1995 Hall of Fame Poker Classic

$1,500 Buy-in
Entries: 109
Total Prize Money: $163,500

1994 Winner: T.J. Cloutier - $60,000

1995 Champion: LONNIE WILLIAMS

• The Winners.
• The Showdown.
• The Final Table.
• The Final Hand.

1. Lonnie Williams                           $65,400
Beverly Hills, California
2. Chris Tsipraildis                          37,605
Syracuse, New York
3. Barbara Enright                            19,620
Van Nuys, California
4. Norman Berliner                            11,445
Las Vegas, Nevada
5. John Homann                                 9,810
Sydney, Australia
6. Don Williams                                8,175
Las Vegas, Nevada
7. Joe Cutri                                   6,540
Southampton, Pennsylvania
8. Ken Flaton                                  4,905
Henderson, Nevada

. This is the first major tournament title for Williams, who has cashed in numerous poker competitions through the years, including finishing second in the $2,500 buy-in Seven-Card Stud event during the 1993 World Series of Poker. The owner of a retail/wholesale clothing business, Williams learned to play poker in East Texas at the age of 10.

. Williams came to the final table in good chip position, but when heads-up play began, he held only a slight advantage over runner-up Chris Tsipraildis. Then Williams caught a rush, and though Tsipraildis put forth a mighty struggle, he couldn't make a hand and was soon close to the felt. In the final confrontation, Williams brought it in for a raise with QH JC 8D and Tsipraildis, who started with AS KD 9C, called all in. On sixth street, Williams had a pair of eights and a four flush, and Tsipraildis needed to make a higher pair or to catch a jack for a gutshot straight to stay alive. But the river brought him a lowly deuce, and Williams secured the pot and the title with his pair of eights.

. "Close to the beginning of the tournament, I was down to $25, put up the $10 ante, and had only $15 left," Williams said. "I thought I was all finished, but I ended up winning. This shows that you should never give up."

. For finishing second in the Stud competition, Tsipraildis received $37,605. A 45-year-old recreational poker player from Syracuse, New York, Tsipraildis holds titles from the Queens Poker Classic, the L.A. Poker Classic, and the World Poker Finals, and has cashed in several other major competitions. He began playing poker eight years ago while managing a Greek and Italian social club in Syracuse.

. Placing third in the Seven-Card Stud event and winning $19,620 was Barbara Enright, a professional poker player from Van Nuys, California. The only two-time Women's World Poker Champion, Enright holds titles not only from the World Series of Poker but also from the Super Bowl of Poker, the L.A. Poker Classic, and the Diamond Jim Brady tournament. She also bears the distinction of placing fifth in the 1995 $10,000 buy-in WSP championship competition, the highest finish ever for a woman in this event. Enright has been playing poker since childhood.

. After surviving several all-in confrontations, Enright was finally eliminated from the tournament when she called all in on third street with a three straight against Tsipraildis. On sixth street, Enright needed either a five or a nine to fill her straight, but she failed to catch and Tsipraildis took down the pot with aces up.

The Final Hand

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