|
Aces in Three-Way Pot is Key Hand
As Amir Vahedi is Shootout Winner
Aided by a run of good cards at the final table, top pro Amir Vahedi won the sixth event of LAPC XIV, limit hold'em shootout.
When the final table got underway, J.C. Tran, with 6,000 in chips, and Bashar 'Charlie' Satoot, with 5,900, were the leaders, while Vahedi was below average with 2,500.
That changed on the third hand. Amir had aces, Satoot had kings, Tran A-Q. The pot was re-raised pre-flop and Vahedi bet all the way into a board of Q-2-9-3-4. When the smoke cleared, he had a slight lead, and was at or near the top after that all the way. Pocket jacks would also prove lucky for him, and unlucky for two other players who both went out on that hand.
When the event got heads-up, Vahedi had 16,500 chips to 11,500 for Satoot, and a deal was cut. Vahedi is a genial, cigar-smoking player who talks up a storm at the tables and isn't afraid to gamble. He has a World Series bracelet for $1,500 no-limit hold'em, a World Poker Finals win in no-limit and a sixth place finish at the WSOP championship event. Afterwards, he said he was aggressive at earlier tables to get into the money, less so at the final table.
He also had special praise for Tran, whom he said was a player to keep on eye on, though he admitted surprise that Tran had played his A-Q to the river in that key hand.
Final-table action started with limits of $150-$300, 24:34 left at level 5. With only 28,000 chips in play, this didn't figure to be a long final table, and it lasted only a little more than two hours, by far the quickest so far in this tournament series.
After the third hand, Vahedi had about 6,500 chips. Lisa Rosenbloom, a casino host, was first out on hand 16. With a board of K-Q-9-5-K, she called all in when Satoot bet, then mucked when he showed K-J. Satoot now took a small lead, and he would remain close to Amir throughout the tournament.
Limits now became $200-$400. James Cromie, a real estate broker, had A-K and went in for his last $250. Had he been able to put in a full raise, it is unlikely that Wendy Huang, in the big blind with 5-3, would have called. As it turned out, she flopped two pair, and Cromie finished ninth.
'Syracuse' Chris Tsiprailidis hadn't seen much action until he finally committed his chips on hand 40 with A-K. He ran into Mohammad 'Chicago Mo' Hamid's pocket kings and bowed out eighth.
Phillip Penn Sr. depleted Tran's stacks with what appeared to be a last-card suck-out. After Penn raised pre-flop, Tran bet the flop of Qh-3h-2s, and the 2h turn-card., The river brought a Kh. Penn bet and showed an Ah for a flush, and Tran mucked.
Penn later went all in when Vahedi, with pocket 8s, bet a board of Q-6-6-6. Penn survived with A-Q for a higher full house.
Two jacks finished Paul Vinci. He was in the small blind with them in a capped pot against Penn, and threw in his last chips blind before the flop. Penn had K-Q, and a queen flopped to finish Vinci.
Two hands later, Tran was low-chipped one away from the blind. He decided to raise all in with Q-10 offsuit. Vahedi, in the big blind, called with Kd-8d. The board came 9-3-3-K-6, and Tran cashed out sixth.
Soon after, Vahedi got pocket jacks twice in four hands, winning each time. The second time it was a pot against Huang that was three-bet pre-flop and capped on a flop of 10c-8c-5d. A 9h and 7c came; Amir bet, Huang folded, and he showed his J-J for a straight.
In between those two hands, Hamid was all in for 9k with A-Q, surviving by flopping two pair to outrun Penn's pocket 8s.
Bashoot pulled off a key bluff a few hands later. He had pocket 6s and was re-raised pre-flop by Penn, who had the button. The flop was J-J-4 and Penn bet out, betting again when a 10 turned. Then a 10 hit the river. With two big pair on board, Satoot's 6s were useless, but he bet out. Penn folded and Charlie showed his bluff.
Hamid finished fifth. He was on the button with J-6 offsuit and decided to raise all in. Satoot called with K-8. He won with king-high and Chicago Mo was no mo'.
Penn went out on the 78th deal. He raised and went all in with K-6 and got two callers. The flop was A-K-10. Huang had A-5 and her aces held up.
Three handed, Vahedi led with roughly 13k to 11k for Satoot, while Huang had under 4k.
Two hands after limits went to $4,000-$8,000, Huang picked up pocket jacks. She raised, then bet the flop of 3-3-2 and the turn-card 6, going all in. Vahedi, with A-5, chased her down and spiked an ace on the river for aces-up. Apparently, some people know how to play pocket jacks and others don't, because Huang cashed out third with hers.
The two finalists now talked deal, and before long they reached agreement to split up the remaining money of $49,832 for first place and $25,402 for second. Max Shapiro
|
