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Recap From Day 4 of the World Poker Tour Spanish Championship in Barcelona
And then there were six. Just six players remained at the World Poker Tour Spanish Championship in Barcelona as play began yesterday, with none other than easily recognizable pro, Gus Hansen, in the top spot as play got under way.
Gus Hansen 962,000
Christer Johansson 855,000
Steve Sung 670,000
Ludovic Lacay 400,000
Markus Lehmann 329,000
Vladimir Poleshchuk 176,000
Gus Hansen was already the record-holder with three World Poker Tour titles, more than any other player. Could he extend that lead and take down a fourth?
Vladimir Poleshchuk, who entered the day as the short stack, just last week made the final table of the European Poker Tour Baden. Even with such a small stack, Vlad's fearlessness at the table would make the other players take note.
On the first hand of the day, we already had an all-in. Ludovic Lacay came in for a pre-flop bet, with Christer Johansson in the big blind coming over the top for a raise. Lacay announced that he was all-in, and Johansson made the call.
Lacay tabled A-A, quite the hand to start the day, up against the A-Q of Johansson. Lacay looked good to double up, and did precisely that as the board filled out K-8-8-Q-6. With that hand, Johansson's stack dropped to around 400,000, while Lacay doubled up to approximately 800,000, the two essentially trading places on the leaderboard.
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| Christer Johansson | |
Though Vladimir Poleshchuk had managed to come out with some upward movement in his stack to start the day, it wouldn't prove to be enough to keep him alive for long, as once again he was down to just over 100,000.
Picking his spot, Vlad moved all-in from the button for his last 112,000. Steve Sung was the only player to make the call, holding A-2 against the K-9 of Poleshchuk.
On the flop of 5-3-2, Sung remained ahead in the hand. A 10 on the turn and an ace on the river were all she wrote, and Vladimir Poleshchuk was eliminated in sixth place, earning €83,900.
Markus Lehmann had remained very quiet at the final table, but following an extended break found just the cards he needed.
Lehmann came into a paot for a raise and when the action folded around to him in the big blind, Gus Hansen made it a total of 175,000 to go. Lehmann pushed all-in, and Hansen, holding A-10, made the call, with Lehmann holding only 7-8.
The flop showed the players K-8-2, and just like that Lehmann vaulted into the lead. A nine on the turn and a two on the river sealed the deal, and Lehmann doubled up through Gus Hansen.
Christer Johansson, who suffered quite the blow on the very first hand of the day, managed to get a lot of his chips back at the expense of Steve Sung.
On a turn showing K-6-4-J, Johansson bet out for 30,000, with Sung coming in for a raise behind. Johansson moved all-in, and Sung made the call, showing 4-6, good for two pair. Johansson had the better of it, though, holding K-J. No help on the river, and Johansson doubled up to put himself back in contention.
Gus Hansen, who had entered the day with the chip lead, would lose that chip lead in a hand against Ludovic Lacay. Lacay called a 60,000 pre-flot bet from Gus Hansen, and on a flop of J-4-2, moved all-in over the top of Hansen's 80,000 bet. Hansen laid the hand down, and Lacay won the pot.
Next up on the chopping block and finishing in fifth place... quite surprisingly, Gus Hansen.
The action folded around to Gus Hansen in the small blind, and he made it around 75,000 to go. Ludovic Lacay, who had just taken a sizable pot from the poker superstar, made the call. The heads-up flop showed the players Q-6-4.
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| Gavin Smith (@ 2007 WSOP) | |
After brief consideration, Hansen announced that he was all-in. Lacay called very quickly, showing A-A in the hole. Hansen had only A-10, and would need a lot of help. The K on the turn looked promising, but the river offered no help in the way of a gutshot and Gus Hansen finished in fifth place, earning €100,600.
It wouldn't take long before we lost another player, this time, the chip leader at the end of day two, Steve Sung.
Sung merely called the big blind in what would prove to be his final hand, with Ludovic Lacay calling from the small blind. Markus Lehmann on the big blind put in a rase, and Sung moved all-in. Lacay folded, but Lehmann instantly made the call, showing A-A. Sung, holding K-K, was a severe underdog.
The flop was J-9-8, no help to either player. The turn looked to be a miracle, however, dropping a king and giving Sung the set. Unfortunately, it was the king of hearts, which gave Sung the nut flush draw. Sure enough, the river was the ten of hearts, giving Lehmann the flush and sending Steve Sung to the rails in fourth place, earning €117,400.
As we entered three-handed play, here were the chip counts:
Ludovic Lacay 2,091,000
Mark Lehmann 875,000
Christer Johansson 426,000
Lehmann wasn't content with his status at that point, and saw to it to immediately take a large chunk out of Lacay's stack with an uncontested raise into a large pot on a flop of A-K-8. The gap between Lehmann and Lacay lessened.
Christer Johansson, having entered three-handed play with the short stack, wouldn't recover from the disadvantage.
On the big blind and seeing a flop of 10-8-7, Johansson bet out for 50,000 when his opponent, Markus Lehmann, checked. Lehmann just called the bet, and the players saw a K hit the turn.
Lehmann again put in a check, and Johansson bet out for 90,000. Lehmann then check-raised, making it a total of 300,000 to play. Christer finally decided to move all-in, and Christer made the call with Q-10, second pair. Lehmann held K-5, however, top pair (weak kicker). A six on the river improved neither player's hand, and Christer Johansson finished in third place, earning €151,000.
Heads-up now, the chip stacks were relatively even:
Ludovic Lacay 1,809,000
Markus Lehmann 1,583,000
Lehmann would pick up a big pot shortly after heads-up play began, and with nothing but a pair of fives he'd picked up on the river. Lehmann didn't show his hand.
Ludovic Lacay would lose the chip lead in a massive hand, his kicker just not good enough. On a flop of Q-9-3, Lacay checked and Lehmann bet out for 140,000. Lacay called, and the players saw a five hit the turn.
Again, Lacay checked, and Lehmann this time bet 300,000. Lacay made the call. On the river, both players checked, with Lacay showing 9-7 for second-best pair. Lehmann's K-9, however, had the better kicker, and he picked up a pot of more than 1 Million in chips, dragging the chip lead with it.
It was a cheap lead that Lehmann would not release...
Markus Lehmann's chip lead had jumped to rougly 2-1, and he came out swinging in the final hand for 125,000 pre-flop. Lacay re-raised to a total of 350,000, and Lehmann made the call.
On the flop of 8-5-3, Lacay moved all-in and Lehmann quickly called the bet, showing K-8 for top pair. Lacay had only A-5, middle pair.
The turn and river showed a 3 and a 4 and that was it!
Ludovic Lacay finished in second place, earning €295,200.
Markus Lehmann finished in first place, earning €537,000.
Congratulations to all of the players who cashed in this first-ever World Poker Tour Spanish Championship, especially our winner, Markus Lehmann!
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