| Vol XIII, No. 1
Thursday, February 28, 2002
Tony Keo Wins Hold'em Fast!
There's only one way to describe the opening event of Winnin' O' the Green 2002: Fast!
Despite a substantial field of 448 players, it took only five hours to start the final table. A half-hour and 15 hands later, the five finalists agreed to a chip-count deal. It was all over, and professional player Tony Keo, who started and ended as chip leader, was declared the winner. First place for this event paid $8,400.
The final table got underway after Jerry Bremonte finished 10th. His last chips were posted in the big blind, and all he had was 6-2 offsuit. Ablahad Salim was in the small blind with 10-9 and took it when the board came A-8-4-A-J.
Final table limits started at $5,000-$10,000 with seven minutes remaining. With only $224,000 in chips on the table, and 20-minute rounds, it figured to be a crapshoot, and it was. On only the second hand, Bud Lavassani, who started with just $5,000, was the first player to go all in. He had Q-J against Keo's A-6, but flopped a queen to stay in business. On the next hand, Peter Law went all in, but split the pot with Paul Lee when both players turned up A-Q. Three hands later, after programmer Tony Abesamis raised, Law called all in again for $3,000 with two 7s. The board came J-10-9-5-8, giving Peter a jack-high straight. Unfortunately for him, Abesamis, with Q-10, made a queen-high straight, and Law settled for ninth place and $335.
On the next hand, with limits now at $10,000-$20,000, Tony A. again did the honors. He had pocket queens in the big blind when a player giving his name only as "No Chance" called all in with K-8 of diamonds. He didn't have a chance when the board came A-5-3-4-7 and cashed in for $450 in eighth place.
Two hands later, Salim tried a dangerous bluff, raising with only 4-2, and leaving himself with just $2,500. Michael Lam called all in and won with A-3. The all-ins continued to come rapidly. On hand 11, wholesale jeweler Nate Waxman moved in with two jacks, which held up against Bud Lavassani's Q-10.
Hardly any time had passed since the final table assembled, yet there were only four hands to go in the tournament. Lavassani, who had been happily joking and wisecracking all along, was in the small blind with all his chips on the next hand. He turned over A-6 and Paul Lee turned over 9-7 of clubs. The board came 6-3-2-10-8. "Eight coming," Lee predicted. It did, giving him an inside straight, and giving Bud seventh place and $560.
Two hands later, Ablahad Salim called all in for $5,000 with pocket 8s. They held up and he tripled up, but it didn't do him much good. On the next hand, Keo raised with pocket jacks and Salim went all in for the last time with pocket treys. It was no contest. Tony flopped a full house when the board came Q-Q-J, and Salim finished sixth, collecting $785.
Down to five, Keo was the big leader with about $90,000 in chips, followed by Lee with about $50,000, Lam and Abesamis with around $30,000 each, while Waxman trailed with about $2,400. The final five then retired to talk deal, agreed to a chip-count split and marched to the pay window. Tony Keo was the runaway winner, and Winnin' O' the Green XIII was in the books.
--Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Tony Keo, who came to this country from Cambodia in 1980, once worked as a mechanic, but has been a full-time player since 1989. The 36-year-old Keo won a limit hold'em event at the Bike's Mini Series of Poker, and has titles from Crystal Park and Hollywood Park. He plays more side games than tournaments, though, his games of choice being Omaha hi-lo and stud hi-lo, from $6-$12 up to $20-$40. Tonight, he was all in early in the tournament, but got lucky with A-9 when he caught an ace on the river to outrun pocket queens. After that, he had a steady ride up.
A resident of Long Beach, Keo has a "beautiful wife," Cee Cee, and two children. Cee Cee, also an Omaha player, was here tonight but hesitated coming into the tournament room for fear of bringing her husband bad luck.
Asked if their children were boys or girls, she replied, "Both girls. We can't afford another gambler."
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