Michael O'Neill, a 48-year-old native of Ireland now living in Manhattan, took down the second event of the Harrah's WSOP Circuit tour at Atlantic City, $300 no-limit hold'em, after a back-and-forth battle with Michael Byrne. The key hand came when Byrne, a 23-year-old seafood salesman, had a slight lead over O'Neill on the 17th hand of heads-up play. Holding A-6, O'Neill flopped trip aces while Byrne, with K-7, paired his king. O'Neill, first to act, checked it all the way, allowing Byrne to bet and then go all in on the river.

After pulling in the massive pot, O'Neill had about 1.9 million to 240,000 for Byrne. Two hands later it was all over as O'Neill pocketed $47,241 for his victory.

O'Neill came to this country in 1994, and, until his retirement, worked for a fine arts moving company in Palm Beach, transferring masterpiece paintings back and forth for rich folks wintering in Florida. He plays strictly tournaments, at least one a month, and until now had only some small cashes. He said he learned the game "by losing money." His other hobby is golf.

Day one ended with 14 players left and Phillip Romano leading with 307,000 chips. On day two, it only took an ace-high, held by Carder Blake, to eliminate a short-chipped Kathryn Atkinson and start the final table. There was 32:23 left when play started with blinds of 10,000-20,000 and 3,000 antes. Three players, Blake, Byrne and O'Neill, were virtually tied for the lead, each with just under 400,000.

Here were the seat positions and chip counts:

SEAT 1 Thomas Masha       258,000 
SEAT 2 Phillip Romano        245,000
SEAT 3 Matt Stout               148,000 
SEAT 4 Michael O'Neill        390,000
SEAT 5 Michael Kendrick    110,000
SEAT 6 Brian Caplice            69,000
SEAT 7 Michael Byrne         395,000
SEAT 8 Jeffrey Dolezal       189,000
SEAT 9 Carder Blake          399,000

We lost our first player after four hands. Michael Kendrick moved in from early position with A-9 and was in terrible position when Thomas Masha called with pocket aces. Kendrick was drawing dead when the board showed K-10-7-3, and he cashed out ninth for $3,258. Kendrick, 28, is a bar manager from Thorofare, New Jersey, who said he brought into the event with his craps winnings.

Matt Stout is the first pro player to make a final table thus far. He finished eighth when he pushed in for 91,000 with A-8 and ran into Brian Caplice's pocket jacks. A board of Q-8-3-7-6 didn't help, and he took home $4,887. Stout, whose nickname is "All in at 420" (huh?) is 21 and from Middlesex, New Jersey, about to graduate college. He's been playing for a year and lists his poker highlight as sitting with Doyle Brunson in a WSOP event.

Caplice started the final table lowest-chipped with 69,000. He quickly doubled up, but by hand 15 was down to 60,000. He tried a desperation all-in move from the button with just 9-8 and got immediate calls from Masha with A-10 and O'Neill with A-Q. The board of K-7-2-J-3 was checked down and O'Neill's higher kicker was enough to take the pot and leave Caplice in seventh place, which paid $6,516.

Caplice, from Union, New Jersey, is a corporate compliance officer, and his other hobbies are almost as dangerous as poker: motorcycle riding and skydiving. He's been playing poker for two years and his high point came when he once beat quads with a straight flush.

Romano was next to bust out, on hand 18, by going all in pre-flop with K-10, about a 3-1 dog to O'Neill's A-K. The board gave O'Neill aces and kings, and Romano, a 24-year-old construction worker from Toms River, New Jersey, who's been playing 10 years, settled for $8,145 for sixth.

We now moved up to blinds of 15,000-30,000 with hour rounds. Three hands into the level, O'Neill opened for 80,000, and Jeffrey Dolezal moved in. He was the favorite with A-10 against O'Neill's K-J. Then a flop of Q-10-6 gave O'Neill an open-end straight, which he made on the turn. The Irishman registered his third straight kill and now had a big lead with a bit over one million chips.

Dolezal, 46, from Fairfox, Virginia, is retired as president of the Wheelchair Poolplayers Association. He's been playing 3-1/2 years, likes $2/$5 no-limit cash games, won two seats to Harrah's $10,000 main event, and was making his second WSOP Circuit cash. He also plays in the Stars-n-Bars poker league. His hobbies include teaching pool to disabled vets and others.

On hand 34, Byrne made a blunder and failed to knock out Blake. On a board of A-Q-9-10, he bet 150,000. Blake called with 10-5. He still had 55,000 left, but Byrne thought he was all in and turned up his Q-2. Byrne's hand wasn't dead, but he couldn't bet any more.

Blake now moved all in the next four hands without being called. "One more time," Masha warned him. Blake later moved in a fifth time without a call, and now had 335,000, but his time was running out.

Down to 205,000, he pushed in a sixth time on hand 50 from the small blind with pocket 5s. True to his word, Masha called, holding pocket 6s and knocked him out when the board came A-4-3-9-Q. Blake, from Southport, North Carolina, is 37, a contractor, and has been playing in home games and online for five years. He got $11,403 for finishing fourth.

A few hands later the blinds increased to 20,000-40,000 with 4,000 antes. A rough count showed Masha now in the lead with about 920,000 to 725,000 for O'Neill and 530,000 for Byrne. But Masha quickly took a big hit in an all-in confrontation with O'Neill. He was the favorite with pocket 4s against O'Neill's Q-9. He also picked up a straight draw on a flop of 5-3-2. But then a queen turned, and he was suddenly down to 113,000. "I can't believe it," he uttered, stunned at the sudden change of fortune. O'Neill now had about 1.4 million, Byrne 700,000.

Two hands later, Masha moved in for 75,000 on the button with 7-5. Byrne called with Q-10, and finished him off when an 9-8-5-10-J gave him a straight.
Masha is a 43-year-old landscaper from Landenberg, Pennsylvania who has been playing for 30 years. Apparently he learned the game the same way as O'Neill, because he wrote down exactly the same answer on his bio sheet: "By losing money." Tonight he won money, $13,032, for finishing third.

Heads-up, O'Neill enjoyed a lead of 1.317 million to 856,000 for Byrne. But things turned upside-down a couple of hands into the match-up when Byrne's pocket queens held up against O'Neill's A-7 in an all-in pot.

Down to 450,000, O'Neill made a miracle recovery when he had J-2 against Byrne's pocket aces and made a third deuce on the river.

Chips continued to go back and forth until that fateful hand 74. Pre-flop, Byrne raised 140,000 with his K-7, and O'Neill called with his A-6. The flop came A-A-K. Both players checked A deuce turned. O'Neill checked, Byrne bet 100,000, and O'Neill flat called. The river brought a 9, Byrne moved in and was crippled by O'Neill's trip aces.

Two hands later, Byrne committed his last 137,000 with 10-8, and O'Neill finished him holding K-4 when the board came A-K-7-9-3. Byrne, who is from Cape May, New Jersey, collected $24,924 for taking second place.

-- Max Shapiro

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