To the poker community, Dennis Phillips is best known for his horn-blowing rail and third-place finish in the 2008 Main Event. For that win, Phillips earned just over $4.5 million and since then he has earned an additional $1 million in live tournament winnings mostly from small to medium buy-in tournaments.
While we were waiting to speak with Phillips, we overheard a few people talking about him. They didn’t recognize him from his Main Event run, but rather from his runner-up finish to Allyn Jaffrey Shulman in the 2012 Seniors Championship. We spent of few minutes catching up with Phillips to find out what is he’s up to and what’s so special about the Seniors Championship.
PokerNews: You have always said how much you love play the Seniors Event. What about it makes it one of your favorite tournaments?
Dennis Phillips: It is such an enjoyable thing. I love playing in this event. These are the guys I grew up playing with. I have been playing poker for 40 years so we kind of know how to play. And it’s a heck of a lot of fun and when you are relaxed, you sometimes do better.
You have registered some consistent circuit event finishes during the first part of the year. What is it about the circuit events that you like playing?
I just started playing them. I missed the first 16 of them and then I final tabled a couple and thought I might as well try to make a run for the National Championship. Unfortunately, I didn’t make the top 50, I came in 62nd. But heck I only played the last five, so that isn’t too bad.
Will you keep them on your schedule?
I don’t know. I have a lot of things going on. I enjoy playing them but we’ll see.
How much poker are you playing now?
Actually, not nearly as much as I used to. I own a number of companies now and I am doing consulting work for a couple of companies. I play less now than I used to. I’ll only be playing six or eight events this summer. That’s about it. But this event is one I look forward to each summer.
Hand #11: Jim Custer raised to 150,000 and Smith three-bet to 400,000 out of the small blind. The big blind folded but Custer moved all in for what looked like 800,000. Smith called within a matter of moments and both turned over their cards.
Smith:
Custer:
Both players with suited aces and Custer had some more outs after the flop and the turn. However, the was a brick and he has been eliminated in ninth place for a payday of $51,573.
Hand #6: Dan Heimiller raised to 160,000 from early position and Donald Maas three-bet, Heimiller moved all in and Maas called quickly all in for his last 1,420,000.
Heimiller:
Maas:
The board delivered no hit for the chip leader and Maas is now a solid second in chips.
After building up a big chip lead heading into the unofficial ten-handed final table, World Series of Poker bracelet winner Dan Heimiller took a few minutes to chat with PokerNews about his second deep run in the Seniors Championship.
PokerNews: Dan, you've been playing the game for more than two decades, competing against the toughest players on the circuit in open events all around the world. Describe the difference between the play you encounter in those tournaments and the game being played by your fellow seniors.
Dan Heimiller: They're standing right there, I don't want them to hear it...don't tell anybody. OK, they play their hands straightforward more often, and they tend to call, some players tend to call weak. So there's about two or three players out of every ten that they call a little weak, so you have to careful too because you can't bluff them so often as in other tournaments.
PokerNews: They don't necessarily know how to figure out what you're trying to represent?
They are more liable to believe that you're stealing, they're a little bit more paranoid than other players are. So you've got to be careful of that, and then they play their hands straightforward. Which means, if they have something they bet it, they tend not to check-raise as often.
PokerNews: As a member of poker's old school, would winning the Seniors Championship mean anything special to you, or is this just another stop along the circuit you've been travelling for nearly half your life?
Oh that would be huge, because if I hit this one that would be the most money I've ever won in any tournament. And also, it's very difficult to get through 4,400 players, and although 20 percent or 30 percent are a little weak, there's at least 50 percent of the field that are really sharp. They've been playing a long time.
Dan Heimiller opened for 150,000 on the button. Wise folded the small blind and, after a moment spent contemplating, Michael Frederick moved all in from the big blind.
Heimiller had everyone covered at the table and quickly made the call.
Frederick
Heimiller
Off to the races.
The dealer put out . Frederick was left looking for one of the last two remaining threes in the deck but they stayed put and he was out after a great run.
The official final table of nine was set to go.
. Heimiller checked and Phillips bet 230,000. Heimiller raised to 350,000 and Phillips moved all in.
and Heimiller showed 
. The turn 
and river 
saw a big pot shipped to Philips.
flop and the 
turn. However, the 
board delivered no hit for the chip leader and Maas is now a solid second in chips.
. Frederick was left looking for one of the last two remaining threes in the deck but they stayed put and he was out after a great run.
