It was the longest final table so far at this year's Jack Binion World Poker Open. Clocking-in at just under six hours, the finale played down to two players -- Farzad Rouhani from Maryland versus Ken "Skyhawk" Flaton from Nevada. The epic heads-up match lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes before Rouhani finally won the Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split championship, with two pair on the final hand scooping $31,816 in prize money and the coveted gold and diamond bracelet.
The last hand of the night was the high point of a dramatic duel between Rouhani and Skyhawk. Rouhani had the chip lead during the entire confrontation, and had Skyhawk all-in an astounding seven times. On each occasion, Skyhawk managed to survive. But Rouhani finally won the biggest pot of the night in a staggering finish that went down to the very last card.
Things did not go as well for Jon Brody. He came to the final table second-lowest in chips and got involved early in a three-way pot with Rouhani and Chris Grigorian. Brody started with a pair of aces and was drawing to a 6-low on the final card. Meanwhile, Grigorian made a 6-high straight with a low. Brody caught a brick on the final card, which dashed his hopes of moving up the money ladder. Brody, from Florida, received $2,386 for 8th-place.
Meanwhile "The Armenian Express," Chris Grigorian, turned the final table into his own private ATM machine. He started the day with just $1,600 (Note: He was outchipped by the 8th-place player 2-1 and by the chip-leader 16-1!). "The Express" went on a tear, ripping chips out of his opponents' stacks one-by-one. An hour into play at the final table, Grigorian had increased his stack tenfold, to $16K.
It appeared that Spring Cheong had the perfect opportunity to double-up when she was dealt (3-3) 3 after the first three cards. But Cheong's big hand couldn't have come at a worse time. Skyhawk Flaton was also rolled-up on the same hand, with (5-5) 5. All Cheong could do was hope to catch a pair or the case 3, which didn't come. Skyhawk won the big pot and put Cheong out in a disappointing 7th-place. Cheong, a popular columnist for Card Player magazine and a regular player on the poker tournament circuit, collected $3,182.
Next, Texan Judy Ingram went out when she started with split kings and lost. She showed (A-K) K-6-7-10 (8) which was roasted by a straight. This was Ingram's second final table at this year's tournament. She walked away with $3,977 for 6th-place.
Paul Honas arrived at the final table with a 2-1 chip lead over his closest rival. Then, he ran card-cold at the worst possible moment. Honas failed to catch a hand of any significance during the finale and was mowed down to a few thousand in chips as the antes went up to $200 and and limits increased to $1,500-$3,000. Honas' final hand came with (A-4) 2-8-9-Q (K) against Rouhani's (A-A) 7-6-10-K (x). Honas, a professional poker player from Las Vegas and winner of the Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split event at the Hall of Fame Classic, received $4,772 for 5th-place.
Israeli Asher Derei was within striking distance of the chip-lead when he was completely wiped-out by Skyhawk Flaton on three critical hands. First, Derei lost to Skyhawk's 6-5 low and pair. Next, Skyhawk made a flush against Derei's two-pair. Finally down to just $3K in chips, Derei's lost when Skyhawk swooped down and crushed his opponent with (2-5) 3-4-7-Q (Q). Derei, who won this year's $500 buy-in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split event departed his third final table of the 2003 series with $5,568 for 4th-place.
Perhaps the most remarkable performance at the final table was by Armenian-born, and now Los Angeles-resident, Chris Grigorian. The Armenian Express dominated play early on, and turned a "toothpick into a lumberyard," rocketing from just a few chips at the start of the final table to the co-chip lead at one point. But "the Express" was finally derailed when Grigorian started-off with (K-J) J against Rouhani's (A-K) Q. Grigorian caught four successive blanks while Rouhani's made a monster hand -- kings full of deuces. Grigorian hit the rail in 3rd place and had $9,545 reasons to be happy.
Heads-up, Rouhani started off with a 3-2 chip advantage over Skyhawk. He proceeded to immediately dismantle the Las Vegas pro's stack. Rouhani widened his lead to 4-1 after one key hand and suddenly, it looked as though Rouhani would win the tournament in a rout.
But anyone who understands anything about poker and seven-card stud high-low split in particular, knows that Ken "Skyhawk" Flaton is one of the best players is the world at this game. Flaton put on a clinic for the audience on how to play a short-stack in a tournament. Desperately short on chips at several key moments, Flaton semed to always sense when he was beat and made the most of his opportunities. Skyhawk was all-in an austounding 7 times against Rouhani. Each time, he managed to either split the pot or scoop enough chips and climb back into contention.
One of the most interesting hands of the night was the following. Hand shown is on sixth street:
Skyhawk (8-5) 3-3-5-A
Rouhani (A-K) Q-5-9-9
Skyhawk was all-in with two pair. He also had a low-draw. Rouhani had no chance to make a low, but had four diamonds. On seventh street, Skyhawk caught what seemed to be the perfect card -- a deuce to make a low. In a dramatic moment, Rouhani squeezed his final card and then showed a diamond. Split pot.
After the two players battled for another half-hour, Flaton drew close to even in chips when he check- raised Rouhani with 5-6-3-J showing (including three clubs). Rouhani had 6-4-2-8 showing and mucked his hand. It was anyone's tournament to win at that point.
When antes at $1K and limits increased to $5K-$10K, scooping one single pot was enough to seize a commanding chip-lead. Rouhani dealt a few devastating blows to Skyhawk and gradually took a $63K to $16K chip lead. Then, Skyhawk raided Rouhani's stack when he scooped a pot with:
Skyhawk (6-6) 4-3-A-10 (6)
Rouhani (2-2) 6-3-A-9 (Q)
On fifth street, both players had monster draws. But Skyhawks trip 6s took down the big pot. Another virtual tie for the chip-lead.
The final hand of the night came rather unexpectedly. Rouhani started with (A-K) 9 against Skyhawk's (J-J) 9. Both players got into a raising war with high cards and then succeeded in catching several blanks. By sixth street, the players had:
Skyhawk (J-J) 9-8-4-2
Rouhani (A-K) 9-6-2-K
Rouhani had a pair of kings. Skyhawk had a pair of jacks. On the final card Rouhani caught an ace, for two pair -- As and Ks. Skyhawk desperately needed a jack, which would have scooped an enormous pot and likely given him an insurmountable chip-advantage (Rouhani had only $3K left when Skyhawk was all-in). Skyhawk looked down and peeked at his final card. He saw paint. He saw royalty. Could it be the jack?
No. A harmless queen was shown, and Rouhani was the winner.
Ken "Skyhawk" Flaton has won numerous poker titles, including the 1996 United States Poker Championship. He congratulated his rival and calmly walked away with 2nd-place prize money of $18,294.
Farzad Rouhani played an outstanding tournament and deserved to win. Iranian-born Rouhani is primarily a cash-game player who just started playing in tournaments a few years ago. This win marks his second major tournament victory, as he won a Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split tournament at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City last year. This time, Rouhani defeated one of the best stud players in the world heads-up and rightly collected the World Poker Open gold bracelet. To no one's surprise, it fit perfectly.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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