Mueller wins 2nd Bracelet, Heeb in the lead

So Greg "FBT" Mueller wins his second bracelet giving BigHeeb91 his 2nd bracelet win of the year and all but locking up the title barring a miracle main event for me. Heeb is up $40 in FT's and may get another if Gus Hansen can go to the FT in the 50k horse. We have bumped up the bets for the Main event. If one of our horses FT's, then that $100 for that person and if they win, $500. Probably won't happen but you never know.

Heeb up $140 right now.

WSOP Fantasy update

Very quick update. We each have 5 guys who have made FT's and we each have 1 win. Me Nick Schulman and Heeb Greg Mueller. Currently tied!!

How I turned $80 into $16,567

So as I mentioned in a previous post, I was heading to Vegas for a week to play in the WSOP. Well things didn’t go according to plans and that was a very good thing. My buddy and I and our significant others who were with us for the weekend had dinner plans at Lavo in the Palazzo on Saturday night. Before dinner my buddy and I decided to try a $80 satellite at the Venetian for entry into a $340 Deep stack event that Monday. Top 2 got seats and I was one of them after being shortstack and hitting a miracle turn card with 4 left when my KK ran into A5 all in pre flop and the board came 553 bu the turn came a miracle K. I win my seat, chop the last longer and go and play Monday. We start with 12k in chips and 40 min levels. I am up to about 17k when the following hands happens during the 2nd level. I open UTG with AA to 650 (blinds 100/200). BB raises me to 2100 and I make it 7k to go. He goes all in and I call and he has KK. Flop comes K high and I hit a the miracle case ace on the river. Same dealer who dealt me my KK in the satty…this felt like destiny to me. From their I play pretty much solid poker and keep getting big hand after big hand. At dinner break I was about 35-40K after taking some hits though. However, by the end of the night I have 635,000 in chips and in 2nd place with 39 left. Going into day 2 I was feeling really at ease and confident. On the 2nd hand of the day I win over a 300K pot (AK vs 1010 and my 10’s hold up) and am almost at a million in chips. I now enter the final table 3rd in chips and guaranteed over 4K. We are now 4 handed and I am last in chips. I ask the tournament director for chop amounts based on chip equity. He runs the numbers and 4th was worth 26k while first was 50k. If we played it out 1st gets 64k. The chip leader was a young kid who had about 50% of the chips in play. He states that he will not accept anything below $60k. After the TD and the rest of tell him what a deal he is getting, he still refuses and we play 4 handed for about 1.5 hours. At that point I am third in chips and the young kid is severe shortstack after doubling up almost all the players. I am then dealt KK in the BB and raise the chip leader who opened on the button. I have about $1.8 million and he makes it 275k to go. I make it about 850k and he pushes all in and I snap call. He has AJ and a Ace hits the flop and I am going home in 4th place. The kid finished 3rd for just over 18k. He cost me at minimum $10k and himself $32k. What a greedy donkey. The 2 guys left chopped up 1st and 2nd since they were close in chips for $48k apiece. I can’t complain too much since I ran like God pretty much (39 pocket pairs in 2 days) and outlasted 815 players. My biggest score by far ever and just in time as I need to pay some debt down and help with a down payment on a house.

Ship another $20

My boy Hoss TBF just made the horse final table. I doubt he will take it down but at least I get another $20 from Heeb.

Thanks makes 2 FT's for me and 1 for Heeb. No wins for either of us.

Draft Pool updates

So Heeb and I agreed to pick 10 more players to add to our squads and to drop one scrub we never should have picked. Heeb dropped Patrik Antonius and I dropped Tom Dwan. Now time for our updated lists. No in-depth analysis except for the fact that if I do anything less than push in this bet, I may quit poker forever.

Stewman's Team

Pick Player

1 Betrand Grospellier (Elky)
2 Michael Binger

3 Andy Bloch

4 Isaac Baron (Westmebnlo AA)

5 Shannon Shorr

6 Yvgeny Timoshenko (JovialGent)

7 Tom Dwan

7 Søren Kongsgaard

8 Matt Hawrilenko (Hoss TBF)

9 Adam Junglen

10 Sorel Mizzi

11 Vanessa Rousso

12 Amit Makhija

13 Alan Sass

14 Nikolai Evdakov

15 Kirill Gerasimov

16 Amnon Filippi

17 Brett Richey

18 Nick Schulman

19 David Benefield

20 Jonathan Little

Heeb's Team

Pick Player

1 Patrik Antonius

1 Justin Bonomo (Zee Justin)

2 Gus Hansen

3 Michael Mizrachi

4 Nam Le

5 Gavin Smith

6 Justin Smith (Boosted J)

7 Chad Brown

8 Steve Gross (GBoro780)

9 Ivan Demidov

10 Tony G

11 Matt Glantz

12 Shaun Deeb

13 Greg "FBT" Mueller

14 Chino Rheem

15 Isaac Haxton

16 Alex Jacob

17 Brian Rast

18 Eric "Rizen" Lynch

19 Theo Tran

20 Jimmy Fricke

WestmenloAA FTW

According to heeb, Baron is 2nd in chips at FT..I already won $20 on this, let's make it my first bracelet win.

Prop bet update

We are now even after Heeb lost a bet that Nam Le would make the 2-7 single draw final table. I still haven't made a FT but still confident.

Final Table Prop Bets

So BigHeeb and I have made a deal that we would pay $20 per player from our non-bracelet prop bets list (Player list) that makes it to a final table during the WSOP. Right now he is winning $20 having had Justin bonomo make the FT fo the $40k event. Thankfully he didn't win so we are tied 0-0 so far in bracelet wins. 

Non-Bracelet Winners Prop Bet

So as you all know, the 40th edition of the WSOP kicked off Wednesday with the Casino employees’ event. However, most consider the $40k anniversary NLH event to be the beginning. On Wednesday BigHeeb91 and I had a draft where we each took 10 people who have never won a bracelet and whoever accumulates the most bracelets wins. Terms of the bet have been decided but since we got so many prop bets flying around these days I can't remember what the terms are exactly. Below are our teams.

Big Heeb's Team

Pick                 Player

1 Patrik Antonius

2 Justin Bonomo

3 Gus Hansen

4 Michael Mizrachi

5 Nam Le

6 Gavin Smith

7                    Justin Smith (Boosted J)

8 Chad Brown

9 Steve Gross (GBoro780)

10 Ivan Demidov

Stewman's Team

Pick                  Player

1                    Betrand Grospellier (Elky)

2                    Michael Binger

3                    Andy Bloch

4                    Isaac Baron (Westmenlo AA)

5                    Shannon Shorr

6                    Yvgeniy Timoshenko

7                    Tom Dwan

8                    Søren Kongsgaard

9                    Matt Hawrilenko (Hoss TBF)

10                  Adam Junglen

So after day 1 of the 40k event BigHeeb has Nam Le and Justin Bonomo left and I have 

Adam Junglen. We decidee to throw another $20 on if any of our players make the FT. 

In analyzing the teams, I got to say that I really like my chances. Let's break down the teams a little further. 

BigHeeb
I threw the kid a bone and gave him the first pick because he claimed to be a dog in this bet. I agreed because basically he is and he proved it with his first pick. He opens with...

Patrik Antonius 
This was a donktactular pick of epic proportions. Patrik hardly plays tournaments which was evident by his no show for the $40k event. Even with being in Vegas right now instead of Monaco, he decided not to play. Why should he when he makes much more playing the nose bleed stakes on FTP. My guess he will play 5-7 events and will not win a bracelet. 

Justin Bonomo
My faith albeit temporarily, was restored with Heeb's 2nd pick of ZeeJustin, Justin Bonomo. After coming off his first major live victory at the Caesar's WSOP Circuit event and a televised final table last year again Erick "E-Dog" Lindgren, Justin is poised to capture his first bracelet. He plays all the games great which is another bonus. He was number two on my board which proves even more to me that Heeb may not be a donk after all...

Gus Hansen
That was my feeling till his third pick of the Great Dane himself Gus Hansen. Now as you loyal readers out there know, Gus Hansen is my favorite player in the world. His burst onto the scene five to six years ago has been unmatched and he completely changed the world of NLH by ushering a wave of complete and unexplainable aggression that bewildered the old guard. He has remained consistent in tourneys while changing his game. I love this guy as a poker player but I hate him for my team and I'll tell you why! THE GUY PLAYS HARDLY ANY WSOP EVENTS. He shows up late every year because his primary residence is in Monaco and doesn't care it seems about winning a bracelet. These days he prefers the high limit action on FTP anyways. Too prove my point even more, Gus is not even in Vegas right now. He is in Paris at Roland Garros watching the French Open and sweating his horse Rafael Nadal which he has a reported $900,000 bet on to win the title. Good bet since he is pretty much a sure thing these days. Who knows when Gus will arrive but when he does, he still won't play much tourney poker, instead opting for the juicy games in Bobby's room.

Michael Mizrachi
The Grinder has never won a bracelet which is surprising to practically everyone since he rack up a ton of tournament titles over a few year stretch back in the day. Well that was back in the day, present day Grinder has had no huge finishes in a few years besides his recent 2nd to ZeeJustin at the WSOP Circuit event at Caesars and I believe a PLO final table last year where he went in as CL and busted out I think 2nd or 3rd. He is hungry and I'm sure determined but his history at the WSOP is poor and I expect that to stay the same. 

Nam Le
What can be said about this consistent finisher. For NLH events, I'd take him any day but that is about it. He is limited in what he plays and with no wins yet I don't see this changing this year but he could sneak a 2 or 3k win in.

Gavin Smith
After a decent 2007 WSOP, Gavin "The Caveman" Smith had a horrendous 2008 WSOP. I don't think he even cashed in something like 30+ tournaments. He does play more than NLH but I don't think particular strong really in any. I look for him to cash this year but not take down any bracelets. 

Justin Smith (Boosted J)
Many may not know of this 21 year old wunderkind but he has been tearing up online and in live tourneys that he has been able to play. Great pick here by BigHeeb. BoostedJ plays all the games and plays them well. He is a regular in the 8-game mixed action on stars playing against the likes of Greenstein and Negreanu and coming out a winner. I expect big things from him this year but I think he could either have a masdenesque year or nothing at all but good pick nonetheless. 

Chad Brown
This former toga wearing actor is a consistent performer and great in the mix games, especially stud events. I was going to take him with a late pick but Heeb snatched him up before me. I don't expect him to win a NLH bracelet but could sneak a stud or draw event win. 

Steve "GBoro780" Gross
This kid has been tearing up on-line poker over the past year. I think he is ranked #1 or 2 for on-line mtt's. He is playing more live events and has decent results. However, most of these on-line giants don't seem to have much live success right off the bat and I think this will be the same for him. 

Ivan Demidov
A member of the original November 9 and the runner up finisher to Peter Eastgate last year in the main event, Ivan Demidov is poised to take his first bracelet this year. I wouldn't count him out in NLH but probably all the other events. I don't know much about his  mixed game abilities mainly because I have never heard of any exploits. Even though the Russians dominated last year, I don't see this happening this year. I expect a bagel for Demidov.

Stewman
Betrand Grospellier (Elky)
This former professional video gamer has turned the poker world upside down with his fearless and aggressive play over the past 2 years. With multiple huge WPT and EPT wins plus multiple final tables in other events, Elky is by far the hottest player on the circuit. I can't understand a word this guy says but to me he was the number one pick in the draft and I got him second overall, thanks HeebDonk!

Michael Binger
This guy is smart, how smart, PHD candidate in theoretical physics from Stanford smart. You know what else he knows, NLH. 2007 WSOP was Bingers year with I think 7 cashes which was a record that lasted 1 year but still very impressive. He also final tabled the 2006 WSOP ME. He has prelim wins at wpt's and high finishes in other tournaments. I think he was a top 5 pick and I got him 4th overall. Watch his brother Nick also, he can play a little poker himself.

Andy Bloch
Besides wearing that ridiculous cowboy hat, I see nothing wrong with the way he plays poker. With heartbreak in the inaugural Horse event losing to the late great Chip Reese in at the time, the longest WSOP final table, he bounced back and last year finished 2nd to Nenad Medic in the opening PLH event. This guy is long overdue to have a major victory and no better place to do it than the WSOP. I think he is what Phil Mickelson used to be in golf. The top guy to never win a bracelet.

Isaac Baron
I am usually never high on on-line guys winning a bracelet in their first WSOP (this might be his second but first full one since he turned 21 last July) but if anyone can break that history, it is Westmenlo AA. The former OPOY and multiple EPT final tableists will at least make a final table this year if not win a bracelet. Very high on him out of the on-line contingent. 

Shannon Shorr
The guy with the hot porn star sounding girl's name (Thanks for that WCP) has been one of pokers most consistent performers since he burst onto the scene at the Aussie Millions back in 2006. He had second place finish last year in a NLH event and is looking to improve one spot this year. He has had great results at the Bellagio, hopefully he can repeat that success at the Rio.

Yvgeniy Timoshenko (Jovial Gent)
With his recent results of winning the WPT championship in April and an APPT win earlier this year. Yvgeniy is looking to continue his recent success. I said I expect Russians not to do well this year, well except for Yvgeniy because of two reasons. He is Ukrainian and has lived in Washington State since he was 10 and is probably a citizen by now. With over $3mil in career earnings, this number should increase.

Tom Dwan
Most people including Heeb think he is only a high stakes NLH/PLO player and for the most part that is right. However, he had two 8th place finishes last year in mixed events which is why I picked him. He will play the large buy-in events, especially the mix games with smaller fields. His versatility in playing other games is his appeal to me. 

Søren Kongsgaard
I don't know much about this kid except that he is a Scandi who has dominated the EPT for the past year with I think a win and multiple cashes including a few final tables. Out of everything I have read in my research, his name came up over and over again about making a splash this year. I hesitated in taking him because he is from Europe and they usually come over late to the WSOP but I think because of the $40k event being at the beginning, many of them will come early and play more events. Expect this name not to be unknown to US audiences after this year. 

Matt Hawrilenko (Hoss TBF)
One of the world’s best limit hold'em players and probably my most surprising pick, Matt Hawrilenko recently displayed some prowess in other forms of poker during the recent SCOOP events on PokerStars. I expect him to go far in all the limit events and the high buy-in events which is another factor in selecting him. Hopefully he plays a lot of events, he has been known not to be in the past.   

Adam Junglen
Originally very high on my list, I dropped him down after realizing he only plays NLH. This is his first WSOP and man can this kid play. After recently moving to Vegas he is ready to sink his teeth into the WSOP. Negreanu was so high on this kid that he asked him to be part of his poker training site, PokerVT. With numerous overseas victories and final tables I wouldn't be shocked with him taking down a NLH. He has said he will try some plo and plo8 but don't expect anything significant.  

Overall I think the biggest weakness both teams posses is the fact that a majority of players do not play all the games or play them well. I tried to focus my team on players who play all the events but of course couldn't do that with all my picks. It wouldn't surprise me if none of our players win a bracelet as they are hard to come by these days but if I had to pick a favorite, I would go with my team. I have two predictions on the outcome. Either we both get zero bracelets or I win two and Heeb wins one.

 

 

 

Of Course

Thanks stars, 2nd hand of final table

PokerStars Game #28024527542: Tournament #159966144, $15.00+$1.50 HOSE (7 Card Stud Hi/Lo Limit) - Level XII (300/600) - 2009/05/09 23:41:58 PT [2009/05/10 2:41:58 ET]
Table '159966144 1' 8-max
Seat 1: Clockwork (3647 in chips)
Seat 2: jerseyg610 (9495 in chips)
Seat 3: JBmonaco (11436 in chips)
Seat 4: Bigfizr (5416 in chips)
Seat 5: c21nick (9385 in chips)
Seat 6: Stewman20 (7402 in chips)
Seat 8: CocoChavez (1219 in chips)
Clockwork: posts the ante 60
jerseyg610: posts the ante 60
JBmonaco: posts the ante 60
Bigfizr: posts the ante 60
c21nick: posts the ante 60
Stewman20: posts the ante 60
CocoChavez: posts the ante 60
*** 3rd STREET ***
Dealt to Clockwork [Ac]
Dealt to jerseyg610 [Tc]
Dealt to JBmonaco [9h]
Dealt to Bigfizr [Th]
Dealt to c21nick [Td]
Dealt to Stewman20 [Qc Qh Qd]
Dealt to CocoChavez [6h]
JBmonaco said, "gl all"
CocoChavez: brings in for 90
Clockwork: raises 210 to 300
c21nick said, "ty u too"
jerseyg610: folds
JBmonaco: folds
Bigfizr: folds
c21nick: folds
Stewman20: raises 300 to 600
jerseyg610 said, "ty u2"
CocoChavez: folds
Clockwork: calls 300
*** 4th STREET ***
Dealt to Clockwork [Ac] [Ah]
Dealt to Stewman20 [Qc Qh Qd] [9d]
Clockwork: bets 300
Stewman20: raises 300 to 600
Clockwork: calls 300
*** 5th STREET ***
Dealt to Clockwork [Ac Ah] [5s]
Dealt to Stewman20 [Qc Qh Qd 9d] [9c]
Clockwork: bets 600
Stewman20: raises 600 to 1200
Clockwork: calls 600
*** 6th STREET ***
Dealt to Clockwork [Ac Ah 5s] [8d]
Dealt to Stewman20 [Qc Qh Qd 9d 9c] [Jd]
Clockwork: checks
Stewman20: bets 600
Clockwork: calls 600
*** RIVER ***
Dealt to Stewman20 [Qc Qh Qd 9d 9c Jd] [Ad]
Clockwork: bets 587 and is all-in
Stewman20: calls 587
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Clockwork: shows [5d 6d Ac Ah 5s 8d As] (HI: a full house, Aces full of Fives)
Stewman20: shows [Qc Qh Qd 9d 9c Jd Ad] (HI: a full house, Queens full of Nines)
Clockwork collected 7684 from pot
No low hand qualified
JBmonaco said, "wowwww"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 7684 | Rake 0
Seat 1: Clockwork showed [5d 6d Ac Ah 5s 8d As] and won (7684) with HI: a full house, Aces full of Fives
Seat 2: jerseyg610 folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 3: JBmonaco folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 4: Bigfizr folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 5: c21nick folded on the 3rd Street (didn't bet)
Seat 6: Stewman20 showed [Qc Qh Qd 9d 9c Jd Ad] and lost with HI: a full house, Queens full of Nines
Seat 8: CocoChavez folded on the 3rd Street