Russ Floyd, a 29 year old dealer at private poker clubs in Houston, playing in only his 3rd tournament (he also took 9th in Hold'em at Tunica) quickly built up a commanding lead at the final table, then held off a challenge by the far more experienced Fred Lieberman to capture the initial event of the Reno Hilton's first annual World Poker Challenge, $300 Limit Hold'em. The kick off event drew an impressive crowd of 439 entrants.
Floyd, who also does production work for the Fox sport's network, onto of everything else is a dealer for this tournament on the graveyard shift. At one point he warned Men "The Master" Nguyen to behave or he'd deal him bad beats.
Nguyen got off to a fast start at the last table, nearly doubling up when he won 3 of the first 10 hands, first when his A-Q held up without improving, and twice when he wasn't called. Kostas Papastavrov was less fortunate. On the 11th hand his starting stake of $38,500 was cut down to $10,000 when Floyd turned a trip seven. Three hands later with limits at $4000 - $8000, Kostas, a pro from New York, flung in a raise with pocket nines, only to have Larry Cesareo, with A - J, put him all in with a re-raise and then eliminate him when the board came K-3-7-A-7.
Nguyen then went on a mini-rush, winning three of the next four hands, once when he called a raise with 6-3 and caught two more treys. Jim Pecnac, meanwhile, might have well have stayed home. Dealt a succession of hands like 7-3, 6-3, and 7-2, he couldn't play a thing and watched in frustration as his chips dwindled. He finally had to post his last chips in the big blind with 8-6, which by comparison looked like a big hand to him. "The Master" was in the small blind with Q-3. "If i throw this hand away, they throw me out," he said, waving his cards and playing to the audience. He called and busted Pecnac, a poker player from Arizona, by pairing his three.
Houston accountant Don Moseley was left with only $9,000 when he mucked his pocket eights after Ray DiDonato, who teaches a college optician course, bet into a board of 4-10-A-2-7. Adding insult to injury, DiDonato told him he had bet after pairing his seven, thinking he had the best hand. Two hands later Moseley put in his last $2,000 with A-2, this time DiDonato did make the best hand when a river 10 pair his J-10.
Floyd then pulled into the lead with more than $120,000 when he beat Nguyen with pocket aces. With limits raised to $6,000-$12,000, Floyd took two consecutive hands to increase his lead to $194,000. Richard Nauffal, a poker player who won the best all-around at Commerce's Casino's Heavenly Hold 'em event in 1998 was next out. Cesareo raised, Floyd popped it for $18,000 and Nauffal went all in for $11,000 with A-8 of Hearts. He flopped an Ace, but it was no match for Floyd's A-Q. Cesareo quickly followed him out when he was stuck in the big blind with 9-3, commited his last chips and lost to Nguyen's Q-3.
Down to four, Floyd had about $230,000 to around $80,000 each for Lieberman and DiDonato and $50,000 for "The Master". Then, in one of the key hands of the night, Floyd, betting into a flop of Q-8-3 with two spades, was quickly raised by Nguyen. Floyd smooth-called, hoping, he later explained, that Nguyen would put him on a big hand. When a third spade hits the turn, he bets. Men thinks so long a clock is put on him. When it runs out and his hand is killed, Floyd shows him a K-6 of hearts! Nguyen, low on chips goes all in three times with the worst hand and each time draws out. But his luck finally runs out when he bets into a board of A-5-3, Floyd check-raises him and Men plays back and goes all in. He has A-J, but Floyd has A-K, and this time no jack rides to his rescue. Floyd now has a tremendous lead, about $300,000 to roughly $70,000 each for Lieberman and DiDonato. The Optician instructor then goes all in a couple of times but survives and builds his chips to $117,000 but after the limits rise to $15,000-$30,000, he quickly fades, then bets all in with K-4 to a flop of A-K-3 and Floyd blows him away with A-3.
Two handed, Floyd has $315,000 of the $440,000 chips in play, but in the course of a long struggle, Lieberman who retired after owning bakeries and mattress manufacturing businesses, and who won his first big tournament 30 years ago, managed to pull roughly even but with $20,000-$40,000 limits, the tide turned again. On the final hand Floyd has 10-2 to Lieberman's Q-5. Two more 10's flop, Russ check-raises, puts Fred all in, and it's all over. The new young star of the poker world cashes in and prepares to deal graveyard. - Max Shapiro
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