Tournament announcer Charlie Ciresi dubbed Jeff Doane the "River King" after he sucked out three times on the river just before and during an epic, back-and-forth heads-up battle with Erik Albertson. But there was a lot more than luck involved as Doane captured the fourth event of the WSOP Circuit tour, $500 no-limit hold'em, at Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs. Until then, Doane said, he almost never drew out, never got big hands except kings one time, and basically used his position to stack up chips.

Doane, 53, is from Rockford, Illinois, owns a carpet business from which he is semi-retired, and has been playing poker competitively for 25 years. For many years he was a "riverboat gambler," living in riverboat casino hotels and playing seven days a week. His biggest poker highlight was winning two tournaments, Omaha/8 and limit hold'em, back-to-back at the Tunica Grand about five years ago. Doane is serious about poker. "This is a game, but not for me," he said. Tonight's victory brought him $43,766.

In other news, meanwhile, Phil Gordon came to town to give an 11 a.m. seminar on Saturday, play in the $1,500 event that day, and then in the championship event as well. Fellow superstars Chris Ferguson and T.J. Cloutier are also booked for the big  finale. 

There were 39 minutes left on the clock when the final nine began play with 2,000-4,000 blinds and 500 antes. Co-leaders were John Love and Albertson with 111,000 and 109,500 chips respectively.

Seats and chip counts

SEAT 1 David Marazzo    42,000
SEAT 2 Jerry Shields       19,500
SEAT 3 Ray Flavin           41,500
SEAT 4 Erik Albertson   109,500
SEAT 5 John Love         111,000
SEAT 6 Jeff Doane          58,000
SEAT 7 Dennis Otto         40,000
SEAT 8 Richard Klein       62,500
SEAT 9 Teddy Nassif      78,000

This was probably the toughest table to date with several pros, semi-pros and one  poker room manager in attendance. It was also the most age-mature. Except for a 22-year-old student and Albertson, who is 28 (but with gray hair), pretty much all the others ranged from 39 to 60.

Jerry Shields, who manages the Ameristar Casino poker room in Kansas City, Missouri, started very short-chipped. On the second hand he tried an all-in move for his last 18,000 from the cut-off seat with A-2. John Love, in the big blind, picked him off with pocket 9s after the board came 6-3-2-3-7 and Shields cashed out for $2,735 in ninth place. Shields, 39, has played poker 20 years, learning by "trial and error," His poker highlight: winning $7,000 in 50 minutes in a $1,000 buy-in cash game.

The senior player at the table was David Marazzo, a goat farmer whose nickname, not surprisingly, is "Goatman."  He's been playing 55 years and listed his age as "60?". In early going the Goatman doubled through against Richard Klein's K-8 when his Q-9 blossomed into a full house.

Klein, making his second final table here, was one of the pros. A few hands later, down to about 17,500, he went all in from the big blind holding As-Qs. He was the favorite against attorney Ray "Sugar" Flavin's K-10 until a king flopped, and he went out eighth, worth $4,103.

Klein, from Denver, Colorado, has a $69,598 win in a Jack Binion mid-America Poker Classic in Tunica.. Eighth place paid him $4,103 tonight.

Teddy Nassif, the 22-year-old student, took a big hit a few hands later. After opening for 12,000, he faced an over-the-top all in raise of 57,000 from Ray Flavin. After pondering and probing for a long time, Nassif finally called with pocket 8s after the clock was called on him. Flavin had A-10 and doubled up when an ace turned.

Blinds were now 3,000-6,000. Nassif, soon down to 10,000, made a miracle recovery, zooming up to 90,000 in three consecutive hands. First he moved in and tripled up when his A-Q held up against Love and Doane. On the next hand he moved in again and took the blinds and antes. On the third hand, Love moved in for 39,000 from the cut-off seat with just 10d-6d. "I was just trying to steal the blinds," he said sheepishly after Nassif called and turned up pocket aces. Nassif ended up with anoverkill flush, and Love cashed out seventh for $5,471.

Love, 54, is from Cincinnati and was a contractor before retiring to play poker full time. He's had one other final table, finishing seventh at a WPT event at Tunica. He's been playing six years and his other hobby is dog training.

Dennis Otto was the third pro at the table. Up to hand 33, he hadn't seen much action. He finally called all in with pocket 8s when Doane raised with K-Q, losing when Doane made a straight. Otto, 50, is from Corpus Christie, Texas and was a building contractor before turning to poker. He's been playing 35 years, and his best moment came when he bluffed a "very good" player into laying down quad deuces in an Omaha game. For finishing sixth, he made $6,839.

As play continued, Goatman Dave flopped a set of deuces to move into a virtual tie with Albertson for the lead. Then, a few hands later, he knocked Nassif out to move in front. On a flop of J-10-7, Nassif bet his last chips with pocket 9s. Marazzo had 12 outs when he called with K-Q, and caught a king on the river.

Nassif, nicknamed "Two-Pair Teddy," is taking a "short absence" from school to test poker. He won a Circuit ring at Rincon last year. Fifth place paid $8,206.

Soon after blinds became 4,000-8,000 with 1,000 antes, Albertson was left with just 38,000 when he called a 94,000 raise by Flavin and lost to his pocket kings, but began moving up again. Less fortunate was Marazzo. He dropped fast after losing a couple of big pots and went out on hand 78 when he moved in with pocket 8s and ran into Albertson's pocket jacks. The Goatman, from St. Joe, Arkansas, made $9,574 for fourth. Previously, he's had a couple of minor tournament wins.

Doane's first big suck-out came when he raised all in for 38,000 with A-3. Albertson reluctantly called, discovered he had the dominant hand, A-6, only to see Doane river a wheel. Doane did it a second time right after blinds went to 6,000-12000 with 2,000 antes. Holding Ac-Qs, he was trailing Flavin's Jc-9c when the flop came 9s-7s-4s, but hit a flush on the river to leave Flavin short-chipped. Flavin lost the chips a few hands later when his 6-3 couldn't catch Doane's Kd-5d.

Flavin, a 46-year-old attorney from Woodstock, Illinois, has played for about seven years. His poker highlight came when he was down to 150 chips in the middle of this tournament, rebounding to finish third and win $12,309 

Heads-up, Doane had a slight lead, about 300,000 to 265,000 for Albertson. But in the 24-hand match-up, the lead would go back and forth. Later down to 180,000, Doane made what he said was his only bad play when he went all in with 6-3, a 3-1 dog against Albertson's A-6,  sucking out once again with a river trey.

As play continued, Albertson regained the lead, then lost it again when his As-6s lost to Doane's pocket jacks. Finally down to 65,000, Albertson put it in with 9-5 and bowed out when Doane's Ah-4h held up on a board of 7-4-3-K-K.

Albertson, a 28-year-old private wealth consultant from Omaha nicknamed E-Dog, has been playing five years. This is his first Circuit try. He learned poker on his own, has a bachelor's degree in economics, and enjoys tennis, basketball, traveling and fishing. Second place tonight got him $24,072. --Max Shapiro

For more information, please contact:
Max Shapiro -- WSOP Media Director at (323) 356-3303
Or visit our official website: http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com

World Series of Poker Commissioner - Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah's Entertainment - Jack Effel
World Series of Poker Circuit Tournament Director - Janis Sexton
Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs Poker Room Manager - Gary Margetson