The Online Railbird Report: Ivey Returns, Dwan Crushes, and Antonius Stages a Comeback
While children around the world hunted for Easter eggs, the online cash-game elite were hunting for their own tasty treats. Tom ��durrrr�� Dwan savored six-figure wins over Justin ��ZeeJustin�� Bonomo and Ashton ��theASHMAN103�� Griffin, while Patrik Antonius chipped away at his 2010 losses with more than $900,000 in earnings. Also making an appearance at the virtual tables was the one and only Phil Ivey, who stuck around just long enough to log a winning pot-limit Omaha session against Dwan.
Phil Ivey Resurfaces, Wins $316,000 from Dwan
Compared to the time he put in last year, Phil Ivey has been a ghost at the tables in 2010. However, he decided to make an Easter Sunday visit to Full Tilt Poker and played heads-up $500/$1,000 pot-limit Omaha with Tom ��durrrr�� Dwan. Their first session was brief, lasting only 75 hands before Ivey logged off a $213,500 winner. He returned a few hours later and this time they battled for over two hours, Ivey ending the second match with a total-day haul of $316,000.
The largest pot of the Dwan-Ivey match came in at nearly $196,000. Sitting with nearly full stacks, Ivey opened for $3,000 from the button, Dwan three-bet to $9,000 and Ivey came back over the top, making it $27,000 to go. Dwan called, and with $54,000 already in the middle, the flop came down a raggy 8?5?3?. Dwan had $75,000 behind and committed himself to the hand with a pot-sized bet of $54,000. Ivey moved all-in for $70,996 and Dwan called, turning over Q?10?9?8? for top pair. Ivey was in good shape with A?A?10?7? and his hand held up through the 7? turn and 2? river to earn him the $195,993 pot.
��Durrrr�� dominates heads-up, crushes short-handed
After his match with Ivey on Sunday evening, Dwan moved over to the $200/$400 no-limit hold��em tables to take on Justin ��ZeeJustin�� Bonomo in a multitable heads-up match. After more than four hours and 2,472 hands, Dwan emerged a $228,481 winner.
The largest pot of the match came in at $154,000 and went to Bonomo when he rivered a queen-high straight against Dwan's aces up. The second-largest pot, $120,000, went to Dwan. In that hand, Bonomo opened the A?9? for $1,200 on the button and Dwan three-bet to $3,600 with Q?J?. Bonomo called and both players hit the J?8?6? flop �� Dwan with top pair and Bonomo with the nut flush draw. Dwan checked, Bonomo bet $3,600 and Dwan called. The turn improved Dwan's hand further, the 5? falling to give him a club flush draw to go with his pair of jacks. Dwan checked again, Bonomo bet $11,000, and Dwan once again flat-called. The A? on the river made Dwan's flush but was a disaster for Bonomo, giving him top pair. Dwan continued to play it slow, checking a third time, and had to be delighted when Bonomo moved all-in for his remaining $46,395. Dwan quickly called off the $41,995 he had behind and raked in the $120,389 pot.
After Bonomo had enough, Dwan stuck around and played a short $200/$400 NLHE match with Isaac "luvtheWNBA" Haxton for another 194 hands. Dwan added another $61,220 to the till.
On Monday morning, Dwan was back, this time sitting down at $100/$200 short-handed NLHE with Griffin, ��Observer84�� and "Mr Zahmat." Over 1,117 hands, Dwan pocketed another $280,575.
The largest pot of this three-handed session was for more than $191,000 �� a staggering 957 big blinds. Playing three-handed, Griffin opened for $600 on the button, Observer84 raised to $2,400 from the small blind, Dwan flat-called the three-bet from the big blind, and Griffin called, as well. Observer84 checked the A?5?3? flop over to Dwan, who bet $5,600. Griffin folded and Observer84 called. The turn came the 4? and Observer84 checked again. Dwan bet $14,800 and Observer84 made the call. The 3? on the river paired the board and Observer84 checked a third time. Dwan made a nearly pot-sized bet of $42,800, leaving himself less than $29,000 behind. Observer84 moved all-in for $84,631 and Dwan called off the rest of his stack, having turned the wheel with the lowly Q?2?. Observer84's aces up with A?6? was toast and Dwan collected the $191,427 monsterpotten.
Antonius hits the comeback trail
It��s been a brutal year so far for Patrik Antonius. The Finn has posted more than $2.4 million in losses over the last three months, but on Easter weekend, he finally found traction at Full Tilt��s 7-Game tables, picking up $621,000. Antonius�� 7-Game success, along with a short, but successful $200/$400 PLO session against Cole South, made up the bulk of his $900,000 haul over the last seven days.
The largest hand of the weekend for Antonius came against Griffin. Playing PLO with $300/$600 blinds, Griffin opened for $1,800 and Antonius made the call. Fireworks went off on the 6?5?3? flop. Antonius led out for $3,000, Griffin raised to $12,600, Antonius repotted to $41,400, and Griffin shoved for $104,484. Antonius called off his remaining $36,599. Both players flopped the same straight, Griffin with Q?7?4?3? and Antonius holding A?7?7?4? with a flush redraw to boot. Antonius�� ship came in on the turn, the 10? falling to make his flush. The river was the inconsequential 5? and Antonius raked in the $159,597 pot.
Who's up? Who's down?
This week's biggest winners (3/30-4/5): Tom ��durrrr�� Dwan (+$1.96 million), Patrik Antonius (+$908,000), Ashton ��theASHMAN103�� Griffin (+$505,000)
In the red: Ilari ��Ziigmund�� Sahamies (-$1.18 million), Gus Hansen (-$731,000), Brian Townsend (-$456,000).
Top earners, 2010 to date: Tom ��durrrr�� Dwan (+$3.96 million), Ilari ��Ziigmund�� Sahamies (+$2.06 million), Alexander ��PostflopAction�� Kostritsyn (+$2.04 million).
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