Players and staff alike were shocked at the rapid pace that this event moved at on Day 1. In a mere ten levels the 939 players that registered became 110 and by the end of Day 1 all remaining players were in the money. That pace continued on Day 2 and after just shy of nine levels of play a final table was reached. Leading the final table is Eugene Du Plessis who is just shy of one million chips with 996,000.
Yesterday's play saw many notable players attempt to make the prestigious final table only to fall short. Jeff Williams, Dan O'Brien, McLean Karr, Jon Turner, Men Nguyen, Melanie Weisner, John Racener, Max Pescatori and Thomas Conway are just a few of the names that made the money but were unable to clinch a top nine finish.
World Series of Poker bracelet winner Erick Lindgren led the way for a majority of Day 2 play. Unfortunately for Lindgren, he was one of the last players eliminated on Day 2. Lindgren finished eleventh when he moved all in with pocket eights on a board. Lindgren was called by Du Plessis' two pair of and did not improve on the river.
Cards will be in the air here at the Pavilion stage at 1:00 PM. Follow along as we once again traverse the path to a WSOP champion.
John Hayes had the button and Harrison Gimbel started the action by bringing in for 1,000. After five more players called Greg Hobson raised to 24,000. Justin Schwartz moved all in for 285,000 and it folded back to Hobson who made the call.
Hobson:
Schwartz:
Schwartz was in need of help and found a tiny glimmer of hope on the flop. Shwartz was in need of a ten to make Broadway, but did not find it on the turn.
The completed the board and Schwartz became the first casualty of this final table.
Greg Hobson brought the action in for 1,000 and four more players called. Sameer Aljanedi opted to move all in for 132,000 and it folded to Hobson who announced a call. The rest of the table folded and the hands were shown:
Hobson:
Aljanedi:
Hobson furthered his lead by pairing his queen on the flop. The turned and Aljanedi was drawing dead to the river. Aljanedi will collect $23,343 for his eighth place finish.
Harrison Gimbel raised to 40,000 and after being crippled in the previous hand, Seth Davies moved all in for 43,000 total. Gimbel called with and was up against Davies' .
The board ran out and Gimbel paired his king, allowing him to take the pot and send Davies home in 7th place.
Mike McDonald brought in for 1,000 and John Hayes also called. Harrison Gimbel made it 40,000 and Mike McDonald called the 40,000. John Hayes replied by three-betting all in and Gimbel folded. McDonald called for his tournament life.
McDonald:
Hayes:
The flop essentially killed McDonald when it gave Hayes top set with . The on the turn gave Hayes a full house and McDonald was drawing dead for the river. He will take home $39,931 in winnings.
Greg Hobson raised to 40,000 and was called by Harrison Gimbel. Eugene Du Plessis moved all in for 210,000 and both players called.
The three saw a flop with Du Plessis' life on the line. Hobson bet 105,000 and Gimbel's hand quickly reached the muck. The hands were turned over and Du Plessis was in need of some help.
Du Plessis:
Hobson:
Hobsob's paired queen was in the lead and the and on the turn and river sealed Du Plessis fate. He was sent to the rail as our 5th place finisher.
Mike Sowers limped and Gimbel raised to 80,000. Sowers called and the two were heads up to a flop of . They both checked and saw a turn of .
Sowers checked for a second time and Gimbel dipped into his stack, pushing 135,000 into the middle. Sowers replied by moving all in and Gimbel quickly called to realize he was crushed.
Sowers:
Gimbel:
Both had turned two pair with Sowers having the higher two pair. The finished the board and Gimbel was sent home in fourth place.
The very next hand after Harrison Gimbel hit the rail, John Hayes fired out a bet on a flop of . Mike Sowers raised to 100,000 and Hayes replied by moving his stack of a little under 400,000 all in. Sowers quickly called with the for top pair and was ahead of Hayes' .
The hit the turn and the on the river, ensuring Hayes' elimination and thrusting us into heads up play.
Greg Hobson was the bring in for 30,000. Mike Sowers moved all in before the flop and Hobson snap called.
Hobson:
Sowers:
Hobson was ahead and needed to fade an ace to clinch the win. The flop obliged and Sowers was two cards away from being sent home in second place.
The turn brought the and Sowers still needed one of the three remaining aces to continue heads up play. The dealer produced the on fifth street and Sowers was sent to the rail with a second place finish. Sowers will take home $158,887 for his efforts.
Three days ago World Series of Poker history was made when this unique event kicked off. It was a standard no-limit hold'em event with one key difference: no blinds. Players would ante every hand and have the option to bring in for the smallest denomination chip in play. After three days of play and a field of 939 players, Greg Hobson was able to rise to the top to grab the first place prize of $256,691 as well as the first WSOP bracelet offered for this type of event.
When Day 1 of this event began kicked off, many were excited about the unique play that this structure of tournament would offer. What was not expected was how quickly the field would fly. The starting 939 was whittled down to the final 110 after just ten levels of play on Day 1, which was enough to make the money. Among those to come out for the event and go home without a cash were Daniel Negreanu, Barry Shulman, Joe Cada, Matt Glantz, Dennis Phillips, David Williams, Jennifer Tilly, Christian Harder, Phil Hellmuth, Randy Lew, and many more.
The pace of the tournament did not slow down on Day 2 when the final 110 returned to the felt. Dan O'Brien, Jeff Williams, Mickey Petersen, David Chicotsky, Max Pescatori, Melanie Weisner, John Racener, Men Nguyen, Mike Leah, and Erick Lindgren were among those to return for Day 2 only to hit the rail before the final table.
Day 2 ended after a little more than eight levels of play as a final nine were reached.
Final Table Chip Counts
Seat
Player
Chips
1
Seth Davies
640,000
2
Sameer Aljanedi
167,000
3
Justin Schwartz
252,000
4
Eugene Du Plessis
996,000
5
Mike McDonald
205,000
6
Greg Hobson
608,000
7
Mike Sowers
824,000
8
John Hayes
229,000
9
Harrison Gimbel
325,000
Play at the final table began just as fast and furious it had been for the first two days of the tournament. Justin Schwartz became the first casualty, however, when he was unfortunate enough to run his into Greg Hobson's during a preflop all in confrontation. Schwartz flopped a gutshot Broadway draw but was unable to hit it and was sent to the rail in ninth place.
Soon after Schwartz's elimination Sameer Aljanedi got it all in with before the flop and was called by eventual champion Greg Hobson's . Hobson paired his queen on the flop and that was all she wrote for Aljanedi.
Play slowed down after this for what seemed to be the first time in the entire tournament. This lull in the action ended, however, when Harrison Gimbel got his stack all in against Seth Davies. Gimbel was way behind with to Davies' pocket queens. Davies' hand held up all the way until the river when the hit to give Gimbel a pair of aces. A crippled Davies was the next to go when Harrison Gimbel finished off his short-stack during the next hand.
Mike "Timex" McDonald was the next player to be eliminated from the field. McDonald moved all in before the flop and was called by John Hayes.
Showdown
McDonald:
Hayes:
Hayes was in the lead and jumped into an even more secure place when he flopped top set on the flop. The board paired fives on the turn and McDonald was drawing dead. Timex collected $39,931 for his sixth place finish.
Eugene Du Plessis was the chip leader coming into play but remained quiet for a majority of the final table. Eventually he moved all in before the flop holding ace-king but was sent packing when Greg Hobson's ace-queen drilled a queen on the flop. Harrison Gimbel was the next to go when he showed two pair against Mike Sowers. Sowers held a better two pair and Gimbel was out the door.
Immediately after Gimbel's elimination, John Hayes moved all in with pocket sevens on a flop. Mike Sowers called with for top pair and Hayes failed to improve. Hayes' third place elimination put Greg Hobson and Mike Sowers heads up with virtually even chip stacks.
Hobson came out to an quick lead winning two substantial pots early on in heads up play. Sowers was able to fight back a little but in the end it just was not enough. About thirty minutes after returning from the dinner break, Sowers moved all in with and was snap called by Hobson's . The board fell and Sowers was forced to settle for a second place finish and $158,887 in prize money.
PokerNews sends its congratulations to Greg Hobson as the champion of the first ever Ante-Only No-Limit Hold'em event in World Series of Poker History.
Final Table Payouts
Place
Player
Prize
1
Greg Hobson
$256,691
2
Mike Sowers
$158,887
3
John Hayes
$99,409
4
Harrison Gimbel
$72,155
5
Eugene Du Plessis
$53,267
6
Mike McDonald
$39,931
7
Seth Davies
$30,373
8
Sameer Aljanedi
$23,413
9
Justin Schwartz
$18,292
That does it for our coverage of Event 49: $1,500 Ante-Only No-Limit Hold'em. Be sure to check out our live reporting page for more updates from the 2012 World Series of Poker!