'Super
Lucky' Pot-Limit Omaha
Specialist Bob Walker Wins Event
The 10th event in the Grand Slam of
Poker, pot-limit Omaha, featured a showdown
between two specialists in that game,
Vegas pro Bob Walker, and the colorfully
named "Prince of Docness," even though
the Prince arrived at the final table
lowest in chips while Walker was third-lowest.
Calling himself "super-lucky" for his
string of draw-outs, Walker was the eventual
winner. The Prince was a slight favorite
in the final hand when he flopped two
pair, but then Walker turned a straight
and rivered a flush.
Both players have had a batch of final
tables in PLO, and Walker has a win at
the Reno Hilton. However, his biggest
payout came when he finished fifth in
the World Series championship six years
ago and collected $161,000.
The final table started with blinds of
$200-$400, which meant that the first
caller could bring it in anywhere from
$800 to $1,400. The table got underway
very early, around 11:15, but took nearly
four hours to complete, largely because
of the small starting blinds.
As the finalists sat down, Robert Turner
noted that he and Barry Greenstein had
something in common. "He gives all his
tournament winnings to charity, and so
do I," he said (referring to his wife,
Charity). Turner later said that he and
his rather younger wife went to the movies.
"I got a senior discount and she got a
student discount."
Officially, Turner finished out of the
money, finishing sixth, but the players
voted to pay $500 for that spot. The Chip-Burner
also picked up enough points to take the
lead in the best all-around race.
On hand 13 Greenstein opened for $1,200
with 8-7-6-5 and Charles (Scotty Warbucks)
Shoten made it $4,200 to go with A-A-9-7.
Shoten then put Greenstein in for about
7k on a flop of 10-6-2 and knocked him
out in 10th place when Barry couldn't
improve his paired six or make a straight.
Thor Hansen later was left with only $1,900
when he tried a bluff bet into a board
of 8-7-6-5-4 with just a paired four.
Sunny (Sunnyboy) Luu picked him off with
a six-high straight. A few hands later
Thor had pocket queens and then picked
up a flush draw on the turn. He missed,
and Turner eliminated him with a flopped
set of eights.
Some 30 hands had gone by without Walker
losing a hand. "I think you're batting
1.000 at the final table," the Prince
of Docness observed.
By the time the blinds moved up to $400-$800,
he and Shoten were in a near-tie for the
lead, each with about 25k. On the next
hand, though, Walker moved in front. There
were six limpers and he raked in the pot
when he bet a flop of J-8-3 and nobody
called.
Also at the table was the player known
as "Mickey Mouse," who was making his
ninth final table so far this year. He
was so busy reading the Omaha book written
by Tom McEvoy and T.J. Cloutier that he
had hardly played a hand. Finally, when
Walker opened for $2,300 with A-7-6-4,
Mickey looked at A-Q-J-9 and called. Mickey
then bet all in for $900 when a 10-10-4
flopped. He couldn't hit any of his cards,
and Walker exterminated the mouse with
a paired six on the river. Walker, sailing
along, finally lost his first pot on hand
60 when college professor Don Nyberg's
pocket aces held up.
Going to the next level, with blinds of
$600-$1,200, Walker still led with about
25k, followed closely by Shoten with about
20k. Then Shoten took over. In three-way
action, with Luu all in, he check-raised
Walker with a paired king, won with two
pair and now had about 35k.
On hand 60, Turner was in the big blind
and raised all in with K-J-9-7. Walker,
calling with A-10-Q-9, made queens full
and five were left.
Then, on hand 67, Walker disposed of Jim
Miller, who was taking a break from his
tournament director duties. They both
had pocket kings, but Walker won by pairing
his queen and his seven as he regained
the lead. Some 20 hands later, with blinds
now at 1-2k, Walker raised to 7k with
J-9-8-7 and suited hearts, and Nyberg
moved in for $8,400 more with A-A-Q-Q.
Once again Walker's luck kicked in when
a third heart came on the river. The rough
count now was: Walker, 54k; Shoten, 36;
and Prince, 21k.
A few hands later, Walker had the same
hand that Greenstein lost with: 8-7-6-5.
He called from the small blind when Shoten,
with J-J-A-10 bet 16k on a flop of 10-5-3.
Walker then put Shoten all in and broke
him when a turn-card seven gave him two
pair.
Walker
now had a 4-1 lead over the Prince, who
then cut it to 2-1 by making a straight.
But seven deals later, on hand 99, it
ended. Walker had A-A-J-6 with diamonds
to Prince's J-Q-J-2 with spades. A flop
of Kd-Qc-2d made the Prince, with two
pair, about a 52.5 percent favorite. Then
a 10 on fourth street gave Walker a straight,
and a river diamond gave him a flush and
his final winning draw-out
Max Shapiro
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