Normally I start my blog by describing my exit in the first hour of play but not this week. At the arrival of the first break I had worked my initial 2012 chips up to 4k and was quietly ticking along. 438 players remained and AK1966 was leading the way with 21k followed by Mokry Bluff on 18k.
One hour later at the second break I had massively advanced my position and was now sitting eighth on 27k having doubled up twice, once with JJ v AK and another when I flopped a set of sixes and someone with an overpair paid me off. PROTEIN was now the chip leader on 43k with simondodowin second on 38k of the 134 remaining players.
Click here to see how Team Betfair WSOP Trial ten was won!
During the next hour my I started to drop back through the field and when the third break was upon us I was 38th of the 50 surviving players on 18k. Hentschit_ had now moved into the lead with 99k trailed by DoZoRRR2010 on 83k.
The fourth hour of play was very good for me with one big double up AK v AT and many small wins along the way due to my now rampant aggression. At the fourth break only 16 players remained and I was seventh on 108k. Blade542 was now our chip leader on 310k closely followed by Breydel on 257k and Hentschit_ on 210k.
It only took 15 minutes to lose another 6 players and the final table was upon us with the standings as follows:-
Blade542 257k
Hentschit_ 232k
simondodowin 198k
Breydel 173k
Chiquita_ 171k
KeithAisGay 147k
Heskmoel 122k
0racle 110k
fjanse10_x 109k
1profitis1 103k
Within five minutes we had lost 1profitis1 when he unluckily ran his QQ into Blade542's KK and a King on the flop killed any hope he may have had. simondodowin who had lost half his chips managed to double up and knock out fjanse10_x, a pre flop confrontation of A6 v AT didn't look good until the flop came 966 and sent fjanse home in ninth position.
Simon's joy did not last long as within a few hands I eliminated him in eighth. He had limped into my BB and the flop came 567, I put out a small bet and he tried to push me off with his A3 by shoving but I was holding 89 and he was drawing dead. Blade524 had been going backwards and then found himself out in 7th when his QQ lost to Hentschit's AK on an A75 flop.
0racle was now the shortest stack and shoved on my BB when I help A6, I called and he showed KJ but an Ace on the flop saw 0racle sent to the rail in sixth. I was now just the chip leader but got a little over excited and lost a few pots in quick succession culminating in my demise in the last hand before the fifth break. I held J7 and 3 bet all my chips in against Hentschit on a J32 board, unfortunately he was holding KJ and with no 7 on the turn or river my tournament was over with me finishing an honourable fifth!
Click here to see how Team Betfair WSOP Trial nine was won!
At the fifth break the four remaining players chips were as follows:- Heskmoel 533k, Hentschit_ 488k, Breydel 366k and Chiquita_ 243k.
Soon after play restarted Hentschit dumped Breydel into fourth place, Breydel had raised and been called pre flop and the flop came A95, Hentschit shoved with A4 and Breydel after using up his timebank called with KK, no miracle king arrived and Hentschit now had a million chips.
Five minutes later it was all over when Heskmoel KO'd Chiquita_. Heskmoel had hit top pair on a KQ3 flop and Chiquita had a heart flush draw when all the chips went in, no heart arrived on the turn or river and poor Chiquita fell at the final hurdle.
So congratulations to our two valiant winners Hentschit_ and Heskmoel who both win the five star packages to Vegas and entry to WSOP event 59. It was a joy to play them both on the final table and I look forward to meeting them in Vegas.