| "Come to Pappa!"
The final table of the $1,000 buyin No-Limit Texas Hold’em event was a cross between a poker game and a circus sideshow. The five-hour Tuesday night marathon featured a little bit of everything -- including several chip-lead changes, two dramatic comebacks by short-stacked players, and numerous emotional outbursts by one of poker's most eccentric personalities, Avner "Pappa" Levy. Always one to make things interesting, Levy, arrived third in chips. Levy's dynamic presence electrified the crowd and had the seating area filled to capacity -- with all eyes focused on the combustible former tennis pro. In the end, Levy won his first World Poker Open title and collected $84,699.
Play was cautious during the early rounds until short-stacked Scott Glaze was dealt 4-4 and moved all-in with his last $10K. Chip leader Kent Washington called immediately with 9-9 and knocked out Glaze with the overpair. Glaze, who resides in suburban Washington, DC and has made final tables at Foxwoods, received $3,663 for 9th-place.
Next, Wayne Hatcher was dealt A-10 and tried to steal with an all-in re-raise before the flop. David Pham called with 8-8. Hatcher failed to catch a pair, which eliminated the antique slot machine dealer from Louisiana. Hatcher, former champion of the now-defunct "Cajun Cup," which was once the South's most popular and prestigious poker tournament, finished in 8th place. He collected $4,578.
A short time later, Atlantic City poker pro Jason Viriyayuthakorn (a.k.a. "Jason V"), with A-K, crippled Pittsburgh's Gary "Haub" Haubelt, who was holding A-Q. A queen failed to save Haub, and he was left with only a few thousand in chips.
Like Haub, Judge Leo Boothe was also low on chips and moved all-in with his last $7K, with A-10. David Pham called with K-Q and was delighted to see the final board show Q-10-4-9-3. The pair of queens beat Boothe's tens, so the Louisiana judge was out of the tournament. Judge Leo Boothe, winner of the $500 No-Limit Hold'em event at last year's World Poker Open, finished in 7th place and received $5,723. There went the Judge.
Desperately low on chips, Haub made his final stand with J-3 of hearts in the big blind. Kent Washington, still with a commanding chip lead, called with K-J. The final board showed 9-2-2-7-4, meaning the king played as the high card. Gary "Haub" Haubelt, a retired accountant/manufacturer and the winner of several previous poker tournaments, collected $8,012 for 5th place.
The World Poker Open has been very good to Jason V. He won this event in 2001 and finished 5th in the championship final in 2000. However, he could do no better than 4th-place in this tournament when he was dealt J-9 and moved all-in with his remaining chips after the flop came Q-8-7. Kent Washington's A-J played when two blanks fell on the turn and river. Jason Viriyayuthakorn took $10,301 for 5th place.
Thus far, no one could shake Kent Washington's dominance at the final table. However, the first blow of the night came when he called David Pham's all-in bet and lost a big pot. Pham was dealt the K-5 of clubs and moved all-in after the flop came J-9-2 -- with two clubs. Washington called with J-8. When a club fell on the river, Pham was saved from going busted, while Washington had suffered his first significant beat of the tournament.
The previous hand left Washington with a 3-1 chip lead over Pham -- with Avner Levy and Rob Hollink as the short stacks. Incredibly, the two players who would ultimately wind up as the finalists faced-off in the next major confrontation. Levy called an all-in bet by Rob Hollink with 4-4. Hollink had K-J. Levy's pocket 4s held up and Hollink was now desperately low on chips. "Come to Pappa!" Levy screamed as he avoided elimination.
Down to his last $22K, Hollink tried to steal from the small blind with 9-8 and was called by Washington with A-Q in the big blind. Hollink was all-in and in serious trouble. But he managed to spike an 8 on the turn and survive. That hand ignited a stunning comeback by Hollink, who was cheered on by an enthusiastic group of European players. Hollink, from The Netherlands, won the next three pots in a row and was suddenly within striking distance of the chip lead.
The remainder of the tournament might as well have been called "The Avner Levy Show," with Rob Hollink as Best Supporting Actor. Levy's Oscar-caliber performance began when he shattered Kent Washington with an over-the-top re-raise after the flop, and then showing a stone cold bluff. That clever move put Levy nearly even in chips with Washington.
Next, a bit of controversy erupted when Hollink squared-off against Washington. The final board showed 9-8-7-3-10. Hollink, thinking Washington had checked on the end, turned up his hand and showed A-9 for a pair. In fact, Washington had not acted yet. Washington took several minutes to contemplate his action and bet $22K. Hollink made a crying call, and Washington mucked his cards. It was a stunning blow to Washington, who failed to recover from the loss. Meanwhile, Hollink had gone from $22K to over $80K in twenty minutes.
Surprisingly, Tournament veteran David "Dragon" Pham was not much of a factor in the later stages of the final table. After a flop of Q-J-9, Pham moved his chips all-in. He was practically run over by a freight train as Hollink called instantly and rolled over A-A. Pham still had outs, but failed to catch a life saver. The Dragon was slayed in 4th place with $13,735.
Kent Washington played magnificently during most of the tournament. He dominated his opponents during much of the night and managed to run over the table at various stages, adding to his massive chip lead. However, Washington lost a critical hand when he called Levy's all-in pre-flop re-raise. Washington showed 6-6 versus Levy's J-J. Levy's jacks held up, and the chips were pushed to "Pappa."
Washington's final hand occurred a short time later when he tried to bluff with J-5, which was called by Levy with 8-8. When the flop came 9-9-8, Levy could barely contain himself, sitting on a full house. While he screamed and pumped his fists into the air, Washington backed away from the table quietly. Kent Washington, a Poker Dealer at the Lucky Chances Casino near San Francisco, collected $21,747 for 3rd place.
Over the final hour, Levy and Hollink locked into an epic battle. The two finalists exchanged the chip lead a few times before Levy finally started to seize control of the tournament. Each time Hollink raised the pot before the flop, Levy came over the top with a $25K reraise. It was maddening for Hollink, who waited to pick up a big hand so he could trap Levy for all his chips.
The big hand finally came when Hollink was dealt A-A. It looked to be the perfect trap. The flop came K-K-5 and all the money went into the pot. Hollink showed the pocket aces, which normally would have been a devastating hand to any opponent. But Levy nearly went hysterical as he showed K-4, which amounted to three kings. An ace failed to save Hollink from elimination and he gracefully took 2nd place. Hollink, a pro who plays regularly on the European poker circuit, collected $43,495.
For Levy, the victory was arguably the highlight of a career filled with many ups and downs. Cheered on by dozens of supporters, Levy jumped into the arms of his backers and was literally carried away from the final table in tears. Levy became the proud "Pappa" of $84,699 and his first gold and diamond bracelet.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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