Professor
Raymond Davis Shows
Student Jerry T He Can Play Too
Raymond
Davis was beginning to get annoyed. He
had taken the young man called "Jerry
T" under his wing, given him intensive
poker advice and suddenly Jerry had won
two events at the Hustler Casino's Challenge
Cup. So, while Davis was proud, he was
also a little peeved at the suggestion,
in yesterday's write-up, that the student
might have surpassed the teacher. Therefore,
he vowed to show up the upstart by winning
today's limit hold'em event.
And he did! By a technicality, perhaps,
but it still counts. When he got heads-up,
fellow pro Bijan Ashkan had a 2-1 chip
lead. They made a money deal and played
a hand of showdown for the trophy and
title. Raymond won it and under the freewheeling
Challenge Cup rules, he was the champion.
So take that, Jerry T!
This was a $60,000 guarantee event and,
to rephrase a line from the film Field
of Dreams, "If you guarantee it they will
come." 156 players came and generated
a $76,000 prize pool.
The final table started with $2,000-$4,000
limits, 33 minutes remaining. It assembled
after Davis broke Young Phan who had gone
all in with a $200 raise with K-6. Davis,
in the big blind, called with A-5, and
the ace held up.
Raymond got off to a tremendous start.
On the first hand, he was in the big blind
and reluctantly called a raise by Sam
Pyo. All he had was 6-5, but he flopped
a nut straight and after all the three-way
action ended, he had gone from $37,100
to a chip lead of about $70,000. At the
other end, Matt Heintschel, a plastering
contractor, got plastered. He had K-Q,
paired a king on the river to no avail
and went from $16,500 to a single $500
chip. Two hands later attorney Robert
took it away by making three 9s.
Tenth place paid $1,140.
A few hands later Davis increased his
lead to about $80,000 when his flopped
three kings with K-J to leave Goodman
short-chipped. The attorney left in ninth
place, collecting $1,330, a few hands
later. He went in with 7h, 4h. Ashkan
had Kd, 9d and made a flush.
With limits at $3,000-$6,000, Albert Umel
got furious at himself for blowing most
of his chips by calling down Ashkan, who
raised with A-K and kept betting after
a flop of A-9-7. Down to $2,900 and later
all in, Albert managed to outlast Nhut
Tran, who put himself all in with a $100
raise on hand 31 with A-7. Davis, in the
big blind with K-9, had an easy call.
He won when a king turned, and Tran collected
$1,900. Albert joined him three hands
later. When Pyo raised, Tran made a stand
by re-raising for $700 more with A-3.
Bijan called with A-Q of hearts, had a
tremendous flop of Q-8-6 and two hearts,
then made two pair when an ace turned.
Albert's pay was $2,280.
Jan Somchub, a dealer, had started with
a chip lead of $44,400, but she had become
extremely frustrated when she had not
been able to play any hands. On the 38th
deal, the good news was that she finally
was able to play her first hand. The bad
news was that it was also her last. Looking
at pocket 10s, she raised and was called
by Davis and Dennis Waterman, who by his
own count was now making the 763rd final
table of his career. Dennis bet the J-4-3
flop. Both players called. Raymond held
6-5, the same lucky cards he had flopped
a big straight with on the opening hand.
Now he had an open-ender, but instead,
runner-runner 6s came to give him trips.
Jan, who called all in on the turn, finished
sixth for a $3,040 pay-off. Davis, meanwhile,
dragged in a $52,900 pot to increase his
lead to more than $90,000.
Limits now went to $4,000 and $8,000.
Thor Hansen, with four final tables in
five Challenge Cup tournaments, quietly
took his leave on hand 46. He had only
$400 left after posting his big blind.
Ashkan raised from the small blind with
K-Q. Thor, with only 9-4, had little choice
but to call The board came A-Q-J-4-J and
the transplanted Norwegian picked up his
$4,560.
Davis, meanwhile, had increased his chip
lead, but that changed one hand after
Thor bused out. Raymond had check-raised
Bijan on a flop of K-8-2, then bet out
when an ace turned. But when Bijan raised,
he gave it up, along with the chip lead.
On hand 56, Waterman went all in on the
big blind, holding K-2 against Sam Pyo,
who was in the small blind with K-3. Improbably,
Dennis won with aces-full when the board
showed A-6-2-A-A. Pyo himself had been
flirting with disaster, having gone all
in and surviving five times to date. In
two more hands it was all over for him.
In the small blind, Pyo was all in with
pocket queens. Ashkan had 9-8 and made
two pair on a flop of 10-9-8. Sam needed
a queen, or a jack for a straight, but
got neither. Fourth place was $4,560.
"Ugly, ugly, ugly," muttered Waterman,
with 9-2 in the big blind and a raise
from Ashkan. He called, actually a slight
favorite, because Ashkan, a local pro
with some small tournament wins, had only
7-6. But when a 6 flopped, Askan bet the
$1,100 that Waterman still had left, and
then broke the Oregon logger. Waterman's
third-place payday was for $7,220.
The two finalists now agreed to a money
split, with Askhan holding twice the chips.
For the all-important showdown hand, Raymond
held 10-4 to Bijan's K-8. A flop of J-8-7
made Bijan a favorite by about 2.5-1.
But Raymond would not be denied. A 6 and
then a 5 gave him a straight and Raymond,
who had three Hustler tournament wins
earlier this year, showed that he could
do as well as teach.
Max Shapiro
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