Repeat Offenders
Sunday, January 18, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
What better way to whet the appetite for tonight’s million-dollar UBOC Championship than with a little rebuy madness? Last night’s No-Limit Hold-Em w/rebuys tournament gave the 357 players in the field a chance to get their gamble on, splash some chips, and sharpen their fangs for the main event. Those players ended up rebuying 398 times and adding-on 372 times (heck, that seems almost miserly) before hunkering down and playing with what was left in front of them. And by the time the final table was reached you could be excused for feeling a touch of deja vu:
A number of the players at last night’s final table have made deep runs in other UBOC events, including NHGGSIKE, who finished 4th in our UBOC H.O.R.S.E event. After showing that he’s no slouch at the no-limit game as well NHGGSIKE added another final-table to his resume but could advance no further, as he went ninth after committing the last of his shortstack with Ah-6c and getting called by EDAV67’s Qd-10h. A ten on the flop and no Ace on the turn or river sent NHGGSIKE out with a $$2,535.75 payday.
PHILBORT was able to improve on his 11th-place finish in the UBOC Heads-Up event, though he didn’t get as far as he probably hoped. He went out eighth after open-shoving with Ah-4s and running into the pocket Tens of JMEWNIE. The board brought no help and PHILBORT added $3,662.75 to his bankroll.
Often it isn’t the final hand that tells the story, but one shortly beforehand. That was the deal with EDAV67, who lost the bulk of his stack when he ran pocket Tens into TOMPHOOLERY’s pocket Jacks. Adding insult to injury, EDAV67 made a straight on the river…but only after TOMPHOOLERY made a full house on the turn. Adding addition injury to, uh, injury, EDAV67 got the last of his chips in holding a dominating As-Qc to DOGMA1975’s Ah-7s. All was well until the river…when the 7h spiked to send EDAV67 out in 7th place. A nice $4,789.75 payday, but a frustrating end nonetheless.
In keeping with the “hey, haven’t I seen you here before?” motif, NIBBLER was the next player sent to the rail. After posting a 12th-place finish in UBOC Event #4 NIBBLER made it to the final table this time before shoving with Kd-3s and running smack into -HALIGON-’s Ad-Kc. The three remaining treys remained hidden in the deck and NIBBLER collected $5,916.75 before leaving the stage.
They say to win poker tournaments you must both win with Ace-King and defeat Ace-King. After completing the first half of the axiom against NIBBLER -HALIGON- closed the circle by using pocket Eights to boot TOMPHOOLERY. After a $48K raise -HALIGON- re-raised and that precipitated a $226K shove from TOM, who rolled over Ah-Kh. The Kd-Qd-7h flop put him in the lead, but for just a heartbeat as the 8h spiked on the turn. But that card gave TOMPHOOLERY a flush draw, one that didn’t hit as the river brought the Jc. Sometimes the race doesn’t go to the swiftest, or even the runner who seems to take an overwhelming lead, and that was TOMPHOOLERY’S fate as he collected $7,325.50 for finishing fifth.
All DOGMA1975 accomplished during the UltimateBet Online Championship was freakin’ winning Event #2 and take home $47,000. He was trying to take down his second UBOC title but with chips running short he moved in with Ks-6H and was called by JMEWNIE’s dominating Kd-Jc. The flop missed them both and a Jack on the turn (and another Jack on the river for good measure) meant the end of DOGMA1975 dreams of a two-fer. But don’t feel too bad for him–in addition to the $8,734.25 he won last night he’s also atop the UBOC Leaderboard, and if he can hang on he’ll win a $12,000 WSOP Main Event package.
Down to three-handed the big chip-leader was a player I haven’t even mentioned yet–NEGATIVEROI. Proving the maxim that you don’t have to knock people out to accumulate vast quantities of chips, NEGATIVEROI held $1.4 million to JMEWNIE’s $255K and -HALIGON-’s meager $170K. And again NEGATIVEROI let others to his dirty work for him, as -HALIGON- shoved from the button with Qh-Js and was quickly called by JMEWNIE holding As-Kh. This time -HALIGON- was not able to work his Big Slick voodoo, as the Ad-7s-10h flop gave JMEWNIE top pair and no Jack came on the turn or river to save the day. -HALIGON- took home $11,833.50 for his third-place finish.
NEGATIVEROI began heads-up play with a 3-1 chip lead, but also perhaps with a bit of baggage. While he hadn’t made a UBOC final table so far, he had reached the final table of our Sunday $200,000 Guaranteed Tournament twice. And on both occasions, he’d finished…second. Would he be able to close the deal this time and capture the title? Sometimes in these pressure-packed situations it helps to get a wee bit lucky, and this time good fortune smiled on him. After he raised to $50,500 JMEWNIE made it $170K straight. NEGATIVEROI moved in, got the call, and he found that his Kc-Kh had JMEWNIE’s As-Kd in dire straights. Kings into Big Slick with the tournament hanging in the balance…that’s a chilly deck. NEGATIVEROI still had to fade an Ace and all sorts of potential draws to book the win, and that’s exactly what he did as the board ran out 3d-Jd-8s-6s-2c to give him the UBOC title and the $28,175.00 first prize. As Big Slick’s final victim of the night, JMEWNIE earned $17,074.05 for finishing as our runner-up.
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