| CAL STATE FINAL DAY: LEADER IS STAN GOLDSTEIN WITH 235K
Los Angeles pro Stan Goldstein will start the final day of the 2004 California State Poker Championship final event with a substantial chip lead of 235,000 after what announcer Captain Tom Franklin called the longest 10-handed final table he had ever seen. It took an unbelievable three hours-plus to eliminate the 10th player and get down to the final nine.
This championship event had been revised and trimmed to three days instead of the scheduled four.
On day one, they played five levels of 90-minute rounds to midnight, with 38 players left. Play resumed at 3 p.m. the next day. The chip leaders were: Chuck Pacheco, $68,950; Steve Sobel, $67,525; Mickey “Mouse” Mills, $67,400; Amir Vahedi, $48,100; Goldstein, $42,425; Steve Crockett, $37,450; Allen Cunningham, $37,250; Daniel Weiss, $35,700; and Ben Affleck, $32,450.
An amusing incident happened just before play began. Affleck and Tobey “Spiderman” Maguire were standing outside the main entrance when two young men rushed toward them with a camera. But they ran right by the two actors, yelling, “Amir! Amir! Can we take a picture with you?” Well, after all, this was Commerce, poker capital of the world, and not Hollywood.
Day one saw the exit of such name players as Scotty Nguyen, John Juanda, Barry Greenstein and celebrity players Lou Diamond Phillips and Maguire, who continued to sweat Affleck the next day. On day two, more top names like Cunningham, Daniel Negreanu, T.J. Cloutier, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Chris Ferguson and Erik Seidel had early exits. With Ferguson’s departure (his pocket jacks lost to a river straight), the only former world champion left was Dan Harrington.
When play resumed after a dinner break, with antes of $100 and blinds of $400-$800, there were three tables left and Goldstein had taken the lead with about 110k. He also got the first kiss of the evening. When Affleck stopped by the table and exchanged whispers with Vahedi, Goldstein asked when he would get some lip. So Affleck brushed Goldstein’s cheek.
As play continued, Kathy Liebert raised with A-Q, called all in when Pacheco came over the top and lost to his A-A.
When blinds went to $500-$1,000 with $150 antes, there were 19 players left and Goldstein had increased his lead to about 145k. Behind him were Vahedi, 84k; Raymond Davis, 75k; and Affleck, about 70k. Ninety seconds later the tournament got down to two tables.
Peter Costa had been low-chipped most of the day and was still in action. He ran out of moves when he bet all in on a K-10-8 flop, holding Q-9 for a straight draw. “Having a feeling,“ Vahedi called and knocked him out with A-Q.
Ty Nguyen, in a hand against Affleck, flopped a set of queens and slow-played to the river. But Affleck, with two pair, didn’t bite, especially with a scary board of Qd-10d-3s-Ad-Ks. Then Daniel Weiss escaped being bitten by Mickey Mouse. He was all in with 10c-10d when the Mouse flopped a set of deuces, but Weiss made a flush when a fourth club turned.
The Mouse went out 15th after taking his fourth bad beat. All in with K-K, he lost when Jimmy Tran flopped a set of 7s. Gabriel Thaler was next out with As-7s to Weiss’ A-Q after a queen flopped.
With blinds of $600-$1,200, Goldstein still led with about 160k. Nguyen wasn’t far behind with about 135k, while Vahedi, Jimmy Tran and Poges Simityan were all in the 90k range.
Harrington, short-chipped for a long time, finally left with A-K against Nguyen’s K-K. Harrington flopped an ace, but runner-runner spades gave Nguyen a flush.
A hand later, David Levi was low chipped and moved in with 7h-6h. Nguyen called with Ad-Qd, made another flush to knock out Levi and take the lead with about 175k to 150k for Goldstein.
With two spots to the money, play turned cautious. Short-chipped, Weiss moved in five times and nobody called. Meanwhile, Goldstein, playing a steady game, picked up enough pots, often at the expense of Vahedi, to retake the lead. At the next level, $800-$1,600 blinds with $200 antes, he had about 225k to Nguyen’s 200k. At the other end, Davis was down to 11k after taking two hits, first when Nguyen, calling with everything and making everything, hit yet another flush with 10c-7cs, the second time when Davis raised to 10k with Kh-Qh then folded when Pacheco re-raised with A-J.
Finally, with a board of J-5-4-, Weiss moved in for the sixth time, for $24,800, with Q-J. Goldstein called with K-J. Weiss didn’t help, and the final 10 gathered at one table to play down to nine. Goldstein started as leader with about 250k, followed by Nguyen with 190k. Just as the clock ran out, they almost got down to nine. Raymond Davis was all in with A-10 versus Nguyen’s A-K but hit a 10 on the river.
Blinds now went to $1,000-$2,000 with $300 antes. Goldstein and Nguyen were about tied with 210k each. Finally, on the 63rd hand, Al Korson moved in from the button with A-4. Goldstein called with pocket 6s and turned a set to turn out the lights. Final table play resumes at 3 p.m. tomorrow. —Max Shapiro
|
