2008 World Series of Poker

39th Annual World Series of Poker Main Event
Day: 1d
Event Info
2008 World Series of Poker
Event Info
Buy-in
$10,000
Entries
6,844
Players Left
9
Next Payout
Place 9
$900,670
Level Info
Level
33
Blinds
120,000 / 240,000
Ante
30,000
Players Left 9 / 6,844
Filter (1)

Filter

Sort By

The Redshirts Are Coming

We are parked over here in the Green section of the Amazon Room, and one of the things we noticed immediately at the start of the day was the plethora of players near us sporting their red Ladbrokes poker shirts. The Green section contains only 14 tables, tiny in comparison to the other three quadrants. Yet, some of our tables have three or four Ladbrokes players sitting together. In looking around the room, it appears that they have managed to get all of their Day 1d players into the same section; we don't see a single red Ladbrokes shirt anywhere else in the field.

That's Fabio

A preflop raising war broke out between the two blinds. Fabio Coppola was in the small blind and was covered by his big blind opponent once all the chips were in the middle.

Coppola showed {J-Diamonds} {J-Clubs} to his opponent's {A-Hearts} {10-Diamonds}.

The board ran {7-Diamonds} {Q-Hearts} {Q-Diamonds} {9-Spades} {7-Hearts}. Coppola dodged all the bullets and doubled up to 32,500.

Tags: Fabio Coppola

Minieri Struggling

Dario Minieri still can't get it going. On the turn of a {K-Hearts} {K-Spades} {7-Spades} {Q-Clubs} board, Minieri bet 3,600 and was called by one opponent. He bet 4,500 when the river fell {8-Diamonds} and his opponent called again, turning over {A-Spades} {Q-Spades}. That was a winner.

Minieri is down to 12,000 in chips.

Giving Flack

Antonio Esfandiari & Layne Flack
Antonio Esfandiari & Layne Flack
Layne Flack limped in from early position, and a player behind him pushed all in for 5,075. A player in the big blind called, and Flack called as well.

Both Flack and the BB checked the {8-Spades}{5-Clubs}{9-Spades} flop as well as the {J-Clubs} turn. The river was the {10-Hearts}. The BB checked, Flack bet 3,500 into the dry side pot, and his opponent folded, showing pocket sevens for the dummy end of the straight. Flack turned over {K-Diamonds}{Q-Diamonds} for the nut straight. The all-in player had A-K and was eliminated.

"Wheeeee!" said Antonio Esfandiari afterwards. "Yeah, why not call five thousand with king-queen," he added facetiously. "These young guns... I just don't get it."

Flack now has 27,000.

Tags: Antonio EsfandiariLayne Flack

Jean-Robert Van Damme in "Quads"

Just as the ESPN cameras arrived to table Green 11, Jean-Robert Bellande got into a hand that will likely win him some broadcast time on the network.

Preflop, Bellande opened with a raise to 1,000, and the player in the small blind re-raised him to 3,000. Bellande made the call and the two men went to the flop heads up.

It rolled out {K-Spades} {10-Hearts} {2-Diamonds}. The small blind moved all in for 5,200, and Bellande made the call, flipping up {10-Clubs} {10-Diamonds}. His middle set was ahead as his opponent tabled {Q-Hearts} {Q-Diamonds}, drawing to two outs or some runner-runner straight cards.

The turn slammed the door on the all-in player's tournament life though. The {10-Spades} ripped off, making Bellande the unbeatable quadruple tens. He sends his opponent to the rail under the lights of the ESPN cameras, raking in a pot and chipping his way up to 48,400.

Tags: Jean-Robert Bellande

DeDouble

Michael DeMichele raised to 750 from early position and only the small blind player called. The flop came {3-Hearts} {10-Clubs} {J-Spades} before DeMichele continued his aggression with a 1,300 bet. His opponent check-raised up to 3,700, a bet that DeMichele called.

The turn came {8-Clubs} before before the small blind player moved all in. DeMichele made the call all in holding {J-Hearts} {10-Diamonds} for two pair and was ahead of his opponent's {A-Clubs} {A-Spades}. The river came {6-Clubs} to help DeMichele double up to 25,000.

Tags: Michael DeMichele

Another One Floats Away

Shortly after that last hand won by Layne Flack, Antonio Esfandiari got a player with pocket queens to put all his chips in the middle on a flop of {8-Diamonds}{6-Clubs}{10-Clubs}. Esfandiari showed {9-Hearts}{7-Hearts} for the straight, and the board blanked out for his opponent who hit the rail.

"Persian carpet ride," cracked Flack.

Esfandiari is at 80,000.

Tags: Antonio EsfandiariLayne Flack

Elizabeth Rivers The Goods

Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth raised it from under the gun to 1,000 and the big blind made the call.

The flop arrived {A-Diamonds}{8-Clubs}{A-Hearts} and both players checked. The turn brought the {7-Diamonds} and again it was checked. The river landed the {10-Diamonds} and Elizabeth fired out 1,500 which her opponent called.

Elizabeth tabled {10-Hearts}{10-Clubs} for a rivered full house to take down the pot and climb back above 9,000 chips.

Tags: Shannon Elizabeth