$10,000 Championship Main Event | 2009 Lebanese Poker Championship

07-25-2009 21:35 UTC+3

Squeeze, Re-Squeeze

[user80015]

Youssef Mouanness opened with a raise to 55,000 from the button before Omar Geadah made the call from the small blind.

With the action on Nicolas Zakhem, he pushed the bet to 170,000 total to force a fold from Mouanness.

Geadah sat there mulling over a decision for sometime before eventually pushing all in for 214,000-chips more to Zakhem to call.

With Zakhem now in the tank, the clock was called, and the countdown began before he eventually released his hand as he sat back quietly (for once) in his chair and looked down at his slipping 243,000-chip stack.

Following that re-squeeze, Geadah climbs to 610,000 in chips.

Tags: Nicolas Zakhem Omar Geadah Youssef Mouanness

07-25-2009 21:28 UTC+3

Geadah Doubles Again!

[user66118]

Nabil Matta opened the pot with a raise to 50,000 from middle position, and Omar Geadah moved all in down the line, shoving most of his 167,000 chips forward. Well, he tried to move all in, but the dealer didn't hear his verbal announcement, so Geadah was told that his final 6,000 chips would be left out of the pot for now. Next door, Nicolas Zakhem was toiling over a tough decision, and he eventually announced to all the world, "I'm all in! Hold, baby!"

Matta asked for a count but quickly folded as soon as he could eyeball the 500,000+ stack being broken down. Geadah took care of his last few chips, splashing them in and turning over {Q-Hearts}

. Zakhem showed up {A-Clubs}

, seemingly very confident in his luck.

"Come on, there is an ace coming on the river! Ace on the river!"

The dealer turned over the first flop card, revealing the {A-Diamonds}

. "Ace on the flop!" yelled Zakhem. The second card was the {9-Clubs}

, and a dramatic {Q-Diamonds}

was the final flop card, rendering Zakhem momentarily silent.

After a little pause, he continued to root for an ace, but the turn and river came {5-Clubs}

and

instead. Drawing dead after the turn, Zakhem sends a double up over to Geadah, bumping him up to 390,000.

07-25-2009 21:19 UTC+3

Kamar Sliding

[user66118]

We just caught the tail end of a three-way pot over on Table 1. On the river, the board read {6-Hearts}

, and there were 69,000 chips in the pot. The first two players checked, and Kamal Bejjani put out a healthy bet of 70,000. Henry B. quickly folded his small blind, but Fadi Kamar would take serveral minutes to agonize over his decision. It would cost him about one third of his chip stack to call, and he eventually did just that. Bejjani tabled {A-Hearts}

for the ace-high flush, and Kamar flashed the {J-Hearts}

as he sent his cards into the muck. He's slipped all the way back to 155,000 now.

07-25-2009 21:05 UTC+3

Patrick Chucri Eliminated In 14th Place (US$19,300)

[user80015]

Patrick Chucri open-shoved from the button and was called by Nicolas Zakhem.

Churcri: {Q-Spades}

Zakhem:

The board ran out {8-Clubs}

to see Chucri hit the rail in 14th place for a US$19,300 payday.

Tags: Nicolas Zakhem Patrick Chucri

07-25-2009 20:58 UTC+3

Georges Ghassan Eliminated In 15th Place (US$15,400)

[user80015]

Georges Ghassan eliminated in 15th place

Henry B. opened the pot to 40,000 before Georges Ghassan moved all in for 195,000. Henry B. made the call and the cards were tabled.

Henry B.: {J-Hearts}

Ghassan:

The board ran out {Q-Diamonds}

to see Ghassan exit in 15th place.

Tags: Georges Ghassan Henry B.

07-25-2009 20:51 UTC+3

Play Resumes

[user80015]

The cards are back in the air!

Level: 23

Blinds: 10,000/20,000

Ante: 2,000

07-25-2009 20:13 UTC+3

Break it Up

[user66118]

The clock has been paused and the players are now on a one-hour dinner break.

07-25-2009 20:11 UTC+3

Eleventh-Hour Double

[user66118]

First into the pot from the small blind, Omar Geadah moved all in for 120,000 total. In the big, the very vocal Nicolas Zakhem peeked at his cards and quickly called, adding, "Hold, baby!" as he tabled {A-Spades}

. Geadah turned over {K-Hearts}

, putting his tournament hopes in the hands of the king and the axe.

The dealer ran out the board of {9-Diamonds}

, and Geadah came from behind to pair up his king, earning himself a much-needed double up just before the dinner bell.

07-25-2009 20:01 UTC+3

That's Poker, Baby

[user66118]

Nicolas Zakhem opened the pot from early position with a raise to 42,000. On down the line, Sassine Ghassan put in a re-raise to 92,000. When it came back to Zakhem, he considered for several minutes before splashing in the call, heads up to the flop.

It brought {9-Clubs}

, and Zakhem instantly announced an all in. Ghassan would consider for two or three minutes before open-mucking ace-queen.

Zakhem stood from his chair and yelled, "Baby!" as he slammed {A-Hearts}

down onto the table with a roaring thump. "I love it," he screamed at the top of his voice. "Woooo, I love it. That's poker baby!!!" With a big laugh and a few high-fives from the rail, Zakhem returned to his seat just in time for the next deal.

They're still working on poker etiquette here in the new breadbasket of tournament poker.