Yorky Pud

Last week saw the PartyPoker sponsored Premier League Mixed Game Championship take play at the exclusive Playboy Club London in Mayfair, a tournament that was eventually won by Andy Frankenberger.

The Premier League Mixed Game Championship saw 12 players split into two groups of six and they played three separate heats, one to No Limit Hold'em, another in Pot Limit Omaha and a final heat where the game was Pot Limit Hold'em. Players were awarded points depending on their finishing positions in each heat and each of them had a “double-up” card that doubled up their points tally for one heat and the top three points earners after three heats progressed to the final table.

The groups were as follows:

Group A

James Dempsey
Luke Schwartz
Tony G
Matt Giannetti
Jennifer Tilly
Max Pescatori

Group B

Andy Frankenberger
Andrew Feldman
Mike Sexton
Sorel Mizzi
Ben Carpenter
Yevgeniy Timoshenko

It was James Dempsey, Matt Giannetti and Max Pescatori who progressed from Group A and Andrew Feldman, Sorel Mizzi and Andy Frankenberger from Group B. Throughout all three heats many were hyper critical of Frankenberger's unorthodox style of play but regardless of how “non-standard” it was, you cannot argue about its effectiveness in getting under the skin of his opponents and forcing them into mistakes.

Most of the negative press for Frankenberger's play came during the first heat and featured a hand against Mizzi. Mizzi raised to 14,000 with pocket nines and Frankenberger three-bet to 28,000 with Ah7h. Mizzi called and the pair saw a 7s-6d-7c flop. Mizzi checked and Frankenberger checked behind. The turn was the Kd and again both players checked and when the 8h landed on the river Mizzi bet 22,000 and Frankenberger opted to just flat-call! Luke Schwartz, in the commentary booth, called it “one of the worst hands I have ever seen!” Despite this bad publicity and some more he received during the Pot Limit Omaha round, Frankenberger acted like a true gentleman and a model pro, never letting the comments get to him or put him off the task in hand, picking up chips.

The former Equity Derivatives trader started the six-handed final table joint last in chips after exchanging his 16 points for 320,000 but he soon made amends for that by knocking out two players in relatively quick succession. Giannetti had already been eliminated on a coinflip with AdKd against Feldman's jacks when Frankenberger and Dempsey clashed in another all in pot, Dempsey holding ace-jack to Frankenberger's ace-queen. The latter hand held and Frankenberger's stack swelled.

Less than an hour later and Frankenberger was catapulted into a massive chip lead after he helped himself to Pescatori's stack. Pescatori raised from the button and the reigning WPT Player of the Year made the call in the big blind. A flop reading 2h-6s-5h was initially checked by Frankenberger but when Pescatori bet 27,000 Frankenberger check-raised to 60,000. His Italian opponent made it 140,000 then called when Frankenberger put him all in. Pescatori held pocket sixes for a set and Frankenberger Ah7h once again! The turn was the 10h, completing the American's flush and when the river failed to pair Pescatori was eliminated and Frankenberger got busy stacking his new found chips.

Shortly afterwards Mizzi was sent packing by Feldman and it was up to the young Brit to try and stop Frankenberger in his tracks. Unfortunately for Feldman he just never got out of first gear and when he did find a good spot to commit his stack Frankenberger either had not hand to call and folded or somehow managed to pull something out of the bag. One had saw the pair split the pot despite Feldman starting with ace-king to Frankenberger's ace-queen and then the final hand was typical of how the tournament went for Frankenberger.

A preflop raising war resulted in Feldman being all in with KhQc against the dominated KdTs of Frankenberger. Feldman pleaded with the dealer, and probably the Poker Gods, for a queen but it did not come on the Jd-8d-9c flop. The Ac on the turn meant if the queen Feldman begged for at the start of the hand did appear he would lose to a straight, and as if fate was in control of this tournament the Qs landed on the river and a distraught Feldman headed to the sidelines and a victorious Frankenberger joined his friends on the rail.

When the dust had settled and the tears had been dried Frankenberger got his hands on the Premier League trophy and the all important $100,000 winner's prize. This was Frankenberger's first result outside of America and it takes him past the $2,000,000 winnings barrier in live tournaments.

PartyPoker Premier League Mixed Game Championship Results

1st: Andy Frankenberger: $100,000
2nd: Andrew Feldman: $65,000
3rd: Sorel Mizzi: $45,000
4th: Max Pescatori: $35,000
5th: James Dempsey: $30,000
6th: Matt Giannetti: $25,000