ACTION JACKSON TAKES OMAHA HI-LO RING EVENT AT COUNCIL BLUFFS WSOP CIRCUIT

2010-2011 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
August 22-23
Ring Event #3 (Event #8)
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $300+$45
Number of Entries: 111
Total Prize Money: $30,618

Council Bluffs, IA—They call him “Action Jackson,” and action in poker is what Dean Jackson wants. He doesn’t like sitting around for hours waiting for good hold’em cards, and that’s why he likes Omaha hi-lo, where you can find all kinds of playable hands. He got enough of them today to take down the third ring event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs. His triumph was worth $9,185, along with a diamond and gold trophy ring. 

Jackson is a 58-year-old farmer (corn, beans and some beef cattle) from Waukon, Iowa, who also operates a salvage business – “A better word than junk,” he said. He learned poker from his father 30 or 40 years ago, and also likes mixed-game tournaments. He was in good shape throughout this tournament, came to the final table in second chip position, and took over the lead in late going. Jackson, describing himself as down-to-earth: “nothing fancy,” has a bracelet in Omaha at the Jack Binion Mid-America Poker Classic in Tunica. This year he played his first WSOP event, Omaha Hi-Lo, finishing 43rd and knocking out Phil Ivey along the way.

This event drew 111 players for a prize pool of $30,618. Day One ended with nine players left, and they resumed play at 2 p.m.. Holding a good lead with 411,000 chips was Allan “Bossman” Moore. At the other end, with just 12,000, was David “Guru” Summers.

Here were the starting chip counts:

Seat
1. Kostas Mantzaris  47,000
2. Paul Summers  12,000
3. Peter Mavro   75,000
4. Mike Lynch   51,000
5. Allan Moore  411,000
6. Dean Jackson  232,000
7. Ross Jones   111,000
8. Robert Nelson  128,000   
9. Brian Brashaw  41,000

   Play started with blinds of 3,000-6,000 and 6,000-12,000 limits, seven minutes remaining in Level 18.

   Ninth Place: It didn’t take long to lose the first player. Summers was immediately all in with A-3-10-Q, up against Peter “Dragon” Mavro, who held A-4-5-9. Both players missed their low draws when the board came K-4-3-4-10,  Summers made 10s and treys, not nearly good enough after Mavro ended up with trip 4s, and he cashed ninth for $789. 
Summers, 45, is a motorcycle builder from Spearfish, South Dakota with 15 years experience. He has a second in the spring Deadwood Shootout. His hobby, unsurprisingly, is motorcycle riding.

   Eighth Place: Limits became 8,000-16,000. On a flop of A-K-5, Kostas Mantzaris bet his last chips and had three callers. Holding A-3-5-J, Mantzaris had his low draw double-counterfeited, but made aces and 5s. He didn’t improve when a king hit the turn and a 6 came on the river. The cards were turned up. Moore, with an A-K in his hand, had kings full. He took the high end while Ross “King Size” Jones took the low as Mantzaris cashed out eighth for $989. Mantzaris is 71, retired and from Council Bluffs.

   Seventh Place: With limits now at 10,000-20,000. Jones found himself all in from the big blind holding a weak 2-4-6-6. There were three callers. A flop of K-Q-J made a set for Peter Mavro, who held K-K-10-2. He bet out when a deuce turned, and the other two players folded. Ross was now drawing dead, and after an irrelevant 9 came on the river, he finished seventh, paying $1,263. Jones, 32, is from Manhattan, Kansas, and is manager of a Chili’s bar and grill. His hobbies are fishing and creating music.

   Sixth Place: Next out was Brian “Specialist” Brashaw. On a flop of A-4-K, he went all in holding A-3-3-10, up against Mike Lynch, holding A-5-7-9. A queen and then a 5 came, giving Lynch aces and fives to beat Brashaw’s lone pair of aces. Brashaw is a 29-year-old stock broker from Papillion, Nebraska who’s played 10 years. His best finish was a win in a $300 Omaha Hi-Lo event here in 2008.

   Fifth Place: Robert Nelson quickly followed Brashaw to the payout window. In three-way action he was all in with K-Q-9-9 against Jackson with a premium hand of A-A-2-3, and Moore, who held A-A-9-J. The board came 7-8-2-8-4, completely missing Nelson. Jackson got three-quarters of the pot by making a nut low and splitting the high with Moore, each of them holding pocket aces. Fifth paid $2,175. Nelson, 32, is from Omaha working as a liquor store manager. He’s played for 14 years, going from home games to the Internet, to live. He has a prior final table in No Limit Hold’em. Hobbies are golf, fishing and bartending.

   Fourth Place: The players returned from break with Jackson now in the lead with nearly 590,000 chips, followed by Moore with 315,000, and Lynch with 165,000, while Mavro was down to just 16,000. Limits now were 15,000-30,000. On the first hand there was three-way action. The flop came J-Q-A, making a Broadway straight for Jackson, who held A-K-10-8. He bet and Mavro jokingly saying “I raise,” tossed in his last chip. He was virtually dead holding 6-6-Q-5, and was totally dead when a king turned. He earned $2,936 for fourth. Mavro, 31, is a full-time player from Douglaston, New York who listed his occupation as “space cowboy” before turning pro. He’s played seven years, his biggest cash being $70,564 for finishing third in a Borgata Deep Stack event in Atlantic City last year. He said his poker highlight was “meeting Ted Ely and Ian Palomo,” and his highlight outside poker was scoring the lead in a 6th grade production of “The Pajama Game.” 

   Third Place: Third place and $4,042 went to Mike Lynch. He was all in with J-10-8-3 against Moore, who had A-4-4-6, A flop of 3-5-6 left him in bad shape, giving Moore a higher pair and a wraparound straight draw. Instead, a 4 turned to give Moore a set along with a low, leaving Lynch no outs. Lynch, collecting $4,042 for third, is 62, retired, and from Appleton, Wisconsin. He learned poker with school friends 50 years ago. His hobby is fishing.

   Second Place: Heads-up, Jackson enjoyed a 2-1 chip lead, and after taking a couple of pots had Moore down to 60,000. Moore hung around a while, doubling up a couple of times, but couldn’t make much headway. The end came soon after blinds went to 10,000-20,000 with 20,000-40,000 limits. On the final hand the board showed          . Moore bet his last chips and Jackson called. Moore turned over 2-4-5-10 for 7s and 5s, losing to Jackson, who held A-4-J-Q. Jackson had made a low on the turn and the river gave him the higher two pair, queens and 7s. Settling for second, Moore was paid $5,677. Moore, 31, from Manhattan, Kansas, is a Verizon wireless manager. He began playing 10 years ago with the Northview Poker Crew, which he is representing here. His prior poker highlight was making the top 30 in the Sunday Million.