Poker Veteran Brent Carter Wins Pot-Limit Omaha Event at Beau Rivage
*Players Agree to a Five-Handed Deal, with Carter Taking the Top Spot and
$10,000 Entry into Championship*
*Biloxi, MS (January 10, 2009) – *The tenth event of the Southern Poker
Championship concluded today as longtime tournament pro Brent Carter became
the latest poker champion of the new year. He overcame a world-class field
of 165 entrants and collected $79,284 for first place. Following his 13th
major tournament victory, Carter was presented with the custom-designed
white gold and diamond bracelet, which is the top prize at all SPC events. He
also received an entry into the championship event valued at $10,000, to be
played next week.
Carter is a 60-year-old poker pro and investor with homes in both
Las Vegas and the Chicago suburbs. A lifetime gambler, Carter has not only
played poker at the highest level – he has also owned racehorses and is one
of the most talented sports gamblers in Las Vegas.
This was one of two Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments included on this
year's schedule. A $5,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha tournament will take place
starting January 11th. This competition was played over two consecutive
days. Only the top 18 finishers collected prize money – among them poker
superstar and WSOP event winner Erick Lindgren, from Las Vegas, who finished
12th. The 351 re-buys boosted the total prize pool to $240,260. All the
action took place inside a packed tournament ballroom at Beau Rivage Resort
& Casino. Every poker table was full most of the day and night as the Gulf
Coast has become the focus of the poker world.
The game Pot-Limit Omaha has been a staple of the Mississippi poker scene
for many years. The World Poker Open in Tunica, which has been played every
January from 2000-2007 always attracted swarms of eager PLO enthusiasts.
Big
cash games and several PLO events on the menu drew players not only from the
U.S. but from Europe as well, where PLO is more popular. It was no surprise
then that SPC organizers including Ken Lambert, Jr (Director of Poker
Operations) made PLO a top priority on the Beau Rivage schedule.
After 145 players were eliminated on the first day, the survivors started
off at three tables on day two. It took another three hours to play down to
the final nine. The final table began with Jose Torres (383K) holding a
slight chip lead over Doug Hazer (308K). Eventual winner Brent Carter was
With so many chips in play due to the high number of re-buys (players
averaged three re-buys per person, which is an exceptionally high figure),
the finale was expected to run well past midnight. It lasted until 2:15,
the longest of any tournament held so far this year. Players were
eliminated in the following order:
*10th Place – *Timothy Finne was the first player to be eliminated. He was
one of the lower stacks and got scooped on his final hand. Finne, a tax
preparer from New Jersey, favors PLO games. He plays PLO regularly online.
Tenth place paid $3,364.
*9th Place –* A few hands later, Samuel "Doug" Hazer went out. The retiree
from nearby Gautier, MS managed to finish in ninth place a few years ago in
the Seniors World Poker Championship at the WSOP. He also took ninth place
in this event, which produced a nice payout totaling $4,805.
*8th Place –* Beaumont, TX resident Todd LeBlanc was asked afterwards how he
was knocked out of the tournament in eighth place. "The other player made a
bad call," he said with a smile. Actually, on his final hand LeBlanc had a
straight draw and completely missed hitting his outs, which busted the
42-year-old attorney. Although he didn't agree with the final verdict, his
tournament settlement amounted to $7,208.
*7th Place –* Esther Taylor was the fifth female finalist to make it to a
final table at this year's SPC series. She went out as the seventh-place
finisher after she flopped top two pair, moved all-in with the best hand,
and was called by a player with top and bottom pair. She ended up losing to
a runner-runner straight. The Las Vegas poker player received $9,610.
*6th Place –* Next, Tony Hatley, from Mobile, AL became short-stacked and
went out as the sixth-place finisher. He earned $12,013 for two days of
poker playing.
*Note: When play became five-handed, the remaining players agreed to a
financial deal. Prize money was split according to chip counts. However,
for reporting purposes and results the respective finishers were officially
paid official figures which are listed. The players also agreed to continue
and play for the winner's bracelet and the $10,000 entry into the
championship event. *
*5th Place –* Richard Austin, a 29-year-old poker player from
Jeffersonville, IN ended up as the fifth-place finisher.
*4th Place –* Jose Torres, a 38-year-old business owner from Cooper City, FL
finished in fourth place. He now has over 30 tournament cashes in his
career.
*3rd Place – *Brandon Jarrett, from Cartersville, GA took third place. He
also finished in seventh place earlier this week in the $500 Buy-In No-Limit
Hold'em tournament.
*2nd Place –* Steven C. Wagner is a 56-year-old attorney from Dallas, TX. This
was his third cash at a major tournament and most successful finish ever.
*1st Place –* The PLO winner Brent Carter now has over 150 cashes in his
stellar poker career which dates back to the 1980s. He has numerous
tournament wins, including two victories at the WSOP. His tournament career
earnings are now close to $2 million.
Through the end of the third $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament, a
combined 2,783 players have now entered the seven events played at this
year's SPC. With this event, the total payout has been $1,217,060 in prize
money paid out to winners.
| 
