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| EVENT #17 | 5/7/98 |
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| TEXAS HOLD'EM (No Limit) $3,000 | |
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| TOTAL PRIZE MONEY - $726,000 | PRIZE MONEY TO DATE - $7,802,000 |
| ENTRIES IN THIS EVENT - 242 | TOTAL ENTRIES TO DATE - 3,435 |
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The Final Table How they finished Live From the 'Shoe The Play-by-Play |
 LET'S GAMBLE Turning over some of the strangest hands of this year's Final Tables, it was as if the players were completely mystified by each other's moves. Was there a full moon out tonight? A PAYDAY OR BUST Dewey Tomko was all-in, with a call from the table captain, Erik Seidel. Erik only had a pair of 6's with an Ace, but it was good enough. Tomko left feeling Dewey in 30th. Alex Brenes had just taken a huge hit when his A Q lost to Crews Johnston's A K. Now he was all-in for the blinds. Hassan Mohammed only had J 10, but when a Jack flopped it sent Brenes out in 29th. Only one more to eliminate before everyone was in the money. Just like Alex Brenes, Eskimo Clark had almost been wiped out when his A Q lost to Nick Murphy's A K. What little was left, went in on an A 9. Robert Bone had a K 5 in the big blind. When a King flopped, Eskimo was sent out into the cold in the dreaded 28th place. PAYCHECK POKER Phil Mazzela didn't show his hand when his all-in bet was called by Crews Johnston with Q Q. Evidently, there was nothing of any help on the board as Mazzela left in 12th. Robert Bone made a move. It turned out to be the wrong Bone movement. Robert had chips, he could have ankled to the Final Table. But he got it into his skull that pocket 10's could win him even more chips. Pascal Perrault was to Bone's immediate left. When Pascal saw A A in his hand he thought he might operate on Bone's chips. Robert's move proved to be Bad To The Bone. Not only did an Ace flop, but Aces full eventually chilled Robert to the ...well you know, in 11th. Matt Lefkowitz was another player who could have walked to the Final Table. He had a pile of checks. But Matt was left out of the fun when he decided his A K was the best hand. Erik Seidel said "I don't think so." Erik had A A. Matt went to the mat with his hand, and got the next day off for his trouble. The floating crap game participants:
Prize Money
Rich Chiovari had a few chips, Pascal Perrault only had a few more. Alan Tessler had a lot more. Rich went all-in from early position with Kings. For some reason Pascal didn't put Chiovari on a pair and raised all-in with 4's. Alan Tessler said alright, if you insist, and called them both with Queens. When a Queen fell on the turn, Tessler hit two birds with one stone. Perrault got 8th and the higher income, because he started the hand with more chips. Chiovari was 9th. Nick Murphy had blown off lots of money at the Final Table. Now all-in with an A 7, he was called by Ken Buntjer with Q 8 of Hearts. Ken must have known something, because a Queen jumped right off the deck to prove Murphy's Law. What can go wrong, will finish 7th. Roy Thung was at his fourth Final Table in 16 events. A phenomenal record, that even Doyle Brunson can't match. Roy had survived an all-in that had decimated Nick Murphy, when Roy's K J beat Murphy's K Q. Four Clubs, including runner runner, fell to catch Roy's Jack of Clubs. Now Roy is all-in again, with A Q this time. Crews Johnston calls with 7's. The flop comes Queen. Home free, thought Roy. The turn is a blank, and the river a 7, to send Thung over to his now close friend Jack McClelland for yet another paycheck. It's Thung's thing. He's 6th. Alan Tessler continued the strange behavior, when he didn't raise all-in with Queens. Now, after the flop which has a King, Tessler goes all-in. This suits Gorden Hall just fine. Before the flop he had K Q, now he has a pair of Kings. Tessler slow played himself over to Jack for 5th place money. Erik Seidel must not have been able to put Ken Buntjer on an Ace. When the flop comes A 7 2, Erik comes over the top of Ken Buntjer's large bet, all-in. Ken reviews the betting in his mind and decides that Erik Seidel must be crazy. He calls the all-in bet and turns over A 10. Erik has A 6!. The 10 plays in the hand, and Erik Seidel plays in 4th place. Ken Buntjer has a mountainous stack. Crews Johnston shouldn't take Ken on unless he wants to go home. Another player can't read Ken Buntjer. The flop comes 10 10 5. Buntjer makes a large bet and Crews Johnston again comes over the top all-in, with a K Q! Crews is a 3rd missile over to Jack, when Buntjer shows A K. Buntjer now has $456,000. Gorden Hall, the beneficiary of all this insanity, has $270,000. The guys go out with McClelland to finalize a deal. When they come back, Buntjer immediately increased his lead with a Q 7 home run against Hall's A A, when two Queens flop. Hall then climbs back a bit, and the stage is set for the last strange hand. In a final huge pot of about $600,000, Hall raises $50,000, with the nightmarish KQ, on the button. Buntjer tries to buy the pot, and raises all-in with the 10 8 of hearts. Hall calls, and is alive for a moment when a Queen comes on the flop. But K Q can't win anymore. The turn comes a 10 and the river an unbelievable 8. The gamblers are through. All the chips are in one pile. The moon MUST be full. FINAL RESULTS
$3,000 No Limit Holdem
SUPER SATELLITES (Patty Hughes and Rudy Lotief) The No-Limit Super Satellites start each evening at 8:40 PM in the Satellite area. The Entry Fee is $220 for $200 in Tournament chips and there are unlimited $200 re-buys during the first hour, if you have less than $200 in Tournament chips. You may also make a single or double add-on at the end of the re-buy period. Blinds start at $5/$10 and increase every 20 minutes. Available monies will be converted into non-negotiable, non-transferable, non-refundable seats in the $10,000 World Championship event, with at least $5,000 in cash and $500 Lammers being divided among the final table players. WSOP SUPER SATELLITE #21 Thursday 7 May 1998 THE MONEY MACHINE There are some players whose style of play is ideally suited to Super Satellites. You have to play fast. The blinds double every 15 minutes. Waiting for good starting hands just won't work. Stealing blinds with marginal cards is the name of the game. Only the Super-Aggressive continually win Super Satellites. Meet O'Neil Longson. Tonight, 186 players bought 202 re-buys bringing the prize pool to, $77,600. The following were the rewards for making the final table:
Some of the "names" who competed were:
Linda Johnson None of these esteemed players made the final table. Steve Hohn was all-in for the big blind. His King high lost to O'Neil Longson's Ace high. Steve Hohn was 12th. Franco Collantes tried to get some chips with A Q, but Jack Culp called with 8's. Franco was 11th. In one of the stranger hands of this year's Super Satellites, two players were knocked out at once. They shared 9th place money and left a hole in the Final Table. Gus Echeverri was the big blind. Paul Rowe called him all-in. Mallie Hoyer followed Paul all-in. When the third heart lands on the river. Gus shows his Q 8 of hearts. The flush eliminated both Paul Rowe, who didn't show his hand, and Mallie Hoyer who showed A Q of Clubs. The Final Table:
The Final Table this evening was almost an afterthought, with only one player to be eliminated, before the seats were handed out. Who would the one unlucky person be? The short stacks were John Galbraith, K.U. Davis and Al Stonum. It seemed logical that the victim would come from one of those three, with John Galbraith the most likely as he didn't have enough chips to get through the blinds. But amazingly, Galbraith did get though the blinds. That put the pressure back on K.U. Davis and Al Stonum. Much to John Galbraith's relief, K.U. Davis cracked under the pressure. With the blind heading his way, Davis threw his case chips in with an A 9 suited. Jack Culp won the admiration of the table when his 8's stood up and sent almost everyone home happy. Everyone but K.U. Davis. The Money Machine, O'Neil Longson, won his fourth seat and second in two nights. That's $10,000 a pop, kids, plus the cash which is usually in the $300 range. O'Neil not only has an entry in the Big Dance, he's pulled over $30,000 out of these Super Satellites in three weeks. Not bad work, if you can get it. The winners for Super Satellite #21 were:
Rafael Perivoskin LADIES WSOP SUPER SATELLITE #1 Friday 8 May 1998 LADIES-IN-WAITING...NOT!!! Firing their bullets like they were auditioning to replace Sigourney Weaver in "ALIEN 5", the women took center stage in a Super Satellite, for a seat in the Ladies $1,500 7 Card Stud event on Sunday. Tonight, 58 players paid $50 and bought 100 $40 re-buys, bringing the prize pool to, $6,320. The following were the rewards for making the final table:
Candy Boudreaux couldn't last long enough to make the Final Table. She went all-in with 10's, only to lose to Toni Gatz, who caught Aces. Candy wasn't dandy in 9th. The Final Table:
Proving that dumb plays are not gender specific, Gloria Kuehn blew her chance for a seat in the Ladies event. With $8,300, almost nothing could have stopped her from winning a seat. Nothing, that is, except LOOKING AT HER CARDS. If her husband John, who was on the rail, had suggested a snack, or even a walk around the block, Gloria would have come back to find she had a seat in the Ladies tournament. There were only three places to eliminate, and she had a 26 chip lead on her nearest competitor. Unfortunately, Gloria squandered a few of her chips, and then fell in love with her straight flush starting cards, and couldn't get off the hand until it was too late. Throwing her last 6 chips into the pot in hopes of a miracle, Gloria's 10's and 8's lost to Sheila Sperry's Aces and 9's. Gloria, who is an experienced tournament player and should have known better, finished 8th. Sitting right next to Gloria and in her plain sight, was Barbara Freer with only one chip left. That chip went for the ante on the next hand. No miracles here either, Barbara finished one out of the money in 7th. Joanne Bortner made $520 thanks to Gloria. She was all-in and could only make Queen high against Marie Gabert. The first Ladies Super Satellite was over. The winners for the Ladies Super Satellite #1 were:
Jane Hughes WSOP SUPER SATELLITE #22 Friday 8 May 1998 THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM, Part 2 Anytime you have Pat Fleming, Peter Vilandos and Mike Laing at the same table, you are going to have chaos. Put them side by side, and you have a scene from the movie "One Flew Over The Cuckoo Nest." Tonight, 214 players bought 234 re-buys bringing the prize pool to, $89,600. The following were the rewards for making the final table:
Some of the "names" who competed were:
Surinder Sunar None of these esteemed players made the final table. With eight seats, and a consolation prize of $3,840 for ninth place, all of tonight's action centered on making the Final Table. Gus Echeverri went all-in with Q 9 of Diamonds. David Travernier called with a K Q. King high won the pot and Gus was 15th. Bob Walker went all-in, ahead of the big blind with A K and sucked out on Don Thompson's Queens when the flop came with an Ace. Thompson sucked back on the turn when a Queen fell. Bob was a Walker in 14th. Pierre Brochard was all-in for the big blind. His Q 6 lost to the diabolical Peter Vilandos, who'd called with a 9 3. A 9 flopped, and Pierre said "Merde" as he left in 13th. Monte Kotz didn't show his hand, but it must have been pretty bad. He lost to David Travernier's Ace high. The Full Monte was 12th and nakedly bitter about it. Surinder Sunar, one of the true gentlemen of the game, only had 5 chips left in the small blind. He raised all-in with A 8 of Diamonds. Pat Fleming called with J 10. Pat caught a Jack on the flop and another one on the river. Pat said see you later to Surinder in 11th. "I made a mistake." said Dan Barnett. Did he ever. "I was trying to protect my hand." Sven Arntzen was all-in for three chips. Dan Barnett had plenty of chips to get a seat tonight, but he had the bright idea that he could raise and get Peter Vilandos to lay down his hand. We know Peter better than that, but Barnett must not. Peter thought awhile, which should have been a clue to Barnett, then only called. The flop comes 8 7 2. Dan Barnett goes all-in!!! Peter says ok, I gave you one chance but you blew it. He calls and turns over a pair of 9's. Dan Barnett shows 10 8. A King and a Queen follow, allowing Sven Arntzen to stay alive. But the board kills Dan Barnett, or more precisely Dan Barnett killed Dan Barnett, in 10th. He finished one out of the money, and surely out of a seat as well. Now we know why poker players are so seldom confused with rocket scientists. The Final Table:
The Final Table this evening was again an afterthought. There had been so many re-buys that 8 places were being paid. In fact, not a single hand was played at the Final Table tonight. Eight players paid the other one to lay his chips down. Easier said than done. Here starts our movie scene. The cards are dealt but no one has picked them up yet because there is a deal brewing. Ron Weaver only has three chips, not enough for the big blind. Peter Vilandos is talking to Ron about a deal. Peter already has a seat. He's not allowed to take part in any deal negotiations. That's the rule. Peter knows this but can't help himself. He's Peter, and it would be easier to halt a freight train with a door stop, than to get Peter Vilandos to shut up. Patti Hughes has been forced to play the role of Nurse Ratchet in this fiasco. She's yelling at Peter to be quiet. So Peter whispers the deal he thinks he's negotiated with Ron Weaver, to Pat Fleming on his right. Of course, Fleming can never miss an opportunity to stir the pot, So he says, "The deal Peter is trying to make is this. Ron, you take $200 each from all of us, and we'll be done." Bob Gordon, who has 9 chips, pipes up "I'll take that deal." All look at him in disbelief. Then Sven Arntzen who is entirely confused says, "We all have to pay him $200? I'm not sure I want to even play in the big one." It's pandemonium now. Weaver says the deal is off. Patti says they have to play. Peter Vilandos now takes over the negotiations, again, which he's not supposed to do. Play is stopped before it begins. Finally, after the inmates have grown tired of running the asylum, it's Bob Gordon who accepts the extra $200 from each player and we can all go home. The winners for Super Satellite #22 were:
Pat Fleming SINGLE TABLE SATELLITES (Becky Kerber, Barbara Lotief and Terry Vanderlip) Single Table Satellites are run continuously 21 hours every day (8:00 AM until 5:00 AM) and usually last around 90 minutes. There are featured Satellites each day for the next day's event, as well as other Satellites depending on demand. Single Table Satellites for the $10,000 Main event and for the next no-limit Holdem event are spread frequently. Binion's charges $10 per player in a Satellite. For the $320 buy-in No Limit Holdem Satellites, ten Players start with $1,200 each in chips. The blinds start at $10/$25, increase every 15 minutes, and the winner gets six $500 Lammers plus $100 in cash. For the $1,010 buy-in Single Table $10,000 Satellites, ten players start with $4,000 each in chips. The blinds start at $25/50 and increase every 20 minutes. The winner gets a non-transferrable seat in the Championship Event. LAS VEGAS WEATHER The Temperature sign atop Binion's Horseshoe read 78 degrees at 3:00 PM on Friday afternoon. The sky was partly cloudy, sunny, blue and clear. The wind was out of the SW at 10 to 20mph most of the day. $10,000 CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL DAY ESPN will be doing TV coverage of the Final Table of the $10,000 Championship event, and it is scheduled to be aired on 12 July. The Final Table will be held in the Special Events room (which has been the location of the 20 table Poker room during the 1998 WSOP). Bleachers will surround the Final Table in the Special Events room, and a large screen TV will be set up in the Tournament Pavilion. Jim Albrecht says "We expect to exceed the record 312 entries of last year." LIVE INTERNET COVERAGE Won't happen this year. Last year's attempted live internet coverage didn't work out too well, and Jim Albrecht says "We'll have to wait until the technology catches up, before we try it again." 1998 WSOP vs 1997 WSOP Things are starting to wind down a bit at the 1998 WSOP, which is the normal pattern of the past. Many players have come, lost their stakes, and are now on the rail, or have gone back home. The long lists for games that were prevalent a week ago are much shorter now, and there actually was an empty table in the main Poker room around 6:00 PM today. Jim Albrecht said that overall, the 1998 WSOP is about "flat" from last year. The Tournament Prize Pool is down, but has been picking up the last couple of days. Supervisor John "Scoff" Sheffield said that the high-limit side action is down from last year, and Jimmy Stefan said things were about the same as last year in the main Poker room. Super Satellites are up, and Single Table Satellites are about the same. A Survey of 26 players in the high-limit side action games, showed six believing that the side action area was busier this year, eight feeling that it was slower, and twelve who thought it was about the same. McCLELLANDisms In response to a taunt from an onlooker, Jack said "I'm not as dumb as I look." PRESS ONLY One section of bleachers, around the Final Table area is reserved for the Press, and has a prominent sign so stating. Last year this section was scrupulously policed to keep non-Press persons out, and was almost empty every day. This year there isn't much of an attempt to exclusivize it for the Press, and our Mike Paulle often finds it difficult to squeeze in edge-wise, when his hopping around takes him to the Final Table area. LENGTH OF FINAL TABLE
TOTAL PRIZE MONEY First 16 Events: $7,802,000 (1998) vs $8,044,000 (1997) WSOP FINAL TABLE DEALS It is likely that a Deal was made when they got down to two players today. At that time, Ken Buntjer had T456,000 and Gorden Hall had T270,000 in chips.
Formal, official Deals at the WSOP are done in private, under the supervision and guidance of Jack McClelland, WSOP Tournament Co-ordinator. Deals represent a reallocation, or split of the announced remaining prize pool, that is agreeable to all remaining players. All remaining players do not have to participate in an official Deal, as long as all remaining players give their consent. All pay outs by Binion's, and the tax reporting will reflect the Deal allocation, but press releases and official WSOP earnings reflect the scheduled, announced pay outs. Jack McClelland tries to immediately squelch any "Deal talking" in the Final Table area, and will stop the playing clock and allow a "Deal break" at any time. A normal Deal will probably allocate the bulk of the remaining prize pool equally (or unequally, relative to chip count, perceived ability, bargaining skills etc.) between the remaining participants, with a small portion (perhaps 10 % or so) and the Title going to the eventual winner. Some deals may earmark some of the un allocated portion to the eventual second or third place finisher, in addition to the allocation for the first place money. Binion's attempts to prevent private Deals, which are unenforceable and may present tax complications, by the participants. Binion's probably would prefer a Deal free environment all together, but recognizes that a top heavy pay out structure is conducive to Deals, and has arrived at the current procedure as the best solution. PLAYER CONDUCT Any player abusing employees or other players, either verbally or physically (swearing, throwing cards, etc.) or disrupting the tournament will be penalized. The following will be the MINIMUM penalty imposed:
FIRST OFFENSE - 20 minutes away from the table.
(Blinds and/or antes to be forfeited)
The WSOP Floorpeople will be strictly enforcing the rules, with zero tolerance. Every player starts each Event with a clean slate as far as penalties are concerned. SCOREBOARD
TOURNAMENTS Jack McClelland is assisted by Steve Morrow and Jeff Vanderlip as Assistant Tournament Coordinators. The 1998 WSOP continues the two-day format that was inaugurated last year, for most of the tournaments. Also, all two-day events start one level lower than in past years, and each level at the Final Table has been lengthened from 60 minutes to 80 minutes. Limit Holdem and Omaha events have two new levels of betting. First day play continues until the field is reduced to the Final Table, and Final Table play begins at 4:00 PM on the second day. In addition to the money and a gold bracelet, each winner of a 1998 WSOP Event will get free rooms at next year's WSOP. If you win more than one Event, you can roll subsequent hotel accommodations over to later years. The extra betting levels added to this year's WSOP Events, and the longer duration of levels at the Final Table, "promised increased playability and a higher expected return for the skilled player." If "skilled player" equates to well known "world class player", then the the higher expected return for the skilled player has not been happening. Except for a few scattered exceptions, the 1998 WSOP has been dominated by lesser lights and relatively unknown players. POKER ROOM Shift Supervisors Jimmy Stefan, John Buchanan, Tony Shelton and Cathy Wood run the Poker room where the lower limit games are played. Games being spread on 30 April:
SIDE ACTION Shift Supervisors John "Scoff" Sheffield, Kathy Hudson and Marshall Kassoff run the higher limit games on the south end of the Tournament Pavilion. Games being spread on 30 April:
$10,000 CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRANTS Updated Through 7:00 PM Friday 8 MAY 1998
Alphabetized:
John Aglialoro  Poker professional Ken Buntjer overcame a world and World Series record $3,000 No Limit Hold'em field to capture his first gold bracelet and with it $268,620. It was the biggest tournament win ever for the 59 year-old former computer firm owner who has been a pro for 15 years. Buntjer, author of The Secret to Winning Big in Tournament Poker, won an unprecedented three consecutive tournaments at the Gold Coast in 1993.
Buntjer began heads-up play with a $456,000 to $270,000 chip advantage over Gorden L. Hall. In a few minutes came the key hand, with Hall betting throughout with pocket aces while Buntjer slow-played three queens he had flopped, electing only to call a $100,000 bet on the river which saw a possible flush card fall. Hall, now at an overwhelming disadvantage, went all-in and survived a few times before trying it again with K-Q offsuit against Buntjer's 10h-8h. The flop came Q-7-4, giving Hall top pair, but the turn and river were 10 and eight, two runners for two pair and the victory. "I feel very good," Hall said. "I had a fair shot to win. It was very tough, with all the best players in the country here." Hall, 55, a retired manufacturer of medicines for horses and a former horse owner-trainer, had never played at the World Series before this year and this was his first cash in three events. Crews Johnston, 58, a retired insurance consultant and an "off-and-on poker player" since college, took third, his third WSOP cash. "I'm very happy with my finish - note I didn't say delirious," he said. "I know no other profession where you can steal $68,000 and nobody will put you in jail for it." Johnston said. "Every pot I won I stole. I just couldn't pick up a hand." He was all-in with K-Q offsuit against Buntjer's A-K of diamonds which won with a board of 10-10-5/5-3. Fourth place went to Erik Seidel, who won the preceding $5,000 Deuce to Seven event and has now had three final tables and another cash at this WSOP. "It's disappointing," said Seidel, who was chip leader when final-table action began. But this finish propelled the 38 year-old former Wall Street trader past John Bonetti and T.J. Cloutier into 10th place on the Top Money Winners list with total earnings of $1,292,146. Since 1988 he has made 14 final tables in 19 cashes. Seidel was eliminated all-in with A-6 offsuit against Buntjer's A-10 offsuit on a flop of A-7-2 followed by 4-Q. Alan Tessler, making his second final table this year, finished fifth when he missed a bevy of flush, straight and pair outs with Qh-8h against Hall's pocket sixes. The board came Jh-10-3/7h-A. "I got lucky on one hand and then unlucky - I guess that's what the game is," said the 55 year-old realtor. Sixth place went to Indonesian-born Roy Thung who became the only competitor to make four final tables this year. He was knocked out to roars of disbelief from the large audience when he bet with A-Q and went all-in to call Johnston's raise with pocket sevens. The flop came A-J-3, the turn a six, and the river was a cruel seven. "It was not meant to be," said Thung ruefully. "I have done it to others..." Nick Murphy, 55, owner of a wholesale produce business, took seventh when his A-7 offsuit lost to Buntjer's Q-8 of hearts with a board of Q-7-5/2-2. "I didn't like getting drawn out on twice in a row," he said, "but it's a pleasurable experience to play with such outstanding players." Five minutes after the final table began, Tessler knocked out Rich Chiovari and France's Pascal Perrault in the same hand. Perrault was all-in with pocket fours, Chiovari with pocket kings, while Tessler held pocket queens. The flop came 10-10-8, followed by a crushing queen on the turn. "It was a terrible two-outer," said Chiovari, 54, of his fourth WSOP cash. "It's the breaks, the nature of the game." Perrault, 39, a pharmacist who plays on the European circuit, said, "I'm very happy. This is my first final table at the World Series. It was difficult to stay at the table for 14 hours, but such a pleasure to do it." 
The Final Table
NOTES
d = dealer First action reported in a betting round, normally means the first player that put money into the pot in that betting round. A check is usually not reported as the first action in a betting round. Folds are not always reported. If there are four players at the beginning of a betting round, and it's reported that one player bets and is called by one other player, then the remaining two players folded.
*** 48 minutes remaining of 2,000/4,000 Blinds with a 1,000 ante.
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"When the final table began, I thought victory was possible,
but the odds were very long," he said. "Now that I've done
it I've proved that I'm capable of winning the big one (the
$10,000 World Championship)." Echoing the sentiments of a
number of this year's finalists, Buntjer said, "I really
appreciate the new structure Jim Albrecht and Jack
McClelland have put in, the added levels and the two-day
format."