Poker Best Stock for Juanda!
John Juanda, who for a while had been playing the stock market more than he was playing poker, returned to the tournament trail this year. He’s done much better with a deck than with the Dow. His latest victory came after several draw-outs helped him win the 13th event of Legends 2001, pot-limit hold’em, and vault into the point lead. On the last hand, he had about $88,000 to Asher Derei’s $78,000 and won with a straight on the turn.
Robert "Chip-Burner" Turner went out tenth on a brutal beat. He had a big lead with A-K when Juanda, with A-7, put him in for his last $3,500. The board showed 10-6-4, but then two babies gave John a seven-high straight. Just before that, on consecutive hands, Tony Cousineau and Ken Goldstein were all in on the big blind, and both were saved by pocket aces.
The final table started at 3:30 a.m. with blinds of $1,000-$2,000. Marcel Sabag, who owns a telephone store, got disconnected when he raised $5,000 with K-Q. On a flop of 10-10-6, Cousineau put him in for his last $2,500 and won with pocket jacks. Rich Korbin, an account executive with Card Player magazine, arrived with only $4,000, lasting to hand 17 when he made it $6,000 to go with K-J. Goldstein put him put in for $1,000 more and won with pocket sixes. Three hands later, Melissa Hayden went all in with A-10 against the A-8 held by Tom Connors, the Bicycle Casino dealer who won the opening event. He put a beat on her by catching an eight on fourth street.
With limits at $2,000-$4,000, Goldstein went all in with A-8 after Juanda, with A-5 raised to $10,000. “Oh, my God, I held him off,” Ken marveled when rags came. On hand 30, Cousineau, getting low, tried a desperation all-in raise of $8,500 with just 6-5. Connors called with pocket tens and flopped a set. Later, Goldstein went all in again with A-Q against tournament player Kevin Dykstra’s A-K, and won when a queen flopped “Biggest draw-out of his career,” big brother Stan Goldstein (winner of two Legends events thus far) commented from the sidelines.
Dykstra went out on hand 55 after blinds went to $3,000-$6,000. Juanda made it $16,000 to go with K-6 and Dykstra called all in with A-Q of diamonds. A king and two diamonds flopped. Kevin missed his flush and John added insult to injury with a second pair on the turn. Two hands later.
Connors was caught in the big blind with 10-5 of diamonds and went in another $3,000. Juanda crushed him after flopping a king to his A-K.
Three-handed, Derei had about $80,000, Juanda $60,000 and Goldstein, $25,000. A couple of hands later, Ken looked at one card, a king, and raised all in for about $16,000. John called with A-9. Ken’s other card was a four. He flopped a four, but John caught and beat him when a nine turned.
Both finalists now had a bit over $80,000. Three hands later, both limped. John had J-8, Asher A-7 suited. A 10-9-5 flop gave Juanda an open-end straight and he bet the pot. He bet another $20,000 when a seven made his straight. On the river, he bet all in. Asher called with his paired seven, and John, with a final draw-out, cashed in for $33,200. —Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Indonesian-born John Juanda, 30, who earned a master's degree in business but decided to play poker instead, has won numerous titles -- about a dozen from the Bicycle and Commerce casinos alone -- in five years of playing. He’s been the most successful in no-limit and pot-limit events. “I think when you play your favorite game, you play better,” he said. Back to concentrating on tournaments instead of stocks, he’s been having a very good year, peaking when he won the World Poker Open championship in January.
Tonight, he said, he got off to a very good start, quickly jumping up to about $5,500, then dropping back to under $2,000 before catching some good hands. The final table, he said, was studded with very tough players. He played pretty much his usual style of play, which was to try to get a read on his opponents, and when he thought he had the best hand, bet.
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