Phillip Penns 2nd Win in Stud!
Phillip Penn Sr., winner of the 7-card stud hi-lo event three nights ago, notched his second victory, this time in 7-card stud, taking a 14-point lead in the all-around pay-off points race in Winnnin' o' the Green 2002. After two players were knocked out in one hand, he got heads-up with Tran Long, trailing by roughly $55,000 to $67,000. After they played a few hands, Penn took a slight lead by pulling and then showing a bluff on fourth street. Anxious to nail down points, Penn then agreed to a deal.
Rebekah Emmons, who won event number five, Omaha hi-lo, finished third tonight to end up right behind Penn in the points race.
Wayne Schumacher missed the cut when his kings and jacks lost to Minh Nguyen's aces and eights. At the final table, Emmons started as chip leader with $28,100. Limits began at $2,000-$4,000, with $300 antes and a $500 bring-in. Minh Ly had the fewest chips, $2,100, and they went in on the second hand. Norm Little raised and Ly called all in with two queens. There was nothing little about Little's hand. He flipped up pocket aces and caught another bullet on fourth street to beat Ly's queens and jacks and leave him in eighth place.
Omar Ocampolongo got in trouble on hand seven. He made a hesitant, reluctant call with a 4 showing after Rebekah raised with a 6 up. After they both caught low cards on fourth street, she bet and he decided to fold with only about $6,000 left. Five hands later he again faced Emmons. Dealt a low-card deuce, he completed the bet and she made it $6,000 to go showing a king. He called and added his last $400. They both had big cards down.
The remaining cards were dealt, and it was a photo finish at the end. Omar made deuces with an A-Q, but Rebekah beat him by a nose, a very small nose, with deuces and A-K.
With six players left, there was a brief discussion of a deal, but Little, a jovial 79-year-old whose past occupations include being a seaman and a poker dealer, said, "Let's play a little longer. I've never won a stud tournament." He didn't win one tonight either, and in fact was the next one out. Limits went to $3,000-$6,000 with $500 antes and $1,000 low card on hand 15. Four hands later, Little had pocket 10s and went with them all the way. On fifth street he raised for his last $500 with 4-6-J showing. He couldn't improve and lost to Penn, who had a king down and paired it on fourth street.
A dozen hands later, Nguyen was left with only $2,000 after Penn paired an ace on sixth street and check-raised. Nguyen then went all in on the next hand in three-way action against Emmons and Long, who also went all in on sixth street. Both all-in players survived, Nguyen taking the main pot with a flush and Long getting the much-larger side pot with two pair. On the next hand, limits went up and Nguyen went down for the count, finishing fifth. The stakes were now $1,000 antes, $2,000 bring-ins and $5,000-$10,000 limits. After Minh immediately went all in against Tran, the cards were dealt out. Minh couldn't make even a pair and lost to Tran's queens.
Hand 36 was dramatic. Emmons raised with pocket queens and Hwan Kang re-raised another $1,600 with split kings, going all in. Emmons went all in on the next street, and the cards were dealt. Neither all-in player could improve, while Long caught a jack-high straight to get heads up-with Penn.
Long now had the chip lead, but not for long. After a few small pots were played, Penn took a lead of maybe $5,000 after showing a bluff of a jack and three small cards. Both players were now agreeable to a deal, and Penn locked up win number two. -Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Phillip Penn has been a hold'em specialist, but now finds stud making a strong bid for his game of choice in live action after two victories in Winnin' o' the Green. "I go back and forth. It depends how the cards are running." Tonight, he never went all in, but was getting upset after playing and losing three hands in succession after the first break. So he decided to take a breather and "walk it off," missing two or three hands. Coming back, he got going again by winning a sizeable pot and knocking out two players when he made an ace-high flush.
Penn, a resident of Norwalk, works for one of the wireless phone companies. In his prior interview after winning stud hi-lo, he said that he had played "15 zillion" tournaments and that one was his first win. Now, with a second quick victory under his belt, he seems to be making up for lost time.
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