Event #16: Omaha (Pot-Limit) $1,000 4/9/01
TOTAL PRIZE MONEY: $193,030
ENTRIES IN THIS EVENT: 82
REBUYS IN THIS EVENT: 117
Report by Lynn Loomis
"Solid, aggressive play -- plus
catching runner-runner twice in a
row -- enabled Phillip Marmorstein to defeat the last of 81 opponents and capture top honors in the $1,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha competition. For his triumph in the 16th event of the 2001 Jack Binion World Poker Open, Marmorstein was awarded $77,212 in prize money, plus a traditional WPO gold and diamond bracelet to commemorate his victory.
This marks the first major tournament title for Marmorstein, 39, of Munich, Germany. The owner of a cosmetic manufacturing company, he has been playing poker for seven years.
"I never felt in jeopardy," he commented. "When it came down to the last two tables, I was the chip leader, so I could bully everyone else." Bully he did, and by the time the final table convened, he held more than twice as many chips as his nearest challenger and continued to build his stack. In the meantime, several players were quickly eliminated.
First out was Frank Perry, who was short-stacked from the get-go and made his last effort when he called all in from the big blind with K-K-Q-9 against Robert Templeton, who had put in a pre-flop raise with A-A-J-9. But a board of 10-7-6/5-10 brought Perry no salvation, and he was sent home with ninth place and $3,861.
Also meeting a quick demise at the hands of Templeton was Bruce Yamron, who'd arrived for the final showdown in decent position but found himself in peril after forfeiting a big pot on the turn to Leo Boothe. Yamron fired his last volley with K-10-9-5 and hit a flop of Q-10-10, giving him trips. But Templeton held pocket queens, and when Yamron got no more help, he bit the dust in eighth place for $4,826.
A few minutes later, Burt Madden was forced out when he took A-9-7-5 up against Barry Shulman, who held A-K-Q-8. Madden went all in on the flop, but when the final board showed K-10-4/5-A, he was gone in seventh place for $6,757.
After losing a big pot when his straight was snapped off on the river by Robert Templeton's flush, Phillip Ivey was playing on short money. He survived one all-in battle, but his luck ran out when he raised before the flop with a double-suited A-K-8-4 and was reraised by Judge Leo Boothe, who held K-Q-Q-J. Ivey called all in and still had the lead on fourth street with a board of A-9-6/9. But a two-outer river queen proved fatal, and Ivey expired in sixth place for $8,687.
Nursing a short stack from the outset, Fred Sigur was dispatched on the very next hand when he called all in before the flop with Q-J-10-10 against Phillip Marmorstein, who had 6-6-4-4. The fourth-street board read 7-4-2/2, and when no 10 came on the river to save him, Sigur was washed up in fifth place for $10,616.
Only an hour had now passed, but it would be another two hours before the next player was eliminated. During this time Barry Shulman was on the move, winning several big pots to close the gap between him and Marmorstein, while Leo Boothe and Robert Templeton struggled to survive. Templeton was finally polished off when he moved in before the flop with A-9-5-2 against Shulman, who had limped with A-K-J-8. On fourth street the board showed J-10-2/7, and Templeton needed a miracle to stay alive. But the river brought an ace instead, and the Texas lawyer -- who, incidentally, is Amarillo Slim's attorney -- was shot down in fourth place for $13,512.
On the next deal, Phillip Marmorstein knocked out Leo Boothe, who had won several all-in decisions before making his final stand when he called all in from the big blind with 10-8-5-5 against Marmorstein's A-J-7-6. The flop came A-6-5, giving Boothe a set and the lead. But the turn and river delivered crushing blows, bringing runner-runner 4-8 to put the Louisiana District Court judge down for the count in third place for $23,163.
When heads-up play began, Marmorstein held only a slight advantage over Barry Shulman, and the lead switched hands several times before Marmorstein captured a monster pot to put his opponent close to the green. The key hand came down when Marmorstein took J-9-7-6 up against Shulman's double-suited Q-6-2-2. On the turn, Shulman raised with a made flush only to see Marmorstein call all in with two pair -- nines and sevens -- then spike a seven on the river to fill and take down the $185,000 pot.
It was all over moments later when Shulman raised before the flop with K-J-9-7, Marmorstein reraised with Ah Ac 10h 9s, and Shulman called all in. The flop brought 10s 8s 7h, giving Shulman a jack-high straight, but Marmorstein once again caught runner-runner to win the pot and claim the title with an ace-high heart flush.
For his runner-up finish, Barry Shulman of Las Vegas received $44,396. The 54-year-old publisher of Card Player magazine, he captured a No-Limit Hold'em title during last year's World Poker Open and at the time described himself as "the closest thing to a poker professional you can be without being one." Shulman also boasts titles from several other major competitions.
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