3 Draw Low-Ball (Ace to Five) $500 1/5/02
Entries: 87
Rebuys: 90
Total Prize Money: $85,845
In the first tournament ever of its kind held anywhere in the world, Galen Kester won $34,338 in the 3 Draw Low-Ball (Ace to Five) event at the 2002 Jack Binion World Poker Open. 3 Draw lowball is becoming increasingly popular here in Mississippi, so the Horseshoe-Gold Strike responded to requests by launching the first-ever such event
Considering the game is new to many players, an impressive field of 87 turned-out. Six players made the final table, which was dominated by names and faces that are well-known in Tunica. Kester, a professional poker player who also won the Pot-Limit Omaha event at last year’s World Series of Poker now has two bona fide world titles to his name.
The tournament began at mid-day, but the final table didn’t start until 2 am and finally concluded at 5 in the morning in front of a sparse crowd of sleep-deprived spectators. The grueling match at the final table saw several chip lead changes and fates determined by a single card.
When play began, Robert Williamson from Dallas had a commanding 2 to 1 chip advantage over his closest competitor. James Covington, a retired banker form Charlotte playing the game for only the third time in his life, was the first player to hit the rail. Low on chips Covington went all-in with his remaining stack and drew 3 cards, while Jacky Chitwood stood pat. Covington drew 1 on the second round, missed and drew another card. The final card was an ugly painted queen which had no chance against Jacky’s 7-6-4-3-A. Covington went out 6th and collected $4,292.
Roger Kanuf, a Kentucky tobacco farmer, got smoked when he moved-in with his last $2,000. He was called in two places and ultimately lost when his 10-high couldn’t pull an upset. Kanuf won $5,151 for a nice payoff.
With limits at $3K-6K, Chitwood was the next victim to fall to the merciless Gods of Low-Ball. Chitwood, a professional poker player who sits in games at the Horseshoe almost every day, went up against both Richard Heady and Galen Kester. After three successive draws, Chitwood missed on the end and went out fourth with $7,726.
A short time later Williamson enjoyed his largest chip lead with nearly 90K in front of him. However, he lost a critical hand when he couldn’t beat Kester’s 9-6-5-2-A. With that hand, Kester and Williamson were close to equal in chips.
Heady made things interesting for a while. With $25K, Heady -- who mainly plays on riverboats and reservations in Iowa, and who has attended the World Poker Open three straight years -- stood pat after the first draw with an 8-low. At $4K-8K limit, Heady’s remaining chips went into the pot. But Kester caught a 7 low on the final draw and busted Heady out in 3rd place for $12,877.
Heady’s elimination gave Kester a slight chip lead for the first time. 15 minutes later, after a series of missed draws by Williamson, Kester held a 2-1 chip advantage. The fateful hand came when Galen won a major confrontation with 6-5-3-2-A, after drawing a single card three successive times. Suddenly, Williamson was in big trouble with only 23K remaining.
Incredibly, he managed to storm back and drew with Kester for a brief moment. But Kester’s unorthodox style and aggressive nature were too much to overcome. Late in the head-up duel, Williamson caught a 7 on the third draw to go along with his 5-3-2-A. He bet into Kester, figuring him (at best) for an 8-high or a weaker 7. As it turned out, Kester was hiding in the woods with a 6-5-4-2-A, and with that hand, virtually wiped out any chance of a comeback by Williamson.
The final hand of the all-nighter came quickly afterward, as Williamson took a stand with his few chips and ended up with a 10-high, losing to Kester’s 9-8-5-3-2. “I knew I would regret not bustng you when I had the chance, Williamson said, as Kester waved to the sparse applause and collected $34,338 for a hard day’s work.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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