Frank Mariani Flies to Win
Prepping himself as usual for a tournament with alcohol boosters, Lakers co-owner
Frank Mariani was flying high tonight. Talking a blue streak ("There's
a lot of bad players here," he kept repeating) and playing loosely and
heedlessly, sometimes blind the first few cards, he flew away with a win in
the seventh event of Legends of Poker 2005, 7-card stud hi-lo. Declining any
deal, he engaged in a 29-hand heads-up marathon before finally busting Brian
Decatur with A-K-Q-10-7 against A-K-J-10-9. He got great hands when needed (quad
7s at one point), and may also have been inspired by his own picture on the
Mariani-Buss chips the Bike uses for tournaments. In any event, he provided
a great show for spectators.
It took forever to get to the final table. Hand-for-hand started at 10:40 p.m.
and the ninth player didn't bust out until 12:30 a.m. when "Lucky Larry"
missed draws to a flush and low and lost to Mariani's two 8s.
The final table started with 10 seconds left before limits went to $2,000-$4,000
with $300 antes and a $500 low-card bring-in. Three players were virtually tied
for the chip lead: Daniel Barnett with $27,400; Hoang Ta with $27,100; and John
Hoang with $27,000. There were two all-ins on the first hand, but Kwan Young
survived with aces-up and Long Tran with a low.
Mariani, giving the most action, wasn't short on cards. On the third hand, in
three-way action, he scoped with a flush. On the next hand, Tran showed K-K-6-6.
Mariani's board was A-6-10-7. He turned up 4-5-8 for a straight and Tran finished
eighth. "Is that you or the beer playing?" Ta asked. .
Two hands later, Daniel Barnett, an investment manager, put in his last $500
chip. Ta and Hoang checked the pot down until the river when Ta bet. He made
an 8-high straight and Barnett, who did not show, finished seventh.
Continuing to play the most pots, Mariani was all in on hand 19 when his opponent
made a flush. "What happened?" he asked. He was told he had a low
and chopped.
Five hands later, with $3,000-$6,000 limits, play ended for Andy Sacino, who
once owned the old Gardena Club. He had pocket 9s, and on fifth street went
all in with a set. Decatur, freerolling with (4-5)2-3-7, caught an ace for a
wheel.
Mariani, frequently having to ask how much the bet was, continued to have a
charmed poker life when he scooped Decatur with 8-8 against 7-7. On hand 28,
Ta finished fifth. He was all in with split 4s, missed a low draw and was chopped
by Decatur with kings-up and Mariani with a low. John Hoang was next out after
limits went to $4,000-$8,000. He started with (8-7-)6 against Marian's (A-6)2.
The best he could make was two 8s against Mariani's set of deuces.
On hand 39, Decatur took a big lead when he was all in and showed 8s full to
Young's 6s full. Young was now down to $15,000 against about $82,000 for Decatur
and $31,000 for Mariani. He busted out on hand 46 when he started with (10-9)
K, couldn't make anything, losing to Mariani's two pair.
Heads-up, Mariani took a huge lead, about 92k-35k, when he made quad 7s. The
count reversed on hand 60 with $6,000-$12,000 limits when Decatur beat Mariani's
set of 9s with an 8-high straight. Back and forth they battled, with Mariani
taking the lead again with a two-pair scoop. Finally, on hand 75, Mariani just
edged his opponent in the final pot to win it all. -Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
When tonight's tournament ended, Frank Mariani was in no condition to give
an interview, even falling when he stood up. He also postponed collecting his
winnings. Asked for his driver's license, he replied, "I'm not driving."
Still, his story is well known. Known for his down to earth demeanor and lack
of ego, Mariani, along with his long-time partner, Lakers owner Jerry Buss,
is passionate about poker and is a familiar face at local tournaments.
In 2003 the two launched the Mariani-Buss Charity Open tournament, which is
now a fixture at Legends. He was also the subject of a roast here. This (at
least according to the Hendon Mob Database) is his first tournament win, the
closest being a second in the Mini Series. He also has cashes in various other
local tournaments as well as one World Series event. |
