Four Queens Poker Classic

Before I talk about the Four Queens Poker Classic, I would like to send my condolences to anyone who lost family or friends as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center, Pentagon, and airliner crash tragedies. These disastrous events have brought the country together as one. This is the first time in my life that I have witnessed national pride like I have seen in the past few weeks. Read Barry Shulman's column to see how the poker community has helped out.

For the past few years, I have heard many good things about Jack McClelland, but I have not had the opportunity to play in one of his tournaments. Bonnie Damiano, the tournament producer of the Four Queens Poker Classic, made sure that she hired some of the best employees for the tournament, and Jack was one of them. For those of you who haven't played in a tournament run by Jack, you have really missed a good time, as he is hilarious and makes a tournament more entertaining with his many one-liners. Throughout the tournament, the staff listened to the players' requests, and made changes when necessary to please all. Overall, I must say that this was one of the most enjoyable events of my short poker career.

The $5,000 no-limit hold'em championship was structured such that skill would play the major role in determining the champion. A total of 75 players took a shot at a first-place prize of more than $145,000. The event was run like the Poker Million in the Isle of Man; each player started with $5,000 in chips, but got an additional $5,000 in chips anytime during the first four rounds (six hours). Everyone thought this was great, because it enabled players to come back from an early bad beat.

Approximately 15 minutes into the tournament, I predicted that Allen Cunningham was going to win. I have played with Allen only a few times, and he has impressed me very much. I typically act fast when playing, whereas Allen takes his time, which enables him to weigh all of the options and replay a situation in his head. After my early exit from the tournament, I told my father that he didn't need to get involved with Allen, because he never made a poor decision.

The following nine players made the final table: Barry Shulman, Allen Cunningham, Ralph Perry, Jim Lester, Burt Boutin, Annie Duke, Jack Ward, Melissa Hayden, and Erik Seidel. It was fun watching the first hour of the final-table action, as Allen accumulated chips by knocking everyone out.

After Ralph Perry was knocked out in third place because he didn't make his straight draw or flush draw, or pair his king overcard, the match was set between my dad and Allen. Allen started with a chip lead, and I thought that it would be over almost before it started. After four hours of heads-up play, Dad moved in with a flush draw and an overcard to Allen's top pair with top kicker. The flush came on the turn and Barry was crowned the champion. For the last two days, all I have heard from my father's mouth is, "That Allen is so good. I hope I never have to play with him again."

The Canterbury Card Club in Shakopee, Minnesota, will be hosting the Fall Classic Poker Tournament Oct. 18-28, and it will count toward Player of the Year points. I haven't been there yet, but the reviews I've heard are great.