| " I'M NOT OVER THE HILL, BUT I AM OLD." T. J. Cloutier
But not too old to have lapped the field at the start of today's Final Table. T. J. started with more that twice as many chips as anyone else. Not bad for a geezer in his mid-60's.
FINAL TABLE
Seat/Player/Hometown/Chip Count
Seat 1 Parker Tarvin Atlanta GA 26,500
Seat 2 Tommy Vu Orlando FL 38,000
Seat 3 John Juanda Marina del Rey CA 69,500
Seat 4 Ming Lau Las Vegas NV 72,500
Seat 5 Aiden Bennett Mayo County, IRE 48,000
Seat 6 T. J. Cloutier Richardson TX 180,000
Seat 7 John Roveto Atlanta GA 14,000
Seat 8 Can Hua Rosemead CA 36,000
Seat 9 Brett Wiesner Las Vegas NV 37,500
Ante 500 Blinds 1,500/3,000 24 minutes left in this level.
"It doesn't look like this will end in one hour and ten minutes like yesterday," I said to Tournament Director Jack McClelland. "No, there's a little more experience at the table today."
That's an understatement. T. J. Cloutier, John Juanda, Can Hua and Aiden Bennett. No shortage of experience.
Because of the smaller field at the $1,500 buy-in level, these nine guys only had to play until 1:15 am to get here. So maybe they'll stay a little longer.
In fact it took all of four hands to drop one of the shorter stacks to the rail. Brett Wiesner got caught up with Aiden Bennett on the first hand and dusted off almost half of his chips when Brett couldn't call Aiden's all-in. There was an Ace on the flop. Brett had an Ace but he didn't like his kicker. Bennett was kind enough to show Brett his Ace when the hands were mucked.
Now in the fourth hand, Brett must have wished he'd called Aiden down. Wiesner goes all-in for about 22k with K 8 offsuit and is a St. Bernard to John Juanda's pocket 10's in the small blind. The 10's walk and so did Brett in 9th.
Both days so far in this tournament we've had the shortest stack win several all-ins to stay alive. Today that player is John Roveto. John, who is getting blinded off while playing in the event that started today, probably doesn't think he'll last very long at this Final Table. He's wrong. Roveto takes an A K off and his last 16,500 up against Cloutier's pocket 9's. 'Don't worry about it,' as T. J. often says in these situations. 'He'll get there.' The board comes Q 8 3 J 10 for a gut shot broadway. "I make a Queen high straight," T. J. says morosely.
Can Hua is having another fabulous year. If he's in a hand, he probably has the best one. It didn't do him any good today though. This was going to be Tommy Vu's day.
On the sixth hand of the day, Tommy could have been history. Vu goes all-in with K Q off. Hua has A Q off and happily calls. Drawing dead to a King or a fourth spade, Tommy gets the King on the turn. Can Hua has only 12k left.
With me on the sidelines is Don Vines who's sweating his horse Aiden Bennett. Don is married to the wonderful writer and editor Dana Smith. Don is livid that John Roveto isn't putting Can Hua all-in from the small blind to the big blind on hand nine. Don wants Aiden to move up a spot or two. Roveto is being very careful, as it turns out, quite wisely.
It's quiet until the ante and blinds elevate for hand 14. Now the average stack is only ten big blinds. Time to panic!
Like John Roveto, Parker Tarvin in seat one is from Atlanta GA. Unlike John however, Parker doesn't win a hand. Odd that sitting at the next table in the day's event is the most famous 'Parker' in history--Toby Maguire. Tarvin has only 10k left and nudges it in with pocket 9's calling T. J. 's raise under the gun of 16k. Cloutier has A 10 and flops a 10 to give Parker lots of time to watch Spiderman again in 8th.
A few minutes later on hand 19 Cloutier's chip lead vanishes. T. J. says to Juanda, "How can I not call HIM." 'Him' is Tommy Vu who is perceived to be the maniac at this table. You know from the results that Tommy Vu wins this event.
What you don't know until now is that he is all-in again for his last 60k. This time the maniac has a hand. It's Déjà Vu all over again. Tommy has A K off, T. J. has A Q off. In a funny bit, Tommy asks the dealer for all of T. J.'s chips. "You only get what you got, Tommy," Cloutier barks.
On the next hand Irishman Aiden Bennett catches some luck of the Irish, bad. Aiden trap bets 12k under the gun. Bennett gets what he thinks he wants. Cloutier goes all-in behind him isolating the table. Aiden has pocket Kings and calls off his last 40k. Bennett might as well leave his heart in San Francisco, because Cloutier has pocket Aces. Unhappily for Don Vines, Aiden moves down two spots to 7th.
Then it's Bang, Bang. Who's dead? In four hands, three new railbirds. First Aiden Bennett on hand 20, then on the next hand Ming Lau falls victim to the great T. J. Cloutier. Ming was treated mercilessly at this table. He started second in chips and couldn't catch bupkis. In frustration, Ming pumps all his 45k into the pot from the small blind.
Cloutier calls him with only an Ace. T. J. likes to moan about the beats he takes, and no one has taken more, but this time the shoes on the other foot. Lau has Q 10 offsuit. Cloutier has A 7 off. The board comes K K 10 J Q. Ouch! Perfect Perfect. It's T. J.'s turn to make a gutshot Broadway. Ming Lau is a stunned 6th.
We take one hand to catch our breath then Can Hua exits in 5th because he can. John Juanda does the honors. John has the pocket Kings this time and, unlike Aiden Bennett,
Juanda knows how to play them. Don't find pocket Aces. Can Hua comes over the top of John's 10k bet all-in for about 40k total. Hua can't win with pocket 4's, can he? No, he can't.
Now four handed, the chips slosh around until hand 40. Cloutier has almost half the chips on the table until this hand. T. J. has the button an makes it 18k to go against the blinds. Tommy Vu takes at least five minutes to act in the big blind. Finally, Tommy goes all-in for 125k. Cloutier calls instantly.
When Vu turns over pocket 10's, Cloutier makes an angry comment to Juanda about "long study and s**t." Cloutier has A K and gives up his chip lead when the 10's are good. Tommy's now looking at the table in the rear Vu mirror.
On the next hand, John Juanda gets some of those formerly Cloutier chips from Tommy Vu. From the big blind, John goes all-in for 98k when Tommy flat calls from the small blind.
Evidently, Juanda doesn't expect Tommy to call because when Vu does John says, "I don't know what I've got." He flips over K 3 off. Tommy has pocket 8's. Cloutier says, "You can do it, Johnny," when the King hits the turn. Still four handed.
John Roveto can finally go back to his $2,000 buy-in game at the next table. His miracle run is over. On hand 43 Cloutier calls from the small blind and Roveto checks for the flop.
The board comes 9 6 4. T. J. bets out 13k. John doesn't believe him and goes all0in for 43k. Cloutier nearly beats Roveto's chips into the pot. John Juanda says, "Two premium hands." Cloutier has top pair with 9 8 off. Roveto has second pair with 6 3. We'll see tomorrow if John Roveto is at the next Final Table, but he's gone from this one in a lucrative 4th.
We actually made it to a break today. Next level is 1k ante, 4k/8k blinds. Tommy Vu has around 225k, John Juanda 150k and T.J. has about 100k.
After a few minutes at the new level there's the hand that decides 2nd place. Juanda takes a tough beat. Preflop John smooth calls from the small blind. T.J. checks. The flop comes J 10 6 with two diamonds.
Juanda bets 12k. Cloutier pumps up the volume all-in for 79k. Juanda has J 7 off and has flopped top pair. Cloutier has the K 2 of Diamonds and flops a four flush with an overcard. On the river, John makes two pair. Unfortunately for him the seven is a diamond. John has 73k left.
Juanda hangs on bravely until hand 69 when he calls all-in from the small blind for his case 49k. Tommy Vu had bet 60k from the small blind to cover John. Tommy can you see me, Tommy can you hear me. You’re on fire. Vu has A Q and Juanda A 2. Another Final Table for John Juanda, another high finish without a win. Another derisive remark from Daniel Negreanu.
Heads up Tommy Vu has a nearly 3-2 chip lead. But it is obvious he is terrified of playing the mythical T. J. Cloutier by himself. WPT rules don't allow writer's to say what happens next. Suffice it to say,
Tommy Vu wins Event #2.
Mike Paulle
MikePaulle@PokerPages.com | 
