Smith Wins--After 19 Hours!
This was the longest tournament in Bicycle Casino history. The final table started at 4:40 a.m. and ended at 11:30, over four hours longer than any prior event. It seemed at first as if highway builder John Smith would win in a walk. He arrived at the final table way in front with 105,700 chips and later knocked out six straight players to get heads up with pro player Phillip Luong holding a 5-1 lead. At one point he led 17-1. But in the end, it took a grueling 99-hand heads-up battle with numerous chip-lead changes before Smith could claim victory in Legends event 25, $1,000 no-limit holdem.
Final table blinds started at $1,000-$2,000 with $300 antes, 45:14 remaining. Farzin Akhtar had been short-chipped and all in repeatedly since 10 p.m. He sucked out once more before Luong finally ran him down on hand 11 with pocket aces.
Yarom Limor, finding nothing to play and blinded down to $5,000, moved in with A-7, the best he had seen. Sirous Baghchehsaraie, in the big blind, called with A-J, and Limor finished ninth.
At the break, with blinds now at $1,500-$3,000, Smith now led with $164,000.
Paul Lee started in strong second position with 82,400, but went downhill after that. In particular, he was Smith's whipping boy, losing repeatedly to him. By hand 43 he was in the big blind with only $4,500 left. On that hand, Smith opened for $6,000, Nick Chairman Mao moved in for about $45,000, Lee tossed in his last chips, and then Smith moved in too. Mao had A-K, Smith had pocket queens and Lee just 7-6. When the board came 10-4-2-10-2, Lee finished eighth, Mao was seventh, and Smith now had about 250k.
Two hands later, Sirous moved in for about $25,000 with A-K. Smith called, way behind with A-8. No problem. An 8 flopped, and suddenly we were down to five players. A few hands later, Smith made it four in a row. Brian Lee was all in for $2,500 from the big blind with Qs-Js and Smith knocked him out with K-2.
Smith now had $324,500 to $84,000 for Mel Starkman; $56,000 for Luong; and $33,500 for Jimmy Tran. A deal was discussed and rejected. In one of his very few reversals so far, Smith handed over $60,000 after Luong moved in with pocket 10s and Smith missed a flush. But a few deals later, on hand 63, he recouped it all when Starkman moved in for about 60k with K-Q. Smith called with A-Q and knocked out his fifth straight player after the board came J-10-2-J-J.
Smith now had about 430,000 of the 498,000 chips in play. After blinds went to $3,000-$6,000 with $1,000 antes, Tran, who had earlier been saved by a couple of great laydowns, finally went out when he moved in with Q-J on a flop of 10-8-8 and Smith nailed his sixth straight victim with pocket jacks.
Heads-up, he led Luong 314k to 84k. But Luong gradually moved up until hand 103 when his pocket 7s held up against K-Q and he took a lead of about 280k-220k. It looked as if Luong might get the win until he lost a $454,000 pot, with 9-9 versus 10-10 and was suddenly back down to 28k. Back and forth the lead went with Luong in charge again at the $6,000-$12,000 level when he missed a straight but made a flush. After many more twists and turns, the final turnaround came when Smith, with A-K to Kc-10c, left Luong with 58k. Four deals later, on hand 185, the marathon finally ended when Luong was all in with 9-6 and lost to Smith's 10-7 when a 7 flopped. Max Shapiro.
BIOGRAPHY
John Smith is in the highway construction business, but finds time to play a fair amount of tournaments. His biggest win came when he took first place and an official $127,410 in a $1,000 L.A. Poker Classic event this year. He chopped that one, and refused to do a deal this time because he wanted a pure win. He also wanted to redeem himself because he was still annoyed at letting Tuan Le bluff him in a big pot at a Five-Star Classic event. He also has a fourth in a Winnin' the Green event this year.
He felt that the key to his victory tonight was his inconsistency, trying to not do the same things twice and keeping everyone guessing and being aggressive when he needed to be. He paid tribute to Phillip Luong. He did a superb job. For a time I felt he was going to win it.
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