SHAR KOUMI WINS NO-LIMIT IN EIGHT-HOUR MARATHON
The game was no-limit, but it should have been called no time limit. In what was likely the longest final table in any tournament ever - over eight hours - a 47-year-old businessman turned full-time player was the last man standing in the 11th event of World Poker Challenge, $500 no-limit hold'em. Shar Koumi, originally from Cyprus and now living in England, had owned restaurant and pool hall operations until turning to poker two years ago. He's won several tournaments in Britain.
His final opponent was Tristan Baum, who is in real estate in New York City. Baum, who won the $500 no-limit event at the U.S. Poker Championship last year, had a lead of $64,100 to $55,900 shortly after he got heads-up at midnight. Exhausted, he agreed to chop 50-50 and play for the trophy, then blew off his chips in two hands.
Author, four-bracelet holder and WSOP champion Tom McEvoy was the day's host. He said players at this tournament "couldn't be treated any better," and added special thanks for the helpfulness of the hostesses.
Limits started at $150-$300, 9:54 remaining. On hand five, furniture store owner Don Thompson moved in for $3,300 with pocket sixes. Russ Floyd called with A-10. Don flopped a set and stayed in business. Four hands later, with the same blinds but $25 antes, he raised to $1,500. J.J. Bortner, an engineer, moved in for about $6,000. Aces for her, kings for him. Don flopped a set and left her in ninth place. Not only did he flop two sets in nine hands, but he would have flopped another one earlier if he hadn't folded pocket threes!
One hand before the first break, Tony Le, a games supervisor at the Reno Hilton, went broke. Russ raised to $800 and Tony moved in for $3,325 with Q-J of spades. Shar made a big raise to make sure he was heads-up with his pocket kings. A king hit the board and Tony was the second player to get knocked out by a flopped set of kings.
For the third round in a row, the blinds remained at $150-$300 (was your TEARS computer stuck, Tex?), with the antes increased to a "punishing" $50. McEvoy, starting as chip leader, had been taking pots with small bets and raises and avoiding all-in situations. At this point he still led, with about $34,000.
On hand 88, two before the next break, Tom announced he'd been playing too tight and moved in with A-K. Dan Abromson, a professional mountain guide, called for $10,000 with Q-Q and won by flopping a set. Just before the next break, Dan made a small raise with pocket jacks. He later said he felt someone would move in, and Russ did, for $8,000 more. After long thought, Dan called. A big dog with J-10, Russ, who now boasts two wins and five top-12 finishes in his last eight tournaments, finished seventh.
Blinds became $300-$600 with $100 antes. Two hands later, Thompson, with J-10, bet $2,000 on a flop of 10-6-5. Dan and British night club owner Dave Colelough called. A jack of diamonds turned. Dave, holding 8-7 of diamonds, moved all in on draws to a flush and open-end straight. Don called for $6,000 with his two pair and ended up in sixth place when a Qd on the river flushed him away.
CThree hours and 125 hands crawled by. Players were reluctant to call even small raises. With blinds now at $500 and $1,500 with $200 antes, there were five players still left. Suddenly there was an explosion of action. At 11:20, on the 260th hand, Tristan made a small trap raise to $3,000 with pocket aces. Colelough moved in for $24,000 with A-J. Tristan flopped a third ace, leaving Dave with about $10,000. Six hands later, Dave raised to $4,500 with J-10 and McEvoy called with Q-J. On a flop of K-10-3, Tom moved in for $6,000 with a straight draw. Two sixes came, and Dave's paired tens were enough to leave Tom in fifth place.
Then, two hands later, Tristan raised to $6,000 with 10-10. Dave re-raised with A-Q and Tristan moved him in for another $15,000. Once again there was a flopped set, and Dave was out. Two hands after that, Dan bet all in with 5-5 and Shar called with A-10 of clubs. The board came K-9-7-7-A, and the climbing guide fell down the mountain.
Heads-up, Tristan had a good-sized lead, but after five hands Shar had closed the gap and they made a deal. On the next hand, with $1,000-$2,000 blinds, Shar raised to $10,000 with A-10 and Tristan bet all in with A-J. A ten on the turn left the New Yorker with $8,300. Shar took that on the next hand. He had K-7 to Tristan's 8-6 of spades. A Q-7-5 flop gave Tristan a straight draw, but a jack and king came and the man from Cyprus, making kings-up on the river, took home the trophy.
- Max Shapiro |
