PartyPoker Premier League, Day 2: Tony G Wins Another Heat

February 12, 2008

John Hartness

PartyPoker Premier League, Day 2: Tony G Wins Another Heat 0001

Day 2 of the 2008 edition of the PartyPoker Premier League saw reversals of fortune for some players and a solo overall lead for Tony G, who started the day tied with Roland de Wolfe for first place after they each took down a Day 1 heat. Tony G won again on Day 2 while de Wolfe recorded no points, giving Tony G a wide margin early in the series.

Heat #3 kicked off with Vicky Coren, Andy Black, Marcel Luske, Roland de Wolfe, Ian Frazer and Juha Helppi taking their seats for the six-handed tourney. de Wolfe won his heat on Day 1, but went from first to last on Day 2 when he was the first player to bust, gaining zero league points. de Wolfe raised preflop with Q♥A♣, and found a re-raise from Ian Frazer with 10♥10♦; de Wolfe moved in for the coin flip and Frazer called. The board came down 4♣Q♦10♠, and Frazer's set filled up when the turn brought the Q♠. The river 2♥ sent de Wolfe out first in Heat #3.

Frazer himself was next to fall when he ran afoul of Andy Black a few hands later. Frazer limped in from late position with A♥8♥, and Black called from the big blind with A♦J♥. Both players checked the 6♥A♣K♥ flop, and Black checked again when the A♠ came on the turn. Frazer led out, Black check-raised, and Frazer moved all in. Black quickly called, and when the 3♦ came on the river, Ian Frazer was eliminated.

2007 PPPL champ Juha Helppi's rough time continued on Day 2 as he busted in fourth place. He moved his short stack into the middle with K♥2♦, and Marcel Luske insta-called with Q♦Q♣. Helppi hit the 6♥2♠K♣ flop, and Luske was drawing to two outs. The 9♣ on the turn was irrelevant, but the Q♠ on the river gave Luske a set and busted Helppi with just two league points overall.

Luske lasted a few hands longer, but went out in third when he missed a big draw against Andy Black. Black moved all in preflop with A♦2♦, and Luske made the call with 8♠4♠. The flop hit Black's ace, but gave Luske the flush draw when it came down A♠8♦Q♠. The 6♣ on the turn was no help, and the 10♦ on the river couldn't save Luske from elimination in third.

It took only seven hands of heads-up play for Black to dispatch Vicky Coren for the win, but he again had to dodge a monster draw to do so. Black raised preflop with A♥J♦, and Coren moved all in over the top with 9♦7♦. The flop came down A♦2♦7♠, giving Black top pair, but pairing Coren's seven and giving her a flush draw. The K♥ on the turn was no help, and the 8♥ on the river gave Andy Black the win in Heat #3.

Heat #4 kicked off later than expected, as one of the players made a late entrance. Joining Day 1 winner Tony G in Heat #4 were Alex Kravchenko, Phil Hellmuth, Eddy Scharf, Dave 'The Devilfish' Ulliott and Annie Duke. Play started off cautious, and it wasn't until Hand #41 of the tournament that the first elimination occurred. It happened when Ulliott pushed all in over the top of Kravchenko with K♦10♦, and Tony G made the call with A♠9♣. Kravchenko folded, and the flop came down 2♣2♥4♣, and Ulliott made his preparations to leave:

Devilfish: "See you later guys. Well played."

Annie Duke: "There are more cards to come you know."

Devilfish: "Yeah, I'll lose."

The turn and river came down 4♥9♦, proving Ulliott right as he exited in sixth. Annie Duke went out just three hands later when Eddy Scharf rivered her to send her to the rail. Duke raised preflop with K♣Q♦, and Scharf called from the big blind with J♦10♦. The 9♣10♠Q♥ flop guaranteed action, and Scharf complied, check-raising Duke all in. Duke called, and the turn and river came down 7♥8♦ to give Scharf the straight and finish Duke's day.

Phil Hellmuth was next to fall when he ran afoul of Tony G. A short-stacked Hellmuth moved in preflop with A♥4♦, and Tony G made the call from the big blind without looking at his cards. Tony G tabled Q♥J♥, and the flop gave him the lead with 6♦Q♠5♠. No help arrived for Hellmuth with the 2♣9♣ turn and river, and the 11-time WSOP bracelet winner was eliminated.

Three-handed play continued for quite some time before Alex Kravchenko got the last of his chips into the middle preflop, holding 4♦4♠, and got the call from Tony G in the big blind with 9♥8♣. The board came down 8♥6♣J♠J♥A♣, and Tony G busted Kravchenko with two pair, jacks and eights. Tony G took the chip lead into heads-up play with Eddy Scharf.

After a dozen hands of jockeying back and forth, Scharf moved all in preflop with Q♣8♦, and Tony G called immediately with A♠J♥. The A♣ in the window put Tony G in good position, and the board ran out A♣K♦8♥9♣7♣ to give Tony G back-to-back victories in his first two heats and a commanding points lead at the end of Day 2. The overall standings after two days of play: