Lu Zhe Zhang of Vienna Runs
Off with Pot-Limit Hold’em Win
Mick Davis, a British video games wholesaler, quickly built up a dominant chip lead in the 10th event of the 2004 St. Maarten Open, $300 limit hold’em. From that point on, he continued to terrorize the table with a barrage of raises until, with six players left, he had vacuumed up about 40 percent of the chips in play.
When he finally got heads-up with Las Vegas CPA James Hoeppner, he enjoyed a 2-1 lead. It was now nearly 6 a.m., some 83 hands had gone by, and to the eternal gratitude of the tournament staff, a deal was made.
This was the fifth final table for Davis, who is now one point behind Tore Lagerborg in the all-around points race. He made a comeback after being low-chipped with six or seven tables to go, and said he was getting the right cards at the right time at the final table.
Davis’ biggest cash-out was in $10,000 no-limit hold’em at Australia’s Crown Aussie Million this year when he ended 10th. He also won a pot-limit hold’em event at the South of England Poker Festival in June.
Hoeppner’s biggest cash-out was $93,326 for sixth at the Bellagio’s Five-Star World Poker Classic in 2003.
Final-table blinds were $2,000-$4,000 with 23:54 left at that level. Ib Sandmand, a Danish retiree, had the chip lead with $116,500, closely followed by Davis with $108,500.
Aldo de Luca finished 10th on hand six after he moved in for 7k with Js-10s. Paul Hersleth called with A-K and flopped an ace. De Luca, from Curacao, is a businessman and thoroughbred horse breeder/owner.
Point-leader Lagerborg, who won an earlier Omaha/8 event, raised all in a few hands later on an A-K-J flop and was called by Davis and Hoeppner. Davis took it with a set of kings and Lagerborg mucked. When blinds went to $3,000-$6,000, Davis had already accumulated about $225,000.
Randy Blumer is a Canadian entrepreneur who in 1997 founded Planet Poker, the Internet’s first real-money cardroom. He started lowest chipped tonight, but would make it to third place. He knocked out South Africa’s Cy Jassinowsky in eighth place. With a board of A-Q-J-K, Jassinowsky bet all in with A-3, losing to Blumer’s two-pair K-J.
Rolling along, Davis claimed another victim, knocking out Paul Hersleth. The pot was three-bet pre-flop. The flop came 6s-6h-3s. Hersleth, with K-3, bet his last 10k. He stood up anxiously when Davis turned up As-10s for a flush draw. A dreaded spade came on the river, and Hersleth finished seventh.
Hoeppner did the honors on Rikard Ljung of Sweden, who said he is now “between jobs.” In a capped pot, Ljung went all in with K-Q, and couldn’t catch Hoeppner’s A-K.
Limits went to $4,000-$8,000. Dairy farmer Putt was milked down to his last 4k after calling Hoeppner’s re-raise. The CPA then bet out when the flop came A-9-2. Kiwi decided to save his few chips and folded. His strategy seemed to work when he tripled up on the next hand. But it came to naught a few hands later when he went broke with a sickly 4-3 after he had to post all his chips in the big blind and couldn’t help.
About a dozen hands now went by without a flop. Finally, on hand 61, Sandmand, who had gone down steadily since starting with the chip lead, got involved with Davis. He raised, Davis re-raised, and Sandmand was all in. He turned up As-2s, Davis Kc-7c. With a board of Ks-10d-2h-9s, Davis led with kings, while Sandmand could still win with a spade, an ace or a deuce. None of the above hit the river, and Sandmand went to the pay-out window.
With three players left, limits now went to $6,000-$12,000. Davis now had about $310,000 in chips to $97,000 for Blumer and $80,000 for Hoeppner.
Blumer was annoyed that the limits went up just as he took the big blind. “I’ve got news for you,” tournament director Warren Karp informed him. “You’re either going to have the big blind, the small blind, or the button.”
Blumer got some breathing room when he took a 100k pot from Davis, causing him to fold after betting into a dangerous board of 9-9-8-8.
But then disaster struck the Canadian businessman on hand 69. He had pocket 9s to A-Q for Davis. The pot was capped, with 100k in there before the flop. The flop of K-Q-J was terrible for Blumer, but he tried a bluff and got called. It was then checked down, and Davis’ paired queen won.
A few hands later, Blumer was down to $3,500 after posting his big blind. He had Q-10 and Davis raised him all in holding K-J. Blumer survived when a 10 flopped, and managed to hang on for another eight hands.
The finale came with six minutes left in the round. Blumer, holding A-Q, raised all in for $23,000 on the button, and Davis chased him from the small blind with just 4-3. The board came 8-7-3-6-9, and Davis, with a paired trey, had just enough to win.
He now had about $330,000 to $160,000 for Hoeppner, and the deal was made. —Max Shapiro
|
