Party Poker Premier League IV, Heat 5; Ian Frazer Holds Off the Volatile Luke Schwartz
The PartyPoker Premier League IV is winding down to a final table after completion of the fifth of six heats on Tuesday. There was no lack of excitement at the M Resort and Casino as players all jockeyed for as many points as possible. When the dust settled and the final cards were dealt, it was one of the more subdued players in the field, Ian Frazer, who earned the win. The victory earned Frazer 16 points and positions him in fourth place in the overall standings.
Right on Frazer's heels in fifth place overall is the man he defeated heads up, Luke "FullFlush1" Schwartz. Schwartz, known for not being afraid to run his mouth, certainly put on a show for the cameras Tuesday. The deeper he got in the heat, the more vocal he became.
In one massive hand in which Schwartz held A♠6♣ on a A♣4♠2♠ board, Frazer check-raised all in with K♠6♠. "No Spade," screamed Schwartz, before the 8♠ was dealt on the turn. With the ace of spades in his hand, now Schwartz pleaded for a spade and offered up $550 to the dealer, before the 8♣ river hit. Schwartz then commented "It's too retarded," about the stuff that's been happening in the tournament. Giovanni Safina's translator and friend told Schwartz to "shut up," thinking the comment was directed at Safina, and the two began to argue. The tournament director had to step in to calm things down, but it should be noted that Schwartz did not direct that particular comment at his opponents.
Tuesday was also the day of the bike ― Tony G's new prop that he has been bringing around the circuit with him. Although Tony G didn't eliminate Yevgeniy Timoshenko (8th place), or Phil Hellmuth (7th place), he was persuasive in getting both players to hop on their bikes as they made their way out of the tournament area.
Hellmuth's exit is sure to make for great TV as he opened to 17,000 with A♥Q♣ only to see Luke Schwartz to reraise to 47,000 with A♣K♦. Hellmuth moved all-in for 223,000 and after a bit of talking to himself he made the call.
"What were you thinking?" Tony G asked. "Let's get the trike!" he said, in reference to the baby tricycle initially brought for Schwartz.
Schwartz then left the Revello Bar at The M Resort and Casino and went into the slot machine area before the flop was dealt. The production team had to go run and get him while everything was stalled until he came back. A few minutes went by and Hellmuth had to sit and wait the entire time.
"I won't ride the trike, but you can walk it next to me, Tony." Hellmuth said.
The board ran out J♠8♠6♠6♣A♠ and without Schwartz there, he won the pot and sent Hellmuth to the rail. Tony G ran and got the bike and Hellmuth got on it to be a good sport. Tony G chased him on the tricycle and they rode around the Ravello Bar.
Schwartz came back to the table and said, "I saw him on the bike and I knew it was good."
The rest of the eliminations were not nearly as entertaining, with J.C. Tran busting in sixth, Tony G in fifth, Daniel Negreanu in fourth, and Giovanni Safina in third. With one heat left to play before the finals, everyone in the field is still mathematically alive, so it will all come down to the action today at the M Resort to decide which players will move on to fight for the title on Thursday. Follow it all as it happens right here at PokerNews, and for a bit of color check out the Party Poker Blog as well.
Here's how the standings look now.
1. Phil Laak – 48 points
2. David Benyamine - 35 points
3. Giovanni Safina - 29 points
4. Ian Frazer – 26 points
5. Luke Schwartz – 23 points
6. JC Tran – 20 points
7. Yevgeniy Timoshenko – 16 points
8. Roland De Wolfe – 14 points
9. Vanessa Rousso – 12 points
10. Daniel Negreanu – 10 points
11. Tony G - 9 points
12. Phil Hellmuth - 8 points
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*Photo Credit - Mickey May, Matchroom Sports
