2008 World Series of Poker Europe

Event 1 - £1,500 No Limit Hold'em
Day: 1b
Event Info

2008 World Series of Poker Europe

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aj
Prize
£144,218
Event Info
Buy-in
£1,500
Prize Pool
£615,000
Entries
410
Level Info
Level
23
Blinds
20,000 / 40,000
Ante
5,000

Value Bluff

The board has already been dealt and reads {5-Clubs} {6-Clubs} {K-Diamonds} {6-Spades} {10-Spades}. The two players involved are Remy Biechel in the cut off and Hussein Yilmaz on the button. A colleague informs me that Biechel has check called on the flop and turn creating a pot over 11,000.

Beichel fires 7,250 in to the pot at this stage though and after some consideration Yilmaz folds to be shown {3-Hearts} {4-Hearts} by the Frenchman!

Tags: Remy Beichel

Bellande Climbing Toward the Chip Lead

The money went in on a {Q-Spades} {7-Spades} {3-Spades} flop, Jean-Robert Bellande holding {A-Hearts} {Q-Diamonds} and his opponent needing some serious help with the {7-Diamonds} {10-Diamonds}. The turn though came the {4-Hearts} and the river fell the {9-Hearts} adding a nice chunk to the Survivor alum's stack, which now sits at the 35,000 mark.

Fear The Limper

Savan Trivedi limps for 300 in early position, before Roberto Truijers pushes all in for his last 3,500 or so. It's passed to the big blind who think for ages, clearly worried by the limp and eventually elects to fold. Trivedi on the other hand, throws another three of the yellow 1,000 chips nonchalantly into the middle.

Truijers shows {A-Hearts} {10-Diamonds} to Trivedi's {Q-Clubs} {9-Hearts} with the board running out {K-Clubs} {8-Diamonds} {J-Diamonds} {9-Clubs} {8-Spades}. Truijers lets out a triumphant, "Yes!" which leaves the table slightly baffled as it's pointed out by the dealer the river is an eight and not a seven. Suddenly realizing his mistake he then apologizes, before leaving the table.

Tags: Savan Trivedi

The Mouth Silenced

Mike Matusow
Mike Matusow
Mike "The Mouth" Matusow has just been eliminated from the tournament by Costas Artemi.

Holding two black kings, Matusow moved all in over the top of a preflop raise made by Artemi, and Artemi made the call.

At the showdown, Matusow saw that his kings were well ahead of the {A-Diamonds} {K-Hearts} produced by Artemi.

Robert Williamson III, who replayed the hand for us, explained that two diamonds came on the flop giving Artemi a potential backdoor flush draw, but the real damage was done on the turn when an ace plunked off the deck, giving Artemi what would eventually be a winning pair of aces.

Matusow left the tournament area quietly, reportedly in search of a way in which he could register for a high stakes tournament about to start on an unnamed online poker site.

Tags: Mike Matusow

Level: 6

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 50

Not Always Bluffing

Remy Biechel raised to 750 and only the big blind called before the flop came {Q-Clubs} {8-Diamonds} {6-Hearts}. Biechel continued the aggression with a 750 bet once it was checked to him. The big blind called before the turn came {A-Hearts}.

The big blind took the lead in the with a 1,800 bet that Biechel called before the river came {7-Diamonds}. The big blind checked to face a bet of 2,500 from the Frenchman. The big blind called but mucked upon seeing his opponent's {6-Clubs} {6-Spades}

Laak Likes Getting There

We didn't catch the series of raises and reraises that got them there, but arrived when Phil Laak opened up the {J-Spades} {9-Spades} and found himself up against his all in opponent's {A-Diamonds} {K-Diamonds}. The flop was {10-Clubs} {8-Clubs} {6-Spades}, the A-K still leading, but Laak picked up an open-ended straight draw. The turn was a blank, the {2-Diamonds}, but the {Q-Diamonds} arrived on the river, eliminating Laak's bewildered opponent.

"Taking the suited J-9 up against A-K of diamonds, and getting there on the river... that's soooo satisfying" said Laak as he stacked his 21,000 in chips.

Flopped Nuts, No Good.

This might be turning into the 'Savan Trivedi Show' upstairs but every pot he plays seems to have some sort of significance. Aurelien Guiglini has been knocked down to just 5,000. He had flopped the nuts with {K-Diamonds} {Q-Diamonds} on the {7-Diamonds} {A-Diamonds} {8-Diamonds} {A-Hearts} {A-Spades} board but somehow Trivedi's {Q-Hearts} {8-Hearts} had got there in the hand to increase his own standing.

All Guiglini could do was look out into the crowd to a friend railing him, shrug his shoulders and let out a laugh to hide his frustration.

Tags: Savan Trivedi

Andy Black Triples Up in Three-Way All In

Kings are good!
Kings are good!
After a preflop raising war that set Andy Black and Kevin O'Leary all in against Brian Patton (who had both men covered), the cards were turned on their backs:

Black {K-Spades} {K-Clubs}

O'Leary {7-Spades} {7-Diamonds}

Patton: {J-Spades} {J-Clubs}

The board ran out {10-Clubs} {4-Clubs} {3-Hearts} {Q-Spades} {A-Clubs} and Black's kings held, tripling him up to 14,000. O'Leary hit the rail, while Patton survived with 11,200 of his chips intact.