He Knocks Out Final Two Opponents In Last Two Hands

Click here to view the official results.


Elizabeth, IN--William Mayes, 27, a meat market manager from Kokomo, Indiana, scored a decisive win in the third event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Caesars Indiana, 1/2 pot-limit Omaha and 1/2 no-limit hold’em. He played fairly tight in the early stages of this tournament, and then, as he took the   lead at the final table, became increasingly aggressive, using his chips as a weapon. In the last few hands he went on a rush, draining his last two opponents of chips, then knocking them out in consecutive hands.

Mayes, who is single, began playing poker as a kid, learning stud from his father. This is only his second Circuit event and he made final tables both times, finishing fourth in a $300 event last year. Mayes plays two or three tournaments a week, favoring no-limit. His victory tonight was worth $23,945 plus a $5,000 buy-in into the main event.

This event consisted of alternating 30-minute rounds of pot-limit Omaha and no-limit hold’em. The final table of 10 got underway with blinds of 1,500-3,000, starting with a full 30 minutes of hold’em. Brian Beazley, a hot air balloon pilot, had the highest altitude with 96,500 chips.

Here were the starting chip counts:

SEAT 1    Larry Kozlove        59,500    
SEAT 2    Helmut Koch        65,000
SEAT 3    Juan Lapido        27,000
SEAT 4    Jeffrey Robison    41.000    
SEAT 5    William Mayes    73,500
SEAT 6    Gregory Hurst        70,000
SEAT 7    Brian Beazly        96,500
SEAT 8    Butch Wade        23,000
SEAT 9    Joel Patchell        38,500
SEAT 10    Kevin Smith        7,500

It didn’t take long to lose our first player. On the second hand, Butch Wade put in his 23,000 with pocket 6s and Helmut Koch shot him down with pocket bullets.

Wade, 60, is from Knoxville, Tennessee and retired. He has three children and likes golf. He’s played poker 40 years, this is his eighth Circuit tournament, and he got $1,182 for 10th.

Next out 15 hands later was Joel Patchell. He pushed in his 34,000 with pocket 10s. Beazley, calling, had him dominated with jacks, which held up when the board came K-9-5-6-K. Patchell, whose nickname is “Gambler,” is a 24-year-old student from Atlanta who listed “poker and various gambling” as his occupation. Patchell, single, has played five years and has a second in a preliminary event at Reno. His other hobbies are piano, blogging and crosswords. Ninth place paid $1,478.

To this point, Juan Lapido, one of the lowest starting stacks, had been the most active player, staying afloat with frequent all-in uncalled bets and raises. Beazly, meanwhile, hadn’t been able to do much and had lost his lead.

Blinds were now 2,000-4,000 playing Omaha. On the third hand, Mayes opened for 14,000 with A-A-K-J, Beazly raised with a much weaker A-J-10-7 and Mayes put him in. The aces didn’t play, but a board of Q-7-5-K-K gave Mayes trip cowboys. The balloonist, out of air, fell to earth and cashed out eighth for $2,217, while Mayes now took a big lead with about 210,000.

“Candy Man” Beazly is from Louisville, married and has played poker more than 20 years. He didn’t have any poker highlights listed, but he was the National Hot Air Balloon champion in 2002.

Four hands later, Kevin “Box” Smith had his last few chips in against Larry Kazlove who had K-10-9-6 with two spades. Kazlove hit a flush on the river and Smith mucked without showing, cashing seventh for $2,956. Smith, 39, is from Osage Beach, Missouri,  is self-employed and has three children. He’s entered numerous Circuit events and has made five final tables. He’s been playing 23 years, and his other hobbies are hunting and fishing.

Soon after, Jeffrey Roberson, getting low, tripled up when his A-A-7-7 made aces-full. Blinds became 3,000-6,000, playing hold’em. Three hands into the new level, Kozlove moved in from late position for 40,000. He ran into Koch’s pocket kings and was dead to a 10 whcn the flop came K-J-2. It never came and five were left.

Kozlove, nicknamed “Wizard of Koz,” is a 62-year-old banker from Louisville. He’s played for over 50 years and has wins in Omaha and no-limit. His other hobby is tournament bridge. Tonight he got $3,695 for sixth.

Lapido was finally down to 8,000 when he went broke in three-way action on hand 65. With the board showing 4-3-2-3, Koch bet 20,000 and Roberson folded. An all-in Lapido turned up A-Q and called for a 5 to make a straight. “Sure, give him a 5,” said Koch, turning up two of them. Another 4 came, and Lapido went home with $4,434 for fifth.

Lapido, nicknamed “Superbea,” is a 23-year-old student originally from Spain now living in St. Charles, Missouri. He called poker “a family tradition,” and had a cash in the EPT at Barcelona this year. His other hobbies are movies and soccer.

Roberson, meanwhile, had survived a number of all-in encounters, the last time when he earned a chop with K-2 against Koch’s K-7. But his luck finally gave out on hand 68. He moved in from the small blind for 15,000 with A-6. Mayes called from the big blind with Q-2. The flop was safe for Roberson, but then a deuce turned, and the baby pair was all Mayes needed to bust Roberson in fourth place, which paid $5,912.

Roberson, 45, is a business owner from Rolla, Missouri. He’s married with one child and learned poker 28 years ago from his grandmother. His poker highlight was a win in a 2006 Circuit HORSE event at Tunica. This is his eighth Circuit try.

A few hands later we went to Omaha and 4,000-8,000 blinds. The chip count showed Mayes with about 260,000, to 170,000 for Koch and 55,000 for Gregory Hurst. Play in this round was fairly cautious. The only all-in confrontation came when Mayes flopped a straight and checked, allowing Hurst to move in with two pair. But then Hurst managed to make the same straight for a chop.

As the round neared an end, Mayes milked Koch, making a small bet with a flush, and then took a pot from Hurst with a set of aces. By the time the game reverted to hold’em, with 6,000-12,000 blinds, Hurst was down to 79,000 and Koch, 40,000.

He quickly finished off both opponents in the hold’em round. First, Koch moved in for 27,000 with Ac-4s. Mayes called with only 8d-7d, flopped a straight draw, but won when he paired his 8 on the river. Koch, finishing third, was paid $7,391.

Koch, 61, is a retiree from Chesterfield, Michigan. His nickname is “Hal,” he’s married with two children, has been playing 50 years, and his other hobby is gardening. This was his first Circuit.

On the next hand, Mayes wrapped things up. He called with As-10d after Hurst moved in for 55,000 with Js-4s. The board came Ad-9s-4c-Jh-Ah and Mayes’ trip aces were more than enough to end the evening.

Hurst, nicknamed “Dozie,” is a 40-year-old real estate investor from Tazewell, Tennessee. He has one child and learned poker from his father 15 years ago. He’s played four or five Circuit events altogether. Tonight he collected $12,564 for his second-place finish. —Max Shapiro
 

For more information, please contact: 
Max Shapiro -- WSOP Media Director at (323) 356-3303
Or visit our official website:  www.worldseriesofpoker.com

World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
World Series of Poker Tournament Director -- Jack Effel
Caesars Indiana Poker Room Manager – Jimmy Allen
Caesars Indiana Tournament Director -- David Isgrigg