My friend Mike Paulle has given me permission to post his daily reports for each event of the World Series of Poker this year to the ChipBoard! Below is his report on Event #14. Andy - Las Vegas

Event # 14 Razz (2 Day Event)
Binions Horseshoe Casino
Buy-In $1,500
Prize Pool $162,150
Entries 115

SWEET AND LOW
Advice: Don't tug on Superman's cape and don't play in a low-draw game with Billy Baxter.

There were 115 entrants in the $1,500 Buy-In, RAZZ for a total prize pool of $162,150. Two tables were paid, a total of 16 players.

Gerald Regnitzer was doing a great Ratso Rizzo imitation, 'I'm dying here.' Running back and forth between the remaining three tables, renting his clothing and wringing his hands Gerald lamented, "I don't WANT to be the 17th out." Looking for any other short stacks and finding none, Gerald continued, "But who else is it going to be, but ME?" It wasn't anyone else but him. George Fisher put poor Regnitzer out of his misery and everyone else in the money. (BTW, did I mention how well Mr. Fisher--the Director of Poker Operations at the Horseshoe--played all day to get into the money with almost no chips? Have you guessed yet that Mr. Fisher is my boss?)

The Final Table was setup Wednesday night when Peter Brownstein tossed in his last $3,000 and made a J 8 7. No good said Chico Flynn. Flynn showed a J 8 6 to pimple Brownstein out in 9th.

THE FINAL TABLE: 90 mins left of 90. The ante is $200, bring-in $500, playing $1,500/$3,000

Seat#... Player........ Hometown........ Chip Count
Seat 1) David Rabbi - Las Vegas NV - $17,900
Seat 2) David Levi - Pacific Palisades CA - $37,300
Seat 3) Stan Goldstein - Los Angeles CA - $24,600
Seat 4) Chico Flynn - Las Vegas NV - $27,300
Seat 5) Jon Brody - Hollywood FL - $22,200
Seat 6) Robert Williamson III - Dallas TX - $14,200
Seat 7) Hassan Kamoei - Indio CA - $5,100
Seat 8) Billy Baxter - Las Vegas NV - $24,000

Like Jennifer Harmon a few days ago, Jon Brody was also playing in the next day's event that was running concurrently with today's Final Table. In fact, Jon had a stack of $100 bills sitting behind his chips at this table for the upcoming rebuys and add-on in the Pot-Limit Omaha that he was also playing in. Since first place in the Pot-Limit tournament would be about three times that of the RAZZ, it might be understandable if Jon Brody was somewhat distracted as he was being blinded off elsewhere. Still, Brody did have enough chips in the RAZZ to do some damage so why not go for it? Jon did go for it and was the one who ended up damaged. A couple late bricks killed him in a hand with Billy Baxter's 9 8. Then Brody covered Hassan Kamoei's all-in with a 9 6 only to have Hassan squeeze out an 8 7 on the last card. Jon dumped his all-in hand and quickly left the table in 8th when Chico Flynn showed him a 6 4.

Under no such pressure like Brody from any other commitments, Bob Williamson's problem was that he had so few chips. If he was going to move up the money ladder, he had to win his one big all-in hand. It wasn't to be. With a 9 8 made, Williamson was drawing dead on 6th St. to David Rabbi's 6 4. Now there were six.

Stan Goldstein may wear contacts. That might explain the wide-eyed intensity of his stare. In fact everything about Stan's game is intense. You almost think he should win every time he plays. He's that intimidating. But for some reason, Goldstein hasn't had very much success at Final Tables in the last few years. He's proven he can get here with chips, but something bad usually happens when he arrives. Starting third in chips this time, the 'something bad' that happened to Stan Goldstein this time was Chico Flynn.

Let's take a second to describe Chico Flynn because he is truly unique. Chico was born Michael Alvarez and was raised in Miami Beach, Florida. Chico Flynn is his chosen name. That should tell you something. Chico fronts this goofball, Jack Lemmon-esque demeanor that hides a highly disciplined player. Flynn is so naturally friendly and completely nervous that he talks all the time. It wasn't bad enough for Stan Goldstein that Chico was sitting just to his left and chattering constantly. Stan also couldn't beat the guy in a hand. In a telling exchange, Chico was running hot and Stan was running cold. Chico wanted Stan to play faster before Chico's cards cooled off. Stan, justifiably, bristled at that. Chips sinking quickly to the felt, Goldstein made a stand, all-in for his last $900, against David Levi. Stan Goldstein finished 6th when his 10 9 lost to David's 8 7.

Starting with just over a third of the chips of anyone else at the table, Hassan Kamoei managed to climb all the way to 5th. Usually a stack this short is doomed from the beginning, but Kamoei is no ordinary player. The guest announcer at the Final Table today, 'Miami' John Cernuto describes Hassan as "patient and thoughtful." In the hand Hassan had to win early, his first all-in, Kamoei took an A 2 in the hole up against Stan Goldstein's A 4. Hassan made a 6 5 and was off and running. Later came what Billy Baxter called a 'classic' hand for Kamoei.

But first a description of the circumstances is required. Hassan Kamoei and David Levi both live in Southern California and both play on the daily tournament circuit there. That means that Hassan and David are at the same table dozens of times a year in tournaments or satellites. That would explain how David Levi could put Hassan Kamoei on a stone cold bluff. Hassan tried to buy a pot with a K 10 in the hole. Levi somehow knew Kamoei didn't have the hand he was representing and called Hassan to the river. Unfortunately for Levi, Kamoei spiked a low card for an 8 that won. "Imagaine making an 8 with a K 10 in the hole, that's a classic." Billy Baxter marveled. Later, Levi got his revenge by putting the all-in Kamoei out of the tournament with a 7 6. In the end, Hassan's initial chip deficit was just too much to overcome.

This was a table for A.K.A.'s. Michael Alvarez is also known as Chico Flynn. Then we have David Rabbi. What David's real last name is, isn't important in poker. He's David Rabbi and everyone knows him. Ever struggling, ever lamenting his luck, David Rabbi is one of the most colorful characters in the game. With his long-suffering and devoted wife Debbie sitting nearby, David hung on for 4th with almost no ammunition. David's problem is that everyone knows how solid his play is and won't pay him off. So he never gets a lot of chips. It's a dogfight for survival every time. Rabbi was rooting for Levi in the "Middle East conflict" against Kamoei, not for religious reasons, but because David wanted the extra $1,600 for 4th over 5th. As soon as Hassan went out, David was safe go all-in. Rabbi caught enough bricks to build a synagogue. Billy Baxter made a 10.

One of the hottest players in the game currently, gentleman David Levi had a disappointing Final Table. David seldom speaks above a whisper except to do his hilarious '7-11' owner imitation, "I own seven 7-11's," David will sing in his fake Indian accent. Levi's stack was crippled by the Kamoei K 10 catch. He never fully recovered. And there was the problem of Billy Baxter.

From the starting bell, Billy Baxter put on a clinic. The owner of six WSOP gold bracelets, all in low-draw games, Baxter was untouchable. By the second break, Andy Glazer was predicting that "It's over..." That's how dominant Baxter was. We were watching a 'Master At Work.' By the time it was three-handed, Baxter had more than twice the chips as the other two players combined. Levi and Flynn were playing for second. Since Flynn had a chip lead on Levi, he was playing very tight. It was up to David to make a move. Levi went all-in with an A K 9 to Baxter's 10 8 3. Goodbye, David.

Heads up, Billy Baxter had a 5-1 chip lead on Flynn. Outside the Final Table area, David Rabbi was offering a 20-1 on Baxter. Even with the enormous overlay there were no takers on Chico. This seemed on the surface to be as big a mismatch as there could be. Chico Flynn had no game, really. He didn't bluff. He didn't semi-bluff. So when Chico bet, Billy simply folded. All the other times, Baxter was all over Flynn. "You can look all the way though my brain, can't you?" Flynn said in admiration of Baxter. The end took much longer than anyone expected but it was inevitable. When the levels went up again, Chico had no defense left. Baxter finally trapped the super-careful Flynn into going all-in against Billy's nut hand. A J 8 for Flynn, 2 3 4 for Baxter. "Chico and the Man" may have been the cliché for this mismatch, but that's what it was. Billy Baxter's game is sweet and low. Chico tugged on Superman's cape.

Official Money Winners

1. Billy Baxter $64,860
2. Chico Flynn 32,430
3. David Levi 16,220
4. David Rabbi 9,720
5. Hassan Kamoei 8,100
6. Stan Goldstein 6,480
7. Robert Williamson III 4,860
8. Jon Brody 3,240

9th-12th received $2,440
Peter Brownstein, Paul Darden, Richie Wong, Gene Timberlake

13th-16th received $1,620
Phyllis Meyers, George Shah, George Fisher, Thomas Cage