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'The Poker Graduate'
University of Wisconsin Student John Stolzmann Pulls Off Stunning Final Table Upset -; Youngest-Ever Jack Binion World Poker Open Champion Seizes First Major Tournament Victory and $1,465,944
No one could possibly have predicted the startling conclusion to the sixth annual Jack Binion World Poker Open championship event. The most unlikely of dark horses, John Stolzmann -; a 23-year-old college student -; stunned a standing-room only audience and the entire poker world by annihilating one of the toughest final tables in World Poker Tour history.
Not only was young Stolzmann out-chipped by one of the world's top poker players by a 3 to 1 margin from the start, two other powerhouse poker superstars held decisive chip advantages, as well. Then, there were two other dangerous foes to contend with, since both had approximately the same number of chips as Stolzmann. On the scale of tournament hills to climb, this was Mount Everest. Of the six finalists coming into Day Four of the main event, John Stolzmann was the youngest and least-experienced player at the table. To suggest that after six hours, he would end up with the coveted gold and diamond bracelet, and be the focus of television cameras and multiple press interviews at the end of a grueling but exhilarating tournament, would have been far-fetched, to say the very least.
This year's annual poker classic held in Tunica, Mississippi, hosted jointly by the Horseshoe Casino-Hotel and Gold Strike Casino-Resort, was memorable for many reasons. Based on attendance figures and prize money, it was the largest poker tournament ever held outside of Las Vegas. A whopping 8,702 players entered 20 tournaments. The total prize pool was $12,369,522.
Only the World Series of Poker has higher numbers. Furthermore, the 1,449 players who entered Event #2 at this year's tournament constituted the biggest poker tournament ever held, apart from the WSOP. Tunica has clearly become one of poker's biggest and brightest destinations.
The JBWPO championship event lasted four long days. A record 512 players entered the tournament, which began on January 24th. After Day One, 161 players remained. Among the early bust-outs was last year's champion, Barry Greenstein. The 2004 winner doubled up at one point, but was eliminated when he moved 'all in' with a straight and flush draw, was called by his opponent, and missed making his hand.
The tournament continued on Day Two and played down to the final 27 -; which was the number of players who received prize money. Finishing just short of a payout was 2003 JBWPO champion, David 'Devilfish' Ulliott. Twenty-one players were eliminated on Day Three. The six finalists arrived at the final table for Day Four, with Las Vegas-pro Chau Chiang as the chip leader.
A full house of spectators crowded into the second floor ballroom of the Gold Strike. An additional 1,500 or so poker fans packed into the nearby Millennium Theatre to watch the final table on close-circuit television. Tournament Director David Eglseder opened the proceedings and was joined by WPT announcer, Linda Johnson. Linda Machi, a gospel singer from Gulfport, Mississippi sang the National Anthem.
SEAT 1: Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Hollywood, FL
Chip Count - 515,000
SEAT 2: John Stolzman, Madison, WI
Chip Count - 517,000
SEAT 3: Chau Giang, Las Vegas, NV
Chip Count - 1,406,000
SEAT 4: Raja Kattamuri, Dallas, TX
Chip Count - 330,000
SEAT 5: Scotty Nguyen, Henderson, NV
Chip Count - 1,210,000
SEAT 6: Daniel Negreanu, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
Chip Count - 1,173,000
At approximately 4:15 pm CST play began. Players were eliminated as follows:
6th Place -; Raja Kattamuri came in short-stacked. He managed to survive during the first hour, but ultimately went out when he moved 'all in' with A-K which was steamrolled by Chau Giang's K-K. An lifesaving Ace failed to come for Kattamuri, which meant a 6th place finish for the electrical engineer from Dallas. Kattamuri, the winner of a tournament here last week, had been the chip leader after Day Two. But he suffered a rough Day Three. Kattamuri played exceptionally well in this tournament and earned $240,201 in prize money.
5th Place -; On the very first hand of the final table, Michael Mizrachi doubled up against Daniel Negreanu with K-K against 10-10. It looked like this might be 'The Grinder's' big day. But Mizrachi was grinded down a bit and Negreanu ultimately extracted his revenge in a brutal way. On his final hand, Mizrachi had 8-8 against Negreanu's 7-7 and it seemed Mizrachi would be the one to challenge Giang for the chip lead.
Then, he took a horrible beat on a two-outer. The board came 9-6-5-2-8. The cretin of all cards -; an Eight -; made Mizrachi a set. But Negreanu's Seven played for the Nine-high straight, and in a stunning reversal of fortune, it was Mizrachi who was forced to walk the plank of elimination. He was the 5th-place finisher and received $288,241.
4th Place -; When play became four-handed, Giang was up over $2 million. Negreanu had about $1.7 million. Stolzmann and Nguyen each had about $600,000. Entering the third hour of play, Nguyen lost a big pot when Stolzmann made an amazing call of Nguyen's large bet, with just a pair. Nguyen was short-stacked by this point and played A-5 on his final hand, paired the five, but ended up losing to Stolzmann's two pair. Nguyen, the 1998 world poker champion, earned $336,282 for 4th place.
3rd Place -; Daniel Negreanu has certainly been one of poker's hottest players. The 2004 'Player of the Year' took a beat early and lost half of his stack, but got most of those chips back an hour later against Scotty Nguyen when he flopped a set of Fives, and Nguyen missed his nut flush draw. For a while, it looked like the WPT would get a much-anticipated Negreanu-Giang showdown. But John Stolzmann had other plans.
He ripped into Negreanu's stack when he moved 'all in' on an outside straight draw, holding 10-7 after the flop came down 9-8-x. Negreanu, with an overpair (pocket Queens) was going nowhere, except to his stack to call. He was horrified to see a Six come for Stolzmann, completing the straight. This time, it was Stolzmann who caught a big miraculous card. Negreanu was eliminated a few hands later and received $384,322 for 3rd place.
The heads-up finale was a matchup of opposites. It featured the final table's most experienced and highest-limit player against the least-experienced. It was clearly a showdown of David versus Goliath. Not only was Giang twice Stolzmann's age, the three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner had been in this spot many times before. One could even argue that the $1.5 million dollar prize money for first place was not such a big deal for Giang, who has won and lost such sums in a single night of big-bet poker. No one knew what to expect or how long it would take for the end to come -; but Giang was clearly an overwhelming favorite to win.
But John Stolzmann had two intangibles on his side. First, he was the chip leader -; with about $2.6 million to Giang's 2.3 million. Second, and perhaps more important -; he was the great 'unknown.' No one had ever seen or played with Stolzmann before at this level. In a sense, it was Stolzmann's stealth image and carefree attitude going up against a veteran player who could be counted on to make aggressive, mathematically-sound decisions. Hence, all the pressure was on Chau Giang.
Early on in the duel, Giang demonstrated his poker greatness by calling down Stolzmann's bluff with just a pair of Deuces. If there was any question defeating Giang would be easy, that hand settled the issue. All of the sudden Gaing had the chip lead again. An hour later, Giang was up in the chip count about 5 to 2.
Twenty minutes later, it would all be over. Stolzmann won a few key pots by aggressively moving 'all in' and forcing Giang to make some tough decisions. Each time he came over the top of Gaing's initial bet, the Las Vegas pro reluctantly plaid down his hand. Whether Stolzmann really had big hands or not, the strategy worked. Incredibly, Stolzmann seized control of the duel and nearly closed his stunning upset on the second-to-last hand of the night:
STOLZMANN: K-10
GIANG: A-J
Both players watched as the flop gave Stolzmann a straight draw. Giang had top pair and tried to trap his opponent. But an Ace fell on the river, giving Giang two pair -- Aces and Jacks. Although he didn't know it at the time, that Ace was a bad card for Giang. Stolzmann had completed the nut straight. Giang called the 'all in' raise by Stolzmann and lost most of his chips on the killer hand.
The final hand was dealt just moments later when Stolzmann's A-10 held up and an Ace-high dragged the final pot of the night.
In a post-tournament press conference, the 2005 JBWPO reflected upon his staggering win. 'When we got to heads up, I actually changed my strategy, Stolzmann said. 'I've played online a lot, but never played heads-up no-limit before. I thought I could get into some big pots with Chau, but he was running over me. So, I decided to get more involved in the small pots. I got lucky on a few hands and caught some cards, then I trapped him (on the straight), so it worked out.'
Prior to this tournament, Stolzmann's biggest win had been $15,000 at a poker event in Costa Rica last year. But in Tunica, he won 100 times that amount -- $1,465,944 plus a $25,000 seat in the Bellagio tournament last this year to be held in Las Vegas.
Stolzmann currently attends the University of Wisconsin where he is majoring in philosophy. He intends to earn his undergraduate degree and then apply to law school.
'Before this tournament started, I was planning to come here and just play the cash games. I wasn't planning to play in the tournaments,' Stolzmann said. 'But at the last minute, I decided to play a super satellite. I won a seat and got in. Now, here I am.'
When it comes to poker, college student John Stolzmann has graduated -; with full honors.
Final Table Started at: 4:15 pm CST
Final Table Ended at: 9:55 pm CST
SEAT 1: Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Hollywood, FL
Chip Count - 515,000
Mizrachi is a 24-year-old professional poker player born in Miami, Florida.
He grew up wanting to become a medical doctor, started playing poker at the
age of 15, and eventually dropped out of college to play full time. Mizrachi's
biggest win to date was first place in the Five-Diamond World Poker Classic
II at the Bellagio held in Las Vegas (Dec. 2004), where he was victorious in
the $2,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event - worth $274,000 in prize money. Poker
seems to run in the Mizrachi family; His brother, Robert, is also quite successful
and has several in-the-money tournament finishes. Mizrachi is known as "The
Grinder" for his solid consistent playing style, which isn't flashy, but
which seems to win the money more often than not. This strategy and persona
is in stark contrast to his rivals at this table, particularly the more flamboyant
Nguyen and Negreanu. It will be interesting to see how much he mixes it up with
the bigger stacks - particularly chip-leader Chiang, sitting two seats to his
left. To his credit, "The Grinder" was dead last in the chip count
coming into Day Three, ranked 27th of 27 players (starting with just 37,000
in chips with blinds starting at 3,000-6,000). But he somehow managed to survive
and rocketed up to a chip count of over half-a-million coming into today's finale.
Mizrachi is married to wife Aidilay, and has one son, Paul William.
SEAT 2: John Stolzman, Madison, WI
Chip Count - 517,000
Stolzman is currently a 23-year-old student at the University of Wisconsin,
in Madison. He was born in Sheboygan, WI and started playing poker about four
years ago. He now plays semi-professionally - both online and in occasional
visits to major poker tournaments. His biggest win to date was 4th place in
the Costa Rican Classic (2004), where he collected $15,000. Stolzman's biggest
influences have been his father and girlfriend - both of whom are at this tournament.
He won his entry fee into the main event by finishing among the top spots in
a super satellite. He has been able to survive the first three days of the main
event - ranking 48th out of 161 players after Day One, and 20th of 27 players
after Day Two. He comes into Day Four -- 4th in the chip count. Stolzman is
the youngest player at the final table - with the least amount of experience
at this level. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the pressures
of playing in front of WPT television cameras, against some of the top players
in the game.
SEAT 3: Chau Giang, Las Vegas, NV
Chip Count - 1,406,000
Despite his innumerable poker accomplishments, today's chip leader, Chau Giang,
shuffles around casinos and cardrooms in relative anonymity. Although Giang
routinely plays in the highest limit games in the world -- try playing $2,000-4,000
limit as your 'regular' game -- he rarely gets recognized publicly. He sits
down among, plays with, and often defeats the living legends every poker player
will recognize -- be it Brunson, Berman, Baldwin, or Reese. Peers universally
agree that Giang possesses a brilliant poker mind and is one of the toughest
players in the world to beat -- whatever the game, whatever the limit, and whatever
the challenge. But poker is just a small part of Giang's incredible story. He
is of Chinese decent, and fled Vietnam in a small boat in 1979 -- risking everything
he owned to taste freedom in America. In a sense, it was an 'all in' bet Giang
was willing to make. When his ultimate gamble paid off with his arrival in the
United States in 1978, Giang began working laborious, minimum wage jobs to support
himself and build a better life. He later moved to Colorado and took a job as
a cook in a Chinese restaurant. Barely making ends meet, Giang started playing
in a low-limit poker game and eventually discovered he could make a better living
at the green felt table rather than frying rice. Convinced he could succeed,
Giang took another gamble when he came to Las Vegas. He started in low limit
games, then moved up to higher levels as his bankroll and confidence increased.
Within his first year as a pro, Giang made $100,000 at the poker tables in Las
Vegas. When the Mirage opened a few years later, Giang was regularly seen in
the biggest game in the room -- often playing $500-1,000 limit and higher. GIANG
began playing tournaments in the early 1990s and won two gold bracelets at the
World Series of Poker -- for Ace-to-Five Lowball in 1993 and Omaha High-Low
Split in 1998. Despite his success, Giang withdrew from the tournament circuit
for many years -- instead focusing on high-limit cash games. But he was drawn
back to tournaments last year for the strangest of reasons: His children boldly
asked why they never see their poker-playing father on television. Giang answered
the challenge by winning his third WSOP gold bracelet last year. Giang is now
49-years-old and is married with three children. In a sense, poker has been
emblematic of a life that began with serious disadvantages, yet which ultimately
yielded immense personal and financial awards and achievement. His prospects?
His five opponents all know - Chau Giang will be a formidable force with the
chip lead coming into today's final table.
SEAT 4: Raja Kattamuri, Dallas, TX
Chip Count - 330,000
'Raj' was born in India. He is a 28-year-old electronics engineer who now lives
in the Dallas suburb of Irving, TX. He is the best-educated of today's finalists,
with a Masters Degree in electrical engineering from UC-Santa Barbara. Kattamuri
is also the most recent tournament winner sitting at the final table, fresh
off his first-place finish in the $2,000 buy-in Limit Hold'em event here at
the JBWPO less than a week ago, good for a $127,000 win - plus a seat in this
event. Kattamuri's road to Day Four has been rocky. He finished Day One ranked
6th out of 161 players in the chip count. Kattamuri had a fabulous Day Two,
as he blasted into the chip lead going into the third day of play. In fact,
Kattamuri had over a million in chips and was 100,000 ahead of the second-ranked
player. Day Three brought mixed results. Good news was that he made it to the
final table. The bad news was that Kattamuri took some beats and actually backtracked
in the chip count. He comes in with 330,000, which is a mixed blessing. Kattamuri
is certainly able to maneuver chips and make things interesting, as evidence
by what happened in this tournament two days ago. But the high blinds will necessitate
that Kattamuri find a hand quickly and double up with it early. If he does this,
watch out - it could be a very exciting final table.
SEAT 5: Scotty Nguyen, Henderson, NV
Chip Count - 1,210,000
The 1998 world poker champion needs no introduction to serious poker fans. "The
Prince" of poker has long been one of the game's most colorful characters
- both at and away from the table. Scotty Nguyen has a unmatched style all his
own, whether it's his white leather boots, blue-tinted shades, gold necklaces
and pendants, incessant chatter, Michelob-guzzling toasts, or relentless aggression
when he senses opponents' weakness. He's won four WSOP gold bracelets. He's
appeared on late night talk shows. He's been in a movie. In short, he's done
it all. Nguyen is one of four foreign-born players at the final table. Like
rival Giang, Nguyen fled his native Vietnam in 1978. After winning the world
championship in 1998, his life became an open book. It seemed, everyone wanted
to be seen with, talk to, and party with 'The Prince." Nguyen has encountered
the usual ups and downs of the business and has weathered the storm well. The
husband and father of five children now lives in Henderson, NV. He comes into
the final table as one of the game's most feared players and is clearly one
of the favorites to win. Interestingly, Nguyen was not in good chip position
until the end of Day Three. He had an average stack after Day One. He was ranked
23rd of 27 remaining players after Day Two. Now, he's jumped up into second
in the chip count. Side Note: Even if Nguyen loses chips, he remains one of
poker's best 'short stack' players. He is never out of a poker tournament until
his last chip is gone.
SEAT 6: Daniel Negreanu, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
Chip Count - 1,173,000
The hottest player in poker right now is unquestionably -- Daniel Negreanu.
"KidPoker" has been 'the force' over the past year - which includes
both live action and tournaments. He was Card Player magazine's "Player
of the Year" in 2004. Among other titles, he won the Bellagio's Five Diamond
World Poker Classic on the World Poker Tour last month - good for $1,770,000
in prize money. He also won his third gold bracelet at the 2004 World Series
of Poker (Limit Hold'em). Negreanu was born in 1974 to Romanian parents in Toronto,
Canada. He quit high school to play poker full time and beat most of the home
games. Confident he could make a good living, Negreanu came to Las Vegas but
failed the first time he tried to beat the middle-limit games on The Strip.
Negreanu returned home to Canada and was determined more than ever to succeed
as a poker player. He took the game even more seriously and began studying.
He could be seen at many tournaments watching final tables intensely, learning
how to play in short-handed situations. He also learned more about his opponents,
including many top pros he would eventually face in tournaments. Negreanu's
breakthrough came at the 1999 World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, and his first
WSOP came later that year. Negreanu went through a tough transition when he
moved from Canada to play in Las Vegas full time. However, he stuck with the
game and soon began writing about his experiences. His column in Card Player
became a reader favorite, along with countless Internet reports and articles
-- many posted at www.pokerpages.com. Negreanu, now aged 30, has evolved into
one of poker's brightest stars, and most respected players. He routinely plays
in the biggest cash games and wins the most prestigious poker tournaments. He
comes to this final table ranked 3rd in the chip count. It will be interesting
to see how the top three players, both in terms of experience and the chip count,
adjust their play to each other. All eyes will be on "KidPoker" to
see if he can win the $1,465,944 first prize.
Report by Nolan Dalla - JBWPO Media Director
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