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Legends of Poker/ WPT Event Season 5

Event #1 - No Limit Hold'em

August 3, 2006 at 4:15 PM
Bicycle Casino
Tournament Schedule

Buy-In	$200 + $30
Prize Pool	$123,660
Entries	657
Report Available

Robert Najera

Place	Name	Prize
1	Robert Najera AKA "MR.POKER" (Los Angeles, CA, USA)	$45,965
2	Gary Childress (Whittier, CA, USA)	$22,730
3	John Hovnanian (Pasadena, CA, USA)	$10,840
4	Matthew Perkins (Huntington Beach, CA, USA)	$6,765
5	Raed Abukayomy (Anaheim, CA, USA)	$5,255
6	Vince Garrido (Las Vegas, NV, USA)	$3,940
7	Sung Lee (Conoga Park, CA, USA)	$3,285
8	Do Kim (Granada Hills, CA, USA)	$2,630
9	Agop ""Jack"" Boghossian (Los Angeles, CA, USA)	$1,970
10	Phillip Penn Sr AKA "JB" (Omaha, NE, USA)	$1,445
11	Lance Matsui (Monterey Park, CA, USA)	$1,445
12	Armando Chavez	$1,445
13	Hoan Ly (Alhambra, CA, USA)	$1,050
14	Derek Tang (Chatsworth, CA, USA)	$1,050
15	Ly Le AKA "Leroy" (Huntington Beach, CA, USA)	$1,050
16	Sam Sanusi (West Covina, CA, USA)	$920
17	Daniel Hartman (Los Angeles, CA, USA)	$920
18	Rembrandt Sabelis AKA "remmy" (Los Angeles, CA, USA)	$920
19	Phang Ly	$655
20	Matt Baker (Abington, MD, USA)	$655
21	Julie Nhien Thi Dang (Montclair, CA, USA)	$655
22	Waleed Belleh (Moreno Valley, CA, USA)	$655
23	Merilee Ledford (USA)	$655
24	Arms Yongyuth (Carlsbad, CA, USA)	$655
25	George Rechnitzer (Los Angeles, CA, USA)	$655
26	Edwin Castro (Eugene, OR, USA)	$655
27	David Lipinski (San Francisco, CA, USA)	$655
28	Eli Strickland (San Dimas, CA, USA)	$460
29	Steve Freeman (USA)	$460
30	Pedro Escalone	$460
31	Lawrence Troung (Fountain Valley, CA, USA)	$460
32	Greg Hopkins (Redondo Beach, CA, USA)	$460
33	John Koch	$460
34	Melchor Manglicmos (USA)	$460
35	Bob Glass (Northridge, CA, USA)	$460
36	Mark Halfon (Thousand Oaks, CA, USA)	$460

Tournament Report

Claims Adjuster Robert Najera Claims First Hold'em Win

Robert Najera, a claims adjuster from Pasadena, had just won his first Hold'em tournament. Robert, a regular Stud cash game player, had been encouraged by his friends to play a No Limit Hold'em tournament after making it deep in several 2006 WSOP events (Razz, Stud Hi-Lo, Lowball) but never cashing.
As Robert grew up in California, he learned poker at the age of 12 from his father. He had not played much Hold'em as he favors the more traditional games of 7-card stud, Razz, and Lowball. He finally realized that his game selection had limited offerings in the tournament arena and he could no longer ignore Hold'em if he wanted to increase his tournament play.
The 657 players who started at 4:15pm were reduced to the 10-person final table by 12:30am with chip leader Do Kim of Granada Hills holding 193,500 of the total 987,000 chips in play.
Play was cautious during the first orbit where only one showdown occurred. The first elimination occurred on hand #10 between the button, Phillip Penn Sr., and the big blind Gary Childress. Penn had gone all-in for his last 8,000 chips and Childress took his discount from the 12,000 big blind. Penn showed a K8 and Childress held an A9. The flop is A-7-J giving Childress the lead with top pair. The turn is a 9 improving Childress to two pair and the river is a K. Penn is eliminated in 10th place and receives $1,445.
The next elimination occurred just 3 hands later on hand #13. Jack Boghossian, a regular at The Bike's final tables, limped in under-the-gun and it folded around to Robert Najera, who checked his big blind. The flop was Th-5d-Qs. Robert checked, Jack bet $16,000, and Najera raised to $60,000. Jack went into the tank for several minutes until Robert called the clock on Jack.
About 20 seconds into the clock, Jack called and the turn was a Td. Robert went all-in and Jack quickly called. Robert showed his 10-2 (The Brunson) for trip tens and Jack showed his pocket Aces for two-pair. Jack was looking for an Ace on the river but a Jack of Spades fell and Boghossian was sent to the rail in 9th place earning $1,940. Jack reflected on his slow play of AA and admitted he could have played it differently. We'll see Jack, as we always do, back at another Legends final table soon.
On hand #17, 3-way action resulted in the last elimination, make that a double-elimination, as Level #17 had just begun and the antes were $3,000 with blinds of $8000/$16,000. Gary Childress, went all-in under-the-gun and Sung Lee called in the small blind. The big blind, Vince Garrido of Las Vegas, was all-in for his last $3,500 chips with a T5o. Childress had AJ and Lee had QJ. The flop was 6-8-3.
No one hit the flop and the Ace high kept Childress in the lead. The turn was a 4 and the river a 3. Childress's Ace won the pot and eliminated both Garrido and Lee. Sung finished in 7th place and added $3,285 to his bankroll. Garrido secured 6th place and was awarded $3,940.
With five players remaining, two more hands were dealt while there was a little bit of discussion regarding a deal by chip count. By the end of the second hand, all players agreed to look at a chip count. As the chip count was being calculated, the players appeared eager to make a deal for the remaining $90,000 in prize money.
Raed Abukartomy discussed his ESPN airtime as he went deep into the WSOP Circuit Event that was just televised earlier this week. The chip count was given to the players and all players agreed. Robert Najera was declared the winner of the Legends of Poker Event #1 and received a white gold ring and $45,965. Robert proudly showed off the ring to the rail and fellow final table opponents.
-Jay 'Bugsy' Siegel