November 2007 Archives

Dennis Oehring

The season finale of PAD's second season saw one of the best matches yet filmed as the six players seen during the opening of each show battled for the $120,000 winner-take-all prize. This highly anticipated match featured poker superstars Howard Lederer, Jennifer Harman, Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, and Gus Hansen. All but Hellmuth had previously won at least one PAD title.

The match went into the 4th episode before the first player was felted. With the blinds at $300/$600, Phil Ivey found pocket jacks and opened the pot for a raise to $1800. Action folded to a short-stacked Jennifer Harman in the big blind, who moved all in for her remaining $6750 in chips with Ac 9d. Ivey called, and when his jacks held up, Jennifer was eliminated in 6th place. Then with the blinds at $600/$1200, Gus Hansen was the next to depart when holding Ac Jh he called an all in preflop raise by Phil Ivey but did not improve against Phil's pocket sixes.

Four hands later, Ivey claimed another victim in Chris Ferguson, when holding the 9s 7s he called Chris' all in bet after a flop of 4s 10c 8s with Chris holding Ad Qc. Ivey, with many outs, caught one of them in the 6h on the river to complete a straight and send Ferguson home in 4th. A few hands later, Phil Hellmuth would bemoan his fate as only he can when he moved all in with pocket 8s against a pot committed Howard Lederer with Kh 8h. Phil's 8s were good through the turn, but the Kd appeared on the river, and Phil left steaming in 3rd place.

The heads-up battle between Lederer and Ivey lasted just six hands. To illustrate how fickle the cards can be, on the final hand Lederer again found himself with a suited K 8, this time in diamonds, and opened the pot for a raise to $4800. Ivey, with the chip lead, called with 8s 4s. The flop came 7c 3d 4d, giving Ivey middle pair and Howard a flush draw. Howard bet, Phil raised, and Howard went all in, sending Ivey into the tank for about 5 minutes before he finally made the call. The turn was the 4h, giving Ivey trip 4s and leaving Howard still drawing to his flush. But the 9h on the river gave Ivey the title, and he joined Lederer and Clonie Gowen as PAD's only two-time winners.

By Dennis Oehring

Two newcomers to PAD in Paul Wasicka and veteran poker player and gambler Alan "Boston" Dvorkis took center stage in Match 19, along with Mike Matusow, Jamie Gold, Antonio Esfandiari, and poker player/commentator Mike Sexton. All competed for the $120,000 winner-take-all first prize in what turned out to be a very interesting match, highlighted by the banter of Matusow and Boston.

With the blinds at $300/$600 Sexton raised preflop to $5800 with pocket nines, and was reraised all in by a short-stacked Matusow from the big blind with A (hearts), Q (clubs). Sexton called the extra $3850, and when neither player improved, Matusow was out in 6th place. Two hands later, Boston entered the pot for a raise holding Q (clubs) 10 (diamonds), but was reraised by Jamie Gold holding pocket kings. Gold's raise forced Alan to move all in, and when Gold made a set on the turn, Boston departed in 5th place.

Soon after, Jamie Gold opened the pot for a raise to $2000 and Antonio Esfandiari, with the Ah 4h, reraised to $10,000. Jamie, with pocket queens, moved all in and Antonio called, well behind in the hand. The board of Ks Js 7c 10 c 2d helped neither player, and Esfandiari was sent packing. Then at the $800/$1600 level, in a limped pot the three remaining players saw a flop of 8s 5c 2d. Gold checked, and Wasicka, holding middle pair with the Qh 5d, bet $2000. Sexton, with the 10d 8d, raised to $8000 with top pair. Gold mucked, but Wasicka pushed all in and Sexton called. A couple of 3s on the turn and river were no help to anyone, and Paul was out in 3rd place, leaving Mike and Jamie heads-up.

With the blinds now at $1500/$3000 and Sexton enjoying nearly a 2:1 chip lead, the dramatic final hand saw Gold limp in with 10d 5d and Sexton check the 7d 5c. The flop came Js 5h 8d, giving each player bottom pair. After Sexton checked, Gold bet $3000 and Sexton called. The turn brought the case 5, giving each player trips, but both players checked. The river was the 7s, filling Sexton up, and after betting $10,000 Gold moved all in and Sexton made the call, defeating Jamie and winning his first Poker After Dark title.