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 I
was not really looking forward to the episode of the PokerStars World Poker Tour episode held at the Atlantis Resort in the
Bahamas. Miami John Cernuto was the only person I knew that made it to the final table and the other players I had never
even heard of. Although I was not looking forward to it, I changed my mind just after a few hands into the show. I was
pleasantly surprised that many of the "unknowns" played great poker. The six final tables were
Miami John Cernuto, Nenad Medic, Patrick Hocking,
John Gale, Mikael Westerlund, and Alex Balandin.
The play started out with Nenad picking up the first hand when he moved in with the short stack with JT of clubs and picked up the pot. The next hand is where the
action began. Mikael raised with only 63 and picked up the
pot when he made a bet on the flop. He tried the move a short time later with 64, but ended up getting pot committed against
AK and lost a large pot.
One of the players that impressed me most was when John G. raised the $16,000
big blind to $45,000 with
pocket Aces from first
position. Patrick
reraised $165,000 with pocket nines and
ended up laying the hand down when John G. moved all-in over the top of him. Not many players would be able to make the
laydown. Because he saved his chips on
this hand, he was able to double up just a short time later.
Nenad didn't have many chips and didn't hold any hands. He ended up getting
blinded off and he had to take a stand
when he was in the blind. John G. raised to $60,000 on the
button with J4 and Nenad called
in the dark because he didn't have
many chips. Jack high ended up taking the pot down and Nenad finished in sixth place.
Miami John's birthday was actually held on the day of this event, so you would think he might get a hand or two for this
birthday, but that never happened. He moved in for $122,000 from first position with K4. He said, "I have never lost with
this hand" and one of the players said, "That means you can't be holding pocket aces or pocket kings." It was a
huge tell on Miami John's part and the other player made sure to let everybody know it if they didn't manage to pick up on it
for themselves. It really didn't matter if John G. picked up on it or not. He was going to play his pocket Jacks for the small
raise and his hand held up. Miami John finished in fifth place.
 One
of the persons play I was impressed with most is Alex's. He sat patiently and didn't get involved in many hands at first,
but when the play got down to four handed, he switched gears like a racecar driver on an Indy track. He picked up his first pot
(at least the first one shown on the program) with little or no hand and continued from there. On the next hand shown, he raised
the $40,000 big blind to $100,000 with T4 of diamonds. John G. called from the button with A9 of spades and Mikael called from the
big blind with 43. The flop was 965 with two diamonds. Mikael checked his open ended straight draw, Alex bet $175,000 with his
flush draw, and John G raised to $400,000.
Mikael decided to fold his draw, but Alex moved in with his for $1,260,000. John thought about it a moment and then decided to fold
his top pair. The the WPT's rabbit camera showed that Alex would not have made his flush and would have been eliminated if John G. had called.
Patrick was another player who played a great game. He seemed to make the right decision every time he was faced with one
(he made that great laydown with nines earlier). He made another laydown when he held Q9 in the small blind against Mikael's
pocket Kings in the big blind. After that hand, he doubled up again when he correctly moved all of his chips in with A7.
John G. had originally raised to $130,000 from the button with J9 and he called off an additional $340,000 preflop. I guess
we were bound to see one "bad call". Patrick's game was right on track, but that didn't stop him from being the next person
eliminated. He moved in with A7 and Alex called from the big blind with AJ. Patrick took home $207,000 for his fourth place finish.
Mikael was the next person to go after getting involved in two big hands. The first time, he took A7 against A8 and lost a
million dollar pot. The second time, John G. raised to $230,000 with AT of spades and Mikael moved in for $1,280,000 and
John G. called. The flop was 876 with two spades when the turn brought another spade, Mikael was
drawing dead. After that hand, he was only left
with $160,000 in chips. He anted $10,000 and put in $30,000 of his stack in the small blind. John G. folded, Maikael moved in for
$150,000 with Q3 of diamonds and Alex called with 95. The flop was J65 giving Alex a pair and it was good enough to finish Mikael off.
 I
loved the way Alex played until this point, but I wished he would have slowed down a little when the play got to be
heads up. I think his aggression might
have cost him the tournament. The first hand of the heads up play, John raised to $180,000 with 86 of diamonds and Alex
reraised to $400,000 with Q2. John called instantly. The flop was 954 with two diamonds. Alex checked, John moved in, and
Alex folded. His aggression worked for him on the next hand shown when he raised to $180,000 with J8 and John called with
JT. The flop was KT8 giving both players a pair. John bet $350,000, Alex reraised to $850,000, and John G. folded.
Alex lost most of his chips on the next hand when John G. raised to $240,000 with KQ. Alex asked how much John had left and
decided to reraise to a million with A7 of diamonds. John moved
all-in and Alex called. The flop was Q93
giving John top pair. The turn was a five of diamonds giving Alex the flush draw and an ace draw, the river was no help.
After that hand, John had $4,370,000 in chips to Alex's $355,000. The chips got in on the next hand when Alex moved all-in
with 87 and John quickly called with pocket jacks. The flop was AT5, the turn was a nine giving Alex a six or a jack draw
(as long as it wasn't a club). The river was an Ace. John was the champion of the PokerStars World Poker Tour event.
Also see the Pokerstars Caribbean Poker Adventure Season Two |
