Spring Mangles Omaha Field!
By Max Shapiro
Spring Cheong
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Spring Cheong, a host for the Outpost Casino in Northern California,
won event number 20 of Legends of Poker, Omaha hi-lo, when it ended
abruptly with a six-way deal at 6 a.m. Cheong, petite, effervescent and
looking far younger than her 42 years, did not seem like someone who
could destroy the final table, but that's what she did, ending with
$75,000 of the $140,000 in chips on the table.
Seats were drawn for the final table after Amir Vahedi got knocked out
in tenth spot. He had aces and queens with a jack kicker but got kicked
out by Meng La's king kicker.
The limits started at $1,000-$2,000, with eight minutes left at that level.
Steve Badger, who collects Omaha trophies by the carload and also writes
for Card Player magazine, had a less than auspicious start, losing 60 percent
of his chips on the first hand. He bet before the flop and Rich Korbin
played back at him. Steve bet the flop, Rich bet the turn, both men checked
with a third spade fell on the river and Korbin, with A-A-3-6, won it with
three aces. On the next hand, Sirous Baghchehsaraie, starting with an A-2,
went all in for $1,000 on the river but managed to take the high end
with a paired ace while Steve Levin took low with a 7-5 in his hand.
At that point, someone wondered why the action at the final table wasn't
being shown on the big-screen monitors in the tournament room as usual.
Korbin surveyed the players at the table. "Zero charisma,"
he deadpanned-- technical problems, actually.
With limits now at $2,000-$4,000, Badger, first to act, called, and then put
on a show when Dan Heimiller button-raised. Jumping up and screaming
his words, he theatrically declared that no one had ever laid down a hand as
good asthe one he now folded. The good lay-down only bought him one
more hand. He went all in for his last $100 after posting his big blind with
2-4-8-10. Heimiller had only 4-6-7-9, but scooped the Badger out of the
tournament with nines and fours and a seven low to Badger's smaller two
pair and an eight.
Mark Biggs, an exporter, got low on chips when he went up against La.
Both players held an A-2, but a low didn't come and La, who just gave up
his 10-year job as a supervisor at the Normandie Casino to play poker full
time, won with a paired queen. Biggs got even lower when La quartered
him on the next hand. All in again on the next hand, Biggs flopped a flush
draw, ended up with kings and was put out of commission when Heimiller,
starting with A-4-J-7, rivered a straight.
Casey Kastle, winner of the $300 no-limit hold'em event, meticulously
taking notes after each hand, went all in a couple of times, escaping first
with a full house against Levin's nut low, and then with a nut low against
La's full house. Cheong,who up until now had only picked up a couple of
small ones, suddenly took a big one from Heimiller. She raised and he
re-raised before the flop. "Oh, nice hand," she says. He bets a flop of 7-8-9
and a turn card eight, but checks and calls when a seven comes on the river.
She shows A-2-5-7, wins with trips and suddenly has about $40,000 in chips.
After Kastle just misses getting eliminated by catching a third nine on the
river to outrun Heimiller's two pair, limits go to $3,000-$6,000 and Spring
springs a surprise on Dan. Starting with a sensational hand of A-A-2-3 with
a suited ace, she beats him the hard way (with threes full of deuces) and
suddenly has about $60,000.
One more hand to go. Levin, with A-2-4-Q raises, Spring re-raises and he
raises again all in. She has A-5-K-K, and when the board comes 3-A-9-9-10,
they both end up with aces and nines but she has a bigger kicker. Asked his
occupation for the write-up, Levin says, "I used to run a hot dog stand, and
after this exercise I might go back."
They talk deal. Meng has $21,000, Korbin $12,800, Kastle, $12,200,
Heimiller $11,200 and Sirous $8,000 to Spring's $75,100. They finally
work things and out go to bed.
Biography - Spring Cheong
"I was super, super lucky," Spring Cheong said modestly afterwards.
Perhaps, but the "super lucky" Cheong, who has only been playing
tournaments 3-1/2 years, has already won two other major events this
year, Omaha hi-lo at Bay 101's Shooting Star competition and a 7-card
stud event at Commerce Casino's California State Poker Championship,
along with a number of other major tournament wins. Tonight, she
was down to $5,700 at the second table until she built up her stacks
by quartering Rusty Bagaygay with a nut low and aces. Then she played a
patient waiting game until she began to hit cards mid-way through the
final table. She thinks she played no more than five hands at the final
table, never losing.
Omaha is her favorite game. In this tournament she noticed there were
a lot of good players whom she really respected. She singled out Levin
and Kastle for special final-table praise. "They have good chip
management and know when to raise," she commented.
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