Online Poker Weekend: Huck Seed Makes Full Tilt Final

September 25, 2007

Steve Horton

Online Poker Weekend: Huck Seed Makes Full Tilt Final 0001

The word of the weekend was overlay, as the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker, being in full swing, sucked away players from the big competing tournaments. Both PartyPoker and Bodog had to pay an overlay. However,

Full Tilt Poker

passed its $750,000 guarantee, and increased its attendance significantly from the previous three times this event has been held. Full Tilt's event is also notable for a rare showing by a Full Tilt pro at the final table.

Full Tilt $750,000 Guaranteed

Full Tilt Poker managed a healthy 3,821 players, the most for this event in at least five weeks. The prize pool was $764,200, easily besting the guarantee. 522 places were paid, with first receiving $135,301.61.

Among red pros, WSOP final tablist Lee Watkinson managed 363rd. David Benyamine took 324th. Ram Vaswani got 230th. Keith Sexton finished 90th. It was one pro in particular, though, that made it all the way to the final table. Huckleberry Seed, winner of the WSOP Main Event in 1996, made a terrific showing here.

Before Huckleberry Seed was knocked out, Tarsis went first when he limped from middle position and had three callers. The flop was 3♠9♣4♣. It was checked to Tarsis, who bet half the pot. Egarim went all in with 8♣7♣ and Tarsis called with 4♥4♣. Unfortunately for Tarsis, the turn and river were 2♣A♣ and he left in ninth, taking $10,240.28.

Having been crippled on a previous hand when his nines ran into aces, Seed shoved in early position and was called by the same player that crippled him, SmackGirl. However, sunfish2 re-raised all in, and SmackGirl folded this time. Seed had K♥4♣ and sunfish2 A♥9♠. "ty 4 protection," said Seed. The board was Q♦8♦A♣5♦6♥ and Seed earned $13,755.60 for eighth.

Next, southside1 shoved under the gun and razooo re-raised all in over the top to isolate. Egarim three-betted it, also all in, so there was a three-way race. Egarim had K♣K♥, razooo had A♦Q♠, and southside1 had A♠J♥. The board was 4♦6♠2♥A♣6♥, giving razooo the entire pot and sending southside1 home in seventh with $16,576.60.

Egarim was the next to go. He went all in from the cutoff with Q♥6♠ and razooo called with A♦9♥. The board was 10♦3♣2♣J♠4♦ and Egarim collected $23,460.94 for sixth.

Jaysick88 was all but out after going all in over the top of sunfish2's standard raise. After requesting time, sunfish2 called with A♥K♣ to Jaysick88's A♠10♦. The board was 9♦J♠9♥J♦K♦ and Jaysick88 was left with a tiny 1,244 in chips after putting in the small blind. He got some back with a 10♥7♥ and a 7 on the board, but went out on the following hand when his J♣10♣ ran into razooo's A♣A♦ on a 7♦2♣8♠4♥2♣ board. Jaysick88 collected $31,637.88 for fifth.

Exiting in fourth was bastral, who made a 3x raise under the gun and was put nearly all in by razooo. After bastral called, the flop came A♦10♣6♠. The miniscule stack of bastral was put all in and razooo called, showing A♠A♣ to bastral's J♦J♣. The rest of the board was 6♣5♦ and bastral took $42,183.84.

Though battling back from the short stack, SmackGirl got smacked to third place after half an hour of three-way poker. SmackGirl went all in over the top of sunfish2's standard raise, inducing a call. SmackGirl showed A♠K♠ to sunfish2's 10♠10♥ and the race was on. The board came 2♣10♦5♠A♣6♠ and SmackGirl won $53,494 for third.

Heads up would not last long before a winner was decided. Both players limped in and saw a flop of 4♣8♥6♦. razooo checked and sunfish2 bet 500,000 – over half the pot. razooo countered by going all in with K♣4♥ and sunfish2 called with A♥A♠. The turn and river was 5♠A♦ and sunfish2's slow-played aces won him $135,301.61 and the tournament, leaving $81,769.40 and second place for razooo.

Final Standings:

1st ($135,301.61): sunfish2

2nd ($81,769.40): razooo

3rd ($53,494): SmackGirl

4th ($42,183.84): bastral

5th ($31,637.88): Jaysick88

6th ($23,460.94): Egarim

7th ($17,576.60): southside1

8th ($13,755.60): HuckleberrySeed

9th ($10,240.28): Tarsis

PartyPoker $300,000 Guaranteed

PartyPoker managed even fewer players than the week prior, which also featured an overlay. With only 1,494 entries, PartyPoker paid out a $1,200 overlay to reach its guarantee. 200 places paid, with first normally receiving $60,000.

PeeGee999 went out in tenth almost immediately. He made a standard 3x raise in late position, and acecrusher called. The flop came 10♠2♣J♦. PeeGee999 then shoved with A♠K♠, and acecrusher called with 10♣10♥. The turn and river was K♥6♣ and PeeGee999 collected $2,850 for his finish.

It was jonbam's turn next. He open-shoved under the gun and acecrusher called, as he did in the previous elimination. Dione444 also called. The flop was 4♠2♣Q♣. Both players checked on the side. The turn was K♥. Dione444 bet a tiny 60,000 into a 634,035 pot, which acecrusher doubled to 120,000. Dione444 called. The river was 9♦ and both players checked. Dione444 showed K♣3♣, acecrusher showed K♠J♥ for the win, and jonbam left in ninth with $4,050.

On the very next hand, Stonygolf was sent to the green when he made a 2x raise in the cutoff, Dione444 re-raised all in, and Stonygolf called, showing 7♥7♣ to Dione444's A♦Q♥. The board came A♥4♠Q♦9♥8♥ and Stonygolf was out in eighth, taking $5,250, enough for a very nice set of clubs.

Despite taking out Stonygolf, Dione444 would exit a mere seven minutes later. Bubbelpojken made a 2x raise from early position. Dione444 then re-raised in the small blind all in. Bubbelpojken called, showing 6♣6♠ to Dione444's K♠8♠. The board was 9♠6♥4♠2♣3♣ and Dione444 got $7,950 for seventh.

Again, the eliminator was the next one out, but it took nearly 20 minutes of play before it happened. Bubbelpojken made a 2.5x raise in early position. Merxxxx made a huge re-raise – 640,000 into a 292,000 pot. Bubbelpojken three-bet all in with 10♥10♠ and Merxxxx called with J♥J♦. The board was 9♣3♣5♥A♦4♥ and Bubbelpojken managed $10,350 for sixth.

Nxwill left in fifth after open-shoving under the gun and getting called by RAMMS888. Nxwill had A♠Q♣ and RAMMS888 had 3♥3♦. The board was 10♠9♣K♠6♥K♥ and Nxwill took home $13,800.

Next, Merxxxx raised 4x and acecrusher re-raised all in. Merxxxx called with 6♦6♠ and acecrusher had K♦J♦. The board was A♦2♣6♣Q♥7♠ and acecrusher was out in fourth for $16,350.

Fifteen minutes later, despite being short-stacked with the blinds rising, LeShagg refused a chop by chip count, preferring to play on. He would last one more hand; this refusal cost him thousands of dollars, as he would go out when, after using his time bank, he called Merxxxx's all in. LeShagg had 7♣7♠ to Merxxxx's Q♦Q♥. The board was 6♥6♣7♦K♠Q♠ and LeShagg got $20,700 for third.

Merxxxx and RAMMS888 then went into the dealmaking window, and quickly decided to divide the remaining prize money by chip count. The tournament was at an end, and Merxxxx was the winner.

Final Standings:

*1st ($51,825.33): Merxxxx

*2nd ($41,174.78): RAMMS888

3rd ($20,700): LeShagg

4th ($16,350): acecrusher

5th ($13,800): Nxwill

6th ($10,350): Bubbelpojken

7th ($7,950): Dione444

8th ($5,250): Stonygolf

9th ($4,050): jonbam

10th ($2,850): PeeGee999

* – reflects the results of a two-way chop

Bodog $100,000 Guaranteed

The weekly Bodog $100,000 Guaranteed managed identical numbers as last week: 729 players, an overlay of $27,100, 63 places paid, and a first-place prize of $25,000.

The first one out was cajunslim, who went all in, in early position. rufrider re-raised over the top to isolate, and it worked. After taking some back, rufrider showed A♣J♥ to cajunslim's J♦10♠. The board was Q♦7♦4♦2♥4♥ and cajunslim got $1,600 for ninth.

Next was yub yub, who shoved in the small blind with Q♥2♥ and was called by BKiCe with A♦3♠. The board was Q♠5♠7♣5♥8♥ and yub yub collected $2,500 for eighth.

After that, spice_man raised to 67,200 with blinds at 8,000/16,000 with a 1,600 ante. bluffmeidareyou called and the flop was 10♠6♥4♣. bluffmeidareyou checked and spice_man went all in. bluffmeidareyou called, showing A♣10♦ to spice_man's A♥Q♠. The turn and river were 2♠4♦ and spice_man left in seventh place, winning $3,500.

Leaving in sixth was t_j_06, after shoving under the gun with K♥J♥ and getting called by bluffmeidareyou with K♠Q♠. The board came A♠Q♥9♠4♦6♣ and t_j_06 won $4,500.

And then it was rufrider's turn. He made a standard raise on the button and bluffmeidareyou called from the big blind. The flop was 8♣9♥9♠ and both players checked. The turn was 4♠ and bluffmeidareyou bet half the pot. rufrider called. The river was 3♠ and bluffmeidareyou bet almost a third of the pot. rufrider went all in with J♦9♣ and bluffmeidareyou called with J♠8♠. The flush sent rufrider home in fifth, leaving him with $5,500.

After naskoxx raised to 47,840 from the small blind with blinds at 10,000/20,000 and a 2,000 ante, Jadenali shoved. naskoxx called, showing A♥J♥ to Jadenali's Q♥J♣. The board was 9♦5♥6♦3♣A♦ and Jadenali got $6,900 for fourth.

With all three players virtually tied in chips after a long battle, bluffmeidareyou went all in on the button with Q♣J♣ and got called by naskoxx with J♠J♦. The board came K♥K♠3♥2♣7♣ and bluffmeidareyou won $9,200 in third place.

Only four minutes of heads-up action later, both players limped in to a flop of J♥3♦8♣. naskoxx made a small bet of 54,640 and BKiCe called. The turn was 7♥. naskoxx bet 100,520 this time and BKiCe shoved. naskoxx called and showed 8♠3♥ to BKiCe's 10♥8♥. The fifth heart did not come – it was an A♦ – and naskoxx took $25,000 and the win. BKiCe collected $14,300 for second.