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| EVENT #11 | 5/1 to 5/2/98 |
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| OMAHA (Pot Limit) $2,500 with Re-buys | |
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| TOTAL PRIZE MONEY - $340,000 | PRIZE MONEY TO DATE - $5,119,000 |
| ENTRIES IN THIS EVENT - 82 (54 Re-buys) | TOTAL ENTRIES TO DATE - 2,593 |
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The Final Table How they finished Live From the 'Shoe The Play-by-Play |
 WAITING FOR ACES They called off the fireworks display at the World Series of Poker this year. Three of the all-time money winners were going to be at the Final Table. They were supposed to bring the cherry bombs and shooting stars, but the stars weren't shooting. ACED OUT Listen to the names at the second table, the table that DIDN'T make the Final Table:
Huck Seed The last two tables were as star-studded as could be imagined. But they were only paying nine today. There had only been 84 entries. You had to make the Final Table to get paid. If the second table had played, and the first table sat, we'd have still thought it was a great final. Unfortunately, though, all of the action players were eliminated. Outside of the Championship final, this shaped up to be the prestige event of the year. GET THERE OR BE SQUARE Erik Seidel stopped Allen Cunningham from getting There. Surinder Sunar couldn't get There. Doyle Brunson flopped the nut straight with a 7 6. Sunar had flopped a straight also, the dumb end with A 2. Berry Johnston was barred from getting There, but only by quad Aces from Gary Haubelt. Jay Heimowitz couldn't find "There" when he flopped two pair. Steve Zolotow covered Jay's all-in on the flop, as a big dog. When the board paired the deuces, Jay was counterfeited and lost to Steve's A A. Scotty Nguyen thought he WAS There, when he went all-in with Q Q as an overpair to the flop. Steve Zolotow said "Don't go There." He caught runner, runner clubs for a flush with his 10 8. Three were left to be eliminated when Steve Zolotow made a mistake. He'd amassed a huge chip count. Only T.J. Cloutier had more chips at Steve's table - the one player Steve did not want to mess with. What player did he mess with? Right! Zolotow busted out his giant stack in 12th and couldn't go There. He didn't show his hand when T.J. flipped over K K with the board J 3 2 Q 3. Huck Seed was playing too tight to get There. He obviously was getting no cards. Finally, he went all-in with A 9. Doyle Brunson said "You're too young to go There" with A 10. A Ten flopped, of course, or Huck Seed wouldn't be in this section. Huck was 11th. Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott is one of the most feared high stakes players in the world. He's prepared to win or lose hundreds of thousands of dollars a day playing cards. But this is a tournament. The re-buys are over. No one's in this game for much more than $5,000. It's hard to bluff a lot of rich guys who don't have that much invested. Suffice it to say, Dave Ulliott was not There. When two threes flopped, Ulliott went all-in. He had a three. T.J. Cloutier had a three with and Ace. The Devilfish swam one out of the money in 10th. The stars take their places.
Prize Money
Donn O'Dea, who won an Event earlier in the World Series, didn't win a pot today. His desperation all-in with K Q found Paul Rowe with A A. The board was eight high and Donn was 9th low. David Mosley was the second Londoner in a row to leave the proceedings. This time it was Matti Kourtti who had Aces. But it wasn't the Aces that won it. It was Kourtti's A K of Spades. The card that would have won the hand for Mosley, a five, was the wrong five. It was the spade five, and it gave Kourtti the nut flush. Mosley mosied over to Jack McClelland for his 8th place pay. Gary Haubelt couldn't wait any longer and went all-in when he flopped a straight. Patrick Bruel flopped trips and needed the board to pair. It did. Gary could loosen his belt, he had all that 7th place money to spend. Patrick Bruel is a French movie star. Looks kind of like Jean - Paul Belmundo, actually. He thought he was seeing a bad movie when Erik Seidel flopped a straight on him to crack his two pair. Weakened, Bruel was forced into his close-up with T.J. Cloutier. This time Patrick turned a straight with his K 9. The board was J Q 2 10 Q. T.J. sent Patrick home to rehearse, with a higher straight on his A K. Patrick got only a co-starring role in this event, 6th billing. Paul Rowe thought he was in the perfect spot. He'd caught T.J. trying to buy a pot. Paul came over the top of T.J.'s big bet, all-in. Paul had waited for Aces and now he had them. Well, the trapper got snapped off in his own trap as T.J.'s Q J 9 3 had the 9 3 of diamonds. The flop comes 5 4 2 with two diamonds and then an 8 also of diamonds. Just to be insulting the river was an Ace ... of diamonds. Paul Rowe'd his boat over to Jack for 5th place money. Matti Kourtti had seen a once sizeable stack shrink to a point that he thought that Q Q 4 4 looked like a winner. T.J. was going for the trifecta, three eliminations in a row. T.J. called with A K J 10. Matti was right for a while. The flop was J 8 6, the turn a 6. T.J. needed an Ace or a King, to collect his trifecta bet. When you're hot, your're hot. A King fell on the river. Matti Finnish'ed 4th. "No matter what happens, I can't complain about my luck today." Erik Seidel had come to the final table with $8,500. By far the smallest stack. With luck and guts, like Phyllis Kessler the day before, he'd managed to pass five other players on the prize ladder. Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee. Erik ran out of time. He went all-in with K Q 7 3. Doyle Brunson had A K 2 4. Two Aces came on the flop and Erik's idyll was over in third. T.J. wanted to deal. "We could go on chip count, Doyle." T.J. had $196,000, Brunson had $144,000. Chip count would have given Brunson another $25,000 over the $78,000 he was guaranteed. Doyle said "Let's Play." Before the final hand, Jack McClelland said, "If T.J. wins, he will pass John Bonetti on the money list and be the highest money winner never to have won the big one." T.J. cringed visibly. Doyle drew about even, and then it was over quickly when both champions flopped top two pair. They put all of their chips in the pot, and T.J., who had been King of the River for two days, was so again. An Ace fell on the river to give T.J. a higher two pair, and the title. He had Aces and Queens, Doyle had Queens and Fives. Cloutier, who came back from an all-in at the Final Table, knocked out the last five players to win his fourth bracelet. The Final Table that fizzled, ended with a bang. FINAL RESULTS
$2,500 Pot Limit Omaha (with Re-buys)
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 #16 Saturday 2 May 1998 A SONG AND A DANCE This was wild. This was fun. I wish you could have been here. After 15 previous satellites, we finally had one end in a deal. It was a chaotic scene right out of a Marx Brothers movie. Everybody, including a huge crowd of railbirds, was yelling at the same time. Tonight, 173 players bought 168 re-buys bringing the prize pool to, $68,200. The following were the rewards for making the final table:
Some of the "names" who competed were:
Amarillo Slim None of these esteemed players made the final table. I promised not to tell you who finished in 13th. But she's beautiful, her initials are K.K. and she ran into A A in the big blind. :-( In twelfth, Ted Casper was all-in on the big blind. He had nothing and got nothing. Nhut Tran put him out. Walter Threadgill was under the gun and needed chips. He went all-in with K Q off. Just to get his hopes up, everyone folded to the big blind. Kevin Song couldn't fold, he had Q Q. Walter is having a tough WSOP. He finished 11th. Richie Wong tried to buy his way into the final table with A 7 off. Peter Vilandos had 10's. The table was set as Richie didn't do the right thing in 10th. The final table:
David Herbst had waited patiently for a hand he could go all-in on. It never came. With his case chips in the big blind, his 6 8 off lost to Kevin Song's 4 5 in the small blind when a 4 and a 5 landed. David needed herbs after finishing in 9th. In a fair world, Bruce Yamron would have a seat, Scott Gray would not. Bruce went all-in with K K. Scott Gray called all-in with Q Q. In proof that life isn't fair, a Queen flops. The two chips Bruce had left were lost on the next hand. It had him Yamron to himself in 8th. We are now down to seven players with six seats in the Championship to be given out. Now it gets crazy. The inmates are running the asylum. Deane Stonier kicks off the chaos by saying, "I can't play this game. I don't want to have to hang around for the final. If someone will buy me out, I'll quit playing." That's all the other six players needed to hear. Everyone starts talking at once. Then, since no one can hear anyone, they start yelling at once. That helped! After determining how much Deane was due for 7th place ($3,280) they had to find out how much he would take. He decided he wanted $3,000 more to lay down his chips. That would be $600 per player. More ranting and raving. After more hilarious histrionics, all the guys agreed they would give up $600 each to Deane. Finally, Patti Hughes, who was overwhelmed in her attempt to keep order, shouted for quiet. She wanted to hear what Lucy Rokach thought about the deal. Like Mother Theresa in a media crush, Lucy had been sitting calmly in the nine seat, not saying anything. She had plenty of chips. She, and everyone else, knew no one would be able to take a seat from her. She didn't have to give up anything to get one. When she spoke, there was quiet for the first time. "$500 is my absolute limit," she said. "That's all I'm giving up." What a bummer, it looked for a minute like we were going to have to play on. Suddenly, Kevin Song sings out. "Deane, we will all give you $600 and Lucy will give you $500. Will you take that? He would and did. It was just enough to get him unstuck for all the Supers he's played in the last two weeks. The winners for Super Satellite #16 were:
Nhut Tran 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 84 degrees at 3:00 PM on Saturday. The wind returned today. 15/25 mph with higher gusts this morning, and not quite as strong this afternoon. Sunny, with a blue, hazy sky, and not a cloud in sight. The temperature in the Final Table Area goes through regular Hot and Cold cycles about every hour. It's almost like there is a demarcation on the thermostat at some point, above which hot air is released and below which you get cold air. Today was especially bad, and the Final Table players requested early receipt of their Final Table jackets during one especially cool period, and then peeled them off a few minutes later when it turned hot, and then repeated this cycle several times. Patrick Bruel, French actor and singer, who had a featured role in the movie SABRINA was at today's $2500 PL Omaha Final Table. After Patrick made a large bet in a Heads up pot with Doyle Brunson on a flop that showed two diamonds, Doyle asked, "What are you going to do if a diamond doesn't come?" Patrick didn't answer, so Doyle repeated the question. Then someone at the table said "He doesn't speak English." Doyle did not call the bet. Turns out later that Patrick does understand and speak English fairly well. Doyle Brunson reported that as he was leaving the Horseshoe last night, an announcement was made that "Doyle Brunson is leaving for home, and he doesn't have any cash or chips with him." This was the second Heads up meeting between Doyle Brunson and T.J. Cloutier in a Major Tournament. Doyle had won the first encounter. T.J. Cloutier told a Doyle Brunson story during the Final Table today. He said that several years ago during an Amarillo Slim Tournament at Caesar's Tahoe, they had just returned from a dinner break at the Final Table. Doyle had played high limit poker during the break and when they started play again, Doyle leaned back in his chair, and said "If I can win the $51,000 first prize, I'll only be down $14,000 for the day. 1998 WSOP BROADCAST MEDIA CHARITY INVITATIONAL No Limit Holdem
All prize money is provided by Binion's Horseshoe, and is donated to the winner's favorite charity. LENGTH OF FINAL TABLE
TOTAL PRIZE MONEY First 10 Events: $5,119,000 (1998) vs $5,283,500 (1997) WSOP FINAL TABLE DEALS
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. 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
Alphabetized:
Greg Alston  In a brief battle of two poker titans, T.J. Cloutier caught a river ace to capture the $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha title from two-time World Champion Doyle Brunson. It was the fourth gold WSOP winner's bracelet for the 58 year-old Cloutier, the victory moving him past four players into 10th place on the Top Money Winners list with total earnings of $1,255,886.
Cloutier, a former professional football player, has now cashed every year at the World Series since 1987. During the 16-minute heads-up contest, Cloutier never lost the chip advantage. In an early hand, both he and Brunson were effectively all-in on the river, only to find they both had made sevens full of tens. On the final hand, Brunson with K-Q-10-5 bet $24,000 on a flop of Q-5-4. Cloutier, holding A-Q-6-5, raised $72,000 and Brunson re-raised $60,000 all-in. They turned their hands over to discover that each had the top two pair. After an eight on the turn, an ace fell on the river giving Cloutier the title. Brunson, 64, who had won the $1,500 Razz title and cashed in the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha event in the first week of this WSOP, remained in fifth place on the Top Money Winner's list behind Berry Johnston. "Any time you get second, you can't complain," he said. "But I just wanted to win it, badly, to pass Berry. Anyway, it was fun." Brunson was also seeking his ninth World Series title; he is tied at eight with the late Johnny Moss at the top of that distinguished roster. His total earnings are now $1,699,959. Still another World Series millionaire, Erik Seidel, staged an admirable tightrope performance to finish third, starting with the least money and clinging tenaciously to a never-impressive stack of chips. "Obviously, it was one of those tough final tables where you have to be lucky, and I was," said the 38 year-old poker professional and investor. With this finish, Seidel moved into 16th on the Top Money Winners list with earnings of $1,110,676. All-in with K-Q-7-3, Seidel was eliminated when Brunson with A-K-4-2 flopped three aces. Finland's Matti Kuortti, a 42 year-old risk management consultant ("which is very appropriate for poker"), took fourth, his second money finish at the WSOP. "I'm happy but I always want to be first," he said. "I enjoyed playing against so many good players in the whole tournament." He was knocked out with Q-Q-4-4 with a board of 6-J-6/8-K by Cloutier who had A-K-J-10. Fifth place went to Paul Rowe, 53, a longtime marriage and family counselor and a regular in the Horseshoe cardroom for many years. He recalled that he had led the Championship event in 1984, only to wind up in 10th place, one out of the money in those days. Rowe exited after raising before the flop with A-A-8-3 and going all-in to call a re-raise by Cloutier who held Q-J-9d-6d. The board came 5-4d-2d/8d-Ad. Patrick Bruel, a 35 year-old French movie actor, singer, chess expert and lifetime poker devotee, finished sixth after providing the only bits of excitement and color to an otherwise grimly serious final table. "I'm happy because I've played against some of the best players, particularly Doyle Brunson who has been my poker idol," Bruel said. "When I was able to check-raise him successfully, I felt happy as a kid." This was his third WSOP money finish. Bruell was eliminated with a king-high straight by Cloutier's ace-high straight. Gary Haubelt, 5l, an accountant, finished seventh and said, "I played as good as I could." He was knocked out when he flopped a straight but Bruel, who flopped a set, turned a full house. British poker professional David Mosley,42, the 1990 Hall of Fame Champion, took eighth, beaten by Kuortti who caught a spade flush. Donn O'Dea of Ireland, who took the Pot Limit Omaha title last week, finished 9th, bringing his total WSOP earnings to $354,051 since 1983."I just never got going, never won a pot," the 49 year-old former Olympic swimmer said. 
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.
*** 40 minutes remaining at the 1,000/2,000 Blind level.
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"This is my 49th major tournament win," he said. "Any win
at the World Series is fabulous, because this is THE
tournament. It was a good final table, with everbody
playing well. Doyle is always tough. He and I have played
heads-up for a tournament twice; last time he beat me, this
time I won."