Nash
Bashes Field in Hi-Lo!
Tonight’s
7-card stud hi-lo event was pretty much
a one-man show for a 25-year accountant/poker
player named Nash Riszk. He grabbed an
enormous chip lead when he made a wheel
against two players on the third hand
at the final table, and ultimately vanquished
five of his seven opponents. Heads-up
with graphic designer Chang Kim, he held
a 3-2 chip advantage. Kim pulled about
even after a few hands of play and then
the two chopped the prize money and played
a showdown hand for the trophy, which
Riszk won.
Two players got knocked out simultaneously
at the last two tables to set the stage
for the finale. At one table, Robert Gray
started with low cards and ended up with
just 4-4 as general contractor Craig Schusterick
blew him away with jacks-full. At the
other, Rizk with a 7-low and Eric Arreca
with two aces chopped up Albert Luna,
who couldn’t help his split 10s. Gray
and Luna each collected $420.
At the final table, antes were $500 with
a $1,000 bring-in, playing for 3-6k. Hand
3 was the pot of the night. Rocky Loving
had a door-card 3 and brought it in for
$3,000 with two babies in the hole. Schusterick
called with split jacks, and Rizk had
no trouble calling with A-5/4. On fourth
street, Nash caught a 3 and bet. Both
Rocky, with another low card, and Craig
called. A turn-card deuce gave Nash a
wheel. He bet and Rocky, with a six made,
called, as did Craig. On sixth street,
Craig made a second pair and bet his last
$500. Nash raised all in and Rocky called.
Nash scooped and now had about $70,000
while Craig cashed out eighth for $520
and Rocky, who started with a big chip
lead of $36,000, now was down to about
8k.
Richard Mendoza, starting lowest-chipped
with $8,500, lasted six hands. He started
with three low cards but ended up with
just two 7s as Rocky edged him with two
8s. Richard got $520 for seventh.
Limits rose two hands later to 4-8k with
$500 antes and a $1,500 bring-in. Truck
driver Michael Convey hit a roadblock
on hand 13. He made 9s and 5s on sixth
street but got pulled over by Kim, who
made aces-up. Sixth place paid $920. Nash
reluctantly claimed his second victim
on the next hand. When Rocky bet all in
with his last chip on fifth street with
two bullets showing, Nash sighed and called
with Q-K/4-6-6. But then he caught a second
cowboy while Rocky died with aces.
On the next hand, Nash knocked out yet
another player, this time with just two
sixes. Semi-pro Eric Arreca, who has hold’em
wins at San Pablo, Hollywood Park and
the Bike, had 10-J-Q-K on sixth street,
needing any pair, a 9 or an ace to win,
but missed. It was that way for him all
night, he said, missing one draw after
another. He was consoled with $1,320 for
fourth.
Jack Howard, on the other hand, wasn’t
complaining about missed draws. The retired
computer consultant complained about getting
nothing at all to play at the final table.
Finally, he was dealt 3-5/7 and was so
overjoyed he raised and went all in. At
the end he missed both a low and a gut-shot
straight draw, and mucked his hand when
Nash showed aces. Third place paid $2,025.
The
chip count now was $115,000 for Nash,
$72,000 for Kim. After a few hands, Kim
drew almost even, and they agreed to a
chop, playing one showdown hand for the
trophy. The first hand was a split, and
tournament director Denny Williams ruled
they should play high only. Nash won it
with aces, and became the official winner.
BIOGRAPHY
Poker is gradually edging out accounting
in the life of Nash Rizk. He’s mostly
a side-game player, playing every day.
His games are pot-limit hold’em and $20-$40
stud hi-lo. He’s been playing medium-limit
tournaments for two years, and has three
pot-limit cash-outs at Commerce to his
credit. He’s now looking higher, and hopes
to tackle the World Series this year.
Nash describes himself as an aggressive
player. “In pot-limit I’m very aggressive,
especially when I have a hand.” Tonight,
he said, he built his chips up to about
$4,000 by the third level, but then hit
a wall until level 8.
“I just had to hold on and get by with
stealing blinds.” He agreed to a chop
with Kim, he said, because “I play with
this guy every day. I know what he has
and he knows what I have. If we kept playing,
we’d be here until 7 a.m.”
Max Shapiro
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