Event 24 - $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em/Omaha Day 1 | 2008 World Series of Poker

06-12-2008 21:54 UTC-7

Back at It

[user66118]

The players are back in their seats, and play has resumed once again.

06-12-2008 21:30 UTC-7

After registration closed following the second level, we have tallied up the total entrants. Today's field contained 457 players, and we have lost over half of them already. As the players leave for break, there are just 225 of them remaining. The payout will hit 45 players for this event, with first place taking home $246,271 plus the coveted gold bracelet.

06-12-2008 21:26 UTC-7

A Break in the Action

[user66118]

The tournament clock has been paused, and the players are taking a 30-minute break.

06-12-2008 21:24 UTC-7

So Long, Sammy

[user66118]

Three players come limping into this particular pot, and David Benyamine raises the action up, making it 1,000 to go. The small blind bumps it up further, re-raising to 3,500. Sammy Farha overcalls the bet from the big blind, and Benyamine makes the call as well.

The flop comes {3-Clubs}

. The small blind bets out all in for 2,300, and Farha makes the call with his last 2,375. David Benyamine makes the call as well, closing the action for the rest of the hand. The turn is the {9-Diamonds}

and the river is the {5-Diamonds}

. The three men turn over their hands:

Small blind: {K-Spades}

Farha:

Benyamine: {A-Hearts}

David Benyamine takes down a mammoth pot, and knocks out two players with his king-high straight. After the hand, he is up to 34,000 and appears to have the largest stack in the room.

06-12-2008 21:16 UTC-7

Chan Back to Concentrating on the Cards

[user66118]

Now that the basketball game is over, Johnny Chan has actually been seated for several minutes running.

In his latest action, he and two opponents built a big pot preflop, and the three players saw the flop bring {8-Spades}

. The first player to act bet the pot, 5,850, and the second opponent called. Johnny Chan also called, all in for his last 2,900.

Chan's two opponents went on to play a side pot without him, with the turn card coming the {6-Hearts}

. The player with the lead bet out the maximum again, this time all in for 5,275. His opponent called having him covered, and the three men turned over their hands:

Chan: {A-Diamonds}

All-in Opponent: {7-Hearts}

Calling Opponent: {A-Clubs}

Johnny Chan spiked his flush on the river, when the {2-Diamonds}

gave him the ace-high flush. He more than tripled up, and now sits at 14,600 after being down early.

Level: 8

Blinds: 75/150

Ante: 0

06-12-2008 20:56 UTC-7

X-22 Gets X'd Out

[user66118]

From mid position, Paul "X-22" Magriel limps into the pot, and John Phan checks his option from the big blind. The flop brings {10-Clubs}

. Phan checks, and Magriel bets 300. John Phan raises it up, putting Magriel all in for his last 1,400 chips. Magriel makes the call, and turns over {A-Clubs}

. Phan tables {10-Spades}

.

The turn and river blank off as far as Magriel is concerned: {5-Diamonds}

,

, and he goes quietly to the rail.

06-12-2008 20:54 UTC-7

Farha Not Laughing

[user66118]

Sam Farha and another player got all in on the flop with the board showing {3-Spades}

. Farha tabled {J-Spades}

, and his opponent showed down two overs and a gutshot straight draw with {A-Clubs}

.

The turn was disastrous for Farha. The {2-Hearts}

filled his opponent's straight, and made Farha the one in need of help. And he got it. The river peeled off the {6-Diamonds}

, making the same straight for both players, and chopping up the pot.

After the hand, Farha said, "So sick. I never get hands like this. So sick." He would have no doubt preferred to double up, but after that turn card, hopefully he can be content with splitting the pot and staying alive.

06-12-2008 20:47 UTC-7

Lawson All In... Or Was He?

[user66118]

An interesting situation just developed involving Ted Lawson.

From middle position, he entered the pot with a raise, and got two callers. The flop came {8-Hearts}

. Lawson bet out 2,100 and only one of the other two opponents made the call.

At this point, Lawson mistakenly thought he was all in, and showed down his hand: {5-Clubs}

. His opponent followed his lead, and tabled the leading hand, {A-Hearts}

.

The mishap still hadn't been realized, and the dealer dealt out fourth street, the {Q-Spades}

. As the players looked at Lawson, one of them realized that he was absent-mindedly fondling a small stack of chips in one of his hands. The floor was called over, and they ruled that the betting for the hand would be closed since all the cards were face-up, and that Laswon would be given a one-round penalty for exposing his hole cards early.

To make matters worse, the {10-Diamonds}

on the river did nothing to help Lawson's hand, and he loses the pot plus one round worth of play. At the time of his exit, the chips he had remaining totaled just 1,000, and Lawson was none too thrilled to have to abandon his short stack to take his penalty.

06-12-2008 20:34 UTC-7

Not the Only Game Going

[user66118]

Johnny Chan recently asked for a TV to be brought near his table, so that he could watch the NBA Finals game between the Celtics and the Lakers. The staff advised him that it wasn't possible and Johnny said, "Well then, can I put in a request for the future?"

A TV was turned on all the way across the room, and Chan keeps standing up between hands to walk over and check the score. Each time he returns, he broadcasts the latest updates to his table.

"They're up by four and they got the ball."