With so many entries, players were assigned different starting days, but the deep-stack tournament was a hit with locals and visitors alike. The 45-minute round format allowed all players to get settled and enjoy the action before risking their chips, but not everyone waited to jump into the fray as several players were all-in shortly after their round started. 10 percent of the field cashed, each of whom should be proud to have beaten over 1100 other players to the prize money.
Final table combatants Gant, Adam White, and Matt Elsby were not evenly matched in chips when the play got down to three-handed. Elsby had a commanding chip lead over White, with Gant on life-support. While Elsby and White battled back and forth, Gant held his own and out-lasted eventual third-place finisher White.
With millions in chips on the table, Matt Elsby held a 27-1 chip lead as their heads-up match started. Gant took an aggressive approach stealing blinds while Elsby went card dead and stopped pressuring Gant. With his lead whittled down to 4-1, Elsby raised with A-J off-suit and was greeted with an all-in push by Gant who showed pocket Jacks after Elsby called. An ace came on the flop and that was that.
Less than an hour later when the players were nearly tied in chip stacks, Elsby called another all-in bet and slowly tabled his pocket Tens after seeing Gant's pocket Kings. The board sprang small cards and now the chip stacks had been reversed. It was just a matter of a few hands before Elsby bowed out, looking dejected, but happy to take-down the $147,000 prize money for the runner-up position.
Next month the Arena will feature the 7th Annual Arizona State Ladies Poker Championship with an estimated $80,000 prize pool and nearly $20,000 for the winner of the $200 entry fee tournament. Play starts on September 8th at 10:00am.
Comments
Really 27-1 lead and lost…unbelievable! There is an intangible that is unexplainable in poker/sports…I know it has to much to do with what is going on within the individuals, anybody see the U.S. amateur this weekend (golf)? Two obvious areas are getting ahead of youself and fear of losing when you thought you should win.
This article is awful. It was a 14-1 chip lead and that hand described never happened. The money went in twice with Elsby as a HUGE favorite KQ vsQJ once and JJ vs AJ once. He lost both and then got coolered w 1010 vs KK. I doubt the writer was even there from this hideous reporting.
Well, I’m not sure the KQ Vs. QJ counts as a “huge” favorite at less than 3-1, however, according to Southwest Poker News article, Sept. page 23: “With heads up play underway, the very patient Matt Elsby had BG dominated in chips. BG held less than 1% of the chips in play.”
I thought it was 1.1M to 29.7M – must have been pretty close to 28-1 edge.