2008/2009 WSOP Circuit Event - Council Bluffs
Event #16 - Circuit Championship Event
Date:
Monday, February 23, 2009 to Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Buy-In:
$5,150
Prize Pool:
$309,100
Entrants:
67
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:29:30
Dennis Meierotto Eliminated in 2nd Place ($62,790)
Like most pots have been so far in the heads-up battle, the final one went to the flop without a raise. Jesse Hale had the button and the flop came down 
. Dennis Meierotto checked his option first and then Hale followed right behind with a check.
The turn brought the 
and Meierotto announced "All in." Hale checked his hand and then asked for a count. The dealer broke down the chips and let Hale know the total all-in bet was for 136,000.
Hale stared at his cards as he held them up in front of his face. After about a minute went by, Hale announced "Call!"
Showdown:
Hale:
Meierotto: 
Hale needed to dodge a five or a six on the river to take down the event. The dealer slowly burned and slowly turned over the last card... the 
! That would be it, Hale's hand held up and Meierotto was eliminated in 2nd place, earning $62,790 for his finish.
Jesse Hale, the skydiving instructor and coach from Texas, took home first place along with $113,020, the gold championship ring, and a buy in to the 2009 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas!
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:08:42
Hale Gettting Closer
At least eight out of the last ten pots have been won by Jesse Hale. Most of the time, he's raising it up preflop, and a single continuation bet has been enough to get Meierotto out of the way. This last 45 minutes has seen Hale whittle Meierotto all the way down to 185,000.
Hale currently sits with 1,155,000.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:58:47
Chip Chipping Away
We join the action on the river with the board reading 
. There's about 50,000 in the pot already, and Hale is first to act. He checks, and Meierotto opts to bet 40,000.
"He hasn't shown me a bluff yet. I can't believe this," said Hale, jokingly indignant. "He has a queen. He has the... queen of spades... and the jack of diamonds." Thinking he was beat, Hale stuck it in there anyways, calling the 40,000.
"I don't have anything," mumbled Meierotto. Hale could beat that, tabling 
for bottom pair. With that good call, Hale has knocked his opponent down under 250,000 in chips, steadily working away at Meierotto's stack.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:53:33
Updated Chip Counts
Jesse Hale - 1,060,000
Dennis Meierotto - 280,000
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:41:28
Chop it up, Two Times
Jesse Hale raised from the button to 47,000 and Dennis Meierotto called. The flop came down 
and both players checked. The turn brought the and Meierotto checked. Hale bet 40,000 and Meierotto called.
"Jack of clubs!" yelled out Hale before the the 
was placed on the river. Both players checked. Hale showed and Meierotto showed 
. Chop it up.
A few hands later, Meierotto minraised to 32,000 and Hale called without looking at his cards. The flop came down 
and Hale checked. Meierotto bet 20,000. "I gotta look now," said Hale before looking.
"I smooth call," he said after looking.
The turn was the and Meierotto bet 20,000 again after Hale had checked in the dark. Hale called. The river went check, check after the 
hit the felt.
Hale showed and Meierotto showed 
. Chop it up one more time boys.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:32:03
A Few More Chips for Hale
Dennis Meierotto limped into the pot and Jesse Hale checked his option.
The dealer spread out the first three community cards: 
. Hale checked, Meierotto bet 20,000, and Hale called.
Fourth street revealed the . This time, Hale check-called a whopping 30,000 from his opponent.
Fifth street was the 
. Hale checked again, and this time Meierotto checked behind him.
In his standard fashion, Hale announced his cards before showing them down "Nine. Recently acquired." He turned over 
, adding, "And the open ender."
Meierotto pursed his lips, then flashed his 
. Hale had gotten there on the river, and he snags another little chunk of chips from the man across the table.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:27:56
Ace High No Good
Jesse Hale limped into the pot, and Dennis Meierotto raised it up to 32,000. Hale called.
The board came out 
, with Meierotto betting 20,000 and Hale calling on each street. When Hale called the river bet, Meierotto glumly said, "Ace high."
"Jack!" Hale replied, tabling the winning 
to pad his chip lead slightly.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:25:06
Hale Gives a Little
Both players saw the flop in an unraised pot. The first three community cards came down 
and Dennis Meierotto fired 20,000. Jesse Hale called.
The turn was the 
and Meierotto fired 20,000 again. Hale called again.
The river was the and again Meierotto fired. Guess how much the bet was?
That's right, 20,000.
Guess what Hale did?
You're right again, he called.
Meierotto turned up and Hale mucked.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:20:19
Small Ball
In the most action we've seen in 20 minutes, Jesse Hale completed from the button, and Dennis Meierotto knocked the table for the free flop.
It came 
. Meierotto bet out 20,000, which Hale quickly called.
The turn was the . In repeat fashion, Hale called another 20,000-chip bet.
Fifth street was the . This time, both men checked. Meierotto tabled 
for queens up.
"Augh, I missed a bet on the flop," lamented Hale, flashing a queen of his own. That little exchange of 50,000 chips is one of the biggest swings we've seen in heads-up play.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:10:42
The Poker May Be Lacking, But the Good Times Are Not
Despite the lack of actual poker being played, Jesse Hale sure knows how to keep everyone happy. Hale has been singing, rapping, yelling out crazy poker phrases, and buying rounds of drinks for everyone in sight. He just recently got caught singing louder than normal when announcer Tom Sexton stuck the microphone right in front of him.
Hale seems to be having a blast and is doing a great job of getting everyone else in on the fun along with him. From a poker stand point, very little chips have changed hands and the pots rarely contain more than the blinds and antes.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:55:07
We Have Action!
Jesse Hale limped in from the button and Dennis Meierotto checked his option. The flop came down 
and Meierotto checked. Hale fired 15,000 and was called.
The turn brought the , pairing the board with bullets. Meierotto fired this time, 30,000, instead of checking. Hale called.
The river was the 
and Meierotto bet 50,000. "I have to call," said Hale as he tossed in the chips.
Meierotto turned up for trip aces. Hale flashed the and then mucked.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:33:24
Play Resumes
With the full prize sitting on the table, the cards are back in the air.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:28:00
Quick Break
The clock has been paused while the money and the shiny gold ring are retrieved from the cashier's cage. In a few minutes, we'll be heads up for the title!
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:26:43
John McDonald Eliminated in 3rd Place ($34,535)
Jesse Hale looked at his holecards and saw what he liked. He then made a raise to 38,000 from the button. John McDonald reraised from the small blind to 80,000. Dennis Meierotto folded from the big blind before Hale made the call.
The flop came down and McDonald led for 80,000. Hale raised all in and McDonald snap-called! Hale had McDonald's 363,000 remaining chips covered.
Showdown:
Hale:
McDonald:
The turn was the and filled up Hale, eliminating some outs for McDonald. The river was then the and that was it, McDonald would be out in third place. He shook the hands of Meierotto and Hale, collecting $34,535 for his finish.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:16:12
Hale's Dilemma
While we have a second, there are a couple noteworthy things about Jesse Hale that we might want to mention.
Firstly, we noted in his bio that he is a skydiver and a skydiving instructor by vocation. He has over 4,000 jumps under his belt. He tells us that during the course of his jumping career, he has had 15 malfunctions of his main chute, putting his life in the hands of the reserve chute. Luckily for him, he's never had a reserve chute malfunction.
"Nothing scares this guy," says emcee Tom Sexton. "He jumps out of planes for a living. Nothing scares this guy."
Well, except maybe his wife.
Hale is here in the Midwest on business, but he decided to play a few events before he leaves. He went deep in the Pot-limit Omaha event on Monday, and now he finds himself once again on the verge of a nice payday. He's a bit worried about how he's going to explain to his wife that he plays poker.
"She's six months along," he said, wide-eyed when the table asked him about his wife and the upcoming birth of his first child. "And this is the first doctor's appointment I've missed. You don't think the hormones are gonna be off the boot?" He and the rest of the table shared a chuckle.
Mrs. Hale, if you're following along, go easy on your husband. He's going to bring home some big time cash this week. How much, of course, still remains to be seen.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:12:02
Play Resumes
With just over one hour left in Level 15, the cards are back in the air. Let's hope that steak dinner the players just consumed will provoke some action on the felt!
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:08:46
Updated Chip Counts at the Dinner Break
Dennis Meierotto - 471,000
John McDonald - 462,000
Jesse Hale - 429,000
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:06:12
High Steaks Poker
Steaks are ready! The three remaining players have taken their dinner break together. They'll be back in a half hour or 45 minutes, give or take.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:58:59
A Hale of a Turn Card
John McDonald limped in from the button, and Dennis Meierotto completed from the small blind. Jesse Hale had 126,000 chips left, and he verbally moved them all in. McDonald began to ponder. "Someone told me... that this hand is 50-50 today..."
"Pocket deuces?" replied Hale, with a big smirk. "If you have pocket deuces, I would highly recommend you call, knock me out, and move up in the payouts."
After just another minute, McDonald emphatically announced, "All right, I call!" With that, Hale's tournament life was once again in jeopardy. Meierotto folded.
Showdown:
McDonald:
Hale:
Trouble found Hale as the flop rolled out . McDonald snagged the lead with his top pair, and now it was Hale who would need to catch up to stay alive.
Stay seated, Jesse. The turn brought the to improve Hale to top pair, and the that filled out the board earned the short stack a much-needed double up. He's back to just under 280,000 now.
Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:58:12
Crash Landing On the River
John McDonald raised from the button to 35,000 and Dennis Meierotto called out of the small blind. With action on Jesse Hale in the big blind, he announced that he was going to raise. Hale then made it 155,000 total.
McDonald made the call after pausing for a moment. "Now, I just don't understand that," commented Hale on McDonald's smooth call preflop. Meierotto then folded.
The flop came down and the pot sat well over 300,000 chips. "I'm all in," announced Hale shortly after the dealer laid the three cards on the felt. McDonald then went into the tank.
"I'm buying dinner either way," said Hale. "Dinner with the wine."
McDonald was in the tank for about two minutes while Hale walked away from the table to use his phone after asking one of the floor members if he could do so. While he was away from the table, McDonald looking at his wife on the rail and said, "We're winners either way, right?" She smiled just as McDonald said, "I call!"
Showdown:
Hale:
McDonald:
Tom Sexton announced the hands as Hale came quickly back to the table. The dealer then burned and turned -- the -- no help for McDonald.
"I got a flush draw," joked Hale.
The dealer then slowly burned for the final time and dealt the river... the ! "YES!" yelled McDonald as he tossed his hands up into the air. He then went over and shook hands with Hale before raking in the pot.
"You're buying dinner now," said Hale.
McDonald was all in for 248,000 total, leaving Hale with a little over 120,000 chips. After a few moments went by, Hale asked McDonald what he thought he was up against. "I just didn't think you were that strong," responded McDonald.
