Girl Power!



Hidden Court West - Angie S. defeated head's-up opponent Anita G. to claim S6E8 of the Fish & Chips Poker Tour in the early morning hours of Sunday, December 14th!

Regulars Chris S, Kevin A. and Mike M. were out for the event and were replaced by substitutes Drew M, Kevin L. and Allan J. which kept the event filled at 20 players.

The tournament was NLHE with a full rebuy. The opening deal went out just after 7pm.

Marc H. was the evenings first elimination in level 5 (500/1k/100) after calling Mike T's 2,500 raise preflop holding K-Q. John also called. The K-J-6 flop was dealt and Mike bet 4,500. Marc moved in for 10k more and John folded. Mike called and tabled A-A. Running 2's on the turn and river gave Mike the elimination and Marc the rail.

In the same level, Jim H. raised to 3,500 and Mike T. announced all-in. Jim called and showed 7-7 while Mike revealed A-A again. A board of J-J-10-6-3 was dealt and Jim was out. Notes on the elimination sheet by Jim included "NO ACTION cause I suck".

Sub Kevin L. was out next (18th place) after he was all-in for his last 6,800 with A-5 with blinds at 600/1,200/200. An undocumented villain called with J-J and Kevin missed his OESD on the 6-7-8-K-10 board.

Bill was next after he shoved with 7-7 and got called by Drew M's J-J. Sub Allan J. followed Bill after he pushed for 12.6k holding A-4 and Chris calling with K-K. The board of 6-7-6-7-6 was dealt and put a full house on the board, however Chris' pocket kings played giving him a bigger boat.

Keith K. was eliminated in 15th place by Lolly O. The only notes on the elimination sheet listed were Keith had K-Q and he lost and Lolly won.

Sub Drew M. bowed out in 14th place after getting eliminated by Nick G. Notes on the elimination sheet stated Nick raised and Drew called. The flop was 6-7-8. Nick bet and Drew shoved with Q-10. Nick then hero called with A-7. The turn and river brought no help for Drew and he was out.

Chris Ba. was the next player to hit the rail in perhaps the second biggest hand of the night. With blinds at 8k/16k/200, Mike T. raised to 5k in early position. Fran then pushed for his last 11,600. Chris called. Jason Tr. (seated to Chris' left) looked down at J-J and thought about it for a moment before folding. John M. made the call as did Mike. A flop of 5-2-7 was dealt and Chris moved all-in for his last 22k. John then went all-in over-the-top and Mike folded. Fran showed 6-8 for an OESD, Chris flipped over J-J while John showed Q-Q. The 9 turn filled Fran's straight and the K river gave John the huge side pot.

Blinds increased to 1k/2k/300 when it folded to Eric in the SB who looked down at 10-5. He made it 10k to go and John called in the BB. A flop of ?-2-6 was dealt and Eric was all-in. John called revealing 2-2 for a flopped set. A 5 on the turn left Eric drawing dead. John "stuck-it-in" with a 6 on the river giving him deuces full.

Jason Ta. was out in 11th place in the same level after getting his last 1,800 in good holding A-10. Jim O. called with A-6 and made running trip's on the Q-9-4-6-6 board.

John M. was out in 10th place after getting his small stack in the middle with blinds still at 1k/2k/300 with Ac-5c. Fran and Jason Tr. both called. A flop of 7s-10c-7c was dealt. Both Fran and Jason checked. The turn was the Qs. Both Fran and Jason checked again. The river was the 3s and Fran checked. Jason balked and then bet 10k. Fran debated it for a few seconds and called. Jason showed As-2s for the nut flush. Fran mucked and Jason scooped the huge pot thus forming the final table.

Sean O. was the first player eliminated from the final table after blinds increased to 1,200/2,400/400 and he called Fran's 7,300 raise. Holding 7-7, Sean moved all-in for 17,600 on the A-K-9 flop. Fran called revealing A-J. The 6 turn and 3 river missed Sean and he was out in 9th place. This was the 3rd time on the night a player was eliminated holding 7-7.

In the same blind level, Lolly bet out 9,000 holding 5-5. Mike made the call and the flop was dealt Q-Q-4. Lolly announced all-in and Mike made the quick call with K-Q. The 9 turn and 10 river brought no help for Lolly and she was out in 8th place.

Nick was the next player to bite the dust after blinds increased to 1,600/3,200/500. In a multi-way limped pot, a flop of J-9-3 was dealt. Holding J-7, Nick made it 6,000 to go. John folded and Fran called. The turn was a 2. Nick pushed all-in and Fran made the quick call and tabled 9-3 much to Nick's disgust. A 6 on the river missed Nick for a higher two-pair and he out in 7th place. Note, earlier in the day, Nick predicted a win in the tournament. Despite rebuying, he only managed a 7th place finish. Good luck next month Nick.

Despite being short-stacked and card dead for most of the final table, Jim O. was still be in the tournament with only 6 players remaining. Blinds increased to 2k/4k/600 (level 11) when Angie called the minimum, Jim called in the SB with 2-3 and Fran checked the BB. The flop was 5-2-7 and Jim shoved with bottom pair. Fran called and then Angie shoved all-in. Notes on the elimination sheet indicate Fran didn't know Angie was in the hand at that point. Fran then folded and Angie revealed A-5 for middle pair. A 10 on the turn kept Angie in front. A queen fell on the river and Jim was off to the cash table.

With blinds still at 2k/4k/600, Jason Tr's chip stack was decimated after getting it all-in with A-J vs. Anita G's A-K. A short time later with less than 10k in his stack, he woke up with A-6 and pushed. Mike looked him up with J-10 and sucked out on the 5-Q-10 flop. No help came on the 5 turn and 3 river and Jason was out in 5th place on the bubble.

Four-handed play began with blinds at 2k/4k/600 and with both Mike and Fran holding the largest chip stacks. Anita was 3rd in chips whilst Angie was 4th.

Although having a gargantuan chip stack for nearly the whole tournament and 4 eliminations to his credit, Mike started bleeding chips and ironically became the tournament's next elimination. Blinds bumped up to 2,400/4,800/800 when he raised to 14k holding 8-8. Angie called and the 10-10-Q flop was dealt. Angie checked and Mike moved all-in. Angie made the quick call and flipped over A-10 for a big lead. The 5 turn and 7 river missed Mike and he was out in 4th place.

Ironically Fran was the next player out after Anita raised to 24k and both he and Angie called. The flop brought out K-8-6. Angie went all-in and Fran called while Anita got out of the way. Fran showed K-9 and Angie showed K-Q. A king on the turn gave both players trips, however Angie had Fran out-kicked. A deuce on the river sealed it for Fran and he was out with 3rd place money.

For the first time in the history of the F&CPT, both head's-up opponents were female. Both players are also current "April 8'ers". Angie had a sizeable chip lead over her opponent.

Blinds increased just one level to 8k/16k/2k when the final hand of the tournament was dealt at 3:30am.

In the hand, which would be the biggest of the night, Anita raised to 38k and Angie re-raised to 80k. Anita then pushed all-in and Angie made the instant call tabling Ks-Kd. Anita rolled over Jc-Jh and the 9h-4s-5h flop was brought out. Although behind, a jack or running hearts would give Anita the pot and another chance at a win. The 8d turn missed her and left her drawing to a two-outer. The 9d river card fell instead giving Angie the bigger two-pair and her second win of the season.

 

This was Anita's second 2nd place finish this season which all but locks her for a top 8 finish this season.

This is the second consecutive tournament this season using the T20k blinds structure where the tournament lasted more than 8 hours. Some are calling for the structure to be adjusted to shorten the length of the tournament.

Congrats again to Angie on her win and thanks to all who came out for S6E8!

~ Jason Tr.


"April 8" Update

Only 3 events remain this season. Through 8 events, the "April 8" are:

1. Angie S.     43.29
2. Jim O.        42.87
3. Anita G.     36.70
4. Bill B.        36.61
5. Jason Ta.   36.60
6. John M.     34.06
7. Mike T.     29.40
8. Lolly O.    25.87

Despite a 5th place finish Sunday morning, Jason Tr. remains in 9th place with just 0.52 points separating him from Lolly in 8th place. Chris Ba. remains in 10th place and 3.58 points back from 8th. Substitute Drew M. held in 11th place just 3.90 points from 8th. Just behind Drew is Nick G. in 12th place who actually gained a spot in the standings with his 7th place finish Sunday morning. With 21.78 points, Nick is 4.09 points from 8th. And just behind Nick is Eric W. in 13th place with 21.62 points. Eric is only 4.25 points from 8th place.

Since the inception of the league, the average points needed to secure 8th place after 11 regular season events is 36.97. The most points was by Keith K. last season with 38.98. The fewest points was by Mike T. in Season 4 with 33.57.

The Comeback Kid

Hidden Court West - Chris Ba. managed to overcome a 50:1 chip deficit and defeat head's-up opponent Bill B. to capture the seventh event of Season 6's F&CPT in the early morning hours of Sunday, November 15th!

This was the league's 3rd annual "HO" (round-by-round NLHE and PLO) tournament. Regular's Mike T, Marc H. and Kevin A. were out and all three were replaced by substitutes Drew M, Kevin L. and Kyle H. which kept the field at 20 players. The tournament start time was slightly delayed and eventually got underway at 7:20pm.

Angie S. was the event's first elimination (no elimination information recorded). Anita followed Angie after she was all-in preflop (PLO) with blinds at 600/1,200/200 holding A-9-8-4 and got called by Kyle's 10-10-?-? which ended up making 10's full of 7's.

After rebuying, Fran was felted and eliminated in 18th place (no elimination information recorded). Keith K. was out next (17th) after getting "taken out by Drew".

Blinds reached 800/1,600/200 in a NLHE round when Jason Ta. was all-in holding K-Q. Mike M. made the call with A-10. The 10-9-3 flop put Mike in the lead. The 8 turn and 4 river missed Jason and he was out in 16th place.

Substitute Kevin L. was out in 15th place after moving all-in for 1,200 with blinds at 1k/2k/300 in PLO with 5-5-8-9. Nick's A-A-?-? held up. As fate would have it, Nick was out next in 14th place on a rebuy. Hand notes included "Bulls*%t all night. 50k double-up to drew than 50k lost through several two pairs".

Mike M. was dispatched in 13th place when his A-10 was "out beat by top 2" of the unknown opponent's A-Q on a board of A-Q-?-?-?. Eric W. was next after his pocket 8's were destroyed by Jim H's pocket queens.

Despite being a huge chip leader early in the tournament, Drew M. got whittled down and found himself all-in with J-5 on a flop of 5-8-A with blinds at 1,200/2,400/400 in NLHE. Chris Ba. called and tabled A-9 for top pair. The 4 turn and 10 river brought no assistance and Drew was out in 11th place.

Blinds increased to 1,600/3,200 with a 500 ante (PLO) when Sean moved all in for his last 11,900 with 5-4-4-3 and was quickly called by Chris Ba, holding A-A-K-6. An inconsequential board followed and Chris’ A-A held up thus forming the final table.

Having been blinded down to his final 4,900 chips, Jim O. had little choice but to move all-in in the same level. Unfortunately, John’s flopped straight had Jim heading for the exit.

The action continued to be fast and furious as blinds rose to 2,000/4,000 with a 600 ante. Jim H, having been relatively quiet at the final table, finally found some action when Kyle raised from early position to 14,000 and he woke up with Q-Q. The table folded to Jim as he moved all-in. Kyle called and, to Jim’s excitement, tabled A-Q. Shockingly, the door card was unkind to Jim as the flop came A-9-3. The turn was a J, leaving Jim’s hopes on a two-out river. As he noted on the elimination sheet, it “wasn’t a f*%king Queen,” and Jim was knocked out in 8th.

Meanwhile, Chris S. was busy amassing a table-leading stack without the benefit of an elimination. That would change as Kyle, fresh off his elimination of Jim H, decided to be aggressive and call himself all-in against Chris’ flop bet. Chris showed top-set against Kyle’s one pair. The board provided no improvement for Kyle and he was eliminated in 7th place as Chris raked a massive pot.

The final 6 played two full levels before seeing another all-in moment. During that time, chips traded hands at a relatively even pace and players jockeyed to make the final 4 and grab a payout. With blinds at 3,000/6,000 and with a 900 ante, Jason Tr. raised to 20,000 holding Q-10. The action folded to Chris Ba. (BB) who re-raised Jason all-in. Jason called, tabling his Q-10 but was behind to Chris’ J-J. The board ran out with no improvement for Jason and he was eliminated in 6th place.

The five remaining players would not have to wait long to make the money as Lolly found herself short-stacked and needing to double-up for a shot at cashing. Holding 3-5 on a 6-4-10 flop, Lolly moved all-in for her last 30,000. John called, tabling 6-4 for two pair. After the turn and river came up empty, Lolly was knocked out on the bubble in 5th place.

John followed her out the door in 4th place as he was eliminated by Chris Ba. (no elimination information recorded). Shortly after that elimination, the blinds moved up to 5,000/10,000 with a 1,500 ante and began to drive action between the final three players. Chris Ba. led out for 35,000 from under-the-gun holding A-10. Chris S. called from the BB and the two players saw a flop of 3-6-8. Both players checked through and saw a 10 on the turn. Chris S. led out for 40,000 and Chris Ba. raised to 110,000. After thinking for a moment, Chris S. called and the river was another 3. Both players checked, and Chris S. frustratingly mucked his hand to the tabled A-10 for top pair. After losing another major hand to Bill, Chris S. found himself all-in blind for his last 20k. Chris Ba. called and showed 7-8. Chris S. rolled his hand and exposed A-9, good for a small lead. The flop came out 10-J-Q and when the turn came a 2, Chris S. was looking good for a double-up. However, the river felled a 9 and Chris S. was eliminated in 3rd place.

The heads-up match featured Chris holding a stack of roughly 400k against a short-stack of 120k held by Bill. The players traded pots for the first 20 minutes, waiting for a major confrontation. Bill would provide that when he raised to 40,000 holding K-J. Chris re-raised all-in and Bill called, tabling his hand against the A-3 of Chris. When the board provided a K and nothing more, Bill had successfully doubled through and the match was almost even. Two hands later, Chris looked down at 9-9 and raised to 50,000. After a re-raise from Bill, Chris moved all-in and Bill called. Bill rolled Q-10 for the “classic coin flip”. The board exposed a Q on the flop and no improvement for Chris on the turn or river. After counting the stacks, Chris was left with only 10,700 chips against roughly 510,000 held by Bill: over and done, right? NOT so fast!

Chris proceeded to double up three times in a row increasing his stack to nearly 100,000. After giving some away through blinds, the FOURTH straight double-up provided Chris a stack of roughly 150,000. Bill was clearly flustered at this point as he could feel the victory beginning to slip away. He was able to secure a few small wins over the next few hands but took yet ANOTHER hit when Chris locked in his FIFTH consecutive double-up. Despite holding a 51:1 chip advantage not long before, Bill was confronted with a dead-heat for the win. The stage was set for a final showdown; First to act, Bill looked down at Ks-8s and moved all-in. Chris snap-called and tabled Ah-Qs. The flop came 2-4-A and Bill was down to needing runner-runner to stay alive. The turn….10d! After a SIXTH STRAIGHT double-up, Chris Ba had successfully recovered from a 51:1 chip disadvantage to capture his second Omaha-related F&CPT event win.

 

The tournament lasted to nearly 4am. There was nobody left/up to take the winner's photo so the board and winning chip stack were photographed instead.

 



Thanks again to all that played and congrats to Chris!

Oh, and these snazzy sunglasses were left behind by someone.

You can claim them at the next event.

~ Jason Tr.
~ Chris Ba.

The revenge of Captain John

Huntington Avenue - Fresh off his shocking head's-up loss in S6E5 three weeks earlier, John returned for S6E6 hungry for revenge. And he got just that after defeating head's-up opponent Jim O. in the early morning hours of October 5th to claim this season's sixth event!

Two regulars (both Chris's) were out and were replaced by substitute players Vince J. and Drew M. This kept the field filled at 20 players.

Sub Vince was the first player eliminated after Fran turned an ace-high flush on him. Overall points leader Jason Ta. was out next after he raised in the BB holding two queens to 36k with blinds at 3k/6k/500. Marc made the call and the A-10-10 flop was dealt. Jason checked and Marc bet out 32k. Jason then shoved his remaining 100k in and Marc called revealing pocket kings. The turn brought a 3 and the river a 9 and Jason was gone. You got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em. Oh, and yeah, this is advice from someone who hasn't made the Championship in two seasons despite playing in every event.

Fran was eliminated in 18th place after moving his short stack all-in with 6-6 and getting called by Drew's K-K which held. Angie knocked-out Sean in 17th place after each player went all-in blind. Much to his surprise, Sean turned over 5-5. Angie then revealed Q-4 and the race was on. The K-9-4-Q-8 board was dealt giving Angie two-pair and the elimination.

As fate would have it, Angie was expelled next after pushing her last 153k over-the-top of John's 30k raise with blinds at 5k/10k/1k. John called and showed K-Q whilst Angie flipped over 7-7. The K-9-8-A-4 board missed her and she exited the premises in 16th place.

Lolly was out in 15th place with blinds still at 5k/10k/1k. She was all-in preflop with K-K poised for a double-up. Mike M. looked her up with Q-Q. Despite flopping top set on the 3h-Kc-9h flop, running hearts on the turn (5h) and river (2h) gave Mike a queen-high flush.

Jim H. followed Lolly to the rail shortly after blinds reached 7k/15k/2k when he was all-in with K-5 and lost to Jim O's unrecorded holdings on a board of A-4-5-A-?. In the same blind level, Kevin A. shoved with A-J and got called by John's A-K which flopped trip kings which sealed it. Mike M. was out next (12th place) in similar fashion after shoving with A-J and getting called by John's K-Q which flopped trip queens and, once again, held up.

Blinds increased to 10k/20k/3k when Marc was involved in a three-way all-in holding 5s-2s with Mike T. and Anita. Anita's K-K bettered Marc's 5s-2s and Mike's A-Q on the J-10-3-6-J board giving her both eliminations and thus forming the final table.

Blinds remained at 10k/20k/3k when the final table was reseated. Just a few hands into final table play, Eric was all-in for 85k. John, the chip leader, called but then Jason Tr. re-raised all-in for 151k. Keith called for less and John called the raise. Eric showed K-K, John revealed 8-8, Keith flipped over 10-10 and Jason showed A-K. The 8-7-3 flop gave John top set (8's) and the lead. The turn was a 7 furthering John's lead with 8's full. But a river king gave Eric a larger boat (king's full) and the huge pot. Keith had less chips than Jason, so he was out in 9th place and Jason was out in 8th place.

Blinds remained at 10k/20k/3k when substitute Drew M. was out in 7th place. Jim O. raised to 60k and Drew called. John then re-raised to 160k and Jim folded. Drew announced all-in for 315k on top. John made the call and revealed K-K. Drew showed pocket ace's and was sure to double-up as the Js-2h-4d flop was dealt. But Captain John's luck continued as the Kc appeared on the turn giving him the lead in the hand. The Jh river gave John another full house, another elimination and another huge pot for a staggering chip lead in the tournament.

Blinds increased to 15k/30k/5k when Eric W. looked down at A-A after Jim O. raised to 85k. Eric had roughly 300k but he only decided to call. The 9-2-Q flop was dealt out and Jim bet 100k. Eric then shoved-in his remaining 215k and Jim called showing J-10 for an OESD. The turn brought a 5 which kept Eric in front. However a king on the river gave Jim a winning straight and Eric the rail. Eric abruptly left and did not return despite repeated text messages to return for the cash game.

Bill B. was out on the bubble in 5th place after getting it all-in over the top of Nick's 150k raise with blinds at a staggering 20k/40k/6k holding K-Q. Nick called and revealed pocket 4's which held up. Ironically, Nick was eliminated next when John called in the SB and he checked in the BB with 7-4. The flop was K-3-K and Nick bet 50k. John called. The turn was a 7 giving Nick top two-pair. Nick bet 100k and John raised to 300k. Nick called and the river was a 9. Nick checked and John moved all-in. Nick called and John revealed K-8 for trip kings. Nick showed his 7-4 and was out. He collected 4th place prize money for his valiant effort.

Anita followed Nick in 3rd place when she pushed for her last 285k with Q-4 and got called by Jim O. who tabled A-J. The A-K-6-2-10 board gave Jim the elimination and Anita 3rd place prize money. This was Anita's second cash of the season.

Head's-up play between Jim and John started with blinds at 25k/50k/7k and with John holding a sizeable chip lead over his opponent. Not that many hands into play, the final hand of S6E6 was dealt.

Jim looked down at Kd-2c and pushed for 260k. John called with Jd-10s. The Qd-5h-Qc flop put Jim in the lead. But the 10h turn turned the tables John's way with top two-pair. And the 6c river sealed the victory for John!

This is John's 4th career regular season win!

Congrats to John on his win and thanks to everyone who came out for S6E6.

~ Jason Tr.

Regarding the S6E6 Event Sign

I created this event sign due to the league website proprietor Eric W. not updating the site or the blog for both S6E4 and S6E5. He was originally supposed to take care of both but never did. I then agreed to knock out the blog write-up's if he updated the site which he is doing as I type this. I further taunted him with this image:

Random photos from S6E6

 

Cash game at table 2 when the tournament was four handed.

 

 

Another shot from the cash game.

 

 

John and Jim head's-up.

 

 Elimination sheets

 

We've been doing these elimination sheets for a few season's now. It makes recapping the blog much easier. From time to time, players add some snide and snarky comments in the elimination notes. I just wanted to share a few from S6E6.

 

 

 

 

 

September Ninja

 

 

Norborne - Angie S. defeated head's-up opponent John M. to claim S6E5 and pick up her second career win in the early morning hours of September 14th.

This was a standard T100k NLHE tourney with a full rebuy. The field filled at 20 players a week before the event, however a few days before, substitute Carl W. flaked out for the second time in as many events. The field settled at 19 players.

Host Eric W. was the first player eliminated from the tournament when blinds reached 2k/4k/500. Action folded to Nick on the button who made it 14k. Eric called out of the SB for his last 12.5k putting him all-in. Eric showed 3c-3h and Nick tabled Ah-7h. The Qs-9s-2c-As-6s board gave Nick a pair of aces and the elimination.

Next out was substitute Erik M. who was short-stacked and all-in for 32k. Nick looked him up with Ac-Qh. Erik showed 2d-2h. The Qd-10d-7d-Js-4h board failed to bring Erik a deuce or 4th diamond and he was out.

Mike T. joined the rail in 17th place after moving in with Kh-9d and getting calls by both John and Chris S. with blinds at 3k/6k/500. The flop of Qd-7h-4d was dealt and action continued between John and Chris. Chris moved all-in and John quickly folded. Chris showed pocket ace's. The 3d turn and 4h river cards brought no assistance for Mike and he was gone.

Blinds quickly reached the critical 5k/10k/1k level (the level where Champions are made) when Lolly found herself all-in for her last 7,500 with A-9 and a quick call by Bill's A-Q which eventually held up. Jason Tr. followed Lolly to the exit after he pushed with J-10 and got called by Kevin who not only flopped a set of 7's, but then to add insult to injury, made quads on the turn. In the same level, Jason Ta. was eliminated in 14th place after getting his short stack in with Q-J and getting called/destroyed by Jim O's 6-7 which turned trips. Keith K. followed Jason (out in 13th place) with no elimination info recorded.

Nick G. was out in 12th place after moving-in for his last 67k holding 7-7 after Angie's PF raise of 40k. Angie called and showed As-Jd. The 8c-5s-2s flop kept Nick in front. The Js turn gave Angie the lead with a pair of jacks. And to further drive the dagger in deeper, the 9s fell on the river giving Angie an ace-high flush.

With blinds at 7k/15k/2k and John raising to 35k, Chris S. looked down at K-Q and pushed for his last 200k. John made the call and showed A-4. The A-9-3 flop gave John the lead. The 10 turn and river 6 brought no help for Chris and he was out in 11th place. In the same level, Anita pushed her dwindling stack in with 8-9 and Angie quickly called with pocket aces. The 8-3-2 flop gave Anita top pair on the board however Angie's aces remained in front. A 7 on the turn and Q on the river missed Anita and she was dispatched in 10th place thus forming the final table.

Blinds increased to 10k/20k/3k when the final table saw it's first elimination. With only 85k in his stack, Chris Ba. pushed with Qh-8h and got called by John with As-3s. The Kh-6c-10d-10h-5d board gave John the winning hand and elimination.

With blinds still at 10k/20k/3k, Jim O. was out in 8th place after moving in for his last 28k with Q-J and getting calls by both Kevin A. and Sean. The Kd-Qd-10c-6d-4d board was checked to the river where Sean bet out 20k and Kevin folded. Sean then revealed Ad-7c for a winning ace-high flush. In the same level, Kevin A. was eliminated in 7th place after his pocket pair of queens was out-flopped by an unknown player's (Villain info not recorded) flopped set of 8's. Substitute player Kevin L. followed Kevin A. to the rail in 6th place after his pocket queens were rivered for a 4-8 straight by John M's K-7.

Blinds increased to 15k/30k/5k when the event's bubble boy was determined. It would be Jim H. who re-raised Bill's 140k to 240k all-in. Bill called and showed A-10 and Jim tabled K-Q. The A-K-6 flop gave Jim hope in the form of a straight draw. A 4 on the turn and a K on the river failed to bring help and Jim was out on the bubble. (Editor's note: I've written nearly all of the recap entries on this blog and I can't tell you how many times I've seen a player get short-stacked and decide to take a stand with K-Q or K-J only to get obliterated. My advice is to take a stand with a less marginal hand. Just saying.)

Sean O. was the first player eliminated from the money in 4th place. He re-raised John's 60k bet to $160k all-in with 8-6 and John called with J-J. The J-A-K flop gave John a set of jacks and left Sean drawing thin. An 8 on the turn sealed the deal. The meaningless 6 on the river was dealt while Sean collected 4th place prize money.

Three-handed play continued between Bill, Angie and John with blinds at 20k/40k/6k. Then a big hand came up between Angie and John. Angie called in the SB and John checked in the BB. A flop of 2-5-10 was dealt. Angie checked and John bet out 100k. Angie then pushed all-in for 842k. John instantly called and revealed A-10 for top-pair. I'm certain John thought he had it. However, to his shock, Angie turned over pocket aces for the lead. The 8 turn and 9 river missed John and he was crippled. A few hands later, Bill was out in third place. As usual, there was no elimination information recorded. I'm sure he collected the 3rd place money envelope for his effort though.

Head's-up play between Angie and John continued in the 20k/40k/6k level when the final hand of the tournament was dealt.

John pushed his short-stack in with 10d-9s and Angie quickly called with Kh-Js. The 3c-2c-Qs flop gave both players straight draws but kept Angie in the lead with king-high. The Kc turn put Angie in front with a pair of kings but it gave John a GSSD. The river brought the 4d which missed John and S6E5 had it's winner!

This is Angie's 2nd career F&CPT regular season victory!

Congrats to Angie on her win and thanks to everyone who came out for S6E5.

~ Jason Tr.

Take no prisoners Mr. Ta.

Norborne - Jason Ta. managed to outlast a field of 16 players and defeat head's-up opponent Bill B. to claim the first F&CPT bounty tournament in the early morning hours of August 23rd.

In this tournament, only first place would be paid: a measly $95. However, anyone who eliminated someone else got a $30 bounty. This sounded good in principle.

Initially 17 players confirmed, however substitute Carl W. flaked out and cancelled shortly after the tournament started. The field  officially settled at 16 players.

Keith K. was the first casualty of the evening after going all-in with pocket aces and getting called by Jason Ta's pocket kings with blinds at 2k/4k/500. Keith was the dealer on the hand and as he dealt the flop, a king appeared on the board. Keith then slammed the turn and river cards on the table in quick succession whilst muttering something to the effect of "my aces always get cracked by f*%king kings!" before storming out of the solarium.

Kevin A. was next when he got it all-in with pocket 3's on the 10s-Qh-2h flop and got called by Nick G. Nick showed 6h-4h and as it usually go's when I'm on the losing end of this BS, a heart fell on the turn in the form of the 8h giving Nick a winning flush. I can't say this enough, but it seems when I'm in this spot, that being needing a filling flush card, it never comes. However, when I'm ahead and my head's-up opponent needs it, they seem to always get it. And most times, on the f*%cing turn! I'm really starting to hate this game.

Anita G. bowed out in 14th place after getting it in preflop with pocket jack's and getting called by Chris S's poket aces. Nick G, (Anita's spouse), followed her to the rail after his A-J was outflopped by Chris S's A-8. I'm told the couple exited the solarium hand-in-hand and then headed to a late evening matinee of "The Guardians of the Galaxy".

Marc H. was eliminated in 12th place after his Ah-10h ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Mike T's pocket king's. Chris S. followed Marc after he found himself all-in PF holding Ah-7d and getting called by sub Greg D's Kd-Jd. Running jack's on the flop and turn dispatched him.

Ironically, sub Greg D. was out next (in 10th place) when his A-8 was bettered by Mike M's pocket 9's. The final table of 9 players then formed.

Jason Tr. was the first elimination from the final table after he got involved in a big pot which included 3 other players. With blinds at 5k/10k/1k, Jason looked down at As-9s and pushed for his last 125k. Angie S. then instantly called for slightly less. Eric W. (the far and away chip leader at this point) announced "all-in" over-the-top of Jason and Angie. Action then folded to Bill B. who paused for a few seconds and then announced "all-in" with a mid-stack. Bill tabled K-K, Angie showed 10-10 and Eric turned over J-J. The flop brought a king and the turn and river brought no justice for Eric or Angie. Bill scooped the huge pot and Jason and Angie were out in 9th and 8th place respectively.

Jim O. bowed out in 7th place after he was all-in PF with 3h-3d and got called by Eric W's Ah-7d. Neither player's cards matched the flop and turn, however a 4th diamond hit the river and gave Eric a bigger flush and the elimination. Ironically, Jim's spouse Lolly was the next elimination after she was sent packing by Eric's Ah-10h which eventually made an ace-high flush against her Qc-5d.

Mike T. was eliminated in 5th place after his 2c-2h was decimated by Jason Ta's Ks-Qd with blinds at 7k/15k/2k.

The final four players included Eric W, Mike M, Bill B. and Jason Ta. Eric and Jason had 2 bounties each while Mike and Bill had 1 each.

With blinds still at 7k/15k/2k, Eric min-raised to 30k in the BB holding Jd-9d. Bill called and Jason Ta. folded. The Ac-6d-10d flop was checked by Eric and Bill bet 75k. Eric then announced all-in for 400k and Bill called showing Ks-Jc. The Ad turn and 5c river cards failed to fill Eric's flush draw and Bill collected the bounty with his king kicker.

Mike M. found himself all-in and eliminated a short time later after his A-10 failed to overcome Jason Ta's pocket aces.

Head's-up play between Bill and Jason started with blinds at 10k/20k/3k and with Bill holding an approximate 2:1 chip lead over his opponent. But Jason turned the tides with a big double-up a few hands in with A-Q after Bill's 3-3 was counterfeited on a board of K-9-9-K-7.

A few hands later, the final hand of the tournament was dealt. Jason raised 120k and Bill called. Bill bet 150k on the A-10-4 flop. Jason raised all-in and Bill called showing 3-4 for bottom pair. Jason showed A-J for top pair. The 6 turn brought no help for Bill and neither did the 7 river.

Jason collected his 3rd bounty of the tournament along with $95 in first place money for a measly $155 take. This is less than what 2nd place in a normal tournament pays.

Jason still collects first place points for his win giving him a sizeable lead in the overall standings through 4 events. And normal points were awarded to everyone else who participated in the tournament.

All-in-all, I think the tournament wasn't really well received from a majority of the players. There was mention of possibly doing a progressive bounty next season. We'll see.

Congrats to Jason on his win and thanks to everyone who came out for S6E4.

~ Jason Tr.

Potbet Magnetic

Ingram - Substitute player Drew M. outlasted head's-up opponent Anita G. to claim the Fish & Chips Poker Tour's Season Six PLO event in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 27th.

Five regulars were out for the league's 5th annual PLO event. A total of 4 subs were located and included Drew M, Chrissy B, Carl W. and Vincent J. which increased the field to 19 players.

The Metallica theme returned for a 4th straight season with "Potbet Magnetic". And for the first time, a 70 song Metallica soundtrack played tableside that spanned 6 hours and 57 minutes. Each player was given a custom "Potbet Magnetic" lanyard.

Shortly after 7pm, the opening deals went out.

Despite arriving a little late, sub player Vincent J. quickly found himself all-in, losing and then rebuying. Then a short time later, he was officially eliminated by Sean O's flopped set of kings holding A-Q-10-8 on a board of A-K-8-10-Q. Sub Chrissy B. was out just behind Vincent in 18th place courtesy of boyfriend and fellow sub player Carl W's rivered full house.

Jason Tr. bit the dust in 17th place after rebuying and getting felted by Angie S's rivered broadway straight. Keith K. followed Jason in 16th place after his trip ace's fell victim to John M's aces full.

Sub Carl W. was dispatched in 15th place after calling Chris Ba's 15k raise holding Ad-Qd-2c-3c. The flop brought Jc-6c-5s and Chris bet 22k. Carl shoved for 99.5k and Chris called showing Ac-7c-Kh-6h. The 5d turn kept Chris ahead. The 8c river filled Chris' straight and Carl joined the cash game.

Bill B. was eliminated in 14th place (no elimination information recorded) followed by Nick G. in 13th place who was rivered by Eric W's straight.

With blinds at 5k/10k/1k, Angie S. pushed for 37k all-day to Chris S's 20k raise holding A-K-Q-5. Chris called revealing 4-5-6-7 and flopped a wheel straight on the A-2-3 flop. Angie needed running cards for a winning boat or a straight to tie. The Q turn left her drawing dead. A meaningless 8 on the river sealed the deal and Angie exited the premises in 12th place.

John M. bowed out in 11th place after getting his stack whittled down to a mere 2,500 chips. Despite making a heart flush, he was sent to the rail by the larger flush of Lolly O. Sean O. quickly followed John in 10th place when he was all-in holding 10-6-4-3 versus Fran's A-Q-10-9. A board of 7-J-2-7-A was dealt. Fran took it down with ace's up and the final table was formed.

Jim O. was the first casualty of the final table after finding himself all-in for 31k and getting 2 callers in Chris Ba. and Drew M with blinds at 7k/15k/2k. Jim revealed A-J-7-3 while Drew showed 10-10-x-x and Chris tabled x-x-x-x (data not recorded). The Q-Q-5-5-8 board was dealt and Drew took it down with queens and tens.

Eric W. was out in 8th place after getting it in good with As-Ad-10s-9s and getting a caller in Fran's Jd-Jc-3c-6d who ended up turning three-of-a-kind (3's) which ultimately held up. After being eliminated, Eric quickly jettisoned himself from the Ingram estate.

With blinds at 10k/20k/3k, Lolly O. was eliminated in 7th place after going all-in with 10-10-Q-9 and getting called by Chris S. who managed to flop quad 5's. Coincidentally Chris S. was out next in 6th place when his A-Q-9-5 was out-flopped by Chris Ba's 8-8-2-10 (a pair of tens) which held up.

Fran became the event's bubble boy (out in 5th place) after he was all-in holding 7-7-9-10 to Chris Ba's K-K-J-A on a board of A-10-3-Q-2 which made Chris a broadway straight.

Chris Ba, Jason Ta, Anita G. and Drew M. started 4-handed play with blinds at 20k/40k/6k. Three of these four players (Jason Ta, Drew and Chris) have all previously won F&CPT PLO events. Perhaps the cream really does rise to the top?

A short time passed into 4-handed play and Chris found himself shoving for 291k holding Ah-5h-5d-Qd after Jason Ta. potted preflop. Jason called and showed Ad-2d-Jc-Ks . The Qs-9s-6h flop was dealt and Chris was in front with a pair of queens. The 5s turn gave Chris trip 5's and kept him in front. However, as fate would have it, the 10c fell on the river giving Jason the winning straight and the elimination. Chris collected $115 for 4th place.

Jason Ta. was the next casualty after he found himself all-in for just under 200k and getting called and subsequently eliminated by Drew M. Unfortunately nobody recorded the details of the hand. Jason recalls he possibly had A-J-10-5 but Drew had something better and thus he was eliminated. Jason collected $155 for 3rd place.

Head's-up play between Drew and Anita G. began with Drew holding a large chip lead over his opponent. The last time Anita was head's-up in a regular season event was way back in S2E1 on 05/22/10. It was a long time coming!

Short-stacked, Anita was all-in holding 6c-6h-5h-Kh and Drew called showing 4c-3d-9s-9c. The 6s-9h-As flop was dealt and incredibly both players flopped sets! Unfortunately Drew's 9's were better than Anita's 6's. Anita needed running hearts or the case 6 to gain the lead. The 5c turn brought no help for her and cancelled a flush draw. It was down to the case 6. But the 10h came instead and S6E3 had it's winner.

This is Drew's second consecutive Fish & Chips Poker Tour's PLO event win! Drew took down "Pot 'Em All" last season.



Thanks to everyone who came out for S6E3 and congrats again to Drew on his win!

Not so unlimited



Huntington Drive - The second event in season six was the popular Unlimited Rebuy, No Limit Hold 'em tournament. When the dust settled on the event, Jason Ta. scored a victory over Mike T. It was Mike’s second cash of the season and Jason’s first.

 

Despite this being touted as one of the most popular events, six regulars opted out and five substitutes were added to the field.  Even though this was an unlimited rebuy, there was just 7 rebuys on the night, one by the eventual winner Jason Ta. Perhaps it was because the new and improved blind structure isn’t suited for this event, or a couple of notorious rebuyer's (John M. and Kevin A.) were absent for this event. Maybe players were saving their money for the cash game.

Cards were set to fly at 7 pm, but Nick and Anita were their usual 15 minutes late, and once they took their seats, the first hand was dealt.

The first elimination of the night occurred when substitute player Brian E. (19th) called Jason Tr's raise all-in. Shockingly Brian only had bottom pair to Jason’s flopped top pair. Brian elected not to rebuy. Keith K. (18th) was eliminated next when he re-raised Lolly all-in for 67K. Unfortunately for Keith, his A-9 was outkicked by Lolly’s A-K.

Season 5 POY, this event's gracious host and all around good guy Bill B (17th) was the next victim when his A-J couldn’t catch Jason Ta’s pocket 9’s which eventually turned a set. Bill retired to the cash game. Despite the early double-up, Jason Tr. (16th) was forced into a rebuy. On the second hand after rebuying, he limped into the pot with 7-5 with the 10-7-5 flop it looked good for him to rake a pot. Unfortunately for Jason, sub player Kevin L. slow played pocket 10’s into a flopped set and Jason was drawing to running 7’s or 5’s. The blank on the turn ended his night as Jason declined another rebuy.

Substitute player Vincent J. (15th) was the next player to be eliminated. Marc H. (14th) was all-in preflop with Kd-Jd but ran into the buzzsaw known as Mike T. with A-A. Eric W. (13th) was the next to meet the buzzsaw when he shoved all his chips in on his flopped nut flush draw. But the turn and river were no help and Mike T. scooped another big pot with two-pair.

Mike M. (12th) had perhaps the worst knockout of the night. With blinds at 5k/10k/1k, Lolly raised to 35k and Mike called. The flop was 7-6-4, Mikes goes all-in and Lolly calls. Mike tables 8-8 and Lolly has K-K and the lead. Mike calls for a 5 on the turn and gets it for a winning straight! But there are 3 diamonds on the board and Lolly has the King of diamonds. She then calls for the diamond on the river and gets it for the winning flush and the knockout!  

In the 7.5k/15k/2k level, Sean (11th) made a move on the blinds with a raise of 45k, but he got a call from Anita. Sean made a second move when he shoved his last 51k on a Q-3-4 flop. Anita called again. Sean tabled just J-9, Anita had A-8. That’s a call of an all-in with just ace high folks, that's champ material. The ace on the turn sealed Sean’s fate.  Minutes later, Jason Ta. was feeling the pressure of the blinds and another dwindling stack after already rebuying once. He raised all-in for 143k, Jim O. (10th) looked down at his cards, paused, looked at them again, pondered it, paused, looked at them again and called. Nick in the small blind looked at his cards and tanked….you know how this goes. Nick agonized over the decision, and the tabled agonized over Nick's agonizing. He finally folded. Jason tuned over 5-5 and Jim O. had 7-7.  The flop came A-8-3. No help for Jason. Nick had a cow as he said he folded A-J. The 4 on the turn added some outs for Jason. The two-outer 5 hit the river giving Jason a set and the KO of Jim O. With the elimination of Jim, the final table was formed.

It was a short stay at the final table for sub Brent B. (9th). In the 10k/20k/3k level, Nick raised to 45k and Brent pushed all-in for 123k. Nick called with K-10, Brent had A-J and the lead. Brent leads until the turn when Nick spikes a king. A blank fell on the river and Brent was eliminated.  Another sub, Aaron M. (8th) was the next to go when he misplayed his hand right to the cash game. He limped into the pot and then shoved all-in on a 9-Q-7 flop. Jason Ta. in the big blind snap called with 9-7 (two-pair) to Aaron's pocket 10’s. The turn and river were blanks for Aaron and Jason took down the pot.

Anita (7th) was card dead for most of the final table and with blinds at 15k/30k/5k, she pushed her last 110k into the pot preflop with 3-5 and got a caller in Kevin L. with 7-7. The 4-2-10 flop gave Anita the OESD, but the "Silent Assassin" faded the 8 outs on the turn and river. Nick (6th) followed Anita when he ran into karma ... or, um some bad luck. Still at the 15k/30k/5k level Lolly raised to 90k, Nick re-raised all-in for 230k and Lolly called. Nick had A-A, Lolly A-Q. It looked good for Nick until the flop came Q-K-10 giving Lolly some hope. The 7H on the turn looks like a blank. But the jack of hearts on the river seemingly screwed Nick into a chop pot, but the running hearts gave the board 4 hearts and Lolly’s ace of hearts gave her the flush and the win! After the hand, condolences were given to Anita on what would probably be a long car ride home for her. Angie S. (5th) was also quiet for most of the final table. In the 20k/40k/6k level Mike raised to 130k. Angie in the big blind pushed for 150k. It was an easy call of 20k for Mike. Angie turned over K-J to Mike’s K-9 and Angie looked to double up. But the K-7-9 flop crushes her hopes. The turn 5 was no help and the river 9 turned the knife.

Onto the money went the final four, Mike, Jason, Lolly and Kevin. Mike had a slight chip lead over Jason while Lolly and Kevin maintained the short stacks. With the chip lead, Mike began to get aggressive preflop. Sensing he might be raising light and getting agitated at Mike's constant preflop raising, Jason makes a call of Mike’s raise from the BB. On a flop of J-9-rag (2 diamonds), Jason open shoved all-in. Mike tanked for a few moments. He eventually called with Q-9. Jason shows Kd-3d. Mike is ahead for now. But a king hits the turn giving Jason the lead and a sigh from Mike. The river diamond adds the flush to Jason's hand and cripples Mike’s chip stack. Mike is not done however as he does double back up through Kevin and Jason on subsequent hands.

Lolly (4th) had no such luck on her all-in. In the 40k/80/10k level, Lolly is all-in preflop and gets a call from Mike. Lolly’s 10-3 holds the lead against Mike’s 8-5. The 2-J-J-2 board keeps her in the lead until the river 8 gives Mike the winning two pair. Lolly collects $80 for her 4th place finish.

Three handed play went on between Kevin, Mike and Jason for a while, with Kevin taking the chip lead away from Jason.  With Kevin in the SB, he pushed all-in on Jason’s BB. Jason looked down at K-Q, eventually calls then sees Kevin flip over A-Q. But a king spikes on the flop and it holds for Jason. Kevin (3rd) now crippled from that hand is all-in soon after that against Mike. Mike held K-J to Kevin’s 4-2 and flopped a king to take the commanding lead that held through the turn and river. It was a nice showing for the "Silent Assassin" who collected $110 for his third place finish.

In a rematch from Season 2 Event 4, it was chip leader Jason versus Season 1 POY Mike. Players shook hands and the cards were dealt. A brief money chop was discussed, but with Jason holding around a million chip lead, Jason declined. A few hands were played, Mike chipped up via preflop aggression while Jason simply tried to wait out the storm and catch a hand. 

Blinds got to 100k/200k/30k when Mike (2nd) with his usual preflop aggression, raised to 400k. Jason looked down at pocket fours and announced "all-in". Mike paused for a second and called showing K-6. Would Mike enact revenge on Jason for earlier crippling to his stack with a K-rag hand? The flop came A-J-10, giving Mike 4 more outs. The turn was an 8, keeping Jason's fours ahead. The river jack sealed the victory for Jason. Mike received $175 for 2nd place. Jason received $345 for finishing first.

 

This is Jason's third career win and second versus Mike.

Thanks to everyone who came out for S6E2 and congrats to Jason on his win!

~ Jason Ta.

Neo beginnings

Norborne - Season Six started out with a new kind of tournament.  Each player was given one directive:  Choose wisely.  Players were allowed to pick their own starting stack and in turn, control the points for which they were playing.  Buy-ins ranged from $30 to a T75,000 stack to $60 for a T150,000 in starting chips.  Rebuys were allowed through the first five levels, but they had to be at the same level that players bought in at originally.  All buy-in amounts were declared at the time the player reserved a seat.

Jim chose a $50 buy-in and a T125,000 starting stack.  And despite losing about one-third of it on the first hand, he proved he made the right choice, outlasting the field and beating Jason Tr. (who also chose a T125,000 starting stack but had to rebuy in level five to keep playing) in heads-up play to claim the first event of Season Six.

Seats filled quickly as all 20 regulars locked up their seats in the inaugural Season Six event in the F&CPT.  After a brief explanation of the Season Six side games and a heartfelt emotional speech by John, the Season Five Champ was escorted to his seat with Championship trophy in tow by his lovely wife and the first hand was dealt shortly after 7:00 p.m.

Already in for a rebuy, Kevin became the first elimination of the night in level 3 when he could not catch and his pocket jacks fell to John's pockets aces.  Marc also rebought before being eliminated in level 3.  With his stack dwindled down to about nine big blinds, Marc got his last 28,000 in the middle holding A-9 and he was eliminated by Bill's pocket 7's.  Marc missed the K-Q-8 flop and did not improve on the turn or river.  Level 3 also claimed Chris B.  Anita min-raised to 6,000 pre-flop and Chris smooth called.  After the 7-4-4 flop was checked to her, Anita bet out 15,000 and Chris shoved his last 27,000 in the middle; Anita called and showed Q-Q while Chris was way behind with 5-5.  A deuce on the turn left Chris with only two outs and a river 6 wasn't one of them. 

Through three blind levels, there were two rebuys and three eliminations.  Before the break, Jim H. would set the mark for the season-long High Hand Jackpot, turning his pocket three's into quad three's with an ace kicker.  If the hand hold up for the season, it'll be worth $180 -- but there are ten more events to go.

After the break, Jason busted out, but he took advantage of the extended rebuy period for Season Six and came back in on a rebuy.  But before the level ended, Anita would make it back-to-back eliminations as Keith's A-Q could not overcome her A-K and ace-high took the hand (with the king playing).

Level six saw another player eliminated as Bill and Chris S. got it all in the middle pre-flop.  Bill held the edge as he revealed AT and Chris showed A-7.  Not to be outdrawn, Bill locked up the hand on the turn by hitting a 10.

Level seven has been dubbed "the level where champions are made" and for this event, it would be no different.  As the rising blinds created more casualties, Mike and Fran took advantage of the situation and the two eliminated the next four players.  The first three knockouts occurred in level seven where blinds rose to 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante.  In the first elimination of the level, Jason Ta. raised to 25,000 and after Bill shoved in over the top, Jason called off his last 71,000.  Bill made tens full on the river to take down the pot and claim his third elimination of the evening.  In the same blind level, John and Mike T. got mixed up in a hand that saw both players put all their chips in preflop.  John found out he was drawing thin when he showed his A-Q only to find out Mike was holding K-K.  The board ran off 2-7-2-7-J and John was out in 14th place.  Anita also wasn't able to make it out of the level.  After losing 60,000 in chips to Jason Tr. the previous hand, she shoved her last 21,000 in preflop holding J-5.  Fran was in the hand holding A-7 and after an ace hit the flop, Fran was out in the lead.  The gap widened and another ace hit the river

As blinds climbed to 7,000/15,000 with a 2,000 ante in level eight, Nick planned on making a move.  He checked his hole cards and found 9-9 under-the-gun.  He made it 40,000 to go -- about one-fifth of his stack.  Unintimidated, Mike T. re-raised to 100,000 and the table folded back to Nick who instantly shoved, was instantly called, and learned in an *instant* that he was way behind as Mike turned over A-A.  The 3-4-2 board was dry but the 6 on the turn gave Nick four more outs to a chopped pot.  His Season Five magic fizzled, however, and Nick was eliminated when not only did he miss his card, but Mike hit an ace to seal Nick's fate.  Level eight also saw Mike M. sent to the rail unable to win any of three coin flips.  The final flip was Mike's 3-3 against Fran's Ac-Kc.  When a third club hit the river, Mike was out in 11th place. The final elimination of level eight also burst the final table bubble as Angie and Jim O. got tangled in a pot.  Jim raised preflop to 30,000 and after asking for a count, Angie shoved her final 77,000 in the pot holding A-3.  Jim called and tabled A-7 for the lead.  His lead grew on the 7-8-9 flop and Angie was left drawing dead when a 7 hit the turn.  The river 4 did not change the result and Angie was eliminated in tenth place.

The clock was paused briefly while seats were randomly assigned and each final table participant picked a card for the Final Table Showdown, to be held before event 11.  Resuming play, action continued into level nine before the next elimination -- but then they started coming in bunches.  Losing a coin flip on the prior hand left Bill with just 5,000 in chips after posting his ante; Bill was all-in blind.  Action came around to Jason Tr. and he raised it up 75,000 with Eric calling for less by putting his last 69,000 in the pot.  Jim called Jason's 75,000 to close out the pre-flop action.  With 4 players in the hand (and two players all in), the board came out 8-9-?.  Jim checked and Jason shoved.  Jim reluctantly folded to Jason's overbet and Jason showed 8h-9h for two pair on the flop.  Eric showed Kd-Qc and despite the rule to table your cards on an all-in, Bill belligerently refused.  When a Q hit the turn, Eric picked up some outs, but the river missed and Eric couldn't beat Jason's two pair.  Bill finally revealed Th-7c (which meant he flopped an OESD) and Jason scooped a good sized pot at a critical time for amassing chips.  Still in level nine, Lolly, Jim H. and Fran were all-in preflop.  Lolly was the shortest stack in the hand while Fran had them both covered.  Lolly showed A-Q while Jim turned over pocket 8's and Fran showed K-K.  The 2-7-7 flop didn't produce any draws, but a Q on the turn made it interesting for Lolly.  Her hopes were dashed when a 6d hit the river and gave Fran a big pot and two more eliminations.

In level ten, the blinds climbed to 15,000/30,000 and the ante hit 5,000.  With just five players remaining, an orbit of five hands cost each player 70,000 chips.  Although that's nearly the amount that some players started with, everyone at the table was relatively chip-healthy.  The level produced only one elimination.  Jason Tr. raised 4X to 120,000 and when the action got around to Sean, he put his last 240,000 in the middle.  Jason called holding A-A, way ahead of Sean's K-T.  Any drama was quickly squashed as the flop came 3-A-5 putting Jason well in the lead.  Needing running straight cards, the 7 on the turn sealed Sean's fate and he left in 5th place, bursting the money bubble.

Four-handed play continued into level eleven as the blinds reached 20,000/40,000 with a 6,000 ante.  Previously, the players had asked to color out the T1000 chips, so the antes were reduced to T5000.  Holding A-T and facing a raise to 145,000 from Jim, Fran pushed over the top for 310,000.  Jim called and turned over 3-3.  His hand held on the 6-2-9-7-5 board and Fran was sent home with fourth place prize money in his pocket; it was Fran's fifth cash in his last eight regular season tournaments.  Still in the same blind level, the play continued three-handed until Jim and Mike tangled in a hand.  Jim raised the action to 140,000 preflop and Mike called.  The flop came 4c-9h-5h and Mike led out for 250,000.  Jim shoved and Mike called, revealing Ah-2h for a flush draw and an inside straight draw.  Jim showed A-Q and although he had only a backdoor draw, he was ahead.  Jim's hand held up when the 8c hit the turn and the 4d hit the river.

Before heads up play began, the clock was paused so everyone could reset.  Chip stacks were counted out (Jim held approximately 1.6m chips and Jason has approximately 620,000 in front of him); everything was checked and double-checked.  The head-to-head combatants cleared their heads and play resumed.  As it turns out, the break lasted longer than heads up play and just a few hands later, it was over.

The blinds had crept into level twelve (25,000/50,000 with a 7,000 ante which the players agreed to forgo).  Jason had added about 100,000 to his stack and was slowly getting traction and moving his chip count in the right direction. That was until Jim raised preflop to 150,000 holding 4c-4d.  While processing the raise, Jason woke up with As-Jh and put his last 720,000 in the middle.  Jim called and it was a race!  Jason stumbled out of the gate on the 5c-6s-9d flop.  A three on the turn gave Jim a meaningless straight draw and a second three on the river gave Jim the victory!

 

Jim choose to go with a $50, T125k starting stack and did not rebuy. As a result, he receives 14.23 points for his win.

 

Thanks to everyone who participated in Event 1 and congrats again to Jim O.

 

~Eric W.