888 Hand of the Week: Sun Doesn't Set On Mateos
A special event that went off this week at the 2016 World Series of Poker was Event #33: $1,500 Summer Solstice, which featured longer-than-normal levels of 90 minutes, giving the 1,840 players who showed out some extra bang for their buck compared to regular WSOP $1,500 events.
PokerNews was on hand for all the action and will be in Las Vegas for the duration of the World Series. As a part of our coverage, that is brought to you by 888poker, we will be bringing readers a special "888 Hand of the Week" every week throughout the entire 2016 WSOP.
Day 5 of the Summer Solstice came down to just two players: Adrian Mateos of Spain and Koray Aldemir of Austria. The former had the name recognition and the star power, but the latter had a small chip lead, coming into the day toting just under 94 big blinds to Mateos' just over 78.
With such deep stacks, it was inevitable that there would be some three-bet pots that swung things, and one such pot occurred on Hand #176 of the final table.
Mateos opened for 200,000 which had been the standard opening size for the two players at 40,000/80,000/10,000. Aldemir came back with a three-bet to 650,000, and Mateos called, creating a big pot preflop. The flop came A♠4♦3♦, and Aldemir bet 490,000. Mateos shoved all in for 3.885 million.
"Why would you go all in?" Aldemir asked of the big bet before deciding to call it.
He had the right read, as his 8♠8♥ was good for the moment, but Mateos had 6♦5♦ for a monster draw of the open-ended straight flush variety.
The dealer burned and turned the A♦, giving Mateos a big lead with a flush, but he still had to sweat the river card. That was the 4♥, no help to Aldemir, and Mateos doubled into the lead.
It was a lead he wouldn't relinquish, as he continued to siphon away Aldemir's chips until he busted him early in the next level.
With the win, Mateos grabbed his second bracelet — he also won WSOP Europe Main Event in 2013 for $1,351,661 — and the first for the 21-year-old in Las Vegas in just the second year he has been eligible to play here.
He also pocketed $409,171 in prize money. Mateos now has just shy of $5 million in career tournament cashes at this tender age, and it seems likely he will eventually pass Carlos Mortensen as Spain's all-time money winner if he sticks with poker.
The slow structure of the Summer Solstice makes it a haven for the skilled pro, and Mateos can thank the 888 Hand of the Week for propelling him to his second career bracelet.
As the 2016 WSOP rolls on, be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for continued coverage, brought to you by our sponsors, 888poker, including weekly 888 Hand of the Week articles.
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