Post by jdaddy on Apr 4, 2008 10:43:36 GMT -4
www.worldseriesofpoker.com
APRIL 3, 2008 - 9:41:44 AM PST
Student/Pro and Sneaker Collector Nima Hasannejad Wins NLH/PLO
by: Bluff staff (Bluff Media)
Elizabeth, IN — Yesterday's tournament winner, David Burch, was addicted to drinking Mountain Dew. Today's winner, Nima Hasannejad, is addicted to collecting sneakers and owns about 50. He can now buy a lot more after winning the second event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Caesars Indiana, $300 half no-limit hold'em and half pot-limit Omaha. The victory was worth $34,772 to the 24-year-old from Brentwood, Tennessee, who divides his time between playing poker and studying computer engineering. This is his second Circuit tournament and only significant cash to date.
Hasannejad, who worked for one month at Best Buy before turning pro, used to play hold'em but became bored with the game and now favors Omaha. He said he likes it because it offers more action and bad players who moved over from hold'em but don't understand the game. The keys, he feels, are position and having big draws. It was, in fact, a very big draw that won the tournament for him. On the final hand, he flopped both a wraparound straight and a number two flush draw and hit the flush on the turn to outrun his opponent's top two.
Hasannejad gave credit to his friend Hooman for teaching him poker, with support from other friends Corey and John. Tonight, he was down to three big blinds with four tables left, but shot up from there, had the chip lead when the final table started, and held it or was close to it until the end.
Tonight's event, with 30-minute alternating rounds of hold'em and Omaha, went even faster that yesterday's tournament, ending before 10 p.m. Final table Action began with 7:58 left in an Omaha round with blinds of 1,000-2,000. Hasannejad led with 92,000 chips.
Here were the starting chip counts:
Seat 1. Bryan Sapp 67,500
Seat 2. Nima Hasannejad 92,000
Seat 3. Bryan Bolton 24,000
Seat 4. Edward Sullivan 35,000
Seat 5. Richard Austin 12,000
Seat 6. Admon Tomma 15,000
Seat 7. Lloyd Borba Jr. 27,000
Seat 8. Pastrick Curran 38,000
Seat 9. Richard Guthrie 25,000
Seat 10.Hamid Shami 53,000
The round ended with all players left. Midway through the next 30-minute hold'em round, with blinds of 1,500-3,000, Bryan Bolton was all in for 20,000 with pocket 10s and got picked off by Richard Guthrie's A-J when a jack turned. Bolton took home $639 for 10th. Bolton, 23, is from Richmond, Kentucky and works for Coca-Cola. He's been playing since he was a young kid, and this is his third Circuit. His other hobby is basketball.
Soon after, Lloyd "Toad" Borba Jr. was all in from the big blind for 1,500 with K-3. Bryan "Squirrely" Sapp had A-10 and made the kill when the board missed both players. Ninth paid $799. Borba, 41, from Waverly, Tennessee, is self-employed and learned to play from his mom and dad. He's played 18 Circuits, and enjoys the fun of "just meeting folks." His other hobbies are golf, hunting and his wife and daughter.
A third player departed in this round when Richard Guthrie opened for 31,000 with pocket kings, and Patrick Curran called with his last chips holding Ah-3h. He had a flush draw when the flop came Jh-9h-9s, but missed and earned $1,199 for eighth. Curran, 29, from Birmingham, Michigan, is vice president of an equipment leasing company. This is his second Circuit.
Players took a break and returned to Omaha, blinds of 2,000-4,000. Hasannejad was still well in front. Midway through the round, Hamid Shami went broke when he flopped aces and 5s but lost to Hasannejad's flopped flush. Seventh paid $1,598. Shami is a 23-year-old student originally from Belgium now living in Dearborn, Michigan. He learned poker four years ago playing at Casino Windsor in Ontario, Canada. He's played seven tournaments and had one prior cash in the L.A. Poker Classic this year.
As play went on, Richard Austin was down to the cloth after losing a big pot to Edward Sullivan, but hung on with three all-in escapes. The third time, he had a weak 8-7-6-5 in the small blind against Hasannejad's A-K-Q-8, but got away after a board of J-J-4-7-7 gave him trips.
We returned to hold'em, blinds at 3,000-6,000. Richard "Fatty" Guthrie was next to get short-stacked after his A-10 ran into Admon Tomma's pocket aces. Not long after, he went out with Ah-3h, getting crushed when Sapp made a set of 9s on fourth street. Guthrie collected $1,998 for sixth. Guthrie, 36, is a pro from Kokomo, Indiana, who learned the game from his grandpa when he was about 7. Last year he came in fourth in a $500 pot-limit Omaha event here.
Soon after, Tomma pushed in for 27, 000 holding pocket 10s under the gun. Austin called from the big blind with A-K, hit a king on the turn, and Tomma ended up getting $2,397 for fifth. Tomma, 34, is from Sterling Heights, Michigan. He started playing poker for fun, and this is his third Circut and highlight to date. Basketball is his other hobby.
Back to Omaha, 4,000-8,000 blinds. In an early hand, the board showed J-8-2-K, giving Austin, with K-Q-10-5, top pair and an open-end straight draw. Sullivan bet the pot and turned up a set of jacks after Austin called all in. Finishing fourth, Austin was paid $3,196. Austin, 28, from Louisville, is in the credit card manufacturing business. This is his fourth Circuit, and his poker "highlight" was once trying a bluff against quads. He also likes sports betting and Wheel of Fortune.
After taking the next pot, Sullivan took a small lead with about 140,000. He soon lost it against Hasannejad. A flop of 5h-4s-3c gave Sullivan, with As-Ks-6h-2d, a wheel and a nut flush draw. Holding 9-9-6-2 and smaller spades, Hasannejad made a surprise full house when a trey and then a 9 came.
Next out was Sapp. He got low-chipped when he missed a flush draw and Sullivan's pocket queens held up. All in from the small blind for 24,000 and holding just 6-6-4-7, he didn't have a chance against Sullivan, who flopped a set of aces. Third was worth $3,996. Sapp, 26, is from Louisville and in real estate. He taught himself poker, has entered about 20 Circuits, and his poker highlight was winning $73,690 for finishing third in the main event here last April.
Heads-up, Sullivan had roughly 140,000 to nearly 250,000 for Hasannejad. The bout lasted only two hands. Holding A-K-6-3, Sullivan made aces and kings on a flop of As-Kc-2s. Hasannejad held Qs-Js-10c-6s for two big draws, and when a 4s turned, his flush won it all. Sullivan, 58, whose nickname is "Yank," is a carpenter and boilermaker from Durham, North Carolina. He began playing 35 years ago, has entered five Circuits, and has a cash in a WSOP Seniors event, and a sixth in an opening event at Caesars Atlantic City. --Max Shapiro
For more information, please contact:
Max Shapiro -- WSOP Media Director at (323) 356-3303
Or visit our official website: www.worldseriesofpoker.com
World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel
Caesars Indiana Poker Room Manager – Jimmy Allen
Tournament Directors -- Sue Stetar and Christopher Reason
APRIL 3, 2008 - 9:41:44 AM PST
Student/Pro and Sneaker Collector Nima Hasannejad Wins NLH/PLO
by: Bluff staff (Bluff Media)
Elizabeth, IN — Yesterday's tournament winner, David Burch, was addicted to drinking Mountain Dew. Today's winner, Nima Hasannejad, is addicted to collecting sneakers and owns about 50. He can now buy a lot more after winning the second event of the WSOP Circuit tour at Caesars Indiana, $300 half no-limit hold'em and half pot-limit Omaha. The victory was worth $34,772 to the 24-year-old from Brentwood, Tennessee, who divides his time between playing poker and studying computer engineering. This is his second Circuit tournament and only significant cash to date.
Hasannejad, who worked for one month at Best Buy before turning pro, used to play hold'em but became bored with the game and now favors Omaha. He said he likes it because it offers more action and bad players who moved over from hold'em but don't understand the game. The keys, he feels, are position and having big draws. It was, in fact, a very big draw that won the tournament for him. On the final hand, he flopped both a wraparound straight and a number two flush draw and hit the flush on the turn to outrun his opponent's top two.
Hasannejad gave credit to his friend Hooman for teaching him poker, with support from other friends Corey and John. Tonight, he was down to three big blinds with four tables left, but shot up from there, had the chip lead when the final table started, and held it or was close to it until the end.
Tonight's event, with 30-minute alternating rounds of hold'em and Omaha, went even faster that yesterday's tournament, ending before 10 p.m. Final table Action began with 7:58 left in an Omaha round with blinds of 1,000-2,000. Hasannejad led with 92,000 chips.
Here were the starting chip counts:
Seat 1. Bryan Sapp 67,500
Seat 2. Nima Hasannejad 92,000
Seat 3. Bryan Bolton 24,000
Seat 4. Edward Sullivan 35,000
Seat 5. Richard Austin 12,000
Seat 6. Admon Tomma 15,000
Seat 7. Lloyd Borba Jr. 27,000
Seat 8. Pastrick Curran 38,000
Seat 9. Richard Guthrie 25,000
Seat 10.Hamid Shami 53,000
The round ended with all players left. Midway through the next 30-minute hold'em round, with blinds of 1,500-3,000, Bryan Bolton was all in for 20,000 with pocket 10s and got picked off by Richard Guthrie's A-J when a jack turned. Bolton took home $639 for 10th. Bolton, 23, is from Richmond, Kentucky and works for Coca-Cola. He's been playing since he was a young kid, and this is his third Circuit. His other hobby is basketball.
Soon after, Lloyd "Toad" Borba Jr. was all in from the big blind for 1,500 with K-3. Bryan "Squirrely" Sapp had A-10 and made the kill when the board missed both players. Ninth paid $799. Borba, 41, from Waverly, Tennessee, is self-employed and learned to play from his mom and dad. He's played 18 Circuits, and enjoys the fun of "just meeting folks." His other hobbies are golf, hunting and his wife and daughter.
A third player departed in this round when Richard Guthrie opened for 31,000 with pocket kings, and Patrick Curran called with his last chips holding Ah-3h. He had a flush draw when the flop came Jh-9h-9s, but missed and earned $1,199 for eighth. Curran, 29, from Birmingham, Michigan, is vice president of an equipment leasing company. This is his second Circuit.
Players took a break and returned to Omaha, blinds of 2,000-4,000. Hasannejad was still well in front. Midway through the round, Hamid Shami went broke when he flopped aces and 5s but lost to Hasannejad's flopped flush. Seventh paid $1,598. Shami is a 23-year-old student originally from Belgium now living in Dearborn, Michigan. He learned poker four years ago playing at Casino Windsor in Ontario, Canada. He's played seven tournaments and had one prior cash in the L.A. Poker Classic this year.
As play went on, Richard Austin was down to the cloth after losing a big pot to Edward Sullivan, but hung on with three all-in escapes. The third time, he had a weak 8-7-6-5 in the small blind against Hasannejad's A-K-Q-8, but got away after a board of J-J-4-7-7 gave him trips.
We returned to hold'em, blinds at 3,000-6,000. Richard "Fatty" Guthrie was next to get short-stacked after his A-10 ran into Admon Tomma's pocket aces. Not long after, he went out with Ah-3h, getting crushed when Sapp made a set of 9s on fourth street. Guthrie collected $1,998 for sixth. Guthrie, 36, is a pro from Kokomo, Indiana, who learned the game from his grandpa when he was about 7. Last year he came in fourth in a $500 pot-limit Omaha event here.
Soon after, Tomma pushed in for 27, 000 holding pocket 10s under the gun. Austin called from the big blind with A-K, hit a king on the turn, and Tomma ended up getting $2,397 for fifth. Tomma, 34, is from Sterling Heights, Michigan. He started playing poker for fun, and this is his third Circut and highlight to date. Basketball is his other hobby.
Back to Omaha, 4,000-8,000 blinds. In an early hand, the board showed J-8-2-K, giving Austin, with K-Q-10-5, top pair and an open-end straight draw. Sullivan bet the pot and turned up a set of jacks after Austin called all in. Finishing fourth, Austin was paid $3,196. Austin, 28, from Louisville, is in the credit card manufacturing business. This is his fourth Circuit, and his poker "highlight" was once trying a bluff against quads. He also likes sports betting and Wheel of Fortune.
After taking the next pot, Sullivan took a small lead with about 140,000. He soon lost it against Hasannejad. A flop of 5h-4s-3c gave Sullivan, with As-Ks-6h-2d, a wheel and a nut flush draw. Holding 9-9-6-2 and smaller spades, Hasannejad made a surprise full house when a trey and then a 9 came.
Next out was Sapp. He got low-chipped when he missed a flush draw and Sullivan's pocket queens held up. All in from the small blind for 24,000 and holding just 6-6-4-7, he didn't have a chance against Sullivan, who flopped a set of aces. Third was worth $3,996. Sapp, 26, is from Louisville and in real estate. He taught himself poker, has entered about 20 Circuits, and his poker highlight was winning $73,690 for finishing third in the main event here last April.
Heads-up, Sullivan had roughly 140,000 to nearly 250,000 for Hasannejad. The bout lasted only two hands. Holding A-K-6-3, Sullivan made aces and kings on a flop of As-Kc-2s. Hasannejad held Qs-Js-10c-6s for two big draws, and when a 4s turned, his flush won it all. Sullivan, 58, whose nickname is "Yank," is a carpenter and boilermaker from Durham, North Carolina. He began playing 35 years ago, has entered five Circuits, and has a cash in a WSOP Seniors event, and a sixth in an opening event at Caesars Atlantic City. --Max Shapiro
For more information, please contact:
Max Shapiro -- WSOP Media Director at (323) 356-3303
Or visit our official website: www.worldseriesofpoker.com
World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah’s Entertainment – Jack Effel
Caesars Indiana Poker Room Manager – Jimmy Allen
Tournament Directors -- Sue Stetar and Christopher Reason