Man from Casablanca Wins!
By Max Shapiro
Down to just $300 at the second table, a 49-year-old recreational player originally from Casablanca, Morocco named Albert Cohen surged ahead to quickly take the lead at the final table and then drive to victory in event number seven of Winnin' O' the Green, 7-Card Stud. The final opponent he had to overcome was the dangerous and unpredictable Hon Le, whose kamikaze tactics at one point included a blind raise.
It only took a bit over 20 minutes for the first four players to be eliminated, and Cohen personally dispatched the first three. First to go all-in was Phillip Luong, who completed a club flush on the river to beat Jimmy Touch's aces. Touch then went all-in on the next hand. The cards were turned up and Jimmy threw his hand away before all the cards were dealt after Cohen had made an unbeatable seven-high straight.
Immediately after, Mardy Loewy went all-in for $1,600 and Cohen called. Mikhail Kuryland, who had to bring it in for $1,000, hesitated. "Call," urged Hon Le. "It's only two chips, a blue and a red." Kurlyand did, changing the sequence of cards and allowing Cohen to catch a second ten on fifth street and beat Loewy's sixes. Shortly after, Cohen dispatched his third player. Frank Hamamy, with pocket fives, bet his last $5,000 on fifth street. Cohen, who had earlier raised with split queens, called and showed two pair against Hamamy's unimproved fives. At this point, Cohen had run his $300 up to about $65,000.
Hon Le, starting with J-9/9, next went up against Philip Luong, who began with K-5/5. All-in, Luong showed a second pair, eights. Hon Le examined his river card and then, respectfully, almost sadly, turned up a second jack to knock out player number five.
Hon Le then did a number on B.H. Chang, who had pocket threes when his last chips went in. On fourth street Hon Le had A-5/Q-6, but proceeded to catch a jack, a king and a ten for a straight. "Magician!" one of his gallery admirers called out.
The high-spirited Kuryland, getting low on chips, finally went all-in against Hon Le, who started with eights and made eights and fours. Kuryland, with jacks, then took an eternity to seat his down card. It's a second pair. "YES!" he shouts, taking a victory march across the room. But after being beaten by Hon Le in the following hand, Kuryland is left with less than $10,000. On the next hand, he has to bring it in with a five and Hon Le blind raises, forcing him to fold. With new limits of $10,000 and $20,000, a $2,000 ante and $3,000 bring-in, Kuryland once more is the low card, leaving him with just $800. He folds again, hoping that somebody will get knocked out on this hand, enabling him to sneak into second place. "Kill each other!" he screams encouragingly. His strategy almost works. Cohen goes all-in, but his split jacks hold up against Hon Le's split sevens.
The game is up on the next hand. Kuryland starts with A-9/7 and catches an ace on sixth street. But Hon Le makes sevens and threes to make the game two-handed.
The match-up does not last long. Hon Le thinks he's in good shape when he has split eights and catches a second ten on sixth street while Cohen is showing the other two eights on board. Hon Le goes in for his last $18,000. But Albert has been hiding a pair of aces in the pocket, and aces-up wins the hand and the tournament.
Biography - Albert Cohen
Albert Cohen, who is in the export business, has been playing poker for some 26 years. His games of choice are Stud and Hold'em, though he prefers the latter. He splits his poker playing between tournaments and side games, and plays from $10-$20 to $20-$40 in live action. Previously, he won a small Hold'em tournament at Hollywood Park and also won a Lowball and a couple of other events at the Bicycle Casino some time back.
For one stretch in this tournament, he went through three dealers without making a hand, was cursed with repeated forced bring-in low cards as well, and had to put his last $300 in with a low-card deuce. But he won the hand and started catching cards after that. He was able to get all of Hon Le's money in on the end, he says, because his final opponent "never could put me on pocket aces."
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