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How the match was won

Comment: 0 July 27th, 2011 by: admin

For any poker player, learning from the pros and masters is an excellent way to understand the intricacies of the delicate game.

Looking back at some of the most famous matches can hone your skills and give insights on how to gain advantage the next time you sit on the table.

Take a cue from these highlight matches and strategies that brought sweet victory. Each one has been deemed legendary for a reason: a combination of uncommon nerve and skill that literally paid off in the end.

COHEN OUTWITS FIELD
European Poker Tour
2011

Frenchman Lucien Cohen bested an 891-strong field and outwitted Sweden’s Martin Jacobson, winning €888,000 and a slot in the EPT Finals.

TURNING POINT:

Cohen had a key hand after Alex Wice flushed Anthony Hnatow and his pocket aces to seventh place. Cohen chipped up after doubling through Wice with a turned full house. Jacobson doubled through Julien Claudepierre and stripped chips off Cohen, returning to second place.

With a river 10, Wice’s pocket tens beat Kenny Hallert’s fours. After Hallert went Kaspars Renga via Jacobson. Wice’s Q-J eliminated Claudepierre’s A-5. Facing Wice, Cohen was ready.

STRATEGY:

Cohen’s heads-up strategy was the decisive ploy. He reraised from the big blind with pocket queens and soon all chips were in the middle. Wice’s A-Q fell to Cohen’s queens, eliminating him from the game.

Finally facing Jacobson, Cohen took the lead with $20M to Jacobson’s $6.5M, thanks to his pocket kings.

Cohen, showing nerves of steel, widened the gap to a 5-to-1 chip advantage. He called Jacobson’s last stand – 7-hearts 6-hearts – with Ace of spades and King of diamonds.

With this, Cohen became the first Frenchman to win the event.

 

MCADAMS REIGNS IN MANCHESTER
Grosvenor UK Poker Tournament
2011

Peter McAdams beat a 207-strong field making him the tournament’s first champion.

TURNING POINT:

McAdams’s win began with Lawrence Gosney’s elimination to 8th place. Gosney received no action moving in with Aces preflop; McAdams challenged his K-T with a suited A-J, making a flush for good measure.

With 1.3 million, Dan Charlton took a dinner break, avoiding a skirmish where McAdams and Allan McLean doubled through, eventually shoving Dan Brown to 4th place.

STRATEGY:

McAdams’ heads-up strategy was his aggressiveness. Varying his plays, he baffled his rival’s reads and value betting. He flashed the A-9, beating McLean’s pocket threes. Holding less than a big blind, McLean was eventually eliminated.

The McAdams-Charlton finale took minutes. The deciding hand was an all-in on a nine-high flop, where McAdams’ pocket kings beat Charlton’s 9-8.

The next hand, Charlton pushed in his remaining chips, landing them in McAdam’s hands. McAdams took the trophy and the £58,100 prize.