Tennis Tutor Wins No-Limit!
In the key hand of the evening, tennis instructor David Bier aced a huge $60,000 three-way pot with pocket aces to take the chip lead and go on to win event number ten of Big Poker Oktober, no-limit hold'em. It was the first tournament win for Bier, who came in 12th in the prior no-limit event. His final opponent was the redoubtable David "The Dragon" Pham, Card Player Magazine's "Player of the Year in 2000.
Rich Nguyen missed the last table after he moved in for $1,500 with ace-rag. Alain Kalcheim, a student, called with J-10 and turned a winning jack. Blinds at the final table started at $500 and $1,000. After four pots were picked up with uncalled bets, hand five produced a monster. Pro player Derek Bukowski button-raised all in for about $10,000 with K-Q. Bier, in the small blind, flat-called with aces. Then Pham, who had limped with K-K, moved in, and Bier added his last chips, about $15,000. An 8-5-3-6-2 was dealt out, and suddenly Bukowski was gone and David B. had grabbed the chip lead from David P.
Five hands later, poker player Makram Merhom had the small blind with $5,700 and 6-3 of clubs. He tried an all-in move, but Hasan Habib, with J-10, called from the big blind. The flop was J-5-2, and the Egyptian-born Merhom couldn't make his straight.
Soon afterwards, Pham tried a raise to $6,000 with K-10 and Kalcheim moved in for $5,900 more. The Dragon didn't have the world's best hand, but he called, then taught the student a lesson by expelling him from class when a K-Q-3 flopped. One hand later, attorney William Kampf, who won the 1995 Seniors 7-stud championship, and who's made two WSOP final tables, had to post his remaining $1,400 in the big blind holding 8-5. Hasan called with A-Q, which held up. Then, two hands later, abstract painter Andy Lakey, who made the final table in razz at the WSOP this year, raised all in for $5,900 more in the the big blind. Pham had only K-5, but he liked the bet. "My lucky number is 59," he said. "Every time someone moves in for $5,900, I win." Sure enough, the artist had only a 9-7 suited, and Pham won easily when a king turned.
Habib, a successful player originally from Pakistan, now down to $5,500 and in the small blind, tried an all-in move with 9-6 off. The tennis player had A-3 of clubs and smashed back Hasan's lob shot when the board came 7-7-5A-J. He and Pham were now virtually tied with about $62,000 each while Ernesto Sebastian, a full-time player, had $33,000.
Ernesto managed to stick around for about 20 hands. Finally, he raised all in for $16,000 from the big blind with A-4, and Bier called with A-J from the big blind. Neither helped and now it was heads-up. The two finalists volleyed for a time, with chips moving back and forth. On one hand, with $1,000 antes and $3,000-$6,000 limits, Bier called Pham's $8,000 raise, moved in on a flop of 10-8-3, then showd 7-6 off when Pham folded. On the last hand, Bier raised $15,000 with K-Q, Pham moved in for $34,000, Bier called and when the board came K-7-2-K-4 it was game, set, match. -Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
David Bier, who grew up in Palos Verdes, has been playing tennis since he was "knee-high." He's faced the likes of Pete Sampras and Michael Chang in matches and was ranked 15th in the country as a junior player. He started instructing the game two years ago after military service. He's been playing poker "seriously but not always successfully" for 11 years. He never won a tournament before, though he made a couple of final tables in European events while in the army.
Tonight, he said, it took a small miracle to win because he was all in 14 times before the final table, once needing runner-runner to hit his 5-4 for two pair. In fact, he only played this tournament by accident, because he came down thinking it was going to be a stud high-low event. He splits his poker time between tournaments and side games, Omaha high-low, up to $10-$20, being his game of choice.
CHIP POSITION · FINAL TABLE
Ernesto Sebastian $24,200
Alain Kalcheim $18,600
Makram Merham $16,600
Hasan Habib $11,800
Derek Bukowski $8,700
David Bier $18,900
William Kampf $13,200
David Pham $38,100
Andy Lakey $6,000
ALL AROUND PLAY-OFF POINTS
Name / Total
1. Tom Connors 130
2. Kelly Behunin 105
3. Rich Nguyen 102
4. Stephane Borrero 79
5. Makram Merhom 73
6. David Bier 71
7. Phil Nguyen 69
8. Mario Esquerra 60
9.Willie Valencia 59
10.Phi Nguyen 59
11.James Kim 59
12.Kenny Ha 57
13.Cuong Phan 57
14.Colman Roy 57
15.Derek Bukowski 56
16.Clara Lynch 55 |
