WSOP 2008
Court Now in Session
by Jill on 06.15.08, 2:01 am
Event #27, $1.5K No-Limit Hold’em tournament, was down to 350 players of the original 2,706 at the conclusion of level 8, with the blinds at 400/800 and an ante of 100. Floor announcers broadcast that the last round saw players eliminated at a rate of two every minute, down from six every minute. One of the most recent eliminations included Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul, who was a chip leader going into the round. Saul’s A
J couldn’t catch up to pocket kings and he exited the tournament.
Other players faring better included PocketFives’ own Court Harrington, who was king of his fortress of chips. When we caught up with Court and his 55K stack, he called an opponent’s all-in and eliminated him with two pair - aces and nines. He grew his stack by 6K with the take-down before offering to help color everyone up. His table seemed to actually buy the Southern gentleman act. Later, he took down a bigger pot on a coinflip when his pocket eights held against his opponent’s A-T. Capping it off before their twenty-minute break, Court held T
7 and managed to see a T-7-4 flop, making top two pair. His opponent bet 4K, which Court dutifully made 14K. His opponent moved all in for 15K more and Court called. His two pair held, building his stack to 70K and earning him a spot as one of the chip leaders.
Danny “THE_D_RY” Ryan (pictured at right) also charmed his way into gaining a chip advantage at his table, sporting a 35K stack. Brothers Jason Gray and Craig “MrCasino” Gray held strong in the event, wearing their matching jerseys and holding 40K and 30K chips, respectively. Also at Craig’s table sat Phil “USCPhildo” Collins, guarding an 25K stack. He reported via text message, “I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord.”
In Event #28 after the rebuy period ended, amateur players still seated at the $5K Pot-Limit Omaha tables looked like they’d received death sentences as Table 15 broke up and was reseated. At one table, the man in the two seat looked petrified as he eyed his draw — smack dab between Daniel Negreanu, Michael Binger, Patrik Antonius, Howard Lederer, and Eli Elezra. Online pros, however, are still taking charge. Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond busted an opponent and increased his stack to more than 120K. Dario Minieri chipped up to 60K after several take-downs.
Now that the rebuy period is over, the tournament staff announced the final rebuy and add-on total: 483 for an average commitment of over $20K per player. The total prize pool now sits at $3,085,930, 18 spots will be paid, and first prize takes home a bracelet and $817,781 — the second largest payout yet this Series.