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| 2007 Grand Casino Tunica World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Event Event #1 $500 No Limit Hold'em Tournament Report |
| UltimatePokerForum.com The Ultimate Poker Site |
| Ron Brown Rides the Express Train to Victory at 2007 WSOP Circuit Event at Grand Casino Tunica |
| Ron Brown |
60-year-old model railroad shop owner engineers his first major poker
tournament victory
Louisiana man wins first World Series of Poker Circuit Event of 2007
Tunica, MS – The ideal job for most people is to work at something you really
love. Ron Brown turned what might be a part-time hobby for some
enthusiasts, into a successful full-time business. He is the proud owner of
Ron’s Model Railroad Shop -- located in Broussard, Louisiana. Mr. Brown’s
love for trains and model railroads started at a tender young age.
“I got my first look at model trains when I was just five-months old,” Mr.
Brown remembered fondly. “That was 60 years ago!”
When Mr. Brown was a toddler, he received his first train set as a Christmas
gift. Then, as a boy he started building his own railroad sets, trying to
recreate real-life scenes he witnessed during his youth. As the years
passed, Mr. Brown discovered that other people shared his passion for model
trains and the elaborate fantasyland of locomotives, train cars, railroad
tracks, and stations. While others around him built lives in other more
conventional occupations, Mr. Brown was content to do his own thing -- on
his own terms. Then, about two years ago, Mr. Brown had another life-
altering experience.
“I was watching ESPN and I saw the World Series of Poker on television,” he
said. “It was the year after (Chris) Moneymaker win it (in 2003). I had never
played much poker before. But after I saw that, I decided to start playing.”
Mr. Brown started playing in low-limit poker games at casinos in southern
Louisiana. He quickly discovered he shared both passion and talent for the
game. Mr. Brown eventually graduated to higher limits and started playing in
poker tournaments. He made a number of final tables and won a seat into
the 2006 World Series of Poker main event. However, until January 9th,
2007, the name “Ron Brown” had never registered on the poker Richter
scale. Then and there, in Tunica, Mississippi -- at the first event of 2007
WSOP which took place inside the Grand Tunica Casino-Resort – the express
train to victory rolled through town, with Ron Brown as the engineer in the
lead car.
This WSOP Circuit stop marks the fourth time that the world’s longest-running
and most prestigious poker series has pulled into in Tunica. No other city,
outside of Las Vegas has hosted more WSOP-related poker tournaments.
The reasons why Tunica is so attractive to poker players are obvious. Tunica
is the poker capital of the South and has become a magnet attracting poker
players from several states. A glance at the money winners from the first
event alone reveals players traveled from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,
Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Canada. But the ultimate winner
was from a small town in south central Louisiana.
There was nothing to suggest Ron Brown would be the tournament winner.
After a grueling day one, during which nearly 700 players were eliminated –
nine players arrived at the final table. Play started with two Floridians
jousting for the chip lead. Norman Contreras from Clearwater enjoyed a
razor-thin chip lead over Ty Wilson from Orlando – 342,000 to 341,000. Not
one of the remaining seven finalists had even half as many chips. It seemed
this would be a battle of Floridians.
From the start, the action was fast and furious. The first eight hands
featured two double-ups, two eliminations, and a chip-lead change. Chris
Back was critically short-stacked and survived an all-in on the very first hand
of play when his A-9 connected with a nine on board to top Peter Au’s pocket
fours. In a single hand, Mr. Back was indeed “back in the tournament,”
doubling up to over 60,000 in chips. Little did he know it at the time, but
surviving that critical coin-flip situation enabled Mr. Back to play for the
duration of the final table. As it turned out, he made several thousand extra
dollars in prize money.
Hand two was just as exciting. Perry Ryan got caught bluffing when he
moved all-in holding 10-9 suited. His raise was called instantly by Marvin “Big
Dog” Britt, holding pocket aces. Big Dog was salivating at the thought of
feasting on Ryan’s 50,000 in chips. But his dinner feast turned into a cold
plate of Alpo when the board brought a horrifying flop for the pocket aces –
10-10-2, giving Mr. Ryan three 10s. The Big Dog failed to catch an ace, and
was left to pout in front of what had been a healthy stack, suddenly reduced
to just 75,000.
The third hand also featured some drama, as the first player was eliminated
from the final table. Kwong Shing “Peter” Au had previously lost half his
stack on hand one. Then, he lost the remainder of his chips when his 7-6
made a pair of sixes, but ended up losing to Eric Abate’s A-6. The ace-kicker
played and Mr. Au went out sadly in ninth place. The 49-year-old restaurant
owner from Canada earned $6,732 in prize money.
Anyone who believed a bust out would slow down the action was mistaken.
Hand number four axed the next player when Marvin “Big Dog” Britt moved
all-in with A-9 and was called by Ron Brown, holding A-10. Both players
made a pair, but the tens were supreme, sending the Big Dog to the pound.
It was a “ruff” finish for the 36-year-old day care owner from Plainfield, IL.
Eighth place paid $10,098.
Hand number five was perhaps the most decisive moment of the entire
tournament and featured what has to be considered one of the most
courageous calls by any poker player in recent memory. Ron Brown was
dealt a hand heads-up against Norman Contreras, with Contreras up about 2
to 1 in chips as the action started. After the flop came 8-4-2 with two clubs,
Contreras bet 45,000, which was called by Mr. Brown. A four came on the
turn, as two clubs still remained. Mr. Brown checked. Mr. Contreras bet out
50,000 and Mr. Brown called. It’s important to reveal Mr. Brown’s hand here
– he had Q-8 with no clubs in his hand. Hence, he had top pair and to that
point was making what seemed to be an obligatory call.
Poker tournaments are not won with cards. They are, more often than not,
won with raw courage – and Mr. Brown revealed it when he made what was
a most difficult and extraordinary call. When the river card came – the nine of
clubs – both an over card and a third club, Mr. Brown could not have had
nearly much confidence in his hand. Mr. Brown checked. Mr. Contreras
paused, then calmly bet out 100,000 – enough chips to put Mr. Brown out of
the tournament if he called and lost. It was not a hand where Mr. Brown
necessarily needed to call, as he certainly had enough chips remaining to
play and be competitive.
But Mr. Brown thought long and hard and finally announced “call” – with a
tone of confidence in his voice that he had indeed made the right decision.
What a decision that turned out to be. Mr. Contreras tabled an ace-high –
what amounted to a bluff – and Mr. Brown with second pair, a weak kicker,
and now club, scooped a monster-sized 350,000 pot and seized the chip
lead. It was a call that was as brilliant as it was courageous.
After the early fireworks, the final table played to a slower pace. It took a
half hour before the next elimination. That moment came when Perry Ryan
went out holding pocket tens, which were hammered by Ron Brown’s pocket
kings. Mr. Brown didn’t need any help from the deck, but a king on the flop
essentially sealed Mr. Ryan’s fate – a seventh-place finish. The retiree from
Holly, Michigan who has enjoyed success in several poker tournaments in the
Detroit area, added $13,464 to his pension.
Ty Wilson had not played many hands up to that point. The early co-chip
leader found himself sitting in an unfavorable seat – to the immediate right of
the aggressive big stack belonging to Ron Brown. But Mr. Wilson was able to
dictate play for nearly an hour and won several modest-sized pots which
amounted to over 100,000 in chips. As players took their first break, Mr.
Wilson had the chip lead, with Mr. Brown calmly resting in second place.
Gary Link was not able to generate much momentum during his stay at the
final table. He consistently held onto a healthy stack of chips. But he went
card dead towards the later stages of the tournament and busted out when
his K-Q was dominated by Eric Abate’s A-Q. Neither player made a pair, so
Mr. Abate’s ace-high played. Mr. Link, who works in finance, added $16,830
to his investment portfolio.
On the 45th hand of the finale, Norman Contreras got back some chips from
his nemesis, Mr. Brown. That created a stalemate which lasted for an hour.
But later, Mr. Contreras dream of winning his first major poker event were
crushed when he lost a 250,000 pot to Eric Abate, who won the key pot with
a wheel (ace-to-five straight). Down to about 1000,000 left, Mr. Contreras
was dealt A-J and all-in against (you guessed it) Ron Brown, holding pocket
queens. Small cards on the board failed to help Mr. Contreras, who ended up
as the fifth-place finisher. His prize money amounted to $20,195.
Any suspense that might have come later was dashed when Ron Brown took
most of Ty Wilson’s remaining chips with a full-house. Holding two normally
unplayable cards, 5-2 off suit, the ugly duckling blossomed into a beautiful
swan when the flop came 5-2-2. Wham! A full house! Mr. Wilson completed
a spade flush, but was drawing dead most of the way. Mr. Brown took
200,000 out of Wilson’s stack and the tournament was all but over. The
remaining players decided to make a deal, which distributed prize money in
the following “official” order:
Fourth place went to Ty Wilson. He is the 38-year-old owner of an
entertainment company. Mr. Wilson has provided music for several
celebrities, including Gloria Estefan, Sheryl Crow, Chubby Checker, Horace
Grant, and others. He is married with three children.
Third place went to Chris Back. Recall that Mr. Back won the first hand of the
final table in a coin-flip situation (two over cards versus a pocket pair). The
23-year-old student from Canada also finished a very impressive 123rd in the
main event at the 2006 WSOP (over 8700 players entered).
The runner up was Eric V. Abate. He is a 44-year-old realtor from St. Paul,
MN. Mr. Abate is no stranger to cashing at major poker tournaments. He has
cashed at events in Las Vegas, and elsewhere – including the WSOP.
But the day, the night, and the first event on the 2007 WSOP calendar
belonged to Ron Brown. His official winnings as the champion amounted to
$94,245. This marked the first major poker tournament Mr. Brown has ever
won. In addition to owning his own business, Mr. Brown is married and has
three children.
“It’s great,” he said afterward. “I really do not know how to describe the
experience. It’s just a great feeling.”
Report by Nolan Dalla
To view a complete list of results for Event #1 of the 2007 Grand Casino
Tunica WSOP Circuit Event, click on the link below:
2007 Grand Casino Tunica WSOP Circuit - Event #1 Results
Tournament Director – Janis Sexton
Grand Tunica Poker Room Manager – Karen Kaegin
tournament victory
Louisiana man wins first World Series of Poker Circuit Event of 2007
Tunica, MS – The ideal job for most people is to work at something you really
love. Ron Brown turned what might be a part-time hobby for some
enthusiasts, into a successful full-time business. He is the proud owner of
Ron’s Model Railroad Shop -- located in Broussard, Louisiana. Mr. Brown’s
love for trains and model railroads started at a tender young age.
“I got my first look at model trains when I was just five-months old,” Mr.
Brown remembered fondly. “That was 60 years ago!”
When Mr. Brown was a toddler, he received his first train set as a Christmas
gift. Then, as a boy he started building his own railroad sets, trying to
recreate real-life scenes he witnessed during his youth. As the years
passed, Mr. Brown discovered that other people shared his passion for model
trains and the elaborate fantasyland of locomotives, train cars, railroad
tracks, and stations. While others around him built lives in other more
conventional occupations, Mr. Brown was content to do his own thing -- on
his own terms. Then, about two years ago, Mr. Brown had another life-
altering experience.
“I was watching ESPN and I saw the World Series of Poker on television,” he
said. “It was the year after (Chris) Moneymaker win it (in 2003). I had never
played much poker before. But after I saw that, I decided to start playing.”
Mr. Brown started playing in low-limit poker games at casinos in southern
Louisiana. He quickly discovered he shared both passion and talent for the
game. Mr. Brown eventually graduated to higher limits and started playing in
poker tournaments. He made a number of final tables and won a seat into
the 2006 World Series of Poker main event. However, until January 9th,
2007, the name “Ron Brown” had never registered on the poker Richter
scale. Then and there, in Tunica, Mississippi -- at the first event of 2007
WSOP which took place inside the Grand Tunica Casino-Resort – the express
train to victory rolled through town, with Ron Brown as the engineer in the
lead car.
This WSOP Circuit stop marks the fourth time that the world’s longest-running
and most prestigious poker series has pulled into in Tunica. No other city,
outside of Las Vegas has hosted more WSOP-related poker tournaments.
The reasons why Tunica is so attractive to poker players are obvious. Tunica
is the poker capital of the South and has become a magnet attracting poker
players from several states. A glance at the money winners from the first
event alone reveals players traveled from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,
Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Canada. But the ultimate winner
was from a small town in south central Louisiana.
There was nothing to suggest Ron Brown would be the tournament winner.
After a grueling day one, during which nearly 700 players were eliminated –
nine players arrived at the final table. Play started with two Floridians
jousting for the chip lead. Norman Contreras from Clearwater enjoyed a
razor-thin chip lead over Ty Wilson from Orlando – 342,000 to 341,000. Not
one of the remaining seven finalists had even half as many chips. It seemed
this would be a battle of Floridians.
From the start, the action was fast and furious. The first eight hands
featured two double-ups, two eliminations, and a chip-lead change. Chris
Back was critically short-stacked and survived an all-in on the very first hand
of play when his A-9 connected with a nine on board to top Peter Au’s pocket
fours. In a single hand, Mr. Back was indeed “back in the tournament,”
doubling up to over 60,000 in chips. Little did he know it at the time, but
surviving that critical coin-flip situation enabled Mr. Back to play for the
duration of the final table. As it turned out, he made several thousand extra
dollars in prize money.
Hand two was just as exciting. Perry Ryan got caught bluffing when he
moved all-in holding 10-9 suited. His raise was called instantly by Marvin “Big
Dog” Britt, holding pocket aces. Big Dog was salivating at the thought of
feasting on Ryan’s 50,000 in chips. But his dinner feast turned into a cold
plate of Alpo when the board brought a horrifying flop for the pocket aces –
10-10-2, giving Mr. Ryan three 10s. The Big Dog failed to catch an ace, and
was left to pout in front of what had been a healthy stack, suddenly reduced
to just 75,000.
The third hand also featured some drama, as the first player was eliminated
from the final table. Kwong Shing “Peter” Au had previously lost half his
stack on hand one. Then, he lost the remainder of his chips when his 7-6
made a pair of sixes, but ended up losing to Eric Abate’s A-6. The ace-kicker
played and Mr. Au went out sadly in ninth place. The 49-year-old restaurant
owner from Canada earned $6,732 in prize money.
Anyone who believed a bust out would slow down the action was mistaken.
Hand number four axed the next player when Marvin “Big Dog” Britt moved
all-in with A-9 and was called by Ron Brown, holding A-10. Both players
made a pair, but the tens were supreme, sending the Big Dog to the pound.
It was a “ruff” finish for the 36-year-old day care owner from Plainfield, IL.
Eighth place paid $10,098.
Hand number five was perhaps the most decisive moment of the entire
tournament and featured what has to be considered one of the most
courageous calls by any poker player in recent memory. Ron Brown was
dealt a hand heads-up against Norman Contreras, with Contreras up about 2
to 1 in chips as the action started. After the flop came 8-4-2 with two clubs,
Contreras bet 45,000, which was called by Mr. Brown. A four came on the
turn, as two clubs still remained. Mr. Brown checked. Mr. Contreras bet out
50,000 and Mr. Brown called. It’s important to reveal Mr. Brown’s hand here
– he had Q-8 with no clubs in his hand. Hence, he had top pair and to that
point was making what seemed to be an obligatory call.
Poker tournaments are not won with cards. They are, more often than not,
won with raw courage – and Mr. Brown revealed it when he made what was
a most difficult and extraordinary call. When the river card came – the nine of
clubs – both an over card and a third club, Mr. Brown could not have had
nearly much confidence in his hand. Mr. Brown checked. Mr. Contreras
paused, then calmly bet out 100,000 – enough chips to put Mr. Brown out of
the tournament if he called and lost. It was not a hand where Mr. Brown
necessarily needed to call, as he certainly had enough chips remaining to
play and be competitive.
But Mr. Brown thought long and hard and finally announced “call” – with a
tone of confidence in his voice that he had indeed made the right decision.
What a decision that turned out to be. Mr. Contreras tabled an ace-high –
what amounted to a bluff – and Mr. Brown with second pair, a weak kicker,
and now club, scooped a monster-sized 350,000 pot and seized the chip
lead. It was a call that was as brilliant as it was courageous.
After the early fireworks, the final table played to a slower pace. It took a
half hour before the next elimination. That moment came when Perry Ryan
went out holding pocket tens, which were hammered by Ron Brown’s pocket
kings. Mr. Brown didn’t need any help from the deck, but a king on the flop
essentially sealed Mr. Ryan’s fate – a seventh-place finish. The retiree from
Holly, Michigan who has enjoyed success in several poker tournaments in the
Detroit area, added $13,464 to his pension.
Ty Wilson had not played many hands up to that point. The early co-chip
leader found himself sitting in an unfavorable seat – to the immediate right of
the aggressive big stack belonging to Ron Brown. But Mr. Wilson was able to
dictate play for nearly an hour and won several modest-sized pots which
amounted to over 100,000 in chips. As players took their first break, Mr.
Wilson had the chip lead, with Mr. Brown calmly resting in second place.
Gary Link was not able to generate much momentum during his stay at the
final table. He consistently held onto a healthy stack of chips. But he went
card dead towards the later stages of the tournament and busted out when
his K-Q was dominated by Eric Abate’s A-Q. Neither player made a pair, so
Mr. Abate’s ace-high played. Mr. Link, who works in finance, added $16,830
to his investment portfolio.
On the 45th hand of the finale, Norman Contreras got back some chips from
his nemesis, Mr. Brown. That created a stalemate which lasted for an hour.
But later, Mr. Contreras dream of winning his first major poker event were
crushed when he lost a 250,000 pot to Eric Abate, who won the key pot with
a wheel (ace-to-five straight). Down to about 1000,000 left, Mr. Contreras
was dealt A-J and all-in against (you guessed it) Ron Brown, holding pocket
queens. Small cards on the board failed to help Mr. Contreras, who ended up
as the fifth-place finisher. His prize money amounted to $20,195.
Any suspense that might have come later was dashed when Ron Brown took
most of Ty Wilson’s remaining chips with a full-house. Holding two normally
unplayable cards, 5-2 off suit, the ugly duckling blossomed into a beautiful
swan when the flop came 5-2-2. Wham! A full house! Mr. Wilson completed
a spade flush, but was drawing dead most of the way. Mr. Brown took
200,000 out of Wilson’s stack and the tournament was all but over. The
remaining players decided to make a deal, which distributed prize money in
the following “official” order:
Fourth place went to Ty Wilson. He is the 38-year-old owner of an
entertainment company. Mr. Wilson has provided music for several
celebrities, including Gloria Estefan, Sheryl Crow, Chubby Checker, Horace
Grant, and others. He is married with three children.
Third place went to Chris Back. Recall that Mr. Back won the first hand of the
final table in a coin-flip situation (two over cards versus a pocket pair). The
23-year-old student from Canada also finished a very impressive 123rd in the
main event at the 2006 WSOP (over 8700 players entered).
The runner up was Eric V. Abate. He is a 44-year-old realtor from St. Paul,
MN. Mr. Abate is no stranger to cashing at major poker tournaments. He has
cashed at events in Las Vegas, and elsewhere – including the WSOP.
But the day, the night, and the first event on the 2007 WSOP calendar
belonged to Ron Brown. His official winnings as the champion amounted to
$94,245. This marked the first major poker tournament Mr. Brown has ever
won. In addition to owning his own business, Mr. Brown is married and has
three children.
“It’s great,” he said afterward. “I really do not know how to describe the
experience. It’s just a great feeling.”
Report by Nolan Dalla
To view a complete list of results for Event #1 of the 2007 Grand Casino
Tunica WSOP Circuit Event, click on the link below:
2007 Grand Casino Tunica WSOP Circuit - Event #1 Results
Tournament Director – Janis Sexton
Grand Tunica Poker Room Manager – Karen Kaegin
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