Event 1 Champion!

Congratulations to Mike Lafable who battled hard all day to emerge victorious in Event 1, The Wild $150, at the 2014 Playground Poker Fall Classic. Ahmad Baalbaki worked equally hard and managed to come in 2nd place.

The final hand of Event 1

The final hand

 

Event 1 Champion: Mike Lafable, $30,600

Event 1 Champion Mike Lafable

2nd place: Ahmad Baalbaki, $20,500

Mike Lafable & Ahmed Baalbaki

Heads Up!

  • Level: 37
  • Small Blind: 250K
  • Big Blind: 500K
  • Ante: 50K
  • Chip Average: 14.6M
  • Remaining: 2
  • Entries: 1464


After a long, hard-fought tournament the final day of Event 1 has reached its heads-up phase with just two players remaining in contention for the top prize of $30,600 (prize reflects a player deal made at 3 players remaining).

The two players still in the action are Ahmad Baalbaki and Mike Lafable, whose voyage to this point could not have been more different. Where Ahmad was among the chip leaders from early on in Day 2, Mike was never among the leaders until the very end. And where Ahmad played a tight, aggressive game, Mike seemed to alternate between trying to open up the game by playing a lot of hands and then periods of extremely tight play as he needed to double up to survive. But, survive he did – as did Ahmad – and both players have done very well to get to this point in the tournament.

3rd place: Bichr Awad

  • Level: 38
  • Small Blind: 300K
  • Big Blind: 600K
  • Ante: 75K
  • Chip Average: 14.6M
  • Remaining: 2
  • Entries: 1464


After a full level of play 3-handed, Mike Lafable managed to eliminate Bichr Awad in 3rd place.

The players were all in preflop (Bichr had gotten quite short).

Bichr: King of Clubs 10 of Hearts
Mike: 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds

The flop was perfect for Bichr – 10 of Clubs 9 of Hearts 4 of Clubs and the turn was better still – King of Spades – though it really didn’t change anything, Mike still needed a river 6 to win the hand. Lo and behold, the dealer put out the 6 of Spades on the river giving Mike his set for the win.

3rd place: Bichr Awad, $20,500

Bichr Awad

A 3-way deal

  • Level: 37
  • Small Blind: 250K
  • Big Blind: 500K
  • Ante: 50K
  • Chip Average: 9.8M
  • Remaining: 3
  • Entries: 1464


As soon as the tournament reached 3 players remaining, the players agreed to a deal. They have chosen to reserve $10,100 and the champion’s bracelet for the winner and evenly divide the remaining prize pool ($20,500 each).

Play continues.

4th place: Alberto Scuderi

  • Level: 36
  • Small Blind: 200K
  • Big Blind: 400K
  • Ante: 50K
  • Chip Average: 9.8M
  • Remaining: 3
  • Entries: 1464


Mike Lafable had won several hands over Alberto Scuderi in the past hour – more than a couple to double up – to the point that Alberto declared about half an hour ago that he wasn’t ever calling one of Mike’s shoves.

He broke his vow after Mike went all in preflop from the button and Alberto found a hand he couldn’t fold.

Mike: Ace of Hearts 9 of Clubs
Alberto: 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds

Mike spiked his Ace right away on the flop: 3 of Spades Ace of Diamonds 10 of Hearts. Turn: Queen of Clubs. River: 7 of Hearts.

4th place: Alberto Scuderi, 12,800.00

Alberto Scuderi

5th place: Albert Bassal

  • Level: 36
  • Small Blind: 200K
  • Big Blind: 400K
  • Ante: 50K
  • Chip Average: 7.3M
  • Remaining: 4
  • Entries:


While writing the post about how the tournament was stuck at 5 players, Albert Bassal went all in and was called and then eliminated from Event 1. Play continues…

5th place: Albert Bassal, $9,200

Albert Bassal

Stuck at 5

  • Level: 36
  • Small Blind: 200K
  • Big Blind: 400K
  • Ante: 50K
  • Chip Average: 5.9M
  • Remaining: 5
  • Entries: 1464


The play on the final table in Event 1 picked up in pace once the first player was eliminated, but now that it’s down to 5 players things have ground down to a halt. That’s not to say that chips aren’t moving around – they are – but every time someone gets short they seem to find a double up.

At any rate, the blinds keep going up and players are already relatively short-stacked, on the whole, so the logjam should clear soon.

Counts entering level 35

  • Level: 35
  • Small Blind: 150K
  • Big Blind: 300K
  • Ante: 50K
  • Chip Average: 5.9M
  • Remaining: 5
  • Entries: 1464


Play has begun in level 35 and we have updated counts for the remaining 5 players at the table.

Final Table

  1. empty
  2. empty
  3. Bichr Awad – 5M
  4. empty
  5. Mike Lafable – 6M
  6. Alberto Scuderi – 9M
  7. empty
  8. Albert Bassal – 6M
  9. Ahmad Baalbaki – 3M
  10. empty

Lafable doubles again

  • Level: 34
  • Small Blind: 125K
  • Big Blind: 250K
  • Ante: 25K
  • Chip Average: 5.9M
  • Remaining: 5
  • Entries: 1464


Mike Lafable has been playing a super patient game all night waiting for his spot. He found a good spot already once – but at the time was so short-stacked as to have made it a simple exercise in survival. This time, though, he found his spot and had a stack to start with.

Mike shipped over an early position raise from Ahmad Baalbaki, and was quickly called when action returned to Ahmed. Mike had the better of it though – his Ace of Spades Jack of Diamonds dominated Ahmed’s Ace of Clubs 8 of Hearts.

Community cards: 3 of Clubs Jack of Clubs 4 of Spades Jack of Hearts 5 of Clubs.

Mike doubled to around 6.5M while Ahmad went down to 775K. Ahmad proceeded to double up himself two hands later, but he’s still obviously in the danger zone.

Awad eliminates Aubin

  • Level: 33
  • Small Blind: 100K
  • Big Blind: 200K
  • Ante: 25K
  • Chip Average: 5.9M
  • Remaining: 5
  • Entries: 1464


Yves Aubin had been playing a very careful game all evening, accumulating chips and staying near the average all the way, but in the past 20 minutes or so he seemed to be itching to get involved in a big hand. He finally got his wish – but was eliminated in the process as Bichr Awad’s pair of Queens held up.

6th place: Yves Aubin, $7,100

Yves Aubin