Nick started out crushing the red table, eliminating the first three of his table-mates. Jim H. was Nick's first victim when his pocket cowboys ran into Nick G's flopped set of 6's.
Kevin An. was Nick's next catch (out 16th) when he re-raised Nick's 4,500 bet all-in for a total of 56k. Nick called and revealed A-Q while Kevin tabled pocket queens. Nick flopped an ace which held up through the turn and river.
After getting shortish (about 50,000), last month's winner Jim S. pushed all-in for four consecutive hands. Just as he was gaining some traction, Mike M. crippled him, bettering Jim's river flush with quad 4's on the flop. A few hands later, Jim re-raised Nick's 12k bet all-in for 40k all-day. Nick called and showed A-Q while Jim flipped over wired 7's. Jim led until a river 10 made Nick the winning straight. Jim was Nick's third victim, leaving in 15th place.
Eric took a tremendous hit to his stack in a 3-way all-in between Mike T. and Anita. Mike moved all-in for about 35,000 and Anita called before Eric pushed on top. Anita called for less and showed pocket jacks while Eric turned over A-K and Mike revealed J-T. Mike won the main pot, tripling up, while Anita's pocket jacks held up and crippled Eric. Nursing a short stack, Eric was eliminated in 13th place holding K-J os when he was called by Mike's pocket tens.
Anita was out 11th when she moved in for 49k after the flop and was called by Mike T. who flopped a flush. Anita claimed only one pot the entire night.
With 10 players remaining, both tables played hand-for-hand with blinds at 3,000/6,000 and a 500 ante. As fast as the first eight eliminations went, the tenth elimination took some time as the tables played hand-for-hand. Fran D. capped his inaugural event with a 10th place finish, pushing with K-T os and getting called by Joe L's 4c-5c. Joe spiked a 5 on the flop and the turn and river brought no help for Fran. With Fran eliminated, seats were re-drawn for the final table, with blinds still at a manageable 5,000/10,000/1,000 ante.
Nick held a commanding chip lead at the final table. Joe L. was crippled after he called Sean's all-in of 136k after a 40k raise by Angie. Angie got out of the way and Sean revealed pocket deuces while Joe showed A-Q. Sean's deuces won the race as the board missed Joe. On the next hand, Mike T. raised to 30k and Jason Tr. moved all-in for 58k on top. Joe L. called with only 26k left in his stack and after tanking for a minute, Mike folded. Jason rolled over pocket 10's while Joe showed K-Jo. (Note: Eric was eliminated holding K-J os, sitting in the same seat as Joe, getting called by pocket tens.) The 10-7-7 flop gave Jason a full house and Joe drew dead, finishing in 9th place.
Mike T's night ended in 8th place after his 42k all-in was called by none other than Nick G. who made an all-in isolation raise. Nick's Q-9 os faced Mike's 9d-10d. Nick picked up his 4th elimination with queen high after the board missed Mike.
Chris S. was eliminated in 7th place when he moved-in blind for 37k and was called by both John M. and Mike T. who checked it to the river until John made a 20k bet. Mike folded and John's pocket 6's took the pot.
Jason doubled-up when he moved-in with Ad-5h os UTG with blinds at 10,000/20,000/5,000 and was called by Nick G's pocket jacks which remained ahead until miracle running diamonds on the turn and river made Jason a winning flush. After the river card was dealt, Jason let out what was described as a "primal scream". Nick's stack took a serious hit with back-to-back runner-runner losses, doubling up two players at the table.
A few hands later, Jason eliminated sub Mike M. in 6th place. After Mike made it 40k preflop, Jason flat called. After the flop, Mike made a continuation bet and Jason re-raised all-in for 88k. Jason showed pocket eights while Mike revealed an OESD. The turn and river were bricks for Mike (Jason made a set) and his night was over.
Sean was out in 5th on the bubble after he moved all-in for 56k and was called by John and Nick. John bet 20k on the Qd-Kh-4h flop. Nicked folded and Sean showed Qh-10d. John revealed As-Kc. John's kings held up and Sean became the bubble boy.
Four-handed play started with blinds at 20,000/40,000/5,000 and included massive chip leader Nick G, Angie S, Jason Tr. and John M. Angie managed to survive two all-in's to build her short stack up a little. She, however, became Nick's fifth victim of the night. With the blinds at 25k/50k/7k, she called Nick's all-in bet and turned over A-Q. Nick slowly revealed pocket 4's. The 8c-7s-7c-K-s-6s board missed Angie, although she was rewarded with 4th place money after getting brutalized last month with back-to-back set-over-set.
With blinds fresh at 40k/80k/10k, Jason pushed all-in blind in the BB for 265k. John quickly called with pocket queens and Jason turned over J-3 os. The flop of 8c-9s-10h brought Jason an OESD, but he failed to fill up on the turn and river and with Jason out in 3rd, heads up play began.
Heads-up play started with Nick holding a commanding chip lead over John and both players exchanged pots into level 13 (blinds: 40k/80k/10k). John continued to put pressure on Nick who was forced to fold several hands after going card dead into level 14 where blinds reached 60k/120k/20k.
John seized control of play by crippling Nick when his queen hit the flop. Nick wasn't willing to believe him and called with third pair on the flop. After finding out the bad news, Nick was left with a short-stack, but he went on a serious heater and actually wrestled the chip led back with pure aggression.
Nick's luck all evaporated at once when the pot grew to nearly 1/3 of the chips in play. Nick thought his A-7 was good only to find out John's A-9 was better and the board didn't counterfeit John's kicker. A few hands later, Nick was all-in with 8s-10h and John called with Kc-Jd. John paired his jack on the Jh-6d-4h flop. Nick needed running cards on the turn and river to remain alive. The 3s turn sealed the win for John giving him his second FNCPT win.
John has now won two events, holding a jack both times. In his first victory, John won with Jc5h. I'm sensing a new nickname.
Thanks to everyone who came out for S2E3 and congratulations to John!
~Jason Tr.
