STUDENT/POKER
PLAYER GETS
WIN IN $2,000 NO-LIMIT EVENT
Peter
Gunnarjon, a Swedish student/poker player,
scored his first major tournament win
by coming in first in the 12th buy-in
event of the 2003 St. Maarten Open, $2,000
no-limit hold'em.
He
and Jlari Sahamies of Finland, who came
in second in the preceding event, $500
no-limit, had been exchanging the chip
lead for most of the final table. When
they got heads-up, Sahamies was in front
by $126,000 to $90,000. They decided to
chop the money and play one showdown hand
which Gunnarjon won, giving him the technical
victory.
Gunnarjon
just needs to take his final exams for
degrees in science and business, but he's
also been playing poker nearly full time
since he took the game up a year and a
half ago. Until now, his tournament wins
have been small ones.
Ten
players assembled at the end of the first
day, and played down to nine for the second
day. After about eight hands, Sahames
raised $2,500 and Juha Helppi of Finland
moved in for $8,500 with Ac-Qc. Sahames
called so fast he seemed to have pocket
aces, but all he had was Jd-5d. That's
all he needed. A five flopped along with
two clubs. Helppi couldn't catch a club,
ace or queen and missed the boat.
On
the second day, Gunnarjon started with
a $54,300 chip lead, closely followed
by Sahames with $51,700. The final table
turned out to be the longest so far, taking
nearly four hours and 133 hands. Blinds
started at $400-$800 with $100 antes and
31:23 left at level nine. Antonio Turrisi
of Italy had barely gotten there with
$2,800. He quickly went all in but earned
a split when he and Gunnarjon both turned
up A-K.
There
were to be a lot more all-in escapes in
this event. On hand 11, New Yorker Henry
Olszewski doubled up with pocket queens
against Peter Karall's pocket jacks, and
a few hands later, Turrisi got away again,
winning by making an inside straight on
the river. But his luck failed him on
hand 20 when he moved in with As-7s, missed
a flush draw and lost to Gunnarjon's ace
with a queen kicker.
Blinds
then went to $600-$1,200 with $200 antes,
and Steve Vladar went out three hands
later. The London pro called all in with
K-7 after Graeme "Kiwi" Putt
moved in for $4,200 holding Ad-9d. The
board came A-K-J-3-Q, and now seven were
left.
John
Burberry, a British sales executive, made
the same $4,200 all-in bet later on, but
with much better luck. He got three callers
and quadrupled up when he flopped a queen
to his Q-10.
Graeme
"Kiwi" Putt came to the final
table still holding the lead in the all-around
points race, but without many chips. Down
to $3,200, he went all in himself twice
in a row, but pulled out both times, once
when his A-8 held up against the Q-8 held
by Peter Karall, the next time when he
started with pocket sixes and made a six-high
straight against Karall's wheel.
Kiwi
survived all the way to hand 49, when
blinds were $800-$1,600, with $300 antes.
Down to $500 in the small blind, he went
with 8-5 and went nowhere. Burberry started
with A-Q and flopped an overkill two pair.
Players
kept putting in all their chips and sticking
around until hand 66. At this point, Gunnarjon
and Sahames were just about dead even
with a bit over 50k each, while Karall,
who is in real estate in Vienna, was down
to $9,100. On the next hand blinds went
up and he went out. He tried an under
the gun raise to $7,000 with just 10-7,
and Sahames moved him in and took him
out with pocket kings.
On
hand 80, Sahames check-raised all in and
forced Olszewski to fold after betting
$10,000 into a board of J-8-3, running
his count up to about 80k. Then Gunnarjon
picked up a $60,000 pot against online
poker player Albert Alshamn of Sweden
when his A-Q made two pair.
When
blinds went to $1,500-$3,000 with $500
antes, Sahames' aggressive raising had
built his chip count to $99,500, followed
by Gunnarjon, $54,500; Burberry, $26,000;
Olszewski, $25,000; and Alshamn, $21,000.
A
long stretch of 51 hands went by after
Karall went out until the next player
succumbed. Olszewski moved in for $11,500
from the button with Q-10. Gunnarjon and
Sahames called, and Sahames did the job
when he flopped an ace to his A-J. Hand
125 was the last for Burberry when his
pocket fours were no match for Sahamies'
pocket ladies.
Then
Gunnarjon took the lead when he beat Sahames
in a $65,000 pot. He opened for $12,000,
bet $20,000 into a flop of 5d-5s-7c, then
moved all in when a six turned and Sahames
folded. Asked to show his hand, he turned
up 7-6 for two pair.
But
then Sahames reclaimed his number one
standing when he beat Gunnarjon in a pot
after flopping an ace to his A-3. He now
had about $109,000 to Gunnarjon's $90,000.
A
hand later it was all over. A short-chipped
Alshamn went all in on the button with
8-2 and found himself a huge underdog
against Sahames' K-8. Nobody paired, and
it was heads-up.
After
the chop, a showdown hand was dealt. Sahames
was dealt As-10s and Gunnarjon, 9h-7h,
and a board of 7-5-5-Q-6 decided it.
-- by Max Shapiro
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