Day 1

WPT Biloxi, Day 1: A New Stop For the World Poker Tour

By BJ Nemeth

Just nine days after the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the World Poker Tour stormed into Biloxi, Mississippi for the Gulf Coast Poker Championship. This $10,000 buy-in event at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino marks the first WPT tournament to be played along the U.S. Gulf Coast, giving local fans a chance to witness some of their favorite poker stars, and local players a chance to actually play against them.

While this is a new stop for the World Poker Tour, it is hardly a rookie operation -- respected Tournament Director Johnny Grooms is running the show with an experienced staff. Grooms was the TD for the 2005 World Series of Poker, successfully overseeing the most difficult transition in WSOP history as it moved from Binion's Horseshoe to the Rio Casino.

Play began at 2:00 pm central time, reducing the jet lag factor for West Coast players used to tournaments starting at 12:00 noon. By the time registration closed at the end of the first level, there were 256 entrants in the event, creating a total prizepool of $2,433,536. The top 27 players will finish in the money, with first place awarding $778,737.

Though the structure was fairly typical (20,000 in chips, 90 minute levels, opening blinds at 50-100), the field played faster than expected early in the day. In the first level alone, the bustouts included Gavin Smith, Tuan Le, and Jimmy Tran.

Smith's early departure was a bit ironic, because his table (which he shared with Barry Greenstein) was chosen as the featured table, to be moved center stage during the first break. As Smith didn't survive that long, Greenstein was the sole headliner when the table was moved. The featured table featured quite a bit of action, however, as the random draw kept bringing notable players into the open seats -- and the turn of the cards kept sending them to the rail. Players who spent time at the featured table before busting included Greenstein, Amnon Filippi, Tex Barch, online pro Tom "Durr" Dwan, and Jim 'KrazyKanuck' Worth.

The notable names that ruled the day were Bill Edler, Mark Seif, and Vanessa Rousso, and all three finished the day in the top 11. Edler built his chip stack rather smoothly and steadily throughout the day, relaxed and comfortable as he used his big stack to his advantage. Seif was back in the pack the first half of the day, only to sprint to the top of the leaderboard during Level 4, crossing the 100,000 chip mark about the same time as Edler. Many of Seif's chips came from Jared Hamby, as the two clashed in several big hands, with Seif getting the best of it. (Don't prematurely mourn for Hamby though; even though he survived with only about 20,000, he was in a similar position at the WPT Mandalay Bay a few months ago, where he went on to finish in second place.)

Vanessa Rousso would catch up to Edler and Seif in Level 5, eliminating Kenna James in the hand of the day -- at least in terms of spectator appeal. With the board showing [Kc7c3c8s] on the turn, the big blind checked, Rousso bet 3,000, and Kenna moved all in for about 15,000. The big blind folded, and Rousso spent several minutes to make her decision while Kenna blatantly encouraged her to call. While Kenna was entertaining the gathered fans, Rousso talked herself through the hand out loud, weighing her chances against all of Kenna's possible holdings. She finally called with [KhJc] after correctly deducing that the big blind folded the [Ac], but she was still behind when Kenna showed [8c5c] for a made eight-high straight. But the [4c] on the river put four clubs on the board, giving Rousso a higher jack-high straight, busting Kenna and pushing her over the 100,000 mark.

At the end of the five levels, there were 131 survivors. Here are the top 10, along with a few notables above the average count of 39,084:

1.  Thomas Ballan - 122,225
2.  Vanessa Rousso - 100,500
3.  Hank Sitton - 100,450
4.  Bill Edler - 99,975
5.  Clint Schafer - 99,225
6.  Ben Armstrong - 96,875
7.  Doc Jennings - 94,100
8.  Joe Pharo - 88,450
9.  David Robbins - 85,100
10.  Shelton Murdock - 84,875
11.  Mark Seif - 84,000

Eric 'Rizen' Lynch - 76,400
T.J. Cloutier - 72,250
Kathy Liebert - 57,225
Mimi Tran - 50,725
J.C. Tran - 46,750

Play resumes Friday, September 7th at 12:00 noon (the later start only applied to Day 1).

BACKDROP: BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI

Earlier, I mentioned the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. While the city of New Orleans dominated the national news during that crisis (and rightly so), it wasn't the only community affected. The entire Gulf Coast of Mississippi was devastated, including Biloxi.

Many of the buildings in Biloxi were knocked down by the wind or washed away by the water. Several floating casinos were lifted out of the water and dumped inland. The Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge was crippled and impassable. (In fact the bridge is still in the final stages of its reconstruction, as pictured here, behind the "Road Closed" signs.)

When the storm passed, the coastline was unrecognizable, with sandy beaches washed away and buildings reduced to rubble. But unlike most of the other casinos and beachside hotels, the Beau Rivage survived intact -- beaten up, but not battered down.

The Beau Rivage stayed standing, but there was still millions of dollars in damage due to severe flooding on the lower levels. The Beau Rivage was cleaned up and reopened on the one-year anniversary of Katrina, drawing tourists and tax dollars back into the community to fund further reconstruction.

Of course, Biloxi hasn't fully recovered -- these photos of damaged roads and buildings were taken today. But thanks to the additional tax revenue and tourist spending, Biloxi is healing faster than most Gulf Coast towns.

If you're in the area, take some time to visit the Katrina Memorial located on the Biloxi Town Green about a block away from the Beau Rivage Casino. It was constructed by the television show "Extreme Makeover" about six months after the storm, and it includes a sculpture constructed from personal keepsakes donated by victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Biloxi is rebuilding itself stronger than before, better prepared for the next hurricane than the last one. Hopefully, the Beau Rivage will become a perennial stop on the World Poker Tour, bringing more tourism dollars to aid in future reconstruction.

Day 2

As almost all the grizzled veterans of major tournaments will tell you, poker is one giant roller coaster. The ride was in full swing Friday during day two of the Gulf Coast Poker Championship. Notable players that started the day with commanding chip stacks found themselves making frustrating early exits, while some nursed their short stacks back into contention.

The day was not a good one for a majority of the remaining pros in the field. Jared Hamby, Shannon Shorr, Clonie Gowen, Chris Moneymaker, David Pham, Matt Graham, Allen Kessler, and Dewey Tomko all made early exits from the tournament. J.C. Tran and Mark Seif had amassed large chip stacks but were not able to parlay them into a birth to day three.

Tran had run his stack to over 80,000, but came crashing down in spectacular fashion. On his final hand he bet 2,200 from the big blind on a[7c6c6h] board. Terry Jennings made it $30,000 to go and Tran moved all in. Jennings made the call, and Tran tabled pocket jacks. He was drawing thin when Jennings rolled over the [8d6d] for trips. The turn and river cards hit the board [5s3d]and Tran was eliminated. Tran is currently involved in one of the more heated chases for the title of Card Player Player of the Year, and is currently in second behind David Pham. Bill Edler (who is currently in sixth in the POY race) could close the gap between himself and the top five if he makes it deep in the money. He ended day two with 238,000 chips.

Shane Schleger and Kathy Liebert, tried their best to keep their dwindling short stacks alive, and both seemed to be gaining momentum late in the day. Things were derailed quickly however, when both players ran into massive coolers. On Schleger’s elimination hand he raised to $4,200 from the cutoff and the button made the call. The flop came [Ks8s7h] and Schleger led for 5,400. The button called and the turn brought the [8c]. Schleger checked and the button fired a 15,000 bet. Schleger calmly counted his chips, then made a raise to 32,500, leaving himself with only 4,400 behind. After a few moments of indecisiveness, his opponent moved all in and Schleger insta-called. Schleger announced he had [8d7s] for a full house and his opponent tabled [KcJd], claiming he was drawing dead. As Schleger announces that he still has two outs, the [Kd] hits the river, shipping his opponent the pot. A clearly upset Schleger shrugged his shoulders and quickly left the room.

Liebert’s beat was not much easier to swallow. Chad Brown led for 6,000 preflop and Liebert moved all in for 19,200. Seat one reraised to 35,000 and everyone else mucked. Liebert flipped up pocket aces and her opponent showed pocket queens. The board comes [Qd2c2d9cKh] and Liebert is eliminated tournament as well. Despite the bad beats, there were plenty of players that plowed though the day.

An older generation of poker, TJ Cloutier and Tom Franklin found success in Biloxi. Cloutier has been atop the chip leaders for most of the tournament, and ended the day with 144,500 chips. Franklin, a Gulfport resident, doubled though David Pham early in the day when he limped in early position and Pham raised to 5,000 from the button. Franklin made the call and the flop fell [KsQh6c]. Franklin open shoved his last 6,200 and Pham grudgingly called. Franklin tabled [AcQs] and Pham showed down [As10s]. The next two cards bricked and Franklin doubled to over 20,000.  By afternoon he had over 70,000 and crossed the 100,000 mark later in the evening.  He ended the day with 115,000.

Play finally reached the money early Saturday morning; here are some notable chip counts:

Bill Edler - 238,000
Surinder Sunar - 285,000
Vanessa Russo - 213,500
Chad Brown - 181,500
TJ Cloutier - 144,500
Bobby Mahoney - 125,500
Tom Franklin - 115,000
Haralabos Voulgaris - 59,000
Lee Markholt - 55,000

Day 3

The third day of play at the inaugural World Poker Tour Gulf Coast Poker Championship featured some entertaining story lines en route to the final table of six players. There were some hometown
heroes in the hunt, a collection of unknown amateurs, and as always a sampling of the top poker talent in the planet. One of those professionals would make an amazing comeback to survive the day. The final three tables started their quest at 2 p.m. CST and excitement filled the air due to a large number of railbirds present in the room to sweat local business owner Bobby Mahoney. Mary Mahoney’s restaurant resides right across the street from the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi and looking around the room, you could tell right away it is a popular place among the locals. It also didn’t hurt that Mahoney is a charismatic character in his own right, and he gave them a show when things were all said and done for the night. Despite the fact he didn’t make the final table.

During the first level of play Gene Coggins, Lee Markholt, Nadim Shabou, Pat Madden, Chad Brown, and Haralabos Voulgaris all fell in succession in places 27-22. Brown met a uniquely horrible end when L.D. Williams filled up a gutshot straight draw against him on the turn to crack pocket aces and send him packing. All six of these early eliminations did take home $14,017 as a consolation prize. After the first break, a poker legend was eliminated from the tournament. T.J. Cloutier raised to 27,000 from late position, and was reraised all in by L.D. Williams. Cloutier said, "Alright I'll gamble with ya," and he made the call with [KdQc]. Williams flipped up pocket fours, and the board ran out [Ad2d2sJc9d] to eliminate Cloutier in 21st place ($14,017). Cloutier got up from the table and dejectedly exhaled, "Couldn't even beat a pair of fours." Bob Slezak was sent to the rail next in 20th place ($14,017) by Mahoney, and over the half the rail cheered the local restaurateur’s victory in the pot. Larry Kozlove fell in 19th ($14,017), and Sean Morrison busted in 18th place ($18,690).

Two Chips and a Chair

That was when Bill Edler took a large hit to his final table hopes: Edler raised to 24,000 and Bob Cole made the call. Tim Frazin raised all in from the small blind for 223,000 and Edler made the call. Cole mucked and Edler showed [Ac10d]. Frazin showed [KhKc] and began to bemoan Edler's call, saying that he knows an ace is coming and he will lose. The flop came [AhJh7c] and he says, "I knew it." But the turn is the [Ks] and Frazin sits back down. The river is the [9s] and Edler is crippled down to $2,000. As if that wasn’t enough and will be in the big blind the next hand. On that hand, Edler announced he was all in from the big blind, which gets a laugh from the table and the rail. Frazin and David Robbins call the big blind and check down a board of [QcJd9d3c6c] but neither player connected. Edler showed down [8d3s] to take down the pot and increase his stack to 11,000.
On the next hand, Edler tripled up with a pair of aces and the comeback march was going at full force. Edler had 48,000 after the hand and ran that up to over 300,000 by the time the players got down to a final table of ten. The comeback had very nostalgic similarities with the infamous comeback of Jack Straus. Straus came back from holding a single chip to win the 1982 World Series of Poker main event. If Edler wins here in Biloxi, it will become the greatest comeback in World Poker Tour history.

One Hometown Favorite Eliminates Another

On the way to that final table Bob Cole was eliminated in 17th place ($18,690), Lyle Vincent was eliminated in 16th place ($18,690), and Bobby Mahoney was eliminated in 15th place ($18,690). The elimination of Mahoney was the saddest of the day for local fans and players alike. Mahoney became well known during the day for his witty anecdotes and funny jokes. Over half the rail in attendance followed Mahoney out of the room as he made his exit from the tournament. Ironically, it was local professional “Captain” Tom Franklin that busted Mahoney with pocket tens over pocket fours. Franklin is from the sister city of Biloxi, which is Gulfport. Score one for the city to the West in local poker bragging rights. Mahoney was all smiles after the hand though, and he was happily serving customers delicious food and hearty helpings of hospitality across the street within hours of his elimination.

The Final Countdown

Tim Hebert was eliminated next in 14th place ($23,262) by Jonathan Little. This hand gave Little over 1 million in chips and he had collected them in the same quiet nature that befits his personality. Clint Schafer was the next to fall in 13th place ($23,262): Little eliminated Schafer on the hand, but it was Rousso who tripled up to 245,000. Her luck ran out quite quickly though, and she hit the rail in 12th place ($28,035) a few hands later. Bernard Lee was the next to fall in 11th place ($28,035) and the final table of ten was set:

Seat 1 - Captain Tom Franklin - 501,000
Seat 2 - Bill Edler - 228,000
Seat 3 - John Davidson - 651,000
Seat 4 - L.D. Williams - 84,000
Seat 5 - Fletcher McKinney - 502,000
Seat 6 - Surinder Sunar - 271,000
Seat 7 - David Robbins - 155,000
Seat 8 - Tim Frazin - 492,000
Seat 9 - Jonathan Little - 1,300,000
Seat 10 - Hank Sitton - 814,000

L.D. Williams was the first to leave the final table in 10th place ($28,035). He was followed by Surinder Sunar in ninth place ($46,726). Fletcher McKinney was eliminated in eighth place ($70,088), and the television table bubble boy was Little. Little is now in fourth place of the Card Player, player of the year race due to the 312 points he won for the seventh-place finish. In the 143 hands that took place on the way to the television table Franklin took control of the chip lead and he ended the day with $1,040,000. Edler ($1,005,000 at days end) is still on his quest to accomplish the unthinkable by winning this tournament after getting knocked down to two $1,000 chips earlier in the day. There will be Card Player player of the year implications at the final table as well. Edler (currently 6th in the POY race) can gain some ground on David Pham and surpass J.C. Tran to jump into second place if he pulls off the amazing comeback tomorrow night. Edler is currently in third place of the POY race after making the final table tonight. The final table will begin at 4 p.m. CST tomorrow, and here is how things will look:

Seat 1 - "Captain" Tom Franklin - $1,040,000
Seat 2 - Bill Edler - $1,005,000
Seat 3 - John Davidson - $1,011,000
Seat 4 - David Robbins - $727,000
Seat 5 - Tim Frazin - $499,000
Seat  6 - Hank Sitton - $846,000