| Greg Hopkins, a likeable local pro, won his first tournament in nearly two years by capturing the $300 no-limit hold’em event of Legends 2001. The key hand came when he flopped to a set of queens to beat runner-up Toto Leonidas’ pocket kings and cripple him, finishing him a few hands later.
Missing the last table on a bad beat was Bashar Satoot. Holding 5-4, he flopped two pair. But Toto, with K-7, hit a bigger two pair on the turn and then filled. The finalists, eight pros and one school teacher, started with $200 antes and $500 and $1,000 blinds. Spectators were treated to two hours of action with numerous draw-outs and chip-lead changes. On the third hand, Jason “Kid Wonder” Lane moved in with pocket jacks. Rising superstar Phillip Ivey called and turned over aces, only to lose when the kid hit a wonder jack on the river.
The same fate befell Frank O’Dell on the eighth hand, after blinds doubled. He bet $7,400 with Q-8 and Hopkins put him in with pocket sevens. Frank paired his queen on the turn, but was stunned when Greg rivered a third seven. A few hands later, school teacher Nick Sciurba went all in for the last of his $20,000 on the turn with pocket nines, but flunked out when Toto, with A-J, made two pair.
Lane was next out. Short-stacked, the kid gambled when Minh Nguyen bet his A-Q. He called with A-7 and busted out. A few hands later, Toto raised to $6,000. Ivey, with A-10 suited, moved in for $18,000 and lost to Toto’s A-K.
With five left, antes went to $500 and blinds to $2,000 and $4,000. Minh had over $50,000 and the chip lead, but lost it on a terrible beat. Holding A-K, he called Tony Nguyen’s all-in $30,000 bet. Tony, a huge dog with K-Q, flopped three queens. Two hands later Hopkins grabbed the lead. He pushed in his $33,000 with A-Q suited. Tony called with pocket tens and lost when an ace flopped.
Finishing fifth was Jimmy Tran. He moved in for $18,000 with two fives. Shrugging, Tony called with A-6 and hit an ace. A hand later, Tony, with Q-J, announced all in (“The first English words I learned,” he remarked). Minh called for his last $25,000 and showed A-Q. But Tony outran him by flopping a jack, and that left three.
Now Hopkins began picking up a lot of chips with aggressive raises. Tony, meanwhile, was rolling along in good shape until he took a big hit, missing a flush draw while Toto, with pocket threes, flopped a set and then filled. On the next hand, Tony, with a mere 6-3, recklessly button-raised his last $35,000, and Toto picked him off with pocket eights.
Heads-up, Toto held a substantial chip lead, which changed when Greg took an $80,000 pot. Both limped, trying to trap each other, Greg with Q-Q, Toto with K-K. On a 7-5-3 flop, Toto bet $10,000. Greg called. Toto bet $10,000 on the turn. Greg, catching a third lady, just called again. On the end Toto checked, then called Greg’s $20,000 bet. “I could have won it all by raising before the flop,” Greg second-guessed himself. No matter. A few hands later, a short-stacked Leonidas went out quietly with J-10, losing to Hopkins’ Q-3, on a board of A-3-2-5-9. --Max Shapiro
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