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World Series of Poker Event #6: Words of Wisdom

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  • World Series of Poker Event #6: Words of Wisdom

    Poker Player Online, CA
    May 4 2005

    World Series of Poker Event #6: Words of Wisdom
    by Nolan Dalla filed under Tournament Reports


    WSOP Circuit: Event #6

    Boyd Fricke gives us all something to think about:

    When you grow up in open spaces, you always wonder what is on the
    other side of the hill. -- Boyd Fricke

    Every poker decision is truly unique. Every poker hand is unique.
    Every poker tournament is unique. And, every single poker player is
    unique. Given the millions of poker players, one would be hard pressed
    to find a man with a more interesting background or an individual
    filled with as much personal conviction as a 54-year-old Reno man
    named Boyd Fricke.

    - Fricke was born into a very poor family on a farm in North
    Dakota. His boyhood home had no electricity, nor indoor plumbing.

    - Fricke joined the United States Marine Corps and served in Vietnam.

    - Fricke has two uncles. One was a B-24 pilot in World War II.
    The other was a prisoner is Stalag 3-B, on which the movie 'The Great
    Escape' was based. He was one of the men who escaped.

    - Fricke worked for a company after graduating from college, but
    decided very early that he wanted to work for himself, instead. So, he
    started his own company - which was ultimately quite successful. Later,
    he retired from his business and decided to 'see the world.'

    - Fricke has backpacked around the world - twice. He trekked
    from Lisbon Portugal to Shanghai, China in 80 days on his first
    circumnavigation. On his second trip, Fricke backpacked in the
    opposite direction, going through Khazakstan, Turkmenistan, and other
    out-of-the-way places. "I have visited all 50 states, and have seen
    even more countries," Fricke says.


    - Fricke was married, but following his divorce -- he raised
    his children alone. Today, Fricke's daughter is serving on the city
    council where she lives and his son is preparing to start law school
    at the University of Notre Dame.

    - And now, Fricke is the latest champion on the World Series of
    Poker Circuit.

    Lake Tahoe's $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em event attracted 84
    entries competing for $81,480 in prize money. Day One resulted in the
    elimination of 75 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two,
    with Tony O'Hagan and Chris "The Armenian Express" Grigorian as the
    chip leaders. Finalists arrived with the following seat positions
    and chip counts:


    SEAT 1 Bert Cardenas McAllen, TX 20,500

    SEAT 2 Greg Cash Tunica, MS 11,600

    SEAT 3 Keith Collins Portland, OR 15,800

    SEAT 4 Tony O'Hagan Las Vegas, NV 38,600

    SEAT 5 Eric Cloutier Mont-Laurier, Quebec 11,200

    SEAT 6 Boyd Fricke Reno, NV 21,700

    SEAT 7 Chris Grigorian Los Angeles, CA 32,600

    SEAT 8 Sam Lam San Jose, CA 12,400

    SEAT 9 Yuctan Hodge The Valley, Anguilla 3,800


    Players were eliminated as follows:


    9th Place - Yuctan Hodge, a retired businessman from the Caribbean
    island nation of Anguilla arrived lowest in chips, had J-J and lost
    to A-K when a king flopped. Hodge earned $2,445 for 9th place.

    8th Place - Bert Cardenas, a 27-year-old contractor from McAllen,
    TX took a bad beat and went out next. He had A-A and was 'all in'
    against Tony O'Hara's 6-6. Just when it appeared Cardenas would double
    up when the turn showed Q-9-8-K, a six fell on the river giving O'Hara
    a set and Cardenas was eliminated. Cardenas earned $3,260.

    7h Place - Eric Cloutier doubled up and took the chip lead over
    Chris Grigorian when his A-Q spiked an ace, crushing Grigorian's
    pocket jacks. Greg Cash wasn't so fortunate. A short time later,
    the Tunica, MS-based player who has won numerous poker tournaments
    was short-stacked and lost to Grigorian's two pair. Grigorian got
    some of those chips back and it was a two-way tie for first in the
    chip count. Meanwhile, Cash cashed for $4,075.

    6th Place - Sam Lam desperately needed to double up and decided to
    make a stand with 2-2. The tiny pocket pair lost to A-K when an ace
    flopped, and Sam went on the lam in 6th place, good for $4,890.

    5th Place - Keith Collins had A-3, moved 'all in' and was covered by
    Grigorian, with A-J. Neither player made a pair and the jack played.
    Collins a business owner form Portland, OR collected $5,705.

    4th Place - At this point, Tony O'Hagan was the chip leader, by virtue
    of a few big hands. Then, Chris Grigorian started off with 7-7 and
    was 'all in' against Cloutier's A-K. The 'coin flip' hand turned
    out very well for Cloutier, when an ace flopped. Grigorian, a.k.a.
    "The Armenian Express" was derailed in 4th place, which meant a payday
    of $6,520.

    3rd Place - Tony O'Hagan lost a few pots and gave up the chip lead.
    Then, he committed his final chips with 10-6 when a 10 was the
    high-card on the turn. Unfortunately, Boyd Fricke (holding 3-4) had
    flopped trip 4s and that pretty much settled the hand. O'Hagan, who
    finished 4th previously here in Lake Tahoe, took 3rd place this time.
    He collected $8,965.

    The heads-up duel between Boyd Fricke and Eric Cloutier began with
    Fricke holding a 2 to 1 chip advantage. Cloutier had been in this
    spot before, finishing second in Event #4. The Quebec-born former
    Boston Bruins (NHL) player hoped to avoid repeat bridesmaid status,
    but was doomed to yet another finish as the runner up. Just a few
    hands into play, Cloutier moved 'all in' with A-9 and was called
    by Fricke holding A-7 suited. The two spades in Fricke's hand were
    the difference as the turn brought a third spade - giving Fricke the
    flush and a WSOPC victory. Eric Cloutier took the 'loss' in stride.
    He received $16,295 and has won over $50,000 this year at Lake Tahoe.

    Following his victory, Fricke had a number of interesting comments
    about poker, and life:

    ON WINNING:

    "It's quite simple: The tournament winner is usually the most
    aggressive player who hooks up with cards."

    ON HOW THE GAME IS CHANGING:

    "I think the average player coming into the game is better than
    he/she was five years ago. But they tend to have certain traits,
    which are predictable." One Tip: "They tend to overplay A-K."

    ON PLAYING IN BIG CASH GAMES:

    "You shouldn't play if the money is going to change your life (one way
    or another). The guy who is playing for his rent money is a huge dog."

    ON TOURNAMENT POKER:

    "The sport needs to clean up its act and stop the bad behavior. You
    see these guys on TV and some of them look and act like they're
    (criminals). They pump their fists in the air and jump up and down.
    The worst thing is, younger kids see this and they start to emulate
    that sort of behavior."

    ON POKER TRENDS:

    "I think they should do away with sunglasses at the final table. I
    mean, where does it all end? Does it mean I can play poker wearing a
    welding mask?"


    ON THE POKER SCENE IN RENO AND LAKE TAHOE:

    "I don't like playing in a game where the atmosphere is not
    hospitable. The games in Northern Nevada tend to be polite. This is
    why I prefer playing here."

    ON KEEPING THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE:

    "It's all just a game of cards. That's all poker is. I had one guy
    tell me, 'I'm not afraid of anything.' I said, 'Oh yeah? You ever
    been shot at?"

    ON BEING A WORLD TRAVELER:

    "You learn about people and you learn about yourself. When a guy gets
    upset at the table, and we've all been disappointed before, remember -
    unlike three-quarters of the rest of the world -- you can actually
    afford to sit down and buy into a poker game. You have nothing to
    complain about. Every day you get up in this country, you are on a
    freeroll. If you live in America, you have won life's lottery."

    At the end of a long night, when Fricke was asked if he plans to play
    more major tournaments, including the World Series of Poker in Las
    Vegas which begins next month, his answer was predictable. "If it
    doesn't conflict with some travel plans, maybe I'll play."

    Indeed, for Boyd Fricke, there is always another hill to cross,
    to see what's on the other side.

    Report by Nolan Dalla - World Series of Poker Media Director

    World Series of Poker Circuit Director - Ken Lambert

    World Series of Poker Tournament Director - John Grooms

    Harveys Poker Room Manager - Vince Contaxis

    Harrah's Full Service Games Manager -- Steve Schorr
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