THE MOUSE ROARS, GETS ACES
TWICE AND WINS #12, NO-LIMIT
Mickey 'Mouse' Mills, the genial and colorful real estate entrepreneur and dedicated tournament player, won two major pots with pocket aces at the final table of tonight's $1,000 no-limit event. That gave him a sizeable chip lead which he held onto until the four finalists made a chip-count deal that gave him a victory in event 12 of Commerce Casino's 2006 LAPC.
At the end, Mills had 345,000 chips to 278,000 for Rod Dingler, a developer playing in his first tournament ever; 165,000 for Rosario Ortega, a musician; and 62,000 for Adam 'Drunkman' Maciel, a gambler. The respective payouts were $83,369; $71,021; $50,196; and $31,214. This is the biggest win to date for Mills, who had four money finishes and two final tables at the 2004 World Series. His three biggest prior cashes were all in the $70,000 range. He also has a fourth place in Commerce's million-dollar LAPC event three years ago. As usual, he had his lucky Mickey Mouse statuette charm with him.
Mills plays all games, but he much prefers Omaha hi-lo and pot-limit Omaha high. 'Omaha is so much more interesting,' he said. 'With four cards, the nuances and complexities are much greater.' This tournament was a two-day event, and Mills was sad that he couldn't play in the next day's $1,000 Omaha hi-lo contest.
Ortega, meanwhile, was making his second cash in this year's LAPC. Earlier, he came in second in the $500 no-limit hold'em shootout event.
Day one ended with 29 players still left, and it took about three more hours to get to the final table the next day. Dingler held the lead with 166,000 chips. Action started with 500 antes and 2,000-4,000 blinds, 51:20 remaining.
On the first hand, Brian McCann, a former host at the Bicycle Casino, lost 22,000 of his 52,000 chips when an all-in Ortega made a set of deuces on the river. Two hands later, Ortega took the rest of McCann's chips. He had A-Q against McCann's pocket queens. McCann stood up as he saw an ace come off the deck, then shook his head as two more aces flopped to give Ortega quads.
Five hands later, Luan 'Lon' Phan opened for 40,000 and Maciel called. On a flop of K-10-5, Phan bet 40,000 with pocket 7s. Maciel check-raised with A-8 to put Phan all in. When an 8 hit the river, Phan, an attorney, was out in ninth place, and 'Drunkman,' moving into a rough tie for the lead with about 165,000, raised his fist and shouted in triumph.
A tremendous pot developed on the next hand. First, Mills opened for 40,000 from the cut-off seat. Then Jean Roukoz raised all in for 65,000 from the button, Maciel pushed all in and Mills called for his last 68,000. The hands were turned up. Maciel had jacks, Roukoz kings, and the Mouse, aces. The flop came A-5-3, and then a trey turned to fill Mills, as a river jack gave Maciel a useless smaller filly. The Mouse now had the lead with over 200,000, as Roukoz, a poker player, cashed out eighth. 'Those aces make up for a lifetime of bad beats,' the Mouse squeaked.
Four hands later, the Mouse made up for a second lifetime of bad beats with his second pocket pair of aces. This time he opened for 30,000, and Dingler called. With the board showing 8-8-4-2, Mills bet 100,000 and again Dingler called. Mills checked when a third 8 hit the river, but his full house won and he now had over 300,000 of the 850,.000 chips in play.
Blinds went to 3,000-6,000, with 1,000 antes. Five hands into the level, Atlanta poker player Karga Holt, down to 7,000, moved in with A-8. Mills and Dingler called and checked the pot down until the river, when a second queen gave Mills trips. He bet just 10,000 on the end, but Dingler didn't take the mouse's bait. Now six players were left.
Not too much happened until hand 41. On that deal, Bert Darakorn, a native of Thailand, pushed in his last 16,000 and was called by Dingler and Mills. The board came 10d-8d-4d-9c. Then, as happened the prior time when Mills and Dingler went after a short-chipped all-in player, the river card gave Mills a monster. It was the Qd, giving him a nut flush to his Ad-Kc, and now five players were left.
Blinds immediately rose to 3,000-6,000 with 1,000 antes. Dingler, who was badly short-chipped when Mills beat him with his second pair of aces, had worked his way up, and now took in a big pot when he caught two 9s to his J-9.
Now the blinds went to 4,000-8,000. Mills lost chips to Maliel after he re-raised to 50,000 and Maliel moved in. 'I think he has a better hand,' the Mouse decided. He abandoned his 50k, but still held onto his lead.
The tournament got down to the final four after David Baker, a pro from Katy, Texas with a limit hold'em win at Commerce's Holiday Bonus tournament, was all in from the cut-off seat with Q-J. Dingler chased him down from the big blind with 7-3. When the board came 9-7-6-A-6, Baker cashed out fifth. The finalists, after brief discussion, made their tournament-ending deal, and the Mouse took home the most cheese. —Max Shapiro
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