"Minneapolis
Jim" Meehan Wins $2,000
No-Limit Hold'em Event at 2003
World Series of Poker
Jim
Meehan, a Las Vegas-based attorney by
way of Minneapolis, steamrolled over a
large field of 407 of the world's best
poker players and took first place in
the $2,000 buy-in Limit Holdem Event.
In what was certainly the most exciting
(and longest) final table at this year's
World Series of Poker thus far, Meehan
overcame several chip disadvantages and
utilized an unorthodox style which essentially
made it impossible for his opponents to
predict when he had a decent hand. He
also got a huge boost from the deck on
at least two occasions when he faced elimination,
evading eradication by catching a "miracle"
spade flush on the river both times. Overall,
it was a phenomenal final table to watch,
which electrified the standing-room only
crowd and had all the elements of a great
drama.
No
one in his right mind could have predicted
"Minneapolis Jim's" win in this event
-- given his status coming into the second
day. Since play ended very late on Day
One, players returned on the second day
with a field of 14. It appeared that Minneapolis
Jim would be among the first to exit,
since he was down to just $21,000 in chips
(compared to chip-leader Juha Helppi with
a whopping $163,000). But Meehan played
tough and survived. By 3 pm on Easter
Sunday, he was sitting at the final table
-- although he was still perilously low
on chips.
One
of the key hands of the tournament occurred
when Juha Helppi, from Finland, eliminated
Percy Regimbal. The two chip leaders went
to war when Regimbal's 9-9 confronted
Helppi's A-K suited. With Regimbal "all
in," ace fell on the turn which then gave
Helppi an enormous chip advantage over
his three remaining opponents. In fact,
whispers it the crowd suggested this final
table might end in short measure, with
Helppi holding over half the chips in
play.
But
No-Limit Texas Hold'm can be a cruel game.
In what had to be one of the most incredible
hours of final table play on record, Helppi
not only lost his 5 to 1 chip advantage
versus the other three players, he would
finish no better than fourth.
Helppi
played very aggressively with his big
stack, too aggressively some might say.
But he also took a horrible series of
beats, particularly when heads-up against
Minneapolis Jim. Helppi moved all-in with
Q-Q, and by the time the raising war had
broken out, Minneapolis Jim was pot-committed
and had to call with K-J (king of spades).
The flop came A-9-8, with two spades.
A third spade fell on the turn. And, remarkably
-- a fourth spade rescued Minneapolis
Jim on the river. It was a stunning moment,
which destroyed Helppi and turned Minneapolis
Jim into a force at the final table. In
fact, 30 minutes later, Minneapolis Jim
had half the chips on the table.
After Dr. Bruce Van Horn was eliminated
in third place, Minneapolis Jim faced
Australian Guy Calvert in heads-up play.
Minneapolis Jim, decked out in a cowboy
hat, a sweater, with a Easter Sunday church
program sticking out of his left front
pocket, moved his chips aggressively and
took a 4 to 1 chip advantage. However,
for anyone thinking this final table would
be over soon, they would best be advised
to go catch a movie and come back later.
In fact, they could have got in a double
feature.
Head's
up play between the two talented players
lasted an astounding three hours -- virtually
unheard of in heads-up no-limit play.
Just when it appeared one player would
make a move and gain the upper hand, the
other player would become more aggressive
and take pots with over-the-top raises.
Guy
Calvert put on a final table "clinic."
Opponent Meehan clearly won the majority
of pots during heads-up play, but Calvert
used a crafty and cunning strategic style
to take back lost chips with selected
aggression -- which caused Minneapolis
Jim some serious difficulty. In fact,
Calvert went from being down 4 to 1 to
being one card away from the championship.
After
a flop of Q-8-6, all spades, Calvert (with
Q-6) called Minneapolis Jim's "all-in"
raise. Meehan held K-8, including the
nut-flush draw. A harmless deuce fell
on the turn and Calvert was one card away
from a gold bracelet. But in a stunning
twist of misfortune, a devastating black
spade fell -- darkening the night for
Calvert and effectively turning Minneapolis
Jim into the newest World Series of Poker
champion.
The
end came a short time later when Calvert
was dealt J-J and was "all in" against
Minneapolis Jim's K-K. The board failed
to bring Calvert a much-needed jack, which
meant Minneapolis Jim was victorious.
Guy Calvert collected $143,840 for second
place.
The
winner, Minneapolis Jim Meehan is a colorful
character with a great deal of style and
heart. He and Calvert displayed a magnificent
amount of class during the finale, at
one point toasting the event with a duel
order of Heineken's. After it was over,
Calvert was disappointed but also could
take great pride in knowing he played
phenomenally. Meanwhile, it's obvious
Minneapolis Jim caught a few hands along
the way. But it goes to show that in the
game of No-Limit Hold'em, you need more
than just skill to win a poker tournament.
Sometimes you need a little help from
above. Happy Easter, Minneapolis Jim.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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