It was nearly two hours before we seated the final table this week. This is a strong testament to the level of play in this weekly event. Unionthug was showing why he is so feared in the Holdem Affair. Hazy Cat was at the bottom of the ladder when we sat down for the final ten. This final group was stacked with former winners. I count at least eight title holders and that is just from memory. Here is how the final table shaped up when they sat down.
- Unionthug = 11925
- Sengar = 10435
- ThreesRWild = 6190
- Nutzrus = 5960
- Hemi Henry = 4470
- Rocknfish = 4425
- Mellow Yellow = 2715
- Glenso = 2310
- DebiMac = 2060
- Hazy Cat = 2010
Fasten your seat belts and hang on – this is going to be quite a ride for the Hazy Cat. Watch as he climbs the ladder. He started with the very first hand of the final table. He opened for 1300 and when Unionthug raised him to 2300 he pushed it all to the middle holding Qh Qc. Unionthug held As 7c and made the call. The board ended up missing both of them and Hazy Cat was very quickly in 5th place.
On the third hand, Unionthug limped to Mellow Yellow who pushed all-in for 2040 from the button. The mellow one was holding pocket sevens. Our favorite Thug called holding AQo. By the turn it looked like this - Th Td 6h Jc, and Mellow Yellow was looking good to double up. But the river Ac sent him packing as the first victim.
They sparred until hand 13, then Glenso was the bottom stack and open pushed for 1720 holding pocket deuces. But Rocknfish was sitting just to his left with pocket Queens – an easy call and an easy kill. Glenso was out in 9th place.
Just two hands later and DebiMac min-raised to open the betting. ThreesRWild re-raised to 2300 taking DebiMac all-in. Deb held Ac Qh, a good hand to make the call but TRW he big slick and the king was the difference. Our mistress of the Mac Attack was gone in 8th place.
Hazy Cat update, by hand 20 he had been staying out of the big confrontations but had taken several smaller pots and was now in third place.
They diced for the next 14 hands, then Rocknfish woke up with Ac Qs and raised to 1750. Unionthug, in his usual aggressive style, re-raised all-in for 5495. He had the Fish covered and that must have been a difficult call – but the thug is known for his aggressive style and could have been making a play here. Rocknfish called and must have been just sick to see the Unionthug turn over As Kc. But our rockfish caught a miracle flop when the Qc showed up for the party. No king came to join her and Rocknfish doubled up at the cost of mortally wounding Unionthug.
By now the antes were 50 and the blinds 200/400. Just three hands later, Unionthug was UTG and pushed all-in for his last 1475. All folded to Sengar sitting in the big blind as our chip leader. We haven’t heard much of this master of the final table. He had been staying out of trouble and taking down small pots but this time he made the gutsy call holding just Ts 9c. Unionthug actually had a hand this time showing Ad 6d. The flop came Ah 2d Tc giving each a pair and Sengar the flush draw. The 7c on the turn was no help for either but that darn river can be a problem. This time it was the 9s, Sengar had caught two pair and Unionthug had gone from chip leader at the start of the final table to busting out in 7th place.
Hazy Cat took the chip lead on an interesting hand #41. Sengar raised to 1700 and the mouser re-raised to 3000. Sengar called to see the flop come Ah 2c Js. Hazy Cat immediately pushed all 5610 into the middle. No slow playing here. Sengar thought for awhile then folded showing pocket tens. Hazy Cat graciously turned over his AK to assure Sengar he had made the right play. A 6700 chip pot from the chip leader and we have a new top cat at the table. Hazy Cat then went on a rush taking the next three pots for 1950, 4950 and 7350. Hazy Cat now had 20935 in chips and Rocknfish was second with only 8465. Hazy Cat was in command of this table now.
Hand 51, Sengar raised to 2550 and Nutzrus was the only taker. The flop showed 6d 6c 9d. Nutzrus said she liked that flop and pushed for 1145. Sengar suggested he didn’t believe her and made the call holding Ad Ts – two over cards. Nutzrus proudly showed her pocket Kings and it looked bad for Sengar. But the odds don’t always play out right, this is poker after all. The Ac decided to join the party on the turn and we were down to the money table just that quickly. Nutzy was our bubble girl this week. Good to see you back in action though Nutzrus. Good game.
Hazy Cat shifted gears now and started pressuring even more. He lost a large pot to TRW but was still soundly in the lead. That pressure paid off on hand 61 when, with the antes 75 and the blinds 300/600, Hazy raised to 2475 UTG. All folded to Hemi Henry in the big blind holding a short stack of just 1020. Henry knew he had to make the call with any decent holding with less then two BBs left in his stack. Well, As 7d definitely fits into my range for an all-in from the short stack, especially facing a play from the chip leader who is pushing the table around. You can’t fault Henry on his play but you can lament his luck for Hazy Cat had a hand this time – Ad Ks. OUCH. Hemi Henry was the first victim of the money table.
Sometimes the poker gods are just brutal and hand 66 they did it to Rocknfish big time. Rock open raised to 1200 holding Ac 8d and Hazy Cat made the call. The flop came 9s 5s As, giving Rocknfish top pair. When Hazy Cat bet 3000 into that flop, Rocknfish jumped out of the water pushing all 7790 into the middle. That flop had hit him hard and in a four handed game the odds are good no one else has an ace. Well Hazy Cat didn’t have an ace but he did hold pocket fives – he had flopped a set. Runner sevens on the turn and river turned it into a full house and Rocknfish was our 4th place finisher.
The very next hand – Sengar raised to 2325 UTG and Hazy Cat re-raised him to 7800. Sengar liked that action and answered by pushing all of his second place stack into the middle. He turned over As Qc. You have got to think you are in good shape in a three handed game – all-in with AQ. But this time Hazy Cat turned over Ah Ac – the pocket rockets. DANG. No miracle boards for Sengar and he had to settle for third place money.
We were heads up with Hazy Cat at 42400 and # ( the player formerly know as ThreesRWild) 10100. That disparity in the stacks was just too much to overcome and it was just six hands later that Hazy Cat caught his last mouse to end the night.
It was a great night of poker – AGAIN. Each week the action is fun and the poker is good.
See you next Saturday night.
Peace,
Sunbob
