Daniel Takes 2nd Legends!
Heads-up with about $18,000 to Marlon Delossantos’ $94,000, Daniel Negreanu proceeded to win seven hands in a row to move into a small lead and eventual victory in the 13th event of Legends 2002, $500 Omaha hi-lo. First place paid $22,600 and it was all his, because Negreanu never makes deals. Delossantos, making his fourth final table appearance, took the points championship lead with 148 points, while Negreanu moved up to second.
The final nine assembled after Jag Tejwani went out with a double-suited A-A-2-8.
David Pham had 2-3-4-5 and won with three 4s. Limits started at $1,500-$3,000, 43 minutes remaining. In early action, Negreanu, starting with $9,500, got healthy on the fourth hand when his nut-nut A-2 flush took three-quarters of a $34,000 pot. On hand 10, David Devitt was all in with A-3-8-K. The board came 10-8-4-3-6 and Devitt was chopped up by David Pham’s nut low and Negreanu’s set.
On the next hand, three players went all in. Steven Choi put in his last two chips with K-K-3-4 and couldn’t help. Todd Bleak won the main pot with a straight and Gregory Mascio won the side pot with a set of jacks. Negreanu then went on a small rush, building his stacks up to nearly $60,000, saying he had flopped a set of kings about 15 times in the tournament. Warren Karp was next out. He held A-J-8-6 to Marlon’s A-3-9-6. With a board of Q-5-2-K, Karp had the lead, and a flush draw, but a river 9 crushed him. A couple of hands later, Harold Kaufler was all in before the flop with Q-Q-A-5 double suited. Poker player Mascio busted him when his A-5-8-K turned into kings-full.
After limits went to $2,000-$4,000, Negreanu won three quick pots and now held almost $70,000 of the $112,000 in play. On the next hand, Mascio raised all in for $4,000 with A-5-6-9. Delossantos banged it again with A-4-6-8 and Negreanu called with A-2-3-9. The board came 10-7-2-10-9. Marlon scooped with a surprise straight, and Mascio, who finished second in a 2002 WSOP Omaha event, was out of business.
As action continued, the three finalists got involved in a pot that was capped by Pham. Two queens and a jack then flopped. Delossantos bet, Pham raised, and both players called. With $36,000 in the pot, Marlon bet a 6 on the turn. David, with $1,000 left, folded. Marlon then won with pocket aces while Negreanu, missing draws to a straight and a flush, called for the size of the pot with a paired jack. On the next hand, David was in the small blind with A-2-7-7. The board came 8-6-2-J-9 and Marlon, with A-2-5-9, scooped with a better low and two pair. After Pham departed, Negreanu and Delossantos tried, without success, to figure out what he could have held to raise so strongly, then abandon a big pot with two chips left.
Heads-up, Marlon held a slight lead, hammered Daniel down to around $18,000, then lost the lead after Daniel’s seven straight wins. With limits at $3,000-$6,000, Delossantos made a flush larger than Negreanu’s, again taking a very big lead. Down to $500, Negreanu won a pot when Delossantos folded the turn, got three-fourths of the next pot and continued to climb. Increasingly low-chipped, Marlon was finally all in on the 50th heads-up hand. The finish was not dramatic. Marlon held A-2-6-8. Daniel, with 2-3-4-6, was drawing to a flush and a wraparound straight on a flop of 10-3-5.
He only made a pair of 3s, but it was enough to win the pot and the tournament. --Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Omaha hi-lo is Daniel Negreanu’s favorite game, and this is his sixth title in that event since 1999. “I’m a finisher,” Negreanu said. “I may not make as many final tables as other players, but once I do, I’m a big favorite.” His big edge, he said, comes from his long experience playing high-limit side games, which often get down to four or five players. Another strength for him, he said, is heart. “I never give up.” He noted that he was also way down at one point in the 7-card stud hi-lo event which he won five nights ago.
This is Negreanu’s second Omaha title this year. He won at Commerce’s LAPC, where he also took best all-around. So confident was he tonight, he pointed out, that at the second level, when he was doubled up, he went around the tables shaking hands and thanking players for donating to the prize pool.
CHIP POSITION FINAL TABLE
Gregory Mascio
$11,500
Todd Bleak
$11,000
David Devitt
$1,000
Marlon Delossantos
$19,500
Steven Choi
$3,000
David Pham
$23,500
Warren Karp
$14,000
Harold Kaufler
$19,000
Daniel Negreanu
$9,500
Chips raced and/or blinded off: $200 (-$1,250 disqualification)
ALL-AROUND PAY-OFF POINTS
Name Total
1. Marlon Delossantos 148
2. Daniel Negreanu 144
3. David Pham 140
4. Sam Sanusi 122
5. John Juanda 99
6. Ron Faltinsky 98
7. Kenny Nguyen 95
8. Russell Rosen 94
9. Kathy Liebert 91
10.Men Nguyen 87
SUPER SATELLITE PAY-OFF POINTS
Name Total
1. Jeff Yoak 280
2. Mickey Mouse 169
3. Randy Holland 166
4. Tony Cousineau 152
5. Jimmy Tran 131
6. Amir Vahedi 120
7. Phillip Barres 96
8. Eskimo Clark 88
9. Hassan Kamoei 88
10.Mike Fetter 79
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