PATIENCE PAYS OFF FOR DAVID FINNEY AS HE COMES FROM BEHIND TO WIN RING EVENT #2
 
2010-2011 World Series of Poker Circuit
Horseshoe Council Bluffs
August 21-22
Ring Event # 5
No-Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $300+$45
Number of Entries: 350
Total Prize Money: $101,850
 
Final Results:
Council Bluffs, IA --- David Finney, a dispatcher for a wholesale fuel company, started today's final table last in chips with only 175,000, well under half average. But by carefully picking and choosing his spots, he worked his way up and finally won the second ring event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Horseshoe Council Bluffs, $300 No Limit Hold'em. "You can't be too aggressive when you're the short stack forever," he explained. Victory brought him $22,879 and the coveted diamond and gold trophy ring.
 
He had plenty of time to be patient, because the final table lasted close to eight hours, largely due to the new structure giving players lots of room with plenty of chips and slowly escalating blinds.
 
Finney, 48, is from Council Bluffs and plans his vacation time to play tournaments at his "home casino." He's been playing poker for six years, splits his poker time between cash games and tournaments, and three years ago won a second-chance event here. This event drew 350 players and the prize pool was $99,450. Twenty-five players returned on Day Two. It took two hours to lose 15, and then another hour to lose one more and get to the final table of nine. Action started with blinds of 6,000-12,000 and 2,000 antes, 37:27 left on the clock at Level 25. Brian Brashaw had the lead with 716,000 in chips.
 
Here were the starting chip counts:
 
1.  Daniel Girard  355,000
2.  David Finney  175,000
3.  William Ace Ellis II  263,000
4.  Dan Roth  396,000
5. Ian Wiley  422,000
6. Kent Reid  396,000
7. Brian Brashaw  716,000
8. H.J. Heistand  248,000
9. Gabe Costner  524,000
 
Ninth Place: First out was Gabe "Danny" Costner after Daniel Girard, holding A-K, flopped a king to outrun Costner's pocket 6s. Ninth paid $2,150. Costner, 33, is a pro from Biloxi, Mississippi who before that was a stockbroker. He started playing in home games and has been playing professionally eight years. His long list of accomplishments include most POY final tables in the country in 2008; over $1 million in winnings; 35th in this year's WSOP Main Event; and two WSOP and one WPT final table. Hobbies are sports, hiking, fishing and day trading.
 
Eighth Place: Blinds were now at 8,000-16,000 with 3,000 antes. There were several all-in survivals, and then five minutes before the round ended, another player went out. Preflop, H.J. Heistand raised 43,000 with pocket 10s and Kent Reid called with pocket deuces. When the flop came 9-3-9, Reid pushed in. Heistand called and blew him away when a river 10 gave him 10s full. Reid's nickname is "Nine" but he did better than that today, finishing eighth for $2,693. Reid, 49, is from Smithville, Missouri, employed as an information technology consultant and has played for six years, learning "the hard way" in cash games. He is also a Little League baseball coach, practices Tae Kwon Do, and has an "understanding" wife and two boys who love all sports.
 
Blinds went to 10,000-20,000. As play continued, a short-chipped Dan Roth moved in twice in quick succession, surviving both times. The second time he had only 9-8 against a Q-8, but proceeded to flop a straight. All seven players were still in action when the round ended and they went to dinner. At this point, Ian “Memphis” Wiley had taken the lead with a little over a million of the 3.5 million chips on the table.
 
Back from dinner to blinds of 12,000-24,000 with 4,000 antes. There were five all-in bets in the first 30 minutes and each time the all-in doubled-up. The fifth time, Brashaw, holding a 6-5, made a straight on the turn when the board showed 3-4-K-7. But then a river trey filled up Girard, who had gone all in with pocket 7s. Very low-chipped, Brashaw moved in on the next hand with A-K, got three callers, registering the sixth straight survival when big slick held up.
 
Seventh Place: But the streak ended two hands later after Brashaw pushed in yet again, this time with K-7. William Ace Ellis II called with pocket 7s, they held up when the board of Q-4-A-2-4 missed both players, and Brashaw departed with $3,421 for seventh. ("Ace," incidentally, is Ellis' given middle name, not a nickname.) Brashaw is a stockbroker from Papillion, Nebraska who learned poker from his uncle 10 years ago. In 2008 he won an Omaha Hi-Lo event here. His hobby: "Loving his wife and kids."
 
As the round wound down, a monster pot of about 1.2 million chips developed when Girard's pocket queens went up against Ace's pocket aces. Girard couldn't catch up and was left with 260,000, while Ellis took the lead.
 
Sixth Place: Blinds went up again to 15,000-30,000 with 4,000 antes, and it took 50 minutes to lose another player. This time it was Girard, who called from the cut-off seat with K-2, in very bad shape against Ellis, who pushed in with A-K. Both players paired their king on the river when the board came 10-7-6-J-K, but Ace's ace kicker was the difference. Girard, 23, is a nursing student from Kearney, Nebraska. He learned poker seven years ago from a friend. His poker highlight thus far came today with 10 players left. He had A-K against a player who flopped a set of 10s, then hit runner-runner kings to survive and double up Sixth paid $4,409.
 
Players returned from a break to blinds of 20,000-40,000 with 5,000 antes. Ellis still led, now with 1,365,000 chips. Roth, low on chips, went all in and doubled up a couple of  times, and then took down a pot of about 1.3 million winning when he called with A-Q after Wiley moved in with K-4. He now was in a rough tie for the lead with Ellis.
 
Fifth Place: As play went on, the pot of the night developed. Now down to under a million, Ellis moved in with pocket queens and got a quick call from Wiley, who had him slightly out-chipped and holding pocket kings. A board of 6-10-A-9-4 changed nothing and Ellis went out in fifth place for $5,764 while Wiley took a huge lead, holding more than 2 million of the 3.5 million on the table. Ellis, 49, from Blue Springs, Missouri, is a contractor who owns a construction company and other businesses. He's now made 12 final tables in his last 13 tournaments.
 
Fourth Place: As the final table moved into its seventh hour, we were now playing with blinds of 25,000-50,000 and 10,000 antes. Heistand had earlier been down to 40,000. He hung on and doubled up a couple of times, finally going all in again with A-4. Roth called with pocket 8s, Wiley with 9-7, and Wiley took the pot when the board came 9-4-K-3-6. Heistand, taking out $7,652 for fourth, is 34, from Liberty, Missouri, and is director of the National Education Association of Shawnee Mission. His father taught him poker as a child, he has a cash in Omaha Hi-Lo at a Tunica Circuit, and his highlight is his marriage to “my lovely wife Laurie, who is railing me.”
 
Third Place: The three remaining players, Wiley, Roth and Finney, who had been playing very cautiously, now all had over a million in chips. Suddenly, Finney was all in with     when the board showed        , against Wiley, who was looking for a flush holding    . Wiley missed when a   rivered and was down to a handful of chips. He then quickly went out, forced to put his last chips in with 4-2, losing to Finney's A-J when the board came 10-9-8-J-3 and leaving with $10,316 for third. Wiley, 25, is a banker turned pro from Las Vegas who taught himself poker five years ago. His biggest cash so far is $265,869 for coming in third at a WSOP $1,500 No Limit event this year. His hobby is boating.
 
Second Place: Heads-up, Finney had around 2.1 million chips to 1.4 million for Roth.
 
Blinds were now 60,000-120,000. On the last hand, the flop showed      . Making top pair with    , Finney bet 500,000 and Roth, later explaining that he lost his patience, moved in with    . He couldn't hit anything when a   turned and a   rivered, and Finney had his win. Roth, getting $14,141 for second, is a 57-year-old corn and bean farmer from Ravenna, Nebraska who's played eight years. He's had a cash in the last two Circuits here. His hobby is golf.