WSOP 2006: Poker players reach the cash bubble

They say in poker you can win with just a chip and a chair. Jeff Kanow did just that Friday, holding tightly onto his last $100 chip and turning it into a World Series of Poker payday of $10,616.

"I'm going to pay off some credit cards," Kanow said. "Then afterwards go hunt for a job."

The 36-year-old former poker tournament organizer from Alhambra, Calif., was right on the bubble Friday afternoon. After 8,773 entrants put up $10,000 to play in the world's largest poker tournament, the field had finally winnowed to less than 900. Players who finished 873rd or higher would be paid. Others would have nothing to show for days upon days of poker.

Kanow had been fired a day before the tournament began because he hadn't been at work in about a month. His girlfriend recently sold her house and moved to Las Vegas to get a job. He was left behind to pay the bills.

"I was flat broke, had no money and no place to live in California," he said. "I am so broke I borrowed some money to get lunch from my girlfriend."

As the forced bets known as the blinds increased to $1,000 and $2,000 with a $300 ante, Kanow glanced around the room to see players getting knocked out one after the other.

Players at his table enticed him to play, but seeing no cards to bet on, Kanow just plain held on.

"I said I'd rather wait and hope a bunch of people get knocked out," Kanow said. "Then they announced we were three away. And I was like, 'Oh geez.'"

His last $100 went into what was Kanow's final hand, which he lost to a straight despite his solid holding of an ace and queen.

Kanow was cordoned off with the other recent knockouts as dealers at other tables finished off their rounds.

Experienced players, like Costa Rican pro Humberto Brenes, were swooping down on short-stacked foes, stealing their blind bets and forcing players hoping to backslide into the money to bet all-in or go home with nothing.

Others with healthier stacks had their eyes more on the top prize of $12 million, which would be paid after the final table plays down beginning Aug. 10.

Among those still remaining before the dinner break were pros Daniel Negreanu, Allen Cunningham, defending champ Joseph Hachem, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Kathy Liebert.

Pros Phil Ivey, Juan Carlos Mortensen, Layne Flack, Freddy Deeb and Josh Arieh had already been busted out - and out of the money.

To ease the pain of those whose tournament lives ended before 873rd, this year, finishers in 874th place or slightly worse got an equal portion of the bottom end of the prize pool as long as they busted out in the same round, or one orbit of deals at the table, as the in-the-money finishers.

So Kanow waited with 10 others in a roped off area to see whether they had made it. He made a bunch of phone calls to tell people that he was close.

Kanow had borrowed $500 for the tournament and built it up at the blackjack tables to the $1,060 stake he needed to play to get into the main event from a satellite tournament, which he won. So any payoff would be profitable.

Then after about 10 minutes, the announcement came up: "Attention main event players: Congratulations, you're all winners!"

Kanow was in the money.

"Gold plate this one chip," he said. "I'm taking it home."


By RYAN NAKASHIMA