2009 World Series of Poker

Event 22 - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Shootout
Day: 1
Event Info

2009 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
k5
Prize
$313,673
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,500
Prize Pool
$1,363,635
Entries
1,000
Level Info
Level
8
Blinds
20,000 / 40,000
Ante
5,000

Froehlich Tangles with Kostritsyn

We picked this hand up on the turn when Eric Froehlich bet 800 on a board of {A-Diamonds}{8-Spades}{6-Clubs}{4-Spades} and got flat called by Alexander Kostritsyn.

When the {8-Hearts} paired the board on the river, Froehlich check-called a 2,200 bet by Kostritsyn and showed {10-Hearts}{10-Clubs}, which couldn't beat the Russian's {A-Clubs}{Q-Diamonds}.

Kostritsyn has 9,300 while Froehlich has 4,000.

Early Eliminations

A few notable players have already made their exits from today's event, including Chad Brown, Doug Lee, Shaun Deeb, Chino Rheem and Lika Gerasimova who recently finished in fifth place in the $5K No-Limit Hold 'em tournament.

Today is All About the Luck of the Draw

One of the interesting things about a shootout tournament is that tables don't break as they get short-handed, which means players will be squaring off against the same opponents all day long.

For some players, like Phil Ivey, who is the only pro at his table, this can make for a relatively short day with easy pickings. Others didn't get quite so lucky though, landing at tables with other known pros who can make for stiff competition.

Some of the interesting table groupings we've found today include:

Shannon Elizabeth and Humberto Brenes
Adam Junglen and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi
Jonathan Little, Chris McCormack and David "Devilfish" Ulliott
Paul "Eskimo" Clark, Nick Binger and Ryan DeAngelo
Alexander Kostritsyn and Eric Froehlich
Gavin Griffin and Scott Clements

It Wasn't Quack-Quack

In a limped pot, Paul Magriel and four other players saw a flop of {7-Hearts}{3-Spades}{7-Clubs}. When action checked to Magriel in middle position, he bet out for 125, and everyone folded.

Magriel failed to show his signature pocket 2s, but took the pot anyway.

Level: 2

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

Down Early, Lindgren Wins a Pot

Erick Lindgren
Erick Lindgren
Erick Lindgren was late getting to his seat and, by the time we found him, was already down nearly 2,000 chips.

In the hand we watched, Lindgren raised to 150 under-the-gun and got called by a player in middle position and by the small blind. Everyone checked the flop of {A-Diamonds}{2-Clubs}{5-Spades}. The {2-Hearts} on the turn and {7-Spades} on the river also got checked around, and Lindgren took the pot after showing {K-Hearts}{K-Spades}.

After the hand, he was back to 3,000 chips.

Tags: Erick Lindgren

Rolling Thunder

It didn't take Thomas Keller to get back into action. After taking yesterday off following his third-place finish in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold 'em tournament early Tuesday morning, Keller said he went home and crashed.

"I couldn't get out of bed," he said. "I almost took today off too, but I'm playing well," he added. We agree and expect him to make another strong run today.

A Big Pot in the Early Going

Players started today's event with 4,500 hundred in chips, so it can be a little surprising to see someone commit half their stack before the flop.

That's exactly what happened at Andy Bloch's table though where three players, including Andy, limped in before the small blind raised to 500. When the big blind re-raised to 2,200, everyone folded except the small blind, who made the call and checked dark before a flop of {9-Clubs}{8-Diamonds}{3-Clubs}.

When the big blind instantly shoved, the small blind showed {A-?}{K-?} and mucked.

More Gunslingers

Other names in today's event include:

Liv Boeree
Jacobo Fernandez
Doug Lee
Lee Watkinson
Jonathan Little
Ivan Demidov
Shaun Deeb
Paul "Eskimo" Clark
Nick Binger
Dennis Phillips
Mike Sowers
Mike Sexton
Blair Hinkle
Eric Froehlich
Brandon Cantu
Chino Rheem

Familiar Faces

Today's play is spread out through both the Amazon and Brasilia Rooms, and not everyone has made it to their seats yet. Some of the recognizable players we've spotted so far today include:

Andy Black
Theo Tran
Hal Lubarsky
Scott Clements
Gavin Griffin
Phil Ivey
Hevad Khan
Evelyn Ng
Allen Kessler
Humberto Brenes
Shannon Elizabeth