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| 2005 Showboat Atlantic City Poker Tournament World Series of Poker Circuit Event Tournament Results |
| World Series of Poker Circuit Events 2005 Showboat Atlantic City Poker Tournament Main Event No Limit Hold'em Final Results |
| December 9, 2005 Showboat Atlantic City Poker Tournament Showboat Atlantic City Atlantic City, New Jersey |
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Prize Pool:
Entries:
Prize Pool:
Entries:
| Chris Reslock |
|
Tournament Report
Driven to Win:
Atlantic City Poker Pro Chris Reslock Defeats John Juanda in Grueling 7-
Hour Heads-Up Marathon
Back in 1998, Chris Reslock was in his mid-40s and was working what many
would consider to be a dead-end job. Reslock was driving a taxi in Atlantic
City. Reslock wanted more. He started playing poker part-time to make extra
money. Then one day, Reslock decided to take a chance. He made an
investment in himself.
Reslock parked his taxi inside a casino parking garage and started playing
poker professionally. He vowed that he could always go back to the garage,
hop in the cab, return to the streets, and start making a living by driving
again if he went broke. Now seven years later, after winning $335,235 in the
World Series of Poker Circuit Showboat Atlantic City championship event, it
appears Reslock won't have to worry about hustling for fares.
From the very start of this tournament, it seemed Reslock was destined to
win. He was the chip leader at the conclusion of both Day One and Day Two.
However, after Day Three when he arrived at the final table in fourth place,
he must have feared that his momentum was slipping away. Reslock faced a
formidable challenge, facing nine very tough opponents. Of these players,
three were former WSOP gold bracelet winners - Mickey Appleman (with 4
wins), John Juanda (with 3 wins), and John Spadavecchia (with 1 win).
The final table included two very distinct phases. The first phase went by in a
flash, at least when compared with most major poker tournaments. Eight
players were eliminated in a lightning-fast pace - just under three hours. But
if anyone in the audience was thinking of making early dinner reservations,
such arrangements would be rudely postponed. It might have been wiser to
make breakfast reservations for the following morning.
It was an 11-hour final table that, despite an interesting mix of personalities
and obvious talent, did not produce many exciting moments. Oddly enough,
there were few, if any bad beats, miracle draw-outs, or emotional outbursts.
It was, for all intents and purposes, perhaps the only final on record where
the smaller stack (when �all in") failed to double up each
and every time. When 1983 WSOP champion described no-limit hold'em as
"hours and hours of pure boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror,"
he must have been thinking about a final table like this.
10th Place - Tenth-place was a mixed blessing. On one hand, the player
made it to the final table and appeared on ESPN, albeit briefly. The downside
was - he received absolutely no prize money. Mickey Appleman took the
proverbial bittersweet pill. He moved all-in with his last 9,000 holding A-9
suited. John Spadavecchia, holding A-J, busted Appleman when a Jack fell.
Mickey Appleman, a living legend in the gambling world, took poker's worst
beat as the tournament's bubble finisher. Outlasting nine-tenths of the field
and surviving four days was never less satisfying.
9th Place - Daniel Shak, a hedge-fund manager from Pennsylvania who
enjoyed a successful run at this year's WSOP, went out next. He was dealt A-
Q and flopped and Ace. Trouble was, John Juanda held K-K and managed to
flop a King, good for trips. The three cowboys held up and Shak went from
60,000 in chips to the payout window. Shak collected $27,395 for ninth place.
With Shak's elimination, Juanda extended his chip lead to 280,000, nearly 2
to 1 versus the rest of the field.
8th Place - Julien Studley was the ultimate survivor in this tournament. He
never had many chips, but managed to hang on long enough to make it to
the final table. Studley's luck finally ran out when he was dealt pocket 8s and
called a raise by Chris Reslock, with A-4 suited. Short stacked, Stuley was
committed to the pot, even though an Ace flopped and was all-in. Studley
failed to improve and Reslock dragged away the last of Studley's chips. Julien
Studley, a successful New York businessman and philanthropist, collected
$37,250 for eighth place. That pot gave Reslock 210,000, which was second
in chips.
7th Place - Then, Reslock's pulled off an encore. Eric Panayiotou was short
on chips and moved all-in with 8-8. Reslock was dealt A-5 this time, called the
raise and - almost as if he knew it was coming - flopped an Ace. The pocket
eights, often called 'snowmen,' melted. Reslock had eliminated two players
back to back with a similar hand. Panayiotou ended up as the seventh-place
finisher, grossing $46,560 in prize money.
6th Place - Next, Dan Tolley took the fall. He was dealt Q-10 and found
himself all-in versus John Juanda's Q-J. Both players flopped a pair, but
Juanda had the better kicker and Tolley was doomed. Dan Tolly, an airline
pilot, crash landed in sixth place. $55,870 helped to cushion the blow
somewhat.
5th Place - John Spadavecchia went out next. He was all-in with A-7, which
was dominated by Chris Reslock's A-K. Spadavecchia was drawing slim. When
a King fell on the river, Spadavecchia's tournament life ended. Spadavecchia,
who appeared at the final table of the 1994 World Series of Poker, ended up
in fifth place. He received $65,185.
4th Place - With Reslock and Juanda dueling for the chip lead, Nick Schulman
got clever at the wrong time. He tried to make a move trying to steal with 4-5
and was caught bluffing. Reslock had A-8 and called Schulman's last 98,000
on the turn. The board showed A-8-3-10. That gave Reslock two pair.
Schulman hoped to steal the pot with the bluff, but did still have four outs
drawing to an inside straight. A brick ended the night for Schulman, which
meant poker's newest millionaire was the fourth-place finisher. Schulman
won the main event at Foxwoods in Connecticut only three weeks ago. He
added $74,495 to his poker bankroll.
3rd Place - The next big hand took place just moments later. Chris Moore,
who stayed under the radar all day, was all in with pocket Sevens against
Reslock's J-J. The flop came 8-9-10. That meant neither player wanted to
make trips on the turn, since the opponent would make a straight. Two
blanks ended it for Moore and he collected $109.430 for third place. Moore
later explained he failed to catch a hand of any significance at the final table.
Considering that fact, his finish had to be satisfying.
Fittingly, the two players who unquestionably dominated the event from start
to finish ended up playing against each other for the WSOP Showboat
championship. When heads-up play began, Juanda had 509,100 to Reslock's
450,900.
The two finalists battled for an hour before the first big hand. Reslock picked
up 100,000 from Juanda's stack and seized the chip lead. That lasted exactly
one hand. Disaster struck Reslock when he was dealt 9-7 and flopped two
pair. Reslock slowed-played the hand and let Juanda catch trips on the river
(sixes) good enough to take down a 350,000 pot. Murmurs in the crowd
suggested the end might be near. Such premonitions were off by about six
hours.
During the next forty hands or so, Reslock picked up several small pots to
draw back close to even. The see-saw battle continued and three hours after
the duel started both players were even in chips.
Two more hours went by and Friday turned into Saturday. At precisely 12:15
am the hand of the tournament came like a comet out of the night sky.
Juanda was dealt pocket Jacks. Reslock was dealt pocket Aces. Before the
flop, Juanda moved all-in with a re-raise, and Reslock called. When the flop
brought a Jack, Juanda's supports screamed with joy. But they were so
focused on the Jack that they missed that an Ace has also flopped.
Remarkably, both players flopped a set. Juanda was drawing to the case
Jack, missed, and in one hand was down by nearly a 4 to 1 to his pesky rival.
After the buzz died down, the chip counts stood as follows: Reslock with
754,500 and Juanda with 205,500.
Once again, whispers that the final table was about to end would fade.
Juanda silenced that prospect when he won a few pots and drew back close
to 300,000. Demonstrating the fortitude that has made Juanda one of
poker's most respected superstars, it appeared he might stage a comeback
and the final table would drag into the morning hours.
The final hand caught everyone by surprise. Juanda was dealt A-K. Reslock
was dealt K-7 (suited diamonds). Juanda raised and Reslock called. The flop
came 7-6-3, with two diamonds. Juanda moved all-in with the two overcards,
and Reslock, with top pair and a flush draw made the call instantly. The
crowd, which has been in a trance-like state jumped to their feet just in time
to see two blanks fall and Reslock win the final hand of the late night hour.
2nd Place - John Juanda, the winner of three WSOP gold bracelets, was
disappointed by the defeat. "Maybe because I was so tired, I made a mental
mistake," Juanda said of the final fateful hand. "I could not put (Reslock) on a
hand. He played solid all night long."
"When you play heads-up and you are an experienced player, you wait for
the opponent to break down or make a mistake. But, he didn't."
Afterward, Reslock was highly complimentary of Juanda's play. "He's as good
a player as I have ever played against," Reslock stated.
John Juanda, the second-place finisher, collected $186,240 in prize money.
1st Place - Chris Reslock is 52-years-old and married with three children. He
is well-known in most of Atlantic City's cardrooms, having crafted out career
playing limits from as low at $5-10 years ago, to $100-200 today.
"I think there is a real hometown advantage when you play poker," Reslock
said. "This win is good for Atlantic City. It shows we can play against and
beat the best."
Don't expect to see Chris Reslock behind the wheel of his rusting taxicab,
anytime soon. In fact, if anyone is interested in a 1992 Chevrolet Caprice
with a dead battery and 230,000 miles on it, please contact Mr. Reslock
immediately.
Official Report by Nolan Dalla - World Series of Poker Media Director
Showboat Atlantic City Poker Manager - Vito Casucci
Tournament Director - Johnny Grooms
Assistant Tournament Director - Jack Effel
Driven to Win:
Atlantic City Poker Pro Chris Reslock Defeats John Juanda in Grueling 7-
Hour Heads-Up Marathon
Back in 1998, Chris Reslock was in his mid-40s and was working what many
would consider to be a dead-end job. Reslock was driving a taxi in Atlantic
City. Reslock wanted more. He started playing poker part-time to make extra
money. Then one day, Reslock decided to take a chance. He made an
investment in himself.
Reslock parked his taxi inside a casino parking garage and started playing
poker professionally. He vowed that he could always go back to the garage,
hop in the cab, return to the streets, and start making a living by driving
again if he went broke. Now seven years later, after winning $335,235 in the
World Series of Poker Circuit Showboat Atlantic City championship event, it
appears Reslock won't have to worry about hustling for fares.
From the very start of this tournament, it seemed Reslock was destined to
win. He was the chip leader at the conclusion of both Day One and Day Two.
However, after Day Three when he arrived at the final table in fourth place,
he must have feared that his momentum was slipping away. Reslock faced a
formidable challenge, facing nine very tough opponents. Of these players,
three were former WSOP gold bracelet winners - Mickey Appleman (with 4
wins), John Juanda (with 3 wins), and John Spadavecchia (with 1 win).
The final table included two very distinct phases. The first phase went by in a
flash, at least when compared with most major poker tournaments. Eight
players were eliminated in a lightning-fast pace - just under three hours. But
if anyone in the audience was thinking of making early dinner reservations,
such arrangements would be rudely postponed. It might have been wiser to
make breakfast reservations for the following morning.
It was an 11-hour final table that, despite an interesting mix of personalities
and obvious talent, did not produce many exciting moments. Oddly enough,
there were few, if any bad beats, miracle draw-outs, or emotional outbursts.
It was, for all intents and purposes, perhaps the only final on record where
the smaller stack (when �all in") failed to double up each
and every time. When 1983 WSOP champion described no-limit hold'em as
"hours and hours of pure boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror,"
he must have been thinking about a final table like this.
10th Place - Tenth-place was a mixed blessing. On one hand, the player
made it to the final table and appeared on ESPN, albeit briefly. The downside
was - he received absolutely no prize money. Mickey Appleman took the
proverbial bittersweet pill. He moved all-in with his last 9,000 holding A-9
suited. John Spadavecchia, holding A-J, busted Appleman when a Jack fell.
Mickey Appleman, a living legend in the gambling world, took poker's worst
beat as the tournament's bubble finisher. Outlasting nine-tenths of the field
and surviving four days was never less satisfying.
9th Place - Daniel Shak, a hedge-fund manager from Pennsylvania who
enjoyed a successful run at this year's WSOP, went out next. He was dealt A-
Q and flopped and Ace. Trouble was, John Juanda held K-K and managed to
flop a King, good for trips. The three cowboys held up and Shak went from
60,000 in chips to the payout window. Shak collected $27,395 for ninth place.
With Shak's elimination, Juanda extended his chip lead to 280,000, nearly 2
to 1 versus the rest of the field.
8th Place - Julien Studley was the ultimate survivor in this tournament. He
never had many chips, but managed to hang on long enough to make it to
the final table. Studley's luck finally ran out when he was dealt pocket 8s and
called a raise by Chris Reslock, with A-4 suited. Short stacked, Stuley was
committed to the pot, even though an Ace flopped and was all-in. Studley
failed to improve and Reslock dragged away the last of Studley's chips. Julien
Studley, a successful New York businessman and philanthropist, collected
$37,250 for eighth place. That pot gave Reslock 210,000, which was second
in chips.
7th Place - Then, Reslock's pulled off an encore. Eric Panayiotou was short
on chips and moved all-in with 8-8. Reslock was dealt A-5 this time, called the
raise and - almost as if he knew it was coming - flopped an Ace. The pocket
eights, often called 'snowmen,' melted. Reslock had eliminated two players
back to back with a similar hand. Panayiotou ended up as the seventh-place
finisher, grossing $46,560 in prize money.
6th Place - Next, Dan Tolley took the fall. He was dealt Q-10 and found
himself all-in versus John Juanda's Q-J. Both players flopped a pair, but
Juanda had the better kicker and Tolley was doomed. Dan Tolly, an airline
pilot, crash landed in sixth place. $55,870 helped to cushion the blow
somewhat.
5th Place - John Spadavecchia went out next. He was all-in with A-7, which
was dominated by Chris Reslock's A-K. Spadavecchia was drawing slim. When
a King fell on the river, Spadavecchia's tournament life ended. Spadavecchia,
who appeared at the final table of the 1994 World Series of Poker, ended up
in fifth place. He received $65,185.
4th Place - With Reslock and Juanda dueling for the chip lead, Nick Schulman
got clever at the wrong time. He tried to make a move trying to steal with 4-5
and was caught bluffing. Reslock had A-8 and called Schulman's last 98,000
on the turn. The board showed A-8-3-10. That gave Reslock two pair.
Schulman hoped to steal the pot with the bluff, but did still have four outs
drawing to an inside straight. A brick ended the night for Schulman, which
meant poker's newest millionaire was the fourth-place finisher. Schulman
won the main event at Foxwoods in Connecticut only three weeks ago. He
added $74,495 to his poker bankroll.
3rd Place - The next big hand took place just moments later. Chris Moore,
who stayed under the radar all day, was all in with pocket Sevens against
Reslock's J-J. The flop came 8-9-10. That meant neither player wanted to
make trips on the turn, since the opponent would make a straight. Two
blanks ended it for Moore and he collected $109.430 for third place. Moore
later explained he failed to catch a hand of any significance at the final table.
Considering that fact, his finish had to be satisfying.
Fittingly, the two players who unquestionably dominated the event from start
to finish ended up playing against each other for the WSOP Showboat
championship. When heads-up play began, Juanda had 509,100 to Reslock's
450,900.
The two finalists battled for an hour before the first big hand. Reslock picked
up 100,000 from Juanda's stack and seized the chip lead. That lasted exactly
one hand. Disaster struck Reslock when he was dealt 9-7 and flopped two
pair. Reslock slowed-played the hand and let Juanda catch trips on the river
(sixes) good enough to take down a 350,000 pot. Murmurs in the crowd
suggested the end might be near. Such premonitions were off by about six
hours.
During the next forty hands or so, Reslock picked up several small pots to
draw back close to even. The see-saw battle continued and three hours after
the duel started both players were even in chips.
Two more hours went by and Friday turned into Saturday. At precisely 12:15
am the hand of the tournament came like a comet out of the night sky.
Juanda was dealt pocket Jacks. Reslock was dealt pocket Aces. Before the
flop, Juanda moved all-in with a re-raise, and Reslock called. When the flop
brought a Jack, Juanda's supports screamed with joy. But they were so
focused on the Jack that they missed that an Ace has also flopped.
Remarkably, both players flopped a set. Juanda was drawing to the case
Jack, missed, and in one hand was down by nearly a 4 to 1 to his pesky rival.
After the buzz died down, the chip counts stood as follows: Reslock with
754,500 and Juanda with 205,500.
Once again, whispers that the final table was about to end would fade.
Juanda silenced that prospect when he won a few pots and drew back close
to 300,000. Demonstrating the fortitude that has made Juanda one of
poker's most respected superstars, it appeared he might stage a comeback
and the final table would drag into the morning hours.
The final hand caught everyone by surprise. Juanda was dealt A-K. Reslock
was dealt K-7 (suited diamonds). Juanda raised and Reslock called. The flop
came 7-6-3, with two diamonds. Juanda moved all-in with the two overcards,
and Reslock, with top pair and a flush draw made the call instantly. The
crowd, which has been in a trance-like state jumped to their feet just in time
to see two blanks fall and Reslock win the final hand of the late night hour.
2nd Place - John Juanda, the winner of three WSOP gold bracelets, was
disappointed by the defeat. "Maybe because I was so tired, I made a mental
mistake," Juanda said of the final fateful hand. "I could not put (Reslock) on a
hand. He played solid all night long."
"When you play heads-up and you are an experienced player, you wait for
the opponent to break down or make a mistake. But, he didn't."
Afterward, Reslock was highly complimentary of Juanda's play. "He's as good
a player as I have ever played against," Reslock stated.
John Juanda, the second-place finisher, collected $186,240 in prize money.
1st Place - Chris Reslock is 52-years-old and married with three children. He
is well-known in most of Atlantic City's cardrooms, having crafted out career
playing limits from as low at $5-10 years ago, to $100-200 today.
"I think there is a real hometown advantage when you play poker," Reslock
said. "This win is good for Atlantic City. It shows we can play against and
beat the best."
Don't expect to see Chris Reslock behind the wheel of his rusting taxicab,
anytime soon. In fact, if anyone is interested in a 1992 Chevrolet Caprice
with a dead battery and 230,000 miles on it, please contact Mr. Reslock
immediately.
Official Report by Nolan Dalla - World Series of Poker Media Director
Showboat Atlantic City Poker Manager - Vito Casucci
Tournament Director - Johnny Grooms
Assistant Tournament Director - Jack Effel
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| 2005 Showboat Atlantic City Poker Tournament World Series of Poker Circuit Events Championship Event No Limit Hold'em Final Results |