SUBWAY SANDWICH OWNER McDERMOTT DISHES UP WIN
Jim McDermott owns a Subway sandwich restaurant in Texas and hardly plays any stud. Still, he managed to outlast a field of 106 players and beat a tough final table to capture the fifth event of the World Poker Challenge, $300 7-card stud.
His final opponent was the much more experienced Tom Cawley, who plays stud at $80-$160 limits at Commerce Casino. “I never play this game in Texas,” McDermott remarked when he was heads-up. “We can see that,” Cawley replied dryly, looking at his opponent’s mountain of chips.
McDermott, whose main game is Omaha, has won some small tournaments at Pot of Gold and the Orleans,
but this is his first cash-out over $10,000. His strategy was to play aggressively. “If you don’t play this game aggressively, you’re in big trouble,” he said.
Today’s host was Randy Holland. He
said he guessed the players didn’t care to hear a speech from another attorney, so he offered just a few brief words in praise of the tournament staff.
Final table limits began with $100 antes, a $200 bring-in and $600-$1,200 limits, 10:46 remaining. There wasn’t much action at that level, but shortly after limits rose to $800-$1,600, a dramatic $27,000 pot developed. On the river, Benjamin Tang, a machinist, showed Q-10-9 of diamonds with a second nine, while Johnny Knight had open aces. Tang checked the river and Knight bet. Tang raised, Knight made it $4,800, Tang popped it again and Knight put in a fourth raise. Tang attempted to raise again, but the limit had been reached. His excitement was understandable, because it was a “jackpot” hand. He turned up a J-8 of diamonds for a straight flush to Knight’s aces-full!
First out was Carolyn Gardner, 1983 ladies WSOP champ and winner of the stud hi-lo event. On sixth street, she was dealt a third seven while Cawley completed his six-high straight with a deuce. He raised, she re-raised all in and then failed to fill on the river.
Nearly three hours had passed before the second player was eliminated. Tang and Knight both had started with split jacks. On fourth street, Ben paired a king. He bet and Johnny raised with his last $350. John paired a five on the river, but it was too little too late and Knight went out on his shield.
In early going, Christina Hung had been all in a couple of times. But then she began hitting her draws. By the first break she had passed McDermott as chip leader, with about $35,000. Limits were now $1,500-$3,000 with a $500 bring-in. A few minutes later, Robert “chip-burner” Turner, a host at Hustler Casino, looked at pocket aces. Tied to the hand, he went all in on the next card but couldn’t improve. Fred Rousan, starting with split eights, blew him away with a third eight. Fred, who had started with only $3,100, proved to be survivor by eventually going all in six times.
At 7:10, limits rose to $1,500-$3,000 with a $500 bring-in. Thirty minutes later, two players were suddenly knocked out in consecutive hands. On the first hand, Tang started with a promising K-A/J of spades. On fifth street he caught a second ace, went all in and didn’t improve. “Canadian Tom,” meanwhile, started with buried queens and ended up hitting an inside straight draw on the river to drill the machinist.
On the next hand, Rousan went all in for the last time. Starting with split eights, he put in his last $900 on fourth street. He made two nines, but the Subway owner made a sandwich of him. McDermott had buried jacks and made a better two pair. By now, Jim had retaken the chip lead with about $43,000.
Tom, meanwhile, had been dropping. Christina had a chance to do more damage, but she slow played pocket kings and allowed him to freshen up his stacks by passing her with two pair.
At 8:25, limits jumped to $2,000-$4,000. Now low-chipped after losing a couple more pots, Christina faced off against Tom. She had only $3,400 left when he bet $4,000 showing 3-Q-10-9 with three diamonds. She had a board of Q-8-7-2, and after long thought, she folded. Tom showed her a second queen with a flush draw. Two hands later, though, she lost her remaining $3,000. After Jim brought it in with the low card, she raised and Tom re-raised to put her in. He had K-J/8 and she had K-10/5. She paired her ten on the river, but at the same time, Tom paired his jack and Christina cashed out for $3,338 in third place.
Jim started heads-up play with slightly more chips than Tom, who was making his third final-table appearance in four events. The lead changed a couple of times, and then it all went McDermott’s way. At 9 p.m. he hurt the former resident of Vancouver in a big pot by making a club flush. A few minutes later, Tom was left with about $15,000 after folding when Jim caught a second open eight to make aces-up.
On the last hand, Cawley had only $5,800 after posting his ante. He had to bring it in with 10/8-4 and Jim raised with 9-7/5. Tom bet his turn card and Jim raised him all in. The cards were turned up. On sixth street, Jim had nines and sevens. With no pair, Tom had no outs except the door, and Jim had his first stud title.
-Max Shapiro
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