5 Crucial Hands from the WPT Rolling Thunder Championship Final Table

7 months ago

Casey Sandretto captured his first World Poker Tour (WPT) title connected Tuesday successful nan $3,500 buy-in WPT Rolling Thunder Championship. Now that nan tourney has ended, let's return a look backmost astatine immoderate of nan astir breathtaking hands played astatine nan last table.

Sandretto, who antecedently had conscionable $160,000 successful The Hendon Mob cashes, won $246,000 arsenic portion of a heads-up chop pinch Michael Kinney, earlier playing it retired and officially winning nan tournament. Although he ran basking astatine nan last table, Sandretto wasn't nan subordinate who benefited from each nan fortunate hands, arsenic you'll announcement below.

Song's Final Table Downfall

Entering nan last table, Yunkyu Song had complete half nan chips successful play. While he had complete 130 large blinds, nan different 5 players were each short stacked. But nan last array didn't spell truthful good for him.

One of nan astir important pots Song played astatine nan last array was against Kinney, who won a WPT arena successful Reno measurement backmost successful 2004. In that hand, Song was each successful preflop pinch AxQx and good up of AxJx. But nan run-good for him simply came to and extremity connected Day 4 aft moving reddish basking nan first 3 days, and nan worst manus came from down to scoop 1 of nan astir important pots astatine nan last table.

The 6 cardinal spot cookware nonaccomplishment — mind you, he began nan time pinch 13 cardinal and complete half nan chips successful play — would person kept him retired successful front. Instead, if dropped him to among nan mini stacks. He would inevitably front retired successful 4th spot for $105,000, which isn't a bad outcome, but surely not what he was looking for entering nan finale.

High Stakes Crusher Races for Tournament Life

Like everyone not named Yunkyu Song, Brock Wilson entered nan last array pinch a short stack. In fact, he'd been nursing a 20-big blind-or-less stack for rather immoderate clip earlier Day 4. But he recovered an opportunity to double up his 10 large unsighted stack early connected astatine nan last table.

The precocious roller pinch complete $7 cardinal successful unrecorded tourney cashes was each successful pinch 7♠7♦ against Kinney's A♣K♣, and disconnected to nan races they went. After nan 9♣5♦4♠ flop, Wilson was emotion amended astir chances of winning nan hand. When nan 3♣ appeared connected nan turn, it gave Kinney a large chunk of nan platform arsenic outs.

Have you ever heard nan saying "you person excessively galore outs?" Well, that doesn't use to this manus because nan A♦ turned complete connected nan river, sending Wilson location successful sixth spot for $60,000.

Egbert Check-Raises Chip Leader

As mentioned, it conscionable wasn't Song's day, and here's different illustration of what we're talking about. Shortly aft Wilson exited nan tournament, Travis Egbert took his changeable astatine making a move.

Song raised nether nan weapon to 225,000 pinch A♥K♦, and Egbert made nan telephone pinch J♣10♦ successful nan large blind. The flop came retired 10♣2♥7♣, and some players checked to nan 3♦ connected nan turn.

Egbert, pinch apical pair, would cheque nan action again complete to his opponent, who this clip stake retired 150,000 pinch ace-high. A check-raise each successful for 475,000 was past successful store, which put Song successful nan tank. Despite not having a pair, he couldn't fold pinch truthful galore chips down and made nan call, but mislaid nan manus erstwhile nan 6♠ connected nan stream didn't amended his hand.

The Most Crucial Hand for Sandretto

There are ever 1 aliases 2 cardinal pots that an eventual tourney victor scoops astatine nan last table, and this is it. Song raised from nan mini unsighted to 375,000 pinch K♥4♦, and Sandretto came on for nan thrust successful nan large unsighted pinch K♣6♣.

The flop showed K♠10♥6♦, a mild cooler successful a heads up pot. Song, pinch apical pair, made a continuation stake of 275,000. Sandretto, sensing a imaginable opportunity to double up, jammed each successful pinch 2 brace for 2,925,000. Once again, Song couldn't get distant from it and made nan telephone drafting highly thin. He'd person nary thief connected nan move aliases river, and Sandretto had astir closed nan spread connected nan start-of-day monolithic spot leader.

Egbert's Kicker Problems Against Kinney

During three-handed play, Kinney raised from nan mini unsighted to 600,000 pinch K♦9♣ and received action from Egbert, successful nan large unsighted holding K♠2♠. The flop ran retired K♥6♦4♥, giving some players apical pair.

Kinney, pinch nan amended kicker, took nan inaugural to bet, making it 200,000. His force called, and some players saw nan Q♠ connected nan turn, which didn't alteration overmuch different than to supply immoderate chop outs for Egbert connected nan stream if a 6x aliases 4x would land. Kinney again bet, this clip for 475,000, which again induced a telephone from nan inferior hand.

The stream was nan 7♣, and Kinney put his force each successful for 1,425,000. Egbert couldn't find a fold and made nan telephone to spot nan bad news that his tourney was complete successful 3rd place, a $140,000 payday. This manus was important successful that it gave Sandretto and Kinney nan opportunity to talk a heads up chop moments later, which they agreed was nan champion play.

*Images courtesy of nan World Poker Tour/Drew Amato.