Event 51 - $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. Day 1 | 2008 World Series of Poker

06-29-2008 16:37 UTC-7

HORSE of a Different Color

[user38368]

The $1,500 HORSE event is set to begin in about 20 minutes. It's spread all over the Amazon and Brazilia rooms, and will likely consolidate here in Amazon Orange. We should get many of the same players as in the $50,000 HORSE, as mixed-game specialists can't resist a bracelet regardless of the buy-in. Stay tuned!

06-29-2008 17:04 UTC-7

$1,500 HORSE Notes

[user38368]

There were 708 players in last year's $1,000 SHOE event, which has morphed into $1,500 HORSE. Last year's winner was Dao Bac. So far we have 640 players in this event, but more are registering all the time.

Shuffle up and deal!

Level: 1

Blinds: 0/0

Ante: 0

06-29-2008 17:11 UTC-7

Six Seventy-Six

[user38368]

The board says that 676 players are now entered. Looks like it's going to keep going up before it goes down.

06-29-2008 17:17 UTC-7

Record Broken

[user38368]

The board now reads 710, which surpasses last year's SHOE event.

06-29-2008 17:18 UTC-7

Notable Players

[user38368]

Here's some noted players throughout this massive field.

Lou Esposito
Daniel Negreanu
Isaac Haxton
Mike Hefer
Bryan Devonshire
Mark Gregorich
Eugene Katchalov
Svetlana Gromenkova
Al Barbieri
David Sklansky
Bryan Micon
Yueqi Zhu
Tom Schneider
Bart Hanson
James Van Alstyne
Claude Cohen
Greg Pappas
John Cernuto
David Levi
Marsha Waggoner

06-29-2008 17:28 UTC-7

More Names

[user38368]

Here are several more faces we've spotted. By the way, it now reads 735 players on the board.

Sabyl Landrum
Sam Simon
Chris Reslock
Yuval Bronshtein
Jeff Madsen
Rafe Furst
CK Hua
Stuart Paterson
Justin Bonomo
Isabelle Mercier

06-29-2008 17:35 UTC-7

Our First Hand of the Day

[user38368]

Omaha-8:

On a turn of {5-Hearts}

, Isabelle Mercier bets from the small blind and Isaac Haxton raises from the big blind. Mercier calls.

The river is {10-Hearts}

and Mercier checks. Haxton bets and Mercier calls. She turns over {2-Spades}

for a full house to Haxton's {5-Hearts}

and wins the pot.

06-29-2008 17:39 UTC-7

The Old Schneider Chop Play

[user38368]

Omaha-8

A player in early position raises and another player in early position calls. A player in the cutoff calls and Tom Schneider calls from the small blind. The big blind folds.

The flop is {8-Clubs}

and Schneider checks. The raiser puts out a continuation bet and three players call, including Schneider.

The turn is {2-Hearts}

and Schneider leads out. The raiser and the next player call and the cutoff folds.

The river is {7-Diamonds}

and Schneider bets. Both call.

Schneider shows {2-Spades}

and chops it with the raiser, who has {A-Clubs}

. The other player mucks.

06-29-2008 17:43 UTC-7

Controversial Button Ruling

[user38368]

During the first level, in the Stud games, an ante is impossible as there are no 5 denomination chips in play. Therefore, the button is having to ante for the entire table, and the button rotates during Stud games instead of staying stationary.

However, some tables are seven handed and some are eight handed at the moment, so since the games change every eight hands, one player ends up paying a bunch extra in antes. Several players are complaining about this, but the decision stands.