Event 53 - $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout | 2008 World Series of Poker

07-02-2008 17:11 UTC-7

John Kranyak Advances

[user42991]

John Kranyak capped the betting preflop against Markus Stranzinger and Stranzinger made the call.

On a flop of {A-Spades}

, the betting was again capped between the two players. The last bet was enough to put Stranzinger all in.

Kranyak: {A-Hearts}

Stranzinger: {Q-Spades}

Kranyak had aces and Stranzinger a gutshot draw. The turn of the {5-Clubs}

helped neither player and the river card of the {A-Clubs}

gave Kranyak three aces and the victory.

Kranyak is our second player to advance to the final table.

Tags: John Kranyak

07-02-2008 17:15 UTC-7

Hansu Chu just doubled up to 12,000 in his heads-up battle against Jean-Robert Bellande. After the hand, he said the following:

"Who's the survivor now! Bobby, you weren't!"

Bellande has 258,000 chips.

Tags: Hansu Chu Jean-Robert Bellande

07-02-2008 17:21 UTC-7

Good Times on Survivor - Hansu

[user42991]

The heads up battle between Jean-Robert Bellande and Hansu Chu continues. Chu is very short and he and Bellande are just laughing it up. If he raises, Bellande will look at his cards and if its not playable, he just folds with a big flourish.

They both seem to be enjoying themselves. Bellande currently holds over a 20 to 1 chip lead.

Tags: Hansu Chu Jean-Robert Bellande

Level: 8

Blinds: 2,000/4,000

Ante: 0

07-02-2008 17:27 UTC-7

Wong Comes Back Strong

donpeters

Danny Wong raised from the button and Fred Berger called out of the big blind. The flop came the {Q-Clubs}

. Berger bet all in and Wong made the call.

Berger: {K-Diamonds}

Wong:

The turn came the {6-Diamonds}

and the river came the {9-Hearts}

to give Wong the comeback win.

Wong was down to 2,000 chips and made an amazing comeback to get the win against Berger and move on to the final table.

Tags: Danny Wong Fred Berg

07-02-2008 17:34 UTC-7

Storylines

donpeters

Hansu Chu was once down to 6,000 chips in his heads-up match with Jean-Robert Bellande and now has almost 60,000.

The table with Matt Graham, Jonathan Tamayo, Stefan Rapp, and Duane Graff Jr. is still four handed with very little action and each player just trying to hang on and grind it out.

Eric Rivkin and Brandon Wong have grown closer to even in chip stacks now. Wong had Rivkin down early, but Rivkin has battled back.

07-02-2008 17:43 UTC-7

Bellande Moves On

donpeters

Bellande will be making a final table appearance later today

Picking up the action on the turn, Jean-Robert Bellande called a bet from Hansu Chu on a board of {K-Clubs}

. The river was the {5-Hearts}

and Bellande bet out and Chu called, leaving himself with only 1,000 behind.

Bellande turned up {K-Diamonds}

for two pair and Chu held {K-Hearts}

. Chu commented on how Bellande comes from behind in every hand to get there and take the pot. Bellande clapped his hands together in excitement, but Chu was quick to alert him that he still had 1,000 left and it wasn't over.

On the next hand, the two players were all in blind, with Chu on the line and holding {8-Clubs}

. Bellande held {7-Clubs}

.

The board ran out {K-Diamonds}

and Bellande's pair of sevens were good enough to get him to the final table.

Tags: Hansu Chu Jean-Robert Bellande

07-02-2008 17:55 UTC-7

Play Slows

[user42991]

With five tables still in play, play has slowed considerably. Since a pay jump will not occur until the players make the final table, the remaining players now have an incentive to play much more solidly than they might have up to this point.

07-02-2008 18:05 UTC-7

Graham Frustrated

donpeters

Matt Graham just had his pocket nines beaten by {7-?}

and then his {A-?}

bested by

. He seems a little frustrated by the two hands as he shakes his head with a disgusted look on his face.

Tags: Matt Graham

07-02-2008 18:15 UTC-7

Commotion

donpeters

Because of where the tables are stationed right next to the "No Limit Lounge", spectators are passing back and forth between the remaining tables of the shootout event. Some of the players seem a little upset and uneasy that this is happening, but not much has been done. People just keep finding new ways to travel between the tables and distract the players.