Event 23 - $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em Day 1 | 2008 World Series of Poker

06-12-2008 23:01 UTC-7

Rajkumar Doubles Through

[user4144]

Vivek Rajkumar has earned himself a nice double-through, his button raise being reraised by the big blind before Rajkumar decided to call all in with {A-Diamonds}

.

In the end, it was an accurate read, Rajkumar catching his opponent's fingers firmly trapped in the till and turning a crimson red with an in-need-of assistance {10-Clubs}

.

The

flop didn't soothe any pains, and although the {9-Hearts}

turn actually increased his outs, none of them emerged on the very raggy {2-Clubs}

river.

Tags: Vivek Rajkumer

06-12-2008 22:53 UTC-7

Rumor has it that Scotty Nguyen wasn't his usual upbeat self during the break, that kings-versus-aces encounter losing him the majority of his stack and clearly demoralizing him.

He also suggested that the dealer almost passed him the incorrect change, which would have effected the size of his subsequent double-up and thus, his current chip count.

"I don't mind losing with kings versus aces, baby," he commented. "But the counts need to be right."

Perhaps the break came at crucial time for Nguyen, and he will return composed and ready to rebuild that stack. We'll soon find out as we get set for the penultimate level of the night.

Tags: Scotty Nguyen

Level: 9

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 100

06-12-2008 22:30 UTC-7

Beam Me Up, Scotty

[user4144]

King of bling Scotty Nguyen is back in the game after doubling his short stack up to 13,000 with J-8 versus K-10, a second knave arriving on the flop.

Tags: Scotty Nguyen

06-12-2008 22:28 UTC-7

Cooler for Scotty

[user4144]

I've always thought that if you threw Mr T and the Fonz into a melting pot you'd brew up Scotty Nguyen, the former WSOP main event champion not only one of the most popular players on the scene, but also the most colorful.

Sadly for his many fans, his 40,000 stack has taken a huge hit and now sits at just 6,000.

An unknown player kicked off the action with a 2,100 preflop raise, which was subsequently called by another player, before being reraised to 11,700 by Patrick Stemper. Scotty Nguyen then threw himself into the mix, smooth calling the 11,700.

After the two other players folded, Nguyen and Stemper saw a {7-Clubs}

flop which they both checked. However, neither was quite so reserved on the {6-Hearts}

turn, Stemper check-raising Nguyen's bet of 15,000 all in. Nguyen quickly called.

Nguyen = {K-Diamonds}

Stemper =

The

on the river missed Nguyen by a country mile, sending a massive pot to Stemper and leaving the multiple bracelet winner just inches from the felt.

Nguyen down, but not out.

Tags: Patrick Stemper Scotty Nguyen

06-12-2008 22:23 UTC-7

Braband Extremely Comfortable

[user46392]

Similarly Tom Braband, heretofore unspotted, is sitting on 88,000.

06-12-2008 22:19 UTC-7

Allen Le Comfortable

[user46392]

Only just spotted by our roving reporters, but steaming ahead on 73,000, is Allen Le.

06-12-2008 22:16 UTC-7

Robin Hood of Poker Strides Ahead

[user4144]

Current reports suggest that your current chip leader is that little known fellow Barry Greenstein (you may have seen him on the TV once or twice).

Greenstein is now on a whopping 73,000 after triumphing in a monstrous pot.

After a raise under-the-gun, Greenstein and two others see an A-6-4 flop. The original raiser continue bets 6,200, Greenstein smooth calls and one of the other callers pushes all in for 19,000.

The initial aggressor steps out of the way, but Greenstein calls, revealing pocket sixes in the process. His opponent is only able to table A-K, the eight on the turn sealing the deal before the king river has even been dealt.

Tags: Barry Greenstein

06-12-2008 22:15 UTC-7

The Aussie Is Hot

[user46392]

In the words of our absolutely unbiased Australian reporter, "The Aussie is hot!"

All in preflop, Andrew Jeffreys was a massive favorite with his {A-Clubs}

up against his opponent's {A-Spades}

, and there was no nasty flush or straight on the board to ruin it for him: {3-Diamonds}

.

Jeffrey's now up to 39,000; his opponent eliminated.

06-12-2008 22:06 UTC-7

Board Teases Nguyen

[user4144]

"Men The Master unhappy," reads the opening line of my field reporter's report, and reading through the ensuing tale of woe, it's easy to see why.

Raising preflop, Nguyen is called in two spots, the cutoff and the button, before the three players reach a {Q-Clubs}

flop.

Three checks on the flop lead to an eyebrow-raising {8-Spades}

on the turn. The big blind and Nguyen check, but the cutoff bets out for 5,000.

With the big blind pushing in for 12,000 more, the decision is left with Nguyen, but after a momentary session in the think tank, The Master concludes that his tens are no longer in front and makes the correct fold.

The cutoff, however, does make the call and shows {J-?}

for the straight, but finds himself up against a bigger straight in {K-?}

.

Meanwhile, The Master can only watch in frustration as his initial relief turns into dismay in the space of a few seconds, the {Q-Hearts}

river confirming the devilish nature of those mischievous poker gods and showing The Master what might have been.

As a result of that fold, The Master drops down to 34,200.

Tags: Men Nguyen