As predicted, the fireworks started early as soon as Day 3 got underway. In less than an hour and a half, the field was down to 18 poker players and it did not stop there. Play tightened up somewhat, but his crew showed that they were not afraid to sling chips regardless of what they were holding.
The two major stories of the day have to be Tony G and Isaac Haxton. Somehow, Tony G had managed to hang on despite being short stacked just about the whole way. When his luck ran out and he was eliminated in 10th place, you had to feel for the guy. He had fought so hard to get to the final table and had his dreams squashed when he only had a little over $200,000 left in front of him. He pushed with A7h and was called by Torelli who was holding onto J10h. Both players hit the board, unfortunately for Tony G., he only hit his 7 and was sent to the rail.
As incredible as Tony G.’s staying power had been, the run of Haxton has been even more incredible. He started the day off with only a little over 500,000 in chips and has managed to climb his way up to the top spot of the leader board with 5,520,000 in chips.
While Raymer has not had the climb that we anticipated, he has continued to play solid poker. Unfortunately for him, his cards have not held up as well as they did in prior sessions, but somehow he is managing to dodge some major bullets and has remained right around the count that he started the day off at.
Shocking or not is a decision that you will have to make, but Bonomo crashed and burned all day. As well as his young, aggressive style worked over the last couple of days, it came back to bite him in Day 3. He continued to dump chips and finds himself at the bottom tier of the final table with a huge target on his stack.
The final table has shaped up very nicely with a great mix of the new and the old, the amateurs and the pros. Tomorrow should be a great session, but my money is still on Raymer to hoist the bracelet and scoop the cash.
Here is your final table and chips counts:
1) Isaac Haxton 5,520,000
2) Vitaly Lunkin 4,565,000
3) Lex Veldhuis 3,805,000
4) Greg Raymer 3,345,000
5) Alec Torelli 2,340,000
6) Justin Bonomo 1,685,000
7) Dani Stern 1,300,000
8) Noah Schwartz 660,000
9) Ted Forrest 560,000
In other tournaments….
The Omaha Hi-Low Split 8 or Better (Event #30 continues to move fast and furious. The top 10 is a definitive who’s who of the poker world. As of this posting, Eli Elezra continues to lead the way and looks absolutely unbeatable so far in this tournament. Other pros that are on top are Freddy Deeb, Layne Flack, Toto Leonidis, Chip Jett and the infamous Annie Duke. With only 90 players remaining, the remaining amateurs are going to have a tough time getting through to the final table.
Event #4 ($1,000 Stimulus NL Hold’em Event) stole the headlines early in the day as it was sold out (6,000 players) well before the tournament started. Players went flying out the door early and often and as of this posting, over 65% of the field was already gone. There were no chips counts posted as of yet, but we will have them for you as soon as they are available.
Sundays action should feature two final tables. The 40K event will be on its fourth and final day and the 3 day scheduled event #3 is also scheduled to finish up tomorrow. The question remains if they will be able to get the tournament down to that point in enough time to actually have the final table on Sunday. Day 2 of the 4 day Stimulus event will take place as well as Day 1 of the Champions Invitational. Monday is the beginning of the two a days with events 5 and 6 kicking off.
Just when you thought normalcy was going to settle in at the WSOP, all hell broke loose. As the bubble got closer, some big names took major hits and the leader board got flipped around just a bit. Once again, one of the younger players on tour, Justin Bonomo, took charge and headed into the third day of the tournament as the chip leader with 2,678,000.
Grey Raymer has been playing great poker for the entire tournament and although he hit a small hiccup, he is still in this tournament with 2,287, 000. A name we have not seen atop the leader boards in quite some time, Ted Forrest, is also perched to make a run at the final table. With 2,586,000, he is sitting in second place and looking strong.
They had intended on playing down to 18, but play slowed down dramatically and 23 players will sit down at the table on day 3 in an effort to get to the final table. There are a lot of short stacks which may lead to a very short session. The next few players should go out rather quickly as they begin to play short-handed tables.
Here are your chip leaders heading into day 3:
Justin Bonomo 2,678,000
Ted Forrest 2,586,000
David Baker 2,367,000
Greg Raymer 2,287,000
Lex Veldhuis 2,103,000
Alex Torelle 1,725,000
Keith Lehr 1,257,000
Vitaly Lunkin 1,166,000
Matthew Marafioti 1,003,000
The rest of the field is under 1,000,000 in chips with the bottom 6 having less than 500,000.
In other tournaments….
The first bracelet of the season was won by Andrew Cohen, winner of the $500 Casino Employees Event. He takes home a healthy $83,778 as he bested 866 other players. He also had the honor of going through the first ever bracelet ceremony.
Day 1 is over for the Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (Event #3). This tournament saw a record breaking entry of 918 players. If it is a sign to come, this WSOP is going to have the largest prize pools that we have ever seen. The day saw a lot of action with over 700 players in the starting field finding the rail. Chip counts were not yet available as of this posting, but some big names are still hanging tough. Defending Champion Luu is still in the field and Eli Elezra finished the day very strong and is over 50,000.
In addition to Day 3 of the $40k event and Day 2 of the Omaha Hi/Low tournament, Event #4, a $1000 NL Hold’em event, kicks off today at 12 noon Vegas time. This event will actually be covered on ESPN if you are interested in seeing the live stream.
The World Series of Poker Europe kicks off in less than two weeks from the Empire Casino in Leicester Square in London, England. Last year was the first ever WSOP Europe and this year promises to be a fantastic event. The World Series of Poker Europe is a set of three bracelet events. The events are H.O.R.S.E, Pot Limit Omaha, and No-Limit Holdem.
Last years H.O.R.S.E. event drew 105 players and the final table was an all-star field. Joe Beevers, Alex Kravchenko, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Kirk Morrison, Jennifer Harman, and Thomas Bihl were all vying for the first ever WSOP-E bracelet. Jennifer Harman and Thomas Bihl faced each other heads up, and after a long heads up match, Thomas Bihl won the bracelet and £70,875 top prize.
165 players entered the Pot Limit Omaha Championship. The final table included pros Tony Guoga, Dario Alioto, and Andy Bloch. Dario Alioto emerged victorious and claimed the £234,390 top prize. This was a European record for a top prize in an Omaha event.
362 players entered the £10,000 buy-in No-Limit championship. It was apparent early on that there was a new rising star of poker in the field. Annette Obrestad skillfully navigated her way through the pro heavy field and made the final table of the event. She was only the third woman in the history of the World Series of Poker to make a main event final table. There was an additional reason her accomplishment was followed so intently by the world. She was 18 years old.
Obrestad masterfully navigated her way through the final table and in the end accomplished three feats. First, she was the first WSOP-E Main Event winner. Next, she was the first female to win a Main Event in World Series of Poker history. Finally, she is the youngest bracelet winner ever. One point I personally find amusing is the fact that although Obrestad is a Main Event Champion, she still will not be able to play at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas until she is 21.
In the end, the three events at the WSOP-E in 2007 were swept by Europeans. The 2008 WSOP-E promises to be just as historic and exciting. Unlike last year, this year’s event is held at only one location. Organizers hope that the central location will give the event greater exposure. The biggest names in the world will turn out for the event including Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman, and Ted Forrest.
Personally, I predict a very strong showing by Americans in the H.O.R.S.E. event. Many H.O.R.S.E. events become showcases of overall poker talent. Pot-Limit Omaha will likely be dominated by Europeans once again. I have played in PLO tournaments that have been heavy with European players and I will attest that they are very tough Omaha players. One of my proudest moments in poker was a final table I made in PLO. The reason I was so proud was that the field was ½ European. The Main Event will likely be dominated by online players. While many pros don’t like to admit it, the internet players are beginning to dominate NL Holdem. Those that hone their skills online have a huge advantage over live players, and this field will be at least ½ full of online regulars. I don’t see Obrestad repeating as Main Event champion.
The WSOP-E begins on September 19th. During the WSOP-E, I will bring you news and updates regarding the biggest poker event in Europe.
