ClubWPT Gold, a new sweeps coin poker site, offered up a juicy promotion, giving qualifying players a shot to earn $1 million on top of a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet victory. The odds of winning said promo, before the series began, seemed about as likely as Martin Kabrhel being silenced.
Michael Lavin proved again on Friday that improbable does not mean impossible when he took down Event #20: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em SHOOTOUT for $267,373, beating out 1,299 entrants. But that isn't the main story.
The flop was checked through and when the turn hit, Daniel Thomson bet 80,000 from the big blind. Jason Bullock was in early position and potted to 320,000, and when it got back to Thomson, he called off his last few chips.
Daniel Thomson: 10♦7♣4♦2♠
Jason Bullock: J♣J♥10♥7♠
Thomson had a straight with a flush draw on the top and pair of fours on the bottom, while Bullock held a straight on the top and a combo draw on the bottom, plus his pair of jacks were in the lead.
The rivers came and Thomson improved to a flush on the top and Bullock's jacks held on the bottom, meaning they chopped the pot.
David Williams bet 30,000 on the flop and Nathanial Hutton called. Both players checked the turn. Williams bet 130,000 on the river and Hutton called. Williams announced "Boat and a wheel" and exposed the Q♦6♦3♦2♥. Williams made a full house on the top board and straight on the bottom board. Hutton mucked his hand flashing the A♥K♥. Williams now surpassing the 1.500,000 mark.
Dario Alioto led under the gun when the flop came for 60,000, Jaswinder Lally to his direct left raised to 260,000. Action was back on Alioto who tanked for a long time before getting the clock called on him. Alioto pushed the rest of his chips in the middle at the very last second at an attempt to make a pay jump.
Dario Alioto: K♥Q♣10♣9♦
Jaswinder Lally: A♠A♦6♠5♥
Alioto had top two on the top board and a straight draw on the bottom, but the turn counterfeited Alioto on the top board and Lally's three of a kind on the bottom board scooped the pot and eliminated Alioto.
Seven players placed in their 10,000 ante to see two flops, and over half of them ended up with their stacks in the middle. Once they had been dealt, Ryan Haas wasted no time in open-shoving his remaining 52,000 into the middle, as the first player to act. Rick Ngo then announced "pot", and the dealer told him to place in 226,000. Jacob Baumgartner made the call, and Alessandro De Michele decided he also wanted some of the action, as he went all in for 70,000, and the players were off to a turn.
After a check from Ngo, Baumgartner shoved to put him at risk, and Ngo called, making him the fourth player to be playing for it all in this hand. Showdown took place once the completed boards were out, and the first pot to be decided was that between Ngo and Baumgartner, as the latter tabled K♠Q♣J♥9♠ for the scoop against Q♠7♠9♦3♥. His pair of jacks was good enough on top as Ngo's draws had missed, and he went runner-runner for Broadway on the bottom board, rendering Ngo's flopped straight irrelevant; sending him home and awarding the lion's share of the pot to Baumgartner
It was then De Michele's turn to table his cards, as he had K♣9♣7♣7♥. Unable to match Baumgartner's Broadway, he split the sidepot with him after backing into a king-high flush on the top board.
A third chop was in order, as Haas froze De Michele out of the final pot as his 5♥5♦4♥3♠ meant his boat also split a pot with Broadway
The flop was checked through and then Ronald Hall fired 50,000 from middle position. Only Matthew Tamura in the small blind.
When the rivers hit, the two took it to showdown where Tamura showed 8♥7♥3♠2♠ for two pair on the top and a straight on the bottom. Hall revealed Q♠J♠9♦2♦ for a better two pair on top and two pair on the bottom, meaning they chopped up the pot.
David Williams is on the same table and still has a big stack of around 1,700,000.
Kharlin Sued stuck in his last 88,000 on the flop and Jacob Baumgartner potted to 360,000. Sridhar Kandukuri also committed his stack of 220,000.
Kharlin Sued: 9♥6♣6♦3♦
Sridhar Kandukuri: K♥K♣J♠10♠
Jacob Baumgartner: 8♥7♣6♠5♦
Sued was already calling for a payout as he was beat on both boards when the chips went in on the flop. The runout gave Baumgartner a straight on the top, but Kandukuri's set of kings held on the bottom, which left Sued on the sidelines as the other two players chopped up his chips.
