$1,000 No-Limit Ends in Four-Way Chop; Pro Player Michael Foster Declared Winner

Event Ends Past Midnight With All Players About Even in Chips

Hammond, IN —This was a long day's night of poker. Event number four of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Casino Hammond ended day one with 21 players left. They returned at 2 p.m. the next day and battled for more than 10 hours. At that point, there were still four players left at the final table, all relatively even in chips. With no end in sight, they decided to call it a night. After prolonged negotiations, it was agreed that the money would be chopped evenly, and that Michael Foster would be declared the winner, getting the gold-and-diamond trophy ring as well as the $5,150 buy-in to the main event. The remaining three players then high-carded for the next three spots.

For taking first, Foster, a 25-year-old pro from Chicago, got an official $40,275. Foster studied computer engineering in college, where he learned to play seven years ago. He later worked as a clerk at the Chicago Board of Trades before deciding to play full time a year ago. He divides his playing time between $10-$20 no-limit cash games and tournaments. His best prior cash was $45,580 for winning a $1,000 no-limit event at the Bellagio Cup II.

Foster, who describes his style as tight/aggressive, said he found he was a good player in his college days. He found this tournament very difficult because it brought out some of the best players in Chicago. He said he was short-chipped for much of the tournament, especially the second day, but managed to slowly work his way up.

This event drew 162 players who made a prize pool of $157,140. The final table was reached a few minutes before the 8 p.m. dinner break. Blinds then were 3,000-6,000 with 500 antes. Leading with 369,000 chips was Robert Panitch.

Here were the final table chip counts:

SEAT 1: Jim Kasputis – 61,500 Chips

SEAT 2: Joel Nichols – 245,000 Chips

SEAT 3: Michael Lutes – 203,000 Chips

SEAT 4: Robert Panitch – 369,000 Chips

SEAT 5: William Fockelmann – 87,900 Chips

SEAT 6: Tom Macey – 117,500 Chips

SEAT 7: Mike Parisi – 87,000 Chips

SEAT 8: Michael Foster – 242,000 Chips

SEAT 9: Chris Gentile – 196,000 Chips

Jim Kasputis never made it to dinner. All in with pocket 7s, he lost to Foster's 10h-9h when two more 9s flopped. Ninth place was worth $4,180. Kasputis, who is 41 and lives in Rockford, Illinois, goes by the nickname of "Jimmy Rockford."

Players returned from dinner to blinds of 4,000-8,000 with 1,000 antes. Very little happened for the next 45 minutes except for Tom Macey surviving an all-in when he flopped a queen to his A-Q to outrun pocket 10s.Finally, Michael Foster pushed in with pocket jacks and William Fockelmann called with pocket 10s. Fockelmann couldn't help when the board came K-Q-3-2-4, and he cashed eighth for $4,940. Fockelmann, 46, is an engineer from St. Louis, Missouri. His other hobby is golf.

A few hands later blinds went to 5,000-10,000 with 1,000 antes. Joel Nichols then took a big bite out of Panitch's chips when his A-J outran Panitch's A-Q after a board of A-7-5-10-J gave him two pair. On the next hand Nichols outdrew him again and this time knocked him out. Panitch moved in with Ac-9c, a huge favorite over Nichols, who called with Ad-8d. The turn showed 9d-8c-5d-7h. Nichols called for a diamond, and he was obliged with a river 6d giving him the nut flush. "Unbelievable," exclaimed Panitch, as he departed, settling for $6,080 for seventh. Panitch is from Northbrook, Illinois.

Forty minutes into the round, Foster opened for 30,000 with 6d-5d and Michael "Mikey" Lutes moved in with A-10. Foster made a straight when the flop came 4-3-2, and Lutes went out sixth, which paid $7,600. Lutes, 47, is a real estate investor from Bloomington, Indiana. This is his fifth Circuit final table, and he also has a couple of cashes in WSOP events.

Fifteen minutes later another player went out. This time, Tom Macey moved in for 89,000 with A-K. Chris Gentile called with pocket 9s, flopped a set and filled on the river when the board came 9-7-5-8-7. Macey is from Chicago. His other hobby is "women."

Blinds moved up to 6,000-12,000 with 1,000 antes. An hour went by with all four players still around. With blinds now at 8,000-16,000 and 2,000 antes, all of them were about even in chips and weren't anxious to play on indefinitely. Negotiations ended with Foster getting the title, and the high cards determined that Michael Parisi would finish fourth, Joel Nichols third and Chris Gentile second. Fourth paid an official $12,159; third $15,579; and second, $24,318.

As with all the other players at the final table, the remaining three did not list much if any details about themselves on their bio sheets. Parisi, 34, is from Wood Dale, Illinois. He has been playing poker nine years. Nichols is 34 and lives in Marion, Ohio. And Gentile, 33, is from Ashfield, Illinois and has played for 15 years.

World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack

Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel

Horseshoe Casino Hammond Poker Room Manager – Jason Newman

Horseshoe Casino Hammond Tournament Director -- Charlie Ciresi

To view a complete list of results for Event #3 of the 2008 World Series of Poker Circuit Event at Horseshoe Hammond, click on the link below:

2008 Horseshoe Hammond WSOP Circuit Event #3 Results