Diamond Jim Dealer Wins it!
Tracy Perry, a tournament dealer at Diamond Jim's Casino in Lancaster, took down the opening event of Winnin' o' the Green 2006, All Casino Industry Employees $200 no-limit hold'em. Perry played a patient, selective game in the early stages of the final table, then got increasingly aggressive as the field narrowed. After several chip-lead changes with runner up James Sin, he had the lead when a final deal was made.
With three players left, the finalists had agreed to take $3,240 each and play for the remaining 10 percent of the prize pool, plus the $2,500 added seat for the championship event. Then, after 30 heads-up hands, Sin agreed to take the seat, while Perry got the remaining $1,080 plus the trophy. Sin has been a dealer at the Commerce Casino for 12 years and plays $20-$40 limit hold'em side games.
It was only a little after 8 p.m. when the surviving 10 got to the final table with Rafael Hurtado, a dealer at the Bicycle Casino, the leader with 22,200 chips. Action started with 100 antes, 300-600 blinds and 23:37 remaining. Kevin Shannon, a dealer at Viejas, making his first final table ever, arrived short-chipped with 4,300 and was out in four hands. He was all in from the big blind with J-J. Hurtado was in the small blind with Q-J and made a straight when the board came 10-8-5-6-9. Five hands later, Eddie Luu, a dealer and tournament floorman at Commerce, was next out. He had started lowest-chipped with only 1,700. He also was in the big blind, with just Q-8, no match for Sin's pocket kings.
Soon after, blinds became 500 and 1,000 with 200 antes. On hand 19 there was three-way action. Greg Wallow, a host for the $10-$20 mixed games at Commerce, was all in with pocket 5s against Hurtado's pocket kings and Perry's A-Q. An ace flopped to give Perry the winner, and Wallow was out in eighth place. There were some all-in survivals, and seven were still left as the new level approached. Then, just before blinds became 800-1,600, Stephen Duvall, a table games floor supervisor at Tachi Palace hotel and casino in Lemoore, went broke. After Sin raised with 10-9, Duvall moved in from the small blind with Q-8. A flop of J-8-7 gave Sin the nut straight.
Six hands after that, Bicycle Casino dealer Wally Saikaly was under the gun with Ks-10s and moved in for 14,100. Sin, with pocket aces, called and just had him covered. The best the board could give Saikaly was another king, and he ended up in sixth place.
At this point, a rough count showed Hurtado still in the lead with about 18,000, followed by Sin, 30,000; Perry, 24,000; Paul Liu, 17,000; and Frank Augusta way behind with 1,700. Liu, so far, had lost only one hand he played, to Sin. Down to 1,500, Augusta, the card room manager for the Casino Club in Redding, began a series of all-in escapes. The first time, on hand 45, he had Q-J and beat Tracy's Q-7 by making a straight. Three hands later he was all in again with K-5. Hurtado had 10-5, and they split when a board of 8-6-4-J-7 gave both the same straight. A hand later he moved in again, for 2,900, this time with pocket deuces. He got calls from Sin and Hurtado. Remarkably, his deuces stood up, as Hurtado, with Jh-9h, flopped a flush draw but missed.
Augusta was still around when blinds went to 1,000-2,000 with 300 antes. After Sin opened for 4,000, Augusta moved in. This time he had only A-4 to Sin's A-9, and Perry had also called with Q-J. Defying all odds, Augusta survived a fifth time, this time getting another chop when the board came A-10-10-Q-8. ';You have nine lives,' Hurtado said in awe. Well, five lives anyway, because two hands later Augusta finally went out, and on a bad beat. Liu, a dealer at Hawaiian Gardens, tried an all-in move for 7,900 with 7h-6s, and Augusta went after him with Kd-9d. The board came 10h-5h-2d-Ah-Qh, to give Liu an unexpected flush. ';Did you burn?' Augusta asked the dealer jokingly.
With four players left, Hurtado remained in the lead with about 45,000. Sin had about 35,000; Perry, 17,000, and Liu, 15,000. Sin began to pick up chips with a number of large raises as Hurtado jokingly chastised him for not raising the standard three times the big blind. Sin then took a slight lead when Liu opened for 7,000, then folded when Sin moved in.
As blinds rose to 1,500-3,000 with 500 antes, the count was, Sin, 40,500; Hurtado, 38,000; Perry, 21,000; Liu, 12,500. One hand into the new level, Liu was eliminated. He pushed in with Ac-Qc and was button-called by Perry with pocket jacks. All rags came, and we were down to three.
The deal was made, and play continued. On hand 76, Hurtado moved in for 14,500. ';You've been stealing a lot of pots,' Sin remarked suspiciously, and decided to call. ';Great call,' said Hurtado, who was on a total steal with 4-3. Sin had As-9s, and the ace-high did the trick.
As heads-up play commenced, Perry picked off Sin by calling with Q-2 and winning when Sin tried a steal bet into a board of 10-6-7-2-A. Perry now had about 75,000 of the 111,625 chips in play. A few hands later, Sin took back the lead. He moved in with A-7. ';I'll gamble,' Perry said, calling with pocket deuces. A board of A-7-4-7-9 gave Sin a full house. As play went on, Perry began to chip away, and when the last hand was dealt, he had the lead with 62,000 chips. The two dealers made their final deal, and the employees' event was in the books.-Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
The Diamond Jim Casino in Lancaster has about 25 poker tables. Tracy Perry has been dealing there, mostly tournaments, for five months. Before that, he was doing tile work. He much prefers his new job, he said. The young dealer, who's been playing poker for about 3-1/2 years, has played seven no-limit tournaments at Diamond Jim, and made six final tables. He won once and chopped three times. This is his first tournament at another casino, and he now plans to play more events at Winnin' o' the Green.
He says he likes tournaments better than live games because the strategy is so much different. His style, he said, is to play tight but aggressive, and not try to get involved in early stages. It wasn't an easy win for him tonight. In early action he was down to 250 chips, then worked his way up by winning several nice-sized pots.
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