| RANDY HOLLAND'S MATE LAURENE WINS 1ST EVENT
Laurene Holland, a registered nurse and wife of noted tournament player Randy Holland, moved in repeatedly and fearlessly throughout tonight's $200 no-limit tournament, the third event in the 2003 Four Queens Poker Classic. Her strategy paid off as she ended up with her first tournament win ever. The closest she had come previously was when she finished third in this same event here two years ago.
She's been playing poker five years, and she gave full credit to her husband and mentor. Her only complaint was that he had a 50 percent piece of her. Before tonight, she had almost given up on the game, tiring of having her hands repeatedly cracked. "This is a very stressful profession," she sighed.
When the tournament got four-handed, the players agreed to take 10k each with the winner getting the remaining 8k. When three were left, she had a small chip lead over pro player Martin "Dick" Corpuz. They took 3k each and Burt Boutin the remaining 2k.
The final table got underway with $300 antes and blinds of 1-2k. "In a world of trouble" is how tournament director David Lamb described Paul Kroh's situation as he made the introductions. An understatement, because Kroh had a single $100 chip. "You'll eat crow," Kroh vowed as he won a pot and picked up a few hundred. No crow for Lamb. On hand four, Kroh, in the big blind and all in, was shot down by Boutin's two pocket bullets.
Holland immediately went into her "all-in" mode. You don't have to go in all the time," Corpuz suggested. "You can just bet $10,000." It was a suggestion which the lady would completely ignore as the game proceeded.
Sarah Casey is a partner in The Online Poker Guide, an Internet site that reviews online poker sites. She went offline on hand nine. She raised all in for $3,900 with Qs-Js. Ely Smith moved in behind her with A-7 and finished her when an ace turned. Three hands later, John Horrocks, owner of a pet shop named "Puppy Planet," raised to 6k with A-K. Boutin, a stockbroker with a bracelet in pot-limit hold'em, made a minimum 6k re-raise with pocket kings. On a flop of J-8-7, he put the pet shop owner in for his last 7k and left him in eighth place.
With 1.5-3k blinds with $400 antes, Smith, about to retire as a corporate pilot, moved in for about 16k with pocket nines. "Ain't no shame in folding," he said as Boutin reached for his chips. Small chance. Boutin had queens, and the pilot made a crash landing in seventh place when the board didn't help. "You guys are in trouble," Boutin warned as he stacked up 80k in chips.
By the time blinds went to 2-4k with $500 antes, Boutin and researcher/journalist Todd Hammer shared the lead with a bit over 70k each. Meanwhile, the third woman at the table, Rebekah Emmons, a formidable player with wins at the Bicycle Casino, Orleans and Foxwoods and a best all-around at the Bike, had dipped down from her starting 42.8k to 14.5k. When she moved in and everyone folded, she complained, "How am I supposed to double through if nobody will call?" She finally got called when she moved in with A-J. "Let's gamble," said Billy Wynes, calling all in for 15k with Qd-7d. Emmons flopped two pair and Wynes cashed in sixth.
Emmons continued to build her her stacks, but then took a bad hit when Corpuz doubled through her when his pocket eights held up. A few hands later Holland won a$50,000 pot against Boutin when she outran his A-Q when she caught a four on the river while all in with K-4. By hand 65, Emmons was in the big blind with only 3.5k left when Holland moved in. Holding a mere 8-3, Emmons finally decided to call and busted out when she couldn't catch Holland's A-9.
Hammer, who had earlier taken a big pot from Boutin, now led with about 110k to about 60k for Corpuz, 55k for Holland and 50k for Boutin. Corpuz now suggested the deal of 10k apiece. The game immediately got loose and wild. On the next hand, Hammer moved in with Q-J and lost 58k to Corpuz, who caught two eights to his 10-8. It seemed like Corpuz had made a bad deal, but on the other hand, Hammer wasn't likely to have moved in with just Q-J if the money at stake hadn't been decreased so much.
After a few more hands, Hammer went broke when he moved in with J-10, flopped a jack, but lost to Holland's A-7 when an ace hit the river. A few hands later, the three agreed to the 3k-3k-2k chop, and chip-leader Holland had her first win. --Max Shapiro
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