Double double. Repeat repeat. Double double. Repeat repeat.
If I hadn't seen this with my very own eyes, I MIGHT never have believed it. But after Vanessa Selbst successfully defended her NAPT Mohegan Sun title yesterday, her Team PokerStars Pro colleague Jason Mercier has just defended his High Roller Bounty Shootout title too.
According to mathematicians, that's a 30,000 to 1 shot. Yes, it's rigged. Obviously it's rigged.
However for something stage-managed, this looked remarkably authentic. Mercier came to the general table with probably the most bounty chips, having eliminated six players from his heat on Tuesday. Today, he won an additional three bounties--including the crucial last considered one of Eugene Katchalov who he defeated heads up--and his winnings totaled $246,600. (See the effects page for the entire calculations.)
This was Mercier's tenth major tournament victory in a career that remains only about three years old. It is, frankly, staggering stuff.
"There isn't any real secret to it," Mercier said. "I just attempt to make the suitable plays and do the most efficient I can."
The heats on Tuesday have been quick-fire affairs, with a rapidly escalating structure prompting chips to fly into pots and players out the door. The reward for surviving that carnage, however, was a seat at this final table, where every bounty was now worth $10,000 apiece but picking them up was a lot more difficult.
After five opening levels, all nine players were still within the hunt. Stacks were evenly balanced and it seemed as if it will have gone on all night. Then something suddenly changed.
First, Joe Sweeney shoved his middle pair into Eugene Katchalov's flopped nut flush. Whoops. One down. Then Micah Raskin found tens when Jonathan Jaffe had found queens. Raskin was our second to depart.
The dust had barely settled on those two eliminations after we were taking a look at two more. Scott Blackman (A♦Q♥) came off third best in a three-way all in coup, also featuring Michael Pesek (A♣K♣) and Jimmie Guinther (Q♣9♠).
Blackman busted then and there, out in seventh, and Guinther was also critically injured. He doubled his micro stack against Mercier, but couldn't continue an out of this world resurgence. Instead he was all in again very soon after and Pesek this time finished the job. Pesek managed to get pocket twos to carry against Guinther's king high.
At five handed, the action barely slackened. Taylor von Kriegenbergh, who had amassed the loudest rail of supporters, also almost managed to tug off essentially the most unlikely outdraw when he took pocket fives up against Eugene Katchalov's aces.
Von Kriegenbergh turned a suite to send his supporters bounding around the tournament floor in delight. However the ace rivered to go away them sprawled at the carpet in despair.
Katchalov allowed himself a wry chuckle and a thumbs as much as family at the rail, while Von Kriegenbergh knew he must get his short stack within the middle in no time. He did, but his K♦J♦ was no match for Pesek's A♦J♣ and out went Von Kriegenbergh, pursued by his cavalry.
At this stage within the proceedings, Mercier was still ahead within the grand bounty race, but only as a result of his destruction of the table in his heats, where he knocked out six opponents. He had not eliminated anyone from the general and Pesek in particular, who had slain three, was inching closer.
But cometh the challenge cometh the Mercier. The following player to fall, Jonathan Jaffe, was reduce by the Team PokerStars Pro. Jaffe had led the table for long periods today, but if he shoved for slightly greater than 70,000, Mercier had a smidgen more both with regards to cards and chips.
Mercier's A♣Q♠ was never behind Jaffe's A♥9♠ and that was the tip of Jaffe's challenge.
With seven bounties and only three players left, Mercier was now guaranteed no less than a tie of the $20,000 bounty bonus. The one one who could stop him was Katchalov, who would have to bust Pesek and Mercier to attract level.
But because the newest member of Team PokerStars Pro, Katchalov saw a great opportunity to prove his mettle. Lo and behold, he seized his chance - although he needed a stroke of excellent fortune to eliminate Pesek.
Three-handed and folded to Pesek within the small blind, he moved all in for approximately 70,000 and Katchalov, who had found an ace, called the shove. The issue was that Pesek also had an ace, along side a six, which was one pip better than Katchalov's A♥5♥. Nevertheless it wouldn't be a tremendous final without an outdraw, and the 5♦ appeared at the flop to vault Katchalov into the lead and send Pesek home.
With Pesek's chances within the bounty race thus extinguished, it was Team Pro v Team Pro not just for the title but for that bounty bonus too. They were pretty even in stacks (Mercier had a slight advantage) and the stage was set for a battle that may have gone on for several hours.
But there's in a different way to finish heads up battles: Big hand against big hand. That they had played fewer than ten hands when all of the money suddenly flew into the center on a flop of 9♣8♣7♠.
Mercier had 9♠T♦ (ie, top pair, an overcard and a straight draw) while Katchalov had also connected along with his 7♥8♠. If there's something you'll say about Mercier it's that he flips well. And although the 3♠ wasn't an out, the T♥ at the river was.
Katchalov offered his hand, and Mercier shook it warmly. It's hardly a brand new thing for Mercier to stroll off with a tremendous title, but he still seems to enjoy it immensely.
"It's definitely not getting old," Mercier said.
That really is now it from NAPT Mohegan Sun. Vanessa Selbst laid down a gauntlet to Jason Mercier, and Jason Mercier rose to the challenge.
Congratulations to either one of them on a remarkable, ridiculous week.
Look back at the play-by-play of this tournament. And find the whole Bounty Shootout results by clicking the red.
Goodnight.
All photography © Joe Giron/www.joegironphotography.com
Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: North American Poker Tour]
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