Half
and Half, But All Men
A little behind schedule, Men “The
Master” Nguyen won his first Legends
2003 event,
½ 7-card stud hi-lo and ½
Omaha hi-lo. At this stage last year,
he had already won three events, two in
limit hold’em and one in 7-card stud,
while tonight he was only making his second
final table. Still, it was a triumphant,
wire-to wire win for the Master, who started
with a considerable chip lead at the final
table and easily held it all the way through.
Early
on, he had offered to take 6k off the
top and settle for $20,000, but it wasn’t
until it got three-handed that his two
outgunned opponents, Phillip Luong and
Luis Velador, agreed to the deal ending
the tournament.
The
first game at the final table was Omaha,
with $500-$1,000 blinds, 1-2k limits and
34:38 remaining. Joel Fischbein, shortest-chipped,
was shortest-lived. On hand 5 he had $100
left after raising pre-flop. When the
board came K-A-8-4-8, Velador, with three
aces in his hand, won high with aces full
while Men edged Fischbein for low, 2-5
to 3-5.
Two
hands later, Daryl Nishimoto raised all
in pre-flop. Nguyen and David Sprenkle
checked down the board of Q-6-6-10-5.
Sprenkle, who won the Shooting Star tournament
at Bay 101 this year, scooped with K-K-J-J
in his hand as Nishimoto, who didn’t
show his hand, finished seventh.
A few hands later, Sprenkle went up against
Nguyen. Holding 9-9-K-5, Sprenkle made
a set when the flop came J-9-3. Nguyen,
with A-2-4-J, had only a pair of jacks
and a back-door low draw. A five on fourth
street gave him a wraparound wheel draw,
which he hit when an ace came on the river.
Men bet to put Sprenkle all in and break
him.
With
five players left, a request for a chop
deal was put before the house. “I
never chop with five players left,”
Men said. “If I did, the Internet
would say Men chopped five ways.”
Instead, he offered to accept 20k. “Keep
on dreaming,” Velador replied.
The
game now reverted to stud hi-lo, with
$300 antes, a $500 low card bring-in,
and limits of $1,500-$3,000. When a hand
between Nguyen and Can Hua was checked
down, Men mucked when Hua showed two sevens.
Veladador then asked to see Nguyen’s
hand. This did not sit well with The Master,”
who showed a bust, and he began ragging
Velador. “Look around,” he said
mockingly. Three Vietnamese and a Filipino,
4-1 against one Mexican. What chance do
you have?”
On
hand 25, Gamboa and Hua were both nearly
all in. Gamboa, missing his flush, was
lucky to take high with two nines, while
Hua took low with a six. A few hands later
they went up against each other again.
Gamboa started with a strong (9d-4d)8d-2d
and put Hua, who started with split queens,
all in. Gamboa completed his flush and
made an eight low while Hua, ending with
queens-up, cashed out in fifth place.
The
game was now Omaha hi-lo, with 2-4k limits.
Nguyen, who started with 43k, at this
point had increased his lead to $53,500
while his opponents were closely grouped
in the $20,000 range. In the strangest
hand of the night, Luong started with
A-4-4-J and made a full house when the
board came 2-2-4-A-5. “Come on,”
he said, when Velador, who played K-Q-8-2,
made a junk low with his live eight.
Gamboa
then dipped down to $5,500 when he missed
a low draw. Soon after, it was hand 50,
the last one of the evening. In the big
blind, Gamboa raised all in pre-flop with
J-J-8-2. Luong had A-5-Q-K and made a
wheel when the flop came 4-3-2. Luong
and Velador finally accepted Men’s
offer, and the Master locked up his first
Legends 2003 win.
BIOGRAPHY
Men “The Master” Nguyen has
won more than 75 major tournaments over
17 years, including five World Series
bracelets and four titles at the Hall
of Fame and Four Queens. He’s also
won three best all-around cars at the
Bike and was Card Player magazine’s
“Player of the Year” in 2001.
He was even the subject of a fascinating
cover story in the May 16-22 issue of
L.A. Weekly. Titled “Dealing with
the Master: Men the Master and his Vietnamese
Poker Cartel,” the lengthy article
describes how he trains and finances “a
posse of Vietnamese poker pros who hit
the tables and operate with the single-minded
precision of trained assassins.”
“Tonight
was no problem, he said. “I led all
the way. I was lucky, but I was also super-good.
I love stud hi-lo. I am the best player.”
The only problem, Men added, was that
with all his staking, he is still stuck
$20,000 in this year’s Legends.
Max Shapiro
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