HSOP 2010: Limit Seven Card Stud

Last friday we played the sixth event in our annual Home Series of Poker. After the No Limit/Pot Limit Hold’em/Omaha with rebuys it was time for another limit game. And for me not just any limit game, THE limit game: Seven Card Stud! Of all the stud-games I enjoy Seven Card Stud the most. At first I wasn’t really good at the game but I played it sharpened my skills online and now Stud is not only my best game it’s also the one I like to play the most!

So what happened last friday? I was still working at the local store till 9 p.m., after that I made my way towards the event as quickly as I could. So I sat down only like 10-15 minutes late, the guys were still playing the first level. I sat down in between Michiel Maes (on the left) and Stijn Heyens (on the right). The other players that played were Thomas Vanbrabant and Niels Blommaert.

I thought by only missing 10 minutes I hadn’t missed a lot of action. But I was wrong. I looked down at some of the stacks and noticed that Niels and Stijn were down a serious amount of chips. Michiel Maes and Thomas Vanbrabant were the early game bullies.

I played solid stud from the beginning, not overdoing things. Just making smart moves. I won a few pots and lost some of it to Thomas Vanbrabant, but nothing really serious. I was pretty comfortable and didn’t fear anything or anybody at the table. The first casualty of the night was Stijn Heyens. Thomas Vanbrabant took him out with a rivered full house. That left us four handed with two big stacks to my left (Michiel and Thomas) and a small stacks to my right (Niels). That small stack was the next one to go out. I started with jacks in the hole and a Q up. Niels brought it in and I completed. Michiel and Thomas went out of the way. On that hand Niels just decided to go with it and try to find a double up. He was drawing to a straight and I had only my jacks when all his money went into the middle. My jacks held up and we where down to three players.

After the elimination of NeoNilzzz, Thomas and Michiel fought it out in a big hand. Michiel had a 4 open and brought it in, Thomas completed with a J and I went out of the way. Michiel called. Thomas then bet every street along the way, including the one where his doorcard paired. And Michiel called every street. Thomas eventually only had a pair of Jacks while Michiel showed buried Kings to take down the pot. I had my doubts with the play of Michiel in that hand. To call all the way with only two kings while Thomas was betting all the way, with two Jacks an Ace and a Queen on his board. It smelled like two pair. That hand brought Thomas into a bit of trouble and a few hands later he was eliminated in another big hand by Michiel Maes. That left us fighting for the title!

Michiel Maes could go back to back if he would win this HSOP-event. But I was going to make sure I wasn’t going to let that happen. I wanted to win! Michiel started out heads-up with a good chiplead. I think about 2,5-1, 3-1. Somewhere around that. But quickly I grinded him down to about even. One hand in particular I played to perfection. I really can’t remember the cards but that’s just the beauty of it. The cards didn’t really matter in that hand. I just played my opponent. I check called every street only to raise Michiel on seventh. He almost instantly mucked his cards. I showed Ace high. This was almost the exact move that Michiel did earlier in the event against Niels! I believe by showing that hand it brought Michiel even more out of balance.

I found out that the lack of experience in playing Seven Card Stud really started to bother Michiel Maes, not in a way that he got mad or something like that. But he just didn’t do the right things during the match. Thomas Vanbrabant came over to watch the action twice. The first time he saw me gaining a lot of chips and the next time I elimanited Michiel in second place to claim my fifth HSOP-title!

With this win I’m putting myself two titles in front of my nearest pursuiters. And with this Seven Card Stud win I’ve completed the Triple Stud Crown. Although it took me two years I’m still happy I won all three the different stud games!

Mickey C

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