| Lawyer Wins in 14 Hours
Trial attorney Eric Liebeler came to the final table with a massive chip lead and from there steadily moved up. While the outcome of this $1,000 hold'em event was never in doubt, he could not put away his final opponent, self-described "slumlord" Randy Jensen. The match-up lasted some 89 hands, and it was 9:20 a.m., an unenviable new record for Legends 2003, before it ended.
Eighteen players finished in the money after Mark Parkinson went out on the bubble and came away empty-handed when there was an objection to paying 19th place. Blinds at the final table started at $500-$1,000, with 1-2k limits, 22:57 remaining.
With $1,500-$3,000 limits, Uruguay's Jaime Ateneloff called a raise all in for $2,000. He had 9-7 and went broke against Liebeler's pocket queens. On hand 34, Thor Hansen, all in with Qd-5d in the big blind, watched in dismay as Randy Jensen and tennis pro Nick Rainey engaged in a raising war. "I'm ready for my penalty," he said. With the betting over, the board showed J-3-A-K-J. "I have a full house," declared Jensen, turning up pocket treys. "So do I," said Rainey, with A-J for a bigger jacks-full.
At that point, Liebeler, who could not seem to lose, had climbed to about 95k. On hand 47, Phi Nguyen went broke with pocket kings after Paul Darden, with A-4, flopped an ace. Three hands later, Liebeler knocked out another player. Hawaiian Gardens p.r. player Kenna James raised all in with K-10. He flopped a 10 but couldn’t get past Liebeler's pocket jacks. "We're all playing for second place," commented Bill Eichel, eyeing Liebeler's growing stacks. "He's got to cool off sometime," he added hopefully (but vainly).
At the next break, the chip count was: Liebeler, 102k; Jensen, 73k; Brian Green, 31k; Eichel, 31k; Rainey, 27k; and Darden, 14k. Blinds were now 1-2k with 2-4k limits.
Playing terminator once again, Liebeler knocked Darden out in sixth place. Darden had Ks-8s and flopped a king, not nearly good enough against Liebeler's pocket aces. After winning another couple of pots, the rout continued with Liebeler holding more than 160k out of 273k in play.
Holding 10-9, Eichel bet all in with the board showing 10-6-3-J. "Have to call," sighed Jensen, drawing to an inside straight with 7-5. The magic four came on the river, and the South Dakota farmer finished fifth.
Meanwhile, after dipping down a stack or two, Liebeler recovered. First, with two aces on board, he held an ace with a bigger kicker against Rainey. Then, holding a 7d, he made a flush against Green with four diamonds on board. He now had 196k. By the time hand 102 rolled around, Rainey had his last chips posted in the big blind with just 9-4. Green's A-K held up, and now three were left.
Green, a Costa Rican businessman who was being sweated by fellow countryman Humberto Brenes, went out in dramatic fashion some 30 hands later. With the board showing Ac-10s-9s-8s, the betting was capped, and Green went all in on the river. He had Ks-Js for the number two flush, but Liebeler, with As-Qs, had the nuts.
Heads-up, Liebeler enjoyed better than a 3-1 chip advantage. After 50 hands, Jensen was down to 4k, then made a comeback to about 80k and finally, on hand 219 of the final table, lost when Liebeler, with A-4, paired his four. -Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Eric Liebeler is a Los Angeles civil trial lawyer who's played poker seriously since about 1990. In tournaments, he plays stud, limit and no-limit hold'em, but in ring games he's strictly a stud man, playing $100-$200 limit games a couple of times a month. He plays a fair amount of local tournaments and has had two big finishes: a second in a $1,500 stud event, and a third in a $300 multi rebuy hold'em tourney, both at Commerce. This is his first tournament win.
Tonight he was down to one chip at the $75-$150 level, then went on a rush, and another rush at the final table. "I kept picking up a piece of the flop at the final table," he said. Liebeler describes himself as a "conservative/aggressive" player who plays position, not cards, and tries to make plays. Despite the marathon session, he had a good time because he found all his final table opponents very pleasant.
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