| Kings Full vs. Queens Full on Flop is
Key as Qi Liu Beats Scott Fischman
It was the 42nd hand of a heads-up match between Scott Fischman, who at age 23 won two World Series bracelets last year, and Qi Liu, a host at Hollywood Park Casino. Limits were now $4,000-$8,000 in this Omaha hi-lo contest. The chip lead had gone back and forth between them, and Fischman was in front at this point. The flop came K-Q-Q. Fischman, with K-Q-8-6, had queens full and figured he had the nuts. But Liu, with K-K-10-9, had kings full.
Trying to trap each other, both players checked to the river, when the fireworks began and the pot was six-bet. Finally, Liu quit raising, fearing Fischman might have quads. The hand cost Fischman 52,000 chips and the tournament, and nine hands later he was out.
Liu, who hosts a $40-$80 mixed game, had won three tournaments in 2000, but this was her first since then. After play ended late the first night, she went home, turned off the phone, and credited a good night's sleep for her strong performance. She said she had a great deal of respect for Fischman, and would muck questionable hands. She also acknowledged she was very lucky at the final table.
Fischman, incidentally, was garbed in some of the 'poker saying' apparel that has suddenly flooded the market. His cap read 'i a a' (for I'm all in), and his shirt, illustrated with a big and a small stack of chips, said, 'Size does matter.'
Final-table action started at level 11 with blinds of $500-$1,000 and limits of $1,000-$2,000, 34:39 remaining. Arizona pro Anthony Reategui started with only 2,000 in chips, which lasted him three hands. He went in under the gun with K-Q-J-10. Small cards came and taxi driver Eulises Sandoval beat him with pocket 4s.
Steph Stapornkul, a shift supervisor at Commerce, started with just 9k, but recovered with a couple of quick scoops. He was to have a wild up and down night, finally finishing third.
Meanwhile, Hieu 'Tony' Ma, coming in with only 4k, was giving a lesson in survival, going all in and surviving four times. Once he was down to a chip and a chair, but he lasted 28 hands before the chair was pulled out from under him. And he did this while simultaneously playing in today's no-limit hold'em event.
With limits at $1,500-$3,000, Ma finally went south. He was in the big blind, all in with Q-6-5-3. He missed a low when the board came 4-4-2-4-9 and Liu took his last three chips with ace-high. Mike 'The Hat' Longo, who had earlier thrown his winning high hand away when he mistakenly thought Fischman had turned up a wheel, later finished seventh. Holding 4-5-6-Q, he turned a 7-high straight, but Fischman, with a suited ace, had flopped a nut flush and had a better 7 for low.
Sandoval soon followed him out. He went all in with a promising low hand of A-2-3-6. A board of 9-8-8-J-Q did him no good, while Jeff Calkins, a New York investor/poker player, paired a jack.
Fischman came to the final table with a 48,000 chip lead, nearly twice as many as Liu had. But she had moved up with some big hands, including four aces. Then she picked up more chips when she bet a board of K-6-5-K-5. Fischman, certain she was bluffing, called with A-high, only to see she had a paired 6 (A-2-3-6).
With limits going to $2,000-$4,000, she led with 83k to 43.5 for Fischman, 40k for Mike 'Zip' Vitullo, 16.5k for Stapornkul; and 3.5k for Calkins, who went out soon after. His high starting hand went nowhere and he lost to Stapornkul's pocket 10s.
Mike Vitullo has an interesting background. A TV actor on 'Days of Our Lives' and 'The Young and the Restless,' he abandoned acting for medicine and is now an emergency room doctor. He has a couple of Legends of Poker wins, plus two victories in Aces and Eights, the world's oldest private poker tournament. Tonight he was down to 5k after missing a straight draw. He survived one all in before leaving on hand 86. All in from the small blind for 3k, he had Q-10-9-6. Stapornkul, making a comeback after being all in himself, had an equally bad hand, Q-J-6-6, but had to call from the big blind and paired his jack.
As play continued, Liu took more chips from Fischman. He had a straight and Liu, with four spades in her hand, made a runner-runner flush and now had about 98,000 of the 187,000 in play. Meanwhile, the Commerce supervisor continued his see-saw performance All in three times, he finally went out on hand 140 when Liu flopped a straight and he missed his low draw.
Heads-up, Liu had 122k to Fischman's 65k. A deal was discussed, but Fischman wouldn't go for a chip-count split. After five hands, he pulled into a lead, which changed several more times. Soon after limits went to $4,000-$8,000, the count was the same as when they started. He fought back and went in front. Then came the disastrous full house versus full house. Next, after he lost to her straight, Fischman was down to 40k. After she beat him with a river flush, he had 2k. Two hands later he was all in with K-J-10-2. Liu had 3-4-6-9, and he was drawing dead when a board of A-7-3-6 gave her two pair. Max Shapiro
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