| 'Super Lucky' Pot-Limit Omaha
Specialist Bob Walker Wins Event
The 10th event in the Grand Slam of Poker, pot-limit Omaha, featured a showdown between two specialists in that game, Vegas pro Bob Walker, and the colorfully named "Prince of Docness," even though the Prince arrived at the final table lowest in chips while Walker was third-lowest.
Calling himself "super-lucky" for his string of draw-outs, Walker was the eventual winner. The Prince was a slight favorite in the final hand when he flopped two pair, but then Walker turned a straight and rivered a flush.
Both players have had a batch of final tables in PLO, and Walker has a win at the Reno Hilton. However, his biggest payout came when he finished fifth in the World Series championship six years ago and collected $161,000.
The final table started with blinds of $200-$400, which meant that the first caller could bring it in anywhere from $800 to $1,400. The table got underway very early, around 11:15, but took nearly four hours to complete, largely because of the small starting blinds.
As the finalists sat down, Robert Turner noted that he and Barry Greenstein had something in common. "He gives all his tournament winnings to charity, and so do I," he said (referring to his wife, Charity). Turner later said that he and his rather younger wife went to the movies. "I got a senior discount and she got a student discount."
Officially, Turner finished out of the money, finishing sixth, but the players voted to pay $500 for that spot. The Chip-Burner also picked up enough points to take the lead in the best all-around race.
On hand 13 Greenstein opened for $1,200 with 8-7-6-5 and Charles (Scotty Warbucks) Shoten made it $4,200 to go with A-A-9-7. Shoten then put Greenstein in for about 7k on a flop of 10-6-2 and knocked him out in 10th place when Barry couldn't improve his paired six or make a straight.
Thor Hansen later was left with only $1,900 when he tried a bluff bet into a board of 8-7-6-5-4 with just a paired four. Sunny (Sunnyboy) Luu picked him off with a six-high straight. A few hands later Thor had pocket queens and then picked up a flush draw on the turn. He missed, and Turner eliminated him with a flopped set of eights.
Some 30 hands had gone by without Walker losing a hand. "I think you're batting 1.000 at the final table," the Prince of Docness observed.
By the time the blinds moved up to $400-$800, he and Shoten were in a near-tie for the lead, each with about 25k. On the next hand, though, Walker moved in front. There were six limpers and he raked in the pot when he bet a flop of J-8-3 and nobody called.
Also at the table was the player known as "Mickey Mouse," who was making his ninth final table so far this year. He was so busy reading the Omaha book written by Tom McEvoy and T.J. Cloutier that he had hardly played a hand. Finally, when Walker opened for $2,300 with A-7-6-4, Mickey looked at A-Q-J-9 and called. Mickey then bet all in for $900 when a 10-10-4 flopped. He couldn't hit any of his cards, and Walker exterminated the mouse with a paired six on the river. Walker, sailing along, finally lost his first pot on hand 60 when college professor Don Nyberg's pocket aces held up.
Going to the next level, with blinds of $600-$1,200, Walker still led with about 25k, followed closely by Shoten with about 20k. Then Shoten took over. In three-way action, with Luu all in, he check-raised Walker with a paired king, won with two pair and now had about 35k.
On hand 60, Turner was in the big blind and raised all in with K-J-9-7. Walker, calling with A-10-Q-9, made queens full and five were left.
Then, on hand 67, Walker disposed of Jim Miller, who was taking a break from his tournament director duties. They both had pocket kings, but Walker won by pairing his queen and his seven as he regained the lead. Some 20 hands later, with blinds now at 1-2k, Walker raised to 7k with J-9-8-7 and suited hearts, and Nyberg moved in for $8,400 more with A-A-Q-Q. Once again Walker's luck kicked in when a third heart came on the river. The rough count now was: Walker, 54k; Shoten, 36; and Prince, 21k.
A few hands later, Walker had the same hand that Greenstein lost with: 8-7-6-5. He called from the small blind when Shoten, with J-J-A-10 bet 16k on a flop of 10-5-3. Walker then put Shoten all in and broke him when a turn-card seven gave him two pair.
Walker now had a 4-1 lead over the Prince, who then cut it to 2-1 by making a straight. But seven deals later, on hand 99, it ended. Walker had A-A-J-6 with diamonds to Prince's J-Q-J-2 with spades. A flop of Kd-Qc-2d made the Prince, with two pair, about a 52.5 percent favorite. Then a 10 on fourth street gave Walker a straight, and a river diamond gave him a flush and his final winning draw-out. --Max Shapiro
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