Pictures from MPT 2009 #5

Pictures from MPT 2009 Event #5, held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, October 3, 2009.

Heads up play begins with TSS777 concentrating as Sass watches, while Harv29 and Betdponies deal


More heads up action


The championship trophy and the MPT mascot


Sass studies her opponent


Sass surveys the flop


The final board gives TSS777 the win


The Tournament Director presents the trophy to the 4-time champ

MPT 2009 #5 - Clash at Caesars (10/3/2009)

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - A champion returned to form, while the favorite to earn Player of the Year honors remains a bridesmaid. The early season talk was whether perennial runner-up Bigfus would break through to win a tournament, but Bigfus took home a trophy and Sass has now passed her for the career lead in second place finishes. Despite being the only series regular to not record a MPT tournament title, Sass' consistent play has given her a commanding lead over a surprising RowanB, who cashed for the second straight event, but has yet to seriously contend for a win this season. However, none of this should overshadow the play of TSS777, who rebounded from one of his weakest showings in his MPT career to remind players and fans why he is one of the most successful players in the short history of the tournament series.

The tournament began with some aggressive play from the three-time Main Event Champion Betdponies, who fell into a trap bluffing all-in on the river against RowanB's three of a kind and busting before the tournament was twenty minutes old. The big hand gave RowanB a small chip lead going into the first break, 100 chips ahead of Bigfus, who won a race of preflop all-ins with AQ over pocket tens to knock off Amazon just before the break. TSS777 was close behind as well, with Harv29 and Sass lagging behind with roughly the same chip stacks as they started the tournament with.

After the break, there was little action until near the end of the second hour of the tournament, when Sass knocked out Bigfus for the second consecutive tournament, marking only the second time in her MPT career that she has recorded "kills" in back to back events. The bubble didn't last long, as Harv29 moved all-in with a dwindling stack and couldn't beat TSS777. That left TSS777 and RowanB in strong chip positions, but RowanB's run didn't last very long, as he shoved A-7o from the small blind with the blinds increasing and ran into the A-K of TSS777. That hand left TSS777 with a commanding chip lead. Sass hung in and gave TSS777 a run for his money, but fell short for the third time this season and for the second straight MPT event at Caesars, Atlantic City.

The win tied TSS777 with Betdponies for the all-time lead in tournament victories, with four.

The results:

• TSS777
• Sass
• RowanB
• Harv29
• Bigfus
• Amazon
  
• Betdponies

Pictures from MPT 2009 #4

Pictures from MPT 2009 Event #4, held in Stone Harbor, New Jersey on Saturday, September 26, 2009.


The control center for the MPT technical operations


The always popular MPT bar


TSS777 deals late in the tournament, as Sass prepares to bet while Betdponies checks his cards


Syrorange3042 rakes in a pot, while Ging and Eileen watch


More action from late in the tournament


The MPT Monkey guards the trophy and prize money


Syrorange3042's pocket Jacks hold up to give him the win


The champion with his trophy


Tournament Director, Harv29, presents the trophy to the new champion


Mrs. Harv29 celebrates with her friend from college

MPT 2009 #4 - ECLVA Fall Classic (9/26/2009)

STONE HARBOR, NJ - He was there in the beginning and watched the MPT grow. Syrorange3042 won the first Mattress Poker Tour Event. There was no prize money, no trophy, and no web site to promote his victory. A few leftover cream puffs and bragging rights over his friends was all that he could take home, so it must have been extra special for the former "uncrowned champion" to finish off a field of MPT veterans in his return to the series.

The ECLVA Fall Classic started quietly, with the all players lasting past the first break. The field of ten matched the largest New Jersey field since last year's end of year Main Event and marked the second consecutive time the tournament participants hit double digits. Syrorange3042, who retained his MPT "rookie" status for this event, was joined by Eileen in debuting on the MPT felt. They marked the 34th and 35th different players to play in an MPT tournament.

The action started to heat up after an hour and a half of play, when Sass scored her fifth career knockout, eliminating Bigfus, who became the eleventh different player to finish in last place in an MPT event. Only a few hands later, another of the MPT's most consistent winners, TSS777 fell victim to Betdponies, while Janek13 busted soon after at the hands of Ging, who collected her sixth career "kill" and second career bounty. The eliminations kept coming, as Harv29 and Eileen were knocked out within the next ten minutes, then Betdponies burst the bubble by busting Ging.

With the bubble not even lasting for an entire blind level, RowanB survived to cash for the first time since last year's Las Vegas event, ending the longest cashless drought in series history, but his night would end only a few hands later after a small preflop raise with pocket kings gave Syrorange3042 a chance to call from the big bling with 8-2o. After flopping trip 8's, Syrorange3042 checked to the MPT veteran, who shoved his remaining chips into the pot and was left to begin preparations for dinner sooner than he had played. The influx of chips put Syrorange3042 in command, though the final three players battled for nearly and hour before Syrorange3042 eliminated the husband and wife duo of Betdponies and Sass to earn his first official MPT victory.

The results:

• Syrorange3042
• Sass
• Betdponies
• RowanB
• Ging
• Eileen
• Harv29
• Janek13
• TSS777
• Bigfus
  

Statistics Posted Following MPT 2009 ECLVA Fall Classic

Notable observations following the fourth event of the 2009 season.

• Syrorange3042 became the fifth player to win his MPT debut, joining Betdponies, RowanV, Scurvydog, and Trojanrabbit
• Syrorange3042 and Eileen became the 34th and 35th players to play an MPT sponsored tournament
• The field of 10 players, tied the third largest in MPT history, trailing only last month's tournament at the Rio Las Vegas and the July 2008 Showboat House of Blues event
• Sass tied Harv29 for second place in all-time number of cashes, with seven
• Sass moved into second place on the season money list, trailing only Las Vegas champion Trojanrabbit
• Sysorange3042 became the 23rd different player (out of 35 participants) to earn money from an MPT event
• Syrorange3042 became the 19th different player to "cash" in an MPT event, based solely on prize money earned from finishing position (not counting bounties and bonuses)
  
• With a third place finish, Betdponies cashed for the first time in a tournament that he did not win. The cash moved him into second place on the all-time money list, trailing only Bigfus
• The career average finish list shook up quite a bit over the weekend, as perennial top finishers Bigfus and TSS777 were the first players eliminated; Sass moved into a tie for first place on that list with Harv29, while Bigfus dropped to third place, just ahead of RowanB and TSS777
• Sass moved into the top spot in the Sealy Cup standings, taking a 15 point lead over the closest series regulars, Bigfus and RowanB, who are tied for third place
• Syrorange3042 earned the third most points in a single event, with 20
  
• Bigfus became the 11th different MPT player to finish last in the 18 series events

Statistics Posted Following MPT 2009 Las Vegas Spectacular

Notable observations following the third event of the 2009 season.

• The 16 player field bested the previous largest MPT turnout, surpassing the previous record of 13 players, at the July 2008 Showboat House of Blues event
• 7 players made their MPT debut in this event, bringing the total number of different players in MPT events to 33
• Trojanrabbit became the 11th different MPT event winner
• Trojanrabbit's $185 cash was the biggest payout in MPT history
• Sionow, Stan, and Trojanrabbit became the 16th, 17th, and 18th players to cash in MPT history
• Trojanrabbit became the second consecutive California-based winner of the Las Vegas MPT event
• Harv29 is the only player to cash in both Las Vegas MPT events
• Hammah became the 10th different player (in 17 MPT events) to finish last
• RowanB extended his "cashless" streak to 7, dating back to his third place finish in last year's Las Vegas event
• Trojanrabbit took over the Sealy Cup point lead by earning a record 30 points in the Las Vegas event
• Sass took the points lead among series regulars, upping her season total to 29 points with her 6th place finish
• The large field and revised scoring system for 2009 meant that both first place finisher, Trojanrabbit, and second place finisher, Stan, surpassing the previous record for most points in a single event, previously held by Amazon during the July 2008 Showboat House of Blues event
• Harv29's third place finish, combined with the early exit of Bigfus, meant he moved back into the all-time MPT points lead
• Harv29 also tied Bigfus for best average finish among MPT regulars
• Harv29's $70 cash moved him into second place on the all-time MPT money list
• RowanB broke a streak of 4 consecutive tournaments without eliminating a player (he does hold the all-time record drought for "kills" at 6, a mark he shares with Sass and Harv29)
• The 7 players eliminated by Trojanrabbit set a new record for "kills" in a single event, surpassing the previous record of 6, set by Baccarat King and Amazon

Pictures from MPT 2009 #3

Pictures from MPT 2009 Event #3, held in the Rio Las Vegas Masquerade Tower Rooms 32020 and 32022.

Pre-game talk with Kill Phil Forum folks, Trojanrabbit, JTinLV, and Hammah
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)


NMChop talks shop with Noahcat, while Dorianmac listens in
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)


NMChop, Sass, Bigfus, Noahcat, and the back of Harv29's head as play begins at the feature mattress
(Photo courtesy of Sionow)


On the feature mattress, Tennis_bum looks set to rake in a pot, while Betdponies and NMChop watch and Harv29 looks puzzled
(Photo courtesy of Sionow)


Away from the feature mattress at the start of the tournament, where Janek13, Trojanrabbit, Hammah, Stan, and RowanB started off
(Photo courtesy of Sionow)


Early action from Table 2, as Stan, RowanB, Sionow, and JTinLV look on
(Photo courtesy of Sionow)


The more modest traveling MPT bar, after a few bottles of champagne and wine were consumed


Ever wonder what a Rio suite would look like with the furniture removed? This is what happens when you need the chairs, couch, and table in the adjoining room


The MPT Monkey guards JTinLV's chip case


Betdponies watches the board while he has Bigfus on the ropes
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)


...and Bigfus is apologetic when her AJ beats Betdponies' AK, while NMChop looks on
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)


The always smooth MPT Monkey tries his luck with the ladies
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)


The tournament pauses for some additional monkey business, as RowanB helps cover for the MPT Monkey's shenanigans


The "Final Four", Stan, Harv29, Sionow, and Trojanrabbit, right after the bubble burst late in the tournament


Harv29 deals late in the tournament, as Sionow and Trojanrabbit wait to see the flop


The hand that eliminated our Tournament Director, as Trojanrabbit "re-sucked" on the river when Harv flopped a pair after his short-stacked all-in


The trophies and prize money, dwarphed by Trojanrabbit's massive chip stack as heads-up play begins


Stan watches Harv29 deal a flop as he is blinded all-in against Trojanrabbit


The winning hand!


A rare look at the MPT Photographer in action, while the winner celebrates and JTinLV puts away his chips
(Photo courtesy of Judykq)