Gala Poker Tour Grand Final : Day 2 - At A Glance

[NoflopsHomer]

Rough chip counts:

Jim Tierney -- 70k
Bambos -- 200k
Andrew Mitson -- 30k
Barny Boatman -- 126.5k
Neil Channing -- 85k
Stan Essen -- 125k
Manuel Palanca -- 170k

Mark McGill -- 90k
Mark Stuart -- 46k
Paul Gardner -- 30k
Roland De Wolfe -- 115k
Joe Beevers -- 91k
Matt Tyler -- 100k
Rob Akery -- 170k

Ash Abdullah is OUT, JC with the scoop. (The latter part of that sentence makes me feel like a 1920's hack in New York).

[JungleCat03]

1st hand after the break, Roland De Wolfe is unsurprisingly the first to raise and announces "I open for 12k"

The short stacked Ash Abdullah moves in behind him for his entire chip stack of 23,900.

All pass to Roland who has an auto-call for an additional 11,900.

Ash shows , Roland As .

One coinflipping flop of As later and Ash's stack had gone up in smoke, the 50k+ pot heading Roland's way, meaning Ash Abdullah is OUT, and we are left 14 handed with 2 tables of 7 remaining...

[NoflopsHomer]

Mark Stuart and Paul Gardner, despite the roll back in blinds to play the 2k/4k level again, are both still relatively short in chips and keep pushing most unopened pots that come their way. Neither has been called just yet because even short, their stacks represent at least a third of most of the other stacks. Not many flops are being seen either, the only one in recent memory was Rob Akery raising to 10k, Matt Tyler calling in the big blind.

Flop:

,

Matt checks, Rob bets 12k, Matt gets out a stack of the pink 5k chips and begins to play with them menacingly. He then raises, but only a little, making it 26k. It's too much for Rob though and he passes. Matt then offers him a glass of wine, perhaps as a trade off?

On the other table, Andrew Mitson is another big short stack, but again, so far, the others have be relunctant or unable to call his once-a-round pushes.

[JungleCat03]

Bambos has been suffering at the hands of his tablemates who keep taking bites out of his stack.

First off he limps on the short stacked Andrew Mitson's big blind. "any rasie?" asks the dealer. "Yes" says Andrew and tries to move allin but lifts up some of his chips and puts them over the line, before lifting up the rest of his chips.

The dealer rules this a string bet and only allows his to make a minimum raise to 8k. Bambos passes anyway...

The next hand Bambos raises to 12k on the button, and Andrew successfully announces " allin " this time. It's about 25k more to bambos with 30k or so in the pot, but he says "I have a bad hand" before passing, and Andrew shows the table A-K...

A few hands later Bambos again raises but AGAIN he is met by an allin, this time by Neil Channing, who raises something like 53k more. "Don't do that again" says the languid Bambos before passing again...

He must be getting fed up of this!

[JungleCat03]

We have some action!

It's folded round to Rob Akery, whose youthful looks belie the capable way he has played in this tournament. From the small blind Rob raises to 12k preflop which is called by Mark Mcgill.

The is checked by both players.

On the turn , Rob bets out 16k and Mark immediately moves allin for another 60k or so.

"allin?" says Rob, not sure if he's heard correctly, blinking lots in surprise (and also possibly due to the amassed camera lights round the table shining in hsi face)

"I call" he says without too much hesitation.

Rob shows for trips whilst Mark shows for a semi bluff with a gutshot...

The river doesn't bring the 6 though, meaning Rob's stack moves well over 250k whilst Mark Mcgill is OUT!

*****************************

We are now 13 handed and the average is 115,400.

[NoflopsHomer]

In the last 20 minutes, Paul Gardner has been pretty much playing like a man possessed. He was down to around 30k, but he's just not stopped raising and pushing, and as of yet, he's not been called once. He's back up to almost 80k now, causing Joe Beever's to remark that it was like someone else was playing on his online account...

Either way, I've been very impressed by his play and he's certainly not looking out of place in the last two tables.

[JungleCat03]

OK, the last hour has had fewer allins with the larger number of amalgamated stacks.

Those with smaller stacks seem to have prospered...at least those on Matt Tyler's table anyway.

Paul Gardner, who was very low at one point has stolen enough pots to propel him from 25k ish to 75 now. Matt Tyler said they were all itching to bust him. Also a thorn in the other player's sides has been Mark Stuart who has pushed and pushed at least once a round with his 50k ish stack to keep himself afloat.  At one point on pushing Matt's blind, Matt asked him for an explanation. "My M is low" explained Mark, which set Matt off in laughter "He's quoting Harrington at me....SUPERB!" but eventually Matt passed...

Level 15 is starting, meaning the blinds are getting ever more big and will be ripping 3k 6k 600 sized chunks out of the player's stacks now.

At 13,200 a round in blinds, the players will go under soon without a few raises, so we can expect plenty of action this level, even if their need to attack will be mitigated slilghtly by the fact they are now so close to the money.

How will it pan out? Let's join the action and find out!

[NoflopsHomer]

With the blinds now at 3k/6k, players are now stealing the antes every round with all-in moves. And in true 'bok' style (I'm going to rename it a "Floppybok") Paul Gardner loses a race to the short stack Mark Stuart. Paul pushed in under the gun with , and Mark called for his stack with

Board:



Mark Stuart survives to move to around 80k and Paul is knocked down to below 60k.

[JungleCat03]

There has been a big hand played out on Barny's table.

When Neil Channing made a big raise in late position, as he has done fairly often, Jim Tierney felt he couldn't pass the pretty looking Ah .

Both players chips flew into the middle.

Neil showed -6s flipping against Jim's Ah .

The flop came a mouth watering , both players catching a piece of it; a set for Neil but the nut flush draw for Jim.

However the on the turn, completed Neil's full house, nailed the coffin shut for Jim and the ever so slightly ironic on the river gave him the nice looking but ultimately useless nut flush.

Heart-breaking to get so close to the final, Jim Tierney has been eliminated in 13th spot after playing well all tournament and Neil Channing moves his stack to what will be around the 140k mark and mvoes himself ever more credibly into contention...

[JungleCat03]

Here are the glittering cash prizes that await our lucky final 9 players.

There were a round 100 entries into the competition (RIGGED!) meaning a prize pool of precisely £250,000 or a quarter of a million. Whichever sounds juicier to you.

1st  -- £87,500
2nd -- £53,250
3rd  -- £36,500
4th  -- £22,250
5th  -- £16,000
6th  -- £11,000
7th  -- £9,250
8th  -- £8,000
9th  -- £6,250

No doubt they will arrange some sort of saver for 10th but those are the official payouts

[JungleCat03]

Andrew Mitson had let himself get very short and was down to 16,700. He announced "ALLIN!" and found Neil Channing reraising to  40k isolate him.

Neil flipped over whilst Andrew had found a hand in As .

"Nice hand. Good luck sir" the massively chipped up Neil wished Andrew.

The flop came to give Andrew a healthy advantage and big likelihood of doubling up.

HOWEVER the turn came a cruel to give Neil a set and leave Andrew drawing dead and saying farewell to his fellow gladiators glumly.

Neil's stack is now awash with chips.

Anyway Andrew Mitson is OUT in 11th which, with 9 players paid, means of course that it's

[NoflopsHomer]

Just before Mitson's exit, the Floppybok had struck Paul Gardner a second time when he pushed with in the small blind and Roland called with in the big. (I had posted it, but lost my connection at the same time).

Board:



Mark Stuart looks to be the shortest of the remaining stacks, and although they pay 9, we're told the final will be 8-handed.

[JungleCat03]

Stan Essen just moved in for 80k or so on the button.

We're anticipating a fold, until Manuel Palanca in the small blind looks at his cards and groans "ohhh why did you do that!"

After thinking for a while and realising a call will leave him with only roughly 20k, he announces "I can't get away from this" and calls.

Bambos folds pretty sharpish

The players turn over their cards and Manuel with As must have been ecstatic to he was dominating Stan's ...

"I CAN'T WATCH" says Manuel and disappears into the bowels of the casino while the cards are dealt.

................!

No shocks meaning Manuel Palanca returns to greet the departing Stan Essen and scoops up the 160k pot, whilst Stan Essen is our unlucky bubbler, finishing in 10th place.

The players have taken a short break before they will play till there is one more elimination and the eight remaining players will return for the televised final tomorrow.

[NoflopsHomer]

Final Table Line-Up:

Seat 1: Bambos -- 228.9k
Seat 2: Manuel Palanca -- 252.3k
Seat 3: Mark Stuart -- 79.2k
Seat 4: Rob Akery -- 239.7k
Seat 5: Roland De Wolfe -- 203.7k
Seat 6: Barny Boatman -- 134k
Seat 7: Matt Tyler -- 70.9k
Seat 8: Neil Channing -- 217.1k
Seat 9: Joe Beevers -- 74.4k

I'm told that whoever gets knocked out tonight, the seat plan will remain the same tomorrow.

There was no saver for 10th AFAIK.

[NoflopsHomer]

And it's first blood to Roland, as Neil Channing raises to 17.5k from utg in the last hand before the blinds go to 4k/8k with an 800 ante. Roland calls from the button.

Flop:



Just as I'm savouring this flop, it goes check check. Bah.

Turn:



Check check again.

River:



Neil checks, Roland bets 18k which Neil quick calls, but passes when Roland shows he turned a set with .