Pot-Limit Hold'em - End of Day
Jun 03, '08
Blinds: 5000/10000
Players Left: 9 of 713
Chip Leaders:
Joe Tehan - 458,000
Jacobo Fernandez - 428,000
Robert Lipkin - 305,000
Al "Sugar Bear" Barbieri - 271,000
Russell Harriman - 242,000
Greg Alston - 179,000
Zach King - 139,000
David Singer - 83,000
Glen Bean - 75,000
Eliminations: Ryan Fair
Storylines:
Players were still foraging with toothpicks and working on their dinner mints when the curtain came down on the 10-handed portion of play in the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em tournament at the World Series of Poker on Tuesday.
After considerable debate between players about whether to break for dinner or continue to a final elimination, the meal won out. Upon their return, it took all of two-hands to determine the nine players who will comprise the field for the final table on Wednesday.
Big Hands:
Barbieri Completes the Field
Al Barbieri raised to 28,000 from middle position, before Ryan Fair re-raised to 70,000. It took almost half of Barbieri's stack to make the call, which he did without much hesitation. The flop came down Q
Q
10
, and Barbieri committed his remaining 64,000 in chips to the center. Fair followed with his remaining 55,000 to be all in. Barbieri showed he had flopped a monster -- AQ
for trips. Fair showed JJ. The turn and river brought no help and Fair was eliminated.
Mr. Bean Survives a Fall
In the first hand when play commenced, Glen Bean limped from the cut-off, while David Singer limped from the button. Robert Lipkin completed the trifecta from the small blind, while the big blind was dead money as Russell Harriman hadn't returned from the break. The flop came down J55 and Lipkin checked to Bean who bet 15,000. Singer folded and Lipkin made the call. The turn brought the A and was checked by both players, then Bean bet out 50,000 when Lipkin checked after the 6 came on the river. Lipkin made the call and showed J10, while Bean was caught making a move with the Q2. Bean lost half of his 150,000 stack in the hand, before Fair busted out on the next deal.
Tehan Back From the Brink
Joe Tehan knew he was capable, but was the first to admit he would need help to reach the final stages of the tournament. He caught a two-outter on the river to stay alive on Day 1 of the event, and was sitting at just 8,000 in chips when Day 2 began. Average stack was just shy of 34,000.
Now he will begin final table play as the chip leader, with a stack of 458,000 in chips.
"The deck kind of ran for me early on, but it had too, I was so short-stacked," said Tehan. "I got 10s early, aces, kings, kings.
"I'm not all that surprised (to reach the final table). Pot limit is the kind of structure, especially without any antes, even with five or six big blinds you can still wait and be patient."
Tehan, who calls Vegas home, has made his first World Series of Poker final table. He played 14 events last year and had four cashes, including finishes of 13th and 15th. He also won a World Poker Tour title in 2006 at the Mandalay Bay Poker Championship.
Player Tags: Glen Bean, David Singer, Al Barbieri, Joe Tehan, Ryan Fair, Robby Lipkin
Pot-Limit Hold'em - Level 15
Jun 03, '08
Players returned after enjoying an extended 20-minute break as tournament officials used the chance to color up the chip stacks. There are 15 players remaining in the field.
Blinds: 3000/6000
Players left: 10
Eliminations: Eric Shanks, Scott Seiver, Philip Yeh, Douglas Carli, Brandon Schaefer.
Story Lines:
Work Before Play -- But Not Food
With a rash of player eliminations as the clock wound down in Level 15, players suddenly had a choice to make. They were down to 10-handed, with one more elimination needed before an official final table would be declared. The question was, do they continue playing, or break for dinner? The kitchen can take it as a vote of confidence that the players opted for the meal, which for one player can double as the Last Supper.
Big Hands:
The calm before the storm had players at ease, as for the first 40-45 minutes flops were harder to find than a quality sit-com. But that all changed with a series of all-ins and player eliminations in the waning minutes of Level 15.
Seiver Busts Out in a Flurry
Scott Seiver battled for the chip lead much of the event, and authored the first elimination of the level when his AK bested the A9 of Eric Shanks. Seiver hit the K on the flop and never looked back, taking about 65,000 from Shanks who finished in 15th place.
Seiver had earlier been active stealing blinds, though twice folded to check -raises, but suffered his first blow when his raise to 16,000 from the button was met by a reraise from Joe Tehan in the big blind. Tehan went to 48,000, but this time Seiver resisted and fired back to the tune of 144,000. Tehan had 163,000 in chips remaining when the decision loomed, and elected to push all-in, drawing the call from Seiver. Seiver showed 66 while a relieved Tehan had QQ. The flop came 938, and the 10 on the turn gave Seiver additional outs, but the 10 on the river shipped the pot of over 400,000 to Tehan.
After busting Shanks, Seiver then dropped another pot of 155,000 when his 1010 was up against the all-in AK of Jacobo Fernandez. In his last stand, Seiver then pushed his final 40,000 into the center with A9 -- ironically the same hand that busted Shanks -- and Seiver fell to Russell Harriman who held A10. The flop of 1086 gave Seiver gut-shot straight possibilities, but the 5 turnand 4 river ended his event in stunning fashion
Yeh Crowned by King
Philip Yeh, second in chips to begin the day, was eliminated in 13th place. The initial damage came in a match-up with Robert Lipkin. After a flop of J86, Lipkin bet 24,000 when the 5 came on the turn. Yeh made the call, and the 10 came as the river. Yeh checked, Lipkin bet 20,000 and Yeh debated what to do with his remaining 48,000. In the end he folded and Lipkin showed the A5 for bottom pair.
Yeh was then eliminated when he pushed with 77 and ran into the AA of Zach King.
Two More Fall
Brandon Schaefer and Douglas Carli were the final two victims before 10-handed play was to begin. Carli persevered despite beginning the day with less than 10,000. Carli and Joe Tehan were two of the eight sub-10,000 shortstacks to begin the day, with Tehan now sitting comfortably among the final 10.
Player Tags: Joe Tehan, Brandon Schaefer, Robby Lipkin, Scott Seiver, Phil Yeh
Pot-Limit Hold'em - Action Packed Level As We Lose Four
Jun 04, '08
Blinds: 8,000 - 16,000
Players Left: 3
Chip Leaders:
David Singer - 905,000
Jacobo Fernandez - 885,000
Greg Alston - 360,000
Eliminations: Zachary King (7th Place), Joe Tehan (6th Place), Russ Harriman (5th Place), Robert Lipkin (4th Place)
Storylines:
The short stacks finally succumbed in level 18 as Zach King, Russ Harriman, Robert Lipkin and Joe Tehan hit the rail.
Big Hands:
Zachary King Eliminated in Seventh Place ($34,063)
With just over 80,000 in his stack, Zachary King was forced to make his move against Greg Alston. Unfortunately for the young online pro, his A8 ran into the AA of Alston. King failed to catch any miracles as the board came down K1099J to eliminate him in seventh place.
Russ Harriman Sucks Out on Joe Tehan
Joe Tehan has been taking abuse all day, and it continued even further when Russ Harriman shoved from the button. Tehan snap called from the small blind showing AJ and was pleased to see Harriman's 98. But the board came J106Q4 and Harriman hit a straight to double up to around 105,000.
Joe Tehan Eliminated in Sixth Place ($43,796)
Joe Tehan got the rest of his short stack in with J10 against the pocket nines of David Singer. The flop of AQ2 gave him some extra outs, but the turn and river came 87 to brick out, sending Tehan to the rail in a disappointed sixth place. Tehan earns $43,796 for his efforts.
Russ Harriman Eliminated in Fifth Place ($55,474)
Harriman had been hovering around the 100,000 chip mark for quite some time before picking up pocket queens. The small all-in amount made it too easy for Greg Alston and he made the call with AJ. The board rolled out A3255 and Harriman made his exit $55,474 richer.
Not too bad for his second career cash.
Robert Lipkin Eliminated in Fourth Place ($67,640)
After being relatively quiet the entire day, Robert Lipkin decided to make a move at the wrong time and his 75 ran into the pocket jacks of David Singer. The board didn't even come close to Lipkin's hand and he was eliminated in fourth place, leaving the remaining three players to battle for the bracelet.
Player Tags: Gregory Alston, Joe Tehan, Robby Lipkin, Russell Harriman
