HENDON
MOB'S RAM VASWANI
RAMS WAY TO VICTORY IN PLO
Ram
Vaswani, who at age 33 is considered by
many to be Europe's top tournament player,
scored a convincing victory in the 12th
event of the 2003 Four Queens Poker Classic,
$500 pot-limit Omaha. He came to the final
table with a substantial chip lead and
was never much off the pace after that.
When he got heads-up with Vegas pro Bob
Walker, Vaswani had a lead of about 54-38k.
They fought for 38 hands and Walker briefly
took the lead when he made quads. After
that, Vaswani had a run of cards and coasted
to victory.
Vaswani
won the European championship in 2000,
was runner-up in 2001, won the Masters
Classic, the biggest in Europe, in 1999
and had a 2nd and 3rd in last year's World
Series. It was another big day for "The
Hendon Mob" as fellow mobsters Barney
Boatman and Joe Beevers also made the
final table. Showing no favoritism, Vaswani
knocked both of them out. All of them,
along with Barney's brother Ross, run
their own website and are sponsored by
Prima Poker.
The
final table started with blinds of $200-$400,
allowing an opener to raise anywhere from
$800-$1,400. There were nine players at
the final table, but only five places
were paid.
First
out was Cleve Haley, the San Antonio car
dealer who won an earlier $200 no-limit
hold'em event. He had pocket kings to
Bob Walker's pocket aces, though neither
pocket pair played. Instead, a board of
Q-6-5-7-9 gave Haley queens and sevens
while Walker, holding A-A-5-5, made a
set of fives.
Next
out was Paul Dahl, a poker host at Casino
Arizona with a WSOP third-place finish
in Omaha hi-lo to his credit. Starting
lowest-chipped with only $2,700, he was
all in with A-Q-8-4. Vaswani had Q-J-3-3
and made a full house.
Just
two hands later, World Poker Tour commentator
Mike Sexton had A-J-9-7 and bet 2k when
a flop of J-7-4 gave him two pair. Walker,
holding K-Jc-10c-6c with a draw to a club
flush, raised to put Sexton all in, and
then hit his flush.
There
was just one more player to go before
everyone was in the money. That player
was Paul Sherr, a host at Casino Arizona
with several tournament wins and a third
in Omaha/8 at the World Series. Vaswani
had A-K-10-6 to his A-Q-4-6 and nailed
him when a king flopped.
At
this point Walker led with $33,600 in
chips, followed by Vaswani, $25,700; Scotty
Nguyen, $15,600; Boatman, $10,300; and
Beevers, $7,100. Right after blinds went
to $300-$600, Boatman took a hit when
Nguyen turned a nut diamond flush. On
the next hand, Boatman raised with A-K-J-7
and Vaswani put him in with A-K-Q-9, then
put him away when a queen flopped. "He
knocks me out more times," Boatman
said.
A
few hands later, Beevers raised all in
with A-K-Q-J. The flop contained two diamonds
and a spade. Vaswani, with Q-J-10-2, had
both suits, and runner-runner spades gave
him a flush.
Nguyen,
who normally laughs and talks nonstop
at the table, was uncharacteristically
as quiet and somber as a judge. "Just
tired," he explained. He lasted until
hand 60. After Walker tried a button-raise
steal with 10-8-6-4, Nguyen moved in for
$2,900 more with K-J-10-9. The board came
Q-7-6-2-A, and a lowly pair of sixes left
the '98 world champ in third place.
Vaswani
now led Walker by about 54-38k. Dinner
break came, but they decided to keep playing.
With blinds now at $500-$1,000, the count
was roughly the same. Two hands later
Walker took a small lead when he flopped
quad eights and got his 11k river bet
paid off. But four hands later Vaswani
took it back when he made a set of jacks
on the turn, pulled further ahead when
he flopped a set of jacks and then, on
hand 96, left Walker with about 24k when
he made a full house. On the final hand,
Walker raised 3k pre-flop and Vadwani
raised 5k more. The flop was 9s-4h-2h.
Vaswani, with Ah-Ac-6h-6c, bet 16.5k and
Walker moved in with two pair. The flush
didn't come, but another four gave Vawani
aces-up and the win.
Max Shapiro
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