(Distributed Oct. 31, 2006)
ACE-JACK (TWICE!) PROPELS BERMAN TO CANTERBURY CLASSIC TITLE
SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Bradley Berman almost certainly has a new favorite hold’em starting hand.
The bearded Minnesotan with a famous surname in the poker world knocked out each of his final two opponents with A-J to claim the championship trophy at Canterbury Park’s Fall Poker Classic here.
In capturing the $116,977 top prize, Berman took another big step out of the poker shadow of his Hall of Fame father, Lyle Berman, who holds three World Series bracelets and is board chairman of the World Poker Tour.
Berman, 35, of Minnetonka, left Canterbury in a flash after the tournament, but he let his poker playing do the talking at a quick final table that lasted just three hours on Friday (Oct. 27). The day started with 26 players remaining from a field of 402, but 17 were eliminated in just 90 minutes.
The fast bust-out pace continued at the final table where six players were gone in the first 80 minutes. That left Berman, Las Vegas poker pro Greg “Underwear” Sellgren, and local player Nez Coburn of Minneapolis to battle for the title. Sellgren said a three-way split was discussed but never made.
Another hour passed — with chips moving back and forth in what seemed like a positional game of chess — before Berman picked up A-J against Coburn’s suited A-2. When the flop came 3-7-A, Berman moved all-in with his tall stack and Coburn, after hesitating, decided to put his remaining chips into the pot.
Coburn got no help on the turn and river, settling for third place and $31,195. He told a tournament official at the payout table, “I made a bad call.”
The heads-up battle between Berman and Sellgren lasted just 12 minutes. Sellgren, 45, had started the final table with slightly more than a 3 to 2 chip lead over Berman but now was at a chip disadvantage, largely because Berman had knocked out three players toward the end.
With antes at $2,000 and blinds at $8,000-$16,000, that chip deficit was reduced on the second hand when Sellgren doubled-up with A-Q against Berman’s pocket eights. A flop of K-J-10 gave Sellgren a straight and some much-needed ammunition for the endgame.
A few hands later, though, Sellgren raised to $48,000 with K-8 of diamonds and Berman called with A-J of spades. The flop of K-10-Q gave Sellgren top pair (kings), but this time it was Berman who had flopped a straight. All the chips went in on the flop, and Berman’s “treetop” easily held up.
Sellgren, who reports 78 minor tournament victories and likes to “remain under the radar as long as possible,” collected $58,491 for second. He described his strategy once play got down to three-handed.
“Normally, I am hyper-aggressive at that stage of a tournament. I’ll usually be raising or re-raising at virtually every opportunity,” he said. This time, however, he said he had a “reliable physical tell” on Coburn and knew that Berman “figured he could outplay us.”
So, the three players saw a lot of cheap flops together, with Sellgren content to wait for a chance to knock out Coburn himself or let Berman do it. “Also, I was of the opinion that if I geared down my play three-handed, Brad might not catch onto it right away if I ratcheted up the heat once we were heads-up,” Sellgren said.
On the final hand, with the chip stacks relatively close, he “was already committed in my mind to an all-in move if the flop brought either a king or two diamonds,” he said. “I was hoping it would knock Brad off-balance for a bit, but since he flopped the nuts…”
Berman’s victory pushed his total tournament winnings to $718,434 since 2002, according to Internet listings. His previous cashes include fourth-place ($470,452) in the 2004 World Poker Finals championship at Foxwoods in Connecticut, and 31st place ($80,000) in the World Series of Poker main event in 2004, the year Greg “Fossilman” Raymer topped a field of 2,576 players in Las Vegas.
The victory also further solidified the Bermans’ place as one of the top father-son playing duos in poker.
For more results from this tournament and to learn how Greg Sellgren got the nickname “Underwear,” go to luckydogpoker.com. E-mail your poker questions and comments to russ@luckydogpoker.com for use in future columns. To find out more about Russ Scott and read previous LuckyDog Poker columns, visit www.creators.com or www.luckydogpoker.com.
COPYRIGHT 2006 RUSS SCOTT
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