Event #24 of the World Cup of Cards, the $200 + $20 PL Omaha 3 Lives Re-entry, was a huge success that brought out a field large enough to more than double the prize pool guarantee. Players took advantage of the re-entry option early and often, generating 21 re-entries in the first six levels of play.
In many tournaments with this kind of structure, we tend to see the play tighten up once the re-entry period ends, but that was not the case tonight. The loose play of the early levels kept up all the way until the money bubble, as multi-way pre-flop all ins were a regular occurrence up until the very late stages of play.
Once the field reached the money bubble, the players found some patience and some folds, as a dozen hands of hand-for-hand play ensued. The short stack in the field nearly blinded out and was eliminated when he was all in with his last 5K chip. After that several players hit the rail in short succession before the played slowed down again as the stacks got deeper.
Once the field was down to eight players, Andres Odeja went on a hot streak and did not look back. He found the right combination of good timing, strong cards and proper play that allowed him to eliminate several players at the final table. Critically, those he eliminated controlled the largest stacks in play other than his own, giving him a massive chip lead that he would not relinquish.
In the end, it came to heads-up play between Patrick St-Onge and Odeja. St-Onge put up a tough fight, but Odeja controlled the lion’s share of the chips throughout their duel and eventually came out on top once the blinds had reached dizzying heights and the two went all in before the flop.
Event #24 Champion: Andres Odeja, $4,036
Runner up: Patrick St-Onge, $3,080
Last Hand of Play:
for Nickoletopoulos against St-Onge’s 
. The board, 
, gave Nickoletopoulos some hope on the flop, but it was not to be. Nickoletopoulos will collect $2,350 for his third place finish.
for a flopped set, but he was in bad shape against Odeja’s top set and nut flush draw with 
. Unable to conjure the perfect card on the river, Haddad rose from his seat to watch the 
fall and went to collect his winnings. Haddad will pocket $1,380 for the deep run.
and was up against Odeja’s 
. Following a pre-flop raise from Wettlaufer in position, Odeja made the call and was able to check-raise all in on the 
, sending the massive pot Odeja’s way.
, and Ojeda’s kings held up against his opponents, giving him the big pot at a critical juncture in the tournament.