Event #4: No-Limit Texas Hold 'em
Location: Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Buy-in: $1,000 (+60)
Number of Entries: 131
Total Prize Money: $127,070
Poker is not the same game it was a few years ago. Sure, the cards, chips, and rules are all the same. But the composition and nature of poker games has changed dramatically. A decade ago, poker rooms were filled with mostly middle-aged men passing the time away. In today's poker room the average player age is probably somewhere in his (or her) late 20s. Indeed, there far are more young people playing poker today than at any time in history - a trend that is certain to continue as the game spreads across college campuses.
The consequences of the "youth movement" are truly revolutionary. Cowboy hats have been replaced by iPods. No-limit hold'em, a dinosaur only a few years ago, is now poker's most popular game. Everyone, it seems, now wears sunglasses. The influx of young, smart, assertive poker players can only mean one thing - more young poker champions. Ladies and gentlemen -- meet Scott Clements.
Day One resulted in the elimination of 122 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with Tony O'Hagan from Las Vegas, NV holding nearly a 2 to 1 chip lead over his closest rival, Christopher Cue. Few in the crowd or at the table expected much out of Scott Clements, quietly perched in Seat Eight, who was one of the lowest in chips. Players were eliminated as follows:
9th Place: Larry Satterwhite, $3,810
Just 15 minutes into Day Two, Satterwhite started his final hand with pocket 10s, but was eliminated by A-J when a jack rained down on the turn.
8th Place: Gerald "All-In" Cheatham, $5,085
Cheatham, true to his nickname, wasn't afraid to push chips into the pot. He moved all-in with Q-10 after the flop came 10=7=7 and was practically beat into the pot with his chips by Earl Odom, who had flopped a monster full-house with 10-7.
7th Place: Stuart Spear, $6,355
Spear arrived third in chips but was ultimately condemned to a 7th place finish. On his final hand of the night, Spear was impaled by Tony O'Hagan's diamond flush.
6th Place: Daniel Flanigan, $7,625
Flanigan (another 23-year-old) appeared to be in a great position to double-up when he was dealt pocket kings. After the flop, Flanigan moved all-in and was called instantly by O'Hagan, holding J-10. O'Hagan had flopped a pair of jacks and when another jack fell on the turn, Flanigan was drawing very slim. A blank sealed Flanigan's fate.
5th Place: Christopher Cue, $8,895
Down to the final five, it seemed that O'Hagan was primed to run away with the tournament. O'Hagan catapulted up over 100K, and had nearly half of the total chips in play. But that would be O'Hagan's high point of the tournament. The next hour brought a dismal run of cards for O'Hagan that a stock trader might describe as a "poker correction." After a steady stream of big cards, pairs, and flushes - O'Hagan couldn't win a pot. Then Cue moved all-in before the flop with A-3 and was called after some hesitation by Clements, holding 3-3. Clements decided he had to gamble, and made a gutsy call at just the right moment. The flop gave Cue both a straight and a flush draw, but two successive blanks on the turn and river allowed the pocket 3s to drag a large pot.
4th Place: Tony O'Hagan, $10,165
O'Hagan still couldn't win a hand. Every move at the pot brought a re-raise from someone. Every draw was missed. O'Hagan made his final stand of the night with A-8 and predictably, was completely dominated by Clements' A-10. A ten on the river sent O'Hagan walking.
3rd Place: Earl Odom, $13,975
When play became three-handed, Clements was in total command of the final table. His chip lead was approximately 200K to only about 30K each for his two opponents, Carlos Ramirez and Odom. Clements called an all-in raise with a dominant hand over his opponent for the second time in the night: Earl Odom was dealt A-9 and Clements had A-K. Although it wasn't needed, a king flopped ending Odom's evening. Odom also made it into the money in last year's WSOP championship event, against a record 2,576 players.
Runner up: Carlos Ramirez, $25,415
1st Place: Scott Clements, $45,745
The heads-up duel between Scott Clements and Carlos Ramirez began with Clements holding what seemed to be in insurmountable 8 to 1 chip advantage. Ramirez staged a brief rally when he doubled up in the unlikeliest fashion with 9-2 offsuit, which made two pair against Clements' pocket aces. But that would be the lone moment of suspense in a duel almost totally devoid of excitement. The end came when Clements was dealt J-2, normally not much of a hold'em hand, but certainly playable heads-up with a big chip lead. Ramirez raised all-in with Q-10. Clements called. The final board showed A=8=7=2=8 giving Clements a little pair of deuces and his first major poker tournament win.
View final results.