Patient
Novice Beats Mario!
Winning eight hands in a row, "Super
Mario" Esquerra had a tremendous chip
lead and momentum, aided by his fearsome
reputation and persona. But it's hard
to intimidate someone who doesn't even
know who you are. During a heads-up discussion
about money and trophy, Esquerra said
he didn't need another trophy to go along
with his three-room collection and began
listing his numerous tournament wins.
At this point, Hoang leaned over and quietly
asked, "What's his name?" Hoang, a high-stakes
side game player who's only gotten serious
about tournaments this year, may not have
had Mario's name, but he did have his
number. He determined that Esquerra was
playing too recklessly, tightened up his
own play and eventually took over the
chip lead. A deal was made and Hoang had
his coveted first trophy.
In the points race, meanwhile, Mario and
computer programmer M. Duckworth leaped
ahead of the field. Duckworth now has
81 points and Esquerra 79, with the next
11 players bunched between 57 and 62 points.
The final table was set when Ricardo Onate's
jacks and 4s were edged by Hoang's kings
and 4s. It started with $300 blinds, a
$500 bring-in and limits of $2,000-$4,000,
with 7:49 remaining. Anton Ulker, lowest
chipped with $2,400, patiently waited
six hands. Anted down to $600, he found
rolled-up queens, then filled up against
Super Mario. But his extra chips only
got him one more hand. On hand seven,
holding J-10/8-7-4 with four clubs, he
had draws to both a straight and a flush
and raised all in when Duckworth bet his
open aces. Despite picking up a second
straight draw, Anton missed and bowed
out in eighth place, which paid $440.
A couple of hands later Can Hua was also
all in drawing to a flush against Esquerra's
pocket 9s. He missed, but somehow made
a wheel to stay in action.
Limits now went to $3,000-$6,000,with
$500 antes and $1,000 bring-in. On hand
13, retiree George Keeneer was all in
with A-3/4-8-8 and ended up with two pair.
Ulises Molina started with split 9s and
made a 9-high straight on sixth street.
Keener's seventh-place pay-off was $595.
On the next hand, Al Husin was all in
on fourth street with buried 8s. But Molina
had buried 10s and buried his opponent
when neither improved. Husin picked up
$745 for finishing sixth.
On hand 16, Mario started his rush. After
picking up two small pots, he won his
third straight hand when he made 7s and
6s to outrun Molina's buried kings and
leave him in fifth place, which was worth
$905. After winning three more consecutive
pots, he faced Can Hua, a local pro. Hue
went all in on fifth street for his last
$2,000 with just split 3s. He couldn't
help, and Esquerra's aces left him in
fourth place, which paid $1,060. He then
proceeded to take in two more pots, first
with an uncalled completion raise, then
with an uncalled bet on fourth street.
He now had close to half the chips on
the table. On the next hand, though, John
cut him down with queens-up after Mario
missed his straight.
It got heads-up when Mario made a spade
flush on the river to knock out Duckworth,
who collected $1,690 for finishing third.
With blinds at $500, a $1,500 bring-in
and limits at $4,000-$8,000, the match-up
lasted 16 hands, with Hoang prudently
giving up antes and waiting for cards.
The turnaround came on hand 45. Holding
kings, Mario blind-called John's river
bet, couldn't beat his queens-up, and
John now had the chip lead, $81,000to
$60,500. A hand later they made a deal,
Mario finished second for an official
$3,255 and John Hoang had his coveted
first trophy.
BIOGRAPHY
John Hoang is a 37-year-old computer
engineer who played stud side games in
Atlantic City for six years, working his
way up to $300-$600 limits. He moved here
two years ago, and now prefers mixed games,
finding stud boring. His prior tournament
experience consisted mainly of a couple
of shots at WSOP stud events. This year
he decided to get serious about tournaments.
Playing at the Commerce's L.A. Poker Classic,
he placed fourth in the $500 Omaha, sixth
in $1,000 stud hi-lo and seventh in $300
limit hold'em. In the hold'em event, he
felt he messed up, coming to the final
table with a lot of chips but giving too
much action.
Hoang evaluates himself as a mostly solid
player who adjusts his game to the player.
Tonight, he thought he could win because
he felt Mario Esquerra was "way out of
line," judging from the hands he played.
"I knew I couldn't run over him, so I
kept giving up the antes and bring-ins,
while I waited for premium hands."
Max Shapiro
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