| Las Vegan Rajiv Rishi is
Crowned Limit Holdem Champion
Rajiv Rishi of Las Vegas stormed through 107 entries and won the $300 buy-in
limit holdem event. Rajiv came to the final table with the second biggest
stack, behind chip-leader Robert Taylor. From the outset, it appeared that
Rajiv would be the main threat to Taylor. During the course of play at the
final table -- which lasted just over four hours -- Rajiv slowly but
deliberately hacked away at Taylor and the other seven players until he had
acquired every single chip in the tournament. That tenacity meant a
first-place trophy for Rajiv presented by the Four Queens and $12,450 in
prize money.
Another local poker player, Las Vegan Mike Marzoog was not quite as
fortunate. Only a few minutes into the finale, Marzoog was dealt pocket 8s
and hit a set of eights on the turn. It appeared he might double-up with
some chips. However, Rajiv (holding the Q-J of hearts) ripped Marzoog's
heart out when he spiked a heart flush on the river. Marzoog went out 9th
with $500.
Just minutes later another local -- Deborah Wohle with a short-stack put her
final chips into the pot with A-5 when the flop came J-5-3. "Miami John"
Cernuto was there in the catbird seat with K-J to snap-off her pair of 5s
with a bigger pair. Miami John's pair of jacks held up and Wohle was out in
8th place with $620.
At this point, Rajiv started to make his move. Employing an aggressive and
unpredictable style that would endure throughout play at the final table,
Rajiv made a stunning bluff to knock Taylor out of a big pot. Those chips
meant Rajiv enjoyed a slight chip lead for the first time. Then, Taylor got
back some chips himself when he made a straight (with 10-J) against Martine
Oules when the final board showed 9-8-3-10-7. Oules, the final table's other
female player (after Wohle) went out soon thereafter as the Las Vegan was
forced to commit her last chips in the blind with K-7. Joe Paul called with
Q-8 and flopped an eight. The pair of 8s held up which put Oules on the rail
in 7th place with $750.
Alex Papachatzakis has enjoyed an impressive year on the poker tournament
circuit. The naive of Athens, Greece who now lives in Southern California
made the final table at the World Poker Open and other majors since then. He
hoped to add a Four Queens title to his record, but could never get enough
chips to be much of a factor. Papachatzakis made his final stand of the
night with 8-8 and was called down by Rajiv (holding A-J) when the flop came
J-3-3. A much-needed eight failed to materialize, which knocked
Papachatzakis out in 6th place with $1,050.
Three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Miami John Cernuto, much
like Papachatzakis, could never gain momentum at the final table nor use his
immense talent and experience to overcome his rivals. Miami John's final
hand of the night came when he made it two bets with A-5, which was called in
the blind by Rajiv. When the flop came with a five (9-5-4) Miami John bet
out with his final chips. Rajiv with two overcards was committed at that
point and called, then caught a sweet little jack on the turn to bust-out
Miami John. The former air-traffic controller who has become one of the most
successful tournament poker players over the past decade, crash landed in 5th
place with $1,370.
With Rajiv holding a 2 to 1 chip advantage over Taylor, it was time for
another player to make his move. Atlantic City crumudgeon Fran Pinchot made
the monster hand of the night with quad-jacks, but he failed to get paid-off.
On the very next hand, Taylor picked up the same pocket jacks -- and this
time WAS paid of by Pinchot -- as the jacks won again making a straight.
That loss left Pinchot crippled, and he had to go all-in on the next hand
with 7-9. Again, Taylor had the winning hand which bounced the retired
ex-basketball coach and teacher out on 4th place with $1,657.
Next, a key hand took place when Rajiv (with J-6 in the big blind) got
involved in a big pot against Taylor (holding Q-10). Rajiv sensed something
was up and called down Taylor each time he made a bet (he was semi-bluffing
on a straight draw). Rajiv ended up winning the huge pot with a tiny pair of
6s -- not much of a hand, but good enough to take a decisive chip lead and
put Taylor on the defensive for the first time.
Joe Paul, a systems analyst from Toms River, NJ, made the biggest pay jump of
the day -- by taking just $4,000 in chips at the start of the final table and
parlaying that into a third-place finish. While Paul was never much of a
factor, nor was he able to get any kind of rush going, he did play a
masterful final table and moved up in prize money with patience and good
timing. Paul went "all-in" with K-8 when he flopped a king, but lost when
Taylor ended up with two pair. Still, Paul took home $3,100.
Now down to the final two players, many in the crowd expected the duel to go
deep into the night. Rajiv was out-chipped slightly by Taylor -- $84,500 to
$82,000. But it didn't take long for Rajiv to launch into Taylor's chip
castle like a bulldozer with no breaks, carting-off stack-by-stack and
chip-by-chip any dreams Taylor had of winning the tournament. Rajiv caught a
rush of good cards and even better good fortune at just the right time --
playing head-up for big money. Less than half an hour after they started the
duel, Robert made his final raise of the night with A-2. Rajiv with K-8
called. The final board came K-9-7-3-6. Rajiv's pair of kings was the
crowning blow to Taylor who went out in second-place with $6,220.
Meanwhile, Rajiv was ecstatic. Cheered on by his wife (the couple have been
together nearly 20 years), Rajiv congratulated Taylor for his play and then
beamed in the spotlight as he was presented with the crystal trophy and
$12,450 in prize money.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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