MARTUCCI RETURNS BUT LOSES HEADS UP TO SOUTHARD

Post date: May 15, 2021 6:36:55 AM

So many good things to talk about today, aside from the beautiful weather, the mask mandate finally being lifted and spectacular job hosting by Mike Altilio we also had an early morning, laser focused Scott Boles,  and the return of Brooktown legend Neil Martucci!!!

As you know, from either reading the previous emails this week or actually being there tonight, the game was Pot Limit Omaha with unlimited revise for the first four levels -  historically  this tournament brings the largest prize pool and the most action of the year -  let’s see if that would hold true again for 2021…

People were happy to see the beautiful weather there was fun there was frivolity, people eating like kings, even before the food was ready!!!  They were drinking like prohibition had just been lifted, we were so loosey goosey the first card wasn’t even dealt till 6:50pm

We were fortunate enough to have 13 players this month and as we all settled in for Omaha high everyone was thrilled to see Brooktown legend Neil Martucci make his first appearance in 524 days, since losing heads up in the 2019 championship to Jay Fern. Neil Martucci returns in grand style as he wins the first hand of the night,  but the question on everybody’s mind is will he win the last?

As expected rebuys were fast and furious to the point where, dear reader, I can’t even give you too many details as to how why what and when things happened because all I was doing was getting up, going on the computer to register the rebuy, collect $35 and then get 3500 chips from Jay, who by the way thank you very much for your help.

At the break table A led by Rich Southard had 16 rebuys, while cable b Led by uncle Bob had 11 rebuys. The 27 rebuys are the most ever in a Brooktown Event.

We took a break, we did our add-ons , we ate some pizza, and there were 185,000 chips and play with blinds of 250-500 to start level 5. Buckle up boys,  we,ve got a long way to go.

We did have a bit of excitement when the first player eliminated was Scott Davis, for some people like JStu this was the equivalent or seeing a unicorn, Jason didn’t think it had ever happened, and in Jason’s 3 year career in Brooktown, it hadn’t, for Scott it was only the 6th time he has been first man out, and the first time since 2014. Rich, who was the one to take him out, properly poked the bear enough until Scott had enough and went into a spectacular rant featuring his high voice imitation, anger, some hooting and hollering and most likely shock. Plus Scott had no ride home since he carpooled. The good news is, only 3 weeks until the next event!

After that next man down was Eddie P and Scott Boles, I don’t know who or how they were knocked out, but based on what I have seen, I am betting Eddie P was ahead and someone caught a card on the river and that ended Edward’s evening. Boles, who was laser focused at 8am, was 3rd man off and on the way home to get some sleep as he has an early kid sport Saturday. This forced table A to send their chip leader Rich Southard over to mix it up with Uncle Bob, Fern Augman, and Pete. In the meantime table B, after losing Scottie D to elimination and Rich to unification, saw our host Mike Altilio, who did not have many good cards all night, run into a situation he could not get away from (ok fine, I have no memory or idea who or how he got knocked out), and we down to 9 players and 1 elimination away from the merge. It didn’t take too long for Rich and Uncle Bob to do what Rich and Uncle Bob do, especially in Omaha, which is put all their chips in the middle of the pot and down went Bobby and to the merge with 8 we went.

At the merge, it was all about the haves and the have Nots as Rich, Fern, JStu and Neil sat down with the big stacks and Pete Tom Augie and Luke were a bit “chip stack limited”  but the 8 players battled and players hung in there and grinded it out until finally, after a number of trips around the table, the first man to go was Augie then, one of the big stacks took a hit and we lost Mr. Fern and we were suddenly down to six.

Our men went round after round after round refusing to be eliminated Brucato, with as little  as 750 chips left hung in there and finally quadrupled up and then doubled up. Finally Luke an JStu go to battle on a big pot, with JStu betting and Luke calling, finally with 40,000 chips in the middle of the table and Luke down to his last 6000 JStu checks and Luke pushes it all and Jason just shakes his head and throws his pocket aces in the muck, and Luke turns over nothing and takes to 46,000 chip pot from Jason, who couldn’t get that out of his head.

The blinds were eating us up and eventually Pete had no choice but to go all in on his big blind, he gets three callers great opportunity for Pete to get some chips and get back in the action, and Petey had a chance,  but on the river Neil catches his flush and we were down to five. It didn’t take long for Brucato to be all in on his big blind and he is unable to get any traction and for the 4th time in 6 events, Brucato finishes 5th and we’ve got our 4 money makers Luke JStu Neil and Southard, who will take home, most likely, a share of the biggest pot of the year.

After my elimination I was meandering around the house a little bit so I didn’t see exactly what happened I think maybe Luke was on a straight draw and Rich called, caught a flush and we lost Luke.

Next we had Jason short stacked and still annoyed over losing to Luke was next man to go and here it was ladies and gentlemen Neil Martucci, a fan favorite no doubt, coming off his year and a half hiatus facing off heads up against  the most decorated player in Brooktown history. The 2 Champions had only met heads up twice before but we were settling in for a battle of the ages, Neil one of the all time top percentage heads up winner of all time versus Rich the winningest winner of all time.

Neil getting ready for the uphill battle rich 165,000 chips versus Neil’s 20,000 chips just as we settle in to watch a lesson in Heads Up No Limit Poker, Neil is all in on the first hand with a chance to double up, but alas, there will be no fairytale tonight as Rich Southard dominant throughout, takes home Brooktown win number 32 and Neil is this month’s Humpty Dumpty.