| ROAD BUILDER TERRY MYERS
HAS FIRST EVENT WIN: H.O.E.
Halfway through H.O.E., Terry Myers was so chip-depleted that he asked a tournament staffer to sign him up for a satellite. But he staged a recovery, made the final table with an average number of chips and then went on a streak in the latter stages to run off with the 14th event of 2003 Four Queens Poker Classic. Myers, who owns a road-building business, never played a tournament until this year. He had only played side games, generally $50-$100 hold'em. His win makes up for the 12k or so he dropped when he took a stab at World Series events a few months ago.
His final table opponents included a slew of pros, notably the Iranian-born Amir Vahedi, who made three final tables at the WSOP this year, including a win in $1,500 no-limit and a sixth in the championship event, along with numerous other wins and a best all-around at Foxwoods. Also on hand was Stan Schrier, a car dealer with a WSOP championship third-place finish.
This H.O.E. event consisted of 20-minute rounds each of hold'em, Omaha hi-lo and 7-card stud eight or better, with limits changing each hour. The final table commenced with stud, 8:17 left. Israeli native Asher Derei, shortest-chipped to begin with, immediately got near the cloth when he missed his low straight draw. Playing hold'em, $600-$1,200 limits, Vahedi bet but Derei folded his big blind, telling Amir, "I won't give you the pleasure of knocking me out." That pleasure went to Italy's Max Pescatore on the next hand. Pescatore, making his second consecutive final table, had 6-4 in the big blind and caught a six while Derei went nowhere with 10-3, ending on the bubble.
Attorney Frank Nerat went out when Omaha came in. He threw in his last $500 with 2-4-5-9. His three opponents checked down the J-8-2-8-K board, and Schrier took the pot with A-K-10-7.
Vahedi had been building his chip lead with frequent raises, but then took a big hit when he flopped draws to a nut flush and number two low, losing to John Esposito's flopped set of kings. "M.N." went out on the next hand. The board showed Ad-Qh-4h. Schrier, with A-2-K-3, had draws to a nut low and back door diamond flush. He bet and M.N., holding 2-4-5-K, went all in with a wheel draw. Schrier proceeded to make nut-nut, and now six were left.
The table lost another player in a hold'em round. John Esposito committed all his chips in a re-raised pot with K-Q to Terry Myers' A-9. "Good luck, everybody," he said when the flop came A-7-2. "Ooh," he said, when a king turned to give him a glimmer of hope. A river jack ended his hopes.
Playing stud, with $200 antes and a $400 bring-in, young poker player Scott Fischman went all in three times, getting half the pot once with an eight-low, twice with two pair. The fourth time he started and ended with split aces, while Vahedi made 10s-up to cut the field to four.
With the end of the round, Vahedi and Pescatore were in a near dead-tie for the lead with a bit over 20k each. Schrier was next with $15,700 while Myers trailed with $12,300. The final four agreed to a deal: $5,500 apiece to the two chip leaders, $4,500 to Schrier, $4,000 to Myers and play for the rest.
The game was now hold'em, and the limits were $1,500-$3,000. Vahedi was soon grateful for the deal because two big hits left him in big trouble. With a board of J-10-2-K, Vahedi bet out. "Unbelievable," he said when a queen came on the river. Myers bet and Vahedi folded, correctly giving Schrier credit for a straight. Just a couple of hands after that he lost another pot to Schrier.
Now Myers started his streak. In four-way action, he held As-4s, then made a wheel on the turn and a flush on the river. Right after Omaha kicked in, the key pot was dealt. Down to $1,100, Vahedi was all in with Qd-Jd-8-2. A flop of 10d-4d-3c gave him a flush draw. When a Kc turned, Schrier bet with A-A-7-5 and Myers, who had made kings and 10s, raised to put him all in. A river king gave Myers a full house and left Vahedi in fourth place and Schrier in third.
Heads-up, Myers had a 2-1chip lead, and pretty much his own way after that. Playing stud, with $200 antes and a $500 bring-in, Myers' domination continued. Then, showing 3-K-7-8, he turned up 7-7-3 for a full house, leaving Pescatori with about 4k. The final hand soon came. An all-in Pescatore ended up with 10s and 3s, Myers had aces-up and locked up his first-ever tournament win. - - Max Shapiro
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