In
a 'Break' from Bigger Action,
Kim Cheu Lim Picks up $26,525
Professional
player Kim Cheu "Joe" Lim, who has six-figure
tournament wins from the Commerce and
Bicycle Casinos, normally only enters
major events. But he's been running so
bad in his normal $400-$800 hold'em side
game, losing about $200,000 in the last
two months, that he decided to take a
breather and play in tonight's $500 no-limit
hold'em tournament, the 12th in the Hustler
Casino's Grand Slam of Poker Tournament
III.
It
was a refreshing break, because he came
in first and won $26,525. Lim went on
a rush in the late stages, and with three
players left had about 230,000 of the
280,000 chips in play. Then, after he
got heads up with Norm Wheatcroft, who
had made a terrific comeback, Lim nearly
blew it.
With
a board of Q-Q-4, Wheatcroft moved in
with pocket kings, and Lim made a highly
questionable call with K-9. After winning,
Wheatcroft had pulled nearly dead even
with $137,000 to $143,000 for Kim. They
almost chopped it, but both wanted the
trophy, so they kept playing, and five
hands later Lim finished Wheatcroft off.
This
was a grueling, roller-coaster tournament
ride, with chips flowing back and forth
as all-in players repeatedly ended up
with the best hands.
Only
nine players made it to the final table
when two were knocked out at the same
time at the last two tables. At one table,
Thomas Bohmer had 8s-6s, went all in chasing
a flush draw when two spades flopped,
missed and lost to a set of 6s flopped
by the player known as "Wolfie," who won
an earlier $500 no-limit event. At the
other table, Ernie Sebastian had A-7 and
couldn't catch up to Lim's pocket 8s.
Final
table blinds started at $400-$800 with
$100 antes and 22:45 left on the clock.
Play started out cautiously as players
folded to any raise, and there was no
flop until hand eight. But the next hand
more than made up for the lack of earlier
action.
First,
"JoJo Z" raised $2,000 with pocket jacks.
Chris Ackerman moved in for about $7,000
with pocket queens. And then Emiliano
Calitis, with around $10,00, pushed in
all his chips with A-K. JoJo, who had
them both covered, called. A flop of K-6-4
put Caliltis in the lead, until a jack
turned to give JoJo a set. Two players
were gone, with Caliltis finishing eighth,
and Ackerman, a pro with a WPT finals
finish at Foxwoods, cashing out ninth.
David
Tran ended up seventh after limits went
to $600-$1,200, with $200 antes. He moved
in for about $12,000 with Q-J and couldn't
beat Wheatcroft's pocket 6s.
A
few hands later, Vincent McBride (or "New
York Vinnie," as his mentor Mickey "Mouse"
Mills has now dubbed him), bowed out in
sixth place. McBride, making his second
final table, raised to $4,000 with Ac-Jc.
Wheatcroft put him in and won with A-Q
after junk hit the board.
Wolfie
had started the final table with a big
chip lead of $95,800. With five left,
he still was in front with about $98,000,
followed byWheatcroft with around $67,000;
Lim, $65,000; JoJo, $24,000; and Larry
Gordon, $22,000.
Lim
was the most aggressive player at the
table, not afraid to move in. By contrast,
Wolfie's strategy was to pick up chips
with small raises. Then, in the first
of several survivals, Gordon, all in for
about $13,000 with Qh-8h, doubled through
when he rivered a queen to outrun Wolfie's
pocket deuces.
In
the biggest pot so far, JoJo moved in
for close to $50,000 with A-Q. Wheatcroft
called with 9-9 and was suddenly left
with only about $14,000 when an ace flopped.
Then he quickly won a couple of pots and
began his recovery.
Blinds
moved up to $1,200-$2,400, with $400 antes.
Lim took an agonizingly long time to think
before he folded when Wolfie, now down
to $24,500, made his first all-in move.
This annoyed Wheatcroft so much that when
Lim stalled on the next hand after Gordon
moved in, that he quickly called for a
clock.
Chips
continued to move around. Wolfie, all
in, took about 25,000 of them from JoJo
He had Ks-Qs and hit a king to beat JoJo's
Q-Q. Then JoJo got them back from Wheatcroft
by flopping a set of 8s.
Finally,
it was no go for JoJo on hand 62. He was
all in for about $40,000 with Ah-10h.
Lim had K-J and turned a king. JoJo finished
fifth, and Lim now had a decisive lead
of over $150,000.
Lim
made it two in a row by skinning Wolfie
on the next hand. A flop of 8-7-2 gave
Wolfie, with J-7, middle pair while Lim,
with K-8, had top pair. He put Wolfie
all in for about $65,000 total. Two queens
changed nothing, Wolfie finished fourth,
and Lim now had about $230,000 to $30,000
for Wheatcroft and $20,000 for Gordon.
As
play went on, Wheatcroft doubled up against
Lim, A-J versus A-4. Then, with $500 antes
and blinds of $1,500-$3,000, Gordon busted
out. He had K-5 and moved in on a flop
of 7-6-5. "Oh my God, I don't believe
it," he exclaimed when Lim showed him
an 8-4 for a straight.
A
few hands into their heads-up match, Wheatcroft,
who is retired as an electronics vp for
sales and marketing, nearly caught up
with his pocket kings against Lim's K-9.
After the failed deal, they traded four
all-inswith no calls. Finally, on hand
82, Wheatcroft, holding K-8, bet $20,000
into a flop of 10-7-2, Lim moved him in
holding A-7. He finished with a flourish
when two more aces came, and Lim had at
least some of his $200,000 back.
Max Shapiro
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