Patience, patience, patience.
It’s the key to many a poker players’ success, and it certainly was for Ken Sumner, champion of the inaugural Ante Up Winter Poker Classic at Gila River Hotels & Casinos Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Ariz.
“I was carrying 10 big blinds through the last five hours until the final table,” Sumner said. “I think I did a pretty good job at picking my spots. It was 100 percent patience.
“You have to realize that the result is to get farther in the tournament. You are going to have a time where you need to get a hand or a spot. I was fortunate that I still had enough fold equity to get people to fold, so I was pushing some lesser hands. And when you are doing that with those poor hands, you will eventually wake up with kings or a good hand.”
And Sumner got that break soon after the final table agreed to a deal that paid each $10,000, slightly less than fourth-place money, and to play it out for the rest of the prize pool, the Ante Up cover and an Ante Up World Championship prize package. The final four players reached a second deal, splitting up the remaining prize money so each earned $12,886 while playing it out for the title.
“I was quiet (during the first chop discussion), because I was the short stack. Some of the players, even the bigger stacks, said, ‘you never know what was going to happen.’ And I was ‘that’s great,’ “ Sumner said. “After that, a lot of the players weren’t playing sound strategy like they would have been if all the money was at risk. They were way too loose and I wasn’t. It all comes back to patience.”
Sumner found himself all-in with ace-queen against two larger stacks that were holding pocket pairs, and spiked the queen he needed to triple up. From that point on, he said he was ahead of every hand he was up against the rest of the tournament.
“Even after that, I was still picking my spots. Even after we decided on the save, I was still playing to win,” Sumner said. “I wasn’t going to give up. I was folding hands that we going to give me trouble. Patience is key. In order to play the next hand, you have to be around.”
The fact that Sumner was even around long enough to be short-stacked for five hours involved a level of patience. He busted on Day 1A, and on the fifth hand of Day 1B, he flopped trip 10s, only to be outkicked and eliminated. So he had to buy in for a third time.
“There are not a lot of good structured tournaments in this town, so I decided this was my best chance to play a good tournament, so I fired a third bullet,” he said. “The structure of these tournaments was far superior to what we normally have here, so it should drive more players to play them.”
Sumner of Litchfield Park, Ariz., says he plays mostly online, but returned to live tournament poker when the Ante Up Poker Tour came to Wild Horse Pass’ sister property, Gila River Hotels & Casinos Vee Quiva, in March. He took 15th in the Arizona State Poker Championship in August for $15,000. Riding that rush, his wife, Kristi, made him a deal going in to the Wild Horse Pass event.
“My wife told me that if I took first, second or third that I had to take her to Hawaii. But at that time, there was no chop, so we’ll have to see what that means,” Sumner said with a laugh. “But I probably made about third-place money, so I think she’s going to hold me to it.”
The $400 Main Event featured two starting flights and a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool, that was easily surpassed by more than $66,000 as the tournament attracted 475 entries. Geoff Fisk of PokerNews.com provided live updates of the Main Event.
The series kicked off on Veterans Day with a $35 buy-in Thank You For Your Service tournament that attracted 288 entries. Players with a government-issued military ID received a reduced $15 buy-in, and nearly half the field were military members. Wild Horse Pass added $2,500 to the prize pool and gave all players T-shirts. James Doss of Chicago was declared the winner after an eight-way deal that earned him $1,500, with the rest of the players getting $661 or $660.
“It was incredible. We heard nothing but good things,” poker room manager Susan Pendarvis said of that event. “People were so appreciative that we paid respect to our veterans.”
The second event, a $100 by-in Big Stack, attracted 109 entries and Wild Horse again added $2,500 to the prize pool. John Standley of Sun Lakes, Ariz., was the winner, earning $3,104.
While Wild Horse Pass has done multi-day tournaments in the past, including a three-day women’s event, the Ante Up Winter Poker Classic was its first series.
“It went extremely well. We were excited by the turnout,” Pendarvis said. “We had done some trial runs with some $400 buy-in tournaments to help break us in to it so we had experience bagging and could be proficient when it came to the tournament.
“There were numerous first-timers here, including people in the state who have not been here before,” she added. “They liked the structure, they liked the buy-in amounts. We are very proud of this property. This is just as pretty as any Vegas poker room.”
Pendarvis also was quick to praise her staff, including Lori Kinnibergh and Jeff Edwards, who helped her build and run the series.
“Thank you to our entire staff here. They were incredible,” she said. “It was great team work. We had very few floor calls. It was perfect.”
Wild Horse Pass features a variety of delicious dining and entertainment options, including Shula’s Steakhouse, Ling and Louie’s and Fullhouse Café. Dance the night away to Live DJs on Friday and Saturday night or enjoy a drink at Spotlight Lounge. The premier entertainment destination features more than 1,000 slot machines, live table games and live entertainment in the Showroom. It also neighbors 36 holes of golf at Troon Golf at Whirlwind Golf Club, a variety of rejuvenating treatments at Aji Spa, horseback riding at Koli Equestrian Center, Bondurant Driving School and shopping at Phoenix Premium Outlets.
Gila River Hotels and Casinos operates three Arizona casinos owned by the Gila River Indian Community: Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte and Vee Quiva. All three offer a combination of slots, table games, bingo, poker and more, and are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Additional information on these and other events is available at 800-946-4452 or at PlayAtGila.com.
Wild Horse Pass has several tournaments lined up in the coming months. On Dec. 14, there will be a Santa’s Helper tournament with a buy-in of $40 and an unwrapped toy, with players getting additional chips for donating additional toys. A three-day women’s tournament is planned for Feb. 21-23, with a tag-team event planned for March tag-team tournament and another $400 buy-in tournament planned for April. Pendarvis also said to stay tuned to an announcement of “something big” around the new year.
The Ante Up Poker Tour will have two series at Gila River properties in 2020. The third Ante Up Spring Poker Classic will be in March at Vee Quiva, and the Ante Up Winter Poker Classic will return to Wild Horse Pass in November.
“Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us,” Pendarvis said. “We believe we have some of the best products in the area. We may not be the biggest room, but we believe we are the best.”
ANTE UP WINTER POKER CLASSIC
Gila River Hotels & Casinos Wild Horse Pass – Chandler, Ariz.
MAIN EVENT
Buy-in: $400
Entries: 475
Prize pool: $166,250
| 1 | KENNETH SUMNER | LITCHFIELD PARK, AZ | $12,886.00 |
| 2 | FURKAY BEG | ISTANBUL, TK | $12,886.00 |
| 3 | TIFFANY HENZIE | PUEBLO, CO | $12,886.00 |
| 4 | JUSTIN NGUYEN | YORBA LINDA, CA | $12,886.00 |
| 5 | BRIAN GOBLE | PHOENIX, AZ | $10,000.00 |
| 6 | JERAMIAH DIBBLE | TUCSON, AZ | $10,000.00 |
| 7 | VINCENT BARON | MARICOPA, AZ | $10,000.00 |
| 8 | BRENT HAMMONDS | GILBERT, AZ | $10,000.00 |
| 9 | TRACY LAWRENCE | GOOD YEAR AZ | $10,000.00 |
| 10 | HENG CHAO | MESA, AZ | $10,000.00 |
| 11 | VLADIMIR FOMINE | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $2,660.00 |
| 12 | TODD GOODRICH | MESA, AZ | $2,660.00 |
| 13 | ROBERT DE FABRAZIO | GILBERT, AZ | $1,912.00 |
| 14 | JUSTIN GOCHOCO | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $1,912.00 |
| 15 | JOHN DI BELLA | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $1,912.00 |
| 16 | ROBERT MCMILLAN | PRESCOTT, AZ | $1,621.00 |
| 17 | RICHARD SAIN | PHOENIX, AZ | $1,621.00 |
| 18 | ADAM VESELNOVIC | CHICAGO, IL | $1,621.00 |
| 19 | AMIR DOROUDIAN | GILBERT, AZ | $1,413.00 |
| 20 | ANN KUPITZ | SUN LAKES,AZ | $1,413.00 |
| 21 | LAURENCE FULOP | CHANDLER, AZ | $1,413.00 |
| 22 | CARYN BUSTOS-PACHUCA | TUCSON, AZ | $1,247.00 |
| 23 | MICHAEL GAMBOY | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $1,247.00 |
| 24 | KATHLEEN ERBE | ANTHEM, AZ | $1,247.00 |
| 25 | ZACHARY NUETZMAN | GILBERT, AZ | $1,081.00 |
| 26 | CARL DICHTER | PHOENIX, AZ | $1,081.00 |
| 27 | KENNETH GRAHAM | TUCSON, AZ | $1,081.00 |
| 28 | TROY SPRUGL | GILBERT, AZ | $956.00 |
| 29 | DANIEL FINK | PHOENIX, AZ | $956.00 |
| 30 | ERIC AMADO | PHOENIX, AZ | $956.00 |
| 31 | PARRIS GREENE | APACHE JUNCTION, AZ | $873.00 |
| 32 | DALE STALTER | PHOENIX, AZ | $873.00 |
| 33 | CHRISTOPHER DUBOIS | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $873.00 |
| 34 | GREG POWERS | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $873.00 |
| 35 | ALVARO VASQUEZ | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $873.00 |
| 36 | DARREN JACKSON | SALT LAKE, UT | $873.00 |
| 37 | STEPHEN STOWE | GILBERT, AZ | $790.00 |
| 38 | ROBERT RAFAY | GILBERT, AZ | $790.00 |
| 39 | STEPHEN MARSHALL | JACKSON, WY | $790.00 |
| 40 | JARRETT MCMILLAN | DENVER, CO | $790.00 |
| 41 | DON BRATTON | MONTROSE, CO | $790.00 |
| 42 | CHRIS KIRKPATRICK | MARICOPA, AZ | $790.00 |
| 43 | GARY MCLEOD | TUCSON, AZ | $790.00 |
| 44 | MATHEW HUM | GILBERT, AZ | $790.00 |
| 45 | MIRZA SELMIC | PHOENIX, AZ | $790.00 |
| 46 | JOSUE TANA | CHANDLER, AZ | $707.00 |
| 47 | FRANCIS KELLY | GILBERT, AZ | $707.00 |
| 48 | MATT ALBEE | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $707.00 |
| 49 | JAMES PAUSCH | PHOENIX, AZ | $707.00 |
| 50 | RICK GRAVELLE | GILBERT, AZ | $707.00 |
| 51 | JOHNNY LARGE | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $707.00 |
| 52 | RACHEL NYSTROM | LAS VEGAS, NV | $707.00 |
| 53 | MUNRO DAURIO | PHOENIX, AZ | $707.00 |
| 54 | DENNIS JENSEN | GLENDALE, AZ | $707.00 |
| 55 | BRAIAN BANKS | GILBERT, AZ | $665.00 |
| 56 | MARK BABEKOV | PHOENIX, AZ | $665.00 |
| 57 | RYAN JACOBS | MESA, AZ | $665.00 |
| 58 | MARY EMMERSON | MESA, AZ | $665.00 |
| 59 | BRAD NESSAR | PHOENIX, AZ | $665.00 |
| 60 | BRIAN PERZINSKI | PHOENIX, AZ | $665.00 |
| 61 | MICHAEL BANDUCCI | TAVERN CITY, NV665 | $665.00 |
| 62 | DENISE ROMERO | TEMPE, AZ | $665.00 |
| 63 | BECKY WEBSTER | MESA, AZ | $665.00 |
ANTE UP WINTER POKER CLASSIC
Gila River Hotels & Casinos Wild Horse Pass – Chandler, Ariz.
EVENT #1 – Thank You For Your Service No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $35 ($15 for military members)
Entries: 288
Prize pool: $8,840
1 James Doss Chicago. IL $1,500
2 Rich Warren Goodyear, AZ $661
3 Wolford Burcham Arizona City, AZ $661
4 Leroy Dubray South Dakota $661
5 Rachel Sizemore Phoenix, AZ $661
6 Jeff Musiello Phoenix, AZ $661
7 Nicholas Romano Denver, CO $660
8 Randy Romano Freeport, LA $660
9 Ron Pence Phoenix, AZ $221
10 Chris Kirkpatrick Maricopa, Az $199
11 Larry Juarez Phoenix, AZ $159
12 Matt Smith Quenn Creek, AZ $159
13 John Mihlik Phoenix, AZ $133
14 Cheri Silard Tempe, AZ $133
15 Katie Freeman Chandler, Az $133
16 Matthew Nuovo Mesa, AZ $111
17 Travis Cole Gilbert, AZ $111
18 Mark Monell Lady Smith, WI $111
19 Mike Grassel Gilbert, AZ $88
20 Ray Marsh Chandler, Az $88
21 Ed Carle Salt lake City, UT $88
22 Michael Burns Maricopa, Az $80
23 Ed Bineider Mesa, AZ $80
24 Barry Kaplan Scottsdale, AZ $80
25 Rick Watters Waterloo, IA $71
26 Adam Kowalski Chandler, Az $71
27 Michael Judd Sun Lakes, AZ $71
28 Ron Barnhill Phoenix, AZ $62
29 Sorren Smith Peoria, AZ $62
30 Kenneth Maher Phoenix, AZ $62
31 Dana Vergolini Phoenix, AZ $57
32 Patrick Hontz Phoenix, AZ $57
33 Neal Nelson Sacramento, CA $57
34 Neil Cangiolosi Mesa, AZ $57
35 Marvin Caudill Maricopa, Az $57
36 Samuel Fayzakov Phoenix, AZ $57
ANTE UP WINTER POKER CLASSIC
Gila River Hotels & Casinos Wild Horse Pass – Chandler, Ariz.
EVENT #2 – No-Limit Hold’em Big Stack
Buy-in: $100
Entries: 109
Prize pool: $10,900
1 JOHN STANDLEY SUN LAKES, AZ $3,104
2 ALEX FLORES SCOTTSDALE, AZ $2,017
3 JASON MENDOZA HAMMOND, IN $1,472
4 NICHOLAUS DANIELS MATTOON, IL $981
5 DEAN WATT PHOENIX, AZ $790
6 ALAN BOELTER GLENDALE, AZ $627
7 CLARENCE CHAO PHOENIX, AZ $491
8 BRIAN LOPEZ PHOENIX AZ, $382
9 THEODORE BENNER PHOENIX, AZ $300
10 DARREN JACKSON SALT LAKE CITY, UT $278
11 WILLIAM SWAIN GILBERT, AZ $229
12 CHRISTOPHER KIRKPATRICK MARICOPA, AZ $229
