BJORIN
CLOSES WITH RUSH
TO WIN POT-LIMIT OMAHA
Tonight's $1,000 pot-limit Omaha final
table had dragged on for 159 hands with
four players still left when Chris Bjorin
went on an incredible rush to knock out
all three opponents in 12 hands and take
down the $31,420 first-place prize. The
Swedish-born Londoner's numerous titles
include two bracelets for this event and
for $3,000 no-limit hold'em. Finishing
second was John Juanda, current leader
in Card Player magazine's all-around points
race. Juanda later said he wasn't feeling
well, had disastrously re-raised at one
point after misreading his hand, and shouldn't
even have played. It is a testament to
his monumental skills that he could be
disappointed in himself after a second-place
cash-out that almost anyone else would
be out celebrating.
Chip
Position, Final Table
Seat
Player Chip
Count
1.
Chris Bjorin $19,150
2. Peter Costa $6,925
3. Erik Seidel $11,000
4. John Robinson $1,900
5. John Juanda $16,250
6. Scotty Warbucks $19,025
7. Tony Cousineau $9,000
8. Bob Walker $2,450
9. Paul Dahl $22,300
The final nine assembled at 6 p.m. and
didn't finish until nearly 1 a.m. because
of the hour rounds and snail-like increase
in blinds designed to give participants
lots of play. Blinds started at $150-$300
and took five jumps to reach the $1,000-$2,000
level. Insurance executive Scotty Warbucks
knocked out the 10th player by flopping
a flush against the short-stacked unidentified
player's straight. Paul Dahl, another
inurance exec, arrived with a chip lead
of $22,300, closely followed by Bjorin
and Warbucks, each with about $19,000.
Shortest-chipped John Robertson departed
on the second hand. When a third 6 turned,
the professional tournament player filled
with two queens in his hand, but Warbucks
had two cowboys. Vegas pro Bob Walker,
second shortest-chipped, left the scene
just three hands later. He had A-Q-10-9,
all diamonds, when Peter "The Poet" Costa
raised him all in with A-K-6-3 double-suited.
A flop of Q-10-6 gave Walker the lead.
Costa, with a gut-shot straight draw,
instead made a better two pair with a
king on fourth street.
At the first break, Warbucks, who had
taken a large pot from Juanda, now had
the lead with about $30,000. Costa went
out on a terrible beat. All his money
went in on a flop of K-8-7. With a set
of kings, he was in good shape against
Erik Seidel, whose 10-7-6-5 gave him a
small pair and an open-end straight draw.
But then things got much "verse" for Peter
the Poet when two running diamonds gave
Seidel a flush to leave Costa in seventh
place and deprive him of his seventh in-the-money
finish.
Hand 56 was perhaps the most dramatic
of the evening. The flop came Q-8-7. Erik
Seidel, with Q-J-10-9, needed a 6, a 9,
a 10 or a jack for a straight. He bet
$2,700. Dahl, with A-K-K-Q, raised all
in for $2,200 more. Warbucks, with 7-7-10-9,
had a set and a straight draw. He announced
"all in." A jack and 10 then came to give
Dahl the main pot with a Broadway straight,
while Warbucks and Seidel split the side
pot with queen-high straights.
Seidel got knocked out 16 hands later
on a very odd hand that put the last five
players in the money. He had A-6-5-3;
Bjorin had 6-5-4-4. A flop of 9-8-7 gave
both players the same straight, and Erik
went all in. Two running 9s then gave
Chris a full house. An eyeball count showed
Juanda in the lead with about $38,000,
while Warbucks and Dahl were tied for
second with around $28,000 each. Bjorin
had around $12,000 and Cousineau was hanging
on with $3,200. A few hands later, Tony
went broke. On the flop, he was a favorite
with 15 outs to flush and staight draws,
but missed and fell to Juanda's pocket
aces.
By
the 120th hand, when blinds had crept
up to $800-$1,600, Three players were
closely grouped in the $30,000 range while
Dahl now trailed with $17,500. As play
continued, Juanda took the lead after
raising Bjorin and making him fold on
a flop of K-J-3, then built up to close
to $50,000 with aggressive raising.
Then Chris took over. Hand 159: Dahl bet
$10,700 all in on a flop of A-10-J-6 that
gave him aces and 10s and an inside straight
draw. Chris called with a made straight,
then hit a flush to leave it three-handed.
Hand 164: Warbucks was in the big blind
with K-10-5-2 and went all in after Bjorin
raised. Scotty had the lead with 10s on
a board of 8-8-4-10, but a river queen
gave Chris a higher pair, and now it was
heads-up. Chris led, $62,500 to $45,500.
After folding several hands in a row,
Junanda was down to about $25,000. On
hand 171, John made his last stand with
K-K-5-2 against Chris' K-10-9-3. A flop
of 8-J-7 gave Bjorin a straight, and the
gentlemanly Swede was the victor.
Max Shapiro
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