CPA Books Winner in Hi-Lo!
By Max Shapiro
A couple of key river cards made the difference for attorney and CPA Robert Scofield as he won the fourth event of Winnin' O' the Green, $100 Stud Hi-Lo. His final opponent, Clark "Montana" Jorns, was all-in countless times at the last two tables, but hung on and even pulled into a strong chip lead before the tide finally turned against him.
Michael Christian was the first player to go all-in at the last table. Left with just $100 after posting his $1,000 ante in hand number three, he survived by taking the side pot with trip tens. On the next hand, with limits at $5,000 and $10,000, Mare Fein went all-in with A-Q/2-4, made nothing and lost to Walt Baronick, who started with pocket eights and made two pair.
Jorns, a prop at Chumash, prepared to go all-in for the second time at the final table with his last $2,100. "This is your last chance to let me settle for first place," he warned. No one took him up on it, so he settled for scooping Luigi Grilla with eights.
When he risked all his chips on the next hand and again scooped with an eight low and two pair against Leonidas, Stanley Reekes paid him a compliment. "You have the resilience of a dinosaur," he said, perhaps forgetting that the dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago, while Jorns remains very much alive.
Now Scofield wins a big pot with a big hand. Reekes starts with suited cards, goes all-in on Fourth Street and completes his flush. Grilla, with aces, puts in his last $1,600 on fifth and doesn't improve. But Scofield, starting with A-3/2, catches two more deuces and an ace, and his full house knocks two players out of their seats.
One more time Jorns goes all-in. Walt Baronick puts him in by raising with jacks-up, but Jorns catches a four to make fours full of aces. A hand later, Christian is caught between two lions and hasn't a prayer. Mike Christian has to go all-in with his last $800 while Scofield, starting with A-2/8 gets into a raising war with Leonidas, who's rolled up with jacks. Toto fills, Robert makes an eight, and Michael, with a small pair, gets his bones picked clean.
Soon after limits go to $10,000-$20,000, with a $2,000 ante and $2,000 bring-in, Jorns has 5-7/7-3-2 and puts Baronick all-in. Walt starts with 9-10/J and two diamonds but ends up with just jacks, while Jorns finishes him off with two pair.
Now Scofield makes the first of his two sensational catches. With his last $700, he calls the sixth street bet of Leonidas, who shows J-J-9-10. An ace of hearts on the river gives the CPA a flush and 7-5 scooper. Later, Leonidas goes all-in with split eights against Jorns. But he can't improve while the man from Montana makes two pair.
In no immediate danger of going all-in again, Clark now has about $125,000 of the $192,000 in chips. But then Scofield, all-in, makes his second great catch, a third king on the river, and grabs the chip lead. With limits then raised to $15,000 and $30,000, it can't last long and doesn't. Jorns misses his six draw, Scofield makes aces and picks up his trophy and $9,000.
Biography - Robert Scofield
Robert Scofield, who turns 30 next week, gave himself a nice pre-birthday present with this victory. His previous best was a second in a No-Limit event at last year's Big Poker Oktober. Scofield, who does accounting work for a firm in San Diego, is originally from Connecticut. He prefers stud because that's the game of choice where he used to play at Foxwoods.
He's played poker for eight years now, and has won a handful of smaller tournaments here and at Hollywood Park. Tonight he was never really short-chipped, though he doesn't know how he would have finished without those two great river cards. "Clark was showing tens, and I decided to keep playing my two kings because I didn't think he had three tens," he said, referring to the hand that gave him the chip lead. He also praised the Bicycle Casino tournaments as "the best structured and best run" of all the local tourneys.
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