COWBOY KENNA OUTGUNS THE GRINDER IN BIG HEADS-UP DUEL
Two of the big-name and most colorful stars of the tournament trail, 'Cowboy' Kenna James and Michael 'The Grinder' Mizrachi, engaged in a tough, 27-hand heads-up finale, with the cowboy finally lassoing the Remington cowboy trophy as he won event 23 of 2006 LAPC, $2,500 no-limit hold'em.
James came to the final table with a big lead and held it most of the way until Mizrachi beat him with A-J versus K-10 to double through and pull about even. After that, James slowly ground the Grinder down.
'I knew it would be a tough match,' James said later. 'I just hoped the cards would break even.' He said he took one shot with the K-10 to try to take out his opponent. When that didn't work, 'I just chipped away.'
James' biggest cash-out was the $588,218 he took home for finishing second in last year's Legends of Poker/WPT championship. Other big cashes include the Crown Australia Poker Championship and the $25,000 no-limit Monte Carlo Millions. Mizrachi won last year's LAPC/WPT championship event, worth $1,859,909. He also has wins in the $1,500 heads-up championship at the Mirage Poker Showdown and the Five-Diamond World Poker Classic limit hold'em event.
The final table made it after two players got knocked out at the same time. At one table, Barry 'Robin Hood' Greenstein moved in for 58,000 with Kh-5h. He ran into Reza Payvar's pocket kings and finished 10th. At the other, Roland Weedon was all in with As-4s against Mike Woo's Ad-Kd. Woo made two pair, and Weldon finished 11th. At the final table, James led with 377,500. Blinds started at 2,000-4,000 with 1,000 antes, 16:51 left.
Julien Studley, principal in a real estate firm, was by far the lowest chipped with 30,500, and he left on hand eight. He raised all in with A-10. James was in the big blind with lots of spare chips, so he called for the extra 15,500 with J-8. A jack flopped and eight were left.
Two hands later, with blinds now at 3,000-6,000, Jan Slavik moved in from the cut-off seat for 70,000 with pocket 9s and was in poor shape when Kelly Kim called with pocket 10s. A board of Q-7-6-4-Q changed nothing, and the man from Oslo, Norway, the 2001 European No-Limit champion, and winner of a 2001 LAPC event, ended up eighth.
A few hands later, James made a great play. Holding just A-3 offsuit, he called Payvar's 16,000 bet on a flop of Qd-5h-4h, and then another 30,000 when a 9d turned. Payvar gave it up when an 8h hit the river and both players checked.
Payvar, a loan agent who won a WSOP bracelet in limit hold'em last year, bowed out on hand 23 on a tough beat. On a flop of K-9-5, Mizrachi, holding 5-4, bet 60,000. Payvar, with A-K, had an easy call and put in his last 47,000. Another 5 turned, and Mizrachi's trips prevailed.
Then Woo, an investor, hadn't been getting cards and when he got two 6s, they looked big to him. He moved in. for 60,000 and lost to Tommy Sun's A-K when an ace turned.
The next level was 4,000-8000, with 1,000 antes. James at this point had consolidated his lead with about 510,000, followed by Mizrachi, 370,000; Kelly Kim, 265,000; Sun, 150,000; and Robert Durant, 50,000.
A hand later, Durant went broke when he pushed in from the small blind for his 50k with Ah-8h. James had pocket queens and flopped a set.
After surviving a couple of all-ins, Sun was eclipsed. He opened for 17,000, Mizrachi raised him all in, and his pocket deuces won over Sun's Ad-4d.
At this point, James still led with 649,000 to 425,000 for the Grinder, and 263,000 for Kim. A hand later, blinds went to 6,000-12,000. A few hands later, James hauled in a 175,000 pot. He had Ks-9s and Mizrachi had Js-6s. Both had flush draws when the board showed 9h-6d-3s-8s. No flush came, and James' paired 9 won.
On hand 78, James had another flush draw. This time, he had Ks-10s when the board came Jc-5s-4s. He bet 60,000 and Kim moved in for 203,000 with A-J. After long thought, James gambled, caught an 8s on the turn and busted Kim. Heads-up, he now had over a million chips to 321,000 for Mizrachi. Two hands later, after Mizrachi opened for 40,000, Kenna added a couple of trays of chips to put Mizrachi in. The Grinder's Ac-Jc beat James' K-10, and he was now about even. Two hands later, James was well ahead again when he re-raised a 200,000 pot and Mizrachi folded.
James had about a 9-4 lead when blinds went to 8,000-16,000 with 2,000 antes. Soon after, the Grinder moved in for 355,000 with A-5. James had him with As-Qs. The board came 4-4-4-3-10, and Cowboy Kenna rode home with $242,251 and a very appropriate Bronco Buster trophy.
-Max Shapiro |
