2008 World Series of Poker

Event 35 - $1,500 Seven Card Stud
Day: 3
Event Info

2008 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
47j2
Prize
$135,753
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,500
Entries
381
Level Info
Level
23
Blinds
0 / 0
Ante
0

Action, Please

Rocco brought in with his {6-Hearts}, and Barbieri calls with a {7-Hearts} in the door.

Both players check fourth and fifth streets:
Barbieri - {A-Spades} {J-Diamonds}
Rocco - {9-Spades} {5-Clubs}

On sixth street, Barbieri grabs the {J-Clubs} and he leads with a bet. Rocco folds quickly, and Barbieri clenches his fists. He shows his down cards: {A-Clubs} {A-Diamonds}.

Solid As a Rocco

Rocco brought it in with the {5-Spades}, and Barbieri raised with a {6-Spades} in the door. Rocco called.

Fourth street brought Rocco a {Q-Clubs}. He checked, as did Barbieri, who picked up a {2-Clubs}.

On fifth street, Barbieri was allowed to bet with the {8-Hearts}, only to get raised by Rocco's {10-Diamonds}. He called.

Sixth street: Barbieri checked his {A-Clubs}, Rocco bet the {4-Hearts}, and Barbieri goes into the tank. He fingered his chips and stared at the pot, which the dealer courteously spread out for him. After about two minutes, Barbieri made the call.

On seventh street, Rocco bet again, and Barbieri put in the call. As the cards are turned over, Barbieri sees the bad news. Rocco opens up {Q-Hearts} {Q-Diamonds} {7-Spades}, having made triple queens on fourth street. He takes down another nice pot, increasing his chiplead to 250,000.

Small Ball Winning?

It's been a series of limped and checked streets on Green #10. It could be that Mike Rocco's small ball style will become the dominant style of play, as he refuses to play at Al Barbieri's speed.

The World According to Sugar Bear

After a recent pot in which Al Barbieri lost the chip lead, he started jawing with Mike Rocco a little bit. On the next hand, Rocco brought it in for 3,000.

"When you limp," Barbieri said to Rocco, "there will be no pots. I do all the raising."

"Small ball," replied Rocco.

Barbieri shook his head. "If I win, it will be over in two hours. If you win it's gonna take six."

Chips Changing Hands

Barbieri brought in with the {8-Clubs} and Rocco called with the {A-Diamonds}.

Fourth street brought a {K-Diamonds} for Barbieri, and he bet it, getting called by the {Q-Spades} of Rocco.

On fifth street, Barbieri picked up a {Q-Diamonds} and he led out again. Rocco raised this time, and Barbieri called.

Rocco paired his queen when he picked up the {Q-Hearts} on sixth. Barbieri paired as well, and he called with his {8-Hearts}.

As seventh street was being dealt, Rocco bet dark, and Barbieri called dark. When the cards were turned up, Rocco had {A-Clubs} (X) (X), making the winning aces over queens.

With that pot, Rocco scoops up the chip lead, now sitting with 650,000.

Rocco Traps

What started out as a quiet hand turned into a big pot for Mike Rocco. After Al Barbieri brought it in with the {4-Spades}, Rocco limped behind with the {6-Clubs}. Barbieri led the betting on every street to sixth street. Rocco called every time until putting in a raise on sixth street. The boards at that point were:

Barbieri: {4-Spades} {9-Diamonds} {10-Clubs} {8-Spades}
Rocco: {6-Clubs} {10-Diamonds} {A-Diamonds} {Q-Hearts}

Barbieri called the raise, then called a bet on the river. Rocco turned over two aces in the hole for trip aces. Barbieri nodded his head, said, "Two pair," and then mucked his hand.

A Little Bit of Al

Late in the day yesterday, Al "Sugar Bear" Barbieri was short-stacked, down to just 17,000. He stood up and announced to his table, "If you guys don't get me in the next forty minutes, I'm gonna win the whole thing."

They didn't get him, and now he's playing for a bracelet. He's made himself quite comfortable at the final table by removing his shoes and propping one socked foot up on the chair between himself and Mike Rocco.

Feeling Each Other Out

Both players are playing very cautiously at the start of heads up play. The bring-in is often winning the pot with the low card, when the player with the high card mucks.

Al Barbieri did just win a pot that went to fifth street, with a board of {10-Spades} {3-Spades} {K-Diamonds}, against Rocco's board of {J-Hearts} {3-Diamonds} {4-Diamonds}.