Mohamed Elkerdawy Wins Event #7 at Harrah's WSOP Circuit Event

2006 Harrah's Atlantic City
World Series of Poker
(WSOP) Circuit Event
Event #7
$1,000 + $80
Tournament Report

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2006 Harrah's Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Event Report

Mohamed Elkerdawy, a Furniture
Maker from Egypt, Wins Event #7 at
Harrah's Atlantic City WSOP Circuit

Pocket treys was the key hand tonight for Mohamed Elkerdawy in his victory
in event seven of the Harrah’s WSOP Circuit event at Harrah’s Atlantic City,
$1,000 no-limit hold’em. With four players left, Mikhail Gurevich bet 100,000
into a flop of 8-8-4. Elkerdawy raised 240,000 with his treys, Gurevich folded,
showing an A7, and Elkerdawy took the chip lead which he never
surrendered.

Gurevich was critical of his opponent’s play with the small pair, but Elkerdawy
said he read Gurevich for an ace and knew the flop didn’t help him. First place
in the event brought him $72,000. That matches the $72,310 he got for
finishing second in a $500 no-limit event at the Borgata Poker Open this past
September.

Elkerdawy, 55, is originally from Egypt and now lives in Brigantine, New
Jersey. He owns a wholesale furniture company that replicates imported
antiques, which gives him lots of free time to play poker. He also enjoys side
game action, $40-$80 and higher limit hold’em.

When play ended on day one, 13 were left, with Gurevich holding the most
chips, 267,000. When the final table started, William McMahon was in front
with 242,000. Play began with blinds of 4,000-8,000, 1,000 antes and 26:44
left.

Seats and chip counts:

There were two all-ins and calls in early action, with Bernard Lee and Manelic
“Manny” Minaya, both going in with better hands, surviving and doubling up.

Frank Pellegrini wrote on his bio sheet that he was the underdog, and he
proved it by being first out. Soon after blinds went to 6,000-12,000 with
2,000 antes, he moved in for $89,000 with A-J. Lee then pushed in with
pocket queens, which held up. Pellegrini is a 42-year-old veterinarian from
Streetsboro, Ohio who’s been playing for a year, learning from a friend. He
got $4,500 for finishing ninth.

On hand 31, pro player Minaya suffered one of the most brutal beats of this
tournament to date. After Gurevich raised all in for 154,000 with A-K, Minaya
called with pocket aces, a 91 percent favorite. When the board showed
J-10-9-8, Gurevich was dead to a queen (or a 7 for a chop). A lady rivered to
give Gurevich a straight, and Minaya was down to 13,000, which he had to
post in the big blind on the next hand. All he had was 10-9. Richard Davidson
raised 50,000 to get heads-up. Ironically, Richardson had just A-5, and
proceeded to make aces full.

Minaya is from the Dominican Republic and now lives in Tampa, Florida. He
had been in billings and collections before turning pro. He’s made six final
tables, finished second in the WSOP Circuit championship at Tunica earlier
this year, winning $160,557 and finished 61st in the WSOP main event last
year, which paid $145,875. Tonight he got $6,750 for eighth.

Returning from the break, Gurevich was in front with 348,000. Blinds now
were 8,000-16,000 with 2,000 antes.

William McMahon, a firefighter from Cedar Grove, New Jersey, was left with
about 40,000 on hand 59. He raised to 60,000, and Elkerdawy moved in for
89,000 more. After long thought, McMahon had the clock put on him, and
finally called. He turned up A-J, and had a straight draw on a flop of K-Q-2,
but Elkerdawy, with pocket 10s, had two of his needed cards. McMahon
couldn’t hit the straight or either of his overcards. Two hands later was all in
with A-7. Gurevich and Beasley called, and Gurevich won with J-10 when the
checked-down board showed K-J-4-8-6.

McMahon is 45 and started playing poker in pool rooms 25 years ago. His
best achievement to date was making back-to-back final tables last week. His
payout for finishing seventh was $9,000.

As play continued Gurevich still remained in command with 550,000 chips.

Next out was Lee. Down to 43,000, he moved in with Qh-10h and lost to
Richard Davidson’s K-9 when the board showed A-K-4-8-5. Lee, who is 36, is
from Wayland, Massachusetts, works as a senior marketing manager and has
an impressive poker resume. He finished 13th in last year’s WSOP main
event, collecting $400,000, and $368,919 for winning a $5,000 event at the
WPT World Poker Finals this year. He also writes a poker column for the
Boston Herald and ESPN.com. His sixth place finish was worth $11,250.

Joe Siegel followed him out. Siegel is 54, from North Charleroi, Pennsylvania,
is in auto sales and has been playing poker for 40 years, learning from his
father. In this tournament, the first major one he has ever played, he had
aces eight times, twice at the final table, and never got them, or any other
pocket pair, cracked. Short-chipped in the latter stages, he lasted until fifth.
After Beasley raised with K-9, Siegel re-raised for his last 14,000 with Qc-10c.
The board came A-7-2-5-6, and Siegel cashed out for $11,250.

Hand 85 saw everything turn around. Gurevich opened for 60,000. “You have
anything?” Elkerdawy asked, calling. Gurevich had A-7, and after Gurvich
made Gurevich fold when he bet his treys, he took the lead with more than
500,000.

On the next hand, Elkerdawy opened for 65,000 and Gurevich called. The flop
was 10d-6d-Jd. Gurevich, with a 5d-4d flush draw, moved in for 300,000 and
Elkerdawy called with Kd-Jh. An offsuit queen turned, and then a river king
gave Elkerdawy a winning two pair. Gurevich was out in fourth place, which
paid $15,750, while Elkerdawy now had a commanding chip lead with
945,000 to 300,000 for Beasley and 105,000 for Davidson.

Gurevich, 23, is a year out of college, where he was a philosophy major at
Rutgers, and hasn’t yet decided what direction to take in his life. Originally
from Belarus, a nation in Eastern Europe, he now lives in Manalapan, New
Jersey. He’s been playing poker three years, is single, and likes table tennis.
Tonight he picked up $15,750 for fourth place.

Three-handed, Elkerdawy now had about 945,000 chips to 300,000 for Mike
Beasley, and 105,000 for Davidson. Davidson went broke when he moved in
for 85,000 with 8-5 and couldn’t catch Basley’s pocket 10s. Davidson, 37, is
from Whippany, New Jersey and owns a heating and air conditioning
company. His nickname is “The Slicer,” and he says poker is in his blood
because he’s half Hungarian. He’s been playing the game 10 years, and the
$20,250 he got for third is his best finish so far.

Heads-up, Elkerdawy enjoyed a 916,000 to 434,000 advantage. The match-
up would last 29 hands. After blinds went to 15,000-30,000, Beasley had
closed the gap to about 750,000-600,000. largely by taking pots with all-in
bet and raises. But a couple of hands later it was all over. Elkerdawy raised
to 70,000 with Ac-5c and Beasley moved in with pocket 8s. With a board of
9d-4s-3c-Kc, Elkerdawy needed an ace, deuce or club to win. The river was a
10c, and Beasley was out in second place, worth $39,600.

Beasley, 43, is a pathologist and adult club owner from Hollywood, Florida,
who learned poker at age 12 in a barbershop. Making back-to-back final
tables in the two $1,000 events is his best poker feat to date.

Report by Max Shapiro

To view a complete list of results for Event #7, click on the link below:

2006 Harrah's Atlantic City WSOP Circuit - Event #7 Results

Max Shapiro -- WSOP Media Director

World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel
Harrah’s Atlantic City Poker Room Manager – John Arthur

SEAT 1
SEAT 2
SEAT 3
SEAT 4
SEAT 5
SEAT 6
SEAT 7
SEAT 8
SEAT 9

Joe Siegel
Bernard Lee
William McMahon
Mikhail Gurevich
Mohamed Elkerdawy
Mike Beasley
Richard Davidson
Manelic Minaya
Frank Pellegrini