Friday, June 18, 2010 4:08 AM Local Time
After nearly five hours of heads-up play, Matt Keikoan finally has all the chips in front of him.
Fourteen and a half hours ago, our final 13 players returned to the Rio to crown a new limit hold'em World Champion. The sun hadn't yet set over the Las Vegas Valley when our final table was set, and now, as Keikoan poses with his bracelet, the sun is well on its way back up in the sky.
Keikoan won his first bracelet two summers ago, topping a 1,592-strong field in the $2,000 no-limit hold'em event. Now he has a pair of them, and a wide smile across his face, his family surrounding him in his moment of victory. Despite being knocked down to only a couple of bets again and again, Keikoan never gave up, never backed down, and truly earned his $425,969 payday.
Thanks for sticking around with us tonight, and a hearty congratulations to Matt Keikoan for winning this poker marathon.
For all of us at PokerNews, good night and good luck from Las Vegas.
Friday, June 18, 2010 3:57 AM Local Time
Daniel Idema was all in for 145,000 in the big blind, and all that was left was to deal the cards and flip them over:
Idema:
Keikoan:
Idema was going to need to catch a card, but the flop was a big swing and a miss; it came out , keeping Keikoan in the lead. The turn was safe for him as well, and Idema was one card away from elimination.
River: .
That's all she wrote. Keikoan stood and shook hands with his opponent, and the two men congratulated each other on what truly was a great battle. It was back and forth and up and down for more than four hours, but in the end, Idema comes up one spot shy of his goal. He'll take home more than a quarter-million dollars for his runner-up finish, though, and that'll go a long way towards soothing his nerves once it all settles in.
Friday, June 18, 2010 3:55 AM Local Time
Dan Idema raised from the button and Matt Keikoan called.
Keikoan checked the flop over to Idema, who bet. Keikoan raised and Idema called. The turn was the and Keikoan bet out. Idema raised and Keikoan's railbirds leapt from their seats and surrounded the stage. Keikoan called. The river was the and Keikoan checked. Idema bet and Keikoan called.
Idema showed a pair of sevens with , but Keikoan had two pair with and took down the pot.
Idema is on fumes with only 150,000.
Friday, June 18, 2010 3:45 AM Local Time
1. Keikoan raised and Idema called. Idema check-folded to Keikoan's bet on the flop.
2. Idema raised and won the blinds.
3. Keikoan gave Idema a walk in the big blind.
4. Idema raised and Keikoan called. Keikoan check-folded to Idema's bet on the flop.
5. Keikoan raises and wins the blinds.
Friday, June 18, 2010 3:42 AM Local Time
Matt Keikoan just dragged himself a fairly big pot on a 6-5-3-3-6 board. He got bets in on the turn and the river, and Daniel Idema called him down with . Idema had kicker problems, though. Keikoan tabled , and his one-better kicker earned him the pot and the chip lead once again.
He's got his chips stacked awkwardly, but it looks like he's up over 3.2 million now.
Friday, June 18, 2010 3:39 AM Local Time
There are now 17.1 big bets in play.
Friday, June 18, 2010 3:31 AM Local Time
Keikoan raised, Idema three-bet and Keikoan called.
Idema led out on the flop and Keikoan called. The turn was the and Idema bet again. Keikoan called. Both palyers checked the on the river.
Idema showed but Keikoan rivered the flush with and took it down. Keikoan is up to 1.85 million.
Friday, June 18, 2010 3:26 AM Local Time
Matt Keikoan raised before the flop, and Daniel Idema called.
That brought them to a flop of , and Keikoan bet. Idema check-raised, and Keikoan called the extra smal bet.
On the turn, Keikoan called another bet, and he was faced with one last bullet on the river. The call was for nearly all of his remaining chips, but he eventually made it with . It was the right call; Idema had only a pair of deuces, and Keikoan has nearly doubled his way up to about 1.6 million.
Friday, June 18, 2010 3:22 AM Local Time
Matt Keikoan raised from the button and Dan Idema called from the big blind.
Idema check-called a bet from Keikoan on the flop. The turn was the and both players checked. Idema bet the on the river and Keikoan called.
Idema showed for trip deuces and won the pot. Keikoan is down to 850,000.
Friday, June 18, 2010 3:07 AM Local Time
Matt Keikoan raised preflop, and Daniel Idema called.
The flop came , and Idema checked. He snuck in a raise when Keikoan made a bet, but Keikoan came right back with a reraise to three bets. Idema called.
On the turn, a bet from Keikoan made Idema rub his temples for a moment and eventually release his cards into the muck. Mark another one in Keikoan's column.
Friday, June 18, 2010 3:02 AM Local Time
Idema raised and Keikoan called from the big blind.
Keikoan check-raised the flop and Idema reraised. Keikoan four-bet all-in and Idema called.
Keikoan
Idema
Keikoan's trip queens held through the on the turn and the on the river. He's back over 1.3 million as heads-up play enters it's fourth hour.
Friday, June 18, 2010 3:00 AM Local Time
Daniel Idema raised, and Matt Keikoan reraised to put himself all in for 325,000 total.
Idema:
Keikoan:
The flop was favorable for Keikoan as it came down to pull him into the lead with top pair. The on the turn didn't change anything, and neither did the river. That secures Keikoan's double up, and he's back to a still-very-short 650,000.
"Greatest comeback in history right here," Keikoan said to his fans on the rail.
Friday, June 18, 2010 2:58 AM Local Time
A series of small pots have sent Matt Keikoan's stack plummeting.
Idema raised from the button and Keikoan called. Keikoan check-folded to Idema's bet on the flop.
Then, on the next hand, Keikoan raised, Idema three-bet and Keikoan called. Idema led out on the flop and Keikoan folded.
Keikoan is down to 300,000 while Idema is on 4.8 million.
Friday, June 18, 2010 2:52 AM Local Time
Matt Keikoan raised, and Daniel Idema called.
Both players checked the flop of , and Idema led the turn. Keikoan called, and Idema fired again on the river. Keikoan could not call this time; he sent his cards into the muck, further shrinking his stack to 1.05 million.
Friday, June 18, 2010 2:49 AM Local Time
Keikoan open-raised, Idema three-bet and Keikoan called.
Keikoan led out on the flop and Idema called. The turn was the and Keikoan led again. Idema raised and after a bit of a tank, Keikoan folded.
Keikoan is down to 1.5 million.
Friday, June 18, 2010 2:47 AM Local Time
Matt Keikoan raised, and Daniel Idema three-bet it. Keikoan called.
The flop came out , and Idema continued out with a bet. Keikoan called, and both players checked the turn. The appeared on fifth street, and Idema bet again. Keikoan thought it over for a minute before plunking in the call.
Idema tabled for the flush and it was good. That pot moves him back into the chip lead, dropping Keikoan back down to 2.2 million.
Friday, June 18, 2010 2:31 AM Local Time
Matt Keikoan has just dragged another small pot, and that one gives him the chip lead. It's been a long climb back, but Keikoan is now really asserting himself.
He's up 2.9 million to 2.2 million, there or thereabouts.
Friday, June 18, 2010 2:29 AM Local Time
Keikoan opened for a raise from the button, Idema three-bet and Keikoan called.
Idema led out on the flop and Keikoan called. The turn was the and Keikoan called. The river was the and Idema led out again. Keikoan called.
Idema showed seven-high, and Keikoan took it down with for a pair of fours.
Friday, June 18, 2010 2:26 AM Local Time
Matt Keikoan raised preflop, and Daniel Idema called from the big blind.
The flop brought , and Idema check-raised a Keikoan bet. Idema led the turn, and fired again on the river. Keikoan quickly called the turn bet, and very slowly and reluctantly called the river bet.
It was a good call. Idema tabled his airball , and Keikoan's was good enough to take the pot.
Friday, June 18, 2010 2:22 AM Local Time
Every other tournament inside the Amazon Room has concluded for the night, but we're still alive and kicking here. We have now been heads-up for three hours and six minutes.