|
Anthony Beats Other Tran!
Anthony Tran, a fixture on the local tournament scene, started the final table as chip leader, played very aggressively and ran off with victory in the second event of Big Poker Oktober, $100 limit hold'em. Tran, with numerous prior cash-outs, came in second earlier this year at the Shooting Star tournament at Bay 101. His final opponent, Hai Tran, won the opening event of the 4 Queens Poker Classic, which is still in progress, when he beat a field of 319.
Paul Javiar finished 10th. After going all in twice and managing to turn his last $500 chip into nine chips, he re-raised all in for the third time with A-J. Anthony called with K-Q and Javiar went broke when a king turned. Limits at the final table started at $2,000-$4,000 with 23 minutes left. The two Trans started just as they finished, Anthony with the chip lead, Hai second. On the third hand, Anthony had queens to Hai's jacks. The pot was four-bet before the flop and raised on the turn, and when neither player improved, Anthony's chip count had jumped to $60,000.
Clinton Moore, who finished fourth yesterday, went all in with A-5 under the gun on the fifth hand. Olises Molina had 7-6 of diamonds. Four diamonds came and there was no "Moore" Clinton. One hand later, poker player Rocky Enciso put in his last $2,000 with A-8. He took the lead against Hai's pocket 7s when the flop came 8-5-4 to pair his 8. But then a 6 gave Hai an inside straight to cut the field again.
It then took only three more hands to lose another player. Jollibert David was in the small blind with 8-7 offsuit against Hai, who had the big blind with 10-9. David had an inside straight draw when the flop came J-10-3. He didn't hit when a 4-K came, and he cashed out sixth.
A couple of hands later, the two Trans, who had been locking horns a lot, did it again. Anthony raised, Hai re-raised, and Anthony complained, "Every time I two-bet it, he three-bets it." Hai, with pocket 8s, made a set on the river to come within $4,000 of Anthony, who still had a $60,000 lead. After limits went to $6,000-$12,000, Mitch Krupa departed. He had K-7 of spades in the small blind. Hai had A-7 and put him out of action when the board came J-9-4-7-10.
Hai had now taken over the lead, about $63,000 to An Tran's $55,000. But he dropped below 50k after getting in another raising war, this time with Van Zakarian. Hai bet into a flop of K-10-7, then gave it up when Van raised. The key hand came on the 34th deal. It was three-bet pre-flop. The flop was Q-J-10. Van bet, Anthony raised. The turn was a 10. Again Van bet and Anthony raised. Finally, with a river deuce, Van checked. After a suspiciously long hesitation, Anthony bet into the $35,000 pot holding A-K for a Broadway straight, but Van didn't buy it and folded and Anthony now had about $70,000. On the next hand, Anthony moved further ahead by knocking out computer consultant and $40-$80 hold'em ring game player Fred Louie. Fred had much the worst of it with A-5 against A-K and couldn't find anything.
By the next break, Anthony had built his lead to $80,000 against $43,000 for Hai and $24,000 for Van. The players returned to play hand 41 with limits now at $4,000 and $8,000. The end was swift. Zakarian held 10-8 and on a flop of 10-5-2, he re-raised all in on his paired 10s. Two diamonds also flopped. Anthony held Ax, 6d. Two running diamonds, a 3 and a 9, gave Anthony a flush, and two Trans were left. Anthony held over $90,000 of the $147,000 in play, and the two immediately worked out a deal. - Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Anthony Tran, 42, has been playing poker full time for 15 years, with "too many cash-outs to remember." A tournament specialist, he feels that stud is his best game, though people tell him that it's hold'em. His standard strategy is to raise, raise, raise. "I don't give players a chance to breathe," he said. "If they have guts, they can call." But, he adds, he chooses his spots. "You have to learn your players and pick the right place to gamble."
Tonight, he said, he was up and down like a yo-yo. He suffered a couple of bad beats, losing with kings against A-K and jacks versus 7s, and at the third table was down to $900 before he started his comeback. At the final table, he said he felt very confident, which was why he turned down reqests for deals when the table was four- or five-handed.
Event #2 Results
LIMIT HOLD'EM
$100 + $20
$18,300 PRIZE POOL
183 PLAYERS
1. Anthony Tran $6,575
2. Hai Tran $3,185
3. Van Zakarian $1,655
4. Fred Louie $1,090
5. Mitch Krupa $845
6. Jollibert David $685
7. Olises Molina $525
8. Rocky Enciso $445
9. Clinton Moore $400
NEXT
No-Limit Hold'em
$100+$20
Multi-Rebuys
$50,000 Guaranteed
Saturday, Oct. 5, 4:15 p.m.
Chip Position Final Table
Mitch Krupa
$7,000
Van Zakarian
$20,000
Rocky Enciso
$7,000
Fred Louie
$16,000
Anthony Tran
$38,000
David Jollibert
$19,500
Olises Molina
$15,000
Clinton Moore
$1,000
Hai Tran
$24,000
Chips raced and/or blinded off: $605
ALL-AROUND
PAY-OFF POINTS
Name Total
1. Tony Abesamis 61
2. Clinton Moore 60
3. Anthony Tran 57
4. Richard Dagres 53
5. Hai Tran 49
6. Edward Moncada 47
7. Van Zakarian 43
8. Fred Louie 38
9. Randy Douthat 38
10.Mitch Krupa 34
11.Tony Sheets 34
12.Gus Cornejo 30
13.Jollibert David 30
14.Olises Molina 26
15. Ngoc Huynh 26
16.Badia Khalil 22
17.Rocky Enciso 22
18. Sarkis Talakan 20 |
