Poker Tournament Results

Jack Binion World Poker Open 4th Year - WPT Season 1

John Oetker

Tournament Report

A staggering 682 players entered the second event of the 2003 World Poker Open, shattering the all-time tournament record for number of entries. After a grueling 16-hour marathon on day one, 9 finalists arrived at the final table on the second day to compete for a whopping $330,000 in prize money. Unorthodox tournament pro Eskimo Clark came to the final table with an impressive chip lead, causing some bystanders to anticipate an Eskimo runaway. But ultimately it was John Oetker, a small business owner from Iowa, who pulled-off the upset and walked away with $122,383 in prize money. With betting limits at $4K-8K, Texan Thomas Ferguson had to catch a hand to survive -- and fast. His dream came true when he was dealt A-A and managed to get into a pre-flop raising war with John Oetker, holding J-J. After four raises, all of Ferguson's chips were in the pot. Ferguson's dream hand turned into a nightmare when a jack flopped, and the final board read Q-J-9-10-2. Oetker's set of jacks made Ferguson the first casualty of the final table, which meant the retired teacher and coach from Woodville, TX was out in 9th place with $5,292. Ninety minutes passed before the next player was eliminated. During this time, Oetker slowly increased his stack size from $50K to over $100K. Then, without warning, three players were knocked out in rapid succession. Next to get the ax was another Texan, Don Moseley. Moseley liked his chances with A-Q against the Eskimo man, who called a small all-in raise from the blind with 9-5. Unfortunately for Moseley, a wicked 5 fell on the river, knocking the retired Houstonian out in 8th place with $6,615. Literally seconds later, Craig DiSalvo found himself down to the felt and had to make his last stand with K-7. Josh Arieh was thrilled to fade DiSalvo's action, holding (wouldn't you know it?) pocket aces. The board was cruel and unusual punishment for DiSalvo -- A-J-8-8-J -- giving Arieh a full house. It was a disappointing final table for DiSalvo, who has played tournament poker for 20 years and has cashed in many majors. He simply ran "card cold" at the worst stage of the tournament. DiSalvo took $8,269 for 7th place. A.J. Kelsall found himself in much the same predicament. Forced to commit his remaining chips, Kelsall was none to happy to be dealt 9-3 on his final hand, which turned out to be dominated by Eskimo's 9-8. Neither player made a pair, but Eskimo's "8" played. Kelsall, a self-employed semi-pro who concentrates mostly on cash games and only plays 2 to 3 majors per year, received $11,577 from 6th place. Bruce Van Horn is perhaps best-known for his second place finish in the 1996 World Series of Poker. Quiet and unassuming much of the time, Van Horn can always be counted to make the most of his opportunities. However, the opportunities were few and far between on this night. The good Oklahoma doctor was stuck in the big blind with 3-4 suited, and called a raise with his last chips in a three-way pot (getting 2-1 on his money, he later explained). John Oetker made a full house and Van Horn was gone. Van Horn came to the final table fifth in chips and finished 5th, taking home $14,885. With blinds raised to $10K-20K, Former Tournament of Champions finalist Josh Arieh made his last stand with 4-4. However, he ran into pocket 6s and was forced to make an unwelcome exit. Arieh received $19,846 for 4th place. One of the most dramatic hands at the final table took place when Eskimo Clark and John Oetker contested a huge pot. Eskimo held A-J versus Oetker's K-K. The final board showed A-K-5-J-7, giving Eskimo two pair. But Oetker had flopped a monster hand with trip kings. That hand proved to be the turning point in the tournament. For the first time, Oetker had taken the chip lead. In the first two hours, Norm Ketchum wasn't much of a factor at the final table. He slowly managed to move up the money ladder, and sat quietly while the other players went to war. However, with blinds and limits escalating, Ketchum finally had to make a stand and committed his final chips with Q-J. Ketchum caught a jack on the turn to make a pair. However, he might as well have been looking at a freight train from the railroad tracks. Oetker had been dealt 5-6 and was thrilled to see the flop come 8-7-4. The 5-6 made a straight and Ketchum, who finished second in this same event two years ago, won $31,423 for 3rd place. Oetker was on a roll. The last two players squared off, with Oetker sitting on a 5-2 chip lead over Eskimo. Demonstrating why he's one of the most feared competitors in tournament poker, Eskimo staged an impressive comeback and drew back to even in chips at one point. In a stunning exhibition of courage and good card sense, Eskimo four-bet his opponent when the flop came A-A-2. Convinced he was probably beat, Oetker mucked his hand. Eskimo showed a worthless Q-6. But this night belonged to Oetker, who kept coming over the top of Eskimo at opportune moments, throwing the experienced pro off his game. He slowly, but surely, chipped away at Eskimo's stack, until he had the chips back he'd lost previously, and more. When Oetker made trip 8s on a critical hand, Eskimo knew end was near. Down to only a few chips, Eskimo made his final stand with K-3 in the big blind. Oetker was dealt 8-6. Incredibly, Oetker flopped a straight (again) when the board came 9-7-5. It was all over. Eskimo, the winner of four previous World Series of Poker events, took second place -- and Oetker was congratulated as the winner. Afterward, Oetker paid tribute to his opponents and said he was delighted to win his first major. Of Eskimo in particular, Oetker said, "He's great. He's one of the best in the world. I've been watching him play for years." All the watching and waiting seemed to finally pay off for Oetker, who collected $122,383 and his first World Poker Open gold and diamond bracelet. -- by Nolan Dalla