Jason Mercier wins GPL Match 120, Scores Big for New York Rounders
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.