SENIOR
WINNER DONALDSON
ADDS 7-STUD TO HIS RESUME
Johnny
Donaldson, winner of the evening Seniors
charity event, went on a late rush and
coasted to another victory in event nine
of the 2003 Four Queens Poker Classic,
$300 7-card stud. Two hidden flushes were
key hands for him. When he got heads up
with realtor Anthony Markese, he had a
2-1 chip lead and they made a tournament-ending
deal.
Donaldson
is an Arkansas building contractor who
had given up playing tournaments for 30
years. Returning to action last November,
he won the first small event he entered,
and this past January came in third in
the Jack Binion World Poker Open main
event. No-limit hold'em is his game of
choice and he describes his playing style
as "selectively aggressive."
There
was a lot of similarity in this tournament
to the first event where Gus Weiss, an
81-year-old retired accountant, started
with a huge chip lead and looked like
a sure winner until he blew off a lot
of chips with overly loose play and finished
third. Here again, Weiss started with
a tremendous lead of $32,100, three times
his nearest competitor, wouldn't slow
down and again finished third.
The
final table assembled after the bubble
boy, who left without leaving his name,
had two kings outrun by two pair. There
were 42 minutes left, with $100 antes,
a $200 low-card bring-in and $600-$1,200
limits. Poorest in chips was Walt Baronick
of Phoenix. He sat down with just $2,000,
and it was gone in one hand. He looked
at (Qc-8c)5c, raised, got re-raised by
Weiss with pocket jacks, and went all
in. Baronick's clubs never came, and the
best he could do was pair his eight.
Veteran
player Artie Cobb, for all his poker accomplishments,
is perhaps best known for the outlandish
headgear that once was his trademark.
The funny hats are long gone, and the
best he could accomplish in this event
was seventh place. On the 12th hand he
bet all in on sixth street with pocket
10s. Donaldson showed A-5-6-K and had
a king and six in the hole. Cobb didn't
get his two-outer 10 and left.
The
next level went to $200 antes, $300 low
card and $800-$1,600 limits. Octogenarian
Weiss was still chip leader, even though
he had been playing (and losing) more
than his share of pots and was down to
about 21k. He had a chance to pick up
a lot more chips, in four-way action,
when he caught a seven to his pocket sevens
on fourth street, but everyone folded
when he bet. "You guys read me like
a book," he complained.
With
limits now at $1,000-$2,000, with $200
antes and a $400 low card, the approximate
count was: Weiss, $22,400; Donaldson,
$11,500; Pat Nixon, $16,700; Anthony Markese,
$12,400; Mike Rabinowitz, $10,100; and
Bob Gammon, $3,900. Soon after these limits
kicked in, Weiss became involved in a
big pot with Nixon, made a king-high straight
and climbed back to 35k.
After
Rabinowitz beat him with a flush, Bob
Gammon, an optometrist, was down to a
small handful of chips. Twice Weiss took
him on but couldn’t put him away.
Instead, it was Nixon, a Las Vegas builder,
who had been going steadily downhill,
who was next out. He threw in his last
chips with just (A-8)3-5 halfway through
the level.. He ended up with just ace-high
and Weiss eliminated him by pairing a
five on the river. Finally, with new limits
approaching, Gammon went in for the last
time. With only two deuces, he lost to
Donaldson's sevens-up.
Immediately
after that, Rabinowitz went all in with
split aces. Markese, a realtor, had split
nines and caught a third nine to leave
Rabinowitz in fourth place. A turning
point came after limits moved up to $1,500-$3,000,
with $200 antes and $500 low card. On
the river, Donaldson bet holding 10s and
nines. Showing Q-J-7-K, Weiss had a completely
busted hand, and the only way he could
win was with a bluff, so he raised. Donaldson
picked him off, and suddenly he had about
38k while Weiss had plummeted to around
17k.
Ten
hands later, Weiss made queens and 10s,
only to have Donaldson turn up three spades
for a flush. The one-time chip leader
was now down to only 7k. Three hands later,
Donaldson polished him off. Once again
Weiss made two pair and once again Donaldson
made a flush, with two hearts in the hole.
Donaldson
now led with about 51k to 27k. He and
Markese played a few hands, then agreed
to a deal and this event was in the books.
Max Shapiro
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