| Jack Binion World Poker Open
Event #10
($500 buy-in) Seven-Card Stud
Entries: 126
Total Prize Money: $61,110
Few players at a poker table are as cool, calm, and confident as Huck Seed. The 1996 world champion has a reputation as one of the game’s most quiet, yet most fiercely competitive players. From his facial expressions (or lack thereof), you’d never know whether Seed just won a million dollars in cash, or lost a huge pile of chips. He remains stoic most of the time – both at the table and away from it -- and has developed into somewhat of a mysterious figure in the poker world due to his silence. Seed seems quite satisfied to let his play do all the talking.
At the final table of this year’s Seven Card Stud event at the World Poker Open, Seed was all-in three times. On each occasion, Seed caught a miracle card from the deck, and then parlayed his good fortune into three successive comebacks -- culminating in a well-deserved victory and $24,444 for first-place. It was a welcome victory for Seed, a well-respected tournament and side-action pro who has not won a major event in nearly 14 months – his longest dry spell in several years. Typically for Seed, the win did not come easily.
Play began with $200 antes and limits set at $1K-$2K. A few minutes into the final table, chip-leader Doug Saab cut deeply into Seed’s $20K stack when he made a 7th-street bet, which Seed did not call when he missed a draw. Moments later, Michael Chesteen was the first player eliminated. Playing at his second final table at the 2002 World Poker Open, the talented Tennesseean took (10-9) J-A-10-3 (8) up against Clay Britton’s (K-2) K-J-Q-6 (8). Chesteen’s hand sure looked strong on 5th street, but two ugly blanks on 6th and 7th meant Britton’s split kings dragged the pot, putting Chesteen out on the rail in 8th place with $1,221.
Britton’s victory would be short-lived. After Britton doubled-up, he survived several more hands before putting his final $6K into the pot with split fours. His hand ended with (4-2) 4-K-7-3 (J) and was clipped by Linda Sherman’s (6-6) 9-8-A-9 (10). The little buried 6’s held up for Sherman, which meant Britton, a Tulsa-based roofing contractor, was out 8th -- nailing $1,833 for two day’s of poker playing.
No doubt, one of the final table’s most colorful personalities was Richard Rotondo, who lives in New York City’s suburbs. Rotondo broke the early tension by opening up a small pillbox at the table, announcing to everyone, “Look out, I’m taking one of my stud pills.” Viagra jokes aside, Rotondo insisted that he had a little pill for each poker game – one for stud, one for Omaha, and one for hold’em. Unfortunately, the Rotondo’s prescription couldn’t manage to beat split aces. Howard Coke started with (A-6) A and made aces and sixes by fourth street. Rotondo was dealt (5-6) 7-9 on his first four cards, and his remaining chips went into the pot after Coke made a bet. Rotondo’s much-needed straight did not come. Coke’s two pair won and Rotondo was out in 6th place, receiving $2,444.
A few hands later, Seed went down to the felt with less than $10K in chips. He went all-in on (A-9) J-J on the first four cards. Tony “The Animal” Ma, called Seed’s final bet with (4-4) 5-7. On 6th street, Ma made another pair -- 7’s and 4’s. Seed was now in big trouble. On the final card, Seed desperately needed at least another pair to stay alive in the tournament. Incredibly, he spiked a second pair (10’s) when the final card was revealed. Seed would live to see another day.
Amazingly, just a few hands later Seed turned the tables on Ma -- with yet another miracle 10 on 7th street. Just before the dramatic final card was dealt, Ma turned up his cards and showed (A-2) 8-2-J-J for two pair. Seed showed (K-10) 10-A-4-J – for a pair of 10’s. With the Ma’s remaining stack in the pot, and Seed very low on chips, the final card was dealt. Ma failed to improve (with a blank 5), but Seed flipped over an electrifying 10 -- for trip 10’s. Not only had Seed survived another near all-in situation, he had knocked out one of the game’s best players. Tony Ma – the 1999 Player of the Year in Nolan Dalla’s tournament rankings -- collected $3,056 for 5th place.
The four remaining players started play with about equal stack sizes. That changed just a few hands later when Doug Saab started-off with pocket aces. Saab raised on third street and was then re-raised by Howard Coke showing (5-4) 2 – all diamonds. Saab re-raised and Coke called. Coke caught the 10 of diamonds on 4th street and both players put in two full bets. On fifth, Coke caught yet another pretty diamond – completing a flush in five cards. Saab’s few remaining chips reluctantly rolled into the pot. As the hole cards were revealed, Saab was horrified to see Coke had already locked up the flush. Saab needed a lot of help. However, he failed to improve with two pair and Coke scoped a monster-sized pot, seizing the chip lead for the first time. Doug Saab, playing at his second final table at this year’s World Poker Open (and a two-time bracelet winner at the World Series of Poker) takes $3,667 back to Birmingham for 4th place.
The final three players squared-off with Howard Coke at $50K and Huck Seed and Linda Sherman with about $25K each. Coke hammered Seed a few hands later when he was dealt rolled-up 5’s --(5-5) 5 – and ended up taking half of the former champion’s stack. Sherman then turned into a tank and steamrolled over Coke’s chips when she hit trip 7’s on 6th street against Coke’s (J-9) A-A-3-8 (K). The “Shermanator” now had the chip lead.
The merry-go-round continued. Next, it was Seed’s turn to drill into Sherman’s stack. As the limits were increased to $2K-$4K Sherman took a series of beats and ran cold for the next twenty minutes. Unable to take advantage of her chip-advantage, she gradually found herself low on chips and needed to pick-up a pot. Sherman decided to take a stand with (2-2) A-5-A-4 (7), but lost when Seed miraculously spiked another winning hand on 7th street. Sherman’s two pair (A’s and 7’s) couldn’t beat Seed’s stunner – (4-6) 5-3-4-J (7). The 7-high straight put Linda Sherman, a computer programmer from Florida who plays frequently on the Internet, out in 3rd place with $6,111.
Then, things became really interesting. An epic two-hour head-up poker battle began with Coke enjoying nearly a 2 to 1 chip advantage. Over the next 120 minutes, both players would trade the chip lead back and forth five times before the winner was finally decided. Early on, Coke put everyone at ease with his down-home charm. Looking across the table at the athletic Californian (Seed actually lives in Las Vegas, now), the older bearded and barrel-chested Coke remarked, “If this were a beauty contest, I’d be drawin’ dead!” Even the normally quiet Seed smiled and managed to crack a chuckle.
Talent aside, Coke also enjoyed some help from the deck. He was dealt rolled-up aces twice, rolled-up 5’s once, and completed the flush on 5th street which knocked-out Saab. Head-up, Coke managed to increase his chip lead to $85K to $15K at one point, before Seed launched another rise from the dead. After drawing back to even, Coke then went on a roll again and had Seed down to his final $17K at one point. That’s when Seed’s final comeback began. With limits increased to $5K-10K, Seed picked-up a $35K pot with a pair of 8’s when Coke missed his straight draw, then scooped another $20K from Coke’s stack when Seed paired his up-card queen on 5th street. Finally, after two incredible hours, Seed was dealt (K-6) 6-Q-6-J (4) –for trip 6’s. Coke started the final hand with split aces, but ended with (A-3) A-J-3-K (J) – two pair. Seed was the winner.
After the win, Seed walked-off quietly, receiving congratulations from well-wishers. Meanwhile, Coke was consoled by his family, including his wife and two daughters, who were clearly proud of their father for facing-off, and nearly beating one of the best poker players in the world.
-- Nolan Dalla
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