The Championship Event

The 2001 World Series of Poker championship event was another record-setter; 613 entrants (20 percent more than last year) put up $10,000 to play the premier event in poker. Carlos Mortensen, a 29-year-old from Madrid, Spain (and now residing in Las Vegas), captured the world title and $1.5 million! Congratulations, Carlos.

Mortensen played beautifully and deserved to win. He defeated longtime professional and three-time bracelet winner Dewey Tomko of Florida to claim the crown. Tomko is a former kindergarten teacher who has been playing in the WSOP for 25 years. It's the second time Tomko has finished second in the main event; he finished second to Jack Straus in 1982. Tomko's runner-up finish was worth $1,098,925. Well done, Dewey.

For the first time in history, the championship event lasted five days. This was a wonderful move, as players did not have to play long hours every day. I didn't talk to one participant who didn't favor the new five-day format. Tex Morgan, whose TEARS structure was used throughout the WSOP, deserves credit for providing a structure that provided ample time for players to play, but the five-day format enhanced it.

On behalf of all players, I'd like to commend Dave Lamb and his crew for the brilliant job they did in running the supersatellites (twice a day). Talk about a smooth-sailing ship; the supers were like the Queen Elizabeth II on Lake Tahoe. A great deal of credit for the number of entrants in this year's championship event goes to the supersatellite team. Excellent job!

Now, let's get on to other matters. Here are two questions that you have probably been asked dozens of times since the WSOP ended. First, "Who was the highest 'in the money' finisher in the 2000 championship who also finished 'in the money' in the 2001 championship?" Second, "What happened to him in this year's event?" Yes, yes, I know, I know. You probably know already, but there may be some who don't.

Well, for starters, there were only two players who made the money both last year and this year – Barney Boatman of England and I. And take a guess as to who was the highest finisher. Ohhh, you are good. As far as what happened to me in the tournament, I'm going to tell you now. (Hey, it is my column!)

My starting table on Day No. 1 was amazing. We might have set a world record for not busting a player. We played nearly seven hours before losing a player; 160 players had departed, yet our table hadn't lost one. When the day ended after eight hours of play, the chip leader at our table had only $15,000. (To be successful in this or any other tournament, you must be able to adapt to your "draw" and not get frustrated or lose patience.) I was happy to come back the next day with $13,000 and see some new faces. You redraw for seats every day in this event.

My table draw on Day No. 2 had former World Champion Scotty Nguyen (who had already won two bracelets this year) on my left and a tough European on his left. They went broke and who came in to fill their seats? None other than two more former world champions – Phil Hellmuth and Brad Daugherty. Oh well, it was the world championship. (It is fun to play against the best.) I finished the day with $37,000, which was slightly below average, but I was pleased with my play, was feeling pretty good about my chances, and was happy to still be in the tournament.

Day No. 3 is known as "moving day." We started the day with 141 players and were playing down to the money (45 players). I was doing fairly well with about $95,000 in chips when this hand came up right before the dinner break. Dan Alspach (who had more than $150,000) was sitting on my right. I had the button. Dan raised the pot $3,500 and I looked down and found A-K offsuit. I reraised and made it $11,500. He called. The flop came Q-J-3 with two spades. (I had the A.) He checked. What would you do now, check and get a free card, or bet?

There was about $28,000 in the pot. I thought he might have eights or nines, so I bet $15,000, hoping to pick up the pot. He called immediately (which I sure didn't like). On the turn, the 10 came off, giving me an ace-high straight and the nut-flush draw. I thought to myself, "Finally, a dream card." I bet $30,000 and Dan beat me into the pot. (I must say that I was glad he called here.) Then, the board paired queens on the river. Dan, who appeared to me to light up like a Christmas tree in Times Square when the queen hit, said emphatically, "I'm all in."

After I picked my heart up off the floor, I gave the situation a long thought. If I call and win, I'll have $200,000 and will be in great shape. If I call and lose, I'm out of the tournament (with about 60 players left). If I fold, I'll have only $38,000 left and will be one of the short stacks, but I'll still be alive. What would you do?

I went with my instincts (that I was beat) and folded. I was glad it was time for the dinner break, so that I could regroup. After dinner, I ran into Dan and said to him, "That queen broke my heart. Nice hand." He told me I made a good fold. He said that he had the Q 10 and made queens full. He also said he was happy to win the pot, but that he was a little upset with himself that he led out at the river. (He didn't need to be, as I would have checked.) I came back and built my stack up to $122,000 by the end of the day. I was "in the money" and feeling very good, especially because of that laydown.

Day No. 4 was not a good day for me. I didn't make a hand during the first two hours. I raised a few times with ace high, got reraised, and had to throw my hand away. I also wasn't pleased that I didn't play more aggressively. I anted and blinded myself down to $75,000 (and it was costing $27,000 to play a round), when I picked up two queens. A guy raised for the third consecutive hand ($25,000), and I moved in. He called with two kings, and my WSOP was over. I finished in 29th place and received $30,000. (At least I was the answer to a trivia question.)

There's nothing like this tournament. I can't wait until next year. Take care.