| FLORIDA AD SALESMAN RINGS UP
COME-FROM-BEHIND WIN IN STUD
Cory Zeidman, an advertising salesman from Coral Springs, Florida, trailed Joseph Ingargiola though almost all of tonight’s $1,000 7-card stud tournament, the 13th event of 2004 California State Poker Championship. But he came on strong in the late stages as he grabbed the win and trophy away from the Vegas pro.
Zeidman also had a fifth-place finish at a $5,000 7-card stud event at the World Series this year.
This was yet another two-day event that was completed in one day. It had been announced that all remaining two-day tournaments would stay that way, with no play-throughs. But since this event’s final table started at 10 p.m., an exception was made so that the players wouldn’t be sent home so early. In the meantime, the prior day’s no-limit hold’em contest was only mid-way through the final table, so things got a bit hectic with two finals going at once.
Action started with $50 antes, a $100 low-card bring in and limits of $300-$600, with 25 minutes left on the clock. Ingargiola held a small chip lead with $18,075.
First out was the noted Vegas pro and high-limit side-game player Ted Forrest, who started lowest-chipped with $2,750. Ingargiola raised with buried 10s and Forrest went all in with A-A-Q. He caught another queen, but Ingargiola, who had 10s and 8s on fourth street, caught an 8 and filled up.
Victor Ramdin arrived with almost as much as Ingargiola, but started going downhill immediately after limits went to $400-$800. He lost five or six hands in a row, dropping about $16,000. He finally got knocked out by Internet adman Allen Kessler who had pocket 9s and bet them all the way. Ramdin started with three suited cards, chased and ended up with nothing except a seventh-place cash-out. Ramdin, who owns retail stores in New York, two years ago won an Omaha/8 event at the Orleans and finished third at the Showdown at the Sands.
Richard “Dr. Z” Ziskind has several stud wins at Hollywood Park, the Commerce and Bicycle casinos, but tonight the best he could manage was sixth. Low-chipped, he had split deuces and went all in with them on fifth street. He couldn’t improve and lost to Ingargiola’s two pair.
Limits now went to $600-$1,200 with $75 antes and a $200 bring-in. Blake Fischer dropped down to $1,700 when he missed his flush and lost to Kessler’s pocket aces. He went all in on the next hand but won with two pair against Michael Mizrachi, then survived a second time with a set of kings to beat Ingargiola’s aces-up.
Florida pro player Michael Mizrachi tried to show strength with a K-Q-10 board, raising all in against Zeidman. But all he had was pocket deuces. He couldn’t help and busted out against Zeidman’s bigger pair.
When limits went to $800-$1,600 with $100 antes and a $300 bring-in, the approximate count was: Ingargiola, $30,000; Kessler, $24,000; Zeidman, $16,000; and Blake Fischer, $9,000.
Fischer, a salesman and cash-game player who rarely plays tournaments, went out in fourth place after going all in with 9s and 2s on fourth street, only to be edged by Zeidman’s 10s and 4s.
Ingargiola showed he was not a timid player when he called a bet on the river with just king-high against Zeidman, who showed J-10-6-5. He lost to Zeidman’s small two pair, but managed to startle his opponent. “You have no respect for me,” Zeidman remarked.
Kessler, who was up to $30,000 at one point, had dropped down to $1,500 before picking up a couple of pots. By the time limits went up again, this time to $1,000-$2,000, with $200 antes and a $300 bring-in, Kessler had moved up to about $12,000, but still trailed Ingargiola’s $48,000 and Zeidman’s $20,000.
The Internet ad man was next to go all in. He raised with (5-3)3 and then paired his five to outrun Ingargiola’s pocket jacks and stay in action. But Kessler finally went out four and a half hours into the final table. On fifth street he had (Q-2) Q-J-2. Ingargiola started with buried 9s, then caught four clubs in a row to make a flush, leaving Kessler in third place. Kessler, a native of Pennsylvania, won a stud hi-lo tournament at the Bicycle Casino this year and also has several final tables in Omaha hi-lo and stud hi-lo.
Ingargiola now had about $47,000 to Zeidman’s $33,000, but after winning a pot with kings and jacks, Zeidman pulled nearly even. He suggested a chop, but a confident Ingargiola preferred to keep playing.
Ziedman took the lead when he showed 7-6-3-2 and turned up a set of 7s. With limits at $1,500-$3,000, Zeidman had Ingargiola down to $8,000 after winning with aces. On the final hand, Zeidman took it all when he made a full house to beat Angargiola’s set. —Max Shapiro
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