In 2005, Freddy Deeb took down the World Poker Tour (WPT) Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic. Heads-up, he defeated online poker pro Josh “sdouble” Schlein. Three and a half years later, Deeb was up to his winning ways once again, taking down his second WPT title, this time at the Celebrity Invitational.
The final table at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles took 73 hands to play out. Seven hands in, Jose Tavares was sent packing. With blinds of 30,000-60,000 and a 10,000 chip ante, Tavares pushed pre-flop for one million and was called by Nick Gonzalez. Tavares flipped over A-Q, but was dominated by Gonzalez, who held pocket rockets. The J-10-2 flop gave Gonzalez additional outs, but another jack on the turn and a nine on the river sealed his fate. Tavares took home $5,000 for his efforts in the $200,000 prize pool tournament.
Next to go was Ottavio Tassone, who came out on the losing end of a race against Scott “BigRiskky” Clements. Tassone shoved pre-flop holding K-J and Clements pushed as well to isolate with pocket eights. The board ran out 3-3-2-A-6 and Tassone found himself exiting in fifth place from the televised featured table, $10,000 richer for his efforts.
Clements was ousted in fourth place, cashing for $15,000. Tom Hall raised to 200,000 pre-flop (or two and a half times the big blind) and Clements shoved for 1.32 million. Hall made the call with A-3 of spades and found himself to be a significant underdog to Clements’ A-9. Ironically, the same flop that kept Clements in the lead against Tassone would prove to be his downfall, as the 3-3-2 that fell gave Hall trips. Clements picked up a flush draw on the turn, but it failed to hit on the river. The two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet holder and 2007 WPT North American Poker Championship winner hit the skids in fourth.
On the 72nd hand of final table play, Hall was eliminated in third place. Once again, the action came down to a race. With blinds of 40,000-80,000 with a 10,000 chip ante, Hall raised pre-flop to 200,000 and Deeb shoved for five million. Hall called for his final 1.8 million chips, flipping over Q-J; Deeb exposed pocket sevens. The flop came Q-7-5, giving Deeb a set and Hall top pair. The turn came another jack, improving Deeb to a boat. Hall needed to catch a queen on the river to make a better full house, but a deuce fell instead. Hall earned $20,000.
Heads-up play lasted exactly one hand. Gonzalez shoved for 1.25 million and Deeb, who held better than a 5:1 chip lead after eliminating Hall, called. Deeb showed pocket eights and Gonzalez turned over A-6. The flop came J-7-3, which was no help to either player. The turn was a six, leaving Gonzalez needing to catch an ace or six on the river to win. The final card was a king, giving Deeb the $100,000 first place prize, his second WPT title, and a $25,000 entry into the WPT Championship at the Bellagio in April. Gonzalez earned a $50,000 consolation prize.
The invitation-only event distributed prizes to the top six players. Here’s a recap of who finished in the money:
1st Place: Freddy Deeb – $100,000
2nd Place: Nick Gonzalez – $50,000
3rd Place: Tom Hall – $20,000
4th Place: Scott Clements – $15,000
5th Place: Ottavio Tassone – $10,000
6th Place: Jose “J.J.” Tavares – $5,000
A total of $77,000 was raised during the event for The Vine Group, which, according to its website, “is a non-profit organization set up to provide educational assistance in [the form] of scholarships, textbooks, and technological equipment” to schools in Africa. Players were encouraged to add on for $200, doubling their starting stacks during the tournament. All of the proceeds went to The Vine Group. The money presentation was held prior to the start of the final table and “ER” actor Mekhi Phifer accepted on behalf of the organization.
Next up for the WPT is the Bay 101 Shooting Star tournament in San Jose, California. The tournament kicks off in 13 days on March 16th and crowns a champion on March 20th.