TOM
FISCHER PASSES HIS TEST
FOR ENDURANCE, WINS H.O.E.
Tom Fischer hadn't played tournaments
in six or seven years because of the endurance
factor. Now he wanted to take a shot at
some Bellagio and World Series events,
but, at age 64, didn't know if he could
handle the strain. So he decided to test
himself at a tournament here, and passed
with flying colors by winning the 17th
event of LAPC XIII, H.O.E.
He
started the final table lowest-chipped,
but kept catching cards and was nearly
unbeatable as he steadily built up his
stacks. Before long he was the chip leader,
and in the later stages pretty much owned
all the chips.
Fischer,
who had been playing side games at the
Bellagio, has a number of tournament wins,
including two WSOP bracelets for stud
hi-lo and no-limit deuce to seven.
The
structure for this event was 20-minute
rounds of hold'em, Omaha hi-lo and stud
eight or better. The final table started
in a hold'em round, with limits of $800-$1,600
and 7:09 left.
It
was a colorful final table with the likes
of John Bonetti and Sam Grizzle in attendance.
"It's a good thing Mike 'The Mouth' Matusow
(who finished 13th) didn't make it too,"
cracked Jeff Niedelman. It would have
been the loudest final table in history."
The
inimitable Bonetti, who kept up a constant
stream of patter, immediately ran into
trouble. On the third hand he lost when
Niedelman hit a straight on the river,
and a couple of hands later check-raised
the flop only to run into Fischer's set
of 8s.
"Bad
day to play," he said. "You're not supposed
to play cards on Sunday. I thought it
was Saturday."
The
next round was Omaha, and Tom continued
to move up by making a wheel against Chris
Bjorin.
Niedelman
was first out in a stud round with $100
antes and a $200 low-card bring in. He
started with (5-6)4-3, caught a bunch
of bananas and lost to Ken Flaton's 10s-up.
Meanwhile,
Bonetti, who thought he had lost everything
in an Omaha pot, only to discover he had
been bluffing with the best hand, had
gotten down to $900 in hold'em, playing
with 1-2k limits. Two away from the blinds,
he put the 900 in with K-8. Grizzle, in
the small blind, had A-6 and flopped an
ace.
"I
hate all of you," Bono joked in departure.
"That's your line, isn't it, Sam?" he
added. Responded Grizzle: "I love everyone
when they've got cash. I hate everyone
when they go broke."
In
the next round of Omaha, Reza Payvar went
all in and survived three times before
he bet his last 800 chips against Chris
Bjorin. He had A-K-Q-J to Bjorin's A-4-5-K.
"Am I drawing dead?" Payvar asked when
the flop came 8-6-5. No, but he was dead
when a 4-8 didn't help him. With his sixth-place
finish, though, Payvar jumped to second
place in the best all-around points race.
When
the stud round came up, Fischer had a
clear lead with close to 50k. Antes were
now $200 with a $500 bring-in. Grizzle
had become low-chipped. He let a number
of hands go by, waiting for a strong starter
before committing his last chips. He found
it with (6h-7h)4h and ended up with a
7-low. It wasn't nearly good enough because
Jim Tarr, starting with (A-J)4, made a
wheel to leave Grizzle in fifth place.
By
the end of the round, Fischer had increased
his lead and was starting to lap the field.
An eyeball count showed: Fischer, 65;
Tarr, 25k; Ken "Skyhawk" Flaton, 25k;
and Bjorin, 15k. It was back to hold'em
with limits now $1,500-$3,000. Fischer
continued to pick up pots and chips as
he climbed to the 100k mark. Then, on
hand 93, he knocked out two of his final
three opponents and the tournament was
all but over.
Fischer
was on the button with Ah-5h. Bjorin,
with J-9, raised all in. Fischer and Tarr
called. The flop was 9-8-6. Tarr, with
pocket 7s, had an open-end straight draw
and he bet. A 7 on the turn gave Tarr
a set. He bet, but Fischer now had a straight
and he raised Tarr all in. The straight
held up when a trey came on the river.
Bjorin, with the fewer chips, finished
fourth while Tarr was credited with third
place.
Flaton,
with about $20,000, was out-chipped better
than 5-1, but he was not about to give
up. In fact, the heads-up match would
go on for 54 more hands and through four
levels.
After
the game changed to Omaha, Skyhawk drew
first blood when he made a full house,
but Fischer came right back with a straight.
Then Flaton came back with a flush, and
on into the stud round, then back to hold'em
again, playing for $2,000-$4,000 limits.
On
hand 140, Fischer started with A-K, made
a straight and left Flaton with $3,200.
A couple of hands later Flaton was all
in but survived, then did so two more
times. Fischer was now playing carefully,
trying to avoid doubling up Skyhawk. Throwing
away an 8-6 suited, he said he'd play
it in a cash game, but not in tournament.
On
the final hand, the board showed 10-8-7-K.
Flaton bet his paired 7, but Fischer,
who had flopped a straight with 9-6, raised
him all in and ended the match. Give him
an A on his test.
-- by Max Shapiro
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