Erik Friberg Poker Tournament Updates

$2,500 PLHE/PLO - Hour One - Lots of Early Exits

Jun 12, '08

Note: The tournament staff has decided to switch games every half hour as opposed to the origianlly scheduled, nine hands of each game.

Blinds/Antes:
PLH: 50-75
PLO: 25-50

Players Left: 407 of 432

Chip Leaders:
Jeff Lisandro: 8,100
Lee Watkinson: 7,100
John Juanda: 6,800
Andy Black: 7,400
Erik Seidel: 5,500
Rolf Slotbloom: 5,100

Eliminations: Victor Ramdin, Erik Friberg, David Williams

Big Hands:

PLHE - Victor Ramdin Eliminated

The player in seat 9 raised to 275 from the button and Victor Ramdin called from the small blind as did the big blind. The flop came Q33, and the button bet 500. The big blind folded and Ramdin raised to 2,000. The button called and the turn was the J. Ramdin moved all in for 2,075 and after a minute in the tank the button called with AQ for top pair, top kicker. Ramdin turned over J10 for middle pair and the river was the 9, no help to Ramdin who made an early exit halfway through the first level.



PLO

Erik Friberg Eliminated

On a flop of 852, the player in seat 6 made a bet and Erik Friberg called. The turn was the 8 and seat 6 bet 2,000. Friberg reraised all in for 3,000 and seat 6 called. Friberg turned over AAQ6 for the overpair while seat 6 showed JJ83 for trip eights. The river was the 3 and seat 6 filled up on the river, sending Friberg home early in the first level of the night.

David Williams Eliminated

On a flop of J93, David Williams bet 400 and the player in seat 3 called while the player in seat 8 raised to 1,100. Williams made tha call and seat 3 folded. The turn was the Q and seat 8 bet 2,000. Williams called all in for 1,525. Seat 8 turned over AKQQ for top set, the second nut flush draw and an inside straight draw. Williams showed AQJ9 foir top three pair. Williams was drawing dead to the river (2) as he left his seat and headed for the door.

Player Tags: Victor Ramdin,   David Williams,   Erik Friberg

Two One Outers

Jul 14, '07

Erik Friberg was able to double up on the following hand:

Action folded around to Friberg in the cut off and he moved all-in for his last $22,000. The next player to act was Nenad Medic who made the call. Friberg showed A A and Medic showed 7 7. One player at the table says he folded A-7 as the flop comes T 8 7 giving Medic a one outer. His fate qucikly turned on im as the A came on the turn giving the hand to Friberg.

Erik Friberg now has $50,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Nenad Medic,   Erik Friberg

Day Finished; Friberg is Bolotin's Kryptonite

Jun 29, '07

Play has stopped for the evening as Thierry van der Berg was the unfortunate bubble boy.  Van der Berg moved all in from the big blind after Erik Friberg raised him from the small blind.  Friberg called and was the huge favorite as he showed K K to van der Berg's 5 5.  The board ran out 10 8 6 A A.  Van der Berg earned $83,145 for his seventh place finish.

Friberg was very busy in the last hour of play.  Friberg locked horns with chip boss Alex Bolotin twice, and twice emerged with double the amount of chips he started with.  First Friberg called Bolotin's preflop $125,000 raise to see a flop of A Q 7.  Bolotin made a continuation bet of $200,000 and called Friberg when he moved all in over the top.  Friberg was ahead with Q J to Bolotin's K 10.  The turn and river came 7 and J, and Friberg doubled up.  Soon after Friberg pushed all in and was called by Bolotin.  Friberg held A A and Bolotin was trailing with A K.  The board came 10 6 2 7 J and Friberg pulled even with Bolotin.

The final six are as follows:

Seat 1: Greg Pohler - $655,000
Seat 2: Alex Bolotin - $2,010,000
Seat 3: Gioi Luong - $570,00
Seat 4: Bill Edler - $535,000
Seat 5: Dutch Boyd - $705,000
Seat 6: Erik Friberg - $2,795,000

The final table will begin at 2pm PST.  Stay locked on CardPlayer.com as we follow the progress of Dutch Boyd in our Pro Blogs as he attempts to win his second bracelet.

Player Tags: Thierry Van Den Berg,   Erik Friberg,   Alex Bolotin

Two Tables

Jun 29, '07

Alex Bolotin has continued his winning ways pushing his chipstack over $1.7 million.  He eliminated Phil Galfond calling his all in re-raise with A-K.  Bolotin flopped trip Aces and that was all she wrote for Galfond.  Bolotin also swung the executioner’s axe on Ram Vaswani, who was forced to make an all in push with an As 4s only to have Bolotin wake up with J J.  The board couldn’t produce an Ace and Vaswani bowed out in 14^th place earning $27,031.

 

Earlier in the round Dustin “Neverwin” Woolf had been eliminated in 16^th place by Vaswani, but Vaswani couldn’t put those chips to good enough use.

 

Going into the final two tables Bolotin has over $2.1 million in chips, the only other player over a million is Dutch Boyd.  Other notables still alive include Tony G, Gioi Luong, and Erik Friberg. 

Player Tags: Gioi Luong,   Antanas Guoga,   Ram Vaswani,   Dustin Woolf,   Phil Galfond,   Erik Friberg,   Dutch Boyd,   Alex Bolotin

Hour Four Update

Jun 29, '07

Only 26 players remain at 5 tables.

Hellmuth Busts

Hellmuth had made quite a comeback after his set got rivered by an opponents over-pair.  Unfortunately for him, that momentum hit a wall when he got all-in with 10-10 against an opponents A-8.  He survived the flop, but his opponent spiked an ace on the turn.  Hellmuth didn't improve on the river, and was sent to the rail in 31st place ($13,344).  

Boyd Makes The Call

With a lot of money already in, the player in seat three bet $55,000 with a board of J 7 6 K 5.  Dutch Boyd thought about it for a while before calling with A K for top pair.  His opponent had 8 5 for a straight draw on the flop and a pair of fives on the river, but it was not good enough and Boyd raked in the massive pot.

Tony G vs. Erik Friberg

Tony G had all of his money in against Erik Friberg with A 8 against J-10. With a board of K Q Q A Friberg had turned a straight, but with the Q on the river Tony G had made a full house and he celebrated as he raked the pot.  The very next hand he raised to $18,000 on the button and Friberg called.  The flop came Q 5 3.  Friberg checked and then called Tony G's $25,000 bet.  The turn brought the Q and both players checked.  The 2 on the river also prompted checks, and Friberg quickly revealed the 6 2 for a pair on the river.   Tony G mucked, looking slightly surprised.  Mark Vos, who Friberg had won a huge pot off earlier, poked fun at Friberg. "This is what you do with my chips?"

Cooler,Miracle Flop, Nightmare  River

Nick Shulman was all-in preflop with K-K. A good spot to be in usually.  This time, however, his opponent held A-A and he was way behind.  He caught took the lead with a K on  the flop and things were looking good for Shulman.  The turn put a third heart on the board, and with his opponent holding the A he had to dodge a heart to double up.  The river brought a heart however, and Shulman was busted in 28th place ($16,766) after a rollercoaster of a hand.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Phil Hellmuth,   Nick Schulman,   Mark Vos,   Erik Friberg

Hour Three Update

Jun 29, '07

Two Simultaneous Monster Pots

With a ton of money already in and a board of J 8 5 10 Erik Friberg checked and Mark Vos bet $120,000.  Friberg thought for a while before raising all-in.  Vos called instantly and revealed 88 for a set while Friberg held A J for top pair and the nut flush draw.  Vos was devastated when the Q hit the river, giving Friberg the pot and taking a huge chunk out of his formerly leading stack.  Vos still held around $200,000 in chips, while Friberg increased to approximately $450,000.

At the very same moment as the hand between Vos and Friberg was going on, Hellmuth got his money all-in and took a huge beat.  Hellmuth had flopped a set with 3 3, and after getting a call from an opponent with Q Q. With a board of 8 3 2 J, Hellmuth only had to dodge two outs to have a great shot at final tabling yet again. Unfortunately for him, the Q fell on the end and Hellmuth was left with only $30,000.  He has doubled up a few times since then to above $100,000.

Only 35 players remain on the final six tables, and the action is really heating up, so make sure to check back for more hourly updates here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Mark Vos,   Erik Friberg

Friberg Eliminated in Third ($345,582)

Jun 30, '07

With huge blinds and the shortest stack three handed, Erik Friberg decided to push from the small blind with A 3.  Alex Bolotin picked up the A 10 and called. The board came down 6 4 2 10 7 and Bolotin's flush sent Friberg to the rail in third place with $345,582.  Bolotin will now be heads up with Bill Edler for the bracelet and the $904,672 first prize.

Player Tags: Erik Friberg,   Alex Bolotin

Hour Four Update

Jun 30, '07

As three handed play began the stacks looked as follows:

Alex Bolotin - $2,700,000
Erik Friberg - $2,500,000
Bill Edler - $1,950,000

Edler On The Rise

Early on Edler picked up a good sized pot off of Friberg with A J on a board of J 5 4 3.  On the turn Friberg bet $350,000 and Edler raised to $1,000,000 and Friberg dumped his hand.  Edler then picked up $150,000 in a walk.   Edler raised preflop with 7 6 and Erik Friberg smooth called with 8 8. After a flop of Q 5 5 and Edler led out $450,000 and after tanking for a few minutes, Friberg folded his eights. Edler moved up to second in chips by the middle of the level. 

Passing Chips Around

The middle of this hour was spent passing chips around the table, with small to medium sized pots commonly being taken down on the flop.  Tough these pots are small and each player won a few of them, it seems that Edler is picking up more than his fair share.

Edler's Semi-Bluff

With a board of 8 7 6 both Edler and Alex Bolotin checked.  The turn brought the A and Bolotin bet out $150,000 with A 3.  Edler thought for a moment and raised with 7 4 , which made third pair and a straight draw.  Bolotin folded his pair of aces after a moments tought and Edler's agression won him the pot with the second best hand.  With twenty minutes left in the level Edler's stack was up to around $3,100,000.

Friberg Caught

Erik Friberg raised to $250,000 with 7 4 and Alex Bolotin called with the K 10.  The flop brought the A 6 2 and Friberg led out $400,000.  Bolotin thought for a minute before raining all-in.  Friberg folded and Bolotin picked up almost $700,000. Friberg ended the hand with around $1,000,000.

At the end of the level, Edler has around $3,000,000, while Bolotin has around $2,000,000 and Friberg just over $1,000,000. Make sure to check back for more updates here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Bill Edler,   Erik Friberg,   Alex Bolotin

Hour Three Recap

Jun 30, '07

Friberg Doubles

With A J Alex Bolotin raised to $160,000 and got a call from Erik Friberg with Q 10 and Greg Pohler with 4 3. The flop brought a nine and two blanks.  The turn brought the J, giving Bolotin top pair and Friberg an open ended straight draw. Bolotin bet out, and Friberg went all-in.  Bolotin called and was in great shape to eliminate Friberg.  The K on the river gave Friberg a straight to the king, however, and he doubled up at Bolotin's expense.

Bolotin Back In It

Alex Bolotin raised $275,000 with K 6 and Greg Pohler called with Q J. The flop brought the K 10 5 and Bolotin bet his top pair.  Pohler called and the turn brought the J.  Bolotin checked  and Pohler moved all-in with his second pair and open ended straight draw.  Bolotin went into the tank for a few minutes before calling with his top pair.  The river brought the 3 and Bolotin avoided getting drawn out on in another big pot.  He took down the pot and left Pohler crippled.  

Pohler was eliminated shortly after this hand by Erik Friberg, (see elimination post for details.)  With Pohler's elimination it wasdown to three handed play just in time for a short break.  With relatively close stacks, it is still anyone's game.  Make sure to check back for all of the action here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Erik Friberg,   Alex Bolotin

Pohler Eliminated in 4th Place ($232,669)

Jun 30, '07

Greg Pohler was short stacked after losing a big hand against Alex Bolotin.  He went all-in with his last $75,000.  After a few calls, Erik Friberg raised to isolate with A K and all other players folded. Pohler turned over the Q 7 and the flop came down A 3 6.  After the 5 on the turn Pohler was drawing only to a four for a tie.  The river brought a J and Pohler was eliminated in fourth place, taking home $232,669.

Player Tags: Greg Pohler,   Erik Friberg

Final Table - Hour Two Recap

Jun 30, '07

Shorter Stack Dynamic

After moving up to third in chips, Edler was in more of a middle-sized stack position. He no longer had to push preflop, but he also wasn't deep stacked enough to feel comfortable limping or flat calling raises. Greg Pohler was even shorter, and though he limped and called a number of hands and took them down, he still needed to win a big hand to take some of the pressure of his stack. 

Larger Stack Dynamic

Big stacks Erik Friberg and Alex Bolotin applied a surprisingly light amount of pressure early in the final table.  The biggest hand either of them got involved in early in the hour was against each other.  Bolotin raised to $125,000 from  the button.  Friberg called with the A 7 and after a flop of Q 5 3 checked.  Bolotin bet $200,000 and Friberg mucked his ace high. Friberg loosened up in the later part of the second level, making plays such as stealing the big blind with hands like 7 5.  

Pohler Doubles

Greg Pohler doubled up with 10 10 after he raised $240,000 preflop.  Friberg called with A 4.  After a flop of 7 4 3, Pohler bet $500,000 and Friberg raised all-in.  Pohler called and after the turn and river bricked off, Pohler doubled and took over the chip lead from Friberg. 

Edler Usurps Pohler

Pohler made a large raise of $270,000 preflop with A J.  Bill Edler reraised all-in with A Q.  After the board came down Q 3 2 K 4, Edler doubled up and overtook the chip lead with more than $2,000,000, knocking Pohler back down to a smaller stack. 

Make sure to check back next hour for another update here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Greg Pohler,   Bill Edler,   Erik Friberg,   Alex Bolotin

Event #45 Final Table - Hour One

Jun 30, '07

Gioi Luong was late to the final table, leading to a 30 minute delay.  When play finally got underway, the dynamic created by the stacks had a great effect on the action.  Both Erik Friberg and Alex Bolotin started the final day above two million in chips, while the rest of the players were all below a million and within $200,000 of each other. That meant that the final table started with polarized stack sizes, with players either deep or short stacked. This dynamic, combined with the nature of shorthanded play, led to fast action.

Bill Edler moved in and took down the blinds on two of the first three hands realizing the value of chipping up and trying to make the top three spots, which pay dramatically higher.  Greg Pohler was also applying pressure this way, but with a more selective range of hands.  Gioi Luong also tried to double up early, but his K Q ran into the A K of Alex Bolotin and he was eliminated in 6th.  (See Luong's elimination post for more details.) 

Edler's preflop pressure won him the blinds and antes and when he finally got called by Dutch Boyd, he had him out-chipped.  Boyd held the J J against A 7, and after a flop of 8 5 3, Boyd was in good shape.  The A paired Edler's ace and after the 8 fell on the river Boyd was sent to the rail in fifth place ($169,269), while Edler moved above $1,000,000.  Greg Pohler was left as the short stack, with Edler in third, Bolotin in second and Friberg in first.

Make sure to check back for more hourly updates here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Gioi Luong,   Greg Pohler,   Bill Edler,   Erik Friberg,   Dutch Boyd,   Alex Bolotin

Day Finished; Friberg is Bolotin's Kryptonite

Jun 29, '07

Play has stopped for the evening as Thierry van der Berg was the unfortunate bubble boy.  Van der Berg moved all in from the big blind after Erik Friberg raised him from the small blind.  Friberg called and was the huge favorite as he showed K K to van der Berg's 5 5.  The board ran out 10 8 6 A A.  Van der Berg earned $83,145 for his seventh place finish.

Friberg was very busy in the last hour of play.  Friberg locked horns with chip boss Alex Bolotin twice, and twice emerged with double the amount of chips he started with.  First Friberg called Bolotin's preflop $125,000 raise to see a flop of A Q 7.  Bolotin made a continuation bet of $200,000 and called Friberg when he moved all in over the top.  Friberg was ahead with Q J to Bolotin's K 10.  The turn and river came 7 and J, and Friberg doubled up.  Soon after Friberg pushed all in and was called by Bolotin.  Friberg held A A and Bolotin was trailing with A K.  The board came 10 6 2 7 J and Friberg pulled even with Bolotin.

The final six are as follows:

Seat 1: Greg Pohler - $655,000
Seat 2: Alex Bolotin - $2,010,000
Seat 3: Gioi Luong - $570,00
Seat 4: Bill Edler - $535,000
Seat 5: Dutch Boyd - $705,000
Seat 6: Erik Friberg - $2,795,000

The final table will begin at 2pm PST.  Stay locked on CardPlayer.com as we follow the progress of Dutch Boyd in our Pro Blogs as he attempts to win his second bracelet.

Player Tags: Thierry Van Den Berg,   Erik Friberg,   Alex Bolotin

Two Tables

Jun 29, '07

Alex Bolotin has continued his winning ways pushing his chipstack over $1.7 million.  He eliminated Phil Galfond calling his all in re-raise with A-K.  Bolotin flopped trip Aces and that was all she wrote for Galfond.  Bolotin also swung the executioner’s axe on Ram Vaswani, who was forced to make an all in push with an As 4s only to have Bolotin wake up with J J.  The board couldn’t produce an Ace and Vaswani bowed out in 14^th place earning $27,031.

 

Earlier in the round Dustin “Neverwin” Woolf had been eliminated in 16^th place by Vaswani, but Vaswani couldn’t put those chips to good enough use.

 

Going into the final two tables Bolotin has over $2.1 million in chips, the only other player over a million is Dutch Boyd.  Other notables still alive include Tony G, Gioi Luong, and Erik Friberg. 

Player Tags: Gioi Luong,   Antanas Guoga,   Ram Vaswani,   Dustin Woolf,   Phil Galfond,   Erik Friberg,   Dutch Boyd,   Alex Bolotin

Hour Four Update

Jun 29, '07

Only 26 players remain at 5 tables.

Hellmuth Busts

Hellmuth had made quite a comeback after his set got rivered by an opponents over-pair.  Unfortunately for him, that momentum hit a wall when he got all-in with 10-10 against an opponents A-8.  He survived the flop, but his opponent spiked an ace on the turn.  Hellmuth didn't improve on the river, and was sent to the rail in 31st place ($13,344).  

Boyd Makes The Call

With a lot of money already in, the player in seat three bet $55,000 with a board of J 7 6 K 5.  Dutch Boyd thought about it for a while before calling with A K for top pair.  His opponent had 8 5 for a straight draw on the flop and a pair of fives on the river, but it was not good enough and Boyd raked in the massive pot.

Tony G vs. Erik Friberg

Tony G had all of his money in against Erik Friberg with A 8 against J-10. With a board of K Q Q A Friberg had turned a straight, but with the Q on the river Tony G had made a full house and he celebrated as he raked the pot.  The very next hand he raised to $18,000 on the button and Friberg called.  The flop came Q 5 3.  Friberg checked and then called Tony G's $25,000 bet.  The turn brought the Q and both players checked.  The 2 on the river also prompted checks, and Friberg quickly revealed the 6 2 for a pair on the river.   Tony G mucked, looking slightly surprised.  Mark Vos, who Friberg had won a huge pot off earlier, poked fun at Friberg. "This is what you do with my chips?"

Cooler,Miracle Flop, Nightmare  River

Nick Shulman was all-in preflop with K-K. A good spot to be in usually.  This time, however, his opponent held A-A and he was way behind.  He caught took the lead with a K on  the flop and things were looking good for Shulman.  The turn put a third heart on the board, and with his opponent holding the A he had to dodge a heart to double up.  The river brought a heart however, and Shulman was busted in 28th place ($16,766) after a rollercoaster of a hand.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Phil Hellmuth,   Nick Schulman,   Mark Vos,   Erik Friberg

Hour Three Update

Jun 29, '07

Two Simultaneous Monster Pots

With a ton of money already in and a board of J 8 5 10 Erik Friberg checked and Mark Vos bet $120,000.  Friberg thought for a while before raising all-in.  Vos called instantly and revealed 88 for a set while Friberg held A J for top pair and the nut flush draw.  Vos was devastated when the Q hit the river, giving Friberg the pot and taking a huge chunk out of his formerly leading stack.  Vos still held around $200,000 in chips, while Friberg increased to approximately $450,000.

At the very same moment as the hand between Vos and Friberg was going on, Hellmuth got his money all-in and took a huge beat.  Hellmuth had flopped a set with 3 3, and after getting a call from an opponent with Q Q. With a board of 8 3 2 J, Hellmuth only had to dodge two outs to have a great shot at final tabling yet again. Unfortunately for him, the Q fell on the end and Hellmuth was left with only $30,000.  He has doubled up a few times since then to above $100,000.

Only 35 players remain on the final six tables, and the action is really heating up, so make sure to check back for more hourly updates here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Mark Vos,   Erik Friberg

Friberg Eliminated in Third ($345,582)

Jun 30, '07

With huge blinds and the shortest stack three handed, Erik Friberg decided to push from the small blind with A 3.  Alex Bolotin picked up the A 10 and called. The board came down 6 4 2 10 7 and Bolotin's flush sent Friberg to the rail in third place with $345,582.  Bolotin will now be heads up with Bill Edler for the bracelet and the $904,672 first prize.

Player Tags: Erik Friberg,   Alex Bolotin

Hour Four Update

Jun 30, '07

As three handed play began the stacks looked as follows:

Alex Bolotin - $2,700,000
Erik Friberg - $2,500,000
Bill Edler - $1,950,000

Edler On The Rise

Early on Edler picked up a good sized pot off of Friberg with A J on a board of J 5 4 3.  On the turn Friberg bet $350,000 and Edler raised to $1,000,000 and Friberg dumped his hand.  Edler then picked up $150,000 in a walk.   Edler raised preflop with 7 6 and Erik Friberg smooth called with 8 8. After a flop of Q 5 5 and Edler led out $450,000 and after tanking for a few minutes, Friberg folded his eights. Edler moved up to second in chips by the middle of the level. 

Passing Chips Around

The middle of this hour was spent passing chips around the table, with small to medium sized pots commonly being taken down on the flop.  Tough these pots are small and each player won a few of them, it seems that Edler is picking up more than his fair share.

Edler's Semi-Bluff

With a board of 8 7 6 both Edler and Alex Bolotin checked.  The turn brought the A and Bolotin bet out $150,000 with A 3.  Edler thought for a moment and raised with 7 4 , which made third pair and a straight draw.  Bolotin folded his pair of aces after a moments tought and Edler's agression won him the pot with the second best hand.  With twenty minutes left in the level Edler's stack was up to around $3,100,000.

Friberg Caught

Erik Friberg raised to $250,000 with 7 4 and Alex Bolotin called with the K 10.  The flop brought the A 6 2 and Friberg led out $400,000.  Bolotin thought for a minute before raining all-in.  Friberg folded and Bolotin picked up almost $700,000. Friberg ended the hand with around $1,000,000.

At the end of the level, Edler has around $3,000,000, while Bolotin has around $2,000,000 and Friberg just over $1,000,000. Make sure to check back for more updates here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Bill Edler,   Erik Friberg,   Alex Bolotin

Hour Three Recap

Jun 30, '07

Friberg Doubles

With A J Alex Bolotin raised to $160,000 and got a call from Erik Friberg with Q 10 and Greg Pohler with 4 3. The flop brought a nine and two blanks.  The turn brought the J, giving Bolotin top pair and Friberg an open ended straight draw. Bolotin bet out, and Friberg went all-in.  Bolotin called and was in great shape to eliminate Friberg.  The K on the river gave Friberg a straight to the king, however, and he doubled up at Bolotin's expense.

Bolotin Back In It

Alex Bolotin raised $275,000 with K 6 and Greg Pohler called with Q J. The flop brought the K 10 5 and Bolotin bet his top pair.  Pohler called and the turn brought the J.  Bolotin checked  and Pohler moved all-in with his second pair and open ended straight draw.  Bolotin went into the tank for a few minutes before calling with his top pair.  The river brought the 3 and Bolotin avoided getting drawn out on in another big pot.  He took down the pot and left Pohler crippled.  

Pohler was eliminated shortly after this hand by Erik Friberg, (see elimination post for details.)  With Pohler's elimination it wasdown to three handed play just in time for a short break.  With relatively close stacks, it is still anyone's game.  Make sure to check back for all of the action here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Erik Friberg,   Alex Bolotin

Pohler Eliminated in 4th Place ($232,669)

Jun 30, '07

Greg Pohler was short stacked after losing a big hand against Alex Bolotin.  He went all-in with his last $75,000.  After a few calls, Erik Friberg raised to isolate with A K and all other players folded. Pohler turned over the Q 7 and the flop came down A 3 6.  After the 5 on the turn Pohler was drawing only to a four for a tie.  The river brought a J and Pohler was eliminated in fourth place, taking home $232,669.

Player Tags: Greg Pohler,   Erik Friberg

Final Table - Hour Two Recap

Jun 30, '07

Shorter Stack Dynamic

After moving up to third in chips, Edler was in more of a middle-sized stack position. He no longer had to push preflop, but he also wasn't deep stacked enough to feel comfortable limping or flat calling raises. Greg Pohler was even shorter, and though he limped and called a number of hands and took them down, he still needed to win a big hand to take some of the pressure of his stack. 

Larger Stack Dynamic

Big stacks Erik Friberg and Alex Bolotin applied a surprisingly light amount of pressure early in the final table.  The biggest hand either of them got involved in early in the hour was against each other.  Bolotin raised to $125,000 from  the button.  Friberg called with the A 7 and after a flop of Q 5 3 checked.  Bolotin bet $200,000 and Friberg mucked his ace high. Friberg loosened up in the later part of the second level, making plays such as stealing the big blind with hands like 7 5.  

Pohler Doubles

Greg Pohler doubled up with 10 10 after he raised $240,000 preflop.  Friberg called with A 4.  After a flop of 7 4 3, Pohler bet $500,000 and Friberg raised all-in.  Pohler called and after the turn and river bricked off, Pohler doubled and took over the chip lead from Friberg. 

Edler Usurps Pohler

Pohler made a large raise of $270,000 preflop with A J.  Bill Edler reraised all-in with A Q.  After the board came down Q 3 2 K 4, Edler doubled up and overtook the chip lead with more than $2,000,000, knocking Pohler back down to a smaller stack. 

Make sure to check back next hour for another update here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Greg Pohler,   Bill Edler,   Erik Friberg,   Alex Bolotin

Event #45 Final Table - Hour One

Jun 30, '07

Gioi Luong was late to the final table, leading to a 30 minute delay.  When play finally got underway, the dynamic created by the stacks had a great effect on the action.  Both Erik Friberg and Alex Bolotin started the final day above two million in chips, while the rest of the players were all below a million and within $200,000 of each other. That meant that the final table started with polarized stack sizes, with players either deep or short stacked. This dynamic, combined with the nature of shorthanded play, led to fast action.

Bill Edler moved in and took down the blinds on two of the first three hands realizing the value of chipping up and trying to make the top three spots, which pay dramatically higher.  Greg Pohler was also applying pressure this way, but with a more selective range of hands.  Gioi Luong also tried to double up early, but his K Q ran into the A K of Alex Bolotin and he was eliminated in 6th.  (See Luong's elimination post for more details.) 

Edler's preflop pressure won him the blinds and antes and when he finally got called by Dutch Boyd, he had him out-chipped.  Boyd held the J J against A 7, and after a flop of 8 5 3, Boyd was in good shape.  The A paired Edler's ace and after the 8 fell on the river Boyd was sent to the rail in fifth place ($169,269), while Edler moved above $1,000,000.  Greg Pohler was left as the short stack, with Edler in third, Bolotin in second and Friberg in first.

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Player Tags: Gioi Luong,   Greg Pohler,   Bill Edler,   Erik Friberg,   Dutch Boyd,   Alex Bolotin