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Caesar Como
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Report by Lynn Loomis
Upholding the adage that youth and exuberance are no match for age and experience, 76-year-old Caesar Como of Las Vegas outwitted 303 opponents to capture first place in the $500 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold’em competition. His triumph in the fourth event of the 2001 Jack Binion World Poker Open brought the retired chief petty officer $54,552 in prize money, plus a traditional WPO gold and diamond bracelet.
“All poker games are tough, all players have their own style, and I respect them all,” said the crafty Como, who retired from the Navy in 1968. “I’ve been a poker player all my life,” he added. “I enter tournaments only occasionally, but I play ring games about twice a week.” This marks his first major tournament title.
Arriving for the final showdown in middle chip position, Como relentlessly pursued his opponents, managed for the most part to stay out of trouble, and slowly increased his stack. In the meantime, several players were low on ammo and were soon eliminated. The first to go was Gary Flur, who survived one all-in battle before taking Ku Ju up against Don Grove’s pocket fours. When the board brought 7-6-5/10-8, Flur was sent home with ninth place and $2,360.
A few hands later, Michael Kreitzer was left with only one chip after posting the big blind and called all in with 7-3 against Grove, who had raised with K-J. The flop came A-9-7, but a jack on the turn proved fatal and Kreitzer was gone in eighth place for $2,949.
Also quickly meeting his demise at the hands of Grove was Bryson Knowles, who called all in from the big blind with K¨ 9¨ and caught a promising flop: A¨ Q¨ 4ª. But Grove held K-Q, and when the board failed to deliver a third club, Knowles bit the dust in seventh place for $3,686.
On the very next hand, Daniel McGrew placed his hopes & and his last two chips & on A-K, calling all in before the flop against Men “The Master” Nguyen, who held pocket 10s. When the final board showed 7-7-5/6-3, the Master prevailed and McGrew exited in sixth place for $5,160.
So far Nguyen had maintained his huge chip lead, but Don Grove was on a heater and soon won a monster pot to seize the advantage and eliminate Rod Peate in the process. The hand came down when Peate raised before the flop with Au 4u and was called by both Nguyen and Grove, who was in the big blind with 9-8. When the flop came 8¨ 5" 3u, Nguyen bet out, Peate called all in, and Grove also called. The 7" and 3" completed the board, Nguyen folded for a bet on the river, and Grove took down the money, forcing Peate to settle for fifth place and $6,634.
Short-stacked from the get-go, Ken Robison proved to have more lives than the proverbial alley cat. He survived numerous all-in battles & and more than an hour of four-handed play & before finally being dispatched when he raised from the big blind with K" J" and was challenged by Caesar Como, who was in the small blind with 8u 7u. The flop came Ku Ju 5u, and when Robison failed to fill, he was washed up in fourth place for $8,846. “This was my first final table in a major tournament,” said the Texas cattle rancher. “It was a great experience & a real kick.”
Only a few deals later, a decisive hand came down when Como picked up A-J and raised before the flop. Don Grove called from the small blind and Men Nguyen, who was in the big blind with J-7, also called. The flop, K-10-3, was checked around, but when a nine fell on the turn, Grove bet out and both Nguyen and Como called. Then a queen came on the river. Now Grove checked, Nguyen bet, and Como raised. Grove mucked his hand, but the Master called all in with his king-high straight only to be toasted in third place for $14,006 when Como showed down an ace-high straight to claim the pot.
A 47-year-old professional competitor from Bell Gardens, California, Nguyen boasts four World Series of Poker bracelets, four Hall of Fame watches, five U.S. Poker Championship watches, and numerous titles from other major tournaments. Among his many accomplishments was being named the Best All-Around Player at the Queens Poker Classic, the Legends of Poker, and the California State Poker Championship & all in 1997.
When heads-up play began, Como held a 4-to-1 advantage over Don Grove, and the end was both quick and anticlimactic. Grove called before the flop with A-4 against Como’s Q-2, and the flop came A-3-2. When a second deuce fell on the turn, Como bet and Grove called all in. But he failed to help on the river, and Como won the pot and secured the title with trip deuces.
For his runner-up finish, Grove pocketed $28,013. A 62-year-old retired math teacher from Dallas, Oregon, and a serious player for five years, he placed second in a No-Limit Hold’em event at the most recent Pot of Gold tournament and has cashed in several other competitions. Grove also deals in antique firearms and coordinates his trips to gun shows with nearby poker tournaments."
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