$1,000 "The Seniors" No-Limit Hold'em

Two Strikes and He's Out
By Max Shapiro

The question before the house is: Did William Swan, a real estate developer and amateur poker player win it, or did Tournament of Champions founder and bracelet holder Mike Sexton lose it? Two plays, once when he made a very debatable call, and again when he failed to bet and let his opponent make his hand, cost him two huge pots and the tournament.

Still, Sexton, gracious as always, said he was gratified to finish so high in the "The Seniors" event. For his part, Swan, who's been playing for 40 years but never had any significant cash-ins, was in a happy daze after winning a World Series bracelet after a long heads-up match with a top-name player.

PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE

This was the second year that Oklahoma Johnny Hale brought his "The Seniors" tournament (also known as the Carnival of Codgers) to the World Series, and his tireless promotion achieved a 16 percent jump in attendance over last year's mark of 340 entrants.

The pre-event pomp and ceremonies included the induction of Jay Heimowitz into the Seniors Hall of Fame, the 44th honoree. The likable Heimowitz, a retired beer distributor, has six bracelets and won the Seniors championship event last year. He was introduced by Amarillo Slim. Hale also announced that the minimum age for induction into the Hall of would be increased to 65.

At 1:30 a.m. the first day, there were still 39 players left, and since it was well past the normal 10 p.m. bedtime of the participating seniors, play was halted until the next day. The chip leaders at that point were:

Fred Brown, $33,800
Mike Sexton, $31,700
Dick Corpuz, $22,700
Steve Meyerson, $15,00
Johnny Davis, $14,000
Mo Zimmerman, $13,700
Andre Boyer, $13,500
John Biebel, $13,500
Jim Ferrel, $13,100

MISSING THE BOAT ON A BAD BEAT

The next day, they played it down and the 11th player went out in dramatic fashion. John Biebel had pocket kings against Mike Sexton's A-K. He bet $6,000. Sexton made it $17,000 to go. The flop of J-8-6 and the turn-card 10 were checked down. A queen on the river gave Sexton a straight. He bet $15,000 and Biebel moved all in and out of the tournament.

The final 10 were playing with $300 antes and blinds of $1,000-$2,000, meaning it cost each player $6,000 a round. Here's how the final table looked:

Seat Name Chips
1 Pat Callihan $33,500
2 David Troyer $10,600
3 Mike Sexton $85,000
4 Fred Brown $43,300
5 Johnny Davis $17,000
6 Chris Wunderlich $58,800
7 William Swan $21,900
8 Dennis Lane $43,700
9 William Bertram $14,200
10 Ben Battle $76,600

INSTANT REPLAY

The second hand was almost a replay of the Sexton-Biebel match-up. David Troyer moved in with A-Q and Johnny Davis covered him, holding pocket queens. Once again, a queen, jack and ten came. Troyer survived with a straight and Davis was perilously low-chipped.

Bill Bertram was first out on the sixth hand. Dennis Lane raised to $12,000 with A-K and "Computer Bill" moved in with pocket queens. Lane flopped a king, and the computer crashed.

Just a couple of hands later, Davis exited quietly. When financial consultant Chris Wunderlich raised with pocket 5s, Davis, in the big blind, threw in his remaining chips. He had A-4. On the river, he was dead to an ace, but instead, Wunderlich caught an unnecessary third 5.

FAST FREDDIE HITS THE BRAKES

One hand later, "Fast Freddie" Brown liked the flop of Q-10-5. He held 9-J and moved in on his open-ender. Wunderlich quickly called with pocket 5s. "I didn't know Chris had a set," Brown lamented later. His open-ender stayed open, and now his seat was open as well.

At this point, Wunderlich had been the most aggressive player and was doing the most damage. At the other end, Pat Callahan complained that he had not seen a single flop. Suddenly picking up a hand, he moved in. Again he didn't see a flop because nobody called, but he didn't mind.

An hour dinner break was now called at 7 p.m. Here was the chip position at that point:

Wunderlich, $119,500
Sexton, $74,500
Lane, $73,000
Battle, $65,000
Troyer, $26,500
Callihan, $22,000
Swan, $17,000

Callihan hardly had time to begin digesting his dinner when he moved in for $21,500 three hands after the break. He had K-J of clubs, but ran into the vampire of the final table. Wunderlich had pocket aces and flopped a full house to drain all the chips and blood from the 72-year-old retiree.

BEGINNING OF THE END

A few hands later, Sexton finally started the vampire's downfall. On the button, he moved all in for $64,000 with pocket aces. After some hesitation, Chris called with pocket 10s. After the board came J-8-5-4-9, Mike had doubled up and was the new chip leader.

Swan was next to bet all in. He bet $13,000 on his K-Q and outdrew Lane's A-9 when a king flopped. Battle, meanwhile, had stayed above the battle, hardly risking a chip. Suddenly he moved in all his $60,000 in the big blind. British players have a reputation for being notoriously patient and tight, and nobody dared challenge him.

ACE-KING IS STILL THE BIG HAND

The next time that Battle moved in, this time with 6-6, Swan dived right in and called for his last $41,000 with A-K. Remarkably, for the third time since Sexton knocked out player 11, a 10-J-Q came to turn A-K into a straight.

Just before the next short break, a major pot developed. Chris raised $18,000 with A-8 and Swan came over the top all in for $38,000 more. On a flop of 10-5-5, Swan moved in with his pocket aces and hauled in a $165,000 pot when a 7 and king changed nothing..

A few hands later, Chris called all in for $3,500 with A-8 one off the button. On a flop of K-Q-10, Lane, with K-7, bet $15,000 and Battle called all in for $13,000 with K-J. A king and a 5 came, and Battle's trip kings and jack kicker won the pot and Chris was out in sixth place.

ACE-KING AGAIN?

Shortly after limits went to $2,000-$4,000 with $500 antes, Sexton disposed of Battle with the hand of the night, A-K. Battle moved in for about $30,000 and Sexton called. Mike didn't make a straight this time, but he did make aces and kings when the board came K-4-3-A-10, and Ben had fought his last battle at this table.

Later, Troyer bet $9,000 pre-flop with A-Q and Swan moved in with A-K. Troyer called all in for about $30,000 more. The board came K-4-3-A-10 and Troyer was eliminated, finishing fourth..

Along about this time, the irrepressible Darryl "Razzo" Phillips, a Binion's poker dealer, a poker Web site operator and a somewhat controversial frequent contributor to rgp, a poker newsgroup, strolled in with his mini-camera. Matt Savage introduced him. "If you don't know Razzo," he said ... "you're lucky. Only kidding," he added, halfheartedly. Taking it in stride, Razzo later did some helpful play-by-play guest announcing.

As the clock struck 11 p.m., the eyeball chip count was:

Swan, $180,000
Sexton, $140,000
Lane, $75,000

BETTER SHAPE THAN HE THOUGHT

Just before an 11:15 break, Lane raised to $12,000 with pocket 7s. Sexton tried to force him out with a $20,000 raise and was startled when Lane moved all in for an additional $35,000. Mike had A-J. "I'm in real bad shape," he muttered. Deciding he had enough chips to risk it, he called. Sexton hit an ace on the flop, and Lane, retired after spending 12 years as a floorman at the Oaks Club, cashed out in third place for $35,360.

THE FIRST DISASTER

The finalists were now playing with $1,000 antes and $4,000-$8,000 blinds. About 15 minutes into the round, a crucial hand came up. Both men limped. The flop came Q-9-4. Swan bet $30,000 and Sexton called. When a 6 turned, both players checked. After an 8 came on the river, Swan moved in for $81,000. Mike had jacks in the hole. He thought and agonized for perhaps five minutes and finally made a highly questionable call. He'll be thinking about for a long time, because Swan had pocket aces and took over the lead with about $260,000 to Sexton's $135,000.

Asked about that call later, Sexton rationalized, saying that all the money could just as easily have gone in before the flop. "I just couldn't put him on a hand," he shrugged.

Later, Sexton made his opponent think for a long time when Swan bet $30,000 into a flop of J-6-5 and Sexton moved in for about $130,000. Swan finally decided to let him have the pot. As play continued, Sexton gradually made up ground and pulled into a tiny lead.

THE SECOND AND FINAL DISASTER

Disaster struck Sexton again a half-hour past midnight. He had 7-5 and flopped two pair when the board came 7-5-3. He checked, and gave a free card to Swan, who had a double belly-buster with 9-6. An 8 turned to give him his straight. Mike finally bet, $20,000, and Swan came over the top for $50,000 more. Now it was Sexton's turn to think. He laughed, Swan shrugged. Belatedly, Sexton pushed in his chips. Neither a 7 or 5 came to save him, and Sexton was suddenly down to $8,000.

He doubled up on the next hand and split the one after. Finally all in for the last time, he had J-7 to Swan's K-4 and when a king flopped it was all over.

Final Official Results, Event #33, $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em
Total Entries: 396
Prize Pool: $372,240

Finish Name Prize Money

3 Dennis Lane $35,360
4 David Troyer $20,480
5 Ben Battle $14,880
6 Chris Wunderlich $11,920
7 Pat Callihan $8,940
8 Fred Brown $6,700
9 John Davis $5,220
10 William Bertram $44,100
11th-12th, $4,100: John Biebel, Vince Burgio.
13th-15th, $3,720: Martin Corpuz, Andre Boyer, Mickey Arden.
16th-18th, $2,980 George Geros, Steve Meyerson, Morris Simmerman.
19th-27th, $2,240: Glenn Schott, Patty Pfiel, Berry Johnston, George Bartlett, James Ferrel. Frank Okasaki Jr., Brad Daugherty, Gregg Turk, Joe Sherman.
28th-36th $1,480: Glenn Neal, Tom Schmit, Phil Goatz, Stephen O'Shaughnessy, Tom McEvoy, David Dressner, Jim Weatherby, Harry Thomas Jr., Charles Buffalo, William Kilgore (the last two a tie).

$1,500 Triple Draw Lowball Ace to Five

Triple Your Pleasure
By Max Shapiro

Years ago threre was a popular jingle for chewing gum that went, "Double your pleasure, Double your fun, with Doublemint, Doublemint, Doublemint gum." Well, triple draw lowball just made its first appearance at the World Series, and depending on your viewpoint, you could either triple your pleasure or triple your agony. Triple draw, a game popular in the south, gives players a chance to mess up a great drawing hand not once, as in ordinary lowball, but three times in a row.

The strategy, we are told, is to aim for wheels, and forget about going for 8s or 7s, a strategy often easier said than done.

The final match-up pitted a rollicking, beer-guzzling Paul Phillips against the serious, no-nonsense John Juanda. When the began their match-up, Juanda had a massive lead, and the ending seemed a foregone conclusion, which it was. Juanda plays the game frequently and plays it well. He likes it, he said, because it offers a lot of action. Although he's won just about everything else, this is his first bracelet.

A SHORT FINAL TABLE

Midway through the Seniors' final table, the triple draw starting field of 88 was narrowed down to the six players scheduled to sit at the last table. However, by the time the Seniors was concluded and the final-table area cleared, only four triple draw players were left. This was how the table looked with 28 minutes remaining and limits of $1,500 and $3,000:

Seat Name Chips
1 Paul Phillips $29,500
2 Warren Karp $35,000
3 John Juanda $37,000
4 Brian Nadell $30,500

Earlier, Alaska businessman Jim Ward finished eighth when John Juanda made a wheel against his 6-4. Finishing seventh was Jay "Moose" Moriarty, a TV writer/producer and founder of Aces & Eights, the oldest private invitational tournament in the world, now in its 27th year. Playing the game for the first time ever, Moose was down to $1,000, survived with an 8-6 against Paul Phillips' paired 4s, then busted out a couple of hands later when the best he could make was a 9-6 to Brian Nadell's 7-4.

Londoner Jac Arama finished sixth after making a blunder. Holding A-2-4-6-6, he thought there was another draw (no, Jac, it isn't quadruple draw) and called all in when Warren Karp bet his 8-7. Lee Wosk was number five. He rapped pat with a nine on the last draw while Nadell made a 6-5.

CARD RACK JUANDA

Once the four finalists settled in, John Juanda proceeded to run over the table by catching pretty much anything he needed. Karp, on the other hand, couldn't catch flies. He played his last hand after limits went to $2,000-$4,000. The Card Player columnist started with 2-4-5. On his first draw he caught K-2. On the second, K-Q. On his third embarrassing two-card draw, he paired again, losing his last chips to Nadell's 8. "Did I run bad?" complained Karp, who will be the tournament director for the Hustler Casino's first tournament in July.

LET'S PARTY

Phillips, meanwhile, was putting away more Coronas than Men "The Master" and Daniel Negreanu combined, and having a ball in the process. Playing barefoot, throwing his chips around with abandon, he got low-chipped several times, but kept charging back. In a big pot, he stayed pat with a dangerous 7-6 after the first draw, while Nadell kept drawing one. When Nadell bet after the third draw, Phillips made a hesitant, reluctant call. "Good call," said Nadell, mucking his hand. The rough chip count now was:

Juanda, $71,000
Phillips, $30,000
Nadell, $28,000

Nadell, after losing a couple of pots, was down to about $12,000. He decided not to risk a draw the third time and rapped pat with a 9. Juanda drew to a 7 and made it, and now it was heads-up, with Juanda holding a huge chip lead of about $103,000 to $28,000.

After a couple of hands heads-up, Phillips rapped pat on the third draw and Juanda drew one. "I gotta think," Phillips said. "Take your time," Juanda replied, "it's only 3:30 in the morning."
Phillips finally bet with a 7-5. Juanda, squeezed, looked at a 6-5-3-2-1 and raised. Phillips called and was left with $4,000.

"I'll settle for one link of your bracelet," Phillips joked. No deal. On the next hand, an all-in Phillips made a 6-5-4-3-2. Incredibly, Juanda made 6-5-4-3-1 and Card Player's runner-up "Player of the Year" in 2001 had his first WSOP bracelet.

Final Official Results, Event #34, $1,500 Triple-Draw Lowball
Total Entries: 88
Prize Pool: $124,080

Finish Name Prize Money
1 John Juanda $49,620
2 Paul Phillips $24,820
3 Brian Nadell $12,420
4 Warren Karp $9,920
5 Lee Wosk $7,440
6 Jac Arama $4,980

7th-9th, $3,100: Jay Moriarty, Jim Ward, Robert Williamson III (tie with Brent Carter).
10th-12th, $1,860: David Halpern, Chris Bigler.

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