Event 23 - $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em | 2008 World Series of Poker

06-14-2008 18:22 UTC-7

Hand #61 - Hinkle

[user46392]

Steicke makes it 120,000 utg, only for Hinkle to make it 300,000 from the button, The blinds get out of the way, and so does Steicke. Another pot to Hinkle.

06-14-2008 18:20 UTC-7

Hand #60 - Hinkle

[user4144]

Hinkle raises it up from the small blind, as he did the round before. This time, however, O'Brien merely smooth calls.

{3-Hearts}

Hinkle's 160,000 bet takes the pot.

"Whooooo yeah, Foxy," exclaims a member of the crowd, perhaps letting slip one of Hinkle's pet names.

06-14-2008 18:19 UTC-7

Hand #59 - Hinkle

[user46392]

It folds around to small blind Steicke, who just limps in. Hinkle checks, and they see a flop.

Flop: {5-Diamonds}

Steicke checks, and then folds to a 75,000 bet from Hinkle, accompanied by cries of "Whoo, Blair!" from the rail.

06-14-2008 18:16 UTC-7

Hand #58 - O'Brien

[user4144]

O'Brien picks up the pot with a raise of 110,000

06-14-2008 18:15 UTC-7

The stacks look much smaller now that all the yellow 1,000 chips have been lost to the color-up. Steicke's stack in particular looks diminished with the loss of his gigantic small-denomination Aztec step pyramid arrangement.

But moving on to the first hand of the new level.

Hinkle raises to 100,000 on the button. Small blind O'Brien folds, but big blind Brockington announces all in for 615,000 total. He covers his face entirely with his hands, so that all we can see is a pair of hands wearing a baseball cap. Hinkle thinks about it in silence. Eventually he folds.

Level: 23

Blinds: 20,000/40,000

Ante: 5,000

06-14-2008 17:55 UTC-7

Hinkle Chip Leader

[user4144]

As we head into the 20-minute break, Blair Hinkle remains your current chip leader with 2,233,000. Eager to echo the achievements of brother Grant earlier on in the Series, Hinkle's unrelenting aggression has seen his stack fluctuate up and down like a short-stringed yoyo, yet rarely under any genuine threat.

Hailing from Kansas and boasting over $200,000 in tournament winnings, Hinkle is looking odds on favorite to take this event down. Meanwhile, our very best statiticians (well, Nolan Dalla running solo) are working excruciatingly hard to work out if the Hinkles would become the first brother combo to win World Series of Poker bracelets.

Of course, we don't want to speak too soon, as Brockington, Steicke and O'Brien all have their eyes equally fixed on that shiny, gold bracelet, and I certainly don't see any larger-framed lady warming up her vocal cords.

Tags: Blair Hinkle

06-14-2008 17:44 UTC-7

Breaktime Chip Counts

[user46392]

Players are now on a 20-minute break while they colour up.

Current chip counts:

Blair Hinkle: 2,233,000
David Steicke: 1,269,000
Daniel O'Brien: 1,268,000
Mark Brockington: 618,000

06-14-2008 17:43 UTC-7

Hand #56 - O'Brien

[user4144]

The action folds round to Hinkle who makes it 100,000 from the small blind. O'Brien counts out his chips from the big and reraises all in.

Insta-call!

Hinkle = {A-Hearts}

O'Brien =

Not a bad flop for O'Brien...

Flop = {9-Hearts}

No help on the...

Turn = {10-Clubs}

But the river prises a combination of chagrin and elation from different segments of the crowd...

River = {8-Spades}

Double up for O'Brien!

Tags: Blair Hinkle Daniel O'Brien

06-14-2008 17:39 UTC-7

Hand #55 - Hinkle

[user46392]

Both cutoff and button pass, and small blind Steicke limps. Big blind Hinkle won't let him get away with that, though, and makes it another 90,000 to go. Steicke calls.

Flop: {A-Spades}