AUTHOR: Jerry "Jet" Whittaker TITLE: Justin Hagan Wins Marathon WSOP-C Poker Tournament DATE: 5:02 AM ----- BODY: Poker is a night game. It is a game often played by night owls. Despite the
glitz and glamour surrounding the game which is broadcast on television 24
hours a day, seven days a week, and the around the clock allure of
contemporary casinos and cardrooms, the most intense poker games usually
occur long after most people have nodded off to bed. While the rest of
society is dozes away, the most dedicated poker players are clustered around
tables, sequestered in whirlwind of tough decisions and escalating
intensity. On a crisp winter night on the eve of Valentines Day, the best
poker game in southern California took place at the Harrah's Rincon
Casino-Resort, tucked into a valley in the steep hills north of San Diego.
Rest assured, no one there was thinking about Cupid's holiday or boxes of
chocolates. By midnight as the tournament entered the 12th hour, all that
was heard was the pitter-patter of chips and snapping of cards, broken by an
occasional cheer or moan inspired by the randomness of flops, turns, and
rivers. It wasn't meant to be this way. Event #3 at this year's Rincon
tournament circuit attracted 89 entries. The $1,000 buy-in created a total
prize pool of $86,330. Eighty players missed the money, leaving the final
nine. The final table began at 10 pm. A two-day tournament was planned, but
the nine finalists agreed to play through until the conclusion. That moment
would come at long past midnight, which made for a marathon day (night, and
early morning) of poker. --------