FINAL
EVENT ENDS IN BANG
WITH DOUBLE KO FULL HOUSE
Danish
pro Jan Sorensen brought the final event
of the 2003 St. Maarten Open to a rousing
climax when he flopped a full house to
eliminate his last two opponents.
It
was hand 121 of the $750 pot-limit Omaha
event. Parisian gaming journalist Benjamin
Hannuna opened for $11,000. Graeme "Kiwi"
Putt called. Then Sorensen came over the
top with a $33,000 raise, and both players
called all in, Hannuna for a total of
$28,000, Putt for $39,000. Putt had 8s-8h-10s-Jh.
Hannuna, Kd-Kh-Qh-8c. Sorensen had Ac-Ah-Qs-6c,
and when the board came A-7-7-3-3 it was
all over.
The
other big news was that Kiwi, making an
astonishing seventh final table, nailed
down the Best All-Around Player award.
His remarkable performance, including
a win in $150 pot-limit hold'em, earned
him the top cash prize and a magnificent,
oversized decorator chip box.
Sorensen
-- and this gets a little confusing --
changed his last name this year. He declined
to have his prior name printed, but said
that he won a World Series bracelet in
pot-limit Omaha worth $185,000 last year,
so it shouldn't be too hard to figure
out who he was. (Is?) He also had a win
at Biloxi this year, along with lots of
tournament victories in Europe. Sorensen
plays mostly cash games, but enjoys an
occasional Omaha tourney.
In
this event, he said he played conservatively
the first hour or so to get a feel for
the players, then shifted into his normal
super-aggressive game as he ran over the
table with repeated raises.
The
final table started with $300-$600 blinds,
15:29 remaining. Things started off very
slowly. Through the first 21 hands, about
the only action came when Ian Dobson fired
a $12,000 bet into a pot of about $18,000,
then turned over a bust hand when nobody
called.
Finally,
with blinds of $400-$800, Ernest Pohler
of Vermont lost his last $3,000. He made
two pair when the board showed J-8-2-10-J,
but London pro Gary Mills, the current
Caribbean limit hold'em champion, made
a flush.
Soon
after blinds became $600-$1,200, Gary
Bush, another Londoner, was dispatched
by Hannuna's flush.
Putt,
with all due respect for his playing ability,
has also had phenomenal luck throughout
the tournament series, frequently going
all in and catching whatever he needed,
and tonight was no exception.
Meanwhile,
Dave Binstock, yet another Londoner, departed
on hand 39. The financial adviser went
in with Q-J-8-3, made a straight with
a Q-J-2-8-5d board, but lost to Dobson,
who hit his wraparound straight draw on
the turn.
Tony
Hakki was the fourth resident of London
at the table. The pro won a $500 limit
hold'em European championship at the Victoria
club in 2001. During play, he would often
break out a clattering noisemaker, to
the strained tolerance of the other players.
On hand 55 he was in the small blind,
all in with A-8-6-5. Things looked good
for him when an A-A-4 flop gave him trips.
But Mills, with 4-4-K-J, had flopped a
full house. Hakki threw down his noisemaker,
which sybolically broke in half.
Blinds
now became $1,000-$2,000. Dobson, the
starting chip leader and early aggressor
at the table, had $36,500. Behind him
were Farina Valter, $34,500, Putt, $28,000;
Sorensen, $26,500; Mills, $14,500; and
Hannuna, $18,500. On hand 64, an all-in
Dobson missed his wraparound, and Sorensen
missed his flush draw, but Sorensen's
pocket kings were sufficient to break
Dobson, who was making his sixth final
table.
Sorensen
was now driving in top gear. On hand 83
he started with J-10-2-6 and made a straight
to break Valter. The native of Guadeloupe
started with a suited A-K-7-2 and couldn't
make a pair.
Sorensen
now had a commanding lead of about $75,000,
followed by Mills, $40,000; Putt, $30,000;
and Hannuna, $14,000. Hannuna went all
in for $11,000 two hands later, then doubled
up against Sorensen when he paired a king
on the flop. The man with two names picked
up some chips a bit later when Mills bet
$15,000 into a board of J-7-3 and Sorensen
forced him out by coming over the top
with an all-in raise.
Then
Kiwi was down to $1,000. His luck held
as he paired his king on the turn and
doubled up.
Mills
got hurt after the tournament passed the
100-hand mark. He made a flush, but Hannuna
had him with a full house. Kiwi survived
one more time, against Mills, when they
both made kings-up, and Kiwi's ace played.
Kiwi
delivered the final blow to Mills when
he went in with K-Q-10-7 against the K-9-3-2
held by Mills. The London pro was drawing
dead when a board of K-8-5-10 gave the
retired dairy farmer from Melbourne, Australia,
kings and 10s.
It
was now down to three, and eight hands
later the tournament ended when Sorensen
did away with his final two opponents
with the flop of aces-full.
The
final event of the 2003 St. Maarten Open
was over, but based on the enthusiastic
reaction of players, there will not only
be a 2004 St. Maarten Open, but very likely
even more International Poker Federation
events in other exotic locales. Be sure
to stay tuned.
-- by Max Shapiro
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