Finland Rapper Ilari Sahamies
Calls Tune in Pot-Limit Omaha
Ilari Sahamies, a young Finn who gave his occupation as “rapper,” hit all the right notes and scored a convincing win in the 11th event of the 2004 St. Maarten Open, $200 pot-limit Omaha.
Sahamies came to the final table second in chips to Emmannuel Hacquet, a local from the French side of St. Maarten whose occupation is real estate. However, this was only the first tournament for Hacquet, and it showed in his tentative, at times unsure play. Sahamies, on the other hand, played with an assured aggressiveness, and once he took over the lead he kept the pressure on as he coasted to an easy victory.
The final table started with blinds of $1,200-$2,400, allowing opening raises of between $4,800 and $8,400. There was 20:18 left on the clock. In this round, three hands went to the river, and each time an all-in player survived with pocket aces. First it was Robert Resurreccion, a London hostel receptionist. Then Carol Everton, who captured the opening paid event, also escaped, chopping with Robert Kojfer when both had A-A. And then Gary Bush’s aces beat Hacquet’s pocket kings.
Blinds were now $1500-$3,000. Sahamies took his first big bite out of Hacquet’s stack when he bet 45k into a board of A-9-8-8 and Hacquet, who had been playing a lot of hands, folded. We lost our first player on hand 16. Everton again had pocket aces and she bet her last 13k on a flop of 7-5-5. Hacquet, with 8-6-4-3, had a huge straight draw, needing either a 3, 4, 6, 8 or 9. A fourth-street 9 gave it to him.
Two hands later, another nut straight left Jac Arama in ninth place. Arama won the British championship and finished second in the European championship last year. On a flop of Q-10-6 he bet his last $3,500 with A-A-Q-3. Sahamies had an open-ender with K-K-J-4 and hit it with a fourth street 9.
Blinds were kicked up to $2,000-$4,000. Oystein Halland of Norway, an online player who won the Amsterdam Master Classic in 2002, hadn’t been playing many hands. Finally, he had Q-J-J-6 and a flop of K-10-4 gave him an open-end straight draw. He bet 30k. Hacquet called with K-J-A-6. A deuce turned and Halland moved in for $7,500. Hacquet still led with kings, and then improved when a river queen gave him a gut-shot straight.
Hacquet knocked out another player on the next hand. Kojfer, who lives in Paris, had 7-6-2-2 and bet has last 7k when a board of 8-7-4-5 gave him a straight. Hacquet had a set of 9s, and a 4 on the river gave him a full house.
Hacquet and Sahamies were the two big stacks. The turning point came when they tangled on hand 30. Sahamies raised to $14,000 pre-flop, then bet 32k on a board of K-7-6-A. A 10 on the river was checked (after Hacquet playfully pretended he was betting). Sahamies won with aces and 10s. He took the lead with about $200,000 and kept moving up from there.
Blinds went to $3,000-$6,000. By the time the players took a brief ciggie break five hands later, Sahamies had climbed to about 275k while Hacquet had dipped to 105k. With about 50k each were Robert Eccleston, an English builder playing very conservatively, and Sargon Ruya of Sweden, while Bush had 35k.
Sahamies was not giving his opponents much breathing room with his aggressive play, and on hand 42 he zoomed up to about $360,000 by breaking Hacquet, who was now down to $36,000. Sahamies got half of that in the pot when he opened for 18k. He had A-Q-J-10 and Hacquet called with A-K-J-10. On a flop of 5-4-3, Sahamies bet out. After long hesitation, Hacquet, still in the lead, finally committed his last chips. A queen turned to give Sahamies a winning pair. With four players left, he now controlled about 70 percent of the chips.
Bush, who had managed to hang on after going all in three times already, finally gave up the ghost on hand 45. He was all in with A-10-8-8 double suited against Eccleston’s A-K-K-2 with a suited ace. Three hearts came to give Eccleston a nut flush, and Bush bowed out in fourth place.
For the last time, limits went up, to $4,000-$8,000, which allowed initial raises of between $16,000 and $28,000.
On hand 52, Ruya raised to $24,000 and Eccleston re-raised all in for $12,500 more. He had K-9-10c-7c, and a flop of Qc-8c-4 gave him draws to a flush and gut-shot straight. Ruya, with Q-Q-10-2, had flopped top set. An 8 on the river filled him, Eccleston cashed in third and we were now heads-up.
The rough count was 360k for Sahamies to 160k for Ruya. The match lasted six hands. On the final deal, Ruya was dealt 10-10-7-3 to A-8-5-2 for Sahamies. A flop of 8-4-3 paired Samahies’ 8 and also gave him a wraparound straight draw, but Ruya still led with pocket 10s. Sahamies made a small bet and Ruya called. When a 9 turned, Sahamies bet 28k and Ruya, still leading, decided to push in all his chips. Sahamies called, made a second pair by spiking an ace on the river, and a victory song played for the Finnish rapper.
—Max Shapiro
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