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| 2007 Caesars Atlantic City World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event Event #3 $300 Buy-in No Limit Hold'em Tournament Report |
| UltimatePokerForum.com The Ultimate Poker Site |
| The Empire State Ari Engel Demolishes the Opposition in Extraordinary Final Table Performance |
Brooklyn poker pro knocks out 6 of 7 players in two-
hour bloodbath
Atlantic City, NJ (March 8, 2007) – File the name “Ari Engel” away as someone
to watch in the future. The 23-year-old poker pro from the Flatbush section
of Brooklyn, NY absolutely annihilated everyone at the final table and made a
near-mockery of the notion that “anything” can happen in a poker
tournament. Not since Jamie Gold’s win in the main event at last year’s
World Series of Poker has a single player dominated the final table of a major
tournament with such certainty and made the tribulation seem so effortless.
The $300 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament (Event #3) held at Caesars
Atlantic City attracted 778 players. Through the first three events of this
World Series of Poker Circuit tournament series, nearly a million dollars has
been awarded in prize money, to date. Interestingly, with Ari Engel’s most
recent victory, all three events thus far have been won by poker players from
New York State. The last two players have been from Brooklyn. This was the
most impressive performance of all as Mr. Engel knocked out 6 of his 7
opponents at the final table, in slightly less than two hours.
No one could have foreseen the ending that was to come on the previous
day, least of all the winner – who has never played in a live tournament at
this level before. After 769 players were eliminated over the first 17 hours,
nine survivors returned to play the final table on day two. King “Ari Engel”
Kong started with a formidable chip lead (1,013,000). He possessed about a
third of the total chips in play. It was a position he held the entire way, in
what some might describe as a one-sided, anti-climatic final table. Peter
Horenstein ranked a distant second with 513,000. Seating positions and chip
counts began as follows:
Seat 1: Tony Erekat
Seat 2: J.T. Moody
Seat 3: Peter Horenstein
Seat 4: Ari Engel
Seat 5: Mike Beasley
Seat 6: Bruce Wayne Miller
Seat 7: Francesco Sale
Seat 8: Clayton Matthews
Seat 9: Chris Bonham
Blinds started at 10,000-20,000 with a 2,000 ante. Mike Beasley came in
fourth in the chip count. But he was to find out quickly and rudely what a
formidable force Ari Engel would be the rest of the way. Mr. Beasley was the
first to get the axe, with Mr. Engel’s palms planted firmly on the handle.
On his final hand of the tournament Mr. Beasley was dealt A-Q, normally a
strong hand worthy of a raise. However, Mr. Engel woke up with pocket
kings and was delighted to call the raise. Mr. Engel’s K-K versus A-Q held up,
and one player was guillotined with seven more necks starting to get
sweaty. Mr. Engel surged to over 1,400,000 in chips. Meanwhile, Mike
Beasley ended up as the ninth place finisher. The Hollywood, FL poker pro
made it to five final tables last year, including back-to-back finales at the
Harrah’s WSOP Circuit event held in Atlantic City. He collected $4,668.
Mr. Engel took a break on the next elimination, and let Chris Bonham do his
dirty work. About 20 minutes into play, Anthony “Big Cat” Erekat moved all-in
with K-10. Mr. Bonham called holding A-10. An ace on the flop essentially
ended things for “Big Cat,” who fittingly works as a funeral director. “Big
Cat” was de-clawed and buried in eighth place – good for $7,002. Meow.
Next, Ari Engel returned to his wicked ways. J.T. (J-Sleeze) Moody was
getting desperately low on chips and tried to make a move holding Q-J. With
blinds and antes escalating, two picture cards seemed more than enough to
make a steal. But sneaky play doesn’t work when the opponent holds
pocket rockets. Mr. Engel called the raise in a flash with A-A. Any suspense
on the hand abruptly ended when the flop came A-5-5, giving Mr. Engel an
instant full-house. Whack! Another player was gone. J.T. Moody received
$9,336 for seventh place.
By now, a pattern was starting to develop. At the start, based on his chip
count, Peter Horenstein seemed the most likely to knock Mr. Engel from his
high chip castle mountaintop. Instead he slipped and fell, ultimately crashing
down to a less-than satisfying sixth-place finish. Mr. Horenstein was getting
low on chips and made a raise with K-J. The unstoppable force Engel called
with Q-5 suited in hearts (by now, it almost didn’t matter what cards Mr.
Engel was dealt – he played virtually every hand). On the turn, everyone in
the audience was shaking their heads in disbelief, with Mr. Horenstein
muttering some discontented commentary. With four boards cards revealed
to the players and audience alike, three hearts matched the two in Mr. Engel’
s hand – good for a flush. Mr. Horenstein was left drawing dead and sixth
place. The northern New Jersey poker player picked up $11,670 in prize
money.
Mr. Engel’s next victim was Clayton Matthews. Again, the final hand provided
almost no drama for the poor miserable loser forced to sit, stew, and watch
the horror. Mr. Matthews was dealt K-J versus Mr. Engel’s A-3. Bingo! On
the flop, ace-ace-blank. To no one’s surprise, Mr. Engel’s trip aces held up
and Clay Matthews walked the gang plank off the U.S.S. Engel. Clayton
Matthews, a college football coach (James Madison University), scored for
$14,004 for fifth place.
The bully played no favorites. He indiscriminately was out to get everyone.
Mr. Engel’s next target was the short-stacked Francesco Sale, who on his
final hand of the night actually started out with the best hand for a change
versus the roaring human freight train named Ari Engel. The fellow
Brooklynites faced-off with Mr. Sale’s A-9 a small favorite over Mr. Engel’s K-J.
Then, a king on the flop suddenly erased the advantage. Mr. Engel’s pair of
kings survived two more cards and yet another player was left talking to
himself while shaking his head in utter disgust.
“That was total (expletive deleted),” a frustrated Mr. Sale mumbled
afterward, referring to something that is normally expelled from a bovine in a
pasture. That seemed to be the prevailing view of everyone in the room,
except for those in Mr. Engel’s camp. Francesco Sale cashed for $16,338.
At that point, Mr. Engel had so many chips (over 2,000,000), he divided the
ominous-looking towers into two huge arsenals. Ninety minutes of ceaseless
raising and bullying had exhausted Mr. Engel’s arms by this point, most
certainly strained from pushing stacks of chips forward on almost every hand
and raking in double-fisted pots of his opponent’s former cargo.
He would have even more chips to load and stack. Poor thing. Bruce Wayne
Miller had arrived at the final table as one of the lowest stacks. He did
manage to leap up several spots on the money ladder. But he finally busted
out when his 10-4 lost to Mr. Engel’s Q-9 (a nine flopped, to rub some extra
salt in Mr. Miller’s wound). Mr. Miller had been desperately low in chips, and
had to play his final hand with less than stellar cards. He later explained that
he preferred to play the substandard 10-4 against one player (the third
player had folded pre-flop) rather than play a random hand (which would
have come next) versus two opponents. The strategy was mathematically
correct. But it did not pay off, except to the tune of $18,672 for third place.
When heads-up play began, Ari Engel enjoyed a 6 to 1 chip advantage over
Chris Bonham. The quiet North Carolinian had survived until that point by
allowing the chip leader to slash and burn everything within his grasp. But
now, there was no escaping inevitable confrontation – and ultimate doom.
With blinds as 20,000-40,000 and a 4,000 ante, the two finalists battled
heads-up for about 20 minutes. Then the inevitable conclusion (some might
say) came when Mr. Bonham moved all-in after the flop came 8-7-6. Mr.
Engel called. Mr. Bonham turned over A-8 for top pair, which was the best
hand. Mr. Engel flipped over A-9, for an outside straight draw with an
overcard. From the look on Mr. Engel’s face, it was as if he knew it was
coming. Wham! Bam. Thank you, ma’am.
A nine on the turn reversed things and made Mr. Engel into the favorite, good
for the higher pair (nines versus eights). Mr. Bonham still had outs with (two)
eights and a straight-draw to split the pot, but like all of those who had fallen
before him, Mr. Bonham was forced to confront reality. A harmless and
inconsequential blank fell on the river closed the casket on the final casualty
of the Ari Engel St. Valentine’s Day massacre.
As the runner up, Chris Bonham collected $33,026.10 in prize money. The 43-
year-old accountant from Gastonia, NC probably played as well as possible
under the circumstances. He survived long enough to get to second place
and did move all-in with the best hand in a heads-up confrontation. That’s all
any tournament player can ask for.
And so, the champion is Ari Engel. He collected $63,018 in prize money and a
gold ring awarded to each and every WSOP Circuit event winner. Mr. Engel
could be a poster boy for the new generation of poker players who have
burst upon the poker scene in recent years with all the subtlety of an
earthquake. These twenty-somethings typically invade casinos and poker
tournaments not as youthful novices, but as seasoned and experienced
veterans cured by hundreds if not thousands of hours of play on their home
computers. “I play (at home) 18 hours a day,” Mr. Engel said. “I haven’t
seen the sun in three years.”
Appearance isn’t everything. Despite looking pale and exhausted, the future
looks very bright indeed, for Ari Engel.
Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
To view a complete list of results for Event #3 of the 2007 Caesars
Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Event, click on the link below:
2007 WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City - Event #3 Results
Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Caesars Atlantic City
Vice President of Table Games – Fred Niceta
Director of Table Games – Paul A. Natello
Table Games Manager (Poker) – Thomas McDonough III
Poker Pit Manager – Jake Devries
hour bloodbath
Atlantic City, NJ (March 8, 2007) – File the name “Ari Engel” away as someone
to watch in the future. The 23-year-old poker pro from the Flatbush section
of Brooklyn, NY absolutely annihilated everyone at the final table and made a
near-mockery of the notion that “anything” can happen in a poker
tournament. Not since Jamie Gold’s win in the main event at last year’s
World Series of Poker has a single player dominated the final table of a major
tournament with such certainty and made the tribulation seem so effortless.
The $300 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament (Event #3) held at Caesars
Atlantic City attracted 778 players. Through the first three events of this
World Series of Poker Circuit tournament series, nearly a million dollars has
been awarded in prize money, to date. Interestingly, with Ari Engel’s most
recent victory, all three events thus far have been won by poker players from
New York State. The last two players have been from Brooklyn. This was the
most impressive performance of all as Mr. Engel knocked out 6 of his 7
opponents at the final table, in slightly less than two hours.
No one could have foreseen the ending that was to come on the previous
day, least of all the winner – who has never played in a live tournament at
this level before. After 769 players were eliminated over the first 17 hours,
nine survivors returned to play the final table on day two. King “Ari Engel”
Kong started with a formidable chip lead (1,013,000). He possessed about a
third of the total chips in play. It was a position he held the entire way, in
what some might describe as a one-sided, anti-climatic final table. Peter
Horenstein ranked a distant second with 513,000. Seating positions and chip
counts began as follows:
Seat 1: Tony Erekat
Seat 2: J.T. Moody
Seat 3: Peter Horenstein
Seat 4: Ari Engel
Seat 5: Mike Beasley
Seat 6: Bruce Wayne Miller
Seat 7: Francesco Sale
Seat 8: Clayton Matthews
Seat 9: Chris Bonham
Blinds started at 10,000-20,000 with a 2,000 ante. Mike Beasley came in
fourth in the chip count. But he was to find out quickly and rudely what a
formidable force Ari Engel would be the rest of the way. Mr. Beasley was the
first to get the axe, with Mr. Engel’s palms planted firmly on the handle.
On his final hand of the tournament Mr. Beasley was dealt A-Q, normally a
strong hand worthy of a raise. However, Mr. Engel woke up with pocket
kings and was delighted to call the raise. Mr. Engel’s K-K versus A-Q held up,
and one player was guillotined with seven more necks starting to get
sweaty. Mr. Engel surged to over 1,400,000 in chips. Meanwhile, Mike
Beasley ended up as the ninth place finisher. The Hollywood, FL poker pro
made it to five final tables last year, including back-to-back finales at the
Harrah’s WSOP Circuit event held in Atlantic City. He collected $4,668.
Mr. Engel took a break on the next elimination, and let Chris Bonham do his
dirty work. About 20 minutes into play, Anthony “Big Cat” Erekat moved all-in
with K-10. Mr. Bonham called holding A-10. An ace on the flop essentially
ended things for “Big Cat,” who fittingly works as a funeral director. “Big
Cat” was de-clawed and buried in eighth place – good for $7,002. Meow.
Next, Ari Engel returned to his wicked ways. J.T. (J-Sleeze) Moody was
getting desperately low on chips and tried to make a move holding Q-J. With
blinds and antes escalating, two picture cards seemed more than enough to
make a steal. But sneaky play doesn’t work when the opponent holds
pocket rockets. Mr. Engel called the raise in a flash with A-A. Any suspense
on the hand abruptly ended when the flop came A-5-5, giving Mr. Engel an
instant full-house. Whack! Another player was gone. J.T. Moody received
$9,336 for seventh place.
By now, a pattern was starting to develop. At the start, based on his chip
count, Peter Horenstein seemed the most likely to knock Mr. Engel from his
high chip castle mountaintop. Instead he slipped and fell, ultimately crashing
down to a less-than satisfying sixth-place finish. Mr. Horenstein was getting
low on chips and made a raise with K-J. The unstoppable force Engel called
with Q-5 suited in hearts (by now, it almost didn’t matter what cards Mr.
Engel was dealt – he played virtually every hand). On the turn, everyone in
the audience was shaking their heads in disbelief, with Mr. Horenstein
muttering some discontented commentary. With four boards cards revealed
to the players and audience alike, three hearts matched the two in Mr. Engel’
s hand – good for a flush. Mr. Horenstein was left drawing dead and sixth
place. The northern New Jersey poker player picked up $11,670 in prize
money.
Mr. Engel’s next victim was Clayton Matthews. Again, the final hand provided
almost no drama for the poor miserable loser forced to sit, stew, and watch
the horror. Mr. Matthews was dealt K-J versus Mr. Engel’s A-3. Bingo! On
the flop, ace-ace-blank. To no one’s surprise, Mr. Engel’s trip aces held up
and Clay Matthews walked the gang plank off the U.S.S. Engel. Clayton
Matthews, a college football coach (James Madison University), scored for
$14,004 for fifth place.
The bully played no favorites. He indiscriminately was out to get everyone.
Mr. Engel’s next target was the short-stacked Francesco Sale, who on his
final hand of the night actually started out with the best hand for a change
versus the roaring human freight train named Ari Engel. The fellow
Brooklynites faced-off with Mr. Sale’s A-9 a small favorite over Mr. Engel’s K-J.
Then, a king on the flop suddenly erased the advantage. Mr. Engel’s pair of
kings survived two more cards and yet another player was left talking to
himself while shaking his head in utter disgust.
“That was total (expletive deleted),” a frustrated Mr. Sale mumbled
afterward, referring to something that is normally expelled from a bovine in a
pasture. That seemed to be the prevailing view of everyone in the room,
except for those in Mr. Engel’s camp. Francesco Sale cashed for $16,338.
At that point, Mr. Engel had so many chips (over 2,000,000), he divided the
ominous-looking towers into two huge arsenals. Ninety minutes of ceaseless
raising and bullying had exhausted Mr. Engel’s arms by this point, most
certainly strained from pushing stacks of chips forward on almost every hand
and raking in double-fisted pots of his opponent’s former cargo.
He would have even more chips to load and stack. Poor thing. Bruce Wayne
Miller had arrived at the final table as one of the lowest stacks. He did
manage to leap up several spots on the money ladder. But he finally busted
out when his 10-4 lost to Mr. Engel’s Q-9 (a nine flopped, to rub some extra
salt in Mr. Miller’s wound). Mr. Miller had been desperately low in chips, and
had to play his final hand with less than stellar cards. He later explained that
he preferred to play the substandard 10-4 against one player (the third
player had folded pre-flop) rather than play a random hand (which would
have come next) versus two opponents. The strategy was mathematically
correct. But it did not pay off, except to the tune of $18,672 for third place.
When heads-up play began, Ari Engel enjoyed a 6 to 1 chip advantage over
Chris Bonham. The quiet North Carolinian had survived until that point by
allowing the chip leader to slash and burn everything within his grasp. But
now, there was no escaping inevitable confrontation – and ultimate doom.
With blinds as 20,000-40,000 and a 4,000 ante, the two finalists battled
heads-up for about 20 minutes. Then the inevitable conclusion (some might
say) came when Mr. Bonham moved all-in after the flop came 8-7-6. Mr.
Engel called. Mr. Bonham turned over A-8 for top pair, which was the best
hand. Mr. Engel flipped over A-9, for an outside straight draw with an
overcard. From the look on Mr. Engel’s face, it was as if he knew it was
coming. Wham! Bam. Thank you, ma’am.
A nine on the turn reversed things and made Mr. Engel into the favorite, good
for the higher pair (nines versus eights). Mr. Bonham still had outs with (two)
eights and a straight-draw to split the pot, but like all of those who had fallen
before him, Mr. Bonham was forced to confront reality. A harmless and
inconsequential blank fell on the river closed the casket on the final casualty
of the Ari Engel St. Valentine’s Day massacre.
As the runner up, Chris Bonham collected $33,026.10 in prize money. The 43-
year-old accountant from Gastonia, NC probably played as well as possible
under the circumstances. He survived long enough to get to second place
and did move all-in with the best hand in a heads-up confrontation. That’s all
any tournament player can ask for.
And so, the champion is Ari Engel. He collected $63,018 in prize money and a
gold ring awarded to each and every WSOP Circuit event winner. Mr. Engel
could be a poster boy for the new generation of poker players who have
burst upon the poker scene in recent years with all the subtlety of an
earthquake. These twenty-somethings typically invade casinos and poker
tournaments not as youthful novices, but as seasoned and experienced
veterans cured by hundreds if not thousands of hours of play on their home
computers. “I play (at home) 18 hours a day,” Mr. Engel said. “I haven’t
seen the sun in three years.”
Appearance isn’t everything. Despite looking pale and exhausted, the future
looks very bright indeed, for Ari Engel.
Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
To view a complete list of results for Event #3 of the 2007 Caesars
Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Event, click on the link below:
2007 WSOP Circuit Caesars Atlantic City - Event #3 Results
Executive Staff, World Series of Poker Circuit – Caesars Atlantic City
Vice President of Table Games – Fred Niceta
Director of Table Games – Paul A. Natello
Table Games Manager (Poker) – Thomas McDonough III
Poker Pit Manager – Jake Devries
278,000
108,000
513,000
1,013,000
349,000
143,000
113,000
217,000
358,000
108,000
513,000
1,013,000
349,000
143,000
113,000
217,000
358,000
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