First-time
Amateur Gerry Drehobl Demolishes World’s
Top Poker Pros in
Epic Marathon Victory
This proves that if you have a passion
for something and dedicate yourself to
it, you can succeed at it.
--
Gerry Drehobl (after winning 2004 WSOP
Event #7)
It�s a story that�s been told a thousand
or more times, but never gets old. David
slays Goliath. Rocky defeats Apollo Creed.
Moneymaker triumphs. The latest giant-killer
is named GERRY DREHOBL, the owner of a
small aviation-related business in Spokane,
WA. Incredibly, DREHOBL began playing
poker only six months ago. When he came
to Las Vegas this year to play in his
first major poker tournament, no one,
not even DREHOBL himself could have possibly
imagined the most implausible of poker
victories. DREHOBI overcame immeasurable
odds and defeated a huge field of 537
players � including former world champions
Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Scotty Nguyen,
Phil Hellmuth, Huck Seed, Tom McEvoy,
Berry Johnston, and Chris �Jesus� Ferguson
� en route to his first tournament victory
and a whopping payout of $365,900 in prize
money. In fact, the total prize pool of
over $1.2 million dollars is now the second
event to exceed a million dollars in prize
money.
Even
more remarkable was DREHOBL�s crafty performance
at the final table � against what was
undoubtedly one of the toughest and most
colorful in recent memory. Poker�s explosion
has created huge tournament fields, which,
in turn, have made final tables reminiscent
of the old game show, �What�s My Line?�
Fact is, most final tables are now comprised
of relatively unknown players, and with
each passing event we are introduced to
several new poker personalities. But this
table was different for many reasons.
First, there were a number of poker �superstars�
present in the finale � well known players
sure to attract attention. In a sense,
it was a dream table for the ESPN broadcast
crew, which televised the event for expected
showing during the summer, enticing hundreds
of spectators to gather on the second
floor of the Horseshoe Casino-Hotel in
downtown Las Vegas. Those in attendance
were fortunate enough to witness poker
history being made by a 49-year-old first-time
poker player and consummate underdog.
Play
began at 5:30 pm PST. The first key hand
of the night took place when PAUL PHILLIPS
took pocket kings up against JOHN JUANDA's
pocket 8s. The kings prevailed, and PHILLIPS
quickly doubled up to $120K.
BRIAN
STRAHL was the first player to go out
when he lost with pocket 5s. An ace on
the flop gave JOHN JUANDA top pair with
A-J, and it was all over for STRAHL, a
29-year-old poker player from Atlantic
City, who was playing at his third final
table dating back to 2003. STRAHL collected
$25,240.
When
asked if he could have possibly avoided
elimination by not committing all his
chips with the pocket 5s, STRAHL responded,
�If I did everything right, I would still
be over there playing.�
The
elimination of one player from the final
table was significant for one bizarre
reason. Chip-leader DANIEL NEGREANU had
reportedly made 27 re-buys in this event
(essentially investing $28,000 in himself
to win), which meant that the two-time
bracelet winner would need at least an
8th-place finish to ensure a profit. With
STAHL�s departure, now NEGREANU would
be guaranteed a profit.
LEE
MARKHOLT had been primarily responsible
for knocking out the "Professor" of tournament
poker, Howard Lederer, when there were
just ten players remaining. Accordingly,
Lederer finished on the �TV bubble.� About
an hour into the final table, MARKHOLT
had about $100K and blinds were $3K-6K.
He found A-Q and announced "all in" after
RAM VASWANI had made an initial raise
with pocket kings. The pair cowboys became
the four horsemen of the apocalypse when
the final board showed K-9-9-K-x. Quad
kings was massive overkill, and MARKHOLT
took his place on the rail as the 8th
place finisher. He received $37,860.
�I
had a pretty short stack and had to make
a move,� MARKHOLT said afterward. �A-Q
was the best hand I found, so I had to
go with it. With a short-stack, you don�t
have a lot of decisions to make.�
Down
to seven, RAM �CRAZY HORSE� VASWANI was
low on chips. The pro poker player is
part of the �Hendon Mob,� a group of four
top London-based players who have terrorized
the European circuit with their poker
skills for nearly a decade. However, CRAZY
HORSE wasn�t able to corral his opponents
at this final table and was bucked off
the final table in 7th place � good for
50 grand.
Chip
leader NEGREANU continued to add to his
chip castle. As he stacked yet another
pot, he was taunted incessantly by the
player on his immediate right � MIKE �MOTORMOUTH�
MATUSOW. "You're my hero," MOTORMOUTH
snarled in jest. "There's nothing like
beating a hero up� � which evoked laughter
from the standing room only crowd.
About
an hour later, it was NEGREANU who got
to laugh when he busted REGGIE �THE WRECKER�
CARDIEL. The flop came Q-Q-3 and CARDIEL
was the aggressor on the hand, betting
$45K. NEGREANU smooth called. A five on
the turn put two diamonds on board, and
CARDIEL bet out again. NEGREANU called.
A third diamond fell on the river, and
CARDIEL checked. NEGREANU moved "all in"
with Q-J and CARDIEL called reluctantly
with 10-10. That was a big mistake, since
NEGREANU had trip queens. THE WRECKER
was towed away from the final table in
6th place with $63,080.
�You
can�t complain about winning sixty thousand
dollars,� CARDIEL stated. �But when you
get so close to the really big money,
then it�s a big disappointment.�
The
circus sideshow between NEGREANU and MOTORMOUTH
continued. At one point, Tournament Director
Matt Savage listed DANIEL NEGREANU's impressive
tournament resume, to which MOTORMOUH
replied, "Do we have to listen to this
again?" Moments later, MOTORMOUTH took
another verbal jab at NEGREANU when he
barked out, "I remember the last tournament
we played (together), I busted you! You
remember that, don�t you, Daniel?" More
laughter. Even NEGREANU was smiling.
More
table madness: As NEGREANU continued to
increase his chip lead, MOTORMOUTH squawked,
�Don�t get used to stacking those chips,
Daniel. Those chips are on temporary loan.�
But
there were some serious moments, too.
MOTORMOUTH caught a huge break when he
tried to make a move with A-4 and got
called by JOHN JUANDA with A-J. MOTORMOUTH
was �all in� and looked to be in a horrible
position shape before the flop � essentially
drawing to a three-outer (fours). The
MOTORMOUTH�s jaws stopping flapping for
an instant as he hoped for a miracle.
An act of divine intervention gave MOTORMOUTH
a four on the flop, and the colorful Las
Vegas pro was granted a temporary reprieve.
Unfortunately, MOTORMOUTH lost everything
a short time later. MOTORMOUTH flopped
top pair with kings and made a large bet,
which was called by dot.com dilettante,
PAUL PHILLIPS. The sandal-wearing winner
of several major tournaments and emerging
poker celebrity caught a flush on the
turn. When PHILLIPS bet out on the river,
it was enough to put MOTORMOUTH �all in.�
MOTORMOUTH called and showed two pair.
No good. PHILLIPS� hand won and MOTORMOUTH
took $75,700 as the 5th place finisher.
�They
were all moving in, and I didn�t want
to play many hands. I was hoping they
would break each other�.On the last hand
I had two pair and I knew (Paul Phillips)
didn�t have a set, so I called with the
rest of my chips. Of course, that was
a mistake,� said MIKE �MOTORMOUTH� MATUSOW.
After
a break, blinds increased to $4K-8K. JOHN
JUANDA was the first player to deal a
serious blow to NEGREANU�s chip lead,
when he made top pair with jacks and was
called reluctantly by NEGREANU with pocket
8s. The hand essentially put all four
finalists close in chips, and the outcome
seemed wide open. GERRY DREHOBL sat quietly
most of the evening, absorbing the unfolding
drama around him. For the most part, he
assumed a conservative strategy and played
far fewer hands than his three �world
class� opponents.
But
DREHOBI suddenly came alive on a big hand
when he was dealt Q-Q. DREHOBL made it
$40K, and JUANDA called. PHILLIPS, with
8-8 moved "all in." DREHOBL moved "all
in" over the top, and had more than enough
chips to cover PHILLIPS. JUANDA thought,
then folded, and showed A-J. The crowd
gasped when the flop came A-10-6 (which
would have paired JUANDA's ace) and watched
as two successive blanks fell on the turn
and river -- resulting in a $350,000 pot
for DREHOBL and a 4th place finish for
Mr. Dot.Com -- otherwise known as the
amiable PAUL PHILLIPS. This was PHILLIP�s
second final table at this year�s WSOP
(he finished 2nd a few days ago).
�I
think I played as well as I could,� PHILLIPS
said in a post-game interview. �The thing
about these tournaments is � it�s not
that hard to take second or third place
or (make a final table). But it�s really
hard to win. I can say that from personal
experience, having so many 2nd and 3rd
place finishes.�
To
just about everyone�s surprise, DREHOBL
was now the chip leader with over $700K.
The motley trio of battled back and forth
for nearly two hours. During the marathon,
NEGREANU managed to lose about half his
stack -- with most of those chips going
across the table to JUANDA. At the next
break, the chip counts stood at: DREHOBL
($725K), JUANDA ($443K), and NEGREANU
($164K).
NEGREANU
became desperate to stop the flow of chips
out of his stack. He moved �all in� after
an initial raise by DREHOBL, and knew
he was in serious trouble when DREHOBL
nearly beat NEGREANU into the pot with
his chips. NEGREANU�s instincts were correct.
DREHOBL woke up with pocket kings, and
NEGREANU�s petty king-queen looked like
a couple on the verge of a divorce. The
board failed to overturn the decisive
odds in DREHOBL�s favor, which meant the
final table was down to just three players.
NEGREANU, who has two gold bracelets from
the World Series of Poker (wins in 1998
and 2003) received $88,320 for 4th place.
�Third
sucks,� said NEGREANU afterward in reference
to coming in third. �I always play to
win. But I feel that I played well. I
don�t think I got outplayed � I got out-carded.�
When
asked about investing $28,000 in this
tournament (with multiple re-buys) � which
�unofficially� may be the largest number
of re-buys ever recorded by a single individual
in a major tournament -- NEGREANU retorted
that he expected profit. �All those people
were laughing at me in the beginning �
what an idiot! What an idiot! Well, they
all lost two or three thousand. Well,
I made $70-something thousand and there�s
certainly nothing wrong with that.�
When
heads up play started, DREHOBL enjoyed
slightly better than a 2 to 1 chip lead:
DREHOBL:
$900K
JUANDA: $400K
The
two finalists were about as different
as they could possibly be:
JUANDA
- DREHOBL
Age:
33 - 49
Birthplace: Indonesia - Rapid
City, SD
Occupation: Poker Pro - Business
Owner
Marital Status: Single - Married
Children:
0 - 7
Education:
Master�s Degree - N/A
Tournament Wins: 20 (est.) - 0
WSOP wins: 3 - 0
Years Playing Poker: 10+ - .5
Most
observers expected the more-experienced
JUANDA to gradually peck away at DREHOBL�s
big stack. JUANDA was clearly more savvy
at heads-up play and might have been able
to take advantage of DREHOBL�s more rigid
standards for getting involved in big
pots. Therefore, it was quite a surprise
that the heads-up match between the polar
opposites lasted only three hands.
At
12:30 am, DREHOBL was dealt K-K to JUANDA�s
Ac-10s. DREHOBL raised pre-flop and JUANDA
called. On the turn, the board showed
Qc-7c-7d-6c (three clubs on board) and
JUANDA bet $50K. DREHOBL raised $110K.
JUANDA announced �all in� on the semi-bluff
nut flush draw � and DREHOBL called. A
blank 4 fell on the river, which make
DREHOBL the unlikeliest of poker champions.
JOHN JUANDA received $193,020 as the runner
up.
JUANDA
was good-natured about his defeat. That�s
why you play the game,� he said. �Everyone
has a chance to win.�
DREHOBL
was the first to agree. �I hoped I could
get here someday � five years or ten years,
or however long it took,� DREHOBL said
later in reference to his relative inexperience
as a poker player and newcomer status
to the excitement of the World Series.
�But this proves that if you have a passion
for something and dedicate yourself to
it, you can succeed at it.�
�I
never expected to be able to come here
and compete against the top level players.
I thought I�d come (to the Horseshoe)
to get a chance to play and learn.�
Immediately
following the final hand, at the pinnacle
of his fame and glory as poker�s newest
champion, DREHOBL�s wife rushed from the
crowd and ran onto the ESPN stage where
the final table was held. Tears of joy
streamed down her face as the two embraced.
�I�m
so excited. I�m so proud of him,� she
said.
GERRY
DREHOBL must have shaken dozens of hands,
from those offering congratulations, as
he exited the room. He rocketed from total
obscurity to �poker champion� overnight
-- overcoming one of the toughest final
tables in history.
--Price
of an entry fee: $1,000
--Price of double add-on: $2,000
--Net value of a World Series of Poker
gold bracelet: Priceless
-- by Nolan Dalla
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