20
Heads-up with the Wombat and AK-47
Here I’m calling Erik “The Wombat” because he has a small stuffed wombat sitting on his chips He’s been telling people how much he enjoyed going to a wild animal park where he got to hold a baby wombat. He found it “cuddly.” I’m calling Alexander Kostritsyn, the chip leader in heads-up play, AK-47, because, well, he’s Russian and he keeps firing. Kind of lame and obvious, I know.
Bad nicknames, maybe, but the action is great.
8:30 pm
Erik started head’s up play with under 5 Million to AK’s 11+ Million. AK set about grinding Erik down. He raised most of the time he had the button, and re-raised a couple of times form the small blind. In the first big pot the two played, Alex raised on the button and Erik reraised to 525k from the small blind. AK-47 called. Erik bet 650 on a 9h-8c-9s flop and AK called. Erik then check-folded to a bet on a the Ks turn.
In another very interesting hand, AK slowplayed AA on every street, check-calling Seidel on the flop and turn. It went check-check on the river.
It seemed Erik would get ground to nothing, until this hand went down: ES raised on the button, and AK re-raised to 525 in the small blind. Erik moved in for 2.45 million and was called. Erik had Ace-King to AK’s Kc-Jc.
After the double-up, Erik picked up a few more pots. He picked off a bluff on a 4-straight board (6-T-J-Q-K). He’s now very close; he has 7.250 Million to AK’s 8.09 Million.
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8:50
Erik takes the chip lead!
For the first time in the entire tournament Erik has the chip lead. He limped from the small blind, then called AK’s 250k raise. The flop was 9s-9-4. AK bet and Erik called. The turn brought the 5s, and both checked. Then on the 8s river, AK checked and Erik bet 650k. AK called, and Erik showed As-Ts, for the nut flush.
9:15
One heck of a play!
A massive pot was just played. Erik raised to 225k from the button and AK raised to 800k. Erik called. The flop came KKJ and AK-47 led for 750. Erik raised to 1.9 Million. AK thought, then raised another 1.5 Million, leaving only 2.5 Million in his stack. Erick folded and AK showed A-T for nothing but a gutshot draw. AK now has the chip lead once again. He has roughly 9.4 Million to Erik’s 6.2 million.
9:30
Another big pot for AK-47. This kid knows how to apply *A LOT* of pressure late in hands. In the hand that just went down. Erik bet out 750k on the river, after 3 club fell. It was a scary board, and generally Erik’s bets of that size had gotten him great value. But this time, AK-47 raised another 1.1 Million, and Erik folded.
9:40
Blinds just went up to 50k-100k 10k ante. Erik has about 3.5 Million.
9:45
The big hands keep coming. In the previous hand, ES raised to 400k and a AK called. The flop was 5h-6d-7h. AK checked and Erik bet 500k; he was called. The turn, the Qd, went check-check. On the river, AK checked again, and Erik fired 1 Million. He was called. Erik’s Q-8 was good for the pot. He made a fabulous value bet.
9:55
A preflop battle leads to a decent pot for Seidel. Erik raised from the button and AK re-raised, making the total bet close to 900k. Erik moved in for 4.5 million and AK, after some thought, folded.
10:05
The problem with calling off a bluff…. the other guy may be bluffing with the best hand. The following hand was very strange… and huge. Erik raised on the button and was called. Both players checked a Ac-8c-4 flop. The turn was a King. Erik bet 250, and AK raised to 750. Erik called. The river was a 9d and AK bet 1.75 Million. Erik went in the tank, and finally called. AK sheepishly said he had an 8, and Erik said, “it’s good.” He read the bluff right, but still didn’t have the best hand.
10:09:
It’s over. The players were all in on a Jack-high flop. Alex had a Jack to Erik’s A-Q
