| Buy-In: | $1,500 |
|---|---|
| Prize Pool: | $1,064,700 |
| Entrants: | 780 |
The Poker Brat Arrives
The players returned from dinner break a few minutes after nine p.m. and their chip stacks were announced to the crowd:
Gavin Smith: $770,000
Mike Spegal: $1,580,000
A few hands into the action Phil Hellmuth walked to the stage to check up on Gavin. 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 of Gavin with a ten-high straight. This gave Spegal a more than two-to-one chip lead.
Action continued on quietly during the first half hour of the second act. Not too much has happened and both players seem to be waiting to pick up a monster hand before they switch from this cautious approach.
Gavin Climbs Back into Contention, then Falls Off the Mountain
The match continued and Gavin 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.
Mike Spegal Wins Event #4 ($252,290)
Gavin 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 A
10. Gavin turned over pocket fives and the board was dealt J
63QK. Gavin 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.
Heads-Up!
The heads-up match was set 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 Gavin was introduced. The massive stack of cash sat between the two players, $252,290 and a gold bracelet were on the line.
Gavin struck the first blow of the match when he picked up a substantial pot with a $250,000 bet on a board of A10
68
2. Gavin centered a very focused stare on his opponent while Mike pondered the call. He cupped his hands over his mouth and only removed them when Mike conceded his hand.
Spegal Increases his Lead
Over the next ten hands Mike was able to increase his chip lead over Gavin to $1,400,000 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 the A8638 sitting on the board, Gavin bet the pot, which was currently $180,000. Spegal then re-popped the pot to $360,000. The pot was now its very own millionaire and Gavin 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 84. The crowd makes a combined sound that can best be described as a convoluted gasp, cheer, sigh, and scream in unison when Gavin also turned over 8-4. They chopped up the pot and the two players will continue their quest for the third bracelet of the WSOP when the dinner break concludes in an hour and a half.
The players returned from break and the price of poker went up once again. The blinds were now $15,000-$30,000. Tournament Director Sam Minutello once again announced the chip counts:
Bill Hill: $290,000
Tom Savitsky: $110,000
Mike Spegal: $580,000
Jon Friedberg: $400,000
Gavin Smith: $955,000
The Fifth Time is Not the Charm
Tom Savitsky Eliminated in
Things were getting dire for Tom Savitsky, who held only $75,000 when he pushed all in. Bill Hill willfully called him down and flipped over J9. Savitsky flipped over A3 and the race was on to see if Savitsky could conjure up some double up magic for the fifth time of the day. It was not to be though, and Savitsky was drawing dead on the turn when the board was dealt K1099. Savitsky was already up to shake Hill’s hand when the 5 was dealt on the river.
Final Four
Things were now down to the Final Four, and Gavin still had the chip lead with over $1 million. Spegal held strong in second with $600,000. Jon Friedberg and Bill Hill were the small stakes with $255,000 and $370,000 respectively.
ZZZ…
For all you Washington Irving fans out there, Bill Hill looks like a cross between Rip Van Winkle and someone who has spent way too long in Sleepy Hollow during this point in the action. We’ll keep you posted if he decides to use his chip stack as a pillow.
A Mathematical Dilemma
Gavin had folded a hand and he was unable to shake the perturbed look on his face afterwards. “Are there any math guys in the audience that know s@#%,” said Gavin. He then got up from the table and stormed over to the media table with the ESPN cameras and Friedberg in tow. “Who has internet,” he asked. A hand simulator was then brought up to show that 9-5 off suit was a 60% favorite over 82. He had apparently folded those cards during the prior hand.
Bill Hill Eliminated in
Mike Spegal bet $105,000 and Bill Hill made a pot-sized raise. Mike reraised on top of this, which put Hill all in when he called. Hill flipped over A4 and Spegal showed AJ. The board was dealt J104Q9 and Spegal grabbed the $800,000 pot. Hill was eliminated in fourth place and he will take home $67,162 in prize money.
The chip stacks sat at the following heights after the preceding bust out:
Mike Spegal: $900,000
Jon Friedberg: $375,000
Gavin Smith: $1,100,000
Jon Friedberg Eliminated in
On the second hand of three way action Jon Friedberg was all in on a flop of 1072 with Q2. Spegal flipped over 106. Friedberg pumped his arms in an attempt to gain support from the crowd and quite possibly the poker gods. The turn and river cards were dealt 9J and Friedberg was eliminated in third place. He will take home $101,276 in prize money. Action was now down to heads-up.
A Hall of Fame Legend and a Familiar Face in a
T.J. Cloutier was introduced to the crowd as he entered the final table area to peak in on the action. Seven players remained, and one of them had made this same final table last year. That player was Eric “Rizen” Lynch. He finished in third place last year in the $1,500 pot-limit hold’em event.
Eric Lynch Eliminated in
Lynch pushed all in for $205,000 total and Gavin Smith called after tanking for a moment. Lynch flipped over AK and Smith showed he was dominated when he flipped over A7. Lady luck continued to lavish a generous smile upon Smith when the board was dealt AQ772. Lynch was eliminated in seventh place, he took home $27,718 in prize money. Gavin turned his commanding chip lead into an almost insurmountable stack of $1,075,000.
Turbo Mode
Due to the ever increasing blinds, most of the players at the table were now put in all-in mode. This pressure hung over the head of every player, with the exception of Gavin and Mike Spegal, who was in second place with just over $500,000.
The Double up Kid Strikes Again
Not even the monster stack of Gavin was enough to match the aura that powered the double up strength of Thomas Savitsky. Savitsky moved all in and Smith called preflop. Savitsky flipped over A3 and Smith turned over 109. The board was dealt 85422 and Savitsky doubled up for the fourth time at the final table.
Bruce Vanhorn Eliminated in
A few hands later the mayhem continued when Bruce Vanhorn raised $60,000 and Jon Friedberg reraised all in. Vanhorn made the call and put his tournament life on the line with K4. Friedberg flipped over AJ and the board was dealt 833710. Vanhorn was eliminated in sixth placed and he will take home $36,779 in prize money.
The final five players then limped their way through ten hands of play before things went to a fifteen minute break. Friedberg stopped by the media table for a few minutes during the break and admitted he was quite tired. “Not my specialty, but so far I’m doing all right,” said Friedberg. Friedberg is one double up away from becoming a major factor at this final table. “We all are,” said Friedberg.
Action Increases, a Little
The frequency of flops increased over the next period of play, but big confrontations were avoided. This level of moderate action continued until the first fifteen minute break was taken and the players evacuated the final table like a fire alarm had gone off.
The players came back from break and things were a little slow to start back up. Chips had to be colored up and it took a while considering there was over $2 million in play. Action started back up at 4:45 p.m. and the blinds were kicked up to $10,000-$20,000. The tournament director once again gave an update on the chip stacks when things got started:
Eric Lynch: $240,000
Bill Hill: $340,000
Tom Savitsky: $400,000
Mike Spegal: $215,000
Jon Friedberg: $230,000
Jeff Langdon: $410,000
Gavin Smith: $670,000
The Double up Kid
A few hands into the action Tom Savitsky once again moved all in. This time he held AJ and Jeff Langdon called him with 75 in the hole. The board was dealt A97106 and Savitsky continued his reign as the double up kid. He has lived on the edge during the entire course of the final table up to this point.
Four by Four
Jeff Langdon Eliminated in
Things continued to pass by quietly for a number of hands and then Jeff Langdon bet $80,000 on flop of Q54. Gavin Smith reraised, and Langdon moved all in. Smith called and flipped over two black fours. Langdon flipped over pocket aces and the turn card was dealt. Remember, there was only one remaining four hiding out in the deck at this point. It came out of hiding on the turn though, when the 4 was peeled off the deck. The entire crowd erupted into cheers, including Erick Lindgren who sat by the media table to sweat Gavin. The inconsequential 6 was dealt on the river and Gavin took a commanding chip lead with $980,000.
Setting The Pace
The events that trasnpire during the first 10 hands of a final table will often dictate the pace and style of play. If the first ten hands at this table are any indication, this could be a long one. On the fourth hand of the day Eric Lynch moved all in for $91,000 and Tom Savitsky made the call. Lynch turned over pocket sevens and Savitsky showed Q3. The board was dealt 1093Q3 and Lynch quickly doubled up. A few hands later it was Savitsky who moved all in and 7. The board was dealt 6435J and Savitsky doubled his stack thanks to the strength of his ace.
The Price of Admission
The next collection of hands went by with little fanfare and little action, which set the stage for a real chess match at the final table. Players kept trying to build pots up with raises, but flops were far and few between during this stretch. Any pot-limit game is predicated on the ability of players to build up a pot through constant and measured aggression. It’s not like a no-limit game where you can just push all-in at any moment. One pot had been raised and reraised pre-flop until the cost of $140,000 was placed on the price of admission to the flop by Lynch. No one was willing to pay up for the tickets though.
Marco Traniello Eliminated in
Marco Traniello raised $50,000 from the cutoff and Gavin Smith reraised $108,000 more from the big blind. Traniello then moved all in for $111,000 on top of Gavin’s raise. Gavin got up from the table and shaked his head. He then made the call and turned over pocket jacks, Traniello showed AK and the board was dealt Q8297. Gavin increased his chip lead and Traniello was eliminated in ninth place on the hand. He took home $14,925 in prize money.
The tournament director then announced the remaining chip counts for the table:
Seat One - Eric Lynch: $240,000
Seat Two - Bill Hill: $380,000
Seat Three - Tom Savitsky: $400,000
Seat Four - Mike Spegal: $230,000
Seat Five - Bruce Vanhorn: $290,000
Seat Six - Jon Friedberg: $120,000
Seat Seven - Jeff Langdon: $360,000
Seat Eight - Gavin Smith: $680,000
Savitsky Doubles Again
On the first hand after Traniello busted Savitsky moved all in for $140,000 and Bruce Vanhorn made the call. Vanhorn flipped over pocket eights and Savitsky showed Q10. The board was dealt Ah56 before the 10 was dealt on the river to save Savitsky from elimination.
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