Palmer Scores Small Win Over Islidur1 in SuperStar Showdown

Viktor “Isildur1” Blom got the worst of it in the first half of his SuperStar Showdown with Scott “URnotINdangr” Palmer, but the match was close enough to leave plenty of doubt about the final result heading into next weekend’s second half.

Palmer eeked out a $5,425 win after 2,500 hands of no limit hold’em – a victory of a little over 54 big blinds over Isildur1. The margin was the smallest in any of Blom’s SuperStar Showdown matches since the series began on PokerStars, excluding Blom’s $10 win in a smaller version of the Showdown against an online qualifier.

Blom and Palmer were no strangers at the table before the series began. The pair had reportedly played well over 75,000 hands against each other in previous meetings, so there were few secrets between the two players heading into their most publicized encounter.

Heading into the match, Blom was generally regarded as a slight favorite. The 20-year-old Palmer had been on a serious downswing so far in 2011, but is known to be a superb young player despite his recent losses.

Palmer jumped out to a quick lead, and at one point led by as much as $50,000 early in the match. But a couple of large pots allowed Isildur1 to begin turning the tables, and by the 1,500 hand mark, it was Blom who held a $50,000 lead.

The key point in the match came with about 100 hands remaining. Blom tried to run a bluff all the way to the river, finally moving in, only to see Palmer call instantly with a flopped full house. That pot was worth nearly $60,000, giving Palmer a slight lead heading into the tail end of the match.

The two players passed a few small pots back and forth in the final minutes, exchanging the lead several times. But it was Palmer who ultimately took the victory for the night.

Palmer will face Blom again next Sunday with everything to play for, as a $5,425 will be anything but secure with another 2,500 hands of $50/$100 no limit hold’em still to come. In his previous two-part match, Blom staked Daniel Negreanu for his entire $150,000 stake on the first day of play, only to have Negreanu win back $26,500 a week later.