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WPT Spanish Championship Day Two Recap

Thirty-Nine Players Remain, Steve Sung Chip Leader

by Seth Niesen  |  Published: Oct 13, 2007  |  

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As a cool seaside breeze danced outside the beautiful Casino Barcelona, the remaining 151 players convened in its lower level for day two of the World Poker Tour Spanish Championship. At the beginning of the day (which began at 5 p.m. local time), the plan was to play six or seven 75-minute levels. This was a deviation from the structure sheet, which originally called for 60 minute levels throughout the tournament. According to tournament staff, the goal was to give maximum play while narrowing the field to the final 27 players. No complaints were heard from the players as play began and the action got off to a quick start.
Alex Jacob
After entering the day at just under $20,000, Alex Jacob was put to the test early against British pro Ben Grundy. Jacob raised with 8 8 and was called by a player behind him, the small blind, and Grundy out of the big blind. The flop came 10 7 6, the small blind checked, and Grundy bet out $2,500. Jacob described the hand in our exclusive pro player blog, "I put him on either a draw or a strong hand, wanting action like a set or 8-9." Jacob was the only caller, and the turn brought the 10. Jacob had $15,000 behind, and after Grundy bet $2,500, he again called. The river brought an the J and Grundy moved all in. Jacob wrote, "If I were to call and lose, I'd have a little more than $2,000 left. After a long time thinking, and I mean long, Ben did not seem strong to me, and I called." After Jacob made the call, Grundy said "Good call," and walked away from the table without showing his hand, this prompted Erik Seidel to say, "One of the best calls I've seen." Despite his solid play early, Jacob did not survive the day.

Gus Hansen As the day went on, numerous pros were eliminated, including Isabelle Merecier, Mike "Timex" McDonald, Yevgeniy "Jovial Gent" Timoshenko, Annette "Annette_15" Obrestad, Alexander Kravchenko, Bill Edler, Steve Zolotow, Allen Cunningham, Joe "BigEgypt" Elpayaa, J.C. Alvarado, and Barry Greenstein.

By the beginning of level six, there were more than 50 players remaining and it appeared play could run up against local gaming regulations, which require the casino to close at 5 a.m. In order to relieve the potential time pressure, tournament staff returned the structure to the original 60 minute levels and announced the field would play an additional level and a half.

Gus Hansen had a smooth ride for much of the day, parlaying hot cards and expert play into the top spot on leader board. However the extra time gave Steve Sung the opportunity to add some turbulence to Hanson's ride. Sung limped in early position for $2,400 and Hansen raised to $12,200. The blinds folded and Sung called. The flop came 9 5 3 and bothSteve Sung players checked. The turn brought the 10 and Sung bet $16,500. Hansen thought for a minute, counted out a call, and then announced he was all in. Sung counted down his remaining $98,000 in chips and made the call, showing K K. Hansen showed A 10 for top pair, top kicker, and the river was the 6 . Sung doubled to the chip lead at $266,500, and ended the day at $259,200. Hansen was left steaming with just $67,500 and he finished the day with $71,200.

By the time play ended 39 players had survived, 12 short of the goal of 27. Play will reconvene Sunday at 5 p.m. CET where six will emerge to lay siege to Castle Peralada for the riches contained within.
 
 
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