Tournament Details

This week, Aruba's beautiful Playa Linda Beach Resort plays host to the WPT for the UltimateBet Ultimate Poker Classic. 436 players converged on this breezy island destination, many qualifying through satellites, some of them by plunking down four large – that's $4,000 to you and me – to fight it out over a nearly $1,700,000 prize pool, of which the winner nets out a neat half-million.

After fighting their way through two days of qualifying play, the final six came down to play at the final table. In seat 1, on the short-stack with $536,000 in chips, Rick Casper, a Las Vegas Realtor in his 2nd tournament ever. In seat 2, with $792,000, veteran Barry Shulman, owner-publisher of CardPlayer Magazine. In seat 3, with $763,000, Tim "Ted" Harrington, an Irish-born building contractor. In seat 4, chip leader with $907,000, newcomer Anthony Fagan, a big-betting Irish restaurateur. In seat 5, with $743,000, Swede Daniel Larsson, the youngest WPT finalist to date. In seat 6, American Erick Lindgren, two time WPT finalist who took 5th in Paris.

The first turning point came when antes and blinds had just gone up to $3,000, $15,000 and $30,000. Rick Casper had announced that were he to finish in the top 3, he would marry his fiancé, Tonya Paioni, a former cast member of the TV show Big Brother, right there on the beach. But after working with short chips most of the day, he picked the wrong time to try and double up his $594,000. Casper, with 9c-9s, pushed all-in when Larsson raised a moderate $80,000. Larsson quickly called, and flipped over Js-Jc, making him the prohibitive favorite. The flop came Q-J-7, helping Larsson, and although an 8 on the turn gave Casper the backdoor gutshot straight draw, a 2 on the river sent him out in 6th place, but with $43,860 in wedding ring money to soften the blow.

Soon after Casper left, the price of poker went up again. With antes and blinds now at $5,000, $25,000 and $50,000, the tight-playing Ted Harrington, himself now the short stack with $438,000, took his chance with Ah-6h to go all-in. He wasn't pleased to find two callers in Larsson, questionably calling with 8c-9c, and fellow Irishman Fagan, with Ad-Jc. Fagan and Larsson checked through a board that went Qh-Js-4h-3d-7s, resulting in a nearly $500,000 pot to Fagan, and a 5th place finish for Harrington, who walked away with $68,920.

Next to feel the heat was Barry Shulman, who got caught on a pre-flop steal in the small blind with Kc-7s. Fagan, in the big blind with 9d-8c, called Shulman's $100,000 pot-purchase attempt. After a flop of Tc-5c-3s helped neither of them, Shulman made another try, with another $100,000 raise. But Fagan smelled it and raised him $400,000 and Shulman folded the likely winner. Now the short stack, Shulman took his chance with pocket T's and went all-in. But Lindgren, who'd been catching cards all day, again came up with a big one, Ac-Kh, and called Shulman's $400,000 raise. The flop came a bingo for Lindgren, Ks-Kd-9s, and with 8h, 9h on the turn and river, Shulman was out in 4th place, with a payout of $112,780.

After having roughed up the field all day, Fagan made his only real mistake. He limped with Ks-Th, as did Lindgren with Jd-Ts. When the flop came Kd-Jc-7d, Fagan puzzlingly checked, Lindgren raised $150,000, and Fagan merely called. When 2d came on the turn, he again checked, and after a long moment where he sensed Fagan's timidity, Lindgren went all-in on his dominated middle pair. Fagan folded the likely winner, and it seemed to lead directly to his ouster. Soon after that, Fagan went on a string of all-in bluffs, until, with Jh-6h, he ran into Lindgren, again with A-K offsuit. The flop came 9-7-4 all clubs, favoring Lindgren's ace, and when the turn and river came 4s, 7s, Fagan was knocked out, with $194,230.

Now down to the two youngest players in the final, with antes and blinds up to $10,000, $40,000 and $80,000, Lindgren's luck and strong play, (not to mention a dominating $3,651,000 in chips) made short work of the Swedish satellite qualifier. Larsson found As-Ks, and went all-in for $445,000, and Lindgren called. But a Qh-7h-4h flop put Larsson on the brink of defeat, and when a 3c on the turn gave Lindgren an unbeatable two pairs, Larsson had to be satisfied with a 2nd place finish that paid out a healthy $300,745. Lindgren, a fierce competitor, smiled with warranted pride and relief, Aruba's champion with a $500,000 payout, as well as a $25,000 chair at the WPT Championship with his name on it.

Oh, and Casper's promise to marry Tonya only if he finished 1, 2, or 3 was a bluff. After he finished 6th, the two tied the knot outside on the beach, as Aruba came to a close...

This tournament is included in the World Poker Tour Season Two DVD Collection. Special features include commentary by Phil "The Unabomber" Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, Daniel Negreanu and Erik Lindgren.