| In a ’Break’ from Bigger Action,
Kim Cheu Lim Picks up $26,525
Professional player Kim Cheu “Joe” Lim, who has six-figure tournament wins from the Commerce and Bicycle Casinos, normally only enters major events. But he’s been running so bad in his normal $400-$800 hold’em side game, losing about $200,000 in the last two months, that he decided to take a breather and play in tonight’s $500 no-limit hold’em tournament, the 12th in the Hustler Casino’s Grand Slam of Poker Tournament III.
It was a refreshing break, because he came in first and won $26,525. Lim went on a rush in the late stages, and with three players left had about 230,000 of the 280,000 chips in play. Then, after he got heads up with Norm Wheatcroft, who had made a terrific comeback, Lim nearly blew it.
With a board of Q-Q-4, Wheatcroft moved in with pocket kings, and Lim made a highly questionable call with K-9. After winning, Wheatcroft had pulled nearly dead even with $137,000 to $143,000 for Kim. They almost chopped it, but both wanted the trophy, so they kept playing, and five hands later Lim finished Wheatcroft off.
This was a grueling, roller-coaster tournament ride, with chips flowing back and forth as all-in players repeatedly ended up with the best hands.
Only nine players made it to the final table when two were knocked out at the same time at the last two tables. At one table, Thomas Bohmer had 8s-6s, went all in chasing a flush draw when two spades flopped, missed and lost to a set of 6s flopped by the player known as “Wolfie,” who won an earlier $500 no-limit event. At the other table, Ernie Sebastian had A-7 and couldn’t catch up to Lim’s pocket 8s.
Final table blinds started at $400-$800 with $100 antes and 22:45 left on the clock. Play started out cautiously as players folded to any raise, and there was no flop until hand eight. But the next hand more than made up for the lack of earlier action.
First, “JoJo Z” raised $2,000 with pocket jacks. Chris Ackerman moved in for about $7,000 with pocket queens. And then Emiliano Calitis, with around $10,00, pushed in all his chips with A-K. JoJo, who had them both covered, called. A flop of K-6-4 put Caliltis in the lead, until a jack turned to give JoJo a set. Two players were gone, with Caliltis finishing eighth, and Ackerman, a pro with a WPT finals finish at Foxwoods, cashing out ninth.
David Tran ended up seventh after limits went to $600-$1,200, with $200 antes. He moved in for about $12,000 with Q-J and couldn’t beat Wheatcroft’s pocket 6s.
A few hands later, Vincent McBride (or “New York Vinnie,” as his mentor Mickey “Mouse” Mills has now dubbed him), bowed out in sixth place. McBride, making his second final table, raised to $4,000 with Ac-Jc. Wheatcroft put him in and won with A-Q after junk hit the board.
Wolfie had started the final table with a big chip lead of $95,800. With five left, he still was in front with about $98,000, followed byWheatcroft with around $67,000; Lim, $65,000; JoJo, $24,000; and Larry Gordon, $22,000.
Lim was the most aggressive player at the table, not afraid to move in. By contrast, Wolfie’s strategy was to pick up chips with small raises. Then, in the first of several survivals, Gordon, all in for about $13,000 with Qh-8h, doubled through when he rivered a queen to outrun Wolfie’s pocket deuces.
In the biggest pot so far, JoJo moved in for close to $50,000 with A-Q. Wheatcroft called with 9-9 and was suddenly left with only about $14,000 when an ace flopped. Then he quickly won a couple of pots and began his recovery.
Blinds moved up to $1,200-$2,400, with $400 antes. Lim took an agonizingly long time to think before he folded when Wolfie, now down to $24,500, made his first all-in move. This annoyed Wheatcroft so much that when Lim stalled on the next hand after Gordon moved in, that he quickly called for a clock.
Chips continued to move around. Wolfie, all in, took about 25,000 of them from JoJo He had Ks-Qs and hit a king to beat JoJo’s Q-Q. Then JoJo got them back from Wheatcroft by flopping a set of 8s.
Finally, it was no go for JoJo on hand 62. He was all in for about $40,000 with Ah-10h. Lim had K-J and turned a king. JoJo finished fifth, and Lim now had a decisive lead of over $150,000.
Lim made it two in a row by skinning Wolfie on the next hand. A flop of 8-7-2 gave Wolfie, with J-7, middle pair while Lim, with K-8, had top pair. He put Wolfie all in for about $65,000 total. Two queens changed nothing, Wolfie finished fourth, and Lim now had about $230,000 to $30,000 for Wheatcroft and $20,000 for Gordon.
As play went on, Wheatcroft doubled up against Lim, A-J versus A-4.
Then, with $500 antes and blinds of $1,500-$3,000, Gordon busted out. He had K-5 and moved in on a flop of 7-6-5. “Oh my God, I don’t believe it,” he exclaimed when Lim showed him an 8-4 for a straight.
A few hands into their heads-up match, Wheatcroft, who is retired as an electronics vp for sales and marketing, nearly caught up with his pocket kings against Lim’s K-9. After the failed deal, they traded four all-inswith no calls. Finally, on hand 82, Wheatcroft, holding K-8, bet $20,000 into a flop of 10-7-2, Lim moved him in holding A-7. He finished with a flourish when two more aces came, and Lim had at least some of his $200,000 back. —Max Shapiro
|
