Selbst Wins Event 19, Opponent Plays Blind

Vanessa Selbst became the first woman to win a bracelet in an open 2008 WSOP event last night when she took down Event #19, the $1500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha tournament, last night. The biggest story of the night was that her heads up opponent Jamie Pickering had been drinking through out the night and decided to play much of the heads up round without looking at his hole cards. It was a wild and crazy finish to the night with lots of humor; we’ll cover all that in this final table report.

The final table started at Level 16 with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and Selbst had a massive chip lead as you can see from the starting chip counts below:

Vanessa Selbst – 1,047,000
Jamie Pickering – 329K
Stanley Statkiewicz – 318K
Thom Schultz – 144K
Eugene Todd – 127K
Mel Randolph – 117K
Craig Natte – 108K
Jamie Robbins – 70K
Ken Lairson – 17K

Ken Lairson was the first to go as the very act of posting his big blind was enough to commit him to the pot. On this hand Selbst open raised from the button with 7s Qc As Qs, and Lairson called all in turning over 5s 2s 8s 7h. The board ran 3d 5c 10d 10s 6h, and Lairson was eliminated in ninth place receiving $20,720

In 35 minutes time we’d lose three more players getting the tournament down to five handed. Jamie Robbins finished in eighth place for $28,490 when all in preflop his Ks As 10h Qh and fell to Pickering’s 7c 9s 8d Jh on a board that had run 8s 4c 5c 6c Qd. Mel Randolph was crippled when he made two pair in a SB vs BB hand against Eugene Todd who had made a set; He’d then be eliminated in seventh place for $36,261 on the next hand. And the sixth place finisher was Craig Natte went out on a hand that played out like this:

Vanessa Selbst opened the pot 29K, Craig Natte reraised all in from the cutoff and Selbst called.

Selbst showed: Ac 8s Ah 5s
Natte showed: Qd Kc 7c Js

Natte looked at Selbst and said “You always have aces,” Selbst replied “I wanted to see kings!” Natte picked up some help when he caught a king on the flop and a flush draw on the turn when the board showed 4d 3c Kh 6c but the river came 5h and Selbst’s pocket aces were good sending Natte to the rail in sixth place to collect $46,621

The first hand of Level 18 (6000/12000 blinds with no ante) would see the final table’s best known player, Eugene Todd eliminated in fifth (worth $59,053). On this hand Vanessa Selbst raised to 35K UTG and Thom Schultz and Jamie Pickering both called called before Eugene Todd reraised all in for 175K from the BB. Selbst called and the other players folded.

Todd 6s Ad As Qs
Selbst Kc Jc Js 9d

Selbst would take a big lead in the hand when the flop came 2h 8d Jd for a set. The turn and river came 4h 2d and Todd was eliminated in 4th place.

Towards the end of Level 18 the following hand occurred. Schultz opened the pot with a raise from the button and Selbst called from the big blind. The flop came 10c 4d 4h and Selbst put Schultz all in. He tanked for a bit before deciding he was commuted to the pot with a short stack. He turned up Q-6-A-K and saw he was well behind when Selbst showed 6d Qs 10h Ac for a pair of tens and most of his outs. The turn and river came 6s 9d and Schultz was eliminated in fourth place worth $72,004

A tough time during three handed play for Selbst

Selbst for the first time saw the tournament start to slip away during three handed play. It started with a hand which Stanley Statkiewicz raised to 46K, Selbst called and the flop came 8c 3d 7d. Selbst checked the flop, Statkiewicz bet the pot, Selbst reraised and Statkiewicz called all in. Selbst showed 6s 7s 5s 8s for top two pair with a straight draw and Statkiewicz Ad 8d Ah 10h for aces with a flush draw. The turn was 9s giving Selbst the straight but the river was 10d giving Statkiewicz the flush. When this hand was complete Statkiewicz had 825K and Selbst 1 million

The next blow would come on a hand where Vanessa Selbst and Jamie Pickering took a flop of Ac 2d 2h, Pickering check-called and the turn came 3s, and Statkiewicz again check called. The river was 6h.and this time Statkiewicz check raised all in. Selbst called and Pickering turns over Ad Ac Qd Qh for a flopped full house, Selbst mucks and now has doubled up both of her final two opponents.

When this hand was complete Selbst was not only for the first time in days not the chip leader but she was now the short stack with the chip counts being:

Jamie Pickering — 790,000
Stan Statkiewicz — 770,000
Vanessa Selbst — 710,000

Selbst managed to slowly build back up a chip lead, and would take a massive one when this hand here was complete:

Vanessa Selbst raised to 60K, Stanley Statkiewicz called and the flop came 10s 8s Js. Selbst bet 90K,.and after counting chips for a while Statkiewicz moved all in. Statkiewicz turned up 8c Qd 10c As showing two pair and that he was able to make this strong bet hoping Selbst would fold a smaller flush as he had the Ace. Selbst turned up Ad 6s 4s 5c and had indeed called with a baby flush (speculative move even 3 handed, perhaps a great read). The turn and river came Ks 2h, and Stanley Statkiewicz finished in third collecting $88,062.

When heads up play started the chip counts were:

Vanessa Selbst — 1,800,000
Jamie Pickering — 465,000

Pickering had been drinking most of the night and had just taken a shot (no a chance but a shot, as in alcohol) when he called an all in with J J A 2 on a flop of 9d 7s Kh. ?? Selbest showed 9 Q A 4 and the turn and river where bricks and Pickering doubles up with nothing but jacks for an under pair.

If his call seemed insane, you haven’t seen anything yet. On the third hands of heads up, Pinkering had 950K chips and decided to start playing blind. Without even looking at his cards Pickering shouted “RAISE POT!!” Selbst was confused but looked at her card and made the call. The flop came Ah Qs 3d, Selbst checked. And Pickering bet the pot still not having looked at his cards. The turn was Jc and this time Pickering checked, and Selbst bet the pot. Pickering went into the think tank for a few minutes, perhaps trying to decide if he should look at his cards before mucking? In any case he would then finally look at his cards and say “Oh, shit I’m dead 5 K 8 2″. A railbird shouted “run it four times” Pickering said, I could maybe make a wheel one of those times and finally after this long ordeal mucked.

Jamie Pickering was not just playing around apparently he was drunk at this point or/and had been simply was born with a few missing or loose screws because he continued to play blind, and Selbst was stunned not knowing how to play him.. She folded two hands that he played blind and when he turned up the cards she would have been drawing dead.

There was then a really crazy hand where Pickering put his tournament life on the line blind. On a flop of 10d 5c 8h Pickering raised to 120K, and Selbst potted enough to put him all in. After much thinking for a minute he asked, “Do you have a ten?” after she responded “no” he said “ok call”

Selbst: Jc Qd 9c 4s for a solid straight draw.
Pickering: As 3h 5h 5d for a set of fives, not bad for someone who called an all in blind!

The turn and river came 8c 4d and Pickering had taken the hand and now has 1.3 million and Selbst is down to 760K.

On the next hand Jamie Pickering once again does not look at his card and opens for a raise, Vanessa Selbst called, and the flop came Kc 10s 8h. Selbst checks and Pickering bets the pot blind and Selbst repots, at this point Pickering has to look at his cards, he does and amazingly sees AA64 and repots. Selbst pot committed at this point calls with 9T64 and will need to suck out to survive. She gets a card she needs as the turn and river comes 6-2 and she has doubled up to retake the chip lead.

At this point the two players take an impromptu 15 minute break. Can you imagine what must have been going through Selbst mind at this point, if she was to lose to a player who played her blind, how long might that be talked about in the poker world? This had to be a consideration and the pressure of a bracelet and a large jump in prize money must also have been intense.

On the first hand back from the back from the break Pickering looked at his cards and checked, then folded on the flop, Selbst asked him “”Are We Playing Poker Now?” and he ignored the question.

On the next hand in an unraised pot the flop came 7c 8c 10h and Pickering still blind at this point checked, Selbst who bet 90,000. Pickering finally looked at his cards and moved all in, Selbst called.

Selbst: 9d 2c Js Jc for a straight
Pickering: 10s As Qs 9h for top pair with a straight draw.

Selbst hand survived when the turn and river came 5s Ah.

Jamie Pickering received $145,459 for his runner-up finish and Vanessa Selbst received $227,965 and her first WSOP bracelet