WSOP-Circuit Atlantic City, Day 3: Brent Roberts Rolls to Gold

December 17 2008, John "Falstaff" Hartness

After three days and countless hands of poker, Brent "Astrolux85" Roberts bested a field of 178 competitors to stand alone as the World Series of Poker Circuit Atlantic City Champion. The 23-year-old New Yorker adds a Circuit championship to a resume that already included a WSOP final table, a Full Tilt Online Poker Series title and several other big cashes in his burgeoning poker career. Roberts took the chip lead into Day 3, and after a tough final table, bested Washington, D.C.'s Phillip Reed to take the title, the circuit championship ring and the $280,940 top prize.

The final-table players wasted no time mixing it up, with Rafael Camejo raising preflop from early position on one of the very first hands. Robert McLaughlin re-raised all in, and Camejo was put to a decision for all his chips early. He finally made the call with , only to find himself staring at McLaughlin's dominating . McLaughlin paired his king on the board, and Camejo was done in ninth place ($17,342).

After the initial flurry of action which led to Camejo's demise, play slowed down for an hour or so. When the pace picked up, it did so dramatically, with several players busting in short order. Scott Zakheim was the first to go, busting in eighth place ($26,013) at the hands of Brent Roberts. Roberts raised preflop, and Zakheim moved all in for little more than half again Roberts' bet. The other players got out of the way, and Zakheim showed . Roberts tabled for the steal attempt, but hit the flop to take the lead. The on the turn was no help for Zakheim, and he was left drawing thin on the river. The was not one of his outs, and he was done.

Dwyte Pilgrim was the next to fall, busting in seventh place ($34,684) to Allen Bari. Bari moved all in over the top of Pilgrim's opening all-in shove to isolate the action, and got his wish as no one called. Pilgrim's was bettered by Bari's , and the board ran out to send Pilgrim packing.

Before Pilgrim's seat was even cold, Tim Kelly found all his chips in the middle after he moved all in over the top of Kyle Bowker's raise. Bowker called with , and Kelly showed . Kelly picked up a pair on the flop, but the turn and river came down . The eights weren't enough to crack Bowker's jacks, and Kelly was eliminated in sixth place ($43,355).

Allen Bari went to the rail in fifth place ($52,026) when he ran afoul of chip leader Brent Roberts. Kyle Bowker started the action with a preflop raise, and Roberts re-raised. Bari moved all in for less than Roberts' bet, and Bowker got out of the way. The revealed hands offered a classic coin toss as Roberts showed to Bari's . Roberts hit the king on the flop, and the board ran out . Bari's pocket fours were no good to Roberts' two pair, and he was finished.

Four-handed play went slowly for a while before another quick flurry of bustouts left Reed and Roberts heads-up for the title. First, Robert McLaughlin and Kyle Bowker limped to a flop of . McLaughlin led out, and Bowker called to see the on the turn. McLaughlin checked, Bowker bet out this time, and McLaughlin made the call. The came on the river, and McLaughlin once again took the initiative, leading out with a sizeable bet. Bowker moved all in over the top, and McLaughlin called with for the rivered four-flush. His flush, though, was no good as Bowker tabled for the nut flush, and McLaughlin was eliminated in fourth place ($69,368).

A few hands later it was Bowker limping in as Phillip Reed checked his big blind. Reed checked the flop, and Bowker fired. Reed moved all in over the top, and Bowker thought for a long moment before calling. Bowker turned over for top pair, but was drawing very slim against Reed's for the flopped flush. The on the turn left Bowker drawing dead, and when the came on the river, he collected $86,710 for his third-place finish.

It only took a few hands for Brent Roberts to finish off his last opponent, as he sent Phillip Reed to the rail as the runner-up for $147,407. Reed raised preflop with , and Roberts called to see the flop. Roberts checked, Reed led out, Roberts check-raised, and Reed moved all in. Roberts called before Reed could finish his sentence, and tabled for two pair. Reed needed a ten for a straight, or running perfect cards, but the on the turn fit neither description. Only a ten on the river would keep Reed in the tournament, but the that fell gave the hand, the pot and the title to Roberts. Brent Roberts collected the $280,940 winner's prize and the gold Circuit championship ring for his triumph over a tough field.


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