Ex-Lawyer and Deli Maven Sandy
Mendelson Wins After Late Surge
With six players left, Sandy Mendelson was next-to-last in chips. Thirteen hands later, he was heads-up with close to a 2-1 lead against Roberto Natividad and a deal was made ending event number six of Grand Slam of Poker 2005, $500 no-limit hold'em.
The final hand was the key one for him. He moved in for 68,000 with Ks-7s and got two callers, one all in. He made a flush on the river to knock out Frank Earnest and take the lead for the first time. Earlier, the three finalists had made a save of $10,000 each and agreed to play for the remaining $16,925.
Mendelson retired as an attorney 15 years ago. For eight years he ran Nate 'n 's, the legendary Beverly Hills delicatessen famed for the numerous Hollywood entertainers who have eaten and hung out there over the years.. The deli, which recently observed its 60th birthday with a 60-cents-a-sandwich bash, was founded by Mendelson's father, Al, and is now run by his two sons.
Mendelson has had some prior cash-outs and wins at other casinos, including Commerce and Hollywood Park.
Final-table play started with 300 antes and 1,000-2,000 blinds. With 50,900 in chips, Marcello Cabrera had the lead...until the first hand. Roberto Natividad moved in for 28,600 with aces, and Rod Dani called for 27,500 with queens. Natividad took the pot and the lead and Dani, a student, was expelled.
The action continued at a much faster pace than at prior final tables. Nine hands later, Alan Gilbert, a software architect, put his short stack all in with Kh-4h and was called by Mendelson, who had the lead with Ac-9c. 'I'm all in,' Gilbert announced. 'I'm all out,' he added when he saw a flop of A-J-9. A fourth-street ace filled Mendelson, leaving Gilbert in ninth place.
Larry Vance had arrived with a mere $5,000, but by hand 14 he had gone all in four times, won each time and now had about 45,000.
On hand 16, with blinds at 1,500-3,000, a short-chipped Jonathan Lane tried a move with 10c-7c, got two callers and accidentally tripled up when he paired his 10. But the young pro from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was crippled three hands later when he called a 34,500 all-in bet by Frank Earnest. His A-8 couldn't catch Earnest's A-K.
On the next hand, he called from the small blind with his last 2,800. Natividad got heads-up with a 20,000 raise. Lane was a slight underdog with 7-3 against Earnest's two aces. A flop of A-9-5 didn't exactly help him, and he finished eighth.
By the next break, Earnest was now in first place with 72,500. Behind him were Natividad with 56,000; Mendelson, 49,000, Vance, 38,500, Hae Kyung Lee, 33,500; Cabrera, 32,500; and Daniel Quach, 17,000.
Blinds now went to 2,000-4,000 with 500 antes. Nine hands later, Earnest raised to 12,000. Lee tried to go all in, but his action was ruled a call, and he still had a $500 chip left.
'Bet blind with that chip,' Cabrera advised him. 'He might fold.'
Lee did put in his last chip with pocket 7s, but for some reason, Earnest did not fold. He had As-9s, and when the board came A-5-4-K-3, we were down to six players.
A deal was discussed, and a chip count showed that Earnest had increased his lead to 112,000, followed by Cabrera, 63,500; Natividad, 56,500; Vance, 30,500; Mendelson, 25,500; and Quach, 12,000.
No deal was made, play resumed and now the pace picked up. Five hands later, Vance was gone. He moved in under the gun for $28,500 with Qc-Jc. Natividad called with As-9s and the ace-high eliminated Vance, a resident of Oregon.
On hand 40, Mendelson began his march. After Cabrera opened for 10,000 with K-J, Mendelson moved in for 21,500. His As-8s took it when an 8 flopped, and Cabrera was down to 8,000. Two hands later, Earnest took out Quach. Earnest was a big underdog with K-J against Quach's K-Q until a jack turned to cut the field to four.
Blinds became 3,000-6,000 with 1,000 antes. A short-chipped Cabrera got to hang around a while when he was all in from the small blind with a puny 9-2 but turned a 9 to outrun Natividad's A-J and Earnest's J-8. However, he couldn't last much beyond that. On his last hand, he moved in for 9,500 with A-Q, losing to Mendelson's A-K.
With three players left, everybody agreed to lock up 10,000 each and play for the rest and the trophy. At this point, Earnest had 148,500 to 98,500 for Natividad and 53,000 for Mendelson.
On hand 48, a lot of chips changed hands and Earnest lost his lead. Natividad, with Ad-6d, bet 25,000 and Earnest moved in with Ah-Qh. The flop came 6-5-2-10-10, and suddenly Natividad's paired 6 dropped Earnest from first to last.
The end came five hands later.when Mendelson pitted his Ks-7s against Natividad's A-J and Earnest's A-J, then hit his third spade on the river to get the match heads-up.
After a brief discussion, the final deal was made and the lawyer/deli man had his trophy and enough to buy a few pastrami sandwiches.
—Max Shapiro
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