"Photo above courtesy of PokerListings.com"
|
Just when people were starting to think that Phil "The Unabomber" Laak would dominate the
whole tournament and win three times in a row, David Benyamine stood up and took the spotlight.
In a dazzling display of intense skill, he managed to best the formidable field of pros, and come out on top.
A Truly Grueling Battle
The third heat of the PartyPoker Premier League was actually went a lot slower than the previous ones.
Through heats one and two, Laak blazed through the ranks, eliminating the competition with deadly precision.
However, because of Laak's two first place finishes, the point system had developed a rather wide gap.
He practically hoarded points with his two wins, which left the other players with a lot to catch up on,
needing a good finish in this heat just so they can have a shot at making it into the final table. As a result,
they were extra careful on Heat 3, putting even more effort into staying afloat. The games dragged on well into
the evening, with no eliminations occurring until after the dinner break. It was Roland de Wolfe who made the
first exit despite having finished second in Heat 2. Next to go was Vanessa Rousso, followed by Phil Hellmuth,
who has been doing a not-so-stellar performance so far. Negreanu, also out of luck on this year's Premier League,
was next to go. He actually managed to accumulate more than a million chips, only to lose them all successively in
a series of key pots. Next to go was Ian Frazer, then Yevgeniy Timoshenko, until it was only Giovanni Safina and
David Benyamine left.
|
Benyamine vs. Safina
When heads-up play began, Benyamine and Safina were both equally determined to get to the top spot. However,
despite their efforts, it all came down to the last hand, a deciding factor that ultimately led to Benyamine's
victory. First, though Benyamine was at a disadvantage. Safina held KDJD while Benyamine held an inferior KC10S.
Benyamine, at the button, called and Safina raised to 140,000 at the big blinds. Benyamine made the call and the
flop was revealed to be KS7C2H. At this point, Benyamine was still at a disadvantage. Safina, having the upper hand,
bet 150,000 and Benyamine raised to 340,000. This prompted Safina to move all in despite her shorter stack, making
it a very decisive hand. Benyamine called and the turn was revealed to be 10H. This was like a god send for Benyamine
who just earned the upper hand. The 2S on the river did not help Safina either, making Benyamine the winner of Heat 3.
|
