| HI-LO SPECIALIST STEVE HOHN
WINS HIS FIRST NO-LIMIT EVENT
Steve Hohn is a split game specialist. He's had a couple of 7-stud hi-lo final table cash-outs at the World Series, and wins in eight or better stud and Omaha at the Orleans, Four Queens and Reno Hilton. No-limit, on the other hand, has been a pain to him because he so frequently held the best hand, only to see it cracked.
Tonight was another story. At the final table, his hands pretty much held up, and he had some draw-outs of his own in key hands where he was a slight underdog, and also enjoyed a major draw-out, winning with an underpair. That was the pot that knocked out Sirous Bagchehsaraie in third place and cemented Hohn's big chip lead as he went heads-up against the more experienced no-limit player Dennis Waterman. In the end, Hohn, a retired stockbroker from Kansas who came to the final table with an anemic 13,200 in chips, won his first no-limit tournament, with first place paying $124,655.
This was a two-day event. Players returned for second-day final table action with 14:52 left at level nine. Blinds were 800/1600, with $200 antes.
On the second hand, Tim Stearns moved in for $4,600 with K-Q off in early position. Noam Freedman called from the small blind with Ac-8c and broke the salesman when rags came.
Blinds now were 1-2k, with $300 antes. Hohn was down to $9,200 and knew he had to make a move soon. On the first hand at the new limits, he moved in with A-J after Noam Freedman had opened for 6k with Ah-10h. Hohn's higher kicker won, and he was on his way up.
On hand 14, Chris Karagulleyan, winner of the World Poker Tour event at the Bicycle Casino, opened in middle position for 9k with Qd-Jd. Freedman, who is in the Internet networking business, moved in for 17k with pocket sixes, and Chris called for his last $5,000. When the flop came K-6-2 rainbow, Karagulleyan had only about a three percent chance to beat Freedman's set. No miracle cards came and he finished ninth.
Gioi Luong, meanwhile, had been the most aggressive player at the table, raising five times in the first 13 hands.
Jerri Thomas was the only bracelet holder at the table (7-stud, 2000). She's the wife of another well-known player, Harry Thomas. The couple must plan on founding a poker dynasty, because they nicknamed their third offspring "Trey." She had lost 9k on the first hand and hadn't done much after that. On hand 26, Hohn opened for 12k and Thomas moved in for about 9k more. Hohn's pocket nines held up against Thomas' A-K and she finished eighth.
After 44 hands, blinds went to $1,500-$3,000, with $500 antes. At this point, Hohn had moved into a slight chip lead over Waterman, the starting leader, 52,300-50,500k. Lowest-chipped in the 20k range was Sirous B., but he soon doubled up when he called with Kd-Qd when Freedman moved in with pocket tens. Sirous said he put Freedman on a pair and figured he had a good shot with two overcards. Two ladies hit the flop and Sirous was back in action with about 45k, while Freedman was crippled. The next hand Freedman was all in with 6-2 in the small blind and Parisian businessman David Alimi ran over him with A-9.
A dozen hands later, Sirous button raised to 9k and Alimi moved in for $36,500 more. Hoping that Sirous wouldn't overcall (he didn't), Waterman called with J-J. and put Alimi away when the board came 10-9-6-5-7. Waterman now had the chip lead with about 95k.
It took 36 more hands to lose the next player. With 2-4k blinds and $500 antes, Luong, a shoemaker,raised all in for 25k with K-10. Hohn covered him with A-K and then shooed him away when an ace flopped. Ten hands later, Waterman still held the lead with 108k, followed by Hohn, 56k; Sirous, 53.5k; and Corey Mandell with 47k.
Mandell, a screenwriter, got a rejection slip a few hands later. After Waterman made a small trap raise of $3,500, Mandell moved in for 45k with A-Q and got a shock when his opponent turned up pocket kings for a winner.
But a few hands later, Waterman lost 35,500 of his chips when he moved in with pocket nines and Hohn, with Ah-Kh, flopped a king. A couple of hands later, Hohn chopped another big chunk out of the Oregon logger. On a flop of 9-5-5, Waterman, holding 9-8, moved in. Hohn called for $57,500 with A-7, hit an ace on the river, and took down a $134,500 pot and the lead.
Hohn's big draw-out came when Sirous, on the button, opened for 20k with pocket tens. Hohn re-raised and moved him in for 45k with pocket sevens. A seven flopped, and Hohn's set left Sirous in third place "I didn't put him on that big a pair because he didn't overbet the pot," Hohn explained as he raked in the chips.
He now had increased his lead to 201k to 65k for Waterman. One hand later, antes went to $1,000, with blinds of 3-6k. The heads-up finale lasted 20 hands. Playing cautiously, Hohn never let Waterman accumulate many more chips. On the final hand, Hohn had the button with J-10 as Waterman raised 10k with A-9. When the flop came 10-9-8, Waterman moved all in with his paired nine. Hohn had all the best of it with a paired 10 and a straight draw. a river queen gave him that straight and the hi-lo specialist had his first hold'em no-limit win.
--Max Shapiro
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