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I was looking forward to this World Poker Tour episode because my favorite player,
Gus Hansen, is always exciting to watch. I was interested in seeing how
Hoyt Corkins and
Daniel Negreanu were going to play against Gus considering both
of them are also known for their aggressive style. The other three players were unknown to me. All of them qualified by playing online at
PokerStars.com.
 Gus
did not fail me with his selection of hands and took out all three online
qualifiers within the first fifteen minutes
of the program. The first player eliminated was Remco Schrijvers when Gus raised to $19,000 with AQ, Remco moved all-in for $102,000
with AJ and Gus called. Considering Gus' hand could be any number of possibilities, including 62 offsuit, I think Remco's decision to
move in with his AJ was a good one. You can't let
Gus run over the game. The board was A9432 and Remco left with $74,587. The next victim to fall prey to Gus was John D'Agostino when
Gus raised to $19,000 with Q9 and Daniel called in the small blind with AT. John moved all-in for $60,000 from the
big blind with pocket jacks. Gus
thought about it for a little while and decided to call. Considering the money in the pot, his stack and figuring Daniel
would probably call (but not raise), Gus' call wasn't terrible. With two of them in the pot, they might be able to take the
all-in player out. The flop was Q62. Daniel checked, Gus bet $40,000, and Daniel quickly folded. The turn was an
ace and Daniel said, "Oh, that was me!" The river was an eight and John left in fifth place. The last online qualifier,
Michael Benedetto raised to $20,000 with 87 of hearts and Gus called in the small blind with QJ. The flop was JT9
giving Michael the straight and Gus the top pair with the open end straight draw. Gus bet $26,000, Michael moved in for
$144,000 and Gus quickly called. Gus knew he was in trouble when the cards were turned up and we could see that by his
expression on his face. The turn was a king giving Gus the higher straight and the river did not help Michael.
He finished in fourth place. After Gus took out all three of these opponents, he took over the chip lead.
 On
the next hand shown, Daniel called with QJ, Gus called with K5 of hearts, and Hoyt raised with 96 of spades. Daniel and Gus both called.
The flop was AAJ. Gus checked, Hoyt bet $25,000, Daniel called, and Gus folded. The turn was a four. Hoyt checked, Daniel bet, and Hoyt
folded. This hand showed how the tempo of the game was going to be. All three of these players were going to mix it up and all of them
were not afraid to play pots.
Although they were going to play a wide range of hands, I was thrown back when I saw the following hand. Hoyt raised to
$30,000 with pocket queens. Daniel folded and Gus
reraised to $105,000 with 62!! Yes, 62!!
The flop was A73 and Gus led out for $100,000 and Hoyt called. The turn was a queen and both players checked. The river was a four.
Hoyt bet $200,000 and Gus folded. A lot of times when I see some off the wall play, I try to analyze why a player would do that in
that situation. The only conclusion I could come up with on this hand was Gus wanted to play back at Hoyt at that particular time and
it did not matter what his cards were. Because of editing, we might have missed several key hands (Hoyt's stack had grown) and Gus
might have had to grab Hoyt by the reigns.
I was impressed with Daniel's demeanor. I had made a comment about the way he acted in the stands during the filming of the
Ladies Invitational. On this show,
he showed true sportsmanship. I was also impressed with his ability to
read situations correctly. The following hand
took place and I couldn't agree with him more on his decision to make a stand in this situation. From the small blind Hoyt raised
to $185,000 with 97. Daniel thought about it for awhile and then said, "I just know if I throw this one away, then it is not
going to stop. No chance, it's going to be all-in,
all-in, all-in." So he moved all of his chips in with A3 of diamonds. When he moved his chips in, Hoyt had to call an additional
$19,000. The flop was K82. The turn was a jack and the river was a queen and Daniel's hand held up. If Gus chose to fold a hand in
position, then Daniel still had Hoyt to contend with.
Since Daniel was short stacked, he had to stand up with any decent hand he was dealt against these two aggressive players.
I like to see when two players have the same hand and we get to see who is going to outplay whom. Hoyt raised the $16,000 big blind
to $45,000 with A2 of diamonds and Gus called in the big blind with A5. The flop was J87 and both players checked. The turn was a nine
and Gus bet and took the pot. Every pot is important to Gus and he will do what it takes to win as many as possible.
 Daniel
finished in third place when he raised with Q9 of clubs and Hoyt called with K9. The flop was 876, Hoyt led out for $100,000, Daniel moved
in for an additional $19,000 and Hoyt called. The turn was a three and the river was a seven. Neither player made their straight, but Hoyt's
king got him the pot. After Daniel was eliminated, he had a short interview with Shana Hiatt where he said, "You will see me at another
final table, that's a guarantee." Anybody that has read my player profiles knows how much I like confidence. I loved this comment by Daniel.
Hoyt and Gus began their heads up
battle and I knew I was going to be in for a show. I like the fact both players will play many hands, but some of the
hands... wow!! Hoyt was nibbling on Gus' stack and then won a large pot when he raised to $43,000 with 87 of hearts
and Gus called $27,000 more with K6. The flop was 955 and both players checked. The turn was a six giving Hoyt the
straight. Gus checked, Hoyt bet $60,000 and Gus called. The river was a deuce. Gus checked, Hoyt bet $140,000
and Gus called. After that hand, Hoyt had Gus outchipped by approximately 3 to 1.
After we see a few hands with small pots, the following hand took place which brought Gus back into the game. Hoyt raised to $43,000 with A9
of clubs, Gus moved all in with T9 of diamonds and Hoyt called. The flop was Q93 all spades. The turn was a ten giving Gus the miracle he needed.
The river was a deuce and Gus won the pot. Hoyt said "We are back to square one". The chips were about even after that hand.
Not only were both of them playing crazy hands, both were making moves at the pots with nothing. Gus raised to $48,000 with
KQ, Hoyt called with J8 offsuit. The flop was T33. Hoyt checked, Gus bet $42,000 with his king high and Hoyt raised to $112,000
with his jack high and Gus called. The turn was an ace. Hoyt checked, Gus bet $150,000 and Hoyt folded. It was amazing how this
pot was as large as it was considering both players didn't even have a pair.
The final hand Hoyt called with 94 of diamonds and Gus checked with 73. The flop was K75. Gus led out and bet $30,000
and Hoyt called. It was obvious that Hoyt called in this situation so he could make a move on the turn. There was no
way he thought his nine high was good. The turn was a three of diamonds giving Hoyt the diamond draw and giving Gus two
pair. Gus checked, Hoyt bet $100,000 and Gus moved all-in. I could not believe it when Hoyt called. It appeared
to me, he was tired. I had heard he was sick on the cruise (see his profile) and it looked like it caught up with him at the
worse time. I do not agree with his call because there was only one card left to come and his chances of making the
flush or straight were not good enough.
Gus had made a comeback when Hoyt had him outchipped by about the same margin and I am sure Hoyt would have been capable of doing
the same if he let the hand go. The river ended up being a three giving Gus the
full house and the first place finish
of the PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure.
Also see Season Three. More on the
PCA and the
2009 event. |
