‘Chip-Burner’ Hoes a Win!
Robert Turner, a fixture for many years on the L.A. poker scene and the man who conceived Legends of Poker, returned to capture the 15th event of Legends 2002, $500 H.O.E. The old chip-burner’s final opponent was the equally wild Andre Maloof, who started heads-up play with a 2-1 chip lead. The CPA then proposed a deal for the money that was left after an earlier four-way deal and gave his opponent 20 seconds to accept. Turner talked to his wife Charity and decided to play it out. After several chip-lead changes, their starting positions were reversed and Maloof accepted the same terms he had offered to Turner. David Pham, meanwhile, finished third, gathering enough points to take over the lead in the points pay-off race.
The H.O.E. event consisted of 45-minute alternating rounds of limit hold’em, Omaha hi-lo and 7-card stud hi-lo. At the second table, playing Omaha, Henry Minasyan was left with $1,000 after his nut low was counterfeited on the river. On the next hand the game reverted to stud with $1,000-$2,000 limits, a $300 bring-in and $200 antes. Minasyan’s money immediately went in with three-way action. Turner kept betting his pocket 10s and then scooped, even though he did not improve.
In the first hand at the final table, Maloof hauled in a big pot with a full house and took over the chip lead. On hand five, journeyman player David Plastik melted down when he went all in with a 5-7/A, but missed his low. Poker player Bernardo Rusiano took low with a 7-4 and Maloof high with three Js. Seven hands later another pro, Carito Lampaya, went out in seventh place. He missed his spade flush draw while Andy Sacino took high with two queens and Pham’s 7-4 won the low.
Two more players then went out in short order. Poker player Bernardo Rusiano put in his last $400 with a queen up and two jacks down. That’s as far as he got, while Pham made trip 6s and Maloof’s 8 was good for low. Next out was Tony Wong, a bread vendor. All his bread went in with a door-card ace. On sixth street, he had four hearts showing, but none down. He made two pair, not nearly good enough against Turner’s queen-high flush.
After a break, the four finalists returned at 11 p.m. to play hold’em with limits at $1,500 and $3,000. Andy Sacino, a Hollywood Park executive host who years ago had been the managing partner of a small Gardena club, now had the chip lead with $28,500. Maloof had $24,000; Turner, $21,000; and Pham, $19,000. After 33 more hands went by, Sacino’s lead evaporated and he was low on chips. He then was dealt pocket jacks. Maloof, in the big blind, had only 7-4 but made trips when the board came 7-7-6. When a king turned, Andy bet and Andre raised him all in and busted him.
Andre now had about $53,000 in chips, while Turner and Pham each had close to $20,000. A few hands later, “Dave the Dragon” was draggin’ after losing a pot to Turner. Holding J-2, Pham flopped a deuce, but couldn’t overtake Robert’s pocket 8s.
On the next hand he was all in with Q-5 against Maloof’s J-8. The board came J-9-5-8-4, and Andre’s jacks prevailed.
Two-handed now, the game immediately shifted to Omaha, $2,000 and $4,000 limits. Maloof started with about $64,000, but after Turner quickly scooped him three times, he suddenly was down to about $35,000. Recovering, he went back up to about $60,000. Then, on the 14th hand heads-up, Turner, holding A-J-Q-6, won a $48,000 pot with a broadway straight and took the lead again. After taking another pot with a full house, Turner now had the 2-1 lead and Maloof finally surrendered. – Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Robert Turner has been playing poker since his high school days in Alabama in the late 60s. He has been the marketing director at the Bicycle Casino, the poker manager at the old Regency Casino, an executive host at Hollywood Park and now is promotion director at the Hustler Casino. His many poker accomplishment include a best all-around and a runner-up at the Bike, and he is possibly the only player ever to win four events at a tournament series on four different occasions.
He was glad for the win, he said, because he needs the money for his second son, who is 8 weeks old. He has another son nearly 3 years old. Turner’s two favorite games are no-limit hold’em and Omaha hi-lo. Tonight, he said, he was one of the lowest-chipped players with two players left, but he was able to gradually climb up from there at a steady pace.
CHIP POSITION FINAL TABLE
Andy Sacino
$15,200
Carlito Lampaya
$12,700
Robert Turner
$16,700
David Plastik
$4,500
Bernardo Rusiana
$7,400
David Pham
$14,500
Tony Wong
$2,000
Andre Maloof
$19,300
Chips raced and/or blinded off: $315
ALL-AROUND PAY-OFF POINTS
Name Total
1. David Pham 193
2. Marlon Delossantos 184
3. Daniel Negreanu 144
4. Sam Sanusi 122
5. Ron Faltinsky 118
6. Toby Atroshenko 103
7. Paul Ladanyi 103
8. John Juanda 99
9. Kenny Nguyen 95
10.Russell Rosen 94
SUPER SATELLITE PAY-OFF POINTS
Name Total
1. Jeff Yoak 292
2. Tony Cousineau 207
3. Mickey Mouse 193
4. Randy Holland 166
5. Jimmy Tran 135
6. Amir Vahedi 120
7. Phillip Barres 102
8. Eskimo Clark 88
9. Hassan Kamoei 88
10.An Tran 83
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