| California Pro Van Pham Plays
Steady Game to Win Hold’em
California pro David Pham overcame a big chip lead by portrait photographer/poker player Melissa Hayden to grind out a workmanlike win in $500 limit hold’em, the eighth event in the Reno Hilton’s World Poker Challenge. Pham, 50, says he usually manages to win a couple of tournaments a year. The biggest pay-out for the Vietnam-born player came when he won a limit hold’em event at the Orleans last year. Melissa won an event at Tunica last year.
The event’s host was the affable Vince Burgio, whose stature in height falls short of his stature as a player. He asked the players to stand up, then climbed into the bleachers and announced that for once he was the tallest man in the room.
In early final-table action at $2,000-$4,000 limits, both Miff Fagerlie and Mike Sales went all in on consecutive hands, and both weresaved by making spade flushes. Sales, an executive with a car moving company who won three events at the last Legends tournament, started with only $3,500 but survives until the 22nd hand before raising the white flag. He goes in with A-8 against Jim Miller with 10-9 and Melissa with 9-7. Both outrun him with paired nines, though Melissa, with the higher kicker, wins the pot, a detail about which Sales could care less as he settles for ninth place. On the next hand, Jan Siroky, who owns his own insurance agency, is booted out. He calls all in for $1,000 when Van bets his A-9. Jan is a big dog with A-6 and can’t catch. On the next hand, Melissa is a much bigger underdog against Ron Burke who goes all in with pocket aces against her A-9 of hearts. “I need a miracle,” she requests. Wish granted. She back-doors a flush, and Burke, a retired insurance agent, retires.
Still another player falls on the next hand. Ralph Puziello puts his last chips in against Van with a pair of deuces. He flops a full house when three sevens are turned over, but Van, with J-9, catches a nine on the river to make a bigger filly.
Bruce Corman, who owns a clothing store in Britian, is stripped down to his shorts in a pot with Melissa. Starting with A-10, she makes three tens and leaves him with just $1,500. But on the next hand, his K-Q holds up against Melissa’s 9-6 and he begins his climb back. After a number of more pots go by, Bruce and Melissa get involved in a pot again. She bets and he raises pre-flop. On a board of K-10-6-6, he bets and goes all in again. “You’ve got me,” he sighs when she calls. Not yet. He has no pair, but his A-J holds up against her A-5. Miff, who just sold his restaurant and bar business, pumps Miller up when he raises with K-9 and Miller calls with pocket 10s. Miller, a floorman at Hollywood Park, flops a set but slow plays them and lets Miff, with K-10, bet the turns. He raises all in and Miff, drawing dead, calls and departs in fifth place.
At this point, Van has a slight lead
$102,000 to Melissa’s $95,500. Bruce has $25,500, Jim, $30,000, and Miff, $7,000. With limits increased to $4,00-$8,000, Miff goes all in for $5,000 with A-J. Bruce has A-K and blows him away when a king flops.
Melissa now starts to build her chips. Holding J-9 against Van’s 9-2, she re-raises him before the flop and three-bets him on a flop of K-9-7. Nobody improves and her nine with a better kicker wins. Then she picks up a couple of smaller pots and now has about $140,000.
Jim Miller is the next casualty. He is leading with pocket jacks, and when the board comes Q-10-2-8-9, he makes a queen-high straight and then bets all in with his last $3,000. But the Brit, with K-J, has made a king-high straight. When Miller sees his cards, he is caught off guard and blurts out a somewhat impolite word. “Nice catch,” he politely adds, regaining his composure and his manners.
Melissa has gotten up to $154,000, but after a number of hands Van pulls even when his paired king beats Bruce. Bruce then goes all in for $1,500, against Van, but wins with kings and tens, starting his climb back and giving Melissa the lead again. The leads keep going back and forth until Bruce wins a $70,000 pot from her and drops her to third place. In the key pot of the night, with $6,000-$12,000 limits, Van raises before the flop and then check-raises Melissa when she bets a flop of J-7-2. He bets out when a jack and an eight come and shows her three jacks. She jumps up in surprise, visibly upset at losing a $96,000 pot and proceeds to lose her remaining chips in three hands. On her last hand, she raises with K-7 of spades. Van calls with A-8 of hearts. When the flop comes 5-5-2 with two hearts, he bets, she raises, and he puts her all in for her last $4,000. He misses his flush but fills up with a five on the turn and a river ace.
Heads-up, Van leads Corman $16,000-$74,000. They trade chips for a dozen or so pots, with Van getting the lion’s share until he leads,
$224,000 to $35,000. On the last hand, Bruce raises with A-8, Van re-raises with jacks and Bruce calls for his last $4,000. The board comes Q-Q-5-K-J, Van Pham’s jacks holds up and he wins the title and a handsome crystal world globe.
--Max Shapiro
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