Limit Omaha

$1,500 Buy-in
Entries: 171
Total Prize Money: $256,500

1995 Champion: Berry Johnston

1996 Champion: F. D. "Dody" Roach

• The Winners.
• The Showdown.
• The Final Table.
• The Final Hand.

1. F.D. "Dody" Roach                $102,600
Corpus Christi, Texas
2. Men "The Master" Nguyen           $51,300
Bell Gardens, California
3. Mitch Look                        $25,650
Las Vegas, Nevada
4. Jeff Vaughn                       $16,673
Henderson, Nevada
5. Martin Oliveras                   $12,825
Madison, New Jersey
6. Clifford Roof                      $8,978
Clinton, Oklahoma
7. Sven Arntzen                       $6,412
Annapolis, Maryland
8. Pat Fleming                        $5,130
Las Vegas, Nevada
9. Fran Pinchot                       $3,847
Trenton, New Jersey
10. Chris Bjorin                      $3,078
London, England
11. Pete Dixon                        $3,078
Lockport, Illinois
12. Chris Tsipraildis                 $3,078
Syracuse, New York
13. David Chiu                        $2,565
Lakewood, Colorado
14. Denny Axel                        $2,565
Las Vegas, Nevada
15. "Oklahoma" Johnny Hale            $2,565
Las Vegas, Nevada
16. Roy Flowerday                     $2,052
Johannesburg, South Africa
17. Humberto Brenes                   $2,052
Miami Lakes, Florida
18. Jose Rosenkrantz                  $2,052
Miami, Florida

. Dody won the bracelet and the 1996 World Series of Poker limit Omaha title after surviving a fiercely competitive heads-up battle with Men "the master" Nguyen. Early on at the final table Dody was quite patient with the few chips he held. He chose his spots carefully and played each hand he selected quite aggressively. The battle took its toll -- in the end Dody said he was "completely exhausted."

. Dody's accomplishment was all the more difficult in that he defeated Men "The Master" Nguyen. Men, a 42-year-old professional poker player, seldom finishes second. Nguyen already holds three World Series of Poker titles in limit Hold'em, Seven-Card Stud and Stud Eight-or-Better along with Hall of Fame titles in those games and limit Omaha.

. Nguyen's play at the final table demonstrated why he is called "The Master." He was always in the hunt, attacking when he was strong and withdrawing when the strength was somewhere else. Men and Dody battled each other for just about an hour before Dody's flopped two-pair stood up over Men's aces.

. Third-place finisher, Mitch Look, is a 37-year-old computer operator for the Binion's Horseshoe race book. This was the first time Mitch, who regularly plays the lower-limit Omaha games, has ever reached the finals of a major tournament.

. All evening Mitch was doing well until he lost a key hand to Dody Roach. Mitch flopped a set and Dody went all-in when he made the nut-flush on the turn. No board-pair on the river allowed Dody to survive. A few hands later Dody flopped three aces and made a flush to leave Mitch with only $5,000 in chips. Mitch survived a couple of all-in hands but was finally eliminated when he was unable to beat Dody's queen-high flush.

. Jeff Vaughn is a 39-year-old professional poker player who spends most of his time in high-limit Omaha high-low games at the Commerce Casino in Southern California. He plays the World Series of Poker every year and this was his first time to reach the finals.

. Doctor-lawyer Martin Oliveras, 53, has been coming to the World Series of Poker for the last three years and this is his first time in the finals.

. Clifford Roof, 42, is an antique furniture dealer and the 1995 Ace-to-Five Lowball champ.

. Sven Arntzen made his second final-table visit in as many nights.

. Four Queen's Summer Poker Classic champion, Pat Fleming, a 47-year-old Las Vegas poker pro, is considered by many of his peers to be one of the best super-satellite players alive.

. Fran Pinchot, who celebrates his 53rd birthday tomorrow, is a retired teacher-basketball coach from Trenton, New Jersey. He regularly plays in Atlantic City and this is his first World Series of Poker finals.

©1996, Binion's Horseshoe. Some portions ©1996, ConJelCo. All Rights Reserved.