Post by jdaddy on Apr 9, 2008 10:30:12 GMT -4
www.worldseriesofpoker.com
APRIL 9, 2008 - 10:07:45 AM PST
Mike Cordell Coasts to Six-Handed Win As he Knocks Out All Five Opponents
by: Bluff staff (Bluff Media)
Elizabeth, IN--Michael Cordell, a 37-year-old pro from Little Rock, Arkansas, turned in about as dominating a performance as you could ever hope to see as he roared to a win in event eight of the WSOP Circuit tour at Caesars Indiana, $500 six-handed no-limit hold'em. He came to the final table with a big lead which he kept building as he dominated the table, catching pretty much everything he needed, and knocking out all five players, three of them in the last four hands! And four of those five times he started with the worst hand, but sucked out.
"Just another day at the office," he commented afterwards.
Cordell's win was worth $21,274, but he's had bigger. He's had two cashes of almost $53,000, one by finishing third in the main event of the Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge III last year, another for a 10th in the Jack Binion World Poker Open main event in 2005.
Among his many other cashes are a first and ninth in other Scotty Nguyen events last year, and a third and a 10th in WPO events at the Gold Strike in Tunica.
Cordell began playing poker in the late 80s playing in the back room of a pool hall in Benton, Arkansas. He turned pro after holding a variety of other jobs and has entered many Circuit events. He divides his playing time between live action and tournaments, plays all games, and prefers no-limit and pot-limit over limit because you have to win "so many" pots in a limit tournament to win it. He describes his play as selective/aggressive, but not nearly as aggressive as today's crop of young players. Tonight he said he was just playing to survive until he began building chips after the dinner break by winning a lot of races.
We got down to the final six after Cordell limped with pocket kings. The flop, 9-high, was a disaster for Sheila Carwile because she held 9-8. She bet 10,000, Cordell moved in, Carwile couldn't catch the cowboys and finished seventh, which paid $2,626.
The final table started with blinds of $1,500-$3,000 with 400 antes, 8:49 on the clock.. Cordell led with 186,100 chips.
Here were the starting chip counts:
Seat 1. Michael Bollar 40,100
Seat 2. Lou White 52,000
Seat 3. Michael Stephens 48,800
Seat 4. Simon Mancini 59,100
Seat 5. Mike Cordell 186,100
Seat 6. Doug "Rico" Carli 130,000
Interestingly, while the large majority of players making the final table thus far have been recreational players, four of the six finalists tonight were pros, and another is in the business of making electronic poker tables.
On the fourth deal, Michael Bollar, with pocket 10s, moved in for about 40,000 after the flop came K-Q-5. Cordell picked him off holding K-7 in the small blind, and Bollar departed sixth, paying $3,283. Cordell, meanwhile, increased his lead to about 230,000. Bollar, 22, is a pro from Torrance California who has three cashes at Rincon, including a 2nd in a Circuit event, and another at Oceanside.
On the next hand, Doug "Rico" Carli, making his second final table, took a hit after he flopped trip 10s but lost to trip 10s with a higher kicker. The round ended and blinds increased to 2,000-4,000 with 1,000 antes. After Simon "Sam" Mancini took down a pot, he complimented himself on his good read after he raised pre-flop with pocket deuces and kept betting the flop and turn, even with an ace and a king showing.
Hand 15 was the last for Michael Stephens. He moved in with A-10 and Cordell, calling with Kh-3h, caught a trey on the flop and another on the river. "Today's my day," Cordell said prophetically. Stephens, cashing $3,940 for fifth, is 48, from Godfrey, Illinois and works as an operator. He's entered some 20 Circuit events, and cashed 28th in an earlier $300 event here.
The round ended with Cordell owning about 260,000 of the 511,000 chips in play. Blinds now were 3,000-6,000 with 500 antes. On hand 44, Mancini made another good read. With a board of Kh-9d-8h-7d, Lou White called for a diamond. "Bingo!" he exclaimed when a 5d hit. Mancini promptly moved in and White folded. Mancini revealed he had 3-4 of diamonds, adding that he knew that White wasn't also on a flush draw when he called for a diamond.
Cordell, meanwhile, using his big stacks as a weapon, played aggressive poker and kept amassing more chips. Then, on the next-to-last hand of the round, Carli moved in for 50,000 holding A-3 in the small blind. Cordell felt he had a mandatory call with A-J. The board came Q-7-4-6-7. Finishing fourth, Carli pocketed $5,253. Carli, 52, and from Alliance, Ohio, was another of the pros at the table. He finished ninth in the fourth event, $300 no-limit. Carli is a retired stockbroker who started playing poker as a child with his siblings. He holds the record for the most WSOP Circuit cashes, now 26. His biggest payday was $116,936 for seventh in a $5,000 WSOP event. He also likes golf and baseball.
After winning Cordell won the next pot from White, the round ended, leaving him with a massive lead of 367,000 chips to 84,000 for White and 60,000 for Mancini. Blinds were now 4,000-8,000 with 1,000 antes.
It didn't take Cordell long to finish up. On the first hand of the new level, White moved in from the small blind with pocket 10s. Cordell called with Jc-9c, flopped a flush draw with Qc-9s-4c, and hit it when a 7c turned. For third, White earned $6,566. White, 45, from Charlotte, North Carolina, is a co-founder of PokerTek, which manufactures the PokerPro automated poker tables. This is his first Circuit, and his poker highlight.
On the next hand, Mancini pushed in with Kd-2s. Calling with Jd-10c, Cordell was once again the underdog, and for the final time he drew out by pairing his 10 when the board came 10-4-3-8-7. Mancini's payday for second was $11,162. Mancini, 47, is from Ballwin, Missouri and the father of four. He was a sales director before turning pro. He learned poker in neighborhood games when he was 12 and this is his second Circuit and his second consecutive cash, having finished 11th in yesterday's $300 event.
--Max Shapiro
For more information, please contact:
Max Shapiro -- WSOP Media Director at (323) 356-3303
Or visit our official website: www.worldseriesofpoker.com
World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel
Caesars Indiana Poker Room Manager – Jimmy Allen
Tournament Directors -- Andy Cunningham and Sue Stetar
APRIL 9, 2008 - 10:07:45 AM PST
Mike Cordell Coasts to Six-Handed Win As he Knocks Out All Five Opponents
by: Bluff staff (Bluff Media)
Elizabeth, IN--Michael Cordell, a 37-year-old pro from Little Rock, Arkansas, turned in about as dominating a performance as you could ever hope to see as he roared to a win in event eight of the WSOP Circuit tour at Caesars Indiana, $500 six-handed no-limit hold'em. He came to the final table with a big lead which he kept building as he dominated the table, catching pretty much everything he needed, and knocking out all five players, three of them in the last four hands! And four of those five times he started with the worst hand, but sucked out.
"Just another day at the office," he commented afterwards.
Cordell's win was worth $21,274, but he's had bigger. He's had two cashes of almost $53,000, one by finishing third in the main event of the Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge III last year, another for a 10th in the Jack Binion World Poker Open main event in 2005.
Among his many other cashes are a first and ninth in other Scotty Nguyen events last year, and a third and a 10th in WPO events at the Gold Strike in Tunica.
Cordell began playing poker in the late 80s playing in the back room of a pool hall in Benton, Arkansas. He turned pro after holding a variety of other jobs and has entered many Circuit events. He divides his playing time between live action and tournaments, plays all games, and prefers no-limit and pot-limit over limit because you have to win "so many" pots in a limit tournament to win it. He describes his play as selective/aggressive, but not nearly as aggressive as today's crop of young players. Tonight he said he was just playing to survive until he began building chips after the dinner break by winning a lot of races.
We got down to the final six after Cordell limped with pocket kings. The flop, 9-high, was a disaster for Sheila Carwile because she held 9-8. She bet 10,000, Cordell moved in, Carwile couldn't catch the cowboys and finished seventh, which paid $2,626.
The final table started with blinds of $1,500-$3,000 with 400 antes, 8:49 on the clock.. Cordell led with 186,100 chips.
Here were the starting chip counts:
Seat 1. Michael Bollar 40,100
Seat 2. Lou White 52,000
Seat 3. Michael Stephens 48,800
Seat 4. Simon Mancini 59,100
Seat 5. Mike Cordell 186,100
Seat 6. Doug "Rico" Carli 130,000
Interestingly, while the large majority of players making the final table thus far have been recreational players, four of the six finalists tonight were pros, and another is in the business of making electronic poker tables.
On the fourth deal, Michael Bollar, with pocket 10s, moved in for about 40,000 after the flop came K-Q-5. Cordell picked him off holding K-7 in the small blind, and Bollar departed sixth, paying $3,283. Cordell, meanwhile, increased his lead to about 230,000. Bollar, 22, is a pro from Torrance California who has three cashes at Rincon, including a 2nd in a Circuit event, and another at Oceanside.
On the next hand, Doug "Rico" Carli, making his second final table, took a hit after he flopped trip 10s but lost to trip 10s with a higher kicker. The round ended and blinds increased to 2,000-4,000 with 1,000 antes. After Simon "Sam" Mancini took down a pot, he complimented himself on his good read after he raised pre-flop with pocket deuces and kept betting the flop and turn, even with an ace and a king showing.
Hand 15 was the last for Michael Stephens. He moved in with A-10 and Cordell, calling with Kh-3h, caught a trey on the flop and another on the river. "Today's my day," Cordell said prophetically. Stephens, cashing $3,940 for fifth, is 48, from Godfrey, Illinois and works as an operator. He's entered some 20 Circuit events, and cashed 28th in an earlier $300 event here.
The round ended with Cordell owning about 260,000 of the 511,000 chips in play. Blinds now were 3,000-6,000 with 500 antes. On hand 44, Mancini made another good read. With a board of Kh-9d-8h-7d, Lou White called for a diamond. "Bingo!" he exclaimed when a 5d hit. Mancini promptly moved in and White folded. Mancini revealed he had 3-4 of diamonds, adding that he knew that White wasn't also on a flush draw when he called for a diamond.
Cordell, meanwhile, using his big stacks as a weapon, played aggressive poker and kept amassing more chips. Then, on the next-to-last hand of the round, Carli moved in for 50,000 holding A-3 in the small blind. Cordell felt he had a mandatory call with A-J. The board came Q-7-4-6-7. Finishing fourth, Carli pocketed $5,253. Carli, 52, and from Alliance, Ohio, was another of the pros at the table. He finished ninth in the fourth event, $300 no-limit. Carli is a retired stockbroker who started playing poker as a child with his siblings. He holds the record for the most WSOP Circuit cashes, now 26. His biggest payday was $116,936 for seventh in a $5,000 WSOP event. He also likes golf and baseball.
After winning Cordell won the next pot from White, the round ended, leaving him with a massive lead of 367,000 chips to 84,000 for White and 60,000 for Mancini. Blinds were now 4,000-8,000 with 1,000 antes.
It didn't take Cordell long to finish up. On the first hand of the new level, White moved in from the small blind with pocket 10s. Cordell called with Jc-9c, flopped a flush draw with Qc-9s-4c, and hit it when a 7c turned. For third, White earned $6,566. White, 45, from Charlotte, North Carolina, is a co-founder of PokerTek, which manufactures the PokerPro automated poker tables. This is his first Circuit, and his poker highlight.
On the next hand, Mancini pushed in with Kd-2s. Calling with Jd-10c, Cordell was once again the underdog, and for the final time he drew out by pairing his 10 when the board came 10-4-3-8-7. Mancini's payday for second was $11,162. Mancini, 47, is from Ballwin, Missouri and the father of four. He was a sales director before turning pro. He learned poker in neighborhood games when he was 12 and this is his second Circuit and his second consecutive cash, having finished 11th in yesterday's $300 event.
--Max Shapiro
For more information, please contact:
Max Shapiro -- WSOP Media Director at (323) 356-3303
Or visit our official website: www.worldseriesofpoker.com
World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel
Caesars Indiana Poker Room Manager – Jimmy Allen
Tournament Directors -- Andy Cunningham and Sue Stetar