Marco Traniello just took a big pot off of James Van Alstyne. Showing a board of , Traniello, who had called a bet on every street from Van Alstyne, opened after the river for trip eights. That beat Van Alstyne, who had a board of and opened in the hole for two pairs, aces and threes. There was no qualifying low in the hand.
Karina Jett related a recent hand where she had 4-4-4-2 showing and A-5-6 underneath. She bet on the river and a player with just K-K showing and holding two pair called -- even though he couldn't beat what Karina had showing.
Mel Judah completes with a showing and bets the whole way down against his opponent, who has showing. On seventh street, he bets and the opponent folds. "I had aces, no low," the opponent says. "You had aces?" Mel says, surprised. "I had the low."
Mel thus manages a whole pot rather than a possible split had his opponent called. He's up to 5,500.
Many of the players in today's field are experiencing the pains that lowball players know all too well -- being four to a low and not getting there. Chip Jett provided the latest example.
When we caught up with the hand on fourth street, Jett showed x-x / and called a bet from an opponent showing x-x / . Each player caught an eight on fifth street. Jett's opponent bet; Jett raised and the opponent called. Both players checked the remaining two streets. Jett's opponent finished with up and in the hole for two pair, aces up, and an 8-7 low. That was enough to scoop the pot.
Jett stil has a healthy amount of chips -- about 12,000.
We walked up to the table just in time to see John "The Razor" Phan, two newly-acquired WSOP gold bracelets clasped to his wrist, dragging a massive pot with aces up. That bumped his chip stack way up, to 14,000.