Man makes epic comback at WSOP Circuit event
10 March 2010
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- There's a classic rock song made famous by Janis Joplin where the lyrics go, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." What the lyric means is, there's a certain sense of emotional contentment that comes with being on a free roll, whether the situation is life or poker. Once you've committed yourself to the notion you can't lose, in fact – you have won.
Rohan Long, a real estate broker from Windsor, CT knows the feeling all too well. He pretty much resigned himself to a middle of the pack finish at what was his first World Series of Poker Circuit final table recently. Long managed to survive far longer than either the cards or odds normally would have dictated. With each near miracle dealt from the deck, he gained the confidence and aggression necessary to overcome massive odds and ultimately pulled off a stunning upset victory.
Long survived at least eight all in situations when play was at three handed, and later heads up. Each time, he doubled his stack size up to the point where he ended up achieving the greatest comeback of the year of any player in a WSOP Circuit tournament. Once play became heads up versus a tough-minded online poker pro named Alex Pawlyk, Long pretty much summed up his feelings by announcing, "I'm on a complete free roll now. Nothing can stop me."
In a sense, having Long in a complete care free zone made him the worst possible adversary for a skilled professional. Rather than the usual tense atmosphere that characterizes the later stages of many major poker tournaments, Long's presence and attitude ended up creating a great comeback drama, which was unquestionably the most exiting final table of this year's series at Caesars Atlantic City.
Long, who was born in Jamaica and now lives in Connecticut, won the $560 buy in No-Limit Hold'em tournament and collected the top cash prize totaling $32,592. He was also presented with his first gold ring, which is the ultimate token of achievement given out to all tournament champions who win WSOP Circuit events held around the country.
This marked the sixth of 12 WSOP Circuit events on this year's Caesars schedule. The two-day tournament attracted 210 entrants. Most of the field was eliminated on day one, which clocked in at 14 hours. Four tables of survivors returned for day two which played another 10 hours. The top 27 finishers divided up prize money from a $101,850 prize pool.
Final table play began on a Tuesday night and was held inside the Palladium Arena at Caesars. There was only one previous WSOP Circuit winner among the final nine. Local poker player Howard Wolper arrived with the goal to win his second gold ring. But Wolper went out early, thus guaranteeing a first time champion. Meanwhile, Juan J. Lopez arrived as chip leader and was in a comfortable position throughout the competition until he crashed and burned in third place.
The low blinds (5,000-10,000) and average chip stack of nearly 250,000 at the start gave all the competitors plenty of time be patient. In fact, the tournament structures for all the tournaments played at Caesars this year have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from many players and online poker forums. Tournament players have been given plenty of starting chips and blind increases have been incremental, allowing for skillful play to overcome the short-term luck factor which is a part of all tournaments.