Event #3: No-Limit Texas Hold 'em
Location: Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Buy-in: $500 (+50)
Number of Entries: 287
Total Prize Money: $139,195


Day One resulted in the elimination of 278 players. Places 10 through 27 received prize money ranging from $835 up to $1,670. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with John Bryant from Stockton, CA holding a shaky 3 to 2 chip lead over his closest rival Don Mullis - who was making his second final table appearance in just three days. Players were eliminated as follows:

9th Place: Carl Sciandri, $2,785
Sciandri arrived as one of the lowest stacks and failed to win the critical first pot that might have allowed him to become a force on Day Two. Twenty minutes into play, he was eliminated in 9th place. With that hand, former NHL player Eric Cloutier became the new chip leader.
8th Place: John Buchanan, $4,175
Cloutier's rush continued as he knocked out another player a few minutes later. Cloutier was dealt Q-Q and called an all-in re-raise by Internet poker professional John Buchanan, who was holding A-K. Buchanan failed to catch either an ace or king, and busted out as the 8th-place finisher. This was Buchanan's second final table appearance in three events at this year's Lake Tahoe WSOPC tournament (he took 5th place in Event #1).
7th Place: Don Mullis, $5,570
This was also Don Mullis' second time to make it to the final table. He finished 9th in Event #1. Unfortunately, Mullis wasn't able to use his large stack to his advantage and failed to establish dominance over his opponents. It didn't help that Cloutier, the table's most aggressive player, raised constantly from Mullis' immediate right - leaving Mullis to make some tough decisions about when to commit his stack. In the end, he went out in 7th place.
6th Place: Josh Ewing, $6,960
It took another hour before the next player busted out. Josh Ewing moved all-in with 9-9 and was called by Jory Post, holding A-J. The flop came with J=10=9 to give Post top pair with jacks, but Ewing had several outs (10) with two cards to come. Unfortunately, two blanks fell and Ewing came up dry.
5th Place: Mani Zarrehparvar, $8,350
Zarrehparvar arrived at the finale third in the chip count. He was the next victim to fall when he ended up short-stacked and made his final stand with K-4, not much of a hold'em hand. Eric Cloutier was sitting in the blind and called the all-in raise with A-10. An ace on the flop effectively ended any suspense.
4th Place: Michael Capener, $9,745
Capener came in with the shortest stack of the nine finalists and made the biggest leap up the money ladder. Capener was never really a force with his few chips, but he certainly made the most of them. He was desperately short-stacked when he played his final hand, ultimately losing to a no-pair king-high. To his credit, Capener has only been playing poker for two years and this was his second time to make it to a WSOP circuit final table. Capener enjoys the distinction of being one of a few players who has attend every single WSOPC event this year - which includes visits to Atlantic City, San Diego, Las Vegas, and now Lake Tahoe.
3rd Place: John Bryant, $12,530
Bryant went card dead at the worst possible moment, failing to put a dent in either of his opponents' stacks when play was three-handed. Bryant was gradually blinded down and suffered the misfortune of having hyper-aggressive Cloutier on his immediate left - which meant chips were certain to be flying into the pot anytime Bryant showed weakness. Bryant was down to his last 30K and made his final stand of the night with A-7. Cloutier called in the blind and won the pot when his J-9 connected with a nine on the flop.
Runner up: Eric Cloutier, $24,500
1st Place: Jory Post, $44,540
On the final hand, Post was dealt J-10. Cloutier was dealt 9-8. The flop came 10=9=3. Both players caught a pair, but Post had the best hand with top pair. Cloutier called Post's modest-sized bet quickly. An ace fell on the turn - a potential "scare" card for both players. Just as the ace hit the felt, Cloutier declared he was all-in, and after about 30 seconds of judicious deliberation, Post quietly spoke two words Cloutier did not want to hear -- "I call." Cloutier winced and knew he'd made a big mistake. "He bet out too fast," Post explained later. "I thought he probably had a nine. I really didn't think the ace helped him." Post had read his opponent perfectly.

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