WSOP - Event #16 Official Report

[Talking Poker]

2005 World Series of Poker
Rio All-Suites Casino-Resort
Official Report

Event #16
No-Limit Hold’em Shootout
Buy-in: $1,500
Number of Entries: 780
Total Prize Money: $1,076,400

Official Results:

1. Anthony Reategui Chandler, AZ $269,100
2. Paul Kroh Battle Mountain, NV $146,380
3. Phil Gordon El Paso, TX $75,350
4. Young Phan Irvine, CA $64,585
5. Kenny Robbins Las Vegas, NV $53,820
6. Ted Lawson Plantation, FL $43,055
7. Dariush Imani Layton, UT $32,290
8. Allen Goldstein Houston, TX $25,835
9. Erick Lindgren Las Vegas, NV $20,450
10. Keith Quilty Las Vegas, NV $16,145

11. Chris McCormack Miami Beach, FL $13,995
12. Brett ‘Gank’ Jungblut Las Vegas, NV $11,840
13. Alan Goehring Las Vegas, NV $9,690
Tie/14. Yevgeny Kafelnikol Russia $7,535
Tie/14. Greg Stein San Diego, CA $7,535
Tie/14. James B Worth Guelph, ON, Canada $7,535
Tie/14. Cecilia Reyes Las Vegas, NV $7,535
Tie/14. Peter Costa Narborough, Leicester $7,535
Tie/14. Joseph Golias Beaumont, TX $7,535
Tie/14. Matthew P. Bates Minot, MD $7,535
Tie/14. Gerasimov Virill Moscow, Russia $7,535
Tie/14. Rodeen Talebi Dallas, TX $7,535
Tie/14. Johan Storakers Stockholm, Sweden $7,535
Tie/14. Thurman Lee Wilson, Jr. Austin, TX $7,535
Tie/14. Darrin Fogel Northridge, CA $7,535
Tie/14. Marco Traniello Las Vegas, NV $7,535
Tie/27. Frank J. Miceli Barbourville, KY $5,380
Tie/27. Chris Tsiprakidis Liverpool, NY $5,380
Tie/27. Kenneth Berg Los Angeles, CA $5,380
Tie/27. William Jensen Sherman Oaks, CA $5,380
Tie/27. Anthony Pignato Akron, OH $5,380
Tie/27. Jesse Jones Las Vegas, NV $5,380
Tie/27. Justin Tqan Sacramento, CA $5,380
Tie/27. John Myung Vienna, VA $5,380
Tie/27. Randy Lorensen Austin, TX $5,380
Tie/27. Gregory Alston Miami Beach, FL $5,380
Tie/27. Charlie Sewell Guthrie, OK $5,380
Tie/27. Raul Paez Barcelona, Spain $5,380
Tie/27. Tomer Benventisti Las Vegas, NV $5,380
Tie/40. Paul Robert Wolfe NA $4,305
Tie/40. Joseph James Haddad Portland, OR $4,305
Tie/40. Samuel Arzoin Flushing, NY $4,305
Tie/40. Theodore Grose San Francisco, CA $4,305
Tie/40. Alan Dvorkg Las Vegas, NV $4,305
Tie/40. Louay Aamer Tulsa, OK $4,305
Tie/40. Peter Alson Brooklyn, NY $4,305
Tie/40. RichardPhillips Youngsville, NC $4,305
Tie/40. Michael Gambony Scottsdale, AZ $4,305
Tie/40. Minh "Poker Host" Nguyen Bell Garden, CA $4,305
Tie/40. Hoan Phan Ly Alhambra, CA $4,305
Tie/40. Noah Pierre Amsterdam, Holland $4,305
Tie/40. Richard Hayden Houston, TX $4,305
Tie/53. Christopher Massicotte Washington DC $3,230
Tie/53. Andrew Barrett Oak Park, IL $3,230
Tie/53. Yubib Tao Santa Clara, CA $3,230
Tie/53. Melissa Hayden Las Vegas, NV $3,230
Tie/53. Phillip Campbell Duluth, GA $3,230
Tie/53. Annie Duke Portland, OR $3,230
Tie/53. Mike Scrogi Orlando, FL $3,230
Tie/53. Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi Hollywood, FL $3,230
Tie/53. Nash Rizk North Las Vegas, NV $3,230
Tie/53. Don Barton Pahrump, NV $3,230
Tie/53. Mike Davis Spokane, WA $3,230
Tie/53. John Edward Monnette Palmdale, CA $3,230
Tie/53. Scott Allyn Jones Aurora, CO $3,230
Tie/66. Robert Young Knottingham, England $2,155
Tie/66. Joe Chang St Charles, IL $2,155
Tie/66. David Pham Cerritos, CA $2,155
Tie/66. Jack Rosenfeldt West Covina, CA $2,155
Tie/66. Ezra Teitelbaum New York, NY $2,155
Tie/66. Gabriel "The Patron" Robles Corona, CA $2,155
Tie/66. Bobby Sanchez Las Vegas, NV $2,155
Tie/66. William Vechnak Raymore, MO $2,155
Tie/66. Clinton Baker Milford, CT $2,155
Tie/66. Jay Heimowitz Bethel, NY $2,155
Tie/66. Andrew Krivenko Bel Air, OH $2,155
Tie/66. John Juanda Marina Del Rey, CA $2,155
Tie/66. Brian Mogelefsky Huntington, NY $2,155

(continued)

[Talking Poker]

Demolition Man
Anthony Reategui annihilates final table in No-Limit Hold’em Shootout, and takes $269,100 for first place


If Anthony Reategui ever decides to quit playing poker for a living and start a business, he might consider a career as a demolition man. He flattened a formidable final table lineup in such convincing fashion, that the outcome was foreseeable even when as many as seven players remained. When he busted his closest rival in chips and gobbled up more than half the chips in play, it appeared the remaining players were all competing for second place. Reategui effectively busted seven of his nine opponents, making a shambles of their confidence and leaving a wasteland where their chips once proudly rested.

Reategui’s victory came in Event #16. The No-Limit Shootout championship requires different skills than are required for standard poker tournaments. In a shootout, the goal is to outlast all the players at your table, much like the way a single-table satellite is played. The player who wins his/her respective table moves on to play in the next shootout round, until the final table takes place and the champion is determined. Each time a new shootout begins, all players start with the same number of chips. So, ‘early’ chip leaders are insignificant in the grand scheme of shootout strategy. Surviving, outlasting, and ultimately winning are the goals.

The total prize pool amounted to $1,076,400. The final table included one former gold bracelet winner – Ted Lawson who won $500,000 in the Pot-Limit Omaha championship last year. After the 13 finalists on Day Two played down to the remaining ten, players and starting chips counts were as follows:

THE FINAL TABLE:

SEAT 1 -- Erick Lindgren 74,500
SEAT 2 -- Kenny Robbins 116,200
SEAT 3 -- Keith Quilty 33,300
SEAT 4 -- Dariush Imani 67,900
SEAT 5 -- Young Phan 79,500
SEAT 6 -- Allen Goldstein 287,000
SEAT 7 -- Ted Lawson 35,400
SEAT 8 -- Paul Kroh 80,000
SEAT 9 -- Anthony Reategui 284,900
SEAT 10 -- Phil Gordon 85,000

Players were eliminated in the following order:

10th Place – Keith Quilty had a rough second day. About an hour into play, Quilty moved his last 30,000 into the pot with A-6. Paul Kroh called with K-Q and hit a king on the river, knocking out the 39-year-old professional gambler who lives in Las Vegas. Quilty sewed up $16,145 for 10th place.

9th Place – Erick Lindgren has been as hot as anyone in tournament poker over the past two years. However, the one thing that has eluded the California-born poker pro has been a victory at the World Series. This was Lindgren’s fourth time to make it to a final table, but the best he could do was 9th place. On his final hand, he was dealt A-7 and lost to Anthony Reategui’s Q-10. A queen flopped to send Lindgren away. His cut amounted to $20,450.

8th Place – Looking back at this final table, the suspense pretty much ended after the two big chip leaders went to war. Allen Goldstein was the major obstacle to Anthony Reategui from the start. Reategui was the early aggressor and when Goldstein looked down and saw pocket nines, he made an ‘all in’ re-raise on the button. Goldstein might as well have been walking a gangplank wearing a blindfold. Retegui called instantly, and flipped over pocket queens. Goldstein looked stunned and walked away dejectedly when he failed to improve. Eighth place paid $25,835. The demolition job had begun.

7th Place – Phil Gordon put a bad beat on Dariush Imani when he called a small raise with K-4 against Imani’s K-9. Gordon called for a four and it flashed on the river to evict Imani, a real estate investor from Utah. Seventh-place paid $32,290.

6th Place – Two hours passed before lightning struck the final table and the next four players were torched. The most exciting hand of the tournament took place in a three-handed pot between Kenny Robbins, Ted Lawson, and Anthony Reategui. Robbins (with K-K) re-raised an initial raise by Reategui (with 9-9). Lawson called ‘all in’ with J-J. Reategui knew he was probably beat but decided to call the raise since he enjoyed such a large chip advantage and could knock out two players if he hit a nine. Three small cards flopped and it appeared Robbins was about to triple up. Then, the card of death came. Wham! A nine crushed both Robbins and Lawson and left the huge crowd in a state of shock. The board paired on the river and Reategui took down two players with a full-house and dragged another monster-sized pot. Two more walls came tumbling down. Former gold bracelet winner Ted Lawson staggered away from the final table shaking his head. Somehow, the $43,055 in prize money for 6th place was not at all comforting.

5th Place – The three-handed shocker knocked out Kenny Robbins in 5th place. Robbins was one of five players in his 20s at this final table. The Las Vegas local could certainly be pleased with $53,820, although he expects to improve in the future. This was Robbins third time to finish in the money at this year’s World Series.

4th Place – On the very next hand, Young Phan had the best of it when he raised ‘all in’ with A-9. Reategui seemed to know exactly what was coming, as he called with K-Q then caught running diamonds to complete a flush. Another pillar was demolished. Phan, normally a quiet and reserved player, shook his head and was still mumbling about Reategui’s rush of cards while he was paid $64,585 for 4th place. Phan, one of poker’s most talented players, has yet to win a gold bracelet at the World Series. His time will certainly come at some point.

3rd Place – When play became three-handed, Reategui had about 85 percent of the chips in play. The two remaining players, Phil Gordon and Paul Kroh sat together with hands folded looking at each other. They must have felt like beef cattle about to be led to the slaughterhouse. And it was Anthony Reategui holding onto the sledgehammer. Neither Gordon nor Kroh wanted to go first, since $70,000 was at ‘steak’ -- the difference between 2nd and 3rd place. Finally, as the blinds escalated, Gordon made a decision to move ‘all in’ with A-6. Reategui could afford to call the small raise in his sleep. He flipped over J-8 and hit a pair. Phil Gordon was disemboweled in 3rd place, collecting $75,350 for his bit role in the ‘Tony Reategui Show.’

2nd Place – Paul Kroh had a mountain to climb and this one was bigger than Mount Everest. In a snowstorm. Without oxygen. The Battle Mountain, NV resident won an event earlier this year in San Diego on the World Series of Poker Circuit. He hoped to win his first gold bracelet in this event, but realized the near-futility of the situation the more he witnessed Reategui’s domination.

On the final hand of the evening, Reategui was dealt A-2 of diamonds against Paul Kroh’s K-Q of diamonds. Nether player made a pair, which meant the ace-high played. That knocked out Kroh and ended one of the most commanding performances in World Series of Poker history. Paul Kroh, a 59-year-old retired poker player who has won several majors around the country, earned $148,380 as the runner up.

1st Place – Anthony Reagetui is a 29-year-old poker pro who was born in Chicago. However, he has spent most of his life in the Phoenix area. He worked in a car wash before he discovered poker six years ago. Since then, Reagetui has grinded out a steady income from online poker games and casinos in and around Phoenix.

Most interesting is the fact that Reagetui got his inspiration to enter the World Series from Pat Poels, who won the Omaha High-Low championship (Event #4) at this year’s tournament. “Before, I used to think I was dead money in these tournaments,” Reagetui said. “Then Pat (Poels) told me, ‘don’t worry about it, you’re a good player, you’ll get there.’ So, I decided to play and got red hot in this event. And look, here I am.”

Asked about his plans for some of the $269,100 in prize money, Reagetui says he intends to play more poker. “The best thing about winning is that I can stay in action longer. I can also play a bit higher, now. I also told all my friends that if I won we’d all go to Hawaii. That’s like six or seven of us.”

Aloha.

Official Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director

World Series of Poker Circuit Director of Operations – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Rio Poker Room Manager – Michael Matts
Rio Poker Tournament Director – Robert Daily