At times life gets in the way of life. This may sound like a misguided rhetorical statement, but to Mike Spegal, this statement makes a lot of sense right now. Spegal won his first gold bracelet last night in the $1,500 pot-limit hold'em event at the
World Series of Poker. It also happened to be the evening of his ninth wedding anniversary. "I had reservations at the Eiffel Tower [restaurant]. I also had two tickets that I purchased to see Howie Mandel at nine o'clock. Of course, that didn't happen," said Spegal.
With his wife at his side to cheer him on, Spegal defeated an impressive final table that also featured Marco Traniello, Eric "Rizen" Lynch, Jon Friedberg, and Gavin Smith. "I just wanted to play the best cards I possibly [could]. I wasn't going to try to bluff the pot. I wasn't going to try to bluff these players at what they do for a living," said Spegal. He took home the gold bracelet and $252,290 after defeating Smith in a heads-up face-off.
Here is how the action played out during the heads-up match from the
CardPlayer.com hourly logs:
Heads Up!
The heads-up match was set after the elimination of Jon Friedberg and the chip counts were as follows:
Mike Spegal: $1,245,000
Gavin Smith: $1,105,000
Both players were introduced to the crowd, and the fans went wild with applause when Smith was introduced. The massive stack of cash sat between the two players, with $252,290 and a gold bracelet on the line.
Smith struck the first blow of the match when he picked up a substantial pot with a $250,000 bet on a board of A
10
6
8
2. Smith centered a very focused stare on his opponent while Spegal pondered the call. Smith cupped his hands over his mouth and only removed them when Spegal conceded his hand.
Spegal Increases his Lead
Over the next 10 hands, Spegal was able to increase his chip lead over Smith to $1.4 million against $900,000. Many hands went to a flop, but there were no showdowns as the players traded punches during the stretch.
Million Dollar Pot…Not!
With A 8 6 3 8 sitting on the board, Smith bet the pot, which was currently $180,000. Spegal then re-popped to $360,000. The pot was now its very own millionaire and Smith stood up to count his chips. A call would put his tournament life at risk. He decided to take this risk and Spegal flipped over 8 4. The crowd made a combined sound that can best be described as a combined gasp, cheer, sigh, and scream in unison when Smith also turned over 8-4. They chopped up the pot and the two players would continue their quest for the third bracelet of the WSOP when the dinner break concluded an hour and a half later.
The Poker Brat Arrives
The players returned from dinner break a few minutes after 9 p.m. and their chip stacks were announced to the crowd:
Smith Smith: $770,000
Spegal Spegal: $1,580,000
A few hands into the action, Phil Hellmuth walked to the stage to check up on Smith. He was announced to the crowd and received a random assortment of applause. Hellmuth then set up shop near one of the bleachers to watch the heads-up action.
The Century Club Brings a Cautious Approach
The century mark was eclipsed on a hand that was noteworthy for no other reason and play continued. Action continued on quietly and Spegal picked up $200,000 off Smith with a 10-high straight. This gave Spegal a more than 2-to-1 chip lead. This quiet manner of play continued throughout the first half hour of the second act. Not too much happened and both players seemed to be waiting to pick up a monster hand before they switched from this cautious approach.
Smith Climbs Back Into Contention, Then Falls off the Mountain
The match continued and Smith was able to become a factor once again by picking up a $360,000 pot with a pot-sized river bet that received no call. He then showed trip aces to pick up a $500,000 pot. Spegal stalled this climb when he picked up a $630,000 pot on the next hand, though.
Spegal Spegal Wins Event #4 ($252,290)
Smith now had $415,000 left in front of him and he moved it all in on the following hand. Spegal made the call and flipped over A10. Smith turned over pocket fives and the board was dealt J 6 3 Q K. Smith was eliminated in second place and he will take home $155,645 in prize money. That first bracelet continues to elude one of poker's superstar players. Spegal won the gold bracelet for the $1,500 pot-limit hold'em event, and in addition he will take home $252,290.
