Final Match
With blinds of 3,000 and 6,000, the first pot was a big one right away: about 80,000, or well over 12% of the total chips in play. With four spades on the board, Peter had check-called 18,000 on the river against Simon who had been betting all the way. The Swede's six of spades was good against the Englishman's two pair. But then Simon won three decent-sized pots, including one where Peter paid off Simon's 15K runner-runner flush bet, and Simon also caught Peter bluffing once with again four of a suit on the board, when Peter had nothing more than a six-high (and Simon won with second pair). He had a slight lead then, but gave it away immediately when Peter had A3 and made aces up on the river, getting paid off 15K.
On a flop KT7, and a raised pot, Simon had raised Peter's 25K bet to 75K, and with the Swede unable to call him, Simon now has close to 60% of the chips. But then things started to turn sour for the man from Burnley. Peter had limped on the small blind / button (SBB) and then had reraised Simon's initial 26,000 raise - and the Englishman had to release. And he then even lost a massive pot, when he paid off 20K, 40K and 60K against Peter's ten-eight of clubs, for a flush made on the turn. After 35 minutes of play, the chip count was even 455K-185K in favor of the Swede, but just before the first break Simon has fought back to about 250,000.
Winning hand for Peter Gunnarson
And it was almost even stacks when in a raised pot, Simon check-raised his opponent's 30K bet to make him lay down his hand. Almost even... but not quite. When on a flop K52 with two diamonds Simon flatcalled a 12K bet, it seemed both to my neighbor in the audience John Falconer and to me that Simon probably had a big hand. And when after Peter's 35K bet on the turn Js Simon immediatey said "All-in" (to about 295K), we were sure he had a big hand.
But after about five minutes of deliberation, it turned out Peter had read his opponent better than we had, and called with a mere king-ten. Simon had a king-six with nothing extra, and was drawing very thin. So, when a ten appeared on the river and it turned out that Peter had him covered, the match was over. The champion: Peter Gunnarson, a young Swede who had played in a somewhat Zen-state of mind all week, in a very smooth rhythm, and who when it mattered most found the calmness to come up with the correct decision. Congratulations to this young man - the 2005 World Heads Up champion. |
