Nobuo
Wins by Accident!
In a hi-lo stud round, a low-chipped Nobuo
Hamamoto started with (A-3)7, then caught
a king and trey. Thinking “What the heck,
let’s go home,” he tossed in his last
chips. Much to his surprise, he then caught
a third trey, scooped in three-way action,
was suddenly back in business and went
on to win the fifth event of Winnin’ o’
the Green 2004, 1/2 Omaha hi-lo and 1/2
stud hi-lo. At the finale, he had a 3-2
chip advantage over Rocky Enciso, and
the two made a deal.
The
event was structured with alternating
30-minute rounds of stud and Omaha. The
final table started with stud, $300 antes,
a $500 low card bring-in and $2,000-$4,000
limits, 28:20 remaining. Seven of the
eight finalists are regulars in the Bike’s
“nooner” daily tournaments.
Herbert Thomas, a math/science coordinator,
barely made it to the final table with
3,400 in chips and lasted only two hands.
He raised all in with (Kh-Jh)Ah, and was
called by Hamamoto, with (6-4)7. Thomas
picked up draws to a straight and flush
but missed both and bowed out when Hamamoto
made an 8-high straight.
Poker player Paul Davis lasted six hands
more. He had a great start, (2-5)4-A,
then caught two bricks. Charles Davidson,
with aces and a flush draw, bet on sixth
street. “Gotta call, I’ve got a wheel
draw,” Davis said, going all in. He didn’t
catch any low, much less a wheel, and
Davidson, making two pair, left him in
seventh place. Boon Eng Kho, meanwhile,
had been doing escape acts, surviving
three times, once with a split, twice
with scoops on a full house and straight.
He eventually went all in seven times
before finishing third.
The
game switched to Omaha, 3-6k limits. On
the third deal, Alex Limjoco was all in
with 2-4-5-10. It seemed good for him
when two 10s and three 7s hit the board.
But this is Omaha, where you must play
two cards from your hand, so all Limjoco
had was trip 10s, while Hamamoto, with
just deuces, made a full house. On the
next hand, Hamamoto started with A-3-4-5
and made a wheel when the board came A-7-7-2-4.
He now had the chip lead.
On
hand 28, Davidson started with A-3-6-10
to Hamamoto’s 3-4-7-K. He raised all in
when a flop of A-5-6 gave him aces-up
and a draw to a 6-low. But then a trey
and a 10 came. Davidson was triple-counterfeited
with just two pair, while Hamamoto had
a 7-high straight along with his 6-low,
and Davidson was out in fifth place. Seven
hands later, retired doctor Tony Marcos
was dealt A-2-3-10 on the button. A flop
of K-10-7 didn’t do much for his low draw,
though it did give him a pair of 10s and
a flush draw. Rocky Enciso bet and Marcos
raised all in. An ace and queen came to
give the doctor two pair and hope, but
the diagnosis was not good when Enciso
made a straight, and Marcos finished fourth.
Enciso
had the lead as the game returned to stud,
with $500 antes, a 2k bring-in and 5-10k
limits. Five hands later, a sinking Hamamoto
caught the trip treys life preserver and
began rising up. By the time the tournament
reverted to Omaha, with 8-16k limits,
he led with 91k to 69 for Enciso and 13
for Kho. Kho kept hanging on, escaping
time and again. Finally, on hand 70, he
got very low again when Hamamoto, with
A-3-4-J, made trip jacks. On the final
hand, Kho went all in with 2-5-5-Q. The
board came 10-7-6-4-6. Enciso, with A-3-Q-K,
took low, Hamamoto, with A-9-9-4 took
high, Kho was gone and the two made their
deal.
BIOGRAPHY
Most players, asked their style of
play, will say they started off being
solid, then realized they had to be more
aggressive. Nobuo Hamamoto is the opposite.
He’s a naturally aggressive player who
has been trying to tone down his action,
though he says it’s hard for him to control.
“I’m either gone early or stay late,”
he laughed. Hamamoto, who is 60 and retired,
has been playing the game since his father
taught him poker and dice when he was
5 or 10-years old.
He
used to play $20-$40 stud hi-lo, now plays
only tournaments, ranging from the nooner
events up to $1,000 buy-ins. Among his
better cash-ins have been a third, a fifth
and a seventh at Legends events. Tonight
he said he was in decent shape until the
time he went all in, with the trip treys
scoop being the key hand for him.
Max Shapiro
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