2007-2008 World Series of Poker Circuit
Grand Casino Tunica -- Tunica, MS
September 2-3, 2007
Event #4
Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300 + $30
Number of Entries: 158
Total Prize Money: $45,978
Cooking Oil Company Owner Playing First Big Tourney Wins Limit Hold’em
After Gene Chiappetta Rushes to Big Chip Lead, Fourth Circuit Event Ends in Three-Way Deal
Click here to view the official results.
Tunica, MS--In a tournament that featured numerous chip-lead changes, Gene Chiappetta went on a rampage near the end, picking off a couple of bluffs in the process, and had built up a very big lead. Soon after, this $300 limit hold’em event came to an abrupt end with a three-way deal. The fourth event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Grand Casino Tunica was the first major one for Chiappetta, whose best prior finishes were second in a daily tournament at the Rio in Las Vegas and fifth in a $100 event here.
At the conclusion, he had 264,000 of the 474,000 chips in play and was declared the winner, with first place worth an official $14,894.
Chiappetta, who is 44 and unmarried, lives in Huntersville, North Carolina. He owns Oilmatic, a company dealing in fresh and recycled cooking oil for restaurants. He’s only played poker for two years, spends a lot of time at his second home in New Jersey, and plays poker infrequently. He describes himself as a conservative player and said he was “pleased and surprised” to win after being down to about 20,000 in the first hour of play at the final table.
This limit event featured the longest final table to date, four hours and 127 hands. Final table action started with blinds of 1,000-2,000, 2.000-4,000 limits and 15 minutes left at level 12.
Curtis Johnson arrived well ahead of the pack with 113,000 chips. The biggest pot in early action developed when it was four-bet on the turn after Dr. Douglas Evans made a winning Broadway straight to beat Mike Bullard’s aces and kings. The big win was the start of a rush for Evans, who climbed into the lead with 145,000 by hand 25, while Johnson, playing lots of pots, had dropped to about 52,000 at that point.
Ricky Her, the only pro at the table, started very short-chipped with only 14,000. He patiently waited 19 hands without playing except for limping once in the small blind. Down to 5,000, he finally called on the button with pocket 10s. A board.of A-6-3-A-10 gave him 10s full, but it did him no good because Chiappetta, with A-6, had made aces full on the turn.
Her is single, lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and has made three final tables in World Poker Tour side events. Ninth place paid $920.
The disparity between Evans and Johnson continued as the doctor beat him twice, once by pairing a queen to his K-Q, then by flopping two pair to his 9-6. He now had over 190,000 while Johnson was down to 35,000.
And Evans wasn’t planning on giving away any of his chips. Once, with a pot of about 40,000, Bradley Clay bet blind with his last 5,000 into a board of 9-5-2, and Evans folded!
Bullard went broke on hand 41 when his K-4 couldn’t help, while Carl “Action Jackson” White’s Ad-Jd made a flush. Bullard, 37, is from Memphis and publishes a magazine called “Memphis Sports.” He is married with one child, learned poker from watching TV a year ago, and has won a media charity event for the Make a Wish Foundation. He earned $1,379 for finishing eighth.
Limits now became 4,000-8,000. Four hands later William Walker Jr. was all in with pocket kings, losing on the river when Johnson caught four spades to his As-10c for a flush.
Walker is from Atlanta and operates a clinic where he instructs DUI offenders who have been referred to him by the courts. He’s been playing for 50 years, dating to his army service in Korea. This is his fourth Circuit event and he got $1,839 for seventh.
As play continued, Chiappetta rose to 130,000 by making a straight flush against three deuces. On hand 59 he knocked out Johnson by pairing a king to his K-Q while Johnson couldn’t help his A-J. With almost 200,000 chips, Chiappetta was close to Evans, and soon passed him.
Johnson, whose nickname is “Mighty CJ,” is from Savannah, Tennessee, is self-employed, has played 10 years, and won his seat via satellite. Sixth paid him $2,299.
A few hands later, Bradley Clay was all in with Q-J against Evans’ A-K.. The board came K-9-3-7-2 and Clay went out in fifth place, which paid $2,759.
Clay owns MidSouthPoker.com, an Internet site that provides poker information and offers poker supplies. He’s 30, has been playing for five years, and enjoys sports and family time.
As the level ended, White, all in against Hubert’s three deuces, caught a miracle jack on the river to fill up and stay alive.
At this point, Evans had regained the lead with 175,000, while Chiappetta had dropped down to about 160,000, followed by White with 70,000 and Baxley, 65,000. Play resumed with blinds of 3,000-5,000 and limits of 5,000-10,000.
White was next out. His K-8 went nowhere while Evans paired an ace on the turn. White, from Jackson, Ohio didn't provide much info about himself other than listing his occupation as "Witness Protection." He didn't specify whether he is a government agent or a convict/informer in the witness protection program himself, but requested that nobody tell his parole officer because he isn't supposed to be here. This is his first circuit try. He got $3,678 for fourth.
As play went on, Chiappetta climbed rapidly. In one pot, he picked off a bluff by Hubert Baxley, calling his bet and winning with ace-high.
After limits went to 6,000-12,000, he picked off another bluff by Baxley. With a board of 7-6-5-5-5, he called with K-7 after Baxley bet the river with a useless Q-10.
When the deal was finally made, Dr. Evens, an anesthesiologist from Jackson, MS, got second, worth an official $7,816.Evans, 37, who has one child, has been playing for five years. This is his first major event.
Third place, worth an official $4,598, went to Baxley, whose nickname is “brother.” He is 61, lives in Mirrell, South Carolina, is married with two children, and this is his third Circuit try.