| Ex-Car Trader Alaei Wins
Daniel Alaei, who bought and sold sports cars until turning pro a year ago, scored his first major tournament win by taking down the ninth event of Legends of Poker 2004, $300 limit hold’em. He came to the final table holding $104,000 of the $248,000 in play and only gave up the lead for one hand, winning after he made a heads-up deal.
The main topic of discussion at the final table, however, centered around Yung Chang, a 66-year-old retired civil engineer playing his first tournament and enjoying himself immensely. Repeatedly, players pleaded for a chip-count deal so they could go home, and repeatedly Chang refused. “I’m not a poker player, I’m a professional engineer,” he kept saying. “You’re a professional donkey,” jokingly responded Gagik Zhamkochyan, who earlier had been knocked out by Chang on a bad beat, and was impatiently hanging around, waiting for his friend Alaei.
The final table came suddenly when four players were eliminated in rapid-fire succession. Play started with an enormous chip disparity. While Alaei had 104,000 and Mike Werndle 54,500, three players had 6,000 or less, and none lasted long.
Limits started at $2,000-$4,000, with 22:13 remaining. Lowest-chipped Wendy Rosen was all in from the big blind on the second hand with A-4. Poker player Zhamkochyan called with K-Q, caught a queen on the end and Rosen was first out. On the next hand, Rusty Mandap, tournament director at Hawaiian Gardens, raised all in with K-Q. Alaei called with Ks-Js, and when the board came J-6-5-2-A, two were quickly gone.
Joyce Lazarus, a homemaker and pro player, left the table nine hands later. She had A-7 and Alaei had pocket kings. No ace came to save her and seven were left. One hands later, another player busted out. David Yamada, a graphic designer, had the same A-7, and he too was up against a pocket pair. Werndle, who has an auto transmission business, had two jacks. When the board came 8-4-2-5-8, four players were gone in 12 hands.
It took all of seven more hands to lose the next player. Zhamkochyan was an 82 percent favorite with A-J against Chang’s A-9. The flop came A-Q-9. Chang check-raised with his two pair, and Zhamkochyan three-bet it. Another 9 on the turn gave Chang a full house, and he check-raised again to put his opponent all in. An overkill river 9 gave Chang quads, and Zhamkochyan finished sixth. A deal was then proposed. “I came to win or lose,” Chang replied, nixing any early settlement.
David Daneshgar, a recent Berkeley graduate, was down to $12,000 on hand 28 after Alaei, with Ac-7c, flopped a flush. Later down to $4,500, Daneshgar survived a couple of times and got back to $35,000 before taking another hit when Alaei paired a king. Finally, Daneshgar went up against Werndle with A-7 versus J-10 and went all in on the turn. “I told you J-10 was my favorite hand,” Werndle said after a board of A-J-6-10-K gave him a winning two pair. On the next hand, a key one for Alaei, he flopped a set of queens against Chang to increase his lead to $135,000.
At the next break, the chip count read: Alaei, $130,000; Werndle, $69,000; Chang, $38,000; and Paik, $11,000. Limits went to $4,000-$8,000. Paik, who is in the used car business, survived against Werndle by making a diamond flush. Then, holding 9d-9s, he was all in against Chang’s pocket aces. “I need a diamond,” he said when the board showed Kd-10d-10h-2d. “Tomorrow,” answered Chang, raking in Paik’s last chips when an offsuit 4 came.
Play continued for 43 hands. With limits at $6,000-$12,000, Chang went all in but escaped by pairing a queen. On hand 96, Werndle briefly took the lead, but Alaei got it back on the next hand. Finally, much to his opponents’ relief, Chang succumbed on hand 98. In the small blind, he was all in with 10-8. Alaei had Q-2 and won when the board came A-9-2-K-6. Alaei now had $169,000 to $79,000 for Werndle, and the two quickly agreed to a deal. –Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Daniel Alaei, who used to travel to shows where he would buy sports cars and resell them, turned pro a year ago but has only been playing tournaments for about four months. Though he’s had a couple of wins in small tournaments, this is his biggest victory. He also finished 59th in this year’s World Series championship event, but said he had not been doing well recently. “It’s been rough, but that’s part of the game,” he shrugged.
Tonight, though, after doubling up in the first round, he became convinced he would win. After that he said he fluctuated a lot but was never in trouble, with his set of queens against Chang his biggest pot. Alaei’s main game in tournaments and side games, where he plays $10-$20 and no-limit, is hold’em. He describes his play as “shifty,” saying he changes gears a lot depending on opponents and situations.
|
