2008 WSOP Event #14 $10,000 World Championship Stud: Oppenheim Leads Final
David Oppenheim will get another shot at the Stud Championship bracelet as he leads going into this year's final table. Oppenheim fell just short at last year's event, finishing in third place behind Chris Reslock and Phil Ivey. Oppenheim has already cashed in the 2008 WSOP, scoring a ninth-place finish in the $10,000 Mixed Championship event. Phil Ivey lost his second bid for the bracelet when his own ninth-place elimination this year set the stage for the final table, which follows:
Seat 1: David Oppenheim (Las Vegas, Nevada) 508,000
Seat 2: Alexander Kostritsyn (Moscow, Russia) 495,000
Seat 3: Jim Paluszek (Bensalem, Pennslyvania) 413,000
Seat 4: Erik Seidel (Las Vegas, Nevada) 273,000
Seat 5: Vassilios Lazarou (Las Vegas, Nevada) 259,000
Seat 6: Minh Ly (Las Vegas, Nevada) 424,000
Seat 7: Fu Wong (Chandler, Arizona) 429,000
Seat 8: Eric Brooks (Bryn Mawr, Pennslyvania) 359,000
Event #14's returning field of 80 players had a lot of work to do in Day 2, and much of it unpaid. Only 16 players would make the money, with the final eight heading into a final day of play. The event's defending champion, Chris Reslock, was eliminated before the money, as were former WSOP Champions Doyle Brunson, Greg Raymer, Carlos Mortensen, and Scotty Nguyen.
Cyndi Violette, Andy Bloch, Dario Minieri, Annie Duke, David Benyamine, Katja Thater, Hoyt Corkins, Archie Karas, David Williams and Shannon Elizabeth were also among those that couldn't clear Event #14's money bubble.
When the bubble did finally approach, both Erik Seidel and Matt Hawrilenko were in jeopardy. In a battle of the short stacks, they confronted the demon bubble head on. When it was all over, Erik Seidel's queens up prevailed against Hawrilenko's pair of nines and Hawrilenko was the unlucky and unpaid 17th-place finisher.
Queens up would also vanquish Michael Fiorito. The hand was held by Thomas Weideman, who sent Fiorito out in 16th spot. David Levi's aces up couldn't get past David Oppenheim's set of threes and Levi was our 15th-place finisher. And it was Robert Mizrachi's turn to fall to the dreaded queens up, when he was eliminated in 14th place at the hands of Eric Brooks.
Alex Kravchenko was all-in on fifth street against David Oppenheim and Jim Paluszek. When Paluszek showed down trip nines, Kravchenko and Oppenheim mucked, and Kravchenko exited in 13th place. Next, Erik Seidel's trip threes would send Jacobo Fernandez out in 12th.
Daniel Negreanu seemed to enjoy every minute of this event. While playing an outstanding tournament, Negreanu also chatted up the rail, signed autographs, practiced his golf swing and provided impersonations of Scotty Nguyen. But Negreanu's fun finally came to an end when he was eliminated in 11th place by Jim Paluszek ace-high flush.
Thomas Weideman went all in on third street and had Eric Brooks make the call. Showing two pair, Weideman mucked his last card when Brooks caught a third ace on seventh street. Weideman finished in 10th place. Minutes later, a short-stacked Phil Ivey was all in against Vassilios Lazarou. Lazarou's eights up bested Ivey's pair of tens and Phil Ivey became the ninth-place finisher and final-table bubble boy.
Check back with the PokerNews 'Live Reporting' team for all the final-table action, which begins at 3pm PDT on Monday.
Day Two Money Finishes:
9. Phil Ivey $37,130
10. Thomas Weideman $37,130
11. Daniel Negreanu $33,417
12. Jacobo Fernandez $33,417
13. Alexander Kravchenko $29,704
14. Robert Mizrachi $29,704
15. David Levi $25,991
16. Michael Fiorito $25,991
