| ‘PRINCE OF DOCNESS’ OUTLASTS
‘SUPER MARIO’ IN LONG FINALE
While many of the tournaments in 2004 Cal State have ended in multi-way chops, this one was decidedly different. Despite the repeated pleas of “Super Mario” Esquerra to end their heads-up match, the Santa Cruz player with the colorful moniker of “Prince of Docness,” also known as “Doc,” steadfastly refused as the chip lead changed repeatedly and the hour got later and later. Esquerra at various times offered Doc an even chop and the trophy, a little extra and the trophy, even offered to perform 50 push-ups, all to no avail. Finally, after 90 minutes of heads-up play and with 6 a.m. approaching, Doc, now with about a 4-3 lead, agreed.
Since most of the money had been divvied up in a three-way deal earlier, there wasn’t that much at stake. Doc later said he just felt like playing, thought he had an edge and wanted heads-up practice. With the relatively small number of chips in play, he also thought the match would end sooner.
Doc has had numerous tournament cash-outs, with Omaha hi-lo wins at Tunica, Foxwoods and the Reno-Hilton, along with a couple of pot-limit Omaha victories. But despite his successes, he remains something of a mystery man in the poker world. Rumored to have once been in the medical field, he now says he’s a “flopology surgeon.” Whatever he is, there’s no doubt he can play poker.
This was the third time that the final table decided to play it through. When it got down to nine, Doc was the leader with $28,600, and Param Gill was close behind with $24,200. With limits of $600-$1,200, Gebrehiwet Goitom had only $1,100, and was quickly blown away by Esquerra, who made a full house when the board came A-A-9-2-3.
Vinny Landrum was next to go all in, but stayed in action when his pocket aces held up against Gill. Quentin Ball wasn’t as fortunate. He moved in for $1,100 with A-4-4-9. Doc called him with A-5-5-J. Ball looked in good shape when he flopped a set of 4s, until a river 5 gave Doc a bigger set. Ball is a real estate appraiser from Atlanta. His wife, Nash, who made an earlier final table, just missed joining her husband tonight as she finished 11th.
Landrum, meanwhile was left with $1,500 when Prince, betting with A-A, made a back door nut flush.
When limits went to $800-$1,600, Chan Vu got perilously low when he made trip 6s but lost to Prince’s trip 6s with a higher kicker. “I’m not going to be scared any more,” Vu said. On the next hand he went all in for his last $800 and won by flopping queens full. “It’s easy not to be scared when you flop queens queens-full,” Doc commented.
Landrum was all in a couple of hands later with Q-Q-K-2. “I think I’m drawing dead,” he said when Gill flopped a six-high straight. Not quite, but dead he was when he failed to make a runner-runner miracle full house or quads, his only outs.
Gill also took care of business executive Larry Reynolds. Both had pocket kings. Gill was free-rolling when he flopped a low, then scooped with a club flush.
All in again, Vu won with a straight on the river against Gill. “Don’t count me out yet,” he said. On the next hand he was counted out. Holding Q-Q-4-6, he bet all in on a flop of A-10-9, finishing fifth when Esquerra made a nut low and two pair.
The approximate chip count at this point: Doc, $40,000; Gill, $26,000; Dennis Thorn, $24,000; and Esquerra, $13,000. Thorn is a retired fire captain now in the garage door lock business. He and Gill are friends and frequent tablemates. So when Gill scooped Thorn with a full house and better low, he couldn’t resist ribbing Thorn for raising with 2-3-J-K. Doc responded with the profound observation that one man’s cheese is another man’s tofu.
By the time limits had gone to $1,000-$2,000, the count was: Gill, $40,200; Doc, $31,600; Thorn, $17,200; Esquerra, $14,500.
As play continued, Esquerra took the lead, though he was embarrassed one time when he failed to bet a nut-nut hand on the river because he overlooked
his straight.
Thorn, fading, was in the big blind with one chip left. The flop was K-8-6 and Gill put him in. Gill had 5-7-8-Q. Thorn had 4-4-J-Q. A trey turned. “I need a 4,” Thorn said. “A 4 would kill you,” Gill reminded him. A 4 did come on the river. It gave Gill a straight and Thorn indeed was killed.
Limits now went to $1,500-$3,000. It was after 3 a.m. and a deal was suggested. Esquerra wasn’t interested until he won a pot and got close to even with the others. He did, and with just a few chips separating all three, most of the money was chopped.
After long three-way action, Gill was left with $1,000 when he flopped a set of 6s, only to have Doc make a Broadway straight on the river. On the next hand he posted it in the big blind. He had 9-9-3-3 to Doc’s A-Q-J-6 and went home when the flop gave Doc aces up.
The long heads-up match began as limits went to $2,000-$4,000. Back and forth and back and forth went the chip lead as Super Mario’s pleas to end it fell on deaf ears. They were still at it when limits went to $3,000-$6,000. At this point they were close to even again.
Finally, with daylight approaching, the Prince of Docness, perhaps with a touch of vampire blood in him, relented and agreed to an even chop of the remaining prize pool, and then vanished into the darkness. —Max Shapiro
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