BATB Event #16 (Day 2): After Failed Bluff, John Nguyen Out In 6th Place ($4,165)

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #16 | $360 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 28 (Blinds 30,000/60,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 367
Players Remaining: 5

John Nguyen went from short stack at the final table... to second in chips...to out in sixth place ($4,165), all in the matter of ninety-minutes.

John Nguyen's final hand was really a formality (as he was all-in for six big blinds), with the hand prior the reason behind his exit.  After Joshua Hillock raised, and Brian Haines called on the button, John Nguyen came along from the big blind.  The three players would check the 2♣ 6♦ 3♦ flop, and check-through once again on the turn, after the 7♠ hit the felt.  Following the 7♣ on the river, Nguyen cut out a bet of 275,000, a pushed it across his cards.  Hillock folded after a moment, with Haines going deep in the tank...thinking for close to two full minutes.  If he made the call and was wrong, Brian would be left with just seven big blinds.  He did go with his read, making the call with K♠ Q♥, which just nipped the K♣ J♥ of Nguyen.

John would then shove blind v. blind the next hand, with Eric Polirer eliminated him from the tournament in sixth place ($4,165).

BATB Event #16 (Day 2): One Thing Stays Constant, Michael Tait Still Atop The Counts

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #16 | $360 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 28 (Blinds 30,000/60,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 367
Players Remaining: 6

Level 27 has come and gone, with not too much action to speak of.  Daphne Addison did make a big call against John Nguyen, as the two reached a river of a board that read A♣ K♥ 5♦ Q♠ J♠.  After calling a bet on the turn, Addison was faced with a 275,000 bet on the river from Nguyen, which was more than seventy percent of Daphne's stack.  Addison ended up putting the chips in for a call, and watched as Nguyen tabled 5♠ 7♠.  Addison quickly showed his A♠ 3♠, making a pretty big call on a board with a texture like it had.  That would get Addison out of immediate danger, but he enters Level 28 with just over twenty bigs:

1. Brian Haines - 710,000 (11bb)
2. Daphne Addison - 1,350,000 (22bb)
3. John Nguyen - 850,000 (12bb)
4. Eric Polirer - 1,050,000 (17bb)
5. Joshua Hillock - 1,200,000 (20bb)
6. Michael Tait - 2,400,000 (40bb)

BATB Event #16 (Day 2): Final Table On Break, Updated Six-Handed Chip Counts

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #16 | $360 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 27 (Blinds 25,000/50,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 367
Players Remaining: 6

Players are currently on break, and will be returning to Level 27, with new blinds of 25,000/50,000/5,000 (1,223,000 chip average).  The updated final table chip counts are listed below:

1. Brian Haines - 900,000 (18bb)
2. Daphne Addison - 760,000 (15bb)
3. John Nguyen - 1,450,000 (29bb)
4. Eric Polirer - 1,100,000 (22bb)
5. Joshua Hillock - 840,000 (20bb)
6. Michael Tait - 2,200,000 (44bb)

BATB Event #16 (Day 2): Justin Harvell Runs Into Nguyen Pocket Aces, Out In 7th Place ($3,500)

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #16 | $360 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 367
Players Remaining: 6

Justin Harvell (Nashville, TN) lost almost half of his stack, just one level into the final table, eventually running into the pocket aces of John Nguyen.

On the money bubble, it looked like this tournament was going to be all about Justin Harvell and Matthew Zarcadoolas.  Matthew ended up losing close to half his stack on the bubble, but Justin continued to trend in the right direction.  At the final table, Harvell would lose a good portion of his stack, when he doubled up Brian Haines.  About ten minutes later, he would shove over an open from John Nguyen, who made the call to put him at risk:

Nguyen: A♠ A♣
Harvell: A♥ K♠

Runout: 7♥ 3♥ 2♣ 5♣ 5♠

Justin was able to gain some chop outs on the turn, but would be eliminated in seventh place, once the board paired.  This result was Justin's fourth final table of the year, bringing his 2018 earnings over $100,000.

BATB Event #16 (Day 2): Charlemagne Benjamin Shoves Short, And Exits In 8th Place ($2,925)

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #16 | $360 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 367
Players Remaining: 6

Charlemagne Benjamin (Miami Gardens, FL) ended up shoving just two hands after McCaffrey's exit, and would be called by Brian Haines:

Benjamin: 9♥ 4♣

Haines: Q♥ J♣

Runout: A♣ 10♥ 5♦ 7♠ A♠

With Benjamin's stack size, it was an easy call for Haines, whose queen-high ended up good for the win.  Charlemagne, who claims that he runs terrible at the Isle Poker Room, earns his first final table score at the property since July of last year.

BATB Event #16 (Day 2): Michael Tait Races Well, Eliminates James McCaffrey In 9th Place ($2,380)

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #16 | $360 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 367
Players Remaining: 8

After John Nguyen doubled up, and Max Young was eliminated, James McCaffrey (Sunrise, FL) would be the final table short stack.  He'd get his remaining fifteen big blinds in against Michael Tait, racing for his tournament life:

Tait: A♠ K♥

McCaffrey: 9♠ 9♣ 

Runout: K♠ K♣ 10♠ J♣ 4♠

White Tait mashed the flop, James still had outs to win the hand, and gained four more on the turn.  The river was a swing and a miss though, and McCaffrey would become the second player to exit the final table, earning $2,380 for ninth place.

BATB Event #16 (Day 2): Eric Polirer Eliminates Max Young In 10th Place ($2,010)

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #16 | $360 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 25 (Blinds 15,000/30,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 367
Players Remaining: 9

Max Young (Seaside, OR) made an ill-timed raise early at the final table, and ended up having to call off the shove of John Nguyen, eventually losing close to half of his stack.

Max Young was one of the shorter stacked players to enter the final table, and after doubling up John Nguyen, he'd be left with less than ten big blinds.  When action folded to Young in late position, he'd shove for 240,000, with Eric Polirer calling from the button:

Young: K♦ 10♣
Polirer: A♠ 10♠

Runout: 8♥ 6♥ 3♣ A♦ 7♠ 

Young went into the hand dominated by Polirer, and would end up drawing dead after the ace on the turn.  Young becomes the first to depart the Event #16 final table, collecting $2,010 for his efforts.