'AMAZON'
JUST ROLLS ALONG
TO NO-LIMIT HOLD'EM WIN
Like the mighty river from whence he takes
his nickname, "Amazon," a 75-year-old
retiree from Sao Paulo, Brazil, just kept
rolling along to a win in the 12th event
of LAPC XIII, $1,000 no-limit hold'em.
By the late stages his banks were overflowing
with a torrent of chips and he washed
away his final two opponents, Nam Le,
a cash game player entering only his third
tournament, and "Hollywood" Tony Kayden,
a movie scriptwriter.
Amazon
said he didn't make any mistakes, despite
the ordeal of a 14-hour first day that
went until nearly 5 a.m. The final table
then returned at 3 p.m. for another three
hours of competition. He said he prefers
no-limit because the adrenaline keeps
him going. "I can't sit still to watch
a 90-minute movie, but I can sit 14 hours
in a no-limit game," he explained.
Amazon,
a familiar face at local casinos, has
won numerous smaller tournaments, though
his biggest cash-in came when he finished
second in an Omaha high event at the World
Series. Originally from Germany, he has
lived in Brazil for 50 years where he
once manufactured assembly line parts.
The
final table got underway with $500 antes
and $2,000-$4,000 blinds. Britain's Peter
"The Poet" Costa started with a big chip
lead of 172,500, well over twice anyone
else's count. On the third hand, Amazon
limped from the cut-off seat with pocket
aces. The move worked because Greg Hopkins
moved in for 32k from the button with
Q-Q. The board came 5-2-2-J-10 and Hopkins
was first out. After winning another pot,
Amazon had climbed from 68 to about 125k.
Six
hands later, Robert Mizrachi, an online
player with a win at the Sands, moved
in for 18k with A-10. Costa called with
A-K. On a board of J-J-2-Q-7, the king
kicker prevailed and Mizrachi was kicked
out. A short-chipped Luis Velador had
all his chips in with Kh-7h on hand 22.
Le had him covered, in chips and cards,
with A-Q, and won with ace-high.
The
seven left now were playing with $2,000-$4,000
blinds and $500 antes. Three hands into
the new level, Amazon moved in with pocket
7s. Gioi Luong call for his last $26,000
with K-J and got to stick around when
he made a straight. Two hands later, Costa
raised to 12k and Moshe Menzur went all
in for 42k more. Costa pondered at great
length, finally calling with A-J. It was
a good call because Menzur had Kd-Qd,
the ace-high took it and Menzur finished
seventh.
After taking a big pot from Le when his
A-K stood up, Amazon moved into the lead
ahead of Costa with about 175k. Getting
low, Le now recovered by winning two straight
pots. The first time, he outran Costa's
pocket 10s when his Ac-5c turned into
a wheel. The next hand put him back in
business when he went against Amazon with
K-Q versus A-K and hit a queen on the
turn. Meanwhile, Costa, whose many titles
include the Hall of Fame, the Aussie Million
and a win at the Orleans over a world's
record field of 1,116 players, was going
in the other direction. He took a crippling
hit when he raised 20k with pocket jacks,
then called and lost when Amazon came
over the top with pocket kings. Costa
now was down to 18k.
Three
hands later he moved in under the gun
with Q-J. Ken Goldstein, younger brother
to fellow pro Stan, called with A-Q and
caught two more bullets. After Costa departed,
the chip count was: Amazon, 211k; Le,
126k; Goldstein, 106.5k; Hollywood, 86.5;
and Luong, 69.5k.
Goldstein
busted out after blinds went to 5-10k.
On a flop of Q-J-9, he moved in for about
85k holding A-10 for an open-ender. It
didn't close and Amazon, who called with
A-K, put him away when a queen flopped.
Amazon was now gushing chips, about 420,000,
and berating himself for making an earlier
deal. He picked up more checks by check-raising
Le and forcing him to fold. When limits
went to $3,000-$6,000, he had about 450k
to about 105k for Le, while Hollywood
was low with around 50k.
But
Hollywood, who has written scripts for
such films as "Slipstream" and "Out of
Bounds," tripled up 10 hands later. First
Amazon raised to 40k with Qd-10d. Le moved
in with pocket treys and Hollywood called
for about 40k with Ac-Kc. A river king
gave Hollywood the main pot, and Le the
side pot of 24k. It lasted him a few hands
until he moved in with pocket jacks. Hollywood
called with A-Q and flopped an ace to
get heads-up, now with about 230k in chips
to Amazon's 375k.
The
heads-up match lasted 26 hands, with the
finalists alternately raising and taking
the pot when the other player folded.
But Amazon, with the chip lead, had the
advantage and gradually wore his opponent
down. On the last hand, Hollywood was
down to 22k with Q-8 on a flop of K-J-8.
He decided to move in. The amazing Amazon
turned up pocket kings. For the screenwriter,
that was all she wrote, and the man from
Sao Paulo took home the trophy
-- by Max Shapiro
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