ROAD
BUILDER TERRY MYERS
HAS FIRST EVENT WIN: H.O.E.
Halfway
through H.O.E., Terry Myers was so chip-depleted
that he asked a tournament staffer to
sign him up for a satellite. But he staged
a recovery, made the final table with
an average number of chips and then went
on a streak in the latter stages to run
off with the 14th event of 2003 Four Queens
Poker Classic. Myers, who owns a road-building
business, never played a tournament until
this year. He had only played side games,
generally $50-$100 hold'em. His win makes
up for the 12k or so he dropped when he
took a stab at World Series events a few
months ago.
His
final table opponents included a slew
of pros, notably the Iranian-born Amir
Vahedi, who made three final tables at
the WSOP this year, including a win in
$1,500 no-limit and a sixth in the championship
event, along with numerous other wins
and a best all-around at Foxwoods. Also
on hand was Stan Schrier, a car dealer
with a WSOP championship third-place finish.
This
H.O.E. event consisted of 20-minute rounds
each of hold'em, Omaha hi-lo and 7-card
stud eight or better, with limits changing
each hour. The final table commenced with
stud, 8:17 left. Israeli native Asher
Derei, shortest-chipped to begin with,
immediately got near the cloth when he
missed his low straight draw. Playing
hold'em, $600-$1,200 limits, Vahedi bet
but Derei folded his big blind, telling
Amir, "I won't give you the pleasure
of knocking me out." That pleasure
went to Italy's Max Pescatore on the next
hand. Pescatore, making his second consecutive
final table, had 6-4 in the big blind
and caught a six while Derei went nowhere
with 10-3, ending on the bubble.
Attorney
Frank Nerat went out when Omaha came in.
He threw in his last $500 with 2-4-5-9.
His three opponents checked down the J-8-2-8-K
board, and Schrier took the pot with A-K-10-7.
Vahedi
had been building his chip lead with frequent
raises, but then took a big hit when he
flopped draws to a nut flush and number
two low, losing to John Esposito's flopped
set of kings. "M.N." went out
on the next hand. The board showed Ad-Qh-4h.
Schrier, with A-2-K-3, had draws to a
nut low and back door diamond flush. He
bet and M.N., holding 2-4-5-K, went all
in with a wheel draw. Schrier proceeded
to make nut-nut, and now six were left.
The
table lost another player in a hold'em
round. John Esposito committed all his
chips in a re-raised pot with K-Q to Terry
Myers' A-9. "Good luck, everybody,"
he said when the flop came A-7-2. "Ooh,"
he said, when a king turned to give him
a glimmer of hope. A river jack ended
his hopes.
Playing
stud, with $200 antes and a $400 bring-in,
young poker player Scott Fischman went
all in three times, getting half the pot
once with an eight-low, twice with two
pair. The fourth time he started and ended
with split aces, while Vahedi made 10s-up
to cut the field to four.
With
the end of the round, Vahedi and Pescatore
were in a near dead-tie for the lead with
a bit over 20k each. Schrier was next
with $15,700 while Myers trailed with
$12,300. The final four agreed to a deal:
$5,500 apiece to the two chip leaders,
$4,500 to Schrier, $4,000 to Myers and
play for the rest.
The
game was now hold'em, and the limits were
$1,500-$3,000. Vahedi was soon grateful
for the deal because two big hits left
him in big trouble. With a board of J-10-2-K,
Vahedi bet out. "Unbelievable,"
he said when a queen came on the river.
Myers bet and Vahedi folded, correctly
giving Schrier credit for a straight.
Just a couple of hands after that he lost
another pot to Schrier.
Now
Myers started his streak. In four-way
action, he held As-4s, then made a wheel
on the turn and a flush on the river.
Right after Omaha kicked in, the key pot
was dealt. Down to $1,100, Vahedi was
all in with Qd-Jd-8-2. A flop of 10d-4d-3c
gave him a flush draw. When a Kc turned,
Schrier bet with A-A-7-5 and Myers, who
had made kings and 10s, raised to put
him all in. A river king gave Myers a
full house and left Vahedi in fourth place
and Schrier in third.
Heads-up,
Myers had a 2-1chip lead, and pretty much
his own way after that. Playing stud,
with $200 antes and a $500 bring-in, Myers'
domination continued. Then, showing 3-K-7-8,
he turned up 7-7-3 for a full house, leaving
Pescatori with about 4k. The final hand
soon came. An all-in Pescatore ended up
with 10s and 3s, Myers had aces-up and
locked up his first-ever tournament win.
Max Shapiro
|
