Samuel Oberlin, a 22 year old college student from Grand Rapids, MI, captured his biggest tournament victory at the WSOPC-Southern Indiana Championship.
At the first stop on the 2008-09 World Series of Poker Circuit, Samuel Oberlin, a 22 year old college student from Grand Rapids, MI, captured his biggest tournament victory by outlasting the smallish field of 84 at the Horseshoe Casino in Elizabeth, IN.
The $5000 event capped off two weeks of poker in the Hoosier State and the field generated a prize pool of $420,000, of which only the final table would partake. Oberlin came to the final table with the chip lead, but there were several strong players that would challenge him for the championship.
Veteran semi-professional Ray Lynn was the first to exit the tournament stage when he pushed all in with K-Q and Jamin Stokes called him with his A-Q. Once the board brought no relief, Lynn – who won a $500 tournament earlier on the schedule and finished fourth in a $1500 WSOP Omaha event in 2006 – walked away with $11,902.
With the knockout, Stokes passed Oberlin for the lead. Oberlin admitted in the early going that he wasn’t getting any hands to play and the rest of the table caught up and passed him. It wasn’t until after the elimination of Dean Schultz in eighth place that Oberlin finally found some cards at the final table.
On a Jc-5c-5d board, Derek Whelan checked the action to Oberlin, who pushed a 25K stack into the center of the table. Whelan check-raised him all in and Oberlin called him down, showing 6h-5h for trip fives. Whelan made a highly aggressive move with nothing more than Kc-10c for a flush draw and, once the turn and river ran without another club, Whelan was eliminated in seventh place.
A battle between two of the larger stacks at the table resulted in a huge lead for one and disappointment for the other. On the next hand after Whelan’s elimination, Jamin Stokes pushed all in with his pocket sevens after being re-raised by David Kopacz. Kopacz made the call with only an A-8 and won the race when his Ace paired on the turn. With the win, Kopacz assumed the chip lead and Stokes was pushed out of the game in sixth place.
Action continued to be frenetic at the expense of chip leader Kopacz. In a huge hand with the blinds at 6K/12K with a 2K ante, Kopacz re-raised Jerry Martin 50K bet to 100K on a board of 10h-9s-7d-3s-8s. Martin then upped the stakes by pushing the remainder of his stack into the pot. Kopacz muttered, “You’ve probably got a better hand,” but couldn’t follow his instinct as he called and showed K-6 for the low end of the straight. Sure enough, Martin showed his As-Ks for the nut flush, taking over the chip lead.
Martin would knock Kopacz from the tournament in third place moments later to get to heads up action against Oberlin. Martin used his 3-1 chip edge to keep the pressure on Oberlin but couldn’t put him away. Oberlin doubled up and pulled even when his pocket Queens held up against Martin’s K-J. The two swapped the lead over the next ten hands before Oberlin ended it, once again holding a pocket pair of ladies.
After a Js-5h-4c flop, Oberlin bet out 85K and was re-raised all in by Martin. Oberlin made the call and tabled his Queens with Martin only being able to manage a pair of Jacks with his J-7. When the board ran out and didn’t help Martin, Samuel Oberlin was the winner of the prestigious gold and diamond WSOPC championship ring, $143,064 and a seat at the 2009 World Series of Poker Championship Event. The rest of the final table included these gentlemen:
- Samuel Oberlin Grand Rapids, MI $143,064
- Jerry Martin Indianapolis, IN $79,480
- David Kopacz Hopkinsville, KY $43,714
- Len Ashby Louisville, KY $32,792
- Joey Couden Columbus, OH $27,818
- Jamin Stokes Detroit, MI $23,844
- Derek Whelan St. John’s, Newfoundland $19,870
- Dean Schultz Akron, OH $15,806
- Ray Lynn Washington, D.C. $11,922
The World Series of Poker Circuit continues on its 2008-09 schedule by moving up the state of Indiana. The Horseshoe in Hammond, IN will be the host from October 24th to November 2nd and should be well attended with the site’s proximity to Chicago. For now, though, Michigan’s Samuel Oberlin can celebrate as the latest champion on the WSOPC tour.
