| ‘Syracuse’ Chris Wins Car
“Syracuse” Chris Tsiprailidis is the official winner of a Cadillac Escalade after victory in the Legends 2004 Best All-Around Points Championship. His win came after he made a runner-runner straight to overcome Ernie Scherer’s set of 9s. With three players left, Tsiprailidis had more than 80 percent of the chips, and a deal was made distributing the proceeds from the car, two of the $5,000 seats in the Legends Championship/WPT event, and $3,000 cash.
With five players left, there had been complicated negotiations: Who would get the Cadillac? If it were sold and the cash split up, how much was it worth? Who would be responsible for registration and taxes? Who wanted seats and who wanted cash? Etc. Amir Vahedi got involved, making an offer somewhere between the Bicycle Casino’s buy-back and its market price. Finally, Scherer decided he preferred to play, and it wasn’t until he was knocked out that a deal was made.
(Meanwhile, the Super Satellite Payoff race was won by George Marlowe.)
Players started this points play-off event with 300 chips plus 10 times their all-around points total. Tsiprailidis had tied for 63rd place with 49 points. Three others at the final table had more points: Kim Lim with 156; Scherer with 115; and Khromov with 62.
The other big story involved the man who wasn’t there. At the second table around midnight, David Rosenbloom got an urgent call from his wife to pick up her and their 2-year-old son at the airport. She didn’t even know he was in a tournament. At that moment, Mel Judah moved in with A-J. Figuring to bust out and leave, Rosenbloom called with K-7 off, flopped a king, busted Judah, hauled in a lot of chips, had aces on the next hand, but dashed off to the airport, explaining that “My wife is more important.” (Now there’s a man with his priorities mixed up.) When the final table assembled an hour later, he still had 8,000 chips, third lowest. He never showed up…and still finished seventh!
Final table action started with $200 antes and $500-$1,000 blinds, 24:38 remaining. First out was Derek Bukowski. He was in the small blind with A-8. Arehar Arroyan had 5-4, and caught two more 5s. With blinds at $800-$1,600. Michael McLaughlin quickly followed him out when Khromov beat him with a paired queen.
Blinds went to $800-$1,600 with $200 antes. Lim went out in eighth place when his Ah-3h lost to Arroyan’s A-Q. A hand later, Rosenbloom’s last chips were anted away. If he had just a couple more, he might have moved up a notch and picked up another $1,140, because Bernie McPherson immediately went out. McPherson moved in for $3,100 with pocket 9s. Khromov called with A-K and hit both cards.
Blinds now went to $1,000-$2,000 with $300 antes. Some 11 hands into this level, negotiations for a deal began. As this point, Arroyan led with $41,300, followed by Tsiprailidis with $36,600 and Qi Liu with $36,600. Tsiprailidis wanted a seat, Liu didn’t, Arroyan wanted cash, and Khromov jokingly complained, “Why sell my car in the first
place?” After the lengthy negotiations broke down, tournament director Denny Williams issued an edict which he intends to have incorporated in the Tournament Directors Association rulebook: No more than three deal discussions in any tournament.
As play resumed, a short-chipped Khromov had a couple of draw-outs against Scherer.
Scherer finally nailed him on hand 50 when his pocket 9s held up against the pocket 4s for the “Mad Russian.” At this point Scherer was chip leader with $51,500. Tsiprailids took over after blinds went to $1,000-$1,500 when he went all in with 6-3 and paired a six after Scherer called with A-4. On the final hand, the flop came A-J-9. Tsiprailidis bet with A-7 and Scherer moved in with a set of 9s. An 8 turned, and then a magic 10 gave Syracuse Chris a straight. Chris now had $111,000 to $17,500 for Liu and $7,500 for Arroyan, and the deal was made. –Max Shapiro
BIOGRAPHY
“Syracuse” Chris Tsiprailidis (he lives in Liverpool, New York, which is a suburb of Syracuse) has a World Series bracelet for $3,000 limit hold’em in 2000, and two prior Legends victories in hi-lo stud and limit hold’em. He’s been playing poker full time for 12 years. Before that, he was a chef at a large country club in New York. He got into poker when he was a soccer player and bought a club house where small games were held, generally $5-$10. He kept playing while he held his chef’s job, started doing well in poker, and one day, when he found himself playing at 6 a.m, suddenly said, “You know what, I’m not working any more.”
Limit hold’em is his best game, and he describes his style as “in-between,” not too tight, not too aggressive, but “smart.” Tonight, he said he was never in trouble and managed to keep in control throughout.
|
