Biloxi, MS — Greg Whitworth won WSOP Circuit Event 8 at IP Casino Resort and Spa after a heads-up battle that lasted more than three hours.
Whitworth’s heads-up opponent, Bev Cheney, began the duel at about a 10-to-1 chip disadvantage, but after a few double ups and a couple folds out of Whitworth, it was anybody’s game. What once appeared to be a formality turned into a marathon of betting and raising between the hometown hero, Whitworth, and the fan favorite, Cheney.
The $555 buy-in attracted 174 entrants that created a prize pool of $84,390. The top 18 spots received money, culminating in the first-place prize of $22,421. After twenty hours of play, it came down to two players.
The blinds and antes reached 12,000/24,000 and 4,000 and someone had to make a stand — That someone was Cheney. She moved all-in on semi-bluff with a gutshot straight draw and an overcard. Whitworth’s decision was easy, as he made the call with the nuts straight. Cheney never improved and she was eliminated in second place earning $13,856.
Whitworth, born in Bordeaux, France, is a 47-year-old seafood supplier from Biloxi, Mississippi. He calls the IP his home poker room and says it’s the best managed, most player friendly poker room on the Coast. His $22,421 payday marks his first WSOPC victory.
Notable entrants included three-time ring winners Tim Burt and Kyle Cartwright and 39-time WSOP casher, Allen Kessler. None of these players added to their resumes with a cash in Event 8.
Day 2 began at 3 p.m. with 12 players remaining and everyone guaranteed at least $1,618. Stacks were fairly even, but Chris Conrad (255,000) held a slight edge on second place, Whitworth (243,000) to start the day. The final table was reached at about 5 p.m. CST after the elimination of three players.
| Final Table: | Seat 1 | James Wiggs | Springville, AL | 100,000 |
| | Seat 2 | Chris Conrad | Tampa, FL | 208,000 |
| | Seat 3 | Rex Clinkscales | Las Vegas, NV | 90,000 |
| | Seat 4 | Thomas Cronin | St. Peters, MO | 158,000 |
| | Seat 5 | Greg Whitworth | Biloxi, MS | 498,000 |
| | Seat 6 | Mitch Jones | Kennesaw, GA | 213,000 |
| | Seat 7 | Bev Cheney | Grandbury, TX | 362,000 |
| | Seat 8 | Hoyt Lance | Ringgold, GA | 178,000 |
| | Seat 9 | Brandon Newsome | Powder Springs, GA | 296,000 |
Eighth Place: Thomas “Tommy” Cronin has become a familiar face on the 2011-2012 WSOP Circuit. He recorded three cashes and two final tables, including a runner-up finish, in Southern Indiana. This was his first cash at the IP, but he made it count with an eighth finish. His brilliant play has propelled him to second place on the WSOPC National Leaderboard.
Cronin is 44 years old and lives in Saint Peters, Missouri. He earned $2,505.
Seventh Place: A few days ago, Rex Clinkscales began Day 2 of Event 6 as the overwhelming chip leader with only 17 players remaining. He couldn’t keep up his winning ways and, to his dismay, he was eliminated in 12th place.
He improved on that finish with some superb play in Event 8, but still came up a few spots short of his first Circuit ring. He walked with $3,194.
Before becoming a professional poker player, Clinkscales worked at Target. He is 28-years-old and resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has six WSOPC cashes and two final tables in 2011 alone.
Third Place: Chris Conrad moved all-in with and was called by the of Whitworth. The flop came , giving Whitworth outs to a straight. The completed that straight, and Broadway was good enough to leave Conrad drawing dead. With his elimination, we were heads up.
Conrad is a 26-year-old professional poker player from Tampa, Florida. This was his fourth WSOPC cash and first final table.
Second Place: It’s very likely 2012 could be come the year of the lady. In September, Cheney, as well as Felicia Johnico and Jennifer Parrish finished second, third and fourth in Ring Event 5 in Bossier City. In the time since then, Parrish has recorded five more cashes and Johnico and Beverley have each recorded two cashes and a final table. To top it off, Johnico leads all players in the WSOPC points race.
For the full WSOPC Leaderboard, click HERE.
The most recent standout performance among the ladies comes from Cheney and her runner-up finish in Biloxi.
When heads-up play began, Whitworth enjoyed better than a 10-to-1 chip lead on Cheney — But Cheney was not going down without a fight. On a board of , she moved all-in with for bottom pair. Whitworth spent some time in the tank before calling and tabling for top pair. Talk of a slow roll spread through the room as the fell on the turn. The on the river, one of only five remaining outs for Cheney, silenced any concern about a slow roll, as she had improved to trips and had the winning hand. The double up pushed her to more than 250,000 chips she and was right back in the thick of things.
The very next hand she moved all-in from the small blind with and Whitworth, almost seeming to consciously make the snap call, called with . He never improved and Cheney doubled up to better than 500,000 chips. With the blinds and antes at 10,000/20,000 and 3,000, we were finally playing some poker.
“I’ve got more than one move now,” Cheney said raking in her pot.
Eventually the blinds and antes got too high and Cheney picked a bad spot to bluff as she was picked off by Whitworth who held the nuts. What was almost a legendary comeback, finished just short of gold. She earned $13,856 for her finish.
Cheney works as event planner in her hometown of Granbury, Texas.
Winner Interview: You’re a very successful cash player in Biloxi. What does $22,000 mean to you? — “We were so poor growing up, that $22,000 will mean $22,000 to me if I ever have $22 million. It means no more or no less depending on what I have. If you don’t respect $22,000 for what it is when you have $22 million, then sooner or later that’s all you’ll have is $22,000. I think the best thing you can have at a poker game is a short memory whether you won or lost the day prior.”
This is the eighth of 12 ring events slated to take place at IP Biloxi Casino Resort and Spa. Winners of all events will receive first-place prize money and the coveted WSOP Circuit ring. In addition, the winner of the Main Event will receive a seat to the $1 million Circuit National Championship in Las Vegas. An additional seat will be awarded to the individual who earns the most Circuit points at this stop.
The WSOP Circuit Events at IP Biloxi Casino Resort and Spa continue through November 7. The Main Event will take place November 5.
For full results from Event 8, as well as photos, visit the events page, HERE.
For previous results and the schedule of upcoming events at IP, click HERE.
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