STUDENT
IN FIRST TOURNEY GETS
'A' GRADE IN POT-LIMIT
Tonie
Hur is a 24-year-old, recently graduated
sociology major unsure what to do next.
Poker might be an option because he played
his first-ever tournament and immediately
went to the head of the class by winning
the fourth event of Hustler Casino's Poker
Challenge Cup, $200 pot-limit hold'em.
Moreover, it was the first time he had
ever played pot-limit anywhere, his usual
game being $15-$30 hold'em. He decided
to play on a last-minute whim when he
read about the tournament in Card Player
magazine. He was down to $625 in early
going, but made a good investment with
a rebuy.
Hur
immediately got off to a spectacular start
at the final table when he busted Paul
Kroh in two absolutely odds-defying deals.
Blinds had started at $300-$600, with
2:28 remaining. On the first hand, Kroh
raised to $2,100 with K-Q. Tonie re-raised
to $7,200 and Paul, after long thought,
called. The flop was 10-2-7. Hur went
all in with the remainder of his $11,000
and turned over pocket kings after Kroh
called. He was an 11-1 favorite and won
easily.
On the second hand, Kroh again raised,
again with K-Q, and Hur again re-raised.
"Same damn thing," Krohmuttered, going
all in. Even more "same" than he thought,
because, Incredibly, Hur once again held
pocket kings. Paul, winner of numerous
tournaments, cashed out for $500.
Six
hands later, with $400-$800 blinds, plumbing
contractor Paul Javier suffered a stoppage.
He had those same pocket kings, which
this time didn't go through. In three-way
action, he went all in before the flop.
Sam Sanusi, winner of the Challenge Cub's
opening event, held A-8 of spades and
made a runner-runner flush to leave Javier
in ninth place with a $585 payout. Sam,
who started as chip leader, now had increased
his lead with about $56,000 of the $146,000
in play.
On hand 14, Web designer Garrett Moran
moved in for $3,200 with pocket jacks.
The man called "Mickey Mouse," making
his second consecutive final table, called
with A-5 and took the cheese when an ace
flopped. Garrett walked out with $835.
Four hands later, the mouse took the big
blind with K-6. When a flop of 7-6-4 gave
him a pair, he bet $4,000. Hur, with A-5,
called on an open-end straight draw. He
called again when Mickey bet all in on
a turn-card 9, then stepped on the mouse's
tail when a river 8 completed his straight.
MM's seventh-place finish was worth $1,000.
Blinds
were now $800-$1,600. Jimmy Tran looked
at A-K and bet his last $4,500. Retired
off-road race car driver Mike Lesle called
with a supercharged hand of pocket aces.
A 14-1 favorite, he left Tran in the dust
with $1,335 for sixth place. Tran, who
formerly managed a gby his wife, has been
a tournament pro for four years. His wins
include a victory in pot-limit hold'em
at the 2001 Legends of Poker. Lesle has
a pot-limit win in the Commerce's California
State Poker Championship to his credit.
As
play continued, Eddie Yade, a housing
developer, was getting short-chipped and
decided to move in with pocket sixes.
He got three-way action, and won the pot
when all rags came. Now tripled up to
about $28,000, Yates began to move steadily
up. A housing developer, his major tournament
cash-out came when he chopped a $500 no-limit
hold'em event at Commerce.
Paul
Javier was next to go all in. He held
A-Q and also got two callers, but Yates,
with A-9, outran him when a 9 flopped.
Fifth spot paid $1,670.
At this point, the four finalists agreed
to take $5,000 each and play for the rest.
It was a good deal for Sam Sanusi, who
was next to go out. Limits had gone to
$1,000 and $2,000 when Sanusi flamed out
by stubbornly trying to bluff a pot. On
a flop of 10-9-2 and two spades, he bet
the $15,000 pot and Tonie called. Both
players checked a jack turn card. When
a river queen produced a scary 9-10-J-Q,
Sam tried an all-in move for $12,800.
After thinking long and hard, Tonie called.
"Good call, no pair," Sanusi said, tossing
in his cards as Tonie turned up a queen
and 10 for two pair. Sam earned $2,005
for fourth and Tonie took over the lead
again with more than $60,000.
The
three remaining players now hunkered down
as play dragged on for another 25 hands.
At one point, Hur had increased his lead
to about $75,000, more than half the chips
on the table, but then his two opponents
began to chip away at his stacks.
Finally,
at 4 a.m. the weary combatants decided
to end it and go home. Tonie still owned
the lead with $62,000, but Eddie was close
behind with $59,200 while the ex-race
car driver was a lap or two behind with
$35,800.
A
showdown hand was dealt. Tonie got deuces,
Eddie was dealt 9-3 and Mike had to play
6-3. The flop came K-8-8-A-5, no one helped,
the deuces won and the student passed
his first test with flying colors.
Max Shapiro
|
