Mark Vos interviewed for Amateur Construction Weekly
Following hot on the heels of Barny, an even more micro-stacked Vos got it in against Jesus during Omaha/8. With the blinds at 2K-4K now, it was a necessity, and the creative stacker accepted his final loss with good grace and a nod to his competitors.
After a series of back-to-back losses right before the break, and the subsequent colour-up of the grey 100 chips, Mark Vos' once-imposing architectural masterpiece is now somewhat minimalist.
Barny Boatman - Popular Mobster
The cards were only just in the air after the colour-up break, and critically-stacked Barny Boatman had it all in during the Razz holding four spades -- three of them nice and low.
Boatman:
Bronshtein's hand finished up , while Barny received the and a pairing and was already halfway out from the ropes, congratulated and hand-shook by the other players at his table.
The wily Eric Dalby
After showing Mark Vos a stone bluff on the previous hand, Eric Dalby raises to 6000 from the button. Mark Vos and Kirk Morrison are in the small and big blinds, and a raising war ensues that sees the three players taking the flop in a capped betting round.
Flop:
Vos and Morrison both check and Dalby moves in for 3000. Vos check-raises to 6000 and Morrison makes the call, forming a 6000 side pot. The turn is the and Vos leads out for 6000. Morrison goes into the tank. While Morrison is in the tank, Vos' lady friend delivers two bright red cocktails to the table and Mark gives one to Morrison. Morrison eventually folds and Vos opens .
Dalby laughs and says "Nice hand, give him the pot," before opening two black tens for quads!
Yum Yum Pedigree Chum
The oldest versus the youngest player clash as Eric Dalby sticks a cheeky bluff on Mark Vos. Dalby was very short-stacked at the time, but as both players saw a flop from the blinds, Dalby bet out 3K leaving him with just 2K behind.
Vos, clearly not liking the situation but simultaneously keen to remove Dalby from the the tournament, thought and thought before thinking a little bit more and having a final session of serious thinkage. Eventually he folded, leaving Kirk Morrison to bang the table in frustration and inquire as to how Vos could fold for so little.
At this point, Eric "Lowball" Dalby proudly showed and chuckled to himself as Vos proceeded to defend his play.
"I couldn't call," pleaded Vos. "I had jack-ten."
He could be telling the truth, but the old "He was ahead anyhow" quote is all too familiar and leaves the mind boggling as to who actually did hold the best hand. "If I had a pair, don't you think I would have called?" added Vos.
Either way, it's a near, and very crucial double up for Dalby who is now bearing a grin the length of the Vegas Strip and who's as smug as a mongrel that's just won a year's supply of Pedigree Chum.
Jennifer Harman, stable near the top
Never having drifted too far from the top places in chips, Jennifer Harman has been taking a few nice pots in the most recent Omaha/8 round to keep a comfy 100K+ stack. Prior to moving tables, Mark Vos noticed her winning more than her share of the flop games, especially. "Another one...my hero," he commented as she took another Hold'em hand down.
Now she's overshadowed in chips by perma-raiser Yuval Bronshtein, who's got a bit of chat going on with green-haired Gary Jones. Offering his opinion on a hand, Bronshtein is interrupted by Jones asking, "And just how many bets did you make with a three in your hand?" -- referring to that previous Hold'em pot he'd played with Harman, and implying that any lessons from the young player might need a grain of salt. "Seven," he replied instantly. Well, we can't fault his memory.