Invincibility. It’s a lovely feeling. You could take a peg gun to the frontlines and emerge with more kills than Arnold Schwarzenegger. You walk into the cardroom, the Neocortex takes a peek around each corner, Bourne-style, and it’s the green light for the Cerebellum to send a memory into play laden with more feelgood chemicals than a Rolling Stones album.
The bells toll.
You study your opponents. Hardened chip fat. No unshaven legs. Every play as smooth as a babies bottom. You’re a reader of souls. A battering ram. While everyone else is yawning their life away, you are tuned in to the right frequency, the only frequency, the winning frequency.
And.
After taking down Event #5: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em at the 2018 Poker Masters, that’s how Ali Imsirovic felt as he surged through Day 1 of the toughest poker tournament in the world like he was a Shinkansen Bullet Train.
Here was the tale of the tape at the end of Day 1:
Final Table
Seat 1: Sam Soverel – 430,000
Seat 2: Ali Imsirovic – 3,630,000
Seat 3: Jake Schindler – 835,000
Seat 4: Seth Davies – 465,000
Seat 5: Justin Bonomo – 980,000
Seat 6: Koray Aldemir – 710,000
Imsirovic’s chip lead was a colossus one, making him the favourite to win back-to-back titles, and overtake Brandon Adams at the top of the leaderboard. Schindler was making his third final table after placing third and fourth in the previous $25k events. The rest were making their final table debuts, including the world’s top money earner, Justin Bonomo.
Here’s the Run-In
Justin Bonomo Eliminated in 6th Place.
Bonomo raised to 50,000 in the cutoff, holding AKhh, Aldemir three-bet to 170,000 holding pocket kings, Bonomo moved all-in, and Aldemir snap-called.
Board: QsQd8h6dTc
A cooler.
Bonomo was down to 65,000, and Aldemir had become Imsirovic’s primary rival on 1,925,000.
In the next hand, Imsirovic raised to 50,000 holding J8o, and Bonomo was all-in in the big blind with K2o. Imsirovic was behind but turned a jack to send the All-Time Live Tournament money earner over to the cash desk to collect his $141,000.
Sam Soverel Eliminated in 5th Place.
Imsirovic opened to 70,000 from the first position, Soverel moved-all-in for 225,000 in the big blind, and the man from Washington made the call.
Imsirovic: QsQh
Soverel: AKhh
Board: 6h4s9h2d
Soverel turned a flush draw, but the river remained as heartless as a politician and Imsirovic had taken his second head.
Jake Schindler Eliminated in 4th Place.
The action folded to Imsirovic in the small blind, and the big bully moved all-in holding 7c5d. Schindler made the call in the big blind holding pocket fours. A five on the flop gave Imsirovic his third casualty, and Schindler collected his $235,000 bounty.
Seth Davies Eliminated in 3rd Place.
Imsirovic limped from the small blind, Davies raised to 110,000 in the big blind, and Imsirovic called.
Flop: Ac6d5d
Imsirovic checked, Davies bet 155,000, Imsirovic check-raised all-in, and Davies called.
Imsirovic: 6c5c
Davies: TsTc
Imsirovic was ahead with his two-pair hand, and it stayed that way through the turn and river. Imsirovic would face Aldemir for the title.
Heads-Up
Ali Imsirovic – 5,085,000
Koray Aldemir – 1,965,000
After eliminating all four opponents till this point, and hoovering up all the chips, the smart money was on a quick Imsirovic victory. However, Aldemir, begin the brightest and worked his way into a 4:1 chip lead. Imsirovic retook the lead briefly, before Aldemir took the lead once more, only for Imsirovic to double into the lead for the third time when his JT beat A5 all-in, pre-flop. Imsirovic never lost the lead from that point, and finally ground Aldemir down. The German jammed for his last ten big blinds with 98o. Imsirovic called with KQo, and turned a queen to win back-to-back titles, and put himself in the lead for the race for the Purple Jacket with one event remaining.
Final Table Results
1. Ali Imsirovic – $799,000
2. Koray Aldemir – $517,000
3. Seth Davies – $352,500
4. Jake Schindler – $235,000
5. Sam Soverel – $188,000
6. Justin Bonomo – $141,000
Leaderboard Rankings
1. Ali Imsirovic – 660 pts
2. Brandon Adams – 510 pts
3. Isaac Haxton – 480 pts
4. Jake Schindler – 390 pts
5. Ben Yu – 360 pts