Day 2 action in the Pokerstars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour Main Event in Seoul, South Korea, saw 83 players on hand to start play, the survivors of 165 initial Day 1 entrants at the Walker-Hill Casino. The 83 players worked down to the 16-spot money bubble as action was halted for the day, with Brian Kang emerging as the overnight leader following a wild close to the action.

The day began with Jan Van Dyk and David Saab atop the leaderboard, though neither would survive the session. First, though, came the winnowing of the shorter stacks, with several notables among them. Australian Van Marcus, who final-tabled last year’s APPT Manila stop, was one of the first. Marcus exited after getting his
chips in after a

flop. Marcus held

for trips, but Michael Bang held

for the same trips and a better kicker, which held up when the board completed with the

and

.

Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier lasted only a short while longer. ElkY’s last 16,000 went in against Osawa Masahiro after an

flop. Again it was trips vs. trips, with ElkY’s

trailing Masahiro’s

, and again the higher kicker held. This time the turn and river brought the

and

, ending Grospellier’s tournament run.

Meanwhile, both start-of-day leader Van Dyk and recent APPT Macau winner Eddie Sabat made early climbs. Van Dyk eliminated two players to become the first to top 100,000 in chips, while Sabat neared 60,000 after doubling through early, then collecting a second large pot. Sabat, though, took a couple of big hits to depart midway through the session. On his final hand, he got his chips in on a big draw with

and a board of

-10. Sam Faqiryar was in the hand with A-J, however, which held up when the board completed with 8-6.

Jan Van Dyk fared no better as the day wore on. First, his pocket jacks went down to a shorter stack’s pocket eights when an eight fell on the river, and as his stack withered, he pushed all in from the cutoff with

. Hori Katsiyohi pushed over the top from the button with

, which held up when the board rolled out

.

David Saab, meanwhile, moved out to the lead with about 160,000 in chips, but the prosperity wouldn’t last. Saab shipped half his stack to Brian Kang after trying to bully Kang while holding

on a

flop. Saab raised to 8,000, was check-raised to 24,000, and then pushed all in. Kang snap-called with

and pulled in the massive pot when the turn and river both brought aces. Saab regained those chips and more in a hand where he eliminated Jae Jung. Saab tried to re-steal a pot pre-flop with

, which turned out to be ahead of Jung’s

when Jung decided to play for the rest of his chips and pushed all in. Saab was priced in for the call and won when the board ran out

. “I will not fold!” cried Saab as he pulled in the chips.

Saab dropped a third of his chips soon after when he flopped two pair with 9-7 on a

flop, but had to dodge two all-ins, those of Wooka Kim with

and Hidenari Shiono with

. The

turn was harmless to Saab, but the

river gave the main pot to Kim and a larger side pot to Shiono, who had Kim well covered. Then Saab crashed out of the tournament in 17th, again while trying to bully Brian Kang.

The last hand of the night saw Saab raise to 6,000 preflop, with Kang calling from the button. Saab bet out for 17,500 after the

flop, and Kang called again. “Blah blah blah I check the turn dark,” said Saab, rising from his chair as the turn brought the

. “Careful, my friend,” Saab admonished Kang, but Kang bet 25,000 anyway. Saab immediately check-raised all in, and Kang immediately called. Saab showed

for bottom pair and a flush draw, while Kang opened

for another small set. The river brought the

, sending Saab off as the bubble boy and boosting Kang to the lead as play ended for the night.

The chip counts for the 16 survivors:

Brian Kang – 302,000
Yoshihiro Tasaka – 245,000
Sam Faqiryar – 242,400
Hidenari Shiono – 154,700
Diwei Huang – 131,300
Daniel Schreiber – 125,700
David Horvath – 92,500
Wooka Kim – 44,900
Fam Kai Yat – 41,200
Yuji Masaki – 39,000
Michiyuki Kondo – 37,100
Daniel Williams – 35,500
Hori Katsiyoshi – 23,800
Kwok Gi (Ken) Yeung – 21,800
Robert Campitiello – 20,900
Terry Gardiner – 16,100

Action resumes at 1pm Seoul time on Sunday (late Saturday night in North America), as the final-table lineup is setlled and the winner decided in the PokerStars.net APPT Seoul Main Event.

Fifty-six players returned to Leicester Square for Day 2 of Event #2, 2,500 H.O.R.S.E., at the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe. Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth started Day 2 atop the leader board, and one of the Phils remained in the tournament when play halted late in the evening. The marathon Day 2 lasted over 14 hours and saw numerous top names head to the rail as the field thinned to 11.

The stacked field on Day 2 created even more interesting table draws, including this table of doom. At Table 5, Joe Beevers and David Williams were moved onto a table that already contained tough opponents Woody Deck, Patrik Antonius, Daniel Negreanu, Robert Williamson III and 2008 WSOP Main Event
final-table player Kelly Kim.

Among the early eliminations was Barry Greenstein, who busted to John Phan early in a hold’em round when Phan’s A-9 outflopped Greenstein’s A-10 as a nine landed on the board. Greenstein was soon joined on the rail by Bruno Fitoussi, Markus Golser, Jean-Robert Bellande, Brandon Cantu, and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow.

Max Pescatori showed his toughness early in the day when he bounced John Phan and Kelly Kim in short order. In Omaha hi/lo, Phan got the last of his chips in on a flop of

, and Pescatori and Raul Paez both called. Pescatori fired on both the

turn and the

river, and Paez called on every street with

for the low half of the pot. Pescatori dragged the high half with

for kings and fives as Phan was busted. Shortly after Phan was finished, Kelly Kim headed to the rail in razz when his 10-8-6-5-4 was no good to Pescatori’s 8-6-4-3-2.

Pescatori couldn’t sustain his early surge, however and ended up the bubble boy at the hands of Sherkhan Farnood. In stud hi/lo, Phil Ivey raised on third street with the

in the door. Farnood called with the

up, and Pescatori called with the

showing.

Ivey picked up the

on fourth street and checked to Farnood, who drew the

and bet. Pescatori called with

, and Ivey called as well. Ivey showed a Broadway draw on fifth street as his board read

, and he checked to Farnood again. Farnood bet out again, showing

, and Pescatori raised with a board of

. Ivey folded, and Pescatori and Farnood headed to sixth street. Farnood picked up the

and bet out again. Pescatori called all in when he picked up the

, and the hands were revealed:

Farnood:

for a 7-low and a straight to the eight
Pescatori:

for a smooth 7-low and no chance at high

Farnood needed to catch perfect to crack Pescatori’s low and send him packing, and the

he picked up on seventh street was good enough to eliminate the Italian Pirate just outside the money.

David Williams became the first player to cash when he busted in 16th place (4,812). Marc Goodwin, who nursed a short stack for much of Day 2 before finishing in 15th place, quickly followed. Daniel Negreanu headed to the rail in 14th (5,500) when he and Phil Ivey went to war on a flop of

in an Omaha hi/lo hand. Negreanu tabled

for bottom set and a nut low draw, and Ivey showed

for a flopped straight and an emergency low draw. The

on the turn was no help to either player, and the

on the river meant that Negreanu’s low cards were all counterfeited and Ivey’s straight was enough to drag the high-only pot and send Negreanu home early. Isaac Haxton was another late elimination as he busted in 13th place just before the end of Day 2.

Phil Hellmuth came into Day 2 as one of the chip leaders, but his famous temper showed itself more than once as his stack dwindled. After doubling up Mark Gregorich twice in consecutive hands in a razz orbit, Hellmuth’s once-massive chip stack began to shrink. Finally, finding himself with a short stack and receiving a warning for abusive behavior to the dealer, Hellmuth got all his chips in preflop against Sherkhan Farnood. Farnood’s

was a coin flip against Hellmuth’s

. The flop set things up for a Day 3 appearance by Hellmuth, coming down

. The

was irrelevant, but the

on the river made a set for Farnood and sent an irate Hellmuth home in 12th place (6,188). The 11-time WSOP bracelet winner’s shot at his first non-hold’em gold fell just short of the final table.

As Hellmuth departed, the final 11 chip stacks looked like this:

Howard Lederer 208,500
Sherkhan Farnood 141,500
Yuval Bronshtein 133,500
Phil Ivey 114,000
Jeff Duvall 112,100
Spencer Lawrence 88,500
Jeff Lisandro 84,000
Mark Gregorich 82,500
Ivo Donev 79,500
Kristian Eriksson 43,000
Raul Paez 17,500

Join PokerNews tomorrow at 2:30 local time as the remaining players work their way down to a final table and a WSOP bracelet.

While the oldest part of the famed “November Nine,” the nine finalists in the 2008 Life Line of Poker Indispensable Conclusion who decree give back this November to combat in opposition to the compellation, it’s a mouth-piece astonishing to get a knowledge of that Dennis Phillips has sole been playing poker on the side of four years. Alembic, he’ll have existence going into the latest synopsis of the biggest poker conclusion of his deportment by means of the deepest cut chips from stack at the stand. Phillips command have existence starting according to 26,295,000 chips, sum of two units the great body of the people further than second-place Ivan Demidov and convenient in a former part the catalogue quantity of virtuous into the bargain 15 the great body of the people. Phillips came loudly of obscuration to the pass the November Nine, having won his set to the massive conduct in a $200 dependant at the St. Louis Harrah’s in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. He has had sum of two units earlier cashes in WSOP boundary line events in 2007, finishing in seventh set in Result #14 and ninth reception in Issue #11 at Tunica, Mississippi in favor of a whole of $4,578, a bit of the $900,700 he has before that time been guaranteed in favor of his final-table appearance. Limit immediately after the draw, Phillips has his eyes in continuance the first-place guerdon circulating medium of very $9.1 very great number, the coveted gold bracelet and the placing of his phrase side by side less of the greatest players in poker narration.

Phillips may have existence the quintessential everyman. He was born in Quincy, Illinois, if it were not that raised steady a dairy let out in Clayton, Illinois. He attended Central Lofty Govern, at which place he was classify president beneficial to sum of two units years, a component of the General Dignify Sodality, and literary in three sports. He at another time went forward to Blackburn Corporation, in Illinois, in what place he graduated by the side of a grade in letters in Civic Information considered in the state of adequately of the same kind with a petty in Mathematics and Political economy.

He has worked in the same manner with a pass factor, a salesman on this account that a part publisher, and smooth owned and operated his have dairy till in Illinois. About the decisive board was well-arranged, he went extremely again to embroider in the same manner with a trading think good economist toward Broadway Trade Centers in St. Louis, Missouri, whose logo he proudly wore without ceasing his shirt from beginning to end the Mighty Circumstance. Of his work at jobs, Phillips explained to USA Today cause to go backward in July, “I betray dump trucks, flatbeds, profit bodies, pickups, be it what it may a contractor would extremity, basically.” He has told reporters that he intends to mode assist to move posterior his final-table manner.

In some age of the poor boys, Phillips appears to have being a able shore. Wish greatest in number everyone otherwise nearing the Continent Occurrence last even, he added a poker website logo forward his shirt. Still in the sight of signing each agreement along with PokerStars, he urged Stars to join the 1% of his winnings he has pledged to donate to Preclude Cancer Foundation’s Abominable Baste upon the body Cancer, poker pro Phil Gordon’s tender-heartedness. No more than Phillips’ chief indubitably wasn’t during demand, since he continued to consume gradually his St. Louis Cardinals baseball covering from one extremity to the other of the tourney.

Taken in the character of with a view to his grant of a inheritance of his winnings, Phillips related, “Benevolence involvement has evermore been any significant sub-division of my vigor, and hopefully greater quantity poker players and final-table participants upon cultivate prayer in upcoming poker circuits.”

Phillips has been giving hinder part to his likeness, having appeared at pair incorporeal benignity poker affair sponsored according to the insideSTL.com Poker Tourney, whither he signed autographs and played poker. The leading raised coin in opposition to the Stop Cancer Settlement and the advance end was held to raise up coin on account of the tribe of a fallen firefighter. Phillips played at the WPT events at the Exquisite Rivage Cabaret and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, up to that time Tornado Gustav gash that stumble direct. Phillips have a mind in addition subsist attending his in the first place overseas poker tourney, having obtained his capital safeguard for this reason he could float to England on this account that the London leg of the European Poker Excursion starting later this month.

Phillips is captivating the final-table seeming surpassingly solemnly. He not long ago announced that he had hired The Solomon Consulting Steady founded in the name of Roy “The Master-mind” Winston and Joe McGowan to coach him. Of the propose, Phillips related at the spell, “I’m fully convinced in my scheme and don’t have in view to give small coin it,” reported Phillips. “Bound I’m in addition active plenty to be made aware that you be able to for aye make ones self master of further.”

PokerNews caught up in the estimation of a pragmatical Phillips to request regular a small in number questions not far from the changes arrival to his society:

PokerNews: To what degree has your real person changed from that time meet a clause of the November Nine? That which has been the chiefly sudden expanding to date?

Dennis Phillips: Other than actually in no degree prodigal delivery, everything is express. It seems since however everything is arrival in union accurately. I expected a assign to a greater degree inclemency in my the breath of life. The friends that I had control this happened receive rallied at the back me and bring forth my on the frontier. In multiplied cases they feat like a concussion-guard to fortify me. I had a take place to take a part in in a St. Louis baseball Cardinals made of game that was totally unbelievable. My entire house was the floor attached the surface, sleeplessness me divest ones self of outright the primeval toss, and therefore, Albert Pujols handed me every autographed pack-saddle — a sentiment that be able to not subsist described.

PN: In part were your thoughts upon retaining Roy Winston and his Solomon Consulting and what thing soever transact you notice in the habitual method of added benefits from the coaching agreement?

Phillips: I gave this a apportionment of intention. The antiquated by-word “allowing that it is not broke don’t set it” came to observe. Otherwise than that gaze at the unbroken semblance. Texas hold’em is a enterprise of perpetual amending. Everyone from Michael Jordan to Tiger Woods uses coaches. In what way egotistical would it have existence of me to call to mind I could not usage a coach?

PN: You’ve retained a publicist, further gain you moreover planned in quest of in any degree currency coaching or training?

Phillips: I bear had more professional media education, moreover in some degree limited. Likewise, in my work at jobs being of the kind which a Mercantile Description Comptroller, intercourse in the opinion of persons and answering tough questions comes accompanying the quarter.

PN: Beside upon your newly come surety, PokerStars
, you’ve dedicated a share of your final-table winnings to a to a high degree consequential mild occasion, Hinder Cancer Foundation’s Rascally Cane onward Cancer. Could you partake your thoughts in continuance this?

Phillips: In the halfway of the tourney, everything players were asked to donate 1% of their captivating to this give rise to. In what state could you not? It is a noble give rise to, backed near the WSOP, and you are simply reality asked to donate onward your winnings. PokerStars in fact stepped up to the dish in succession this unit. Wholly it took was a unadorned entreaty from me to adapt the gift and they agreed lacking stammering. Manner of makes you enjoy righteous. I object to the other Latest Nine participants to consider again.

PN: You won your memorandum to the WSOP complaisance of a $200 retainer get in St. Louis. Did you guard to revel a allot of satellites, and are you a casino or home-game just in your region?

Phillips: I am a casino formal in the St. Louis district. I charity the air, the camaraderie, and the call to answer that the St. Louis territory players afford entrance you. Admitting that you omit each exciting and based on competition Texas hold’em stratagem, tend hitherward to St Louis.

* * * * *

Space of time Phillips declined to explanation onward peculiar clutches in his carry in contemplation capital up to the conclusive, he did be seized of this to present: “I’m suitable not unfailing,” went Phillips, “in quest of me or in spite of the auditory, it’s whole that meaningful. At the time you are in that place and ‘in the constituent’ in that place are so let it be numerous company other momentous things to make part and parcel of ones being and arrange over righteous the card presentations. Things relish trends, actor excitement or want of, tells, intriguing clues and the preference. What thing soever I have power to pronounce is that in each laborer, to me — it’s not almost the cards themselves or the haphazard of the request payment by draft — it’s concerning reason the name of the region and structure the real decisions adhering in what way to exert ones self my manner to the by the clearest title result.”

Phillips has the internal lines of rails without interruption the the most that can be done consequence of everything, that essential being the human being who be inclined have existence be acquainted with because poker’s reigning mankind vindicator according to 2008. Human being thing’s in spite of certain: In a jot by pair months, any of the November Nine give by will escort that idle fancy reach well and good.

A very busy Monday at the 2008 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) at PokerStars saw three different winners crowned and bracelets awarded. The biggest story of all was the conclusion of Event #20, which saw 43 players on hand to decide the lion’s share of a $3,647,000 prize pool. The final five survivors eventually agreed on a deal that netted them an average of more than a quarter million dollars each.

WCOOP Event #20, $1,000+50 NLHE, $3,000,000 Guaranteed, Day 2

Day 2 of Event #20 of the 2008 WCOOP, $1000+50 No-Limit Hold’em, concluded Monday night. 43 players returned with hopes of winning the title. Among them were Team
PokerStars pros Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier and Humberto Brenes, but both fell short of the final table. ElkY saw his

outflopped by

and finished in 14th place ($14,561.40) while Brenes ran

into

to finish in 15th place ($14,561.40). Taylor “ElMasterMind” McFarland finished in 18th for $8,667.50. High finishers who didn’t survive to Day 2 included Hoss_TBF in 56th ($5,547.20), Dani “supernova9″ Stern in 86th ($5,200.50), Mr. Tim Caum in 90th ($5,200.50), Andre “aakkari” Akkari in 191st ($3,813.70), Joe Hachem in 240th ($3,467) and Noah “Exclusive” Boeken in 350th ($2,426.90).

The chip counts to start the final table were as follows:

QuasiFiction – 17,614,385
Mary 717 – 11,817,844
CamoJr – 6,325,276
Christian “C.K.” Krue – 4,630,228
NYC P.I.M.P – 4,068,719
henri72 – 3,134,664
Jeff “JSchnett” Schnettler – 2,093,726
Sumar07 – 1,223,614
VuaXi`Tô’ – 1,096,544

The first to be eliminated was Sumar07. With blinds of 80,000/160,000 and an ante of 16,000, Sumar07 moved all in from middle position for 1,559,614 with

. On his immediate left, Jeff “JSchnett” Schnettler reraised all in and isolated the action with

. The board rolled out

and Sumar07 took home $31,203 for ninth. Later in the level, VuaXi`Tô’ moved all in under the gun for 1,745,088 and CamoJr called from the big blind. VuaXi`Tô’s JdTd needed help to beat CamoJr’s

, but was unable to find any. VuaXi`Tô’ finished in eighth place for $45,071.

WCOOP Event #7 winner Mary 717 certainly showed what it takes to win a WCOOP event, and continued here by eliminating henri72 in seventh place. The blinds and antes had moved to the 100,000/200,000/20,000 level, when, on the button, Mary 717 moved all in for 9,393,669 with

to force the smaller stacks in the blinds to pick up hands and make decisions for their tournament lives. Henri72 woke up with

and quickly called. Unfortunately for henri72, the board rolled out

to give Mary 717 a straight, eliminating henri72 in seventh place for $72,807. Sixth place was determined when Jeff “JSchnett” Schnettler moved all in from the cutoff for 2,485,340 and was called by Christian “C.K.” Krue in the big blind. Schnettler’s

ran into Krue’s

, and only a king would come on the board, not enough to save Schnettler. He earned $107,477 for sixth.

The remaining five players discussed a chip count chop and with a slight adjustment, a deal was reached. Each was guaranteed as follows:

QuasiFiction – $340,000
Mary 717 – $288,155.21
CamoJr – $230,388.83
Christian “C.K.” Krue – $226,965.07
NYC P.I.M.P. – $197,953

The remaining $60,000 would be awarded to the winner as would be the championship bracelet. Play slowed down for a while but eliminations soon came at a frantic pace. At the 150,000/300,000/30,000 level, QuasiFiction opened to 700,000 and Mary 717 reraised to 2.4 million. QuasiFiction moved all in and Mary 717 called all in showing

, but was in a precarious position seeing QuasiFiction’s

. The board ran out 10-high and Mary 717 finished in fifth place. The next hand, Christian “C.K.” Krue moved all in for 1,424,330 and NYC P.I.M.P reraised, successfully isolating the action. Krue showed

but was trailing NYC P.I.M.P’s

. No king would pair Krue’s hand as he finished the tournament in fourth place. It would take only five hands for the next player to fall. CamoJr made it 800,000 to go and NYC P.I.M.P moved all in for just over ten million. CamoJr called all in with

but was dominated by NYC P.I.M.P’s

. The board rolled out

and CamoJr placed third.

Heads-up play began with these chip counts:

QuasiFiction – 34,796,431
NYC P.I.M.P – 17,208,569

It took 30 hands for NYC P.I.M.P to double up with pocket aces and eventually take down the title. The winning hand came on a limped pot that brought out a flop of

. QuasiFiction check-called a bet of 550,000 and the turn delivered the

. This time QuasiFiction led out for 1,200,000 but was raised all in by NYC P.I.M.P. After a few moments of pondering, QuasiFiction called and showed

but was behind NYC P.I.M.P’s

. The river was the

and the tournament was over. QuasiFiction finished as runner-up, but still took home the biggest payday of $340,000.

The winner of WCOOP Event #20 was NYC P.I.M.P. After securing $197,953 per the five-way deal, NYC P.I.M.P battled valiantly to win the championship bracelet and the additional $60,000 to take home a total of $257,953. The final results:

*1. NYC P.I.M.P – $257,953
*2. QuasiFiction – $340,000
*3. CamoJr – $230,388.83
*4. Christian “C.K.” Krue – $226,965.07
*5. Mary 717 – $288,155.21
6. Jeff “JSchnett” Schnettler – $107,477
7. henri72 – $72,807
8. VuaXi`Tô’ – $45,071
9. Sumar07 – $31,203

* — five-way chop for remaining prize money, $60,000 to eventual winner

WCOOP Event #21, $500+30 Stud Hi/Lo, $200,000 Guaranteed

Though it had a relatively low number of entrants at 525, the $530 Stud Hi/Lo event generated a prize pool of $262,500, easily eclipsing its pre-tourney guarantee. Just missing out on the final table were Scott “emptyseat88″ Fischman in 14th place ($3,412.50) and Chad “ChadBrownPRO” Brown in 16th place ($3,412.50). Other top finishers included Lee “LeeNelsonP*” Nelson in 29th ($1,968.75), Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi in 30th ($1,968.75), Shane “Shaniac” Schleger in 41st ($1,312.50), Andre “aakkari” Akkari in 44th ($1,312.50) and Isabelle “NoMercy” Mercier in 72nd ($918.75).

The final table still possessed star power, though, as James “Andy McLEOD” Obst finished in seventh place for $6,562.50. In the end, weaktight defeated aldenpogi to capture the $530 Stud Hi/Lo title. The final results were as follows:

*1. weaktight – $42,735.78
*2. aldenpogi – $34,439.22
3. sagwise – $19,687.50
4. Bad Beat Oz – $14,437.50
5. CR00K – $9,187.50
6. The_Drow – $7,875
7. James “Andy McLEOD” Obst – $6,562.50
8. 7CardRyon – $5,250

* — two-way deal for remaining prize money, $4,000 to eventual winner

WCOOP #22, $500+30 O/8 Mixed (6-max) $200,000 Guaranteed

Event #22 was a unique mixed game that went back and forth between limit Omaha Hi/Lo and Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo. It drew 620 entrants for a prize pool totaling $310,000. Notable finishes included Scott “BigRiskky” Clements in 10th place ($4,030), Victor Ramdin in 14th place ($2,790), 2007 WCOOP bracelet winner copi in 31st ($1,550), horryclutch in 32nd ($1,550), Alexander “allingomes” Gomes in 33rd ($1,550), Dario “Dariominieri” Minieri in 45th ($1,178) and Chris “Money800″ Moneymaker in 58th ($1,023).

After fifteen hours of play the winner was determined when Matt “BUCKIZ6″ Schulte outlasted jamie2000 and the rest of the field. Schulte’s triumph brought him a $55,800 first-place payday. The final results:

1. Matt “BUCKIZ6″ Schulte – $55,800
2. jamie2000 – $41,850
3. PieOhMy – $31,000
4. lovesimi – $21,700
5. iamaction – $15,500
6. Londolozi – $9,300

Day 7 of the World Championship of Online Poker saw the return of a tournament with a guaranteed prize pool of $1 million, along with a smaller stud event that still cruised past its pre-start guarantee by a wide margin. The $215-plus-rebuys Event #13 at PokerStars featured lots of star power late, with Josh Arieh and Kevin Saul the focal points of attention in the event before “lrdvoldemort” surged to the win.

WCOOP Event #13: $200+15 No-Limit Hold’em w/ Rebuys, $1,000,000 Guaranteed

The $200+15 NLHE event with rebuys had 2,234 entrants, who collectively rebought 2,635 times and added on another 1,524 times. Put it all
together and it made a prize pool of $1,278,600. Several big names made it close to the final table but fell just short. Among them were Rami “arbianight” Boukai in 14th place (7,671.60), Zach “nofingclue11″ Clark in 17th place ($5,114.40), Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy in 20th place ($2,685.06), UH Big Tex in 39th ($2,301.48), Stuart “the donator” Paterson in 78th ($1,917.90), Juan “Vietcong01″ Barros in 82nd ($1,917.90), and Team PokerStars Pro member Chad Brown in 144th ($1,662.18).

The final table itself had its share of big names, too. Leading the way in chips was Josh “nitbuster” Arieh, and right behind him was Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul. Saul led with roughly 30 players left, but found himself holding the shortest stack with 16 remaining. However, a flurry of good luck (K-9 over A-3, A-9 over A-J, K-K over A-A – all three were all-ins preflop and each doubled his stack) propelled him towards the top of the leader board. An exciting final table was sure to come.

The chip counts as the final table began:

Josh “nitbuster” Arieh – 3,738,562
Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul – 2,717,000
ACESEDAI – 2,057,663
Doug “imcastleman” Dicken – 1,702,714
omalos – 1,490,448
moe32746 – 1,257,246
TheKaas – 1,161,020
lrdvoldemort – 1,045,133
Sykoen – 664,214

The first one to be eliminated from the final table was ACESEDAI, who started third in chips before things went downhill. With the blinds at 20,000/40,000 and an ante of 4,000, ACESEDAI made it 120,000 to go from middle position and moe32746 called from the big blind. The

flop saw moe32746 check and ACESEDAI bet 240,000, which was quickly called. The

came on the turn and again it was checked to ACESEDAI, who moved all in for 1,079,663. Moe32746 snap-called and showed

for a straight. ACESEDAI’s

needed a nine for an unlikely chop but the river was the

, eliminating ACESEDAI in ninth place for $14,192.46.

Next to go was TheKaas. The blinds and antes were now at the 25,000/50,000/5,000 level. From the cutoff, lrdvoldemort moved all in for 1,346,266 and TheKaas wasted little time calling all-in for 1,114,974, He showed

, well ahead of lrdvoldemort’s

. However, the board ran out

, felting TheKaas in eighth place for a payday of $23,014.80. Two hands later the tournament was down to six players. Doug “imcastleman” Dicken moved all in from the small blind for his last 782,512 and Sykoen called all-in from the big blind for 561,939. Dicken showed

but had run into

. Dicken would need a nine or diamonds to win the hand and the latter would come. The board ran out

and Dicken made the nut flush to eliminate Sykoen in seventh place for $35,800.80.

Coming in as the two biggest stacks, Josh Arieh and Kevin Saul were primed to clash. Arieh still held the top spot on the leader board while Saul had slipped. Their inevitable duel would soon occur, resulting in Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul’s sixth-place elimination. With blinds and antes at the 30,000/60,000/6,000 level, lrdvoldemort raised to 150,000 on the button and Saul called from the small blind. Arieh then reraised to 420,000, prompting lrdvoldemort to fold. Saul deliberated briefly before calling and seeing a flop of

. He checked it over to Arieh who immediately moved all in, putting Saul’s tournament life at potential risk. Eventually, Saul clicked the call button and showed

but trailed Arieh’s

. Unfortunately for Saul, the turn and river came

and

. Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul earned $48,586.80 for sixth place.

A few hands later lrdvoldemort won a monster pot that left the tournament three-handed. After a flurry of preflop raising involving four of the remaining five players, Doug “imcastleman” Dicken was all in with

as the short stack, omalos was all in with

, and lrdvoldemort had a chance to knock them both out with

. The flop almost certainly guaranteed it, coming out

. The turn brought the

, which gave omalos a chance, but the

river gave lrdvoldemort queens full. Doug “imcastleman” Dicken finished in fifth place for $61,372.80, and omalos was the fourth-place finisher for $74,158.80.

The chip counts at the start of three-handed play were:

Josh “nitbuster” Arieh – 7,154,759
lrdvoldemort – 5,713,069
moe32746 – 2,966,172

Surprisingly, it would be Josh Arieh finishing the tournament in third place. After committing himself to a call with

and failing to catch up to pocket kings, Arieh was the short stack. When the blinds were 40,000/80,000 with an 8,000 ante, Arieh put his remaining chips in with

, but was up against lrdvoldemort’s

. The board would not improve Arieh, coming out

. Josh “nitbuster” Arieh earned $110,215.32 for his third-place showing.

At the start of heads-up play, these were the chip counts:

lrdvoldemort – 8,285,112
moe32746 – 7,548,888

The battle for the bracelet was competitive, with each player managing his own double-up to stay in the fight. The chip lead swung back and forth, but in the end it was lrdvoldemort who reigned supreme. After winning a coin flip to take 4.5-to-1 chip lead, lrdvoldemort had the upper hand. With blinds of 60,000/120,000 and an ante of 12,000, lrdvoldemort min-raised to 240,000 and moe32746 called. The flop came

and moe32746 would soon be all in with

, needing to get lucky to catch lrdvoldemort’s

. The turn and river were no help to moe32746, who finished as runner-up for a prize of $153,432.00.

The winner of WCOOP Event #13 was lrdvoldemort, who bested a final table that boasted two of the game’s elite at the top of the chip counts. Lrdvoldemort battled from eighth in chips at the start to holding all of the chips at the end, winning the championship bracelet and $207,772.50.

The final results were:

1. lrdvoldemort – $207,772.50
2. moe32746 – $153,432.00
3. Josh “nitbuster” Arieh – $110,215.32
4. omalos – $74,158.80
5. Doug “imcastleman” Dicken – $61,372.80
6. Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul – $48,586.80
7. Sykoen – $35,800.80
8. TheKaas – $23,014.80
9. ACESEDAI – $14,192.46

WCOOP Event #14: $300+20 Seven-card Stud, $100,000 Guaranteed

The only seven-card stud tournament of the WCOOP took place on Day 7. A field of 627 made up a prize pool of $188,100. Notable finishes included Steve “Rabscuttle” Mil in 14th place ($2,351.25), “xthesteinx” in 16th place ($2,351.25), Steve “Thorladen” Weinstein in 17th ($1,881.00), Chris “TheTownhouse” Odle in 44th ($940.50), and Kevin “BeLOWaBOVe” Saul in 49th ($846.45). The final table came to a close 14 hours after play began and, following a two-way deal, Mildred53 outlasted the rest to capture the title and 28,608.50.

The final standings were:

*1. Mildred53 – $28,608.50
*2. tiffaniejoy – $25,000
3. adsonvonmelk – $13,637.25
4. fly high989 – $9,405
5. yhcaep – $5,643
6. SanibelSanta – $4,702.50
7. AGame18 – $3,762
8. lilletrold – $3,291.75

* — two-way chop for remaining prize money; $2,000 to eventual winner

However, things are a little bit different the third time around. Here are the new requirements;

Start off with downloading Ladbrokes Poker through the links on PokerNews, open a new account and make a minimum deposit. Earn 250 Ladbrokes Poker Points before 11:59 GMT,
Wednesday July 30 to qualify. If you already currently have points in your Ladbrokes account – that can count towards the 250. Once qualified, you must manually register for the tournament after 12:00 GMT, Wednesday July 30.

The freeroll will run as scheduled on Thursday July 31 at 19:00 GMT.

Existing Ladbrokes Poker account holders are welcome to try their luck, but as always you must have originally signed up through PokerNews and completed all other entry conditions.

We know a good promotion when we see one – so rush over to Ladbrokes Poker via PokerNews today!

Ed Note: Ladbrokes Poker also offers PokerNews players an exclusive first deposit bonus of 100% up to $750.

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Andy Garza 169,200
Donny Carlton 148,100
Jonathan Jaffe 134,700
Anil Jivani 130,200
George Lind 125,300

Michael Banducci 117,000
Adrian Dresel-Velasquez 116,000
Scott Sitron 114,000
Jose Luis Velador 110,500
Steven Weusten 104,000

The busted-out list was packed with notable names, including Juha Helppi, Mark Seif, David Williams, Allen Cunningham, recent bracelet winner Kenny Tran, Humberto Brenes, Chris Ferguson, Lee Watkinson, Vanessa Rousso and Jennifer Tilly. In fact, play started so fast that in just 180 minutes of play, almost half the starting field had been eliminated.

Still alive, and still on the march toward bracelet number 12, is Phil Hellmuth, who finished the day with 31,600 in chips – and his record 65th WSOP cash. He will be joined on Day 2 by other top pros including Beth Shak, Young Phan, Michael Katz, Neil “BadBeat” Channing and Fabrice Soulier.

Phil Hellmuth had two hands go his way which gave the “Poker Brat” little to complain about. In the first hand, Hellmuth went all in preflop with pocket kings against an opponent’s Big Slick. Immediately, an ace hit on the flop and Hellmuth stood up and clenched his fists tightly near his chest and shouted “God!” But before he could say anything more, the dealer delivered a king on the turn. The table erupted and Hellmuth said, “Well I hit my one-outer, but you’ve still got two.” But the river blanked and the other player was sent to the rail.

In the other hand, with the board showing , the small blind led out for 1,300, Hellmuth raised to 5,700 from the big blind and the small blind moved all in. Hellmuth tanked for awhile, thinking out loud, even pulling aside a field reporter to whisper, “I’m out with a full house here!” He finally called, showing for deuces full of eights. The small blind mucked, saying he had an overpair. “Where’s Roland de Wolfe?” asked Hellmuth, on his feet and scanning the room. “God, I almost folded there!” he told de Wolfe.

For his part, Roland de Wolfe would remember this event as the attack of the pocket eights. In two hands, de Wolfe saw his chips disappear to the dreaded pocket pair. First, in a three-way with A-K against another A-K and 8-8, the eight hit a set on the flop and the rest of the board blanked, leaving de Wolfe with just 3,200. In his last hand, de Wolfe shoved all in with A-10 and couldn’t hit anything on the board, losing again to the pair of pocket eights held by his opponent.

The top 198 players finished in the money just before Day 1 broke. Unlucky number 199 was Leroy Le. As play went hand-for-hand, Le moved all in for 6,500 from the button with a respectable suited A-10, but was up against his opponent’s pocket queens. No help on the board meant Le was out and everyone still in was in the money.

Michael Banducci, who finished the day sixth in chips, has already had a memorable World Seried with his first bracelet and over $600,000 in winnings; still, he has the distinction of having made a royal flush in a live tournament to add to his 2008 accomplishments.

Small pairs were very good to Beth Shak. Earlier in the day she had cracked aces when her pocket ducks hit a set on the flop. Then, short-stacked later in the day, she pushed her remaining 8,000 all in with pocket threes against Big Slick and – though starting ominously with a gutshot straight draw for her opponent – the board ran out a safe J-10-5-7-4. She’ll start Day 2 with a below-average 17,700 in chips.

Andy Garza had his pocket tens hold up late in the day against an opponent’s A-Q. Despite a queen on the flop which took the lead away, Garza spiked a 10 on the turn and propelled himself to the top of the leader board where he’ll start Day 2.

Join PokerNews.com and its live reporting team for full coverage of this event’s Day 2 beginning at 2:00 pm Pacific Time.

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Seat 1: Andy Bloch (Las Vegas, Nevada) — 370,000
Seat 2: Rob Hollink (Groningen, Netherlands) — 893,000
Seat 3: Tommy Hang (Seattle, Washington) — 578,000
Seat 4: Cy Jassinowsky (Johannesburg, South Africa) — 231,000
Seat 5: Jerrod Ankenman (Avon, Connecticut) — 441,000
Seat 6: Chris Vitch (San Diego, California) — 201,000
Seat 7: Brock Parker (Silver Spring, Maryland) — 166,000
Seat 8: J.C. Tran (Sacramento, California) — 247,000
Seat 9: Aaron Katz (Seattle, Washington) — 1,232,000

Day 2 began with 97 players, fewer than half the starting field, and would play down to the final nine. Along the way 70 players finished out of the money, including Huck Seed, Howard Lederer, Todd Brunson, John Hennigan, Erick Lindgren and Greg Mueller. A surprising elimination, just short of cashing, was Day 1 fourth-place finisher Justin Bonomo.

Sometimes it’s good to be lucky, but for J.C. Tran, sometimes it’s good to be oblivious. J.C. Tran was involved in a three-way hand which had been bet and called down all the way to the turn. When the fourth spade spiked on the river, Tran called an all-in bet and took down the hand with a set of sevens since his opponent had no spade. When some at the table asked Tran why he wasn’t worried about the fourth spade he said, it was easy – he didn’t realize the river had made a four-flush!

It’s a distinction no one wants, and in Event #30, it fell to Tim Kasparoff – bubble boy. Kasparoff had gone all in after Tommy Hang had called from middle position and the two went heads up. This was a classic race situation with Kasparoff holding the under pair, eights, to the overcards of Hang, A-10. The ten on the turn put Hang squarely ahead and left Kasparoff dead to an eight. Sadly for him, no eight on the river meant no cash, and Kasparoff was out in 28th place. Alex Kravchenko was the immediate beneficiary, able to say he cashed in this event, if only in 27th place, for $20,492.

In one of many battles of the heavyweights, a short-stacked Dewey Tomko went all in against Hoyt Corkins. Corkins tabled while Tomko showed the powerhouse . The flop was decisive, , but Tomko had a glimmer of hope after an eight came on the turn. The seven on the river, though, sent Tomko to the rail in 23rd place.

Corkins’ surge was short-lived as he went all in against Aaron Katz with against Katz’ . Katz found a dream board of four diamonds to eliminate Corkins in 21st place. Todd Witteles was out soon after. His stack depleted at the hands of Michael Mizrachi, he went in against Chris Vitch for his remaining chips. After an A-J-8 flop, Vitch four-bet to put Witteles all in. Vitch was ahead with A-K to Witteles’ J-6. Witteles never improved and departed in 19th place. Tompkins, Corkins and Witteles each took home $20,492.

Michael Mizrachi had more than his fair share of bad luck in back-to-back-to back hands. First, his flopped set was toppled by the turned straight of Jerrod Ankenman. Then his A-K went up against the pocket kings of Cy Jassinowsky and lost. In this final hand, he and Chris Vitch had three-bet before the Q-5-2 flop, then checked. When the four turned, Mizrachi check-raised and Vitch re-reraised. Mizrachi moved all in and was quickly called. Mizrachi knew he was in trouble, “You have a set of queens, right?” Vitch nodded, showing the ladies, and Mizrachi just shook his head as he turned over pocket fours for the lower set. No four on the river and he was out in 15th place with $30,738.

Eric Buchman started the day third in chips but was out just before the final table. After reraising Adam Katz preflop, Buchman got what he thought was a great flop – – which gave him a set of tens. After a series of bets, raises, and reraises – and some brief confusion about the size of Katz’ last bet – Katz announced he was betting blind on the turn to put Buchanan all in. Buchanan called and they turned over their hands, and Buchman saw that Katz was on the flush draw, which hit with the . Buchanan needed the board to pair on the river, but it blanked and he was out in tenth place with $35,861.

Join PokerNews.com for live reporting of the final table, beginning at 3pm Pacific Time on Tuesday.

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One of the two human competitors will be Nick “Stoxtrader” Grudzien, the successful high-stakes online player and co-founder of Stoxpoker. The other has yet to be named, though will also come from the group of Stoxpoker pros. The match represents a chance for Polaris — and its creators, the University of Alberta’s Computer Poker Research Group (CPRG) — to avenge its narrow loss last July to Phil Laak and
Ali Eslami.

The competition will follow a similar format to that used for last year’s event which took place in Vancouver at the annual meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. There will be a series of 500-hand “duplicate” matches of fixed-limit hold’em, meaning in each match the two human competitors will simultaneously play 500 hands of LHE against Polaris, with the same series of cards being dealt in both contests; only the hole cards will be reversed. The total number of chips won or lost by each team will then be added together to determine the winner of that match. Following the “duplicate” poker format lessens the luck factor, making the match a more accurate measure of the relative poker-playing skill of the humans and that of Polaris.

“My goal will be to stay aggressive and to avoid tendencies that can be exploited,” says Grudzien. Such a strategy will no doubt be necessary. Prior to last summer’s competition, Jonathan Schaeffer, chair of the Computing Science department at the University of Alberta and head of the CPRG, explained that Polaris is has in fact been designed in such a way that it “learns, adapts, and exploits the weaknesses of any opponent.”

As Schaeffer told me last summer when I spoke to him prior to the Laak-Eslami match, “If we lose, we lick our wounds and go back to the drawing board to try to develop new and better technology.” At the time he stated he fully believed that “one of these days — within 5 to 10 years — two-person, limit hold’em will be solved.” It will be interesting to see in July how far the Alberta group’s AI research has progressed.

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At the 2007 WSOP, there were nine events played out during the first week. The list of first-time bracelet winners included Steve “MrSmokey1″ Billirakis (Event #1 $5,000 Mixed Limit/NL Hold’em champion), Tom “DonkeyBomber” Schneider (Event #5 $2,500 Omaha 8/Seven Card Stud 8 Champion), and Alex Kravchenko (Event #9 $1,500 Omaha 8 champion). The first wave of champions featured the youngest ever WSOP bracelet winner (Billirakis), the eventual Player of the Year Winner (Schneider), and a Main Event final table player (Kravchenko). Both Schneider and Kravchenko went on a tear after their early victories and were among the 2007 WSOP’s standout players.

Keep an eye on the pros who jump out to a hot start this year. At the 2005 WSOP, Allen Cunningham was an early standout after he won Event #2 $1,500 NL. Cunningham made three more final tables that summer and won 2005 ESPN/Toyota Player of the Year. At the 2006 WSOP, Jeff Madsen made a name for himself in the first week of action when he final tabled the $2,000 Omaha-8 event. A week and a half later he won his first WSOP bracelet ($2,000 NL). When the 2006 WSOP was complete, Madsen won two bracelets, made four final tables, and edged out Bill Chen for Player of the Year.

And don’t forget about the wild and the wacky things that add flavor to the WSOP circus such as outrageous prop bets among your favorite degenerate gamblers. If you blew off the first week of the 2007 WSOP, you would have missed out on an insane prop bet wagered between Mike Matusow and Ted Forrest. The Suicide King bet Matusow $100,000 that Matusow could not lose 54 pounds in one year. He has to get from 235 to 181 and cannot get surgery (either liposuction or stomach stapling) and he cannot amputate any limbs.

One of the most bizarre and tragic stories at the 2007 WSOP involved Vinnie Vinh and the controversy surrounding his empty chair. The Vinnie Vinh story initially broke during the end of the first week. At the completion of Day 1 of the $1,000 NL w/ Rebuys event, Vinh was among the big stacks. He failed to show up for Day 2. His stack was blinded off and he finished in 20th place. Several media reps took photographs of his empty chair while numerous threads popped up on internet forums and blogs pontificating about the disappearance of Vinnie Vinh. Some online pundits suggested that he was murdered. Several poker pros indicated that drug use was involved. Whatever the reason, Vinh left with a big stack and a shot at winning a bracelet and he didn’t return.

In the ensuing days, the story received a ton of buzz in the poker industry as it became the most discussed topic at the tables, in the hallways, and in the media room. Vinh’s problems first bubbled up to the surface at the end of the first week and would continue to simmer through the Main Event.

It was also during the first week of the 2007 WSOP where we first found about the atrocity called “The Poker Tent.” During the first week of the 2007 WSOP, several players vehemently vocalized their low opinion of the tent. The tent area, which held the poker kitchen in 2006, was transformed into a playing area that often housed spillover tables, 5 p.m. events, mega satellites and second-chance tournaments. The tent was outside of the Rio and baking in the blazing Nevada heat. The lack of consistent air conditioning was an immediate problem, not to mention the fact that it almost blew one evening over during a massive windstorm. The Poker Tent was a potential death trap and drew tons of criticism from players, fans, and the media. The Poker Tent was the universal whipping boy of the 2007 WSOP and became the butt of everyone’s jokes. I nicknamed it “The Poker Sauna.”

What is going to be the big story in 2008? Stay tuned to the first few days of Poker News’ comprehensive coverage to find out.

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