You need to know at least three hands to follow the story of this final table to its heads up conclusion.
The first involved Alex Goulder moving all-in in blind versus blind against Johnathen McCullagh. It was for 1,355,000 chips effective and on the first hand of the 40,000-80,000 level.
McCullagh snap-called and tabled As Tc.
Goulder did not have nothing, but he would need to improve with his Qc Jh to have. chance at winning this pot.
The flop came Ah 8d 9c, giving McCullagh top pair but Goulder a gutshot to the nuts.
“Hope you make top two,” Goulder wished on McCullagh. The rail could hear shouting various cards out. The 2s turn and Jc river completed the board and it was a full double for McCullagh. Goulder’s chip lead wasn’t just gone, he was now in third place.
Maybe the next hand McCullagh opened to 160,000 under the gun, thinking perhaps they were still at 30,000-60,000 (because he cut 120,000 out of habit). As soon as he got the correct amount out there, Bak had folded, and Goulder had three-bet shoved from the big blind. McCullagh took the price and called with 6s 8s. He was live to knock out Goulder, who had Ah 7s.
The flop 4d 4c 6h turned the tables in favour of McCullagh. The 8h turn seemed good for him, but it actually gave Goulder four fives to hit instead of three sevens. The river, guess what, was the 5c!
“Never easy,” smiled Goulder. He was back to 1,200,000.
Those two pots led to this one.
Again it was McCullagh and Goulder. The former raised on the button to 160,000, Andrew Bak had a long think and folded and Goulder moved all in. McCullagh snap-called with 6c 6s. Goulder had Ah Kd.
Two real hands for real stakes. “Six!” shouted someone on McCullagh’s rail. And that’s exactly what came.
Qc 6h 4s, 5h, 2d
Goulder was drawing dead on the turn and knew it. He stood up and shook his competitors’ hands.
McCullagh drew for Goulder’s bounty …. €2,000 Euros. A €7,000 knockout was still live in the deck, which means the winner would have it and the remaining €1,000 Euro bounty for a total of €8,000 added to their €23,590 first prize.
