Event #8: $2,500 Eight-Game Mix
Day 1 Started
2013 World Series of Poker
Event #8: $2,500 Eight-Game Mix
Day: 1
Can "ODB" Defend his Eight-Game Mix Title or Will a New Superstar Emerge?
Today one of the most anticipated tournament's of the summer kicks off. We're talking of course about Event #8: $2,500 Eight-Game Mix. While no-limit hold'em tends to dominate the schedule, mixed-game players look forward to testing their skills in alternating rounds of Triple-Draw 2-7, Limit Hold'em, Omaha 8, Razz, Stud, Stud 8, No-Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha. This tournament requires players to have a strong proficiency in multiple games, and that's evidenced by the list of past champions.
For instance, last year David "ODB" Baker defeated Greg "FBT" Mueller in an epic heads-up battle to capture his long-awaited first bracelet and the accompanying $271,312 first-place prize. The 477-player field that he overcame to do it was among the most stacked all summer long.
The year before that, two-time bracelet winner John Monnette conquered a field of 489 players including a final table with John Racener (8th-$24,797), John Juanda (6th-$42,897), Brent Hanks (4th-$78,774), Michele Limongi (3rd-$109,245) and Eric Buchman (2nd-$171,855). Monnette earned $278,144 for that win.
We expect to see both Baker and Monnette in today's field.
After a pep talk from @allenbari ,seeing a week of mix games on the schedule, and a good sleep I'm fired up and ready to defend 2500 8 game!Follow @audavidb
Others who've tweeted that they'll more than likely be playing are John Racener, Jason Somerville, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Noori, Andrew Robl and Casey Jarzabek, just to name a few. The plan is to play triple draw 2-7, the H.O.R.S.E games and then No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha in every 60-minute level.
Who will be the next player to add their name to his list? Stick around to find out.
Former Eight-Game Mix Champions
| Year | Player | Entrants | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | David "ODB" Baker | 477 | $271,312 |
| 2011 | John Monnette | 489 | $278,144 |
| 2010 | Sigurd Eskeland | 453 | $260,497 |
| 2009 | Jerrod Ankenman | 412 | $241,637 |
| 2008* | Anthony Rivera | 192 | $483,688 |
*Featured $10,000 buy-in.
Action will kick off at 5 PM PST and the plan is to play eight levels, which will push play into the early morning hours. Cards should be in the air in Event #8: $2,500 Eight-Game Mix in a little over 90 minutes, so join us then as poker's best take to the felt to compete for a 2013 WSOP gold bracelet!
Level: 1
Triple Draw 2-7 - Hold'em - Omaha 8 50 75 75-150
Razz - Stud - Stud 8 25 25 75 75-150
No-Limit Hold'em - PLO (No Ante) 25 25
We're Starting with Razz
Level 1
The tournament staff has announced that the game kicking off the rotation is Razz. We're off to see who is in the field, so while you wait be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules for Razz:
Razz, played between two and eight players, is essentially Seven Card Stud low. The objective of Razz is make your lowest five-card hand using any combination of the seven cards you are dealt. Unlike Texas Hold’em and Omaha, Razz is a forced-bet game that features antes instead of blinds. Every player must ante up before the hand begins. The ante does not count towards any future bets.
Every player is dealt a total of seven cards over the course of a hand beginning with two hole cards and one up card. A round of betting occurs and then three more cards are placed face up, each followed by a round of betting. The seventh and final card is then dealt facedown to each player, giving him or her three down cards. A final round of betting ensues.
The Ranking of Hands—Razz uses the same ranking system as Ace-to-Five Triple Draw, meaning straight and flushes do not count and aces are always low. That means the best possible hand in Razz is a wheel (A-2-3-4-5). A hand like 6-5-4-3-2 is known as a “Six-Low” because its highest card is a six, while a hand like 8-6-5-4-3 is known as an “Eight-Low”. Hands often take it one card further and would call it an “Eighty Six”.
Here are ten sample Razz hands ranked from best to worst:
(best possible hand)
(second-best possible hand)
Some Notable Entrants
Level 1
Walking through the room as the $2,500 Eight-Game Mix tournament gets underway, we've already seen plenty of big names at their seats.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 |
Williams Grabs a PLO Pot
Level 1
PLO:
We found David Williams facing two other players on a 
board. The first player checked, Williams fired 700, and both of his opponents got out of the way.
More Notables
Level 1
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
|
7,500 | 7,500 |
Williams Takes One from Negreanu
Level 1
Limit Hold'em:
Daniel Negreanu raised from middle position, and David Williams three-bet him from the cutoff. Everyone else folded, and Negreanu called.
The flop came 
, and Negreanu checked and call. He did the same on a 
turn and 
river, and mucked when Williams showed 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,250 | 750 |
|
|
6,350 | -1,150 |
Bach Three-Bets and Loses
Level 1
Limit Hold'em:
The cutoff opened for a raise, and David Bach reraised from the big blind.
He check-called a 
flop. He again checked and called his opponent after the 
turned, and a final time on the 
river. The cutoff showed 
and took the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,600 | -1,900 |
The Notables Keep on Coming
Level 1
We did another pass through the far side of the Pavilion Room White Section and here are some of the players we spotted. Needless to say, this is a stacked field.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 | |
|
7,500 |