2007-2008 WSOP Circuit, Tunica, Event 10 ($1,000 HORSE) Final Results

2007-2008 World Series of Poker Circuit
Grand Casino Tunica -- Tunica, MS
September 6, 2007
Event #10
HORSE
Buy-In: $1,000 + $60
Number of Entries: 32
Total Prize Money: $31,040

Jeffrey Roberson Captures HORSE Event After 6-1/2 Hour Final Table

He Overtakes Chip Leader by Making a Straight and then a Flush in Stud Events

Click here to view the official results.

Tunica, MS--Jeffrey Roberson, a 45-year-old mobile home distributor from Rolla, Missouri, captured the $1,000 HORSE event here after a grueling 6-1/2 final table that started after midnight and didn’t end until nearly 7 a.m.

The runner-up was Matthew Kelly, who held the lead for most of the night. Roberson passed him by making a straight 8 in a stud round, then crippled him a little later in a stud eight-or-better round that was four-bet on the river when Kelly made a straight, only to have Roberson turn over three clubs in the hole for a flush.

This event paid three places. However, with six players left, a deal was made to pay the bottom three $2,000 each, with 50, 30 and 20 percent for the top three. Kelly was down to 55,000 after getting his straight crushed when Roberson offered him an extra thousand to end it. “I wanted the ring, but couldn’t refuse the offer,” Kelly said.

Roberson been playing poker for 25 years, learning from his grandmother, has entered 10 Circuit events, and his poker highlight is a seventh in a $2,500 pot-limit hold’em event at the WSOP last year that paid $52,000. Roberson described his style as “adaptable” and said he liked HORSE, but his favorite game is hold’em. Officially, first place paid $15,520.

This was a busy day. HORSE started at 4 p.m and played through, while the final table of event eight, $500 no-limit, concluded; and the final nine players in event nine, also $500 no-limit, agreed to come back a half hour early the next day to discuss a possible deal.

This HORSE event consisted of 30-minute rounds of limit hold’em, Omaha eight-or-better, razz, seven-card stud and stud eight or better.

When the final eight HORSE players galloped up at 12:40 a.m., the game was 7-card stud, with 100 antes, a 200 low-card bring-in, 600-1,200 limits, and 26 minutes left in that round. Darrell Carter, with 39,600, had the most chips.

Here were the starting chip counts:

All eight were still there when stud eight or better started with 800-1,600 limits. Jeffrey Jones got low-chipped, but scooped with a flush, and everyone then went to the next game, hold’em.

At last, in a Omaha round with 1,000-2,000 limits, we lost our first player at 2:30 a.m. Carter had 2-5-8-9 and flopped two pair when the board came 9-6-2. But then a 6 and ace gave Matthew Kelly, with A-4-7-J, a higher two pair. He chopped the pot with Jeffrey Jones, who made a better low, and seven were left. The amazing thing was that, with three tables left, Carter literally had more chips than every other player combined! “It was the biggest decline I have ever seen in my life,” Kelly remarked in disbelief.

Carter, 46, is a general contractor/developer from Savannah, Georgia who has made eight final tables in his poker career.

As Omaha play continued, a card-dead Andy Alina finally scooped a small pot. “Call surveillance!” he cried.

A second player went out in razz. Possibly getting tired, Frank Kassela saying he was “just gambling,” kept playing and betting while showing a terrible 4-4-Q in this low stud game, and blew off a lot of chips to Kelly. He soon went out against Jones in that same razz round. Kassela is is 39, lives in Germantown, Tennessee, and has five children.

At this point Kelly was the chip leader with about 55,000 of the 155,000 in play when the deal was made.

Just as the next stud eight or better round came to a close, Harold Coffee went out on a very, very tough beat. On sixth street, he had (3-7)A-6-A-A, giving him trip aces and a draw to a 7. Roberson had (8-2)3-8-Q-8. On the river, Roberson filled up with a deuce, while Coffee drew a brick 9.

Coffee, from Elizabetown, Kentucky, is 53, self-employed and has been playing poker for 35 years.

Then, immediately after the game became hold’em, with 1,000-2,000 blinds and 2,000-4,000 limits, another player went out. Charles Edwards, with Q-5, flopped a queen, but he was up against Alina’s pocket aces and couldn’t play catch-up.

Edwards is a 36-year-old land investor from Lynchburg, Tennessee who has been playing poker for 10 years, learning in home games. His poker highlight was winning a ring in Omaha.

Midway through the hold’em round, another player busted out, and now the remaining three were officially in the money. Kelly raised, Jones re-raised, and Kelly popped it again to put Jones all in. “I have a blackjack,” Kelly said, turning over an A-J to A-5 for Jones. Two more aces hit the board, but the jack played, and Jones departed, annoyed that he made three aces and still lost.

Jones, from Rolla, Missouri, is a professional player who’s entered “dozens” of Circuit events and has eight cashes and three final tables. He is 35 and his other hobbies are race cars and classic car restoration. He’s been playing for three years.

Early in a round of razz, Alina went broke. He started with some low cards, but the best he could make was a 10-8, while Kelly proceeded to make a tremendous 6-4.

Alina, 33, is originally from the Philippines, now lives in Hernando, Mississippi and works as a poker dealer. He’s been playing for a few years, and got staked in this event. His best cash was a win in a $1,500 limit event. Officially, third place paid $6,208..

By the time the two finalists started a stud eight-or-better round, Roberson was down to about 50,000 to 105,000 for Kelly. Then came Roberson’s two big hands, the straight in stud and the flush in stud high-low, and everything turned around. The final offer was made and accepted, and this event finally was at an end.

Kelly, 43, lives in Fort Worth, Texas and learned poker 25 years ago from relatives and friends. He used to be a stockbroker, still trade stocks, but his business now involves buying, transporting and reselling groceries. His poker achievements include a fifth and ninth at the WSOP at the Rio this year. He also finished second in event six here, $500 no-limit. Second officially paid $9,312.