Ex-Dealer Takes Ninth Event!
Lich Bui, a former dealer starting a new career as a player, took down the ninth event of Winnin’ o’ the Green, $300 limit hold’em, an event which ended abruptly when the four finalists agreed to a deal with Bui holding roughly 70 percent of the chips.
Phil Nguyen, a student with a tournament victory at Commerce last year under his belt, eliminated the tenth player when he flopped a seven to his A-7. At the final table, Bui and John Inashima arrived in a virtual tie for the chip lead. Limits were $2,000-$4,000 with ten minutes to go. But Patrick Wang, a software engineer, had less than two minutes to go. He raised pre-flop with A-10, then bet a flop of A-8-7, only to be check-raised by Arden Grio. Arden, a prop at Bay 101, put Patrick in on the turn and won with A-Q.
Five hands later, David Wong, a Chinese-born poker dealer at Commerce Casino, had only $1,300 left after giving up two blinds, and went all in. Rather than check it down, full-time player Sam Sanusi raised. “What are you doing?” retired businessman Tony Grand asked irritably as he called. Then, it was Tony who bet when the flop came A-4-2, and Sam got annoyed. But Sam had the last laugh. He bet the turn. Tony folded and then gasped when Sam showed him a Q-J bluff. David, though, had pocket kings and took the main pot. But he lasted only one more hand, going all in again with pocket threes. Lich called in the small blind with Q-6 and caught a queen on the flop for a winner.
On the 11th hand, Tony got into a war with Arden and won a $50,000 pot. They both made three nines when the board came 9-3-2-9-7, but Tony’s ace kicker beat Arden’s eight. On the next hand, Arden, with A-K, raised all in for $5,800 before the flop. Phil called with pocket sevens, but the Bay 101 prop was saved when an ace turned. On the next hand, it was Phil’s turn to go all in, with Q-5 of diamonds, escaping when he hit his flush on the river. A few hands later, Arden began rebuilding his stacks at Tony’s expense. Grio raised with K-Q, Grand re-raised with pocket jacks, and then Grio check-raised and won when a queen flopped.
After a few more hands the players agreed to a $5,000 save, and play loosened a bit. Phil went out on the 25th hand. He raised before the flop and Lich called. When the flop came J-10-9, Phil bets out and Bui made an irregular raise by putting in a few chips and then declaring his intention. Phil didn’t care because he had pocket aces. He accepted the raise and went all in. However, Lich, with a 10-9, had two pair, and now five were left.
Tony, who has operated eight different businesses in his life and last year sold his last one, an amusement park in New Jersey, was not amused when he got involved in a hand with Lich. “What do you need?” Lich asks on the turn. “Everything,” Tony growls, folding on the river. With limits raised to $5,000-$10,000, the 32nd hand is the last one for Tony and for everyone else. He’s trapped in the big blind, all in for $4,700, with a puny 8-2 offsuit, facing Lich, who has A-5 of clubs. The board comes A-K-5-9-Q, and the former dealer, now with about $120,000, is declared the winner as the finalists decide to call it a night. –Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Lich Bui, 30, is from Vietnam and now lives in Santa Ana. He’s worked at the Bicycle Casino and Hollywood Park, dealing poker, pan and Super Pan 9 and now is working the other side of the table as a live game and tournament player. He’s only been playing poker a couple of years, and has less than ten tournaments under his belt, but he scored a second in the $200,000 guaranteed limit hold’em event at Commerce Casino’s Los Angeles Poker classic three weeks ago.
Tonight, he had only $3,000 or so left with three tables to go after he got hammered three times by losing with A-K. But the poker gods evened things out for him by then letting him win the same number of times with A-J. He’s been playing smaller-limit $6-$12 and $15-$30 side games, but now intends to step up his tournament action.
ALL-AROUND PAY-OFF POINTS
Name Total
1. Justin Westmoreland 108
2. Men Nguyen 99
3. Del Cabot 70
4. Tony Jennings 68
5. Art Kern 61
6. Richard Radford 59
7. Mario Esquerra 59
8. Lich Bui 59
9. Sam Sanusi 58
10.Randy Holland 57
11.Andre Maloof 57
12.David Gurney 57
13.James Jockheck 56
14.Tony Nguyen 53
15.Phillip Luong 53
16.Charles Davidson 52
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