The Red Hot Poker Tour's^® Season 10 Tournament of Champions

ENGINES WERE REVVING AT THE BRICK YARD FOR TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS TEN
by Michael “Scoop” Stone

March 29, 2008 - Traditionally, at the end of a Tournament of Champions, one person lays claim to the big prize.  For its tenth Tournament of Champions, the Red Hot Poker Tour announced that Seven people will go home happy with a chance to play in a World Series of Poker bracelet event.

On March 29, 2008, 140 of Red Hot’s best looked to capture three of those seats.

	Red Hot Poker Tour - Season 10 Tournament of Champions winner Osman Soubra Saturday, March 29, 2008 Brickyard Barbecue, Etobicoke, Ontario
	Tournament of Champions 10 photos

The night before Gary Biggar outlasted a table full of the most consistent players all season to claim the first of the packages in the Regional Points Champion Showdown.  Today, at the Brick Yard BBQ in Etobicoke, three more Red Hotters will be joining Gary on poker’s biggest stage.  As the sun streamed in from the large picture windows on the restaurant’s northern wall, Nick McGowan introduced the Season Ten superlatives.  Twenty-five new members were inducted into the exclusive 50K Club, for those who’ve earned 50,000 points in their Red Hot career. 

The newest 50K Club Members: Gary Biggar, Bob Clemmer,  Bradley Rodgers, Bob Dimon, Michael Dinglasan, Bob Goddard, Jimmy Herrera, Craig Williams, Wendy Louks, Rommel Leyson, Adam Wetstein, Jim McNeill, Brian Hurley, Matthew Fantauzzi, Joe Haykian, John Lawson, Angie Carnegie, Gary Shields, Rob Morse, Sidney Kendell, Steve Annon, Mike Chan, Jess LePage, Stuart Kerridge, and Patrick Ang.

Also honoured were Ladies Champ, Yvonne Couto, who turned her rookie season on the tour into a Top Female award with 16,525 points, and Carlos Munoz, who took down the Hardcore Champion award with 135 tournaments, and topped the Season Points Leader board with 26,550 points, set a new record for the most final tables at 68, and finished the season with over 100,000 points in his Red Hot career for good measure.  It was surprising to no one that a huge ovation accompanied Carlos’ introduction, proof positive of the enormous popularity he enjoys amongst his fellow tour members.

And with the formalities out of the way, it was time for the gentlemen – and ladies – to “start their engines.”  Even before some of the tables had time to get into gear word came down that the tournament’s first player had fallen, as London’s Joe Ferreira has his pocket aces fall to a flopped set of jacks.  Big pairs would run into big pairs all over the room.  On one table Season 6 Champion and “Protégé” hopeful Jimmy Herrera ran his aces into kings twice, flopping a set both times and even turning quads once! 

Tournament of Champions Bonus: Trips, Royalty, Odds, and Quads – Selected Hand Summaries by Fred Tierney.

Action moved along at a steady place, until, at the dinner break, only five tables remained.  As the action paused, most players were nursing shortstacks, while relatively few had enough chips for comfort.  After the break, the tables rapidly condensed even more, and players jockeyed for position as the final table grew nearer and nearer.  Some players managed to pull away, as there were some monster stacks scattered throughout the room.  Sal Villaluz, Robert Mosimann, Gerald MacGillivray, and Rick Gorchinsky all had well over 50k in chips, and were looking ready for the final charge.

Less comfortable was Bradley Rodgers, who exemplified the drama and stress of this part of the tournament.  After George Kuzmanovic pushed all-in from early position, Brad looked down at his hand, then over to his friends on the rail.  “I have aces,” he mouthed, though he didn’t look happy about it.  Sure enough his instincts were right, as George’s pocket threes turned a gutshot straight and took a huge part of Brad’s stack.  Brad got his own lucky card, though, when on the very next hand his QJ cracked KJ all-in with a straight of his own on the river.  Then, after busting a shortstack push with pocket sixes, he was back to over his original stack size, no worse for wear but shaken by the roller coaster ride.

The biggest pot of the bubble period was won by Osman Soubra, who called Robert’s all-in with AQ, and was in great shape against A2.  When a queen hit the flop, Robert was out and Osman got to rake in a 90k-chip pot.

With two tables left, only Bob Clemmer could lay claim to a previous final table experience.  Still alive were Sean Powell and Brian Crosgrove, two players who’ve been with Red Hot from the beginning.  Sean won the points race in Season 2, and Brian has the fourth most points in Red Hot’s existence.  It would be a great historical moment if one or both of these men were rewarded for their long-standing loyalty with a seat at the final table.  Sadly, riding the shortstack too long finally caught up to Sean.  And when Brian finally busted out in tenth place, Red Hot’s tenth TOC final table was set.

Spectators and players all moved into a previously-unused backroom, where white walls, hardwood floors, and ornamental reds and black presented a classic look.  The picture windows looked out on into the night, and bright lights illuminated Red Hot’s iconic final table.  As dealer Livaline got ready to deal her record second TOC final table, Michael Bennett Leroux took the mic and introduced the racers:

With blinds at 3000/6000 (1000 ante), the cards hit the track and the players shifted into gear.

The first lap around the table featured no bustouts, and several shortstacks doubling their stack.  Daniel Luzi flopped a flush to double through Osman, George’s AQ held versus Lino Pessoa’s AT, and Bradley won a race when his AQ beat Lino’s pocket jacks. 

With that dealer Tye Combs took his seat behind the wheel, and immediately proceeded to pile up the wreckage.

Bradley was the first to go, when he reraised Gerald’s opening raise all-in, only to get called by the Ottawan’s pocket kings.  Bradley’s jacks were no good, and the man who won ten tournaments in Season Ten hit the offramp in ninth place.  Two hands later Lino hit the deck in eighth place when his QJ couldn’t outrdraw Bob’s A6.  After some blind steals from the big stacks and a newly-flush Daniel, George’s luck ran out when his pocket sevens lost to Osman’s AT, after the chipleader flopped a couple more aces.  Then, on Tye’s last shuffle, Gerald made a gutsy call with pocket fives after Sal moved in from the button with AJ, but a jack on the turn sent our last 613-er home in sixth place.

With the smell of burnt rubber in the air, and blinds moving up to 5000/10000 (2000 ante), Tye’s work was done for the moment.  Livaline tagged in.  Instead of another bustout, what we got was a huge rush for Sal, who, after busting Gerald, went on to win 4 out of the next 5 hands and increased his chip stack from just under 100k, to well over 300k.  Sal used sheer aggression to take total control of the table, and even busted Daniel – when his AQ held versus Daniel’s KQ – to get us to the prize bubble.

Of the four players remaining, only three would get a shot at the WSOP this summer.  Rick took a step closer to that goal, doubling up on the first hand when his AT beat Bob’s KQ.  Which set up the most heated hand of the tournament.

After a limp by Osman and a completion from the small blind by Rick, Bob, nursing a shortstack, agonized over his decision.  It was clear that the man from Kitchener had a hand, but feared that he would be the unfortunate bubble boy.  He agonized… then pointed at Osman’s huge stack… then pounded on the table… before finally, almost reluctantly, pushing all his chips in.  Osman called behind him, with the body language of a man knowing that he was just gambling.  Bob’s A8s held up versus Osman’s Q9s, even though an open-ended straight draw gave Osman some more outs on the turn and Bob some unneeded stress.  After doubling-up, you’d think that Bob would be ecstatic.  But Osman’s call seemed to tilt Bob, a state that he would stay in for much of the rest of the tournament.  Bob’s repeated attempts to razz Osman about his “bad call” fell on deaf ears, as Osman maintained his cool.

Several hands later, Osman would finally pop the bubble, when, after raising preflop and getting called by Rick, he moved all-in on a T-K-6 all-heart flop.  Rick called in a flash, then asked, “Do you have a heart?”  Osman’s eyebrows raised then he shook his head no, and showed A6.  Rick’s K8 was well in the lead… until he got passed on the outside by an ace on the turn.  With no help on the river, Rick exited the race in fourth place…

… And with that, Osman Soubra, Bob Clemmer, and Sal Villaluz would be representing Red Hot at the 2008 World Series of Poker!

But there were still several laps to go, as the title of Tournament of Champions Winner was still up for grabs.  The players fought hard, stealing blinds and reraising flop bets, until the next pit stop.

With blinds at 6000/12000 (2000 ante), the chip counts looked thusly:

It would appear that Sal had the tournament locked up, with a chipstack that nearly lapped his competition.  But Osman had other ideas.  He shifted his game into a higher gear, using large preflop raises, and large flop reraises versus Sal, to pull almost even.

The two big stacks then tangled in what would become the largest and most decisive pot of the tournament.  Sal raised from the small blind and Osman called.  They saw a flop of 5-3-2, and, as was his play all day, Sal led out with a bet.  Osman, almost immediately pushed all-in, again applying the pressure to Sal.  Sal thought for a moment, then, looking like he really didn’t want to, announced “call”.  After the chip stack were counted, Osman was left with one lonely chip, as he had Sal just slightly covered.  Osman showed J4, for an open-ended straight draw.  Sal showed 65s, for top pair and a gutshot.  The turn was a safe ten, but the river was a jack, and with that Sal finished the tournament in third place.  After a number of impressive showing on the Canadian Poker Tour – and a number of large cashes all while wearing his ‘lucky’ Red Hot hat – Sal will next test his road-readiness at the WSOP.

Tournament of Champions 10 photos

And with that, Bob Clemmer – still jawing at Osman for the Q9 call that doubled him up earlier – was looking at about a 4-1 chip disadvantage between him and a TOC title.  The two men took turns jockeying for position, with small pots traded back and forth, until Bob made trip eights and got paid off to close the gap considerably.  But he blew a tire on the very next hand when, after Osman limped on the button, Bob moved all-in.  Quicker than you can say “checkered flag”, Osman called.  Bob’s AJ was in bad shape versus Osman’s Big Slick, and, after a king hit the flop and no jacks came on the turn or river, Osman Soubra crossed the finish line as the winner of the Red Hot Poker Tour’s Tenth Tournament of Champions!  Congratulations Osman, and good luck to you, Bob, and Sal this summer at the World Series of Poker!