21-Year-Old Poker Player Mark Simon
Wins No-Limit After 41-Hand Battle
Mark Simon would seem to have a promising poker career ahead of him. Simon, who lives in Fargo, North Dakota, just turned 21 in April, is already a full-time player and now has three final tables in five live tournament attempts, including one at Canterbury.
Tonight, he engaged in a 41-hand heads-up battle with veteran player Steve Margulies, who was playing the game nine years before Simon was born.
Day one of this event ended at the 3 a.m. cut-off time with 11 players left. They returned to continue action at two tables at 7 p.m. the next evening. Holding 89,900 chips, Margulies had a very big lead.
Five minutes into play, Larry Vance earned the hatred of everyone at his table when, with Christopher Le all in, he raised with 10d-4d to get heads-up with Le, who had K-9. ('I recently had a lobotomy,' Vance offered by way of explanation.) But everything worked out okay, because Vance caught a 4 to get everyone to the final table.
Play started with 200 antes, 500-1,000 blinds and 31 minutes left. On hand six, in early action, Jorge Walker, a heavy-equipment operator with a third in a $1,500 LAPC event, had lost chips when Kenna James re-raised him on a flop of A-K-6 and he folded. On hand six, Walker moved in his last chips with pocket 9s. 'Oh, oh,' he said as Alex Prendes called and turned up two 10s. The board came Q-J-4-5-J and Walker departed in 10th place.
Players now dropped out at a rapid-fire pace. On the next hand, Eric Shimp, a plasterer, made it 10,00 to go. He had a few chips left ('Keeping something in reserve?' Vance asked), but Margulies raised to add those last chips to the pot. Shimp had the lead, A-J vs. K-Q, until a queen flopped to cut the field to eight.
Five hands after that, Simon opened for 10,000 Kenna James called. On a flop of J-7-6, Simon bet 14,000 and James called all in for 8,000. James had pocket 8s, Simon had A-Q. An ace turned, and Simon's paired ace left James in eighth place. James, who finished second at the Legends/WPT championship event last month, left such an impression with both his play and his personality in that tournament that he began being touted as poker's next superstar
It took one more hand to lose yet another player. Mihran Freeland, an investor with 20 years of poker experience, moved in with K-Q. Simon called with A-3, flopped an ace, and four players were gone in just 13 hands.
Blinds moved up to 600-1,200 with 200 antes. Low-chipped, Alex Prendes doubled through to 40,000 when he moved in and his pocket 8s held up against Simon's A-9.
On hand 24, after, Prendes raised 5,000, Andre de Montesquiou moved in for 24,300. He had A-J and Prendes had pocket queens. The board came K-8-6-4-J, and de Montesquiou was out in sixth place.
Vance finished fifth when he moved in for 7,300 with A-8. Simon called him with K-10, flopped two pair, and Vance, virtually dead, couldn't catch any miracle cards and cashed out in fifth place.
On hand 34, Simon drove Prendes up the wall. Holding Q-J, Prendes bet 10,000 on a flop of Qh-9d-8d. Simon moved in for 27,300 and Prendes called. Simon turned up Ad-4d. 'You moved all in on a flush draw? I can't believe it!' an incredulous Prendes exclaimed. Prendes couldn't believe it either when a 2d on the river made Simon's flush and he muttered a few non-penalty curses.
A few hands later, Prendes felt a little better when he moved in with K-J, got called by Simon and then, goading Margulies ('Triple me up, he urged'), got a call from him too and did indeed triple up when a board of 10-9-3-8-Q gave him a straight.
When blinds went to 800-1,600 with 200 antes, Margulies still had the lead with about 102,000.
Two hands into the new level, Prendes moved in for 18,700 with pocket 10s. His nemesis, Simon, called, again with two suited cards, Ac-7c. This time, Simon snagged an ace on the turn and Prendes was our fourth-place finisher.
A chip count deal was discussed. Margulies, with 97,800, would get $34,663. Simon, with 79,000, would collect $30,989. And Daneshgar, with 62,400, would be paid $27,397. No deal and play went on.
On the next hand, Simon flopped quad queens. He slow-played them until the river, when Daneshgar bet 10,000 with a heart flush, and Simon got a call from him when he raised 30,000.
Simon took the lead on hand 65 after Margulies bet 7,500 on a flop of 9-4-3, then folded when Simon made it 20,000 to go.
Daneshgar finished third on the 68th deal. He moved in for 23,000 with A-8. Margulies, calling with K-J, flopped a cowboy and turned another one.
The two finalists were virtually dead even, with Margulies a couple of chips ahead. They agreed to an even money chop, playing for $5,000 and the trophy.
The marathon began. The turning point came on hand 78. With a pot already over 80,000, Margulies bet 40,000 into a board that showed three diamonds. Simon check-raised all in, Margulies folded with about 50,000 left, and Simon showed a flush.
The end came on hand 109. Margulies opened for 30,000 with pocket 10s, Simon moved in with pocket aces, Margulies put in his last 65,000 and lost when the board came K-Q-6-3-9. Simon was apologetic about winning so easily with aces, but he accepted it. —Max Shapiro
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