Bob Walker (1st) |
An Tran (2nd)
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Wlodzimierz Laczkowski (3rd)
Bob Walker, a mathematics instructor who gradually drifted into full-time poker and came in fifth in the 1997 World Series championship, dueled fellow Las Vegas pro An Tran heads-up for about 40 hands before finally winning the World Poker Championship’s seventh event, $500 pot-limit Omaha. They never let up, even though after agreeing on a 50-50 money chop.
Pot-limit is the game of choice for European players, and the event drew a significant number of them. Two made the final table: Pierre Peretti from France and Laczkowski “Villy” Wlodzimiere from Poland. Also at the table was the event’s host, 1999 WSOP champ Scotty Nguyen.
Tournament director David Lamb happily noted that the WPC has been running far ahead of projections. An average of 150 players per event had been anticipated, but the almost twice that number have been signing in.
The final table started with blinds of $300-$600, 18 minutes remaining, and Peretti remained for only two hands. On the first hand, he was dealt a fine A-A-K-Q. But he couldn‘t improve and ended up losing $18,500 to An Tran, who flopped three deuces and filled on the river. Left with only $1,500, the Frenchman went all in on the next hand and said au revoire when An Tran won with two sevens.
Eight hands later, with blinds at $500-$1,000, two players bust out together. Anthony Cousineau, a full-time player, is dealt 10-9-8-7 with two clubs. Douglas Torno, a hair stylist, gets A-K-K-Q. Villy, who owns a print shop in Poland, has A-Q-10-2 and raises $4,500. A-J-2 flops. Torno, with aces and a straight draw, bets all in for $11,200. Villy calls and Anthony adds his last $800 to the pot. A five of clubs turn card gives Anthony a flush draw, but an offsuit deuce on the river gives Villy winning trip deuces.
Later, Scotty is frustrated when he flops a nut straight and goes all in on the river, only to have the last card give Villy the same straight. A bit later, Robert Williamson III, a Dallas restaurant owner, runs into much worse trouble with straights. Dealt K-Q-7-6, he flops a nine-high straight and goes all in on the turn. But the turn card, a seven, gives Villy a jack-high straight, and Robert has to settle for sixth place.
Scotty gets low-chipped after investing $16,000 and then folding when Walker bets $15,000 into a board of K-5-6-J-10. He lasts one more hand. In four-way action, Scotty bets the $14,000 pot when an 8-7-4 gives him a straight. Both boys get sloppy. Bob, with sevens and deuces, means to raise Scotty his last $1,000, but accidentally just calls. Scotty thinks Bob has raised, and turns his cards over. No matter. Bob fills, bets the turn, and Scotty finishes fifth.
With blinds at $700-$1,500, Villy leads with about $92,000. Bob has $70,000, An Tran has $35,000 and Mike has $10,000. Mike goes all in against An Tran but sticks around when he back-doors a flush. He finally goes broke in a confrontation with Villy, the print shop owner who’s been playing many hands and printing money like the Bank of Poland. Mike starts with J-7-6-2 and flops trip sixes when 6-6-4 fall. Villy, with 7-5-3-2, has a monster wraparound, needing either a deuce, three, five or seven to complete. Mike, who works for the Vegas water district, bets $6,000 on the flop and his last $4,000 when a queen turns, but gets his water cut off when Villy rivers a five.
Bob now starts a tremendous streak. First, he and Villy flop jacks; Villy has the higher kicker, but Bob wins with a second pair. Next, he bets into a $28,000 pot on the river and Villy folds. “Don’t ever leave,” Bob begs the dealer after winning another uncalled bet. She gives him a final gift, a straight against Villy’s trip nines, and then leaves. The new dealer picks up the tune and deals Bob three more winners, giving him seven in a row.
Two hands later, An Tran, who has been extremely selective in playing hands, busts the player from Poland. With a board of K-9-5-8, Villy, with kings-up, bets $8,500. But An Tran, with 10-8-7-6, has a straight, raises him all in and wins.
Heads-up, Bob has $153,000 to An Tran’s $56,000, and the battle is on. After trading chips for a dozen or so hands, An Tran pulls even and they chop and play for the title. Even with speeded-up blinds, the game drags on and on. At one point, play-by-play announcer Linda Johnson jokes, “They’re even again, like Clinton and Bush. We need a recount.”
On the final hand, Bob has A-K-7-5 with A-7 of spades. An Tran has A-10-9-6, with lower spades. Bob bets $20,000. On a two-spade flop of 7-4-3, An Tran bets $60,000, Bob raises him all in and wins the tournament when a jack of spades turns to give him the better flush. —Max Shapiro
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