Red Hot's First National Championships:
Tournament Of Champions 6
by Michael Stone

	Red Hot Poker Tour - Season 6 Tournament of Champions winner Richard "Richie Rich" Hebert
	Keating Channel Pub, Toronto Saturday, November 25, 2006
	Season 6 Tournament of Champions photos

The Red Hot Poker Tour's Tournament of Champions is usually fraught with anxiety and tension for the players invited to participate.  But, like the Season 4 TOC, this TOC was just a little more tense, and a little more anxious.  Daniel Negreanu's stern visage graced the cover of the many CardPlayer magazines scattered around the room, souvenirs for those in attendance and a reminder to all that the winner of the tournament would get a trip to the Bahamas, and a chance at becoming Kid Poker's Protégé.  As players filed into a packed Keating Channel Pub -- decorated brightly with the trapping of the winter season -- the mystery of just who would get that chance kept everybody's attention.

Amongst the 150 players, there were a lot of unfamiliar faces to those of us who were TOC veterans.  No longer dominated by the GTA crowd, the TOC now featured large contingents from Kitchener, Windsor (all wearing white shirts with "Team Windsor" printed on the back"), Hamilton, Ottawa and our newest region London.  And, not to be outdone, from places as far away as British Columbia (four players made the trip east, making this the first true "national" championship) and the Internet (Red Club, Red Hot's online poker club, was represented as well).

Dean MacNeil's traditional opening speech welcomed us all to the event, and singled out the great performances from Red Hot's sixth regular season.  Zahra Kotadia earned the top female prize, nearly breaking the single-season win record in the process, and was rewarded with a set of poker chips.  Lyndon Harris regained his hardcore champion award, amassing 114 tournaments played throughout the season, and getting a fully-loaded gas card for his troubles.  And finally, Dean congratulated Bill Bawden, for not only dominating the point list for a second season in a row (breaking his own records for most points and most final tables in a season), but also for representing everything Red Hot stands for, by supporting the bars and welcoming new players and by being generally friendly to all who know him.  Congrats, Bill.

And with that, the players took their seats and the cards were in the air.

A new wrinkle in this season's TOC was the inclusion of a featured table.  Big Red, Red Hot's traditional  final table, was set up in the pub's front room, manned by a dealer and populated by some of Red Hot's notable players.  Living up the hype, the feature table provided the hand of the tournament's early going, as Lyndon was all-in with AA vs. two players holding AK.  When the rockets held up, a scream erupted from the crowd, and Lyndon let out his patented "woof-woof" bark.  News of the big hand spread throughout the room like wildfire, hyping everybody up in the process.

Not one to need hyping up, last season's TOC champ Sharmarke Osman was seen at one of the outer tables dominating play, and never ever using the chair provided for him. "Ever since I came here," he announced, "I take the chips!"  He immediately proceeded to rake in a huge pot when his pocket tens held up against 65s. 

Bad beats were everywhere, and the competition for the Bad Beat jackpot, organized by dealer Liv-aline, was fierce.  It wasn't enough to have your pocket aces cracked by pocket kings (a fate delivered by Zahra to one poor opponent).  The beats had to be truly spectacular to win the gift bag, which included a stress ball, a bunch of lollipops (apropos, after one gets "sucked out" on) and a can of bad beets.  When all was said and done, Season 3 TOC champ Adam Domenchini was the (ahem) winner, after his second pair got cracked by an underpair that wound up going runner-runner for a straight.

At the dinner break, red Red Hot toques were put on the tables for the survivors, as the tournament staff chipped up the stacks.  The biggest pile was around 60,000, but there were many players still healthy enough to make a run.  And some who (seemingly) weren't.  As the players stood in line for their meal, one player was overheard saying that he was "down to about 3000 in chips, and looking for a big hand to double-up".  The name of the player?  Richard Herbert, one of the Ottawa out-of-towners.  You'll hear more about him later...

After the dinner break, the action was loose and fast.  Players weren't scared to put their chips into the pot.  One guy reraised a reraise with QJ, only to run into pocket aces.  He made his flush on the river, but was already drawing dead to a turned boat.  As the tables shrunk from three to two, the crowds watching got enormous.  A suckout and resuckout on the far table was greeted with a huge cheer heard throughout the pub.  In the eye of the storm, as is his wont, was season 4 champ Jimmy Herrera, who again went deep in the TOC.  Jimmy didn't seem to need a chair at this point, as he used his patented all-in-and-stand-up routine over and over again.  Jimmy's good fortune managed to propel him to a respectable 14th place finish, ensuring that Red Hot would send a new person to the Protégé final table.

James Millar was the one making the most of the bubble, repeatedly making aggressive raise after aggressive raise, and building a monster stack.  A huge crowd watched as he pushed all-in from the under the gun, only to run into Jared Kakekagumick and Nico Rowinsky in the blinds, both of whom appeared to agonize forever over big laydowns.  It wasn't the kind of huge confrontation that drives a crowd wild.  But a hand filled with quiet dramatic tension, a play that makes watching poker such a great spectacle.

Finally, after taking a bad beat, Randy Rosales moved all-in, only to be called by John Dafesh.  Randy's pocket sixes were no match for John's pocket aces, and our bubble had finally burst.  Normally at this point our last ten players would make their way over to the final table expecting to see Big Red.  But this tournament would be different.  Big Red, which did yeoman's duty during the early stages, was now replaced by the same table used in the last Protégé TV taping.  With its high bumpers and plush chairs, the players would be treated to the kind of luxury waiting for one of them in the Bahamas.

As dealer Taylor Jones prepared to shuffle up, Michael Bennett Leroux announced how the 610,000 chips in play were divided amongst the final 10 players

With blinds at 3000/6000, and a 1000 ante, it was inevitable that the action would be fast.  But even the experienced crowd wasn't prepared for just how fast.

We lost 4 players within the first 6 hands.  Jordan was first to go when his AJ was no match for David's pocket Kings.  He had a glimmer of hope when an ace flopped, but the King on the turn sealed his fate, and he finished the tournament in 10th place.  On the very next hand Jared moved all-in and James Arsenault called.  Jared's AQ held up over James's AJ, and we had our ninth place finisher.  Then moments later Jared put a short-stacked Kean all-in and his pair of fives knocked out one of our last two Kitchener boys in eighth place.  On the very next hand, Nico was all-in with K8 vs. James Millar's A2.  When two more aces flopped Nico resignedly accepted his 7th place finish.  And just like that, before anyone could blink an eye, we were down to 6-handed.

Jared took control of the table when, after big bets on the flop, turn, and river, he got David to fold.  Jared flipped over QJ, which gave him a hand of just ace-high, stunning the crowd with his monster bluff, and showing the heart of a champion.

After some blind-stealing, and small all-in coinflips, we lost our next player at hand 17.  John raised, and James, having already lost some of his huge stack, called.  On a flop with two jacks, John checked.  James moved all-in... but John beat him into the pot, and triumphantly flipped over AJ for a flopped set!  James, sheepishly caught in a stone cold bluff, congratulated his opponent on a great play, and accepted his sixth place finish.

Just like last season, this season's TOC featured a long, often times grueling session of five-handed play – featuring a player from Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Kelowna BC, Ottawa, and Windsor!  Nobody wanted to make that fatal mistake which would cost them their chance at victory.  Play was dominated mostly by all-in blind steals, and very little drama.  Though that's not to say there was a lack of exciting moments.  Jared managed to take a big pot off of John when he pushed all-in with second pair, got called by top pair, and rivered a straight for a pot worth over 200k in chips!  These same two big stacks wound up chopping a pot later, when both were all-in preflop with AQ.  It seemed almost inevitable that whomever won this rivalry would be rewarded with a monster chipstack, and possibly a tournament victory.  At the next break it was Jared who held over John, taking the chip lead with 226,000, leaving John with only 55,000.  But Richard (129,000), Rob (102,000), and even a recently short-stacked David (97,000) still had lots of ammunition left.  And once the break ended, they showed that they knew how to use it.

A patient Rob found the hand he was looking for, raising, and then calling Jared's all-in reraise, with pocket kings.  Jared couldn't find the ace he needed, and Rob took down his first big pot of the final table.  The Kitchener contingent, rooting on their bearded and tattooed friend, yelled, "Dust off that thong!"  But Rob -- who would emerge as the final table's biggest character -- had other plans should he win the trip to the Bahamas. "Still gotta shave my a--!" he noted, to the crowd's delight.

Richard, seated to Rob's left, had an almost opposite demeanor.  Quiet and bespectacled, he went about his business with thoughtful care.  And an almost preternatural ability to double-up whenever he needed to.  For example, at hand 49, he called Rob's all-in with QQ.  Rob's pocket fours still had life... until it was revealed that David had folded pocket fours!  Richard, playing fewer pots than most, was untouchable.

John, short-stacked after his earlier tangles with Jared, finally found a hand to move all-in with.  He was called by both Rob and Richard.  John's pocket twos were no match for Richard's paired Jacks, and "Team Windsor's" last warrior was ousted in fifth place.

The layout of the table geographically mirrored the hometowns of the remaining contenders.  Jared, Rob, and Richard were bunched together on the right hand side -- Ontario boys all -- while our last remaining west coaster, David, sat all the way at the other end.  The Kelowna resident waited and watched, looking for opportunities to steal and double-up.  But on the fourteenth hand of four-handed play, David called Rob's huge bet, and found himself all-in with K-10 vs. A2.  A flopped ace sealed the deal, and our last non-Ontario player was done in fourth place.  The crowd gave David a warm round of applause, recognizing not only his accomplishment, but the fact that he'd come so far to play in this tournament.

It wasn't long before we lost our next player.  Rob, remaining aggressive (probably because, as he explained to the crowd, "I gotta pee!") raised the pot.  Jared quickly moved all-in.  Rob thought about it for a while, and finally made the call, but his QJ was in rough shape against Jared's AQ.  A jack spiked, though, and the tough beat knocked Jared out in third place.  With his elimination Red Hot was now ready to crown its first non-Toronto-area TOC winner.

Kitchener's Rob dominated the early heads-up action against Ottawa's Richard, winning 11 of the first 16 pots.  But Richard managed to stay afloat by employing his "Eye of the Tiger" to double up when he needed to.  Finally, at hand #83 of the final table, we had the confrontation that would eventually decide the tournament.  With blinds of 10k/20k, and a 3k ante, Rob raised to 70k from the button.  Richard called.  On the raggedy flop, Richard checked.  Rob bet 100k.  Richard moved all-in for another 100k+ more.  At this point, it seemed like the earth had stopped; the room got eerily quiet as Rob pondered his decision.  "It's a big, big pot," he noted, almost trying to talk himself into a call.  "Did you pick now to bluff, G-dammit?" he asked his opponent.  Richard sat stonefaced and silent.  Finally, Rob announced that he put Richard on a draw, and called with 7-5s, for second pair.  Richard was not on a draw; he was slowplaying pocket kings.  The board bricked out and Rob was all but crippled.  Two hands later, Rob's 85o couldn't crack A7, and Richard Herbert was the Season 6 Red Hot Poker Tour Tournament of Champions winner. 

Congratulations Richard, and good luck in the Bahamas as you try to become Daniel Negreanu's next Protégé!