| Howard Lederer, who will marry Bellagio swing shift manager Suzie Weiss on June 2, gave himself a wonderful early wedding present of $165,870 and a second gold bracelet by winning event number 18 of World Series of Poker 2001, no-limit deuce to seven lowball. His final opponent was the very tough Kassem “Freddy” Deeb, who was making his third final table appearance this year.
Lederer won his first bracelet last year in the $5,000 Omaha hi-lo event. He also has two deuce to seven wins at the Hall of Fame, a hold’em shootout win at Diamond Jim Brady and an Omaha high win at the Four Queens. So far, he has entered deuce to seven events seven times and won three.
“Deeb was a challenge for me,” Lederer said. He is very good in tournaments, especially when he has chips.” He also paid tribute to third-place finisher Mark Weitzman, who taught him the game.
Eight players assembled at the final table of the first day. After getting down to the final five, they then would have the choice of playing it out or coming back the next day.
First to be eliminated was Christopher Haller, a poker player from Seebruck, Germany. He started with $14,500 in chips. Howard Lederer put him all in for his last $8,000, and Haller decided to stand with a pat J-10-8. Lederer drew one to a 9-8-7-2 and caught a jack, edging Haller out of contention.
Next out was Erik Seidel, holder of four World Series bracelets who brought $28,000 in chips with him. He opened, and Deeb came over the top and put him all in. Erik drew one to a 9-7-4-2 and Freddy took a card drawing to an 8-7-4-2. Both caught a 10, and Erik departed.
Just missing the final cut was Farzad Bonyadi, an Iranian-born poker player who now lives in Laguna Hills, California. He started with $30,000. On his final hand, he opened for $9,000 and Deeb raised and moved him in for his last $20,000 or so. They both drew one. Freddie made his seven, and Bonyadi surrendered and threw his cards in.
It was now 3 a.m. and the final five opted to get some sleep and return the next afternoon. When they got back the next day, Deeb was the chip leader with $123,500 and Lederer, brother of Annie Duke, was close behind with $120,500. Hertzel Zalewski had $69,55, Weitzman had $60,500 and James Hoeppner was low man with $6,000.
Blinds started at $1,500 and $3,000. Hoeppner, a CPA, went all in on the first hand but stayed alive when he drew one and made a nine, while Lederer paired his deuce. Two hands later he moved in for $15,000. Deeb called. Hoeppner rapped pat, standing on a jack, while Deeb took one and made a 9-8-7-4-2 to cut the field to four. About three dozen hands followed, almost all of them following the same pattern: a raise, usually $9,000, with no calls. On four occasions a player came over the top for a raise in the $20,000 to $40,000 range, but nobody cared to challenge the re-raiser.
When blinds rose to $2,000-$4,000 with a $1,000 ante, chip positions had not changed dramatically. Deeb still had the lead with $149,000, Lederer still was second with $139,500, followed by Zalewski with $52,000 and Weitzman with $39,000.
On the first hand, Weitzman got healthier when he moved in for $38,000 and got a call from Hertzel. Mark stood on his jack and Hertzel paired his deuce. A few hands later, after Lederer opened for $8,000, Zalewski called for his last $3,000, and Deeb also called. Howard stood pat, and Hertzel and Freddy each took two. Hertzel paired sixes, Freddy made a 9-7-6-5-3, and three players were left.
Howard showed how good he was in a hand against Weitzman. Mark opened for $12,000 and Howard called. After the draw, Mark bet $25,000. Howard studied the situation and his opponent for a full two minutes and finally called with a pair of deuces. He won. Mark had paired his eight.
Weitzman built his stacks up some by winning a three-way pot, but he wasn’t to last long. In another three-way pot that Mark opened for $18,000, he went all in after the draw and was knocked out by Freddy, who made a one-card draw to a 9-8-6-5-2.
The two finalists are now fairly even, but Deeb quickly pulls into a lead. He opens for $14,000, Howard raises $30,000 and then folds when Freddy moves in on him. Now the chip count is $242,500 for Deeb and $137,500 for Lederer. Chopping away, Freddy wins a couple of uncontested pots and increases his lead. Then Lederer comes over the top a couple of times, forcing Freddy to fold and pulls even.
Blinds go to $2,000-$4,000 with $1,000 antes. The boys are all business, but not too busy to take five minutes out in the middle of a hand to kibbitz and tell funny stories. Meanwhile, Howard starts to pull ahead after he raises $35,000 before the draw and Freddy folds, and then bets $40,000 after standing pat and Freddy folds again. With blinds at $3,000 and $6,000, Lederer picks up a couple more pots and jumps into a $275,000-$105,000 lead. Freddy recovers ground in two pots, but then, trailing $140,000 to $240,000, he opens for $16,000 and calls when Howard moves in, mistakenly thinking he has a pat eight. Both players take one. Freddy catches a high-card ace to his 8-7 draw, and Howard wins it all with a flourish by making a sensational 7-6-5-4-2.
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