Realtor Reels in Stud Win!
Beverly Hills realtor George Rechnitzer, a consistent final-table finisher at local tournaments, scored a wire-to-wire victory in $100 7-Card Stud Hi-Lo, the seventh event in Winnin’ o’ the Green 2004. He arrived at the final table with the chip lead and had half the chips in play at one point when the contest got down to three players. But when he pointed out that everyone was playing well and that it was getting close to 3:30 in the morning, it became let’s make a deal time and the usual chip-count payout was agreed to. For winning, Rechnitzer pocketed an official $7,360.
The final eight assembled after Alex Dedoussis finished ninth. He had 7s, couldn’t improve and departed when Rechnitzer paired his ace. Limits started at $3,000-$6,000 with $500 antes and a $1,000 low card bring-in, with 11:39 left. It was a fast final table, the more so for a split-pot game. Half the field was gone in 17 hands, and the lights went out 20 hands after that.
Terry Ebert started lowest-chipped with $4,000. By the sixth hand, he had not played anything and antes had eaten up $3,000 of it. He finally played hand six and won, staying alive when his K-J flush edged Bill Muir’s K-8 flush. On the next hand, though, he went broke when he missed his draw to an A-2-3-4 and lost to Muir’s 8s and 5s.
Limits jumped to $5,000-$10,000, with $1,000 antes and a $1,500 bring-in. With an average chip count of only $21,000, this didn't offer the players much maneuverability. A few hands later, taxi driver Ulises Molina had engine failure and finished seventh. He was all in on fourth street with (A-7) 5-3 and then caught a boatload of bananas. Rechnitzer was a bit more fortunate. He started with (6-6)A and made aces-full. Muir, a drapery installer, was next to go all in, but scooped with a 7-low and two aces for high.
One hand later, Keith Shiraki chased a low but could only make a pair of 6s while Patrick Schulze started with a very low (A-7)5-2 and ended up with a set of 7s, shrinking the field to five. And just one hand later, Denfield Eudelle finished fifth when his kings were crushed by Boon Eng Kho’s aces-up.
On hand number 20, Kho showed a 5-2 and bet, then kept betting every street until he was all in. Rechnitzer was not deterred. All he had was pocket 4s, but he kept calling. At the end, all Kho could produce was a lowly pair of deuces. “Nobody can bluff me,” Rechnitzer declared, as Kho packed up and left in fourth place. However, the Palmdale resident wasn’t entirely unhappy because his finish vaulted him into first place in the all-around points race. He now has 83 points, nine ahead of Juan Parado.
The three finalists pressed on. Once more Muir put in all his chips, and once more he got a reprieve, scooping with aces.
The limits now moved up to $8,000-$16,000, with the same $1,000 antes and a $2,000 bring-in. At this point Rechnitzer still led with more than $60,000, while Patrick Schulze, a former contractor turned swap meet specialist, had about $50,000 and Muir trailed with a bit under $40,000. Rechnitzer now caught a run of cards. On one uncalled hand he showed aces and fours, on another, split aces. As his opponents folded to him, he climbed to about $75,000.
After a few more hands, Rechnitzer made his chip count suggestion. He had $71,000, Schulze had $49,000 and Muir had $31,000. Everyone was agreeable, they shook hands and event number seven was in the books.
Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
George Rechnitzer is an affable, well-respected but tough competitor who made 12 final tables last year, 13 the year before and had a best all-around at the Hustler Casino the year before that. During that period he had a win in eight or better at Hollywood Park and a couple of seconds and thirds at Commerce. Last year at the World Series he made the final table in the Seniors event and had a cash-in at the $10,000 championship.
The realtor has been playing poker for 20 years and he plays all games in tournaments and live action. In cash games he prefers high-limit action: $100-$200 stud
and $80-$160 hold’em. Tonight he was down to the cloth with only $200 left at the third level, but slowly climbed upward until he had enough chips to manipulate his table. His strategy for this event was to play only good cards, and he had to resort to bluffs just twice.
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