When GGPoker and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) crossed distant shores to pull together the first-ever online WSOP bracelet series, the $10,000 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em Championship became one of the premium events.
It didn’t disappoint, with two of the world’s smartest decipherers of the game of No Limit Hold’em, David Peters and Michael Addamo, battling it out for the sliver of gold and $360,480, and it was Peters who thwarted Addamo to collect his second bracelet.
Peters, who has more than $33.7m in live tournament earnings, won his first bracelet in 2016, defeating 1,860-entrants to win the $412,557 first prize in a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em event. To win this one he had to overcome the likes of Sami Kelopuro and Sergi Reixach before taking out the Canadian live streamer Alyssa McDonald in the semi-final.
Addamo overcame the formidable presence of Chi Zhang in a skitter of a mouse semi-final that lasted no more than 30-minutes. It’s been a tough few days for the Aussie, surrendering the lead to lose to Peters a few days shy of being the wrong end of the largest ever online cash game hand – $842k versus Wiktor Malinowski. Peters denied Addamo what would have been his third bracelet after winning two in 2018 taking down the $2,620 No Limit Hold’em Marathon in Las Vegas and the €25,500 No Limit Hold’em in Rozvadov for a combined haul of $1.5m
David Peters Route to the Title
Round of 128: Beats Johan Guilbert Round of 64: Beats Sami Kelopuro Round of 32: Scott Woods Round of 16: Sergi Reixach Quarter-Finals: Stefan Burakov Semi-Finals: Alyssa McDonald Final: Michael Addamo
Event #54: $10,000 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em Championship
128-entrants
Results
David Peters – $360,480
Michael Addamo – $223,488
Alyssa McDonald – $124,160
Chi Zhang – $124,160
Stefan Burakov – $49,664
Chris Brewer – $49,664
Belarmino De Souza – $49,664
Pedro Waldburger – $49,664
Often, when writing about poker, an image of the little old woman who lived in a shoe pops into my head. She had so many children she didn’t know what to do. And here I am writing about poker, a game that builds beautiful butterflies, while the rest never make it out of the chrysalis, drowning in their juices.
Another day.
Another article.
The little old woman who lived in the shoe is here again. I can see her fragility, and I can hear the echoes of her screams. The blinkers lost, the earplugs not to be found.
It’s the final day of the Super High Roller Bowl V (SHRB). A $300,000 buy-in, a $10m prize pool, and a £3.67m first prize.
That’s more than enough shoes.
I can choose any angle, like the one where partypoker’s Isaac Haxton finally binks his major title.
He is the chip leader after all. What about the thought of Ali Imsirovic or Stephen Chidwick winning their second major Poker Central title in 12-months. The Poker Masters and US Poker Open winners are choosing to avoid a leg wax to play in the final, later, today.
What about the brilliant Spaniard, Adrian Mateos, who is in the frame to win his fifth major title, after leaving his homeland as a pup, and is now travelling the world, tearing poker games apart like a rottweiler.
And then you have the most obvious angle of all.
Alex Foxen.
The Global Poker Index (GPI) #1 ranked player in the world, and the favourite to take the mantle of GPI Player of the Year (PoY) from the savvy Spaniard who just filled the paragraph above.
He has made the final table of the SHRB.
If I were 12, I would write OMG.
But I am not going to focus on any of these stories (or the caterpillars that crawl over the eyes of the man sitting opposite me), I am going to focus on Igor Kurganov and Talal Shakerchi.
£3.67m is life-changing money.
If Kurganov or Shakerchi win it, then it becomes life-saving.
The two of them have made it their vocation to serve others through philanthropy. Shakerchi ploughs millions into his vision of a better future for earthlings, and Kurganov does the same as a board member of Raising for Effective Giving (REG),
I know I could be doing everyone else at the table a disservice, but I know, like a toothpick knows where the Chia Seeds hangout, that these two people will save lives.
So that’s where I am going to go with it.
Life-Savers Talal Shakerchi & Igor Kurganov Make the SHRB Final Table
Here’s how they did it.
Day 1 began with 36-entrants, and Rick Salomon ended the day leading the final 27-players.
You can read the write up of Day 1, right here.
Here are the hits of Day 2.
Alex Foxen’s TT Bests AK & AK For Triple Up
Alex Foxen’s tournament line was at risk nice and early when he got it in three-ways with Dan Cates and Dan Smith. Cates was the only player not at risk of elimination. Foxen was the aggressor, and showed TT, and was as cheerful as chips when he saw the two Dan’s both held AK. The tens held up; Smith fell into the rail, Cates took a considerable blow to the solar plexus and Foxen tripled-up.
Alex Foxen v David Peters
If you were to let AI choose the two best live multi-table tournament (MTT) players in the world so we could see them duke it out like Ali v Frazier style, then the names Alex Foxen and David Peters would fly out of the printer.
The GPI #1 & #2 clashed in a cooler of a hand that left Peters on life support. Both players flopped huge on QdQs2h with Foxen holding QTo, and Peters ahead with QJcc. Peters check-raised to 58,000, and Foxen called. The 7h arrived on fourth-street and both players checked. The river was the Ts, giving Foxen the best hand. Peters bet 150,000, Foxen shipped it for 278,000, and Peters called. Foxen showed the nuts and Peters fell to 9k. A hand later, and Salomon snaffled them up when his pocket nines beat a K7o that looked as depressed as the man holding them.
Stephen Chidwick Takes the Chip Lead
Before Alex Foxen was on top of the world, Stephen Chidwick held that position for a very long time. The UK pro became a real force in this one when he opened from the first position, Rick Salomon called in late position, and then Alex Foxen three-bet from the big blind. Both Chidwick and Salomon called, and the dealer placed Tc8s4c onto the felt. Foxen checked, Chidwick bet 42,000, Salomon raised to 142,000, Foxen folded, and Chidwick called. The 3s arrived on the river, and Salomon maximised the pressure by moving all-in once checked too. Chidwick took his time before making the call. Salomon was chasing with 96cc, and Chidwick held the slight advantage with T9ss for top pair. The 4d floated down the river, and Chidwick doubled into the chip lead.
Daniel Negreanu Eliminates The Former Champion
Justin Bonomo became the only former champion in with a shout of creating deja vu after Daniel Negreanu eliminated the 2015 winner, Brian Rast. The PokerStars man opened to 12,000 from midfield, Dan Cates and Ali Imsirovic called in position before Brian Rast moved all-in for 145,000 from the big blind. Negreanu followed suit, and neither Cates nor Imsirovic wanted a piece of the action. Negreanu showed queens, Rast ATo, and the ladies reigned supreme.
We Lose The Day 1 Chip Leader
Rick Salomon has featured in three $1m buy-in Big One for One Drop Final Tables. He knows the way to reach the end zone of these things, but won’t be repeating that feat. After falling short, the Day 1 Chip Leader moved all-in with A5o, and Sean Winter called and beat him with A9cc.
Alex Foxen Takes Control
Then we had two huge hands that propelled Foxen into the lead.
The GPI #2 raised to 14,000 from the button, Sean Winter three-bet to 55,000 from the blinds and Foxen called. The dealer placed 9h6c3d onto the flop. Winter had flopped top set, and Foxen an open-ended straight draw. Winter bet 60,000 and Foxen called. The Qh appeared on fourth-street to give Foxen a flush draw. Winter bet 145,000, Foxen shipped it, and Winter made the quick call. The players focused on the space where the river would land, and after a daydream or two, the Ts took its place. Foxen hit his straight. Winter was out.
Then Alex Foxen opened from the cutoff, Justin Bonomo called in the small blind, Nick Petrangelo three-bet from the big blind to 70,000, Foxen raised to 178,000, Bonomo left the party, and Petrangelo called. The dealer delivered Kh5h3s onto the flop, Petrangelo checked, Foxen bet 95,000, and Petrangelo called. The action checked through to the river on a 3c and Th board. Petrangelo bet 175,000, Foxen moved all-in for 1.2 million, Petrangelo called and was shattered to see that his full house (TT) never stood a chance against the KK of Foxen. The GPI #1 was the chip leader. Petrangelo was out.
We Lose the SHRB V Champion
We know one thing.
Whoever wins this thing will be doing so for the first time.
Justin Bonomo, who was first to act, opened to 14,000, Isaac Haxton called in the hijack, Foxen squeezed to 57,000 from the button, Bonomo moved all-in for 710,000, Haxton folded, and Foxen made the call and had his opponent crushed KK>A4hh. Bonomo found no joy on the board and would have to sit this one out, after winning the Las Vegas and Macau events earlier this year.
Daniel Negreanu Eliminated by Stephen Chidwick
The play moved into the bubble phase after Stephen Chidwick removed the dangerous Daniel Negreanu from the equation. Both players were staring at a 6c3s2d flop when the US Poker Open Champion bet 50,000, Daniel Negreanu raised to 100,000, Chidwick made it 250,000, and Negreanu called. The 9d arrived on fourth-street, Chidwick bet 150,000, Negreanu moved all-in for 444,000, and Chidwick called. Negreanu showed pocket sevens but was way behind the T9o of Chidwick who had turned a pair of nines. The 4s ended the action, and Negreanu left his seat.
Mikita Badziakouski Bubbles the SHRB V
Stack depth saw the remaining eight players compete for three hours before we anyone made any money. Mikita Badziakouski opened to 40,000 from the first position and then moved all-in after Stephen Chidwick had three-bet to 150,000 from the big blind. Badziakouski called and showed AK; Chidwick showed TT and won the flip to set up our final table.
And I never even mentioned Shakerchi or Kurganov once.
Why did I choose that poxy headline?
Maybe tomorrow.
Here are the final table chip counts: The Super High Roller Bowl V Final Table
1. Ali Imsirovic – 875,000
2. Stephen Chidwick – 2,405,000
3. Isaac Haxton – 2,415,000
4. Igor Kurganov – 1,550,000
5. Talal Shakerchi – 995,000
6. Alex Foxen – 1,590,000
7. Adrian Mateos – 975,000
The action begins at 4 pm (ET) on Wednesday 19 December where we will crown a winner. In the meantime, the remaining seven players have had some broth without any bread, and after being whipped soundly are now all in bed.
I’m listening to William Shatner on Spotify.
What’s going on?
William Shatner?
He’s banging on about mountains in the air, and the need to get it together man. I would have thought a man like Shatner would have been on the scrapheap by now. What versatility.
TJ Hooker.
James T. Kirk.
Singer.
I need serenity.
I need peace.
It hasn’t happened yet.
Well, let’s see if I can bang out the week’s top stories from the world of the High Rollers before it does.
Online Poker News: Record-Breaking Online MILLIONS; Greenwood Doing His Bollocks; Talal Shakerchi Making Sunday Million Final Table
I don’t know how much air to put into a tyre. I don’t understand when the oil needs topping up. Temperature means nothing to me.
But I know this.
partypoker made history this week.
The online poker behemoth hosted the wealthiest online poker tournament since the days of the Allosaurus, when 4,367-entrants created a $21,385,000 prize pool, easily beating the $20m guarantee that many (including me and Shatner) thought they had no chance of achieving.
Four people had their siblings hoping for a handsome handout.
Manuel Ruivo won the world-record prize of $2,329,944 after cutting an ICM deal with Pim de Goede that saw the Dutchman become only the fourth player in history to win a $2m+ prize, collecting $2,309,995.
And check this out.
The Slovenian, Scarmak3r, parlayed a $5 online satellite win into a $1,364,688 windfall.
The dream is still alive.
Pedro Marques was the fourth player to bank a seven-figure score = $1,091,750.
And there was another record, but one Sam Greenwood likely didn’t want.
12 bulleted online Millions. Is that the high score?
So that’s how they make these imperious guarantees!
partypoker didn’t reserve all big money for the partypoker tournament tables. Sam Trickett and Rob Yong had a good week, collecting $300k+ each from a $200/$400 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) game that included the likes of Matt Kirk. Trickett used the money to buy himself a nice new shirt in preparation for handing Team USA their first Mosconi Cup win since 2009.
Moving from partypoker to PokerStars, and Talal Shakerchi, finished sixth in the $215 buy-in Sunday Million, showing his love for the game. The Global Poker Index (GPI) World #1, Alex Foxen, also had a good week picking up his third PokerStars High Roller Club title. Fellow high rollers, Joao Vieira, Ivan Luca and Alex Papazian also picked up PokerStars High Roller Club titles.
Live Poker News: SHRB Draw; Million Dollar Cash Game; WPT Garden and WSOP Sydney HRs
The organisers of the Super High Roller Bowl V (SHRB) had a brain fart this week. The live lottery to determine the first 24-picks should have gone ahead on Nov 27, but Poker Central cancelled it without telling any of the players.
Hey @ARIAPoker@PokerCentral@PokerGO@TDPaulCampbell
I really don’t know what’s up this year, but not giving out any information regarding #Shrb is really annoying. Would be great to know whether I should book a flight to Vegas or not in a couple of days.
The lottery did happen, albeit late, and 34-names came out of the hat, not 24.
Here they are:
1. Justin Bonomo
2. Daniel Negreanu
3. Fedor Holz
4. David Peters
5. Dan Smith
6. Bryn Kenney
7. Phil Hellmuth
8. Jason Koon
9. Jake Schindler
10. Brian Rast
11. Mikita Badziakouski
12. Isaac Haxton
13. Christoph Vogelsang
14. Stephen Chidwick
15. Cary Katz
16. Rainer Kempe
17. Dominik Nitsche
18. Adrian Mateos
19. Nick Petrangelo
20. Igor Kurganov
21. Steffen Sontheimer
22. Sean Winter
23. Koray Aldemir
24. Ben Tollerene
25. Sam Soverel
26. Alex Foxen
27. Dan Cates
28. Ben Yu
29. Talal Shakerchi
30. Bill Klein
31. Matthias Eibinger
32. Ali Imsirovic
33. Seth Davies
34. Chris Kruk
That leaves 14-spaces left.
The SHRB V takes place December 17, 18 & 19.
One player who is not on that list is Patrik Antonius, and this week the fabulous looking Finn was in India where he guested at Deltin Corporation’s 10th-anniversary celebrations aboard the Deltin Casino in Goa. Antonius finished runner-up to Justin Bonomo in the inaugural Super High Roller Bowl China earlier this year, earning $3.1m.
In other high rolling live tournament news the World Poker Tour (WPT) announced a $25k buy-in event as part of the WPT Gardens Festival 16 January, and the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) at The Star in Sydney has an AUD 20,000 buy-in event penned in for 12th/13th December.
From tournaments to cash games and the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles has announced a million dollar cash game. The game is $100/$200 No-Limit Hold’em with a $100k Minimum buy-in scheduled for ten hours of action Friday, December 14 – Garrett Adelstein and Nick Vertucci feature.
And Ben Lamb seems to have created a new game.
Short-Deck is so last week.
New invention. Medium deck plo. Now being spread @ARIAPoker only the 2s and 3s removed. One seat open. 10k buy in.
Lamb joined Justin Bonomo, and a whole host of degens as Short-Deck, Medium-Deck, Call-It-What-You-Want-Deck appeared on Poker After Dark for the first time this week.
Thor Hansen Passes; Smith Charity Drive; Bathroom Bet Update
The Norwegian legend Thor Hansen finally lost his battle with cancer this week, but boy, did he put up a fight. Six years ago, doctors gave Hansen three months to live after diagnosing him with cancer, and yet Hansen was still riffling chips at the WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida last month. Tributes poured in from all over the poker globe, but I particularly like this one from Mike Sexton.
Thor Hansen-great memories is right @padraigpoker. After being chip leader in an early WPT, reporter asked him, “What are you going to do with $1m if you win?” Thor said, “I’ll pay off a few debts.” Reporter said, “What about the rest?” Thor said, “They’ll have to wait.” #classichttps://t.co/e1gHzvuZSA
Rich Alati’s father (also Richard) has told the poker media that the $100k Bathroom Bet is more to do with the personal challenge than the money. Cash game grinder, Rory Young bet Alati $100k that he couldn’t stay in a darkened bathroom without human contact or any external stimuli for 30-days, and although his father is ‘concerned’ about the bet, you sense he feels confident that Alati junior will get the job done.
Finally, Dan Smith launched his fifth annual charity drive. This year, Smith has labelled his philanthropic effort DoubleUpDrive, and the plan is for Smith and his team to match donations up to a ceiling of $1,140,000.
If you want to make a difference in the world, then donate to one of Smith’s charities, and send your receipt to receipts@doubleupdrive.com.
And that’s this week’s Pinnacle.
Stop licking those envelopes. Christmas can wait. Put down that cheap wine. Listen up. It’s time to find out what the high stakes poker players have been up to this week.
It’s time for The Pinnacle.
We begin with a new record.
partypoker successfully breached the $20m guarantee slapped onto the wrapping paper covering the $5,300 buy-in MILLIONS Online event. All told, 4,367 entrants created a total prize pool of $21,835,000, and leading the pack going into Day 2 is the high roller and partypoker ambassador, Philipp Gruissem with 26,865,379 chips.
Gruissem has earned more than $3.6m playing online multi-table tournaments (MTTs), so expect him to run deep, if not win the thing. If he does, it will rank as his Jolly Green Giant of wins as the first prize is $2.5m and not even the man with the best tash in the business has won money like that before.
Here are the other high rollers who have made it through to Day 2 (that I know of).
68th: Fedor Holz, Team partypoker: 11,946,929
305th: Sam Trickett, Team partypoker: 5,576,388
505th: Dzmitry Urbanovich, Team partypoker: 2,432,447
270th: Viktor “Isildur1” Blom: 6,303,392
285th: Chance “ChanceSeeYou” Kornuth: 6,006,067
425th: Talal “raidalot” Shakerchi: 3,600,564
You see the name of Sam Trickett in 305th place, well the lad from the UK has had a good week. Trickett and Dusk till Dawn (DTD) owner, Rob Yong, both pulled $300k+ off the $100/$200 and $200/$400 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) tables at partypoker this week. At his peak, Matt “SwordfishAA” Kirk sat with more than $600k in front of him.
They may have begun with the goal to become the End Boss of live tournaments, but they are also demonstrating the power to go head-to-head with PokerStars in the online realm.
Super High Roller Bowl Ruling; Brian Rast Musing
From what is now the Whole Foods Green Nutty Buddy of an online poker tournament to it’s equivalent in the live realm. I am, of course, talking about the Super High Roller Bowl V (SHRB).
Poker Central scheduled the event for May 2019. Then they pulled it back to December 2018, told people to pay a $30,000 deposit by Nov 26, and promised to select the first draft of players via a live lottery on PokerGO on Nov 27.
Well, it’s 4 Dec.
Tick.
Tock.
2017 Poker Master, Steffen Sontheimer, had to ask Twitter if Poker Central had postponed said lottery. ARIA Tournament Director, Paul Campbell, confirmed the rumours were true. The deposit deadline had moved to Dec 3, and the lottery would take place on Dec 4.
I reached out to three players who will be in that live lottery, including Sontheimer, and they all confirmed that nobody from ARIA or Poker Central served notice.
Bad form for a $300,000 buy-in event if you ask me.
The first-ever SHRB took place in 2015. Back then the price point was $500,000, and Brian Rast beat 43-entrants to win the $7,525,000 first prize, and Brian has been battering Twitter this week.
Rast showed that he’s not a fan of nationalism, reposting a blog post he wrote in 2016 entitled Citizen of Earth.
Here are some pieces of gold from that one.
Nationalism has become an intellectual poison, a virus.
The more I age, grow, and travel, the more that this is clear to me: Despite what my passport says, I am not fundamentally an American, but a citizen of the pale blue dot that is Earth.
But in poker, I’ve learned that I am not defined by what I’ve done. Every day that I go play, I forget what I’ve accomplished because that only exists to serve my ego. And serving my ego, while perhaps emotionally satisfying, is but a crutch and will only hold me back. I’m only as good as the next hand that I play. And the same is true of just about everything else you do in life.
The post also included this peach of a video from Carl Sagan.
Check it out.
Birthdays, Books and the Bathroom Bet
It was an excellent week for the three-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, Eli Elezra. Not only did he celebrate his birthday, but his autobiography: Pulling The Trigger, finally shipped to the printers and will be on sale January 2019.
You can buy a copy on presale here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1880685604/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=cardplayerlif-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1880685604&linkId=66ad04e12f3f8e20f36684da321e2419
Elezra wasn’t the only high stakes poker player enjoying a birthday this week. The former One Drop winner, Antonio Esfandiari, turned 40 and celebrated in his usual imitable style throughout the Las Vegas Strip.
Remember the time that Esfandiari pissed in a bottle underneath a poker table at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA), so he could win a bet with Bill Perkins?
Well, this week we learned of an even more insane bet.
High stakes live cash game grinder, Rich Alati, stands to win. $100,000 if he can live in a bathroom for 30-days.
I nearly forgot.
The bathroom will be sealed shut.
There is no light.
No personal possessions except a yoga mat.
No contact with people.
Fellow high stakes live cash grinder, Rory Young, is the man likely to win the $100,000 even money bet.
Doyle, Dan, David and Dandelion Tea
David Peters continued his pursuit of Alex Foxen in the race for the Global Poker Index (GPI), Player of the Year, after defending his $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em crown at the Seminole Hard Rock Rock ‘n’ Roll Open.
Peters topped a field of 95-entrants to win the top prize of $143,159, 12-months after conquering a field of 61-entrants to bank the $104,309 first prize.
Peters later told the press that he wore the same sweatshirt during both tournaments. Maybe poker isn’t bringing in enough bacon to pay the bills? If so, then I have just the job for him.
Hey! I am looking for an experienced star-quality chef with a great mindset to work within my home and with my team!
Extensive cooking experience and location Vienna required. Outlook: Running a low-key 1*-Restaurant in our space. Health & performance will be central.
Last year, Fedor Holz kindly contributed $250,000 to Dan Smith’s fourth Charity Drive, and this week, the man in the ten-gallon hat released details of his fifth Charity Drive where he will match any donations to the tune of $1.4m. Once again, effective altruism is at the heart of his decisions.
Learn more here.
And nobody wears a ten-gallon hat better than the next man.
Doyle Brunson believes that the host of the Waking Up Podcast, Sam Harris, is an idiot after Gus Hansen tweeted that the famous atheist suggested you could walk him blindfold into a library and he would pick out a book with more wisdom on how to live your life than the bible.
And I bet that’s precisely how Brunson felt when in the days before giant corporations turned a stretch of the Las Vegas desert into The Strip, he turned down the opportunity to buy a prime piece of land for $60,000 because he lost a big bet on the Dallas Cowboys.
And that is this week’s Pinnacle.
David Peters has close to 7,000 followers on Twitter.
Whores.
Clowns.
The people who put their head into the mouths of crocodiles.
Seven thousand of them.
And he never tweets.
You’re more likely to see him become a jockey and win the Kentucky Derby than peddle in 280-characters of self-aggrandisement, and that’s a shame because Peters has more to tweet about than most.
He is the Machine Gun Kelly of poker at the moment.
Peters took down the 95-entrant $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the Seminole Hard Rock Rock ‘n’ Roll Open. It’s worth mentioning, not merely as a reminder of Peters’ brilliance, but because he won the same event last year taking down 61-entrants to bank the $104,309 first prize.
He was even wearing the same sweatshirt.
The win brings him closer to Alex Foxen in his bid to become the first player to win the Global Poker Index (GPI) Player of the Year twice after securing the honour in 2016.
Here are those GPI POY Rankings:
1. Alex Foxen – 3,836.72
2. David Peters – 3,776.97
3. Justin Bonomo – 3,763.02
4. Stephen Chidwick – 3,691.67
5. Jake Schindler – 3,625.15
Back to Peters’ Floridian success and joining him at the final table was a bunch of players in sterling form.
Guillaume Diaz arrived in fine fettle after finishing 6/196 in the recent $10,300 High Roller at the partypoker Caribbean Poker Party (CPP) for $100,000, and also took down the PokerStars’ European Poker Tour (EPT) National Event in Monte Carlo conquering a 1,501 field to bank the €250,000 first prize.
Joey Weissman also had form finishing tenth in that same $10k at the CPP for $40,000, finishing third in the $10k at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Montreal for $93,820 and acting as the bridesmaid to Ludovic Geilich in the 1,716-entrant Opening Event at the partypoker MILLIONS Grand Final in Barcelona earlier in the year.
Jake Schwartz came runner-up to Tony Tran in the recent WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble Main Event in Jacksonville for $228,590, and Will Givens finished eighth in the WPT Maryland Live! Main Event, earning $121,112. Givens recovered from his eighth-place finish in this one to take down the 88-entrant $1k Turbo for $28,380.
Impressive feats, until you stack them up against the 2018 exploits of Peters, who has won seven competitions, and $10.6m in live tournament dollars (only Justin Bonomo $25,428,935, Mikita Badziakouski $14,563,871, and Jason Koon $11,590,538 have earned more).
It’s time to buy a new sweatshirt.
Here are the final table results: Final Table Results
1. David Peters – $143,159
2. Guillaume Diaz – $85,738
3. Alex Haber – $54,150
4. Joey Weissman – $34,972
5. Jake Schwartz – $27,075
6. Stanley Lee – $21,434
7. Jeff Gross – $18,050
8. Will Givens – $15,794
The Bahamas is going to get a tad busy in November.
Tiger Woods, the Phil Ivey of golf, is in town, leading 16 of the world’s best 23 players in The Hero World Challenge, and partypoker LIVE has set up camp in the Baha Mar Resort, Nassau, for their annual Caribbean Poker Party (CPP).
The first two flights of the $25,500 MILLIONS World are in the books. The event created as a direct response by PokerStars to build a $25,000 buy-in, PokerStars Player’s No-Limit Hold’em Championship, pulled in 77-entrants on Day 1A, and 205-entrants on Day 1B, for a combined 282-runners. Late registration is open for the first four levels of Day 2, and as they are more than 100-players shy of the $10m Guarantee, one suspects the CPP begins with a healthy dose of free money.
Here are the top five chip stacks going into Day 2.
1. Geraldo Cesar – 4,315,000
2. Chance Kornuth – 3,840,000
3. Calvin Anderson – 3,700,000
4. Isaac Haxton – 3,660,000
5. Andreas Eiler – 3,645,000
Also on the CPP roster is a $50,000 Super High Roller and a $250,000 Super-Duper High Roller.
Two players who made it through to Day 2 of the $25,500 MILLIONS World are Sam Soverel (1,200,000) and David Peters (900,000), and if you have a few bucks to spare, it may be worth a punt if you can find a book on the event.
Soverel and Peters were the stars of the ARIA Poker Room’s recent Fall Madness. The series consisted of seven events, three of which had buy-ins of $25k+
Event #1: $10,500 Pot-Limit Omaha (Anthony Alberto – $128,800)
Event #2: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em (Jared Jaffee – $132,000)
Event #3: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck (Sam Soverel – $81,000)
Event #4: $26,000 No-Limit Hold’em (Stephen Chidwick – $283,500)
Event #5: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck (Sam Soverel – $102,600)
Event #6: $52,000 No-Limit Hold’em (Matthias Eibinger – $575,000)
Event #7: $103,000 No-Limit Hold’em (David Peters – $1,104,000)
Here are the updated High Roller of the Year Top 5 Spots.
1. Sam Soverel – 1,560
2. David Peters – 1,325
3. Cary Katz – 1,255
4. Justin Bonomo – 1,025
5. Dan Smith – 1,025
Remember, the HR Series only includes tournaments held at ARIA or ARIA’s partner casinos, and the top five will avoid the Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) lottery should they choose to pay the $300,000 buy-in, which I am sure they all will.
Finally, the World Poker Tour (WPT) and partypoker LIVE completed the first joint event of their new four-year deal. WPT Montreal took place at the Playground Poker Club, and despite not having a High Roller in the schedule, several of the mob put up a decent showing – Sorel Mizzi finished third, Mike Leah finished 18th, and that man David Peters was at it again finishing 83rd.
The Best of the Rest
Moving from the live arena to the digital one, and Fedor Holz will stream his involvement in the $5,300 partypoker MILLIONS Online Main Event on Twitch. The $20m GTD event promises to be the most significant ever held online and runs 25 Nov through 5 Dec. Holz is a member of the No-Limit Gaming stream team, a poker/esports streaming team created by the former Triton Poker Series Macau Six-Handed Champion, Stefan Schillhabel.
PokerStars has extended their online High Roller schedule. While the buy-ins might not feature in the $25k+ realm you are used to reading about here; they are the highest buy-ins that you will find week-in-week-out in any online poker room.
Here are the events for Mon, Wed & Sat.
$530, $150k GTD Bounty Builder High Roller
$530, $50k GTD Daily 500
$530, $50k GTD Daily Supersonic
$1,050, $100k GTD Daily Warm Up
$1,050, $100k – $225k Daily Themed $1k
$1,050, $100k Daily Cooldown
On Tue, Thu & Sun there is also a $530 Omania High Roller.
Each Sunday, the Daily Themed $1k turns into a $2,100 Sunday High Roller, the buy-in for the Sunday Cooldown inches north to $2,100, and the Supersonic moves up to $1,050.
In other news, Philipp Gruissem appeared on The Chip Race podcast this week. The two-time WPTAlpha8 winner talked about the effect that ego played during his meteoric rise to fame, drugs, and effective altruism.
Check it out here.
Dan Smith is donating 5% of anything that he makes in the $25,000 MILLION World and $250,000 Super-Duper High Roller at the partypoker CPP. The recent WPT DeepStacks Joberg winner Maria Ho immediately declared she would join him.
One area Smith might want to take a look at is smoking. There are 9 million deaths directly contributed to smoking, and Smith recently asked on Twitter if there were any two packs a day poker players? It turns out that Doyle Brunson used to eat two packs a day for breakfast.
Dietrich Fast is one of the players who recently took advantage of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) by removing his content from Hendon Mob. Poker stat fanatics were undoubtedly angry about the WPT Champions’ decision, including an old guy from Scotland.
Meanwhile in scotland, edingburgh. Im crossing a street and an older guys ran me over. He mumbeled im sorry and i just gave him a look. He continued with „i said i am sorry fucking cunt.“ now im in love with scotland
And we end with a song.
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Erik Seidel. Happy birthday to you.
And that’s this week’s Pinnacle.
Frank Sinatra once warbled: “this town is a lonely town. This town is a make-you town, or a break-you-town and bring-you-down town.”
It sounds a lot like Vegas to me.
Many arrive hoping for Disneyland, only to leave with empty pockets and vertigo, a startling start at 5 am, riffling chips sounding like Mortar bombs, an ear canal ready to implode. Feverish scratching like a beat-up stray missing a flea collar.
“It’s a shove-you-down and push-you ‘round town. This town, it’s a use-you town. An abuse-you town until-you’re-down town.”
Not for Sam Soverel and David Peters.
Not this week.
The card room at the ARIA Resort & Casino has been banging this past week. Poker players of the highest calibre have been merging into stacks like geckos, imaginary spears, loaded and cocked; ready to bring down the world’s biggest whales.
Fall Madness.
The menu contained seven events, four of which wouldn’t typically feature in these pages, but for the sake of providing you with a more rounded piece to scoff during your morning Frappuccino, we include them.
Here were the events:
Event #1: $10,500 Pot-Limit Omaha
Event #2: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em
Event #3: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck
Event #4: $26,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Event #5: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck
Event #6: $52,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Event #7: $103,000 No-Limit Hold’em
There were many first-rate performances.
Stephen Chidwick finished runner-up to Jared Jaffee in the $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE), before winning the $26,000 event. Alex Foxen recently dethroned Chidwick from the top seat of the Global Poker Index (GPI), and what a way to respond. The $26k victory was Chidwick’s 14th career win and his sixth at The ARIA.
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) & World Poker Tour (WPT) Champion, Jared Jaffee, also had a tip-top Fall Madness, winning the $10,500 for $132,000, and picking up a third in the $26k, and Jonathan Depa, gained two runner-up finishes in both the $10,500 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) and the $10,500 NLHE Short-Deck.
But the stars of the show were Soverel and Peters.
Soverel was the most consistent performer, winning both $10,500 NLHE Short-Deck events, and taking second in the $52,000 NLHE for a total score of $533,600 – extending his lead at the top of the Poker Central’s Oscars: The High Roller of the Year leaderboard.
Peters…well, Peters is a monster.
David Peters Wins $100k Main Event
The man from Ohio took third in the $52,000 before vanquishing 24-entrants in the $103,000 event for $1,104,000, after beating Rick Salomon, heads-up. Peters has now won six titles this year, half of which have been seven-figure scores, and this was Peters’ seventh seven-figure score in the past three years.
All told, Peters has earned $9m this year (gross) playing live tournaments, and only Jason Koon ($11.5m), Mikita Badziakouski ($13.8m), and Justin Bonomo ($25.2m) have collected more.
The win sees Peters, depose Antonio Esfandiari in the sixth spot of the All-Time Money Earned charts with $27,815,923, and it won’t be too long before he surpasses Dan Colman, who has his handbrake firmly applied in $28,925,059th gear.
Only a fortnight ago, Peters finished runner-up to Martin Kabrhel in the €100,000 Super High Roller at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) for $1.8m.
“This town is an all-right town.”
Here are the results in full: Event #1: $10,500 Pot-Limit Omaha
28-entrants
ITM Results
1. Anthony Alberto – $128,800
2. Jonathan Depa – $78,400
3. Craig Varnell – $44,800
4. Sean Winter – $28,000 Event #2: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em
33-entrants ITM Results
1. Jared Jaffee – $132,000
2. Stephen Chidwick – $85,800
3. Ali Imsirovic – $52,800
4. Brian Rast – $33,000
5. Bryon Kaverman – $26,400 Event #3: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck
15-entrants ITM Results
1. Sam Soverel – $81,000
2. Jonathan Depa – $45,000
3. Cary Katz – $24,000 Event #4: $26,000 No-Limit Hold’em
21-entrants ITM Results
1. Stephen Chidwick – $283,500
2. Bill Klein – $157,500
3. Jared Jaffee – $84,000 Event #5: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Short-Deck
19-entrants ITM Results
1. Sam Soverel – $102,600
2. Koray Aldemir – $57,000
3. Sampson Simmons – $30,400 Event #6: $52,000 No-Limit Hold’em
25-entrants ITM Results
1. Matthias Eibinger – $575,000
2. Sam Soverel – $350,000
3, David Peters – $200,000
4. Justin Bonomo – $125,000 Event #7: $103,000 No-Limit Hold’em
24-entrants ITM Results
1. David Peters – $1,104,000
2. Rick Salomon – $672,999
3. Jake Schindler – $384,000
4. Ben Tollerene – $240,000
Both Schindler and Rast cashed in the Fall Madness event, extending their lead over Justin Bonomo in the Most Money Earned at the ARIA charts.
1. Brian Rast – $12,196,295
2. Jake Schindler – $12,060,839
3. Justin Bonomo – $10,681,322
Cary Katz cashed once, as did Schindler, so stalemate at the top of the ARIA ITM finishes list.
1. Cary Katz – 53
2. Jake Schindler – 49
In the Poker Central High Roller of the Year Standings, the only member of the Top 5 not to register a point during Fall Madness was Dan Smith. Poker Central High Roller of the Year Standings
1. Sam Soverel – 1,560
2. David Peters – 1,325
3. Cary Katz – 1,255
4. Justin Bonomo – 1,025
5. Dan Smith – 1,025
The people finishing in the top five positions will bypass the Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) lottery system scheduled for Tuesday, November 27, streamed live on PokerGO.
That’s it for me.
Ol’ blue eyes will see you out of the door.
“And I am leavin’ this town. You better believe that I’m leavin’ this town.”
Picture the moment.
Your pocket sixes square up to AK. You stand on tippy-toes reaching over the table, trying to scare the deck into delivering an aceless, kingless flop, turn and river.
As the dealer burns and turns you hear nothing but the delightful sounds of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, as each street produces a playing card that goes according to the movie script you have played over in your mind since the day you fell in love with the game.
And then, just like that, there are no more cards to come.
No more starving children, no need to fight with the rats with whiskers like fencing foils over the mouldy bread.
You’ve won Event #9: €100,000 No-Limit Hold’em King’s Super High Roller at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) for €2,624,340. The trumpets blow a fanfare, the geese break V formation overhead to spell your name, and the photographer asks you to pose for a photograph your kids will one-day point to and say proudly, “That’s my Dad.”
That’s what happened to Martin Kabrhel this week.
Only, if you look at that winner’s photo, you can be pardoned for thinking he has just realised his Type 1 Diabetes has run amok, and underneath the poker table, someone is amputating both of his legs without anaesthetic.
Cheer up, Martin, it might never happen.
Although it did, didn’t it?
Kabrhel conquered a field of 95-entrants in the most substantial buy-in event at the 2018 WSOPE, 37 fewer than attended the 2017 event, which Dominik Nitsche took down to register his most significant prize to date. And talking of Nitsche, he was one of a handful of players who put in a decent shift.
The German star came close to defending his title, finishing fifth. Last year’s third-place finisher, Mikita Badziakouski finished fourth, and Michael Addamo continued his superb run of form, finishing eighth a few days shy of picking up the win in the €25k High Roller.
There was also a personal best for Julian Thomas (€1,116,308), a young man Nitsche told me is the next big German star in the making. Thomas exited in third at the hands of the man who seemingly has control of the high stakes jukebox, David Peters.
The American entered the heads-up phase with Kabrhel with a 3.5:1 chip lead, but the Czech star evened things up when his flush extracted value from Peters’ top pair, and then the duo got it in with the 66 v AK hand I went a little over the top with at the start of this thing.
According to the scribes at PokerNews, Peters’ runner-up position, and fourth seven-figure score of the year will likely see him replace Alex Foxen at the top of the Global Poker Index (GPI) World Rankings.
Kabrhel is unlikely ever to reach those dizzy heights, but he did overtake Martin Staszko at the top of the Czech All-Time Live Tournament Rankings after his win, and what I love about Kabrhel is his penchant to playing anything.
With most high rollers choosing to join the WSOPE fray at the bitter end. Kabrhel was there at the start of September when the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) hit town, winning both a €299 and a €550 buy-in event to take his total of WSOPC gold rings up to four.
When Kabrhel sits down to play poker in the King’s Casino, it feels like his front room. This time last year, he was winning his first gold bracelet after overcoming 325-entrants in the €1,100 No-Limit Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty event for €53,557.
Now he has two.
And if that’s not worth smiling about, I don’t know what is.
Final Table Results
Martin Kabrhel – €2,624,340
David Peters – €1,621,960
Julian Thomas – €1,116,308
Mikita Badziakouski – €789,612
Dominik Nitsche – €574,466
Jan Schwippert – €430,217
Adrian Mateos – €331,943
Michael Addamo – €264,110
Three other players were brewing the late night coffee in this one including the 2017 Super High Roller Bowl winner, Christoph Vogelsang (10th), the man who wins everything except this one, Steve O’Dwyer (13th), and the former Poker Masters Champion, Steffen Sontheimer (15th).
It’s not often you lose, and win, but that’s what happened to Ali Imsirovic in the 2018 Poker Masters finale, the $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event.
Ali Imsirovic Wins the Purple Jacket
It started disastrously.
The middle and end weren’t so bad.
Only four full levels had been played on Day 1 when the players held a pow-wow that led to a change in structure. On a positive, it’s good that the players and tournament staff can work together on such things. On a negative, this is the 2018 Poker Masters. There was a lot of talk about protecting the ‘integrity of the event,’ and if that’s the case something will have to be done to prevent this farce from happening again.
A decision was made to stop the clock with 15-minutes of Level 5 remaining, and then bring everyone back the following day, ending late registration and the rebuy period at the start of Day 2.
Rewinding four and a half levels, and only five people stood a chance of winning the Purple Jacket.
Ali Imsirovic (660 Pts)
Brandon Adams (510)
Isaac Haxton (480)
Jake Schindler (390)
Ben Yu (360)
Neither Jake Schindler nor Ben Yu competed in Day 1, and both Adams and Haxton fell before the end of Level 5.
Brandon Adams Eliminated
Adams opened the action with a 14,000 raise, and Justin Bonomo peeled in position. The flop contained more spades than one of those cheap, crappy shops you find at the seaside – Ts8s2s – Adams bet 16,000 and Bonomo called. The turn was an odd looking 3d, Adams jammed, and Bonomo made the call. Adams showed KdTc for top pair, and Bonomo showed pocket jacks for the overpair. If Adams was going to leave the ARIA with a Purple Jacket, in the next few days, then he was going to have to spend another $100,000 to do so.
Isaac Haxton Eliminated
Haxton raised to 4,500, Seth Davies made it 11,500 to play, Haxton moved all-in for approx. 70,000, and Davies made the call. Haxton showed AQ, but Davies had him dominated with AK. Five community cards changed nothing. Like Adams before him, Haxton would have to buy back in for another $100,000 if he was to try and win the Purple Jacket. Day 2
By the time the cards were in the air, the field had swelled to 25 players, including Ike Haxton and Brandon Stevens, and not Jake Schindler or Ben Yu.
Here’s how the Poker Masters climaxed.
Isaac Haxton Eliminated in 17th Place.
The action folded to Haxton in the small blind, and he made up the change. Bryn Kenney raised to 13,000 in the big blind, and Haxton called. The flop was Th9d8c, Kenney bet 16,000, and Haxton called. The turn card was the Ks, and the same action ensued, this time for 47,000. The final card was the Ah, Haxton checked, Kenney put him all-in, and Haxton called. The partypoker ambassador had turned two pairs, but Kenney had it from the off, flopping a set of tens.
Haxton would not be winning the Poker Masters.
Ali Imsirovic Eliminated in 13th Place.
Then hope for Adams.
Imsirovic limped into the action from the small blind holding pocket tens, and then shoved over a Stephen Chidwick raise from the big blind holding AhTs; Chidwick called. The dealer laid the AsJs7hQs3c onto the board, and Chidwick had sent the Purple Jacket favourite to the rail. If Brandon Adams could finish third or higher, then the title would be his. Otherwise, Imsirovic would take the honour.
And take the honour he did.
Brandon Adams Eliminated in 7th Place.
It was a tremendous series for Adams making the final table of the first three events including winning Event #2: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em, but Imsirovic’s back-to-back titles in Event#5 & 6 proved too much of a hurdle for Adams to overcome.
It was a brave last stand.
Aldemir opened to 13,000 with 98ss, and Adams moved all-in holding AJo in the cutoff. Dan Smith picked up AQhh on the button and called, everyone else folded. Smith would go on to flop the top two pairs and then hit the third queen for good measure on the river. Adams was out. Ali Imsirovic was the 2018 Poker Masters winner.
But we still had a million bucks to hand out.
Day 2 ended with a final table of four.
Final Table Tale of the Tape
Seat 1: Dan Smith – 2,030,000
Seat 2: David Peters – 2,230,000
Seat 3: Bryn Kenney – 227,000
Seat 4: Koray Aldemir – 541,000 Day 3
Bryn Kenney Eliminated in 4th Place.
Kenny moved all-in for 185,000, and Aldemir also moved all-in for 422,000. Peters and Smith let the pair have a scrap. It went a little something like this:
Aldemir: QcJh
Kenney: QhTs
Board: As7s5d8d5c
Kenney was out, earning $250,000, and Aldemir left the hand with 637,000 chips, and a whole lot of work to do with his peers both holding more than two million of the things.
He put up one hell of a fight.
The three-handed action lasted more than five hours.
Here are the highlights:
Aldemir doubled through Smith on two occasions (JJ>KQ & AJ>AT) and then this happened:
Aldemir completed from the small blind holding Jc7h, and then called when Smith raised to 70,000 holding Ah8d. The pair checked to the turn on a board of Th9c2h5h, Aldemir bet 150,000, and Smith called. The river was the Jd, giving the German the best hand. Aldemir bet 175,000, but Smith put him all-in. Aldemir burned a time extension chip before making the right call, and Smith went from chip leader to short stack.
Peters doubled through Aldemir to take the chip lead AT>99.
Smith doubled through Peters in fortunate fashion after the pair got it in on 9d8d2c with Smith holding 87o for middle pair, and Peters well ahead with 94ss for top pair, only for Smith to hit a runner-runner straight combo to double up.
Koray Aldemir Eliminated in 3rd Place.
Aldemir moved all-in on the button, and Smith called in the big blind.
Smith: JsJd
Aldemir: Ad9s
Board: Tc4d3s3h8d
The jacks held, and Aldemir was denied back-to-back heads-up encounters, leaving Smith and Peters to fight it out for the million-plus prize.
Heads-Up
Smith – 2,570,000
Peters – 2,430,000
The pair agreed to reduce the levels to 15-minutes.
Peters moved into a chunky lead before Smith doubled up QQ>A9, but Smith couldn’t capitalise, and Peters finished him off K7o>A7s after finding a king on the fourth street to end things.
Final Table Results
1. David Peters – $1,150,000
2. Dan Smith – $700,000
3. Koray Aldemir – $400,000
4. Bryn Kenney – $250,000
Peters has now won three seven-figure scores in 2018 including finishing seventh in the Super High Roller Bowl China for $1,113,018 and winning an event at the Triton Poker Series, Jeju for $1,118,484.
Ali Imsirovic Wins the Purple Jacket
Had the ARIA and Poker Central not changed the structure from last time, David Peters’ two titles would have been enough for him to win as he earned slightly more cash than Ali Imsirovic ($1,343,200 v $1,288,600), and cash was the metric for success last year.
However, the organisers introduced a point system this year, meaning the 23-year old from Vancouver, Washington, finished ten points ahead of Peters, thanks to his three ITM finishes.
Imsirovic finished 8/69 in Event #1: $10,500 No-Limit Hold’em for $27,600 and 60 leaderboard points. Then he beat 66-entrants in Event #5: $26,000 No-Limit Hold’em for $462,000 and 300-points and cemented his win with victory in the very next event, Event #6: $52,000 No-Limit Hold’em, where he beat 47-entrants for $799,000.
2018 Poker Masters Final Standings
1. Ali Imsirovic – 660 points ($1,288,600)
2. David Peters – 650 ($1,343,200)
3. Brandon Adams – 510 ($543,000)
4. Isaac Haxton – 480 ($309,900)
5. Jake Schindler – 390 ($575,000)
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
