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| 2005 Grand Casino Tunica Poker Tournament World Series of Poker Circuit Event Tournament Results |
| World Series of Poker Circuit Events 2005 Grand Casino Tunica Poker Tournament Main Event No Limit Hold'em Final Results |
| August 25, 2005 Grand Casino Tunica Poker Tournament Grand Casino Tunica Tunica, Mississippi |
Buy-In:
Prize Pool:
Entries:
Prize Pool:
Entries:
| Gregg Merkow |
|
Tournament Report
None of the players at the final table were just "happy to be here" at the
World Series of Poker Circuit Championship event at the Grand Casino in
Tunica, Mississippi. As satisfying as it may be to make a final table, there was
still far too much at stake to rest on the accomplishment. Ninth place paid
just $34,010, compared to $102,030 for fifth place, and $561,175 for first.
Making the final table is one thing, but now every decision is magnified, and
every all-in bet could mean the difference of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
These players definitely took the situation seriously, and as a group, they
took plenty of time to make all their decisions. Whether it was checking,
calling a raise, or even making a standard preflop raise, these players took
their time with it. There were few rash decisions made on this night.
Here were the opening chip counts for the final nine players:
1. Bryant King - $376,500 (seat 8)
2. Bobby Law - $360,500 (seat 3)
3. Johnny Clements - $315,500 (seat 4)
4. Steve Rassi - $194,000 (seat 9)
5. John Juanda - $158,000 (seat 2)
6. Gregg Merkow - $133,000 (seat 7)
7. Jeff Wood - $122,500 (seat 2)
8. Sonny Perry - $70,500 (seat 5)
9. Darrell Struck - $61,000 (seat 6)
Darrell Struck and Sonny Perry entered the final table as the short stacks, so
they'd be the ones most likely looking to make early moves.
Struck moved all in on Hand #12 from early position, and he was called by
Juanda in the small blind and Law in the big blind. (The all-in raise was a little
over double the standard raise at that point.) The flop came Ac-8s-3s, Juanda
checked, and Law moved all in. That couldn't be good news for Struck, seeing
somebody move all in for a dry side pot. Juanda easily folded pocket jacks
face up, and Law showed As-Ks -- top pair, top kicker, with the nut flush
draw. Struck revealed pocket fives (5s-5d), and he had some catching up to
do, needing to catch a five or a runner-runner straight to stay alive. The turn
card was the 3h, leaving him just two outs in the deck, and the river was the
2s, making Law an unnecessary flush. Darrell Struck was eliminated in ninth
place, earning $34,010.
John Juanda continued his trademark aggressive play, which had served him
very well in getting him this far. In Hand #31, Juanda moved all in from late
position. Unfortunately for him, Perry woke up to pocket aces (Ah-As) in the
small blind, and Juanda was left holding nothing more than Kd-6h. The flop
came 7s-5d-3d, so Juanda actually had outs to a gut-shot straight draw. The
turn card was the Kh, giving Juanda even more outs to trips or two pair. But
the river card was a blank (the 10c), and Perry had Juanda outchipped by
just $7,000. John Juanda was eliminated in eighth place, earning $51,015.
The next hand (Hand #32) was a huge one. King limped in from under the
gun, and it was folded around to Clements, who moved all in for $35,000
from late position. He figured he was in trouble when Perry reraised to
$85,000 from the button, obviously trying to isolate him. Clements knew he
was in trouble when King reraised all in. Perry studied King for a moment
before calling with pocket kings (Kd-Ks). Sure enough, King held aces (Ad-Ah),
and Perry and Clements were both facing elimination on this hand (Clements
held As-5c). The flop came Qs-6c-3h, and the aces were still strong. The turn
card was the 2c, giving Clements hope with a gut-shot straight draw. Only six
outs could keep King from winning the entire pot -- a four on the river would
give Clements the smaller main pot, while a king would give the entire pot to
Perry. The river card was the Kh, and the crowd exploded as a miracle hit to
rip victory from the hands of King. King survived the bad beat, but Johnny
"Chickenman" Clements was eliminated in seventh place, earning $68,020.
Sonny Perry, who entered the day in second-to-last place, was the new chip
leader, while King dropped down to third place with six players remaining. If
that river card had been a blank, King would have had $800,000 and a
dominant chip lead over the rest of the final table. King was so shaken up
that he had to give himself a short break from the table, fearing that he
would be on serious tilt. He should have stayed away a few minutes longer.
King had returned by Hand #38, when Merkow raised to $24,000 in the
small blind ahead of him. King looks down at his cards and decides to move
all in from the big blind. Merkow thinks long and hard for several minutes ("Is
King on tilt?") before deciding to call with Kh-Qs. King held a legitimate hand
with pocket nines (9s-9d), but now he found himself in a race situation
against two overcards. This time, he didn't have to wait for the river to be
outdrawn, as the flop came Qc-8s-2s. King picked up a gut-shot on the turn,
but missed, and Merkow doubled up. Bryant King was now the short stack at
the table.
King still had plenty of chips ($175,000) relative to the blinds, but in the span
of seven hands he went from chip leader to the back of the pack.
In Hand #42, King raised to $25,000, and he was called by Rassi. The flop
came Js-8h-6s, King bet out, and Rassi called. The turn card was the 10d, and
King moved all in. Rassi was reluctant, but he called with As-10s (pair of tens
with a flush draw). King showed Jd-9c, which gave him top pair with an
open-ended straight draw. Rassi needed to catch a ten, an ace, or a spade
(14 outs) to come back and win. The river card was the ace of hearts. Bryant
King was eliminated in sixth place, earning $85,025. From chip leader to the
rail in ten hands; the poker gods can certainly be cruel.
The remaining five players made it to the dinner break an hour later, and
they continued the back-and-forth for another hour after dinner. In Hand
#95, Perry raised to $30,000, and Rassi called from the small blind. The flop
came 10s-9h-6s, and Rassi immediately moved all in for $173,000. Perry, who
had just laid down A-K preflop facing an all-in on the previous hand, decided
to make the call here with 9c-7c (second pair, gut-shot straight draw). Rassi
showed Jd-10d for top pair. The turn card was a blank (2h), but the river was
the 7s, giving Perry two pair. Steve Rassi was eliminated in fifth place,
earning $102,030. Perry was back in the chip lead.
The chips would continue changing hands until Hand #140, when Merkow
raised to $48,000, and Wood reraised all in. Merkow called with Ac-Js, and
Wood showed Ks-Qh. The flop came Ah-Qd-10h, giving both players a pair,
but leaving Merkow in the lead. Wood needed to catch a jack (for a straight)
or another queen (for trips) to stay alive. The last two cards fell 9s-7d, and
Jeff Wood was eliminated in fourth place, earning $136,040.
Sonny Perry was the short stack at that point, nearly 3-to-1 behind the other
two players. As the dealer shuffles the cards for Hand #144, he tells the
other players, "I'm gonna give y'all one chance to chop this money." It gets a
good laugh from the crowd. But then Perry doubles up in that hand with
pocket kings against Merkow's Ac-8s. And in Hand #150, he doubles up with
A-K against Law's A-Q. Perry had just retaken the chip lead.
The chips continued to move around the table, with Merkow finally picking up
some momentum and taking the chip lead. In Hand #175, Perry and Merkow
limped from the blinds to see a flop of 9s-6s-2h, and they both checked. The
turn card was the 5h, Perry bet $30,000, Merkow raised to $110,000, and
before you know it, they were all in. Merkow showed 7s-3s (flush draw,
double-gut-shot straight draw), and Perry had 5s-2s (two pair with a flush
draw). Merkow was missing some outs because Perry had spades as well,
but he'd still win the hand with a four, an eight, or any spade. The river card
was the ace of spades, and Sonny Perry was eliminated in third place,
earning $170,050.
Heads-up, Gregg Merkow has a 3.5-to-1 chip lead over Bobby Law. The pots
stay small for a while, until Hand #196, when there is light betting on a
board of Ad-7c-2c-8h-8s -- until the river. When the second eight hits, Law
checked, Merkow moved all in, and Law called immediately. Merkow showed
8-4 and Law showed 8-5. They both made trip eights, but neither of their
kickers are high enough to play, so it ends up as a chopped pot. But you
could feel the sense of adrenaline in the room, and it might have loosened up
the players a bit.
In Hand #198, Merkow raised to $69,000, Law moved all in, and Merkow
thought for a few minutes before calling with Jd-7d. Law shows Ac-2h, and
Merkow was drawing slim after a flop of As-10d-8c, looking for a nine to
complete a gut-shot straight draw. The last two cards came Ah-Js, and Law
doubled up with trip aces against Merkow's pair of jacks.
In Hand #201, Law limped from the button, Merkow raised to $56,000, Law
reraised all in, and Merkow called immediately. Merkow showed As-7h, while
Law had pocket fives (5h-5d). It was a race situation, and if Law won, he'd
take over the chip lead; if Merkow won, it'd end the tournament. The flop
came Ah-8d-3c, and Merkow cheered along with his friends and family as he
became a huge favorite in the hand. Law needed to catch a five or a
runner-runner straight to stay alive. The turn card was the 4d, and Law
would win on a two (for a straight) or a five (for a set). The river card was a
blank (8s), and Bobby Law was eliminated in second place, earning
$309,490.
Gregg Merkow won the World Series of Poker Circuit Championship at the
Grand Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, winning $561,175 and a
gold-and-diamond ring.
Merkow, who owns a restaurant and bar back in Plano, Texas, won his entry
into this event in a supersatellite, and parlayed it into over half a million
dollars. He had a large group of friends who stayed to watch all night long,
along with his wife, Sumer. As nice as the money will undoubtedly be, he also
enjoyed the title, and one of the first things he did was try on the WSOP
Circuit Championship ring, proudly saying, "It fits!"
Reported by BJ Nemeth
None of the players at the final table were just "happy to be here" at the
World Series of Poker Circuit Championship event at the Grand Casino in
Tunica, Mississippi. As satisfying as it may be to make a final table, there was
still far too much at stake to rest on the accomplishment. Ninth place paid
just $34,010, compared to $102,030 for fifth place, and $561,175 for first.
Making the final table is one thing, but now every decision is magnified, and
every all-in bet could mean the difference of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
These players definitely took the situation seriously, and as a group, they
took plenty of time to make all their decisions. Whether it was checking,
calling a raise, or even making a standard preflop raise, these players took
their time with it. There were few rash decisions made on this night.
Here were the opening chip counts for the final nine players:
1. Bryant King - $376,500 (seat 8)
2. Bobby Law - $360,500 (seat 3)
3. Johnny Clements - $315,500 (seat 4)
4. Steve Rassi - $194,000 (seat 9)
5. John Juanda - $158,000 (seat 2)
6. Gregg Merkow - $133,000 (seat 7)
7. Jeff Wood - $122,500 (seat 2)
8. Sonny Perry - $70,500 (seat 5)
9. Darrell Struck - $61,000 (seat 6)
Darrell Struck and Sonny Perry entered the final table as the short stacks, so
they'd be the ones most likely looking to make early moves.
Struck moved all in on Hand #12 from early position, and he was called by
Juanda in the small blind and Law in the big blind. (The all-in raise was a little
over double the standard raise at that point.) The flop came Ac-8s-3s, Juanda
checked, and Law moved all in. That couldn't be good news for Struck, seeing
somebody move all in for a dry side pot. Juanda easily folded pocket jacks
face up, and Law showed As-Ks -- top pair, top kicker, with the nut flush
draw. Struck revealed pocket fives (5s-5d), and he had some catching up to
do, needing to catch a five or a runner-runner straight to stay alive. The turn
card was the 3h, leaving him just two outs in the deck, and the river was the
2s, making Law an unnecessary flush. Darrell Struck was eliminated in ninth
place, earning $34,010.
John Juanda continued his trademark aggressive play, which had served him
very well in getting him this far. In Hand #31, Juanda moved all in from late
position. Unfortunately for him, Perry woke up to pocket aces (Ah-As) in the
small blind, and Juanda was left holding nothing more than Kd-6h. The flop
came 7s-5d-3d, so Juanda actually had outs to a gut-shot straight draw. The
turn card was the Kh, giving Juanda even more outs to trips or two pair. But
the river card was a blank (the 10c), and Perry had Juanda outchipped by
just $7,000. John Juanda was eliminated in eighth place, earning $51,015.
The next hand (Hand #32) was a huge one. King limped in from under the
gun, and it was folded around to Clements, who moved all in for $35,000
from late position. He figured he was in trouble when Perry reraised to
$85,000 from the button, obviously trying to isolate him. Clements knew he
was in trouble when King reraised all in. Perry studied King for a moment
before calling with pocket kings (Kd-Ks). Sure enough, King held aces (Ad-Ah),
and Perry and Clements were both facing elimination on this hand (Clements
held As-5c). The flop came Qs-6c-3h, and the aces were still strong. The turn
card was the 2c, giving Clements hope with a gut-shot straight draw. Only six
outs could keep King from winning the entire pot -- a four on the river would
give Clements the smaller main pot, while a king would give the entire pot to
Perry. The river card was the Kh, and the crowd exploded as a miracle hit to
rip victory from the hands of King. King survived the bad beat, but Johnny
"Chickenman" Clements was eliminated in seventh place, earning $68,020.
Sonny Perry, who entered the day in second-to-last place, was the new chip
leader, while King dropped down to third place with six players remaining. If
that river card had been a blank, King would have had $800,000 and a
dominant chip lead over the rest of the final table. King was so shaken up
that he had to give himself a short break from the table, fearing that he
would be on serious tilt. He should have stayed away a few minutes longer.
King had returned by Hand #38, when Merkow raised to $24,000 in the
small blind ahead of him. King looks down at his cards and decides to move
all in from the big blind. Merkow thinks long and hard for several minutes ("Is
King on tilt?") before deciding to call with Kh-Qs. King held a legitimate hand
with pocket nines (9s-9d), but now he found himself in a race situation
against two overcards. This time, he didn't have to wait for the river to be
outdrawn, as the flop came Qc-8s-2s. King picked up a gut-shot on the turn,
but missed, and Merkow doubled up. Bryant King was now the short stack at
the table.
King still had plenty of chips ($175,000) relative to the blinds, but in the span
of seven hands he went from chip leader to the back of the pack.
In Hand #42, King raised to $25,000, and he was called by Rassi. The flop
came Js-8h-6s, King bet out, and Rassi called. The turn card was the 10d, and
King moved all in. Rassi was reluctant, but he called with As-10s (pair of tens
with a flush draw). King showed Jd-9c, which gave him top pair with an
open-ended straight draw. Rassi needed to catch a ten, an ace, or a spade
(14 outs) to come back and win. The river card was the ace of hearts. Bryant
King was eliminated in sixth place, earning $85,025. From chip leader to the
rail in ten hands; the poker gods can certainly be cruel.
The remaining five players made it to the dinner break an hour later, and
they continued the back-and-forth for another hour after dinner. In Hand
#95, Perry raised to $30,000, and Rassi called from the small blind. The flop
came 10s-9h-6s, and Rassi immediately moved all in for $173,000. Perry, who
had just laid down A-K preflop facing an all-in on the previous hand, decided
to make the call here with 9c-7c (second pair, gut-shot straight draw). Rassi
showed Jd-10d for top pair. The turn card was a blank (2h), but the river was
the 7s, giving Perry two pair. Steve Rassi was eliminated in fifth place,
earning $102,030. Perry was back in the chip lead.
The chips would continue changing hands until Hand #140, when Merkow
raised to $48,000, and Wood reraised all in. Merkow called with Ac-Js, and
Wood showed Ks-Qh. The flop came Ah-Qd-10h, giving both players a pair,
but leaving Merkow in the lead. Wood needed to catch a jack (for a straight)
or another queen (for trips) to stay alive. The last two cards fell 9s-7d, and
Jeff Wood was eliminated in fourth place, earning $136,040.
Sonny Perry was the short stack at that point, nearly 3-to-1 behind the other
two players. As the dealer shuffles the cards for Hand #144, he tells the
other players, "I'm gonna give y'all one chance to chop this money." It gets a
good laugh from the crowd. But then Perry doubles up in that hand with
pocket kings against Merkow's Ac-8s. And in Hand #150, he doubles up with
A-K against Law's A-Q. Perry had just retaken the chip lead.
The chips continued to move around the table, with Merkow finally picking up
some momentum and taking the chip lead. In Hand #175, Perry and Merkow
limped from the blinds to see a flop of 9s-6s-2h, and they both checked. The
turn card was the 5h, Perry bet $30,000, Merkow raised to $110,000, and
before you know it, they were all in. Merkow showed 7s-3s (flush draw,
double-gut-shot straight draw), and Perry had 5s-2s (two pair with a flush
draw). Merkow was missing some outs because Perry had spades as well,
but he'd still win the hand with a four, an eight, or any spade. The river card
was the ace of spades, and Sonny Perry was eliminated in third place,
earning $170,050.
Heads-up, Gregg Merkow has a 3.5-to-1 chip lead over Bobby Law. The pots
stay small for a while, until Hand #196, when there is light betting on a
board of Ad-7c-2c-8h-8s -- until the river. When the second eight hits, Law
checked, Merkow moved all in, and Law called immediately. Merkow showed
8-4 and Law showed 8-5. They both made trip eights, but neither of their
kickers are high enough to play, so it ends up as a chopped pot. But you
could feel the sense of adrenaline in the room, and it might have loosened up
the players a bit.
In Hand #198, Merkow raised to $69,000, Law moved all in, and Merkow
thought for a few minutes before calling with Jd-7d. Law shows Ac-2h, and
Merkow was drawing slim after a flop of As-10d-8c, looking for a nine to
complete a gut-shot straight draw. The last two cards came Ah-Js, and Law
doubled up with trip aces against Merkow's pair of jacks.
In Hand #201, Law limped from the button, Merkow raised to $56,000, Law
reraised all in, and Merkow called immediately. Merkow showed As-7h, while
Law had pocket fives (5h-5d). It was a race situation, and if Law won, he'd
take over the chip lead; if Merkow won, it'd end the tournament. The flop
came Ah-8d-3c, and Merkow cheered along with his friends and family as he
became a huge favorite in the hand. Law needed to catch a five or a
runner-runner straight to stay alive. The turn card was the 4d, and Law
would win on a two (for a straight) or a five (for a set). The river card was a
blank (8s), and Bobby Law was eliminated in second place, earning
$309,490.
Gregg Merkow won the World Series of Poker Circuit Championship at the
Grand Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, winning $561,175 and a
gold-and-diamond ring.
Merkow, who owns a restaurant and bar back in Plano, Texas, won his entry
into this event in a supersatellite, and parlayed it into over half a million
dollars. He had a large group of friends who stayed to watch all night long,
along with his wife, Sumer. As nice as the money will undoubtedly be, he also
enjoyed the title, and one of the first things he did was try on the WSOP
Circuit Championship ring, proudly saying, "It fits!"
Reported by BJ Nemeth
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| 2005 Grand Casino Tunica Poker Tournament World Series of Poker Circuit Events Championship Event No Limit Hold'em Final Results |
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