The latest from our Sinead Quigley at the Crown Casino in Melbourne
It’s Sunday so it must be Crown Casino for day 2 of the PokerNews Cup and the day begins well when Imad Elkerdi, a PartyPoker NPL player we feared lost was found alive and well and ready to play. Imad brings our Day 2 players total to 9.
Gabriel Alarie (Canada)
Nordin Kerkvliet (Netherlands)
Wing Kwok Tang (Netherlands)
Jeff Woods (Australia)
Jason Brown (New Zealand)
Matthew Kepitis (Australia)
Micheal Martinovic (Australia)
Arif Mehmet (Australia)
Imad Elkerdi (Australia).
Gabriel our shortest stack has a clear mission; double up early or get out and so shortly after the call to Shuffle up and deal Gabriel is found at the cash tables. Next to go is Matthew Kepitis when he makes a move and calls all in for 26K with pocket A’s against pocket Js. The flop comes 10(c) Q (h) 9 (d), turn is J(h) and the river is 6(d). As the play continues Arif Mehment, Jeff Woods and Michael Martinovic are also sent to the rail. Wing and Nordin faced a constant battle while Jason and Imad can do no wrong, with Imad moving into 5th position just before dinner break with 275,000 in chips.
With dinner break over 46 players still remaining and 13 to the bubble the battle continues. Unfortunately it was not meant to be for Wing, sadly he joined us on the rail as the tension intensified and all we can do is watch as 1 by 1 players are eliminated.
The situation could not have been more intense for Nordin who was one of the few remaining short stacks as we nearer the dreaded bubble and even more so when a fellow short stack manages to doubled up with a king on the river in a pot against Jason. However everything changed for Nordin in the very next hand when the same short stack tried once more to improve but only won himself the title of Bubble Boy.
And so we had it, 3 PartyPoker Players were now in the money. Nordin, who qualified online for just $1 dollar did manage to double up once more but the field eventually became too strong and he went out in respectable 26th place earning himself $4,000.
Imad was our next player to leave when from under the gun he called Allin with A(s) J(h) with just 1 caller showing pocket 7s. The board arrives 2(c) 5(c) 8(h) J(d) 4(s) and Imad contents himself with 19th position and $6,000.
Jason’s luck began to desert him when Q 10 suited paired a Q on the board but his opponent’s pocket fours are bolstered by a 4 on the river. Jason is down to 365K in chips and limping badly. The end came with a flop of 8(c) A (c) 5 (h) which Jason checks with J,2(c), only remaining player raises to 60K then Jason check raises Allin for 298K. Turn comes 10(h) and river 5(d) and Jason claims 12th place, $9,000 in prize money and out highest PartyPoker finisher. Jason, a member of Palladium Elite was one of 5 Palladium Lounge VIPs to receive a gifted his $3.5K package.
Play continues down to 9 for final table but for our PartyPoker players it’s all over for another year. It has been a most enjoyable event and everyone is now focused on qualifying for our 2010 Aussie Millions packages.
