$235 Tuesday Takeoff
Day 1 Completed
$235 Tuesday Takeoff
Day 1 Completed
Jason Somerville's Run It Up Reno got underway with the $235 Tuesday Takeoff, and 146 entries turned out to create a $29,200 prize pool. When the dust settled, local player Michael Cooper took the lion's share of a three-way chop for the majority of the prize money, banking $7,053 as fellow dealmakers Phillip Stumbo (officially second) and Alex Huot (third) each took $5,000.
The tournament reached the money bubble with 25 players left, and Run It Up architect Somerville found himself squarely in the hunt, grinding a short stack as the bubble burst. Some of the notable players who walked away empty-handed included Garry Gates, Brent Harrington, former The Big Game televised poker participant Nadya Magnus, and Survivor stars Stephen Fishbach and Tyson Apostol.
Somerville's run ended in 15th when he ran the into the of Stumbo, and when the final table kicked off, Cooper was the shortest stack with just eight big blinds.
He found a double with eight players left when he woke up with the after a slightly shorter-stacked Jeff Newman jammed on the button with the .
Meanwhile, Stumbo rocketed to the top of the counts when he won a three-way all in with queens against the jacks of Andy Peplinski and the of Lindsey Fross. That gave him about 40 percent of the chips with play six-handed, and he then sent Fross packing in short order.
Cooper was content to simply survive as more players hit the rail, and he had only 12 big blinds when three-handed play kicked off. When he doubled with the against the of Huot, the three talked a deal and an agreement was reached where $2,053 was left for the winner and everyone would walk away with $5,000.
Huot's was clipped by the of Stumbo all in preflop when the board ran out , and Stumbo had about a 2-1 lead heads-up. That didn't last long though, as Cooper came out firing, using aggressive preflop play that no doubt helped him win a $500 heads-up tournament at this very venue for $8,000 in October 2014.
Luck was on Cooper's side when he got the in after a flop against Stumbo's , finding a on the river after a turned to give him additional equity with the nut flush draw. That left Stumbo nearly felted and the remainder of the match didn't take long.
Michael Cooper limped the button and Phillip Stumbo checked his option in the big blind.
On the flop, Stumbo open-shoved his final 225,000 and Cooper snap-called.
Stumbo:
Cooper:
With Stumbo drawing to runner-runner, the and on the turn and river would see him eliminated in 2nd place for a $5,000 payday as Michael Cooper was crowned the $235 Tuesday Takeoff Champion!
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Michael Cooper |
2,336,000
1,656,000
|
1,656,000 |
Phillip Stumbo | Busted |
From the button, Phillip Stumbo committed his last 130,000 and Michael Cooper called.
Cooper:
Stumbo:
The board ran out and Stumbo doubled to 270,000.
Michael Cooper took command of the heads-up match with some strong preflop aggression to even things up and that continued when he made it 150,000 from the button. Phillip Stumbo called, and they took in a flop. Stumbo bet 150,000, and Cooper raised to 375,000. Stumbo wasted little time and moved all in.
"Shoulda kept it small," Cooper muttered to himself as he counted his remaining 500,000 or so. "If I fold, you'll have such a big chip lead on me."
He pushed his stack in.
Cooper:
Stumbo:
Stumbo's clubs served as blockers after the hit the turn to give Cooper more outs. The river was a , and Cooper took nearly all of Stumbo's stack.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Phillip Stumbo |
140,000
-1,350,000
|
-1,350,000 |
Level: 22
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 5,000
Phillip Stumbo raised to 60,000 preflop and Alex Huot moved all in next to speak for 600,000. Stumbo called and the cards were tabled.
Stumbo:
Huot:
The flop gave Stumbo additional outs, and when the landed on the turn he would take the lead.
With Huot now needing a fourth club to stay alive, the river landed the and he was sent to the rail in 3rd place for a $5,000 payday.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Phillip Stumbo |
1,490,000
610,000
|
610,000 |
Michael Cooper |
680,000
-365,000
|
-365,000 |
Alex Huot | Busted |
The players have come to an agreement to chop up the prize pool after a brief discussion. Each player will receive $5,000 in prize money. They're playing for the remaining $2,053 and the trophy.
From the button Alex Huot opened to 70,000 and Michael Cooper immediately responded with an all-in raise amounting to exactly 500,000. Once Phillip Stumbo folded in the big blind, Huot called.
Huot:
Cooper:
The board ran out and Cooper double to over one million as Huot slipped to 380,000.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Michael Cooper |
1,045,000
750,000
|
750,000 |
Alex Huot |
380,000
-745,000
|
-745,000 |
The cards are back in the air!