2014 World Series of Poker

Event #1: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 2
Event Info

2014 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aq
Prize
$82,835
Event Info
Buy-in
$500
Entries
876
Level Info
Level
23
Blinds
20,000 / 40,000
Ante
5,000

Calling the Clock: Amber Fukuda

Level 18 : 6,000/12,000, 2,000 ante

Jennifer Robles gets to Call the Clock on new PokerNews presenter Amber Fukuda. Find out if she's a party girl, a home body and where her favorite tattoos are! Amber will providing videos every Monday about the most compelling stories from the week before.

Tags: Amber FukudaJennifer Robles

The Next Few Hands

Level 18 : 6,000/12,000, 2,000 ante

Hand #42

Brian Wong opened on the button to 80,000 and the blinds folded.

Hand #43

Brian Wong raised to 40,000 and Charles Nguyen made the call from the big blind. The flop was {k-Clubs}{q-Diamonds}{10-Spades}. Nguyen checked and Brian Wong fired all in. Nguyen quickly folded.

Hand #44

John Taylor opened to 41,000 and Charles Nguyen three-bet to 101,000 from the small blind. The big blind and Taylor folded.

Hand #45

Brian Wong opened to 90,000 from early position and took the blinds and antes.

Taylor and Emery Remain Active

Level 18 : 6,000/12,000, 2,000 ante

Hand #39

First walk of this final table. Corey Emery raked in the small blind and antes.

Hand #40

John Taylor raised to 38,000 from under the gun and Brian Wong defended his big blind. On the {10-Spades}{5-Hearts}{J-Spades} flop, Wong check-folded after Taylor made the continuation bet for 55,000.

Hand #41

Corey Emery raised preflop and John Taylor defended his big blind. On the {7-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}{K-Spades} flop, Taylor took the lead with a bet of 36,000 and Emery called. On the {A-Clubs} turn, Taylor then check-folded when Emery made it 62,000 to go.

Tags: Corey EmeryJohn Taylor

Next Two Hands

Level 18 : 6,000/12,000, 2,000 ante

Hand #37

Olivier Doremus raised from the small blind and Charles Nguyen folded the big blind after a brief pause.

Hand #38

Charles Nguyen opened for 27,000 and Roland Reparejo made the call from the big blind. They saw a flop of {j-Diamonds}{4-Hearts}{j-Clubs}. Both players checked to see a turn card {a-Clubs}. Check again and the river was the {a-Spades}. Nguyen then check-called a bet of 55,000 from Reparejo and mucked when Reparejo showed the {a-Hearts}{2-Spades}.

Tags: Charles NguyenOlivier DoremusRoland Reparejo

Wong Folds, Then Doubles

Level 18 : 6,000/12,000, 2,000 ante
Brian Wong Doubles Up
Brian Wong Doubles Up

Hand #35

The action folded around to Brian Wong in the small blind who made the call and John Taylor checked his option. The flop was {8-Diamonds}{7-Hearts}{4-Spades} and Wong checked. Taylor bet 27,000 and Wong folded.

Hand #36

Charles Nguyen opened to 25,000 from under the gun and Brian Wong pushed all in for 93,000 from the button. John Taylor thought for a moment before folding in the small blind and that was apparently enough time for Nguyen to consider his action as he quickly announced "call" after a fold from the big blind.

Wong was at risk and behind with {a-Diamonds}{j-Diamonds} as Nguyen turned over {4-Clubs}{4-Hearts}. The flop of {8-Diamonds}{5-Hearts}{k-Spades} was clean for Nguyen and brought a loud cheer from his raucous rail. The {a-Spades} on the turn paired Wong and the harmless {3-Diamonds} on the river provided him with the double up.

Tags: Brian WongCharles Nguyen

Nguyen Rail Livens Up

Level 18 : 6,000/12,000, 2,000 ante
Charles Nguyen
Charles Nguyen

Hand #31

Brian Wong was next to move all in but this time there were no callers.

Hand #32

Corey Emery opened for 31,000 and Olivier Doremus three-bet to 78,000. That took it down.

Hand #33

Charles Nguyen opened for 25,000 which was unopposed. Blinds and antes to Nguyen as his rail cheered on, “Just like I told you, great sizing.”

Hand #34

Nguyen again opened for 25,000 Brian Wong made the call. They saw a flop of {7-Hearts}{6-Spades}{9-Clubs}. Check from Wong and Nguyen bet 45,000. Wong folded and there were more cheers from his rail.

Tags: Brian WongCharles NguyenCorey Emery

Marcin Sobczak Eliminated in Seventh Place ($10,308)

Level 18 : 6,000/12,000, 2,000 ante
Olivier Doremus_Marcin Sobczak
Olivier Doremus_Marcin Sobczak

Hand #30

The second elimination in back-to-back hands. Marcin Sobczak got it all in preflop with the {A-Clubs}{8-Clubs} in a battle of the blinds against Olivier Doremus. Doremus had him dominated with the {9-Clubs}{9-Hearts} and both players raised to their feet to see the flop.

It was something for both as Doresmus had flopped top set on {2-Clubs}{9-Spades}{4-Clubs}, but Sobczak had the flush draw. Both the {J-Diamonds} turn and the {6-Spades} river blanked and that was it for Sobczak, who takes home $10,308 for his efforts.

Player Chips Progress
Marcin Sobczak us
Marcin Sobczak
Busted

Tags: Marcin SobczakOlivier Doremus

David Luttbeg Eliminated In Eighth Place ($7,947)

Level 18 : 6,000/12,000, 2,000 ante
David Luttbeg - 8th
David Luttbeg - 8th

Hand #29

For the second time in a row, Corey Emery opened to 32,000. One seat over, David Luttgeb moved all in and he got called by the initial raiser. Showdown:

Emery: {Q-Clubs}{Q-Diamonds}
Luttgeb: {7-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}

It was a crucial move at the worst possible time and the dealer showed no mercy. Luttgeb was already drawing dead on the {3-Clubs}{J-Hearts}{8-Hearts}{K-Diamonds} turn and the {3-Spades} completed the river. Emery is back to where he started the final table with.

Player Chips Progress
Corey Emery us
Corey Emery
520,000 20,000
David Luttbeg us
David Luttbeg
Busted

Tags: Corey EmeryDavid Luttbeg

Final Table Interview: John Taylor

Level 18 : 6,000/12,000, 2,000 ante
John Taylor
John Taylor

Minutes after meeting Corey Emery for a quick interview before the final table convened, we caught up with his colleague from the Player's Club Casino in Ventura, California, where both men work as poker dealers. Taylor wasn't here to rail his buddy though, he was trying to chase him down, as he entered the final table in second chip position behind Emery.

And while his fellow veteran of the box had WSOP experience under his belt before making the trip, Taylor walked into the Rio as a WSOP neophyte, simply looking to soak in the experience and enjoy a good time. Instead, he just might become the first player of the summer to sport a shiny gold bracelet.

PokerNews: Wow, so you’re a colleague of Corey Emery, our current chip leader?

Yeah, we actually work together at the same place. I’m a poker dealer, been there for almost two years, but I’ve been dealing since about 2001. Been playing since right around that time as well.

PokerNews: We heard about Corey’s run in the 2010 Main Event, so how about you? Any experience playing on poker’s grand stage?

This is my first time attending the WSOP, which is really cool for the fact of making it here to the final table. Yeah, this is just really exciting.

PokerNews: And I take it you’ll be booking a return reservation after enjoying this experience so much?

Yeah, definitely… I plan on it. You know, I’m just very fortunate I made it this far, man. Because, you hear it’s an employee’s event, so you figure all these dealers are going to come in and start taking shots, and it’s going to be super juicy, but it turned out not to be that way. Just the whole structure of the tournament is really cool, too. I’m so used to playing fifteen-minute, thirty-minute blinds, so a one-hour blind level gives you a lot of time, even though you don’t start with a lot of chips, gives you some time to try and build. It’s really cool.

PokerNews: Any key hands from yesterday that put you in position to make the final table?

My key hand, which pumped me up really early in the tournament, was against Bernard Lee. I limped in with queen-ten and everybody folded to the blinds. It’s Bernard in the small blind, and he calls, with the big blind checking behind. The flop comes jack-eight-deuce, and me just trying to see if they had anything, trying to take it down right there, I just threw out 1,100. Bernard called, the other guy folded, and the nine hits the turn to give me the nut straight. He bets out 1,800, I make it 3,800 and he goes all in. He made two pair on the turn and I held up on the river to knock him out. So that was a big hand for me yesterday, for sure.

PokerNews: And how have things progressed today?

Today, man, it’s been really like a roller coaster ride, very up and down. I think I made a bad move with king-queen suited, got it all in with a guy I thought was on a move, but he had ace-ten. Sure enough though, I spiked two pair on the flop, and it held up to put me in a pretty good position. From there, it’s pretty much been smooth sailing, I made some really bad calls to give some chips away, but I ended up getting them back along the way.

PokerNews: Every poker player dreams of making a WSOP final table at some point, and you just accomplished that feat in your first time out. Anybody back home you'd like to let know about the good news?

Taylor: Yeah, I would say my family, you know… mom and dad, my brother. Most of all, my son Brenton. I love him, man.

Tags: Corey EmeryJohn Taylor