In recent years, we’ve seen a move away from players having fun celebrating winning a big pot. It seems like it has been forever since we’ve seen the likes of Hevad Khan and his “steamroller”. Today, while working his way towards victory, Todd Altinbas showed you can still let out a good celebration after winning a big pot and have fun while still showing class towards your fellow players. Poker is fun after all and if you’re winning why not enjoy it. Todd whooped it up on several occasions… and for good reason… as he found himself on the winning end of numerous key pots as he took down Event 8 at the Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open”.

Todd, a 41 year old evening manager at a local gentleman’s establishment, started playing poker right at the beginning of the poker boom in 2003. “My parents would have a home game and that’s where I first started playing,” Todd explained. The excited victor said he plays several times a week and that he planned on “treating myself to dinner at Joe’s Stone Crabs” in addition to playing some more poker.

When we started our final nine, the seating assignments and approximate chip counts were as follows:

With the blinds at 1K/2K, Steve Olek was first to act in the small blind. Looking down at pocket 9’s, Olek made the easy decision to move all in. Unfortunately for Steve, the big blind, Haim Toorgeman, had picked up a big hand as well as he had . The flop put Toorgeman in the lead as it came . The river gave him two pair with the and the river was not a miracle 9 and Olek was our first player eliminated from the final table.

With the blinds still at 1K/2K, a short stacked Tom Brown had little choice but to move all in when he picked up . Todd Altinbas had pocket 7’s and made the call. The board ran out giving Altinbas the pot and making Mr. Brown $336 richer for his 8th place finish.

The players continued to drop at a rapid pace and it would be Dwayne Barclay who would be next out the door when he decided to make a move on a {Jc] board by moving all in. The move might have worked to if it were not for the fact that Haim Toorgeman held pocket 10’s and had turned a straight. Barclay had A-7 and his only hope for survival was to hit one of the two remaining 10’s in the deck. The river, however, was a 7 and that would be all she wrote for Barclay.

When you’re running hot, sometimes you can feel invincible. Haim Toorgeman had to be feeling somewhat bulletproof with the run he was on early in the final table and he would continue his hot streak when he knocked Jody Davis out in 6th place. Davis was ahead when all the chips went in on the flop with her for top two pair but Toorgeman had outs with the nut flush draw with his . The flush came on the turn with the leaving Davis hoping for a King or Queen to give her a full house. The river was the and Davis put her hands out in disbelief while letting out a frustrated “f***ing A… Nooooo!” She was soon laughing it off and shaking the hands of her fellow competitors while wishing them luck.

The action didn’t slow down any as Ben DeJesus followed Davis shortly after. With the board reading , DeJesus bet 7.5K and was faced with an all in raise from Todd Altinbas. DeJesus made the call with a strong hand in but it was behind the turned set of 6’s that Todd had hit. The river gave DeJesus a meaningless two pair.

Things would slow down for a while and we would play four handed for quite some time. Rafael Gomez had managed a couple double ups to stave off elimination but finally his luck ran out when he called Todd Altinbas and his all in bet from the small blind with pocket 9’s out of the big blind. Todd had and would need help to prevent Gomez from doubling up again. And help he received as the board ran out to help Altinbas deliver the knockout blow to Gomez. Rafael took the minor beat in stride, standing up with a smile.

A huge pot would take place that would ultimately decide the tournament. With the board reading , Lance Goldenberg would call the all in of Todd Altinbas. It was a good call as Lance had A-5 and was ahead of the flush draw that Todd held in the . “Heart baby,” Todd begged. And a heart it was on the turn as the was flipped over. When the river was a , Todd clapped his hands loudly together in celebration, let out a whoop, and yelled “Yes Baby!” several times. He had a smile from ear to ear – it was obvious this meant something to him.

Goldenberg would fight back valiantly from being crippled in that hand but would ultimately fall when he decided to gamble with bottom pair against Haim’s top pair. Goldenberg was unable to improve and added a stellar 3rd place finish to go with his win that he had earlier this week. The two top three finishes place Goldenberg momentarily in the lead for the Leaderboard Promotion.

Heads up, Todd Altinbas would find a double up against Haim Toorgeman when his would best Toorgeman’s when the two got it all in on a flop. Both players would hit a flush on the turn but it would be Altinbas with the who would have the bigger flush and the pot.

A few moments later, Haim would move all in from the small blind and Todd would call. Haim held and Altinbas had . The board ran out to give Altinbas the win.

Here were the final payouts for Event 8: