Poker: Brawl at the Bellagio

I had a sneaking suspicion that the night was going to turn into a three-ring circus. After all, take two notable names on the World Poker Tour, put them in the best casino in Vegas, throw in some cameras and four opponents vying for over a million dollars, and something strange is bound to happen.

Strange indeed was the final table at the Bellagio's Five Diamond World Poker Classic. By the end of Wednesday night in Vegas, the two heavies were acting like each other, the reigning champ was out, and it had become more psychological drama than poker match.

Here's how we started, according to chip count:

1. Gus Hansen - $1,484,000 2. Abe Mosseri - $1,350,000 3. Paul Phillips - $1,220,000 4. Tino Lechich - $811,000 5. Dewey Tomko - $767,000 6. Mel Judah - $655,000

What makes this final table so nerve-wracking is the wide and often unpredictable background of the six people at the table. Gus Hansen is a two-time World Poker Tour champion who won the last Five Diamond Poker Classic. Dewey Tomko is a casino owner himself. Paul Phillips, who weirdly had shaved his head for no apparent reason, is known as "Dot Com" because he's an Internet millionaire who's openly declared that he doesn't need the money gained by poker wins. To say they're colorful characters is an understatement.

The "Kevin Walker Award for Person I've Never Seen Before In My Life" goes to Brooklyn native Abe Mosseri, who amazingly started the night in second chip position after never being at a WPT final table in his lifetime. Abe quickly showed he had no fear betting with the heavyweights, but also had to be taught a lesson about correct betting, and eventually his inexperience would show. However, his guts made a fast impression in the opening hands.

In most WPT events, the action doesn't really start flying until the second hour, and fly it did at the Bellagio. Only 49-nine minutes in, Abe knocked out short stack and WPT veteran Mel Judah after catching a 9 on the river to make two pair.

Mel, who held J-10 against Abe's K-9, had been looking for a chance to double up, and when the flop went K-J-10, thought he saw his opening. However, Abe caught a 9, and with his pair of kings being higher, sent Mel to the players' lounge in sixth place with a cool $101,000 in prize money. The early exit of a veteran player was a message that the gloves were off.

A mere seven minutes later, the Australian Tino Lechich held K-Q and decided to challenge Gus, who held A-10. The flop came J-K-A, and Tino was convinced his pair of kings was good, not knowing Gus had flopped a pair of overcards (cards of higher rank). The inconsequential turn and river went 5-J, giving each player two pair but with Gus still holding the higher cards. Tino went home in fifth place with $130,000, leaving the Brooklyn rookie playing with the big boys.

Gus Hansen is widely regarded as one of the best poker players ever, and when Abe lost a few pots and began to play on tilt, the two-time champion taught the novice a lesson. Abe held a mere 8-7 against Gus' A-6. With a flop of 3-8-A, Abe did not know that Gus had once again paired aces and moved all in. The 5 on the turn and 2 on the river gave Gus a straight, and Abe exited in a respectable fourth place with $175,000. The heavyweights were thus left to battle it out on their own.

There was serious blood in the water. Gus and Paul, who looked fairly identical with their shaved heads and black outfits, were even riffling their chips in synchronization, and seemed to come up against each other time and again. As they were the biggest names at the table, all eyes were on them.

Despite the banter at the table, there were high stakes. The winner received a trophy and over a million dollars in prize money, plus a guaranteed seat in June's WPT Championship. Especially for Paul, who had never won a WPT title before, the night's action held a strong significance. Gus, however, had knocked out two players in seven minutes, and was the odds-on favorite to win.

Soon enough, Gus and Paul squared off. After a few pots which they had played heads-up while the others looked on, they went after each other for real. Gus, holding a pair of tens, went all-in, while Paul held only A-Q, a dangerous hand to play because even a pair of twos will trump it.

Yet destiny seemed to be on Paul Phillips' side this night, because after the flop came 9-9-J and the turn produced a useless 4, he caught a queen on the river. A stunned Gus Hansen left in third place with $276,000, leaving an interesting heads-up face-off for the title.

Paul Phillips is a mathematician and a brilliant man who retired at the age of 25. He says he doesn't need the money gained from poker, because the victory is the only thing important to him. He also has a bit of a reputation after being banned from the 2001 World Series of Poker after commenting to a Vegas paper on the distribution of money at the WSOP.

That incident caused a number of players to refuse to play that year, and although Paul was eventually reinstated and an investigation launched into financial improprieties on the part of key staff members at Binion's Horseshoe Casino, where the WSOP is held, the incident and his name still seem to be attached to each other.

Across the table, Dewey Tomko had sat quietly the whole night, letting the more aggressive players go after each other. A former kindergarten teacher and golf course owner turned casino owner, he seemed unimpressed by the fast and furious action, and set his sights on Paul. With Paul having $5.5 million dollars in chips to Dewey's mere $900 thousand, it seemed an unfair fight.

Yet Dewey made Paul fight it out. An agonizing 20 minutes passed in a pattern that drove Paul Phillips -- and me -- to the brink of insanity. No matter what he was dealt, Dewey went all in -- risking all his chips, the boldest move of no-limit Texas Hold 'Em -- with a dismissive flick of the finger. Paul would inevitably fold and Dewey would pick up the pot, chipping away at Paul's massive lead.

While Paul stewed and stared, I was ready to break that finger. I have a dispassion for players who will use the all-in move over and over again as a scare tactic. Going all-in has a huge impact and repeating it to the point of boredom is something I've considered frivolous and sometimes just cowardly. That move works all times but once.

Last week at Foxwoods, Hoyt Corkins did the same thing to Phil Hellmuth until Phil went absolutely ballistic. Paul Phillips, however, is no drama queen like Hellmuth, and just sat there waiting for his opening. (As commentator Mike Sexton joked: "Paul's going to be giving him the finger right back in a moment.")

Finally, Paul decided to take a stand, and called Dewey's all-in bet with a pair of 7s, his lucky cards when he'd beaten WPT veteran T.J. Cloutier at the Bicycle Casino last year and ultimately come in second. Dewey held only K-8. When the flop went 4-7-10, Paul made trip sevens, and the 3-Q that followed trapped Dewey in his own game. A stunned and overjoyed Paul Phillips won his first WPT title at the Bellagio.

The final standings:

6th Place - Mel Judah, $101,000 5th Place - Tino Lechich, $130,000 4th Place - Abe Mosseri, $175,000 3rd Place - Gus Hansen, $276,000 2nd Place - Dewey Tomko, $552,000 1st Place - Paul Phillips, $1,100,000

The night could not possibly have been any crazier at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Gus Hansen and Paul Phillips became spitting images, rookie Abe Mosseri bet like a madman, Dewey Tomko had a twitchy finger that came back to cost him, and veteran Mel Judah was out in the blink of an eye. A night full of wild ups and downs had finally culminated in what was a long time coming: a championship for Paul Phillips. If he plays his cards right, his next title could be the WPT Championship.