WSOP 2008
Shuffling Tables
by Court on 09.27.08, 6:16 pm
The setup here at the Empire Casino is a little different than most major poker tournaments, or most U.S. based poker tournaments at least. Instead of being located inside one large, conference / ballroom type area with all the poker tables pretty much in the same place, the Empire has had to work around their space limitations and put poker tables about anywhere they can find space.
To start the day there were a couple tables in an upstairs hallway area with steps coming up on both sides, a handful of tables under the steps putting the players between a bar and a couple banks of slot machines. Those two areas of tables have been broken now and players have been consolidated into what I call the main area and the dungeon.
The main area is where the feature tables are along with three other tables just off to the side of the featured ones. This is the area where preliminary event final tables were hosted and has a slew of onlookers crowded around. Whether they are there for the poker or to partake in libations from the bar that they are also up against is a toss up, though I imagine if the bar were to close the crowd would go away a lot quicker than if the poker players left.
To get to the dungeon there is a low ceilinged hallway that leads by another, hidden bar and then opens into a very claustrophobic feeling room with 6 more poker tables. There have been film crews back there as well, along with a large group of fans clogging the small walkway.
So, the players are spread out around the casino - no problem. The other unique feature of the World Series of Poker Europe, presented by Betfair (hey, it’s the title what can I do) is that whole tables keep getting moved around to get different faces time on the featured and secondary tables. The table hosting Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar (right) and Isaac Haxton started off at table 3 in the main area and after a couple of levels was moved to the area under the stairs. After dinner the whole tables was moved again into the dungeon. Most, if not all, of the tables that have not yet broken have moved at least once today.
The tables are also numbered in a fairly sporadic fashion. For example the six tables in the main area are numbered 1-3 while the 3 adjoining tables were numbered in the teens. To add to the confusion, some table numbers have been taken with them when the whole table is moved while other times the physical table retains the number while the group of players are all moved to a new table.
With all this the staff has done a great job of moving people around and it seems that there should be ample television coverage for a majority of the players in the tournament instead of only for the few that happened to be seated at a table with a big name pro. There has been some confusion during table breaks. Recently I spotted Isaac “mr. menlo” Baron (right) wandering around with a rack of chips and a seat card looking for table 13. I told him I thought it was in the main area and sent him over there, only to see him moments later being pointed toward the dungeon where table 13 had been relocated to.
While the tables have been shuffled around, the dealers keep shuffling cards and dealing them out. With the antes kicking in after dinner and the blinds increasing larger and larger pots are emerging and more players are finding themselves in short stack situations looking to make a move.
Peter “#1Pen” Neff and his table mates, including Freddy Deeb and Erica Schoenberg, were recently moved to the main feature table. Not only is Neff under the bright lights and cameras, he is also there with more than twice as many chips as he had earlier thanks to a double up with his pocket kings against pocket nines. Neff now has around 25k.
Just behind Neff is Tim “Tmay420″ West (right). After mentioning Peter’s recent double up, West said he was “looking into that,” referring to a possible double up for himself. West is in ok shape with 13k, but would like to get something going before the blinds force him into action.
Over in the dungeon, Ben Grundy and Josh Arieh have been chatting for most of the day, but during their talks they are not afraid to play pots with each other. In a 3 way pot Grundy bet 1k on a A
J
2 flop. Scott “R_A_Y” Montgomery, a recent addition to the table, folded but Arieh made the call. The K on the turn brought another check from Arieh and a 3k bet from Grundy. Josh called after taking a peek over at Ben’s stack. The K on the river made the board a dangerous one for a lot of hands and after Arieh checked Grundy immediately tossed over his Q
T, implying he was checking behind. Arieh mucked his hand and Grundy picked up the pot with a smile on his face, but a little disappointed in missing out on possible action on the river because of the board pairing flush card hitting.
With all the shuffling of tables, Amit “Amak316″ Makhija (left) seems to have been lost in the mix. Maybe he is just out walking around the Empire Casino looking for his table, but if that’s not the case it means there is either a hidden table somewhere I don’t know about (possible), or that he has been eliminated (sad, but probable).
As the last few levels continue on players will keep dropping out and the consolidation of the field will continue. Stay tuned to see who comes out of day 1A with hopes of a bracelet still alive and to find out who finds their last chance of an 08 bracelet left in the London night in Leicester Square.
Chips Moving Around Early at WSOPE
by Court on 09.27.08, 9:40 am
The action in the first level of many deep stacked, big buy in tournaments in slow. So far the World Series of Poker Europe, presented by Betfair, has not been a slow starting main event. There have been plenty of chips moving around and large pots, even a few bustouts.
Players start the tournament with 20k in chips and the first blind level is 50/100. In the very first few minutes of the tournament Peter “#1Pen” Neff (right) and Jonathan “FatalError” Aguiar both lost small pots. Amit “Amak316″ Makhija, Marco “CrazyMarco” Johnson, and Isaac “mr. menlo” Baron were all involved in larger pots.
Neff called a 300 raise from and under the gun Andy Bloch. On the A76 flop both players checked and with the 2 on the turn Neff called a 300 bet from Bloch. The river was the 6
and Bloch led for 500. Neff called and Andy turned over his AT. Peter mucked his hand sending the 2k pot to Bloch in the first few minutes of action.
Aguiar is at a table with Isaac Haxton. For the first few minutes of play, Isaac, Jonathan and Barney Boatman were the only players at the table. As the late arrivers were coming in to fill the table Jonathan found himself in a pot with Boatman. On the river with a board of 7542K Aguiar led for 1k and Boatman raised to 2,600. Jonathan tossed his hand in surrendering the pot.
After flopping a set on a KJ6 board Makhija (left) was able to get action from his opponent to build up a nice pot. The other player check called a 1,600 bet on the T turn and then again check called for 4,500 on the 8 river. A calm Makhija raked in the 15,000 chip pot after showing his 66 to add to his stack early on and close in on the the 30k mark. At the table behind Makhija, Marco Johnson was able to pick up a small pot with a 1,050 chip bet on a K-7-6-2 board.
Isaac Baron decided to surrender his hand on the river of an A83T4 board when he was check raised. The pot had about 6k in it and Isaac bet 2,700 when it was checked to him. The other player then raised to 11k and after brief thought Isaac tossed his hand in.
Phan Wins! Amit Makhija Left With 2nd
by Court on 08.29.08, 4:44 am
After a long heads up battle in which both players were oh so close to claiming the title, John Phan ultimately came out on top. The last hand was another coinflip, with Amit “Amak316″ Makhija moving all in and Phan making the call.
Amit had the K7 and Phan had pocket threes. The board came Q55AT and Phan’s pair stood tall to earn him his first World Poker Tour title. Makhija had 9 outs for the double up and another three for the chop after the turn, but after being saved on the river a few times previously the well ran dry.
John Phan comes out of his second consecutive WPT Final Table with a victory, taking the title and the $1,116,428 top prize. Amit “Amak316″ Makhija has to be disappointed in falling short of a title, but at the same time thrilled with a second place finish and the $563,320 that goes along with it.
Phan Nears 10 Million, Amit Doubles Again
by Court on 08.29.08, 4:26 am
John Phan had chipped away at Amit “Amak316″ Makhija after the two went back and forth around even for a few hands. After taking a small lead, Phan was able to win a couple of pots to get up to around 9.5 million while Makhija was left with less than 1.5 million.
In a pot where Amit had limped in and John checked the flop came A43 and Makhija called a 270k bet from Phan. The K on the turn brought a 500k bet from Phan which was again called. The A hit on the river and John bet 950k. Amit again called and Phan turned over the J9 for a flush. After Makhija mucked John raked in the pot to take a 2 million chip lead over Amit.
A few hands later he extended his lead even more in another limped pot. The J32. This time Phan checked to Amit (left) who bet 250k. Phan called to see the 5 on the turn and this time John led out for 500k. Amit made the call and the players went to the river. The J completed the board and Phan led for 1.5 million chips. Amit make the call with 8-5, but his pair of fives was no good against Phan’s Q-J for three jacks. After that hand Amit was down to the 1.5 million range in chips.
After dropping to the critical stage in chips with the blinds at 100k / 200k and a 30k ante Makhija was able to double up again. He had moved in for 1.3 million and Phan made the call with the A2. Amit had a dominating hand with the A8 but the KKT flop gave Phan a decent chance at a chop. The 8 turn paired Makhija but also gave Phan a flush draw. The river was the 4 though and Makhija was able to stay alive with another double up.
After this double Amit is still short though, with only around 2.5 million chips while John Phan still has 8.5 million to work with.
Riding The River, Amit Takes Chip Lead
by Court on 08.29.08, 3:28 am
Both players have been one card away from having the title locked up. For John Phan the one card away from the title scenario just played out again. Amit “Amak316″ Makhija raised to 320k and Phan called. On the K74 flop Phan checked to Makhija who bet 380k. John the raised to 800k and Amit moved all in.
Phan called with the K7 for top two pair and Amit showed the 96 for a flush draw. The T on the turn also gave Amit a gutshot straight draw, and with the 8 on the river Makhija was able to again hit the card he needed on the river to stay alive in the tournament.
After winning the pot, Amit is not only alive in the tournament, he is actually back in the lead. Makhija now has a 6,560,000 chips to Phan’s 4,640,000.