Poker News

Isildur1 Viktor Blom beat online qualifier DodgyFish72 in the SuperStar Showdown series on PokerStars last night...by one big blind.

The 20-year-old Swede emerged just $10 to the good after a rollercoaster clash, which he led by more than $10,000 at one stage.

The pair played 2,500 hands of heads-up no-limit across four tables with the blinds $5/$10.

Attila 'DodgyFish72' Gulcsik, from Hungary, won entry in an $11 satellite and was given $15k to play Isildur1 - all but $10 of which he now gets to keep.

The amateur started strongly, doubling up twice within the first 20 minutes as Blom came out all guns blazing.

But the pro started to dominate and he pulled level when holding pocket threes on table 4, he double up himself.

Blom opened for his standard 3x raise to $30 and Gulcsik three-bet to $110 with 8♦9♦. Blom called, hitting bottom set on the K♦9♠3♦ flop. Gulcsik led out for $125 with middle pair and a flush draw and Blom called. The turn was the T♥ and Gulcsik fired another $250. Blom called and Gulcsik moved in for $515 when the 8♣ on the river made him two pair and Blom called, taking down the $2,000 pot.

Two hours into the match, things went from bad to worse for Gulcsik. Holding Q♥8♥, Gulcsik opened for $20, Blom three-bet to $80 with A♣K♣, Gulcsik came back over the top for $230 and Blom called. The flop came down T♣3♦2♦ and Blom check-called Gulcsik's $240 continuation bet. The turn was the 2♣, giving Blom the nut flush draw. He checked it, and rather than firing a second bullet, Gulcsik shut down and checked behind. The Q♣ on the river made things interesting, however; Blom made the nut flush while Gulcsik hit top pair. Blom went for a textbook river over bet, moving in for $3,115 and Gulcsik called off the $1,385 he had behind. After raking in that pot, Blom was up by $10,768.

The tide started to turn for Dodgyfish when he hit aces an hour or so later on table 5.

Gulcsik five-bet preflop with A♣A♠ and Blom called with K♣9♠ and hit his set when the flop came K♥K♠3♠. Gulcsik, wisely, check-called Blom's $560 bet and then hit his own ace on the turn, the A♥ falling to give him a full house. Gulcsik checked, Blom moved all-in for $1,435, and Gulcsik snap-called, the river blanking out with the 4♠ to give him the $5,550 pot. Blom's overall lead was shaved to only $2,351.

Gulcsik then went into a much more cautious mode as the hands ran out, knowing he'd be able to keep whatever was left of his bankroll.

Blom, as ever, still wanted to bet though and when he three-bet shoved for $1,065 over a $20 opening raise, Gulcsik made the call with A♥Q♠. Blom's pocket fours held up though the turn on a T♦2♣5♣J♥ board, but the K♣ on the river made Gulcsik's Broadway straight.

Just a few seconds later Blom put in another $1,000 A♦T♦ ran into pocket jacks and Gulcsik was within a whisker of victory.  But he'll probably settle for $14,990...

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