Norwegian ‘Student’ of Poker
Paul Hersleth Wins Pot-Limit
Paul Hersleth, a young Norwegian who listed “student” on his bio sheet but later said he was really a student of pot-limit and no-limit, had a fairly easy win in the third event of the 2004 St. Maarten Open, $150 pot-limit hold’em. He came to the final table as chip leader, was never in trouble, had nearly a 3-1 lead when he got heads-up and wrapped up his win by flopping a full house on the final hand. It is his first major victory.
His last opponent, video game wholesaler Mick Davis, made his third straight final table to jump into a big early lead in the best all-all around race.
Opening blinds at the final table were $2,000-$4,000, allowing an initial raise of $8,000-$14,000. There was 17:29 left at that level.
Patrik Antonius, a poker player from Helsinki, Finland, lasted five hands. After Davis opened for $12,000, Antonius re-raised all in with A-J. Davis turned over pocket aces and that did it.
Seven hands later, Hersleth made it $12,000 to go holding Kc-10c. Joe Fleming, in the big blind, pushed in all his remaining $23,500 with two 7s. A king flopped and another hit the river to leave Fleming, a real estate broker from Fairfax, Virginia, in ninth place. “It’s the first middle pair I’ve played all night,” he shrugged.
Blinds were now $3,000-$6,000. As action continued, Davis jumped up to about 90k when he raised Hersleth on a flop of Jd-10s-2d, forcing Hersleth to release.
Bernard Rygol is a German businessman whose numerous cash-outs include a second in $1,500 pot-limit hold’em at last year’s World Series. Holding A-Q, he raised to $20,000, only to have Swiss restaurant owner Daniel Studer re-raise all in for $68,000. Rygol called all in and was blown away when Studer showed pocket kings and flopped a set.
Two hands later, Greg Amoils, one away from the big blind, decided he had to make a move and raised with Jc-5c. Hersleth put him all in with A-9 and all out when the board came A-8-2-3-8. Amoils is a British distributor of sporting goods.
Blinds now went to $4,000-$8,000, allowing raises between $16,000 and $28,000. The players returned from a short break with Studer and Davis virtually tied at about 115k each. Next were Hersleth, 74k; Marcel Luske, 73k; Romano Martini, 34k; and Rick Ellerman hanging on with 9k.
After Fleming had gotten his 7s beaten, there were eight all-in confrontations with the best hand holding up each time. This streak was broken when Romano, a manager from Italy, was all in with Kd-Qd and managed to outdraw Hersleth’s Ah-10h when a queen flopped.
Romano then picked up a few more chips when he made a maximum raise to $28,000 with A-Q and Ellerman, who lives in Osage Beach, Missouri, went all in for $6,000 more with A-J, finishing sixth when all rags hit.
The irrepressible Marcel Luske, with his upside-down sunglasses and his constant crooning at the table, seems to be everywhere at once. In the past four years he’s had nearly 70 cash-ins at tournaments in nine countries, including a second in $5,000 seven-card stud and a 10th in the championship event at this year’s World Series. He had lots of chips tonight until hand 35 when he raised with A-K and Davis, with pocket 3s, moved in for $65,300. Luske flopped a king, but Davis won by turning a set. “I won’t steal any more,” Luske promised.
There were now two unusual and consecutive tie hands. Both times, two players had A-x and split when four big cards hit the board.
On the next hand, Hersleth opened for 42k with Ac-Qc. Luske called from the small blind for his last 31.5k with K-9. He couldn’t catch anything and finished fifth.
By now the blinds had risen to $8,000-$16,000. Martini had picked up a couple of pots and had moved into a slight lead over Hersleth.
Right after blinds went to $10,000-$20,000 — meaning a raiser could come in for as much as $70,000 — Studer went out ingloriously. He had to post his last chips in the big blind with a mere 5-4. Davis, in the small blind, wasn’t much better with 8-3. But, as Hamlet said after being fatally wounded in a sword fight with Laertes, “’Tis enough, ’twill do.” A trey flopped. ’Twas enough, and Studer cashed out in fourth place.
By hand 61, Hersleth had taken charge again with a bit over $200,000 after taking the blinds with a $70,000 raise. At the same time, Martini had faded, and went out on the next hand. Holding Kh-6h on the button, he shoved in all his $68,000 holding Kh-6h. Hersleth called from the big blind and turned up A-2. When the board came Jh-8s-7h-9s, Martini had 21 outs, needing either another heart for a flush, a five or a 10 for a straight, or another king or 6. A queen of spades on the river fit none of those categories, and the match was now heads-up.
Davis, with about $110,000, was close to a 3-1 underdog to Hersleth, who spread out his 19 stacks of $500 and $1,000 chips in a forbidding long line. A deal was briefly discussed, but the finalists decided to play it out.
The match lasted three hands. Hersleth opened for 70k. On a flop of 8-8-5, Davis started to bet his last $50,000. He stopped and tossed in his cards when Hersleth turned up 8-5 for a full house. The cards had to be shown, though. Davis had a near-hopeless Q-9, and the “poker student” had become the teacher. Max Shapiro
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