Event #31: $250 NLHE [Sunday Special SE], $100K Gtd | 2021 Michigan Championship of Online Poker (MICOOP)

02-28-2021 23:09 UTC-4

Long Fades Diamonds and Doubles Through "DoubleDab22"

Anthony Thompson

In Level 23 with blinds at 10,000/20,000/2,500, "DoubleDab22" raised to 62,200 from middle position and then called Mike "PeppSee" Long's 515,156 three-bet jam from the cutoff.

"DoubleDab22":
Mike "PeppSee" Long:

Long was ahead but the flop gave him a sweat as it gave "DoubleDab22" the nut flush draw.

Both the turn and river were red cards but the completed the board securing the double-up for Long.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mike "PeppSee" Long	1,080,312	792,227
DoubleDab22	270,726	-405,398

Tags: Mike Long

02-28-2021 23:09 UTC-4

Eric "Eze0302" Rayner Off to Hot Start in Inaugural MICOOP Series

Anthony Thompson

One player off to a hot start in the 2021 MICOOP is 40-year-old Eric "Eze0302" Rayner III, who grew up in Brighton, went to Eastern Michigan, and currently resides in Plymouth with his wife Karina, son Éric IV, and a foster son his family is working to adopt. When not playing poker, Rayner helps run a small brokerage called Midtown Home Mortgage.

"I got invited to a home game that was a $1/$2 limit game on Tuesdays and a $1/$2 mixed game on Sundays. That’s where I learned Omaha 8, my favorite game," Rayner said when asked how he learned the game."I play more mixed games than anything but I play all of them. When going to Vegas, I stay at The Orleans for their mixed games and O8

Prior to the pandemic, Rayner would often play live at Doc's Sports Bar and Greek Town while also dabbling online. That includes now playing on PokerStars, usually $0.50/$1.00 NLH but also taking a seat anytime Omaha 8 has a table running.

Rayner got off to a hot start in the MICOOP finished 10th in a field of 883 entries in Event #1: $100 NLHE Kick Off, Nightly Star SE Event, good for $755. He also placed 34th in Event #3: $50 NLHE 8-Max for $175, and fourth in Event #13: $50 PLO8 8-Max for $975. Not too shabby as he had only played six tournaments up to that point in the series.

In addition, he's already won a satellite into Event #55: $300 NLHE [Main Event], $125K Gtd on March 7-8. Until then, he'll continue to grind when not at his day job or spending time with his family.

"I'll play the limit and mixed game events for sure," he said. "But [loan] rates have dropped so I've been writing loans the last few days."

Tags: Eric Rayner

02-28-2021 23:01 UTC-4

Eliminated 45th - 63rd Place ($523.67)

Anthony Thompson

Player	Chips	Progress
tsaroffish4	Busted
donkeyrob007	Busted
Wintroymi	Busted
HoosierDaddyBro	Busted
bertg1jd	Busted
NooWayyy	Busted
zscoro	Busted
flopping air	Busted
FABFIVEUM	Busted
Steadycash616	Busted
0AndrewNeeme0	Busted
pinkponiesss	Busted
Eye8YourChips	Busted
C0LD_W0RLD	Busted
Brent "WellWaterWendel" Burrows	Busted
bsm529	Busted
rae0924	Busted
fishmonger20	Busted
BitCoin871	Busted

02-28-2021 22:54 UTC-4

Take 5

Anthony Thompson

Players are on a quick five-minute break.

02-28-2021 22:48 UTC-4

"wicked_smaaart" Trips Up "raykbr1253" On Money Bubble

Anthony Thompson

In Level 22 with blinds at 8,000/16,000/2,000, action folded around to "raykbr1253" who moved all in for their last 6,836 and "wicked_smaaart" looked them up from the big blind.

"raykbr1253":
"wicked_smaaart":

"raykbr1253" held the better hand but fell behind after the flop gave "wicked_smaaart" trip nines.

The turn was no help to "raykbr1253" as they needed to spike a king on the river to stay alive.

Unfortunately for "raykbr1253", the completed the board and ended their tournament on the money bubble.

Player	Chips	Progress
wicked_smaaart	1,238,521	33,835
raykbr1253	Busted

02-28-2021 22:38 UTC-4

Level 21 Top Stacks

Anthony Thompson

Player	Chips	Progress
A3PGOAT	1,757,852	1,076,391
Mirana99	1,327,066	465,143
sexycaitlyn	1,223,612	956,613
wicked_smaaart	1,204,686	670,346
GrndChalengChmp	804,101
DoubleDab22	676,124
PowerRanges	643,962	206,815
VolcanoBurst	585,479
BeefySupreme	526,701	-34,920
eyewantoowin	492,351	62,053
aqsuitedd	435,929	-87,742
Declan Scott	376,619	-111,801

02-28-2021 22:25 UTC-4

Businessman Matthew "Luna_Nova21" Davis Battling in MICOOP

Anthony Thompson

Matthew "Luna_Nova21" Davis is a 31-year-old former director of mortgage banking for Quicken Loans and now an owner of his own Allstate Insurance Agency. Davis, who is single with no kids, resides in Washington, Michigan not far from Detroit.

"I started playing poker when I was 15 with friends from school," he said when asked how he learned the game. "There was about four of us who would play $5 sit n gos. I play mostly Texas hold ‘em, but I mix in PLO, 7-Card Stud, and five-card PLO from time to time. I play mainly tournaments but I do want to start playing more cash. I do really well in cash games but I love to hunt for titles."

He continued: "I used to play online before Black Friday. I’ve been playing on another site for the last few years but now play on PokerStars. I’ve mostly played tournaments. I typically will play the mid to higher-stakes games online."

In the live realm, Davis has more than $160K in lifetime earnings according to The Hendon Mob. That includes a career-high $98,120 for finishing 76th out of an 8,569-player field in the 2019 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. He also finished 24th in the 2015 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Hammond $1,675 Main Event for $13,437, 28th in the same tournament in 2019 for $8,065, and 21st in the 2014 Heartland Poker Tour Mount Pleasant $1,650 Main Event for $4,933.

Only time will tell if Davis' live success will translate to the online felt here in the 2021 MICOOP.

Player	Chips	Progress
Matthew "Luna_Nova21" Davis	Busted

Tags: Matthew Davis

02-28-2021 22:13 UTC-4

"str0ngside313" Falls to "wicked_smaaart" as Play Inches Closer to the Money

Anthony Thompson

In Level 19 with blinds at 5,000/10,000/1,250, "str0ngside313" raised to 24,000 from early psoition and then called off their 133,322 stack after "wicked_smaaart" three-bet jammed for 355,768 from the small blind.

"str0ngside313":
"wicked_smaaart":

"str0ngside313" was ahead with their made hand until an ace appeared in the window on the flop.

The was a bad card for "str0ngside313" as it took away one of their outs and the river ended their tournament.

Player	Chips	Progress
wicked_smaaart	534,340	-53,153
str0ngside313	Busted

02-28-2021 22:00 UTC-4

Level 18 Chip Leaders

Anthony Thompson

Only 73 players remain in Level 18 (4,000/8,000/1,000) and "Mirana99" sits atop the chip counts with 861,923.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mirana99	861,923
A3PGOAT	681,461	194,282
wicked_smaaart	587,493	274,292
BeefySupreme	561,621	281,371
aqsuitedd	523,671	7,875
Declan Scott	488,420
Upay4mySushi	475,617	66,380
Wintroymi	475,178	98,105
PowerRanges	437,147	387,147
zscoro	432,510	117,315
eyewantoowin	430,298
DavidKayePoker	413,704
906POKER	325,620	-58,599
Peter "PLH729" Hotaling	309,105	-127,250

02-28-2021 21:55 UTC-4

Break Time

Anthony Thompson

The remaining 75 players are on a five-minute break.