Texas Lady Ropes Omaha Win!
After scooping a three-way, $65,000 pot, Rebekah Emmons, a native of Leander, Texas, surged into the lead in $100 Omaha hi-lo. A hand later, just two seconds before the limits would go up to a back-breaking $10,000-$20,000, the four finalists agreed on a deal, and she emerged as the winner of the fifth event of Winnin' o' the Green 2002. Emmons, a one-time computer programmer, has been playing poker for only three years. She was one of three women at the final table, the other two, also full-time players, being Kathy Liebert and Ann Bloom.
The final table was called into session after Eddie Sidkpramana went all in with A-K-Q-10. Nasser Karim, holding queens, broke him by flopping a set and filling on the turn. Karim, who ended up finishing third, at one point at the second table himself had been down to a single $500 chip.
Limits at the last table started at $3,000-$6,000. Mechanical engineer Andom Ghebre, who arrived with $52,000, was the chip leader and held that spot until the next-to-final hand. At the other end of the scale was Bloom, with only $7,000, and it only lasted her one hand. Giovanni Marcos, a salesman, raised with A-K-J-9 and Ann, in the small blind with A-3-6-Q, went all in. Giovanni filled on a flop of A-J-J, and Ann couldn't make a low.
Tim Fu was next to risk all his chips, on hand 10, but he escaped with a low. Five hands later he raised pre-flop for his last $5,500 with A-A-K-5. Frankie Chu called with Q-Q-J-J. Liebert then gave a demonstration in extrasensory perception, or else the cards were marked, because she called out 9-9-9, and two 9s did flop. A queen on the river gave Chu a boat, and the third player in a row was knocked out by a full house.
As play continued, Emmons went all in for her last chip on the river, but she had made an A-2 nut low on the flop, and split with Liebert, who had kings in her hand. Then George Marlowe, a consultant, was all in against Rebekah, but scooped with a 2-5 for low and aces and kings for high. With limits at $5,000-$10,000, Marcos played his last hand. He raised with A-2-8-K and Chu, with A-A-Q-10, re-raised to put him in. There was no low, and Frankie's aces were sufficient to put Giovanni out of action when the board came 9-9-3-J-2.
All in again against Liebert on hand 27, Rebekah, with A-3-4-K, had a wraparound wheel draw when 2-5-10 flopped, and she made it, outrunning Kathy's aces, by catching a trey on the river. A few hands later, Andom pulled into a very big lead. In a pot with Chu, he raised before the flop, raised on a flop of Q-K-4 and bet when an ace turned. When a jack and third spade came on the river, he bet again and Chu gave up. A couple of hands later, Chu button-raised all in for $7,000 with A-3-7-K. Liebert called with A-4-6-Q and busted him when a board of Q-J-8-A-9 gave her aces and queens.
With five left, Andom led the pack with $97,500. Rebekah had $42,000, Nasser had $40,500, Kathy had $33,500 and George trailed with $23,000.
A deal was discussed, but couldn't be finalized. "Let's play," Liebert said, ending the discussion.
Four hands later the key hand came down. Emmons raised, Ghebre re-raised, Marlowe called and Emmons capped it. Ghebre and Marlowe called, with Marlowe going all in, one chip shy. "I'm done," he commented. "The good news is, I can't be outplayed." He had A-2-J-J, while Ghebre had A-4-5-6 and Emmons held A-A-10-5. The low draws missed when the board came Q-5-3-3-10, and Emmons' aces gave her a scoop and the lead.
After one more hand was played, the chips were counted down again. Rebekah had $65,500; Andom, $62,000; Nasser, $55,500; and Kathy, $33,500. This time, after some haggling, a deal was done, and the lady from Texas rode off with the title. -Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Rebekah Emmons is a fast learner. She took up poker just three years ago and began playing seriously only about 18 months ago. Her game of choice is no-limit hold'em, but Omaha hi-lo seems to be the most lucrative for her, having won that event at the Orleans Open last year. She also has cash-outs in no-limit at Tunica and in Omaha and limit hold'em at Reno.
She's exclusively a tournament player, but with two small kids at home, doesn't play that many events in a year. Tonight, she was down to $350 before the first break, but later amassed a lot of chips in four-way action when she made a low and a spade flush to scoop the pot. Her strategy at the final table in early action, she said, was to try to "stay out of it," especially when she wasn't getting much in the way of cards, and to let the other players knock each other out. |
