Free-Play Blackjack
Free-Play Table Games
Free-Play Slots
Free-Play Poker
Free-Play Video Poker
500 Nations Casino

Table Games

Player Wins $146,870 during Commerce Casino Tournament

#1 Casino Choice of U.S. Players
Blackjack • Slots • Table Games • Live Dealer • Video Poker
0 $3,000 Casino Welcome Bonus!
0 $3,750 Crypto Welcome Bonus!  BOVADA CASINO

PRESS RELEASE

June 30, 2011

Aaron Motoyama couldn't pass up a guaranteed win so it was easy for the 35-year-old poker professional from Alhambra to say yes to the biggest winning hand of his career.

Motoyama walked away from last week's Million Dollar Tournament at Commerce Casino with a cool $146,870 when the participants of the Final Table agreed to a 9-way deal. Motoyama was the chip leader with $2.3 million of the total $11.2 in play, or about one-sixth of all the chips, and won the biggest share.

For the $335 buy-in, those reaching the Final Table made what in some cases was a life-changing investment when they took the deal and eliminated the risk factor.

"It made a lot of sense, especially 9-handed," Motoyama said. "I just decided it was a good deal."

Nghia Tran of Riverside won the second biggest share of the purse with $106,255, followed by Mike Dollins of Long Beach ($85,825), Laura Cantero of Madrid, Spain ($84,660) and Johnny Ngo of Orange County ($70,105).

Motoyama is a daily player at Commerce Casino who plays regularly in cash games. He committed to play on the final day of the Million Dollar Tournament and it proved to be a decision that helped him snap out of his personal slump.

Motoyama, a tournament veteran, said the key to his victory was to stay patient.

"I picked my spots when I needed to," he said. "I chipped up, then started playing with my stack. It was easy for me to navigate through when I had chips."

Motoyama went from sitting on the money bubble, with three or four big blinds, to ending his first day with $355,000.

"I didn't have any big hands, won a lot of hands with no showdown," Motoyama said. "I really cannot remember any showdown hands. Basically I just kept picking up blinds and antes, started playing big stack poker and picked up a lot of chips that way.

"I ran really well, won all my races. I never got it in bad, always a race situation."

One of the few pivotal hands occurred when Motoyama had pocket 4s. He had a "relatively hard call" for about 35 percent of his stack and called against an A-7. The pocket 4s held up.

"That was a pretty crucial pot for me," he said. "I knocked out about five, six players within a 2- or 3-orbit span. I was getting it in good. There was no big hand where I needed a huge double-up. I just needed to maintain my stack."

Return to California Casinos.

Disclaimer: All images are copyright to their respective owners and are used by 500 Nations for informational purposes only.

500 Nations is an independent directory and information service free of any gaming operator's control and not affiliated with any casino.
Warning: You must ensure you meet all age and other regulatory requirements before entering a casino or placing a wager. There are hundreds of jurisdictions in the world with Internet access and hundreds of different games and gambling opportunities available on the Internet. Do not assume that Internet gaming sites are in compliance with the rules and regulations of every jurisdiction from which they accept players. YOU are responsible for determining if it is legal for YOU to play any particular game or place any particular wager under the laws of the jurisdiction where you are located.