The
UltimateBet Online Championships (UBOC) has been a continuous success since it kicked off just four days ago. Each event in the series has rendered its guarantee relatively meaningless by easily surpassing the goal. Last night's limit Omaha eight-or-better tournament, the fifth in the series, continued the streak when it promised a $40,000 prize pool but actually delivered $50,000 to its 250 entrants. Some Internet pros made it deep into the tournament, including Shawn "phat_cat" Luman and Jon "PearlJammed" Turner. Phat_cat broke into the money but exited the tournament shortly before the final table in 13th ($500).
PearlJammed, on the other hand, made it through the final table bubble and sat down with $77,000. TheReal McCoy had a fairly comfortable chip lead at the table with $181,000 compared to rkruok's second-place stack at $101,000. Bslick23's stack was critically low at just $11,000 with the big blinds at $5,000. Rkruok's final table appearance in this event was impressive considering he was coming fresh off of a fifth place finish ($5,200) in the previous
UBOC event on Monday, a limit hold'em tournament.
Bslick23 was saved from being the first elimination when two other relatively short-stacked players were taken out in the very first hand of final-table play. Fiveaceswins raised preflop and TheReal McCoy called. Dahmsy also called to see a flop of 9
7
5
. Dahmsy checked, fiveaceswins made a continuation bet, and TheReal McCoy raised. Dahmsy check-reraised and fiveaceswins made it four bets to cap. Both TheRealMcCoy and Dahmsy called to see the Q
on the turn. Both dahmsy and fiveaceswins were able to get their few remaining chips into the pot and TheReal McCoy called and tabled the A
7
7
3
for a set of sevens and a low draw. Dahmsy showed the A
Q
8
6
for a flopped straight and a worse low draw and fiveaceswins flipped up A
J
Q
2
for a pair of queens and the nut low draw. The river was the 9
, missing everyone's low but giving TheReal McCoy a full house to make the best high hand, scoop the pot, and eliminate both players. Dahmsy had fewer chips entering the hand so he placed 10th ($1,000) while fiveaceswins finished in ninth ($1,250).
Bslick23 may have dodged the first two elimination places but his stack didn't hold out for too much longer. Five hands after the double-elimination he was down to the felt as well. With just under $4,000 remaining he pushed all in for less than the big blind after PrimedUp had limped from mid-position. TheRealMcCoy called from the big blind and both active players checked it down until the board read Q
J
2
Q
5
. Bslick23 showed A
2
K
8
for two pair with his deuce, TheReal McCoy revealed A
6
6
5
for two pair with his pocket sixes, and PrimedUp had them both beat with A
J
10
3
for two pair with his jack. Bslick23 was eliminated in eighth and cashed in $1,750.
Gassitt was next to go when his stack became diminished to the point that he was almost anted all in. He pushed the rest of the way and was against PearlJammed, who'd raised preflop, and rkruok, who had reraised. PearlJammed called rkruok's reraise and the flop came 5
4
3
. Rkruok checked and PearlJammed bet, causing rkruok to fold. It was now heads up with gassitt all in and gassitt showed A
K
J
6
for a six-low against PearlJammed's A
9
10
2
for the wheel straight and nut-low. Gassitt could snag a heart on the turn or river to get a flush to beat PearlJammed's wheel and split the pot, but they brought the 9
and the A
and gassitt was sent to the rail in seventh ($2,250).
It was a full 20 minutes before the table saw another elimination. When it did, it was PrimedUp with his chips in the middle. He became the short stack at the table after losing a few key hands and called TheReal McCoy's preflop raise. The flop came 9
3
2
and the two players capped betting. The turn put out the Q
and PrimedUp pushed all in for his last few chips. TheReal McCoy called and showed A
9
6
5
for the third-nut low, and a pair of nines and a flush draw for the high hand. PrimedUp flipped over J
10
9
3
for two pair and only the option of splitting the pot. The river was the 7
to give TheReal McCoy a flush to scoop the pot and eliminate PrimedUp from the tournament. PrimedUp made $2,750 for his sixth-place finish.
This final table proved to be a rarity with not one but two double-elimination hands. Almost 30 minutes after PrimedUp left the table, both kice32 and DEEEEUUCE were running low on chips. Kice32 had the fewest with $31,000 and DEEEEUUCE held $50,000. DEEEEUUCE raised preflop and both TheReal McCoy and kice32 called to see a flop of A
A
7
. TheReal McCoy checked and kice32 bet. DEEEEUUCE raised and TheReal McCoy check-raised. Kice32 called all in and DEEEEUUCE called to see the K
on the turn. TheReal McCoy bet, DEEEEUUCE called, and the river brought the Q
. TheReal McCoy bet enough to put DEEEEUUCE all in and DEEEEUUCE obliged and showed A
8
5
2
for trip aces. Kice32 revealed Q
J
4
3
for an ace-high flush and TheReal McCoy topped them both with A
J
7
6
for a full house, aces full of sevens, to scoop the pot for his second double-elimination scoop. Kice32 made $3,250 for fifth and DEEEEUUCE got a $4,000 payday for fourth.
TheReal McCoy was now dominant with three players left. He sat with $384,000 while rkruok had $150,000 in second and PearlJammed held $90,000 in third. In just over 10 minutes rkruok's stack was reduced to $30,000, with most of his chips being added to TheReal McCoy's stack. In rkruok's last hand, he raised preflop from the small blind and PearlJammed called to see the flop of J
10
8
. Rkruok bet and PearlJammed raised enough to put him all in. Rkruok called and showed A
K
6
4
for a low draw and a gutshot straight draw. PearlJammed flipped up K
7
Q
9
for a flopped straight. The turn and river were the A
and the 6
to unnecessarily improve PearlJammed's straight and leave rkruok with just two pair with his six, not enough to stay alive. Rkruok left in third ($5,500), putting his total
UBOC earnings thus far up to $10,700.
PearlJammed made up very little ground with rkruok's elimination, now sitting with $127,000 compared to TheReal McCoy's $498,000. PearlJammed made short work of the difference and they became virtually tied. TheReal McCoy proposed an even chop and PearlJammed said that he didn't like chops. They eventually decided on a deal where the winner would transfer $1,000 to the loser after the tournament (the UltimateBet software does not support dealmaking). The two traded the chip lead for a while before the stacks basically equalized again. TheReal McCoy again proposed an even chop and PearlJammed was still hesitant. They agreed that the previous deal could be changed to $1,500 extra for the runner up rather than $1,000.
Shortly after this new deal was struck, TheReal McCoy started to forge a true lead over PearlJammed. Once PearlJammed's stack was less than 10 times the big blind, things starting going downhill. In a span of about four hands his stack went from $180,000 to $42,000 before the final hand. PearlJammed raised preflop and TheReal McCoy reraised. PearlJammed threw in the few chips he had over the reraise and TheReal McCoy called and showed the 8
6
4
3
. PearlJammed turned up the A
10
8
5
and the board ran out J
6
6
3
Q
. The board completely missed PearlJammed's hand while it gave TheReal McCoy a full house, sixes full of threes, to take down the pot. PearlJammed pocketed $7,750 for second (plus, presumably, the $1,500 from the deal) and TheReal McCoy raked in $13,000 (minus the $1,500 from the deal) and a silver
UBOC winner's bracelet.
The final standings were:
1) TheReal McCoy - $13,000
2) PearlJammed - $7,750
3) rkruok - $5,500
4) DEEEEUUCE - $4,000
5) kice32 - $3,250
6) PrimedUp - $2,750
7) gassitt - $2,250
8) bslick23 - $1,750
9) fiveaceswins - $1,250
10) dahmsy - $1,000
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