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| 2006 Harrah's Atlantic City World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event Event #9 $4,900 No Limit Hold'em Championship Event Final Table Tournament Report |
| UltimatePokerForum.com The Ultimate Poker Site |
| Rick Rossetti Wins Main Event After Overtaking Alex Gomez’ Huge Lead at Harrah's Atlantic City WSOP Circuit |
| Rick Rosetti |
When the championship event of the Harrah’s WSOP Circuit tour at Harrah’s
Atlantic City got down to the final day, Alex Gomez owned 1,051,000 of the
2,370,000 chips in play and looked like a shoo-in. But after a 75-hand heads-
up match that saw a number of chip-lead changes, Rick Rossetti, a 37-year-
old roofing contractor, finally put his opponent away. Ironicaly, Rossetti took
the lead for the first time when he tried a bluff, got called, and made an
accidental inside straight on the river.
Victory in this $4,900 + $250 event brought Rossetti $368,096, a
championship gold and diamond ring, plus a $10,000 seat in the 2007 WSOP
main event and $1,000 expenses. He’s from Linwood, New Jersey and has
played poker for 20 years. He’s had cashes in tournaments at the Taj and
Foxwoods, and also likes high-limit stud and mixed games.
The day before, with about 22 players left, Gomez went on a seven-minute
break, thinking it was for 37 minutes. He had a big and small blind and two
rounds of antes blinded off, returning with only 12,000 chips left. Undaunted,
he proceeded to go on a rush, and accumulated his huge lead.
Day three action began with 6,000-12,000 blinds and 2,000 antes, 19
minutes left.
Seats and chip counts:
On hand three, Ken Goldin went all in for 107,000 with Ad-Kh. He was near
elimination after Tam “Samurai” Ly, with Qh-10h, turned a 10, but Goldin
doubled up with a river flush, while Ly lost over half his chips.
On hand eight, blinds became 8,000-16,000 with 2,000 antes, now playing
90-minute rounds. One hand later, Rossetti opened for 40,000 with As-9h. Ly
raised for 98,000 more in the big blind holding Ad-7s, losing when the board
came J-3-3-6-A. Ly, 30, is from Vietnam and now lives in Lansdale,
Pennsylvania, He is a senior engineer with a chemical engineering degree
and started playing in high school, the past two years seriously. Ninth paid
$23,006.
On the next hand, Drew “Drewsworld” Gliem moved in under the gun with
pocket 6s for 70,000. a big dog when Michael “MJ” Bernstein came over the
top with pocket kings...even bigger when another player said he had folded a
6. A board of 10-8-7-3-J changed nothing, and Gliem finished eighth, worth
$34,509. Gliem, 45, is executive director of “Half-Measures, Inc.,” a non-profit
recovery home. He is from Farmingdale, New Jersey, and has played poker
25 years, hold’em for five, learning at WPT Boot Camp. He holds a bachelor’s
degree in mechanical engineering and had his best poker cash-out beating a
field of 1,125 at PokerStars. He’s an outdoorsman enjoying surfing, fishing
and golf.
Ray Lin left on hand 13. Rossetti opened for 50,000 and Lin pushed in from
the button for 190,000 more. He turned up Ac-Jc and was up against
Rossetti’s Ah-Ks. The board came 10-7-5-6-2, and Lin picked up $46,012 for
seventh. Originally from Taiwan, Lin, 59, now lives in New York City.
With six players left, Gomez still was in front with 1,099,000, with Rossetti
now in second place with 575,000.
Bernstein finished sixth for $57,515. After Feming Chan raised 50,000, both
Bernstein and Gomez moved in. Gomez was a slight favorite with pocket 9s,
which held up against Bernstein’s K-J when neither helped. Bernstein is a 27-
year-old pro from Chicago whose hobbies include fishing and spelunking. He’s
been written up in Bluff magazine, which called him a “rising star” and
PokerPages.com, describing him as a “satellite whiz kid.”
Goldin is a 41-year-old sports agent and marketer from Vorhees, New Jersey.
He moved in from the small blind with Kh-9s and found himself against Chan’s
Ah-9h, finishing fifth when the board didn’t help. Goldin, a poker player for
two years, took home $69,018 richer for fifth. Goldin has numerous online
tournament wins, the largest $33,000. He got his poker knowledge primarily
online and insists he a “competition junkie, not a poker junkie.”
With blinds of 10,000-20,000 and 3,000 antes at level 17, here were the
counts: Gomez, 1,321,000; Chan, 322,000; Rossetti, 181,000; John Racener,
224,000.
As play proceeded, Racener relieved Gomez of 173,000 chips when his Ac-10c
stood up against Gomez’s Kc-Jc after the board came A-10-9-8-J.
Then, with 55 minutes left at this level, Gomez pushed in with As-10c and got
an all-in call of 85,000 from Chan. The best hands had usually held up in all-in
situations at this final table, and they did again here. Gomez, with As-10c,
dominated Chan’s Ad-3h. A board of Q-10-4-9-Q missed both players, and
Chan was missing from the table, picking up $80,521 for fourth. Chan is a
26-year-old poker player from West Windsor, New Jersey who had previously
been a day trader. He’s been playing poker for eight years, learning his trade
on the Internet. His biggest prior cash-out was $30,512 for 428th in this
year’s WSOP main event.
The count now was: Gomez, 1,325,000; Rossetti, 689,000; Racener, 363,000.
With more than $670,000 at stake, play tightened with very little happening
until the level ended and players went on dinner break nearly an hour later.
Returning from dinner, hosted by Harrah’s at their Italian restaurant, the
count hadn’t changed much: 1,137,000 for Gomez,; 753,000 for Rossetti,
489,000 for Racenter. Blinds went to $15,000-30,000 with 4,000 antes.
On the first hand, everything turned around. The flop showed 9s-7s-7h.
Holding Qs-7s, Racener bet 155,000 on his flush draw. Holding only 8c-5c,
Rossetti moved in. A Kh turned, and then a 6c on the river gave Rossetti a
straight. Racenter was out in third place, getting $103,527, while Rossetti
suddenly had the lead, 1,251,000 to 1,118,000. Racenter, a pro at age 21,
describes himself as “young, single, with a bright future,” is from Tampa,
Florida. He learned poker at an early age from his father. His biggest payday
was over $1 million for winning a PokerStars event.
For the next 15 hands, Rossetti turned super-aggressive, raising and getting
Gomez to fold nearly every hand. Finally, Gomez took a stand, raising all in
after Rossetti bet 200,000 into a flop of A4-3-3. “I thought I had a straight,”
Rosetti said sheepishly as he folded. Chips moved back and forth, with
Gomez briefly regaining the lead, until the level ended, with Rossetti back in
charge, 1,685,000 to 685,000.
Blinds moved up to 20,000-40,000 with 5,000 antes. Soon after, Gomez won
a big pot when he made queens full with Q-8, and the field had leveled.
Finally, Rossetti took command again in a huge pot that was raised $100,000
pre-flop. Another $100,000 was bet on the flop of 4-2-3. The turn was
checked, and when a queen came on the river, Gomez bet 155,000, then
folded when Rossetti raised another 445,000. He now led, 1,500,000 to
870,000. On the final hand, the flop came K-9-3. Rossetti bet 150,000 and
Gomez moved in for 585,000 more. Gomez had pocket 10s, Rossetti K-7, and
his paired king stood up to win the pot and the championship.
Gomez, 33, is from Brooklyn, New York, and took down $202,453 for second.
He is a management consultant with an MBA in finance and has been playing
poker for four years. He says he got to where he is in the game by “practice,
practice, practice.”
Report
by Max Shapiro
To view a complete list of results for the 2006 Harrah's Atlantic City
WSOP Circuit Championship Event, click on the link below:
2006 Harrah's Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Championship 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
Atlantic City got down to the final day, Alex Gomez owned 1,051,000 of the
2,370,000 chips in play and looked like a shoo-in. But after a 75-hand heads-
up match that saw a number of chip-lead changes, Rick Rossetti, a 37-year-
old roofing contractor, finally put his opponent away. Ironicaly, Rossetti took
the lead for the first time when he tried a bluff, got called, and made an
accidental inside straight on the river.
Victory in this $4,900 + $250 event brought Rossetti $368,096, a
championship gold and diamond ring, plus a $10,000 seat in the 2007 WSOP
main event and $1,000 expenses. He’s from Linwood, New Jersey and has
played poker for 20 years. He’s had cashes in tournaments at the Taj and
Foxwoods, and also likes high-limit stud and mixed games.
The day before, with about 22 players left, Gomez went on a seven-minute
break, thinking it was for 37 minutes. He had a big and small blind and two
rounds of antes blinded off, returning with only 12,000 chips left. Undaunted,
he proceeded to go on a rush, and accumulated his huge lead.
Day three action began with 6,000-12,000 blinds and 2,000 antes, 19
minutes left.
Seats and chip counts:
On hand three, Ken Goldin went all in for 107,000 with Ad-Kh. He was near
elimination after Tam “Samurai” Ly, with Qh-10h, turned a 10, but Goldin
doubled up with a river flush, while Ly lost over half his chips.
On hand eight, blinds became 8,000-16,000 with 2,000 antes, now playing
90-minute rounds. One hand later, Rossetti opened for 40,000 with As-9h. Ly
raised for 98,000 more in the big blind holding Ad-7s, losing when the board
came J-3-3-6-A. Ly, 30, is from Vietnam and now lives in Lansdale,
Pennsylvania, He is a senior engineer with a chemical engineering degree
and started playing in high school, the past two years seriously. Ninth paid
$23,006.
On the next hand, Drew “Drewsworld” Gliem moved in under the gun with
pocket 6s for 70,000. a big dog when Michael “MJ” Bernstein came over the
top with pocket kings...even bigger when another player said he had folded a
6. A board of 10-8-7-3-J changed nothing, and Gliem finished eighth, worth
$34,509. Gliem, 45, is executive director of “Half-Measures, Inc.,” a non-profit
recovery home. He is from Farmingdale, New Jersey, and has played poker
25 years, hold’em for five, learning at WPT Boot Camp. He holds a bachelor’s
degree in mechanical engineering and had his best poker cash-out beating a
field of 1,125 at PokerStars. He’s an outdoorsman enjoying surfing, fishing
and golf.
Ray Lin left on hand 13. Rossetti opened for 50,000 and Lin pushed in from
the button for 190,000 more. He turned up Ac-Jc and was up against
Rossetti’s Ah-Ks. The board came 10-7-5-6-2, and Lin picked up $46,012 for
seventh. Originally from Taiwan, Lin, 59, now lives in New York City.
With six players left, Gomez still was in front with 1,099,000, with Rossetti
now in second place with 575,000.
Bernstein finished sixth for $57,515. After Feming Chan raised 50,000, both
Bernstein and Gomez moved in. Gomez was a slight favorite with pocket 9s,
which held up against Bernstein’s K-J when neither helped. Bernstein is a 27-
year-old pro from Chicago whose hobbies include fishing and spelunking. He’s
been written up in Bluff magazine, which called him a “rising star” and
PokerPages.com, describing him as a “satellite whiz kid.”
Goldin is a 41-year-old sports agent and marketer from Vorhees, New Jersey.
He moved in from the small blind with Kh-9s and found himself against Chan’s
Ah-9h, finishing fifth when the board didn’t help. Goldin, a poker player for
two years, took home $69,018 richer for fifth. Goldin has numerous online
tournament wins, the largest $33,000. He got his poker knowledge primarily
online and insists he a “competition junkie, not a poker junkie.”
With blinds of 10,000-20,000 and 3,000 antes at level 17, here were the
counts: Gomez, 1,321,000; Chan, 322,000; Rossetti, 181,000; John Racener,
224,000.
As play proceeded, Racener relieved Gomez of 173,000 chips when his Ac-10c
stood up against Gomez’s Kc-Jc after the board came A-10-9-8-J.
Then, with 55 minutes left at this level, Gomez pushed in with As-10c and got
an all-in call of 85,000 from Chan. The best hands had usually held up in all-in
situations at this final table, and they did again here. Gomez, with As-10c,
dominated Chan’s Ad-3h. A board of Q-10-4-9-Q missed both players, and
Chan was missing from the table, picking up $80,521 for fourth. Chan is a
26-year-old poker player from West Windsor, New Jersey who had previously
been a day trader. He’s been playing poker for eight years, learning his trade
on the Internet. His biggest prior cash-out was $30,512 for 428th in this
year’s WSOP main event.
The count now was: Gomez, 1,325,000; Rossetti, 689,000; Racener, 363,000.
With more than $670,000 at stake, play tightened with very little happening
until the level ended and players went on dinner break nearly an hour later.
Returning from dinner, hosted by Harrah’s at their Italian restaurant, the
count hadn’t changed much: 1,137,000 for Gomez,; 753,000 for Rossetti,
489,000 for Racenter. Blinds went to $15,000-30,000 with 4,000 antes.
On the first hand, everything turned around. The flop showed 9s-7s-7h.
Holding Qs-7s, Racener bet 155,000 on his flush draw. Holding only 8c-5c,
Rossetti moved in. A Kh turned, and then a 6c on the river gave Rossetti a
straight. Racenter was out in third place, getting $103,527, while Rossetti
suddenly had the lead, 1,251,000 to 1,118,000. Racenter, a pro at age 21,
describes himself as “young, single, with a bright future,” is from Tampa,
Florida. He learned poker at an early age from his father. His biggest payday
was over $1 million for winning a PokerStars event.
For the next 15 hands, Rossetti turned super-aggressive, raising and getting
Gomez to fold nearly every hand. Finally, Gomez took a stand, raising all in
after Rossetti bet 200,000 into a flop of A4-3-3. “I thought I had a straight,”
Rosetti said sheepishly as he folded. Chips moved back and forth, with
Gomez briefly regaining the lead, until the level ended, with Rossetti back in
charge, 1,685,000 to 685,000.
Blinds moved up to 20,000-40,000 with 5,000 antes. Soon after, Gomez won
a big pot when he made queens full with Q-8, and the field had leveled.
Finally, Rossetti took command again in a huge pot that was raised $100,000
pre-flop. Another $100,000 was bet on the flop of 4-2-3. The turn was
checked, and when a queen came on the river, Gomez bet 155,000, then
folded when Rossetti raised another 445,000. He now led, 1,500,000 to
870,000. On the final hand, the flop came K-9-3. Rossetti bet 150,000 and
Gomez moved in for 585,000 more. Gomez had pocket 10s, Rossetti K-7, and
his paired king stood up to win the pot and the championship.
Gomez, 33, is from Brooklyn, New York, and took down $202,453 for second.
He is a management consultant with an MBA in finance and has been playing
poker for four years. He says he got to where he is in the game by “practice,
practice, practice.”
Report
by Max Shapiro
To view a complete list of results for the 2006 Harrah's Atlantic City
WSOP Circuit Championship Event, click on the link below:
2006 Harrah's Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Championship 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
SEAT 2
SEAT 3
SEAT 4
SEAT 5
SEAT 6
SEAT 7
SEAT 8
SEAT 9
Tam Ly
Ken Goldin
Drew Gliem
Ray Lin
Michael Bernstein
Alex Gomez
Feming Chan
Rick Rossetti
John Racener
Ken Goldin
Drew Gliem
Ray Lin
Michael Bernstein
Alex Gomez
Feming Chan
Rick Rossetti
John Racener
197,000
101,000
108,000
198,000
130,000
1,051,000
179,000
181,000
224,000
101,000
108,000
198,000
130,000
1,051,000
179,000
181,000
224,000
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