$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 17 Recap
Jun 30, '08
Note: Play will end for the night at the conclusion of level 18
Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha: 2,000-4,000 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8: 1,000 ante, 1,000 bring in, 4,000-8,000 stakes
Players Left: 26 of 803
Chip Leaders:
Phil Hellmuth - 190,000
Arash Ghaneian - 175,000
Matt Grapenthien - 125,000
Ed Tonnellier – 120,000
Art Young - 112,000
Jens Voertmann - 110,000
James Schaaf - 110,000
Randall Holland - 105,000
Phillip Penn Sr. - 99,000
Michael Scipione - 98,000
Edward Brogdon - 92,000
Average Stack: 92,650
Eliminations:
Alex Jacob
Allen Cunningham
Giovanni Rizzo
Big Hands and Storylines:
Stud
Hellmuth and Tonnellier Tangle Again
Ed Tonnellier: 7109K
Phil Hellmuth: 106AQ
“Omaha” Ed Tonnellier completed with the 7 and Hellmuth raised with the 10. Tonnellier put in a third bet and Hellmuth called. Tonnellier bet out on fourth street and was called by Hellmuth. Hellmuth was dealt an ace on fifth street and opted to check to Tonnellier, who bet. Hellmuth called. “OmahaEd” drew a king on sixth street and bet after Hellmuth checked. As Hellmuth sorted through his chips he asked, “You hit three kings?” Tonnellier replied, “If I hit three kings then why are you calling?” Hellmuth, never content to let anyone else get the last word in, said, “You might have aces. I hope you have aces,” before making the call. Hellmuth checked on seventh street, Tonnellier bet again, and Hellmuth folded. After the hand, Tonnellier showed his set of kings.
Hellmuth has 190,000 and Tonnellier has 120,000.
Ramdin Gets Hang’d
Tommy Hang: A6K3
Victor Ramdin: QK109
The action picks up on fourth street where Hang bets into Ramdin and garners a call. The action plays out the same on fifth street. Hang slows down on sixth street when Ramdin’s board shows four to a straight, and both players check. Both players check on seventh street as well, and Hang turns over an ace for a pair of aces. Ramdin can only muster a pair of queens, and the pot is Hang’s.
After the pot, Hang was up to 60,000 and Ramdin was on life support with only 12,000.
Omaha/8b
Keith Sexton Doubles Up
Keith Sexton got all in on the turn against Giovanni Rizzo. The board read AJ92 and the two turned over their cards:
Rizzo: AKK4
Sexton: AQ32
The river was the 3 and Sexton avoided Rizzo’s slew of outs. Sexton doubled up to 60,000. Rizzo was knocked down to 20,000 and would be eliminated a short time later.
Player Tags: Randy Holland, Art Young, Phillip "JB" Penn Sr., Matt Grapenthien, Tommy Hang, Allen Cunningham, Ed Tonnellier, Phil Hellmuth, Victor Ramdin, Arash Ghaneian, Keith Sexton, Alex Jacob, Edward Brogdon, Jens Voertmann, Michael Scipione, James Schaaf
$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 13 Recap
Jun 30, '08
Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha: 800-1,500 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8: 300 ante, 500 bring in, 1,500-3,000 stakes
Players Left: 75 of 803
Chip Leaders:
James Schaaf - 91,000
Chad Brown - 86,000
Arash Ghaneian - 76,000
Mike Baxley - 65,000
Ed Tonnellier - 64,000
John Cutter - 61,500
David Gee - 56,000
Phil Hellmuth Jr. - 55,000
Art Young - 52,000
Allen Enciso - 51,000
Average Stack: 32,120
Eliminations:
Eugene Katchalov
Jan Sjavik
Big Hands and Storylines:
Omaha/8b
Eugene Katchalov Eliminated
Eugene Katchalov was all-in pre-flop against three opponents. Two players made it to showdown and they showed KKQ3 and A1052; the former had a pair of kings for high and the latter had the nut low. Katchalov, who had stood up and shook his neighbor’s hand before the river had even been dealt, was, predictably, eliminated.
Phil Hellmuth Eliminates Jan Sjavik
Jan Sjavik was all-in preflop for about 6,000 against Phil Hellmuth. The two turned over their cards before the flop:
Sjavik: AQ52
Hellmuth: AKJ2
The flop was A106, the turn was the 10, at which point Hellmuth notified the table (and, judging by the volume of his voice, several nearby tables) that he had already clinched the high. The river was the 2, which did not deliver Sjavik a low, and he was eliminated. Hellmuth is now up to 60,000.
Razz
Michael Binger, Meet Razz
Binger: 44A
Opponent: 34J
The player in the 6 seat completed showing the 3 and Michael Binger called in the 1 seat with the 4. The 6 seat, drawing a 4 on fourth street, bet into the Binger, who had paired his four. Binger called. His opponent then bet fifth street. Binger angrily fired his up cards face-down onto the table and conceded the hand. Binger is now down to 20,000.
Player Tags: Art Young, Ed Tonnellier, Phil Hellmuth, Arash Ghaneian, Jan Sjavik, David Gee, Eugene Katchalov, Michael Binger, Allen Enciso, Mike Baxley, John Cutter, James Schaaf
$1,500 HORSE - Final Day - Level 20
Jul 01, '08
Blinds/Antes: Razz, Stud – Ante: 2000, Bring: 2000, Complete: 8000. Hold’em – Blinds: 4000/8000
Players Remaining: 13 of 803
Chip Leaders:
Phil Hellmuth - 420000
Tommy Hang - 282000
Victor Ramdin - 275000
Sam Silverman - 245000
James Schaaf - 205000
Matt Grapenthien - 170000
Edward Brogdon - 155000
Jason Dollinger - 145000
Esther Rossi - 130000
Phillip Penn Sr. - 130000
Eliminations:
Stephen Wolff Eliminated in 17th Place ($6,686)
Art Young Eliminated in 16th Place ($8,878)
Keith Sexton Eliminated in 15th Place ($8,878)
Arash Ghaneian Eliminated in 14th Place ($11,070)
Big Hands:
Stephen Wolff Eliminated in 17th Place ($6,686)
As the remaining players continued to battle down to final table play, Stephen Wolff made his exit during the hold’em round. Wolff got it all in with Phillip Penn on a flop of As8c3h and turned over Ad5c. Penn showed 8s3s for bottom two pair. The turn and river blanked for Wolff, and he earned $6,686 for his 17th place finish.
Art Young Eliminated in 16th Place ($8,878)
Lonnie Heimowitz’s ten-seven low was good enough to eliminate Art Young during the razz round. Young earned $8,878 for his 16th place finish.
Keith Sexton Eliminated in 15th Place ($8,878)
Steve Diano continued his elimination binge by taking aim on Keith Sexton during the razz round. Diano eliminated Sexton when his eight-low was good against Sexton’s ten-low. Sexton earned $8,878 for his 15th place finish.
Arash Ghaneian Eliminated in 14th Place ($11,070)
Arash Ghaneian was eliminated as the prize amounts continued to rise, earning an $11,070 payday in the stud round when Matt Grapenthein’s two pair, queens and jacks, caused Ghaneian to muck his hole cards.
Player Tags: Art Young, Phil Hellmuth, Victor Ramdin, Arash Ghaneian, Keith Sexton, Steve Wolff, European Report
$1,500 HORSE - Final Day - Level 19
Jul 01, '08
Blinds/Antes: Stud, Stud 8 – Ante: 1500, Bring: 2000, Complete: 6000
Players Remaining: 17 of 803
Chip Leaders:
Phil Hellmuth – 285,000
James Schaaf – 235,000
Art Young – 175,000
Eliminations: Edmond Tonnellier, Jens Voertmann, Hoyt Verner
Big Hands:
Edmond Tonnellier Eliminated in 20th Place ($6,686)
Steve Diano and Edmond Tonnellier tangled during the stud round in a pot that ended Tonnellier’s tournament life. The final boards read:
Diano: (84)Q8532
Tonnellier: (KJ)Q10433
Tonnellier made his exit, earning $6,686 for his 20th place finish.
Jens Voertmann Eliminated in 19th Place ($6,686)
Jens Voertmann also fell victim to the stud round courtesy of Stephen Wolff. Wolff’s ace-high club flush was good enough to send Voertmann to the rail in 19th place, $6,686 richer.
Hoyt Verner Eliminated in 18th Place ($6,686)
In the stud eight-or-better round, Hoyt Verner raised shoing the Q after Tommy Hang completed showing the 6. Hang let out after pairing his visible board with the 6 and Verner raised all in after catching the 9. The final boards were:
Hang: (73)A6665
Verner: (AQ)Q9752
Verner was eliminated in 18th place, earning $6,686 for his finish.
Player Tags: Art Young, Ed Tonnellier, Phil Hellmuth, Hoyt Verner, Jens Voertmann, European Report, James Schaaf
