THOR HANSEN TURNS TRASH
INTO TREASURE IN OMAHA/8
It would be hard to find a trashier hand in Omaha Hi/Lo than 4-6-9-J rainbow. Yet that's exactly the holding that earned Thor Hansen a somewhat technical first-place finish in the third event of the Hustler Casino's Poker Challenge Cup. When it got heads-up, he was dead even with Robert Turner. The two chopped the $13,225 in remaining prize money and played one showdown hand for the trophy and the title. The Norwegian-born Hansen paired his jack to outrun the old chip-burner's double-suited K-10-5-5.
Hansen's numerous titles include WSOP bracelets in stud and lowball. The legendary Turner, a host at the Bicycle Casino, also has a closet full of trophies and several best all-arounds. It was also a very special day for Turner: his 55th birthday. He said he had told his rather younger wife, Charity, that he could now use a senior citizen discount card. "I have a student discount card," she replied sweetly.
Chip Johnson, the veteran player and poker writer/theorist, just missed the final table when Turner made trips bigger than his. The final table was then witness to a string of perverse river cards that counterfeited and ruined some players and brought unexpected victories to others. In other words, just a normal Omaha session.
Limits at the final table started at $600-$1,200 and after one minute moved to $1,000-$2,000, with blinds of $500 and $1,000. On the third hand Dennis Waterman, an Oregon logger with an astonishing 182 tournament wins, raised with A-2-3-10. In the big blind, Ray Bonavida put in his last $400 with virtually the same hand that brought Hansen his title: 4-6-10-J. But all it brought him was a 10th place cash-out of $350 when Waterman paired his 10 on the flop.
John Inashima, the noted survival specialist who finished ninth in the World Series championship two years ago, was all in four hands later with A-A-5-6 and a suited ace. With a board of 10-5-3-10, British pro Peter "The Poet" Costa had him by the throat with three 10s and an A-2 nut low draw. Then a river deuce of diamonds counterfeited his low draw and gave a flush and a low and a scoop to Inashima, and heartburn to Costa.
A few hands later Costa had a nut low made with a draw to a wheel when he again got copied on the river and was quartered by Waterman. "Now you know why I don't play this game for a living," he remarked. On the 16th hand his misery ended. Holding 2-3-4-K, all his remaining $1,900 went in before the flop in four-way action. No low came, pro golfer Richie Sklar took the pot with a flush and Costa collected his $405 for finishing ninth.
Meanwhile, Tom West, a carpenter, had gone all in and survived for the first of an eventual six times when his paired 10 with an ace kicker edged Waterman's 10-10 and king kicker.
With limits at Inashima got a taste of his own last-card medicine. On a Q-3-3-7 board, John had a third three against Hansen. Thor held a queen, and the only card that could give him a scoop was another queen. It came, and John finished eighth, which paid $580. "Where did they find that card?" he asked dazedly.
Photographer/player Gary Chan found the exit on the next hand and picked up $695. In the big blind, he posted all in with 6-7-10-J. When the board showed 5-5-7-5, he was drawing dead to Turner. Robert had called with A-7-10-K, which tournament coordinator Warren Karp announced was a normal hand -- "Normal for Robert," he added.
It was Waterman's turn to get frustrated when Turner quartered him by catching a third 5 on the river. In a later hand, Dennis saved his last $800 by folding on the river. But that was soon posted in the big blind. He held a decent hand: K-K-Q-9 with a suited king, and flopped a nut flush draw. But he missed and dealer Ruben Anicete broke him by making aces and deuces. The logger, who boasts an incredible 182 tournament wins, picked up $930.
With $2,000-$4,000 limits, West went all in for the seventh time on hand 54, and this time the carpenter got nailed. Turner raised with Q-Q-6-8, Sklar three-bet with an A-2-3, and West, in the big blind, called for his last $300 with J-J-K-5. On a flop of 9-9-6, Sklar, on the strength of his re-raise, might have made a successful bluff bet, but checked. A queen turned to give Turner a winning full house, sending West home in fifth place with $1,160.
With four players left, an eyeball count showed Hansen had about $40,000; Turner $30,000; Anicette $13,000; and Sklar, who had dropped $20,000 in two hands, was down to $7,000. Then Turner grabbed two pots to take the lead with about $54,000.
Hand 61 saw three-way action. Sklar was all in for $3,100 with A-2-8-J and a suited ace. Anicete, in the $3,000 big blind, called a raise with his last $300. Turner, with A-5-8-K and a suited ace, looked to break two players. When the board came 3-3-9-10-J, Sklar took the main pot with his paired jack, Turner took the $200 side pot with ace high and Anicete cashed out for $1,390.
Eight hands later, Hansen drove the all-in golf pro out of bounds. Holding A-2-3-5, he made a straight and a nut low, and Sklar departed with $2,205 third-place money. The two finalists quickly agreed to a split and played the showdown hand which gave Hansen the win and Turner a nice birthday present.
Max Shapiro
Entries to Date: 414
Prize Money to Date: $142,200
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