Tom Koral Wins the 2013 DeepStacks Poker Tour Oregon State Poker Championships
On Monday, the 2013 DeepStacks Poker Tour (DSPT) Oregon State Poker Championships at the Chinook Winds Resort Casino came to an end with the conclusion of the $150,000 guaranteed Main Event. The $1,100 buy-in tournament attracted 157 players including DeepStacks Pros Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, Tristan “Cre8ive” Wade, Randal “Randallin” Flowers, and Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh, but it was well-known pro Tom Koral who emerged victorious to capture the $39,720 first-place prize.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tom Koral | $39,720 |
| 2nd | Del Hardison | $27,807 |
| 3rd | Micah Bell | $17,890 |
| 4th | Max Young | $13,248 |
| 5th | Randal Flowers | $9,932 |
| 6th | Toma Barber | $7,924 |
| 7th | Chis Elliot | $6,601 |
| 8th | Brian Bowman | $5,290 |
| 9th | Ernie Dolan | $3,963 |
According to the DSPT Live Blog, the final table was reached with 14:07 remaining in Level 19 with the blinds at 4,000/8,000/1,000. It was in that level that Ernie Dolan opened for 45,000 and received a call from Del Hardison. The A♥10♣4♦ flop saw Hardison check-call Dolan’s shove of 150,000 and the cards were turned up.
Hardison: 4♣4♠
Dolan: A♠J♥
Dolan had flopped top pair, but he was in bad shape against the 4♣4♠ set of Hardison. The 3♠ turn left Dolan drawing dead, and after the 2♦ was put out on the river, Dolan exited the tournament in ninth place for $3,963.
From there Brian Bowman and Chris Elliot fell in eighth and seventh place respectively, and then Toma Barber joined them on the rail in sixth. It happened in Level 21 (6,000/12,000/2,000) when Barber moved all in under the gun for 90,000 and Team DeepStacks Pro Randal Flowers called him from the cutoff.
Flowers: A♥10♠
Barber: Q♠J♦
Barber was behind, but he held two live cards. According to the PokerNews Odds Calculator, Barber had a 41.37% chance of surviving the hand while Flowers would score the knockout 58.19% of the time. The Q♣4♥3♦ flop gave Barber the lead with a pair of queens, and he had an 85.35% chance of doubling. The 7♣ turn bumped that up even further to 93.18%, and Flowers could only win with an ace on the river, a card that would come a mere 6.82% of the time. Much to Barber’s dismay, the long shot came through as the A♣ spiked to send him to the rail in sixth place for $7,942.
Not long after, Max Young opened for 35,000 under the gun and was met by an all-in three-bet to 406,000 by Flowers in the cutoff. Young made the call with the A♣Q♠, and he was racing against the 7♠7♥. The Q♦6♦6♠ flop was disaster for Flowers as Young took a commanding lead with two pair. Neither the 3♠ turn nor 3♦ river delivered Flowers salvation, and he was bounced in fifth place for $9,932.
Despite winning that hand, Young was the next player to go – giving him $13,248 for his fourth-place finish – and he was followed out the door by Micah Bell in third place for $17,890.
Hardison took a slight chip lead into heads-up play against Koral, but the pro was able to overcome the slight disadvantage. Koral managed to crack Hardison’s pocket queens to double into a 2-1 chip lead, and in the very next hand the pro sealed the deal. The final hand happened in Level 24 (15,000/30,000/4,000) and began when Koral raised to 60,000 preflop and Hardison called. Both players checked the Q♦5♥4♦ flop, and then Hardison called a bet of 70,000 from Koral on the 7♦ turn. When the 7♥ completed the board on the river, Koral bet 200,000 and then snap-called when Hardison moved all in for 804,000 more. Hardison held the Q♠J♦ for queens and sevens, but it was no good as Koral had rivered trips with the A♣7♠.
Hardison took home $27,807 for his runner-up finish while Koral, who busted Day 1a before the first break and re-entered on Day 1b, took home the title and accompanying $39,720 first-place prize.
Check out Koral’s winner interview with the DSPT’s Jeanine Deeb:
*Photos courtesy of DeepStack Poker Tour.
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