News
There’s a Doctor in the House!
The sixth event on the 2008 Winter Bayou Poker Challenge schedule ended today. Dr. Mark Burtman won the tournament and collected first-place prize money totaling $33,058. Dr. Burtman was also presented with a fancy gold ring, the coveted prize awarded to all champions at this year’s Bayou poker tournament series.
Dr. Burtman is a physician, practicing full-time as an OB/GYN. Three years ago, he enjoyed an impressive run playing in poker tournaments to the point where he considered leaving his practice and playing full-time. He won a major event in Costa Rica. He also had strong finishes at the World Series of Poker and World Poker Open. But after a great few years from 2003 through 2005, Burtman suffered an inevitable downswing. He stopped playing tournament poker for a few years and refocused his energies on his medical practice.
“I quite playing for awhile because it was costing me too much money,” Dr. Burtman explained. “Not only the buy-ins, but what I was losing from not working.”
Nearly three years passed before Dr. Burtman made a tournament cash of any kind. He showed up in New Orleans this year, hoping to rekindle his previous success. “I missed the game,” he admitted. “After the (third-place showing in the Seven-Card Stud event at the 2005 WSOP), I really hadn’t done much.”
Dr. Burtman has other interests, as well. He is the bass player in a band called “The Cemetery Surfers.” He has also done paranormal investigations and has written a novel, “A Girl in the Game.”
Dr. Burtman was joined by 212 other poker players in this event. The $550 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em competition was held inside the special events center at the Harrah’s New Orleans Casino. The two-day tournament generated a total prize pool of $103,305 – the largest of any event so far. The top 27 finishers collected prize money, representing eight different states (Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky, and Texas).
The final table consisting of nine players was played to completion on the second day. The top nine finishers included:
9th Place – Kevin Kaylor, from Houston, TX. He arrived as the player lowest in chips when day two began. Kaylor busted out with K-Q against A-Q after a queen flopped. The weaker kicker booted Kaylor off the final table just three hands into play. Previously, Kaylor made it final table (3rd place) at the 2007 WSOP Circuit event in New Orleans.
8th Place – Pat Peercy, a 37-year-old poker pro from Fortville, IN. Peercy was eliminated holding pocket nines against A-K (a king flopped). This was Peercy’s second final table appearance at the Bayou series. He finished as the runner-up in the Seven-Card Stud event and now has nearly $130,000 in tournament winnings this year.
7th place – Stanley Seelig, from Metairie, LA. Seelig lasted only about a half hour before losing to a full house. This was Seelig’s first time to cash in a major tournament.
6th Place – Bill Hobbs, a 50-year-old insurance salesman from New Iberia, LA. Hobbs won his way into this tournament via a single-table satellite. He went out holding pocket jacks, which was crushed by his opponent’s pocket aces. This was Hobbs’ fourth time to cash in a major tournament. All three of his previous in-the-money finishes have occurred at WSOP Circuit events in New Orleans.
5th Place – Mark Edelman, a 33-year-old auto-dealer turned poker pro from Fayetteville, AR. After about 90-minutes of five-handed back and forth action, Edelman was finally knocked out when he lost to a higher flush. Edelman has a few prior cashes in smaller tournaments. He has been mostly a cash-game player and just recently started playing on the tournament circuit.
4th Place – James Mallinak, from Weldon Spring, MO. Mallinak was second in chips when play started on day two. He went out with a pair of eights. Mallinak has previous chases at Caesar’s Indiana and the WSOP in Las Vegas.
3rd Place – Justin Dykes, a 23-year-old aspiring poker pro from Albany, GA. Dykes battled fiercely for three hours before getting trapped on what turned out to be his final hand. Dykes had pocket jacks, and moved all-in after the flop came 4-4-2. Unfortunately, the player who would ultimately win the event had a four, good for trip fours.
2nd Place – Carey R. Troell, a 40-year-old attorney from Kingwood, TX. Troell played valiantly, but was no match for the Dr. Burtman express. As the runner up, Troell earned a nice prize of
1st Place – Dr. Mark Burtman, a physician from Columbus, MO. Dr. Burtman admitted that he was hit with the deck during much of the three-hour final day. But it was a great time to get hot.
On the final hand of the tournament, Dr. Burtman had his final adversary outchipped by a wide margin. He called his opponent’s all-in raise, holding K-5. This time, the doctor had the worst hand as he was up against A-7. But as Dr. Burtman had been running good all day long, it was hardly a surprise to see both a king and five hit the board, giving the latest poker champ two pair.
The Bayou series continues through next Wednesday. The Ladies championship will take place tomorrow. The $5,000 main event championship begins on Monday.
