| Beck Makes Granny Proud!
Gary Beck learned poker from his late grandmother, whom he used to drive to games in Gardena. “Grandma needs an operation,” she would say when she raked in a pot. Granny was no doubt smiling down tonight when her grandson came in first in the 12th event of Legends of Poker 2004, $500 no-limit hold’em.
Beck is with a company that develops custom software for telecommunications companies. He’s been playing poker for 25 years but only began to specialize in tournaments a year ago. He came to the final table a little bit above average in chips, took a big lead in early action and held onto it until a four-way chip-count deal was made after only 30 hands of play.
Blinds were $1,000-$2,000 with $300 antes when the final table got underway. Art dealer Harry Kleiman lasted two hands. He opened for $6,000 with pocket 4s. Andy Lambo, a former high school football coach, put Kleiman in with pocket 6s and then tackled him with a set on the river.
Beck grabbed the chip lead on hand 11. After Lambo raised $6,000 with A-Q, Beck moved in for about $45,000 with pocket 8s. They held up when the board came K-9-6-7-9, and Beck now had $95,000 of the $348,000 in play. Blinds now moved up to $1,500-$3,000 with $500 antes. Two hands later, Beck increased his lead to $106,000 when Dan Stevens pushed in his last $8,000 with pocket 9s and ran into Beck’s pocket 10s. A board of 8-7-5-2-J didn’t alter anything, and Stevens, a high-limit ring-game player, finished ninth.
Lambo then had a near miss. With a flop of 7-6-2, he made an all-in move with A-5. “Nice call,” he said, when Nandi Varadi called with 10-6. But then an ace turned to save the coach.
For the second time, pocket 8s came into play in an all-in pot. This time they were dealt to Varadi, who is in the video game industry. He moved in with them for $8,000 and lost to Aldo Crespo, who had Ac-9c, and caught an ace on the river. This is the second straight cash-out for Crespo, a bus driver. He actually finished on the bubble last night, but was voted a share.
Stan Goldstein, who finished second behind Ben Affleck in Commerce Casino’s Cal State Championship this year, is quick with a quip. When Lambo mentioned that he is now a loan broker, Goldstein shot back that he’s a “broke loaner.” Lambo, incidentally, was not the only “coach” at the table, because Goldstein also coaches Little League ball. Goldstein then got in a hand against John Kim, who is in the import business. Kim, in the small blind, moved in for $3,500. Figuring he was getting 2-1 on his money, Goldstein called from the big blind. “A classic match-up,” he announced, turning up J-3 to Kim’s 9-2. Kim survived when a 9 turned.
Now Goldstein was low-chipped. On the next hand he moved in from the small blind for $7,500 with A-5 and got called by Lambo, in the big blind with 7-6. For the second straight time Goldstein was outdrawn when the board came 10-6-3-3-3, and Lambo’s freak full house left him in seventh place.
Retiree Clarence Cole busted out two hands later, and once again pocket 8s came into play. This time Lambo had them, and when Cole opened for $8,000 with K-Q, Lambo made it $20,000 to go. A f lop of J-8-4 gave Lambo a set and made him a 93 percent favorite. He bet and took Cole’s last few chips. Lambo now moved into the $90,000 range, not far behind Beck.
On the next hand, Beck raised with A-8. Kim, who started the final table lowest-chipped with $13,100, had already survived two all-ins. This time he called for $5,000 from the big blind holding 9h-6h. The board came 8-5-4-10-10, and now four were left.
Three more hands were played, and then a chip count deal was proposed. Beck still led with $124,000. Lambo had $91,000, Crespo, $74,500 and Yi, $59,500. Everyone agreed and Beck was the winner. –Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Gary Beck, 46, won his first tournament when he was 21. The game was five-card draw, it was at the old Rainbow Club in Gardena, and his late father came in sixth. He’s played tournaments only rarely since then, preferring $10-$20 hold’em side games. A year ago he decided to concentrate on tournaments, and so far this year he’s had a final table earlier at the Bike and finished fifth in $2,500 no-limit at the Bellagio’s Five Diamond event.
Beck describes his play as “selective aggressive,” but says he’s still building his style. Tonight he had tough going in early action, going all in a couple of times and being below average in chips until near the final table. Beck has a love, though, even greater than poker. His 12-year-old daughter is an actress and did a voice-over in the film “Finding Nemo.” Her character was the Little Pink Octopus, and her memorable line was, “You guys made me ink myself.”
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