Bluesq.com GUKPT Brighton FINAL DAY: At A Glance

[JungleCat03]

Approximate chip counts, courtesy of that lovely lady Dana...


Julian - 700k
Jim    - 900k
Karim - 550k
Michael- 550k

It's anyone's game...

[JungleCat03]

An interesting hand:

Michael Bolger makes it 60 utg and Karim calls on the button. Both Jim Reid and Julian fold.

The flop comes and Michael checks. Karim bets a suspicious-if-you-ask-me 40k.

Turn - and Michael checks again. Karim now bets a maybe-he's-getting-scared 100k. Again, Michael flat calls.

River - the straight-and-flushtastic . Michael checks. Karim looks uncomfortable and checks too.

The hand is now over, and in the traditional manner Karim shows his cards  - for the flopped set. Michael disappointingly mucks. I'd like to know what he had that he felt the need to raise utg, because as soon as the hand's over, Julian comes over to me and tells me that he was holding A-3, which would have made two pair, and Jim was holding 4-5, which would also have made two pair. Had Michael not raised, it could have been almost home time by now. Sigh.

[JungleCat03]

---------------- 45 MINUTE DINNER BREAK --------------

Chip counts right now:

Jim Reid -- 876k
Julian Thew -- 795k
Karim Louis -- 707k
Michael Bolger -- 517k

The finalists have a nice sit-down meal laid on; the updaters have nothing. Neverends, in the parlance. Off to scrounge sandwiches somewhere...

[JungleCat03]

At this stage, let me just post a reminder of the payouts awaiting out lucky 4 finalists...

1st Place £86,800 plus seat in Grand Final
2nd Place £46,200
3rd Place £30,800
4th Place £22,400


The early stages of this level have involved the players taking turns to pick up the blinds with preflop riases.

2 for Karim, 1 for Jim Reid, 1 for Michael, 1 for Julian...THEN...we see a flop.

Karim raises to 60 from the button, Julian calls in the BB..

FLOP:

check, check...

TURN:

check by Julian, bet of 50k from Karim, call by Julian

RIVER:

check and Karim checks behind.

Julian shows As for top pair, whilst Karim shows....A-A!


wow...definite missed value bet at this stage. Bit too cautious I would say by Karim there! Julian could hardly believe it...the way Karim played it let him out very cheap when he must've thought it very likely that he was winning...

[JungleCat03]

Dana has passed me her notepad where she has been diligently taking notes of the recent hands...

This is one such note. (brackets are my own additions)

"Jim froth raise to 65k (er....)
Julian fold (s)
Michael fold mighty full wilson GO!
FOOL!" (Run, run while you still can)

This is the kind of insanity we are dealing with people. She is now threatening me by telling me she needs to pee...? I have no idea what is going on with her but it is clear she is in dire need of some psychiatric help...


Julian raises and Karim calls from the blinds...

Karim checks and now Julian shoots 70k at the pot, only to find his nemesis check raising allin.

Julian has ben Karim-ed once again...

[JungleCat03]

Karim has started this level on fire, winning about 3/4 of the hands they have played!


BUT...Julian puts an end to Karim's domination by calling a raise from Karim and getting some value out of him on As board. Karim was unlucky to have had his K-K cracked though...



And Karim has just played yet another big pot...

Michael Bolger riased allin with his shortish stack and found Karim calling with . Michael was caught with his hands in the till with but could still escape with a favourable flop...

The flop came , giving Michael the edge to cheers from the rail and the on the turn meant Michael was almost home but a on the river gave Karim the winning hand with a pair of and as he had Michael easily covered that means...

Michael Bolger is OUT, eliminated in 4th spot for £22,400.

Well played Michael...

[JungleCat03]

Karim is involved again.

I was busily writing up the previous sequence of events so I can't tell you exactly how the hand played out but both players Karim and Jim saw the flop in what I assume was a raised pot as all the chips managed to go in on a flop.

Jim was holding a flush draw in the shape of but Jim had made a bad reid as his hand was truly Karim-ed by Karim's top pair and flush draw, .

Jim was looking very unlikely to win and although the on the turn gave him a long shot to get out of it, the blank on the river was no help, meaning the monstrous stack of Karim's was bolstered once again and...

Jim Reid is OUT, eliminated in 3rd place, winning £30,800!

Well played Jim, great game.



The above elimination left Julian Thew and Karim Louis heads up, but who will emerge victorious?

Will the Karim rise to the top? Or can Julian Thew it again?


We have just had a short break enabling the players to discuss some business...

They have done a deal, which Julian was happy to tell us about in full...Julian has taken £56,000 and Karim(who currently has roughly a 3-1 chip advantage) £66,000.

They will play on for £10,000, the seat and the glory of being the 2008 GUKPT tour inaugural champion. Good luck both!

[JungleCat03]

Three-to-one chip lead for Karim or not, Julian's not going down without a fight. Do not anger thJulian! He will become Thewrious. Oh dear me.

They check a Queen-high flop, and then Julian attempts to bet the turn. "What are the blinds again?" The blinds are 15k/30k, and he bets a lame-ish 40k, which Karim calls. The river is a Five, and they check it. Julian's K-9 is good.

Then Julian button-steals. Karim folds, and he shows A-J. Mr Announcey Caaaards declares it to be A-K, then claims he was choking when corrected. Oops.

Then he button raises again and is called. Both players check until the Two Diamonds river - Julian bets 60k and Karim passes. Julian shows pocket Twos for a set!

[JungleCat03]

I'd like to quickly point out that the pun "Thew"rious was not one of mine but was Dana at my computer causing mischief.

I would never make a shocking pun like that...


Julian and Karim have played out a big pot.

In an unraised pot, Julian led for 40k on a flop and Karim called...

The turn was the , and Julian now bet 100...Karim called.

The river was the and Julian now bet out 240k...again Karim called!

Cards over Julian shows T-3 for a flopped two pair and Karim 4-6 for the straight! Very conservative play from Karim again, especially heads up.

As a semi-relieved Julian said "Phew, that could have been over quickly!"


Losing 400k on that last hand hurt Julian, knocking him down to 850 or 900k, whilst Karim was up to over 2million. Since then though the naturally more aggressive Julian has picked up a few pots and has got himself back to over one million to Karim's 1.8 million or so...

[JungleCat03]

Play is still cagey, with plenty of limping in to see flops on both sides, plenty of experimental small betting on flops or turns for Julian, plenty of folding and/or small river betting for Karim. Julian has clawed his way back up to around 900k to Karim's 1.9 million or so - a perfectly manageable shortstack situation with the blinds at 15k/30k.

Incidentally the blinds and clock are being displayed on a projector screen behind the table, and very occasionally a string of glowing green numbers will manifest themselves, gleaming, on Jon Raab's shiny bonce. Photos to follow, obviously, in the now-familiar time-delay fashion.

[JungleCat03]

Julian riases 50k preflop on the button and Karim calls.

The flop comes K-8-6, Karim checks and so does Julian.

The turn is the , Karim now bets and Julian passes. He flashes an Ace, whilst Karim flashes a K for top pair...


Julian now raises by 60k preflop on the button and Karim again calls...

The flop comes .

Karim check, Julian bets 100k, Karim calls AGAIN!

TURN:

check check

RIVER: .

Karim bets 100k, Julian looks a little frustrated and folds A-Q face up. Karim meanwhile says "flopped it" and flips 8-9 for the flopped straight!!!


Julian is not looking a little low with 700k or so. Karim has definitely had the better of the cards since their heads up battle began. Can Julian recover from the battering of straights and top pairs Karim is being dealt??

[JungleCat03]

Julian is currently on 1,050,000 with Karim on 1,750,000.


uh,oh, Dana has passed me her pad with another scribbled hand on it. Expect madness to ensure...

It's a biggie too.

Karim raised to 80k preflop, Julian re-popped to 300k, Karim moved ALLIN and Julian called!!!

Julian

Karim

The cards came , meaning Julian won the race and DOUBLED UP to over 2 million. Karim now down to 800k ish...

Flushy shouts out "Got your chips in behind again Julian!" in typical heartless flushy fashion. He'll be thrown out soon no doubt. They've already had to install a new sign in the lift "MAX 4 PERSONS  (or one Flushy)"

[JungleCat03]

Down to 650k, when Julian mvoed in on him, Karim had an easy call with A-Q.

Julian showed the dominated A-8.

A flop of 4-6-2-Q-T was produced, giving Karim a winning hand of TPTK, and Julian has doubled him back to to 1.3 million or so. They're almost virtually level again!

Karim refuses to just lie down and die! Both players have been playing a long time now and must surely be starting to feel Karim crackered...

[JungleCat03]

Dana here.

A painful hand for Julian:

Karim bets out 60k on the flop. Julian raises to 160k, and Karim calls.

Turn - - Karim looks down at his cards. He shakes his head and checks. Julian bets 280k, and Karim goes all in. There is much oohing from the crowd.

Julian - for the flopped straight

Karim - for the turned straight

RIver - an irrelevant 

Chop. NOW Julian must be Thewrious.

[JungleCat03]

Julian currently has a slight edge in chips but there's not much in it. A moment ago, Julian raised to 80k and Karim moved allin.


Julian thought about it....and passed 4-4. "It would have won!" he tells everyone.

Karim shows A-K...