GREENSTEIN WRECKS NO-LIMIT FIELD
AND GIVES $ TO CHARITY
Barry Greenstein, a high-stakes side
game player who donates all his tournament
winnings to charity, came to the final
table with $118,500 of the $401,500 in
play, proceeded to win the first eight
hands he was in, knocked out seven of
his eight opponents (including the first
six) and in short turned in as totally
dominating a performance as it is possible
for anyone to have as he ran away with
the seventh event of Cal State 2003, $500
no-limit hold'em.
In earlier action, he had eliminated every
one of the 10 to 15 players he had set
all in!
Greenstein's
resume is incredible. Coming from a poker-playing
family, he's been a pro for 35 of his
48 years. Then, when he had children,
he wanted to do something more "respectable,"
so he helped start a software company
named Symantec that eventually became
the eighth largest in the country. Retiring
in 1991, he now plays at limits up to
$4,000-$8,000 in Vegas, and in $1,500-$3,000
games at the Hustler Casino, where he
also won Larry Flynt's $1 million, one-table
challenge event earlier this year.
Though he has his own charitable foundation,
Greenstein prefers to donate most of his
tournament winnings to Children, Inc.,
a worldwide charity that cares for some
15,000 youngsters. Tonight's $100,000
win went all to that venue.
He played in this event because he wanted
to tune up his no-limit game so he could
play in the no-limit televised events,
hopefully make final tables and promote
the children's charity. He played in the
World Series championship this year, and
was chip leader at the end of day one.
But he's still annoyed at himself for
making five "bad decisions" and getting
eliminated on day three.
Tonight, two players were knocked out
at once to leave nine instead of 10 at
the final table. At one table, Gus Ayashi,
in the big blind, was all in for a few
chips when his Q-J lost to a K-J. At the
other table, Eddie Palmer was all in for
38k with A-K suited. David Alimi had him
just covered with A-5 off and won by hitting
a five on the turn.
The final table started with $500 antes
and blinds of $1,500-$3,000, 41:30 remaining.
Here's how Greenstein started off: He
won hands #1 and #2 with uncalled raises.
Hand #6: he raised to 10k with pocket
kings. John Hoang, winner of yesterday's
stud hi-lo event, moved in for $22,500
with A-Q and lost when the board came
Q-9-6-2-4.
Hand #7: Pham Tat raised 7k and Greenstein
re-raised 30k more. No call. Hand #14:
Greenstein raised 9k. No call. Hand #15:
Sirous Baghchehsarie raised all in for
9K with A-K. Greenstein, in the big blind,
called for 6k more with 10-2 and hit a
deuce on the river.
Hand #16: Greenstein bet 25k into a flop
of 10-9-6. No call. Hand #17: Greenstein
raised with 10h-4h and bail bondsman Chris
Compton re-raised all in with A-J, losing
when three hearts came to give Greenstein
a flush.
Greenstein had now won eight of the eight
hands he played, knocked out three players
and amassed a pile of chips totaling about
$240,000. A few hands later, when Air
Phanhyaseng went all in and won with jacks
over Greenstein's A-10, it was his first
all-in encounter loss since the tournament
started.
But two hands later, he made up for that
oversight by knocking out two more players
in one hand. Tat raised all in for 27k,
Greenstein called with pocket nines and
Phanhyaseng also went all in with a 4k
raise holding pocket kings. A nine on
the turn gave Greenstein a set, and he
had now knocked out five players in a
row.
At the break he had $290,000 to $53,000
for Parisian businessman David Alimi;
$36,000 for Frankie O'Dell; and $22,500
for realtor Socrates Nikopoukos.
Blinds were now $2,000-$4,000 with $500
antes. On hand 44, Nikopoulos moved in
for $23,000 with A-Q. O'Dell covered him
with A-J. Frankie took the lead when the
flop came K-J-3, but a 10 on the river
gave Nikopoulos a straight, leaving O'Dell
with just $2,500.
The ante and big blind swallowed that
up on the next hand. O'Dell had Jd-9d
and was called by Greenstein with K-9.
The board came 5-5-2-A-3, the king-high
was good enough, and Greenstein had claimed
his sixth straight victim.
The ante and big blind swallowed that
up on the next hand. O'Dell had Jd-9d
and was called by Greenstein with K-9.
The board came 5-5-2-A-3, the king-high
was good enough, and Greenstein had claimed
his sixth straight victim.
Three hands later, Alimi disappointed
Greenstein, breaking his knock-out string
by dispatching Nikopoulos himself. The
realtor moved in with A-9, Alimi called
with pocket 10s, and it was no contest
when a 10 on the turn gave Alimi a winning
set.
Heads-up, Alimi had $86,000 and Greenstein
had all the rest of the $401,500. Greenstein
began to use his chips as a bludgeon,
wearing down his opponent with several
uncalled raises.
On the sixth hand heads-up, Alimi, with
pocket eights, bet $10,000 into a flop
of Q-10-10. Greenstein raised 30k with
10-2 and Alimi put in the rest of his
$54,000. Alimi was virtually drawing dead
to Greenstein's trip 10s, and two sixes
changed nothing. It climaxed an unbelievable
run of cards for Greenstein ("pretty scary,"
as he put it), and a great night for Children,
Inc.
(In any event, his luck was certainly
better than that of Bonnie Damiano who,
earlier in the tournament, flopped quad
deuces and lost to quad sevens!)
-- by Max Shapiro
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