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Destiny Shines on the Duck
Level 32: 100,000-200,000, 20,000 ante
Destiny Shines on the Duck: Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar Wins the WPT Borgata Open in Record Time
By Tom Bostic
|:img:6002,R:|Never underestimate the wisdom of a fortune cookie.
The night before the final table of the WPT Borgata Poker Open, Vivek Rajkumar cracked open a fortune cookie during an interview on PokerRoad Radio. It read, "You may lose the small ones, but win the big ones."
Less than 18 hours later, that's exactly what he did.
Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar won the quickest final table in World Poker Tour history in just 48 hands, catching a lucky card early to take a big lead and steamroll his opponents en route to a WPT title.
Action started shortly after 4:00 pm, and these were the opening chip counts:
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Seat 1: Vivek Rajkumar – 6,480,000
Seat 2: Dan Heimiller – 3,360,000
Seat 3: Andrew Knee – 1,475,000
Seat 4: Mark Seif – 4,665,000
Seat 5: Jason Strochak – 1,650,000
Seat 6: Sang Kim – 3,085,000
|:img:5985,L:|The first player was eliminated in Hand #6. Short stacked coming in, Andrew Knee was eliminated in sixth place when his all-in push ran into the pocket tens of Jason Strochak. Four hands later, Stochak’s pocket pair wouldn't work out quite as well.
In Hand #10, Mark Seif raised from the cutoff to 350,000, and Strochak reraised from the button to 1.55 million. Seif moved all in and Strochak quickly called with Q
Q
. Seif showed 88
and needed to improve to stay alive. The board came A
84510, and Seif flopped a set to crack Strochak's queens and cripple him. The eight saved Seif from elimination, but his stay of execution wouldn't last long.
|:img:5987,R:|Strochak doubled up a few hands later, and then tripled up in Hand #17 in a three-way pot when his A4 spiked an ace on the turn to crack Heimiller's pocket jacks. (Vivek Rajkumar called Strochak's preflop all in, but folded to a flop bet by Heimiller.) That hand brought Strochak back to life and moved him into third in the chip counts. But like Seif, his resurrection wouldn't last long.
The next hand (Hand #18), Mark Seif would be the won with a big pocket pair, taking his AA up against Rajkumar's 1010. It was a battle of the chipleaders in the biggest pot of the tournament. The big pair got cracked once again as Rajkumar flopped a set, and Seif got to feel both sides of the bottom pair sucking out in the span of nine hands. Seif was crippled while Rajkumar catapulted to a massive chip lead with more than 60% of the chips in play.
|:img:5991,L:|Mark Seif was eliminated in fifth place a few hands later, taking home $287,500 and yet another WPT Final Table horror story. (Mark Seif had pocket aces cracked at his first WPT Final Table all the way back in Season I.)
A Rajkumar victory seemed nearly certain at that point, but he didn't sit back and wait for things to happen. He repeatedly open-pushed to pressure his opponents, who seemed to be jockeying for second place.
Sang Kim doubled through Jason Strochak in Hand #29 when his KK was not cracked by Strochak's QQ -- the first time of the night a big pair held up. Crippled to barely more than the big blind, Jason Strochak was eliminated in fourth place on the next hand.
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In Hand #41, Heimiller took a stand and moved all in first to act with Q3. Rajkumar called with A5, and Heimiller never improved. Not only that, but Rajkumar flopped a pair of fives, turned trips, and rivered quads. Talk about overkill. Dan Heimiller was eliminated in third place.
Vivek Rajkumar now had a 4.3-to-1 chip lead over Sang Kim as heads-up play began. Kim was clearly the tightest player at the table to that point, playing only one hand to a showdown to this point. But the strategy served him well, as he was guaranteed more money for second place ($750,000) than third and fourth place combined. Rajkumar kept up the pressure, winning four out of the first five pots to increase his lead.
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Two hands later, it would all be over. In Hand #48, they quickly reraised each other until they were both all in -- Rajkumar with AJ, but Kim with the slightly better AQ. Kim's hand should be a big favorite in that spot, but remember, Rajkumar had a fortune cookie on his side.
The board came J107A8, and Vivek Rajkumar won the pot -- and the tournament -- with two pair. Sang Kim was eliminated in second place, earning $750,000.
Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar won the WPT Borgata Poker Open, earning $1,424,500, a WPT bracelet, and his entry into the Season VII WPT World Championship at Bellagio in April. The final table ended in just 48 hands, five hands faster than the previous record set at Bellagio last December. Rajkumar was almost solely responsible for the pace, eliminating seven out of his final nine opponents in an incredible show of aggression and skilled decision making.
|:img:5983,R:|Of course, it doesn't hurt if you can crack aces to stay alive along the way. That's the power of a fortune cookie.
Vivek Rajkumar becomes the fourth WPT Millionaire of Season VII, joining Mike "SirWatts" Watson (WPT Bellagio Cup IV), David Benyamine (WPT Bellagio Cup IV) and John "The Razor" Phan (WPT Legends of Poker). Niagara Falls is the next stop for the World Poker Tour for the North American Poker Championship. Day 1 of that tournament starts October 16th, and as always, you'll be able to follow all of the action here at WorldPokerTour.com.
Final table payouts:
1st: Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumer - $1,424,500
2nd: Sang Kim - $750,000
3rd: Dan Heimiller - $387,500
4th: Jason Strochak - $337,500
5th: Mark Seif - $287,500
6th: Andrew Knee - $237,500
05:58 PM, 09/18/08
You May Lose the Small Ones but Win the Big Ones
Level 32: 100,000-200,000, 20,000 ante
Video description: Vivek Rajkumar's fortune from last night's PokerRoad Radio show said "You many lose the small one but win the big ones." Sounds too good too be true but it's not. Vivek wins the 2008 Borgata Poker Open, taking home $1,424,500.
Sorted In: Tournaments, Borgata, Season VII, Borgata Poker Open
05:02 PM, 09/18/08
Hand #48: Vivek Rajkumar Wins the WPT Borgata Poker Open ($1,424,500)
Level 32: 100,000-200,000, 20,000 ante
Hand #48 - Vivek Rajkumar has the button, he raises to 550,000, Sang Kim reraises to 1.05 million, Rajkumar reraises to 2.5 million, Kim moves all in, and Rajkumar calls with AJ. Sang Kim has AQ, and he's in a dominating position to double up here.
The flop comes J107, and Vivek's friends cheer from the rail as Rajkumar takes the lead with a pair of jacks. Sang Kim picks up a gutshot straight draw, so he has outs.
The turn card is the A, and Sang Kim needs a king or a queen on the river to stay alive.
The river card is the 8, and Vivek Rajkumar wins the pot -- and the tournament -- in record time with two pair, aces and jacks.
Sang Kim finishes as the runner-up, earning $750,000.
Vivek Rajkumar wins the WPT Borgata Poker Open, earning $1,424,500, a WPT bracelet, and that includes his entry into the 2009 WPT World Championship at Bellagio in April.
04:01 PM, 09/18/08
Hand #47: Sang Kim
Level 32: 100,000-200,000, 20,000 ante
Hand #47 - Sang Kim has the button, he completes to 200,000, and Vivek Rajkumar checks. The flop comes 1084, Rajkumar checks, Sang Kim bets 400,000, and Rajkumar folds. Sang Kim takes the pot.
Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar - 16,760,000
Sang Kim - 3,955,000
Vivek's friends on the rail are betting flops right now, as they seem confident in their friend's chances of winning the tournament.
03:55 PM, 09/18/08
Hand #46: Vivek Rajkumar
Level 32: 100,000-200,000, 20,000 ante
Hand #46 - Vivek Rajkumar has the button, he completes to 200,000, and Sang Kim checks. The flop comes Q54, Sang Kim checks, Rajkumar bets 200,000, and Sang Kim folds. Vivek Rajkumar shows a queen as he collects the pot.
Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar - 16,980,000
Sang Kim - 3,735,000
03:54 PM, 09/18/08
Hand #45: Vivek Rajkumar
Level 32: 100,000-200,000, 20,000 ante
Hand #45 - Sang Kim has the button, and he folds. Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar - 16,760,000 Sang Kim - 3,955,000
Sorted In: Tournaments, Borgata, Season VII, Borgata Poker Open03:54 PM, 09/18/08
Hand #44: Sang Kim
Level 32: 100,000-200,000, 20,000 ante
Hand #44 - Vivek Rajkumar has the button, he raises to 485,000, Sang Kim reraises to 1 million, and Rajkumar thinks for about two minutes before he folds. Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar - 16,640,000 Sang Kim - 4,075,000
Sorted In: Tournaments, Borgata, Season VII, Borgata Poker Open03:52 PM, 09/18/08
Hand #43: Vivek Rajkumar
Level 32: 100,000-200,000, 20,000 ante
Hand #43 - Sang Kim has the button, and he folds. Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar - 17,145,000 Sang Kim - 3,570,000
Sorted In: Tournaments, Borgata, Season VII, Borgata Poker Open03:49 PM, 09/18/08
Hand #42: Vivek Rajkumar
Level 32: 100,000-200,000, 20,000 ante
Hand #42 - Vivek Rajkumar has the button, he raises to 475,000, and Sang Kim folds. Vivek "Psyduck" Rajkumar - 17,025,000 Sang Kim - 3,690,000
Sorted In: Tournaments, Borgata, Season VII, Borgata Poker Open03:48 PM, 09/18/08
Shuffle Up & Deal!
Level 32: 100,000-200,000, 20,000 ante
Vivek Rajkumar starts with the button, and in heads-up play, the button has the small blind and acts first before the flop.
Sorted In: Tournaments, Borgata, Season VII, Borgata Poker Open03:47 PM, 09/18/08
