Poker Tournament Results

Melissa Hayden

EVENT #7 OMAHA HI-LO
Friday, July 14, 2000
$260 BUY-IN
$600 in chips

THE LADY IS A CHAMP
By Mike Paulle

She cut her poker teeth in the tough New York City private cardrooms and Atlantic City. So she has no hesitation in telling you what's on her mind. Love her or hate her, it's time to start taking Melissa Hayden seriously as a top player, not just as a top woman player.

There were 242 entrants in the $260 Buy-In Omaha Hi-Lo for a total prize pool of $62,920. Two tables were paid, a total of 20 players.

In an incredibly tense 40 minutes where none of the short stacks would play unless they were all-in for their big blind, we had hand for hand combat. Repeatedly, an all-in would pull at least half a pot to stay alive. Veteran Mickey Seagle got through his first big blind, but the second one caught him. Richard Tatalovich made a baby flush on Mickey to give us our twenty players in the money.

The Final Table was set up when Mike Crowley decided to raise with Aces for some reason. Mike could see that Scotty Nguyen, at Crowley's table, only had $500 and was two hands away from the big blind. On the other table, Richard Tatalovich was in the same situation with only $900. Anyway, running Clubs for Gary Hutteball cracked Crowley's Aces and the two tiny stacks got a pay raise.

THE FINAL TABLE:
51 mins left of 1 hr. The blind are $1,000 and $2,000

In the luck of the new table draw, Richard Tatalovich had to go through the blinds first before Scotty Nguyen. When Richard shoved in his $900, Scotty faked a call to give Tatalovich a little thrill. Richard flopped A's and Q's but couldn't protect them. Darrell Baumgartner made a wheel with a 3 4 for low and Gary Hutteball caught an 8 on the river for a higher straight with a 10 9. Ta ta, Richard.

The second former World Champion to make a Final Table in this year's Orleans Open, Scotty Nguyen brought no ammunition. Scotty has said for publication that he is the greatest Omaha Hi-Lo player in the world. But Scotty kids around a lot. Nguyen got enough of a chop to make it to his small blind where he went all-in with A Q. Norm Boulus, in the big blind, had no decisions to make when two Jacks came on board. Norm's Jack, jacked Scotty out of here in 9th.

But Boulus didn't pick up enough chips from Scotty to last much longer. All-in for his big blind with A J J 4, the cigar chomping Boulus got to go light one up in 8th when Howard Mann scooped Norm with A A 2.

We've had a Texan at the Final Table everyday it seems. Today Darrell Baumgartner couldn't find a hand to even call the big blind with. Darrell made his last move with A 2 5 and flopped A 2. Don't feel like the Lone Ranger, Darrell. It's amazing how often it happens. What would be a good flop in any other game is a disaster in Omaha Hi-Lo. Gary Hutteball flopped A 7 with a live 3 to deaden Baumgartner into 7th.

In a key hand for both players, Dan Lumello lost any chance at the win when Melissa Hayden caught a two-outer on him with a Jack on the turn. Melissa made Jacks full of Queens. "You needed the Jack," Dan said. Crippled, Dan went all-in under the gun with Q J 6 3. Natan Wager called from the big blind and wheeled Lumello out in 6th with his 3 4 when an A 5 flopped and a deuce came on the turn.

One of the three greatest (only) players ever to come out of West Virginia, Howard Mann moved into 5th. Howard was a Mann about the ugly Wei he had to leave. Wally Wei, in the big blind, had K 6 6 4. Howard was all-in with K 5 4 3. When only a King and no low came, Howard was out kicked K 6 to K 5.

With his earphones firmly in place, Wally Wei waited and waited for decent cards that never came. The blinds finally got to Wei's patience and Wally went all-in with a high wrap. Gary Hutteball in the big blind only made Quad treys, nothing serious, showing Wally the Wei to 4th place.

With a great poker name right out of 'Guys and Dolls,' Natan Wager from Costa Rica was a crowd favorite. Sitting between the twin towers with his last $10k, Natan kept suggesting an even three-way chop or the big stacks would be in trouble. All-in for his big blind with 8 7 5 4, Natan couldn't Wager any more in 3rd when neither a straight nor a low appeared.

Now there were two. Melissa Hayden had $90,000 in chips. Gary Hutteball had $56,000. These are two tough competitors. Neither would suggest a deal. No quarter was asked nor given between them. They had already been playing for 12 hours. They would play nearly two more heads up before a winner was decided. Several times Melissa had Gary all-in, once for only $6,000, but she couldn't put Gary away. Hutteball moves so deliberately that it could put you to sleep. At times it looked like Hayden might be getting too tired, but with the blinds now $5k/$10k Gary had to gamble a little too much. After each had made huge hands all night, it was a lowly pair of 5's by Melissa Hayden that ended it. The flop came J J 5. Gary was all-in with K 9 8 7. Melissa had a 5 with a 10 kicker to win the last pot. Melissa Hayden is having a breakout year in poker. She won in Tunica, was second at the WSOP and tonight the Lady is a Champ at the Orleans Open.

Official Money Winners

11th-15th received $730
Mike Crowley, Joel Harwood, Kevin Donaghue, Zorn Venture and David Leibofsky

16th-20th received $550
Tom Sims, Mike Dowdy, Jack Huffner, Dale Saxton and Bill Eisenberg