TOM FISCHER PASSES HIS TEST
FOR ENDURANCE, WINS H.O.E.
Tom Fischer hadn't played tournaments in six or seven years because of the endurance factor. Now he wanted to take a shot at some Bellagio and World Series events, but, at age 64, didn't know if he could handle the strain. So he decided to test himself at a tournament here, and passed with flying colors by winning the 17th event of LAPC XIII, H.O.E.
He started the final table lowest-chipped, but kept catching cards and was nearly unbeatable as he steadily built up his stacks. Before long he was the chip leader, and in the later stages pretty much owned all the chips.
Fischer, who had been playing side games at the Bellagio, has a number of tournament wins, including two WSOP bracelets for stud hi-lo and no-limit deuce to seven.
The structure for this event was 20-minute rounds of hold'em, Omaha hi-lo and stud eight or better. The final table started in a hold'em round, with limits of $800-$1,600 and 7:09 left.
It was a colorful final table with the likes of John Bonetti and Sam Grizzle in attendance. "It's a good thing Mike 'The Mouth' Matusow (who finished 13th) didn't make it too," cracked Jeff Niedelman. It would have been the loudest final table in history."
The inimitable Bonetti, who kept up a constant stream of patter, immediately ran into trouble. On the third hand he lost when Niedelman hit a straight on the river, and a couple of hands later check-raised the flop only to run into Fischer's set of 8s.
"Bad day to play," he said. "You're not supposed to play cards on Sunday. I thought it was Saturday."
The next round was Omaha, and Tom continued to move up by making a wheel against Chris Bjorin.
Niedelman was first out in a stud round with $100 antes and a $200 low-card bring in. He started with (5-6)4-3, caught a bunch of bananas and lost to Ken Flaton's 10s-up.
Meanwhile, Bonetti, who thought he had lost everything in an Omaha pot, only to discover he had been bluffing with the best hand, had gotten down to $900 in hold'em, playing with 1-2k limits. Two away from the blinds, he put the 900 in with K-8. Grizzle, in the small blind, had A-6 and flopped an ace.
"I hate all of you," Bono joked in departure. "That's your line, isn't it, Sam?" he added. Responded Grizzle: "I love everyone when they've got cash. I hate everyone when they go broke."
In the next round of Omaha, Reza Payvar went all in and survived three times before he bet his last 800 chips against Chris Bjorin. He had A-K-Q-J to Bjorin's A-4-5-K. "Am I drawing dead?" Payvar asked when the flop came 8-6-5. No, but he was dead when a 4-8 didn't help him. With his sixth-place finish, though, Payvar jumped to second place in the best all-around points race.
When the stud round came up, Fischer had a clear lead with close to 50k. Antes were now $200 with a $500 bring-in. Grizzle had become low-chipped. He let a number of hands go by, waiting for a strong starter before committing his last chips. He found it with (6h-7h)4h and ended up with a 7-low. It wasn't nearly good enough because Jim Tarr, starting with (A-J)4, made a wheel to leave Grizzle in fifth place.
By the end of the round, Fischer had increased his lead and was starting to lap the field. An eyeball count showed: Fischer, 65; Tarr, 25k; Ken "Skyhawk" Flaton, 25k; and Bjorin, 15k. It was back to hold'em with limits now $1,500-$3,000. Fischer continued to pick up pots and chips as he climbed to the 100k mark. Then, on hand 93, he knocked out two of his final three opponents and the tournament was all but over.
Fischer was on the button with Ah-5h. Bjorin, with J-9, raised all in. Fischer and Tarr called. The flop was 9-8-6. Tarr, with pocket 7s, had an open-end straight draw and he bet. A 7 on the turn gave Tarr a set. He bet, but Fischer now had a straight and he raised Tarr all in. The straight held up when a trey came on the river. Bjorin, with the fewer chips, finished fourth while Tarr was credited with third place.
Flaton, with about $20,000, was out-chipped better than 5-1, but he was not about to give up. In fact, the heads-up match would go on for 54 more hands and through four levels.
After the game changed to Omaha, Skyhawk drew first blood when he made a full house, but Fischer came right back with a straight. Then Flaton came back with a flush, and on into the stud round, then back to hold'em again, playing for $2,000-$4,000 limits.
On hand 140, Fischer started with A-K, made a straight and left Flaton with $3,200. A couple of hands later Flaton was all in but survived, then did so two more times. Fischer was now playing carefully, trying to avoid doubling up Skyhawk. Throwing away an 8-6 suited, he said he'd play it in a cash game, but not in tournament.
On the final hand, the board showed 10-8-7-K. Flaton bet his paired 7, but Fischer, who had flopped a straight with 9-6, raised him all in and ended the match. Give him an A on his test.
Max Shapiro
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