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Tunica, MS--John Gordon, a 43-year-old real estate investor, was a one-man wrecking crew in the sixth event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Grand Casino Tunica. He started off by eliminating the last three players in day-one action. But that was just a warm-up. At the final table the next day, he knocked out the first four players in a single round and went on to dispose of four more as he stormed to a stunningly decisive win in $1,000 no-limit hold'em. The victory brought him $100,727 along with a championship gold ring.

"The cards made me tonight," Gordon said, and his amazing run was indeed fueled by sets, flushes and then pocket kings on the final hand. Gordon has two other $100,000-plus cash-ins. He collected $111,800 for winning the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship, and $124,800 for finishing second to Dan Harrington in a $2,500 no-limit event at the 1995 World Series.

When the 16 finalists returned for second-day play, Gordon had a sizeable lead with 122,400 chips. When final-table action got underway, with 2,000-4,000 blinds, he had added another 15,000 chips to his stacks. However, he was now trailing Terry Quinn, who had 165,500.

Seating order and chip counts were:

SEAT 1 Craig Thames           110,500 
SEAT 2 Shea McGuire             18,000
SEAT 3 John Gordon              138,000 
SEAT 4 Brian Gibson                80,500
SEAT 5 Ernie Shepherd         109,000
SEAT 6 Nick Willie                    48,500
SEAT 7 Mark Smith                   59,000
SEAT 8 Douglas Bruce             36,500
SEAT 9 Richard Rodriguez       77,500
SEAT 10     Terry Quinn           165,000

Gordon was not second-best for long. Starting with hand 20, he went on a rampage. His first victim was Mark "Pegasus" Smith, 54, a horse-breeder, who was short-chipped in the big blind with 8-7. Gordon raised, and Smith had little choice but to call. "Last time he raised he had 8-6," Smith said later. "He could have had anything. What Gordon had was A-Q. Smith took the lead when a 7 flopped, but Gordon finished him when a queen turned. Smith, 54, is from Lexington, KY and been playing poker for only two years. He picked up $3,899 for 10th.

On the next hand, retiree Douglas Bruce was all in with A-10 against Gordon's pocket 6s. A flop of 7-6-4 gave Gordon a set, leaving Bruce virtually dead to a miracle runner-runner straight, which never came. Bruce, 60, from Lawrenceville, GA has been playing poker for 30 years and has a win at a Gold Strike Poker Classic limit hold'em event. Tonight, he cashed-out $6,499 for ninth.

The carnage continued two hands later. This time the board showed 8d-4d-2c-8c-6d. Gordon declared all in. Shea McGuire decided to call with pocket 5s and Gordon turned over Ad-5d for the nut flush. Eighth place paid $9,749. McGuire, who owns a medical equipment dealership, is 42 and is from Paducah, Kentucky. He's been playing the game for 40 years.

Right after that, Ricardo Rodriguez, a 35-year-old poker player originally from Cuba and now living in Tampa, Florida, issued a challenge: "Does anybody want to gamble?" he asked, then pushed in all his 50,000 chips. Gordon was more than happy to gamble with pocket 9s, and promptly flopped a winning set. Rodriguez, a scuba diving hobbyist, has been playing poker for 10 years and cashed out for $12,998 in seventh place.

After four quick knock-outs, Gordon now owned about 335,000 of the 837,000 chips in play.     

Blinds now moved up to 3,000-6,000. After some back-and-forth play, Gordon reloaded and started mowing down players again. Next to go was Nick Willie. After Brian Gibson opened for 18,000, Willie moved in. Gordon called and Gibson got out of the way. This time Nick had pocket 9s to Willie's A-K. A river 9 gave Gordon another set and he notched his fifth straight kill. Sixth place paid $16,248, Willie, 23, is a salesman from Sedalia, Kentucky. He had another final table here in January.

Gordon suffered a rare beat when Gibson, all in with Ad-5d, outran his Ah-Jh after a 5 flopped. But Gordon, shrugging off the indignity, promptly got back on track as he made his sixth straight kill. This time it was Ernie Shepherd, a retiree. He moved in for about 80,000 with Kh-Js, and Gordon beat him into the pot with Qh-10h. Gordon got a great flop, Qs-6h-5h, giving him top pair and a flush draw. A 10 turned to give him a second pair. It also gave Shepherd a straight draw, but the two pair held up. Shepherd, 60, is a retired night club owner from Lizella, Georgia. He's only played poker since the beginning of this year, and won his seat into this event at Party Poker. His fifth-place finish was worth $14,497.

Taking a breather, Gordon generously allowed another player to knock someone out. Gibson moved in for 85,000 with pocket 8s and lost to Quinn's pocket 10s when the board hit neither player. Gibson, from Woodway, Texas, is a 42-year-old attorney who has been playing poker for five years and had a fifth in an event here in January. His pay-out for fourth was $22,747

Three-handed, Gordon now had about 450,000 to around 210,000 for Craig Thames and 180,000 for Quinn.

Getting back to work, Gordon now put a crushing beat on Thames, who held pocket queens and had a seemingly easy call with a set when Gordon moved in on a flop of Qd-8d-2d. But then Gordon turned over 10d-7d for another flush, and Thames checked out in third place when he failed to make a needed full house. Thames, 30, is from Collins, Texas. He's played four Circuit events and had three cashes and two final tables. He got $22,006 for third.

Just a couple of hands later it was all over. With the board showing Ac-Jc-6c-8d, Quinn moved in for 140,000. Gordon had to figure him for either an ace, a flush draw or a jack. Deciding he would have raised pre-flop with an ace, Gordon, correctly put Quinn on second pair. Later saying he had to call, Gordon did so and turned up two red kings. Quinn's J-5 wasn't much good, and Gordon's remarkable run had just earned him over $100,000.

Quinn, whose nickname is "Venom," is 55 and from Powell, Ohio. He is a real estate developer who owns 30 subways and a part-time player. His best prior cash was for $7,700 in a Reno event. Tonight he got $51,992 for second place.

Gordon learned poker from his father 10 years ago. He enjoys working out, fishing and other outdoor activities. He says he plays poker just for fun, and his style of play varies from passive to aggressive, depending on the cards. Tonight it was definitely aggressive. The highlight of his poker career? Playing heads-up against Dan Harrington.
—Max Shapiro  

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

World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah's Entertainment – Jack Effel
Harrah's Grand Tunica Poker Room Manager – Karen Kaegin