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ROCHE CAPTURES HIS SECOND BAR-TAB VICTORY
With the moniker, “The Quiz Master”, making a
mathematical error would be somewhat out of
character for Jim Roche, but that’s exactly what
happened at the Bar-tab tourney, Saturday, October
18, at the Cornerstone Inn. Ironically, it actually
helped him get the win!
Joining Jeff “AJ Trips” Walsh, Roche became the
second player in NJFP history to win the Bar Tab
tournament twice, when he outlasted over 40 other
participants en route to his victory. He played
solid poker throughout the tournament, but it was
the final hand of the match where Roche made a
slight error in judgment, which he now says would
have made him play his hand a little differently.
Let’s head right to what has to be known in this
tournament as …
HAND OF THE MATCH: With only three players left in a
field of 40-plus poker enthusiasts, Jim Roche, Anna
Perreira, and Tommy Par, played seesaw, in which all
three participants was chip-leader at some point
throughout the match. But with a winner-take-all
prize of a $250.00 sponsorship up for grabs,
finishing second wasn’t an option.
Perreira, under the gun and with the button in tow,
makes an all-in move with her pocket 10s. Tommy Par,
who had been extremely aggressive throughout the
final table, immediately called with king/jack off
suit. Roche, the chip leader at that point
(expecting to fold quickly knowing his two opponents
were happily risking their tournament lives), was
very surprised to discover that he, in fact, had
ace/king off suit. Without thinking too hard, he
immediately called, turning this final table into a
3-way showdown for the win.
The drama was over quickly once an ace hit on the
flop. No help was given to either Perreira or Par on
the turn or river, and Roche walked away with
another trophy, the $250.00 sponsorship, and his
second Bar-Tab Tournament victory, a distinction
previously held exclusively by Jeff Walsh.
Roche later revealed to Dealer extraordinaire, Rob
Grosch that he made the immediate call because he
thought he had a dominant chip lead and could afford
the gamble. When Rob, at his controversial best,
informed him that he only had about an $8000 chip
lead on Perreira and if her hand held, she would
have had the tournament sewn up. Roche, who seemed
quite surprised confessed; “If I had known she was
so close in chips in me, I probably wouldn’t have
made that call …. Oops!” he said. If he indeed
folded, Anna’s pocket 10s would have held, and from
there, we can only speculate…That’s Poker!
With two bar-tab wins under his belt, Roche was
honored to be mentioned in the same breath as
compatriot Walsh, even jokingly quipping that it’s
appropriate that “two Irishman have the most Bar-Tab
wins”. Perhaps some heads-up action between the two
is in order… If they are interested, NJ Free Poker
will arrange for a showdown, until then,
congratulations to Jim “Quiz Master” Roche and to
everyone who played.
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