What follows is a log of FullTilt's MSOP ME covering the CPL's participation in the event - Mike and Phil both satellited their ways in and represented the CPL in this final main event.
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MSOP ME begins with 4142 players. First prize: a little over $73,000 with 585 total places paid out. Starting chip stack is 5000. Mike and Phil represent the CPL – they are seated at different tables.
Phil takes an early hit with A/J suited vs. Big Slick – he is down to 4400
16 minutes into tourney – Mike take the lead at his table with 5680 in chips
Phil hits a set of 4s – doesn’t get paid off too well, but is back to 4625.
Phil’s table sees an 11190 pot on the 16th hand with a board of 7/A/9/6/T and no flush possibility – 3 players all in. Two T high straights vs. a J high straight.
Phil’s playing way too tight – in the SB with Q/8 and three limpers – he folds. The flop is 8/8/4 rainbow. Winning hand is Aces up while Phil would’ve had a full house. Phil has played about 25% of hands after 20 or so hands – it looks like Mike is even tighter.
Hand 33 – Phil survives a cooler – with 4/4 in EP he limps in after the UTG limps, a MP player raises to 120, UTG puts in a large reraise. Phil folds. UTG has Q/Q vs. Big slick
Hand 37 – Mike pushed off his hand. He min raises to 100 in LP – only the SB called. On the flop the SB check raises Mike’s bet of 350 – Mike folds – He’s at 4950 in chips.
About hand 43 – Mike wins a pot of 375 after a preflop bet and a continuation bet on a flop of A/J/6 rainbow.
500 players have been eliminated – Mike has 5125 in chips and is in 1844th place, while Phil has 4717 in chips and sits in 2182nd. Both Phil and Mike seem to be seeing between 25-28% of the flops. It is 10 minutes to first break.
56 minutes in – Mike appears to own Dyonisos. Mike took down that 375 chip pot in hand 43 and just took another 510 off of him with a similar scenario and a flop of 7/A/4.
58 minutes – Mike just got knocked out. With three limpers and blinds at 30/60 Mike raised to 280 with big slick in the cutoff. The BB and all limpers call. The flop comes A/3/6 with two diamonds. The BB bets 1200, one limper folds the second one min raises to 2400 the next limper folds and Mike reraises to 5025 all-in. Both the BB and the other limper call. BB has K/Q of diamonds and limper has 6/6. Turn is a J of hearts and the river brings a T of diamonds. The BB wins the massive pot and Mike is out in 3499th.
59 minutes – Michael Craig is the first of 4 or 5 pros playing to be eliminated. Phil sat next to Michael in an earlier OH8 MSOP event. He outlasted Craig in that event too.
Just before break Phil takes a hit. UTG Phil min raises to 120 with 8/8. Folds all around to the BB who calls. The flop brings 3/2/T and two diamonds. BB checks and Phil bets 250 into a pot of 270 – the BB calls. The BB check calls the turn of 9 of hearts after Phil bets 560. On the river of 6 of hearts the BB leads out with a pot sized bet of 1890 – Phil goes in the tank. Takes 20 of his available extra 30 seconds and folds. He is down to 3877 in chips.
At break – Phil is in 2825th place of 3454 remaining.
First hand after break it’s a battle of the blinds against the same guy that just forced Phil to fold the hand before. Phil exercises his option in the BB with A/5 off and the blinds battle is on. The flop is 6/8/3 and both players check. The turn bring a 4 and the SB bets 160. Phil smooth calls on the draw. The river hits Phil’s draw as the 2 comes out. The SB checks – Phil bets 350 and the SB folds. Phil gets back 190 chips.
1 hr/23 – Pro Scott Fischman is eliminated.
1 hr/24 min – Phil has folded to aggression a couple of times, including with A/Q off when, after a standard raise to 240 a player two to the left reraised to 680. But he has taken down a couple of smallish pots with preflop raising. The fact that he’s only seen 24% of flops at this point likely helps that. He currently in 2419th of 3026 left with 3942 in chips.
1hr/ 30min – Pro “Mandy B” leads the tourney with 32365 in chips. Chris Klecz and Aaron Bartley are still alive as well.
1hr / 40 min – Mike stops by Phil’s table after having cooled off some.
1 hr/ 42 min- Phil avoids disaster again – blinds at 80/160. Phil put out a standard raise of 480 with 4/4 in MP. Two players later raises to 1400 and the next player goes all in for 7135. Phil folds and the first raiser calls all-in with A/K. He’s crushed by A/A and goes out. Phil survives with 3382 in chips left.
1 hr / 48 (100 hands in) – Phil is alive with $3042 in chips. He’s increased his flops seen to a whopping 25%. He’ll need to pick it up a little (and hit some cards) to make a run- he’s currently in 2368th of 2577.
Just before second break – Phil decides to fold A/8 off in the BB and lick his wounds during break after the cutoff raises to 540. Phil had call a raise and call with A/9 suited in the SB the hand prior and got nothing on the flop. He check/folded.
Second Break – Antes will kick in after break with blinds at 120/240 and a 25 ante. Phil is on life support with 1742 in chips and sits in 2271st place with 2303 remaining. He’ll be on the SB after break. He is still only seeing 24% of flops. We missed it, but Chris Klecz went out a while ago.
2 hr / 1 min – OTB, the second hand after break Phil wakes up with big slick. It’s folded around to him – and he moves all-in with his last 1572 in chips. The blinds fold.
2 hr / 3 min – Phil follows up three hands later by limping with K/J in MP. The button calls and the BB checks his option. The flop come out J high. The BB checks to Phil who bets 500 into the 900+ pot – the other players fold and Phil has increased his stack to 2712.
2 hr / 13 min – Phil survives half the field – barely. More than half the field has been knocked out – Phil has 1842 in chips and is in 2005th place with 2045 left.
2 hr / 19 min – Phil chips up (a little). In EP Phil limps in with K/Q (300 of his remaining 1577 in chips). Folds all around to the BB who checks his option. Flop is 6/7/J and is checked by both. Turn is a 6. The BB checks, Phil moves all-in for 1277 and the BB folds. Phil now has 2227.
2 hr / 22 min – In a battle of the blinds Phil limps and then takes down the pot. He stands at 2327 currently. He’s in 1738 of 1838 left.
2 hr / 24 – Phil disconnects with a set of 9s . After a limp in MP the flop comes out 9/5/6. The BB raises – Phil is set to move all in with his last 1400 when he disconnects. After reconnecting the player says he had 4/4. Early in the tourney Phil took 50 chips off the SB when the same thing happened to that player – not quite an even trade.
2 hr / 37 – Phil moves all-in in EP with A/3 suited – fold around to BB who is all in for 380 (blinds at 250/500). Phil flushes and moves his chip stack to 2407.
2 hr / 42 – More than a double up. Phil is in EP with Big Slick – UTG raises. Phil calls all-in. Folds all around to heads up. Initial raiser tables 8/8. Board runs out 9/9/K/J/6 and Phil now has 3814 in chips and is in 1282nd of 1340. Phil has been in full “Blind me Down” mode for some time and his flop % is down to 20%.
2 hr / 50 – Phil crippled. In MP and first to enter the pot, Phil moves all-in with A/9 off for his last 2739 in chips. The cutoff – shortest stack at the table – calls all-in for his last 2625 with 7/7. Phil has him covered in this race by 114 chips. It heads up and the board runs out J/3/7/6/3 – all blanks for Phil while giving the short stack a boat. Phil has 114 chips left.
2 hr / 51 – Phil is out the next hand. With only 39 chips left after the antes Phil calls (with J/2 off) the UTG player who moved all in for 7800. He’s hoping for protection and a heads up board. That happens and the UTG tables A/T off. A two comes out in the door but it’s followed with a T/Q. The turn is an A and Phil needs a K only on the river. When it comes up a 3 – Phil is eliminated in 1221st place.