Festa al Lago IV Part II - The Doyle Brunson North American No-Limit Hold'em Poker Championship

by Lee Munzer | Published: Dec 13, 2005

Set preparations are in progress for the TV taping of the final table.

Six Men Endure a Six-Hour Struggle
The Doyle Brunson North American No-Limit Hold'em Poker Championship began with 420 players competing for more than $4 million in prize money and a coveted World Poker Tour (WPT) title. After a grueling three days (see http://www.cardplayer.com for Part I), these hardy hopefuls prevailed to form our final table:

Seat Player Chip Count

1 Tony Grand $118,000

2 Minh Ly $3,056,000

3 Dan Harrington $2,937,000

4 Don Zewin $552,000

5 Gavin Smith $1,368,000

6 Jan Sorensen $370,000

Note the chip disparity between the three largest stacks and the smaller ones. With the blinds beginning at $15,000-$30,000 and antes set at $3,000, Tony Grand cannot afford to wait for a strong hand. We also can anticipate Jan Sorensen will be looking to double through quickly. After watching Don Zewin play this week, I would rate him as the most patient of the three short-stacked players. All three big-stack competitors value the power of chips, thus I expect some early confrontations between the "bigs" and "littles."

WPT producers Bren (left) and Cindy

Before reporting on the action, I'd like to thank the WPT production crew, Bellagio's Director of Poker Operations Doug Dalton, and the tournament team, led by esteemed Director Jack McClelland, for granting the print media great access to play. Covering these tournaments can be fun, and the information accurate, or the press can be rendered almost inoperable – depending on who's running the show. I have covered many WPT events at Bellagio, with nary a snafu.

Hand No. 1: After the finalists are introduced, the first cards are distributed at 7:36 p.m. Minh Ly (pronounced Ming Lee) raises to $80,000 and wins uncontested. The slim, ultra high-stakes cash-game player lives in Las Vegas. He is at home at Bellagio, where he battles the likes of Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Chau Giang, and Jennifer Harman in the biggest cash game in the world. Lately, Minh has spent more time in the tournament arena. His decision is paying off. He placed 19th out of 5,619 in the 2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) championship event, came in second in the $5,000 sixhanded no-limit hold'em contest, and cashed in two other events at the Rio.

Hand No. 2: After four players fold, Sorensen moves all of his chips forward. Grand folds. Jan (pronounced Yon, and rhymes with Don) has had his best year as a poker pro. His 2005 highlight came at the WSOP, where he defeated a tough final table (including Chip Jett, Tom McCormick, Joe Awada, and John Phan) to capture the $5,000 seven-card stud title and $293,275. The Danish star has been a pro for more than two decades, but 13 of those years were spent playing professional soccer. At age 30, Jan suffered a career-ending knee injury. Athletes often kill time during travel days by playing poker. Thus, Jan developed a good game over the years and decided to make the transition from the grass to the felt and try his luck at tournament play. His story parallels that of our tournament host, Doyle Brunson. Texas Dolly, a former track and basketball star, suffered an off-season knee injury that ended his athletic career. Brunson became a business machine salesman. He played poker when sales were slow. When Doyle won the equivalent of a month's salary in a game, he quit his job and went on to become poker's living legend.

Doyle Brunson awaits the next hand.

Hand No. 3: Smith raises to $90,000 from the cutoff seat (one right of the button) and wins the pot. Gavin, dressed comfortably and sporting a black, turned-around baseball cap that displays the FullTiltPoker logo, has had a great year. He cashed in the WSOP main event and captured a WPT title when he won $1,153,778 at the Mirage Poker Showdown. His 2005 tournament winnings exceed $1.5 million. Gavin has his eye on another $1,060,500 as he plays at his second WPT final table.

Hand No. 5: Minh Ly tries to take the pot with a button raise of $50,000, but Zewin's first involvement tonight is a pot-capturing, all-in reraise. Don, a cash-game player for more than 30 years, has successfully dabbled in tournament play periodically. In 1989, the Las Vegas resident finished third in the main event of the WSOP. Winner Phil Hellmuth Jr. and runner-up Johnny Chan were the only two players to best Zewin.

Hand No. 7: Grand, a California resident, makes his stand with an all-in bet of $52,000 from under the gun. Ly and Sorensen hook the 81-year-old. The two pros check down a flop of 7 5 2. They tap the table when the 10 turns. After Sorensen checks when the river card arrives (Q), Ly pushes $90,000 forward. Jan folds. Ly shows Q-8, but the oldest player ever to make a WPT final table has Q-9.

Let's examine Ly's river bet into a dry side pot. Top professionals maximize winning hands. In this case, while the last thing Ly wanted to do was improve Grand's overall expectation, when the professional made top pair and examined the composition of the board, he almost certainly put Jan on a busted hand or a smaller pair. In either case, his bet would not improve Grand's position (either Ly would be called or his $90,000 would come back in the form of a "no harm, no foul" refund). If Sorensen had a better hand than top pair, Jan would call Ly. Again, the double-team effort against Tony would be unharmed, as the better hand would stand ready to show down against Tony's hand. I like Ly's play. I thought Jan might call with a smaller pair (especially tens), but he said he folded sevens.

WPT host Courtney Friel

Hand No. 8: If I told you this was Dan Harrington's first WPT final table, would you be surprised? Harrington simply hasn't entered many WPT events. Now that he's sporting WPT makeup powder, Dan is a threat to be reckoned with. The Santa Monica resident enters the fray with a raise to $90,000. Gavin is game to see the flop, but he folds to Dan's $125,000 follow-through into a rainbow (three suits) board of 3-3-2. "Action Dan" is our most recognizable participant, having logged many television hours as a result of his back-to-back WSOP championship final-table finishes in 2003 (third) and 2004 (fourth). He took down $2.15 million for these efforts. Dan, the world champion in 1995, is a solid, consistent competitor, thus his nickname should be viewed in the same fashion that a 6-foot-8-inch 400-pounder might be tagged "Tiny." Harrington, a former bankruptcy attorney and consummate gentleman at the table, is well-known for his expertise in backgammon and chess. In 2005, he co-authored two excellent poker books: Harrington on Hold'em, Volume I: Strategic Play, and Harrington on Hold'em, Volume II: The Endgame.

Hand No. 15: We see our first race situation of the day. After Gavin limps in from the cutoff seat and Jan folds, Tony moves in for $81,000. Gavin calls and shows 3 3. Tony's A 10 is a small underdog, but hearts come on the flop and turn, giving Grand the pot and a total of $210,000. Tony's success is short-lived. Three hands later, he gets all of his checks in with the 10 10, only to be bested by Don's A Q, a holding that fits nicely with a board of A-9-5-8-A.

Hand No. 22: We are 49 minutes into play. The competitors are all making decisions rapidly. If their first instincts are correct, they must be playing very well. Jan's initial thought is to raise $55,000 immediately after Gavin folds. Don seems interested in defending his big blind. He looks at Jan and inquires, "How much do you have left?" After receiving his count, Don announces, "All in." Jan dexterously shuffles some of his remaining checks while he studies Don, then calls. Sorensen is in awful shape with the 5 5. Don tables the 7 7. He will prevail 81 percent of the time in this situation. His sevens hold, and we have lost our seat No. 1 and seat No. 6 bookends.

Jan leaves to chat with new WPT hostess Courtney Friel. I had a chance to spend some time with the former investigative reporter/news anchor this week and found the 25-year-old to be bright, charming, and (even without WPT touchup) absolutely beautiful.

Hand No. 25: I'll crawl out on a limb and analyze this hand. Don quickly raises to $90,000. Gavin and Minh fold. Dan immediately defends his big blind by calling the additional $60,000. The flop comes J 6 5. After 15 seconds, Dan fires $150,000. I'm surprised, and expect Don to raise. If Dan had a strong hand, wouldn't he try for a check-raise, knowing Don is a big favorite to bet the flop? While there is a straight draw to guard against, the probability is low that Don holds two unmatched cards below a 9. So, why did Dan bet? I believe he is trying to move Don off a hand if both players missed the flop. Dan is assuming Don didn't start with a pair (on average, a player receives a pocket pair once in 17 hands). Dan reads Don as being somewhat tight. Don perceives Dan as solid. I'm not ruling out the possibility that Dan made a pair of fives or sixes on the flop, but I think it is more likely he has, as Mike Sexton likes to say, "… no pair and no draw." Thus, Dan is putting Don to a test. Don folds. If Don had raised, I believe Dan would have folded.

When playing tournament poker, ask yourself why an opponent is doing what he's doing. The answer may lead you to the right strategic response.

Hand No. 28: The blinds have moved to $25,000-$50,000. Each player is now posting a $5,000 ante. As well as the WPT runs tournaments, human error is always possible. Thus, after the players return from a break, I notice that Dan has the button for a second consecutive hand. But, it's too late to stop play. He already has acted (raising $75,000). Smith reraises $250,000 from the big blind. Dan, a cousin of pro golfer Padraig Harrington, calls. After viewing the flop of A 8 4 for 17 seconds, Gavin bets $350,000. Dan immediately declares, "All in." It takes Gavin only seven seconds to risk his tournament life with the A Q. Dan shows the A 10, a hand that will prevail only 31 percent of the time in this situation. Gavin holds, and doubles his chip count in our biggest pot of the evening thus far.

Hand No. 38: Zewin posts the big blind and is treated to our first "walk" or "groundskinner" (all opponents fold to the player in the big blind, who wins the antes and small blind). The approximate chip counts at this point are:

Seat Player Chip Count

2 Minh Ly $3 million

3 Dan Harrington $2 million

4 Don Zewin $800,000

5 Gavin Smith $2.6 million

Hand No. 55: Our three chip leaders compete for this pot. Minh, first to act, opens for a total of $120,000. Harrington, not shy about overtly observing an opponent, looks to his right. While watching Minh, Dan counts his chips with his left hand. He holds his cards in his right hand. After 11 seconds, Dan calls. Zewin folds. Smith quickly calls the additional $70,000 from his big-blind position. Gavin checks the flop of 7 5 4. Minh fires $160,000. Dan calls quickly and Gavin folds. The dealer burns and turns the 3. Minh slows down. Dan also checks. Several times tonight, Minh has given Dan a "green light." Thus far, Harrington has checked in kind. The river brings the J. Again, both adversaries check. Minh tables the A 5, a losing hand to Dan's pocket nines.

Hand No. 74: Zewin, holding pocket kings, doubles through Dan's A-J. Don has moved in several times tonight, and nobody has been able to move him to the rail.

We are about to embark on 29 hands that produce stack-size changes, but very few exciting hands. In fact, Jack McClelland admits to exhausting most of his good material while trying to keep the audience involved during this "paint drying" period. Of course, when viewing this show, we may see some excellent steals and laydowns.

During this period, Gavin was very active in the "bet and take it" pots. At one point, he won nine of 12 hands and assumed the chip lead. To gauge the combatants' relative activity, let's take a look at the number of pots each has dragged during the first 103 hands. Before Tony and Jan departed, they each won two pots.

Player Pots Won

Minh Ly 26

Dan Harrington 18

Don Zewin 20

Gavin Smith 35

"One of the biggest differences between limit and no-limit poker is that with no-limit, it's usually more expensive to play too tight than too loose." – Doyle Brunson

Hands No. 104 and 105: After being quiet for the previous 10 hands, Zewin moves in and survives without being called in both hands.

Hand No. 108: The chip leaders clash from their blind positions. The flop comes J 4 2. Smith moves $200,000 forward. Ly calls his aggressive opponent. Both players check the 6 turn card. The dealer delivers the Q. Minh bets $300,000 after Gavin checks. The Canadian calls. Ly shows him the nut hand, 5-3.

Hand No. 122: Harrington takes the chip lead when his K J overhauls Ly's pocket nines on the turn. Dan's many fans roar when an ace comes on the river and the all-in player pulls in the $3.5 million pot.

Hand No. 128: According to my records, the record number of hands played during a WPT taping is 192 (this occurred when Tuan Le outlasted Paul Maxfield to win the season three WPT Championship). Despite the fact that the blinds have been $100,000-$200,000 with $20,000 antes for seven hands, many in the press area believe this record might fall tonight. The fact that Zewin survived all-in jeopardy during hands 111, 112, 114, 115, and 118 might be the catalyst for this sentiment. Don raises his remaining $475,000 from the button. Harrington endeavors to halt his hardy rival, but Dan, showing the 9 7, has some work to do. His holding is dominated by Don's 9 9. But, Zewin's run of all-in wins finally comes to an end when Dan catches two clubs on the flop and one on the river.

We begin threehanded play at 12:47 a.m. with these approximate chip counts:

Seat Player Chip Count

2 Minh Ly $2.5 million

3 Dan Harrington $3.1 million

5 Gavin Smith $2.8 million

Hand No. 129: Gavin, first to act, raises $400,000 from the button. Minh motions all in. Dan folds. Gavin will be left with only $300,000 if he calls and loses. He decides his A 7 is worthy and, getting 1.8-to-1 on his $1.8 million, makes the call.

"You should only call a bet when you think the odds are big enough to earn you a profit. Maybe that seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how often a man will call for the wrong reasons." – Doyle Brunson

Gavin is facing the K 8, thus he made the right decision. But, Smith and his fans are disappointed when a king flops and an ace fails to show. Ly has crossed the $5 million mark, and Gavin is playing on fumes.

Hand No. 130: We lose Smith when he commits his remaining $245,000 to 10-2, a hand Doyle used to win consecutive WSOP championships in 1976 and 1977. Harrington has only 8-4, but Dan manages to eliminate Gavin when an 8 flops and a 4 turns. Ly will have a tad more than $5 million and Harrington will play behind $3.4 million when heads-up play begins after the money presentation.

Hand No. 131: After hours of "small ball" play, we are being treated to exciting, major money-changing moves as we approach 1 a.m. Harrington, first to act, quickly raises $400,000 from the button. Just as rapidly, Ly motions all in. McClelland looks at Dan, who immediately calls and shows the A J, a strong heads-up hand. He is nearly a 3-to-1 favorite over Minh's K J. Baby cards arrive and Harrington takes the chip lead once again.

Hand No. 144: The styles of Action Dan and Minh Ly are adumbrated in this brief heads-up sampling. After 13 hands, Ly has raked in 10 pots. Harrington has been more willing to wait for the right cards and the right spots. Ly's aggressiveness has resulted in yet another lead change. He now moves all of his chips from the button. The man who has appeared at the WSOP championship table four times decides now is the time to invest his remaining $2,645,000. Dan shows the A 5, a favored hand (one that will win 65 percent of the time) over Minh's J 3. Will Dan's stronger hand prevail? No! The flop comes 9 6 3. The 3 vaults Minh to 72-to-28 favorite status. When the K turns, Dan is left with six outs (the remaining aces and fives). The river card, a red 7, concludes tonight's action.

Minh Ly resided in 132nd place after day one. He climbed to 58th after day two, advanced to 23rd when the chips were bagged after play on day three, and made it to the top after more than six hours of championship play. The amiable attacker assessed his competitors well, varied his play nicely, and caught some big flops when all of his checks were on the line. His rewards are more than $1 million in cash, a guaranteed entry to the season four WPT Championship, a coveted WPT trophy, and a beautiful gold bracelet.

In an oddity, despite periodic position shuffling and several lead changes, the six competitors finished in the order they started tonight (based on chip count).

"Poker is a game of people. If you remember that, you can bounce your opponents around like tumbleweeds in Texas. If you forget, Lord have mercy on your bankroll." – Doyle Brunson

Final results were as follows:

Place Player Prize

1 Minh Ly $1,060,050

2 Dan Harrington $620,730

3 Gavin Smith $327,610

4 Don Zewin $189,630

5 Jan Sorensen $137,940

6 Tony Grand $96,560