Al ‘Sugar Bear' Barbieri Claws Table
As He Scores First Commerce Victory
The second Cal State event, $300 limit hold'em, was strictly a no-contest. Al 'Sugar Bear' Barbieri, starting with average chips, grabbed the lead in 19 hands, raised and picked up the blinds with A-x 30 times, by his estimate, after the table got short-handed, got dealt pocket aces seven times, had well over half the chips in play with five players left, and finally agreed to a deal when he had a huge lead heads-up.
This is the first Commerce win for Barbieri, a pro recently returning to action after a three-year hiatus. His biggest cash-out was $42,165 for third in a WSOP razz event. Barbieri also made the record books when, at age 44, he became the oldest minor league player (Atlantic League) to get a base hit. Adding to his celebration, tomorrow is his 47th birthday.
By an odd coincidence, final tables yesterday and today started with a full 40 minutes after the day one clock ran out both times. Limits began at $1,000-$2,000. There was a near tie for the chip lead, with Clemente Palacci, Brent Nemeth and Charlie Art all around 29,000.
For most of the first level, the big story was Barbieri's surge as he played aggressively and caught good cards. On hand 20, he raised with pocket 5s. Chan Vu, who started lowest-chipped with only 6,500, went all in for 2,500 with A-Q, didn't help and busted out 10th.
Barbieri kept rolling. A few hands later he picked up a decent pot with pocket treys and now had 50k. Then he check-raised Art on the river, forcing him to fold and reached 60k. A couple of hands later he looked at pocket aces and now had 70k.
Just as limits went up, Art went out. Not able to do anything after starting as co-leader, he was now down to one chip, which he put in with pocket 4s. Mike 'The Hat' Longo had A-10 and flopped a 10 to leave eight players.
Blinds went to $500-$1,500 with $1,500-$3,000 limits. Soon after, on hand 34, Rico Rivera had A-9 and went all in on a flop of A-4-5. Barbieri and Jose Castillo went after him. Castillo had A-Q, and when a queen turned, Rivera, drawing dead, cashed out eighth.
Nemeth, another starting leader, had been complaining that he kept getting J-4 offsuit. Down to $3,000, he finally got a decent hand, A-K-- and it finished him. He turned a king, but lost to Restie Bagaygay's pocket aces and cashed out ninth. Bagaygay then caught aces again on the next hand, moving into second place with about 50,000 chips.
A hand later, Hung Du took a crippling bad beat. Holding Kh-2h, he tripped on a flop of A-2-2. Then a jack turned and Longo, filling with pocket jacks, moved all in and left Du with just $3,000. On the next hand, Du was in the big blind and committed the rest of his chips with A-J. Barbieri called with K-Q in three-way action, rivered a queen and now five were left. .
As the level was winding down, Barbieri raised with K-J, got two callers, flopped a king, ended up with a straight, and now had $110,000. On the next hand, though, he suffered one of his rare losses when he flopped an 8 to his A-8 but lost to Clemente Palacci's pocket queens.
Blinds now were $1,000-$2,000 with $2,000-$4,000 limits. As play continued, Barbieri got pocket aces for the fifth time, both red, but this time had to fold them when a fourth club turned. He got them yet again on hand 81, and this time they won.
At the break, Barbieri had most of the chips with 119,500. Jose Castillo had 37,500k; Palacci, 22k; Bagaygay, 16k; and Longo, 6.5k.
We were now playing with $1,500-$3,000 blinds and $3,000-$6,000 limits. On hand 88, Bagaygay tried a move that cost him his seat. On a flop of As-4s-4c, he bet with Kd-10d. Castillo raised with A-Q. Pot-committed, Bagaygay called for his last 2,500 and finished fifth.
Hold it! Sugar Bear just got aces again, winning with them for the fifth time out of seven. As play went on, Palacci eventually had four all-in escapes, twice by making a straight on the river, once by making a better full house. That time the board showed 9-9-4-9. Barbiari had an A-4 filly and Palacci with A-10, filled with a river 10.
Meanwhile, Longo wasn't so fortunate. He went out with pocket 7s when Barbieri, with pocket 10s, turned a set.
Blinds became $2,000-$4,000 with $4,000-$8,000 limits. On hand 124, Palacci's luck ran out. Holding 9h-8h, he had an open-ender with a board of 6-4-2-7. But a jack came on the river, pairing Castillo, who held J-5, and the tournament was now heads-up.
Castillo, a huge underdog, proposed a deal, Barbieri gave up some cash, and how sweet it was for Sugar Bear. —Max Shapiro
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