[Report kindly submitted by Max Shapiro]
OIL ENGINEER SAM SANUSI DRILLS A WIN IN EVENT #1
Sam Sanusi, a North Africa-born oil patch engineer for Exxon, stuggled in early going, but finally hit a geyser to win first place and an official $27,360 in the opening event of the Hustler Casino's inaugural Poker Challenge Cup Tournament. He never had more than $1,200 through the first five levels, but, in the key hand of the evening for him, he started with 6-5 offsuit at the second table and made a straight to finally pick up some serious chips.
Sanusi, who won a no-limit hold'em event at the 2002 Legends of Poker, made the biggest score of his poker career when he picked up $100,000 at the Bicycle Casino's freeroll in 2001.
Finishing second for $13,680 was Todd Bleak, a pro with a win at a Commerce shoot-out event to his credit. When he got heads-up, he had about $93,000 to Sanusi's $127,000. He proposed a deal for the remaining prize pool and then one showdown hand, which Sanusi won, was dealt for the trophy.
At the second table, tournament pro Sirous Baghchehsaraie drew gasps when he folded with one chip left in four-way action. But his strategy proved correct because he was dealt pocket jacks on the next hand, picking up a few chips and eventually lasting to sixth place. The final table of 10 was set after Sirous, again with pocket jacks, flopped a set to blow away Ted Gamboa.
Blinds at the final table began at $1,000-$1,500, with limits of $1,500 and $3,000, 29 minutes remaining. Bleak arrived with a slight chip lead while attorney Allyn Jaffrey was second-lowest chipped behind Sirous with only $2,200. She raised all in on the fourth hand and her pocket kings held up against South Dakota farmer Bill Eichel's A-K. On hand 10, Than Hdat Tran, caught in the big blind, called for his last $200 with just 7-4 when Sanusi raised with A-Q. With a board of K-K-10-7, he had the lead, but a river 10 counterfeited his pair, and Sanusi's ace left him cashing out for $1,080.
Five hands later, Fred Khazakyan, an Armenian-born student playing his first tournament, held A-K. When the flop came Q-2-2, David Plastik, holding Q-5 in the big blind, check-raised him all in and won. Khazakyan collected $1,260 for his ninth-place finish. As play continued, Vegas pro Plastik was by far the most aggressive player at the table. His strong-arm tactics got him to the chip lead, but a couple of bad beats later put him out of action.
With the blinds fast approaching, Jaffrey made her last stand by raising all in for $2,300 with A-8 suited. Gino Yu, who won a Hustler limit hold'em event in December, called with pocket 5s and broke the protégé of Card Player publisher Barry Shulman by flopping a set. Jaffrey, who won a Four Queens hold'em event last year, picked up $1,440 for finishing eighth.
A couple of hands later, Bleak showed some playful gamesmanship by bluffing Eichel and showing his 5-2.
Seemingly hitting everything, Plastik then left George Karambinis in seventh place. Karambinis, who is self-employed, had K-5 in the small blind. Plastik, in the cut-off seat, raised him all in with J-9, then flopped a winning jack. Karambinis collected $2,520.
With limits now at $2,000-$4,000, Sirous finally ran out of maneuvering room. Holding K-5, he had an open-ender with a board of J-10-2-Q, but missed, fell to Gino Yu's ace-high and settled for $2,880.
With five players left, most of the chips were held by Plastik and Sanusi with about $60,000 each, and Bleak with about $50,000. Then, on hand 31, Plastik ran into trouble. Holding what he later said was a big pair, he raised, then was three-bet by Eichel, who held pocket treys. Eichel, runner-up in the Reno Hilton's World Poker Challenge final event two years ago, proceeded to flop a set and then made quads on the turn. Some 16 hands later Plastik was crippled and fuming when Bleak, starting with J-9, check-raised him twice, then showed him a full house.
With limits at $3,000-$6,000, David suffered his final indignity on hand 54 when he held A-K and Bleak, with just 9-8, flopped two pair to take his last chips. Plastik's cash-out was for $3,600.
The chip lead, meanwhile, had changed several times. Eichel took his turn as leader with about $90,000 when his K-10 turned into a straight. Yu, who hadn't managed to do much since arriving at the final table just behind chip leader Bleak, was in the big blind with just $2,200 left, holding a mere 8-4 of spades. When Bleak raised with J-10, he gambled and called. He flopped a flush draw but couldn't complete it, and Bleak busted him with just a jack-high. Yu's fourth-place finish was worth $4,320.
The three finalists eventually got roughly even in chips. Then Eichel, who at one point had about $100,000, took a big hit when he held Q-10 and got into a raising war with Sanusi. With a board of Q-6-4-10, he had top two, but worried when Sanusi capped it. "Did you flop a set?" he asked. Sam did. A set of queens, as a matter of fact.
Not long after, Eichel went quietly holding 6-3 in the small blind against Bleak, who held K-J and paired his jack. Eichel collected $6,840, enough, he said, to cover the losses he had incurred during his trip here thus far. The two finalists then made their deal, the showdown hand was dealt, and the event ended at 4 a.m., the exact time predicted by tournament coordinator Warren Karp. --Max Shapiro
|
