CRYSTAL OSGOOD WINS LADIES EVENT AS CLOSING TIME NEARS
Crystal Osgood, a San Diego resident and former poker dealer who sells television
programs, pulled ahead in the last stages to win the ladies no-limit hold'em
tournament, the 10th event in 2006 LAPC.
Osgood, who dealt while she was a college student, plays mostly cash games,
has been playing poker for 10 years, and has had a couple of no-limit tournament
wins in the past several years.
However, the most prize money taken home tonight belonged to Mio Shibata, who
came in second. Shibata, who works in the media department at Warner Brothers
records, was playing in her very first tournament. She had a substantial chip
lead when a four-way deal was made for everything but a little money and the
trophy.
As the time dragged on after the deal was made, the women all expressed a desire
to end things and go home. But then, when the trophy was brought to the table
and the two finalists got their first look at the massive Remington "Bronco
Buster" art piece, they didn't care so much about going home anymore. However,
after being advised that the tournament staff was not prepared to continue the
next day so that two players could play a few hands for essentially just a trophy,
the ladies somehow managed to wrap things up just before the 3:30 a.m. curfew
time.
The final table in this event got underway just after midnight, playing for
600-1,200 blinds, 200 antes and 20:18 remaining. Sherry Godfrey, with 59,000,
and Victoria Davidson, with 52,500, were the chip leaders.
Theresa Lavin trailed with 6,800 chips, and the chips lasted her only nine hands.
She limped under the gun with pocket treys, then called when Osgood moved in
from the big blind with pocket 7s. Neither player helped, and Lavin, a bank
manager, was first out.
The stakes increased, and so did the action. On the second hand after blinds
went to 800-1,600 with 200 antes, Reka Hallgato was all in from the small blind.
Davidson raised to 4,500, Shibata made it 20,000 to go, Davidson moved in, and
Shibata called for 40,000. Hallgato had A-4, Davidson had Jh-8h, and Shibata
had pocket 7s. When a board of 4-2-2-3-2 gave Shibata a full house, she suddenly
became the new chip leader, while Hallgato ended up in ninth place, and Davidson
was down to 1,100 chips.
Davidson managed to double through on the next hand, but that was as far as
she got. On the following deal, she moved in from the small blind with J-2.
Shibata called from the big blind with A-8, caught an ace on the turn, and Davidson,
a human resources supervisor with UPS Parcel, ended eighth.
In later action, Shibata increased her lead to 107,000 after picking off a bluff
by Godfrey, a stockbroker with a couple of WSOP Circuit cashes. Holding 9-8
and missing her open-ender draw when the board showed Q-7-4-10-3, she bet the
river and Shibata won with ace-high.
Shibata then picked up some more chips by knocking out Grace Wang, a teacher
with three cashes in three ladies events. Right after blinds went to 1,000-2,000
with 200 antes, Wang moved in with A-K. Shibata called with K-9 and outdrew
Wang by flopping two pair.
As play continued, Linda Balint either grew very aggressive or got dealt very
good cards, because she moved in four times in 14 hands. The first three, nobody
saw her. The final time, on hand 48, Shibata called with K-10. Once again she
was way behind, because Balint had A-K, and once again Shiibata got very lucky
when a 10 flopped to give her the pot and leave Balint in sixth place.
Kathy Kolberg was by far the most recognizable face at the table. A tournament
veteran for years, Kolberg boasts 22 World Series cashes. Tonight she finished
fifth. After Osgood opened for 8,000, Kolberg moved in from the button for about
30,000 with As-3s. Osgood called with pocket jacks, which held up.
Blinds rose to 1,500-3,000 with 500 antes. Seven hands later, the ladies asked
for a chip count. Shibata led with 121,000, followed by Osgood, 83,000; Maria
Anguelova, 18,500; and Godfrey, 17,500, and the deal was made. It was now close
to 2:30 a.m. "I want to go home," Anguelova said, moving in . Not
yet. Her 10-9 beat Osgood's K-J. But then Godfrey got her ticket home when Shibata,
with Q-J, turned a jack to outrun Osgood's A-7. Anguelova then tried three rapid
all-in bets, but wasn't called. Finally, after blinds went to 2,000-4,000 with
500 antes, she got permission to leave when her A-2 lost to Shibata, who once
again had the lesser hand with Q-J, and once again won, this time when a jack
flopped.
The two finalists would play another 13 hands, with Osgood gradually pulling
even. "Like watching grass grow," she commented. The grass stopped
growing on hand 96 when Shibata, with K-2, moved on when the board showed A-5-4-A-4.
Osgood was waiting with A-9, and they played, "Goodnight, ladies, goodnight."
-Max Shapiro
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