| Buy-In: | $4,700 + $300 |
|---|---|
| Prize Pool: | $3,264,244 |
| Entrants: | 716 |
This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.
Late last night, our plans for the penultimate day, NAPT Mohegan Sun report were left in tatters by the final hand played at the tables. Despite seven hours of competition that were all about the dominance of Vanessa Selbst, Mike Beasley inched into the chip lead going into today’s final. We had to tear up that report and start again.
Today, however, neither we nor Selbst were to be denied. Lightning does not strike twice. Selbst flew out the blocks during final table play, seized the chip lead within the first 30 minutes, increased it hour on hour, until in scarcely longer than the time it takes to find a way out of the Mohegan Sun parking lot she was the champion. Selbst took $750,000, her first NAPT title and left this sleepy reservation shuddering in her wake.
This really was an all-star performance from Selbst, who all but led from post to post. She was second only to David Williams in the day one counts, was third after day two, led at the end of day three, and was only nudged back to second last night by the narrowest of margins. But the wisest commentators have had her name etched on the trophy all along. She didn’t so much shrug off the challenges presented along the way as simply ignore them.
“I was playing well and I just got the cards and everything came together,” Selbst said. “I have a habit of busting out in the fourth level or accumulating a butt-load of chips … This is by far my biggest win, so I’m really excited about it.”
We reconvened under the ESPN studio lights at noon today. But Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar spent longer getting fitted with a television microphone than he did speaking into it. Within the first orbit, Aguiar was all in and all out, unable to outrace Mike Woods’ pocket tens with his [as][qh]. Adios Aguiar.
That swift elimination set a tone we followed for the next couple of hours. Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy departed in seventh – crippled by Derek Raymond’s pocket sixes and then finished off by the same foe’s [ad][9d]. But the party didn’t last long for Raymond. He made a stand against Selbst’s power poker, but was under-equipped with his [ac][th] against Selbst’s [6d][6s]. She can win races like no other.
The Selbst show paused long enough to allow Beasley to oust Al Melville, the sole Canadian in the field sent back to Toronto with a slightly grim [qh][qs] versus [ah][qc] coup, with an ace binking on the flop. A couple of hands later Scott Seiver’s enthralling, entertaining show came to an end when his pocket fours also lost to an ace on the flop, this time connecting with Mike Woods’ [ad][3h]. Seiver was severed in fourth.
Again triumph was short lived. Woods got all his chips in the middle with [9h][tc] on a board of [9d][8c][6s]. Selbst, with chilling inevitability, had flopped a set of eights and faded the outs. Woods landed in the rough and we recalled a hand from day three where Selbst cracked Lars Bonding’s aces by hitting a set of nines. She had declared then and there: “This is my tournament, I’m sorry.” No apology required.
Beasley had shown last night that you can never be 100 percent certain of anything in poker until the big comedy check is in someone’s gleeful mitts. But with a six-to-one chip lead and bags of heads up experience, this was as close to a lock as we get.
The heads up exchange between the two will make for some excellent TV, Beasley and Selbst both drawing on encouragement from the crowd and playing to the cameras. In addition to her chip lead, Selbst also had the most supporters, but Beasley continued to crack wise:
“If ever I get heads up in one of these things again, I’m hiring myself a new cheering section,” Beasley said. “I’m hiring your cheering section.”
But whether it was the support, the chips, or just plain destiny, Selbst did not take long to wrap this one up. It was only about seven hands in when Beasley shoved with [qh][10s] and ran head-long into Selbst’s [ah][8s]. Five blank cards later and we were done.
When Selbst won her WSOP bracelet, her friends asked why she was bothering to go to law school. Now, she’s going to hear it again, but has a ready answer. “It won’t be like: ‘Why am I here?’ but ‘When can I get out of here and play another poker tournament?’” Selbst now moves up to seventh on the all time money list for women players. It’s worth bearing in mind that Vanessa Selbst is 25 years old.
Take a look back at the blow-by-blow action with any of the following links. (Short version: Selbst slays everyone.)
Final table player profiles
Level 26 & 27 live updates
Level 28 live updates
Level 29 live updates
As ever, we’re grateful to the speedy and superlative snapping of Joe Giron for the photography. Beware his ©.
Join us again tomorrow for the start of the $25,000 Bounty Shootout Tournament. But that’s that from the Main Event, crushed by Vanessa Selbst.
Goodnight.
This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.
5:55pm: Vanessa Selbst wins NAPT Mohegan Sun
On the seventh hand of heads up play, Vanessa Selbst came in for a raise to 200,000, Mike Beasley moved all-in with [Qh][Ts], and and Selbst snap-called with [Ah][8s]
The board ran out [3d][6c][kd][7c][8c]. Selbst claimed the NAPT title and $750,000. Mike Beasley earned $428,000 for second place.
A full wrap-up will come in just a bit.
5:51pm: Selbst strikes first
Mike Beasley opened for 350,000 and Vanessa Selbst called. Beasley led out for 1,000,000 on the [Kd][8c][3d] flop and Selbst almost immediately moved all-in. Beasley thought for a few minutes before deciding to save his last million or so in chips and released his hand.
5:51pm: Five hands in…
We’re five hands in (only one of which has been interesting and we’ll tell you about that one in a second). Here’s who won them.
Hand 1: Selbst
Hand 2: Selbst
Hand 3: Beasley
Hand 4: Selbst
Hand 5: Selbst
5:43pm: Play resuming
With a 6-1 chip lead, Vanessa Selbst is about to do what she can to put Mike Beasley away in short order.
5:30pm: Brief break
Our players are on a brief break while the TV crew sets up for heads-up play.
5:18pm: Selbst swings her wrecking ball, KO’s Woods in 3rd place ($240,000)
Mike Woods raised to 310,000 on the button and Vanessa Selbst called from the small blind. Selbst checked the [9d][8c][6s] flop over to Woods who bet 700,000. Selbst put in the check-raise, making it 1.8 million to go and after a long think, Woods moved all-in for 3,425,000. Selbst snap-called, revealing a set of eights. Woods held [9h][Tc] for top pair and a gutshot straight draw.
Selbst’s supporters held their breath as they waited for the turn and river. The [As] on the turn changed nothing, and the [Th] on the river made Woods an inconsequential two pair. He hit the rail in third place, leaving Selbst and Beasley to battle it out for the title.
Right now, though it’s a lopsided fight to say the least. Selbst has 18,810,000 million in chips while Beasley holds about 2,755,000 million.
5:11pm: Family pot yields fortune for Selbst
Mike Woods limped in on the button, Vanessa Selbst completed the small blind, and Mike Beasley checked his option. All three players saw a [Kh][3h][3c] flop, Beasley leading out for 205,000. Selbst raised to 580,000 and Beasley came back over the top, making it 1.1 million to go. Never one to give up easily, Selbst shipped her whole stack in, eliciting a grimace from Beasley. He shifted in his chair and frowned at the board for a bit before checking his hole cards one last time and sending them into the muck. Beasley is down to 3.1 million.
5:03pm: Witty signage (and a decent pot) for Selbst
Mike Woods completed the small blind and Vanessa Selbst checked her option in the big. The [Kc][6d][3h] flop brought a 200,000 bet from Beasley and a call from Selbst. Both players checked the [4d] on the turn. Beasley checked again when the [5c] landed on the river and Selbst bet 725,000. Woods looked her up, but mucked his hand after she turned up [Kd][5s] for two pair and the best hand. Selbst raked in the pot to hoots and hollers from her row of supporters, displaying a witty array of signs. Our favorite? “Women love Vanessa (and Vanessa loves women).”
5:00pm: Artist’s rendering
There is no topping the images from our photographer Joe Giron. However, in the event he falls and hits his head or something, one of Vanessa Selbst’s fans might serve in a pinch. See the artist’s rendering of our chip leader below.
4:50pm: Scott Seiver eliminated in 4th place ($190,000)
Tournament short-stack Scott Seiver shoved for 1,145,000 over the top of Mike Woods’ button raise and earned a call.
Seiver [4d][4c]
Woods [Ad][3h]
The [As][Ts][6d] flop gave Woods top pair and left Seiver drawing to one of the two remaining fours in the deck. The turn was the [Qc] and the river was the [7d], however, sending Scott Seiver to the rail in fourth place.
4.40pm: Melville sunk in fifth, winning $150,000
Mike Beasley made it 225,000 from the button and Al Melville moved all in from the big blind. Beasley insta-called, but he wasn’t in such great shape.
Beasley: [ah][qc]
Melville: [qh][qs]
The flop changed everything, however, as it brought the [as] in the window, alongside the [4c] and [3s]. The turn was [6d], leaving Melville with only one out to stay alive.
The [3d] was not it, and so Melville departs in fifth, winning $150,000. The all in was for 1,025,000, so Beasley adds that to his stack and we go on with four. Incidentally, Melville, a Canadian, was the last non-American player at the table. From here on out, it’s USA’s game.
4:42pm: Woods wins a small one
Vanessa Selbst limped in on the button, Mike Beasley completed the small blind and Mike Woods checked his option. The Mikes chekced the [Th][Tc][9c] flop over to Selbst, who bet 165,000. Beasley folded and Woods called. Both players checked through on the [Qs] turn and the [Jd] river, Woods turning over [Qc][6c] to take down the pot. Selbst showed the [Jc][7c] for straight and flush draws on the flop.
4.32pm: Resistance is futile
Vanessa Selbst raised to 240,000 two hands in a row, winning blinds and antes without any resistance. On the third occasion she tried it, Scott Seiver called from the big blind and they went to a flop of [ah][7d][js], which Seiver checked. Selbst bet 370,000 and she took it down.
4.25pm: Catch her if you can
We start this level with the following counts. Vanessa Selbst is now in eight figures.
Vanessa Selbst – 10,300,000
Mike Woods – 4,560,000
Mike Beasley – 3,905,000
Al Melville – 1,455,000
Scott Seiver – 1,345,000
4:15pm: Coming back
Here’s how we stand:
There are five players remaining.
Vanessa Selbst remains in the chip lead.
The $750,000 first prize is still on the line.
We’re back from break.
This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.
4pm: Level over
That’s the end of level 28; 15 minutes until level 29.
3:55pm: The time is…not now
Alistar Melville open-shoved under the gun for 1,425,000. The similarly short-stacked Scott Seiver asked for a count and then said, “We gotta play some time.” Â
But not this time.
Seiver and everybody else folded
3:50pm: Woods can’t call the shove
Mike Beasley opened for a 225,000 raise and Mike Woods three-bet to 725,000. After a long think, Beasley shipped his entire stack into the middle, 2,450,000 in all. Woods dwelled for several minutes before open-folding his pocket eights. Beasley took down the pot, leaving Woods to wonder what he had.
3:40pm: Selbst’s clever rail
A sign held by one of Vanessa Selbst’s fans: “We are rooting for Vanessa to win the poker tournament.”
3:32pm: Derek Raymond eliminated in sixth place ($115,000)
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition or Vanessa Selbst’s raises.
Al Melville limped, Vanessa Selbst made the call, too, and Derek Raymond re-raised from the button to 395,000. Melville got out of the way. And then what? Selbst made it $3.7 million to play. That was enough to put Raymond all-in. He had a little more than two million in front of him.
Yeah, that’s right. Selbst limped behind a limper and then raised the button-raiser. We’re not sure what David Sklansky would say, but we know Derek Raymond said, after a very long dwell, “Call.”
Selbst: [6d][6s]
Raymond: [ac][th]
Woah, mama.
Here’s how the board ran out [qh][kc][7c][8s][4d]. Selbst is now back in a dominant chip position with around 42% of the chips in play.
3:25pm: Melville folds under pressure
Al Melville raised to 275,000 from the button and Vanessa Selbst called from the big blind. Selbst checked the [Qh][Jc][4c] flop over to Melville, who bet 375,000. Selbst responded with an all-in reraise and Melville couldn’t find a call, conceding the pot to Selbst.
3:20pm: Melville bets Beasley out
Mike Beasley opened for 180,000 and Al Melville looked him up from the big blind. The flop was [Ah][7s][6c] and Melville checked to Beasley, who bet 305,000. Melville called and they went to the turn which fell the [5s]. Melville checked again and this time Beasley checked behind. The [4c] on the river brought a 275,000 bet from Melville. Beasley tanked for a minute before giving up his hand and Melville took down the pot.
3:10pm: Mike Woods, the thinker
A note about Mike Woods. He does not make decisions as quickly as most people expect. In fact, when facing a raise or even an opportunity to check, Woods can take up to two minutes. At least 50% of his decisions result in him thinking for more than one minute. Yesterday at this time, Vanessa Selbst (a woman known for her relatively quick decisions) ended up calling the clock on Woods in an effort to get him to speed up. Woods handled the time-call relatively well, but, just for kicks called the clock on Selbst within five seconds of the action being on her the next time.
Here’s Joe Giron’s gallery of thinkers. Just call him Rodin.
3:08pm: Raymond takes a shot on the river
Vanessa Selbst opened for 170,000 and Derek Raymond called. Raymond checked the [Ts][9h][2h] flop over to Selbst, who checked behind. The [Ad] hit the turn and both players checked again. The river was the [Jh] and Raymond took a stab at the pot, betting 385,000. It was enough to induce a fold from Selbst and Raymond collected the pot.
3:03pm: Seiver returns to pushing
Mike Woods limped in for 80,000 in the cutoff and opened the door for another shove-session from Scott Seiver. He pushed for 1,085,000 out of the small blind. Play folded back to Woods who folded in short order.
2:57pm: Melville ships, Beasley retreats
Al Melville opened for 250,000 from under-the-gun and Mike Beasley made the call. Beasley led out for 250,000 on the [4c][2d][2h] flop and Melville pushed back with an all-in reraise. Beasley released his hand and Melville took down the pot.
Melville is one of the two short stacks, but just like Scott Seiver, he’s firing.
2.55pm: Quiet start
Not a great deal has happened in the opening exchanges of this new level. Al Melville moved all in pre-flop and got it through, and Vanessa Selbst three-bet Mike Beasley out of a hand. We’re waiting for the first pot of note. (Tiger Woods bogeyed the first at Augusta.)
2.45pm: Level 28
We’re into level 28, where the small blind is now bigger than a player’s starting stack all those moons ago on day one. It puts it all into perspective, huh?
The players’ counts are always available over on the chip-count page, where any vagaries are owing to the poor math skills of our intern. He got 120% on a test at college recently, which tells you all you need to know.
Vanessa Selbst leads; the Mikes (Woods and Beasley) are not far behind. And here’s what they’re all playing for:
This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.
12:40pm: Jonathan Aguiar eliminated in 8th place ($60,244)
Mike Beasley opened for 125,000, and Mike Woods made his second consecutive three-bet and reraised to 450,000. Jonathan Aguiar moved all-in from the small blind, Beasley folded and Woods made the call
Aguiar [As][Qh]
Woods [Tc][Td]
The flop was great for Woods, coming down [8d][3d][2h]. The turn was the [4c], giving Aguiar four more outs with a gutshot wheel draw, but Woods spiked a set on the river with the [Th]. Only three hands into the final table, we have our first elimination, Jonathan Aguiar exiting the stage in eighth place.
12:36pm: Jonathan Aguiar speaks
While we’re waiting for our first big hand (and it really shouldn’t be long), here’s a few words from Jonathan Aguiar.
12:32pm: Now, the poker
Final table action at the NAPT Mohegan Sun is now underway.
12:29pm: Your final eight
12:26pm: About to begin
Next up, some player introductions, and then some poker.
12:25pm: If you don’t like us…
…there is always the always-fantastic NAPT live broadcast.
12:02pm: Final table player profiles
While the audience files in and we get ready to start, here’s a quick look at the biographies of our final eight players: NAPT Mohegan Sun final table player profiles.
11:42am: Final table to begin soon-ish
We’re on the TV set and watching the technical geniuses behind the production of the NAPT do their final prep work before bringing in the players.
Here’s a quick catch-up on where we are: Eight players remain. Mike Beasley and Vanessa Selbst are at the top of the chip counts.
The table features four WSOP bracelet winners: Selbst, Seiver, Josephy, and Raymond.
Here’s how they stack up.
Seat 1: Scott Seiver — 1,125,000
Seat 2: Cliff Josephy — 1,940,000
Seat 3: Vanessa Selbst — 4,545,000
Seat 4: Derek Raymond — 1,545,000
Seat 5: Mike Beasley — 4,985,000
Seat 6: Mike Woods — 2,950,000
Seat 7: Jonathan Aguiar -1,555,000 2,940,000
Seat 8: Alistar Melville -
They’re all playing for the following prizes:
1. $750,000
2. $428,000
3. $240,000
4. $190,000
5. $150,000
6. $115,000
7. $85,000
8. $60,244
As soon as the action gets started, we’ll live blog this sucker into submission.
This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.
2.45pm: Level up
That’s the level up. Join us on the other side.
2:44pm: Woods takes some from Selbst
Vanessa Selbst came in for a raise to 145,000 ad got the call from Mike Woods. On a flop of [2d][7d][th], Woods checked, Selbst bet 245,000, Raymond folded, and it was back to Woods, who thought for two minutes before calling. The [7c] on the turn drew another check from Woods. This time Selbst bet 570,000. Woods thought for another couple of minutes before pushing in a raise, making it 630,000 more. Selbst muttered a bit and then made the fold.
2:36pm: Raymond wins battle of the blinds
Derek Raymond completed the small blind and Mike Beasley checked his option. The flop came down [6d][7h][Tc] and both players checked. Raymond led out for 80,000 when the [Qc] hit the turn and Beasley called. The river was the [Td] and Raymond slid out 270,000. Beasley made the call and mucked his hand as he watched Raymond turn over [Ad][Th] for trips.
2:34pm: Selbst wasn’t folding
Scott Seiver, one-time push-monkey and short-stack ninja, came in for a fairly standard raise of 150,000. Selbst, re-raised to 550,000, and Seiver insta-mucked. Selbst showed pocket kings. The players noted that Selbst revealing her cards was quite a rarity. “I was just showing him that I wasn’t folding,” she said.
2:30pm: Sneaky Beasley
Vanessa Selbst raised to 145,000 and Mike Beasley made the call. So did Mike Woods. On a flop of [8h][7c][jd], Beasley and Woods checked to Selbst, who also checked. The turn brought the [jh]. beasley checked, Woods bet 380,000, and Beasley called. The river was the [ts]. Beasley checked and Woods thought for a good long while before Woods checked behind. Beasley turned over [js][9s] for the straight and the win. “Sneaky, sneaky,” called Selbst.
2:20pm: Scott Seiver, short-stack ninja
Say nothing about Scott Seiver if you’re not giving him credit for his ability to use his short-stack well. Moments ago, Mike Woods came in for a raise to 160,000 and Seiver re-raised all-in for 895,000 total. Play folded back to Woods who slipped into what has become his characteristic thinking pose. It didn’t last long. Woods flicked his cards in the muck.
On the very next hand, Seiver open-shoved for more than a million and got folds from the whole table. Do that enough times, Scott, and you may just win this tournament by picking up the blinds and antes.
2:07pm: Battle of the Mikes
Mike Beasley, while eating a granola bar, raised to 160,000. Mike Woods then re-raised to 460,000. Beasley made the call while finishing off the crumbs of his snack. On a flop of [jc][5h][kd], Beasley checked, and Woods checked behind. On the [ts] turn, Beasley checked again and opened the door to a 600,000 bet from Woods. Beasley folded and opened a bag of Ms. Vickie’s Smokehouse BBQ* chips. (Insert your own joke about poker chips vis a vis potato chips.)
*Other brands of potato chips are available. PokerStars Blog does not endorse one brand over any other. Unless box-loads of them happened to arrive out our door. In which case we’d eat anything. And endorse it wholeheartedly.
2:05pm: Raymond squeezes out Woods and Melville
Derek Raymond made it 145,000 to go and both Mike Woods and Al Melville called. They were greeted with a [Js][9s][7c] flop and the action checked to Melville. He bet 275,000, Raymond moved all-in and Woods folded. Melville passed as well and Raymond took down the pot.
2:00pm: Back in action
With six players remaining, we’ve returned to play.
1.40pm: Break time
We’re taking a 20-minute break. Well, we’re not, we’re writing this, but the players are. Join us them again at around 2pm.
1.35pm: Bax busts in seventh, winning $85,000
Cliff Josephy had one move left in his armoury – an all in shove for his last 220,000. Derek Raymond, who had previously left JohnnyBax crippled, was the player keenest to finish the job and Raymond moved in over the top. All others got out the way and it was the two of them again – this time for Josephy’s tournament life.
Josephy: [ah][5h]
Raymond: [ad][9d]
Josephy was going to need to spike a five, or something even more unlikely, to stay in this tournament, but it wasn’t to be. The board ran: [as][7d][8s][3h][jc] and out went Josephy in seventh, winning $85,000.
1:32pm: Raymond can’t outdraw Selbst’s two pair
Al Melville opened for 135,000 and both Vanessa Selbst and Derek Raymond called. The flop was [9d][8s][4d] and the action checked around to Selbst on the button. She led out for 220,000, Raymond called and Melville folded. Both players checked the [9c] on the turn. Raymond bet 450,000 when the [2s] hit the river and Selbst quickly called.
Raymond showed the [6c][7c] for a busted straight draw, no match for Selbst’s nines and fours with [3s][4s].
1.20pm: Raymond raises head, doubles up
Derek Raymond has been one of the quieter players at the final table so far, but Cliff Josephy is not prepared to give him any respect – and has now doubled him up. Raymond opened to 145,000 from early position and Josephy moved all in from the big blind, covering Raymond. Raymond called and they were racing:
Josephy: [as][qc]
Raymond: [6c][6s]
The flop added a few outs for Josephy, when it came: [5c][js][10c]. But the turn [3s] and river [7d] gave the pot to Raymond, doubling his stack of 1,135,000. That leaves Josephy with a meagre 275,000 and he is now our tournament short stack.
1:14pm: Selbst reclaims chip lead from Beasley
Vanessa Selbst opened for 160,000 and Mike Beasley flat-called on the button. Selbst led out for 260,000 on the [Kd][7h][7c] flop and Beasley called. The turn came the [5c] and Selbst made it 490,000 to go. Beasley made a quick call. The [3s] on the river elicited a heftly 1,330,000 bet from Selbst. After nearly three minutes in the tank, Beasley gave up his hand and Selbst took down a big one. She’s back in the chip lead now.
1:02pm: Bigger blinds
Players are now working with 30,000-60,000-5,000 blinds
1.01pm: Final table flop count…
…three.
12:59pm: Getting knocked out, a photo essay
Here’s what it looks like when you get knocked off a final table, courtesy our photographer Joe Giron.
12:40pm: Jonathan Aguiar eliminated in 8th place ($60,244)
Mike Beasley opened for 125,000, and Mike Woods made his second consecutive three-bet and reraised to 450,000. Jonathan Aguiar moved all-in from the small blind, Beasley folded and Woods made the call
Aguiar [As][Qh]
Woods [Tc][Td]
The flop was great for Woods, coming down [8d][3d][2h]. The turn was the [4c], giving Aguiar four more outs with a gutshot wheel draw, but Woods spiked a set on the river with the [Th]. Only three hands into the final table, we have our first elimination, Jonathan Aguiar exiting the stage in eighth place.
12:36pm: Jonathan Aguiar speaks
While we’re waiting for our first big hand (and it really shouldn’t be long), here’s a few words from Jonathan Aguiar.
12:32pm: Now, the poker
Final table action at the NAPT Mohegan Sun is now underway.
12:29pm: Your final eight
12:26pm: About to begin
Next up, some player introductions, and then some poker.
12:25pm: If you don’t like us…
…there is always the always-fantastic NAPT live broadcast.
12:02pm: Final table player profiles
While the audience files in and we get ready to start, here’s a quick look at the biographies of our final eight players: NAPT Mohegan Sun final table player profiles.
11:42am: Final table to begin soon-ish
We’re on the TV set and watching the technical geniuses behind the production of the NAPT do their final prep work before bringing in the players.
Here’s a quick catch-up on where we are: Eight players remain. Mike Beasley and Vanessa Selbst are at the top of the chip counts.
The table features four WSOP bracelet winners: Selbst, Seiver, Josephy, and Raymond.
Here’s how they stack up.
Seat 1: Scott Seiver — 1,125,000
Seat 2: Cliff Josephy — 1,940,000
Seat 3: Vanessa Selbst — 4,545,000
Seat 4: Derek Raymond — 1,545,000
Seat 5: Mike Beasley — 4,985,000
Seat 6: Mike Woods — 2,950,000
Seat 7: Jonathan Aguiar -1,555,000 2,940,000
Seat 8: Alistar Melville -
They’re all playing for the following prizes:
1. $750,000
2. $428,000
3. $240,000
4. $190,000
5. $150,000
6. $115,000
7. $85,000
8. $60,244
As soon as the action gets started, we’ll live blog this sucker into submission.
This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.
The final table at NAPT Mohegan Sun was set late on Saturday night with the elimination of Vanessa Rousso in tenth and then Brandon Hall in ninth place.
That left us with our final eight, playing for a first prize of $750,000. Full details of prizewinners to date can be found on the prizewinners page where you’ll also see what they’re all playing for today.
Here’s the final table line up, in seat order.
Seat 1: Scott Seiver – Las Vegas, Nevada – 1,125,000 chips
Despite his undeniable success in the tournament arena, 24-year-old poker pro Scott Seiver considers himself a cash game player. Last February alone, Seiver accumulated more than $640,000 in prize money from a pair of high roller events – one of them the inaugural $25,000 High Roller Bounty Shootout, held at NAPT Venetian – which helped bring his career earnings up to $1.9 million. A resident of Panorama Towers just off the Las Vegas Strip, Seiver is known to dabble in the occasional Magic the Gathering card game with his friends David Williams and Justin Bonomo. Seiver has flirted with the chip lead several times throughout the week, at one point taking turns at the top with Vanessa Selbst. He enters the final table as its short stack, with 1,125,000 in chips.
Seat 2: Cliff Josephy – Syosset, New York – 1,940,000
Better known in the poker world as “JohnnyBax”, 44-year-old Cliff Josephy has been a fixture in the game, both live and online, since 2005. One of the most respected tournament players in the world, Josephy has accumulated more than $3.3 million in online tournament earnings over the past five years. Josephy has experienced success in the live game as well, having won a WSOP bracelet in 2005 and posting several five and six figure scores at various venues around the world since. A father of three from Syosset, New York, Josephy admits he’s missing a “very good friend’s daughter’s Bat Mitzvah to play this” event, so he’s hoping to notch a victory on Sunday so that all will be forgiven. Josephy enters the final table fifth in chips with 1,940,000.
Seat 3: Vanessa Selbst – New Haven, Connecticut – 4,545,000
Vanessa Selbst, 25, has been playing poker for the past seven years, though it wasn’t until the summer of 2007 that she first started making headlines. Selbst finished eighth in the WSOP ladies event that summer, and nine days later took home third place money ($128,968) in the $5,000 buy-in World Championship Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em event at the WSOP, mowing over the likes of Doyle Brunson, Layne Flack, Peter Jetten, Paul Wasicka and Shannon Shorr in the process. Since then, Selbst has established herself as one of the top female poker players in the business, winning a WSOP bracelet in 2008 and climbing to 17th on the women’s all-time money list, all the while earning her undergraduate degree at Yale University. Currently, Selbst is working toward a law degree (also at Yale).
Seat 4: Derek Raymond – Portland, Maine – 1,545,000
Derek Raymond has been playing poker for the past seven years. The 25-year-old has career live earnings of slightly more than $250,000 – the bulk of which he won last year at the WSOP, claiming a bracelet in a $2,500 buy-in Omaha hi-lo event ($229,192). A native of Portland, Maine, Raymond plays golf and basketball in his spare time. Raymond enters the final table as one of its short stacks with 1,545,000 in chips.
Seat 5: Mike Beasley – Hollywood, Florida – 4,985,000
A 20-year veteran of the game, Mike Beasley is no stranger to tournament poker and has amassed career earnings of more than $350,000. When he’s not playing cards, the club owner from Hollywood, Florida enjoys hitting the links for an occasional round of golf. The 46-year-old has won several small-mid buy-in tournaments over the years and most recently took down a $1,000 buy-in side event at the Borgata in February. Beasley also cashed in the NAPT Venetian Main Event, posting a 91st place finish, good for a $9,643 payday. Beasley stole the chip lead from Vanessa Selbst on the last hand of the night with the elimination of ninth place finisher Brandon Hall, and enters the final table with 4,985,000 in chips.
Seat 6: Michael Woods – Cana, Virginia – 2,950,000
Michael Woods is an amateur poker player, hailing from a small town in Virginia called Cana. The 53-year-old has been playing poker for 35 years – longer than most of our final table players have been alive. At 53, Woods is the oldest member of the final table. Woods is self-employed and considers himself a hobby poker player. Woods has his work cut out for him at a final table with several seasoned pros, but with 2,950,000 in chips to work with, anything is possible.
Seat 7: Jonathan Aguiar – Las Vegas, Nevada – 1,535,000
Known to the online poker community as “FatalError”, 26-year-old Jonathan Aguiar has compiled an impressive resume thus far in his short poker-playing career. A very capable mixed-game player, Aguiar recently took down the eight-game championship at the LAPC. He’s also the only player who has cashed in all three NAPT Main Events this season (42nd – PCA, 22nd – Venetian and now Mohegan Sun – TBD). Aguiar already has career earnings of more than $740,000 and has cashed in seven WSOP events. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada and has been playing poker for eight years. He’ll unbag 1,535,000 in chips to start the final table.
Seat 8: Al Melville – Toronto, Canada – 2,940,000
The only player at the final table not from the United States, 47-year-old Al Melville was decided to detour from a business trip in Boston to make the trip to Mohegan Sun on a whim. He had no intention of playing the Main Event but have now delayed his return to Toronto by a week. Now that he’s in the money and has reached the final table, he considers the rest of it “all a bonus.” Melville is a hobby player who works in sales. He’s a hockey fan and loves to travel, so needless to say he’ll be able to enjoy a whole lot more of both were he to take down the Main Event. Melville enters the final table with a 2,940,000 in chips.
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Poker tournaments are funny. Staring at one long enough is like looking directly into the sun. When you turn away, there is nothing but a giant orange circle in your eyes. You’re blind to anything else.
Today Vanessa Selbst is that giant orange circle and Mike Beasley is that anything else.
Here is what you need to know about Vanessa Selbst:
At the end of Day 3, she strode confidently away from the tournament room as the chip leader by 40,000 chips over Scott Seiver. She traveled the 1.3 miles to a nearby Hyatt hotel and walked directly to the front desk. When asked what she needed, she said, “Yes, I have a reservation for tonight, but I’m going to need a room for tomorrow night, too.”
The unstated yet clear implication was this: Selbst had no intention of leaving town at the end of Day 4, because she planned on being on Sunday’s final table.
The past 18 months have been a New England heater for Selbst. At the World Poker Finals, Selbst won two tournaments and took third in another. Now, she’s here in New England again (not too far from her hometown in Brooklyn) and running over the field in a way that has even the grizzled pros scratching their heads.
Selbst is a gambler who has proven her ability to read people’s souls like a close captioned children’s program. Today, she called a four-bet shove for $1.7 million (42 big blinds) with [ah][5h]…and was right. Later, after she’d amassed nearly a third of the chips in play, she heard of an aces versus queens hand going on at the other table. She poked her head in and said, without a hint of irony, “That’s not interesting.”
Before Peter Jetten exited the tournament today, he sized Selbst up in two sentences. “There is no mystery to Vanessa’s game,” said Jetten to the table, including Selbst. “She just puts everybody on seven-high and proceeds from there.”
Jetten might have been joking, but it’s clear that even the people bent on ruining Selbst’s run are so confused by her strange poker alchemy that even the most prideful among them can’t find a way to criticize her. Her only big misstep of the night was getting it in crushed against Alistar Melville for a sizable pot.
That was what we knew about Selbst. She’d been burned into our retinas and was sure to leave this day with the chip lead.
But on the periphery of that giant, scorching sun was longtime tournament rounder Mike Beasley. Soft-spoken and loudly-dressed, Beasley and his flame-covered shirts are known around the circuit. His play, however, is understated. At no point until the end of the day did anyone look at him and think, “There is our end-of-day chip leader.”
And yet, there he was, busting ninth place finisher Brandon Hall and moving into the chip lead. It’s a lesson for us all: just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
It’s tempting to spend another 500 words deconstructing the Selbst-Beasley dynamic, but there is a final table to cover tomorrow.
Among the people aiming to knock off Selbst and Beasley are three World Series of Poker bracelet winners: Scott Seiver, Derek Raymond, and Cliff Josephy. They are joined by relative unknowns Mike Woods and Alistar Melville in the quest for the title here at Mohegan Sun. They are stacked up like this:
Seat 1: Scott Seiver — 1,125,000
Seat 2: Cliff Josephy — 1,940,000
Seat 3: Vanessa Selbst — 4,545,000
Seat 4: Derek Raymond — 1,545,000
Seat 5: Mike Beasley — 4,985,000
Seat 6: Mike Woods — 2,950,000
Seat 7: Jonathan Aguiar -1,555,000 2,940,000
Seat 8: Alistar Melville -
There was almost a possibility of a double-Vanessa final table. Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso clung tenaciously to the possibility of an NAPT title all day long, but ended up succumbing in tenth place.
There will be a lot of handicapping Sunday’s final table, and there are bound to be countless analyses on how these titans will match up. However, unlike many tables we’ve seen in recent months, this table is simply too unpredictable to make any serious wagers. Beasley and Selbst are running the show now, but with the aforementioned crew out to get them, anything could happen. Here’s what they’ll be playing for:
1. $750,000
2. $428,000
3. $240,000
4. $190,000
5. $150,000
6. $115,000
7. $85,000
8. $60,244
How did it get to this point? We have the answers in our live coverage. Go check it out if you dare.
Level 21
Level 22
Level 23
Level 24
Level 25
Level 26
That’s it for tonight.
Please join us back here at noon ET for our live coverage of the NAPT Mohegan Sun final table.
All photography © Joe Giron
This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.
9.35pm: Beasley slays Hall, sets final table
And then there were eight. Derek Raymond made it 120,000 from the button and Mike Beasley called in the small blind.
Brandon Hall moved all in from the big blind, but this was a squeeze too many.
Although he thought about it for a while, Raymond folded, but Beasley called instantly. Hall’s life was on the line.
Hall: [kd][jh]
Beasley: [as][qs]
“Ace ball!” came the shout from the rail, and the dealer duly delivered. The flop came: [ad][3s][5h] and Hall got up from his chair. The [4s][10s] made the nut flush for Beasley and sent Hall home in ninth.
Full chip counts for the last eight, plus a wrap of the day, is on its way.
9:32pm: It’s over
Brandon Hall has been eliminated. Details to come.
9:13pm: A champion before our champion
While we’re still determining who our champ will be at this event, how about a word fromo our last champ, Tom Marchese.
9:09pm Final table chop?
Jonathan Aguiar just said, “Wanna chop this up right now?”
Selbst, ever the negotiator responded, “I’ll take $30,000 short of first place money and I’ll leave. You can chop up the rest.”
9:07pm: Final table draw
Here’s how the final nine are now sitting.
Seat 1: Scott Seiver
Seat 2: Cliff Josephy
Seat 3: Vanessa Selbst
Seat 4: Derek Raymond
Seat 5: Mike Beasley
Seat 6: Brandon Hall
Seat 7: Mike Woods
Seat 8: Jonathan Aguiar
Seat 9: Alistar Melville
9:03pm: Vanessa Rousso eliminated
Folded to her in the small blind, Vanessa Rousso shipped in her last 550,000 with [7d][8s]. Mike Beasley looked her up with [ah][jh]. Rousso whiffed the board and finished in 10th place.
The players are currently redrawing for their seats at the final table. We’ll play until one more person has been eliminated and then break for the night.
8:59pm: Josephy doubles again
Cliff Josephy just shoved under the gun for 985,000. Scott Seiver isolated with ace-queen. Josephy tabled pocket fives and sat happily as they held up. He’s now approaching the ever-elusive average stack.
8:51pm: Melville knocks out one of Selbst’s seven legs
Alistar Melville came in for a raise to 150,000 and Vanessa Selbst called from the button. On a flop of [jh][td][6c] flop, Melville continued for 150,000 and Selbst popped it to 425,000. Melville moved in for 1,125,000 and Selbst made a reluctant call. She was crushed against Melville’s set of jacks. She only held [ah][qd]. She missed her four outs and Melville doubled up.
8:46pm: Seiver comes out raising
On three consecutive hands after the break, Scott Seiver has been a raising machine. In the first, the three-bet a raise from Cliff Josephy and only folded when Derek Raymond four-bet all-in. Josephy quipped, “I guess you just folded the other two jacks.”
“You did NOT just have jacks,” Seiver shot back.
On the very next hand, Seiver raised the button and won. Then on the next hand, Seiver was in raising again, eventually checking it down against Josephy and showing pocket jacks for the win.
Give him this: Scott Seiver is not boring.
8.35pm: Back to it
After refreshment and nourishment in whatever form they could find it, our last ten players have now returned to the tables to play down to a final eight.
Their chip counts are on the chip count page and you’ll notice that they are book-ended by players named Vanessa. These two, in actual fact:
This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.
7.20pm: Dinner
Yum, yum. Back in 75 minutes.
7.15pm: Chop chop
This could have been the end of Cliff Josephy. It was actually a chopped pot. Here’s what happened: Josephy raised to 105,000 from early position and Derek Raymond called from the big blind. The flop came [qc][10d][8d]. Raymond checked, Josephy bet 150,000 and Raymond began to count out another raise, what looked like 250,000. However before the count was fully completed, Josephy announced that he was all in, and Raymond called.
Josephy: [as][jc] for the over card and a gutshot straight draw
Raymond: [qd][jd] for top pair, a flush draw, plus a gutshot.
The turn was [5h], no help, but the river [9h] was indeed the gutshot for both of them. Chop, chop. Josephy stays alive as we head to dinner.
7.10pm: A hand! JohnnyBax doubles
Jonathan Aguiar opened to 105,000 from the button and Cliff Josephy moved all in, for 664,000, from the small blind. Aguiar instantly called and Josephy instanly declared: “Aces.” They sure were, both of them black, and they were better than Aguiar’s [qc][qh].
At this point Vanessa Selbst wandered over to see what the commotion was all about, then said: “Oh, aces against queens. That’s not interesting.”
Certainly the ace on the flop ended it as a contest. Josephy doubles up.
7pm: The best field report yet
After that flurry of action, the following has just been confirmed by one of PokerStars Blog’s roving reporters: “Nothing is happening.”
There are 15 minutes until dinner.
6.45pm: Woods trims Rousso
All bets on a Phil Ivey/Tiger Woods NAPT/Masters double were scrapped with Ivey’s elimination from this tournament yesterday. But what price a Woods/Woods double? As Tiger continues to prowl Augusta National, Michael Woods is still very much in the hunt at Mohegan Sun.
Vanessa Rousso’s stack has been trimmed to about a million after a tangle with Woods. Rousso had raised pre-flop and picked up a lone caller in Woods, taking them to a [4s][8s][8d] flop. Rousso checked, as did Woods, and the turn came [9c]. Rousso checked, Woods bet 400,000 and Rousso paid to see the river. It came [js]. Rousso checked again and Woods moved all in, getting the fold from Rousso.
“Great hand,” said Rousso. “Do you call a shove with a flush draw?” she continued as the interrogation started.
6.40pm: Six thousand words
There’s nothing to suggest our photographer Joe Giron can’t write*, but why would he need to? In the world where every click of the finger is worth a thousand words, he’s Charles Dickens.
Here’s the Alan Sternberg elimination (described in clumsy prose in the 6.30pm update below) in glorious pictures.
* He can’t, however, carry an ice bucket into his room very successfully, as the red mark on his forehead will attest.
6.35pm: Fritz fried
Zachary Fritz has ridden a short stack into the deepest stages today, but has now departed, knocked out by Al Melville. Fritz raised to 110,000 from the button and Melville moved all in from the big blind. Fritz called.
Fritz: [ac][jd]
Melville: [ad][qd]
The board came [6s][5c][2h][9h][7s], which did not help Fritz at all and he leaves us in 11th. We are left with two tables of five players.
After the next elimination, we’ll go down to a single table, but we’ll still need to lose another to make an eight handed final table proper.
6.30pm: Big, big hand; Sternberg eliminated by Selbst
Get a load of this. Alan Sternberg, who has been very active on table one, opened to 100,000 and Vanessa Selbst (who has also been pretty active, in fairness) three-bet to 295,000 from the small blind. Sternberg pondered his options but elected to move all in, for 1,620,000. Selbst took a little less time to make the call.
Sternberg: [5s][6s]
Selbst: [ah][5h]
Wow. The board of [qd][5d][9c][7c][td] wasn’t enough for Sternberg and he joins a massive pile of casualties strewn in Vanessa Selbst’s wake. We’re down to 11 and Selbst has about 6,700,000 chips.
6.20pm: Aguiar leaves Beasley ruing bad day
We have action – and we have a double up for Jonathan Aguiar. Mike Beasley opened for 105,000 and Aguair announced: “Eight hundred and ninety-seven thousand,” in the big blind, which also happened to be all in. Beasley snap called and showed [jc][js], ahead of Aguiar’s [ah][tc]. Beasley also had Aguiar covered in chips.
The flop, however, went “bink” for Aguair. It came: [3h][ac][4s] and the turn [4d] and river [7h] couldn’t reprieve Beasley. Aguiar is now closing in on two million, while Beasley is down to 1.3m approx.
“I’m having a very bad day right now,” said Beasley.
6.05pm: Button hits Bax
It’s been a quiet start to the new level, with the most notable incident of the first few minutes being when the dealer moved the button towards Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy as he was stacking the spoils of a small pot. The button hit Josephy’s hand and the dealer said: “Sorry, man.” Josephy was quick to reply: “No problem. You ship me the pot, you can hit me in the head with the button.”
Yeah, like I say, slow start.
6pm: It’s 6pm, time for level 25
Ain’t that the truth.
We’re down to our last 12 players here at NAPT Mohegan Sun, but there’s room for only eight of them around our final table. That means four players will need to depart before we pack up and go home.
There’s a dinner break scheduled for the end of this level, which I expect will be honoured no matter how many or how few players depart in this next 75 minutes. So let’s see who’s in a hurry for the buffet queue.
Vanessa Selbst leads – we’ve written that before – and you can get the full counts over on the chip-count page.
This NAPT is brought to you by PokerStars, the official sponsor of the North American Poker Tour. Win your way into the biggest events North America has to offer at North America.
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