EVENT #11: TEXAS HOLD'EM (No Limit) $1,000
TOTAL PRIZE MONEY: $134,830
ENTRIES IN THIS EVENT: 139
PRIZE MONEY TO DATE (3/28-4/7): $1,262,940
TOTAL ENTRIES TO DATE (3/28-4/7): 2,302
Report by Don Larrimore
Phil Hellmuth, the 1989 poker World Champion, leaped back onto the tournament winner's roster by capturing the $1,000 No Limit Hold'em event at the World Poker Open. "For four months I've been playing the best poker of my life, but it hasn't shown up until now," said Hellmuth, who has six World Series bracelets and, with more than $2 million won in 23 finishes, is third on the WSOP all-time money list behind Johnny Chan and the late Stu Ungar. At 23, he was the youngest-ever World Champion. "Since I was 20," Hellmuth said, "I'd never worked until recently when I signed some endorsement contracts." Currently he is consulting for www.ultimatebet.com, a new poker website.
This was Hellmuth's second time in the money in the four WPO events he has entered. "I feel great," he said. "I was never in jeopardy at the final table. I felt I played almost perfectly until I made one bad play heads-up. I thought there were some very tough players at the final table."
The champion said, "I love it down here. The Gold Strike tournament venue is comfortable and spacious. Any time Jack Binion puts on a poker tournament, I'll be there."
Hellmuth was heads-up for 50 minutes against Hasan Habib, with the chip lead seesawing several times. After a series of all-in raises with no calls, Tournament Coordinator Jack McClelland took to microphone and intoned, "This is no-limit hold'em - two hours of boredom and 20 seconds of terror."
Immediately, Hellmuth shoved his chip stacks in with A-3 offsuit and Habib called all-in with A-2. With more of a whimper than bang, Hellmuth took the title when the board came K-9-3/10-Q.
"I'm happy but a little bit disappointed, the hands were about the same and it could have gone either way," said Habib, 37, a Pakistani-born former video store owner who came to the U.S. in 1980. In three years as a poker pro, he has won two major titles and many smaller tournaments.
"This was the first time I've been heads-up against a World Champion," Habib said. "I think I played well and I think Phil respected my play. The facilities are very good here and I knew the players would be well taken care of. For sure I'll come back next year."
Third place wen to David Pham, 33, who escaped from Vietnam in 1987 by boat to the Philippines, came to the U.S. and learned poker in 1992 form his cousin, tournament star Men Nguyen. Pham owns a nail salon and in four years as a poker pro he has won many major tournaments. Six years ago he arranged a reunion between his father, a former Vietnamese army lieutenant general, and a former U.S. Army officer he had worked with during the war, Earl Woods, father of golf superstar Tiger Woods.
"It was a really tough tournament," Pham said. "There were top players who had won so many tournaments at the final table." Pham held the chip lead briefly but eventually was eliminated all-in with pocket nines against Hellmuth's K-Q when the board cam 10-7-4/K-5.
Dan Heimiller, a 38-year-old former industrial engineer and cab driver who has become a noted tournament performer in seven years as a poker pro, finished 4th. "Any time I don't come in first or second it's a little irritating," he said. "I have no regrets about the two big pots I played and lost - I believe I had the pot odds to call the all-in bets even though I was a huge underdog." Heimiller exited when he went all-in with A-J to call Habib's big bet with pocket queens with a board of K-K-6/4-5.
Fifth place went to Billy Williford, 60, a car dealer who has played "serious" poker for 25 years and was at his 3rd major tournament final table. "I enjoyed it," he said. "I played well, just couldn't catch any cards." His all-in A-9 was swamped by Pham's A-K with a board of A-Q-10/4-6.
Sam Grizzle, 47, winner of many major tournaments in 15 years as a pro, departed in sixth place and commented, "I had a deuce ever other hand." He took K-9 suited against Hellmuth's A-Q, flopped a nine but lost when an ace turned.
Seventh place was taken by Roger Van Driesen, a 68 year-old petroleum refining consultant who has had two major tournament wins, two World Series final tables and many others in 38 years of playing poker. "I didn't play very well in the later stages of this tournament," Van Driesen said frankly. "I played too conservatively to get to the final table and too wildly today. I never get bad beats - when I lost it's usually because I goof."
His elimination was dramatic: All-in with Q-J, he flopped two pair, A-Q-J, but Pham held pocket aces. After a king, the river brought a queen, giving Pham the higher full house.
Paul Kroh, 55, a retired truck stop owner who has made many final tables in four years as a prop, finished eighth when his A-4 was beaten by Pham's pocket kings. "I like small pairs; sometimes I win with them, sometimes I lose. If I hadn't flopped a small set four times yesterday I wouldn't have made the final table."
First out in 9th place was tournament circuit stalwart Chris Tsipraildis, 40, a Greek-born former chef and food salesman who has won 11 majors and had two World Series runner-up finishes in eight years as a pro. Short-stacked, he took pocket sevens against Hellmuth's A-5 and was beaten when an ace flopped.
The Final Table Chip Standings & Seat Positions:
| Seat Position/Player | Chip Count |
| Seat 1: Dan Heimiller (Livonia, MI) | $28,300 |
| Seat 2: Sam Grizzle | $13,325 |
| Seat 3: Billy Williford (Beaumont, TX) | $5,725 |
| Seat 4: Paul Kroh (Logandale, NV) | $14,925 |
| Seat 5: Phil Hellmuth (Palo Alto, CA) | $30,300 |
| Seat 6:Dung "David" Pham (Bell Gardens, CA) | $18,550 |
| Seat 7: Roger Van Driessen | $6,800 |
| Seat 8: Chris Tsiprailidis (Syracuse, NY) | $5,750 |
| Seat 9: Hasan Habib (Bell Gardens, CA) | $18,550 |
|
