The third event in the
UltimateBet Online Championships (UBOC) helped the series stay the course by going well beyond its posted guarantee. The limit hold'em tournament had exactly 400 players, meaning the $60,000 guarantee was put to shame by the $80,000 the prize pool had risen to. Forty spots paid in the event, with the eventual winner raking in $20,000 and a fancy new piece of silver
UBOC jewelry.
The final table participants took their seats after close to five hours of play with rkruok in the chip lead at $177,000. Stayceacee wasn't too far behind with $159,000 and yngmanN4quiki had the fewest chips at $40,000. Coltsorioles had a bigger stack than more than half of his competitors when he first sat at the table, but after a few key pots early on, he was left with just $3,000 in chips to his name. His stack was exactly big enough to post the small blind, where he sat, and he was forced all in against two opponents. The board came J
8
7
J
10
and coltsorioles revealed a nine in the pocket to give him a straight. Unfortunately for him, bryguy136 had pocket nines to also have a straight. Even more unfortunately for both players, PFabe turned up pocket sevens for a full house to take the pot and eliminate coltsorioles in 10th ($1,000).
The next elimination came 10 minutes later when estark, the new short stack at $16,000, pushed all in preflop. YngmanN4quiki called and showed pocket sevens while estark held the Q
J
. The board paired, but otherwise improved neither player, and estark left the table in ninth place, $1,800 richer.
Just three more minutes went by before the third elimination hand was dealt. With the big blind at $8,000, bryguy136 raised preflop and yngmanN4quiki reraised. Bryguy136 called to see a flop of 10
9
9
, at which point he put in his last $2,200. YngmanN4quiki called and showed pocket queens versus bryguy136's pocket jacks. The turn gave bryguy136 an open-ended straight draw with the 8
(although he had two fewer outs with the queens held by yngmanN4quiki) but the river was a blank to send him packing in eighth ($2,600).
YngmanN4quiki obviously loved preying on the short-stacked players and Imustcall had become the short stack after bryguy136's departure. Imustcall managed to hold on to his chips for over 10 minutes before he called all in preflop after an aggressive back-and-forth raise session with the short-stack predator. YngmanN4quiki flipped up the A
7
and Imustcall was behind with the K
8
. The flop paired the board and the turn spiked an ace for yngmanN4quiki to secure his lead and put Imustcall out in seventh, earning $3,400.
Stayceacee had come in sixth ($5,850) in the first event of the
UBOC, a no-limit hold'em event, and he would do no better here. With barely over six times the big blind in his stack, stayceacee raised preflop and was called by (guess who?) yngmanN4quiki. The flop came 7
5
3
and yngmanN4quiki bet. Stayceacee raised, yngmanN4quiki reraised, and sayceacee reraised again. YngmanN4quiki called and the turn was the 4
. YngmanN4quiki made a bet and stayceacee called all in with his few remaining chips and showed the K
Q
for a flush draw and overcards. YngmanN4quiki showed the A
7
for top pair and the lead as the river put out the 9
and sent stayceacee to the rail in sixth ($4,200). Stayceacee has won over $10,000 so far in the
UBOC with this finish.
Despite holding the chip lead early in the final table action, rkruok's stack had seen a downward trend over much of the final table at this point. PFabe was the chip leader with $372,000 while rkruok sat as the short stack at $59,000 just before what would be rkruok's final hand. Rkruok raised to $20,000 preflop and PFabe called. The flop was 7
5
4
and PFabe checked. Rkruok bet and PFabe called to see the 3
on the turn. PFabe now led out with a bet and rkruok called all in and showed pocket aces. PFabe held pocket fours for a flopped set. The river was neither the ace nor the 2 that rkruok needed (nor was it a 6 to split) and PFabe took down the pot to eliminate the previous chip leader from the tournament. Rkruok earned $5,200 for his fifth-place finish.
Charles Laten went out in fourth ($6,200) when he called all in against amak316 on a board of 9
9
6
. Charles Laten turned over the A
6
for two pair and amak316 revealed the 8
7
for an open-ended straight draw. The turn completed amak316's straight with the 5
and Charles Laten needed a 9 or 6 to stay alive with a full house. The river brought the 4
and amak316 raked in the pot to bust Charles Laten.
PFabe still held the chip lead going into three-way play with $457,000. YngmanN4quiki was in second at $350,000 and amak316 brought up the rear with $193,000. Amak316 scooped in enough pots to more than double his stack, mainly at the expense of yngmanN4quiki. In yngmanN4quiki's final hand, both he and PFabe played aggressively throughout, raising and reraising each other until the board read 9
6
5
K
J
. YngmanN4quiki was finally able to push in the last of his chips on the river and PFabe called and showed the A
4
for the nuts. YngmanN4quiki turned over the J
8
for a worse flush before he headed out in third ($8,400).
With that elimination, PFabe increased his slim lead over amak316. He held $593,000 versus amak316's $407,000 going into heads-up play. Amak316's stack poked into the lead for a few short hands before it began shrinking. PFabe chipped away at amak316 until his stack was down to just $124,000. Amak316 raised to $30,000 preflop and PFabe reraised. Amak316 called and the flop came K
Q
J
. The betting was capped and the turn put out the 3
. PFabe was finally able to bet enough to put amak316 all in and amak316 called and showed the Q
10
for middle pair. PFabe showed the K
J
for a flopped two pair and the lead as the river brought the 4
. PFabe took down the pot to take out amak316 in second ($12,000) and win the tournament. PFabe collected $20,000 and the prized
UBOC bracelet for his finish.
The final standings were:
1) PFabe - $20,000
2) amak316 - $12,000
3) yngmanN4quiki - $8,400
4) Charles Laten - $6,200
5) rkruok - $5,200
6) stayceacee - $4,200
7) Imustcall - $3,400
8) bryguy136 - $2,600
9) estark - $1,800
10) coltsorioles - $1,000
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