2008 World Series of Poker

Day 1b completed

Posted 07-05-2008 06:26 GMT-7

615 Players Survive Day 1b Play

The official chip counts have been released for the Day 1b session, and have been updated in the "Chip Counts" section. 615 players from an initial starting pack of 1,158 have made it through to Day 2am where they will be merged with the 636 survivors from the Day 1a session.

San Francisco's Ben Sarnoff led the way among all Day 1b players, amassing a 177,500 chip stack. The top ten among all Day 1b players is as follows:

Ben Sarnoff 177,500
Brian Schaedlich 160,725
Robert Mizrachi 142,400
Nick Caltabiano 127,700
Liya Gerasimova 111,050
Robert Eckstut 110,275
Alex Balandin 109,925
Coco Valerice 106,727
Michael Watson 104,425
Gilles Smadja 101,450

Tags: Ben Sarnoff.

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Day 1b Concludes

Day 1b of the Main Event started much like a major sporting event would, with the singing of the national anthem, followed by an opening speech from the reigning Main Event Champion Jerry Yang. Today was not just the start of the Day 1b of the Main Event, but also Independence Day. Not only Americans but players of all nationalities celebrated and honored their national heritage today.

1,158 players started today's field. Pros and amateurs alike came out to take their shot at a potential world title. Among those whose journey ended abruptly were Daniel Negreanu, Ted Forrest, Dewey Tomko, Greg Raymer, Jamie Gold, and Humberto Brenes.

The apparent chip leader for Day 1b is Ben Sarnoff. Brian Schaedlich is right on his heels, followed by Atlantic City pro Nick Caltabiano, Robert Mizrachi, Rob Eckstut, and Marc Karam. Other players of note include Barny Boatman, Markus Golser, Hoyt Corkins, and Patrik Antonius. In an attempt to improve on last year's finish Hal Lubarsky has made a very strong Day 1b start and hopes to make another deep run in this year's Main Event.

Updated chip counts will be posted later tonight. Day 1c will commence tomorrow at 12 p.m. PDT with another large field looking to take their first steps to this year's Main Event bracelet. Stay tuned to PokerNews to follow all of the exciting action.

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Antonius Takes a Huge Hit on the Last Hand of Day

On a flop of , Patrik Antonius checked to Tor Gammelgard who bet 3,500. Antonius then raised to 9,500, which prompted a 25,000 reraise from Gammelgard. Antonius then moved all in, and Gammelgard made the call.

Gammelgard:
Antonius:

Antonius was out-kicked and desperately needed a six. The turn fell the , which left Antonius drawing dead, and the river added insult to injury when the fell. This wound up being the final hand of the evening.

After the hand, Gammelgard moved up to 81,850 and Antonius finished his night with 64,125.

Tags: Patrik Antonius, Tor Gammelgard.

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Lee Watkinson Eliminated

On a flop of , Lee Watkinson got the last of his chips in the middle against Daryl Yarosh. The players showed:

Watkinson:
Yarosh:

The turn came the and the river was the . Watkinson was eliminated while Yarosh broke the 100,000 mark on the hand.

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Hold the Whisky

Jason Young and Jeff Roth have decided it would be best to wait until the end of the day so that they don't give anyone bad luck.

Tags: Jason Young, Jeff Roth.

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Shaun Deeb Doubles Up

On a flop of , Shaun Deeb, playing from the big blind, check-raised his way into an all-in situation with a late-position opponent. The players showed:

Deeb:
Opponent:

The turn came the and the river the . Deeb's jacks were good enough to earn him the pot and he doubled up to just over 17,000.

Tags: Shaun Deeb.

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Whisky for All!

Jason Young and Jeff Roth just ordered shots for everyone at their table. They're getting a round of Glenlivet whisky for the table.

Roth: "Good idea."

Young: "It's a great idea."

Roth: "Let's just hope someone doesn't go bust."

Young: "If they do, we'll just drink their shot."

The plan is to take the shots with two minutes left in the level.

Tags: Jason Young, Jeff Roth.

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Varkonyi Hanging Around

A player in middle position raised to 1,800. Robert Varkonyi, with the button, was the only caller. The flop came down , prompting the preflop raiser to bet 4,000. Varkonyi raised all in, covering the other player. He called. It was pocket aces for the preflop raiser and pocket jacks (for a full house) for Varkonyi. The turn and river came to make a flush for Varkonyi's opponent, but it didn't matter. He is eliminated and Varkonyi slides up to 25,000 in chips.

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Shane Warne Doubles Up

After a flop the player in the small blind checked and Shane Warne bet 6,000. Another player folded and the small blind announced he was all in. Warne made the call and his had out-flopped his opponent's . Warne needed to avoid a jack and he did just that as the board ran out and Shane's now up to 39,000.

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