Final Canadian poker player Radu Butan eliminated from World Series tourney

Final Canadian poker player Radu Butan eliminated from World Series tourney By Canadian Press The last remaining Canadian has been eliminated from the World Series of Poker, but not before raking in more than $260,000 US in winnings from a glitzy gambling spectacle that dismissed some of the world's best in the early rounds. Radu Butan's lucky streak had him closing in on a $7.5-million jackpot, but his fortune ended on his 28th birthday Wednesday when he failed to get the spade he needed for a flush. Butan, a resident doctor from London, Ont., fell from play in the fifth round after joining a Texas Hold 'em table that included defending champ Greg (Fossilman) Raymer. The seasoned pro drew the diamond card he needed for a flush and Butan left the table with $274,090. After the $10,000 buy-in cost plus some required expenses, Butan claimed a jackpot of more than $260,000 and 30th place out of 5,619 competitors. Not a bad showing for an amateur. "He's been to Vegas before, but the best he's ever done was making the money in a $500 Bellagio tournament," Butan's girlfriend Sinead told pokerstars.com as she watched him from behind the rails. Originally from Romania, Butan came to Canada as a 12-year-old and graduated with a medical degree from the University of Western Ontario in 2003. He now works as a resident doctor specialising in internal medicine. Butan refused media interviews, but an Internet search revealed the card expert excelled in science as a youngster and was a Canadian chess champion while attending a Toronto high school in the early 1990s. Butan was one of more than 225 Canadians who signed up in advance for the event, which began July 7 at the Harrah's hotel and casino with more than twice the number of participants in 2004 and almost seven times the number of players who entered in 2003. Sean Daulat of Winnipeg, Marcello Del Grosso of Toronto, Carmen Menechella of Niagara Falls, Ont., and Toronto pro Daniel Negreanu were among the record number of card enthusiasts who laid bets. Luck plays the biggest role in whittling down the world-class rounders, said Negreanu, who was eliminated in the first round. "Basically it's a tournament full of amateurs," said Negreanu, a seasoned player who earned about $4.5 million in tournament play last year. "They call it the world championship of poker, but it's kind of a laughable connotation because the winner is not necessarily the best player - it's just the guy who got luckiest. The idea is to try to manipulate luck the best you can." For this year's champ, Negreanu is putting his money on the unreadable Phil Ivey, one of the best players in the world. But with just roughly 200 of the 5,600 competitors considered pros, he said odds are good that a novice could make it all the way to the final table of nine on Friday, when the first one out gets a $1-million consolation prize. "It's inevitable that with 5,400 amateurs, some of them are going to make it because a lot of the amateurs, they never even face a pro." Within three days of the tournament, 11 former winners had already succumbed to lacklustre cards, including Chris Moneymaker, Robert Varkonyi (2002), Bobby Baldwin (1978) and Dan Harrington (1995). Television and the Internet have broadened the game's appeal, with celebrity players including Ben Affleck, Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Tilly helping to cement the game's growing popularity. In turn, the increased attention has lead to skyrocketing jackpots for pros like Negreanu and opportunities to earn residual income away from the table - through things like online gambling sites or video games. "The prize pools we play for now are always over $1 million," Negreanu said. "Before this happened, they were maybe $60,000." In no-limit Texas Hold 'em, two cards are dealt face down to each player, followed by a round of bets. Then the flop of three community cards is dealt face up with more bets, checks or raises. Next, the fourth street, or the turn card, is dealt up, followed by betting before the final community card - the fifth street, or the river card - is turned up. The best five cards out of the seven take the pot.