$10,000 Championship Main Event Day 1 | 2009 Lebanese Poker Championship

07-23-2009 20:04 UTC+3

Tarabay Doubles

[user80015]

With a limp ahead of him, Jack Tarabay also limped before a player in late position made it 1,100 to go. The big blind called as did the first limper and Tarabay.

The flop fell down {2-Spades}

and Tarabay committed all his chips to the pot with a lone caller coming along for the ride.

Tarabay: {A-Hearts}

Opponent:

Tarabay would catch the {A-Diamonds}

on the turn, followed by the {5-Clubs}

on the river to double through to just over 6,000 in chips.

Tags: Jack Tarabay

07-23-2009 19:48 UTC+3

Haddad Doubles Opponent

[user80015]

Ramez Haddad has just doubled his opponent up when his {K-Diamonds}

was unable to improve against his opponent's {9-Hearts}

.

All the money went in on the flop with the final board running out {9-Clubs}

to see Haddad slip to 25,000 in chips.

Tags: Ramez Haddad

07-23-2009 19:43 UTC+3

Karagulleyan Soars

[user80015]

With 5,450 in the pot and a flop of {10-Diamonds}

out, Chris Karagulleyan check-raised to 7,500 over his opponent's 2,500-chip bet.

Once his opponent made the call, Karagulleyan fired 15,000 when the turn landed the {4-Clubs}

, and following a few moments of hesitation his opponent made the call.

"How much you have left?" asked Karagulleyan, but with no response, and the river of the {K-Hearts}

falling, Karagulleyan pushed his last 16,725 into the middle.

His opponent ummed and ahhed for near on three minutes before committing his last 6,300 to the pot.

Karagulleyan tabled his {10-Clubs}

for a flopped set, while his opponent tabled {A-Hearts}

for two-pair to send him to the rail as Karagulleyan soared to over 73,000 in chips.

Tags: Chris Karagulleyan

Level: 4

Blinds: 100/200

Ante: 0

07-23-2009 19:34 UTC+3

Among the unusual things about this event is the noticeable presence of smoke in the tournament area. In most major tournament venues, smoking is restricted to the area outside of the room or even outside of the building entirely. That is not the case here at the Casino du Liban. In here, as is the case in most of Lebanon, smoking is permitted nearly everywhere.

We are gathered into a spacious auditorium for this event with the 22 tables pressed toward the front half of the room. While smoking is not allowed in the immediate table area, one merely has to move a few steps away behind the velvet ropes to light up. The result is a thin but ever-present cloud of smoke lingering just above the players' heads.

07-23-2009 19:26 UTC+3

Matta's Ace Wins

[user66118]

Two players limped into the pot before Joe Hachem followed suit in middle position. Two seats over, Edouard Matta bumped it up to 1,150, and he found four callers including the initial limpers.

The flop came out {5-Spades}

, and the action checked to Hachem. He led out into the pot with a bet of 3,000, and Matta raised again, making it 6,000 straight. Zaid Ariss and Hachem came along to the turn with the other two men ducking out of the way.

It revealed the {A-Clubs}

, and Ariss and Hachem checked it over. Already in control of the betting, Matta fired another 10,000 at the pot in the form of a single green chip. Ariss wasted little time calling, and Hachem reluctantly sent his cards back to the dealer.

The last card off the deck was the {2-Diamonds}

. Ariss sat shuffling his remaining ~9,000 chips for several minutes before tapping the table again, and Matta checked behind this time, turning over {A-Diamonds}

. It was good; Ariss mucked his cards and Hachem sat shaking his head in confusion.

07-23-2009 19:10 UTC+3

Hanna Straightened Out

[user80015]

On a board of {3-Diamonds}

Georges Hanna led every street apart from the river to a see a sizeable pot developed.

Once he checked the river, his opponent checked behind and tabled {A-Clubs}

for a straight as Hanna's cards went into the muck as he slipped to 26,000 in chips.

Tags: Georges Hanna

07-23-2009 19:04 UTC+3

A Numbers Game

[user66118]

With registration now closed, the numbers are in:

Today's Championship Event drew a strong field of 207 runners, generating a prizepool worth $1,925,100. That prize money will be split among the final 21 players, as the staff has elected to pay a full 10% of the field rather than just the final two tables.

That makes the bottom payout level worth $11,600 with the numbers shooting up from there. Each of the nine final tablists are guaranteed $38,500, and the last six will all take home six figures apiece.

The lucky man or woman who can outlast the entire field and collect every chip in play will pocket a whopping $606,000. That number represents more than 31% of the total prizepool and it will be the largest poker payout ever awarded in Lebanon, eclipsing the previous record by more than a threefold margin.

07-23-2009 19:01 UTC+3

Sara Nassar Chips Up

[user80015]

With two limps ahead of her, Sara Nassar made it 1,250 to go with only one opponent joining her on the {8-Spades}

board.

Her opponent checked, and Nassar fired 2,000 at the pot to force an eventual fold as she climbed back to her starting stack.

Tags: Sara Nassar

07-23-2009 18:57 UTC+3

Chidiac Clocks Haddad

[user66118]

Just before the break, we caught the tail end of a big pot. With the river already dealt, the board showed {9-Diamonds}

, and there were 27,800 chips piled in the middle of the table. Heads up, Ramia Chidiac moved all in for exactly 15,000. His lone opponent, Ramez Haddad, would go deep into the tank considering this final decision. After several minutes, the clock was called on him, and the floor person counted him all the way down to zero, killing his hand and sending a big pot to Chidiac.