WSOP $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em:

"Marathon Man"
By Andrew N.S. Glazer

In the 1976 classic film "Marathon Man," viewers get to "enjoy" a highly memorable scene between two of the world's great actors, Dustin Hoffman (Babe Levy) and Sir Lawrence Olivier (Dr. Szell). Szell, a dentist, wants to extract not a tooth but information from Hoffman, and as he pauses in the Novocain-free drilling process, it's hard to forget the gist of his immortal line, "Please don't worry, I'm not going into that cavity again. Zis nerve is dead. A freshly cut nerve is infinitely more sensitive."

Hoffman's eyes bulge appropriately at this chilling piece of information, and with the thought of more drilling as incentive, it's no wonder he was able to run the long distances in escaping that helped give the movie it's name.

Tonight, but just barely tonight, the winner of the 33^rd Annual World Series of Poker $2,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Championship had to run a marathon of his own, enduring a fair amount of torture along the way. He wound up salving the wounds with a couple of beers rather than oil of cloves (a hint to those of you who might know the proclivities of some of our final tablists), but eventually triumphed under circumstances that made both the winner and runner up worthy of comparisons to the two great actors in the film.

SLEEPLESS NIGHT NOT NECESSARILY REWARDED WITH FINAL TABLE APPEARANCE

Using the new WSOP "play twelve levels" (until roughly about 2:00 a.m.) the first day, the 449 starters (who didn't, despite rumors to the contrary, include yours truly; I wasn't feeling well when the day began and so opted out) played until we had just under three tables full of players left.

This meant that when we started play today at 2:00 p.m., we still had a long way to go to set the final table, and while I observed many key moments on the march to the final ten, the length of the final table itself prevents me from detailing more than a few of them...but there were indeed a few worth mentioning.

Palo Alto, CA's JoAnne Bortner entered the day holding nearly twice as many chips as her nearest competitor, but she helped get Card Player Editor Mark Gregorich near the lead by doubling him through when he had pocket aces. Gregorich was about to take a commanding position of his own when he called Tom Jacobs' all-in bet with pocket tens; Jacobs could produce only A-10, but the one overcard hit on the turn and got Jacobs back into the hunt and kept Gregorich from approaching the final table as a chip monster.

Indeed, I could probably write an entire story just about the battle for the final ten spots, but at least in this country the runners-up don't get too much attention. Who were the teams that lost in the first round of the NFL playoffs last year? Didn't think you remembered. So lets proceed to the seats and chip positions achieved by the Final Ten (and by the way, Co-Tournament Director Matt Savage confirmed today that even though places ten through twelve pay the same, the tenth place finisher is considered a final tablist for the record books, and receives the same final table jacket as all others who reach that hallowed ground.

When the final ten were set, we were playing with $500 antes and $1,500-$3,000 blinds, giving us ten-handed dead money of $9,500 a round, and seats and chip positions of:

Seat Player Chips
1 Percy Regimbol $56,500
2 Harry Demetriol $109,000
3 Mark Gregorich $125,000
4 Bernard Darmon $67,000
5 Al Korson $12,000
6 Tom Jacobs $103,000
7 JoAnne Bortner $169,500
8 Sirious Baghchehsarie $67,000
9 Layne Flack $165,000
10 Doug Kim $22,000

The most significant aspect of the random draw for seats appeared to be that Flack had drawn position on Bortner, an extremely aggressive player who is good at accumulating chips but whose history hasn't yet demonstrated an ability to hold onto them. Flack had benefited from this somewhat at his previous table, and he drew the favorable seat again.

In a move that shocked me and provided a hint of what was to come later, the short stacked Korson got an unbelievable break on the third hand when he got a walk in the big blind. He only had $7,500 left (plus the $3,000 posted as his big blind and $500 he had anted), and none of the late position players attacked him. He moved back up to $17,000 simply because he sat upright in his chair and accepted the charity of those who acted before him.

Given this new life, Korson doubled up a couple hands later when he moved all-in with two jacks that held up, and suddenly he had some life, with a stack of almost 40k.

The table's other short stack, Doug Kim, couldn't have been thrilled about Korson's easy walk through the blinds and subsequent double-through, and with the blinds approaching him on hand #6, he moved all-in under the gun with A-10. Regimbol called him, but didn't raise, a move that allowed Sirious Baghchehsarie (hereinafter "Sirious") to move all-in on top of Regimbol's call. Regimbol threw his hand away, and Sirious confronted Kim, A-K vs. A-10.

UNDERPLAYING THE HAND LEADS TO DISASTER

Just as the dealer was preparing to give us a flop, I heard Regimbol tell a friend he'd mucked pocket sevens, and the slap he made with his hands when the flop came 9-J-7 confirmed this. The finishing 2-6 finished off Kim, but the larger error had been Regimbol's, who should have wanted to shut out potential later actors with a hand that doesn't do well in three-way action. Had he raised more, Sirious might not have even come with his A-K, and if he had come along for the ride, Regimbol would have been there to catch that set. Regimbol had underplayed his hand, and instead of adding perhaps as much as $100,000 to his stack, he'd lost $18,500.

The clock went off as Kim exited, with the antes remaining at $500 and the blinds moving to $2,000-$4,000. Regimbol's earlier failure to gain ground, let alone losing that $18,500, now came back to haunt him. On hand #11, Flack limped, Regimbol moved all-in for the $35,000 he had left, and Flack was able to call the non-threatening bet with his K-Q. Regimbol turned over pocket sixes, a king hit the flop, and Regimbol was out ninth.

Flack continued to amass chips as we hit hand #22, when Harry Demetriol, a Brit whose poker experience before today was primarily limited to $30-$60 and $60-$120 limit hold'em at the Bellagio, limped in and the blinds also played. The flop came 6-K-3, the blinds checked, Demetriol bet $20,000, and Sirious, who'd gotten a free look at the flop out of the big blind, moved all-in.

It turned out to be an expensive free look for Sirious, because Demetriol had limped with aces and quickly called Sirious's bet. Sirious turned over K-7, a poorly timed top pair, and the likeable "human typographical error" was out eighth. Not only that, with Sirious out, Flack now had Bortner immediately on his right. Two seats away was good: one was even better.

Korson had continued to do well ever since he'd been granted that walk on hand #6, and had upped his stack to about 65k by hand #42, when he decided to shove the whole thing in from the button. Bortner, who often goes by "JJ" rather than JoAnne, called immediately, and turned over her nickname. The two jacks held up against Korson's two nines, and he was out 7^th.

My estimate of the chip counts at this point was:

Demetriol, $250,000
Gregorich, $70,000
Darmon, $65,000
Jacobs, $50,000
Bortner, $220,000
Flack, $245,000

Mark Gregorich was arguably the second best player at the final table today: you'd even get some people to argue he was the best player. He's steadier and a solid winning player; although Flack has a higher upside when he's in prime form, Gregorich doesn't have bad days like Layne can. Today, Gregorich was a bit too solid. He'd been playing tight ever since the bad beat at Jacobs' hands before the final table, had been holding the button when Korson got his early walk, and in general had stayed out of harm's way as his stack gradually got eroded by the blinds and antes.

He looked, in other words, like a terrific, solid money player who was having difficulties changing gears and bluffing the way one needs to in no-limit hold'em tournaments.

Jacobs's stack was shrinking, too, but it wasn't for lack of jumping in there. When he got really low, down to about 30k, he shoved it all-in with A-3, and Flack called him with K-Q. The lowly ace held up and Jacobs kept playing.

When we hit the dinner break, the chip counts were:

Demetriol, $220,000
Gregorich, $59,000
Darmon, $60,000
Jacobs, $69,000
Bortner, $230,000
Flack, $260,000

We returned with $1,000 antes and $3,000-$6,000 blinds, meaning it would cost $15,000 to sit out a round. We had three players who couldn't afford to do much sitting, especially when the rounds were only six players long. The dinner break apparently gave several players time to regroup and realize that strategies that had seemed solid when the day began would no longer work, and the game began changing. One of the bigger changes was in Gregorich, who raised two of the first five pots after the break, one of which was even after an initial raise to $12,000 by Flack.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, BLAME THE DEALER

Flack is always good for thirty or forty laughs at a final table, and he gave us a good one after Gregorich raised. With sleight of hand that would have done any magician proud, he quietly slid his cards into the muck to fold, and then looked at the dealer in surprised and asked, apparently frantically, "What did you do to my hand?"

The very next hand, Darmon decided he needed to get moving too, and shoved it all in with what proved to be Js-10s. Bortner called immediately with Q-Q, and although Darmon picked up a spade draw on the turn, he didn't make it, and exited fifth, 61 hands into the final.

There really must have been something in the food at dinner. On the very next hand, Bortner made it $12,000 from the button, Flack called from the small blind (he called a lot of small Bortner bets, trying to get into pots with her in the hope of outplaying her after the flop), and then Demetriol moved all-in from the big blind. Bortner didn't hesitate for even a split second: she called, despite Demetriol's substantial stack. Flack got out of the way, and Demetriol turned over his pocket kings. Bortner could produce only pocket tens, not really an instant-calling hand when one isn't short-stacked, and Demetriol doubled through.

No doubt the run of hands Bortner had been catching played a role—in the last few, she'd had jacks, queens, and a pair of fives that had flopped quads—and so perhaps she was feeling bulletproof. Tens aren't nearly as bulletproof as quads, though, and she had to ship about $150,000 to Demetriol. Thanks to her earlier run and her whacking Darmon, she still had a solid stack of about 145k, but for the first time in a long time, Flack had to stare at someone who had both more chips and position on him, in Demetriol.

GREGORICH KEEPS UP SPEEDIER PACE

Gregorich kept up his speedier pace, and on hand #71, he shoved his whole stack in. This can be a rough game: you play tight all day to establish a reputation, and then the rising blinds force you to abandon it...and your opponents know it, too, at least the smart ones. Gregorich shoved it all in with pocket fours, and Flack called relatively quickly with A-6. The small pair held up, though, and Gregorich had a playable stack (about $120,000) for the first time since the first couple of rounds at the final table.

Bortner's debacle with her pocket tens had come on hand #62, and she'd been relatively quiet since then, apparently determined not to let the tough hand throw her off stride. As she had been quiet, Flack had been more and more making it his table, and by hand #81, she decided to get back into the action, moving her still substantial stack all-in to open a hand. Flack called relatively quickly with pocket tens, Bortner turned over pocket threes, and she was gone, her huge chip lead sliced away because she hadn't been able to win with or against pocket tens.

I can hear it coming already: if it was a bad play for Bortner to call quickly with her tens when Demetriol turned out to have kings, why wasn't it a bad play for Flack to call Bortner with his tens? Am I applying a double standard? I can't rule it out, but poker is a relative game, folks. Bortner had a huge stack and was calling someone who had moved over the top of a limper. Flack had a huge stack and was calling someone who had demonstrated she was willing to take big risks with shaky hands, and who was probably emotionally thrown by the big loss she'd taken, probably someone who had been looking for a chance to get back into the game.

GREGORICH ACTS, BUT SHERIFF FLACK TAKES CHARGE

We now had two big stacks, Flack and Demetriol, and two smaller ones in Gregorich and Jacobs. Despite the need for action, Gregorich just couldn't find any hands he was willing to risk playing with, and his stack gradually melted away again, until on hand #102, he decided he just HAD to make a move, and shoved his last 60k in with J-10. Flack can smell desperation better than he can smell an approaching beer, and called with J-K. The better kicker held up, and Mark Gregorich, good guy, good poker player, but not this day a good catcher of cards or mover of chips, was out fourth.

The chip positions now were roughly

Demetriol, $358,000
Jacobs, $100,000
Flack, $440,000

I hate to give away the ending of a movie, but this wasn't a movie, just the cutting of a lot of raw nerves, because for most of the next 77 hands, almost all you had to do to ensure you won a hand was to be the short stack when you entered it.

Even though the short stack wasn't always the underdog in the confrontations, it got kind of surreal after a while, because the big stack(s) just couldn't win. For example, soon after this count, Jacobs, still down to 100k, got it in with 10-10 vs. Flack's Qc-8c and survived.

That t'warn't nothin', though, compared to what happened next.

109 SPECIAL NUMBER FOR PT BOATS, DEMETRIOL

With Flack holding the button, he made it 20k to go on hand #109. Demetriol decided to pop him back for 30k more from the big blind, and Flack called. The flop came Qd-9d-7d, and Flack moved his huge stack all-in.

Demetriol, who had played very well for most of the day, made a weak decision to call for all of his chips with Ad-8h. Yes, it was the nut flush draw, but at the moment it was merely a draw and ace-high, not the kind of heads-up hand you want to call for all your chips with.

Flack didn't exactly have a monster himself, Q-5, but at least he had top pair. The 5c hit the turn, still leaving Demetriol with his flush draw and his overcard, and oh yes by the way a gutshot to a straight if a six happened to hit.

A six happened to hit, and Flack, who was one card away from wrapping this tournament into one nice little basket, had to ship more than a couple hundred grand to Demetriol, who took over the chip lead while Flack, almost unbelievably, now trailed 560k to 230k to 100k.

Of course, I've already mentioned what happened to trailers in this tournament. Jacobs built up some chips and tried to finish Flack off ten hands later, when he raised it to 40k from the small blind and then called Flack's all-in raise. Ac-3c for Flack, Kd-9d for Jacobs, who flopped a huge draw with Qd-5d-Js. Jacobs had wins coming with any diamond, a king, a nine, or a ten: he was actually a favorite on the flop, but two blanks let Layne double through and put Jacobs back in the danger zone.

Fortunately the clock went off at this point and everyone got a chance to breathe for five minutes. When we returned, the antes stayed at $1,000, but the blinds moved to $4,000-$8,000.

"AND THE SHORT STACKS SHALL INHERIT EVERYTHING"

Everyone was just settling into his seat at this new level when on the first hand, Flack popped it to 60k from the small blind, Demetriol raised 100k from the big blind, and Flack did that unusual no-limit move: he called. With the pot already this huge, each player checked the whole way as we looked at a board of 6-9-9-2-7. Flack's A-Q beat Demetriol's A-J, and once again the meek inherited the earth, not that anyone would ever characterize Layne Flack as meek. Somehow, though, "the short stacks shall inherit the earth" just doesn't cut it.

On the very next hand (a limp in by the blinds), Demetriol bet 40k at the 9s-10c0Jc flop, Jacobs moved all-in for what was only 6k more, and Demetriol actually hesitated for a while before putting in the other six thousand. J-2 for Jacobs, 9-5 for Demetriol, and the (ahem) short stacked Jacobs had doubled.

Jacobs was still the short man on hand #128 when he moved all-in pre-flop and Flack called. K-8 for Jacobs, 3-3 for Flack, but when the board came 5-5-4-7-6, Jacobs had caught a bigger straight on the end and doubled through again. This left the chips roughly at

Demetriol, 300k
Jacobs, 200k
Flack, 400k

As Jacobs was the short stack, it was his genetic destiny to win the next big confrontation, so when he took his pocket sixes up against Flack's K-Q and the flop came J-10-5, the fact that Flack had flopped an open-ender as well as two overcards didn't matter. Layne had to ship $139.000 to Jacobs, and we basically had a three-way dead heat.

Flack had retaken the lead by hand #144, so something gross had to happen. On a limp-in pot, Jacobs bet 100k at both the flop and turn, and then moved all-in on the river on a Q-8-Q-K-8 board, and Flack mucked when Jacobs showed Q-10.

OK, so maybe the meek won't inherit the chips. Isn't there something in the bible about the first being last and the last being first? Flack was trailing badly again, 580k to 210k to 110k. No sweat, Layne doubled through Jacobs when a flop came J-9-2, and Jacobs held the open-ender with Q-10 while Layne had bottom pair with Q-2.

On the very next hand, the last became not first, but at least second. With both blinds limping, the flop came 5h-7h-Qc. Flack checked, Demetriol bet 20k, Flack moved in, and Demetriol called all-in. Q-J for Flack, Q-6 for Demetriol, and all those Flack fans present who had seen Flack destroyed by two earlier river sixes grew uneasy at the sight of Demetriol's kicker. A Jack on the turn rendered it irrelevant though: Demetriol had no outs, unless you count his being out of the tournament in third place.

AFTER ALL THIS, A DEAD HEAT

This hand confused everyone present because the chips were now almost dead even and with that being the case, it wasn't obvious who was going to win every confrontation.

The heads-up duel commenced on hand #148. Heads-up, the small blind goes on the button (SBB), and acts first before the flop but second after the flop.

No doubt dizzied by the punishing series of blows each had delivered to the other, the two Marathoners sparred for about 20 hands (actually, now that I think about it, the ages for Olivier and Hoffman were about right, metaphorically). Finally, on hand #167, Jacobs called from the SBB, Flack raised it 40k more, Jacobs moved in, and Flack called instantly.

Jacobs held Kd-Jd, but Flack held Q-Q. Could one overcard possibly fail to win, in this match where all one needed to do to win was trail? It had to end eventually, because if you think about it, the trailer can't ALWAYS win, or the match goes on forever. The queens held up, and Flack took about an 800k-100k lead.

Oh, don't worry. Jacobs doubled through twice, to get the game back to 500k-400k. Flack went ahead again, and it looked like he had Jacobs' last 184k when they got it all in with
Flack holding 10-10 and Jacobs A-8, but on Underdog Day (whose repetitiveness was starting to make it look like Groundhog Day), a single overcard is enough. An ace hit the flop. We were back to about a 3-2 chip lead, Flack 538k, Jacobs 360k.

Finally, almost unbelievably, the marathon match ended, having started at 2:00 p.m. and ended just before midnight. On hand #183, Jacobs called from the SBB, Flack raised it 30k, and Jacobs called. The flop came Kd-Qs-7s, Flack bet out 40k, Jacobs moved all-in, and Flack called. Ks-10c for Jacobs, but Kh-Qc, top two pair, for Flack. Jacobs needed running spades, or runner-runner for a flush, and when the 4c hit the turn, it was finally over. Layne Flack had his second World Series bracelet, and Tom Jacobs had his second tough second-place finish (he came second in the Big One in 1992).

Everyone was spent in the aftermath, so I mustered a little (very little) irony and asked Flack if that had been as easy as it looked.

MARATHON MAN LEAVES IT ALL ON THE RACECOURSE

"I feel like I won four bracelets today," said a happy Flack, who was immediately surrounded by Team Flack, a group of well-wishers that run with Layne's rather fast-paced crowd.

As for me, I've always thought that old poker joke about advice was corny ("I have some advice for you: win the last hand you play"), but after the marathon match was done, I realized that for the longest time, no one had been able to do that. I might never see another poker tournament where the trailer won as many hands as he did today.

Then again, I might see one tomorrow: that's part of what makes the WSOP so great. I wouldn't count on it tomorrow, though: rumor has it that young Phillip Ivey has himself a bunch of chips, and I wouldn't expect to see him giving them away very easily.

Then again, I would've said the same thing about the talented Layne Flack.

Final Official Results
$2,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em
449 Entries, Prize Pool $844,120

1. Layne Flack, $303,880
2. Tom Jacobs, $156,160
3. Harry Demetriol, $80,200
4. Mark Gregorich, $46,420
5. JoAnne Bortner, $33,760
6. Bernard Darmon, $27,020
7. Alan Korson, $20,260
8. Sirious Baghchehsarie, $15,200
9. Percy Regimbol, $11,820

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