Dave Brady at the Final Table of Event #18 at the Borgata Winter Poker Open
Dave Brady just ended quite the drought.
By making the final table of Event 18: $560 Omaha Eight-or-Better Semi-Turbo here at Borgata Winter Poker Open, he notched his first top-10 finish in a recorded poker tournament since November 2006. He remembers his other deep runs well, and his enthusiasm is clear when he mentions them.
"My first final table was 10 years ago in Foxwoods," he said. "I had Charlie 'Scotty Warbucks' Shoten to my left. In 2006, I was facing off with Chris Reslock at the Taj."
So anonymous is Brady in the poker world that he doesn't even have a page in the Hendon Mob database. His profile on Card Player's database has some of his cashes and some cashes from another David Brady from Nebraska.
That's just the way the Roseland, N.J., native likes it at the poker table. He said he finished in the top half in the $1,000 six-max tournament yesterday despite playing with tables populated by tough professionals. His strategy? Play on his image.
"I actually wore a suit yesterday so I could get that image going," he said of looking like a well-off amateur. "I want them to think I'm a rock, then when there's a raise and a call and I come in for six-times that, they give me credit.
"It's almost like that 'Kill Phil,'" he said, referencing the famous poker book in which Blair Rodman and Lee Nelson advocated extremely aggressive play to increase variance when playing against expert opponents.
Brady isn't able to play many tournaments due to his work as an actuary for AIG. He said he only plays about three tournaments per year. He's trying to make a splash here and follow in the footsteps of co-worker Josh Spiegleman, who finished fifth in the main event here at Borgata Winter Poker Open in 2006.
Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better is his favorite game, Brady said. He also enjoys PLO and H.O.R.S.E. He'll have to focus on his limit game right now, but he does get one added bonus tonight.
"I'm driving Allen Kessler bonkers," he said with a laugh.
A player fired 200,000 into Steve Levy went into the tank with the board reading . Finally, he announced all in for 597,000. His opponent thought for about a minute.
"Nice hand," he said softly, folding. The player asked how big Levy's pair was, saying he had a pair.
Was Zeebo's Theorem not in effect? We'll never know.
David Dawson lost the majority of his chips with against Chris Coward's , and he lost the rest when he shipped with ace-high and called him from the blinds and made a pair of threes.
Philippe Casciola in the Final Table of Event #17 at the 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open
Philippe Casciola lost a flip with against the of Patrick Truong. Both players made boats, but Casciola was already drawing dead when he made his on the river.
Steven Levy in the Final Table of Event #17 at the 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open
Stephen Press opened for a raise, and Steve Levy three-bet him. Press reraised for almost all of Levy's chips, and he moved all in. Press held , while Levy was slightly ahead with . Unfortunately for Levy, Press flopped a pair of kings and rivered a full house for good measure.
Chris Coward shoved over a raise from Stephen Press. Press made the call, and he had against the of Coward. An in the window followed by no further improvement for Coward spelled the end for him.
. Finally, he announced all in for 597,000. His opponent thought for about a minute.
and in the big blind and called the shove of a short-stacked opponent in the cutoff.
. An 
and 
finished out the board.
.
called him from the blinds and made a pair of threes.
of Patrick Truong. Both players made boats, but Casciola was already drawing dead when he made his on the river.
, while Levy was slightly ahead with 
but was outran by the 
