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Matsushita weathers all in Hold ’Em tournament
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Posted on Sep 08 2005
TINIAN— Tony Jackson, the Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino’s tournament director, may have unwittingly tempted the gods when he named his latest No-Limit Texas Hold’em tournament “Can You Weather the Storm,” with typhoon Nabi cutting a swath across the CNMI just days before the event.
Nothing compared, however, to the damage caused by Japanese first time entrant, Matsushita Toshinari, who blew, buffeted and rained on 40 players’ parades to take top honors and the first prize of $5,160.
Not even a late start due to missing buoys and ferry cancellations could dampen the evening with some entrants coming straight from Tinian airport and exchanging their plane seat for a seat at the poker table. Play was tight in the early levels but as the blinds climbed, so did the casualties, with the Japanese contingent showing they weren’t just dead money and eliminating most of the players. Thirty-one eliminations later, play wrapped up around midnight to recommence Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s final table found the only local with a seat, John Douglas from Saipan, looking like the last palm tree standing, when Matsushita Toshinari picked up where he left off the day before by continuing to attack the short-stacks, bully pre-flops and roll over any who raised the pot, to take out his nine opponents in a surprisingly loose final table.
The showdown came when Matsushita raised all in pre-flop, forcing Douglas to put his tournament life on the line with A-5 unsuited to be met with Q-9 unsuited. Matsushita hit a queen on the flop with the Turn and River holding no help to Douglas and handing the win over to Matsushita. (PR)
