MH school bus mechanic eliminated at the World Series of
Poker
LAS VEGAS – Ausencion Quezada, a Morgan Hill School District bus mechanic, gambled through nine hours of intense No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em poker Saturday before being eliminated from play in the 35th World Series of Poker at Binion’s Horseshoe Casino.
The tournament drew a remarkable total of 2,576 players, with the $10,000 entry fee creating a prize pool of $24.2 million. The winner will receive a record $5 million Friday night, with the next four places earning $3.5, 2.5, 1.5 and $1 million. The success of the event meant that 1,300 played Saturday, the second group Sunday.
“The amount of people playing,” was Quezada’s lasting impression of his first foray into a nationally acclaimed poker tournament. “I was expecting to play with 1,000 or so, not 2,600.”
Quezada, who qualified for the tournament through a satellite at Gilroy’s Garlic City Club, battled through four 105-minute sessions. He was eliminated at 11 p.m. during the fifth of six levels for the opening round, just as the event was pared to its final 700 players for the day. The tournament was set up to eliminate all but 600 players before action ended early Sunday morning.
“I’m very proud of the way I played,” Quezada said.
The South Valley representative lost twice with full houses within the first 10 minutes, quickly dipping to $4,000 in chips before rebounding to carry more than $10,000 in chips into the second level.
“I was down to $4,000, then worked back to $15,000 and managed to play another six hours.”
Quezada went all-in once in the first level of play. His A-K left him with two pairs (aces and deuces) and the best kicker to stay alive in the event.
Quezada had pocket aces only once all day, then earned only the blinds on the board when he found no takers against his $800 starting bet. The lone occasion with pocket kings earned Quezada a $6,000 pot.
The enormity of the field left the tournament directors placing 10 players at each table rather than the usual nine. For the second level of play, most of the tables added an 11th chair so that all of the alternates into the first half of the field could begin play. The tournament used 120 tables to take care of 1,200 players to start play.
After three levels, each of 105 minutes, the fourth round found tables being eliminated every 10-15 minutes. Quezada was moved from one table to another twice. The second switch, early in the fifth level, led to Quezada facing several professionals with stacks of $40,000 and $50,000.
“The players at the new table had too many chips,” said Quezada of the final 30 minutes with new opponents. “I could never really get ahead.”
Quezada knew he was in for tough competition when he opened betting with a respectable hand for $700, only to see one player with excessive chips put $8,000 on the table. That amount would have eliminated Quezada on the spot without the best hand, so he folded his cards. Four hands later, Quezada went all-in chasing a flush.
“I was drawing diamonds, but the last one never showed. I couldn’t do anything at the end because of his number of chips,” Quezada said of his final hand. “On the last hand, I was semi-bluffing, hoping the guy would muck his hand. He had an ace, I had a king-10 suited.”
While Quezada held on through most of five levels of play, defending champion Chris Moneymaker was eliminated in the third level.
At the end of the first day of competition, Michael Laing topped the money list with $129,525 in chips. The player with the fewest chips, in 600th place, had $1,150.
The tournament opened on a light note when an announcement was made that ESPN wished to interview the first person eliminated. After five minutes, three players had already lost their $10,000 investment.
Along with a tripling of the entrants, up from 839 in 2003, celebrities such as Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Edward Norton played.
The series of one-hour programs from the tournament will begin next month on ESPN.
