Event 18: X Marks The Pot

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

Paul Marzarella - 100,000

Paul 'TeamXFactor' Marzarella tells me 60 people around the country are following him on our blog.

So here's an update to all of Paul's fans.

He was card dead for three hours and the only pots he won came from strategic bluffs.

In a hand before the break, let's call it the two minute warning, Paul attempts a semi-bluff against Eric "POOLS" Siegel.

Paul holds 10-10 and Eric has A-Q. Paul three bet pre and Eric called.

Eric outflops Paul when the flop falls Q-6-8 but that didn't stop Paul from C-betting.

"I bet 5,000 and Eric flat called. The turn was a King so I continued bluffing with 15,000 and Eric just calls again" explained Marzarella.

You guessed it, the river was a ten giving Paul a set and the check mark.

So Paul pulls out every trick in the book trying to get Eric to call down his 25,000 river bet.

"I was fidgeting in my chair, trying to induce a call" said Paul.

Maybe the King scared him or he smelled something fishy but Siegel had the smarts to get away from the hand and the 80,000 pot.

Both men showed their cards and talked out the hand.

Paul is right above 100,000.