UB Poker pro Eric Baldwin wins NAPT Bounty Shootout

Despite being the 2009 Card Player Magazine Player of the Year and a sponsored UB Poker pro Eric “Basebaldy” Baldwin’s presence was widely being overlooked at the final table of the $5,000 PokerStars.net North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Bounty Shootout.

Joining Baldwin at the final table were some of the top poker players in the world -so it’s not unsurprising that the unassuming Baldwin was overlooked: Current Card Player Magazine POY points leader Tome “KingsofCards” Marchese; Mike “The Grinder” Mizrachi who finished 5^th in the 2010 WSOP Main Event and won the $50k Players Championship; 2004 WSOP Main Event runner-up and current WPT Champion David Williams; as well Poker Pros Moshin Charania, Clint Coffee, Justin Young, Pat Pezzin, and Kevin MacPhee.

In the Shootout format each player entered the final table with the same amount of chips, so the eliminations were fast and furious to begin the day. First out the door was Kevin MacPhee at the hands of Moshin Charania; MacPhee was followed to the rail by Mike Mizrachi, Pat Pezzin and Clint Coffee not long after. Marchese was the next bid the table farewell when he fell victim to David Williams flush on the turn; Williams then eliminated Charania when he flopped a set of Tens, leaving the table three-handed: Williams, Young, and Baldwin.

At this point the tournament that had been an all out sprint to the finish line turned into a marathon, with the three players passing chips around the table for four hours, before the next elimination! Finally Williams and Young butted heads, and when Williams AQ went unimproved against Young’s Pocket Ten’s Williams was eliminated in 3^rd place.

It was AQ that also did in Young, as the poker pro was likely jumping for joy when he looked down at AQ suited in heads-up play, only to run into the Pocket King’s of Eric Baldwin. The Kings held and Baldwin picked up the NAPT title.

For the win Baldwin received $134,800 in prize-money, plus an additional $20,000 for winning his first round table. Amazingly, Baldwin only collected three bounties throughout the tournament -$1,000 from each entrant’s buy-in went to a Bounty on their head-proving that it’s not how many people you eliminate that matters… If you eliminate the last player!

Here is a look at how the final table played out in the $5,000 Bounty Shootout including the bounties collected:

• 1. Eric Baldwin ($134,280 + $20,000 + $3,000 in bounties: Brown, Esfandiari, Young)
• 2. Justin Young ($20,000 + $6,000 in bounties: Stein, Clements, Montgomery, Mizrachi, Coffee, Williams)
• 3. David Williams ($20,000 + $4,000 in bounties: Affleck, Barbero, Marchese, Charania)
• 4. Mohsin Charania ($20,000 + $5,000 in bounties: Woodward, Ramdin, Habib, Pesek, Pezzin)
• 5. Tom Marchese ($20,000 + $4,000 in bounties: Obrestad, Robl, Shak, Bardah)
• 6. Clint Coffee ($20,000 + $3,000 in bounties: Jaka, Bonomo, MacPhee)
• 7. Pat Pezzin ($20,000 + $2,000 in bounties: Laak, Richey)
• 8. Michael Mizrachi,($20,000+ $4,000 in bounties: Shorr, Aguiar, Selbst, Kornuth)
• 9. Kevin MacPhee ($20,000 + $3,000 in bounties: Deeb, Binger, Lamb)

Results courtesy of PokerStarsblog.com