Sales Wins After 10-1 Deficit!
By Max Shapiro
Mike Sales
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Mike Sales, an executive with an auto-moving company, scored his first major tournament victory by winning LEgends of Poker event number three, limit hold 'em. When it got heads-up, Tranh Duc Tran had 10 times the chips, thanks to gambles that paid off. But then Sales went on the offensive and pretty much won every hand.
There were wild chip swings, especially for fourth-place finisher Vince Burgio. All-in several times, Burgio built his stacks to tie for the lead with Paul Ladanyi with four players left. He then pulled into a big lead, but then got crushed by two brutal river beats.
Last night's winner, Barbara Enright, was hurt early in the tournament on a freak hand when she held A-Q and got into war with a player holding 9-10 who kept firing even after a flop of A-2-6. Unbelievably, two running nines gave her opponent a winner!
Everyone re-drew for final-table seats after Tran made trip kings to eliminate Pablo Parker. Limits were $500-$1,000, and Burgio, with an anemic $5,600 and in the big blind on the first hand, went all in with Q-J of diamonds, but beat Sales with a flush.
The fifth hand was a killer. "Super Mario" Esquerra raised with pocket tens and Danny Morgan, a sanitation truck driver for the City of L.A., made a desperation call with 6-3 in the big blind. Tran called with A-J. The flop came J-3-10, giving Tran jacks and Esquerra a set of tens. The pot was capped. Esquerra bet all in when a jack turned to give him tens-full. But a three on the river gave Tran jacks-full (and Morgan a useless threes-full) and suddenly, two players were out.
Later, Vince stayed alive again and started climbing after Paul Kroh missed his flush draw. With limits at $3,000-$6,000, Paul Ladanyi raised and Kroh, in the small blind reluctantly called with J-7. But when the board showed 4-7-A/7, he check-raised Ladanyi, going all in with trip sevens. Ladanyi, however, had made fours-full and Kroh, who once owned truck stops in Nevada, was stopped dead.
Clarence Fennel, a civil engineer from Georgia, finished sixth with pocket nines. Burgio, with K-J, outran him by flopping both a king and a jack. Nick Connors, a Vegas pro, quickly followed Fennel to the pay window when Sales' pocket eights held up against his Q-6.
Four-handed, Ladanyi and Burgio were dead even with $41,900 each (Ladanyi is a former biochemist, and the well-known Burgio, a columnist for Card Player magazine, whimsically listed "journalist" as his occupation on his bio sheet.). Tran, another pro, had $24,500 and Sales, $22,800. They struck a deal and agreed to play for $3,600.
Things now got wild. Betting and raising all the way, Tran won a $47,00 pot from Ladanyi with unimproved pocket eights. A hand later, Burgio had the eights, turned a set and filled on the end to relieve Tran of his excess chips. After winning more pots, Burgio was riding high until he went up against Tran, who was now gambling wildly. Vince had A-Q of diamonds and Tran A-8 off. In a big pot, the board showed 4-2-3/K and two diamonds. Tran then put a terrible beat on Burgio when an eight hit the river. "You had nothing," Vince complained. "That's a gamble," Tran replied.
A beat later, Burgio took his second beat, this time from Ladanyi. Burgio had paired a queen on the flop and Ladanyi a nine. But a jack on the river gave Paul two pair and Vince fits. Going in (though winning) for $800 a few hands later, Burgio shook his head. "Ten minutes ago I had all the chips."
Tran then made another big score by pairing a king on the river to outrun Ladanyi's paired jacks. Burgio, meanwhile, all in on his big blind, walked to the pay counter. "Don't be a pessimist; come and play," Sales encouraged him. No use. Ladanyi's Q-J beat his J-10. Soon after, a low-chipped Ladanyi went quietly, making nothing and losing to Sales' paired tens.
With limits at $5,000-$10,000, Sales went all in on a flop of 4-5-6. He had 8-6, Tran had Q-5. A six and five fell, and Sales won with a bigger full house and began his run. With suck high limits, Tran finally started laying down hands, and when Sales pulled into a slight lead, Tran surrendered and they chopped the money.
Biography - Mike Sales
Mike Sales is 40, has been playing poker since 1981 and became a tournament specialist last year. He came in the money 15 times (most often in fourth place) in major tournaments before finally winning this one. His biggest prior wins had been second place finishes in two $150,000 guaranteed limit tournaments at Commerce.
Sales said he had no chips and was down to $250 at a tight table until he suddenly won three monster pots in a row to shoot up to $12,000. His strategy tonight, with loose players on his right and a solid Burgio on his left, was to just try to inch up until he got heads-up with a less experienced player. He said he liked playing Tran, who would pay him off on his good hands, and check down his bad ones.
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