Computer Programmer Makes Late Decision to Play in Tournament and Wins $72,500

Last in Chips at Start of Final Table, University of Washington Grad Wins Huge Late Hand, Earning First Major Tournament Victory

In poker, it can be said that the very first decision one makes is the toughest, especially when it occurs long before the start of a tournament. Indeed, the most critical judgment any player makes is the decision to actually play. Many tournament winners who have achieved fame and fortune contemplated doing other things on what turned out to be a fateful day.

Ryan Osborne, a 27-year-old computer program manager knows the feeling. A few days ago, he was at his home in Orlando, FL hanging out with his friends when he was talked into coming to Atlantic City to play in a World Series of Poker Circuit event. A colleague mentioned that the first few events held at Caesars would be an excellent investment opportunity. With huge turnouts expected, a trip to Atlantic City seemed just the right move at the right time for the young player who had to that point achieved some success in tournaments, but who had yet to earn his first major victory.

Two days later, Osborne was standing near the final table, high-fiving his colleagues, $72,500 richer for having made a wise decision. Osborne topped a competitive field and overcame a number of disadvantages along the way – including being short-stacked during much of the final table – en route to his biggest payday ever. On a cold and cloudy day on the Atlantic City boardwalk, never had the sunshine back in Orlando looked so stale by comparison.

The $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #2 of ten events on the schedule) attracted exactly 500 entries, generating a prize pool totaling a quarter-million dollars. After 491 players were eliminated on the first day, nine finalists returned to the feature table to continue on day two. New York City poker player David Zeitlin arrived with a substantial chip lead. However, the large number of players with a near-average ship stack made the final table a wide open competition. Osborne, the eventual winner arrived dead last in chips. Players and starting chip counts began as follows:

Seat 1: Victor Johnson 195,000
Seat 2: Artie Smith 171,000
Seat 3: Bryce Carroll-Coe 260,000
Seat 4: Jake Neff 346,000
Seat 5: Sallie Stohler 234,000
Seat 6: Adam Steinback 267,000
Seat 7: Ryan Osborne 154,000
Seat 8: John Doran 225,000
Seat 9: David Zeitlin 654,000

Players were eliminated in the following order:

9th Place – About 20 minutes into play, the classic hold’em confrontation came up when Artie Smith with Q-Q raced against Sallie Stohler, with A-K. All suspense was shattered when a king flopped, giving Stohler a higher pair. An ace on the river was overkill, making two pair for Stohler. Smith became the day’s first elimination. A furniture maker who has “three children and four dogs” living at his North Carolina home, Smith picked up $5,000 for ninth place.

8th Place – Victor Johnson went out next when he was getting seriously low on chips and moved all-in with A-Q. Ryan Osborne had Q-Q and called immediately. The pair of ladies held up, which meant a dreaded walk for Johnson off the final table pier. The 49-year-old retiree from Middletown, NY collected $7,500 in prize money for eight place.

7th Place – The next player to hit the rail was John Doran, from nearby Woolwich Township, NJ. Doran was desperately low on chips and saw a four-way pot develop when he was dealt J-7. Hoping to quadruple up and jump back into contention, Doran called the bet but failed to improve. Doran ended up busting out in seventh place, good for $10,000 in prize money. Doran, a mortgage broker had previously made it to a final table at the WSOP in Las Vegas.

6th Place – When six-handed play began, the chip lead was shared by Sallie Stohler and David Zeitlin, who were about even. Then, Stohler lost a big pot when Jake Neff doubled up. Adam Steinback was not so fortunate. In fact, he took a bad beat when he was all-in on his final hand of the tournament with A-Q against Jake Neff’s A-10. Neff had barely enough chips to cover the bet and was absolutely delighted when a ten fell on the turn – hitting a three-outer good for a pair. The previously dominated hand ended up winning the pot, which meant a rude departure for Steinback. The 23-year-old poker dealer – who had previously won other poker tournaments held in Atlantic City – ended up collecting $12,500 for sixth place.

5th Place – Meanwhile, Jake Neff was on fire. He had doubled up twice in just five minutes. Then, he managed to double up again, taking K-J up against A-K. Neff spiked a jack which catapulted him into a close call for first in chips. When Bryce Carroll-Coe fell below 100,000 in chips with blinds and antes escalating, he decided to make a bold move with 9-5 and jammed the pot with a raise. David Zeitlin made an instant call – and flipped over K-J. The flop destroyed any hopes Carroll-Coe had of staging a comeback. The board cards showed A-Q-10 and gave Zeitlin a straight. Carroll-Coe was gone. The guitarist from Detroit, MI ended up with a royalty check totaling $15,000.

4th Place – Sallie Stohler is usually quite busy this time of year. She works as a full-time political consultant based in Washington, DC. She advises many successful Senatorial and Congressional candidates. But Stohler also likes to play poker in her spare time and she decided to make a weekend visit to Atlantic City. That turned out to be a wise investment of both her time and money as she ended up cashing out for $17,500. Unfortunately, Stohler went card dead in her final half hour at the table and ultimately went out holding 2-2 against A-J. A jack flopped, meaning defeat for Stohler. Remarkably, Stohler has a very impressive record of results given her limited exposure to tournaments. She also finished in-the-money in the 2007 WSOP main event.

3rd Place – The three remaining players were relatively close in chips, which meant anyone could still win. Yet the $48,000 money swing between first and third places did not dissuade some aggressive play by the finalists. After Ryan Osborne won a big hand against David Zeitlin (who had been chip leader most of the way), Jake Neff put a final nail in Zeitlin’s coffin. Neff’s A-K ended up hammering Zeitlin’s A-8. A king flopped, which was the decisive card in bouncing Zeitlin out of the tournament. Zeitlin, an ex-lawyer, is certainly no stranger to the pressure of making it to the final table. He finished as the runner up in the Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em World Championship at last year’s WSOP held in Las Vegas.

2nd Place – When heads-up play began, Jake Neff (with 1,700,000) enjoyed about a 2 to 1 chip lead over Ryan Osborne (with 780,000). The two finalists battled back and forth for nearly an hour before the tournament’s most exciting hand unfolded. Essentially, the outcome of the two-day event came down to a single card.

It all started when Osborne raised pre-flop, Neff re-raised all-in, and Osborne called. Neff showed 8-8. Osborne revealed A-10. Once again, the standard confrontation (a pocket pair versus two overcards) would determine the fate of the finalists. The flop came K-J-9, presenting some added possibilities for Osborne. Short of hitting a pair, this was still a favorable flop for Osborne. But Neff, holding the only made pair, still had the lead. A seven on the turn created even more outs for Osborne, with added straight possibilities. Then, Neff hit the card he dreaded most – a third eight which made trips. However, the final board showed 7-8-9-J-K which meant Osborne had rivered a straight, which scooped the largest pot of the tournament.

The river eight was the tournament’s most decisive card and accelerated Neff’s defeat. Desperately low in chips, Neff was finally eliminated a few hands later, making Osborne the champion.

As the runner up, Jake Neff collected $38,250. No stranger to being a poker bridesmaid, the Philadelphia-based marketing manager previously came in second at the United States Poker Championships.

1st Place – Ryan Osborne was paid $72,500 for first place, plus the coveted gold and diamond ring, presented to each WSOP Circuit winner at this year’s Caesars Atlantic City series. A native of Seattle, Osborne is a University of Washington graduate. He now lives in Florida where he works in the computer field.

“I’m going to pay for my sister’s wedding,” Osborne stated when asked what he would do with part of the prize money. “I told her before we started this tournament that I would pay for her wedding if I won.”

When told that weddings can sometimes costs tens of thousands of dollars, Osborne remained optimistic about his future plans in poker. “Well then, I might have to play in a few more poker tournaments, too” he said.

by Matches Malone

I'm here today to tell you about, well, "Tells." Those physical reactions, both voluntary and involuntary, given off in reaction to the cards in your hand, or on the board. An involuntary tell shows up in a physical reaction, either a facial tick, a jittery hand, an arched brow, or a sly smile, to name a few.

Voluntary tells are more frequent, and where the acting comes in. Acting is one of the few professions around where you're actually paid to lie. The same could be said of poker. The art of deception occurs more frequently on your way to winning No Limit Hold 'Em tournaments.

So, how can you know when your opponent is bluffing? Most acting tells can be boiled down to the following statement: Weak is Strong, and Strong is Weak. If he slams his chips into the pot, his hand is probably not that great. If he acts disinterested or relaxed, he may have the nuts. A stare down may occur when your opponent is attempting to psyche you out, as he doesn't believe his cards are good enough. If he looks away after he bets, chances are he likes his holdings.

Verbal cues are important as well. A chatty person that suddenly clams up after the flop, likes what he sees. Conversely, a quiet player that starts talking is attempting to cover something, most likely, a bluff. It may also be important to listen to what he or she is saying, as an abrupt subject change could be another indication of either a strong hand, or a cover up.

One should remember that not only he who hesitates is lost, but he who is lost, hesitates. Watch for betting patterns, and when they break. The way that someone stacks their chips may be significant. Do they keep nice even stacks? Or, are their chips stacked randomly, and without purpose? This would be an indication of a tight or loose player, respectively. Sometimes, a player will be nervous when they bet, and knock over a chip stack. This usually shows a surge of adrenaline in the body, indicating what they believe to be a strong hand. Be wary. Also, watch for players that fidget with their chips. Some will do the one handed chip stacking they just learned on tv. Although, this may be part of a routine the player has. Be observant of this tendency, and react accordingly.

Another type of betting tell comes after a poker player loses a big pot. He may not be on tilt, however, he may be steaming. Which is one step below full blown tilt. A steaming player will tend to loosen up his starting hand requirements, and start betting with everything an anything, in a futile attempt to win back the money he just lost in the big pot. These players are easy to spot, as well as the ones that continue betting after winning a big pot, falsely thinking they have achieved some momentum. It is at times like this you should remember that patience is a virtue, and there is no shame in waiting for a good starting hand.

What Else To Watch For

At the beginning of a hand, everyone is dealt two cards. My theory is, they aren't going anywhere, so, you don't have to look at them until it is your turn to act, and maybe, not even then. I look for other players looking at their cards, and the initial reaction they have. The eyes truly are the windows to the soul, and in many cases, your hold 'em hand as well. Where do they look after they see their cards? A quick glance at their chip stack may indicate they're about to bet. Most of the time, you'll see players getting ready to toss their cards in the muck, when it is their turn to act. There's that word again. However, most of the rest of the tells you'll see, will be involuntary.

Flop Sweat

There is a scene in Total Recall where an agent comes in, and attempts to convince our hero, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, that his current hero fantasy is exactly that, a fantasy. And it would've worked, too, if it hadn't been for the bead of sweat dripping from the temple of the agent, portrayed by Roy Brocksmith. In the reality of the movie, a person in a virtual reality simulation wouldn't sweat, and the agent was lying, as Arnold was indeed attempting to rescue Mars from itself.

But I digress. A demonstration of flop sweat is only slightly related to sweating after the flop. Look for players still in the hand that become suddenly interested in the board, by either leaning in, or glancing at their poker chips, as if ready to bet as I mentioned above. Conversely, someone may grab their chips before it is their turn to act. This may be an indication of weakness, and an attempt at intimidation. Do they look at their cards again after the flop? This could mean they may have paired, or, if three of the same suit come out, they have a fourth card of that suit. Rest assured, if someone has two of the same suit in their hand, they will indeed remember, and won't have to look at their hand again.

Also check facial reactions. I have a tell that I have yet to get rid of, wherein I smile when I my hand is made, although, I am working on it. Look for similar facial expressions in your opponents when the flop, turn and river hit the felt. Another subconscious act occurs when a player leans back in their chair after betting, appearing disinterested. This is generally a sign of strength. Proceed with caution. Player's hands shaking when he grabs his chips? A surge of adrenaline could be the cause, which usually comes from being excited from their hole cards. A player's demeanor may shift as they become anxious, ready for a confrontation. This could be an indication of a marginal hand. I usually ask a question of this player, attempting to bring out further tells. A head tilt to the right, or taking their eyes off of you, will probably mean a bluff. Touching of the face could be another indicator of a lie.

What Does All This Tell You?

Focus. Take in everything that's around you. Watch for patterns, both in body movement as well as betting., The above should be enough to get you started There are several more tells, however, most of these are individual to a particular player. I could let you know what they are, but of course, that would be telling.

72 and sunny in Redondo Beach.

Next time, I'll write about poker. Be there. Aloha.

Disclaimer: The above tournament tactics will probably not work in a cash game. Let me know if they do.

Matches Malone has been writing for us for a few years now, and if you'd like to contact him with your opposing views, he can be reached at Batman@azteca.net