Sherkhan Farnood check-raised Ivan Demidov all-in on a flop of Qd-9s-5h. Demidov made the call. Farnood showed Jh-Jd and Demidov showed As-Qs. Unfortunately for Farnood, both the turn and the river fell and Ace and “the worst player in history” has been eliminated. Meanwhile, Andy Bloch decided it was his turn to take the chip lead. He moved up to 300,000 in chips. Seidel is right behind him with 297,000.
Erica Schoenberg raised preflop for 3,200 and was called by Andy Bloch, Philippe Rouas, and Andy Black. The flop fell As-Js-2d and everyone checked to Schonberg, who bet 8,000. Andy Bloch check-raised to 20,000 and everyone folded to Schoenberg, who then moved all in. Bloch made the call. Bloch showed Ad-Js for two pair, and Schoenberg showed Ac-10h for just top pair. The turn and river both fell blanks, and Erica Schoenberg was eliminated from this event. Vicky Coren is left as the last woman standing in this event.
John Monnette bet out 6,000 on a flop of 9c-Ks-5c. Bengt Sonnert made a raise to 25,000 chips. Monnette went into the tank for a bit. He even tried to call the clock on himself. Finally, he declared all-in and was called by Sonnert. Monnette showed Kd-Qs and Sonnert showed 9d-9h. The turn fell the 5c and the river fell the 3h and Monnette was eliminated.
Day two ended with 67 players remaining. Andy Bloch finished the day with the chip lead, amassing 321,600 in chips. Brian Townsend finished 2nd with 290,100. Erik Seidel was third with 282,300 and John Juanda was fourth with 252,500. Daniel Negreanu finished with 203,700 chips.
Many names finished the day still in contention. Brandon Adams, Mike Matusow, Scott Fischman, Dave Ulliott, Ross Boatman, Mel Judah, Josh Arieh, Phil Laak, and Ted Lawson are all still in the hunt. Andy Black is one of the shorter stacks with 21,600. He will have to make a move right away to have a shot to stay alive.
Play will begin at 1p.m. London time on Tuesday and will continue until 27 players are reached.
Day 3 of the Main Event of the World Series of Poker Main Event saw 179 players return to try and begin their march towards the 2nd ever Main Event title on European soil. This field is incredibly pro heavy for a Day 2 with many having aspirations of Main Event glory.
Some of the players still alive in this event include Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Marco Traniello, Vanessa Rousso, Scotty Nguyen, Barry Greenstein, Jennifer Tilly, Erica Schoenberg, Joe Beevers, Steve Zolotow, Nenad Medic, Andy Black, Brandon Adams, Scott Fischman, David “DevilFish” Ulliott, Ross Boatman, Mel Judah, Josh Arieh, Phil Laak, and Ted Lawson.
Tom “Durrrr” Dwan was the first big name to fall today. He started the day around 60,000 chips, but he either had a high stakes cash game to get to or he just wanted to game, because he was all in multiple times early on. With a flop of Qs-Kh-9s, Dwan raised Scott Montgomery all-in. Montgomery went into the tank for a while before calling with Ac-As. Dwan showed 3s-4s for a flush draw. The turn and river missed Dwan and he was eliminated. Unfortunately for Durrrr, this wasn’t an online cash game, and he couldn’t buy back in.
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson was eliminated shortly after by Sutha Nirmalananthan. On a board of Qd-5c-Jd-Jh-7d, Ferguson moved all in for 10,600. Nirmalananthan made the call showing Kh-Qh and Ferguson showed a bluff with Ah-Ks. With this, Ferguson headed out the door.
The champion of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the World Series of Poker departed next in the man known as Scotty Nguyen. He was all in with A-J and was called by a paltry 6-3. Sadly, a six hit the flop and we don’t get to see a repeat performance by the man I consider the “True World Champion.”
In an elimination that made many men sad, Vanessa Rousso was next to go. She was all in with Jh-Jd against Kc-Kd. The turn brought a flush draw for Rousso, but the river blanked out and Rousso is history. Meanwhile, Daniel Negreanu regained his position as chip leader, amassing 225,000 chips.
Doyle Brunson will not be able to catch Phil Hellmuth this year. Brunson was all in with A-K against pocket Kings. An ace did not hit the board, and Brunson was eliminated. His elimination was announced to the room, and he exited to a round of applause. Roland de Wolfe followed shortly afterward. He had flopped two pair holding Ac-Kc but his opponent, Martin Vallo, flopped a set of fours on a flop of Ad-Ks-4h. The turn and river missed both players, and De Wolfe hit the rail.
Phillipe Rouas has some light reading for the rest of the event. He was fortunate enough to knock out Barry Greenstein. As is his custom, Greenstein signed Rouas a copy of his book, Ace on the River. Meanwhile, Daniel Negreanu continued to build his chip lead. At this point, he had 285,000 in chips.
Mike Matusow had one of the funniest comments of the tournament. Gordon Vayo and Phil Hellmuth were in an argument about a hand they had played on Day 1a. Mike Matusow spoke up and said, “Kid, are you trying to have a rational conversation with Phil Hellmuth? That’s like trying to talk to the rail on Full Tilt.” I don’t know if any of you have watched some of the conversations in the high stakes games amongst the railbirds, but if you have, you know that his comment is very true.
Phil Hellmuth and Sherkhan Farnood have a little bit of a history. During the £2,500 H.O.R.S.E. Event, Farnood gave Hellmuth a series of beats and Hellmuth had declared him, “The worst player in history.” After Hellmuth berated a dealer a good part of the evening, Hellmuth then ended up getting sucked out on the river by Farnood to eliminate him from that event. Hellmuth made a couple of comments to Farnood at the beginning of the day trying to needle him.
Later, Hellmuth was all in on a flop of 5d-8h-2c. Farnood insta-called Hellmuth’s bet, showing 5s-5h. Hellmuth showed Ks-Kc. The turn and river were both blanks, and Hellmuth was eliminated from this event. Several people were asking Farnood if he was still the “worst player in the world.” He replied, “I’m trying to prove I’m only the second worst.” Personally, I think its poetic justice that the man that Hellmuth belittled so much got the best of him twice. Maybe next time Hellmuth will be nicer to players and dealers. Right, and Phil Ivey won’t make prop bets.
Bruno Fitoussi was the next to go out as he was all in against Mel Judah. Fitoussi held As-Ks and Judah held pocket Queens. The flop missed both players and Fitoussi was eliminated. Erica Schoenberg was the last of the last women remaining in the field. After eliminating a player, she built her stack up to 70,000.
Brian Townsend eliminated Martin Vallo when Vallo’s Ac-Kh ran into Townsend’s Ah-Ad. It is unclear where the money went in, but chances are it went in after the flop of 3c-7c-As. Vallo needed running clubs to win, but a spade on the turn sealed the deal for Townsend and sent Vallo packing. Steve Zolotow was unable to get anything doing during Day 2 and was soon seen exiting the tournament area.
Out of seemingly nowhere, Erik Seidel took the chip lead shortly after the start of level 10. Jean Thorel bet out 7,000 on a flop of Ac-7d-2c. Talal Shakerchi made the call and Seidel raised to 23,000. Thorel was the only one to make the call. The turn fell the Js and Thorel checked to Seidel. Seidel bet 40,000 and was called. The river came the Ad. Thorel checked again to Seidel and he moved all-in for 61,000. Thorel made the call. Seidel showed Ah-Kd for a set of Aces and Thorel mucked his hand. After the pot, Seidel moved up to 278,000 chips, wrestling the chip lead from Daniel Negreanu.
The rest of the action for Day 2 will be concluded in the next post.
Day 1b of the World Series of Poker Main Event kicked off on Sunday. Day 1a saw 159 players put up the £10,000 buy-in. Day 1b saw 203 players come together to try and stake their claim for the championship.
The big names were out in force. Among those playing were Marco Traniello, Daniel Negreanu, Roland de Wolfe, Brian Townsend, Nenad Medic, Jennifer Tilly, David “DevilFish” Ulliott, John Juanda, Phil Laak, Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Doyle Brunson, Mel Judah, Gavin Smith, David Williams, Annette Obrestad, Gus Hansen, Juan Carlos Mortensen, Allen Cunningham, and Jean-Robert Bellande.
The first big name to get knocked out was Allen Cunningham. He apparently showed up about an hour late to the event. Sometime during the second level he was eliminated. John Tabatabai apparently got a good portion of his chips. He claimed that Cunningham had made an incredibly ridiculous bluff.
During the first couple of levels, Jack Effel tried to get a Turbo £1,000 satellite going for the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. 362 players total had registered for the event, which happened to be the exact number as last year’s event. I guess he was trying to push the number over that so they can claim growth in the event. Apparently noone took Jack up on his offer as the field remained at 362 players after the registration period was completed.
Jeff Madsen was one of the next big names to bite the dust. He was the victim of a player that probably 100,000 players have lost to in the past, Doyle Brunson. The flop was 7d-6h-7s when a player in seat one bet 1,100. Madsen moved all in for 3,900 and Brunson made the call. Seat one folded. Brunson had 7c-9c for a set of sevens. Madsen held 9d-8d for a straight draw. The turn fell the Ks and the river the 9h, filling up Brunson’s boat and sending Madsen to the rail. Doyle Brunson just goes to show that no matter how old you are, you can still play poker at a high level.
Sorel Mizzi was eliminated during level 3. Mizzi made a reraise to 2,625 and Florian Langmann made the call. On a flop of 6s-7h-3c, Langmann bet 7,500. Mizzi tanked for a bit before moving all in. Langmann made the call showing Ah-Ad. Mizzi showed As-Kc. The turn fell the 3d and the river the 7d and Mizzi was eliminated.
Sean Deeb made a bit of a splash during the Pot Limit Omaha event here at the WSOP Europe. His deep run will not be repeated in the Main Event. He was all in on a flop of Ac-6s-10. He held Ad-Jd, and his opponent held As-Qs. The turn fell the 9d and the river the 2h, and Deeb was eliminated.
Juan Carlos Mortensen was next to fall to Brian Powell. Powell raised to 850 preflop, and Mortensen raised all-in to 5,500. Powell made the call and showed As-9s. Mortensen showed 4s-4h. The flop hit Powell like a ton of bricks when it fell 9c-5h-9d. Mortensen would need a four, or he would be done. The turn fell the Ks and river the 6d and Mortensen was out.
Daniel Negreanu took the chip lead about the mid way of Day 1b. Preflop, Negreanu raised to 800 and was called by Lars Hougaard from the big blind. The flop fell 9h-8d-6. Hougaard checked to Negreanu, who bet out 800. Hougaard check-raised to 3,200, and Negranu appeared to go into the tank. Negreanu said, “Hmmm. I have to think about the best way to approach this.” He then moved all in for 50,000. Hougaard started talking to himself and Negreanu asked, “You have a pair AND a straight draw? OK, so you hit your miracle flop and have to fold?” Hougaard then proceeded to fold his hand. Negreanu showed 6c-6s for the set of sixes. After the hand, Negreanu moved up to 95,000 in chips and was the chip leader.
The winner of the PLO bracelet, Theo Jorgensen, moved all in preflop for 2,775. Barry Greenstein made the call. Greenstein held Ah-Ad and Jorgensen held 7c-7h. The board missed both players, and Jorgensen will have to settle for just one bracelet at the WSOP Europe this year. Gus Hansen soon followed. On a flop of 3-4-7, Hansen was all-in against Jennifer Tilly. Tilly held A-A and Hansen 3-4 for two pair. The board paired on the turn when a 7 fell, giving Tilly a better two pair. These pairs held up and Hansen was gone.
The World Series of Poker Europe will have a new Main Event Champion. Annette Obrestad was all-in with pocket Kings against the A-Q of Marco Traniello. Unfortunately for Obrestad, Traniello spiked an Ace and Obrestad will not repeat as Main Event Champion.
Gavin Smith got a taste of his own medicine in tonight’s event. He was all in with pocket Kings. His opponent held 9c-10c. The board flopped an open ended straight draw when the board fell J-8-6. The turn missed both players, but the river Q gave Smith’s opponent a straight and sent Smith to the rail.
Day 1b of the World Series of Poker saw 203 players come together to take their shot at the last bracelet of the World Series of Poker Europe. 97 players survived the session and will join the 86 players from Day 1a on Monday to continue play. Many top names were able to survive Day 1b. Among those are Doyle Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Scotty Nguyen, Surinder Sunar, Barry Grenstein, Jennifer Tilly, Nenad Medic, and John Juanda. Daniel Negranu lost the chip lead for a while, but was able to regain it by the end of the day. Below are the current chip leaders for day 1b.
Daniel Negreanu 154050 Jamie Rosen 139225 David Benefield 126775 Sargon Ruya 114100 Jean Thorel 98675 Marco Traniello 96750 Mikael Norinder 91650 Yuval Bronshtein 85675 Roland de Wolfe 84000 Talal Shakerchi 83025
Play for Day 2 of the World Series of Poker Main Event continued on Monday at 1 p.m. London time.
The World Series of Poker Main Event began on Saturday at the Empire Casino in London. 159 players put up £10,000 on this Day 1a to take their shot at this championship, which is the last bracelet of this year. Many of poker’s top names from both the United States and Europe gathered to take their shot at the title. Annette Obrestad is the current defending champion of this event. She became the youngest person in history to win a bracelet last year and the only woman to ever win a WSOP Main Event title.
Big names that participated in today’s event included Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Scott Fischman, Andy Black, Erik Seidel, Josh Arieh, Erica Schoenberg, Steve Zolotow, Ross Boatman, Joe Beevers, Phil Hellmuth, Ted Lawson, Kathy Liebert, Vanessa Rousso, Alexander Kravchenko, Chad Brown, Eli Elezra, Freddy Deeb, Patrik Antonius, Max Pascatori, Phil Ivey, David Benyamine, and Howard Lederer.
David Benyamine was the first big name to be eliminated from this Main Event. Apparently he had tangled early on with Andy Bloch and Bloch took around 6,000 of Benyamine’s 20,000 stack before they got tangled in another huge hand. There was a lot of action preflop between the two before the flop fell 4c-4d-6d. Benyamine bet out 2,800 and Bloch raised enough to put Benyamine all-in. Benyamine went into the tank, probably sensing what was about to come. He finally called showing Kc-Ks. As he was probably guessing, Bloch flipped over Ah-Ad. Benyamine was unable to catch a king and his day was done early.
Howard Lederer was the next to exit. Chris Moorman called a raise to 1,000 from Lederer preflop and the flop fell 9-6-3. Moorman checked and Lederer bet 1,500. Moorman check-raised to 4,800 and Lederer called. When the turn fell a 7, Moorman bet enough to put Lederer all-in and Lederer called. Moorman showed pocket sixes for a set of sixes and Lederer showed pocket aces. The river was a blank, and Lederer headed for the door.
One interesting note was that the seat formerly occupied by David Benyamine was shortly replaced by Erica Schoenberg. Schoenberg is the fiancé of David Benyamine. Also apparently the crews over in Europe aren’t quite sure who Phil Hellmuth is. An intern with ESPN asked Phil Hellmuth to fill out a player profile sheet, which is kind of funny considering that there shouldn’t be a poker fan out there that doesn’t know who he is.
It took a while for the next big name to fall by the wayside, but finally Layne Flack was all in with Ah-Kc against Ac-10s. The flop fell 10c-9c-10h, leaving Flack drawing thin. He was drawing dead after the 8c fell on the turn. Mike Matusow was among the early chip leaders after knocking out Finnish rocker Voittlo Rintala. Around the mid point of the day, Matusow had 75,000 chips.
I’m not sure why Odin is pissed right now, but he must be, because Thor Hansen had a really bad beat put on him at the river. Hansen and Liebert were all in against Liya Gerasimova after a pre-flop raising war. Hansen held Jc-Jd, Liebert held Qc-Qh, Gerasimova held Kh-Kd. Hansen was far behind and fell behind further on the flop of Ad-10h-3d. It must have seemed that Odin smiled upon Hansen when the Jh hit the river, giving Hansen a set. Odin was clearly just teasing Hansen, because the fell the Ks, giving Liebert a straight, and sending Hansen home. Why Odin, why?
Barny Boatman was eliminated later in the day when he moved all in with pocket 10’s. Isaac Haxton had limped in pre-flop with pocket aces and made the call. The board missed both players and Boatman is done. Linda Lee will not be making another final table at this WSOP Europe. She was all in with pocket sixes against the pocket tens of Praz Bansi. Neither player hit the board and Lee was eliminated. Eli Elezra was one of the short stacks the entire day and had survived a few all-in’s. Finally he went all-in with 7h-8h and was called by Andy Bloch who was holding A-K. An ace hit the board, and Elezra hit the bricks.
Phil Hellmuth had been grinding for the better part of the day himself. Earlier in the day he was all the way down to 4,000 after losing to a set holding pocket aces. He had moved up a little over 10,000 and had hovered around there most of the evening. During the last level, Hellmuth was in the big blind and was raised by the small blind. Hellmuth then moved over the top all-in. The call to the small blind was 8,000. After tanking for a while, the small blind made the call. Hellmuth flipped over Ad-Kc and the small blind showed As-Qd. Hellmuth had his opponent dominated. The flop came with two kings on it to give Hellmuth a set. With the hand, he doubled up to 24,800 and remained alive for Day 2. Hellmuth was head saying, “That’s what I’ve been waiting for and I have them dominated. That’s the first time I’ve been all in today.”
Josh Arieh was among the chip leaders when he ran into a big hand against Scott Montgomery. Montgomery went all in preflop for around 40,000 chips and Arieh inexplicably made the call with Ac-Jd. Montgomery flipped over As-Kc. An ace hit both players when the flop fell 7s-5h-Ad. The turn and river fell running 8’s and Arieh was reduced to 43,000 in chips.
86 players remain out of the 159 players that started this Day 1a. Many pros were eliminated on this first day including big names such as Phil Ivey, Max Pescatori, and Patrik Antonius. Justin “BoostedJ” Smith is the Day 1a chip leader with 158,925 in chips. Andy Bloch finished third in chips and will enter Day 2 with 97,100. Many top names remain in contention for this title and Day 2 should prove interesting. Day 1b will commence at 1pm Sunday London Time.
The final nine players of the World Series of Poker £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Event came together Friday to take their shot at a bracelet and the £218,626 top prize. This is how the final table shaped up:
Seat 1: Erik Friberg 189,000 Seat 2: David Penly 162,000 Seat 3: Jason Mercier 650,000 Seat 4: Sorel Mizzi 290,000 Seat 5: Tomi Nyback 434,000 Seat 6: Theo Jorgensen 897,000 Seat 7: Max Pescatori 126,000 Seat 8: Eric Dalby 277,000 Seat 9: Chris Ferguson 282,000
Tomi Nyback was the first player to be eliminated from the final table. Theo Jorgensen made a pot size raise preflop to 48,000 and both Sorel Mizzi and Nyback made the call. The flop fell 7h-4d-2c and Nyback moved all in. Jorgensen made the call, and Mizzi went into the tank for a while. Finally, he moved all in for 270,000 and Jorgensen made the call. Jorgensen held Kh-Kd-8s-5d for a gutshot straight draw and kings. Mizzi held 7s-5c-4s-2d for top two pair and Nyback held Ks-Qc-10s-7c for top pair and air. The turn fell the As and the river the 9h and Mizzi’s two pair won the hand. Tomi Nyback was our 9th place finisher, taking home £22,688.
About an hour later, Jason Mercier was all in on a flop of 10d-Jh-As. He held 10s-8s-7d-9d for top two pair and a wrap straight draw. His opponent, Theo Jorgensen, called showing Ac-Ah-5d-5s for top set. A 9h on the turn completed Mercier’s straight, but the Ad on the river gave Jorgensen quad Aces and sent Mercier out in 8th place. He will take home £26,812 for his finish.
The very next hand, Chris Ferguson moved all in on a flop of Kc-Qc-6d. Theo Jorgensen decided it was his mission to be involved with every all in hand, so he made the call. Ferguson held Ac-As-Js-8c for the nut flush draw and a gutshot straight draw. Jorgensen must have the magic potion for drawing sets as he had flopped another set with 6s-6h-5c-3c. Part of that potion must have included a quads clause, as the turn fell the 6c, giving Jorgensen quads for the second straight hand. Nobody cared about the 9d that fell on the river. Chris Ferguson became our 7th place finisher, taking home £33,000 pounds for his efforts.
It took a little longer to lose our next player. Nearly an hour later, David Penly moved all-in over a raise from Max Pescatori. Pescatori made the call. Penly held Ac-Ah-5s-Qc and Pescatori held Kc-Qd-Jc-10d. The flop of Jh-9h-3c gave Pescatori a wrap straight draw. The Qs on the turn filled out his straight and made the river 10c meaningless. David Penly became our 6th place finisher, taking home £41,250.
About 15 minutes later, Max Pescatori bet out 50,000 on a board of Ac-10c-9s-Ks-2h. Erik Friberg raised to 200,000, and Pecatori called. He showed Kd-Kc and two random cards for a set and Friberg showed Qh-Jh-8c-6c for broadway. Pescatori was left with 19,000. The very next hand, Pescatori moved all in on the flop and Sorel Mizzi and Theo Jorgensen made the call. Mizzi and Jorgensen checked it down to the river. The board was Kh-Qs-9d-10d-As when Jorgensen showed 10s-6h-5h-3c for just a pair of tens. Remarkably, tens were good and Pescator was our 5th place finisher, taking home £51,562.
A couple of hours later, Erik Friberg and Sorel Mizzi both saw a flop of 2s-Kd-8s. Friberg bet out 20,000 and Mizzi called. The turn fell the 4d and Friberg led out for 60,000. Mizzi then raised for 200,000 total and Friberg moved over the top all-in. Mizzi called. Friberg held 4s-8h-7c-7h for two pair, and Mizzi held 7s-6s-9h-Kh for a flush draw, a gutshot straight draw, and a pair of kings. The river fell the Ks, completing Mizzi’s flush and Erik Friberg was our 4th place finisher. He took home £66,000 for his finish.
Eric Dalby was one of the more remarkable stories of this event. This Englishman came into three way action second in chips with 990,000. The fact that he made it this far is not the amazing story. The amazing part of this story is that he is 78 years old. He has been playing poker for 50 years and has outlasted probably the strongest field in the world in Omaha to make it this far.
About ten minutes after Friberg’s elimination, Sorel Mizzi raised to 49,000 from the button. Both Theo Jorgensen and Eric Dalby made the call. The flop fell 10d-8h-5s. Jorgensen checked to Dalby, who potted at 147,000. Mizzi folded and Jorgensen made the call. The turn fell the 9d. Jorgensen bet 270,000. Dalby then moved all-in and Jorgensen called. Jorgensen flipped over Qc-Js-8s-4s for the nut straight. Dalby flipped over Ac-Kc-10c-7d for a pair and a weaker straight draw. Dalby was drawing dead at this point, and the 9h on the river was meaningless. Eric Dalby’s remarkable run in this Pot Limit Omaha Championship came to a close. Dalby finished in 3rd place, earning £84,562. He may not have won, but he proved that anyone at any age can play this game.
Theo Jorgensen entered heads up play with nearly a 3 to 1 chip lead over Sorel Mizzi. He lead 2,435,000 to 865,000. Of course, this is PLO, and anything can happen. Sorel Mizzi at one point moved into the chip lead, but Jorgensen doubled up on Mizzi and put things back where they started when he rivered a full house to outdraw Mizzi wheel. After that point, things slowly went down hill for Mizzi.
About 45 minutes later, Jorgensen bet out 100,000 on a flop of Ks-8h-Jh. Mizzi raised, and Jorgensen then put him all in. Mizzi made the call. Jorgensen held Kh-Kd-Ac-3c for a set of kings. Mizzi held Ah-6h-Qh-5s for the nut flush draw. The turn fell the 2s, leaving Mizzi needing a heart to win. A 7d fell on the river, and Theo Jorgensen became the Champion of this Pot Limit Omaha Event. Sorel Mizzi was our runner-up, taking home £132,000 for his efforts.
165 players assembled to take their shot at the last preliminary bracelet at this World Series of Poker Europe. Theo Jorgensen survived a pro heavy and expert field to take home his first gold bracelet and £218,626 in prize money.
Congratulations to Theo Jorgensen, WSOP-E Event #3 Champion.
Day 2 of the £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Event at the World Series of Poker saw 45 players return to make their march towards the final table. Among the big names still in contention included Robert Williamson III, Sorel Mizzi, Doyle Brunson, Andy Bloch, David “DevilFish” Ulliott, Allen Cunningham, Max Pescatori, Joe Beevers, Erik Seidel, and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson. Play started at 3 p.m. London time and would continue through to the final table.
The “DevilFish” was the first of the big names to fall and it didn’t take long. On a board of Kd-Jc-5d, Ulliott moved all-in and was called by Markus Golser. Golser claimed to have the Fish in bad shape, but Ulliott disagreed. DevilFish flipped over Ks-Kh-7c-2s for a set of kings. Golser flipped over Ad-Qd-10c-4s for a wrap and a flush draw. Golser was actually the favorite at this point with 17 outs. The turn fell the 9h, giving Golser a straight. DevilFish needed the board to pair, otherwise his day was over. The river was the 6c and DevilFish swam down stream.
Jason Mercier extended his chips lead after eliminating two players, one being Robert Williamson III. On a board of 6d-Ac-10d, Williamson checked to Mercier, who bet out 10,500. Williamson then check-raised pot and Mercier flat called. On the turn of the 5d, Williamson moved all-in for around 16,000. Mercier called and flipped over Kd-Jd with two other cards for a king high flush. Williamson showed two aces with two random cards for a set of aces. He would need the board to pair to win, but alas, the river fell the 8s and Williamson was eliminated. Mercier moved up to 340,000 chips with his win.
Doyle Brunson was the next player eliminated when both he and Erik Friberg flopped a set. Brunson had flopped a set of nines and Friberg a set of tens. All the money went in on the turn and Brunson was unable to catch a fourth nine. Brunson will have to win the Main Event to win his 11th bracelet.
Shortly after the first break, Andy Bloch was all in against Erik Friberg. Bloch had flopped two pair and a gutshow straight draw. Friberg had a better gutshow straight draw and a pair of queens. The turn improved Bloch’s two pair, but the river completed Friberg’s straight and Bloch was out the door.
Erik Seidel was eliminated in 25th place by Theo Jorgensen. Seidel had aces and Jorgensen with some semi coordinated straight cards. Unfortunately for Seidel, Jorgensen flopped two pair and Seidel never improved on his aces. Bruno Fitoussi was the next player to fall just before the dinner break. He moved all in with aces on a jack high flop but Tomi Nyback had flopped two pair. The two pair were good and Fitoussi got an extended dinner break.
Only 18 players would be paid from this event. It wasn’t long before we would reach 19 players and the bubble period began. Pot Limit Omaha is usually a game where the bubble period is not that lengthy due to the drawing potential of a lot of hands. It does induce a bit of gambling. The bubble period didn’t even last 10 minutes in this event as Alex Kravchenko was all in preflop against Ilkka Koskien. Kravchenko held Ah-Ad-9c-10d. Koskien held As-Ac-2c-10c. This hand had split written all over it. That is until the flop anyway. The flop fell Qc-Qd-7c to give Koskien a flush draw. The turn fell the 7h. This pot would be a chop unless a club fell, and indeed a club did fall on the river. The 8c fell, and Kravchenko was this event’s bubble boy.
Elimination then became fast and furious. Jolyne Thompson moved all in with her short stack holding Js-Jc-2c-9h. Allen Cunningham made the call holding Kd-7s-6h-4s. Cunningham would take the lead with trips when the flop fell 7d-3d-7h. Thompson would need a jack to survive, but a jack did not come on the turn or the river. Jolyne Thompson was our 18th place finisher making £14,438.
Stephen Kjaerstad was the next to fall. Kjaerstad raised preflop and was called by Theo Jorgensen. On a flop of 5s-6s-Jd, Kjaerstad bet out 21,500 and Jorgesen potted. Kjaerstad called and was all-in. Jorgensen held 4s-3d-3s-4c and Kjaerstad held 7d-As-8d-Ad. The Qs fell on the turn, giving Jorgensen the flush and eliminating Kjaerstad in 17th place.
About 15 minutes later, Theo Jorgensen raised to 11,000 and Allen Cunnigham potted to 39,000. Jorgensen called. On a flop of 10s-4h-4s, Jorgensen put Cunningham all in holding 9h-4c-Qh-10c for fours full and Cunningham held As-Ah-Qd-2d. An ace did not fall on the turn or river, and Allen Cunningham become our 16th place finisher.
Chris Bjorin followed Cunningham out the door soon after when he was all-in against Joe Beevers. Bjorin held Aces at the river but Beever was sitting on nines full. Bjorin was the 16th place finisher making £16,500. Justin Smith was the next out when Tomi Nyback flopped the nut flush. Smith didn’t have any redraws and exited in 14th place, also taking home £16,500.
Padraig Parkinson was eliminated next. He had flopped a straight draw, but his opponent Jason Mercier caught running aces to make trips and Parkinson was the 13th place finisher. Joe Beevers was knocked out next when his As-5s-Kc-8c ran into the Ah-Ks-Jh-10d of Jason Mercier. Beever flopped a pair of fives on a 5d-Qs-6d board, but the 9d gave Mercier a straight draw. He completed his straight draw with the 8h on the river and Beevers became the 12th place finisher, taking home £18,562.
Neil Channing was knocked out next in 11th place when his pair and straight draw couldn’t outdraw Tomi Nyback’s flopped two pair. Ilkka Koskinen then was our final elimination of the day. He was all in on the turn of 8h-7-h-3d-Jc against Theo Jorgensen. Koskinen held Ac-Jh-10h-9d for a straight and a gutshot straight flush draw. Jorgensen held Js-9s-9c-8c for jacks and eights. The river fell the Jd, which gave Jorgensen a full house and make Koskinen our final table bubble boy.
Our final nine looks like this:
Seat 1: Erik Friberg 189,000 Seat 2: David Penly 162,000 Seat 3: Jason Mercier 650,000 Seat 4: Sorel Mizzi 290,000 Seat 5: Tomi Nyback 434,000 Seat 6: Theo Jorgensen 897,000 Seat 7: Max Pescatori 126,000 Seat 8: Eric Dalby 277,000 Seat 9: Chris Ferguson 282,000
Theo Jorgensen made a late run to take the chip lead from Jason Mercier. Overall, this will be one of the stronger final tables of this World Series of Poker with several big names and a couple of bracelet winners in the mix. The final table will start at 4 p.m. London time on Friday.
Wedneday kicked off the £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha event at the World Series of Poker Europe. 165 players put up £5,000 each to take their shot at the PLO bracelet. This event attracts the best players from both the US and Europe. PLO is the most popular form of poker in Europe, and it is expected that the Americans will have their hands full in the event.
Many big names put up the cash for this event. Daniel Negreanu, Jens Voertmann, Gus Hansen, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Josh Arieh, Brandon Cantu, Patrik Antonius, Ross Boatman, Phil Hellmuth, Nanad Medic, Layne Flack, John Juanda, Freddy Deeb, Eli Elezra, David Benyamine, Barny Boatman, Andy Black, Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, Thor Hansen, Doyle Brunson, Allen Cunningham, Erik Seidel, Robert Willaimson III, Chris Ferguson, and Andy Bloch all were on hand as well as many other known players.
This event gave each player the option of a free 10,000 chip rebuy that could either be taken at the beginning of their tournament or at the any time during the first 3 levels. Daniel Negreanu was the first big name to be eliminated from the event. He apparently took his rebuy at the start of the event and proceeded to lose it in quick fashion.
Action was hot and heavy early on. The 2007 WSOP Europe Pot Limit Omaha Champion Dario Alioto was eliminated shortly after Negreanu. Jens Voertmann was also eliminated around the same time. Voertmann won the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the WSOP in Vegas in June.
Gus Hansen was eliminated by Jason Mercier. At showdown the board showed Ad-8-6d-Q-J. Mercier held 8-7-6-4 for two pair and Hansen held 9-7-5-3 for a couple of draws that missed. Mike “The Mouth” Matusow did not make it to the dinner break in this event. We aren’t sure of how he was eliminated but when someone mentioned how quiet it was, we realized it was due to his departure.
Josh Arieh and Phil Ivey were eliminated not long after the dinner break. Arieh was all in against Donnacha O’Dea. Arieh had a straight and O’Dea a set of aces. The river card paired the board, giving O’Dea the full house and Arieh the shaft. Phil Ivey was down to around 3,000 after the dinner break and shortly was eliminated. He’s probably looking for Mike Matusow to try and start a Chinese Poker game.
Sherkhan Farnood was playing in this event while playing the £2,500 H.O.R.S.E. final table. On a board of 4h-Qh-3s-9h-Jd, Farnood was all in against Erik Seidel and Andreas Krause. Farnood showed Qs-8s-10c-9c for the nut straight. Seidel only held a pair of aces. Krause mucked his hand. After the hand Farnood tripled up to 37,000.
Annette Obrestad was soon eliminated by David Williams. Obrestad had flopped a full house with the board showing 5-5-7 on the flop. She had a 5-7 in her hand. Sadly, Williams had pocket sevens for the nut boat. As a result, Obrestad floated down the river.
This event will not bring John Phan his third bracelet of the year. On a flop of 8h-7h-7c, Phan bet out 3,000. Jani Sointula raised the size of the pot, followed by Phan moving all-in. Sointula called. Phan showed Ad-Ah-8c-10c for aces up. Sointula showed Qs-8s-5h-6h for two pair and the straight flush draw. The turn fell the Kh, giving Sointula the flush and the river card fell the Kc, sealing the win for Sointula.
Three big names were eliminated in short order. First Richard Ashby was eliminated by Surindar Sunar. Soon afterwards, Sunar was eliminated when his two pair were outdrawn by another opponents better two pair. Patrik Antonius went all in holding a pair of queens but the hand was outdrawn and he was sent to the rail as well.
Barry Greenstein was eliminated by Neil Channing. As a result Greenstein is short another copy of his book. Channing made the final table in the Event #1 of the World Series of Poker Europe. Adam Junglen and Tom “Durrrr” Dwan didn’t fare much better and were eliminated shortly after the beginning of the last level of the night.
David Williams had a roller coaster of a day. He was down to just 13,000 chips at one point in the evening but increased it to over 100,000 by the last level. Part of that stack came at the expense of Jeff Madsen. Williams crippled Madsen when he flopped a set of kings, outdrawing Madsens’ aces. Then shortly afterwards, Madsen was all in with a straight draw and a pair. Williams had a pair of queens and a backdoor flush draw. The board came running hearts to fill out Williams’ flush and Madsen was out the door.
Jason Mercier finished the day as the chip leader with 209,800 in chips. Shaun Deeb was next with 190,700. Bruno Fitoussi was the high pro of the day with 123,700. Other notables are David Williams at 122,400, Phil Laak at 111,400, and Andy Bloch at 109,200. Chris Ferguson, Erik Seidel, Robert Williamson III and Allen Cunningham are all around the middle of the field. Doyle Brunson is still alive in his hunt for his 11th bracelet, but he is one of the short stacks with 36,500. Don’t count him out however as this a few well timed pots could turn him from a short stack to a chip leader.
Many pros bit the dust in this day one, including fan favorite Daniel Negreanu. David Benyamine and Phil Hellmuth also did not make it through the day. 2007 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Champion Freddy Deeb couldn’t find any magic on this day.
The day started with 165 players but in the end only 45 players remained in this Pot Limit Omaha Championship. While the pace of play on Day 1 was fast and furious, expect Thursday’s play to be a little more subdued due to the large stacks that will be in play. Players will return at 3 P.M. on Thursday London time to make a march towards the final table in this event.
