Event 16 (Day 2)
$1,500 + $90 Heads-Up NLH
Structure Sheet
Total Entries: 64
Players Remaining: 2
Level 4: Blinds 300/600 (Hellmuth 2/Hall 1) Game 3 complete
(Busquet 0/Cappello 2) Complete
Hellmuth leaps up from the table after calling river with what was likely a bluffcatcher on the flop, but was shown an unlikely rivered jack for top pair.
The comeback halted, he is under 7,000 and has to get it in with 
. Somehow Hall has it again, with a weak ace, but this time the board favors Hellmuth, who hits both the king and the queen.
Phil survives a third all in as the queen on the turn ends it.
Ryan has been stoic in behavior and aggressive in play.
Back to 12,000, slightly behind.
Then, a slightly better result from the BB which has mostly been hard on Phil. Ryan fires twice into 
, but his 3,000 turn bet is greeted with a shove. No call from from Ryan.
This gives Phil the advantage for the first time all game, 19,000 to 11,000.
Phil is quiet and focused at the end. The endless chatter slows.
A few small pots are traded, and Phil moves to 21,000 – 9,000.
Hellmuth puts him in once. Fold. Even shorter now.
Then, the final hand: Hellmuth jams 
into Ryan’s last nine bigs. Hall has to call it off with 
, and the board does not help out the suited ace.
It’s over!
Hellmuth shakes hands with Ryan Hall, who takes $9,312 along with Olivier Busquet for a semifinal appearance.
Phil is immediately concerned with getting a stack in the main so he can bag for day 2, and runs around making arrangements. We’ll rejoin the Heads-up NLH Event 16 at 9:15 PM, when Joey Cappello will meet Phil Hellmuth for the BWPO2019 HU title.
$1,500 + $90 Heads-Up NLH
Structure Sheet
Total Entries: 64
Players Remaining: 4
Level 4: Blinds 300/600 (Hellmuth 1/Hall 1) Game 3
(Busquet 0/Cappello 2) Complete
Phil has been getting closer to the danger zone when Hall finally pushed him into it.
On 
, the action went check bet call, x b c again, but Phil could not find a hero call for his last 8 blinds on the 
.
Then, Ryan starts open shoving, and gets two through before the famous snap call arrives, as Phil calls down 
with his most famous hand, 
.
Hellmuth works the stub stack well.
Not much room to breathe, but Phil has some space to play now with 7,000 to Hall’s 23,000.
Then WHAM! The fastest snap call with chips you have ever seen, as Hall jams over Hellmuth, who has raised pre with . Stacks are near even now, and Joey Cappello should be concerned at such velocity in calling.
$1,500 + $90 Heads-Up NLH
Structure Sheet
Total Entries: 64
Players Remaining: 3
Level 2: Blinds 150/300 (Hellmuth 1/Hall 1) Game 3
(Busquet 0/Cappello 2) Complete
Phil gets more comfortable midway through the 3rd game.
Final game. Phil is more combative. “No, I think you’ll probably be calling it off.”
Then, an interesting spot where he value bets extremely thinly in position a weak heart on a four flush, paired board. Hall is waiting to snap with the in his hand. Phil spins over the 
and looks chagrined.
Then, more adversity, as a trap with one of his top ten hands doesn’t work out. He’s talking, low and fast at Ryan, who responds even more quietly.
It’s still level one, but Phil is already behind 2-1.
Then, another four flush and Hall gets there again.
Next, a small pot goes to Hall, now leading 21,000 to 9,000.
Then, Hall raise a weak turn probe, and shows air.
“Now we’re playing the game,” Hellmuth chuckles, trying to work himself back into the match.
Hall leads 22,000 to 8,000.
$1,500 + $90 Heads-Up NLH
Structure Sheet
Total Entries: 64
Players Remaining: 3
Level 1: Blinds 100/200 (Hellmuth 1/Hall 1) Game 3
Level 2: Blinds 150/300 (Busquet 0/Cappello 2) Complete
Running well, Ryan has hit trips and now a wheel draw to continue to chip Phil down in game 2 of their semi-final.
Phil is managing his famous shortstack game, not going broke with 12, then 9 and then 7 blinds.
Ryan Hall and Phil Hellmuth.
However, even Phil can’t escape the problem of domination. He gets in his last 4 bigs with 
, but Ryan has him cold with 
.
Hall 1, Hellmuth 1, next game decides the final vs Joey Cappello.
$1,500 + $90 Heads-Up NLH
Structure Sheet
Total Entries: 64
Players Remaining: 4
Level 2: Blinds 150/300 (Hellmuth 1/Hall 0) Game 2
Level 2: Blinds 150/300 (Busquet 0/Capello 2) Complete
Leading 1-0, Joey Cappello just ended the match against Olivier Busquet.
Olivier drops in his blinds, about to hit a supercooler.
Facing standard action pre, the 
saw continuation from in position Olivier, then everything got in on the gin card, the 
. Joey had peeled with a double gutter, the 
, and even better, Busquet’s 
now setted up.
The money all went in on the turn, and when a blank hit the river, Busquet dashed out of the Event Center.
Meanwhile, the closer match between Hellmuth and Hall continues in Game 2, Hall ahead now.
$1,500 + $90 Heads-Up NLH
Structure Sheet
Total Entries: 64
Players Remaining: 4
Level 4: Blinds 100/200 (Hellmuth 1/Hall 0) Game 2
Level 2: Blinds 150/300 (Busquet 0/Cappello 1) Game 2
Ryan shows the tens. Great bet, but Hellmuth takes game 1.
Hall gets in a 2,000 thin value bet with tens on 
, Hellmuth calling with 
.
Then, short and blinds changing the stacks, Hellmuth doubles, 
holding. A shuffle later, the two get it in and Hellmuth’s 
smashes the flop for TP. Game over, they take a break.
Meanwhile, Joey has taken the lead in game two of the Busquet/Cappello match.
$1,500 + $90 Heads-Up NLH
Structure Sheet
Total Entries: 64
Players Remaining: 4
Level 4: Blinds 300/600 (Hellmuth/Hall) Game 1
Level 1: Blinds 100/200 (Busquet 0/Capello 1) Game 2
Joey was able to wear down then finish off the first game, 
holding off a ten big blind stand with 
.
Capello takes all the chips.
Hall, meanwhile has maintained a very slight lead for the last level over Hellmuth.
Capello and Busquet have begun game 2.
$1,500 + $90 Heads-Up NLH
Structure Sheet
Total Entries: 64
Players Remaining: 4
Level 3: Blinds 200/400
Their first matches continue.
Ryan just put a beat on Phil, rivering two pair with worse ten and just calling the river on 
, Phil’s versus .
“I can’t trap him any better,” Phil complained.
Meanwhile, Joe has wounded Olivier more significantly, as again he is unable to call Capello’s river bet, this time on 
. Olivier is down to 5000, Joe to 25,000.
Phil puts in the value bet, then into his classic information hiding posture.
Then, Phil, having fallen behind, gets in a river value bet of 2800. Hall snap calls, paying off a middle flush.
Now in a better mood, Phil and Ryan talk a little strategy.
However, Busquet has gotten a double, and now the Joey’s lead slips to 19,000 – 11,000.
$1,500 + $90 Heads-Up NLH
Structure Sheet
Total Entries: 64
Players Remaining: 4
Level 1: Blinds 100/200
Phil looks over to talk to Olivier. That’s Ryan, left, and Joey on the right.
Semi-finals have begun. Each player with 15,000 chips.
First hand goes to Hellmuth uncontested, then he take one at showdown. Hellmuth up a couple thousand.
Joe leads a paired board from the BB to get even with Busquet, then takes a hit the next hand. Busquet up.
A pot with kings for Phil doesn’t seem to go his way, which gets him talking.
Joey gets 3,000 back and pulls even.
Hellmuth picks up aces but gets no action. “I’ve had aces and kings already.”
Now it breaks Joey’s way. On the river of a queen high rundown board, his bet goes uncontested and he moves to a nearly 2-1 lead.
Meanwhile, Phil and Ryan remain dead even.
$1,500 + $90 Heads-Up NLH
Structure Sheet
Total Entries: 64
Players Remaining: 4
Ryan Hall vs. Phil Hellmuth
Joey Cappello vs. Olivier Busquet
The semi-finals of the Heads-up Championship will get underway at 3:30pm. Here are the match-ups:
Ryan Hall vs. Phil Hellmuth
Joey Cappello vs. Olivier Busquet
and what they’re playing for:
| Place | Payout |
| 1 | $37,248 |
| 2 | $18,624 |
| 3 – 4 | $9,312 |