The
Armenian Express Speeds On
With Second Grand Slam Victory
Chris "The Armenian Express" Grigorian
continued his victory run at the Hustler
Casino with his second Grand Slam win
as he took down event number five, limit
hold'em. His win in event number one was
also for limit hold'em. And he had a first,
a second and a third in the Hustler's
Challenge Cup tournament earlier in the
year.
Victory did not come easy for Grigorian.
He was up and down "like a yo-yo" all
night, he said. The final table, which
didn't end until 5:30 a.m., was especially
tough because players repeatedly would
be all in, often with the worst hand,
without being knocked out.
The tournament ended with a three-way
deal with Chris as chip leader with $71,200.
Robert "Chip-Burner" Turner had $51,000
and Ernie Sebastian finished third with
$23,400 in chips.
Only nine made it to the final table as
two players were knocked out at the same
time at the second table. Ray Ghafour
raised holding A-9. Sebastian called from
the small blind with Kc-Qc and Fred Khazhakyan
called from the big blind with 9c-7c.
The flop was A-10-9 with one club. A Jc
turned to give Sebastian a nut straight
and a draw to a royal flush. A 7s on the
river changed nothing, and Ray and Fred,
both all in, were both all out.
Blinds at the final table started at $500-$1,000,
with 1k-2k limits. The old chip-burner
immediately began burning his opponents'
chips as he won seven out of the first
12 hands, jumping from 23 to nearly 50k,
and knocking out a player. Eric Lassen
had arrived with only $3,200 and by hand
seven was down to $700. One off the button,
he committed his last chips with As-5s.
There was four-way action, and Turner,
with 10d-6d, won with two pair when a
six flopped and a 10 turned.
Grigorian, who arrived with a below-average
$9,400, was all in for $3,400 on hand
16 after limits went to 3-6k, winning
when he paired a 10 to his A-10. A few
hands later he raised with pocket kings.
John Chang called all in with Q-J, and
Sebastian also called with the same hand.
With a board of J-8-2-10, Grigorian bet,
all in again, then had to yell "Stop!"
as the dealer started to burn and turn
without waiting for the players to turn
up their cards. The river was a six, and
Chang was out. "She might have dealt a
nine (giving both his opponents a straight)
if I didn't stop her," Chris explained.
Grigorian, now with about $26,000, turned
aggressive and began steadily adding to
his stacks.
Jeff Jerome, who had been nursing his
last $600, finally committed it with A-10,
the first of five times he would go all
in and survive. "I don't like it," he
said when Turner raised. But he ended
up chopping with Sebastian when both had
A-10 and an ace flopped. Meanwhile, Victor
Dadon, who had started as chip leader,
went all in for the first of four times
himself, escaping when his A-Q held up
against Grigorian's A-10.
Grigorian's little rush was halted when
he ran into Emil Calitis' full house and
was left with 8k. Then, with limits at
2-4k, he capped the betting and went all
in against Turner with A-10, only to see
Robert turn up 10-10. A river ace saved
him as he wiped his brow. "I will not
make another mistake tonight," he vowed.
Many more hands and all-in escapes went
by. The fifth time Jerome was all in,
he committed his last couple of chips
in the small blind without even looking.
He had Kc-5c against Sebastian's A-9,
but won again with a flush.
When Jerome finally succumbed, he uncharacteristically
had the best hand. Playing at 3-6k limits,
he was dealt K-K on hand 65. Turner was
far behind with Qs-Js, but flopped two
pair. Finally the field began to thin
as Yoon Ueo, in the big blind with 9h-5h,
fell to Sebastian's pocket sixes three
hands later. Eight hands lafter that it
was Dadon's turn. He button-raised with
A-7. With a flop of 10-8-5, Grigorian
bet his pocket jacks, Dadon added another
$1,000, then exited in fifth place when
a river jack gave Chris a set.
At this point, Grigorian and Turner were
virtually dead even with about $52,000
each, while Sebastian and Calitis were
tied with about 20k each. A deal was discussed
but not consummated. Then, two hands later,
Sebastian went all in, pitting his A-K
against Grigorian's pocket eights. An
eight on fourth street gave Grigorian
a set, and he jumped into a lead of about
20k over Turner.
Two
more hands went by, and the three at last
agreed to a deal that ended the tournament.
With two wins in five events, "The Armenian
Express," who also became the all-around
points leader, was at full throttle.
Max Shapiro
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