Dicken outlasts Liebert, Bloch for victory

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Poker tournaments are as much a test of mental and physical endurance as playing skill. Sure, the best players typically have an edge. But after hours and hours of forgettable hands and mundane decisions, everything can become a big blur. In a sense, time is an adversary of experience, since younger players enjoy certain advantages. This point was demonstrated in the seventh World Series of Poker Circuit championship event of the 2005-06 season, held at the Harrah's Casino-Resort near San Diego. The winner, 28-year-old Darrell "Gigabet" Dicken, quite simply outlasted the competition, which included some very battle-seasoned foes. In fact, the two heads-up finalists happened to be the two youngest players at the final table. Clocking in at over 13 hours, this was no accident.

This was the second consecutive year that Harrah's Rincon hosted a WSOP Circuit event. Harrah's Rincon is located on the Rincon Tribal Nation Reservation, nestled high in the mountains about 60 miles northeast of San Diego. Last year's champion, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, was conspicuously absent from the starting field of 109 players, opting instead to play in the NBC "Heads-Up Challenge" held simultaneously at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Indeed, tournament poker is now so popular that some major events unavoidably overlap.

Nevertheless, the championship event generated a million-dollar prize pool -- $1,035,500 to be exact. It took 22 hours to eliminate the first 100 players, leaving the final nine in the money. They returned for the final table, which was held inside Rincon's Pavilion Ballroom. No one could have possibly predicted the marathon finale that would take place -- as day phased into night, which became the next morning. When play commenced on the third and final day of play, savvy tournament veteran Kathy Liebert had a slight chip lead over her closest two competitors: Dicken and Adam Kagin. In what could only be characterized as an atypical event for the final table, it didn't take long for the first player to be eliminated.

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Just three hands into play, Tom McCormick, aka "The Shamrock Kid," moved all-in with his last $18,000 in chips with 6-6. Desperately short stacked, he hoped to double up and jump into contention. Unfortunately for McCormick, Gary Lent woke up with K-K behind him. To make things worse, two kings flopped! McCormick, who has 19 cashes and 10 final tables in his illustrious poker career, lasted just eight minutes at the final table. But he did manage to collect $31,065.

Longtime professional poker player Yosh Nakano was the next player to exit. Although he was in good shape early on, he took a bad beat when his K-K was cracked by Dicken's 10-10 when a 10 flopped. Nakano failed to catch one of two remaining kings in the deck and went out in eighth place, earning $41,420 for his efforts.

Unexpectedly, widely respected tournament pro Andy Bloch was next to go. Proving that poker tournaments are impossible to predict, Bloch went from second in chips to the rail within a devastating 30-minute span. After folding on the river to an all-in bet by Lent in a big pot, Bloch lost half of his stack and was crippled. Ten hands later, Lent put him out of his misery when Bloch's all-in steal attempt with 4-4 went bad as Lent had A-A. Lent, who was low on chips from the start, rocketed up close to the chip lead and Bloch finished in seventh place, receiving a $51,775 consolation prize.

The next key hand brought the crowd to its feet. Kagin was low on chips and moved all-in with A-9. Liebert was delighted to call the raise holding K-K. Kagin needed lots of help and caught a few extra outs when a 9 flopped. The board showed 9-6-5. Then, Kagin became a big favorite when an ace rained down on the turn, good for two pair. Liebert was drawing to just two outs and sure enough, the river was a king. There were more than a few gasps of disbelief and screams of joy when it hit, giving Liebert trip kings. Kagin, making his third final-table appearance in his relatively short poker career, picked up $62,130 for sixth place.

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Arriving with only $18,000 in chips, Jim Pechac was short on chips from the start of the final table. Pechac refused to give up. Surviving four all-ins before finally busting out, Pechac's all-in moment came from him making a very difficult call. On his final hand, Holding A-9 of hearts after the flop came Q-9-6 (two hearts), Pechach called all-in against Liebert, who showed Q-J. Two black blanks fell on the turn and river, eliminating Pechac, who had become a crowd favorite as the underdog. He received $72,485 in prize money for his fifth-place finish.

Then, the long wait began. It took seven hours for the next player to go out. Dicken seemed to be well in command until he lost $100,000 from his stack when Lent made a straight and seized the chip lead. The four remaining players traded off blinds and antes for what seemed like an eternity. Then, WeiKai Chang was struck by a bolt of lightning. Low on chips for the first eight hours of play, Chang moved from the shortest stack up to near the chip lead when he was dealt 6-6 and won a $260,000 pot. Chang moved all-in with the pair and was involved in three-way action against Liebert's A-Q and Lent's K-J. Any face card would doom Chang to a fourth-place finish. Incredibly, the pocket 6s survived five scary board cards and Chang went from pretender to contender.

Chang's rise in chips changed everything. Forced to play more hands rather than wait for the lowest player's elimination, the four finalists got more aggressive. But the changes in strategy failed to remove anyone from play. On the next decisive hand, Liebert reraised all-in preflop with A-J suited and was called instantly by Dicken with 10-10. The flop came Q-Q-2 and it looked like Liebert might go out. But she spiked a jack on the turn, which catapulted her into the chip lead with nearly $400,000. Meanwhile, Dicken fell to the shortest stack.

Then, Dicken exacted his revenge. He was all-in with A-Q against Liebert's A-K. An ace flopped and both players were committed. Dicken caught a queen and was back to about $300,000 in chips.

Eleven hours into the finale, and well past midnight, fourth place was finally settled when Lent moved all-in with A-K and was called by Dicken holding 4-4. With $400,000 in the pot and the chip lead at stake, Lent hoped to catch a pair. He missed, and collected $82,840.

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"I could have waited around longer and tried to move up [into a higher money finish], but I don't play for second," Lent said afterward. "I play to win." Considering Lent's perilously low chip stack at the start, he could claim a moral victory -- having survived 11 hours of play.

That hand gave Dicken a decisive chip lead. With blinds escalating, Chang moved all-in with K-7, which was called by both Dicken (J-10) and Liebert (K-J). The final board showed 7-5-2-2-Q, which tripled up Chang, again.

Liebert, who entered that pot with the best hand, was eliminated. She collected $113,905 for third place.

"I was proud of the way I played tonight," Liebert said.

When heads-up play began, Dicken enjoyed a decisive 11-1 chip lead over Chang. The end seemed near. But those expecting to see Chang bowing out gracefully were in for a very rude awakening. The comeback began. Chang became the aggressor and quite simply, made the correct play just about every time he was faced with a tough decision. He managed to double up early in heads-up play, putting him at a 5-1 disadvantage. Then he got lucky when his A-5 outdrew Dicken's A-8, resulting in another giant leap forward. Chang took a few blows before he managed to double up on another big hand, and after about a half-hour duel, he was outchipped by only 2-1. A few hands later, Chang won another hand, and for the first time in the tournament, he held the chip lead. What remained of the audience braced themselves for what appeared to be another epic duel.

Dicken was accustomed to adversity by this time. Showing absolutely no emotion during the unfortunate turn of events, Dicken continued to play his best game. After three hands, Dicken regained the chip lead. Then, he began to pull away with a series of over-the-top moves intended to put Chang to the test for all of his chips. Nearly an hour after heads-up play started, the final decisive hand of the tournament took place when Chang was dealt 10-10. Chang raised. Dicken, holding J-J, reraised all-in. Chang thought for a moment, and called. He instinctively knew he was in trouble, a fact confirmed when the hole cards were revealed. Chang needed one last miracle, a 10, which did not come. The pocket jacks held up and Dicken was the champion.

The crowd gave Chang a well-deserved ovation for many exciting moments. Chang's payday as the runner-up amounted to $207,100.

"We played a lot longer than I thought we would," Dicken said. "We were four-handed for something like seven hours. That has to be some kind of record."

When asked about keys to surviving a marathon finale, Dicken replied: "I was just playing good cards and position, waiting for the right moments. I got lucky once in a big pot, and also got unlucky once. So it balanced out."

Dicken received the coveted WSOP gold and diamond ring presented to each circuit winner. He also collected $372,780 in first-place prize money.

A reporter asked Dicken what he plans to do with all the cash. "I don't know," he replied. "Put it in the bank?"

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