Negreanu Wins Tunica Grands WSOP Circuit Championship

Anyone who is considering playing poker tournaments for a living should take a long hard look Daniel Negreanu's earnings in 2005. Daniel is 31 and already one of poker's elite. He has already won three World Series of Poker gold bracelets and is a sure thing to win more in the future. He is a regular face in some of the biggest cash games in the world and part of a small number of players who have won and lost over a million dollars in a single session.

The WSOP Circuit's feature attraction -- the $10,000 buy-in championship event - began four days ago and and attracted 241 entries to the Tunica Grand Casino-Resort. The total prize pool amounted to $2,289,500. With ESPN cameras on site to cover the competition, the large field was gradually eliminated down to the nine finalists, which took their seats inside the Tunica Grand Events Center. In an arena specifically designed for boxing matches, it was fitting that the final table would resemble a heavyweight prize fight. The early chip leader was Brian Lamkin, from Austin, TX. But from the very start, all eyes were on the Las Vegas wonder kid, Daniel Negreanu.

The nine players took their seats at the final table and were eliminated as follows:

9th Place - It took nearly an hour for the first player to bust out. Brandon Adams and Chad Brown arrived with the two lowest stacks, so it was expected they might spar in the first major confrontation. That's exactly what happened when Adams was dealt J-J and raised pre flop. Brown re-raised 'all in' with A-Q. Adams called quickly. It was the classic hold'em confrontation, with an under pair versus two over cards. Adams' pocket jacks held up and Brown was the first player to exit. Chad Brown, the former actor turned professional poker player accepted his defeat gracefully. "I played very well just to get here," he said afterward. "With just 100,000 left, I had to move in with a coin flip at that point and I just didn't get lucky. I have no regrets about my decision." Ninth-place paid $45,790. 

8th Place - Robert Schulz was the final table's local favorite. He arrived as the only player from the Memphis area (Southaven, MS is about ten miles north of the Grand Casino). Schulz brought a large cheering section with him which unfortunately left disappointed when their favorite player busted out in eighth place. Schulz was getting low on chips and moved 'all in' with 7-7. Daniel Negreanu, sensing his opponent was probably hoping not to get called, made the call instantly with 9-9. Neither player improved, which meant Negreanu's pocket nines dragged the big pot. Schulz vanished. "It was a very exciting four days," Schulz told ESPN cameras following his exit. "I was hoping to finish a little higher for the home crowd since everyone came out to support me. But, I'll be back here at a final table again sometime." Eighth place paid $68,685.

7th Place - The "The Daniel Negreanu Show" had only just begun. The supporting cast was not pleased. Negreanu completely altered the balance of the final table when he cracked two players in succession. His first victim was Wendell Barnes, a welder from Massachusetts. Barnes was torched when he was flopped two pair and moved 'all in' against Negreanu. Barnes initially looked delighted to see Negreanu call the large bet. But Barnes might as well have been standing on the railroad tracks waving at an oncoming freight train. Negreanu had been dealt a big pair - pocket aces (AKA Pocket Rockets) and flopped an ace - good for trips. Barnes was essentially drawing dead and was Negreanu's second road kill of the night. "That's poker," Barnes said in a post-tournament interview. "It's a long drive back (home to Massachusetts) but I'm leaving with some cash. It's all good." Seventh-place paid $91,580. 

6th Place - Brandon Adams started off the day as the lowest stack at the table. He managed to leap up three places on the money ladder. However, he finally ran out of punches when he was short on chips and made a raise with K-9 and was re-raised 'all in' by Brian Lamkin - holding A-Q. Neither player made a pair and the ace-high played. Adams was eliminated. Brandon Adams will earn his PhD in Finance from Harvard University later this year. This is his second big-time final table appearance in just three months. Adams also appeared at the final table at the 2005 Tournament of Champions (finishing ninth). "My tournament strategy was to be the aggressor, don't be a caller," Adams said later. "I went as far as I did because I followed that strategy most of the way...I will be teaching (college courses) this spring, but I plan to play in the main event at the World Series of Poker, " Adams stated, already optimistic about his future as a part-time tournament player and college instructor. Sixth place paid $114,475.

5th Place - After Brian Lamkin doubled up from his devastating defeat to Negreanu (besting Brandon Adams), he then found himself having to commit to a coin flip situation when dealt 8-8. Kia Mohajeri had not played many pots up to that point but decided to take a stand with A-K. The final board showed K-7-2-2-10 giving Mohajeri top pair with top kicker. Lamkin was out in fifth place, good for $137,370 in prize money. "I'll take some of this experience and keep moving forward," Lamkin said following his exit. " This is the farthest I have ever gone in a field this tough. There are so many world-class players here. I learned a lot and hopefully, there will be a next time."

4th Place - With Negreanu still holding a decisive chip lead, Lee Markholt got into a tough jam when he picked the wrong time to make a move. Markholt, who had survived with selective aggression most of the day, made a move at the pot pre-flop with J-8. He could not have picked a worse time to try and move his opponent off a hand. Kia Mohajeri looked down and saw two aces, and he moved over the top with an 'all in' re-raise. At that point, Markholt was pot committed. He called. The flop brought Markholt some interesting possibilities - as 10-7-6 opened up an inside straight draw. A five on the turn gave Markholt eight outs on the river to double up. But a harmless deuce fell on the fifth and final card, sealing Markholt's fate. Lee Markholt, a former professional bull rider turned poker player from Washington State was bucked off the final table and received $183,160 for fourth place. "It's always disappointing when you don't win. But I'm happy with my play and that's all the matters," he said.

3rd Place - The two shortest stacks battled a few times and traded chips back and forth. Then a major turning point occurred when Kia Mohajeri was dealt A-J and raised pre-flop. Bryant "B.K." King moved 'all in' with his last 227,000 -- holding K-K. Mohajeri called and lost the big hand. That left Mohajeri on life support. A few minutes later, Mohajeri made his final stand with K-J, moving 'all in.' King was delighted to call the raise with A-J. The flop provided some hope for underdog Mohajeri (10-9-8). But two blanks on the turn and river ended the night for the Floridian. This will likely not be the final time we see Mohajeri. Encouraged by his recent poker success, Mohajeri is seriously considering making a career move which might include playing full-time. "I'm thinking of turning pro," Mohajeri said later. "Whatever my decision is, poker will be a part of it. " Perhaps $228,950 in prize money will make his decision a little easier.

When heads-up play began, Negreanu held slightly better than a 2-1 chip advantage - Negreanu with approximately 1.7 million to King's 700,000. Most interesting of all, King had predicted he would get heads-up with Negreanu. During breaks, King confidently told everyone around him that he planned to take on Negreanu and play for the championship. Ultimately, he got exactly what he wanted. 

2nd Place - Heads-up play lasted just six hands. King knew he had to make a move fast because Negreanu was certain to keep putting pressure on and would slowly peck away at King's stack with ceaseless raises. Nearing the 200th hand of the final table King was dealt K-3 against Negreanu's K-9. The flop came K-Q-4. Both players had top pair. Negreanu bet out. "I thought that was a dream flop for me (with top pair)," King said afterward. "I figured that if he really had top pair he would check-raise me. I really liked it when he bet into me." As it turned out, Negreanu had the best hand all along. King re-raised 'all in' and Negreanu called. The nine out kicked the three, which meant King needed help. The final board showed K-Q-4-5-7. The nine-kicker played and Negreanu had ended the longest cold spell of his poker career.

The runner up was Bryant "BK" King. He was no stranger to final tables here in Tunica. This was King's second final table appearance in a major event here, as he also made it to the final table at the first World Series of Poker Circuit event of the season, last August. "How can I feel bad?" King later asked. "I started off the day with just 200,000 and I went as far as I could. I was really happy with the way I played and I certainly think Daniel played his best game." Second place paid $416,690.

1st Place - This was Daniel Negreanu's first win on the WSOP Circuit. The victory paid $755,525. He won his three WSOP gold bracelets in 1998, 2003, and 2004.