Number
Nine, and Counting��
I'll
retire when I quit winning.
-- Doyle Brunson
Poker
history was made Thursday night when legendary
Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson, won an unprecedented
ninth World Series of Poker gold bracelet.
For poker fans and players of all ages,
it was the equivalent of seeing Jack Nicklaus
win the Masters in the twilight of his
career, or watching Babe Ruth hit a home
run in his final at bat. Many years from
now, those who witnessed this historical
milestone will be able to look back and
say, "I was there."
Brunson's
presence at a final table was enough to
guarantee a standing-room only crowd at
Binion's Horseshoe, and a large audience
tuned in from all over the world to watch
the live Internet broadcast. Brunson was
making his first final table at the World
Series of Poker in five years. He's now
cashed 23 times in the world's largest
and most prestigious poker tournament
-- with two world championships in 1976
and 1977. Between 1976 and 1979, Brunson
made six final tables. He won all six.
But
there were still a few doubts on this
day. Some whispered that the competition
has improved dramatically in recent years
(it certainly has), while others wondered
if Brunson, now in his 70s, could still
play the game with as much ability as
before. The answer to that question would
be answered in a little over four hours.
David
Plastik, from Las Vegas come into the
final table with a 3-2 chip lead versus
Brunson and a talented field of players
which included 1998 world poker champion
Scotty Nguyen. Things went well for Plastik
in the early stages as he maintained his
chip lead -- while Randall Skaggs, Chip
Jett, and Bill Gazes were eliminated in
8th, 7th and 6th place respectively.
But
everything went terribly wrong for Plastik
during a 90-minute series of hands which
completely altered the momentum of the
final table and set the stage for Brunson's
historical breakthrough. First, Scott
Numoto, a high-stakes player from San
Jose, caught a miracle straight on the
last card of the seven-card stud leg of
the H.O.R.S.E. cycle and scooped a huge
pot against Plastik. A few hands later
in the Stud Eight or Better leg, Brunson
hammered Plastik's big stack with a 6-low
and a 7-high straight to Plastik's two
pair. That win catapulted Texas Dolly
into the chip lead for the first time
and set the stage for Plastik's monumental
collapse.
To be fair, much of the misery wasn't
Plastik's fault. He usually started off
with the best hand, failed to improve,
then watched in horror as his opponent
managed to catch the perfect card to steal
the pot. After Scotty Nguyen was eliminated
in 5th place and Scotty Numoto went out
4th, Plastik's nightmare final hour could
be summed up in one final hand.
In
the hold'em round, Plastik was dealt K-6
of spades. He watched with ecstasy as
the flop came with three spades. Plastik's
eyes immediately darted towards Brunson's
chips -- as he figured at the very least
to win a decent-sized pot and draw close
to even with The Man. By the time another
spade fell on the turn, Plastik was "all
in" and still confident he would win the
pot. Little did Plastik know, he was drawing
completely dead. Brunson showed the Ace
of spades for the nut flush, and Plastik's
cards were bundled up and thrown across
the room in disgust. After shaking off
the series of bad beats, Plastik returned
to the final table and wished his two
former opponents well. It was a nice gesture
by Plastik after suffering one of the
worst series of defeats at any World Series
of Poker final table on record.
When
head's up play began, Brunson held a 5-2
chip lead versus Brian Haveson, from Newton,
PA. Haveson has slowly, but surely, earned
the respect of his tournament opponents
in recent years. While not as well-known
to the public as the stars of the game,
Haveson has developed a well-deserved
reputation as a tough player capable of
winning on any given day. However, his
task on this day might have been too daunting.
Haveson
staged a rally at one point when he made
fours full of nines versus Brunson during
the Omaha High-Low leg of the H.O.R.S.E.
series. Then, Brunson stormed back a few
hands later and scooped a large pot with
a set of fives and a decent low to put
Haveson on the brink of elimination. Haveson's
final hand of the night came when he was
dealt A-2-8-K to Brunson's 5-5-Q-Q. By
the time the board showed K-5-3-10 on
the turn, all of Haveson's chips were
in the pot and he needed a low card (or
a king) to stay alive. A picture card
fell on the river which meant Brunson's
three fives would scoop the pot and guarantee
the victory.
"I
know I was sitting in the seat that just
about every player dreams about," said
Haveson afterward. "If I could have won
my first gold bracelet playing against
Doyle Brunson, that would have been amazing.
But I'm still proud of the way I played."
Haveson
was right. He played a magnificent game
and showed he can hold his own against
the world' best poker player. Meanwhile,
it seemed to be just another day at the
office for The Man, Doyle Brunson.
Interestingly
enough, the prize money won by Brunson
in this event ($84K) is dwarfed by a side
bet which Brunson made with another well-known
poker player, just days earlier. According
to Brunson, he bet $25,000 at 10-1 he
would win a gold bracelet at this year's
World Series of Poker. It took him all
of three events to do it (this is the
third event Brunson has played this year).
In essence, the win was worth a cool quarter
of a million to Brunson in side-action
alone.
But
money seemed to be the least important
thing about winning this poker championship.
Brunson said he treasures playing at the
World Series of Poker and is proud to
carry forth the heritage of this great
tournament, which began 34 years ago (Brunson
was there at the inaugural in 1970). When
asked about his record ninth gold bracelet,
Brunson said, "Records are made to be
broken. Eventually someone is going to
catch me." Nevertheless, the victory guarantees
that it will be at least a few more years
before anyone catches up to Brunson's
record.
Afterwards,
Doyle Brunson sat at the final table and
went through a question and answer session
with reporters. The audience stood and
watched in awe as Brunson fielded questions
and reflected back on his 50-plus years
in poker. He told stories of his early
days and conveyed what the game of poker
(and the World Series of Poker) meant
to him. Brunson closed off his shining
moment in the twilight by saying he is
determined to win a 10th gold bracelet.
"I'll retire when I stop winning," he
said.
For
all fans of the game of poker, and for
anyone who was there inside Binion's Horseshoe
on this day to witness history being made,
it doesn't get any better than this.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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