AMERICAS 6-max
Day 2 Completed
2016 Global Poker League Week 9
AMERICAS 6-max
Day: 2
This first day of Week 9 of the Global Poker League, was a very good day for Jason Mercier. The New York Rounders player finished second in heat one of the Americas conference, before taking home the victory in the second match.
It looked like the second heat would start in the same fashion as the first one did. Xuan Liu was crippled in the beginning of the match, but unlike the heat before, she wasn't the first one to go.
She had some luck and doubled up a couple of times, before Scott Ball finished in sixth position. It wasn't really Ball's day and his final hand was an example of that. He made the right decision calling Kaverman's all-in with queen-five, but still lost to the jack-six of his opponent. Ball only scored two points for the Las Vegas Moneymakers. Leaving them dead last in the Americas conference, far away from the playoff spots.
Like Ball, Kitty Kuo couldn't get much going today. She scored her second fifth place finish of the day, when her sixes couldn't hold up against Maria Ho's queen-ten. Ho flopped quad tens and Kuo was on her way out.
Ho also eliminated Xuan Liu in fourth place. Liu called all-in with nine-ten but couldn't beat the queens Ho was holding. Like Ball and Kuo, Liu also scored two points today, but it was just enough to keep her Montreal Nationals on top of the leaderboard.
Maria Ho ended up third after losing two big pots against Jason Mercier. In the last hand, her 
was no competition for Mercier's 
, when the board ran out 
.
Mercier was heads up for the second time today. This time he took home the full seven points by beating Byron Kaverman thanks to a seven on the river. Kaverman got it all-in on a 
-flop while holding four-five. Mercier had four-eight and rivered a straight for the win.
Results GPL Match 120
| Place | Player | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Mercier | New York Rounders | 7 points |
| 2 | Byron Kaverman | Sao Paulo Metropolitans | 5 points |
| 3 | Maria Ho | LA Sunset | 3 points |
| 4 | Xian Liu | Montreal Metropolitans | 2 points |
| 5 | Kitty Kuo | San Francisco Rush | 1 point |
| 6 | Scott Ball | Las Vegas Moneymakers | 0 points |
There are no position changes in the Americas conference after today, but the top four teams are a lot closer together now. The Montreal Nationals hold on to their first position, but only with a three-point lead on the LA Sunset. The Sunset's are closing in on the top position, thanks to Maria Ho's ten points.
Jason Mercier helps his New York Rounders to a tied third place with the Sao Paulo Metropolitans of Byron Kaverman. The San Francisco Rush and Las Vegas Moneymakers are falling behind. They have to score big in the upcoming weeks to make it into the playoffs.
GPL Americas Conference League Standings
| Place | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montreal Nationals | 147 |
| 2 | LA Sunset | 144 |
| 3 | Sao Paulo Metropolitans | 120 |
| 3 | New York Rounders | 120 |
| 5 | San Francisco Rush | 107 |
| 6 | Las Vegas Moneymakers | 97 |
That's it for today's Global Poker League. Tomorrow we will be back with the coverage of three heads-up matches from the Eurasia conference. Play will commence at 12pm EDT (6pm CEST) with the heat between the Rome Emperors and the Hong Kong Stars. Followed by the Paris Aviators - Moscow Wolverines match and the battle between the London Royals and the Berlin Bears.
The heads up part of this last heat of the day didn't take long. There were already 12,800 chips in the middle and the -flop was dealt, when Byron Kaverman put in a bet of 3,900, holding 
. Jason Mercier, who had a big chiplead, decided to move in with his 
, for an overcard and a straight draw.
The turn was the 
which did no harm for Kaverman, but the 
landed on the river which gave Mercier the straight and the win in this heat.
Kaverman didn't manage to get a win today, but he still performed well for the Sao Paulo Metropolitans. He scored a third place and a second place collecting a total of eight points.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
150,000
39,000
|
39,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Winner of the first heat, Maria Ho, has just been eliminated in third place. Ho lost an all-in earlier against Jason Mercier and now she got her last 34,000 chips in with . Mercier held .
The flop gave Mercier top pair when the hit the felt, but Ho had a flush draw. The -turn wasn't a heart and neither was the -river.
Maria Ho was out in third place, but she scored a total of ten points for the LA Sunset in today's two heats. Bringing them very close to the top position in the Americas conference.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
111,000
77,320
|
77,320 |
|
|
||
|
|
39,000
-16,600
|
-16,600 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Xuan Liu was the shortest stack at the table with only 12,000 chips left. She decided she had to call with 
from the big blind, when Maria Ho shoved from the small blind.
Unlucky for Liu, Ho was holding 
. The board was an uneventful 
and Liu was out in fourth place.
She earned two points for the Montreal Nationals.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
61,500
12,839
|
12,839 |
|
Busted |
Jason Mercier first lost with 
against the 
of Maria Ho, when the board ran out 
giving Ho a flush.
He was left with only 16,000 chips in the 1,200/2,400-level, but doubled right back with 
against the 
of Byron Kaverman. The board bricked out and Mercier was back in the game.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
55,600
-10,323
|
-10,323 |
|
|
||
|
|
48,661
18,753
|
18,753 |
|
|
33,680
11,865
|
11,865 |
|
|
||
|
|
12,030
-16,416
|
-16,416 |
Kitty Kuo had just 9,000 in chips left and got it all-in with 
against the of Maria Ho.
Kuo was immediately drawing dead when the flop hit the table. Ho flopped quads on the 
-board. The on the turn and the -river where irrelevant.
Kuo raked in just one single point for the San Francisco Rush in this heat. She did the same in the first match by finishing fifth.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
29,908
5,803
|
5,803 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Scott Ball was one of the shorter stacks of the table with just 11,000 chips left in the 800/1,600-level. He was in the big blind with 
and decided he would call if Byron Kaverman shoved from the small blind.
"I think he's shoving extremely wide here, and he shoved six-eight earlier, so I'm definitely calling", Ball said.
Kaverman did shove with and indeed Ball called.
He had the best hand, but he was unlucky with the run out of the board. The 
-flop gave Kaverman a pair of jacks and that sealed the deal. Because neither the 
turn or the 
river could help Ball.
"This was not our day", was Ball's final comment before he left the table in sixth place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
65,923
26,117
|
26,117 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Apparently chipleader Byron Kaverman is sitting out the last couple of hands. He just missed out on pocket aces, which immediately disappeared in the muck.
Just 20-minutes ago it looked like Xuan Liu was leaving today heats with no points at all, but now she is second in chips in this heat.
Like last time, she had some help from kings on the board to give her a double up. With the big blind of 1,200, Liu shoved all-in for 12,948 with . Scott Ball re-pushed dominating Liu with his 
and the rest of the table folded.
Ball was in good shape, but the -flop put Liu in front. The turn sealed the deal, although Ball was thinking he could hit a flush for a second. The irrelevant tho and Liu doubled for the third time.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
28,446
15,446
|
15,446 |
|
|
23,395
-3,063
|
-3,063 |
|
|
||