$1,500 H.O.R.S.E. - End of Day 2
Jun 30, '08
The big story of day 2 was, once again, Phil Hellmuth. Coming into the day as chip leader, he floundered for a bit, relinquishing the lead for most of the day, but ultimately picked himself up by the bootstraps and strode back to the top. By the conclusion of the day, Hellmuth would not only be chip leader once again, but his chip stack would tower over most his competitors’.
With 21 players left, Hellmuth has a real chance of picking up his 12th bracelet, and his first in a non-hold’em event. The final 21 players will return tomorrow at 3 p.m. PST to play for the $256,412 and World Series of Poker bracelet.
Here is an unofficial list of chip leaders heading into tomorrow’s final day:
Phil Hellmuth Jr. - 287,500
James Schaaf - 236,500
Art Young - 175,000
Victor Ramdin - 158,500
Matt Grapenthien - 151,000
Esther Rossi - 133,500
Steven Diano - 120,000
Arash Ghaneian - 114,000
Jason Dollinger - 110,500
Edward Brogdon - 104,500
Tam "Tommy" Hang - 92,000
Here is a bit of action from the final level of the day:
Razz
Razz Not Kind to Arash
Arash Ghaneian: 7
9
2
10
Esther Rossi: 5
Q98
Arash Ghaneian completed and Esther Rossi was the only caller. Ghaneian continued betting on every street until the river. When he was dealt his final card he slowly squeezed it and checked when he had seen what it was. Rossi, having checked her card, fired out a bet for the first time in the hand. Ghaneian called and she showed (A)(4)(3) for an 8-low. Rossi took down the pot and moved up to 130,000. Despite the hit, Ghaneian is still going strong with 110,000.
Stud
Joe Hachem Eliminated
Steven Diano: J1033
Joe Hachem: 2273
Diano completed at the outset with the J and James Schaaf raised with the Q. Joe Hachem, having brought in with the 2, called, and so did Diano. The turn paired Hachem’s upcard and he bet out. Diano called, and Schaaf, looking incredulously toward Hachem and Diano, folded. Hachem bet both fifth and sixth streets, putting himself all-in on the latter round. The two turned over their cards: Hachem showed (A)(K) for a pair of twos while Diano tabled (K)(9). Diano’s measly pair of threes was ahead going to seventh street. Hachem turned over his final card – the 8 – and made his exit from the Brasilia Room, but not before tearing into Diano's hand selection a bit: “Where were you going with that?”
Diano is up to 120,000.
Player Tags: Art Young, Matt Grapenthien, Tommy Hang, Phil Hellmuth, Victor Ramdin, Arash Ghaneian, Esther Rossi, Steven Diano, Joe Hachem, Edward Brogdon, James Schaaf, Jason Dollinger
$1,500 H.O.R.S.E. - Day 2 - Level 16 Recap
Jun 30, '08
Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break. After returning, they will play another level-and-a-half before concluding at 3:00 a.m. PST.
Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha: 1,500-3,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8: 700 ante, 1,000 bring in, 3,000-6,000 stakes
Players Left: 33 of 803
Chip Leaders:
Phil Hellmuth – 145,000
Art Young - 126,000
Steven Diano - 120,000
Jens Voertmann - 112,000
Michael Scipione - 98,000
James Schaaf - 90,000
Ed Tonnellier - 87,000
Edward Brogdon - 80,000
Victor Ramdin - 77,000
Huai Zhang - 77,000
Average Stack: 73,000
Eliminations:
John Juanda
Michelle Ankenman
Big Hands and Storylines:
Hold’em
“OmahaEd” Tries His Hand at Hold’em Against Hellmuth
On a flop of 873, “Omaha” Ed Tonnellier check-raised Phil Hellmuth, but Hellmuth, master of tournament hold’em, made it three bets. Tonnellier called but acknowledged that he was behind Hellmuth. Tonnellier then check-called the A on the turn and the 9 on the river. Hellmuth showed AK and "OmahaEd" mucked his AJ face up.
Hellmuth Doesn’t Mess Around
Phillip Penn Sr. raised pre-flop and Phil Hellmuth re-raised. Penn made the call and they saw a flop of J72. Penn check-called Hellmuth’s bet on the flop, and then did the same on the turn and river, both of which were deuces. Hellmuth showed down QQ and Penn mucked.
Hellmuth’s patience has paid off. After a slow start he has collected a series of big pots, giving him nearly 150,000 on the day.
Omaha/8b
That’s Why They Call Him “OmahaEd”
“Omaha” Ed Tonnellier raised on the button and Phillip Penn Sr. called from the big blind. Both players checked the J104 flop. Penn bet the turn when the dealer displayed the A. The river was the 2. Penn checked, Tonnellier bet, and Penn called. Tonnellier showed 7543 for a runner-runner wheel to scoop the pot. “OmahaEd” is now up to 80,000.
After losing a series of giant pots, Phillip Penn Sr. has gone from chip leader to short stack. He only has 12,000 in chips now, and will need to mount a serious comeback to have any shot at winning.
Player Tags: Art Young, John Juanda, Phillip "JB" Penn Sr., Ed Tonnellier, Phil Hellmuth, Victor Ramdin, Steven Diano, Huai Zhang, Edward Brogdon, Jens Voertmann, Michael Scipione, Michelle Ankenman, James Schaaf
$1,500 H.O.R.S.E. - Day 2 - Level 15 Recap
Jun 30, '08
Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha: 1,300-2,500 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8: 500 ante, 700 bring in, 2,500-5,000 stakes
Players Left: 45 of 803
Chip Leaders:
Phillip Penn Sr. - 125,000
Steven Diano - 103,000
Arash Ghaneian - 100,000
Joe Bolnick - 87,400
Jason Dollinger - 83,000
Jens Voertmann - 82,000
Randall Holland - 81,500
Allen Cunningham - 78,000
Cliff Pappas – 75,000
Average Stack: 53,525
Eliminations:
David Gee
Greg Jamison
Michael Binger
Big Hands and Storylines:
Hold’em
Michael Binger vs. Phillip Penn Sr. - Part I
Phillip Penn Sr. raised to 5,000 from middle position and was re-raised by Michael Binger on his left. Penn made the call and they saw a flop of 633. Penn checked and Binger bet. Penn called. The turn was the J, and again Penn checked. Binger bet 5,000 and Penn check-raised him. Binger called, and then called another bet on the K river. Penn Sr. turned over 66 for a flopped full house. Binger showed his AA and, infuriated with the recent development, stormed away from the table, hitting a chair in the process. Binger was down to only 10,000 after that hand.
Omaha/8b
Michael Binger vs. Phillip Penn Sr. – Part II: The Reckoning
A few hands later, with the game having switched to Omaha/8b, William Penn Sr. opened with a raised from middle position which was again re-raised by Binger, who had less than a big bet behind. The flop came 1092 and Penn check-called. Penn check-called a bet of Binger’s final 200 chips on the turn (K) and the two showed their cards:
Binger: AA87
Penn: A876
Binger, in good shape, stood up and awaited the river card. The dealer laid out an 8 and Binger stared at the board for a moment to make sure what he saw was accurate: Penn hit one of his few outs to make a straight. As could be predicted, Binger was not happy, and he stormed from the table once again, this time for good.
Those two hands have propelled Penn to the chip lead with 125,000.
“Let’s Go”
Action folded around to Esther Rossi in the small blind who completed the bet and Jan Suchanek told the dealer, “Let’s go.” The dealer scooped in the two players’ blinds... and then Suchanek threw in a raise. Apparently, Suchanek’s declaration of “Let’s go” was intended as the precursor to a raise and not an indication of a check. After some squabbling between Rossi and Suchanek with the dealer serving as a slightly biased arbiter (after all, nobody likes admitting to a mistake) the floor was called over. After what seemed like hours of explanation to the dealer of what had transpired, it was ruled that uttering the phrase “Let’s go” alone does not indicate a check and that the raise would stand.
After all of that was settled, there was some poker to be played. The dealer put out a flop of A106 and Rossi check-called a bet from Suchanek. Action went check-call again on the K turn, and then both players checked the 10 on the river. Suchanek showed A443 for a pair of aces and that was good enough to take down the pot. Rossi, with 48,000, still has a bit more chips than Suchanek, who has 30,000.
Player Tags: Randy Holland, Phillip "JB" Penn Sr., Allen Cunningham, Greg Jamison, Arash Ghaneian, David Gee, Esther Rossi, Cliff Pappas, Steven Diano, Michael Binger, Jan Suchanek, Jens Voertmann, Joseph Bolnick, Jason Dollinger
$1,500 H.O.R.S.E. - Day 2 - Level 14 Recap
Jun 30, '08
Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break
Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha: 1,000-2,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8: 500 ante, 500 bring in, 2,000-4,000 stakes
Players Left: 54 of 803
Chip Leaders:
Arash Ghaneian - 102,000
David Gee - 97,000
James Schaaf - 91,000
Chad Brown - 86,000
Phillip Penn Sr. - 82,000
Joe Bolnick -82,000
Jason Dollinger - 81,300
Steven Diano - 78,000
Ed Tonnellier - 76,000
Cliff Pappas – 76,000
Average Stack: 44,600
Eliminations:
Mike Matusow
Big Hands and Storylines:
Hold’em
The Unsinkable Chad Brown
Tommy Hang raised from the cutoff and Chad Brown re-raised from the small blind. Hang called and the two of them saw a flop. The flop came down QJ3. Brown bet, Hang raised, and Brown called. The turn was the Q and Brown checked to Hang. Hang bet and was quickly raised by Brown. Hang called, and then again called on the 9 river. Brown triumphantly showed AA and Hang mucked his hand.
Omaha/8b
Ramdin Raises River, Reaps Rewards
Victor Ramdin raised pre-flop and was called by James Schaaf in late position. Both players checked the 1095 flop. Ramdin then check-called a bet on the K turn. On the river (9), Ramdin checked for the third time, eliciting a bet from Schaaf. On this street, however, Ramdin raised. Schaaf glowered, knowing that he was beat, and slid his cards into the muck. The hand brings Ramdin up to 33,000.
Mike Matusow Eliminated
On a flop of JJ7, Mike Matusow moved his final 6,000 chips in from the big blind. David Gee and Steven Diano both called. The turn was the 9 and Gee bet, Diano raised, Gee 3-bet, and Diano called. While this was going on, Mike Matusow was announcing to Phil Hellmuth at an adjacent table that he was about to be knocked out. On the river (6) Gee bet and Diano called. Diano asked, “Do you have J-9?” Gee turned over two of his cards: a jack and a nine. Diano angrily threw his J-7 toward the middle of the table. Mike Matusow, meanwhile, was busy showing everyone within view his AA82, saying that if he was going out, that at least he was going out getting most of his chips in pre-flop with that hand. With Matusow’s exit, the room will be a little more subdued, but much less interesting.
Player Tags: Phillip "JB" Penn Sr., Ed Tonnellier, Victor Ramdin, Arash Ghaneian, David Gee, Cliff Pappas, Steven Diano, James Schaaf, Joe Bolnick, Jason Dollinger
Allen Bari Eliminated in Eighth Place ($19,880)
Steve Diano Eliminated in Seventh Place ($23,669)
Kenna James Eliminated in Sixth Place ($29,473)