All-in does not always win in poker tilt

A Korean national Kim S.D. (name withheld) swept the competition over the weekend and earned the title of champion during the “Memorial Classic Hold’em Poker Championship” held at Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino.

Kim took home $5,000 cash, with the second prize going to Toshio Konno from Japan and the third prize going to Darrell Fair of Saipan.

A total of 31 participants from Tinian, Saipan, Guam, Japan and Korea joined the Hold’em Poker tournament.

The build up to the main event began on Saturday afternoon at 3pm with the commencement of satellite tournaments. Satellite tournaments allow players to enter an inexpensive tournament—in this case only a $35 entry fee was required—for the chance to play and win a seat into a more high-priced tournament, in this case the main event: The Memorial Classic at $350 entry. With five satellites run on Friday and six satellites run on Saturday, a third of all participants earned themselves a cheap entry into the weekend’s event.

The main event started at 8pm and was originally structured as a two-day event but the play quickly settled into solid action on all fronts, with starters not afraid to take a few risks and utilize the once-only re-buy option. By midnight, 21 participants had been knocked out of the competition, with the final table made up of a few well-known faces as well as some new and unfamiliar contenders. The action tightened up dramatically once the final table had been decided. All displayed some shrewd and careful play but eventually the more astute slowly and deliberately overcame their competition.

With four players left in the game, Fair made his move when he pushed all-in holding pocket Queens and the flop showing A-Q-3, giving him three of a kind and Kim pairing the ace in his hand. The turn came, then the river brought Kim three-of-a-kind Aces leaving Fair bewildered and short-stacked. Fair recovered to send the fourth place to the rail but was eventually eaten up by the blinds and walked away with third place.

This set the scene for a Japanese and Korean showdown that lasted well into the early hours with neither wanting to settle for second place. The end came when Konno, who had shown great patience all evening, was dominated by Kim’s stack and moved all-in with J-8 off-suit. Kim, seemingly keen to bring about an end, turned over 9-2 unsuited and managed to pair his 9 on the flop. The turn and river remained blank for Konno, giving Kim the victory.

Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino would like to thank the team at Marpac and Budweiser for supporting this exciting event! If you wish to receive information regarding Hold’em Poker tournaments and other casino events, contact VIP Services 328-2233. [B][I](TDHC)[/I][/B]