New Orleans, LA – Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em has become one of poker’s most popular variants in recent years. The game has become the second-most common game played online. Six-handed poker requires a different strategy set that the normal full ring game.
Some poker players believe that Six-Handed poker is actually a more skillful game. This is because players must get involved in more pots due to the quicker escalation of blinds. So, conservative play tends to get penalized more in Six-Handed poker whereas aggression is more often rewarded.
In keeping with Harrah’s New Orleans penchant for offering the widest possible variety of games on its schedule, a Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em was played on May 9th and 10th. This was the third gold ring event (out of 19 total) on this year’s WSOP Circuit schedule. The $500 (+50) buy-in tournament attracted 140 entries.
The top 18 finishers divided a prize pool totaling $62,744. Among those who cashed was “Chicago Johnny” Nowak (10th), who cashed for the third time in just three events held thus far at Harrah’s. With 16 more events to go, Nowak is on pace to set a new record for most cashes at any WSOP Circuit series (the current record is five, held by multiple players).
After 130 players were eliminated on the first day, final table play began on a Monday afternoon. There were no prior WSOP Circuit gold ring event winners among the final nine players, which guaranteed a first-time champion.
It appeared to be a two-horse race when Final Table play began. Kevin Hercules enjoyed a slight chip advantage over Jimmy Nickens. The remaining players were down by almost 2-to-1 or more. When Final Table play began at 2:00 pm, the six finalists and their starting chip counts were as follows:
| Seat | Player | Hometown | Chip Count |
| 1 | Elmo R. Mariathasan | St. Myers, FL | 86,000 |
| 2 | Kevin Hercules | Nashville, TN | 419,000 |
| 3 | Jimmy Nickens | Magnolia, TX | 385,000 |
| 4 | Tim Martin | New Orleans, LA | 218,000 |
| 5 | “Easy Larry” Hirons | Arlington, TX | 125,000 |
| 6 | Bobby Binsky | Hollywood, FL | 167,000 |
Final Table play lasted only about four hours and ended at 6:00 pm. Players were eliminated in the following order.
Sixth Place: Elmo Not Tickled to Finish Sixth
Elmo Mariathasan did not last long in the finale. He was severely short stacked and lost his first attempt to double up. The retiree from Ft. Myers, FL collected a payout totaling $2,691.
Fifth Place: Hard Times for “Easy Larry”
Larry Hirons, a.k.a. “Easy Larry” lost a race on his final hand, holding pocket deuces against AK. A king fell on the turn, which ended Hirons’ shot to win. Hirons, who owns an auto rental franchise in Arlington, TX had to settle for $3,763 in prize money.
Fourth Place: Martin Takes Fourth
Local poker player Tim Martin, decked out in his trademark fedora, ended up as the fourth place finisher. Martin survived a few all-ins and managed to double up a few times before losing on his third attempt when his A7 was crushed by A9. The A9 ended up making a flush on the hand, which eliminated Martin. He received a nice payout totaling $5,341.
Third Place: Hercules Loses His Strength
Kevin Hercules, an information technology consultant from Nashville, TN lasted about three hours before finally losing a race and busting out in third place. Hercules moved all in with AT on his final hand. He got a call by Jimmy Nickens, who tabled pocket sixes.
Hercules watched helplessly as a six came on board, which ended up making a full house for Nickens. Meanwhile, Hercules had to settle for a payout totaling $7,691. This marked his third time to cash on the WSOP Circuit this year, after making the money twice at Harrah’s Tunica.
Second Place: Bobby Binsky is Runner Up
Bobby Binsky, a 70-year-old retiree from Hollywood, FL outlasted all but one player in the tournament. He was outchipped during the later stages of play, but managed to hang on for quite a while before finally taking down the second spot.
When play became heads up, Binsky managed to survive two all-ins and doubled up twice before losing his final chips on the third try. On his final hand, he moved all-in with [6k] and was called by Jimmy Nickens, who showed . A jack came on the flop, swinging the advantage in Nickens’ favor. Two blanks fell on the turn and river, giving Nickens the final pot of the tournament. The final board showed , which gave Nickens the victory with a pair of jacks.
The consolation prize went to Binsky, the second place finisher, who received $11,245. He previously cashed twice at the WSOP in Las Vegas and now has more than $100,000 in career tournament earnings.
First Place: Jimmy Nickens Wins!
Jimmy Nickens, a 35-year-old businessman from Magnolia, TX won his first major poker tournament victory.
He collected a nice cash prize amounting to $18,197. He was also presented with the coveted WSOP Circuit gold ring. Nickens previously cashed in the WSOP Main Event two years ago. He collected $38,600 for his 203rd-place showing in the world championship. He later cashed at other major tournaments held in Mississippi, and also made it into the money at the 2008 Winter Bayou Poker Challenge Main Event Championship held here at Harrah’s New Orleans, where he finished 13th.