Columnist Karp Scripts Win!
In a tournament marked by numerous chip lead changes, Card Player columnist Warren Karp took the final lead by knocking out third-place finisher Jeff Niedelman and overtaking Qin Li. She accepted his offer of an even-money chop and he got the trophy and title. In winning the $300 limit hold’em event, Karp overcame an earlier miscue when chasing with queens cost him the lead. Karp, a man of many hats and accomplishments, is also tournament coordinator at Hustler Casino and marketing director for Tiger Gaming, an online poker site.
This $50,000 guarantee event with 45-minute rounds became a marathon lasting until 6 a.m. The final table got underway after George McDonough, left with a couple of chips, played a J-9 and lost to a Q-J. Limits started at $1,000-$2,000, and in four minutes went to $2,000-$4,000, with blinds of $1,000-$2,000.
Hieu 'Tony' Ma, shortest-chipped with $2,500, went all in on hand 4 with A-10 against Allan Demos' Jh, 9h. Demos turned a jack and Tony was at the final table no Ma, cashing out for $1,200. Scotty Warbucks was next to depart. Down to $6,000, he called Karp's raise holding jacks, then went all in when Li re-raised. She had pocket aces, and when the board came 9-6-3-8-8, Scotty cashed out ninth for $1,370.
The most dramatic pot of the night came down on the hand 17. On fourth street, Keith Sahara made a set of fours when the board showed 10-6-2-4. Sandy Duong, however, had flopped a set of 6s. The betting was capped, Sandy bet her last chip on the river and then hauled in a pot of about $40,000.
Two hands later Badia Khalil, in the small blind, raised all in for $3,000 holding K-6 off. Thomas Vo called with Qd, Jh. Four diamonds were dealt and Vo's flush left Khalil in eighth place for $1,700. It took another 22 deals to lose the next player. With limits at $3,000-$6,000 and the pot three-bet before the flop, Allan Demos went all in with Ks, 4s against Vo’s Kd, Qd.'I'm done,' Allan said when the board came A-10-8-Q. No jack came to give him a split, and the retired physical therapist cashed out for $2,070.
Karp had taken a small lead, but that changed on hand 50. Niedelman raised from the small blind with K-J. Karp, with pocket queens in the big big blind, just called.'I thought I'd trap him, but I just trapped myself,' he later explained. The flop of K-9-5 was three-bet, Karp chased to the river and when it was over, Niedelman had taken a substantial lead.
Duong was done on hand 54. She had her last chips committed in the small blind with 6s, 5s and couldn't outrun Li's pocket 7s. She got $1,770 for sixth. After a couple of all-in survivals, Vo, an engineer, had A-Q and couldn't engineer another escape against Li, again holding pocket aces and a 92 percent favorite. Fifth paid $3,465. Hand 74: The board showed 7-5-2-J with two spades. Keith Sahara bet all in for $6,000 with A-J. A third spade on the river gave Niedelman his Qs, 9s flush and Sahara was dried up, finishing fourth for $4,860.
When limits went to $4,000-$8,000 on hand 80, Qin looked like a sure thing with $123,000 to Warren's $46,000 and Jeff's $41,000. But it became a horse race on hand 85 when Warren, with K-9, made two pair on the river to beat her and close the count to $105,000-$84,000. Three hands later, with a board of Q-10-5-9-6, Jeff bet his K-9 and Warren check-raised him all in with A-9. Jeff collected $6,950 for third, and Warren, now leading, 107k to 104k, proposed the tournament-ending chop. First place officially paid $26,465 and Qin, a furniture salesperson, celebrated her birthday with an official win of $13,570.
-Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Not counting a win at the Gold Coast back in the Stone Age of tournaments, this is the first major win for Warren Karp. However, he chopped three Legends events in 2000 which earned him $65,000. He also finished fourth in triple-draw lowball at the 2002 WSOP. Karp, who describes hold'em events as nothing more than 'chip-redistribution tournaments,' says he used be a very selective player, wondering why he could never catch hands. Then he realized that aggression was the key to winning.'The foxes get the money, not the rabbits,' he said, quoting a poker author whose name escaped him.
Tonight, Karp was down to $600 late in the tournament before making his move. Almost as much as the win, he prized a comment made by the great Tony Ma. When there was table talk about how badly floormen play, and someone mistakenly called Karp a floorman, Ma defended him by declaring that he could outplay any floorman.
CHIP POSITION FINAL TABLE
Sandy Duong
$36,000
Jeff Niedelman
$40,000
Warren Karp
$24,500
Scotty Warbucks
$9,500
Qin Li
$24,500
Thomas Vo
$13,000
Allan Demos
$7,000
Keith Sahara
$22,000
Tony Ma
$2,500
Badia Khalil
$30,000
ALL-AROUND PAY-OFF POINTS
Name Total
1. M. Duckworth 81
2. Mario Esquerra 79
3. Joe DeNicola 62
4. Suriyan Bhinestien 61
5. Robert Bakovic 61
6. Joe Boghossian 61
7. Barry Bergida 61
8. Steve Badger 59
9. Nash Rizk 59
10.Kathy Liebert 59
11.Warren Karp 53
12.Ibrahim Jajo 59
13.Daniel Dahan 58
14.John Hoang 57
15.Tony Yoshida 53
16.Russ Rosen 53
17.Not Available 53
18.Joseph Isagulyan 53
19.B. J. Behboudi 53
20.Joel San Pedro 53
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