Hufnagle Beats Badger in O/8
In the toughest final match-up to date in Winnin' o' the Green 2006, two bracelet holders and Omaha/8 experts went at it for 23 hands. Tommy Hufnagle, whose bracelet is in stud hi-lo, started with a lead of about 162,000 to 44,000 for Steve Badger, who has an Omaha bracelet. After eight hands, Badger took the lead. Then Hufnagle caught up and passed him after making diamond flushes two straight hands and went on to victory in event number 11, $500 Omaha hi-lo.
This tournament was plagued by a power outage, causing it to be moved from the tournament room to the main floor, then to the top section. Several times the lights went out and hands had to be played with flashlights and cigarette lighters. 'I'll bet in the dark,' was heard frequently. The outage reportedly was caused by lightning striking a power transformer, possible evidence that God does not approve of Omaha.
Opening blinds were 1,000-1,500 with 19:24 left. Hufnagle, making his third final table, held the chip lead with 58,500, while Badger was making his fifth straight year for cashes in WOG Omaha events.
Henry Ferguson, who started with only 6,000, became more depleted after losing to Valentino Morella's kings-up. On the next hand, he went all in on a pot that was three-bet after a flop of Ah-8h-2s. That gave Sean McCutcheon the nut low, and a Qh turned to give Morella a number two flush. With A-5-J-Q, the best Ferguson could make was aces-up, and he finished ninth.
Blinds became 1,000-2,000 with 2,000-4,000 limits. Hand 12 brought a flop of Ad-Jd-4d. Mike Krescanko, a poker player from Phoenix, held A-2-3-5, giving him a wraparound wheel draw, and he bet all in. Morella, with A-2-5-9, raised. Badger, meanwhile, held As-Kd-Qc-10d, and had flopped the nut flush. Slowplaying, he just called, then check-raised when a Qs turned, and Morella went all in. A king came on the river to ruin both Krescanko and Morella's low draws. Badger scooped as Morella finished seventh and Krescanko eighth. Neil Santiago, a student, later busted out in sixth place when he missed his flush draw and lost to Badger's flopped top set.
At the break, Hufnagle still led with 105,500 to 50,500 for Badger and 28,500 for Bates, while Henry Araneta, James Bates and Sean McCutcheon all were very low chipped.
Blinds now were 1,500-3,000, with 3,000-6,000 limits. On hand 29, Bates, holding A-4-6-K, raised all in after Hufnagle, holding Qh-6-5-4h, bet into a flop of Kh-7h-7. A king turned to give Bates trips, but then an 8h on the river gave Hufnagle his flush, leaving Bates, a real estate broker, in fifth place.
On the next hand, McCutcheon was in the big blind and added his last 500-chip with a miserable 4-7-8-Q. Hufnagle had A-2-K-6, and when the board came A-5-5-10-7, he scooped with aces and a better low, as McCutcheon bowed out fourth. Hufnagle's lead was now huge. Badger closed the gap a little when he scopped Hufnagle with a nut low and only king-high.
We got heads-up on hand 38. Hufnagle had Q-Q-2-7 and Araneta had A-3-10-K. A board of A-Q-6-7-4 gave Hufnagle a set of queens, and in the low department, he edged Araneta with A-2-4-6-7 to A-3-4-6-7.
The two finalists played aggressive, fearless poker, but it was Badger who began moving up. On hand 46, with a board of 9c-6h-5c-Kc-2s, Hufnagle raised and Badger re-raised. 'You got me,' Hufnagle said, mucking his hand, when Badger turned over A-3c-Qc-Q for a nut low and flush. Badger now led, about 121,000-85,000, but that was his high point. On the next hand, Hufnagle pulled even when he had Qd-7h-3h-3d and made a diamond flush and 8-7 to scoop Badger's 8-high straight. On the next hand, limits became 4,000-8,000, and Hufnagle immediately knocked Badger down to 64,000 with a baby diamond flush. Badger recovered a little by picking off a bluff when he called with pocket 10s. But then Hufnagle hammered him, first by flopping a set of deuces, then by scooping with a nut low and pair of 10s as Badger missed a straight draw.
Badger was now down to 7,000. It went in holding 2-5-7-J against 2-5-10-Q. A board of A-Q-8-10-Q gave Hufnagle a full house and the title. Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
'He was very tough. He had me on the ropes,' a gracious Tommy Hufnagle said in tribute to his final opponent. Hufnagle has been a pro all his life except for a stint working at the craps table at Circus Circus in 1970. He goes back a long way in poker, coming in third when Doyle Brunson won his first WSOP bracelet. Besides his WSOP bracelet, he has one for a Hall of Fame win.
Hufnagle, who has been playing mostly side games lately because he doesn't like to travel as much as he once did, says Omaha hi-lo is his favorite game because he has a good feel for it. But he's been trying to convert over to no-limit hold'em because 'that's where the money is.' He describes his play as 'solid/aggressive.' He said Badger was the toughest, and the last player he would have wanted to end up playing. 'He's game. You can't intimidate him.'
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