Sam Trickett takes the World Open VI crown
It’s over, we have a Champion, and that man is Sam Trickett!
Trickett was phenomenal in his Heat, and equally prolific in the final, impressing anyone who watched him from the comfort of the commentary booth.
Heads-up, he was facing one of the world’s hottest talents, but he didn’t release his finger off the trigger and was able to bamboozle one of the game’s great minds.
As Mike Sexton said, “He’s one helluva player, and you’ll be hearing a lot more of Sam Trickett, I can promise you that.” As someone who had access to the hole cards, I’m forced to agree with that.
World Open VI final live updates
20.38
Sam Trickett
Winner: Sam Trickett — 0,000
Runner-up: Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 0,000
Third: Toby Lewis — ,000
Fourth: Juha Helppi — ,000
Fifth: John Duthie — ,000
Sixth: Andrew Robl — ,000
Seventh: Dale Hoy — ,000
20.30
Just the Trickett
It’s over, we have a Champion, and that man is Sam Trickett!
The final hand was as spectacular and mind-boggling as the last, and an absolute joy to watch.
Armed with 
, Yevgeniy Timoshenko opened the button and Sam Trickett made the call with 
. The flop rolled out 
to deliver Timoshenko top pair, but Trickett second pair with a flush draw. First to play, it was the Brit who looked to take control, leading out for 30,000, only for Timoshenko to bump it up to 74,000. Trickett mulled over his options momentarily and made the call.
The 
turn seemed relatively blank, and led to a check from Trickett. As pensive as ever, Timoshenko dipped into his stack to put out an unusual bet of 67,000, maybe laying the same trap that still bore the remains of Toby Lewis. But Trickett didn’t move in; he just flat called.
Sam Trickett
giving him a disguised two pair. Initially, it appeared as though Timoshenko was going to check, but despite the wagering of the commentary team, he ultimately dipped into his chips to fire 85,000 across the felt. With no hesitation at all, Trickett announced all-in, just as he had done a few hands previous.
Timoshenko sighed, and seemed to be leaning towards the fold, commenting, “I was gonna shove at first….” But then, like a bolt of lightening, he announced, “I guess I call,” and shoved his chips across the line! Hands were revealed, and Trickett had done it, his first ever title after a number of painfully near misses. Although he maintained cucumber cool, beneath the surface he will have been performing cartwheels, his dreams of silverware finally coming true.
But if ever a victory was deserved, this was it. Trickett was phenomenal in his Heat, and equally prolific in the final, impressing anyone who watched him from the comfort of the commentary booth. Heads-up, he was facing one of the world’s hottest talents, but he didn’t release his finger off the trigger and was able to bamboozle one of the game’s greatest minds. As Mike Sexton said, “He’s one helluva player, and you’ll be hearing a lot more of Sam Trickett, I can promise you that.” As someone who had access to the hole cards, I’m forced to agree with that.
20.12
Out of this World
Yevgeniy Timoshenko
It was somewhat of a treat that we reached a flop, Yevgeniy Timoshenko opened his button for 30,000 with 
and Sam Trickett broke his usual trend and flat-called with 
, perhaps fearing that Timoshenko was on the verge of snapping and would four-bet him wide.
The community cards were 
, and Trickett decided to check-call his knave and allow Timoshenko to bet, but the American/Ukranian didn’t, instead tapping the table behind.
Timoshenko took the lead on the turn, and after Trickett had checked, bet out for 40,000. Trickett flat called.
The river came the 
, and Trickett checked, seemingly to call a second barrel on the end, but when Timoshenko value bet for 88,000, Trickett turned his hand into a bluff and announced all-in!
With 487,000 behind, Timoshenko was faced with a decision for his tournament life, and despite running through the hand numerous times in his head, he was unable to come to an an accurate conclusion and made the fold. Trickett had baffled him into submission and made an unbelievably bold move that has been indicative of the courage he’s shown throughout the week.
19.53
Trickett Extends His Lead
Yevgeniy Timoshenko has slipped to 578,000 after being three-bet numerous times by Sam Trickett, sometimes with a hand, but often with nothing but a bag of spanners. So far, Timoshenko has yet to bite back.
19.44
Interview – Sandra Naujoks
Before we reach the conclusion of this year’s PartyPoker World Poker Open, check out this interview with yesterday’s unfortunate bubble girl and former EPT winner Sandra Naujoks.
19.39
Level 5
The last level of the week may be upon us. Blinds are now 7,000 and 15,000.
19.36
Heads-Up Chip Counts
Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 875,000
Sam Trickett — 1,225,000
Winner:
Runner-up:
Third: Toby Lewis — ,000
Fourth: Juha Helppi — ,000
Fifth: John Duthie — ,000
Sixth: Andrew Robl — ,000
Seventh: Dale Hoy — ,000
19.33
Lewis Loses; Toby Lewis Eliminated in 3rd (,000)
Faced with both the same hand and previous action that confronted Toby Lewis several hands earlier, Yevgeniy Timoshenko went through his usual posturing routine as he considered his options with 
.
Toby Lewis
before being three-bet by Toby Lewis with 
. After a long dwell, Timoshenko raised to 120,000, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this raise was to induce a shove from one of his opponents, or to give himself enough room to fold if someone were to come over the top.
After Trickett folded, we found our answer as Lewis shoved and Timoshenko immediately called. The 
flop offered outs to a split pot, and the 
teased a flush, but an on the river missed them all and awarded the pot to Timoshenko.
A hand or two later, Lewis was all in himself, pushing for 230,000 with 
and being looked up by the 
of Trickett in the big blind. An uninspiring 
board later and Lewis’ dreams of garnishing an EPT win with a World Poker Open victory had come crashing down before him.
Despite his near faultless performance – in both Heat, Runner-Up Heat, and today’s final – Lewis is forced to settle for third.
19.10
Raising and Reraising
It’s not often Sam Trickett is the veteran at the table, but at 24, the Nottingham man is like a pensioner compared to these two. But despite his years, he’s playing like a young gun, raising and reraising like there is no tomorrow. In fact, I’m not sure we’ve seen a single flop three-handed as all pots are being taken preflop with a three-bet, or, in one particular case with Toby Lewis, a cold four-bet with .
18.57
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 3: Toby Lewis — 579,000
Seat 5: Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 389,000
Seat 7: Sam Trickett — 1,117,000
Winner:
Runner-up:
Third:
Fourth: Juha Helppi — ,000
Fifth: John Duthie — ,000
Sixth: Andrew Robl — ,000
Seventh: Dale Hoy — ,000
18.54
Juha Helppi
On the very first hand back after the break, Juha Helppi pushed all in for 105,000 with and Toby Lewis made the call with in the small blind.
The board teased like a seductive belly dancer, the 
flop giving Helppi the lead, before swiping it away from him on the turn.
No help on the river, and Helppi departed in fourth.
Helppi doesn’t receive too much fanfare, and is considered underrated by some, but he keeps grinding out results in these TV events and was unfortunate not to go further in this one.
No title this time, but the silent assassin will be back.
18.52
Level 4
Blinds have gone up to 5,000 and 10,000, but there’s still plenty of poker to be played.
18.28
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 2: Juha Helppi — 105,000
Seat 3: Toby Lewis — 481,000
Seat 5: Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 419,000
Seat 7: Sam Trickett — 1,080,000
Winner:
Runner-up:
Third:
Fourth:
Fifth: John Duthie — ,000
Sixth: Andrew Robl — ,000
Seventh: Dale Hoy — ,000
18.27
Gone, But Not Forgotten; John Duthie Eliminated in Fifth (,000)
John Duthie has been a livewire throughout, but he short-circuited moments ago as he made an ill-timed move against the chip leader. Opening with 
, Duthie was three-bet by Sam Trickett who then snap-called Duthie’s all-in bluff with .
A 
board later and Duthie was pushing up the poker daisies.
18.23
Helppi Escapes
Juha Helppi raised to 14,000 from the cut-off with 
, but met resistance in Sam Trickett who called from the big blind with .
The flop rolled out 
and Trickett check-raised Helppi’s continuation bet before leading out for 40,000 on the turn. Although the Fin may have floated to push the turn, his plans were thwarted and he was forced to release his hand, although he should be thankful Trickett didn’t check.
18.07
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 2: Juha Helppi — 165,000
Seat 3: Toby Lewis — 544,000
Seat 5: Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 419,000
Seat 6: John Duthie — 205,000
Seat 7: Sam Trickett — 743,000
Winner:
Runner-up:
Third:
Fourth:
Fifth:
Sixth: Andrew Robl — ,000
Seventh: Dale Hoy — ,000
18.04
Tricky Trickett
Toby Lewis seems to have a tendency to flat call raises with A-Q, and the last hand was no exception as he picked up 
on the button and decided not to three-bet Trickett’s open of 15,000 with 
.
Trickett took a tricky approach on the 
flop, checking it over to Lewis who bluffed for 15,000. Trickett raised to 43,000 and Lewis gave it up.
Lewis is still in great shape, though, with 544,000, but Trickett is flying even higher with 761,000.
17.51
Out-Kicked
Juha Helppi raised it up from the button to 14,000 with and Yevgeniy Timoshenko flat-called in the big blind with .
Flop: 
Timoshenko check-called a bet of 18,000.
Both the turn and 
river were checked down, Timoshenko’s ace kicker taking it down.
Helppi — 177,000
Timoshenko — 419,000
17.43
John Duthie
Call a medic! John Duthie is a very, very sick man.
With Juha Helppi raising it up to 13,000 with and Toby Lewis flat calling with on the button, John Duthie found anti-gin in the hole with , but couldn’t resist appeasing the little devil on his shoulder by moving all in for his final 144,000 chips.
And, albeit after a dwell from Lewis who knew that Duthie’s range was wider than the equator, he got the three high through to claw his way back up to a still-under-pressure 176,000.
Duthie might be short, but he’s not short on testicular fortitude.
17.24
Level 3
A slightly smaller post, I confess. Blinds are now up to 3,000 and 6,000.
17.17
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 2: Juha Helppi — 231,000
Seat 3: Toby Lewis — 662,000
Seat 5: Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 355,000
Seat 6: John Duthie — 163,000
Seat 7: Sam Trickett — 683,000
Winner:
Runner-up:
Third:
Fourth:
Fifth:
Sixth: Andrew Robl — ,000
Seventh: Dale Hoy — ,000
17.10
A Jaw-Dropping Hand; Andrew Robl Eliminated in 6th (,000)
Andrew Robl
The fireworks commenced as Toby Lewis lit the first with , raising it up to 6,000 from the button. Andrew Robl, who seemed a little rattled from his recent encounter with Sam Trickett, evaded a three-bet to just flat call with in the small blind. Seeing value in the hand, Yevgeniy Timoshenko called in the big blind with meaning we headed to the flop with three pairs.
The three community cards were sent straight from the depths of poker’s cruelest chambers in hell as the dealer lay a 
onto the felt to deliver a cooler that would make the Antarctic look like the Bahamas. I don’t know if I imagined it because I could see the destruction derby that lay around the corner, but the tension seemed to heighten as both players began to work out how best to extract the optimum value out of their behemoth of a hand. What one of them didn’t know, however, was that the following several minutes would turn out to be minutes that would later haunt them in their most vivid of nightmares.
The flop action was possibly unorthodox as Robl opted to lead out with his flopped full house with a bet of 18,000. This maybe wasn’t the best situation for Timoshenko to get his hands dirty, and he duly side-stepped out of the way, allowing Lewis to pop in a raise to 65,000. Robl made the call.
With both players continuing their hunt for Oscar glory, we reached a turn where Robl set the supposed trap by checking into Lewis. Lewis fondled his column momentarily before firing out for 65,000. In an effort to keep his hand disguised, Robl flat called.
The river satisfied all the sadists in the truck as a bone-crunching hit the river. At this point, both players were as quiet as a mouse in a library, analysing every possible angle in their minds and, Lewis in particular, likely wondering what the hell the other player could have. Then, the silence was suddenly broken as Robl announced all-in, and Lewis called quicker than a jet-propelled whippet.
Toby Lewis & Andrew Robl
As Robl shook hands and left, and Lewis stacked his chips, Timoshenko’s mouth seemed permanently ajar, and it will likely remain so until someone arrives with a bodybuilder and a vice. The rail, and the commentary team who screamed down my ear, were equally stunned, and continued to talk about the hand well into the next.
Poker’s a tough ol’ game that requires tough skin, but Robl’s going to need a layer of leather to absorb that one as it’ll pray on his mind for a long, long time. Everyone who saw it certainly won’t forget, and despite watching it first-hand on the screen in front of me, I can’t wait to see it on the TV.
17.02
Trickett Five-Bet Bluffs
Forget Phil Ivey, Sam Trickett’s the new man on campus – he’s so hot at the moment you could fry an egg on his forehead!
With Andrew Robl opening for 11,000 with , Sam Trickett’s bluff radar started bleeping and so he three-bet to 25,000 with just .
Robl went deadly silent, riffled his chips monotonously, and raised with a speech, making it 65,000 whilst commenting, “I really don’t have much of an option.”
If Trickett could smell a rat on the first raise, he picked up the stench of an entire ancestry on the second as he confidently announced all-in with his four high. Robl immediately folded with a grimace and Trickett picked up the pot with an incredible read.
16.46
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 2: Juha Helppi — 248,000
Seat 3: Toby Lewis — 392,000
Seat 4: Andrew Robl — 331,000
Seat 5: Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 338,000
Seat 6: John Duthie — 163,000
Seat 7: Sam Trickett — 614,000
Winner:
Runner-up:
Third:
Fourth:
Fifth:
Sixth:
Seventh: Dale Hoy — ,000
16.45
Level 2
The first 21 hands are complete; blinds are now 2,000/4,000.
16.33
Mystic Robl
Andrew Robl raised it up to 6,000 with 
, only for Sam Trickett to three-bet to 20,000 with 
in the small blind.
“I hope you have ace-king and an ace or a king doesn’t come,” commented Robl eerily as he made the call.
On the flop, Trickett continuation bet to put the decision back on the American.
“Maybe you have queens,” suspected Robl, “and I can bluff you off the hand.”
“I’ll stick to my original plan,” he concluded before sliding his cards into the muck.
Robl: 301,000
Trickett: 639,000
16.19
Ahoy There; Dale Hoy Eliminated in 7th Place (,000)
Dale Hoy’s chips met the middle a few hands later, but he was in piping hot water…
Hoy:
Andrew Robl:
The water failed to cool on a 
board and a rather stunned Hoy exited stage left.
16.08
Hoy Crippled
Dale Hoy
, Hoy decided to three-bet to 22,000 with . The action folded round to Trickett who made it 48,000. Play then halted on Hoy who seemed to be contemplating a call, but out of nowhere he suddenly reached for chips and bumped it up to 113,000, the first five-bet of the entire week if memory serves me correct!
Despite his suspicions that a five-bet during level one signified the American Airlines, Trickett’s reputation and the evolution of aggression in poker meant that folding kings would surely be a mistake, and indeed he spent little time in pushing his remaining stack across the felt. Trickett’s only fears were the words “I call” immediately leaving Hoy’s lips, but as soon as Hoy showcased even a second of deliberation, that’s precisely what Trickett wanted to hear. After squirming in his seat for a minute, Hoy fulfilled that wish by making the call.
The flop looked as safe as the Bellagio vault, but the turn was anything but as Hoy picked up outs to the straight draw. But despite his hopes of a last-ditch miracle, the river was the wrong way up and Trickett doubled through.
16.00
Prize Structure
Just so the nippers know how much they can potentially borrow, here is the payout structure for the 2010 PartyPoker.com World Poker Open:
Winner: 0,000
Runner-Up: 0,000
Third: ,000
Fourth: ,000
Fifth: ,000
Sixth: ,000
Seventh: ,000
15.53
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 1: Dale Hoy — 308,000
Seat 2: Juha Helppi — 265,000
Seat 3: Toby Lewis — 425,000
Seat 4: Andrew Robl — 297,000
Seat 5: Yevgeniy Timoshenko — 297,000
Seat 6: John Duthie — 211,000
Seat 7: Sam Trickett — 294,000
15.50
Duthie Waves the White Flag
Phil Laak yelping into my headphones alerted me to a big pot unfolding on this final table. When I glanced up, we were at the turn of a board with Toby Lewis (cut-off) leading out for 28,000 with .
I just assumed John Duthie (big blind) was going to fold his , but the EPT head honcho isn’t renowned for his conservatism, and duly bumped it up to 60,000. Lewis went over the story of the hand in his head before making the call.
On the river, the action halted on John Duthie for a good while as he contemplated whether he wanted to put his tournament life on the line with ten high, but after much deliberation, he waved the white flag and tapped the table. Lewis checked behind to take the pot.
15.37
Early Action
The early action has seen Sam Trickett and Dale Hoy clash more than once. On the very first hand, Trickett raised it up with just T-6, but ran into Hoy’s A-K. Soon after, Trickett raised with A-K, before betting Hoy off a 3-5-5 flop with K-J.
15.30
Final Table
Seat 1: Dale Hoy
Seat 2: Juha Helppi
Seat 3: Toby Lewis
Seat 4: Andrew Robl
Seat 5: Yevgeniy Timoshenko
Seat 6: John Duthie
Seat 7: Sam Trickett
15.29
Interview – Phil Laak
The finalists have arrived in tact, and we’re just moments from kick-off. But before that starting whistle sounds, there’s just about enough time to see what the enigmatic Phil Laak had to say to PartyPoker’s Tatjana Pasalic.
13.28
Toby Lewis Wins the Runner-Up Heat
1st Toby Lewis
2nd Frank Kassela
3rd Marty Smyth
4th MB Mahmoud
5th Jennifer Tilly
6th Brandon Cantu
13.27
They Think It’s All Over, It Is Now
There was a short stoppage prior to heads-up play, but on the first hand back it was bang, bang, bang as all the chips flew into the middle.
Frank Kassela raised to 27,000, Toby Lewis moved all in, and Kassela called.
Kassela:
Lewis: 
Flop: 
Turn: 
River:
And just like that, it’s all over, Toby Lewis snaps up that seventh and final spot in this afternoon’s final.
13.16
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 4: Toby Lewis — 441,000
Seat 7: Frank Kassela — 159,000
13.14
Smyth Eliminated
With Marty Smyth raising to 30,000 from the button with , the action halted on Toby Lewis with in the big blind after Frank Kassela had folded the small. Either to induce a lighter call, or to consider slowplaying his hand, Lewis paused for 30 seconds before announcing all-in. Smyth wasn’t over the moon, but he made the call.
The flop was pretty good for the Irishman as it gave him outs for a chop, and the turn added three more, but the river was a blank and Smyth was done.
13.07
Level 4
Blinds: 5,000/10,000.
“We can’t all blind into the victory,” laughed Frank Kassela.
13.04
Smyth Gets Lucky
Toby Lewis opened the button to 20,000, Marty Smyth pushed all in from the small blind for 110,000, and Lewis made the call.
“Need to get lucky,” smiled Smyth as the hands were revealed.
Smyth:
Lewis:
And lucky he got as a nine arrived on the turn to double Smyth through.
Seat 4: Toby Lewis — 231,000
Seat 5: Marty Smyth — 215,000
Seat 7: Frank Kassela — 139,000
12.56
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 4: Toby Lewis — 317,000
Seat 5: Marty Smyth — 108,000
Seat 7: Frank Kassela — 166,000
12.49
Irish Double
After showcasing the patience of a saint in a staring contest, Marty Smyth has been rewarded with a double through courtesy of Frank Kassela who’d raised the button to 14,000 with .
Smyth took one look down at his and moved all in for 57,000.
Kassela reluctantly made the call.
“Wow, that’s the worst case scenario,” observed Kassela as the cards were tabled.
Board:
Smyth right back in it with 109,000.
12.47
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 4: Toby Lewis — 294,000
Seat 5: Marty Smyth — 57,000
Seat 7: Frank Kassela — 229,000
12.40
Tricky Stacks
Some interesting spots are cropping up between Toby Lewis and Frank Kassela where both players are receiving marginal hands, and then facing an open from their equally-chipped foe. Stacks are currently a little too deep perhaps to start pushing as they will be risking a lot of chips to win a small pot, yet only get called by a superior hand, whilst stacks aren’t quite big enough to continually flat call, especially out of position. However, it’s the latter which they’re leaning towards, and on a few occasions now, Kassela has made the call from the big blind before conceding to a continuation bet on the flop.
12.33
Hang Tough
Marty Smyth is hanging in there like a cat on the way to the vets with 84,000. I’m not sure he’s played a flop yet, but he has made a few moves preflop, including a three-bet of Toby Lewis’ A-8 with 9-9. Lewis found the fold.
12.26
Level 3
Blinds are now 3,000 and 6,000.
12.23
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 4: Toby Lewis — 269,000
Seat 5: Marty Smyth — 69,000
Seat 7: Frank Kassela — 256,000
12.17
MB KO-ed
MB Mahmoud limped from the cut-off with and called a raise from Frank Kassela with
The went check, check before Kassela led for 10,000 on the turn. Mahmoud quickly called.
On the river, Mahmoud shocked us all by moving all in, and Kassela made the call.
And just like that, Mahmoud is out.
Three remain, and one of those players, Marty Smyth, is yet to play a hand!
12.10
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 4: Toby Lewis — 254,000
Seat 5: Marty Smyth — 87,000
Seat 6: MB Mahmoud — 97,000
Seat 7: Frank Kassela — 156,000
12.09
Tilly Eliminated
The ghost of Freddy Mercury must be lurking in the Palm Beach today as another one bites the dust. This time the victim of the cards was Jennifer Tilly, moving all in for 40,000 with what I believe was on a flop. Frank Kassela, who had led for 5,000, made the call with , and duly made his flush after an river proceeded the turn.
“I didn’t really want to call off 35,000 there,” commented Kassela in the aftermath, but it’s winner-takes-all, and the two players to have gambled so far are the two players currently leading the pack.
12.04
Level 2
Well, it didn’t take long – blinds are up: 2,000/4,000.
12.01
Latest Chip Counts
Seat 3: Jennifer Tilly — 44,000
Seat 4: Toby Lewis — 267,000
Seat 5: Marty Smyth — 97,000
Seat 6: MB Mahmoud — 76,000
Seat 7: Frank Kassela — 114,000
12.00
When It Rains, It Pours
As an all-or nothing type of player, it wasn’t too much of a surprise to see Brandon Cantu become the first player to move all in, but it was a showdown that resulted in his demise.
With three-players reaching a flop, MB Mahmoud led for 8,000 with , only for Cantu to gamble with his and push all in for 70,000. At this point, Cantu still had plenty of outs, but disaster struck as Toby Lewis called behind with .
There was a slight moment of confusion as Mahmoud just called, but no cards were revealed and we met a turn. Lewis’ final 10,000 crossed the line and cards hit their backs, Lewis in search of a heart or nine to save his tournament life. But when it rains, it pours, and after winning an EPT title just a week or two ago, Lewis continued his fine form by spiking a flush with a on the river.
So… Lewis trebled up to 267,000, Mahmoud plummeted to 76,000, and Cantu headed towards the bar.
11.49
Having Heart
MB Mahmoud limped with and, for the umpteenth time, Brandon Cantu attempted to isolate with a raise to 9,000 with . What he didn’t want was Jennifer Tilly to flat call behind with , which was enough to lure Mahmoud in too.
The flop came and Tilly bet 10,000 after her two opponents had both checked. Mahmoud called and Cantu let it go.
The turn and river were both raggy hearts, and with the two remaining players checking the turn, Tilly showed plenty of heart by taking a stab on the end with a bet of 20,000. However, it was Mahmoud who had the heart, and after a moment’s deliberation, he made the call.
11.38
In the Mahmoud to Play
MB Mahmoud was involved once again as the third hand dealt him . Jennifer Tilly kick-started the action, raising it up preflop with . Mahmoud called, as did Brandon Cantu with in the big blind.
The flop looked dry, so Tilly led out for 12,000, but she soon found resistance from Mahmoud who raised to 28,000. Cantu was able to duck out of the way, and Tilly followed suit.
Mahmoud climbs to 129,000.
11.32
Trio of Crabs
Mahmoud must like seafood, as on the second hand he flopped a trio of crabs. Limping again for 2,000, Mahmoud reached a four-way flop with 
where he check-called a bet of 8,000 from Brandon Cantu who had .
The turn may have saved Cantu a little money, as after Mahmoud checked again, Cantu decided to check behind. A was of no use to the American, and with Mahmoud reaching for chips, Cantu quickly released his hand.
One lost, one won for Mahmoud who is sure to feature heavily in this runner-up Heat.
11.28
A Prelude of Things to Come
The first hand may perhaps be a prelude of things to come, as MB Mahmoud continues his trend from his previous Heat by limping in with a marginal hand. This time his holding was , and after he’d made the call from the cut-off, Frank Kassela took the initiative with a raise to 7,000 from the button with .
That was about as exciting as it got, as although Mahmoud picked up a gutshot straight draw, he check-folded to a continuation bet of 12,000 on the flop.
First blood to Kassela.
11.26
Last Chance Saloon
After a long, hard-fought out week, we’ve reached our final day, a day in which 48 are whittled down to one and the 2010 PartyPoker.com World Poker Open Champion crowned. But before anyone can take their throne, there’s still one seat up for grabs, to be hotly contested by the six close-but-no-cigar players who fell at that final hurdle.
Unlike their preliminary Heats, the runners-up Heat will adopt what I like to call the Ian Frazer structure, the 100,000 starting stack reminiscent of those early days when the PartyPoker sponsored pro erupted onto the scene by becoming the first player to win back-to-back TV titles. Five years on, and this style of poker is now labeled a ‘turbo’, a six-handed 30-minute clock with players reaching push-or-fold strategy at around Level 3. Frazer was a master of the quicker structure, and was able to apply the pressure at those vital times, but how will this line-up fare? There’s only one way to find out. Stay tuned, folks, this one’s going to be a slobberknocker.
Seat 2: Brandon Cantu
Seat 3: Jennifer Tilly
Seat 4: Toby Lewis
Seat 5: Marty Smyth
Seat 6: MB Mahmoud
Seat 7: Frank Kassela
