When Torii Hunter and Howie Kendrick let that ball drop between ‘em on Sunday night, I figured it was probably time for Mike Scioscia to call him team off the field, load it up on the charter, call up The Dark Knight on the in-flight movie and head back to Anaheim.  Hey, it sure didn’t look like their day, let alone their ALDS and my instinct for flight in the face of failure was flaring up.   

Oh me of little faith.

Not only did the Angels fight back from that three-run error to win in 12 innings, they also did it in resilient fashion, riding the back of catcher Mike Napoli and withstanding two innings pitched from Jonathan Papelbon. They gained whatever momentum they could from such a marathon game.

Frankly, the Angels should take whatever momentum they can get because Boston ace Jon Lester is taking the mound for the Red Sox tonight. Yeah, I just called him the ace and given both Josh Beckett’s struggle with injury and Lester’s Game 1 performance (7 IP, 6H, 7K, 0ER) it’s a title he currently deserves. If you’re a Red Sox fan, there isn’t anyone else you want out of the mound against John Lackey, another pitcher who also started and won a World Series clincher.  

You all know the stakes and it should be a good one, so long as it doesn’t take 5 hours and 19 minutes to complete. If the Angels win, both teams go back to Anaheim. If the Red Sox win, they prepare for Friday’s Game 1 of the ALCS while the Halos search for that copy of TDK. Let’s get it on. 

The AP preview is here, the Inside Edge scouting report is here and Gordon’s story about the still-surviving Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is here.

Your in-game comments are below. 

The final table of the £1 Million Showdown event at EPT London is underway. Blinds are 10,000-20,000 with a 2,000 ante. Full details of the payout structure can be found here and you can follow all the action on EPT Live.

Click REFRESH to see the lastest up-to-the-minute updates

Last updated 11.57pm
11.57pm: Latest chip counts
Jason Mercier - 1,173,000
John Juanda - 548,000

11.47pm: Flopping hands
The hand started with a Juanda bet and a Mercier call for a flop of Jh-6s-Jd. Mercier checked the flop and Juanda bet out 55,000. Mercier called for a turn card 7d which both players checked. Now to the river card, a 5h. Mercier raised, 75,000. By now it was a 285,000 pot. It took him a while but Juanda called. Cue Mercier’s J-6. He’d flopped the full house for another big pot.

11.40pm: Chip counts after the first all-in
Jason Mercier - 1,084,000
John Juanda - 637,000

11.38pm: First hand, all-in
We don’t have to wait for the first all-in of the heads-up match. On the first hand John Juanda moves all-in. Mercier smiles, pulls a few faces and calls, showing Q-J. Juanda had A-2 which puts him ahead. All they can do is wait for the board. The flop came th-8h-7c, giving Mercier more outs with a queen, jack or nine giving him the pot. The turn misses but the river brings a jack, doubling up Mercier.

11.34pm: The heads up chip counts
John Juanda - 1,185,000
Jason Mercier - 536,000

11.31pm: Michael Watson, Canada, eliminated in third place, earning £241,000.
Michael Watson moves all-in for 365,000. Taking everyone by surprise John Juanda calls, and with good reason, turning over A-K to Watson’s A-7. The board doesn’t bring the much needed seven for Watson, who busts out in third. Play goes to heads up.

11.26pm: Checking to the river
Juanda takes down a tentatively played pot, checked from flop to river on a board of Td-Ad-3c-Jd-Ah. Juanda shows K-T for aces with a ten kicker, enough to beat Mercier who passes.

11.22pm: The blinds are up to 10,000-20,000 with a 2,000 ante. Chip counts three handed:

John Juanda, 646,000
Jason Mercier, 610,000
Michael Watson, 465,000

The final table of the £1 Million Showdown event at EPT London is underway. Blinds are 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante. Full details of the payout structure can be found here and you can follow all the action on EPT Live.

Click REFRESH to see the lastest up-to-the-minute updates

11.20pm: Mercier limping
Jason Mercier limps from the small blind, allowing him and John Juanda to see a flop of 6h-4s-4d. They check it all the way to the end, past a jack on the turn and a three on the river. And that’s the last level of the day.

11.17pm: Watson again
Michael Watson calls Jason Mercier’s pre-flop raise and then bets out on a board of 7h-Jh-9h. Mercier folds.

11.10pm: Watson on the charge
John Juanda bets from the button, and Michael Watson moves all in for 348,000, which is another 299,000 to Juanda. The American is not usually one to tank unnecessarily, so it seems like he has a real decision to make. He talks a little about his hand, strongly suggesting it’s a medium ace. Watson remains impassive as Juanda continues his monologue. Eventually he fold and shows A-6. Watson does not oblige.

11.05pm: Techincal difficulties
John Juanda is having trouble with his hole cam, although he’s reliably less concerned than the television crew. Three handed chip counts are:

Jason Mercier, 712,000
John Juanda, 707,000
Michael Watson 302,000

11pm: Mercier v Juanda II
John Juanda raises 46,000 and Jason Mercier makes it another 75,000. Juanda folds, not prepared to play for his whole stack at this point.

10.55pm: Watson doubles up
Michael Watson moves in pre-flop with Q-10 and Mercier calls from the small blind with A-8. A queen flops and that’s enough. Watson doubles his short stack, although Mercier remains the chip leader.

10.52pm: Mercier v Juanda
With Michael Watson the very very short stack, he must be delighted to see Mercier and Juanda play a pot against one another. Mercier raises from the small blind, Juanda calls from the big and the flop comes 4h-2h-Qd. Check, check. Turnis the 10h and Mercier bets 65,00, Juanda calls. The river is the 3s, check, check and Mercier takes it down.

10.45pm: Form players remain
These three players have each had huge results in the past year. Indeed, they’ve won the triple crown between them. Michael Watson picked up the WPT Bellagio Cup, Jason Mercier won EPT San Remo, and John Juanda took the WSOPE event last week.

Chip counts three handed:
John Juanda: 813,000
Jason Mercier: 744,000
Michael Watson: 164,000

Peter Jetten, Canada, eliminated in fourth place, earning £189,000
10.40pm: Juanda flexing his muscles; Mercier and Jetten go head-to-head
The bullying chip-leader moves all in pre-flop a couple of times and picks up the blinds and antes. When Juanda gets out the way, Peter Jetten makes a standard buton raise, but Jason Mercier moves all in. And Jetten calls! Mercier doesn’t look happy as he has to flip over pocket deuces. Jetten has A-J and flops an ace, but there’s also a two on board. Eventually it runs out Qh-2c-Ad Ad-Kc which is a house for Mercier.

10.36pm: Michael Watson all in
The short-stacked Canadian moves all in pre-flop and picks up blinds and antes. That will do.

10.32pm: The two Js
John Juanda raises it to 49,000 pre-flop and Jetten calls from the big blind. The flop is Jh-Kd-10s, which they check, as they do the As turn. The river is the 2d and Juanda bets 30,000. Jetten folds to extend his chip lead.

10.30pm: Mercier bullies Jetten pre-flop
Peter Jetten raises to 52,000 pre-flop and Jason Mercier bumps it up to 140,000 from the small blind. Jetten opts to fold and Mercier adds that chunk to his stack.

10.25pm: Scotty Nguyen, USA, eliminated in fifth place, earning £157,500
John Juanda opens under the gun and Nguyen re-raises all in from the small blind. It’s about 84,000 more. Jason Mercier is itching to call in the small blind but agonisingly folds. Juanda, of course, calls and he has K-9h. Nguyen is ahead with Ac-10s but there are two hearts on the flop and another on the river to make a flush. Nguyen is gone.

10.15pm: Nguyen forced to fold
Jason Mercier, under the gun, raises Scotty Nguyen’s big blind. Of course he has to get through all the others first which he duly does and then Nguyen instructs Mercier to add his blind to Mercier’s chip stack.

10pm: Players are on a 15 minute break
Players will return at 10.15pm with the following stacks:
John Juanda - 598,000
Peter Jetten - 480,000
Jason Mercier - 329,000
Michael Watson - 210,000
Scotty Nguyen - 104,000

The final table of the £1 Million Showdown event at EPT London is underway. Blinds are 5,000-10,000 with a 1,000 ante. Full details of the payout structure can be found here and you can follow all the action on EPT Live.

10pm: Players take a break
That’s the end of the level and there’s a 15 minute break in action. Play will resume with the following chip counts:

John Juanda - 598,000
Peter Jetten - 480,000
Jason Mercier - 329,000
Michael Watson - 210,000
Scotty Nguyen - 104,000

9.55pm: Blind on blind
Jason Mercier raises John Juanda’s big blind from the small. Juanda’s resistance only lasts as far as the ten high flop and Juanda lets it go. The next hand, Scotty Nguyen raises 27,000, gets no customers, and flips pocket aces.

Jason Mercier

9.44pm: Bet, re-raise, fold
Michael Watson bets 32,000 pre-flop. The action is folded to John Juanda who re-raises to 96,000 and Watson makes a quick exit.

9.37pm: The sharp end
Jetten and Juanda are now neck and neck. Chip counts can be found HERE.

9.36pm: Watson’s raise is enough
Michael Watson raises to 32,000, Jason Mercier calls from the small blind, John Juanda does the same form the big. The flop comes 5d-7s-Qh. Mercier and Juanda check before Watson puts together a raise of 64,000 and adds it to the pot. Mercier and Juanda muck.

PokerStars player Michael Watson

9.31pm: Asking the question
Scotty Nguyen raised from small blind and Jason Mercier then re-raised from big blind putting Nguyen all in, forcing him to fold.

9.28pm: Isaac Haxton talks to the video blog team

Watch High Roller 08: Isaac Haxton on PokerStars.tv

9.22pm: The all-in defence
Juanda makes it 36,000 pre-flop which is called by Jetten for a flop of 3s-Ts-7c. Juanda bets again, 54,000 in total before Jetten raises all-in making it 235,000 for Juanda to call. He’s having none of it though and mucks his hand.

9.16pm: Two powerless kings
Scotty Nguyen bets 42,000 pre-flop. When the action gets to John Juanda he asks how much the raise is and then how much Nguyen has behind. Regardless he folds his hand, much to the disappointment of Nguyen who shows pocket kings to the crowd.

9.09pm: Scotty pushes in, Jetten does the same
Scotty Nguyen moves all-in, “Seventy-five, baby!” Jetten double checks the 75 and announces himself all-in. Nguyen shows Kd-Qc whilst Jetten tables pocket fives. The board brings little on the flop to cause a stir but the king on the turn proves good for Nguyen who doubles up.

9.03pm: Mercier all-in
Jason Mercier check raises John Juanda all-in on a flop of 9h-3d-Tc. Juanda bets 40,000 after Mercier checks the board but is then asked to find about another 300,000 and lets it go.

The final table of the £1 Million Showdown event at EPT London is underway. Blinds are 5,000-10,000 with a 1,000 ante. Full details of the payout structure can be found here and you can follow all the action on EPT Live.

Click REFRESH to see the lastest up-to-the-minute updates

9pm: Blinds up
The blinds have increased and now stand at 6,000-12,000 with a running ante of 1,000.

8.55pm: Jetten and Watson go to war
Michael Watson raises again from the button and he ends up getting involved with Peter Jetten. There’s betting and calling all the way on a flop of Kh-8c-Ad, then a turn of 4d, then a river of 5h. Jettson bets 65,000 on the end, Watson thinks for about five minutes then folds.

Peter Jetten

8.44pm: Watson takes a decent chunk out of Juanda
John Juanda raises pre-flop to 28,000 and Michael Watson flat calls on the button. They see a flop of As-2s-10h and Juanda bets 42,000 after asking Watson for a count. Watson calls. The turn is Kc and both check, then Juanda check-folds the 5d river after Watson bets 80,000.

8.40pm: Nguyen takes blinds
Scoty Nguyen only has one move and it’s all in. He slides his short stack in and takes the blinds and antes.

8.38pm: Jetten pinches small pot from Watson
Michael Watson and Peter Jetten see a flop of 2h-2s-8s and Watson bets 36,000. Jetten calls. The turn is 5d and they both check. THe river is 7d which they both check again and Jetten shows down 10-10 to take it down.

8.32pm: Isabelle Mercier talks to the video bloggers
The Team PokerStars Pro Isabelle Mercier was delighted to reach her first EPT final table since the Deauville event on season two. Here she talks about her high rollers experience with the video blog team:

Watch EPT London 08: High Rollers- Isabelle Mercier on PokerStars.tv

8.30pm: Scotty Nguyen doubles up through Petter Jetten
Nguyen moves all in from the button and immediately implores John Juanda and Petter Jetten to call from the blinds. Juanda doesn’t oblige but Jetten does and has 7-8 off suit. Nguyen has J-J and is way ahead. The flop comes 10s-3s-6d which gives an inside straight draw. The turn is a 7d, which gives two pair possibilities. The river is the Ks to snuff them out and Nguyen doubles up.

8.22pm: Scotty moves all-in, but then doesn’t, pushing his stack to the line before stopping just short, much to the merriment of a few people, not least Nguyen.

Scotty Nguyen

8.20pm: Isaac Haxton, USA, eliminated in sixth place, earning £103,000
Isaac Haxton puts in a standard raise and John Juanda reraises. Haxton has a long, long think but eventually shoves all in and Juanda insta-calls. No wonder: it’s aces for JJ and Haxton is dominated with 8-8. They’re even the same suits. There’s an ace on the flop and the miracle running eights do not appear. Haxton is out in sixth.

8pm: Play resumes on the final table with six players remaining.