Event #50: $2,500 10-Game Mix 6-Handed

No-Limit 2-7 Single Draw

Two of the six hands were of the raise-and-take variety, both won by Brandon Wong. Another hand saw Sebastian Saffari open-raise for 41,000 from the button, then Philip Sternheimer shoving from the small blind and earning folds from both opponents.

The most involved hand of the half-dozen saw Sternheimer raising to 32,000 from the button and Saffari calling from the big blind. Saffari then drew two cards as Sternheimer stood pat, then Saffari tossed out a single green chip (25,000) as a post-draw bet. Sternheimer just called, and Saffari tabled      . Sternheimer showed he had a 10-low as he mucked.

Brandon Wong	1,620,000	70,000
Sebastian Saffari	466,000	-399,000
Philip Sternheimer	352,000	-78,000

Badugi

"Badugi now," intoned the tournament director. "The game of kings." "Gotta make it a bracelet event," answered Brandon Wong, as the first hand of the round was dealt.

It was a lively Badugi round, with four of the six hands going to showdown. The two biggest hands during the sequence both involved Sebastian Saffari and Philip Sternheimer.

In the first, Saffari raised from the small blind and Sternheimer called from a seat over. Saffari took one card, Sternheimer took two, and after Saffari bet, Sternheimer called.

Saffari stood pat from that point forward, with Sternheimer drawing one card on each of the last two draws. Saffari led both times, with Sternheimer calling on the second round, then raising on the third. Saffari came back with a reraise back, and when Sternheimer called, Saffari showed his      for a 6 Badugi.

"I almost just called," said Sternhemier as he mucked his 8 Badugi, but Wong replied "three-handed… what can you do?"

Sternheimer got some back on the next hand, however, when the pair tangled again, Sternheimer ended up drawing a     , and his hand beat Saffari's 10 Badugi.

Brandon Wong	1,550,000	501,000
Sebastian Saffari	865,000	-311,000
Philip Sternheimer	430,000	-138,000

Razz

The final three players were able to play five razz hands before the end of the level.

Of those, none went to showdown. The most interesting came when Philip Sternheimer brought in with a   showing, then called when Brandon Wong completed with a  . Wong then drew    , betting each street, while Sternheimer drew    , calling through fifth street but giving up on sixth.

Stud-8

The stud-8 round started with Christopher George having to bring in twice and fold to completions, then came a big hand in which George ended up battling all of the way to seventh street with Brandon Wong with George going all in on the end and Wong calling.

In that one George managed to chop to survive, showing         for the high while Wong won the low with        .

The next hand, however, didn't go as well for George, another one in which he was pitted against Wong.

In that one George again had to bring in with the  , and when Wong completed with the  , George called.

It was Wong check-calling on fourth, then leading with bets on the next three streets. George called each time except the last when he raised all in for just 3,000 more and Wong called.

Wong was showing     , and his down cards included both the   and   to make jacks full of fives for his high hand. Meanwhile George had been showing     , and his down cards were     for trip deuces and no low.

George was eliminated, finishing fourth here after taking runner-up in Event #25: $5,000 Omaha Hi-Low 8-or-Better just a couple of weeks ago. Just three remain.

Brandon Wong	1,080,000	545,000
Christopher George	0	-525,000

Pot-Limit Omaha

The first hand of the second PLO round of the final table saw Scott Abrams raise to 35,000 from under the gun, then Sebastian Saffari reraise to 95,000 from the small blind, forcing a fold from Philip Sternheimer in the big blind. Abrams called with his remaining chips and the pair tabled their cards.

Abrams:     
Saffari:     

"Ace from space!" cried Abrams's rail, and when the flop came     their initial reaction was positive, but then they saw Saffari had flopped a straight. The turn was the  , leaving Abrams with still a few outs for possible survival. But the river was the  , and Abrams left the stage with a fifth-place finish.

Sebastian Saffari	695,000	111,000
Scott Abrams	0	-55,000

Omaha-8

Five of the six Omaha-8 hands this round saw action all of the way to the river, with Christopher George scooping a couple of hands.

In one George raised the button then called a Brandon Wong three-bet from the small blind, then called Wong bets after both the     flop and   turn. Both checked the   river, and when George showed      for a high of aces and treys and no low, Wong mucked.

Another hand saw George and Wong checking down to the river as the board rolled out      , then George betting and Wong calling on the end. George showed      for a straight, and Wong mucked again.

The other highlight of the round was a blind-vs.-blind hand between Sebastian Saffari and Philip Sternheimer. After Saffari limped in from the SB and Sternhemier checked, Saffari then led at every street as the board came    , then  , then  , and Sternheimer called each time.

Saffari:     
Sternheimer:     

Saffari had the high locked up with his seven-high straight, and the pair split the low as both had made a 6-5-4-3-A.

Stud

Of the six stud hands, the first saw the most action, while the last two saw a couple of instances of players making big open pairs on fourth street to win small pots.

In the first hand Scott Abrams completed and both Christopher George and Brandon Wong called. Abrams then checked fourth and when George bet only Wong stuck around. George led on fifth and Wong called, then George check-called a Wong bet on sixth.

Abrams: (  ) /    — FOLDED
George: (  ) /     
Wong: (  ) /     

On seventh both remaining players checked, and Wong tabled     for eights and sixes. It was good enough, as George folded.

The fifth hand of the round saw Abrams pairing his showing queen on fourth, scattering two opponents. Then the last saw Wong pairing his up card king on fourth, and Saffari backed away at the sight of the big pair.

Brandon Wong	685,000	40,000
Christopher George	455,000	-155,000
Scott Abrams	265,000	35,000

Limit Hold'em

The limit hold'em round concluded with three no-flop hands and two that went to fifth street.

In one of the latter two, Sebastian Saffari raised the button and Scott Abrams defended the big blind. Abrams then check-called bets after the     flop and   turn. The river brought the   and a leading bet from Abrams, and Saffari let his hand go.

The other hand in which all five community cards were involved also began with a Saffari raise (from the cutoff), a three-bet from Abrams (small blind), then a four-bet from Christopher George (big blind). Both Saffari and Abrams called the four-bet, and the three players saw the flop come    .

It checked to George who bet, Saffari raised, Abrams folded, and George called. The turn brought the   and a check-call by George of another Saffari bet.

The river was the  , and this time both players checked. George tabled    for queens, and Saffari mucked.

Christopher George	720,000	128,000
Sebastian Saffari	540,000	-269,000
Scott Abrams	230,000	-64,000