Event 3 - £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Day 1 | 2008 World Series of Poker Europe

09-24-2008 15:10 UTC+2

2008 World Series of Poker Europe: £5,500 PLO - Day 1

[user38449]

It's time to raise the ante a bit, as the big boys and girls return to the Empire for Event 3 -- a £5,500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament scheduled to kick off today at 3:00 p.m. local time (10:00 a.m. EST). Essentially a $10k buy-in event, we've reached our second-to-last dot on the WSOPE schedule, as well as our second-to-largest.

The prizepool typically climbs high when the world's best Omaha players get together and we expect nothing less here today. Guys like Robert Williamson III, Dario Alioto and Marty Smyth who are known for their Omaha prowess should all be in attendance this afternoon, along with 'The Bear,' Barry Greenstein, Layne Flack and the always entertaining Phil Hellmuth.

Coverage begins at 3:00 p.m. local time. Omaha fans, you don't want to miss this!

Tags: Phil Hellmuth

09-24-2008 16:00 UTC+2

You Only Live Twice...

[user76023]

Today's tournament is a 'double chance' event or as Steve Frezer calls it, "second chance.' This means players will start off with 10,000 in chips and have an option to take, at any point up to the end of the third level, an additional 10,000 in chips -- for free! If they haven't taken it by the end of the third level, the dealer will give it to them at this point. Of course, players may take it straight away and play the event as a freezeout with 20,000 chips from the start. What would YOU do?

Level: 1

Blinds: 50/100

Ante: 0

09-24-2008 16:07 UTC+2

Let's Get It Started

[user38449]

The cards are in the air and we're officially underway!

09-24-2008 16:16 UTC+2

Six Max

[user46298]

All credit to them, the TDs have made a timely start, the dealers are dealing, and this, more than any desire to be punctual, is what is drawing the players to their seats with that peculiar loping walk people do when they don't want to be seen to be rushing but are feeling that "I might miss a hand" panic.

There were so many empty seats when the first cards came out that it looked like this was a Six Max tournament (which would be an interesting idea). Now the tables are filling with a less American-heavy crowd as the European players - the UK and Irish ones in particular - take their shot at what has often been seen in the past as their best game.

Ready to go in timely fashion:

Daniel Negreanu
Alexander Kravchenko
Mike Matusow
Jeff Kimber
Mads Andersen
Henrik Gwinner
Martyn Cavanagh
James Akenhead
Antony Lellouche

09-24-2008 16:16 UTC+2

Today's Table of Dooooooooom

[user76023]

Table 7:

Seat 1: Andreas Krause
Seat 3: Erik Seidel
Seat 4: Andy Bloch
Seat 5: Marty Smyth
Seat 6: Dario Alioto
Seat 7: Thor Hansen
Seat 8: Yevgeniy Timoshenko
Seat 9: Phil Laak

09-24-2008 16:31 UTC+2

Why We Play PLO

[user76023]

Bruno Fitoussi, Max Pescatori and Andy Black see a reraised pot where all three have put in 2,900 before the flop.

{A-Clubs}

Pescatori leads out for 6,500. Fitoussi and Black both move all in and Pescatori calls all in.

Pescatori: {J-Clubs}

Fitoussi:

Black:

Black is in the lead but needs to dodge a lot of bullets. The turn is the {3-Diamonds}

giving Fitoussi a second flush draw and the river is the {Q-Clubs}

making the nuts for the Frenchman and putting him over 30,000 already. Pescatori and Black are both short and will be taking their second 10,000 shortly one would presume.

Tags: Bruno Fitoussi

09-24-2008 16:48 UTC+2

Sparring Partners

[user76023]

John Tabatabai limps for 100 and Brandon Adams raises pot to 450. Annette Obrestad calls from the button as does last year's main event runner-up.

The {Q-Clubs}

flop is checked around before Tabatabai bets 800 on the {10-Clubs}

turn. Adams folds but Obrestad makes the call. The river is the {J-Hearts}

and Tabatabai bets 2,100. Obrestad thinks for a moment before calling and Tabatabai shows {Q-Spades}

for the top boat. Obrestad mucks her cards but not before showing {J-Diamonds}

.

09-24-2008 16:54 UTC+2

Nuts Are A Dog

[user76023]

Ian Frazer has managed an early double up after putting his whole stack in on a flop of {6-Clubs}

against Jens Voertmann's {7-Clubs}

. Frazer flipped {Q-Clubs}

for top set and a flush draw against his opponent's made straight and although the turn was the {9-Hearts}

, the

river housed up Frazer to double him up.

Tags: Ian Frazer

09-24-2008 16:59 UTC+2

More Threeway Action

[user76023]

Andreas Krause limps in, Erik Seidel raises pot. A couple of people call, including Marty Smyth and when it goes back to Krause, he repotted, Seidel moved all in, Marty Smyth came along and everyone else folded as Krause put his remaining chips in.

Krause: {A-Hearts}

Seidel:

Smyth:

The board comes: {7-Clubs}

or as Phil Laak puts it, "One pair beats one pair beats one pair."

Krause triples up, Smyth takes his second chance 10,000 while Seidel still has sizeable chips left over.

Tags: Andreas Krause