Battery
Exec On Full Charge
Owen
Frances, a sales executive of a hearing
aid battery company, had a high-voltage
night in the 7-card stud hi-lo event.
He came to the final table with a big
chip lead, twice as much as anyone else,
was never headed and coasted to an easy
victory. At the end, he had $94,000 to
William Phoa’s $52,500, and they
made a deal that ended the 12th and final
regular event of Big Poker Oktober 2003.
Tomorrow
is the best all-around points playoff
for the Pinzgauer “mystery car,”
an Austrian-made 4x4 cross-country vehicle
used by the Swiss and other armies. If
the winner cannot pronounce “Pinzgauer,”
he or she can elect to take $18,000 cash
(along with the first-place prize pool
payout). Van Mahesh ended up as points
leader. He gets $1,000 plus a buy-in to
the invitational play-off. Players must
have at least 10 points to participate.
Each receives $300 in tournament chips
plus 10 times their points total in additional
chips. The game will be H.O.E., with no-limit
hold’em at the final table.
Only
seven players made it at tonight’s
final table when two were knocked out
on the same hand-for-hand deal. At one
table, Brian Goddard finished ninth and
collected $275 when his pair of nines
were beaten by Nordai Khodadian’s
jacks and deuces. At the other table,
George Antablian had queens and lost to
Scott McCaulley’s kings. Eighth place
paid $365. At the last table, play commenced
with $300 antes, a $500 low card and $2,000-$4,000
limits. Dean Bennett started with only
$2,900, went all in on the second hand,
and scooped the main pot with an overkill
hand of three aces, two queens and two
jacks. Limits now went to $3,000-$6,000,
with $500 antes and a $1,000 bring-in.
On hand seven, both Phoa and Khodadian
were left short-chipped when the folded
on the river against Frances’ board
of 4-10-10-5. Khodadian had 5k and Phoa
8k.
Bennett,
however, was first out. On the next hand
he went all in with (2-2)3 and ended up
with just the lowly pair of deuces while
Phoa, starting with split eights, made
two pair. Seventh place paid $545. Pro
player Larry Eubanks was next to face
disaster when he was left with $2,500
after he made trip sevens on fifth street
and lost to Phoa’s full house.
Three
players went all in on hand number nine,
and they all pulled out. Khodadian immediately
put in his last $2,500. McCaulley re-raised
all in for a total of $15,500 on fifth
street showing 7-2-A, and Phoa on the
same street went all in for $10,500 showing
4-6-3. At the end, Khodadian took the
high end of the main pot with trip nines
while Scott took the much-larger high
end of the side pot with aces-up and Phoa
took the main pot low with a six. Frances
showed the only loss with 10s-up.
Eubanks
put in his last $2,000 on the next hand.
In three-way action, Gerald Mayewaki scooped
with trip fours against Phoa’s queens,
while Eubanks mucked without showing all
his cards. He had a $725 payday for sixth
place. With $500 antes, $1,500 low card
and $4,000-$8,000 limits, Khodadian finished
fifth and earned $915. He made an eight-low
and a spade flush, but it wasn’t
good against Frances’ fours full
and McCaulley’s seven.
On
hand 16, McCaulley, a special effects
manager, went broke. He bet all in on
sixth street with 10s and 3s, lost to
Phoa’s aces-up and got $1,100 for
fourth. Two hands later it was all over.
Mayewaki was all in with a draw to 4-5-6-7
and missed. Frances also missed his draw
to 9s-10s-Js-Qs, but he settled for jacks-up.
Mayewaki got $1,830 for third place, while
Frances and Phoa made their deal for the
remaining $10,980.
BIOGRAPHY
Owen Frances is the executive VP and co-founder
of Resonate Industries, which manufactures
and distributes rechargeable hearing aid
batteries. He’s played poker for
55 years, and tournament for three. He’s
made six final tables, but this is his
first win. His favorite games are stud/8
and Omaha hi-lo, and in side action he
plays $6-$12 Omaha and $20-$40 stud.
He
described the tournament as a “miracle
night” for him. He had been losing
until 15 minutes before the break, when
he suddenly began catching hand after
hand and went on a rush that wouldn’t
stop. He had a couple of big hands when
he had the high end locked up, then caught
a low on the river. He had to play exceptionally
“smart” tonight, he said, because
looking and on evaluating his play was
Paul Grossman, a friend with whom he travels
to play poker in Vegas.
Max Shapiro
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