POKER HAND #34

RESULTS OF THE PHIL HELLMUTH JR. INVITATIONAL: Gideon Friedman won the Phil Hellmuth Jr. Invitation on Friday, defeating Benjamin Resnick for the title after about a half-hour of heads-up play.

In the big blind (dealer) Friedman picked up the 9-9. After some raising, the flop came down Q-Q-7, two diamonds. Resnick immediately moved all-in, knowing it would be tough for Gideon to call without the Q or the 7.

I told Gideon that I would most certainly call. He noticed Resnick's leg shaking a bit and decided to go for broke. He called, and Resnick showed him that he was well ahead in the hand, as his opponent had the A-10 offsuit.

The turn came a 9 to give Friedman the nuts, and the river gave him quad 9's, though it's not like he needed them.

Congratulations is in order to Mr. Friedman, who played near perfect poker. He also eliminated yours truly, who placed 4th.

I'd been short-stacked all day, getting no cards, playing perhaps a little too tight. I made a move with six players left, going all-in with the 7-7. Resnick showed me the J-J, but a 7 on the river saved me from near certain elimination.

Previous to that I'd made a laydown that would have likely tripled my chip stack if I'd read the situation right. I picked up the A-8 in the big blind. The flop came down A-7-4. I bet out, and got raised by Jamie Galen, for whom loose does not properly describe him.

Resnick, acting next, smooth-callled. That should have set off a radar, but I hadn't played enough with Ben to know. With the A-K or something similar he probably would have raised to make sure he played heads-up with the jackal.

I folded my A-8, and looked like an idiot when the 8 came off on the turn. But I already had Resnick before that, who called with the A-6. I don't like that call on his part, as raising would have definitely pushed me with the best hand out, but you can't question the results. A bad laydown, I guess, as I had Galen soundly beat. Who knows.

After I'd won the showdown with the 7-7, I was looking to double up again. I called out of the small blind with the 8s-7s. Gideon checked in the big blind and the flops came down 5-6-2. I had flopped an open-ended straight down.

The next card off was the 9, giving me the absolute stone cold nuts. I checked, Gideon bet, another player folded, and I smooth-called a 3 dollar bet, attempting a trap.

The river was a 2, which paired the board but I didn't feel helped anybody. I pushed all my money in and Gideon called, showing me the 5-2 for the full house.

Sheesh.

The final results were:

1st place: Gideon Friedman
2nd place: Benjamin Resnick
3rd place: Benjamin Galen
4th place: Alex Carnevale

Thanks to all those who played.