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Local player 'ecstatic' with WSOP showing [The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review](Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (PA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) July 15--Twenty-nine Western Pennsylvanians were among the 6,985 players entering the Main Event. Robert Preston of New Castle advanced to Day Four. The Main Event continues this weekend, with the final table to be set Tuesday. John Horvatich and Stan Geier finished their World Series of Poker appearances in Las Vegas at opposite ends of the spectrum. Geier, who won a Meadows tournament that awarded him $2,000 plus a spot in the $10,000-per-seat Main Event at the World Series, busted out on his first day. Horvatich, who went on his own, won $137,025 in an earlier WSOP tournament he almost didn't enter. Both had so much fun they're already planning to return next year. "The players are generally good," said Geier of Sewickley, a vice president of Lamar Advertising. "They're focused." Horvatich, of New Brighton, an accountant with Cottrall Arbutina in Beaver, said that in addition to his big score, he enjoyed the chance to see famed poker pros in person. He briefly sat at the same table as Gavin Smith, the 2006 World Poker Tour player of the year and holder of a World Series bracelet. "It's a little intimidating at first," he said. "You put them up on a pedestal, but they all seemed like regular guys who enjoy playing the game." Tracy Belcastro of Bridgeville, who also won a Main Event seat through a Meadows tournament, said he won three hands against actress and poker pro Jennifer Tilly, a bracelet winner who attracted ESPN cameras whenever she was in a pot. Belcastro said he won most of Tilly's chips before another player eliminated her. Horvatich, Geier and Belcastro were among more than 100 Western Pennsylvania players who participated in this year's World Series of Poker, which drew a record 75,672 entrants in 58 tournaments. Twenty-nine Western Pennsylvanians were among the 6,985 players entering the Main Event. Eight local players advanced to the third day. The Main Event continues this weekend, with the final table to be set Tuesday. Horvatich, who played one event in the 2010 World Series and two this year, easily has the largest prize so far among the local contingent. He finished sixth in Event 56, a $1,500 No Limit Hold 'Em tournament that lasted four days. He busted out on Day 1 of a $1,000 tournament and decided at the last minute to enter the $1,500 tournament. "The morning of (the tournament), I just decided that's what I came out here for, so I'm just going to buy in. And I did," he said. "I was surprised at how tight I played, how long I lasted," he said. "I thought at different times, even during the tournament, that I would have to change the way I played. But I never did. And now I don't think I ever will, because it seemed to work." While "young kids" bet aggressively and knocked each other out, Horvatich said, he played only premium starting hands -- except for one "stupid" move that almost bounced him from the tournament. With six players left and his chip stack dwindling, he was dealt Jack-2. Most players would fold that immediately, but Horvatich said he hadn't seen a face card in several hands. Hoping to take advantage of his history as a tight player, he boldly bet all $550,000 of his tournament chips. One player called with King-Queen. But Horvatich hit a 2 on the turn, and the tiny pair won the pot. On the flip side of being lucky, he lost everything while holding pocket Kings. Eventual champion Hasan Anter had pocket 8s and hit three-of-a-kind. Horvatich said that as he filed the paperwork for his payout, a casino worker expressed sympathy at his elimination. "I said, 'This is amazing. I'm so happy with this (showing) it's ridiculous,'" he recalled. "She's used to people being disappointed. I was ecstatic." Horvatich toyed with the idea of taking his payout in cash but opted for a check so he wouldn't have to carry all those bills around. "It is now in the bank," the accountant said. Belcastro said the Vegas trip wasn't relaxing for him. "This is probably one of hardest things I've ever done," he said. "You play 10 hours of poker a day. After my fourth two-hour session, I was like a zombie." Geier was eliminated from the Main Event with 40 minutes left in the final round of Day 1. He hit a straight on the flop but lost to his opponent's flush. Despite that, Geier said he made enough by playing cash games to bankroll a return trip in 2012. Horvatich doesn't have to worry about his poker fund for a while. "This (win) just blew it out of the water," he said. "Now I don't even have to think about it." Big Poker Weekend This month's Big Poker Weekend at The Meadows will be July 22-24, featuring six tournaments. The biggest is a two-day event starting at 1:30 p.m. July 23. The buy-in is $335 for $20,000 in tournament chips, plus $15 for a $5,000 add-on. Blinds change every 30 minutes. Money trail Slot players lost $49.6 million in Pennsylvania's 10 casinos during the week ended July 10, the Gaming Control Board reported. That's up from $48.6 million in gross slot revenue in the comparable week last year, when nine casinos were open. The state gets 55 percent of that in taxes. This was the first full week of the new fiscal year. Since July 1, the statewide slot payout rate is 90.1 percent; for every $100 bet, the machines return an average of $90.10. Payout rates and revenue numbers for Western Pennsylvania casinos: * 89.8 percent: Rivers; gross revenue for the week was $5.52 million, up from $5.27 million in 2010. * 89.94 percent: The Meadows, gross revenue was $5.61 million, up from $5.56 million in 2010. * 90.5 percent: Presque Isle in Erie; gross revenue was $3.73 million, down from $3.85 million in 2010. Question of the week How many people go to a casino? Nationwide in 2010, casinos had 68 million visitors, representing 31 percent of the population, according to the American Gaming Association. Of those, 54.8 million, or 25 percent of the population, gambled. In 2009, casinos had 61.7 million visitors, or 28 percent of the population, the association said. ___ To see more of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544) |