PARTY POKER.COM's
CRUISIN' TO A MILLION
The last of three WPT tournaments this year run by online poker sites is the grand-daddy of them all! PartyPoker.com hosts a LIMIT Hold 'Em tournament on the cruise ship MS Rhydam in the Mexican Riviera. Formerly called the "PartyPoker Million", it had to be changed this year to "Cruisin' to a Million" because of the sheer volume of the tournament! A record 546 players qualified either on-line or by dropping $7000 of their own spread (not to mention the price of the cruise itself). This makes the prize pool the largest in WPT history so far: $3.822 million! And the winner, aside from earning a spot in the WPT Championship free of charge, gets a solid million dollars!
Amateurs and pros alike dropped one by one until, at last, six remain at the Final Table to fight for the million-plus. And they are:
| PLAYER | CHIP COUNT |
| Chris Hinchcliffe Construction worker from Olympia, WA; only online qualifier left (won $25 satellite) | $1,765,000 |
| Erick Lindgren "American Idol"; Winner of WPT Aruba; 3rd in WPT Paris | $595,000 |
| Daniel Negreanu "The Kid"; 3rd in Caribbean Poker Adventure; Hollywood Home Games "expert" | $560,000 |
| Steve Zolotow "Stevie Z"; bar owner in NYC | $380,000 |
| Scotty Nguyen 3-time WPT Finalist; one of best tournament players in the world | $310,000 |
| Barry Greenstein "Robin Hood"; donates all winnings to charity; Winner of WPT Tunica | $220,000 |
(Each player started with $7000 worth of chips...with some of the online players getting more for winning qualifying tournaments)
With Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patton ready to call the action with the WPT Cams, it's time to...
Oh...before we shuffle up and deal, I should tell you that this is the only WPT tournament which is NOT No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em like all the others. This one is LIMIT Hold 'Em. This means that, unlike No-Limit, there is a set amount of money you can bet in each round of each hand. The gameplay is exactly the same as No-Limit, but you can only bet or raise a certain amount of money before and after the Flop and twice that amount after the Turn and River. It is a much faster-paced game than No-Limit, since there's no thinking to be done about how much to bet; you just need to decide to call, raise the set amount or fold. And, yes, there ARE blinds to be posted just like No-Limit...just not antes.
All right...NOW, let's SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL!
Blinds start at $10,000 (SB) and $20,000 (BB), meaning the
limits for bets and raises are $20,000 and $40,000. That means $20,000 is
what can be bet before and after the Flop and $40,000 is what can be bet after
the Turn and River.
| Chris | Barry | Daniel | Erick (D) | Steve (SB) | Scotty (BB) |
| 9♥ 4♦ | 8♠ 3♦ | K♥ 4♥ | 6♥ 5♠ | K♠ 9♦ | 7♠ 3♣ |
| FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $40,000 | FOLD | FOLD | FOLD |
| WIN $70,000 | |||||
| Even in Limit Hold 'Em, you can win by default. What's more, Daniel claims he had two Kings. That's legal; lying about a hand is as much a part of poker strategy as other bluffing. | |||||
| Barry | Daniel | Erick | Steve (D) | Scotty (SB) | Chris (BB) |
| 9♠ 5♣ | Q♠ 4♠ | A♣ 5♥ | K♠ 9♣ | 4♥ 2♦ | 3♦ 3♣ |
| FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $40,000 | FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $60,000 |
| Calls $20,000 | |||||
| FLOP: K♣ K♥ 3♥ | |||||
| BOAT!! Chris flopped a full house, 3s full of Kings. | |||||
| Bets $20,000 | |||||
| FOLD | |||||
| WIN $150,000 | |||||
| Erick | Steve | Scotty | Chris (D) | Barry (SB) | Daniel (BB) |
| J♥ 5♦ | 9♠ 8♠ | 9♥ 4♦ | A♠ 10♣ | A♣ K♦ | 5♣ 2♠ |
| FOLD | FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $40,000 | Raises to $60,000 | FOLD |
| Raises to $80,000 | ALL-IN $70,000 |
||||
| Barry's "Big Slick" is a 72%-to-24% favorite to beat Chris' hand. | |||||
| FLOP: J♠ 10♥ 7♥ | |||||
| Chris takes the lead with a pair of 10s. He's only a 69% fave, though, since Barry has an inside straight draw, needing a Queen. | |||||
| TURN: J♦ RIVER: Q♠ | |||||
| 10♣ 10♥ J♠ J♦ A♠ | A♣ K♦ Q♠ J♠ 10♥ | ||||
| WIN $160,000 | |||||
| Chris | Barry | Daniel | Erick (D) | Steve (SB) | Scotty (BB) |
| A♠ 4♠ | K♣ 2♦ | 7♣ 6♥ | A♦ Q♥ | 4♦ 2♠ | 10♥ 8♦ |
| Raises to $40,000 | FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $60,000 | FOLD | FOLD |
| Caps at $80,000 | Calls $20,000 | ||||
| In Limit Hold 'Em, there's a limit (in this case three) to the number of raises that can be made in a round. Chris "capped" the round with the third raise; Erick could only call or fold. | |||||
| FLOP: J♦ Q♣ 9♠ | |||||
| Erick flopped "top pair" and is a moderate favorite at this point. | |||||
| Bets $20,000 | Calls $20,000 | ||||
| TURN: 6♣ | |||||
| Bets $40,000 | Calls $40,000 | ||||
| RIVER: J♥ COMMUNITY: J♦ J♥ Q♣ 9♠ 6♣ | |||||
| Bets $40,000 | Calls $40,000 | ||||
| J♦ J♥ A♠ Q♣ 9♠ | Q♥ Q♣ J♦ J♥ A♦ | ||||
| WIN $390,000 | |||||
| Steve | Scotty | Chris | Barry (D) | Daniel (SB) | Erick (BB) |
| A♦ 3♣ | K♥ 6♠ | J♥ J♣ | 5♠ 3♦ | A♥ Q♦ | J♦ 4♣ |
| FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $40,000 | FOLD | Raises to $60,000 | FOLD |
| Calls $20,000 | |||||
| It's almost a coin flip: "hooks" vs. "Big Chick" (with the Jacks a SLIGHT fave). | |||||
| FLOP: 7♦ 10♥ 9♠ | |||||
| Chris now has an inside straight draw: an 8 would give him a Jack-high straight. | |||||
| Bets $20,000 | |||||
| Raises to $40,000 | Calls $20,000 | ||||
| TURN: 2♦ | |||||
| CHECK | |||||
| Bets $40,000 | FOLD | ||||
| WIN $260,000 | |||||
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT | |
| Chris Hinchcliffe | $1,635,000 |
| Daniel Negreanu | $850,000 |
| Erick Lindgren | $775,000 |
| Steve Zolotow | $350,000 |
| Scotty Nguyen | $160,000 |
| Barry Greenstein | $60,000 |
| Erick | Steve | Scotty | Chris (D) | Barry (SB) | Daniel (BB) |
| 4♣ 3♠ | 7♥ 5♦ | 5♠ 5♥ | 10♥ 8♦ | 2♠ 2♥ | K♣ J♦ |
| FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $40,000 | FOLD | FOLD | Calls $20,000 |
| Scotty's "speed limit" is only a SLIGHT fave over Daniel's "Kojak"... | |||||
| FLOP: 9♥ 3♦ J♠ | |||||
| ...and that's why. Daniel is now a 91% fave with his Jacks. | |||||
| CHECK | |||||
| Bets $20,000 | Raises to $40,000 | ||||
| Calls $20,000 | |||||
| TURN: K♠ | |||||
| Bets $40,000 | |||||
| FOLD | |||||
| WIN $210,000 | |||||
| Steve | Scotty | Chris | Barry (D) | Daniel (SB) | Erick (BB) |
| Q♣ 10♣ | 3♥ 2♣ | 10♣ 6♠ | A♣ 5♦ | 8♣ 2♥ | K♣ 6♥ |
| FOLD | FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $40,000 | FOLD | Raises to $60,000 |
| ALL-IN $50,000 |
Calls $10,000 | ||||
| Before folding, Steve says, "My fans will get mad if I play this hand." Little did he know that he was in decent position; Queen-10 suited is a good hand six-handed like this is. Barry is a 61% fave over Erick | |||||
| FLOP: 3♣ 9♣ 10♠ TURN: 7♥ RIVER: 5♥ | |||||
| 5♦ 5♥ A♣ 10♠ 9♣ | K♣ 10♠ 9♣ 7♥ 6♥ | ||||
| WIN $110,000 | |||||
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT | |
| Chris Hinchcliffe | $1,635,000 |
| Daniel Negreanu | $960,000 |
| Erick Lindgren | $745,000 |
| Steve Zolotow | $320,000 |
| Barry Greenstein | $110,000 |
| Scotty Nguyen | $60,000 |
| Barry | Daniel | Erick | Steve (D) | Scotty (SB) | Chris (BB) |
| 8♦ 3♣ | 10♠ 9♦ | 6♣ 5♠ | Q♦ 7♥ | A♠ J♠ | J♥ J♦ |
| FOLD | FOLD | FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $40,000 | Raises to $60,000 |
| ALL-IN $60,000 |
|||||
| Chris is a 65% fave with Jacks against Scotty's "Ajax". | |||||
| FLOP: K♥ 8♠ Q♠ | |||||
| Ut oh...Scotty has a straight draw (needing a 10) AND a nut flush draw (needing a spade to make an Ace-high flush). | |||||
| TURN: 4♠ | |||||
| BANG! Scotty has the nut flush! And Chris, with the SHIP (S@#$%iest Hand In Poker), is drawing dead! | |||||
| RIVER: 10♥ | |||||
| Scotty got the STRAIGHT, too...but the flush is a better hand. Either way... | |||||
| A♠ Q♠ J♠ 8♠ 4♠ | J♥ J♦ K♥ Q♠ 10♥ | ||||
| WIN $120,000 | |||||
| Barry | Daniel | Erick | Steve (D) | Scotty (SB) | Chris (BB) |
| A♣ 2♣ | 10♠ 5♣ | K♣ Q♠ | Q♦ 3♠ | K♦ 9♦ | 9♣ 4♣ |
| Raises to $40,000 | FOLD | FOLD | FOLD | FOLD | Calls $20,000 |
| FLOP: 10♦ 8♣ 7♣ | |||||
| BOTH Barry and Chris have flush draws...but, if ANY club comes up, Barry will win since he has an Ace-high flush. | |||||
| Bets $20,000 | |||||
| Raises to $40,000 | Calls $20,000 | ||||
| TURN: J♣ | |||||
| There it is. Both have a club flush...but Barry's is better. Of course, Chris doesn't know that, so he "slow rolls"... | |||||
| CHECK | |||||
| Bets $40,000 | Raises to $80,000 | ||||
| ALL-IN $110,000 |
Calls $30,000 | ||||
| Now, there IS hope for Chris. If a 10 of clubs comes on the River, Chris will have a straight flush, the best hand in poker. | |||||
| RIVER: A♥ | |||||
| A♣ J♣ 8♣ 7♣ 2♣ | J♣ 9♣ 8♣ 7♣ 4♣ | ||||
| WIN $350,000 | |||||
| This makes THREE TIMES that "Robin Hood" has doubled-up! | |||||
| Erick | Steve | Scotty | Chris (D) | Barry (SB) | Daniel (BB) |
| 3♦ 2♥ | 7♠ 4♦ | A♣ 5♦ | 9♠ 6♦ | K♥ Q♥ | 10♦ 9♦ |
| FOLD | FOLD | ALL-IN $30,000 |
FOLD | Raises to $50,000 | Calls $30,000 |
| The main pot is $90,000. Scotty cannot win any more from any one player than what he puts in. There's a side pot that Daniel and Barry alone can bet into and win. Currently, the side pot is at $40,000 | |||||
| FLOP: 9♥ K♦ J♣ | |||||
| Both Barry and Daniel have flopped a straight draw; Barry needs a 10 while Daniel needs a Queen. | |||||
| Bets $20,000 (Side) | Calls $20,000 (Side) | ||||
| TURN: Q♦ | |||||
| As Mike Sexton would say, "Bingo, bango, bongo!" Daniel has a straight. BUT, Barry has two pair. If a King or a Queen comes on the river, Barry will win with a full house. As for Scotty, he needs a 10 to make "Broadway" and stay alive. | |||||
| CHECK | Bets $40,000 (Side) | ||||
| Calls $40,000 (Side) | |||||
| RIVER: 7♦ COMMUNITY: K♦ Q♦ J♣ 9♥ 7♦ | |||||
| Scotty is out and Daniel has won both pots...assuming he's not scared out by Barry. | |||||
| CHECK | Bets $40,000 (Side) | ||||
| Calls $40,000 (Side) | |||||
| A♣ K♦ Q♦ J♣ 9♥ | K♥ K♦ Q♥ Q♦ J♣ | K♦ Q♦ J♣ 10♦ 9♦ | |||
| OUT - 6th Place | WIN
$90,000 (Main) WIN$240,000 (Side) | ||||
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT | |
| Chris Hinchcliffe | $1,325,000 |
| Daniel Negreanu | $1,290,000 |
| Erick Lindgren | $610,000 |
| Steve Zolotow | $380,000 |
| Barry Greenstein | $225,000 |
Blinds are now $15,000 (SB) and $30,000 (BB). The limits are $30,000 (before and after the Flop) and $60,000 (after the TUrn and River).
| Chris | Barry | Daniel (D) | Erick (SB) | Steve (BB) |
| K♥ 9♥ | J♣ 7♥ | J♥ J♦ | K♦ 9♣ | Q♦ 4♣ |
| Raises to $60,000 | FOLD | Raises to $90,000 | FOLD | FOLD |
| Caps at $120,000 | Calls $30,000 | |||
| FLOP: 3♥ 2♥ 2♣ | ||||
| Chris has a flush draw, but Daniel is still ahead with his Jacks. | ||||
| Bets $30,000 | Calls $30,000 | |||
| TURN: 6♦ | ||||
| Bets $60,000 | Calls $60,000 | |||
| RIVER: 9♦ COMMUNITY: 2♥ 2♣ 9♦ 6♦ 3♥ | ||||
| CHECK | Bets $60,000 | |||
| Calls $60,000 | ||||
| 9♥ 9♦ 2♥ 2♣ K♥ | J♥ J♦ 2♥ 2♣ 9♦ | |||
| WIN $585,000 | ||||
| Chris showed how weak his hand was by checking on the River after he bet on the Flop and Turn. That was all the incentive Daniel needed to rob $60,000 off of Chris. With that hand, Daniel takes the chip lead away from the once-dominant Chris! See for yourself... | ||||
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT | |
| Daniel Negreanu | $1,395,000 |
| Chris Hinchcliffe | $980,000 |
| Erick Lindgren | $715,000 |
| Barry Greenstein | $420,000 |
| Steve Zolotow | $320,000 |
| Daniel | Erick | Steve (D) | Chris (SB) | Barry (BB) |
| Q♥ 4♠ | 9♥ 4♦ | K♣ K♥ | 8♥ 4♥ | Q♠ 5♥ |
| FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $60,000 | Calls $45,000 | FOLD |
| While dealing, the dealer accidentally let one of Steve's cards flip over. This is called a "flash card". The other players are not allowed ot know what any player's cards are until the hand ends. So the dealer uses the "flash card" as the "burn card" before the Flop and deals Steve the next card off the top of the deck. That card just HAPPENED to give Steve "Cowboys". Chris, before he calls, wonders if he can call for help...then says, "Oh, there's no red cards here." He's talking about the red "cry for help" cards used in the WPT's Hollywood Home Games that Daniel is a part of. In REAL tournaments like this, Chris can't get ANY help. | ||||
| FLOP: 2♠ 8♣ 7♥ | ||||
| Chris has top pair...but 8s STILL don't beat Kings. | ||||
| Bets $30,000 | ||||
| Calls $30,000 | ||||
| TURN: 2♥ | ||||
| Both have TWO pair now. | ||||
| Bets $60,000 | ||||
| Raises to $120,000 | Calls $60,000 | |||
| RIVER: J♣ COMMUNITY: 2♠ 2♥ J♣ 8♣ 7♥ | ||||
| CHECK | ||||
| Bets $60,000 | Calls $60,000 | |||
| K♣ K♥ 2♠ 2♥ J♣ | 8♥ 8♣ 2♠ 2♥ J♣ | |||
| WIN $570,000 | ||||
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT | |
| Daniel Negreanu | $1,650,000 |
| Chris Hinchcliffe | $755,000 |
| Steve Zolotow | $575,000 |
| Erick Lindgren | $490,000 |
| Barry Greenstein | $360,000 |
| Chris | Barry | Daniel (D) | Erick (SB) | Steve (BB) |
| K♣ 8♦ | 6♥ 2♥ | 10♣ 7♦ | K♥ J♦ | 8♠ 4♠ |
| Raises to $60,000 | FOLD | FOLD | Calls $45,000 | Calls $30,000 |
| FLOP: J♥ 6♦ 5♦ | ||||
| CHECK | CHECK | |||
| Bets $30,000 | Raises to $60,000 | FOLD | ||
| After Erick's raise, Steve says, "I was going to do that." But, though he has a straight draw, it's not enough to call a bet and a raise. | ||||
| TURN: A♥ | ||||
| CHECK | ||||
| CHECK | ||||
| RIVER: K♦ COMMUNITY: A♥ K♦ J♥ 6♦ 5♦ | ||||
| Bets $60,000 | ||||
| Raises to $120,000 | Calls $60,000 | |||
| K♣ K♦ A♥ J♥ 8♦ | K♥ K♦ J♦ J♥ A♥ | |||
| WIN $540,000 | ||||
| Daniel | Erick | Steve (D) | Chris (SB) | Barry (BB) |
| J♥ 7♦ | 10♦ 7♣ | 4♣ 3♠ | 5♣ 3♣ | A♠ K♠ |
| FOLD | FOLD | FOLD | Calls $15,000 | Raises to $60,000 |
| Calls $30,000 | ||||
| Barry may LOOK like a monster fave, but he's not even a 2-to-1 with Big Slick. | ||||
| FLOP: Q♣ J♣ K♣ | ||||
| And that's why! Chris flopped a FLUSH thanks to the "Picasso" (all face cards) in clubs! Only King-King, Ace-King or Ace-Ace can help Barry. | ||||
| Bets $30,000 | Calls $30,000 | |||
| TURN: 8♠ | ||||
| Barry is drawing dead... | ||||
| Bets $60,000 | Calls $60,000 | |||
| ...but how can you fold Kings? | ||||
| RIVER: 6♠ COMMUNITY: K♣ Q♣ J♣ 8♠ 6♠ | ||||
| Bets $60,000 | Calls $60,000 | |||
| K♣ Q♣ J♣ 5♣ 3♣ | K♠ K♣ Q♣ J♣ A♠ | |||
| WIN $420,000 | ||||
| Chris | Barry | Daniel (D) | Erick (SB) | Steve (BB) |
| 9♠ 9♦ | 7♥ 6♠ | A♣ 7♣ | 4♣ 3♥ | Q♣ J♣ |
| Raises to $60,000 | FOLD | Calls $60,000 | FOLD | Calls $30,000 |
| FLOP: 7♦ 2♦ 4♦ | ||||
| CHECK | ||||
| Bets $30,000 | Raises to $60,000 | FOLD | ||
| Calls $30,000 | ||||
| Before betting, Chris asks if "anyone else has diamonds". Nobody HAS to tell him what they have. Chris DOES have a flush draw and is an 86% fave over Daniel. Barry folds, saying, "TAKE it, ya big bullies"! | ||||
| TURN: 3♣ | ||||
| Chris is down to an 84% fave. | ||||
| CHECK | Bets $60,000 | |||
| Calls $60,000 | ||||
| RIVER: 7♠ COMMUNITY: 7♦ 7♠ 4♦ 3♣ 2♦ | ||||
| 7-7-7! Daniel hit the lucky "slot machine"! | ||||
| Bets $60,000 | Raises to $120,000 | |||
| Calls $60,000 | ||||
| 9♠ 9♦ 7♦ 7♠ 4♦ | 7♣ 7♦ 7♠ A♣ 4♦ | |||
| WIN $675,000 | ||||
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT | |
| Daniel Negreanu | $2,325,000 |
| Erick Lindgren | $640,000 |
| Steve Zolotow | $405,000 |
| Chris Hinchcliffe | $400,000 |
| Barry Greenstein | $60,000 |
| Barry | Daniel | Erick (D) | Steve (SB) | Chris (BB) |
| K♦ 9♠ | 7♦ 4♦ | A♦ Q♣ | A♠ 9♦ | J♣ 2♦ |
| ALL-IN $60,000 |
FOLD | Raises to $110,000 | FOLD | FOLD |
| Since no one called Erick's raise, Erick's bet is reduced to match Barry's all-in. Erick's about a 2-to-1 fave right now. | ||||
| FLOP: 3♥ 9♣ 3♣ | ||||
| Even better...Barry flopped two pair. | ||||
| TURN: Q♥ | ||||
| OUCH! Erick now has "Gay waiters" (Queens with "treys")! Barry needs a King or a 9 to stay alive. | ||||
| RIVER: 8♠ | ||||
| 9♠ 9♣ 3♥ 3♣ K♦ | Q♣ Q♥ 3♥ 3♣ A♦ | |||
| OUT - 5th Place | WIN $195,000 | |||
| Steve | Chris (D) | Daniel (SB) | Erick (BB) |
| 6♦ 2♣ | J♠ 5♦ | A♣ Q♣ | 10♦ 9♣ |
| FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $100,000 | Calls $50,000 |
| Bets $50,000 | |||
| No, that is NOT a misprint. Daniel actually bet $50G on his Big Chick BEFORE the Flop was ever dealt. As such, he was committed to put that much in. Betting out of turn is usually an indication of strength...or, at the least, severe confidence. | |||
| FLOP: 7♠ 10♥ A♠ | |||
| And Daniel's confidence pays off. He's flopped a pair of Ace...and Erick a pair of 10s. Daniel's a 7-2 fave. | |||
| Calls $50,000 | |||
| TURN: 9♥ | |||
| Now Erick has turned two pair! He's an 82% fave now. | |||
| Bets $100,000 | Raises to $200,000 | ||
| Calls $100,000 | |||
| RIVER: 9♦ COMMUNITY: 9♥ 9♦ A♠ 10♥ 7♠ | |||
| CHECK | Bets $100,000 | ||
| Calls $100,000 | |||
| A♣ A♠ 9♥ 9♦ Q♣ | 10♦ 10♥ 9♣ 9♥ 9♦ | ||
| WIN $900,000 | |||
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT | |
| Daniel Negreanu | $1,800,000 |
| Erick Lindgren | $1,775,000 |
| Chris Hinchcliffe | $175,000 |
| Steve Zolotow | $80,000 |
That's right...Chris, who had a 3-to-1 chip lead at the start
of the night, is "down to the felt"! But he's hoping Steve goes
out first...since the difference between fourth place and third place in real
money is about $234,000!
| Chris | Daniel (D) | Erick (SB) | Steve (BB) |
| A♦ 5♥ | 7♦ 3♣ | K♥ 2♥ | J♥ 4♣ |
| FOLD | FOLD | Raises to $100,000 | ALL-IN $80,000 |
| Erick's bet is lowered to match Steve's. It may SEEM like a lost cause, but Steve is getting decent "pot odds"; should he oput-draw Erick, he'll be getting better than 5-to-1 back on his remaining $30,000 that he tossed in (the other $50,000 was his Big Blind). Still, he's about a 3-to-2 underdog here. | |||
| FLOP: 6♦ K♠ 4♥ | |||
| Steve flopped a pair...but Erick flopped a HIGHER pair. Steve needs a Jack or another 4 to stay alive. | |||
| TURN: 8♣ RIVER: 2♠ | |||
| K♥ K♠ 2♥ 2♠ 8♣ | 4♣ 4♥ K♠ J♥ 8♣ | ||
| WIN $160,000 | OUT - 4th Place | ||
| Daniel (D) | Erick (SB) | Chris (BB) |
| K♦ 6♠ | Q♣ 9♠ | Q♥ 8♣ |
| Raises to $100,000 | Calls $75,000 | ALL-IN $50,000 |
| Chris tosses in the rest of his chips to call Daniel's raise. If Daniel and Erick want to, they can build a side pot. | ||
| FLOP: J♥ 2♦ 3♠ | ||
| CHECK | ||
| CHECK | ||
| TURN: 2♥ | ||
| CHECK | ||
| CHECK | ||
| RIVER: 4♣ COMMUNITY: 2♦ 2♥ J♥ 4♣ 3♠ | ||
| CHECK | ||
| CHECK | ||
| Obvious, Daniel and Erick didn't want to take the chance with their relatively weak hands. | ||
| 2♦ 2♥ K♦ J♥ 6♠ | 2♦ 2♥ Q♣ J♥ 9♠ | 2♦ 2♥ Q♥ J♥ 8♣ |
| WIN $300,000 | OUT - 3rd Place | |
| Behold the power of the "kicker". All three had a pair of deuces...but Daniel's King beats Erick and Chris' Queens. Erick had a better hand than Chris because his LAST card beat Chris' (9 beats 8). | ||
So we're down to two pros....and you know that means...HEADS-UP!
The "Kid" and the "American Idol" are battling out for the
million bucks. However, the WPT Championship seat is no longer up for
grabs. Since Erick already HAS a seat from winning a previous tournament,
Daniel gets THIS seat whether he wins or not! Still, the WPT title and the
$225,000 more than what 2nd place offers isn't too shabby, either.
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT | |
| Daniel Negreanu | $2,000,000 |
| Erick Lindgren | $1,830,000 |
The only thing that has changed now is that the three-raise
limit is no longer in effect. The betting limits still apply, but the
players can raise and re-raise and re-re-raise until they run out of chips...so
it's a LITTLE more like No-Limit Hold 'Em now.
| Daniel (D) (SB) | Erick (BB) |
| 10♠ 6♦ | 8♥ 6♥ |
| Calls $25,000 | Raises to $100,000 |
| Calls $50,000 | |
| Under normal circumstances, neither pro would even CONSIDER calling or raising these hands. But, in heads-up, ANY hand has the possibility of being a winner. | |
| FLOP: 6♣ 2♦ 5♣ | |
| Bets $50,000 | |
| Raises to $100,000 | Calls $50,000 |
| TURN: 3♠ | |
| CHECK | |
| Bets $100,000 | Calls $100,000 |
| RIVER: 8♠ COMMUNITY: 8♠ 6♣ 5♣ 3♠ 2♦ | |
| CHECK | |
| CHECK | |
| 6♦ 6♣ 10♠ 8♠ 5♣ | 8♥ 8♠ 6♥ 6♣ 5♣ |
| WIN $600,000 | |
Time passes...
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT | |
| Erick Lindgren | $2,280,000 |
| Daniel Negreanu | $1,550,000 |
| Daniel (D) (SB) | Erick (BB) |
| J♠ 9♦ | J♥ 10♣ |
| Raises to $100,000 | Calls $50,000 |
| Erick is a decent favorite. | |
| FLOP: J♣ 10♠ 8♥ | |
| ...and even moreso now that he's flopped two pair. BUT, Daniel DOES have a straight draw now. | |
| Bets $50,000 | |
| Raises to $100,000 | Raises to $150,000 |
| Raises to $200,000 | Calls $50,000 |
| TURN: 3♦ | |
| Bets $100,000 | |
| Raises to $200,000 | Calls $100,000 |
| RIVER: A♥ COMMUNITY: A♥ J♣ 10♠ 8♥ 3♦ | |
| CHECK | |
| CHECK | |
| J♠ J♣ A♥ 10♠ 9♦ | J♥ J♣ 10♣ 10♠ A♥ |
| WIN $1,000,000 | |
MORE time passes...
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT | |
| Erick Lindgren | $2,555,000 |
| Daniel Negreanu | $1,275,000 |
| Erick (D) (SB) | Daniel (BB) |
| 10♦ 7♥ | A♠ 6♠ |
| Raises to $160,000 | Raises to $240,000 |
| Calls $80,000 | |
| FLOP: 3♦ 10♥ 10♣ | |
| Erick has flopped "30 miles of bad road"! | |
| Bets $80,000 | |
| Calls $80,000 | |
| TURN: 8♠ | |
| Bets $160,000 | |
| Calls $160,000 | |
| RIVER: 4♣ COMMUNITY: 10♥ 10♣ 8♠ 4♣ 3♦ | |
| CHECK | |
| Bets $160,000 | Calls $160,000 |
| 10♦ 10♥ 10♣ 8♠ 7♥ | 10♥ 10♣ A♠ 8♠ 6♠ |
| WIN $1,280,000 | |
| Daniel (D) (SB) | Erick (BB) |
| 10♣ 7♣ | A♥ 6♠ |
| Calls $40,000 | Raises to $160,000 |
| Calls $80,000 | |
| FLOP: 5♣ J♠ 2♣ | |
| Bets $80,000 | |
| Raises to $160,000 | Raises to $240,000 |
| ALL-IN $190,000 |
|
| Erick's bet is lowered. Daniel has 14 outs: any 7, any club, or... | |
| TURN: 10♦ | |
| ...a 10! Daniel's a 19-to-1 fave! Erick's only hope is... | |
| RIVER: J♥ | |
| ...an Ace. | |
| J♥ J♠ 10♣ 10♦ 7♣ | J♠ J♥ A♥ 10♦ 6♠ |
| WIN $700,000 | |
| CURRENT CHIP COUNT | |
| Erick Lindgren | $2,870,000 |
| Daniel Negreanu | $960,000 |
| Erick (D) (SB) | Daniel (BB) |
| J♣ 6♣ | A♣ 8♥ |
| Raises to $240,000 | Raises to $360,000 |
| Calls $120,000 | |
| FLOP: K♣ 4♠ 9♣ | |
| Bets $120,000 | |
| Raises to $240,000 | FOLD |
| WIN $1,080,000 | |
| Daniel (D) (SB) | Erick (BB) |
| A♣ 4♥ | A♥ 3♦ |
| Raises to $240,000 | Calls $120,000 |
| Daniel is a very slight favorite... | |
| FLOP: 5♥ 7♥ 3♣ | |
| ...until Erick flops "crabs". | |
| Bets $120,000 | |
| ALL-IN $220,000 |
Calls $100,000 |
| Daniel needs a 4 to make a better pair (an Ace would only give Erick TWO pair) or a 2 to make a "wheel" straight. | |
| TURN: J♦ RIVER: 5♦ | |
| 5♥ 5♦ A♣ J♦ 7♥ | 5♥ 5♦ 3♣ 3♦ A♥ |
| OUT - 2nd Place | TOURNAMENT WINNER! |
| 1ST | ERICK LINDGREN |
$1,000,000 |
| 2nd | Daniel Negreanu | $675,178 |
| 3rd | Chris Hinchcliffe | $441,463 |
| 4th | Steve Zolotow | $259,584 |
| 5th | Barry Greenstein | $194,763 |
| 6th | Scotty Ngyuen | $128,842 |
So the good news is that Erick Lindgren has won his second WPT title of the year, the first to do this season. He pockets a cool million and can now relax in the Mexican sun. The BETTER news is that Daniel Negreanu gets the $25,000 seat into the WPT Championship! And Chris Hinchcliffe, even though he lost a massive chip lead, goes home with a net profit of $441,438!