PokerStars SuperStar Showdown: Haxton Makes Comeback to Edge Out Blom
Last Sunday, the SuperStar Showdown returned to PokerStars after a nine-month hiatus. Viktor Blom squared off against Isaac "philivey2694" Haxton, who was his opponent in the first SuperStar Showdown match in Dec. 2010. Haxton won $41,701 in that meeting, but was off to a rough start on Sunday, down nearly $100,000 just 692 hands into the 2,500-hand match.
It was at that point that troubling weather in Malta interrupted Haxton’s Internet connection and forced the match to be postponed until 14:00 EST (18:00 GMT) Tuesday. When action recommenced, Haxton started in a $99,886 hole, but had 1,808 hands to make a comeback.
The two were playing $100/$200 no-limit hold’em, and it didn’t look good for Haxton out of the gates. According to the PokerStars Blog, one hand that helped him rebuild began when Blom ($78,363) opened for $600 on the button and Haxton ($21,947) three-bet to $2,100. Blom made the call and then called a bet of $2,500 on the 2♥6♣5♦ flop. When the 6♦ appeared on the turn, Haxton fired out $5,520, Blom called, and the Q♥ was put out on the river. Haxton bet again, this time moving all in for $11,827, and Blom opted to make the call with A♣Q♣ for a rivered pair of queens. Haxton showed J♠J♣ and watched the $43,894 pot pushed to the Swede.
From there, things turned around for Haxton, who won back $50,000; however, his momentum was halted shortly thereafter when a monster pot developed. It happened when Blom opened for $600 and then called Haxton’s three-bet to $2,200. The latter then led out for $2,640 on the Q♣4♣A♥ flop, Blom called, and the J♥ was put out on the turn. Haxton kept the pressure on with a bet of $7,100, again Blom called, and the 6♠ peeled off on the river. Haxton fired out $18,590, and was snap-called by Blom, who turned over J♣J♦ for a set. Haxton showed 8♥5♥ as he watched the $61,060 pot pushed to his opponent. At that point, about the halfway point of the match, Haxton was down almost $118,000.
Over the course of the next 500 hands, things went Haxton’s way and he chipped away at Blom’s profit, bringing it all the way down to $49,775. It was at that point that Haxton ($92,225) min-raised to $400 from the button, Blom ($32,700) called and the flop fell Q♠8♦A♥. Blom checked, Haxton bet $400, and Blom check-raised to $1,600. After Haxton made the call, the 3♣ hit the turn, prompting Blom to lead out for $3,250. Again Haxton called, leading to the 6♠ turn, then Blom move all in for $27,550. Haxton snapped and showed 8♥8♠ for a set, which crushed Blom’s J♣10♥. With that $65,600 pot, Haxton pulled within $8,000 of being even.
Not long after, Haxton seized the lead and even extended it to nearly $79,000, which was to be his highpoint. This is when the biggest pot of the day developed. It began when Haxton ($138,275) opened for $400, Blom ($47,400) three-bet to $1,600, and Haxton four-bet $4,000. Blom made the call, and then check-called a bet of $4,000 on the 8♦7♣Q♦ flop. The 7♦ turn saw Blom check-call another bet, this time $10,400, before the 3♠ was put out on the river. Blom checked, Haxton moved all in, and Blom called off his remaining $29,100, creating a $94,000 pot. Haxton revealed J♦6♦ for a flush, but it was no good against the Q♠7♠ full house of Blom.
After that monster pot, Haxton was up a mere $363 with less than 100 hands remaining. Both players took turns winning pots, but in the end Haxton emerged the winner with just $5,093 in profit.
SuperStar Showdown Breakdown
| Date | Opponent | Profit/Loss | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 19, 2010 | Isaac "philivey2694" Haxton | -$41,701 | 0-1 |
| Jan. 2, 2011 | Antanas “Tony G” Guoga | +$44,280 | 1-1 |
| Jan. 30, 2011 | Daniel “w00ki3z” Cates | +$51,196 | 2-1 |
| Feb. 13, 2011 | Eugene “MyRabbiFoo” Katchalov | +$111,750 | 3-1 |
| Feb. 27, 2011 | Attila “DodgyFish72” Gulcsik | +$10 | 4-1 |
| March 20, 2011 | Daniel “KidPoker” Negreanu | +$150,000 | 5-1 |
| March 27, 2011 | Daniel “KidPoker” Negreanu | -$26,500 | 5-2 |
| April 3, 2011 | Scott “urnotindangr” Palmer | -$5,425 | 5-3 |
| April 10, 2011 | Scott “urnotindangr” Palmer | +$66,607 | 6-3 |
| April 24, 2011 | "Mastermixus" | +$1,279 | 7-3 |
| June 19, 2011 | Rui "PepperoniF" Cao | +$150,000 | 8-3 |
| March 11, 2012 | Isaac "philivey2694" Haxton | -$5,093 | 8-4 |
| March 18, 2012 | Andrew “Kanu7” Millar | ??? | ??? |
Total SuperStar Showdown Profit to Date: $496,403
The next SuperStar Showdown match will take place this Sunday, March 18 at 12:00 p.m. EDT against high-stakes no-limit hold’em specialist Andrew “Kanu7” Millar.
For more information, visit the PokerStars Blog.
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