Christian Harder has had an impressive run at the World Series of Poker Main Event. He has cashed in three consecutive years, finishing 100th in 2010, 92nd in 2011, and 505th in 2012. His 2013 Main Event is off to a nice start, as well.
Picking up the action after a , Harder checked from the big blind and a player in middle position bet 400. The player on the button called before Harder check-raised to 1,600. Only the middle-position player called to see the turn and Harder checked. His opponent bet 1,800, Harder called, and the river landed. Harder fired 5,000, sending his opponent into the tank for about 90 seconds before he folded.
One of the hardest things to do in poker is to run deep in the Main Event. Part of making that deep run includes avoiding bad spots. Nam Le and Ben Lamb just gave us two excellent examples of how to avoid those bad spots.
In our first example, Nam Le opened from early middle position with a raise to 300. He was called by the player to his direct left and no one else. Duffey the dealer laid down the flop of and Le led out with a bet of 325. The other player put in a reraise to 725 and after about 15 seconds of thought, Le laid down his hand. The player to his left showed for a flopped set of threes and Le nodded his head, making it seem as if he had made a good lay down.
Across the room at another table, Ben Lamb was also involved in a small pot. With the board reading , Lamb had checked to his opponent who put out a bet of 1,000.
"Can I show one, or is that a rule?" Lamb asked. The dealer let him know that he could show his hand if he was intending to fold. Lamb held the T1,000 chip in his hand and motioned it towards the pot several times before finally putting it back in his stack and turning up his . His opponent never showed his hand, but Lamb seemed to be ok about his fold as the player scooped the pot.
We caught the action just as Christian Rudolph checked his option on a board. The player in middle position bet out 400, before their opponent on the button bumped it up to 1,100. The decision was back on Rudolph, and he quickly reached for chips, before raising it up to 2,600. It was enough to get the original better out, but not the raiser, as both saw the fall on the turn. Both players opted to check, as the completed the board.
Rudolph check called a bet of 2,700, but quickly mucked when his opponent rolled over his for a flopped set of queens.
This year marks the 10th anniversary since Chris Moneymaker changed poker history by outlasting a field of 839 players to turn a $39 satellite seat into a $2.5 million payday. The win is credit as a major contributing factor to the poker boom and multiplied entries into the Main Event for years to come.
To commemorate the ten-year anniversary, the WSOP unveiled a bronze bust of Moneymaker in his signature pose. That makes Moneymaker just the second man to receive one of these busts after Doyle Brunson was given one on Day 1b.
"Think of it as the first step in a more tangible Poker Hall of Fame," Stewart had said on Day 1b.
The action folded round to the player on the button, who opened to 300, before getting called by Brandon Adams on the big blind. The flop came down as Adams checked his option, before his opponent threw out a continuation bet of 500. The bet was called, as the fell on the turn. Both players were happy to check, and do the same, when the completed the board.
The player on the button quickly tabled his for a straight, before a disappointed Adams showed his for the over pair.
During the first hour of the Main Event, the play is typically defined by a protracted feeling out process, with the majority of players simply content to soak in the experience and fold until they find a monster.
Experienced veterans like Aussie Gary Benson, however, know that this stage of the tournament can become a goldmine, provided a couple of premium hands are dealt.
Benson, who has dominated Australia's and New Zealand's burgeoning tournament circuit for nearly three decades, has proven that to be true here today, after taking control of his table early in the day.
We passed by Benson's table with four players each putting 950 into the pot before the flop. When the dealer fanned the across the felt, the action was checked to Benson, and he fired a bet of 1,500 forward. After a lone player flatted out of position, the turn came , and the opponent checked once more to Benson.
Continuing his aggressive line, Benson moved a pile of chips equal to 3,600 into the middle, and his opponent smooth called a second time.
The river brought the to the board, and both players elected to slow down by tapping the table.
"If you've got a four you're good," said Benson, as he tabled the .
His opponent was visibly distressed at having been coolered so early in the Main Event, and he disgustedly threw his into the muck.
Benson chipped up to nearly 40,000 on this hand, adding a third of his opponent's starting stack to his own to begin his Main Event in style. As the first Aussie to capture a gold bracelet here in Vegas, one of the game's great ambassadors has put him himself in great shape to make a run through this third Day 1 flight.