Poker can be a tough numbers game. Complicated pot odds, the unstable percentages, and fluctuating chip stacks all lead to an environment obsessed with mathematics and the numerical bottom line. For the 51 players who returned on day three of the 2006
World Poker Tour Legends of Poker, the cruel numbers game dealt with the simple fact that 45 would make the money, and seven would walk away with nothing.
Ah, the money bubble.
Along with the prospects of cash, by the end of the day only six players would be moving onto the next phase of tournament play, a phase more commonly known as -
The World Poker Tour televised final table.
At 2 p.m. PDT, the first cards hit the air and action started with $3,000-$6,000 blinds and $300 antes.
Six eliminations occurred within the first half hour of play and the field appeared to be on the fast track toward cashing. Then came hand-for-hand action. The dreaded "bubble boy/girl" title brought day three to a halt and two hours passed before the tournament lost its next player.
Mel Weiner proved to be one participant undeterred by the lack of action. Weiner, already a short stack, allowed himself to be blinded away rather than make a move with a marginal hand. Down to his last $1,000 chip, Weiner went all in…with just the ante.
Tim Phan, who had given Weiner some light-hearted digs in regard to the conservative play, assured the rest of the table that the money bubble was about to burst.
After passing up on hands like A-7 suited and K-9, Weiner found his tournament life on the line with 7
3
. Phan showed 6
5
and made an ace-high flush with the A
A
K
Q
9
board. For all his patience, Weiner ended the day in 46th place, a spot that paid nothing, and earned him the "bubble boy" title.
In the 10 minutes following the money bubble bursting, five players dropped out contention. Among the bustouts was Vanessa Rousso ($15,530), the last female player eliminated from tournament action.
Wielding a $200,000-plus chip stack, Erick Lindgren made a surprising early exit. A threat in any tournament, but a favorite when so deep, Lindgren called an all-in move by Joe Pelton after a series of preflop raises. With "E-Dog" covered, Pelton flipped over 6
6
. Lindgren showed A
K
, but his hand failed to improve on the 8
4
4
4
2
board.
At 7 p.m., a star-studded field gathered at the opposite end of the tournament area to participate in the Paul Hannum no-limit hold'em charity event. Hannum, a long time
WPT cameraman, passed away earlier in the month and the proceeds from the $1,000 buy-in tournament, organized by poker pro Gavin Smith, went directly to his fiancée Sarah, and their unborn child.
While friends and family celebrated Hannum's life and honored his legacy, the
LOP moved closer and closer to a final table. Scott Seiver exited in 19th place ($26,620), followed by a series of eliminations that included Ron Faltinsky, Huck Seed, Javid Javani, Bernard Ko, and Rick Chase.
Barry Shulman saw his tournament run end with a 13th-place finish ($39,930). The
Card Player COO moved all in on a K
10
9
flop and Hoyt Corkins called. Shulman's K
J
made for a strong pair, but Corkin's A
A
made for a better hand. The 8
turn and 9
river brought Shulman no help and he exited three spots shy of the final table.
After a Jody Trainer bust (12th - $48,800), Mike McClain took home the 11th spot ($48,800) when his A
2
failed to improve against Kevin O'Donnell's A
Q
.
The chip counts and seating for the final table were as follows:
1. Hoyt Corkins - $1,710,000 (Seat 2)
2. Frankie O'Dell - $1,675,000 (Seat 8)
3. Scotty Nguyen - $1,455,000 (Seat 1)
4. Randy Holland - $1,095,000 (Seat 10)
5. Joe Pelton - $945,000 (Seat 6)
6. Kevin O'Donnell - $855,000 (Seat 4)
7. James Van Alstyne - $450,000 (Seat 7)
8. David Danesghar - $410,000 (Seat 3)
9. Mike Heintschel - $275,000 (Seat 5)
10. John Juanda - $275,000 (Seat 9)
The first elimination of the final table came at the expense of Mike Heintschel ($48,800), who moved all in with A-Q, only to have Frankie O'Dell call with A-K.
James Van Alstyne soon followed Heintschel to the rail. With only $350,000 remaining, Van Alstyne went all in over the top of a Kevin O'Donnell preflop raise. O'Donnell called, and showed A
10
, while Van Alstyne turned over K
Q
. The J
J
10
8
2
board gave O'Donnell two pair, and Van Alstyne bowed out in ninth place ($66,540).
After doubling up David Danesghar, Full Tilt team member John Juanda moved all in for his last $80,000 and received a call from Corkins. Juanda's A
K
made him a big favorite over Corkins' Q
10
. The lead grew with the K
J
5
flop, but Corkins turned the straight after the A
hit on fourth street. No miracle full houses came with the 6
river, and Juanda's day ended with an eighth-place finish ($88,730)
With only six players moving on to the televised final table, play slowed on the day's second bubble. At 3 a.m., after 13 hours of tournament action, David Danesghar became the seventh-place finisher ($110,910) and final elimination of the day.
The last hand of day three started when Danesghar limped from the small blind and Kevin O'Donnell checked the big blind. A 10
9
8
flop lead to a $100,000 bet by O'Donnell, and Danesghar raised all in for an additional $460,000. O'Donnell called. Danesghar's 10
5
gave him top pair, but O'Donnell had him out kicked when he flipped over the 10
7
. Danesghar picked up a flush draw with 3
turn, but the 4
river put an end to the day's action.
Players return at 5 p.m. PDT for the final table of the
WPT's Legends of Poker and for a shot at the $1,577,170 first place cash prize.
The chip counts going into the final table are as follows:
1. Frankie O'Dell - $3,880,000 (Seat 5)
2. Kevin O'Donnell - $$2,345,000 (Seat 3)
3. Randy Holland - $1,100,000 (Seat 6)
4. Hoyt Corkins - $1,030,000 (Seat 2)
5. Joe Pelton - $615,000 (Seat 4)
6. Scotty Nguyen - $375,000 (Seat 1)
Stay tuned to
CardPlayer.com for live updates, chip counts, photos, videos, and for a new episode of "The Circuit."
