We are following hand 104 of the November Nine, the blinds are 500,000 / 1 million plus 150,000 ante.
The field is very close together. Chipleader is the later winner, Qui Nguyen, who has 96,725 million (97BB) ahead of Cliff Josephy, who has 82,650 million (82BB).
Vojtech Ruzicka and Gordon Vayo are almost equal to 54.65 million (54BB) and 53.7 million (53BB), respectively. Michael Ruane is the 48.9 million (49BB) player with the fewest chips but has a very playable stack.
All players have at least $ 1,935 million sure, the next prize money goes to $ 2.57 million, and the winner gets a good $ 8 million.
The button raises Vayo to 2.3 million, whereupon Ruzicka in the small blind with
To 8.15 million.
Vayo calls, in the pot are 18.05 million, the effective stacks are 45.4 million.
The flop brings
Ruzicka puts another 6.15 million, Vayo calls. In the pot are 30.35 million, the effective stacks are 39.25 million.
The turn brings the
Ruzicka sets another 11.4 million, Vayo calls. In Pott are 53.15 million, the effective stacks are 27.85 million.
The River brings the
Ruzicka goes all-in with 27.85 million, Vayo calls and wins
And a set of the Pott and the Chiplead.
Shortly afterwards, Ruzicka is eliminated and has to be content with fifth place, while Vayo finishes second.
Analysis and evaluation
Of course, this hand had a huge impact on the tournament, and it was a reason why Gordon Vayo, who later met a set, finished second.
The key question, however, is whether Ruzicka played too risky here or whether his courageous game was the best option. Let’s go through the hand again to find out more.
Before the flop everything is quite normal. Vayo, of course, brings a raise from the button with many hands, so that does not tell much about his spectrum.
With AK, Ruzicka has a hand in the small blind that often dominates Vayo’s hands, like AQ, AJ or KQ and KJ.
In keeping with its bad position, the Czech Republic is very high here – more than three-and-a-half times.
For Vayo there is no reason to fold at this point. He has a pair that will be very difficult to play after the flop due to the high probability of over cards, but he also has position, and another point is for a call: he must be 5.8 million, and thus slightly more than one Tenth of his stack for a call so that he can play correctly on a set, which is revealed about every eighth time.
At the same time, this call from Ruzicka’s view narrows the opposing spectrum. He would certainly have folded a few steal hands, but many Broadway hands like KQ, KJ, QJ, AT, or middle to small pairs remain.
On the rather dry flop, which contains two crosses, Ruzicka brings the logical C bet. He has not hit anything, but he has a lot of hands against a tight player like Vayo, and he can take the pot with little risk.
In this respect, the height of the bet is not particularly important – with hands like AQ, KQ, JJ, TT or 99 as well as all flush draws Vayo continues to play, the weaker rest will fold.
When Vayo calls, this narrows his spectrum further. With a hand like KJ without two cross he would probably fold the same as with 77.
For this reason, sheets such as AQ, KQ, QJ, JJ, TT, 99, flush draws in cross, as well as the two monsters with 88 and 33, come into question.
On the turn, Ruzicka basically has to answer an ultimate question. Am I in an emergency ready to risk my entire stack?
So far, he has risked “only” 14 of his 54 million chips, but any further bet with his remaining 40 million forces him to go all-in on the river.
For another bet:
– Vayo is a tighter player
– Vayo’s spectrum contains some hands (JJ, TT, 99, perhaps even QT), which can get Ruzicka directly to the folder
– Ruzise’s range is very strong before the flop and bet on the flop and includes AA, KK, QQ and AQ.
Speaking for a Bet:
– Ruzicka has not to possibly represent the A ♣ later the nut flush
– If Ruzicka gives up now, his stack has not suffered much more damage.
When Vayo calls the new bet again, his spectrum has become smaller again. Now it contains only monsters, ladies with AQ to maximum QT and Flush Draws.
All or nothing on the river
After a totally meaningless card on the river, Ruzicka quickly decides to risk everything.
He has now invested almost half of his stack and previously the bets so portioned that he can still go with Fold Equity All-In.
Vayo can basically only call with two hands of his spectrum: 88 and 33.
Quite certainly a tighter player like him at this point would have given up all the ladies, even AQ, and resigned themselves with the loss of the half stacks.
Given and also because Vayo hands like A ♣ 8 ♣ may have or 9 ♣ 8 ♣, who have come to the river and now Ruzicka AK beat the bluff of the Czechs is absolutely correct.
In fact, he already made the decision to risk everything and attack the front ranks on the turn.
Mostly it would have gone well against this player and his spectrum, but Vayo just hit a set.
The financial implications can be read in the article by my colleague Arved Klöhn here.
With full risk, Vojtech Ruzicka takes the best-paid places of the WSOP Main Event and runs into a monster.
Gordon Vayo had a lot of luck in the hand as usual in the Main Event and had only to take the chips of his opponent.
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