MIAMI JOHN WINS MARATHON OMAHA 8 OR BETTER EVENT
Experience was a big factor tonight as seasoned pro "Miami" John Cernuto came out on top in a $500 Omaha 8 or better tournament that stretched on until 3:30 a.m. Cernuto, holder of three WSOP bracelets, picked his spots, read his opponents and made good laydowns to take a big lead late in the session. Then poker player Brian Nadell surged, and when the two got heads-up, Nadell trailed by only $12,000 and the two made a tournament-ending deal.
The final table started with 10 players and worked down to the nine in-the-money finishers. Alaska contractor Tim Lyons was frozen out on the bubble. Shortest-chipped, he hung around for 25 hands, finally raising all in with A-A-J-9. "I don't have much but I have no choice," said Nadell, throwing in a couple of extra chips from the big blind. He had K-Q-J-5 and filled on a board of Q-9-3-K-K.
The final nine went to limits of $1,000-$2,000 after two minutes of play. Gaming industry consultant Vince Oliver was left with $1,000 on hand 34 when he went in with A-3-7-J, flopped a nut straight when K-Q-10 came, then lost when Nadell again made kings-full. Two hands later Oliver busted out in the small blind with Q-9-8-3 when Miami John turned 2-4-5-6 into a 6-high straight.
The evening's survival specialist was John Robertson, who turned pro after retiring from the printing business. He went all in and escaped for the first of five times with a flush on hand 37.
Scotty Nguyen retired from the competition 10 hands later. He went all in with A-3-5 in his hand. When the board came 10-8-3-6-3, he was chopped up by Young Phan,with an A-2 nut low, and Allen Kessler, who made a straight with A-4-7-9.
As the next level approached, Phan, an Orange County pro, led with about $19,000. Cernuto and Kessler, in the advertising business in Pennsylvania, were not far behind, while Robertson was in peril with $4,000. Nadell wasn't keen on having the limits jump to $2,000 and $4,000 when the average chip count was under $14,000, and suggested a more moderate increase to $1,500-$3,000. The players seemed agreeable, but tournament director David Lamb took a secret ballot vote in case one player didn't want to be known the bad guy who vetoed. No one did, and $1,500-$3,000 it was.
As play continued, Nadell complained that first two cards he looked at always seemed to be two treys. He went all in a couple of times, first splitting with New York pro Eddie Fishman, then betting his last $1,500 when the board showed J-5-2-J-Q with three diamonds. Phan, with trip jacks, made a good laydown because Nadell had made a small diamond flush. On hand 65, Kessler, on the button, start with A-2-10-10 and went all in. A low didn't come and Paul Honas, another Vegas pro, put him away with another diamond flush.
Phan was left with one chip when he flopped a wraparound wheel draw to his 3-4-5 and missed. He posted it the following hand in the small blind (he jokingly tried to add some live chips, which for some reason wasn't allowed). Miami John raised "to give protection" to Phan. Some protection. Phan had hopeless junk cards and Cernuto made yet another diamond flush, king- high, to knock out Phan and also beat Honas, whose flush was queen-high.
Still going all in, Robertson meanwhile saved his neck for the fifth time by making quad jacks.
When limits rose to the postponed $2,000-$4,000 level, Fishman led with $31,000. Miami John had $23,000, Honas had $19,000, Nadell had dipped to $9,000 and Robertson had built his chips up to $15,000. But on hand 103 his luck ran out. Holding Q-J-10-7, he went all in after flopping a straight draw, losing to Nadell's aces-full and Honas' 8-low.
After scooping a pot against Honas with a starting hand of K-K-Q-Q, Miami John had taken a sizeable lead with about $45,000. Fishman then lost a couple of pots and finally busted out against Nadell. Eddie had a great starting hand of A-2-3-7 while Nadell, in the big blind, had A-5-8-6. Fishman went all in, and when the board came A-J-J-4-Q, Brian's two aces with an 8 edged Eddie's two aces with a 7.
On the final hand, Honas started with best high and best low: J-J-3-5 vs. Nadell's A-Q-9-8. But a flop of Q-10-9 gave Nadell two pair. He put Honas in, his hand held up and now two were left. Cernuto had $54,000 to Nadell's $42,500. They agreed on a deal and called it a night. --Max Shapiro
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