| Down to $375, Binh Do Runs Over
Field to Win Super-Tight Shootout
What this tournament needed was some WD-40. Play was so tight that it took 5-1/4 hours just to lose half the field. The eventual winner of this no-limit shootout (or was it a no-limit sleep-in?) was Washington state pro Binh Do. He had $500 left after his set was outrun by a flush, and then dropped to $375 before fighting his way back.
Mixing up his play, gambling, frequently moving in, he steadily moved up until, when a three-way deal was made, he owned more than 19,000 of the 28,500 chips in play. Along the way, he also made a great laydown. He had top pair with an ace kicker, along with a flush draw, and folded against a set.
We had 190 entrants, with the 19 winners of each table playing down to 10 the first day. Second-day play started with blinds of $25-$50 and 14:36 left at level 3. Paul Pirrone started well in front with nearly a quarter of the chips, but found very few cards after that. He ended up seeing only four flops and played only three showdowns, losing all of them and finishing eighth.
Nothing major happened until hand 24, when blinds were $50-$100. Do raised to 300, Ramzi Daniel moved in for 1,150 and then David Stroj also moved in, for about 2,400. Daniel had K-K to Stroj's As-Ks and won with kings full. A few hands later, Do was crippled after he turned a set of sixes. The board showed Qh-10h-5-6, and he moved in. Alan Smurfit chased a flush draw with Ah-8h and hit it with a river 4h. Smurfit doubled up to about 2k while Binh Do was left with about 500.
He started his recovery nine hands later when he raised all in for 375 and wasn't called, then won the following hand, all in again, when he turned a jack to his A-J to beat David Stroj's pocket 9s. Stroj, a biochemist at his first final table, went out a few hands later when his A-5 couldn't beat Derek Bukowski's pocket 6s.
Hand 46 was classic poker. Tony Cousineau button-raised to 350. Do called from the small blind. The flop was Qd-7d-2h. Cousineau bet 250. Do called. When a 4d turned, Do bet 400 and Cousineau moved in for about 1,000 more. 'You don't want to make the same mistake,' Cousineau warned, pointing to Smurfit, who beat him with a flush. Do finally folded and Tony showed pocket 7s for a set. Do showed an Ad and said he also had a queen. Later, Cousineau explained that he feared a flush and wanted to push Do off the hand. Do said he had put Cousineau on pocket kings.
When blinds went to $75-$150, Pirrone still held the lead with 6,700. Do continued to recover, raising all in for 475 chips with A-5 to beat restaurant consultant Alex Golshanara's Q-J.
Mel Judah then grabbed the lead from Pirrone. With a board of 10-9-7-4, Pirrone bet 800 with 8-7. Judah moved in for 1,300 more with A-10. Pirrone called and couldn't hit his straight draw.
It wasn't until 2-1/2 hours of play, with blinds at 100-200, that we lost our second player. Short-chipped, retiree Alan Smurfit moved in with A-10. He caught two more bullets, but Do, with Qs-Qd, made a spade flush.
As the next level approached, Pirrone was left with 1,300 when his A-K was beaten by Bukowski's 10-10.
With $25 antes and the same $100$200 blinds, Cousineau, catching cards, had the lead with 6,400 to Judah's 4,500, while Pirrone was now lowest-chipped with 1,150. On the first hand after the break, Pirrone busted out when he moved in with pocket fives. 'You got me,' he said when Cousineau showed pocket 6s.
'Captain' Tom Franklin escaped elimination in a hand that brought a triple suck-out. Franklin was all in for 1,525 with Qs-Js against Judah's A-K. He took the lead on a flop of Q-10-2. Judah bounced back when a king turned, only to see a jack hit the river. That was the turning point for Judah, who said he went card-dead from then on.
Ramzi Daniel, another short-stack, opened for 9k with As-Ks. Golshanara raised him all in with pocket jacks, and Daniel finished seventh.
Do was now challenging for the chip lead after moving in for 2,000 with a board of 10-9-8-A, forcing Golshanara, who had invested 1,400, to fold. By the time limits went to $200-$400 with $50 antes, Do led with about 8k.
We finally lost our sixth player at 12:15 a.m. Do, with Qd-10d, opened for 1,900. Bukowski moved in for 1,575 more with AJ. Do outdrew him when a queen flopped and now had about 10k.
We were past 200 hands when Judah, in the small blind, moved in for 850 with Jh-5h. Do, in the small blind, had Ad-4d. By now he seemed invincible, and it was no surprise that his hand held up. The board came Q-8-4-10-Q and Judah was out in fifth place.
The count now: Do, 16,250; Franklin, 4,900; Golshanara, 4,775; Cousineau, 2,575. The four talked deal, but Do wouldn't give up as much as was asked.
Play continued, but one hand later, Cousineau left. He moved in with A-J. Do called with the same hand he had against Bukowski, Q-10 suited, and the outcome was also the same. A queen flopped and we were down to three. This time, facing Do's monster lead, a deal was made and Binh Do had a well-deserved win. Max Shapiro
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