WPT Alpha8 on FOX Sports 1 Florida Part IV: Millionaire's Row, a $243K Bubble & More
On Sunday, the World Poker Tour Alpha8, a series of high buy-in events located at exotic locations around the world, continued its broadcast on Fox Sports 1 with Part III of their $100,000 buy-in tournament from the Seminole Hard Rock in Florida.
Here��s a look at the first three recaps with quick synopses:
- Part I �C the first hand of Alpha8, behind-the-scenes look inside Jason Mercier��s pad, and more.
- Part II �� Jeff Gross nit-rolling Chris Klodnicki, the Macau Big Game, and the elimination of Bill Perkins.
- Part III �C Joseph Cheong scrounges up $100K, out to dinner with Lynn Gilmartin, and more.
Below is my recap of the fourth and final part of the WPT Alpha8 Florida starting with a look the final table at the top of the broadcast:
| Seat | Player | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -empty- | N/A |
| 2 | Isaac Haxton | 687,000 |
| 3 | Jeff Gross | 278,000 |
| 4 | Steven Silverman | 226,000 |
| 5 | -empty- | N/A |
| 6 | JC Tran | 322,000 |
| 7 | -empty- | N/A |
| 8 | Matt Glantz | 587,000 |
Big Hand Right Off the Bat: In one of the first hands of the broadcast there was a big hand that put Jeff Gross to a tough decision. Check it out:
Early Double: After Isaac Haxton opened for 33,000 with the A?9?, a short-stacked Steven Silverman looked down at the A?K? in the small blind moved all in for 105,000 total. Haxton felt obliged to call, and he paid the price after the board ran out 7?4?Q?6?3?. Ship the money bubble double to Silverman.
Bubble Trouble: After losing that hand Isaac Haxton dropped to fourth in chips and moved all in for 396,000 preflop and received a call from JC Tran.
Tran: A?Q?
Haxton: 10?10?
��Right now Ike is in a race for his tournament,�� Olivier Busquet commented from the booth. Indeed, according to the PokerNews Odds Calculator, Haxton was a 56.76% favorite while Tran would come from behind 42.86% of the time. The 9?K?Q? flop was kind to Tran, and he became a 3-1 favorite.
The 8? turn left Haxton in need of either a ten or jack �C cards that would come 13.64% of the time �C but the 7? ended up blanking on the river. Haxton, who was the chip leader with five left, fell on the $243,180 bubble.
��You show up for a 20 player tournament, you��re going to bubble it one in 20 times,�� Haxton said in his post-elimination interview. ��So I��m content with what I did.��
Glantz Gone: Matt Glantz moved all in for 262,000 from the small blind with the 10?8? and Jeff Gross, who looked down at the A?6? in the big blind, made the call. The A?8?7? flop gave both players a little something, but Gross�� aces kept him in the lead. The 9? turn gave Glantz an open-ended straight draw, but he missed it when the 4? blanked on the river. The one-time chip leader hit the rail in fourth place and took home $243,180 for his efforts.
��It was a great time, a great experience with Alpha8,�� Glantz said in an interview after being eliminated. ��A bunch of real great guys played this event�� this was a more challenging experience.��
Gross vs. Tran: In the very next hand on the broadcast, JC Tran, who was a World Series of Poker November Niner at the time, opened for 35,000 from the small blind with the K?5? and Jeff Gross defended with the 10?9?. The 10?9?A? flop was an action-packed one, which was evidenced when Tran led out for 41,000 and Gross popped it to 112,000. Tran shoved all in for 448,000 and Gross made a quick call.
The 7? turn gave Tran the nut flush, and all he had to do was avoid a ten and nine on the river to double through. That��s exactly what he did too when the Q? blanked. Tran doubled to 972,000 while Gross was left on a short stack.
Gross Gobbled Up by the Silver Man: A couple of hands later, Jeff Gross got his last 245,000 all in holding the K?10? only to run into the A?K? of Steven Silverman, who moved all in over the top. The A?8?2? flop put Gross in an even worse spot, but he picked up lady outs when the J? appeared on the turn. Unfortunately for him, the K? on the river wasn��t what he was looking for. Gross exited in third place for over $364,770, his largest career score.
��I think I ran ok, and I think I played well. I��m happy,�� Gross said. ��Amazing tournament. I��m going to try to play all the Alpha8s this year.��
Boys and their Toys: After coming back from an early commercial break, Lynn Gilmartin took a canal cruise to check out the fancy houses along Millionaire��s Row.
Florida��s Final Hands: In what would be the penultimate hand of the tournament, JC Tran opened for 40,000 with the A?J? only to have Steven Silverman three-bet to 135,000 with the 9?9?. Tran thought for a bit before moving all in for 1.205 million and Silverman called off for 889,000. The board ran out 4?7?5?4?5?, and Silverman doubled into a massive chip lead.
The next hand he moved all in with the Q?9? and Tran called off his last 313,000 with the Q?8?. Tran had some kicker issues, but he resolved them when the 8?10?5? flop delivered him an eight. Unfortunately for him it was only temporary as the 9? appeared on the turn to pair Silverman��s nine. The Q? rive gave both two pair, but Silverman��s was best to give him the title and $891,660 first-place prize. Meanwhile, Tran took home $426,890 for his runner-up finish.
That does it for my recap of the Alpha8 Florida $100K. I hope you enjoy, and remember to check your local listings and set your DVRs if you want to catch more great Alpha8 action moving forward.
*Pictures courtesy of World Poker Tour.
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