Stud Specialist Tae Ho Baik Wins $500
No-Limit After 66 Hands Heads-Up
Atlantic City, NJ - Tae Ho Baik's main game is $75-$150 stud, and he often travels to the Commerce Casino near L.A. for action. Three years ago he took up no-limit hold'em out of necessity, and learned it well enough, by watching TV, to take first place in the fourth event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Harrah's Atlantic City, $500 no-limit. It paid $48,360 along with a gold trophy ring. His victory didn't come easily It took 66 chip-lead-changing hands of heads-up play against Massoud "Sammy" Nikjouian to nail the win. This is his seventh Circuit try.
Baik, nicknamed "Kamikajae," is 42, came to this country from Korea 10 years ago and now lives in Leonia, New Jersey. He is a pro player who is also in the fabric import business. His biggest cash by far was $152,960 for winning the opening event, $500 no-limit hold'em, at the Borgata Winter Open/WPT event this year.
Baik, who divides his time between tournaments and cash games, describes his style as aggressive, and he tries to catch "vibrations" from players. "Sometimes they work, sometimes not, but the percentage is going up," he said. Baik is married and also likes to golf.
There were 34 minutes left on the clock, playing with 4,000-8,000 blinds and 1,000 antes, when the final nine began play. Baik led with 276,000 chips, with David "Dr. Fox" Fox close behind.
Here were the starting chip counts:
1. Harrison Commisso 116,000
2. David Fox 267,000
3. Tae Ho Baik 276,000
4. Anthony Stopper 119,000
5. Massoud Nikjouian 222,000
6. Bob Van Syckle 165,000
7. Dan Lyle 72,000
8. Charles Townsend 131,000
9. Dean Schultz 200,000
On the fifth hand, Baik limped with pocket aces, trapping a short-chipped Dan Lyle, who moved in for 52,000 from the small blind with A-2. The board came Q-10-9-Q-Q, leaving Lyle in ninth place, paying $3,120.
Lyle is 52 and from Kitanning, Pennsylvania.
Baik had built his lead when blinds went to 6,000-12,000 with 2,000 antes. On the second deal, Nikjouian raised and Harrison Commisso moved in. The board came A-Q-9-10-A, giving both players a full house. But Nikjouian, with A-Q against A-10, had the bigger full, and Commisso cashed eighth for $4,680.
Commisso, nicknamed "Sam'sDad," is a 54-year-old entrepreneur from Marlton, New Jersey. He's married with one child, has been playing three years, and won his seat here in a satellite.
Four hands later we lost another player on a terrible beat. Nikjouian button-raised to 30,000 with 5c-2c and Bob Van Syckle moved in for 45,000 more with pocket kings. Nikjourian decided to call for the pot odds and promptly flopped two more deuces. A needed king didn't come, and Van Syckle took home $6,240 for seventh.
Van Syckle, 52, is a boxing manager from Spring Lake, NJ. He manages a world-ranked pro boxer named Jason "American Boy" Litzau, who is 23-1 with 19 KOs. Van Syckle began playing 43 years ago as an altar boy and has some minor tournament wins. His other hobby is golf.
A couple of hands later Anthony "TheMoment" Stopper had a close call. All in with A-J against Fox's pocket 6s, he escaped by hitting a river ace. But Fox wasn't so lucky when he was all in with 10d-9d against Nikjouian's 6h-5h. He had a flush draw and two overcards after a flop of Ad-6s-5d paired Nikjouian's 6, but he couldn't hit. Sammy had knocked out his third straight player as Fox collected $7,800 for sixth.
Fox, 31, from Caram, New York, is a pro who previously had been in film and TV production. He learned poker from his dad when he was eight, and has played 25 or so Circuits. He's had three six-figure cashes this year, with wins in a Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza and a World Poker Finals main event, along with a third in the Circuit championship at Harrah's New Orleans. His many hobbies include traveling, fine dining and writing.
When the level ended, Baik remained in front with 614,000 chips, while Nikjouian had moved up to second place with 437,000.
Blinds now were 8,000-16,000 with 2,000 antes. As play resumed, Dean Schultz picked up chips with two uncalled all-in moves. But when he moved in again nine hands later he got called. He had 2-2 and Stopper Q-Q. The board didn't help, and Schultz went out in fifth place for $9,360.
Schultz, 47, is a pro player from Akron, Ohio. His poker highlights are a win in a $2,500 Borgata event three years ago, and a fifth in the U.S. Poker Championship $10,000 event.
Returning from the dinner break, blinds were 10,000-20,000 with 3,000 antes. A chip count showed Baik, 510,000; Nikjouian, 420,000; Townsend, 340,000; and Stoppard, 290,000.
Eight hands into the new level, Nikjouian looked at his cards and saw A-J as Stopper began fiddling with his chips. "I liked my hand and decided I would call if he moved in," Nikjouian said later. Stopper did, and so did Nikjouian. He held over Stopper's K-10 and won when the board came 9-7-5-8-A. Stopper cashed fourth for $10,920, while Nikjouian now led with about 680,000.
Stopper, 21, is a construction worker from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He began playing poker when he got invited to a party three years ago and "fell in love" with the game. This is his first ever poker tournament. His other hobby is golf.
As play continued, Baik and Nikjouian began to playfully bait each other. On hand 107. after Baik raised to 100,000, Nikjouian quickly moved in, took the pot and showed a 10-7. On the next hand, with a flop of 9d-6h-2h, Tae bet 60,000 and once again Nikjouian moved in. "Come on in," he invited. This time Baik did, showing a 9h-6s to Nikjouian's 6-3. Two hearts came, and Baik made a flush. "Ha, ha, got you finally," he laughed as he took the lead again.
As the level neared the end, Nikjouian took the lead once more in a hand that crippled Townsend. With the board showing A-8-3-J, Nikjouian moved in with A-6. Townsend called and turned over J-8 for two pair. But a trey on the river gave Nikjouian aces-up. Down to 28,000, Townsend tripled up by flopping a flush, but busted after blinds went to 15,000-30,000 with 3,000 antes. All in with A-J, he was a huge favorite against Baik's K-6, only to see two 6s come.
Townsend, 46, is from Dagsboro, Delaware, is self-employed, and has been playing poker 10 years.
Heads-up, Nikjouian had over 800,000 to about 700,000 for Baik. He suggested a chop, but Baik wanted to play. And so began the marathon. On hand 137 Nikjouian moved in with the board showing 9-4-2-9. "Thank you," laughed Baik, turning up 9-7. His laughter stopped when Nikjouian showed K-9 and took a big lead.
Very short-chipped, Baik doubled through on the next deal, and over the next 20 hands slowly pulled ahead. Nikjouian regained the lead but got crippled when an all-in bluff raise with 7c-6c didn't work. Finally, with blinds of 20,000-40,000 and 4,000 antes, Nikjouian moved in with As-5s. Baik called with Kd-3d and flushed a victory when the board came Ad-Qd-6s-5h-2d.
Nikjouian, originally from Iran and now living in Wood Bridge, Virginia, earned $24,960 for second. Nikjouian has had about 26 cashes totaling nearly $200,000 the past six years, the biggest being $40,680 for a $300 no-limit tournament win at the U.S. Poker Championship in Atlantic City in 2005.
-- by Max Shapiro
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