| Nobuo Wins by Accident!
In a hi-lo stud round, a low-chipped Nobuo Hamamoto started with (A-3)7, then caught a king and trey. Thinking “What the heck, let’s go home,” he tossed in his last chips. Much to his surprise, he then caught a third trey, scooped in three-way action, was suddenly back in business and went on to win the fifth event of Winnin’ o’ the Green 2004, 1/2 Omaha hi-lo and 1/2 stud hi-lo. At the finale, he had a 3-2 chip advantage over Rocky Enciso, and the two made a deal.
The event was structured with alternating 30-minute rounds of stud and Omaha. The final table started with stud, $300 antes, a $500 low card bring-in and $2,000-$4,000 limits, 28:20 remaining. Seven of the eight finalists are regulars in the Bike’s “nooner” daily tournaments.
Herbert Thomas, a math/science coordinator, barely made it to the final table with 3,400 in chips and lasted only two hands. He raised all in with (Kh-Jh)Ah, and was called by Hamamoto, with (6-4)7. Thomas picked up draws to a straight and flush but missed both and bowed out when Hamamoto made an 8-high straight.
Poker player Paul Davis lasted six hands more. He had a great start, (2-5)4-A, then caught two bricks. Charles Davidson, with aces and a flush draw, bet on sixth street. “Gotta call, I’ve got a wheel draw,” Davis said, going all in. He didn’t catch any low,
much less a wheel, and Davidson, making two pair, left him in seventh place. Boon Eng Kho, meanwhile, had been doing escape acts, surviving three times, once with a split, twice with scoops on a full house and straight. He eventually went all in seven times before finishing third.
The game switched to Omaha, 3-6k limits. On the third deal, Alex Limjoco was all in with 2-4-5-10. It seemed good for him when two 10s and three 7s hit the board. But this is Omaha, where you must play two cards from your hand, so all Limjoco had was trip 10s, while Hamamoto, with just deuces, made a full house. On the next hand, Hamamoto started with A-3-4-5 and made a wheel when the board came A-7-7-2-4. He now had the chip lead.
On hand 28, Davidson started with A-3-6-10 to Hamamoto’s 3-4-7-K. He raised all in when a flop of A-5-6 gave him aces-up and a draw to a 6-low. But then a trey and a 10 came. Davidson was triple-counterfeited with just two pair, while Hamamoto had a 7-high straight along with his 6-low, and Davidson was out in fifth place. Seven hands later, retired doctor Tony Marcos was dealt A-2-3-10 on the button. A flop of K-10-7 didn’t do much for his low draw, though it did give him a pair of 10s and a flush draw. Rocky Enciso bet and Marcos raised all in. An ace and queen came to give the doctor two pair and hope, but the diagnosis was not good when Enciso made a straight, and Marcos finished fourth.
Enciso had the lead as the game returned to stud, with $500 antes, a 2k bring-in and 5-10k limits. Five hands later, a sinking Hamamoto caught the trip treys life preserver and began rising up. By the time the tournament reverted to Omaha, with 8-16k limits, he led with 91k to 69 for Enciso and 13 for Kho. Kho kept hanging on, escaping time and again. Finally, on hand 70, he got very low again when Hamamoto, with A-3-4-J, made trip jacks. On the final hand, Kho went all in with 2-5-5-Q. The board came 10-7-6-4-6. Enciso, with A-3-Q-K, took low, Hamamoto, with A-9-9-4 took high, Kho was gone and the two made their deal. –Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY: Most players, asked their style of play, will say they started off being solid, then realized they had to be more aggressive. Nobuo Hamamoto is the opposite. He’s a naturally aggressive player who has been trying to tone down his action, though he says it’s hard for him to control. “I’m either gone early or stay late,” he laughed. Hamamoto, who is 60 and retired, has been playing the game since his father taught him poker and dice when he was 5 or 10-years old.
He used to play $20-$40 stud hi-lo, now plays only tournaments, ranging from the nooner events up to $1,000 buy-ins. Among his better cash-ins have been a third, a fifth and a seventh at Legends events. Tonight he said he was in decent shape until the time he went all in, with the trip treys scoop being the key hand for him.
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