‘PRINCE
OF DOCNESS' OUTLASTS
‘SUPER MARIO' IN LONG FINALE
While
many of the tournaments in 2004 Cal State
have ended in multi-way chops, this one
was decidedly different. Despite the repeated
pleas of "Super Mario" Esquerra to end
their heads-up match, the Santa Cruz player
with the colorful moniker of "Prince of
Docness," also known as "Doc," steadfastly
refused as the chip lead changed repeatedly
and the hour got later and later. Esquerra
at various times offered Doc an even chop
and the trophy, a little extra and the
trophy, even offered to perform 50 push-ups,
all to no avail. Finally, after 90 minutes
of heads-up play and with 6 a.m. approaching,
Doc, now with about a 4-3 lead, agreed.
Since
most of the money had been divvied up
in a three-way deal earlier, there wasn't
that much at stake. Doc later said he
just felt like playing, thought he had
an edge and wanted heads-up practice.
With the relatively small number of chips
in play, he also thought the match would
end sooner.
Doc
has had numerous tournament cash-outs,
with Omaha hi-lo wins at Tunica, Foxwoods
and the Reno-Hilton, along with a couple
of pot-limit Omaha victories. But despite
his successes, he remains something of
a mystery man in the poker world. Rumored
to have once been in the medical field,
he now says he's a "flopology surgeon."
Whatever he is, there's no doubt he can
play poker.
This
was the third time that the final table
decided to play it through. When it got
down to nine, Doc was the leader with
$28,600, and Param Gill was close behind
with $24,200. With limits of $600-$1,200,
Gebrehiwet Goitom had only $1,100, and
was quickly blown away by Esquerra, who
made a full house when the board came
A-A-9-2-3.
Vinny
Landrum was next to go all in, but stayed
in action when his pocket aces held up
against Gill. Quentin Ball wasn't as fortunate.
He moved in for $1,100 with A-4-4-9. Doc
called him with A-5-5-J. Ball looked in
good shape when he flopped a set of 4s,
until a river 5 gave Doc a bigger set.
Ball is a real estate appraiser from Atlanta.
His wife, Nash, who made an earlier final
table, just missed joining her husband
tonight as she finished 11th.
Landrum,
meanwhile was left with $1,500 when Prince,
betting with A-A, made a back door nut
flush.
When
limits went to $800-$1,600, Chan Vu got
perilously low when he made trip 6s but
lost to Prince's trip 6s with a higher
kicker. "I'm not going to be scared any
more," Vu said. On the next hand he went
all in for his last $800 and won by flopping
queens full. "It's easy not to be scared
when you flop queens queens-full," Doc
commented.
Landrum
was all in a couple of hands later with
Q-Q-K-2. "I think I'm drawing dead," he
said when Gill flopped a six-high straight.
Not quite, but dead he was when he failed
to make a runner-runner miracle full house
or quads, his only outs.
Gill
also took care of business executive Larry
Reynolds. Both had pocket kings. Gill
was free-rolling when he flopped a low,
then scooped with a club flush.
All
in again, Vu won with a straight on the
river against Gill. "Don't count me out
yet," he said. On the next hand he was
counted out. Holding Q-Q-4-6, he bet all
in on a flop of A-10-9, finishing fifth
when Esquerra made a nut low and two pair.
The
approximate chip count at this point:
Doc, $40,000; Gill, $26,000; Dennis Thorn,
$24,000; and Esquerra, $13,000. Thorn
is a retired fire captain now in the garage
door lock business. He and Gill are friends
and frequent tablemates. So when Gill
scooped Thorn with a full house and better
low, he couldn't resist ribbing Thorn
for raising with 2-3-J-K. Doc responded
with the profound observation that one
man's cheese is another man's tofu.
By
the time limits had gone to $1,000-$2,000,
the count was: Gill, $40,200; Doc, $31,600;
Thorn, $17,200; Esquerra, $14,500.
As
play continued, Esquerra took the lead,
though he was embarrassed one time when
he failed to bet a nut-nut hand on the
river because he overlooked his straight.
Thorn,
fading, was in the big blind with one
chip left. The flop was K-8-6 and Gill
put him in. Gill had 5-7-8-Q. Thorn had
4-4-J-Q. A trey turned. "I need a 4,"
Thorn said. "A 4 would kill you," Gill
reminded him. A 4 did come on the river.
It gave Gill a straight and Thorn indeed
was killed.
Limits
now went to $1,500-$3,000. It was after
3 a.m. and a deal was suggested. Esquerra
wasn't interested until he won a pot and
got close to even with the others. He
did, and with just a few chips separating
all three, most of the money was chopped.
After
long three-way action, Gill was left with
$1,000 when he flopped a set of 6s, only
to have Doc make a Broadway straight on
the river. On the next hand he posted
it in the big blind. He had 9-9-3-3 to
Doc's A-Q-J-6 and went home when the flop
gave Doc aces up.
The long heads-up match began as limits
went to $2,000-$4,000. Back and forth
and back and forth went the chip lead
as Super Mario's pleas to end it fell
on deaf ears. They were still at it when
limits went to $3,000-$6,000. At this
point they were close to even again.
Finally,
with daylight approaching, the Prince
of Docness, perhaps with a touch of vampire
blood in him, relented and agreed to an
even chop of the remaining prize pool,
and then vanished into the darkness.
-- by Max Shapiro
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