THOR
HANSEN TURNS TRASH
INTO TREASURE IN OMAHA/8
It
would be hard to find a trashier hand
in Omaha Hi/Lo than 4-6-9-J rainbow. Yet
that's exactly the holding that earned
Thor Hansen a somewhat technical first-place
finish in the third event of the Hustler
Casino's Poker Challenge Cup. When it
got heads-up, he was dead even with Robert
Turner. The two chopped the $13,225 in
remaining prize money and played one showdown
hand for the trophy and the title. The
Norwegian-born Hansen paired his jack
to outrun the old chip-burner's double-suited
K-10-5-5.
Hansen's
numerous titles include WSOP bracelets
in stud and lowball. The legendary Turner,
a host at the Bicycle Casino, also has
a closet full of trophies and several
best all-arounds. It was also a very special
day for Turner: his 55th birthday. He
said he had told his rather younger wife,
Charity, that he could now use a senior
citizen discount card. "I have a student
discount card," she replied sweetly.
Chip Johnson, the veteran player and poker
writer/theorist, just missed the final
table when Turner made trips bigger than
his. The final table was then witness
to a string of perverse river cards that
counterfeited and ruined some players
and brought unexpected victories to others.
In other words, just a normal Omaha session.
Limits
at the final table started at $600-$1,200
and after one minute moved to $1,000-$2,000,
with blinds of $500 and $1,000. On the
third hand Dennis Waterman, an Oregon
logger with an astonishing 182 tournament
wins, raised with A-2-3-10. In the big
blind, Ray Bonavida put in his last $400
with virtually the same hand that brought
Hansen his title: 4-6-10-J. But all it
brought him was a 10th place cash-out
of $350 when Waterman paired his 10 on
the flop.
John Inashima, the noted survival specialist
who finished ninth in the World Series
championship two years ago, was all in
four hands later with A-A-5-6 and a suited
ace. With a board of 10-5-3-10, British
pro Peter "The Poet" Costa had him by
the throat with three 10s and an A-2 nut
low draw. Then a river deuce of diamonds
counterfeited his low draw and gave a
flush and a low and a scoop to Inashima,
and heartburn to Costa.
A few hands later Costa had a nut low
made with a draw to a wheel when he again
got copied on the river and was quartered
by Waterman. "Now you know why I don't
play this game for a living," he remarked.
On the 16th hand his misery ended. Holding
2-3-4-K, all his remaining $1,900 went
in before the flop in four-way action.
No low came, pro golfer Richie Sklar took
the pot with a flush and Costa collected
his $405 for finishing ninth.
Meanwhile,
Tom West, a carpenter, had gone all in
and survived for the first of an eventual
six times when his paired 10 with an ace
kicker edged Waterman's 10-10 and king
kicker.
With
limits at Inashima got a taste of his
own last-card medicine. On a Q-3-3-7 board,
John had a third three against Hansen.
Thor held a queen, and the only card that
could give him a scoop was another queen.
It came, and John finished eighth, which
paid $580. "Where did they find that card?"
he asked dazedly.
Photographer/player
Gary Chan found the exit on the next hand
and picked up $695. In the big blind,
he posted all in with 6-7-10-J. When the
board showed 5-5-7-5, he was drawing dead
to Turner. Robert had called with A-7-10-K,
which tournament coordinator Warren Karp
announced was a normal hand -- "Normal
for Robert," he added.
It was Waterman's turn to get frustrated
when Turner quartered him by catching
a third 5 on the river. In a later hand,
Dennis saved his last $800 by folding
on the river. But that was soon posted
in the big blind. He held a decent hand:
K-K-Q-9 with a suited king, and flopped
a nut flush draw. But he missed and dealer
Ruben Anicete broke him by making aces
and deuces. The logger, who boasts an
incredible 182 tournament wins, picked
up $930.
With
$2,000-$4,000 limits, West went all in
for the seventh time on hand 54, and this
time the carpenter got nailed. Turner
raised with Q-Q-6-8, Sklar three-bet with
an A-2-3, and West, in the big blind,
called for his last $300 with J-J-K-5.
On a flop of 9-9-6, Sklar, on the strength
of his re-raise, might have made a successful
bluff bet, but checked. A queen turned
to give Turner a winning full house, sending
West home in fifth place with $1,160.
With
four players left, an eyeball count showed
Hansen had about $40,000; Turner $30,000;
Anicette $13,000; and Sklar, who had dropped
$20,000 in two hands, was down to $7,000.
Then Turner grabbed two pots to take the
lead with about $54,000.
Hand
61 saw three-way action. Sklar was all
in for $3,100 with A-2-8-J and a suited
ace. Anicete, in the $3,000 big blind,
called a raise with his last $300. Turner,
with A-5-8-K and a suited ace, looked
to break two players. When the board came
3-3-9-10-J, Sklar took the main pot with
his paired jack, Turner took the $200
side pot with ace high and Anicete cashed
out for $1,390.
Eight
hands later, Hansen drove the all-in golf
pro out of bounds. Holding A-2-3-5, he
made a straight and a nut low, and Sklar
departed with $2,205 third-place money.
The two finalists quickly agreed to a
split and played the showdown hand which
gave Hansen the win and Turner a nice
birthday present.
Max Shapiro
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