April 5 marks the start of the annual Liz Flynt Spring Poker Classic at the Hustler Casino. Running through April 30 and technically only seven events, all buy-ins are between $100 and $260. There are four single-day events (1, 2, 5 and 6), with respective guarantees of $20K, $30K, $20K and $25K.
The real meat of this series is the three multiday re-entry events. Event 3 is a $120 plus $60 add-on with $150K guaranteed prize pool and $40K guaranteed for first place. There are eight starting flights with two each day April 7-10.
Event 4 is a massive $160-plus-$100-add-on event with a $500K guarantee. First place is guaranteed to be $125K. Starting flights for this event begin April 12 and run through April 21. The weekend days and the last day all have two starting flights per day. On Monday through Friday, there’s a starting flight at 3 p.m., but there’s a $150 buy-in, $7K guaranteed nightly tournament.
Finally, Event 7 is a multi-flight tournament with a twist. In most events like this, players’ chip stacks go with them through to the next day. In this event, the top eight percent all advance to Day 2, but all players continue the event with 50K chips. So no matter if you’re the chipleader or hang on and limp through with one big blind, everyone starts with the same chips on Day 2. This event is $160 plus $100 add-on and the first of nine starting flights begins at 5 p.m. on April 23.
In other Los Angeles happenings, the annual Los Angeles Poker Classic, in my opinion the best tournament series outside of the World Series of Poker, recently concluded. Well-known and well-liked pro Chris Moorman claimed the $10K World Poker Tour championship title, banking just more than a million dollars. He outlasted other pros Adam Friedman and Dan O’Brien at the final table.
Congratulations also to Marie Babouchian and Gladys Landeg-ger, who were the only women to take first in any of the57 open events. Babouchian made her mark in Event 11 no-limit hold’em while Landegger won Event 22.
Another stellar performance worth mentioning is that of Anthony Dick. He not only won Event 10 (Omaha/8-stud/8) but also Event 39 (deuce-to-seven triple draw).
More pros making their mark in the other open events were David Levi, who won Event 25 (stud/8) and Paul Volpe, who won Event 53.Volpe’s path was super tough with his final table filled with other pros Andrew Lichtenberger, Tyler Reiman, Galen Hall and Dan Heimiller.
Finally, World Series of Poker bracelet-winners also made their mark. Ahmed Owais, a 2011 bracelet-winner in Omaha/8-stud/8, won Event 19 (PLO/8 with rebuys). Not to be outdone, two-time bracelet-winner Frankie O’Dell won Event 14 (stud).
— Email Dave Palm at LA.AnteUp@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @AnteUpLosAngele.
