Know when to hold ’em
Brigantine man wins spot in World Series of Poker
By ELAINE ROSE Staff Writer, (609) 272-7215, E-Mail

Brigantine resident Russell Diaz wanted to fly to Las Vegas and plunk down $10,000 for a seat in the World Series of Poker. His wife, Nancy, wanted him to lose 20 pounds. So they cut a deal.

"My wife gave me permission to go if I lost the 20 pounds," Diaz said. "It was a great incentive to go on a diet."

Diaz shed the weight, but he won't have to pay for the trip. Harrah's Atlantic City is sending him for free after he won the casino's preliminary tournament late Wednesday night - with a pair of deuces as his final hand.

"I feel fantastic," Diaz said, after besting 29 opponents in more than five hours of grueling play. "It's something I always wanted to do, win my way in rather than buy my way in."

The World Series of Poker has been held every spring since 1970 at Binion's Horseshoe Casino and Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. Anyone can buy a seat in the final tournament for $10,000. Others win their spots through satellite contests held in poker rooms around the country and on the Internet. Last year's champion, Tennessee accountant Chris Moneymaker, won his spot in an online tournament he paid $40 to enter.

Harrah's Entertainment recently bought the financially ailing Binion's casino, and is continuing the tradition. Eleven Harrah's properties around the country held contests, awarding the winners a seat in the most prestigious poker game in the world. He will compete with as many as 2,000 other players for a grand prize that runs into seven figures.

Players at Harrah's Atlantic City paid $250 for a seat in one of six tournament sessions. The five top players from each session advanced to Wednesday night's finals.

Diaz, 58, has been playing poker for several years, mostly in Atlantic City casinos. He honed his skills using computer games, he said. He'll be doing more of that in the next few weeks as he prepares for the World Championship Event, which starts May 22 and will be broadcast on ESPN. He considers it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Just to get there is a big deal," Diaz said. "Playing with all the big professionals will be a lot of fun."

Narrowing the field

The game in Atlantic City was No Limit Texas Hold'em. Each player is dealt two cards face down, and after a round of betting, three community cards are revealed, called the "flop." Two more cards, called the "turn" and the "river" are exposed to round out the hand. Each player tries to make the best poker hand from the two "hole" cards and the five exposed cards.

This version is called "no limit" because players may bet up to the amount of money they have in front of them. Each player was given $10,000 in play-money chips and the game was on.

The atmosphere was serious Wednesday night in Harrah's poker room, as 30 men vied for the top prize. Gone were the jokes and banter that were common during the preliminary rounds. Players studied the cards and each other's faces seriously before deciding whether to hold 'em or fold 'em.

The minimum bet was raised every 20 minutes. Players who won in the early rounds had an advantage, having enough chips to make a risky bet or call another's bluff.

About 21/2 hours into the tournament, the field was down to 15 players.

"I'm getting tired," beginning poker player John Rosselli of Philadelphia declared, as he bet all his chips on a hand he knew he wasn't going to win.

"I just wanted to go all in (bet all his money) and be done with it because the other guys had a high chip count," Rosselli said after he signed out.

Three hours into the tournament, it was down to 10. The final table.

All remaining players are guaranteed a cash prize, said John Arthur, games supervisor at Harrah's and tournament coordinator. He urged the players to give themselves a round of applause before taking a 15-minute break.

Bobby Chung, of New York City, wore a huge smile. He had been hanging in all night with a small stack of chips, and didn't believe he lasted this long.

"At least I got $2,500," the 10th-place prize, he said gleefully.

Head to head

Now that all the players knew they were in the money, the game became more relaxed. The men cracked jokes and discussed their playing strategies. As each player was eliminated, the others cheered for him.

High-ranking Harrah's officials crowded around the table, and the food and beverage department brought in a tray of sandwiches.

"I could go for a martini right now," joked Paul Rodrigues, of Hillsborough, Somerset County, his arms bedecked with gold bracelets. But like the other players, he stuck to bottled water.

After 45 minutes, the final table was down to three: Rodrigues, Diaz and David Coppola, of Howell Township, Monmouth County.

Ten more minutes and Rodrigues went down with an ace and a nine as hole cards. The second ace didn't come up, and he lost to Diaz's pair of 10s.

Now it was Diaz and Coppola, going head to head.

Small piles of chips passed back and forth between the two players for about 20 minutes, as neither man wanted to bet precious chips on a weak hand. Coppola was intense, spinning a chip with a yin yang symbol and frequently glancing to a friend for moral support. Diaz seemed nonchalant, as if he didn't care who won.

"I'll bore the crowd to death for a while," Diaz joked.

Diaz won one $32,000 bet with an ace as a high card. Then he won another pot with a straight flush.

The showdown finally came. Before seeing the "flop," Coppola went "all in" with $50,000 in play chips. Diaz matched it from his larger stack, and both men turned their cards face up. Coppola held an ace and a deuce, while Diaz held a pair of deuces.

"No aces! No aces!" an onlooker called out.

The dealer quickly turned over the five of diamonds, then the six of clubs, the nine of hearts, the three of diamonds and, finally, the king of hearts. No good for Coppola, and Diaz's pair of deuces took the pot.

Diaz leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile as all the chips were pushed in front of him.

Even in defeat, Coppola exchanged a double high-five with his friend, Steve August, of Marlboro, Monmouth County.

"Nice job!" August said. "Nothing to be upset about!"

Coppola said he was happy with the $15,525 runner-up prize. His wife is expecting their third child, and will be happy to see him forgo a trip to Las Vegas. He'll spend some of his prize money fixing up his house, and maybe he and August will go to Nevada anyway, he said.

The value of the first and second prizes was just about equal, except for the honor of coming out on top, Coppola said.

"Glory is overrated," he said.