Ernie Scherer Wins No. 2
Ernest “Ernie” Scherer, a Salt Lake City pro who won pot-limit hold’em five nights ago, collected his second title in Legends of Poker 2004 by winning the 15th event, $500 Omaha hi-lo. Scherer did it even though Omaha is not his game of choice because it doesn’t allow him to play his normal aggressive style.
Through most of the final table, he and Gerald “Mr. All In” Cheatham, a musical engineer with a stud win at Foxwoods, were the big stacks fighting each other for the lead. They, along with Jack Tejwani, all started at the same first table, and finished 1-2-3 tonight. Coming in fourth was Michael Lemkin, who won event #13, $500 stud hi-lo.
Amir Vahedi had a wild ride. At the third table he was down to one chip after folding a hand. He then tripled up, quadrupled up and soon had a sizeable stack before getting low again. He finally busted out in 11th place against Hoang Ta’s trip 10s and Massimiliano “Max” Pescatori’s nut low. The final table was set after Ta raised all in with A-2-J-J. Cheatham called with 3-4-5-9 and scooped with trip treys.
Scott Fischman, the 23-year-old who won two World Series bracelets this year in no-limit hold’em and H.O.R.S.E., arrived with only $1,500. He waited seven hands until he was finally all in from the big blind with Kc-Ks-Qd-5d. There was three-way action. The board came 8d-7s-2c-2d-9d. Fischman made a flush, but Ken Wagner, with A-2-4-7, scooped with a full house and second-nut low and Fischman cashed out ninth. Two hands later, “Miami” John Cernuto, who had been hanging on since the second table, went out eighth when he missed his flush draw and lost to Cheatham’s set of jacks.
On hand 18, Scherer took the lead with $47,000 when he started with 2-3-7-K against Ken Wagner and scooped with two pair and a nut low. Then Cheatham took over again when he made a nut-nut flush and low against Bruce Lee.
Hand 25 offered a textbook example of the frustration of Omaha. Lemkin, with A-A-3-J, was set to scoop with a wheel when the board showed 7-5-4-2, but instead got quartered. Pescatori (“fisherman” in Italian), had A-4-6-Q and was fishing for a card. A trey on the river gave him a wheel and a 6-high straight.
Three players were on the brink at the break. Cheatham had about $56,000; Scherer, $49,000; Lemkin, $17,000; and Tejwani, $15,000. But Bruce Lee, Wagner and Pescatori were down to $4,000, $2,000 and $1,000 respectively. With limits at $2,000-$4,000, Pescatori, a pro from Italy, was all in from the small blind on the first hand with a dismal J-10-7-3. Scherer had Q-Q-6-5. A flop of Q-7-5 gave Scherer a set and counterfeited Pescatori’s low, and the fisherman was deep-sixed in seventh place.
The other two short stacks, though, kept hanging on. Finally, Wagner, making his third final table, posted his last $2,000 in the small blind with 2-5-6-7. Scherer had A-2-3-K. A board of J-J-Q-10-J gave him a straight, and Wagner cashed out sixth. Scherer finished Lee two hands later. Lee had pocket kings and Scherer, with A-4-8-J, made aces-up when the board came 10-3-2-8-A.
By now Scherer was in front again with $64,500. Cheatham pulled even, and then the decisive hand came on the 41st deal. Scherer and Cheatham got heads-up, and when Cheatham folded on the river, the board showing K-Q-7-Q-7, Scherer took over for the final time with about $78,000.
After numerous all-ins by both short-stacks, Lemkin finally went out on hand 57. He posted his last $1,000 in the small blind with Q-Q-9-8. Scherer had Q-Q-10-6. It was a tie on fourth street with a board of K-K-6-8, until a river 6 gave Scherer trips. He won a couple more pots and moved up to $94,000. Seven hands later things had tightened with $68,500 for Scherer; $53,000 for Cheatham and $26,000 for Tejwani. They then agreed to a deal and event 15 was in the books. - Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
Ernie Scherer is familiar with Omaha hi-lo but doesn’t like it because it doesn’t fit his aggressive style. “I like to gamble,” he says, “but Omaha is a hand-driven game. I had to grind and play tighter than I like, and that makes it tough for me to keep my focus and discipline. You can’t really make moves until you’re down to six or seven players.”
Tonight he got off to a bad start at the first table and was down to $400. “Kathy Liebert and I kept agonizing with each other over our bad luck.” The key hand for him came with three tables left. Amir Vahedi had a set of 9s and Scherer had a gut-shot straight draw. He hit it, and that gave him the chips he needed. Scherer’s prior poker accomplishments include a win at Lucky Chances and a chop with Ellix Powers at Winnin’ o’ The Green.
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