Tom
Roach has Rapid Win!
The fourth event of Big Poker Oktober
2002, $100 Omaha hi-lo, was a slam-bang
quickie. Four players were knocked out
in 12 hands and it that was it. The five
finalists agreed to a deal and Tommy Roach,
who had the most chips, was declared the
winner. Roach is a former Bicycle Casino
poker dealer and current business student
with prior wins and a points championship
at the Bike. He came to the final table
as second chip leader, scooped the first
pot when he flopped nut-nut and was never
headed after that.
The "unofficial" final table of ten gathered
when a player identified only as "Captain"
paired an ace to exterminate a player
called "Mickey Mouse" and also leave Tournament
of Champions impresario Chuck Humphrey
with one chip. Humphrey, with 2-3-4-J,
had a great low draw when an A-8-K flopped,
but a K-9 let him down.
CHIP
POSITION FINAL TABLE
JIM
MANN $8,500
ULISES MOLINA $19,500
"CAPTAIN" $20,000
MIKE LONGO $1,500
DUANE REED $5,000
BILL GRAHAM $6,500
ANTHONY LEE $47,000
TOM ROACH $32,000
BRENDAN HICKEY $15,000
On the first 10-handed deal, with $2,000-$4,000
limits, Roach held A-2 of spades and had
a dream flop of 3-4-6 of spades. He waited
until the turn to raise when Mike Longo,
with Q-10 of spades, bet. Tom then bet
and was called on the river and hauled
in a sizeable pot. On the second hand,
Duane Reed, with A-2 of diamonds, also
made nut-nut, but settled for three-quarters
of the pot.
On
the next hand, Humphrey committed his
last chip with a suited A-5-6-8. He got
no help when the board came K-Q-9-K-4,
and Bill Graham, a retiree living in Sun
City, took the pot with a paired queen.
There was 15 minutes left on the clock
when the "official" final table got underway.
Anthony Lee held the chip lead with $47,000
and Roach was second with $32,000.
On
the first hand, Mike Longo, a familiar
face at the Bike, put his $1,500 in with
A-3-K-Q. Brendan Hickey, an actor, then
raised with A-2-2-7 and they were heads-up.
Longo had the lead on a board of 10-9-7-Q
until a river deuce gave Hickey a set
to immediately cut the field to eight.
One hand later it was seven. Ulises Molina
and Jim Mann had pretty close hands: A-2-4-10
for Molina, A-2-6-7 for Mann. The flop
was A-3-K. Mann bet and Molina raised
to put him in. When an 8 and 9 came, Molina
scooped with the nut low and aces with
a 10 kicker to Mann's aces with a 7.
On hand eight, Hickey relieved Lee of
a lot of his chips in a pot that was three-bet
before the flop. Lee started with a low
hand of 2-3-5-J and ended up making a
surprise full house when the board came
9-6-5-J-5. Lee, in all likelihood chasing
a low, did not show his hand. On the next
hand, there was another close match-up.
Molina, with A-3-10-10, was a miniscule
favorite over Reed, who had A-3-6-J. They
both had nut low draws on a flop of 8-2-2,
but then a 9-Q was dealt, and Molina's
pocket 10s were all he needed to leave
Reed in seventh place.
On
hand 11, the limits went to $3,000-$6,000,
and on hand 12 it was all over. Graham,
with $3,500 left, raised all in with Q-Q-9-5.
He was called by Molina, who was in the
small blind with 2-5-8-K, and by the Captain,
in the big blind with A-2-7-10. The two
callers checked the hand down as the board
came K-10-4-A-2. That gave the Captain
the high end with aces and 10s, Molina
the low end with an 8-5, and for Graham,
it was simply the end.
An
approximate chip count now showed Roach
with about $41,000, Molina with $35,000,
Hickey with $32,000, Lee, about $25,000
and the Captain, $22,000. After some give-and-take
negotiations they struck a deal, largely
by chip count, and this Omaha hi-lo event
came to an abrupt end.
BIOGRAPHY
Tom Roach, 31, comes from a poker family.
His late father had been poker manager
at Crystal Park, the same casino where
his mother had been a floorperson. His
own background includes dealing stints
at the Bike and before that in San Diego.
His biggest cash-out came when he beat
a field of 522 entrants at the limit hold'em
opening event of Legends of Poker last
year. The victory was worth $19,575. He
also was the all-around points leader
at last year's Big Poker Oktober.
Tom, who specializes in tournaments, has
been playing poker seriously for 10 years
and describes himself as an "aggressively
loose" player. Hold'em is his preferred
game. Tonight, he said, he held good cards
and was in good shape all through the
tournament. Flopping a nut-nut hand and
raking in a good pot on the first hand
at the final table, he added, gave him
the momentum he needed to go all the way.
ALL-AROUND
PAYOFF POINTS
Name
Total
1.
Justin Westmoreland 95
2. Tony Abesamis 75
3. Ulises Molina 75
4. Jollibert David 73
5. Clinton Moore 60
6. Men Nguyen 57
7. Anthony Tran 57
8. Tom Roach 57
9. Richard Dagres 53
10. Andom Ghebre 49
11. Peter Wu 49
12. Hai Tran 49
13. Edward Moncada 47
14. Rocky Enciso 44
15. Van Zakarian 43
16. Rich Nguyen 43
17. Brendan Hickey 43
Max Shapiro
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