Event 3 - $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo 8-or-better Day 1 | 2009 World Series of Poker

Event 3 - $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo 8-or-better

Day 1 Completed

05-29-2009 20:19 UTC-12

Day 1 in the Books

donpeters

We've just finished up the last few hands of the day and the players are being instructed by the tournament staff on how exactly to bag and tag their chips so nothing goes awry.

We began the day with a record-setting field of 918 entrants for the largest Omaha Hi/Lo 8-or-Better tournament ever! Allen Cunningham, Daniel Negreanu, David "Chino" Rheem, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, and Gavin Smith were among some of the bigger names that failed to make it through to the second day of action. On the flip side, Phil Hellmuth, Lee Watkinson, Brandon Cantu, Annie Duke, and Todd Brunson will all be back tomorrow to keep moving towards a gold bracelet.

One of the most amazing stories is that Thang Luu, last year's champion, looks to be our chip leader at the end of the day with over 70,000 chips. Luu bested the enormous field last year to claim his first bracelet and the over $200,000 first-place prize and looks poised and ready to make another deep run for the repeat.

A total of 197 players will be moving on to the second day and play is scheduled to begin at 2:00 PM local time. All of the official chip counts will be posted as soon as we receive them. Thanks for following and we'll see you all back here for our continued coverage of Event #3.

05-29-2009 20:03 UTC-12

Eli Elezra Finishing Strong

[user108095]

With just a few hands left to play, Eli Elezra got involved in a big pot.

Four players saw a flop of {9-Clubs}

and, after a round of betting, action moved to the turn, which brought the {6-Hearts}

.

Another round of betting brought the players to the river where the {K-Hearts}

hit the board. Elezra bet out and got one caller.

When the hands were opened, Elezra showed {A-Hearts}

for two pair and scooped the pot when his opponent mucked. The hand brought Elezra's chip stack to 55,000.

05-29-2009 19:54 UTC-12

A Long Day is Almost Over

[user108095]

There are just six hands left in today's session. Once the players bag their chips for the night, play will end until 2PM tomorrow.

05-29-2009 19:43 UTC-12

Jean-Robert Bellande Eliminated

[user108095]

Another update via Twitter.

"Out. Super long day. No result. Sucks!"

05-29-2009 19:39 UTC-12

Thang Luu Keeps on Rollin'

[user108095]

Another big hand for Thang Luu.

This time, he led out a flop of {3-Spades}

and got called in two spots. The same pattern repeated on the turn and river, which brought the {7-Spades}

and

, respectively.

When the hands were opened, Luu showed {A-Spades}

for the flush and the high, while his opponents each showed ace-deuce which was good enough to chop the low.

05-29-2009 19:35 UTC-12

Big Stacks Sittin' at Table 21

donpeters

Table #21 is sitting a little heavy on its legs with all the chips on the table. Here's a list of some of the key players on the stack sizes over there.

Thang Luu - 64,000
Clint Steelman - 34,000
Warren Karp - 26,000
Justin Young - 23,000
John Kabbaj - 16,000

05-29-2009 19:30 UTC-12

Kristy Gazes Eliminated

[user108095]

We missed the hand, but got the update thanks to Kristy's Twitter feed.

"Busto...brutal last hand :-(...gonna skip tomorrow cuz burnt out already"

Good game, Kristy.

05-29-2009 19:26 UTC-12

Defending Champ Luu Looking Strong

donpeters

Defending champion Thang Luu is cruising once again this year. On this hand, Luu raised before Warren Karp reraised. Luu made the call.

The flop came down {7-Hearts}

and Luu checked. Karp bet and Luu called.

The turn brought the {5-Clubs}

and both players checked. The river was the {3-Diamonds}

and Luu led out with a bet. Karp made the call.

Luu tabled {A-Spades}

for a wheel that was good enough to scoop the entire pot. He now has a massive 62,000 chips and looks to be building one heck of a fortress to defend his title!

Tags: Thang Luu Warren Karp