| [Report kindly submitted by Max Shapiro]
POP THE PLUMBER HAS NO LEAKS IN NO-LIMIT HOLD'EM
What a final table for the second event of Hustler Casino's Poker Challenge Cup! There were two World Series champions, one half of a pair of poker-playing twins … and a father/son set of Illinois plumbers. In the end, Pop the Plumber, 52-year-old Jim Karambinis, drained the field with his relentless all-in raising to take down first place and $18,010 in the $200+$25 no-limit hold'em event.
Showing no remorse, Jim repeatedly stole the blinds of his son George, who was stymied by a lack of hands throughout. The elder Karambinis said he had no cards at the final table either, but made his own hands by being by far the most aggressive player. Jim won a $1,000 pot-limit hold'em event at Tunica last year, but says his best game is 32-card no-limit hold'em, which he's played for years at home games. "I'm the best in the world," he boasted.
George, who finished fourth, is off to a pretty good start himself. He turned 21 just two weeks ago, and has now made two final tables in the only two tournaments (yesterday and today) he's ever entered.
The final table started with $200 antes and $600 and $1,200 blinds, 19 minutes remaining. Freddy Lavassani, who banks pai gow and blackjack games with his twin brother, had the chip lead, closely followed by the retired attorney who goes by the colorful moniker of "Mickey Mouse."
David Brown lasted two hands. In the small blind with only $7,200 left, he called all in when John Womack raised, but his K-Q was no match for Womack's pocket cowboys. His 10th place payout was $710. 1991 world champion Brad Daugherty departed on hand seven when he tried to steal Womack's big blind by moving in for $6,000 from the small blind with just 8-6. Unfortunately for him, Womack, who has wins at the Taj Mahal, Reno and Orleans, had two more 8s and turned a set as Brad settled for $710.
Tom McEvoy fared no better seven hands later when he moved in for about $15,000 with A-4 suited. George, with more chips, had an easy call with pocket 10s and busted the 1983 champ. Grand Rapids Tom's payday was $830.
The limits had jumped twice, to $500 antes and $1,500-$3,000 blinds before the next player left. By now Pop the Plumber had been pounding the players to push to a peak of perhaps $70,000. On hand 55, Lavassani made it $7,500 to go on the button. Steven Dell, who is in pipeline sales and has numerous top three tournament finishes, raised all in for a few more chips in the small blind with J-3. Mickey Mouse and Freddy the twin called. When the flop came A-K-6, the Mouse moved in with K-Q. Freddy folded. Dell fell when a 5 and queen were dealt. He got $1,420 for seventh place while Freddy kicked himself for folding a J-10 which would have given him a straight.
A few hands later Lavasssani defended his big blind with his last handful of chips after Sanford Mendelson, another retired attorney, raised. Freddy didn't have much of a defense with J-5 offsuit against Mendelson's suited A-K. Big slick won without improving, and the twin pocketed $1,895. Mickey Mouse got exterminated a bit later. The chip-depleted mouse, who won back-to-back stud tournaments (at ages 19 and 20) in '62 and '63 at Binion's Horseshoe tournaments that were a precursor to the World Series, moved in with a cheesy Q-8 and couldn't nibble away at pop's K-8. He took home $2,370. Mickey later said poker had helped him get through law school, but he swore of poker and blackjack after law school graduation 30 years. He just returned to green felt action two years ago and has since placed fourth in a $1 million Los Angeles Poker Classic event.
Son George, who had seen little action since knocking out McEvoy 53 hands earlier, went out in a three-way pot. He raised all in for $6,200 with A-5. Womack called with A-8 of spades, then called again when Mendelson moved for $14,000 more with pocket jacks which took the pot. George picked up $2,845, then stuck around to sweat his old man.
Womack, who also has several WSOP money finishes, was running near empty but waited an entire round waiting for something to play. Nothing came, and he ended up posting his last $3,000 in the big blind with a sorry 5-3. Jim and Sandy called to check him down and hopefully have him check out. Three jacks flopped, then a 6 as Sandy, with K-6, made a full house. Womack got $4,505 for his third-place finish.
The heads-up match began with the plumber holding roughly $140,000-in chips to the lawyer's $50,000. They discussed a deal at length, but Mendelson finally decided to play it out.
Blinds now went to $2,000 and $4,000, with $500 antes. Sandy, a resident of Malibu, began eating away at Karambinis' lead, and then Jim gradually won his chips back and a little more. On the 26th hand, Sandy nearly pulled even. He had called all in with A-K when Jim moved in with A-8, and was in the lead when the board showed Q-6-4-6. But then another queen hit the river, and the pot was split when both of their aces played.
Jim, who had increased his starting lead by 5K, made another offer. It was now nearly 6:30 a.m., and the two weary combatants sensibly agreed to a deal to end day 2 of the Poker Challenge Cup. --Max Shapiro
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