$2,500 High Roller
Day 1 Completed
August 2019 Colorado Poker Championship
$2,500 High Roller
Day: 1
Level 20
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The August 2019 Colorado Poker Championship (CPC) culminated on Wednesday with the $2,500 High Roller event. After last year’s edition saw 32 runners participate, the 2019 version received a total of 49 entries, a more than 50-percent increase. That generated a total prize pool of $115,150.
The tournament boasted an excellent structure that resulted in over 15 hours of play before a winner was declared. When the final hand was dealt, Matt Livingston was the player with all the chips, earning a $40,300 first-place prize to go along with the acclaim of being the CPC High Roller champion.
Livingston, a Windsor, Colorado resident with over $740,000 in lifetime earnings entering the day, had made several final tables in CPC High Roller events already in his career. However, he had never finished deep enough to make it into the money. He spoke before the tournament about one such time where he had one-third of the chips in play when the unofficial final table of nine was reached. From there, he was unable to make any hands and found himself dry on chips prior to the bubble bursting.
Today was a different story. Livingston was able to accumulate chips early, increasing his starting stack of 40,000 by nearly 25 percent during the first two hours of play, a time when starting stacks ranged from 200-400 big blinds in depth. From there, he continued to chip up through aggressive play, showing a three-bet bluff with ace-king high on a nine-nine-four flop to bring him up to 60,000.
After the dinner break following Level 9, Livingston’s stack grew to 160,000, where he found himself as the chip leader in the tournament at the end of Level 12. By the time the unofficial final table of nine was reached in Level 15, his stack had eclipsed 400,000 and he found himself with over 20 percent of the chips in play.
$2,500 High Roller Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Livingston | $40,300 |
| 2 | Danny Gonzales | $28,790 |
| 3 | Jon Cohen | $20,730 |
| 4 | Bobby Opila | $14,970 |
| 5 | Mansour Alipourfard | $10,360 |
Final Table Action
When the final nine were reached, four more eliminations were still needed to make it down to the money. On the first hand after the redraw, Rich Dixon ran top two pair of kings and queens into Mansour Alipourfard’s flopped set of fives, leaving him with two big blinds. He busted on the next hand and it would be another hour until eighth-place finisher Anthony Martinez was eliminated after finding himself short, running his pocket threes into the pocket jacks of Jon Cohen.
Thomas Heine was the next to go, taking seventh place after he unsuccessfully three-bet all in with nine-three suited. Danny Gonzales was the original raiser in the hand and was happy to get stacks in with his pocket aces, which held to send Heine on his way.
This brought the field down to six, putting the tournament onto the bubble. Bubble play lasted for two full 40-minute levels, with Livingston taking full advantage of the situation. During those two levels, he eclipsed the 1 million-chip mark, reaching 1.16 million when he knocked out Erik Macias in sixth place after hitting a wheel with ace-five to Macias’ ace-six, taking the tournament into the money.
Shortly after the bubble burst, Alipourfard (5th place - $10,360) and Bobby Opila (4th place - $14,970) were eliminated within a five-minute span, when Alipourfard’s king-jack suited was unable to top Gonzales’ ace-queen and Opila’s ace-seven remained no good against Livingston’s Big Slick.
Three-handed play began with Livingston in possession of 1.4 million, over 70 percent of the chips in play. Gonzales was second in chips with 367,000 and Cohen had the remaining 186,000. The three battled without anybody gaining much ground until the blinds went up and Cohen found himself short. He got his last 92,000 in with ace-eight, only to find himself up against Livingston’s ace-jack. His hand remained second best and he was eliminated in third place ($20,730).
Livingston then found himself with a chip advantage of 1.617 million to 343,000 entering heads-up play. Over the course of the 25-minute heads-up match, he ground Gonzales down to a 10-to-1 chip lead before doubling him up with ace-ten to pocket fours. He kept grinding away, getting him back to below 15 big blinds before getting all in with ace-six to Gonzales’ ace-nine. By the turn, Livingston had a six-high straight with a nut flush draw, leaving Gonzales drawing to two outs to a chop in order to stay alive. He was unable to do so, becoming the runner up of the tournament as Livingston was crowned champion.
Level 20
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Danny Gonzales opened to 30,000 in the small blind and Matt Livingston piled in all of his chips, putting Gonzales to a decision for his tournament life.
"Wow, this is the first decision in either direction that hasn't been a snap-," said Livingston.
After another 10 seconds, Gonzales dropped the chips that were in his hand into the pot.
Danny Gonzales: 
Matt Livingston: 
Livingston shrugged in a way of giving credit to Gonzales upon seeing that he got it in bad. The flop came 
to give Livingston outs at both the nut flush and a straight. The turn 
brought Livingston a six-high straight, leaving Gonzales to one of the only two non-spade sixes left in the deck to chop. He was unable to hit as the river fell 
and the two shook hands as the tournament came to an end with Gonzales finishing in second place, earning a payday of $28,790 in the process.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,960,000
320,000
|
320,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 20
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
After doubling up Danny Gonzales, Matt Livingston has been back on the grind, winning a few small pots. The most recent hand saw Livingston open from the small blind to 25,000. Gonzales defended.
The flop fell 
and Gonzales checked to Livingston, who made a continuation-bet of 25,000 and quickly got a fold from Gonzales, earning the pot as Gonzales' cards hit the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,640,000
104,000
|
104,000 |
|
|
320,000
-104,000
|
-104,000 |
Level 20
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Matt Livingston limped from the small blind and Danny Gonzales announced he was all in. Livingston called.
Danny Gonzales: 
Matt Livingston: 
The two were in a coin flip situation with Gonzales at risk for his tournament life and Livingston on the other side of the coin looking for victory. The flop came 
to give Livingston four more outs to a gutshot plus three more outs at counterfeiting Gonzales' fours to a higher two pair. Gonzales was able to fade it all as the turn 
and river 
fell in rapid succession, earning the double of his 209,000 in chips and reducing the deficit to less than four-to-one.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,536,000
-257,000
|
-257,000 |
|
|
424,000
257,000
|
257,000 |
Level 20
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
After winning a couple small pots, Matt Livingston now has Danny Gonzales down to only 14 big blinds in his stack.
Gonzales completed his small blind and Livingston checked his option. The flop came 
and Livingston checked. Gonzales put out a bet of 25,000 and Livingston announced he was all in after about 15 seconds. Gonzales quickly folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,793,000
176,000
|
176,000 |
|
|
167,000
-176,000
|
-176,000 |
Level 20
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
After losing a couple small pots to begin the heads-up match, Danny Gonzales raised his option to 37,000 after Matt Livingston completed from the small blind. Livingston called.
The flop came 
and Gonzales fired a continuation-bet of 40,000 into the middle. Livingston folded and Gonzales took down the pot.
Level 20 now shows 19 minutes on the clock, meaning it is halfway done. With heads-up play having began this level, any future levels will be reduced to 30 minutes in length.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,617,000
17,000
|
17,000 |
|
|
343,000
-17,000
|
-17,000 |
Level 20
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
On the very next hand, Jon Cohen was all in from the small blind versus Matt Livingston, who was on the button.
Jon Cohen:
Matt Livingston:
"Run good," Cohen said aloud as he realized he was dominated, at risk for his tournament life. The runout came 
and he was unable to improve beyond Livingston's pair of aces with a jack kicker when the hand was finished to finish the tournament in third place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,600,000
104,000
|
104,000 |
|
|
360,000
-18,000
|
-18,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 20
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Danny Gonzales opened to 25,000 on the button and was called by Jon Cohen, defending his big blind.
The flop came 
and Cohen checked. Gonzales slid out a stack of red T5,000 chips, putting Cohen to the test for his last 92,000. Cohen folded and Gonzales added the chips to his stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
378,000
37,000
|
37,000 |
|
|
92,000
-31,000
|
-31,000 |
|
|
||
Level 20
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Danny Gonzales raised to 26,000 in the small blind and Matt Livingston defended, bringing the flop 
. Gonzales checked. Livingston bet 25,000 and Gonzales put out chips to call.
The turn fell 
and Livingston saw Gonzales check to him again. He bet 41,000 and Gonzales thought for about 25 seconds before letting his hand go.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,496,000
89,000
|
89,000 |
|
|
341,000
-26,000
|
-26,000 |
|
|
123,000
-63,000
|
-63,000 |
|
|
||