2009 World Series of Poker Europe

Event 1 - £1,000 No Limit Hold'em
Day: 1a
Event Info

2009 World Series of Poker Europe

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
k8
Prize
£136,803
Event Info
Buy-in
£1,000
Prize Pool
£608,000
Entries
608
Level Info
Level
22
Blinds
8,000 / 16,000
Ante
2,000

Devilifsh Releases a Monster

With the board reading {J-Diamonds}{5-Clubs}{10-Clubs}{Q-Diamonds}{4-Hearts}, Jon Lundy pushed all in for 1,600. Devilfish looked tortured, and squirmed in his seat like a three-legged ferret. After a while, he mumbled under his breath and folded {9-Clubs}{8-Clubs} face-up. Lundy remained silent, albeit with a gentle smirk, and amid his continued grumbling, Devilfish was left to wonder if he made the right decision.

Erik the Viking

Erik Seidel has had an excellent start to the day as far as chip-pillaging goes, getting his whole stack in with {K-Hearts} {K-Diamonds} from the small blind against a gentleman on the button holding {Q-Clubs} {Q-Hearts}. The board ran out a harmless {7-Clubs} {9-Hearts} {6-Diamonds} {5-Clubs} {5-Hearts} and Seidel is up to 6,000.

Tags: Erik Seidel

Level: 2

Blinds: 25/50

Ante: 0

Teng Down

Andrew Teng has disappeared, and Joe Grech is in possession of a suspiciously large stack. We are assuming that these two facts are related.

Eddie as he Goes

I joined the action with Phil Hellmuth making a small raise, his arms folded, body upright in typical Poker Brat fashion. Eddie Hearn made a reraise, and Hellmuth called the extra few hundred.

On the {4-Diamonds}{3-Diamonds}{10-Clubs} flop, we witnessed a fireworks display as both men's chips hit the middle quicker than a jet-propelled whippet. "Set?" inquired Hearn nervously. Hellmuth revealed {5-Hearts}{6-Hearts} for the open-ended straight draw, whilst Hearn tabled pocket kings.

A blank {9-Spades} turn and {Q-Clubs} river later, and despite jokingly exclaiming 'Straight!' - Hearn's expression turned momentarily sour - the 11-time bracelet winner was on the deck and left to ponder, "Kings. Nice hand. That sucks, now I have too many days off." But he consumed his early fall in good spirit, and commenced his trademark au revoir by shaking the hands of the entire table as if he were the queen greeting a line-up.

Tags: Phil Hellmuth

What Comes Around, Goes Around

Joe Grech may have picked up Andrew Teng's whole stack, but he lost a good chunk of it back not long after.

He bet every street of the {10-Spades} {10-Hearts} {9-Hearts} {3-Hearts} {8-Hearts} board and his opponent eventually raised him on the river. A moment's thought later, and Grech had laid it down.

Tags: Joe Grech

Alexander the Great

One player to have excelled during these early stages is Alex Martin, who has more than twice his starting stack with 7,500. He hasn't eliminated anyone, more chipping away gradually with hands like his latest encounter: after a couple of limps, Martin bet 250 from the big blind and received two callers. He then took down the pot with a bet of 675 on the {k-Clubs}{8-Clubs}{6-Hearts} flop.

Tags: Alex Martin

Lady Takes Out Tann

With the button raising it up to 225 preflop, Willie Tann peeked down at his {K-Clubs}{K-Hearts} and duly made it a total of 725 to play after sneakily limping from under the gun. He then checked the {7-Diamonds}{10-Spades}{6-Spades} flop, before check-raising (although it was virtually a check-call) his opponent's 2,220 bet all in. Faced with an inferior {Q-Diamonds}{Q-Clubs}, a devilish third lady hit the turn to deal a crushing blow, and with no king on the river, the Vic favourite was gone.

Tags: Willie Tann

Bad-Beaten

It was hard to tell at first that Neil "Bad Beat" Channing was bust, as he often lurks at the rail, talking at length, when he is still in a tournament.

Nevertheless this time he was in fact busto. It turns out he raised preflop with {Q-Clubs} {9-Clubs} and got looked up by Richard Kellett to see a {9-?} {5-?} {2-?} flop with one club on it. Channing bet out and Kellett raised; Channing flat-called. "Well, I just thought he was at it," said Channing, "He's always at it, this kid."

They saw a {4-Clubs} turn, which also gave Channing the flush draw. He check-raised all in -- and soon discovered that Kellett was holding {A-?} {3-?} and had turned the wheel. No clubby salvation for Channing on the river, and he's hitting the cash games now.

Tags: Neil Channing