Shinichi is new champion in TDHC’s poker tourney

For Yoshimi Shinichi, it was third time’s the charm after he bested 52 other players to bring home a solid $7,080 in the Texas Hold ‘Em “Island Style” Poker Tournament at the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino Sunday night.

The youthful-looking Japanese national emerged as the grand champion after a grueling two-day competition that saw players from Japan, Tinian, Saipan and Guam falling by the wayside one by one, eliminated by their counterparts in a ruthless game of poker one-upmanship.

It was no walk in the park either for Shinichi. Second-place winner Chang du Young of Tinian and third-place winner Yuki Tagawa, the only female finalist, made Shinichi earn his win, giving him no inch in the climb toward Texas Hold ‘Em glory.

“I am so happy. This is my third time to play and I finally won,” Shinichi told the media after his triumphant finish.

It took him four hours and one minute and a final hand consisting of an ace of diamonds and a deuce of hearts to beat the nine other finalists and claim the championship.

Young, who declined to be interviewed, earned for himself a respectable $4,425, while the amiable Tagawa took home $3,540.

Besides the cash prizes, all three top players were also awarded glass trophies, as well as leis, courtesy of Leis on Arrival.

The other players who also made it to the top rankings were Gen Watanabe, who placed fourth, and Terry Fan, who rounded up the final five. Watanabe got $1,770 for his efforts, while Fan recouped and made a tidy profit on his $300 entrance fee (plus $50 commission) by taking home $885.

The defending champion in last September’s Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament, Toshinari Matshushita, managed to make it to the final 10 but was soon eliminated. He shrugged off his loss and watched the tournament wind up from the sidelines.

Interestingly, besides the main tournament itself, the casino also hosted a satellite event called the Bad Beat Tournament, which featured the first 10 players who were eliminated from the main game. The game was complimentary to the players, with a prize of $300 going to the winner. That eventually went to Jose Evangelista of Tinian.

Kiri Jackson, TDHC’s casino marketing and promotions assistant, said that, at 53 entrants, this was the biggest Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament they’ve hosted since they introduced the game in February 2005. She said it was Casino Pit Manager and Poker Tournament Director Tony Jackson who introduced the game at the Dynasty Casino.

“This was our first tournament in 2006 and we will be holding two more like it in the months to come,” she said.

The “Island Style” Poker Tournament had a prize pool of $17,700.

This edition of the poker tournament was sponsored by Miller Lite of Pacific Trading Co., PokerNews.com, Resocasi.com of Japan, and Leis on Arrival.