2009 WCOOP: todch takes down Event #25, $320 H.O.R.S.E.

Aleph Omega came into the final table as the shortest stack and ended up as the first player eliminated. Playing limit hold'em with betting limits of 25,000-50,000, Aleph Omega opened for a raise from middle position and chip leader marked aces made the call from the button. Aleph Omega led out on the K♦9♦8♦ flop and marked aces smooth-called. The turn was the 6♣ and Aleph Omega fired again. Marked aces raised, and the betting was capped. Aleph Omega's last 2,698 went in once the 5♣ hit the river and marked aces called. Though Aleph Omega showed top pair with A♣K♠, marked aces had flopped the nut flush with A♦Q♦, and sent his opponent to the rail in eighth place for a $4,000 payday.

CitadelCap was the next to make a move. On a hand of stud high, ROXY24 had the bring-in with the 3♣, todch completed showing the 4♥, CitadelCap called with the 6♥ up and ROXY24 got out of the way.

todch (X) (X)4♥T♠J♠K♥ (X)
CitadelCap (X) (X) 6♥8♣9♦2♥ (X)

Todch led out on fourth street and CitadelCap called. On fifth, todch fired again, CitadelCap raising all in for 134,168 and todch making the call. Todch turned over K♣K♦ in the hole while CitadelCap showed A♠6♣ for a pair of sixes. Todch caught trip kings on sixth street, leaving CitadelCap drawing dead. With his WCOOP run at an end, CitadelCap collected $8,000 for seventh place.

Having lost a bit over half the chips he took to the final table, $30K tried to make something happen for himself on a hand of stud hi/lo. After todch brought it in for 12,000 showing the 5♣, $30K completed with the Q♠ up, ROXY24 flat-called showing the 5♠ and todch folded.

$30K (X) (X) Q♠A♥6♠4♥ (X)
ROXY24 (X) (X) 5♠7♣K♣3♦ (X)

$30K led out on fourth street with the high board and ROXY24 called. On fifth, $30K lead again and ROXY24 made the call. Sixth street brought a bet from $30K and a raise from ROXY24, $30K calling off his remaining 39,009 in chips. Though $30K turned up 4♠Q♣ in the hole for queens up, ROXY24 showed 4♣6♦, having hit a seven-high straight on sixth street to make the high and the low. $30K couldn't fill up on the river,receiving the T♠ while ROXY24 hit the 2♠ to improve his low hand even further and eliminate $30K in fifth place. He didn't quite pick up the "three racks of high society" that his screen name recalls, but did earn a tidy $12,000 for the day's work.

On the very next deal, the field shrank from five to four. Down to little more than three big bets, finsfan7 raised todch's completion and earned a call. Both players made open pairs on fourth street and checked, but todch fired out on fifth. Finsfan7 raised, committing his last 147,550. Todch called and the cards went on their backs.

finsfan7 (6♠) (8♥) 7♠7♦9♦A♠ (Q♣)
todch (T♥) (3♦) A♣A♥2♥9♥ (K♦)

Todch's pair of aces were well ahead of finsfan7's pair of sevens and open-ended straight draw. Finsfan7 could not improve on sixth or seventh street and todch took down the pot, sending finsfan7 home in fifth place for a $20,000 score.

With his three opponents all sitting on more than a million in chips, ROXY24 needed a double-up, and quick. Playing limit hold'em, with the betting limits up to 50,000-100,000, marked aces opened for a raise, ROXY24 three-bet, marked aces capped, and ROXY24 called all in. ROXY24's A♣J♥ needed help against marked aces' pocket queens, but he couldn't find it on the K♥K♦9♦9♣3♦ board, ending his tournament in fourth place for a $28,000 take.

Following ROXY24's elimination, marked aces was up to 1.4 million while viking47 held about 2 million in chips and todch was in the chip lead with 2.4 million. However, todch began a steady decline while viking47 went on a rush, pushing his stack past 3.5 million while todch fell to less than a million. Todch, however, wasn't going to go quietly and put himself right back in contention on this Razz hand that left marked aces on the short stack.

Todch next set his sights on viking47's stack, which had eroded to around 1.1 million when todch took down back-to-back stud hands against him. First, he picked up a nearly 1 million chip pot with a pair of queens against viking47's pair of deuces. Then on the very next deal, todch rivered a pair of aces to take yet another pot away from viking47, who was left with only 305,000 in chips with the betting limits up to 60,000-120,000.

The remainder of viking47's chips went in on fifth street in another stud hand, viking47showing an open pair of queens.

viking47 (6♦) (A♥) 8♠Q♥Q♠8♥ (T♥)
todch (4♠) (7♣) 7♥K♦K♥Q♦ (3♥)

As their hole cards were revealed, viking47 discovered just how dire his situation was, his queens up against todch's kings and sevens. Though he made queens and eights on sixth street, viking47 could not make a boat on the river, and exited in third place for $38,000.

Here's how the chip counts looked as heads-up play commenced:

Seat 2: todch (3,787,744 in chips)
Seat 3: marked aces (2,112,256 in chips)

Todch would not lose another hand in the tournament, heads-up play lasting all of five hands. Still playing seven-card stud, todch made queens and nines against marked aces' pair of sixes, then hit sixes and fives against a pair of fours on the following hand to take marked aces' chip count down to 1 million. The game switched to stud hi/lo on the following hand and todch was dealt rolled-up queens. He was able to extract maximum value from them, marked aces calling him down on all streets in a 1.3 million pot.

On the final hand of the tournament, marked aces was down to his last 382,000 while todch was up over 5.5 million. Todch brought it in with the K♦ and marked aces raised with the A♦ up. Todch called, and they went to fourth street, where todch made an open pair of kings and marked aces picked up the 3♥. Todch bet and marked aces called. Fifth street brought the 5♣ for todch and the T♣ for marked aces. Todch led out again, setting marked aces all in, and he made the call.

marked aces (5♦) (J♠) A♦3♥T♣9♣ (8♠)
todch (5♠) (3♠) K♦K♥5♣7♦ (6♠)

Marked aces couldn't catch todch's kings and fives and just like that it was all over. Todch was PokerStars' newest WCOOP champion, earning $70,400 for his victory! Runner-up marked aces added $50,000 to his bankroll, certainly not too shabby for a day's work.

WCOOP Event #25 ($320 H.O.R.S.E.) results

1. toddch $70,400
2. marked aces $50,000
3. viking47 $38,000
4. ROXY24 $28,000
5. finsfan7 $20,000
6. $30K $12,000
7. CitadelCap $8,000
8. Aleph Omega $4,000

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