| GREENSTEIN WRECKS NO-LIMIT
FIELD AND GIVES $ TO CHARITY
Barry Greenstein, a high-stakes side game player who donates all his tournament winnings to charity, came to the final table with $118,500 of the $401,500 in play, proceeded to win the first eight hands he was in, knocked out seven of his eight opponents (including the first six) and in short turned in as totally dominating a performance as it is possible for anyone to have as he ran away with the seventh event of Cal State 2003, $500 no-limit hold'em.
In earlier action, he had eliminated every one of the 10 to 15 players he had set all in!
Greenstein's resume is incredible. Coming from a poker-playing family, he's been a pro for 35 of his 48 years. Then, when he had children, he wanted to do something more "respectable," so he helped start a software company named Symantec that eventually became the eighth largest in the country. Retiring in 1991, he now plays at limits up to $4,000-$8,000 in Vegas, and in $1,500-$3,000 games at the Hustler Casino, where he also won Larry Flynt's $1 million, one-table challenge event earlier this year.
Though he has his own charitable foundation, Greenstein prefers to donate most of his tournament winnings to Children, Inc., a worldwide charity that cares for some 15,000 youngsters. Tonight’s $100,000 win went all to that venue.
He played in this event because he wanted to tune up his no-limit game so he could play in the no-limit televised events, hopefully make final tables and promote the children's charity. He played in the World Series championship this year, and was chip leader at the end of day one. But he's still annoyed at himself for making five "bad decisions" and getting eliminated on day three.
Tonight, two players were knocked out at once to leave nine instead of 10 at the final table. At one table, Gus Ayashi, in the big blind, was all in for a few chips when his Q-J lost to a K-J. At the other table, Eddie Palmer was all in for 38k with A-K suited. David Alimi had him just covered with A-5 off and won by hitting a five on the turn.
The final table started with $500 antes and blinds of $1,500-$3,000, 41:30 remaining. Here's how Greenstein started off: He won hands #1 and #2 with uncalled raises. Hand #6: he raised to 10k with pocket kings. John Hoang, winner of yesterday's stud hi-lo event, moved in for $22,500 with A-Q and lost when the board came Q-9-6-2-4.
Hand #7: Pham Tat raised 7k and Greenstein re-raised 30k more. No call. Hand #14: Greenstein raised 9k. No call. Hand #15: Sirous Baghchehsarie raised all in for 9K with A-K. Greenstein, in the big blind, called for 6k more with 10-2 and hit a deuce on the river.
Hand #16: Greenstein bet 25k into a flop of 10-9-6. No call. Hand #17: Greenstein raised with 10h-4h and bail bondsman Chris Compton re-raised all in with A-J, losing when three hearts came to give Greenstein a flush.
Greenstein had now won eight of the eight hands he played, knocked out three players and amassed a pile of chips totaling about $240,000. A few hands later, when Air Phanhyaseng went all in and won with jacks over Greenstein's A-10, it was his first all-in encounter loss since the tournament started.
But two hands later, he made up for that oversight by knocking out two more players in one hand. Tat raised all in for 27k, Greenstein called with pocket nines and Phanhyaseng also went all in with a 4k raise holding pocket kings. A nine on the turn gave Greenstein a set, and he had now knocked out five players in a row.
At the break he had $290,000 to $53,000 for Parisian businessman David Alimi; $36,000 for Frankie O'Dell; and $22,500 for realtor Socrates Nikopoukos.
Blinds were now $2,000-$4,000 with $500 antes. On hand 44, Nikopoulos moved in for $23,000 with A-Q. O'Dell covered him with A-J. Frankie took the lead when the flop came K-J-3, but a 10 on the river gave Nikopoulos a straight, leaving O'Dell with just $2,500.
The ante and big blind swallowed that up on the next hand. O'Dell had Jd-9d and was called by Greenstein with K-9. The board came 5-5-2-A-3, the king-high was good enough, and Greenstein had claimed his sixth straight victim.
Three hands later, Alimi disappointed Greenstein, breaking his knock-out string by dispatching Nikopoulos himself. The realtor moved in with A-9, Alimi called with pocket 10s, and it was no contest when a 10 on the turn gave Alimi a winning set.
Heads-up, Alimi had $86,000 and Greenstein had all the rest of the $401,500. Greenstein began to use his chips as a bludgeon, wearing down his opponent with several uncalled raises.
On the sixth hand heads-up, Alimi, with pocket eights, bet $10,000 into a flop of Q-10-10. Greenstein raised 30k with 10-2 and Alimi put in the rest of his $54,000. Alimi was virtually drawing dead to Greenstein's trip 10s, and two sixes changed nothing. It climaxed an unbelievable run of cards for Greenstein ("pretty scary," as he put it), and a great night for Children, Inc.
(In any event, his luck was certainly better than that of Bonnie Damiano who, earlier in the tournament, flopped quad deuces and lost to quad sevens!)
--Max Shapiro
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