WSOP 2008
Shorr Thing
by Brett on 06.25.08, 3:03 pm
Shannon Shorr returns as one of the chip leaders in the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event when action begins at 2:00 PT this afternoon. Shorr (pictured left) topped off his Day 1 by eliminating Layne Flack to increase his stack to 86K. Dan “Stainley88″ Adams (35,400), Stewart “StuMan123″ Yancik (19,900), Tom “SBRounder” West (19,900) and Chris “SKOAL” Falconer (12,200) are some of the others seeking a final table appearance for a shot at the $216,249 first-place prize.
Getting underway at noon is the second $1,000 No Limit Hold’em w/Rebuys event of this World Series. Michael “worldsgrtest” Banducci won the first for $636,736, defeating Jeff “yellowsub” Williams heads up for the bracelet. Jason Gray, Andy “BKiCE” Seth, Dan “Wretchy” Martin, Joe “Dyzalot” Morneau and Faraz “The Toilet-0″ Jaka are some of the faces we’ve seen so far as players are making their way into the Amazon Room.
The Big Daddy of all the events will kick off at 5:00 PT. The $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship will have an extra added bonus this year, as the winner will recieve the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy in remembrance of the tournament’s inagural champion. Freddy Deeb will look to defend his championship.
Good luck to all playing in what should be an exciting day at the Rio!
Tamayo Runner-Up, SKOAL Survives Bubble Burst
by Jill on 06.25.08, 4:11 am
As the Seniors No-Limit Hold’em Championship, Event #42, enters the single-digit early-morning hours, 17 players remain in the battle for the bracelet and a grand prize of $368,832. One recent elimination was four-time bracelet winner Tom McEvoy (pictured at right), who went all in with A-J against his opponent’s pocket kings. Tom takes home $7,669 for his 28th place deep run. Now down to the final two tables, Dale Eberle is the chip leader in the tournament with a nearly 2:1 advantage over the next biggest stack.
Event #41, the $1.5K Mixed Hold’em tournament, continued in heads-up warfare between Frank Gary and Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo. Their heads-up session went into its second hour after a brief pause; more than six hours have elapsed since the tournament entered its epic three-handed play. After flopping a straight and losing to Frank Gary’s rivered full house, Tamayo was outchipped 4:1, but unwilling to concede. Several hands later, Tamayo shoved all his chips in the middle with Q-7 and lost when Gary’s A-3 flopped a pair of aces. Gary wins the bracelet and $219,508, while PocketFiver Tamayo takes home $140,093. Congratulations to both players for their amazing performance!
Meanwhile, hand-for-hand play began in Event #43, the $1.5K Pot Limit Omaha 8 tournament. As the number of remaining players dropped on the LCD screens in the Amazon room, the tension was perceptible; players paced the floor in anticipation of the bubble bursting. Yet Chris “SKOAL” Falconer could be heard at his table challenging others: “You can’t be afraid to bubble!”
In all likelihood, Chris had one of the best reasons to be afraid, despite his positive outlook. After building his stack up to 26K over the last two rounds, a bad beat dropped him down to 9K and he was sweating it. Involved in a hand as the big blind for 1200, Chris dropped a chip protector on his hand and calmly observed his table. A player in middle position raised to 4,200, a player in late position reraised, and Chris promptly folded.
However, the reraise put the other player at a decision for his chips and the table laughed uncomfortably at his frustration — there were at least three other extremely short-stacked players, so fear was in the air. Each glanced up at the LCD, which read 73 players remaining. Other players less afraid of the bubble included Dan “Stainley88″ Adams who had 39K and Shannon Shorr, who was quite comfortable with three times the average stack at 70K.
Fortunately, just before the end of the last level of the evening, the bubble did burst and players were heard cheering for their successful entry into the ranks of WSOP cashers. All players are guaranteed $2,751, but only one will be crowned champion of the event and win the coveted gold. On the first hand after the bubble burst, Chris managed to get all his chips in and double up to 13K, while Shannon accumulated aggressively and worked his stack up to 87K. Congratulations to all players for making the money and good luck tomorrow in Day 2 when play resumes at 2pm.
Busting Before the Bubble
by Crystal on 06.25.08, 2:48 am
Matt “plattsburgh” Vengrin was recently eliminated from the PLO8 tournament about 20 players short of making the money. Vengrin (pictured left) had been nursing a short stack for some time now. We’ve seen players often stack their chips in a pyramid shape, but Vengrin had so few in front of him that his pyramid of chips were stacked only 1 chip high.
With the blinds at 500/1k a player in late postion raised to 2.5k and was called by the button, Dan “Stainley88″ Adams who was in the sb, and Vengrin who was in the big blind. Vengrin seemed reluctant to call preflop but getting very good odds he elected to toss in the extra 1.5k in chips to see the flop which came K
4
2
. Adams checked and Vengrin threw in his last 4.7k in chips. The original raiser made the call and both the button and Adams folded. Vengrin said “I have a set” as he tabled his 9
644 and his opponent flipped over his AK72 and commented, “well I need a king or a little card.” Unfortunately for Vengrin the K fell on the turn leaving him drawing to the one remaining 4 in the deck to make quads but the river was the 5 and he was sent to the rail.
Eric “Rizen” Lynch was also knocked out just short of the money when his flopped set of aces were rivered by another player who made a flush along with the nut low.
82 players remain and the tension in the blue section of the Amazon room has risen as players try to fight (or slide) their way into the money. Play has slowed as the bubble approaches but with short stacks at many tables the bubble is likely not far away.
In the green section of the Amazon room John Phan has just captured WSOP gold for the 2nd time in less than a week as he captured the win in event #40, the 2-7 Triple Draw event. More than six hours passed between when the 4th place finisher was knocked out and when Phan finally claimed the bracelet and the $151,896 first prize.
P5er Jonathan “driverseati” Tamayo is now heads up with Frank Gary in event #41’s final table and after just doubling Gary up the two are nearly even in chips, Tamayo having the slight advantage. This heads up match is sure to be exciting and we’ll keep you updated as it progresses.
Bad Moon Rizen
by Jill on 06.25.08, 1:48 am
The 105 remaining players in the $1.5K Pot Limit Omaha 8 tournament just left for a 20-minute break, but beforehand, we saw some major moving and shaking from PocketFivers. At one table sat Dan “Stainley88″ Adams and Matt “plattsburg” Vengrin side-by-side. Dan guarded a very respectable 29K stack, while Matt was running on fumes with 7K.
A few tables over, Eric “Rizen” Lynch (pictured at right) and Shannon Shorr sat across the table from each other. When PocketFives caught up to the action, Eric was all in under the gun with 8K on a A53 flop. One player called him down and the turn and river came 23. Eric flipped over AQAK for the nut boat - aces full of threes. His opponent couldn’t catch up and Eric managed to more than double his stack to more than 16K.
The very next hand, Shannon Shorr raised to 2,200 from middle position. Eric, in the big blind, jibed him: “You don’t even allow me to protect my blinds!” Taking down the pot uncontested, Shannon added a few more chips to his towering 45K stack.
From the small blind on the next hand, however, Eric raised to 4K preflop and was called by the player on the button. The flop came TAK and Eric bet the pot. His opponent called and the 6 came on the turn. After checking down, a queen came on the river and his opponent celebrated — though Eric held AAJ8 and dominated his opponent prior to the river, his opponent also held the jack and their shared Broadway straight chopped the pot. Despite the disappointment, Eric seemed quite happy to have doubled up going into the break.
Meanwhile, Chris “SKOAL” Falconer reported to PocketFives that he had previously been quartered down on a few hands to a low chip count of 3,800 in the last level. However, after two very profitable hands later from a player he’d nicknamed “The Pampered Chef,” he was up to 15.5K at the break.
Shorr Silences Minneapolis Meehan
by Crystal on 06.25.08, 12:47 am
As the PLO8 field continues to drop, some of the players have been rather annoyed with the antics of Minneapolis Jim Meehan. He has been seen standing up and walking around and talking (rather loudly) to just about anyone who will listen. At one point security was almost brought in when Meehan put a cigarette in his mouth and lit a lighter, looking like he was going to light the cigarette. He smiled and laughed and sat back down without lighting the cigarette as on-lookers rolled their eyes.
Meehan also seems to be in need of a good pair of women’s jeans. He asked a P5s reporter where she got her jeans and when he was told it wasn’t anywhere near Las Vegas he said “Well that’s too far to drive! I’m 0 for 2 today. The other girl I asked got her jeans somewhere far away too. I just want to drive to a place that’s like 1.6 miles away!” While we’re not sure why Meehan is looking for women’s jeans, it made for some interesting conversation. After a tournament director asked him to speak more quietly, Meehan said he would be quiet for one hour but that won’t be necessary now that Shannon Shorr has knocked Meehan out. Shorr (pictured left) flopped a set which held against Meehan’s nut low draw that never materialized and Meehan was sent to the rail.
Dan “Stainley88″ Adams (pictured right) put another player at risk for all his chips preflop with Adams holding the KK42 against the all in player’s AA-X-X. The other cards, which pocket fives couldn’t catch, were far less important than the aces as the all in player made quads on the board of AQ5AT to double up.
Matt “plattsburgh” Vengrin was also spotted trying to knock a player out holding the 6532 against the all in player’s AT85. The board ran out T7437 and Venegrin took the high with his spade flush while the other player’s A-5 was good enough for a 7543A low to take the other half of the pot.
There are currently 126 players remaining but only the top 72 will make the money. Other players still in contention are Eric “Rizen” Lynch, Garrett “GBecks” Beckman, Matt “SamENole” Smith, and Chris “SKOAL” Falconer.