PokerStars Poker Blog :: Battleship

2009 PCA: Bahbak "bigredAK" Oboodi Wins 2009 World Championship of Battleship Poker

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:48:02 -0500

64 players began the The World Championship of Battleship Poker on Thursday. They bought in for $2,000 a piece and were battling it out for the $44,800 first place prize and the prestige and honor that accompanies the World Championship of Battleship Poker.

The top 8 places would make the money. Among the notables in the field were Team PokerStars Pro Victor Ramdin, however, Ramdin failed to advanced out of the first round. Both Sorel Mizzi and Justin Bonomo easily navigated the field en route to the quarterfinals although both failed to advance to the finals. Bonomo was eliminated in fifth place, while Mizzi finished in fourth.

The best-of-three showdown was set between the final two players; Jared "Harrington10" Bleznick and Bahbak "bigredAK" Oboodi.

The first match of the championship final lasted twenty-two minutes. Oboodi took a lead early on, but Bleznick doubled up with trips to even it up. Oboodi slowly pulled away. On the final hand, he had almost a 2 to 1 advantage. He raised to 100 and Bleznick moved all in. Oboodi called with Ac-9s. He trailed Bleznick's Big Slick. The board ran out Qs-10s-3c-As-9c and Oboodi caught a nine on the river to win with two pair. Oboodi won the first match as he took a 1-0 lead.

The second match went fast and lasted only 21 hands. On the final hand, Bleznick was ahead 2.5 to Oboodi's 1.5K. Oboodi min-raised to 40 and Bleznick called. The flop was Ac-3h-2s. Bleznick bet 40. Oboodi raised to 160. Bleznick called. The turn was the Qc. Bleznick bet 40. Oboodi raised to 315. Bleznick check-raised to 1760. He had Oboodi covered, who called. Oboodi had pocket treys for a flopped set. However, Bleznick flopped the Wheel with 5s-4d. Oboodi still had outs for a boat but whiffed on the river. He was out and Bleznick won the match to even the score to 1-1.

Jared "Harrington10" Bleznick
The championship would be decided on the third and final match. There was almost $20,000 prize differential at stake for the final two players. The rubber match would determine the champion in a heads up battle that lasted over forty minutes as a crowd gathered in the corner of the Imperial Ballroom to observe the outcome.

Bleznick jumped out to an early lead, but Oboodi stormed back. Play had slowed down a bit during Level 3 as both players employed small ball tactics. By the start of Level 4, Bleznick had a slight lead. He began to pull away with a 3 to 1 advantage over Oboodi.

Oboodi looked like he was in trouble until he won a decisive hand to avoid elimination. Both players got it all in preflop. Bleznick held pocket tens against Oboodi's Kings. The cowboys held up and Oboodi doubled up to almost 2,500. He regained the lead.

The two players traded pots back and forth and Bleznick jumped back in front. But that lead was short lived.

Oboodi raised to 240. Bleznick raised to 1,800. Oboodi moved all in for 1,832. Bleznick called for 32 more. Bleznick was way behind with Kh-9c against Oboodi's Big Slick. The board ran out As-5s-2h-Kc-3c. Oboodi won the pot and Bleznick was crippled and down to his last 336 in chips.

It would take fifteen hands before Oboodi finished Bleznick off. Oboodi won the third match and sealed the overall victory by winning the series by a score of 2-1. Bleznick finished in second place, while Oboodi won the the 2009 World Championship of Battleship. He collected $44,800 for his efforts.

Battleship Champion - Bahbak "bigredAK" Oboodi
Here's the Money Winners:
1. Bahbak "bigredAK" Oboodi - $44,800
2. Jared Bleznick - $25,600
3. Richard Gryko - $12,800
4. Sorel Mizzi - $12,800
5. Justin Bonomo - $8,000
6. Yervand Boyadjian - $8,000
7. John Drake - $8,000
8. Ryan Garitta - $8,000

Congrats again to Bahbak "bigredAK" Oboodi for winning the 2009 World Championship of Battleship Poker.

Check out the latest PokerStars video blog where the crew interviewed the winner...

Watch PCA 09: Battle Ships on PokerStars.tv

2009 PCA: Battleship Final Four Results; Championship Match Set

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:40:17 -0500

And we're down to two players in the 2009 World Championship of Battleship Poker. The Final Four was a best-of-three series. Former champion Sorel Mizzi (Clubs Bracket Winner) took on Jared Bleznick (Diamonds Bracket Winner), while Bahbak Oboodi (Hearts Bracket Winner) played Richard Gryko (Spades Bracket Winner).

Semi-Finals Results:
Jared Bleznick defeated Sorel Mizzi 2-0
Bahbak Oboodi defeated Richard Gryko 2-0

The Final Four players had the opportunity to play simultaneous matches in the best-of-three battle. Bleznick and Mizzi opted to multi-table, while Gryko/Oboodi chose to play single matches.

Mizzi sporting a plush pimpin' hat
Bleznick won the first match against Mizzi in a mere four hands. On the second hand, he delivered the near knockout blow. Mizzi opened for a 60 raise. Bleznick re-raised to 180 and Mizzi called. The flop was 7d-5c-2c. Bleznick bet 288. Mizzi popped him to 650. Bleznick shoved for 1,780. Mizzi called with 10c-7c for top pair with a flush draw. Bleznick was ahead with pocket Kings. He faded Mizzi's flush draw and won the pot with a set of Kings (a bit of an overkill) when the Kh fell on the river. Mizzi was out two hands later when his Ah-8d lost to Bleznick's Big Slick. Bleznick jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

The second match lasted a little bit longer, but it was Bleznick who emerged victorious. He was ahead 2.2K to 1.7K in chips on the final hand. Bleznick opened for a raise of 60. Mizzi re-raised to 255. Bleznick re-raised to 565. Mizzi shoved all in for the rest of his stack and Bleznick called. Mizzi was ahead with Ac-Ah against Bleznick's As-Kd. It just wasn't Mizzi's day. Bleznick flopped a King and turned a King. His trip Kings ran down Mizzi's Aces. Bleznick won the second match and beat Mizzi 2-0 overall. Mizzi was eliminated in 4th place, as Bleznick advanced to the finals. Mizzi collected $12,800 for fourth place.

In the other heads battle between Bahbak Oboodi and Richard Gryko, Obodi took an early lead and won the first match. Oboodi had almost a 3 to 1 chip lead over Gryko. On the final hand, Gryko opened with an unusual 72 raise. Oboodi called. The flop was 10s-7s-6h. Oboodi checked. Gryko bet 84. Oboodi check-raised to 292. Gryko shoved for 1,084. Oboodi had him covered and called with As-6s for bottom pair and an Ace-high flush draw. Gryko held Kc-10h for top pair. He was ahead until the Qs fell on the turn and Oboodi took the lead with a flush. The river was the Ad. Oboodi won the pot and Gryko was out. Oboodi won the first match and took a 1-0 lead.

In the second match, Bahbak Oboodi managed to hold off Richard Gryko to advance to the finals. With Gryko slightly ahead in chips, Oboodi struck blood and crippled Gryko. Oboodi raised to 100 and Gryko called. The flop was 9h-7c-5s. Gryko bet 127. Oboodi raised to 365. Gryko moved all in for 2,063. Obodi called for the last of his chips since Gryko had him covered. Gryko was ahead with Kh-Kd against Obodi 's As-9c. The turn was the 8s, but the Ad spiked on the river. Oboodi snapped off Gryko's Kings and won with two pair. Gryko was down to his last 250 chips and busted shortly after. Oboodi won their series 2-0 and advanced to the finals, while Gryko was eliminated in third place. Gryko won $12,800.

The Championship Finals:
Jared Bleznick vs. Bahbak Oboodi

The champion will win $44,800, while second place takes home $25,600.

The finals for the World Championship of Battleship Poker will commence at 4pm. Don't forget that you can watch the conclusion of the World Championship of Battleship Poker starting at 12:30pm on Friday. All you have to do is log into the PokerStars client to follow the action. Visit the Events Tab > PCA Tab > All Tab.

2009 PCA: Battleship Elite Eight Results; Final Four Set

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:45:43 -0500

The final eight players returned to the Imperial Ballroom for the conclusion of the World Championship of Battleship Poker. Actually, it was only seven players initially. Justin Bonomo arrived a few minutes late against his opponent Richard Gryko from London.

Elite 8 Results:
Clubs Bracket: Sorel Mizzi defeated Ryan Gartitta
Diamonds Bracket: Jared Bleznick defeated John Drake
Hearts Bracket: Bahbak Oboodi defeated Yervand Boyadjian
Spades Bracket: Richard Gryko defeated Justin Bonomo

Sorel Mizzi's matches had been lightning quick during the first three rounds as he made mince meat out of his opponents. Mizzi's quarterfinals match was no different. Mizzi defeated Ryan Garitta and became the first player to advance to the Final Four.

On the final hand of the Clubs bracket, Mizzi was ahead in chips 2,180 to Gartitta's 1,820. Mizzi raised to 60. Gartitta called. The flop was 6s-6c-2s. Gartitta checked. Mizzi bet 90. Gartitta check-raised to 250 and Mizzi called. The turn was the 4d. Both players checked. The river was the 4s. Gartitta bet 390. Mizzi raised all in for 1,870. Gartitta called off his last 1,120. Boat over boat. Mizzi held 7d-6h for sixes full. Gartitta showed 4c-2c for a smaller boat. Gartitta was eliminated in 8th place and won $8,000. Mizzi advanced to the semi-finals.

Jared Bleznick defeated John Drake in the Diamonds Bracket. On the final hand, Drake was outchipped almost 4 to 1. He was all in with Ac-3c against Bleznick's pocket fives. Bleznick's fives held up and Drake went out in 7th place. Drake won $8,000 as Bleznick advanced to the Final 4 where he'll play Sorel Mizzi.

Over on the other side of the Hearts bracket, Yervand Boyadjian was outchipped almost 12 to 1 and shoved with Kc-2h. Bahbak Oboodi called with Kd-Jd. He flopped a Jack and it was all over. Boyadjian finished in sixth place and won $8,000. Oboodi advanced to the Final Four.

The Spades bracket was the last to declare a winner. Justin Bonomo arrived a little late for his match with Richard Gryko. Bonomo went to work early and won the first pot. He jumped out to an early lead, but the two would flip flop every couple of hands. Then Gryko struck a mighty blow with Bonomo ahead slightly in chips. Gryko raised to 275. Bonomo shoved all in for 2,196. Gryko called with Ac-Qs. Bonomo had Kh-9h. The board ran out Ad-Qd-9c-5c-6s. Gryko won the pot with two pair and Bonomo was crippled. Down to his last 392 in chips. On the next hand, he was all in Kc-8c but ran into Gryko's Aces. Bonomo went out in fifth place. He won $8,000. Gryko advanced to the Final Four.

Justin Bonomo playing Richard Gryko
Final Four Matchups (Best of 3):
Sorel Mizzi (Clubs Bracket Winner) vs. Jared Bleznick (Diamonds Bracket Winner)
Bahbak Oboodi (Hearts Bracket Winner) vs. Richard Gryko (Spades Bracket Winner)

The Final Four begins at 1:30pm ET. And the finals for the World Championship of Battleship Poker will commence no earlier than 3pm ET or so.

Don't forget that you can watch the conclusion of the World Championship of Battleship Poker starting at 12:30pm on Friday. All you have to do is log into the PokerStars client to follow the action. Visit the Events Tab > PCA Tab > All Tab.

2009 PCA: The World Championship of Battleship Poker - Day 2 Begins

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:48:29 -0500

There are eight players remaining in the World Championship of Battleship Poker out of the 64 total entrants who bought into the $2,000 event. All of the remaining players are in the money. First place pays out $44,800. Second place pays $25,600. Third and fourth place pays $12,800 while places five through eight go home with $8,000.

Clubs Bracket: Ryan Gartitta vs. Sorel Mizzi

Diamonds Bracket: John Drake vs. Jared Bleznick

Hearts Bracket: Yervand Boyadjian vs. Bahbak Obodi

Spades Bracket: Justin Bonomo vs. Richard Gryko

The winners will advance to the Final Four. Those matches (including the championship final) will be a a best-of-three.

The Elite Eight kicks off at 12:30pm ET. The Final Four begins at 1:30pm ET. And the finals for the World Championship of Battleship Poker will commence no earlier than 3pm ET or so.

2009 PCA: Battleship Round 2 and Round 3 Results; Final 8 Set

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:20:56 -0500

It was a hectic day in the Imperial Ballroom. The Main Event championship held most of everyone's attention in the room as 103 players were reduced to the final 32.The $25K High Rollers Event final table was played out under the bright lights of the TV table. On the other side of the ballroom, two different second chance tournaments were underway in addition to a plethora of cash games.

And in the far corner of the ballroom, the World Championship of Battleship Poker played out on a series of laptop computers. 64 runners began the $2,000 buy-in event and after three rounds of play, there are only eight players remaining. The quarter finalists will return on Friday to play down to a champion. Sorel Mizzi and Justin Bonomo are among the notables who are still remaining.

Here's the Battleship payouts:
1st - $44,800
2nd - $25,600
3rd - $12,800
4th - $12,800
5th - $8,000
6th - $8,000
7th - $8,000
8th - $8,000

Clubs Bracket Round 2 Results:
Shawn Buchanan defeated William Reynolds
Ryan Gartitta defeated Blake Cahill
Sorel Mizzi defeated Jamin Stokes
Adam Koll defeated Aaron Jones

Diamonds Bracket Round 2 Results:
Andrew Boccia defeated Justin Truedell
John Drake defeated Michael Chappus
Jared Bleznick defeated Michael Banducci
Ketul Nathwani defeated Steve Gross

Hearts Bracket Round 2 Results:
Yervand Boyadjian defeated Kyle Broxia
Joe Serock defeated Michael Glasser
Bahbak Oboodi defeated Jared Jaffe
Armitkaj Singh defeated Josh Weizer

Spades Bracket Round 2 Results:
Justin Bonomo defeated Emmanuel Failla
Rob Ford defeated Robert Forrester
Petter Berg defeated Maksim Serebrinsky
Richard Gryko defeated Keven Stammen

Former Battleship Champion Sorel Mizzi
The Sweet 16 was set which included a couple of top online pros in Sorel Mizzi and Justin Bonomo.

Clubs Bracket Round 3 Results:
Ryan Gartitta defeated Shawn Buchanan
Sorel Mizzi defeated Adam Koll

Diamonds Bracket Round 3 Results:
John Drake defeated Andrew Boccia
Jared Bleznick defeated Ketul Nathwani

Hearts Bracket Round 3 Results:
Yervand Boyadjian defeated Joe Serock
Bahbak Oboodi defeated Armitkaj Singh

Spades Bracket Round 3 Results:
Justin Bonomo defeated Rob Ford
Richard Gryko defeated Petter Berg

And when the dust settled, only eight players remained including Justin Bonomo. The Elite Eight will come back on Friday to battle it out.

Here are tomorrow's match ups...

Clubs Bracket:
Ryan Gartitta vs. Sorel Mizzi

Diamonds Bracket:
John Drake vs. Jared Bleznick

Hearts Bracket:
Yervand Boyadjian vs. Bahbak Oboodi

Spades Bracket:
Justin Bonomo vs. Richard Gryko

The final eight players are guaranteed at least $8,000 prize money. Sorel Mizzi will be trying to make history when he becomes the first player to win the World Championship of Battleship Poker on multiple occasions.

2009 PCA: Battleship Round 1 Results

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:35:39 -0500

The opening round of the World Championship of Battleship Poker is complete. There are 32 players remaining.

Sorel Mizzi won his first match, but Team PokerStars Pro Victor Ramdin and Jon Turner both failed to advance to Round 2.

Here are Round 1 results...

Clubs Bracket:
Shawn Buchanan defeated Philip Wiszowaty
William Reynolds defeated Jonathon Dull
Blake Cahill defeated Victor Ramdin
Ryan Gartitta defeated Michael Somma
Sorel Mizzi defeated Travis Brown
Jamin Stokes defeated Adam Ewestein
Aaron Jones defeated Dan Jiacpello
Adam Koll defeated Lance Boner

Diamonds Bracket:
Justin Truedell defeated Marcus Mizzi
Andrew Boccia defeated David Munson
John Drake defeated Emil Holmsten
Michael Chappus defeated Michael Krantz
Michael Banducci defeated Derek Andersen
Jared Bleznick defeated Bagrov Ruslan
Ketul Nathwani defeated Randy Wood
Steve Gross defeated Carlos Neira

Hearts Bracket:
Kyle Broccia defeated Andrew Pantling
Yervand Boyadjian defeated Michael Shklover
Michael Glasser defeated Jeff Sluzinski
Joe Serock defeated Sergey Rybachenko
Bahbak Obodi defeated Dan Didech
Jared Jaffe defeated Oliver Busquet
Armitkaj Singh defeated Mark Radoja
Josh Weizer defeated Keith Block

Spades Bracket:
Emmanuel Failla defeated Jon Turner
Justin Bonomo defeated Christian Harder
Robert Forrester defeated Jonathon Jaffe
Rob Ford defeated Dennis Waterman
Petter Berg defeated Dan Carter
Maksim Serebrinsky defeated Brian Hawkins
Richard Gryko defeated Michael McNeil
Keven Stammen defeated Anthony Venthrini

Victor Ramdin plays during Round 1

Round 2 will kick off starting at 5pm. Here are those matchups:

Clubs Bracket Round 2- Starting at 5pm:
Shawn Buchanan vs. William Reynolds
Blake Cahill vs. Ryan Gartitta
Sorel Mizzi vs. Jamin Stokes
Aaron Jones vs. Adam Koll

Diamonds Bracket Round 2- Starting at 5pm
Justin Truedell vs. Andrew Boxia
John Drake vs. Michael Chappus
Michael Banducci vs. Jared Bleznick
Ketul Nathwani vs. Steve Gross

Hearts Bracket Round 2- Starting at 6pm
Kyle Broccia vs. Yervand Boyadjian
Michael Glasser vs. Joe Serock
Bahbak Obodi vs. Jared Jaffe
Armitkaj Singh vs. Josh Weizer

Spades Bracket Round 2 - Starting at 6pm
Emmanuel Failla vs. Justin Bonomo
Robert Forrester vs. Rob Ford
Petter Berg vs. Maksim Serebrinsky
Richard Gryko vs. Keven Stammen

Don't forget that you can follow the action through the PokerStars client. Visit the Events Tab > PCA Tab > All Tab.

2009 PCA: The World Championship of Battleship Poker Begins

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:23:38 -0500

One of the most highly anticipated events at the 2009 PCA has to be the World Championship of Battleship Poker. Essentially, Battleship is a $2,000 buy-in 64 player heads-up SNG. The prize pool is $128,000. The top eight places will be paid prize money and first place will take home a delicious $44,800.

The World Championship of Battleship Poker kicked off today at Noon as all of the entrants gathered in one of the corners of the Imperial Ballroom. They huddled around a table as Battleship TD Danny McDonagh called out the draw.

TD Danny McDonagh
The 64 players were separated into four different brackets, much like college basketball teams during March Madness, except these brackets were named after different suits; Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades.

Sorel Mizzi
Dustin "NeverWin" Wolf won this event last year but he is not here this time around to defend his title. There is one former champ playing today and that's Sorel Mizzi. If he wants to be the first player to win the World Championship of Battleship Poker on two different occasions, he will have to ward off a tough field that includes his brother Marcus and Team PokerStars Pro Victor Ramdin.

The first round kicks off at 12:30pm local time. You can watch the entire The World Championship of Battleship Poker match-ups over on the PokerStars client. Just head over to the Events Tab > PCA Tab > All Tab.

Here's Round 1 match ups...

Clubs Bracket - 12:30pm Start Time:
Philip Wiszowaty vs. Shawn Buchanan
Jonathon Dull vs. William Reynolds
Victord Ramdin vs. Blake Cahill
Michael Somma vs. Ryan Gartitta
Sorel Mizzi vs. Travis Brown
Jamin Stokes vs. Adam Ewestein
Aaron Jones vs. Dan Jiacpello
Adam Koll vs. Lance Boner

Diamonds Bracket - 1:30pm Start Time:
Marcus Mizzi vs. Justin Truedell
David Munson vs. Andrew Boccia
John Drake vs. Emil Holmsten
Michael Chappus vs. Michael Krantz
Derek Anderson vs. Michael Banducci
Bagrov Ruslan vs. Jared Bleznick
Randy Wood vs. Ketul Nathwani
Carlos Neira vs. Steve Gross

Hearts Bracket - 2:30pm Start Time:
Kyle Broxia vs. Andrew Pantling
Yervand Boyadjian vs. Michael Shklover
Jeff Sluzinski vs. Michael Glasser
Sergey Rybachenko vs. Joe Serock
Bahbak Obodi vs. Dan Didech
Jared Jaffe vs. Oliver Busquet
Mark Radoja vs. Armitkaj Sing
Josh Weizer vs. Keith Block

Spades Bracket - 3:30pm Start Time:
Jon Turner vs. Emmanuel Failla
Justin Bonomo vs. Christian Harder
Jonathon Jaffe vs. Robert Forrester
Rob Ford vs. Dennis Waterman
Dan Carter vs. Petter Berg
Brian Hawkins vs. Maksim Serebrinsky
Michael McNeil vs. Richard Gryko
Keven Stammen vs Anthony Venthrini

Tune in at specific times to view the different brackets. Don't forget you can follow allow with the action at the PokerStars client. Visit the Events Tab > PCA Tab > All Tab.