2015 $50,000 Poker Players' Championship Final Table set

**JAKEPEAVY21** · 06-25-15, 10:45 AM

rooting for dan kelly..kid is a sicko and named after sbr's own

**SharpAngles** · 06-25-15, 11:03 AM

The odd one out at the final table is Jean-Robert Bellande, one of the most colorful characters in poker.
"And then there's Bobby, the wild card; flatting bets in limit hold'em, drawing three in badugi and betting pot in PLO," Baker said. "We're just going to have to see what develops with him, but everyone else has played real solid."

Merciers bust out hand:

6/25/2015 1:19:43 AM PST (about 8 hours and 40 minutes ago)

Jason Mercier Eliminated in Seventh Place ($139,265)

Badugi
Action folds around to Jason Mercier on the button. He tells the table he has 144,000 total, and puts in a raise to 100,000. Mike Gorodinsky folds his small blind, and Jean-Robert Bellande calls from the big blind.
Bellande draws three, and Mercier draws one. Bellande checks, and Mercier bets all in for 44,000. Bellande calls and draws one. Mercier stands pat. Bellande then stands pat on the last draw. Mercier thinks for a minute, then stands pat as well, and the cards are tabled.
Bellande:
Mercier:
Bellande wins with his ten badugi. Jason Mercier is eliminated in seventh place, earning $139,265.
With Mercier's elimination, the remaining six players will bag up their chips for the night, and the official final table will restart Thursday at 2 p.m. on the ESPN Main Stage.

Jean-Robert Bellande - 2,188,000
Jason Mercier - Eliminated

I'm by no means a badugi expert but this is just dumb play by JRB unless he had 4 dueces or something similar. Call an effective allin and draw 3?!?! And people thought only SBR deals out sick hands.

**PhilTheTHRILL** · 06-25-15, 12:34 PM

Hellmuth is in FT contention with 41 players left in event #47. That could be interesting.

**GUMMO77** · 06-25-15, 01:33 PM

I'll watch a good portion of the final table while I do work (thanks iPad+Apple TV). I'm disappointed that neither Cassidy or Mercier made the finale table, and a bit shocked about Bellande being their. But hey, if you can take three cards in Badugi and stand pad after the second draw, then maybe the poker gods are on your side.

I actually don't know much about Sulsky other than he is some big-time cash game player online.

**SharpAngles** · 06-25-15, 03:38 PM

Sulsky a nice horse to take it down but I think whoever stacks JRB in a NL game will be the one to beat. It'll probably be him or Bakes based on the positions.

**SharpAngles** · 06-25-15, 04:09 PM

Shuffle Up and Deal
The cards are in the air, and the final table is under way.
There are almost 15 minutes left in Level 20, and they're starting with the last hand of badugi.
<center>

Game Type	Antes in NLH, NL2-7, and Stud Games	Low/High CardorSmall Blind	CompletionorBig Blind	Limits
Limit Flop/Draw Games	-	25,000	50,000	50,000/100,000
Stud Games	10,000	15,000	50,000	50,000/100,000
No-Limit/Pot-Limit Games	6,000 (NLH/2-7)	12,000	24,000	-

</center>

**Optional** · 06-25-15, 04:24 PM

thanks for the heads up

**thechaoz** · 06-25-15, 04:33 PM

Bellande is so broke ir would be a nice score...unfortunately he has a very small part of himself

**Optional** · 06-25-15, 04:38 PM

I bet that dude at the end of the table in the open checked shirt and wife beater smells bad.

**SharpAngles** · 06-25-15, 04:45 PM

2 takeaways so far...

1. Nick Schulman is the nuts as an analyst.

2. I want to hunt down JRB and play as many hands of Stud8 as possible.

Originally posted by thechaoz

Bellande is so broke ir would be a nice score...unfortunately he has a very small part of himself

Good thing he's probably sold 200% of himself in this one.

**RudyRuetigger** · 06-25-15, 04:59 PM

Ok pal whatever you say

**SharpAngles** · 06-25-15, 05:37 PM

First interesting hand.

Sulsky Raises River
Omaha Hi-Lo
Jean-Robert Bellande opens the cutoff and finds calls from Ben Sulsky on the button, David "ODB" Baker in the small blind, and Dan Kelly in the big blind. The dealer fans a flop and Baker leads out with a bet. Kelly folds while both Bellande and Sulsky call.
The turn is the and Baker slows with a check. Bellande takes this opportunity to cut out a bet. Sulsky calls and Baker gets out of the way.
The falls on fifth street and Bellande bets out once more. Sulsky goes into the tank for about 90 seconds before coming out with a raise. This causes Bellande to stir in his seat before finally leaning back and taking a sip of his drink.
"Pocket five?" Bellande asks out loud as he continues to ponder his action.
In the end, Bellande throws his cards away, flashing the for trips.
"Alright, man," says Bellande. "Good hand. If that was a bluff then you deserve it."
Ben Sulsky - 1,310,000
Jean-Robert Bellande - 2,430,000

I get the sense that Sulsky read Bobby like a book and had him on a naked 3. Too bad theres no hole cards but it makes sense with JRB checking his phone every 5 minutes.

**SharpAngles** · 06-25-15, 08:52 PM

JRB steamrolling this thing despite playing pretty soft and passive. Leads by 3 million chips going into 4 handed. How many times can he draw on these guys and hit?

**SharpAngles** · 06-25-15, 10:45 PM

Bellande Scoops the Last Pot of the LevelThursday, June 25, 2015 8:08 PM PST (about 31 minutes ago)
Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo

David Baker is the bring-in with the 6h , and he tries to complete for the full amount, but Jean-Robert Bellande already has completion chips in the pot with the Ks. Either way, they both put in the 100,000.

Bellande: (X)(X) Ks / 7d / 6d / 9h(X)
Baker: (X)(X) 6h / 5s / 10h / 10c(X)

They both put another 100,000 chips in on fourth street, though it's not clear who does the betting. On fifth, Bellande bets the 200,000, and Baker raises to 400,000. Bellande calls. Baker pairs his tens on sixth and bets again, and Bellande calls again. On seventh, Baker checks, and Bellande bets the last 200,000. It takes a long while for Baker to make up his mind, standing from his chair and talking to himself as he deliberates. Finally, he calls.

Bellande shows (10d 9s) (8c) for the ten-high straight, and Baker mucks.

Jean-Robert Bellande - 5,340,000
David Baker - 1,500,000

LOL wow JRB runs good

**SharpAngles** · 06-25-15, 10:52 PM

Haha Bakes gets his revenge

David Baker Triples UpThursday, June 25, 2015 8:45 PM PST (about 4 minutes ago)

Limit 2-7 Triple Draw

Mike Gorodinsky raises to 240,000 from the button, opening a can of worms. Jean-Robert Bellande reraises to 360,000 in the small blind, and David Baker makes it four bets for 480,000 in the big. Gorodinsky caps it at five bets for 600,000, and Bellande and Baker call.

Bellande is pat, Baker draws one, and Gorodinsky draws two. Bellande bets the first 120,000, and Baker raises all in for 210,000. Gorodinsky calls, and Bellande reraies to 330,000 total. Baker is officially at risk, and Gorodinsky calls the extra bet. The draws repeat with the three players drawing pat-one-two. Bellande bets, and Gorodinsky calls. They're still drawing the same pat-one-two on the last round, and Bellande checks. Gorodinsky checks behind.

Gorodinsky's Q 8 7 5 2 is third best, so he doesn't factor into the outcome of the hand. Bellande tables 9 7 6 4 3 to claim the side pot, and Baker is now drawing for his tournament life. He tables his first four while he stands up to squeeze: 8 5 4 3.

When he peeks at his card, Baker likes what he sees.

"You're live?" Bellande asks?

"Very live," Baker answers.

"Oh no. Very live?"

"Very live. Two thirds. It's three-across hearts." Baker knows that he has either the five, six, or seven of hearts, and two of those are winners. He takes a deep breath and slams over his river. It's the 6! Baker pumps his fist, tripling up with .

David Baker - 2,790,000
Jean-Robert Bellande - 5,270,000
Mike Gorodinsky - 4,540,000

**playersonly69** · 06-25-15, 10:56 PM

I love 2-7 triple draw. I have finished in the money on all 3 times that I have played in exclusive 2-7 triple draw tournaments.

A few times in mixed game tournaments I didn't make the money though

**GUMMO77** · 06-25-15, 11:13 PM

Down to Gordo and JRB. I still think Gordo has the edge in this. JRB got extremely lucky in Stud8 winning with a pair of 4's against Baker.

Anyway, it's been a good tournament.

**SharpAngles** · 06-25-15, 11:59 PM

JRB getting a rush in the flop games but I have a feeling Gordo is finishing him in one of the stud rounds.

**SharpAngles** · 06-26-15, 10:59 AM

Mike Gorodinsky has just joined one of the most elite clubs in poker. After five days, Gorodinsky bested a field of 84 of the best poker players in the world to win the 2015 Poker Players' Championship. In addition to his second career WSOP bracelet and the $1,270,086 first-place prize, Gorodinsky will have his name inscribed on the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy. His is only the ninth name in history to be etched upon it.

"I feel amazing," Gorodinsky said after his victory. "This is literally something that I’ve gone to bed dreaming about, and it’s just cool to legitimately realize a dream. So it’s just an amazing day. An amazing five days. "

Before winning the bracelet, Gorodinsky faced a tough heads-up contest against Jean-Robert Bellande. Heads-up play began at roughly 9:00 p.m. Thursday night. Mike Gorodinksy held a slight chip lead over Jean-Robert Bellande, about 7,500,000 to 5,000,000. Gorodinsky quickly extended his lead, gaining a 3-1 edge over Bellande. But Bellande fought back, and after about an hour the stacks were pretty even. There was a break at that point, and when play resumed, Gorodinsky regained his lead.The two players traded the chip lead several times over the next few hours, and Gordinsky finally emerged victorious at about 12:30 a.m.

This may be been a bit of deja vu for the final two players. Gorodinsky's first major tournament victory came five years ago in an eight-game mix event, and Bellande finished runner-up to him. Today, history repeated itself.

Mike Gorodinsky already had one WSOP bracelet on his resume before today, and he’s in the midst of a remarkable World Series. His victory today is his third top-three performance of the 2015 summer. He finished second in the Razz Championship, third in the $5000 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em event, and just barely missed the final table in the Stud Championship. He remained humble despite this success, but also recognized that he's put a lot of work into achieving his impressive results. "I’d like to think that I’m playing really great, that I’m making all the right decisions. But you know, the cards are hitting me in the face. I’m running really good. And I’ve been really focused on playing, I’ve been putting in my hours, and it’s paying off."

Here are the full results from the 2015 Poker Players Championship:

1 – Mike Gorodinsky – $1,270,086
2 – Jean-Robert Bellande – $784,828
3 – David "ODB" Baker – $514,926
4 – Ben Sulsky – $353,928
5 – Chris Klodnicki – $251,314
6 – Dan Kelly – $184,222
7 – Jason Mercier - $139,265
8 – Shawn Buchanan - $139,265
9 – Abe Mosseri - $110,073
10 – Justin Smith - $110,073
11 – John Racener – $87,010
12 – Matthew Ashton – $87,010

**SharpAngles** · 06-26-15, 11:08 AM

Am I the only one that thinks Gordo deserves extra POY points for having to play heads up against Hellmuth and JRB in a 2 week span? Dealing with Phil's massive ego and then Bobby's non stop chirping has to be worth a few extra points no question.

**GUMMO77** · 06-26-15, 11:15 AM

I would normally say yes about the extra POY points, but Gordo has that Russian blood and didn't give two fuks about Phil or JRB.

**SharpAngles** · 06-26-15, 01:02 PM

Agree that Gordo was cold as ice for the most part, but he did become visibly tilted after this exchange...

6/25/2015 11:17:41 PM PST (about 12 hours and 39 minutes ago)

Bellande Lands the First PLO Punch

Pot-Limit Omaha
Mike Gorodinsky raises to 200,000 on the button, and Jean-Robert Bellande defends his big blind.
They check through the flop and turn of the board, and the river brings the . Bellande bets the pot for 400,000, and Gorodinsky calls.
Bellande shows for tens full of kings, and Gorodinsky mucks.
Jean-Robert Bellande - 7,250,000
Mike Gorodinsky - 5,350,000

6/25/2015 11:25:15 PM PST (about 12 hours and 31 minutes ago)

"I Got a Text From Phil Hellmuth!"

"Hold up," remarks Jean-Robert Bellande during a hand of limit hold'em. "I got a text from Phil Hellmuth. I'm going to fold this hand and read it."
Bellande kicks his cards to the muck and reads the text aloud.
"Get 'em," says Bellande. "This would be an amazing win. Thanks Phil! I'm going to reply right now! Thanks Phil!"
Bellande beckons Tournament Director Robbie Thompson to take a photograph with his phone to send as a reply to Hellmuth. Bellande grins near his chip-leading stack of chips as Thompson obliges his request.

Red Bull Robbie was way out of line with the way he was treating JRB like they were best buddies and I don't blame Gordo for letting that get to him. Bobby went on a rush after and it almost looked like he had gotten into his head but JRB got too confident in himself and pissed the chips away. Very happy with the outcome here. Cant imagine a world with Bobby Bellandes name on the Chip Reese trophy.

**GUMMO77** · 06-26-15, 03:01 PM

Originally posted by SharpAngles

Very happy with the outcome here. Cant imagine a world with Bobby Bellandes name on the Chip Reese trophy.

No doubt.