Reno Hilton World Poker Challenge - Season 2
- Apr 1, 2004
The last stop on the World Poker Tour before the championship
event would be in Reno at the Hilton’s World Poker Challenge.
The $5,000 buy-in started on March 30th, 2004 with 342 players
in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Paul “Eskimo” Clark came into the day with a
chip stack more intimidating than his thick beard and mirrored
sunglasses with T829,000. He was closely followed by Michael
Kinney, a retired member of the US navy Harry Knopp, Tony
Bloom, Peter Muller and Young Phan.
A short stacked Young Phan was first to be eliminated at
the final table by the hand of Harry Knopp. Bloom was next
to go, followed by Peter Muller, who had been playing with
his golden retriever just a few feet away during the whole
tournament. Eskimo then knocked Knopp out in third place when
he flopped trips, setting up the heads up match between the
old school poker player, and the newcomer Michael Kinney.
Eskimo went into heads up play with the lead, but Kinney soon
doubled up with pocket kings. He was able to take that momentum
and run with it, taking several small pots from Eskimo before
finally delivering the knock out blow.
Michael Kinney of Sand Point, Idaho took home the last World
Poker Tour title of the regular season and $629,469 in prize
money.
