Final Table Takedown: Joe Ebanks

Joe Ebanks had a day for the record books in August 2008 when he final tabled three weekend online major tournaments. He would go on to take 2nd in the PokerStars 250k for close to $67,000, win the Absolute Poker 150k for $37,500 and placed 5th in the Ultimate Bet 200k for $11,000. He has accumulated over $3,000,000 in career online tournaments earnings. In 2009 Ebanks won the EPT $1,300 San Remo No Limit event for $100,842. He also has a total of six in the money WSOP career finishes, half of them in short-handed events.

Hand No. 1

Key Concepts: Representing a hand properly; executing a bluff; bet sizing

Ebanks raises from the button to 80,000 holding Q 3. Grospellier calls from the big blind.

Craig Tapscott: Any read on ElkY’s call?

Joe Ebanks: I think he has a pretty wide range to defend here. And I know that he likes to play from the big blind.

Flop: 8 10 J (pot: 200,000)

Grospellier checks.

JE: I think my hand is a little too weak to check back so I…

Ebanks bets 105,000. Grospellier calls.

CT: What’s the plan now? Has ElkY’s call further defined his hand for you?

JE: At this point I think I am done with the bluff or I have to make a convincing three- barrel. He’s going to have a lot of pair plus straight draw type hands here, and definitely won’t fold until the river.

Turn: 5 (pot: 410,000)

Grospellier checks.

CT: What now?

JE: At this point I hadn’t made any big moves and decided I was going to try and bluff ElkY.

Ebanks bets 240,000. Grospellier calls.

JE: ElkY called pretty fast.

CT: You can’t love his quick call. What’s going through your mind at this point? Are you done with the hand? What cards are you looking for that will continue to tell the story you’re telling by betting here?

JE: Well his quick call on this type of board usually means he has a pretty good pair plus draw. But I doubt he’s very strong. He could potentially be barreled off of his hand. I think betting big on an A, K, 9 or club river could take the pot down; I’m giving up on most other rivers most of the time. But as I haven’t made any big bluffs so far, I was considering betting huge on almost any river except a 7 or a Q.

River: 4 (pot: 890,000)

CT: Is this a good card to continue your bluff?

JE: It’s an excellent river for me to bluff!

CT: How so?

JE: The flush comes in and I only have queen high. I may as well try and represent the flush and get him off a pair. I should have bet big here, 800,000+.
Grospellier checks.

CT: What’s the best bet sizing to sell the bluff?

JE: Well I decided to go pretty big. The problem was I grabbed the wrong chips. I’m not sure exactly how this happened but I ended up betting…

Ebanks bets 275,000.

JE: I thought out the movement in my head before I bet, and then just did it very fast without checking my bet size. I meant to bet over 800,000. So now I’m sitting there knowing that I “misclicked” but hoping ElkY doesn’t realize it and maybe I luck into a fold.

Grospellier calls and reveals 9 9. Grospellier wins the pot of 1,440,000.

JE: He said he almost went all-in as a bluff, but eventually settled on a call with 99. I will never know if it would’ve worked if I had bet more. Maybe I saved myself 500,000, who knows. But I could see ElkY calling anyways. It was pretty frustrating at the time to make such a big mistake this close to the final table. This was a significant pot and it made ElkY much more dangerous.

Hand No. 2

Key Concepts: Using table image to your advantage; Being unpredictable

CT: Did you have a strategy going into the final table?

JE: My strategy was to not try and run the table like I often do in other tournaments. It’s just not possible in a $10,000 6-max event. Instead I was very tight and was trying to wait for other players to bust, without doing anything really stupid, and taking a small ball approach.

CT: Did the pay jumps come into play?

JE: The pay jumps at this point were huge, and my largest score was only around $100,000 to date. I was very lucky to win this; I ran very well at the final table. But I also gave myself a chance to win by not blowing up (this happens a lot)!

CT: Set up the action so far at this final table.

JE: For the first two hours I played tighter than I’ve ever played before at a 6-max table. I think almost everyone was besides maybe Chris Moorman. I’d developed a pretty tight image, but I’m not sure how much that mattered here. Everyone knew that I was capable of playing looser.

Sowers raises to 105,000 from the button.

JE: Sowers is in last place at this point. He has been opening quite a bit, and I hadn’t been messing with him at all. Although last orbit I did 3-bet him light for the first time, and everyone folded. This time I look down at K 7 and decide to make another bluff and try to build some momentum, so I…

Ebanks raises to 275,000 from the big blind holding K 7.

CT: What’s the game plan?

JE: I’m expecting him to shove or fold most of the time. He stares me down and…

Sowers calls.

CT: He did neither.

JE: I know. This seemed kind of weird to me, I knew he was stronger than me but didn’t think he was huge.

CT: What did you put him on?

JE: A medium ace or two Broadway cards. He’s never got a pair unless its KK or AA, but the way he was looking at me made me think he didn’t have those. I also felt like he didn’t have a big overpair at that point.

Flop: 5 6 9 (pot: 600,000)

CT: Did you think you could continuation bet easily after seeing this flop?

JE: Yes. It looks like a flop I can take the pot down on and I also have a gutshot if he calls.

Ebanks bets 275,000.

JE: I lead for the same amount I 3-bet for preflop, obviously folding to a shove. He once again surprises me and…

Sowers calls.

JE: At this point I’m done with the hand unless I improve. There’s less than a pot size bet left. Then the turn comes, and it’s close to the best one in the deck for me.

Turn: 3 (pot: 1,150,000)

JE: Now I have a double gutshot, and flush draw.

Ebanks moves all-in.

JE: I shove, hoping for a fold (although he probably is never folding any hand he has at this point), but still I can’t just check-fold with so much equity.

Sowers calls and reveals A 9.

River: J (pot: 2,650,000)

Ebanks wins the pot of 2,650,000.

CT: Can you share some basic strategy for players new to 6-max events?

JE: Be aggressive! Play more hands than you’re used to and be more aggressive with them. Try 3-betting more out of position (and, of course, in position) sometimes instead of just calling.

CT: Thanks Joe. Congratulations on your first WSOP bracelet. ♠