Event #52: $2,500 Mixed Limit/No-Limit Hold'em

Matt Matros was crowned winner of the $2,500 Mixed Hold'em event, earning his second career bracelet. The Limit Hold'em specialist won the $1,500 Limit event last year. He has come close to another final table twice already this year, finishing 12th in the $2,500 Limit Six Max event and 11th in the $1,500 Limit event that he'd won in 2010. This time he went all the way and now has the double gold to prove it.

This was one of the few events that reached a final table by the end of Day 2, so it was only the final nine who sat down at the felt this afternoon. Adam Sanders was the first to make his exit in ninth place, followed by Aalok Arora in eighth. Dutch pro Noah "Exclusive" Boeken then fell in seventh place. After three quick eliminations, the final table stalled at six. After some back-and-forth, Russian Nikolay Losev was eliminated in sixth place.

Matros was extremely short at the dinner break. But after dinner it was Brian Smith who exited first, in fifth place. Matros doubled and doubled again. Brandon Meyers started the day with a big chip lead, but with the limit rounds of each hour playing so big, every player experienced wide swings. Meyers, who plays as "norajean" online, had the biggest lead of the tournament after one particularly dominant round of four-handed no limit. During the next round of limit, however, he got run over by limit experts Matros and Matt "Hoss_TBF" Hawrilenko. He was the short stack when they made it back to no limit and got his chips in with queens against the kings of Matros to finish in fourth place.

And then there were three: bracelet-winning limit hold'em experts and good friends Matt and Matt, and Jonathan Lane, a relatively unknown player who is having a fantastic series. Matros knocked out his good friend, Hawrilenko, in third place, making a flush to best Hawrilenko's two pair in limit hold'em. That gave Matros a 3:1 chip lead to start heads up. Lane fought valiantly, even taking the lead at one point, but in the end, it was Matros who won the day. Lane earned $187,844 in his fifth cash of the Series a week after finishing sixth at the final table of a $1,000 No Limit event. Matros was all smiles with his $303,501 and his second career bracelet.

Matt Matros opened for 75,000 on the button and Jonathan Lane called. The flop came      , Lane checked, Matros bet 75,000 and Lane raised to 250,000. Matros called and the   came on the turn. Both players checked and the river came  . Lane slid out 500,000 and Matros went into the tank.

Matros was visibly pained by the decision and after a few moments announced call. Lane turned over     for a stone bluff and Matros tabled     and took a decisive pot. Lane was only left with about 850,000 after the hand.

Jonathan Lane opened for 80,000 on the button and Matt Matros raised to 225,000. Lane called and the flop came      . Matros checked, Lane bet 275,000 and Matros moved all in for 1.4 million.

Lane tanked and said, "You'd hate me forever." He counted out a stack to call and was pained about his decision. He eventually said, "I can't do it," and tossed his cards to the dealer.

They are virtually even in chips after Matros took the pot.

Matt Matros raised his button, and Jonathan Lane called. Lane check-called one bet on the     flop. He checked again after the   turn, but this time he stuck in a raise after Matros bet. Matros called, then called one more bet after the   river. Lane showed    for the turned wheel to take over the chip lead.

Jonathan Lane - 2.9 million
Matt Matros - 1.45 million

After plenty of back-and-forth with no flops, Jonathan Lane raised and Matt Matros three bet. Lane made it four, and Matros called. The flop fell    , and Matros check-called. Same action on the   turn and   river. Lane tabled   , and kings and jacks took the pot. He has pulled nearly even with Matros.

The final three are taking a quick break between the no limit and limit halves of the level to color up the T1,000 ante chips. Here are where they stand:

Matt Matros	2,325,000	725,000
Jonathan Lane	1,250,000	-650,000
Matt Hawrilenko	520,000	-180,000

Brandon Meyers was chip leader by a wide margin at the end of the last No Limit round. But 30 minutes of Limit had him on the ropes. All it took was one quick No Limit cooler to send him home in fourth place.

Meyers called all in with    to discover that Matt Matros had him dominated with   . The board fell      , and suddenly Meyers' evening was over. Matros, who was the super short stack an hour ago, is now second in chips with around 1.6 million.

My how one round of Limit can change everything with only 54 bets on the table. Brandon Meyers went from huge chip leader to short stack, and Jonathan Lane took over the lead.

Jonathan Lane	1,900,000	550,000
Matt Matros	1,000,000	420,000
Matt Hawrilenko	700,000	160,000
Brandon Meyers	600,000	-1,600,000

Matt Hawrilenko's housemates were busy watching the UFC fights this afternoon. They made it to the Thunderdome to sweat their friend and clearly brought some run good with them. The first hand they watched, Hawrilenko bet a     flop, and Brandon Meyers called. He bet again on the   turn. Meyers raised, and Hawrilenko called. The   river paired the flushed board, and Hawrilenko bet out. Meyers called, and Hawrilenko turned over    for quad kings.

The next hand, Hawrilenko won a pot with aces full. He is well over a million in chips now.