2008 WSOP Event #16 $2,000 Omaha Hi/Lo Split, Day 2: Long Final on Tap

June 10, 2008

John Hartness

2008 WSOP Event #16 $2,000 Omaha Hi/Lo Split, Day 2: Long Final on Tap 0001

169 players returned to the Amazon Ballroom to battle for a spot at the final table in Event #16, $2,000 Omaha Hi/Lo, with Josh Arieh, David Williams and Scott Clements all near the top of the leader board to begin Day 2. When the dust settled on the long second day of the tournament, it ended, as have several of the limit events, without reaching the final table. 18 players made it to the end of Day 2, with Soheil Shamseddin leading the way overnight.

Along the way, several notable players were eliminated, including Dutch Boyd, Max Pescatori, Mel Judah, Barny Boatman and Barry Greenstein. Greenstein put the last of his chips in preflop, and found callers in Kristy Gazes and William Sheppard. Gazes and Sheppard checked it down on a board of 3♦A♥J♠10♥7♥, and Gazes took the high half with a flush holding 5♠K♦K♥4♥. Sheppard made 7-4-3-2-A to take the low half, and Greenstein made his exit, after signing a copy of his book to Gazes.

David Williams started the day with a little bit of live multi-tabling, as he was playing Event #18, the $1,500 No-Limit Shootout as well as Event #16, but busted before the money bubble. Men Nguyen was the Omaha Hi/Lo cash-spot bubble boy when he put the last of his chips in preflop with A♣2♥4♣10♣ and was called by Mallory Smith with Q♥9♦Q♦A♥. The board ran out 8♣9♠6♣6♠Q♠, and Smith made queens full to send Nguyen home in 55th place.

Late in the day, with only four tables remaining, Soheil Shamseddin went on a tear, taking out pros and locking up his spot at the top of the chip counts. He took out John Juanda in a scooped pot where Juanda called all in on the turn with A♠8♠10♦K♥ to Shanseddin's A♥2♦4♣6♣. The board read J♣6♦3♣10♣, and the 8♣ came on the river to give Shamseddin the flush and nut low to send Juanda to the rail.

Shortly after Kristy Gazes busted in 28th to set the final three tables,

Shamseddin took out another player on his way to the chip lead. Ryan Carey was crippled after a big hand with William Sheppard, but it was Shamseddin who dealt the knockout blow. On a board of 9♠4♦Q♠10♥9♣, Shamseddin's A♦A♠6♠J♣ was good over Carey's 7♠4♥A♣Q♥.

Shirley Rosario was the last elimination of Day 2, heading to the rail in 19th when her A♥5♣J♣9♥ did not catch up to Jose Paz' A♦A♣3♣7♣ on a board of 5♠Q♣8♥3♦2♦. Once the field reached the final two tables, the decision was made to halt play at the end of that level, and return on Day 3 to play down to a winner. The final chip counts for all 18 players looked like this at the end of Day 2, with Jim Pechac getting his last chip in the middle just before the end of the day, and doubling up to make it to Day 3, where he will have a long way to go to make the final table. The complete standings: