Look.
This shit is serious.
Diego Maradona has agreed to become the manager of the Mexican second-division club, Dorados, home of one of the most powerful drug cartels in the world (yes, they don’t just exist on Netflix), and people are playing poker in Las Vegas blissfully unaware.
“It’s going to be like carrying an elephant on my shoulders,” Maradona said about the challenge he faces at his new club.
From the Hand of God to a few men and women desperately wanting the right Hands from God.
I hope nobody puts him in a box after losing a few games.
An elephant?
Ok, it’s not going to be that difficult to win the 2018 Poker Masters, maybe, a racoon?
Let’s recap.
The winner of the 2018 Poker Masters is the person accumulating the most points through a seven-event series. Before last night we were two down with five remaining.
David Peters won Event #1: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) beating 69 entrants to claim the $193,200 first prize, and maximum 300 points.
Brandon Adams won Event #2: $25,000 NLHE beating 50 entrants to win the $400,000 first prize, and maximum 300 points.
Poker Masters Leaderboard After The First Two Events
- Brandon Adams – 420
- David Peters – 300
- Brian Green – 210
- Jared Jaffee – 210
- Rainer Kempe – 150
- Jake Schindler – 150
Moving swiftly on.
Event #3: $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO)
Event #3 was a new event for Poker Masters.
Some would ask why did they include the four-card variant, considering the US Poker Open is a mixed game event, and the 37 entrant number may force them to reconsider.
Until then.
Day 1 ended like this:
Final Table
Seat 1: Dan Shak – 781,000
Seat 2: Ben Yu – 832,000
Seat 3: Jonathan Depa – 1,413,000
Seat 4: Brandon Adams – 1,138,000
Seat 5: Keith Lehr – 712,000
Seat 6: Isaac Haxton – 675,000
Haxton was making his second final table, after coming sixth in Event #1, and Adams was making his third successive final table, finishing fourth and first in the previous two.
Let’s take a look at the run-in.
The Run-In
The first big hand of the day involved the two biggest stacks, and the result was a new chip leader.
Jonathan Depa opened to 30,000 from the cutoff, and Brandon Adams made the call in position. The flop was KsQc7s, Depa checked, Adams bet 50,000, and Depa made the call. The turn was the 5h, and once again the action fell to Adams. This time, the series leader bet 190,000, and Depa made the call. The 4s hit the fifth street, and Depa check-called a 240,000 bet from Adams.
Depa showed Ts9s8d6s for a flush, but Adams held AsAdQs8s for the nut flush.
Adams – 1,702,000
Depa – 903,000
Isaac Haxton doubled through Keith Lehr, and then through Ben Yu, only for Yu to gain revenge on Haxton in the following hand to leave him with five big blinds.
Haxton called from the button, and Yu checked his option from the big blind. The action checked through to the turn on a board of AsQd8s7c; Yu bet 140,000; Haxton called. The action card was the 5h on the river. Yu bet 300,000, and Haxton called. Yu showed QsQh3d2d for a flopped set, and Haxton mucked his hand.
Then the partypoker ambassador doubled through Depa, to leave him short, only for the Omaha specialist to triple up shortly after, and then we had our first casualty.
Dan Shak Eliminated in 5th Place.
Shak opened to 140,000 from under the gun, Depa raised to 480,000, and Shak made the call for his tournament life.
Depa: KhKd4s2s
Shak: 9d7d3c2c
Board: QhQs9sAd4c
No hope for Shak and the businessman was out, earning $55,000.
Then we lost the man of the moment.
Brandon Adams Eliminated in 5th Place.
Yu opened to 175,000 from the button, and Adams called from the big blind. The dealer laid the Td5d5h flop down in a brick-like fashion, Yu bet 125,000 once checked to, Adams moved all-in, and Yu called.
On your backs gentlemen.
Yu: AcQsQh4h
Adams: JsTh9d8d
Yu had the lead with queens up. Adams had to get lucky. He didn’t. The 4s on the turn and the 4c on the river didn’t change the outcome of the hand, and Adams was out in fifth earning $74,000.
Isaac Haxton Eliminated in 4th Place.
Keith Lehr tripled up in an all-in threeway showdown against Depa and Haxton. The partypoker pro was ahead pre-flop holding pocket aces, but Lehr’s AhTh7s7c flopped a set of sevens to take the hand and send Haxton down to the bottom of the barrel.
And then Depa filled it with water and sealed the lid.
Haxton opened to 280,000 on the button, and Depa made the call from the big blind. The flop rained down Qs6s5d, Depa put Haxton all-in, and he made the call.
Depa: JcTc7d4d
Haxton: AcQh9s3c
Haxton was ahead with top pair.
Turn: Jh
Depa hit a pair but was still behind.
River: Ts
Depa secured a two-pair hand, sending Haxton to the cashier desk to collect his $92,500 prize.
And then we were heads-up.
Ben Yu Eliminated in 3rd Place.
Yu opened to 280,000 on the button, and Lehr called in the big blind. The flop was a soaking wet JcTh9s; Lehr checked, Yu moved all-in, and Lehr bit his hand off.
Lehr: Qs9d8c6s
Yu: As7s7c6d
Lehr had flopped the straight. The Jh and 8d didn’t help Yu improve, and he was out, earning $148,000.
Heads-Up
Jonathan Depa: 2,800,000
Keith Lehr: 2,750,000
The bubbles hadn’t settled on either player’s sparkling water when Lehr struck a near fatal blow.
Depa opened to 240,000 on the button, and Lehr called. The flop was a rainbow looking Kd9s2h, and Lehr check-called a 225,000 Depa bet. All four suits hit the board after the dealer planted the 6d into the felt. Lehr checked his option, Depa bet 675,000, Lehr moved all-in, and Depa made the call.
Lehr: QdTc9d6h
Depa: 6s6c4s3d
Depa was ahead with a set of sixes, but Lehr was right in the mix with two pairs and a flush draw. The dealer flicked over the 5d to give Lehr his flush, and knock Depa down to less than two big blinds.
Depa stuck them in the middle on the next hand and got more back.
Then he did it again.
It didn’t work the third time.
Depa called on the button, and Lehr checked. The dealer placed the final flop of Js3d2h onto the felt, Lehr bet 240,000, Depa raised to 720,000, Lehr put him all-in, and Depa called.
Lehr: KsJh8d5d
Depa: 7h4h3s2s
Once again, Depa was ahead with Lehr holding the top pair, and Depa holding the bottom two pairs. Then everything changed. The dealer sent the 8c into play to give Lehr a higher two-pair hand, and the useless 5s on the river changed nothing. Lehr was our Event #3 champion.
Final Table Results
- Keith Lehr – $333,333 (300 points)
- Jonathan Depa – $222,000 (210 points)
- Ben Yu – $148,000 (150 points)
- Isaac Haxton – $92,500 (120 points)
- Brandon Adams – $74,000 (90 points)
- Dan Shak – $55,500 (60 points)
The win takes Lehr over the $3m mark in live tournament earnings. It’s his sixth live tournament victory of a career that stretches back to 2002 including two World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, and a World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) gold ring.
Poker Masters Leaderboard
– Brandon Adams – 510 points
– David Peters – 300
– Keith Lehr – 300
– Jared Jaffee – 210
– Jonathan Depa – 210
– Brian Green – 210
– Isaac Haxton – 180