WSOP 2008
Chiu Makes The Comeback
$25K Bellagio Five Star WPT Championship
by Court on 04.27.08, 12:48 am
After going into heads up as a dominating chip leader Gus Hansen will now be leaving with only 2nd place money. David Chiu (left) was able to battle back and in the last hand hit what he needed on the river to win the pot and the title.
Chiu made the comeback after being a 23 to 4 dog starting heads up play. After climbing all the way to the chip lead David was faced with an all in bet of over 8 million from Gus on a board of A
T8
5. After counting out the chips Chiu looked at some of his friends in the crowd and said “I think this is it boys,” then he looked back towads the table and said simply “I call.”
The next words he said were “aces and a flush draw,” and that was what he had with the A9. Gus had flopped two pair with the T8
and only needed to fade the river card to take back over as a commanding chip leader. Chiu didn’t make his flush on the river, but the A gave him trip aces to overcome Hansen’s two pair.
For second place Gus (right) will receive $1,714,800.
The comeback victory brings the top prize of $3,389,140 to David Chiu.
Heads Up Play
$25K Bellagio Five Star WPT Championship
by Court on 04.26.08, 11:29 pm
After plowing through the field to get to heads up play things have slowed down for Gus Hansen. David Chiu (left) went into heads up play with about 4 million and in serious danger against Hansen’s 23 million. Win a pot here and there and double up once though and then things aren’t so bad.
That is exactly what happened for Chiu and after about an hour of heads up play he is up to 9 million and Gus is down to about 18 million. Still a 2 to 1 chip lead, but another double up will flip the tables and make Chiu the 2 to 1 leader over Gus.
The difference between first and second is around $1.6 million so there is plenty to play for even before you factor in any ancillary benefits to being the champion of one of the largest tournaments of the year. Gus is in a commanding position but the death grip he had on this tournament has loosened slightly in the first part of heads up play.
Hit A Draw One Time?
by Court on 04.26.08, 9:36 pm
Or every time. John Roveto (right) was able to win his first pot of the day with an all in move. His chips went into the middle not long after tournament director Jack McClelland joked that John was the trying to ante his way to victory. The first all in move was successful, but two in a row was too much. Hansen called and it was either double up or go to the cage to collect the 3rd place payout for Roveto.
John had pocket kings against the AT of Gus, but a J-9-8 flop gave Hansen 8 extra outs to go with his naked ace. The turn left hope for Roveto, but the 7 on the river hit filling yet another draw for Gus and sending another player to the rail. In a mere 22 hands Gus has eliminated 4 players and left himself heads up for the title against David Chiu.
Roveto was able to benefit from Gus eliminating other players though, moving up to third place and collecting the $923,355 prize.
Good Call, Bad Beat - Carroll Out 4th
by Court on 04.26.08, 9:20 pm
After successfully raising Gus Hansen to pick up a few pots preflop Cory “UGOTPZD” Carroll again popped one of Hansen’s opening raises. Gus made it 480k and Cory raised to 1.65 million chips. Gus called and on the QJ
6 flop Cory checked and Hansen stood up to get a look at Carroll’s chips. After seeing that Cory had just over 6.5 million left Gus finally decided to move all in putting Cory to a decision for the rest of his chips.
Carroll (left) thought for a long time at one point saying “do you have a big draw Gus?” and then finally making his mind up after commenting “If you have king queen or queen ten then its over I guess, I call.” Cory had the AJ and his pair of jacks gave him the best hand against Hansen’s holding of the 75. The turn was the Q and Carroll was one card away from becoming a huge chip leader in the tournament. Instead the 3 filled the flush for Gus and eliminated Carroll in 4th place.
The payout for 4th is $593,645 and a large sum, but Cory will have to leave here thinking what could have been and about the almost $3 million more he could have had for first place.
David Chiu and John Roveto have been quiet up to this point. It is possible that neither have raked in a pot yet, but both have jumped way up the payout scale while Gus mows down the field.
Gus Doing the Work Early
by Court on 04.26.08, 9:07 pm
Coming into the final table as the shortstack, Jeff King (right) knew he would have to double up pretty early on to have a chance. Mission accomplished on hand 7. Jeff was all in for just under a million and Gus Hansen said “I hate this hand” but finally called anyway with pocket deuces. King had two overs (shocker) with KJ, and flopped two pair to win the hand and double through Gus and up to around 2 million.
Five hands later the two were all in again, Jeff with the AQ against Gus with the T9. The 864 flop was safe for Jeff and he was only two cards away from his next double up but Hansen had 10 outs. The turn was the K killing 3 of the outs, but the T on the river was one of the cards Gus was looking for. With the pair of tens he busted King in 6th place for $263,815. Gus had just over 10 million chips after the hand.
Not many hands after eliminating King another player was out the door at the hands of Hansen. On a Q-T-5 flop both Tommy Le (left) and Gus had flopped a set, but Hansen’s set of tens left Le drawing to one out. It didn’t hit and Tommy Le (younger brother of Nam Le) saw his final table end in short order and brutal fashion. Le takes home $395,725 for the 5th place finish.
The only chink so far in the armor of Hansen has been a few hands he has folded to Cory “UGOTPZD” Carroll. On multiple occasions Cory has raised and taken decent pots off of Gus without having to show down a hand or even see a flop.