2016 WSOPC Caribbean: Martin Ryan Crowned PLO Champion!

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Nov 12, 2016 5 min read

Only 16 players returned to the tables of the Casino Royale in Sint Maarten for Day 2 of the $365 PLO Event #19 and Adrian Chandler was in the lead ahead of Martin Ryan. Three players from Trinidad & Tobago made the final table on Sint Maarten day, and it was Ryan (photo) who emerged victorious in heads-up against William Hicks after a steamrolling performance.

Ryan started on fire and took half the stack of Orlando Romero before Ben Beighle became the first casualty of the day. He came back as one of the shortest stacks and got it in with A♣K♣10♠5♣ against the A♦A♠9♠6♠ of Harold Mahaffey. There was no help on the board and that was it for Beighle. Dominik French followed next. He was left very short after Jacky Adda doubled through him and Ryan found aces to take his remaining few chips.

Romero got his chips in with middle-pair and an open-ended straight draw on the flop and Ryan looked him up with the same pair and an inferior gutshot only to make a flush with running clubs on turn and river. Adda followed next and of course it was once again Ryan who claimed the chips, reducing the field to the last 12. After a series of hands, both Christopher Staats and Jonathan Sellom were down to fewer than two big blinds and soon joined the rail to set up the bubble.

Darius Tamulevicius eventually ended up as the bubble boy in a battle of the blinds against Hicks. The Lithuanian got it in with J♣10♥8♣5♠ and Hicks called with the K♥Q♥8♠6♦. Hicks won the hand and Tamulevicius made his exit.

Augusto Cavazzini was the first player out in the money. He got it in with A♠K♠Q♦6♦ and Ryan called with Q♣J♣10♥7♥ to turn a flush and bust the Italian in ninth place. Aroon Maharaj followed in eighth place in a three-way all in. Chandler had doubled in a big pot against Hicks before and they saw a four-way limped pot. Maharaj had flopped top two with A♠Q♣6♥2♣ only to see Hicks show up with a set of queens. Chandler had aces and doubled Hicks in the very same hand.

William Cabre’s short stack ride ended in seventh place when he was at risk with the K♣Q♥J♠J♣ and got called by Hicks with A♠10♠6♦2♠. Cabre flopped top set, turned a straight and Hicks rivered a flush to claim the pot and send six players into the dinner break after.

What followed was half an hour of pure domination by Ryan to set a winner. Cedric Adam, son of Bounty Event winner Jean-Luc Adam, came back with the far shortest stack and first doubled before then busting against Ryan. He shoved a jack-high flop with kings and Ryan called with middle pair and a gutshot, then spiked two pair on the turn.

Chandler followed in fifth place when running with K♦10♦8♠7♥ into the aces of Ryan and Mahaffey stood no chance with A♦K♦Q♥6♥ against the A♣A♥10♦8♣ of Hicks. Down to three players, Robbie Bakker first doubled against Ryan before getting it in with top two soon after. Ryan called with a gutshot, turned a second gutshot and made a straight on the river.

Heads up lasted all but two hands and Hicks flopped trips fives only to find himself up against the flopped nut full house of Ryan on a king-high board. The one outer didn’t come and Hicks had to settle for second pair. Ryan, who had been building massive stacks in previous events before running out dry, scooped the first-place payout of $8,730 as well as a WSOP Circuit ring for Trinidad & Tobago.

Back to Hold'em

Day 1 of the $365 No Limit Hold'em Event #22 saw a field of 98 unique players and 23 re-entries to create a prize pool of $36,290, of which the top 12 were to be paid. After 15 levels of 30 minutes each, the field of hopefuls has been whittled down to the last 18 and George Griffith bagged up the most chips with 254,000. His nearest follower Timothy Cavallin (161,500) is also from Barbados while PLO champion Martin Ryan (114,000) follows in third.

Other big stacks and notables include Mohammed Elmazouni (113,500), Gerald Mortensen (107,000), Peter Lawson (61,500), Jacco van Limpt (57,000), Jason Rivkin (45,000), Jeffrey Colpitts (30,500) and Stevan Prager (27,500).

Many familiar faces of the festival thus far took part but failed to advance to Day 2 includingRobert Cheung, Bounty Event champion Jean-Luc Adam and his son Cedric, Attila Juhas, Six-Handed winner Michael Lech, Walter Treccarichi, Dominik French and Robbie Bakker.

By the time level seven had started, half of the field had already been sent to the rail. Treccarichi was all in short with ace-jack only to see Colpitts with kings and Lawson with aces wake up behind him. Bakker first lost a flip to double Philippe Louisia and then sent the remaining chips to the very same opponent with king-ten versus king-queen. Cedric Adam called a river jam by van Limpt with a pair of sevens, but the Dutchman had rivered an ace holding the ace-deuce.

Lech busted in a big pot against Griffith after four-betting six-nine suited preflop and then jamming second-pair on the flop only to get called by Griffith with king-queen for top pair. The player from Barbardos increased his lead after Louisia four-bet jammed ace-jack into his aces in the last two levels of the day. French flopped a flush with five-six suited and Elmazouni shoved into him with ace-nine for a gutshot and the nut flush draw - another club hit on the river.

The action will recommence tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. local time with the hunt for the top prize of $10,900 as well as the WSOP Circuit ring. As of 6 p.m. local time, the flagship event of the festival then finally kicks off with Day 1a of the highly anticipated $1,675 Main Event.

Several satellites awarded seats throughout the last week and the tournament boasts a guarantee of $250,000. There are two starting days on Nov. 12 and 13 and all players are allowed one re-entry per day, the starting stack is 20,000 chips. Each Day 1 will feature 11 levels of 40 minutes each, while the level duration then increases to 60 minutes as of Day 2 and for the final table on Nov. 15.

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