Two Plus Two Newer Archives - Interesting hands leading to PCA championship for Ambrose...

These are 4 hands in the last 15 hands that led to Ambrose wining 1.3 million and take PCA championship. Shows how lucky you have to be to win a WPT final table.

Starts out with following stacks down to final 3:

1. David Singer - $4,000,000 (seat 2)
2. Steve Paul-Ambrose - $1,600,000 (seat 1)
3. Brook Lyter - $1,600,000 (seat 3)

Hand 1:

Hand #90 - Steve Paul-Ambrose has the button in seat 1, Paul-Ambrose raises to $200,000, and Singer calls from the small blind. The flop comes As-8d-7d, Singer checks, Paul-Ambrose bets $500,000, Singer raises to $1.5 million, and Paul-Ambrose thinks long and hard before he moves all in for $95,000 more, and Singer obviously calls. Paul-Ambrose shows Kd-2d (flush draw), while Singer has Ad-9h (pair of aces). Paul-Ambrose needs to improve to survive.

The turn card is the Ah, and Singer makes trip aces. Paul-Ambrose needs a diamond to stay alive.

The river card is the 4d, and the crowd goes wild as Paul-Ambrose hits his flush to double up in chips. (His friends and family make up the largest portion of the crowd.)

Stacks for Hand 2; 7 hands later:

1. Steve Paul-Ambrose - $3,840,000 (seat 1)
2. Brook Lyter - $1,960,000 (seat 3)
3. David Singer - $1,300,000 (seat 2)

Hand #97 - David Singer has the button in seat 2, Lyter raises to $220,000, and Paul-Ambrose calls. The flop comes 8d-6c-2h, Lyter checks, Paul-Ambrose bets $400,000, and Lyter calls. The turn card is the Qc, Lyter checks, Paul-Ambrose bets $500,000, and Lyter says "All in" for a total of $1,255,000. Paul-Ambrose carefully considers the situation for several minutes before he calls with Qd-Jc (pair of queens). Lyter shows pocket eights (8c-8s) for a set, and Paul-Ambrose is drawing dead. (The meaningless river card is the 4s.) Brook Lyter wins a huge pot to double up to about $4 million -- and the chip lead.

Stacks for Hand 3; 2 hands later
1. Brook Lyter - $4,000,000 (seat 3)
2. Steve Paul-Ambrose - $1,900,000 (seat 1)
3. David Singer - $1,400,000 (seat 2)

Hand #99 - Steve Paul-Ambrose has the button in seat 1, Paul-Ambrose raises to $225,000, and Singer calls from the big blind. The flop comes Qh-Jh-4d, Singer checks, Paul-Ambrose bets $350,000, and Singer moves all in for a total of $1.11 million. Paul-Ambrose calls with As-Ks (two overcards, gut-shot straight draw), but Singer shows pocket kings (Ks-Kh) for an over pair.

The turn card is the Ac, and Paul-Ambrose makes a higher pair to take the lead. Singer needs to catch a king (for a set) or a ten (for a straight) to stay alive.

The river card is the Qd, and David Singer is eliminated in third place, earning $436,200.

Final Hand; 6 hands later:
Ambrose 3.7 mill
Lyter 3.4 mil

Hand #105 - Steve Paul-Ambrose has the button, he limps, Lyter raises to $380,000, and Paul-Ambrose calls. The flop comes Js-9s-2c, Lyter bets $300,000, and Paul-Ambrose raises to $1.5 million. Lyter asks for a count of Paul-Ambrose's remaining chips while he makes his decision.

He really takes his time, and we're talking ten minutes here.

Lyter eventually moves all in for $3.02 million, and Paul-Ambrose reluctantly calls with Qs-10c (overcard, open-ended straight draw). Lyter shows Kc-Jd (top pair, king kicker), and he's made a great call here to hopefully double up, but he needs his hand to hold up first.

The turn card is the Qh, and Paul-Ambrose makes a higher pair to take the lead! Now Lyter is behind, and he'll need to catch a ten (for a straight), or a jack (for trips) to stay alive.

The river card is the Kh, and Steve Paul-Ambrose makes a king-high straight to win the hand -- and the tournament.

Brook Lyter is eliminated in second place, earning $681,500. Steve Paul-Ambrose wins the 2006 WPT PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, winning $1,363,100 and a $25,500 entry into the WPT World Championship.