HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH WINS
POT-LIMIT OMAHA EVENT!
Henrik Olander, an 18-year-old high school senior too young to play in casinos in his native Sweden, put on an amazing performance worthy of a seasoned pro as he captured the second event of the 2003 St. Maarten Open, pot-limit Omaha. He came to the final table with a slight chip lead over eventual runner-up Paul Benichou of Guadeloupe and was never headed as he moved steadily upward to victory.
His achievement was made all the more remarkable by the presence at the final table of Gary Bush, the 2002 European Player of the Year, and Marcel Luske, who won that title in 2001, and unofficially has it locked up again this year after three recent major wins.
Olander, who got his experience in home games and on the Internet, said he likes to change his style of play, playing more wildly at the outset to gather chips, but his overall style is aggressive. He is a student of "nature science" (biology, math, physics), though he did not rule out the future possibility of turning pro.
The final table for this $200+$20 buy-in event did not get underway until about 2:30 a.m. and it took more than an hour for the first player to get knocked out, so rounds were then shortened slightly to 30 minutes to speed things up. With 30:46 remaining at level 11, blinds started at $600-$1,200, which allowed the first player in to raise anywhere from $2,400 to $4,200. There wasn't much action in this round as players acted cautiously, with Olander picking up more than his share of pots. With blinds at $800-$1,600, he
flopped four nines in the small blind and checked the pot down, but nobody nibbled. Finally, on hand 32, just before the level ended, the first player was eliminated and everyone was in the money. Gilbert de Boevere, a salesman from The Hague, called all in with K-K-J-3 after Olander bet $17,600 into a flop of Q-4-3-7. He was drawing dead because the seven had given Olander, holding 8-6-5-4, a straight.
Olander now held $107,500 of the $258,000 in play. Benichou and Patrik Antonius were in the 30k range. Sako Kassabian, Mika Puro and Luske each had a bit over $20,000. Londoner Bush had $12,000, while fellow Londoner Steve Vladar, and Juha Helppi of Finland, both making their second final table, were badly short-chipped.
Blinds now became $1,000-$2,000, permitting raises of $4,000-$7,000. A few hands later Helppi had his last chips posted in the big blind with A-9-7-3. He made aces and treys when the board came 10-3-2-9-A, but Luske took him out with aces and nines. Four hands later, Luske departed in eighth place. Holding K-Q-10-7, he tried an all-in bluff bet of $12,000 into a board of J-J-6-2-4, but it didn't work because Kassabian had made a straight on the river. Kassabian, who started the final table with only $5,800, began making his move with another straight on the next hand to knock out Vlador. He put Vlador all in pre-flop with a raise, holding only K-9-7-5, but the board obediently came Q-6-3-8-4.
With action heating up, another player departed two hands later. Holding A-10-9-8, Bush had a wraparound straight draw on a flop of Q-J-7. He bet $4,000 and Olander, who had a paired seven, put Bush all in for $1,000 more, winning when his two sevens held up.
Three deals later, on hand 51, Puro, a retired ex-casino manager from Vantaa, Finland, was left with $4,000 after he raised to $10,500 with A-K-J-3. Antonius called all in for $10,000 and won with pocket aces. Two hands later Puro was caught in the big blind with Q-9-6-5. He bet his last thousand on a flop of 10-6-3 and got blown away when Antonius made a diamond flush.
A dozen hands later, Antonius took the big blind with A-K-5-5. He was in good shape when a flop of Qc-10d-5c gave him a set of fives. He moved in for $7,500, and Olander called with a flush draw. A jack of clubs on the river completed Olander's hand, and Antonius, a student/model from Helsinki, cashed out in fourth place.
With about $170,000, Olander now controlled two-thirds of the chips on the table. On the next hand, blinds went to $2,000-$4,000, permitting raises of between $8,000 and $14,000. It would be the final hand for Kassabian, a business owner residing in Vancouver, B.C. Holding K-10-5-3, he flopped a wheel when the board came A-4-2. He went all in against Benichou, who held J-J-Q-2 with a spade flush draw. Benichou, a Frenchman from Guadeloupe, completed his flush, and the tournament was now heads-up.
Some 20 hands went by with up-and-down chip swings as Benichou lost one big pot, then clawed his way back. When blinds at $3,000-$6,000, Benichou still hung in with about $75,000. The two started to talk deal. Olander offered his competitor $9,000 to take second place. "I do not understand English," Benichou responded. You will have to speak French."
By hand 87, Benichou had climbed to a bit over $100,000. The end came suddenly. Benichou held Q-8-6-6 to Olander's K-Q-10-5. On the button, Benichou raised to $13,000, Olander re-raised and Benichou moved in. A flop of Q-8-4 put him in the lead with queens and eights, but a king turned to give Olander a bigger two pair and a river queen gave him a bigger full house.
The high school kid from Sweden had gone to the head of the class with a $14,770 cash-out.
--Max Shapiro
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