For those looking for a strong live professional start to the 2007 World Series of Poker, Greg Mueller’s heads-up loss to Steve Billirakis came as a disappointment. The thirty-seven year old Mueller, a successful cash game pro for a number of years, would have won his first bracelet with the win. Fellow Canadian Gavin Smith found himself heads-up with the same stakes on the line the very next day.
Smith’s name was on the short list for ‘best player to have never won a WSOP bracelet’ alongside the likes of JC Tran, Erick Lindgren, Patrik Antonius and Grinder Mizrachi. He’d been crowned the World Poker tour’s season five player of the year, but he hadn’t managed much in the way of big finishes since.
There were considerable hurdles at the final table for Gavin. Amongst them; Marco Traniello, who with this cash made it thirteen between 2005-2007, most of anyone in the game; Eric Lynch, a.k.a. Rizen, an online star whose made a successful transition to the live game; Jon Friedberg, poker radio host and 2006 bracelet winner; and D. Bruce van Horn, runner-up to Johnny Chan in the 1987 WSOP.
None of the four would survive to face Gavin heads-up. That honor would go to retired military man Mike Spegal. Spegal was celebrating his ninth wedding anniversary while playing the final table, and with his wife in attendance, he didn’t disappoint. Spegal eliminated Friedberg in third place, giving himself a small chip lead heading to the heads-up with Smith.
Smith a community favorite who gives back through his radio work with Joe Sebok and Joe Stapleton amongst other means, never really got it going in the heads-up portion. Everything Spegal tried worked, with the cards going cold on Smith at the wrong time. The one time Gavin hit a big hand, Spegal had the same hand, chopping the pot.
It took forty-seven hands for Spegal to finally take Smith down. Gavin was down to approximately a quarter of the chips in play when he raised the button to T120,000 only to have Spegal come back at him as he’d done so many times before. Spegal made it T240,000 to go, but Gavin, unintimidated, moved the rest of his stack in, another T415,000.
Spegal made the call and showed As-10s to Gavin’s 5c-5d. The flop tauntingly came Jd-6s-3s, giving Spegal the flush draw. He got there when the turn came Qs, leaving Gavin no outs. The river was Kd. It was another disappointment for the establishment, but a great way for Spegal to celebrate his anniversary. He won $252,290 for his trouble.
Gary Wise
gary@wisehandpoker.com
