WSOP Hand of the Day: Matt Matros vs. Jonathan Lane

/ Short-Stacked Shamus / 03 July 2011 / Leave a Comment

Matt Matros, Event #52 Champion (Photo credit: PokerNews / WSOP.com)

Poker author Matt Matros won his second WSOP bracelet in as many years last night, outlasting a tough final table that included Matt Hawrilenko, Nikolay Losev, and Noah Boeken to take down Event #52, the $2,500 Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit) event. The short stack with five players left, Matros battled back to make heads-up versus Jonathan Lane against whom he ultimately prevailed. It is one the final hands between Matros and Lane that provides us with Saturday's WSOP Hand of the Day.

After eliminating Hawrilenko in third, Matros had a hefty 3-to-1 chip lead over Lane to start heads-up play. But after taking three big limit hands Lane retook the advantage and was a 2-to-1 leader himself. (Incidentally, one of the interesting aspects of the mixed hold'em event is how LHE -- especially during the later levels -- often plays bigger than NLHE.) Soon after they switched back to a round of no-limit, during which Matros pulled even with Lane, then had pulled ahead of him when the following hand took place.

The blinds were 15,000/30,000 (with a 5,000 ante), and Matros had about 2.6 million to Lane's 1.7 million. As Paul Oresteen reported on PokerNews, Matros opened with a 2.5x raise to 75,000 from the small blind/button, and Lane called the raise.

The flop came 3s-Kh-4h -- a couple of babies, possible flush or straight draws, and a face card. Lane checked, and Matros continued with the same bet of 75,000. Lane check-raised to 250,000, and Matros called.

The turn was the 3d, pairing the board. Lane checked, and Matros checked behind. The river then brought the 2h, an interesting card that could well have completed either the flush or straight draws. Lane fired a bet of 500,000 -- just about three-fourths of the pot -- and Matros tanked for some time.

Matros no doubt was contemplating the line taken by Lane to call a raise out of position before the flop, check-raise the flop, then check the turn. A drawing hand -- including several that could've gotten there with that river 2h -- was certainly well within Lane's range.

Meanwhile, Matros having given up the initiative following Lane's check-raise on the flop meant he could have a number of different holdings as well. While pure air was unlikely, he could be drawing, too, have some kind of middle pair or a king, Ax, or something else.

Finally Matros called, tabling Ks-5s for kings and treys. Lane was clearly hoping to push Matros off just such a hand, as he showed 9s-8h -- an inspired but unsuccessful bluff attempt.

That "hero call" (as Paul described it in his post) was the turning point, it seems, as afterward Matros had 3.5 million to Lane's 850,000, and would claim the last of Lane's chips just five minutes later. With the win, Matros follows up his victory at last summer's $1,500 Limit Hold'em to score a second WSOP bracelet.

Head over to PokerNews' live reporting today for more WSOP action, including Day 3 of the Ladies Event (Event #53) in which one of the men who crashed the party has survived into the final 14, as well as Day 2 of Event #55, the $50K Poker Player's Championship. And remember you can follow live streaming of final tables, too, over at WSOP.com.