2008 World Series of Poker Europe

Event 2 - £2,500 H.O.R.S.E.
Day: 1
Event Info

2008 World Series of Poker Europe

Final Results
Winner
Prize
£76,999
Event Info
Buy-in
£2,500
Prize Pool
£275,000
Entries
110
Level Info
Level
20
Blinds
0 / 0
Ante
0

Chip Counts Going Into The Break

Table 5:

Seat 1: Richard Gryko -- 4,075
Seat 2: Torstein Iversen -- 10,050
Seat 3: Neal Friets -- 20,350
Seat 5: Phil Hellmuth -- 15,300
Seat 6: Murray Brown -- 12,975
Seat 7: Paul Jackson -- 8,225
Seat 8: Greg Howard -- 9,000

Table 6:

Seat 1: Andreas Hoivold -- 9,275
Seat 2: Jeff Madsen -- 17,725
Seat 3: Mori Eskandani -- 1,275
Seat 4: Istvan Novaic -- 6,450
Seat 5: Raul Paez -- 23,000
Seat 7: Mike Matusow -- 9,200
Seat 8: Alessio Isaia -- 14,575

Table 7:

Seat 1: Andy Bloch -- 12,475
Seat 2: Morten Stenheim -- 4,700
Seat 3: John Phan -- 13,675
Seat 4: Stephen Ladowsky -- 5,775
Seat 5: Chris Ferguson -- 6,725
Seat 6: Mark Gregorich -- 14,400
Seat 7: John Kabbaj -- 12,000
Seat 8: Jolyne Thompson -- 8,900

Table 8 (aka Table of Doom):

Seat 1: Doyle Brunson -- 14,525
Seat 2: Chad Brown -- 2,225
Seat 3: Max Pescatori -- 9,725
Seat 4: Thor Hansen -- 11,300
Seat 5: John Juanda -- 17,325
Seat 6: Chris Bjorin -- 12,600
Seat 7: Jean-Robert Bellande -- 13,350
Seat 8: Robert Williamson III -- 7,750

Dicing With Disaster

David Williams - Doubler Upper
David Williams - Doubler Upper
Stud 8:

Short stack Michael Craig looked as unworried as a squirrel with a key to the nut factory despite having shrunk to just 600 chips at one point. Back around the 2,000 mark, the Stud 8 round saw him get it all in no fewer than three times; I caught two of them.

The first time it was David Benyamine who gave him a spin for his tournament life, Craig betting until fifth street when their hands were like so:

Benyamine: {2-Clubs} {8-Clubs} {6-Diamonds}
Craig: {6-Hearts} {6-Spades} {7-Clubs}
Now Benyamine raised him to 800 (in the process getting rid of third player Ola Brandborn) and then verbally agreeing to call him all in. They turned up their hands and waited for the dealer to pass judgement...

Benyamine: [{3-Hearts} {4-Hearts} ]{2-Clubs} {8-Clubs} {6-Diamonds}...{10-Hearts} ...{7-Spades}
Craig: [{Q-Diamonds} {Q-Clubs} {6-Hearts} {6-Spades} {7-Clubs} ...{8-Spades} ...{3-Spades} Chop it up.

The very next hand...

Craig got it all in against David Williams showing {A-Clubs} {8-Clubs} {4-Diamonds} {3-Diamonds} , and when he turned his final {10-Diamonds} {8-Diamonds} {3-Hearts} it turned out that his two pair pipped Williams' Sevens and Sixes and scooped a 6,000 pot that pulled him back from the brink of elimination.

Tags: David BenyamineDavid WilliamsMichael Craig

Table Talk

Gus Hansen: "Phil (Ivey), how much do you have?"

Ivey: "Ten..."

Hansen: "I'll give you two-to-one on a last longer."

Ivey: "How much do you have?"

Hansen: "Eleven."

Ivey: "Ha ha . . . That's why nobody likes you."

Tags: Gus HansenPhil Ivey

Level: 4

Blinds: 0/0

Ante: 0

Hoivold Makes Quads; Plays Professionally

"Quaaaaads"
"Quaaaaads"
Hold'em:

I catch the action on the river, the board reading {8-Spades} {K-Hearts} {3-Spades} {Q-Spades} {Q-Diamonds} and Alessio Isaia betting 600 into a very sizeable pot. Andreas Hoivold makes it 1,200 and with a sigh Isaia calls, but mucks when Hoivold turns over {Q-Clubs} {Q-Hearts} for very unlikely quads.

"Now that's how you play a hand professionally," pipes up Mike Matusow.

Tags: Andreas Hoivold

Levi Your Chips Over There

Hold'em:

Allen Cunningham raises it up from early position and David Levi calls from the big blind before the flop brings us {5-Clubs} {6-Clubs} {3-Spades}.

Levi check-calls Cunningham's bet before doing the same on the {J-Spades} turn. The river {4-Hearts} sees Levi lead out and Cunningham calls, but mucks when he sees Levi's {A-Diamonds} {7-Diamonds} for the straight.

Tags: Allen CunninghamDavid Levi

Chad's Had It

Coffee can't help him now
Coffee can't help him now
Omaha-8:

While some kind of ruckus was taking place involving Mike Matusow apparently lambasting Chris Ferguson's tournament record, followed by Phil Hellmuth high-fiving Ferguson and astoundingly ordering Matusow to, "Shut up," Chad Brown was eliminated in a massive three-way hand.

Brown raised all in on a {5-Hearts} {2-Clubs} {7-Hearts} flop to a bet from Jean-Robert Bellande and a call from Robert Williamson III, and both players made it to the {Q-Clubs} turn and {10-Hearts} river.

Williamson III: {8-Hearts} {6-Clubs} {3-Spades} {A-Clubs}
Bellande: {6-Diamonds} {3-Hearts} {2-Hearts} {K-Clubs}
Brown: very quickly flashed his cards but it wasn't good enough.

Williamson III and Bellande chopped the pot, and Brown disappeared into the casino night.

Tags: Chad BrownJean-Robert BellandeRobert Williamson III

Stenheim Eliminated by Ferguson and Bloch

Stud-8:

Also no longer with us is Morten Stenheim, who became involved in a three-way encounter with Chris Ferguson and Andy Bloch. With Stenheim all in on fifth street, betting continued between Ferguson and Bloch, and come showdown the cards read as follows:

Bloch: {A-Spades} {4-Hearts} {Q-Clubs} {8-Clubs} with {7-Hearts} {7-Diamonds} {5-Diamonds}
Ferguson: {8-Spades} {A-Hearts} {4-Clubs} {2-Clubs} with {5-Hearts} {5-Clubs} {6-Diamonds}
Stenheim: {K-Diamonds} {5-Spades} {A-Diamonds} {7-Clubs} with {6-Spades} {6-Hearts} {J-Diamonds}

Thus Ferguson and Bloch chopped it up, and Stenheim made his exit.

Tags: Andy BlochChris FergusonMorten Stenheim