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WORLD SERIES OF POKER 2003
No one in his right mind could have predicted "Minneapolis Jim's" win in this event -- given his status coming into the second day. Since play ended very late on Day One, players returned on the second day with a field of 14. It appeared that Minneapolis Jim would be among the first to exit, since he was down to just $21,000 in chips (compared to chip-leader Juha Helppi with a whopping $163,000). But Meehan played tough and survived. By 3 pm on Easter Sunday, he was sitting at the final table -- although he was still perilously low on chips.
One of the key hands of the tournament occurred when Juha Helppi, from Finland, eliminated Percy Regimbal. The two chip leaders went to war when Regimbal's 9-9 confronted Helppi's A-K suited. With Regimbal "all in," ace fell on the turn which then gave Helppi an enormous chip advantage over his three remaining opponents. In fact, whispers it the crowd suggested this final table might end in short measure, with Helppi holding over half the chips in play.
But No-Limit Texas Hold'm can be a cruel game. In what had to be one of the most incredible hours of final table play on record, Helppi not only lost his 5 to 1 chip advantage versus the other three players, he would finish no better than fourth.
Helppi played very aggressively with his big stack, too aggressively some might say. But he also took a horrible series of beats, particularly when heads-up against Minneapolis Jim. Helppi moved all-in with Q-Q, and by the time the raising war had broken out, Minneapolis Jim was pot-committed and had to call with K-J (king of spades). The flop came A-9-8, with two spades. A third spade fell on the turn. And, remarkably -- a fourth spade rescued Minneapolis Jim on the river. It was a stunning moment, which destroyed Helppi and turned Minneapolis Jim into a force at the final table. In fact, 30 minutes later, Minneapolis Jim had half the chips on the table.
After Dr. Bruce Van Horn was eliminated in third place, Minneapolis Jim faced Australian Guy Calvert in heads-up play. Minneapolis Jim, decked out in a cowboy hat, a sweater, with a Easter Sunday church program sticking out of his left front pocket, moved his chips aggressively and took a 4 to 1 chip advantage. However, for anyone thinking this final table would be over soon, they would best be advised to go catch a movie and come back later. In fact, they could have got in a double feature.
Head's up play between the two talented players lasted an astounding three hours -- virtually unheard of in heads-up no-limit play. Just when it appeared one player would make a move and gain the upper hand, the other player would become more aggressive and take pots with over-the-top raises.
Guy Calvert put on a final table "clinic." Opponent Meehan clearly won the majority of pots during heads-up play, but Calvert used a crafty and cunning strategic style to take back lost chips with selected aggression -- which caused Minneapolis Jim some serious difficulty. In fact, Calvert went from being down 4 to 1 to being one card away from the championship.
After a flop of Q-8-6, all spades, Calvert (with Q-6) called Minneapolis Jim's "all-in" raise. Meehan held K-8, including the nut-flush draw. A harmless deuce fell on the turn and Calvert was one card away from a gold bracelet. But in a stunning twist of misfortune, a devastating black spade fell -- darkening the night for Calvert and effectively turning Minneapolis Jim into the newest World Series of Poker champion.
The end came a short time later when Calvert was dealt J-J and was "all in" against Minneapolis Jim's K-K. The board failed to bring Calvert a much-needed jack, which meant Minneapolis Jim was victorious. Guy Calvert collected $143,840 for second place.
The winner, Minneapolis Jim Meehan is a colorful character with a great deal of style and heart. He and Calvert displayed a magnificent amount of class during the finale, at one point toasting the event with a duel order of Heineken's. After it was over, Calvert was disappointed but also could take great pride in knowing he played phenomenally. Meanwhile, it's obvious Minneapolis Jim caught a few hands along the way. But it goes to show that in the game of No-Limit Hold'em, you need more than just skill to win a poker tournament. Sometimes you need a little help from above. Happy Easter, Minneapolis Jim.
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