March 07 2011, Rich Ryan

In the first episode of High Stakes Poker Season 7, the pro’s and the businessmen butted heads in some massive pots. Vanessa Selbst lost a massive pot when Phil Ruffin flopped a set of threes against her overpair and David Peat drew out on Bill Klein with a pair and a flush draw against Klein’s aces. The action did not slow down in the second episode of the season, especially on the last hand when there was a $600,000 pot played between two pros.

SPOILER ALERT: If you are waiting to watch the HSP episode, read no further.

Here’s how the players were seated and what their stacks looked like to start the episode.

Croak Folds a Flush: In the first hand of the episode, Peat limped in with from early position, Antonio Esfandiari limped behind on the button with and Robert Croak and Ruffin completed in the blinds with and respectively. The flop fell and Croak checked to Ruffin who bet $3,000. Peat, Esfandiari and Croak all called.

The turn was the and all four players checked. The on the river gave Croak a flush, yet Ruffin led for $50,000 into a pot of only $16,000. Action folded to Croak who tanked momentarily before mucking the best hand, and Ruffin triumphantly tabled his straight. Croak admitted he folded a flush and both Esfandiari and Vanessa Selbst were confused as to why.

Peat Trips up Klein: Selbst opened to $2,500 from early position with . Esfandiari called with from the hijack seat, Klein called with from the small blind and Peat protected his big blind with . Klein’s trap was foiled when the flop fell . He checked to Peat who fired $5,000 and the action folded back to Klein who check-raised to $15,000. Peat called.

The turn was the and Klein led for $20,000. Peat quickly called and the fell on the river. Klein led again – this time for $40,000. Peat was never folding but thought about raising for about half a minute before he finally called. Klein opened his kings but they were no good against trip fives and $160,800 was shipped to Peat.

“I didn’t want to take from charity.” Peat explained when his tablemates asked why he didn’t raise.

“It’s called being a nit,” Selbst needled.

Hero Call?: David Peat straddled for $1,600 and Barry Greenstein opened to $5,100 with . Ruffin called with from the small blind and Peat defended his straddle with . The dealer flopped and the action checked to Greenstein who continued for $8,000. Ruffin released and Peat made the call.

Both players checked the on the turn, and after the rivered Peat led for a measly $2,000. Greenstein promptly raised to $20,000 and Peat called even quicker. The Robin Hood of poker rolled over his hand to show he had trip kings and Peat mucked his hand looking utterly confused.

Klein Gets Tricky: Bill Klein started the action by limping with , and Peat raised to $3,500 right behind him with . Selbst called with , Ruffin defended his big blind with and Klein called, as well. The flop was and the action checked to Peat who continued for $8,000. Selbst folded, Ruffin called, and Klein surprisingly raised to $23,000. The action was on Peat and Ruffin tried to call, which led Peat to fold. Ruffin then called and the turn brought the . Both players checked. The river was the and Ruffin checked again. Klein bet $29,000 into $69,200, and Ruffin immediately folded.

High Stakes Legends: This week’s edition of High Stakes Legends profiled Benny Binion. Binion of course opened the famed Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, which hosted the World Series of Poker for over 30 years. The Horseshoe played host to huge cash games, as well, attracting the best players in the world to the property.

Oops: Ruffin limped in with and Peat tried to isolate him by raising to $3,500 with . The remaining players folded, Ruffin called and the flop fell . Ruffin led for $5,000 and Peat called.

“Obviously he has larceny in mind,” host Norm Macdonald commented.

The turn was the and Ruffin quickly bet $20,000 into a $19,000 pot. Peat stuck to his guns, however, raising to $50,000. Ruffin snap-called. The river was the and Ruffin slowed down, checking to Peat who fired one more bullet worth $100,000. Ruffin called and Peat sheepishly turned over the bluff.

Kara Scott asked Ruffin whether or not he thought Peat could’ve had him beat and Ruffin responded, “Nope, he could’ve had anything. I had $600,000 and it was about $100,000 so it was an easy call.”

Run It Once: Antonio Esfandiari opened to $2,500 with from under the gun, Ruffin called with , Peat called with , Selbst called with and Greenstein defended his big blind with .

The flop: – Whammy!

Selbst and Greenstein checked to Esfandiari who continued for $6,200. Peat called with just a pair of sixes and the action folded back to Greenstein who check-raised to $30,000. Esfandiari put in a third bet worth $106,000, Peat got out of the way and Greenstein moved all in.

“Once or twice?” Esfandiari asked, pushing his stack in the middle.

The $593,900 pot was the biggest of the season and Greenstein always runs it once, making this hand even more sick. The spiked on the turn to give Esfandiari a leading flush, but if the board paired then Greenstein would re-suck and take the pot. The bricked on the river however and Esfandiari scooped the monster pot.

The action has been fast and furious this season, and Andrew Robl will join the table on next week’s episode. If the teaser trailer is any indication, there is going to be ever more action and more all-ins than this past week.

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March 07 2011, Elissa Harwood

It’s officially the year of Erik Seidel. In January and February of 2011, Seidel cashed for $3.59 million. In the first week of March, he picked up another $750,000 by winning the 2011 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Seidel finished second to Annie Duke last year and came back this year as the hottest poker player in the world to make the title his. After dispatching five other opponents, Seidel defeated one of the most recognizable names in poker, Chris Moneymaker, in two straight matches to win the best-of-three final round. Moneymaker earned $300,000 for second place.

Seidel’s Heads-Up victory moved him into the top spot on the Hendon Mob all-time money winner list. With an astonishing $14.7 million in lifetime live tournament cashes, Seidel overtook Daniel Negreanu, who has $13.95 million. Phil Ivey occupies the third spot with $13.86 million.

Eight players returned to Caesars Palace on Sunday for the four quarterfinal matches. In the first flight, Moneymaker played nosebleed cash-game regular David Oppenheim for the Clubs Bracket crown. Oppenheim moved all in on a board with for a turned two pair. Moneymaker called with and rivered the timely to send Oppenheim home with $75,000. The final Spades Bracket match pitted 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Jonathan Duhamel against Olivier “LivB112″ Busquet, a high-stakes heads-up sit-’n-go specialist. The pair took their time trading small pots until Busquet shoved with . Duhamel called with and turned a jack to advance to the semifinals.

In the next pair of quarterfinals, Seidel took on force-of-nature Vanessa Selbst, and Andrew “good2cu” Robl battled another cash-game fixture, David Benyamine. Seidel took an early lead, then doubled Selbst to fall behind. Moments later he picked up aces to retake a lead he never relinquished. Selbst, who finished second in the 2008 WSOP Heads-Up Championship, earned $75,000 in her first cash in the NBC event. Just as Seidel was completing his domination of the Diamonds Bracket, Robl had Benyamine all in and at risk on the other table. Robl’s was ahead from the start against Benyamine’s and rivered the nut heart flush to win the Hearts Bracket and send Benyamine home in suitable style.

In the marquee semifinal match-up, it was World Champion against World Champion. Moneymaker’s 2003 WSOP Main Even victory was worth $2.5 million. Thanks in part to the boom he is credited with igniting, Duhamel’s was worth $8.9 million. This time, however, Moneymaker did his part to minimize Duhamel’s take. Duhamel check-called all in on a board with to discover he was out-kicked by Moneymaker’s and out of the tournament in fourth place. The 23-year old will have to settle for $125,000 on this Vegas trip.

During Duhamel’s exit interview, the other semifinalists reached the river of a board. Seidel shoved the river to put Robl to the test for all of his chips. Robl agonized for minutes before calling all in. He couldn’t beat Seidel’s treys full and said his goodbyes in third place. Robl was called in to replace David “Viffer” Peat only a few hours before the first round and parlayed his last-minute bid into $125,000.

A trophy, a ring, and a pyramid of cash appeared on stage to set the scene for the championship best-of-three battle between Seidel and Moneymaker. Seidel chipped up slowly in the first game, then doubled Moneymaker and started the process again. Seidel built back to a substantial lead by the time he flopped top pair and called Moneymaker’s shove. Moneymaker bricked his open-ended straight draw, and Seidel took a 1-0 lead.

Moneymaker held the chip lead early in the second game but lost a good chunk of his stack in an unsuccessful bluff. He tried another bluff with the rest of his stack on a flop. It might have worked better if Seidel didn’t have . Moneymaker could only turn up , meaning he needed running cards to come to his rescue. But they didn’t, and Erik Seidel won yet another high buy-in, high profile event.

For a full account of all 63 NBC Heads-Up matches, check out the Live Reporting Team’s blog. And if you’re in the mood for some full-ring action, follow the Big Event at the Bike!

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