PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Final Report
Note: If you're looking for hand-by-hand play-by-play, click this link and read from the bottom up
You've seen the inside of a poker room. Artificial light spreads down over yards of green felt. If you're lucky, a chip may fall in such a way that for ever-so-brief a moment, you get reflection that bears some likeness to a ray of sun. But beyond that, your senses are relegated to hour after hour of stale, sometimes smoke-filled air, and artificial light as thick as your eyes can stand.
So, imagine, if you can, a poker room whipped by tropical breezes and warmed by a sun that somehow burns the air to 80 degress almost every day. Imagine a poker room where parasailers ride overhead and palm trees stand taller than the largest security officer.
Oh, and then there's this: Imagine a poker room where you're not going to leave with any less than a hundred grand in your pocket.
That magical poker room, that place where sea nymphs wait in the wings with piles of cash, that place...that place is here.
The final table gets ready for play
Just before 11am this Tuesday morning, PokerStars.com and the World Poker Tour staffers buzzed and sweated through the breeze, readying the final table of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
The players, some with obviously frayed nerves, made their way to the Dragon Deck where the World Poker Tour Table sat, ready for the final six of more than 460 competitors. The field sat on a balance between three men who won their way into the tournament for $160 or less and three men who paid $8000 to enter. Though their chipstacks had seen varying heights over the past several days. This final day, they stood as follows:
Seat 1: John Gale, England (gizzimow) $1,330,000
Seat 2: Patrick Hocking, Medford, OR, USA (The Hawk) $527,000
Seat 3: Nenad Medic, Niagra Falls, Canada (serb2127) $142,000
Seat 4: Mikael Westerlund, Gothenburg, Sweden $1,072,000
Seat 5: Miami John Cernuto, Las Vegas, NV $291,000
Seat 6: Alex Balandin, New York, (ignatiusj) $1,261,000
If you've never been a part of a WPT finial table event, it's more than you'd expect. Rather than just a couple cameras and six people playing poker, it's a Machine with a capital M. Huge sun lamps shoot into the air. Cameras of every style swarm around the felt. Producers and technically-minded folk bounce from one place to another with stern looks and more work to do than time to do it.
A WPT videograpaher readies his gear
And like you might expect with any sort of "show," the audience needs to be warmed up. Poker vet Linda Johnson handles that duty, working the crowd through a series of cheers and moans befitting the greatest victories and worse bad beats they'll expect to see. The crowd cooperates for the chance to see their cheerinng or moaning visage on TV this Spring.
The WPT hosts file in and get their applause. They are, after all, the stars.
And then, like the Super Bowl, the players arrive from some hidden cavern to cheers. The crowd saves the moans and growns for later. There will be time for that. We've got almost five hours before we crown a winner.
Tight in paradise
The blinds started where they were the day before at 8000/16,000/2000 when Linda announced "Shuffle up and deal."
Because we in the gallery couldn't see the hole card cameras, it was hard to say whether the table started tight because the players were getting cold-decked, because they were trying to squeak their way into bigger money, or becuase they wanted to extend their time on TV. No one can say what goes on in the mind of a poker player at a final table unless they've been there.
Regardless, the table seemed tight from the gallery.
Well, sort of. You have to discount the fact that Nenad Medic, the shortest stack at the table, pushed all-in on the first hand from the button. He picked up his blinds and antes and the tournament was off and running.
Nenad gets ready to play
Maybe the table wasn't that tight. I dunno.
When the button reached Miami John Cenudo the players stood and sang happy birthday to the poker pro. Later, Linda asked him how old he was.
"Thirty-nine," John said.
"Yeah, me, too," Linda scoffed.
Mikael Westerlund spoiled Miami John's birthday by raising John's button. Gale called the small raise and we saw our first flop, a J57 rainbow. Gale bet into it for $50K and Mikael raised it by $100K. Gale mucked and we were denied our opportunity to see our first turn card.
Paradise Island, in the dark in the daytime
We only saw a few more non-floppish hands before suddenly the players faces took on a shadow. I looked up and all the lights had gone out. Apparently the entire island lost power and the Atlantis generator had to make up the difference. It took several minutes to get the set back to TV-readiness.
When the lights hit the table again, the table folded around to John Gale in the one-seat. He came into the pot for $45K. Patrick Hocking thought for 60 seconds and re-raised, making the bet $165K. The blinds folded and Gale took to thinking about the bet behind a dark set of shades. Hocking sat as a rock, occasionally stealing glances at Gale. The felt reflected in Hocking's glasses while we waited. I could see the WPT logo in his glasses. Gale took a drink of water from a bottle at tableside and pushed all in. Hocking was covered by quite a bit and rather than go all in, he folded.
Miami John nursing a shorter stack made a few plays at pot, getting birthday boy respect, but could find no action. If he actually wanted any.
The table became an exercise in blind-stealing and bet-grabbing, until we finally found the first all-in and call. And, whoo-doggies, did we get a show.
The table folded around to Patrick Hocking in the cutoff who raised the pot to $55K. Medic on the button, desperately short-stacked, folded. Mikael sat in the SB thinking before turning his made-for-tv face up and announcing a re-raise to a total of $175K. The decison came back to Hocking who had already shown the crowd he'd fold to a big re-raise. What's more, Medic was so short-stacked, no one wanted to bust out before he did. Hocking surprised everybody by announcing he was all in. I think I caught a smile on Medic's face. With $185K to call, Mikael thought and called.
The call was not nearly as suprising as the cards he turned over. Six-four offsuit. Hocking proudly turned over AKo. The flop came down AKJ rainbow giving Hocking top two pair. The flop came as the five of hearts and locked Mikael out of the pot. Hocking doubled up with a smile. Later I asked Mikael about the play, saying I was surprised he turned up the 64. "Not for me," he said. "Not for me. For me that's the nuts."
Indeed.
Blinds up, chipstacks down
By almost 1pm, nearly two hours into the scheduled start time, we had seen few flops and even fewer hands shown down.
The blinds went up to 12,000/14,000/3000. At that point, the chip count looked like this:
Gale 1.4M
Hocking 728K
Medic 100K
Mikael 1.1M
Miami John 253K
Alex: 959K
Within a few hands, under the gun, Mikael asked Medic low much he had as he sat in the BB. Medic counted it out for him. Mikael made it$94K, enough to put Medic all in. Everyone folded around to Medic who asked with a smile, "Think I should call?" He didn't look pleased. He leaned back in his chair, the blue water shimmering behind him. Mikael sat like a stone. Everyone must have been wonderinig the same thing. Does Mikael have 64o again? Or is he holding aces this time? Medic actually asked, "Do you have 64?" and he continued to labor over the decision. Finally, he shook his head and mucked. He would not be the one to call Mikaels's bluff this time.
The wind started to whip up and the dealers began to deal European style, sliding
each card to each player with a hand protecting the cards from the breeze. The wind also whipped up some more action.
First to act, Alex and raised the pot to $90K. Accordiing to PokerStars, Alex took second for $66K in an online tournament earlier in January. He'd continued his rush here in the Bahamas. The players folded around to Mikael in the small blind who considered his play and asked for Alex's chip count. "About $900K," Alex said. Mikael moved all in and Alex called quickly. To everyone's amusement, except perhaps the guys in the hand, both players turned up AK. Alex's was suited in diamonds. The result wasn't inevitable, but it happened: Chopped pot.
Player Out
It had to happen eventually. Medic couldn't find many hands to play and finally facing a $60K raise from John Gale, called for his last $40K He showed T8o. Gale held J4o. The flop 723 rainbow didn't offer much in the way of help. The turn brought a three, the flop another seven and Medic was gone, leaving with $112,000 and a cheek-kiss froom a pretty girl on the rail.
Play continued with five players remaining. Gale raised from the cutoff making it $36K to call for Mikael to call from the SB. The flop came down 452, all in diamonds. Both players checked to the turn, another diamond, putting the straight flush on the board. Again, both players checked. The river was a jack of hearts. Mikael put in a bet of $110K which Gale felt somewhat obligated to call. Mikael turned up pocket tens with a diamond. Gale mournfully turned over a pair of black kings, and Miakel took it down with a ten-high flush.
After a few more fairly uneventful hands I learned our three online qualifiers spent $160 or less to get here. John Gale played a $27 rebuy and invested a total of $127 to win-in to a $650 super-sat which won him in here. Patrick Hocking and Nenad Medic both played a $160 double shoot-out to win-in. Not a bad little investment.
Goodbye, birthday boy
Under the gun, Miami John finally made his move, moving all in. Everyone folded around to Gale on the button who asked for a count and called $122K more. Miami John said something about never having lost with he hand he was holding, but it didn't deter Mikael who called from the BB. Three players saw the flop: 5sp5cTd. Gale bet out $155K from the button forcing Mikael to fold and leaving Miami John to turn up his final hand: K4. Gale showed JJ. Another five came on the turn, leaving Miami John with four outs, three kings and a five. The river was a seven and Miami John left in 5th place, taking home a well-deserved birthday gift of $155,800.
Miami John busts out
The hand I want to see on TV
With the blinds at 20000/40000/5000, everyone folded to Mikael in the small blind and he raised to $75K. Alex in the BB considered the bet and then quickly laid out his call. The flop came down A76 with two spades. Mikael bet out $75K and Alex immediately raised to $225K. Mikael asked for Alex's chip count and Alex counted it down. Mikael called the raise and Alex didn't look like he liked the call. He can look really surly if he wants to, but he also has a nice sense of humor. I never could get a read this guy. Then again, I'm blogging and he was sitting at the final table. Makes sense.
The turn came as the 8 of spades Now three spades were on the board with a running 678. Mikael checked and Alex bet out $350K with almost a snarl on his face. He waited for Mikael to act, pulling his long hair back out of his eyes, then resting his cheek on his fist.
Mikael stared into Alex as palm trees blew in the wind behind him. Mikael counted out his chips then played with them. We waited for almost five minutes with little sound in the air but the running water. Finally Mikael folded.
I can't wait to see what the players were holding.
On the edge of bust
Patick Hocking knew he was on the edge. He'd been there most of the day and as the blinds skyrocketed, he knew he had to make his move. He'd stolen a raise with an all-in. Then, as he sat in the small blind he found himself facing a $130K bet from John Gale on the button. Hocking counted out his chips then pushed in for the second straight hand. Mikael got out of the way in the BB and it was back around to Gale. He faced an additional $340K to call. This time, Hocking got his caller. He turned up Ad8sp. Gale flipped Jc9sp. Both players stood as the flop came down Th2d6d. The turn was the deuce of hearts and the river the Qs. Hocking doubled through and exhaled with a force greater than a Bahamian wind.
Patrick Hocking
Just after 3pm, the blinds went up again to 30,000/60,000/10,000. Under the gun, Mikael raised to $200K and Gale came over the top from the small blind all-in. After some thought and a chip-count, Mikael called for another $425K. Gale flipped Ah8s. Mikael flipped Ac7d. As had become sort of a tradition at this final table the players threw ther arms around each other as the board came out. The flop brought 4h3d3h and the turn a ten of spades. Any face card, any big card at all would've meant a chopped pot. Instead, a deuce poked out on the river and doubled up Gale.
A long ride from Oregon ends well
Riding out the blinds became hard for the former CPA from Oregon, Patrick Hocking. It was all he could do to stay alive. At 3:37, on the button, Hocking moved all in for $380K and New Yorker Alex Ballandin called. At that point it was an easy all-in for Hocking and easy call for Ballandin. Hocking showed Ac7h, but Ballandin showed AdJc. The players shook hands and watched the flop: 4cKd3sp The turn a deuce, and the river, a nine, were no help for Hocking and he finished his run in fourth place, winning $207,000. Not bad for a $160 investment.
Three players and fresh breath
John Gale is the nicest gentleman you'll have the pleasure to meet. Because the fast-paced nature of the televised game kept him from smoking his Marlboro Reds as often as he might've liked, he kept Tic-Tacs near his chips, which late in the three o'clock hour he began to share with the dealers and players.
Maybe there was some good karma to go along with his sharing, because the next hand spelled something good for the man from Great Britain.
From the small blind, he raised to a total of $230K. Almost immediately, Mikael announced he was all-in. Gale called quickly. Both were in for more than a million in chips. Mikael had him covered, but barely.
Mikael showed KTo and Gale turned up ATs in spades. The flop was gorgeous for Gale: 6sp8sp7h. He had the straight and flush draw. Mikael had the straight draw, as well. But the turn was the deuce of spades and Gale doubled through, crippling Mikael. The pot was $2.25 million and made Gale the chip leader. Mikael was left with $150K. Alex had about $2.1 million.
It was only a matter of time (one hand, actually) before Mikael ended his long run. He went in ahead with Q3s in diamonds and Alex called with 95o The flop brought a five to pair Alex's hand and Mikael never improved. Mikael, the former really, really, really, really good salesman left with $307,000.
Heads up, a practice in getting it over quickly
If you've never seen a whole bunch of sea nymphs carry out a whole big thing of cash, you've not really lived. That's what happened as we entered heads up play. Alex Ballandin's stack was almost even with John Gale's, but he had him covered.
Gale: $2,260,000
Alex: $2,365,000
I cornered Mike Sexton during a break (in the bathroom, if you have to ask) and asked how long he thought heads-up play might last. He mused, "not long."
At this point, I didn't know what to think. With near-even stacks and having watched these guys play for several days, I expected the heads up match to last for a while. In fact, in a prop bet with Phil from the Brittish mag Inside Edge, I predicted the heads up match would last 26 hands. Phil bet 22.
After all, Gale was playing in his second-ever live tournament and Alex is a guy who describes himself as a "professional gambler" but won't elaborate.
What that meant in the grand scheme of things, I don't know, but I figured it would mean a heads-up battle that would last for more than...seven hands.
At 30,000/60,000/10,000 blinds, we played five back and forth hands with neither player gaining a serious advantage.
Then, on hand six, Gale raised it to $240K. Alex asked for a count then re-raised it to a full million. I figure he wanted to take it down right there. But Gale came over the top all-in and Alex immediately called. Alex showed A7d and Gale showed KhQd.
I might've spotted some relief on Alex's face but it only lasted until the flop came out 3h9dQs, giving Gale top-pair with a king kicker. The turn and river were both fives and it was all but over.
On the very next hand, the blinds went up to 50000/100000/10000 and Alex with $355K left, announced he was all-in froom the small blind. Bad timing. Gale called and showed JJ. Alex had 78o. There was some drama as the flop came AsTc5c and the turn a 9c. Alex now had a straight draw. But the river was another ace and John Gale won the whole shooting match, taking home $865,000 plus a $25,000 seat in the WPT Championship. For second place and a helluva week of play, Alex got $484,000.
After the tournament, Ballandin talked about the big hand where he went in ahead but lost to KQ. Ballandin said, "I'm very happy. I had a lot of good luck throughout the tournament. The best hand doesn't always hold up."
Gale congratulated Alex and the rest of the players here for playing so well and said he felt, "Completely overwhelmed, actually flabbergasted. Alex played fantastic. I feel very, very humbled, actually."
The English Gentleman
I saw Gale tonight at a party and congratulated him on his win. Although he's taking hom a nice payday, he's going back to England and doesn't plan to play in another big event until the WPT championship this Spring. As we talked, a dealer came to him and hugged him for his generous dealer tip after he won. While I won't go into amounts, suffice it to say, Gale is certainly a gentleman. He hugged the dealer and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Personally, I really like the guy. Plus, the guy only spent $127 to win in to this tournament. That's a Cinderella story if I've ever watched one.
John Gale and his pretty lady
Congrats to all the people who made it here, those who cashed, and especially the six who made the final table. Having watched them play for days, I can say there isn't a slouch in the bunch. While we already recognized one face at the final table (Happy Birthday, Miami John), I suspect we'll see more of a couple of these guys at final tables in the future. Alex Ballandin, especially.
With that, I end this Caribbean Adventure. It's been a long, fun week. I've heard a tale that my Bahamian work permit just expired which means I may be able to catch a couple hours in the poker room before my flight home.
I think with that I'll sign off.
Thanks for reading.
--Otis
On a personal note, I'd like to thank the entire PokerStars.com staff for its help and generosity this week. The folks are truly class acts and people to be admired and respected. Thanks to Mike Ward and Meg Patrick for their efforts and friendship this week. Thanks to Jodi Shapiro for helping me along with the photogrpahy (be sure to check out all of her offical photos on PokerStars.com in the coming days. Also, thanks to a bunch of the floor guys and dealers who are too numerous to name but have been great friends in more ways than I can mention here. You know who you are. Thanks to all the players who didn't give me grief about getting in their face with a camera and note pad and occasionally butcherinig their names (Sorry, Greg). Also, thanks to Wil Wheaton who has turned blogging into an art form and played a key role in getting me here.
Lastly, if you've enjoyed what you've read here this week, I encourage you to check out all the poker blogs out there on the Net. There are some great writers out there who you'll really enjoy. I collaborate on blog called Up For Poker with some good friends of mine (it's actually a friend's site that he lets me cool my heels on sometime). We have links on our site to the best poker blogs on the web. Do yourself a favor and read some of them.
If you've like what you've read here, e-mail PokerStars and tell them what you think. If you have suggestions or questions for me, I'll be checking the e-mail link on the right for a while.
As I told an e-mailer earlier today, I'd like to be writing about you someday soon. So, keep in touch.
Hope to see you at the tables soon.
posted by Brad "Otis" Willis at
5:49 PM
