Big Brother Wins This Time!
By Max Shapiro
Stan Goldstein
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Pot-limit hold'em, the opening event of last month's Global Pot
Limit No Limit tournament, was won by Ken Goldstein, the younger
half of the gifted Goldstein brothers. Tonight it was big brother's
Stan turn as he captured his own pot-limit hold'em event, number
15 in Legends of Poker. But first he had to overcome the fearsome
Hasan Habib who took fourth place in this year's World Series
championship in which Stan finished 36th.
A lengthy battle ensued before a tenth player could be subdued to
set the final table. "Tougher than going to the dentist," one player commented. "Without Novocaine," another added. Eric Holum,
a Reno car salesman who won the 1999 $2,500 no-limit event at
the WSOP, went all in with A-6 against Hai Le's pocket kings and
made aces full. On the next hand, again all in, he was a much bigger
dog, A-10 against Frank Sanzo's A-A, but won again, this time
with trip tens.
Finally, players at each of the last two tables were on the verge.
Brent Carter, who had already passed Barbara Enright to regain
the points lead, had his last $800 in his hand, considering a call,
when he looked over at the other table to see Scott Lundberg about
to go all in. Carter stopped the action as he stood up to do
surveillance. Denny Williams told him to sit down and play his
hand, but then Lundberg's A-8 lost to Sanzo's A-Q and Carter
folded to nail down a final-table seat.
In early action, Goldstein raised with A-K, Holum played back
at him with K-J and Goldstein moved in for his last $1,600.
Holum lost, leaving him with $800, exactly the amount that
Carter had. On the next hand, Carter was in the big blind.
"Where's Wyatt Earp?" someone asked as three players, including
Holum, called, hoping to shoot Brent down. The flop came
6-10-7 and Goldstein, holding a 9-8, made a straight. Carter,
with Q-2 suited, and Holum, with Q-8, were both long shots.
Nobody helped and the two went out in a tandem tie.
A third player exited on the next hand. Le, a full-time player,
raised before the flop with pocket cowboys and Sanzo, tied to
an A-K, went all in for $1,500. The board came 5-Q-6-2-Q,
and very quickly, one third of the field was gone.
Maurice Karno, another pro, was next out. Earlier he had gone all
in and survived when his A-4 held up against Goldstein. On hand
15, in the small blind, he put all his chips in with K-J. A king
flopped, but so did an ace. Habib had A-10 and made two pair.
Meanwhile, Brewer, a one-time TV writer now doing a book about
horse playing, was low-chipped against much bigger stacks. "Four
anteaters and an ant," he called it. But the ant was hard to catch.
Earlier, he risked his chips and stayed alive when his tens held up.
Now he went all in with 7-7 against A-Q, and won with three sevens.
On the next hand, Goldstein raised and Brewer, with 8c, 8s, came
over the top for his last $7,200. "Your luck finally ran out," Goldstein declared, turning over two ladies. It sure looked that way when a
third queen flopped. But the first four board cards were spades, and
Brewer, to his opponent's disbelief, won with a flush.
On the next hand, Brewer's luck really did run out and Goldstein
extracted his revenge. When rags flopped, Stan bet, Bill raised and Stan put him all in. Stan had kings to Bill's sixes, and there was no miracle this time.
Mike Sales, winner of the third Legends event, limit hold'em, was next
to risk all his last $8,000, with his pocket fours a small favorite against
Le's A-K. A king flopped, but so did a four, and Mike got to stay.
Finally, in multi-way action, Le went all in before the flop with Q-7
of hearts. With the board showing 2-6-5, Sales, with a 7-6, bet $12,700
all in. Goldstein, whose 8-7 gave him an open-end straight, called. A
river nine completed Goldstein's straight and for the second time, two
players dance out together, though Sales, with more chips, gets to lead.
Heads up, Stan has $57,400 to Hasan's $43,500. The battle is brief. On
a flop of 3-K-8, Hasan bet $6,000 and folded when Stan bumped it
$10,000. On the next hand the flop was 9-7-3 with two clubs. Hasan,
with A-Q of clubs, bet $6,000. Stan, with a 9-8, raised, and Hasan
moved in for $26,500. Hasan had 15 outs to a flush or overpair, but
nothing came, and big brother wins it.
Biography - Stan Goldstein
Stan Goldstein, 37, dropped out of college as an Economics major 18
years ago to study the economics of poker full time. This is his first
Legends victory, though he's won a couple of Commerce Casino
tournaments, plus an event in the United States Poker Championship,
along with numerous other major tournament cash-outs, including the
World Series and Carnivale of Poker. Even though he had no really big
hands until late in the tournament, he managed to build up his stacks to around $8,000-$10,000 at the $100-$200 limits, staying pretty much at
that level until he came to the final table.
Pot-limit is Goldstein's bread and butter game, and tonight he felt his
timing was good. His one overriding strategy was simple: stay out of
Hasan Habib's way. Having played with Hassan many hours, Goldstein
has the greatest respect for his ability, especially when he has enough
chips to play his usual aggressive game. Therefore, he just about never
played a pot with him until they were heads-up.
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