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Satayesh Wins Long Omaha
It was a short field but a long night as Winnin' o' the Green's event nine, $300 Omaha hi-lo, lasted until nearly 5 a.m., with a three-hour final table. The heads-up finale between Massoud Satayesh and Jason Katsutani, both full-time players, lasted 30 lead-changing hands. Finally, Satayesh got a couple of breaks, pulled ahead and finished off his opponent by catching a scoop river card. On hand 86, an all-in Katsutani had A-4-6-9 to Satayesh's nearly identical A-5-6-J. 'Only a jack,' said Katsutani. On the turn, with the board showing 2-4-6-10, Katsutani had two pair and Satayesh a low. The dreaded jack came on the river, giving Satayesh a bigger two pair and victory. The final table began with 1k/2k limits, 21:21 remaining. On the first hand, Omaha guru and bracelet holder Steve Badger had A-5-6-7 under the gun. He raised all in and was re-raised by Steve Goodwin and then Katsutani, both with A-2-3. No low came, but a trey paired them. They chopped and Badger was ninth.
Four hands later, 'Super' Mario Esquerra cashed out eighth. Holding A-Q-J-8, he had a straight on a board of K-10-4-A. Goodwin had a nut low draw with 2-3-4-K. Instead, a river 4 filled him.
The next hand was sensational. Katsutani flopped quad deuces and an all-in George Marlowe was saved when he rivered a wheel. Marlowe, another full-time player, lasted to hand 11. Holding Q-10-6-3 in the small blind, he bet all in when a flop of 6-4-3 gave him two pair. Goodwin reluctantly called with Q-J-6-5 and made a bigger two pair when a 5 turned. A river king ended Marlowe's low hopes. Goodwin had arrived with the shortest stack and now he and Katsutani were about tied for the lead.
Limits went to 2k/4k. Don Larrimore, plagued by being dealt trips six times all night, had been playing conservatively. He finally found a hand, raised all in with A-A-3-10 and settled for a split with low when David Kim made a straight. Katsutani, who had been going downhill, finally scooped with aces-up to leave sales manager Gary Mandell with only 1.5k. Mandell later posted his last chips in the big blind and busted out when Larrimore, all in for the third time, made a nut low while Kim made a straight. Kim was next out. His A-2-6-J didn't connect, and Goodwin finished him with jacks-up. After limits went to 3k/6k, Larrimore, a journalist, ran out of ink. He had K-Q-9-2 in the big blind. Satayesh, with A-3-7-K, made a 7-high straight and now had a slight lead. Next, Katsutani began picking up pots and drove his way into a big lead. Then Setayesh pulled about even when his straight outran Katsutani's two pair.
The tournament got heads-up when Goodwin finished third. Holding A-2-5-9, he flopped two pair on 9-6-2. 'You're absolutely joking,' he said, when runner-runner kings gave Katsutani, with A-4-K-10, trip kings.
Katsutani now had about a 6-5 lead. Things kept changing. After limits went to 4k/8k, Setayesh took over when he rivered a straight to beat Katsutani's set of 8s. Down to 4k during hand 67, Katsutani bounced back when he won with trip deuces to lead big again. Then Setayesh took over again with another straight. The final hand was capped, Katsutani went all in, and the fatal jack killed him. - Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Massoud Satayesh is retired as a manufacturer of women's apparel. He's been playing poker for 16 years and five full time. During that period he's had numerous cash-outs at local tournaments, by far his biggest coming when he picked up $93,000 for winning a $500 no-limit hold'em event at Commerce's L.A. Poker Classic last year. He also had two wins in 2004 at the Bike's Mini Series of Poker, in $150 pot-limit hold'em and $75 ace-to-five lowball. However, things have been slow for Satayesh since then, and this win is welcome to him.
Satayesh specializes in tournaments and plays all games. He says he has no special strategy, just plays each game as best he can. Tonight he was in pretty good shape throughout. While he got lucky at times at the final table, he pointed out that luck works both ways, since he lost after flopping a nut hand one time.
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