YOUNG PHAN BLUFFS AT BAD TIME AND KASABYAN WINS #8
An audacious bluff that misfired cost Young Phan a win in event #8 of 2006
LAPC, $500 no-limit hold'em. He was chip-leader with three-players left when
the board came Qd-9c-8c, and he tried an all-in steal with just 5s-3s. Gevork
Kasabyan called with Ac-5c, made a flush, left Phan with just 10,000, and went
on to win and move into the points lead. But while Kasabyan got the win and
trophy, Phan got the most cash because he had the most chips when a four-way
deal chopped almost all the money.
Kasabyan, who came in eighth in no-limit event #6, is originally from Armenia.
A pro for 15 years. He is a very aggressive player whose strength is in reading
players. He plays high-limit hold'em cash games and this is his biggest tournament
win to date.
Day one ended with 14 players left. The next day's final table started with
blinds of 4,000-8,000, 1,000 antes, 35 minutes left. Poker player David Nguyen
led with 350,000 chips. The table would last for about five hours, nearly 100
hands, and would provide plenty of excitement with frequent draw-outs and dramatic
chip changes.
There was immediate action. On hand one, Tom Honkawa, an executive and recreational
player, was under the gun and fired away, moving in for 68,000 with Ah-Jh. Marc
Lebowitz, who is in real estate, had an easy call with K-K. The board made no
change, and we had an immediate vacancy.
Three hands later, there was another all in. Russell Malixi, another pro,
pushed in for 49,000 with A-J. Tom Cardona, a general contractor, called with
A-Q. Hieu "Tony" Ma, deciding to play it safe, folded and showed two
10s. Good laydown. Malixi was drawing dead when the board showed 6-5-2-Q, and
he finished ninth.
Two hands later, the ever-dangerous Ma moved in from the button for 65,000
with A-8. He was in bad shape when Joe "Bundy" Phanyasseng, called
from the big blind with pocket queens.. The board came 10-7-6-6-K, and in just
seven hands, we had lost three players.
The amiable Phan is still having nightmares over a hand at a Hustler event
when his full house was beaten by quads. Tonight, after his chips dwindled from
145,000 to 52,000, he tried an all-in move with just Ad-3d. Lebowitz called
with A-5. Phan got a great flop of 10-10-5. A turn-card 5 alarmed him, but the
nightmare didn't return, when this time his filly didn't get beaten by quads..
The players went on break, returning to blinds of 5,000-10,000 with 2,000
antes. Nguyen still was the leader, with close to the 350,000 he started with.
A level went by with no casualties. We were now playing for 8,000-16,000 with
2,000 antes. Nguyen still led with almost 400,000, while Cardona was next with
330,000. On the first hand, a short-chipped Lebowitz moved in from the big blind
with 8-3. He was dominated by Kasabyan with Kc-8c, and deleted after a flop
of A-K-8.
On the next hand. Phan moved in for 41,000 with A-3. Mark Boonnark called
all in for 39,000. He had much the best hand with A-10, but once again Phan
sucked out with a flop of A-6-3, and five were left.
As action continued, Joe Phanyasseng joined the 300,000+ club when he hit
a king to his K-Q to double through against Cardona. Cardona immediately took
two more hits, first losing 128,000 to Phan, Q-10 to A-Q, then about 80,000
more to Kasabyan, whose A-9 beat his A-Q when a 9 flopped. Down to 64,000, he
moved in and finally won when his A-J outdrew Phan's pocket 8s.
Limits were now 10,000-20,000 with 3,000 antes. A few hands into the new level,
the biggest and most dramatic pot of the night so far came down. Phan moved
in for 193,000 and Nguyen called from the button. Phan turned up As-Js to pocket
queens for for Nguyen. The flop came 6h-5s-4c. Then, as the crowd of spectators
went wild, runner-runner spades gave Phan a winning flush and the chip lead
with more than 400,000.
On the next hand, the table got down to four. Nguyen moved in from the cut-off
seat for 190,000 with A-K. Cardona, in the big blind, called for about 170,000.with
A-J. Rags came, and Cardona cashed out.
The count now was: Phan, 64,064; Nguyen, 59,061; Kasabyan, 47,600; and Phanyasseng,
46,663. The players made a chip-count deal, playing for 10,000 and the trophy..
On the next hand, Phanyasseng was all in with A-K to Phan's pocket 4s. Phan
made a set on the flop and quads on the river. Now three were left.
After winning a couple more pots, Phan had more than half the 1.3 million
chips in play. Blinds went to 15,000-30,000 with 5,000 antes. Nguyen was down
to 100,000 when his Kd-8d lost to Kasabyan's Ad-10d, but he later made a recovery.
Some 30 hands after it got down to three, Phan made his ill-timed bluff attempt,
and Kasabyan took a huge lead.
A few hands later it was over. Nguyen moved in for 160,000 with J-8. Kasabyan
called with A-2, and Phan called with his few chips with 10-7. The board came
K-4-4-6-K, and Kasabyan's ace-high knocked out his final two opponents
-Max Shapiro
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