Level 29 (50,000/100,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 173
Players Remaining: 1
Chip Average: 6,800,000
Joe Maertens – Deep Stacks Challenge Event 12 Champion
Sometimes, a route to a tournament victory isn’t filled with massive hands, bluffs and chip stacks but more with well timed aggression, small, tactical victories and a slow progression towards the title. Today, Joe Maertens performed the latter of those strategies to perfection, hovering under the radar for the better part of Event 12 before peaking at the final table, a theme we’ve seen time and time again during this Deep Stacks Challenge series.
That peak started when play got short-handed and while there were a few bumps in the road, in the end, he wasn’t going to be denied his first ever major tournament victory and the biggest cash of his career. Simply put, Maertens was likely the least experienced player at this final table in terms of past results, as he was surrounded by past Borgata Poker champions and players with hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings.
You wouldn’t know it by the way Maertens played though, as he handled himself like the seasoned pros he was up against, all the way to the Event 12 title. He’ll take home just under $18,000 for his DSC victory and Maertens win not only ends our coverage of Event 12 but also of this version of the Deep Stacks Challenge.
A complete series recap will be posted tomorrow and we look thank you for following along over the last two weeks. We hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween and we look forward to seeing you during the next major Borgata series, next month’s Fall Poker Open. More information on that series can be found here.
Level 29 (50,000/100,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 173
Players Remaining: 1
Chip Average: 6,800,000
Alex Katsman (Brooklyn, NY)
After Alex Katsman won a flip to double through Joe Maertens and get back to more or less even, it looked like this heads up battle was going to go one for a while, as both players were extremely well stacked.
Sometimes, the cards don’t allow that to happen though, as the chips got into the middle quickly after the short break, with Katsman needing to hit to stay alive again. Unlike the first heads up all-in encounter, he wasn’t able to catch and when the stacks were cut down, he was left with just two big blinds.
Those two big blinds got in on the next hand and Katsman failed to improve again, meaning he was the Event 12 runner up. He’ll make just under $10,000 for his 2nd place finish.
Level 28 (40,000/80,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 173
Players Remaining: 2
Chip Average: 3,460,000
Michael Matrone (Morganville, NJ)
Despite getting a quick double up when three-handed play began, the growing blinds and antes cut him down again and he was soon back to being the short stack at this Event 12 final table. He was then all-in and at risk, with a massive draw against Joe Maertens, who held pocket kings.
That action was picked up on a board of {Jh}{8h}{4d} and after a leveling war got all the chips in the middle, Matrone held {6h}{5h} to Maertens’ {Kh}{Kc}. With both flush and straight draws, Matrone wasn’t that big of a dog,
When he picked up a pair with the {6s} turn card, he added even more outs that he could hit but the {9c} was not one of them and he was sent to the rail in 3rd place. He’ll make just shy of $5,600 for his podium finish and when the dust settled, Joe Maertens controlled a nearly 2:1 chip lead, a lead that quickly vanished as Alex Katsman scored a double in the first hand of heads up play, when his {As}{Qd} won a flip against Maertens {2s}{2d}.
The last two standing are now taking a quick break and will return to Level 29 with nearly even stacks.
Level 27 (30,000/60,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 173
Players Remaining: 3
Chip Average: 2,300,000
Julian Sacks (Ridgewood, NJ)
After the elimination of Alex Torres, this final table slowed down but regardless of the stack sizes and pace of play, when massive hands are dealt, sometimes it’s impossible not to have a huge confrontation. That is exactly what just happened between Alex Katsman and Julian Sacks, as two of the best starting hands in poker ran into each other pre flop, with pocket aces falling by the river.
The hand was picked up with Michael Matrone opening to 175,000 from under the gun and after the button folded, Katsman three-bet to 675,000 from the small blind. Sacks, who was in the big blind, then announced himself “all-in”, for just under 1,000,000. After a quick trip to the tank, Matrone got out of the way and Katsman said something about “getting him one time” before he eventually pushed his stack into the middle.
Katsman had his opponent covered but not by much, meaning that he likely needed his {Qs}{Qd} to beat Sacks’ {Ah}{As}. Katsman said he “had a feeling” and even though that feeling waited until the last second to develop, it was correct, as the {10c}{10h}{9h}{Js}{8d} runout gave Katsman a straight and send Sack and his rockets to the rail in 4th place.
Sacks will make just under $4,700 for his deep final table run and we are now three-handed for the Event 12 title, with the remaining stacks looking extremely even after Michael Matrone quickly doubled through Alex Katsman.
Level 27 (30,000/60,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 173
Players Remaining: 5
Chip Average: 1,385,000
Alex Torres (North Bergen, NJ)
The eliminations are coming fast and furious but after the knockout of short stacked Alex Torres, we might see the pace of play slow, as he was the last true short stack left at this final table.
Action was picked up on a board of {As}{9c}{6s} and after Torres checked from the blinds, Joe Maertens continued for 225,000. Alex Katsman folded on the button and after some thought, Torres moved all-in, for just 265,000 more. Maertens had a feeling he was beat but he called since he was priced in, only to be shown what he feared as Torres tabled {Ad}{7d}.
Maertens flipped over {8c}{8h} and while the {3s} turn card changed nothing, the {8s} river was the perfect card for Maertens, as it gave him his set and sent Torres to the rail. After battling a short stack for the last few levels, it was a brutal beat for Torres to take but he can’t complain about an over $3,500 pay day.
Play at this Event 12 final table is now four-handed and while Maertens controls the current chip lead with just over 2,500,000, everyone at this final table is either near or over the 1,000,000 chip mark.
Level 26 (25,000/50,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 173
Players Remaining: 5
Chip Average: 1,385,000
Frank Richardone (Staten Island, NY)
Before the money bubble, the tournament staff mistakenly thought that Frank Richardone had been eliminated and they almost started hand for hand play before Richardone got their attention to make sure they knew he was still alive with 20 players left.
From that point on, Richardone was a short stacked ninja, never eclipsing the chip average but first making the money and then making some serious pay jumps over the last few levels. In the end, he couldn’t work his short stack for much longer, getting just a handful of big blinds in from the button, only to be called by Alex Torres in the big blind.
The two were flipping, with Richardone holding {5c}{5h} and Torres holding {Jd}{6s}. The pocket pair didn’t last past the six-high flop and after the turn and river bricked out, Richardone was sent to the rail in 6th place.
He’ll make just under $3,000 for his Event 12 run and midway through Level 26, we are now five-handed for the final Deep Stacks Challenge trophy of the series.
Level 25 (20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 173
Players Remaining: 6
Chip Average: 1,115,000
Leiv Johannessen (Norway)
Swings at the final table can be brutal and while Leiv Johannessen avoided negative ones through the first few levels after the ten-handed redraw, he couldn’t avoid running into aces in back to back hands. Those run-ins first knocked him down below the chip average and then sent him to the rail, as the big chip leader was just knocked out in 7th place.
The first encounter with pocket aces came against Julian Sacks, with Sacks opening to 115,000 from middle position. Michael Matrone called in the small blind before Johannessen three-bet shoved from the big blind. Sacks snap called and Matrone got out of the way, a move he was happy he made as Sacks turned over {As}{Ac}.
Johannessen held {9h}{9s} and after the board ran out clean for Sacks’ blades, he was stacking up just shy of 2,000,000, good for the Event 12 chip lead. In the very next hand, a now shorter Johannessen moved all-in again, this time holding {Jc}{Js} and while Sacks snap called with his rockets, Alex Katsman took a moment to think before he eventually called and turned over {Ah}{As}.
Katsman tried to explain how he thought he misread his hand but the table didn’t seem to buy it. Johannessen took the cooler and semi-slow roll in stride though, wishing the rest of the final table luck as he headed to collect this $2,400 payout.
Johannessen’s fall from the Event 12 chip lead just goes to show how quickly the landscape can change at a final table and how drastic the swings can be, something we are sure to see more of over the next few levels.
Level 25 (20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 173
Players Remaining: 7
Chip Average: 988,000
Julian Sacks scored a double late in Level 24 and he’s now right below the 1,000,000 chip mark, with a majority of the stacks at this final table hovering close to the chip average.
Leiv Johannessen still holds a decent lead on this seven-handed Event 12 final table but below him, the chip stacks really couldn’t be any closer, as there is a log jam around the chip average. While the stacks are close, Julian Sacks doesn’t seem to think that it’s as close as it may seem, after he doubled up and sent a strong message to the rest of this final table.
Sacks claimed that he was the “best player left” and added that it “wasn’t even close” and while there are some experienced players remaining in this field, the 24 year old might have a point. He has just under $120,000 in career earnings, with results from across the country over the last few years.
He’s up against some strong competition so while he may have confidence in his own abilities, the rest of this final table isn’t going to make it easy for him. Throughout the last level though, Sacks was one of the only players to consistently increase his stack, as Michael Matrone has yo-yoed over the last half hour and the rest of the stacks have remained relatively similar.
A complete seven-handed chip count update is provided below:
- Frank Richardone – 420,000
- Julian Sacks – 830,000
- Alex Torres – 515,000
- Michael Martone – 1,300,000
- Leiv Johannessen – 1,725,000
- Joe Maertens – 890,000
- Alex Katsman – 1,100,000
Level 25 (20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 173
Players Remaining: 7
Chip Average: 988,000
Michael Raines (Great Neck, NY)
After getting cut down through the slower portion of Level 24, Michael Raines found himself as one of the shorter stacks at this Event 12 final table. Raines and the only other shorter stack, Frank Richardone were then involved in a three-way all-in, a hand that tripled Richardone, crippled Michael Matrone and sent Raines packing in 8th place.
The hand was picked up with Richardone moving all-in from early position for just over 150,000 and, as the next player to act, Raines moved all-in for just over 300,000. The table folded around to Matrone, who was in the small blind, and he re-shoved, having both short stacks covered.
Matrone’s {9h}{9d} was flipping against Raines’ {Ac}{Qd} but both were way behind Richardone’s {Kh}{Ks}. The board ran out {8s}{4h}{2d}{5h}{4d} and the kings held for the triple, while Raines’ tournament run ended, as Matrone had him covered.
Matrons picked up a small rebate but he was left with just over 300,000. That short stack quickly got in the middle, as he doubled up in the very next hand through Joe Maertens, while Raines headed to the rail to get his $1,700 payout.
Level 25 (20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 173
Players Remaining: 8
Chip Average: 865,000
Joe Maertens has been the only benefactors through the slow end of Level 24, as he’s now over the 1,000,000 chip mark.
While the rest of Level 24 played out without any eliminations, there were some smaller pots that played out with Joe Maertens being one of the biggest growers over that twenty minute stretch. Maertens came into this final table below the chip average but he now finds himself as one of the only players in the Millionaire’s Club.
The pace of the last level has been slow and while we can’t predict the future, we should see an increase to that pace heading into Level 25, as slow portions of tournaments usually lead to some action in later levels.