Marti Comes Through

This was one of the most entertaining final tables in Holdem Affair history.  BigLar8 went into the final table in 9th place and Marti was in 10th.  And who was left for the heads up match?  You guessed it.  BigLar8 and Marti. BigLar8 had a commanding lead going into the heads up match but Marti just stayed calm and played smart.  The heads up match lasted 68 hands.  Longer than it took to knock out the other 8 players.  Marti took the early momentum and took over the lead only to have BigLar8 take it back later and keep it for quite awhile. Then Marti dealt what turned out to be the death blow when her pocket aces held up.  Marti prevailed to post another Holdem Affair win.  Daddybob, Rankdizzle, and Maronie47 rounded out the money table.

Forty-four sharks entered the Holdem Affair this week.  Good to see this kind of turn out.  We were down to 33 by the first break.  This is a little more attrition than usual.  Looks like we had a pretty aggressive field the first hour.  Here is your first hour leader board:

1. Jennifear = 6555


2. Rankdizzle = 5425


3. Maronie47 = 3400


4. Sunbob = 3030


5. Idblondee = 2935


6. Daddybob = 2605


7. Stick-n-Mud = 2520


8. BuckElvis = 2495


9. Rocknfish = 2405


10. verbalkint = 2305

We still had 33 going into the second hour.  Thirty-three, and the field was filled with the big names of Holdem Affair.  It took the whole of the second hour to pare this group down to the final table.  We seated that table just one hand before the second hour break.  The action was vicious and wild, just the kind of action that Maronie47 thrives on.  Here are your final table survivors.

1. Maronie47 = 17740


2. Rankdizzle = 9360


3. msrinny02 = 6920


4. Jennifear = 6750


5. Mellow Yellow = 6665


6. Daddybob = 6110


7. txranger2 = 4325


8. Sunbob = 3395


9. big lar8 = 2645


10. Marti = 2090

Look at those names closely because we are going into one of the wildest final tables ever seen in the Holdem Affair.  Just from memory, I see at least seven names on that list that have recorded Holdem Affair wins.  Well, hang onto your seats folks, here comes the action.

The very first hand, antes 25 and blinds 150/300.  I look down and see Ac Qc.  Six folds to me and I raised to 1300.  Then big lar8 pushed all 2620 into the middle from the small blind.  I’ve got him covered, think about it for awhile and decide to go for it.  I call.  He turned over pocket eights.  The board ended up Kh 7h 2s Jh Js and big lar8 doubled up on the first hand.  I’m in BIG trouble with only 750 chips left.  When we came back from the second hour break I was dealt 5h 5d with the antes 50 and blinds 200/400. Five folds to me and I have got to push with only 700 chips left.  Txranger2 called me with his pocket eights and I was gone in the first two hands.  Bummer.

Hand 9 and big lar8 is at it again.  This time Jennifear was his victim.  Jennifear minraised from the small blind when everyone folded and big lar8 made the call.  The flop came 9s 6d Tc.  Jennifear bet 1500 and big lar8 pushed all-in for 6040.  Jennifear called and turned over AA – the pocket rockets.  She was feeling good about her hand but – OOPS – big lar8 turned over a lowly 8s 7s.  Yep, he had flopped a straight.  Jen was dead and big lar8 had doubled up again.  Just nine hands into the final table and big lar8 had climbed from 9th place to 2nd.

Just three hands later and big lar8 takes a nice pot from Marti when his AQo hit trip queens.  Big lar8 is now our chip leader.

Hand 15 and Jennifear is still around but on life support.  She was all-in for her last 25 chips holding 7d 5d.  Maronie and Rankdizzle were fighting for the larger side pot.  The board ended up  Qd Jd 2h 4d Ad, giving Jen her flush but Maronie held the 9d and the higher flush.  Jennifear was gone in 9th place.  That hand also put Maronie back into the chip lead.

BTW, the field is spread out after this hand with Maronie holding 15940 chips at the top end and Marti with only 2915 at the bottom.  Watch this folks because this is significant.

The very next hand Maronie raised UTG with her As Kd and called Daddybob all-in for his last 3985.  Oops, Daddybob turned over Ad Ah.  No miracles for Maronie and Daddybob doubled up.  

Daddybob won the next two hands, including a big pot to knock out Mellow Yellow when his Ad Ks bettered Mellow Yellow’s As Qh.  After just 21 hands we are now down to seven and Daddybob is in the chip lead. Marti is still alive with her short stack.

Hand 26 and txranger has just 2960 in chips.  The antes are now 75 and blinds 300/600.  Ranger tried to limp into the flop but decided to call msrinny when she min-raised.  Txranger held 9c 7c and when the flop came 2c Tc 5d, he pushed the flush draw for his last 1685.  Msrinny made the call holding Qs Qd.  No more clubs by the river and txranger2 was gone in 7th place.  Now msrinny is in second place with Daddybob still the chip leader.

Big lar8 took over the chip lead on the next hand with his pocket kings.  This was actually a VERY interesting hand because Marti made a very unorthodox lay down.  The hand went down like this.  Rankdizzle, our winner from two weeks ago, raised to 1800, Marti called and Big lar8 called.  The flop came 8h 7s 6c.  Rankdizzle checked, Marti checked, and Big lar8 bet 3000.  Rankdizzle folded and Marti went into the tank.  She took almost all of her time and then folded showing 9d 9c.  She had flopped an over pair to the board and the open ended straight draw but had somehow known she was beat.  Big Lar8 showed his pocket kings.  I know I could not have made that lay down and some of us commented upon it at the time.  But watch now, because this was the play of the match.  At this point Marti had 990 chips, one more orbit of life.

Hand 30 – Daddybob min-raised to 1200 and Marti pushed her last 765 to the middle.  Daddybob held Ah Qd but Marti turned over As Kc.  No help for either on the board and Marti has doubled up.

Hand 31 and Marti has pocket sevens – another small pot to add to her new life.

Hand 35 – big lar8 raised to 1200 and msrinny called to see the flop - Kd Jc 5c.  Big lar8 bet 600 on that flop and msrinny raised to 1200.  Big lar8 re-raised to 7350 and msrinny pushed her last chips in to make it 11355.  Big lar8 called.  Wow, what is this?  Msrinny showed As Ks and had flopped top pair/top kicker.  OK, now I see.  But wait – big lar8 is turning over Js Jh.  Larry had hit another super flop, this time a set of jacks.  The Ad on the turn just teased msrinny and she was gone in 6th place.  Big lar8 now has 30460 chips and a huge lead.  Marti is now in last place (5th), with only 2955.

Hand 37 and we are at it again.  This time Maronie raised pre-flop to 2475 and big lar8 called. The flop came Kc 7s Td, lar8 checked and Maronie bet just 600, lar8 called.  The turn card was the Qh and that excited Maronie who bet 6825.  Apparently big lar8 likes that card also because he re-raised to 13650 – Maronie pushed it all to the middle and we saw the reason why.  Maronie turned over Ts Th – she had flopped a set.  But she had let Big lar8 see the turn.  He showed Jh 9h and had turned the straight.  Maronie was gone in 5th place and Big lar8 had twice as many chips as the rest of the field combined.  Marti is now in 4th place (out of 4) with only 1905 chips.

The very next hand Marti woke up with pocket sevens and almost tripled up to win a 5210 pot.

The next hand – the action is fast now – all four saw the cheap flop fall 7c 5d 8h.  All three checked to Big lar8 who bet 2600.  Daddybob bailed but Rankdizzle liked that flop and check raised to all 4160 he had left.  Marti dove for cover as well but Big lar8 made the call.  Rankdizzle proudly turned over 5c 5s to show his set.  Big lar8 was in trouble as he turned over Ts Tc for an over pair.  The Kc on the turn didn’t change anything but then Rankdizzle was punched in the stomach by the poker gods when the Th floated by on the river to give big lar8 the higher set.  Rankdizzle was gone in 4th place. We were now down to three and Marti is still sitting there.

Marti then went on a rush and won the next seven hands. The capper was hand 60.  Marti raised preflop to 1600 and Daddybob called to see the flop come 3c Qs 2c.  Daddybob checked, Marti bet 800 and Daddybob check-raised to 6300.  Marti just smooth called. The turn was the 9d.  Daddybob went all-in for 2090 and Marti called.  Daddybob turned over 2d 2h – he had flopped a set of deuces.  But Marti showed 3s 3d – she had flopped a set of treys. Oh my goodness. Daddybob was gone in third place.  Can you believe it?

We were down to the final two – a heads up match between the two players who were 9th and 10th when we sat down at the final table.  Marti had 25000 chips and Big lar8 had 41000.  Little did those of us on the rail watching know that we were in for 68 hands and 40 minutes of amazing heads up action.

They diced for the next 11 hands with Marti getting the best of it.  She took the chip lead on hand 71.  She built that lead to a 45K to 20K margin only to have Big Lar8 take it back by hand 90.  By hand 98 Marti had fought back to a slight lead when this hand came down.  With the antes 150 and the blinds 800/1600, they saw the un-raised flop come 4c 7c 8c.  Marti checked and Big Lar8 bet 1600 – Marti just called.  The turn was the 6d, Marti bet 1600 and Big Lar8 raised to 11500.  Marti called.  The river was the 8s.  Both checked it down.  Marti showed Ts 5s and had hit the straight on the turn, but Big Lar8 showed 5c 3c for the flopped flush.  Big Lar8 had taken a huge pot for 29700 and now had a huge lead.

Hand 99 and Big Lar8 took a 10500 pot to put Marti on life support.  It looked like it was all over for Marti at this point.  Big Lar8 won the next two hands and it looked like mop up time.

They diced back and forth for the next 20 hands with Marti holding her own but just barely closing the gap.  Then hand 122, Lar8 raised preflop to 4000 and marti called.  The flop came 7c Th 3c.  Marti bet 8400 and big lar8 smooth called.  Hmmm.  What is going on here?  The turn was the 2h – surely that didn’t help either of them, but Marti pushed all-in for her last 14750.  Looked like a steal attempt to Big Lar8 and he was happy to call.  Big lar8 had Js Td and had flopped top pair – but Marti turned over two red Aces.  This turned out to be the deciding hand.  Marti now had 54700 and Big Lar8 11300.

The final hand came just six hands later.  Big Lar8 raised preflop to 6400 and Marti called.  The flop brought 6d 9c 5c.  Marti bet 2000 and Big Lar8 pushed for 3500.  Marti was quick to call.  Big Lar8 had Kd  Jd – two over cards, but Marti had caught top pair with 9s Qs.  That was all it took.

Marti had gone into the final table in 10th place.  She had been the smallest chip stack for almost all of that time until the end.  But who is still alive at the end is what counts. The keys to this win were a very brilliant and unorthodox lay down early and some very patient small stack play.

Good game to all.  It is so great to have the Holdem Affair going again.  See you Saturday night.

Sunbob