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#686 – NBC Heads-Up Championship #7 – Diamonds Bracket – Diamonds are Wild

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The second bracket, Diamonds, began right on time at 4 PM. This despite the fact that there was a last-minute substitution. No, dear reading, I was not pressed into service, despite by record-setting comeback in the recent Midnight Madness. David Oppenheim was a late addition, and he made the most of the opportunity.

Layne Flack was a no-show today, so David took his spot in the field, playing Vanessa Selbst. I’m writing on the fly here but Vanessa either won or almost won the heads-up World Series event last year, and in any event picked up a bracelet in 2008. (There are some stories about Layne’s whereabout, but when I saw him last night with Ted Forrest, he looked sober and clear-eyed. I don’t want to report on rumors and nothing’s been confirmed. But Layne’s out and David’s in.)

This round was a lot more like what I expect in a first round match. Brad Garrett was playing Annie Duke at the feature table and Garrett was bellowing from the start. Antonio Esfandiari was playing Kenny Tran and they were all-in on the first level. They both had A-K. Antonio was wearing a flashy red button-down shirt with the sleeves folded up, but clam digger shorts and what must be bedroom slippers.

Huck Seed – who, along with Scott Fischman, cashed in all four previous Heads-up Championships – had a shaggy beard last night but is clean shaven today. He’s wearing a large, baggy shirt and long gym shorts. And flip-flops. I guess if you’re not at the feature table, that’s how you register your protest. Seed won a giant pot from Jonathon Little with pocket aces for top set. Little was soon all-in for his last few thousand and Seed called him with pocket tens, they held up, and Huckleberry Seed became the second player to win first-round matches five years running.

At 4:32, David Oppenheim had Vanessa Selbst on the brink of elimination, on a very strange hand. Vanessa raised and David re-raise. Vanessa called and the flop was 7-4-X. They got it all-in and David showed A-A, but was behind Vanessa, who had 7-4. Unlike JC Tran in the Hearts bracket, he was purely a victim of circumstance.

But unlucky as the hand started, it ended up lucky for him. Running kings gave Oppenheim a larger two-pair and Vanessa was down to 3,000 of her original 20,000. She was eliminated soon after.

Last year’s last-minute fill-in, Andy Bloch, made the final table. David Oppenheim, probably one of the best players in the world but not an especially active or successful tournament performer, has the talent to go as far. Maybe there is an Alternate Charm.

In between the two decisive hands in Oppenheim-Selbst, Glen Chorny eliminated Chad Brown. Brown, for the second year in a row, dressed down with distressed clothes, a hat, and several days of stubble. He’s one of the most handsome poker pros, and maybe he’s tired of being stereotyped as a “pretty boy”. But that got him to the final table, while going in cognito has led to a pair of quick eliminations.

At 4:45, Jennifer Harman busted Greg Raymer, who was complaining about the outcome to Brad Garrett. On a board of T-4-4-Q-Q, Jen checked the river and Raymer moved all-in. Harman had a suited queen for a flush draw on the flop and a full house by the end. Raymer, trying to steal, mucked.

“I put her on a flush draw and she made runner-runner full house.”

Right after that, Gus Hansen had David Benyamine on the ropes. They were all-in preflop, Gus had a big chip lead, and he had K-T against David’s 8-7. The first four cards were A-J-2-2. Jordan, the tournament announcer, said, “David needs an eight or a seven.” Gus, the consummate professional, instantly added, “or a jack.”

“Or a jack for a tie,” said Jordan, adding a moment later “and it IS a jack for a split.” But ten minutes later, Gus Hansen finally busted David Benyamine.

Kenny Tran busted Antonion Esfandiari, and Brad Garrett won a long match over Annie Duke at the feature table.

The Ted Forrest Award for this bracket, though, went to Phil Laak and Kenny Yeh, an online qualifier who someone told me was trying to sell his seat. (I was also told that was not allowed.) Their match outlasted all the others by fortyminutes. They started with 20,000 chips each and, as they started the seventh level (levels are 15 minutes), that’s about what they each had, but blinds were now 1,500-3,000.

Laak moved all-in on the last five hands. Yeh kept folding, taking longer and longer, and milking the camera more and more. (There’s a break until 7 PM for the crew after the match ends, so I’m sure everyone in the crew was now rooting for Phil, as Kenny was making each hand take an eternity.

On the fourth consecutive all-in, while Yeh was thinking, Phil flashed pocket aces to the cameras. Finally, eventually, Yeh folded. On the next hand, Kenny limped, Phil instandly moved in, and Kenny called. Phil had him K-Q to K-9, dodged some straight and flush draws, and finally ended the wild diamonds bracket of the first round.

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