$1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low - Day 2 - Level 12 Recap
Jun 25, '08
Note: The players are now on a 20-minute break
Blinds: 1,000-2,000
Players Left: 41 of 720
Chip Leaders:
Martin Klaser - 170,000
Joseph Haddad - 134,000
Ed Smith - 105,000
Larry Wright - 100,000
Erik Seidel - 92,000
Bryan Jolly - 86,000
Jack Rosenfeldt - 79,000
Doug Mandeville - 77,000
Sam Khoueis - 73,000
Casey Kastle - 72,000
Average Stack: 52,675
Eliminations:
Chris Ferguson
Damon Singer
Big Hands and Storylines:
Joseph Haddad Makes Short Work of Damon Singer
Two hands over the course of a single orbit is all it took to swap the fortunes of two players in this event. Just an hour ago Damon Singer was in the top 10 of chip leaders with 80,000 and Joseph Haddad was trying to build his stack from his starting 36,000.
The first hand was the big one. On a flop of K
J8
Haddad and Singer got their chips all-in and showed their hands:
Haddad: A
AQ5
Singer: A
K73
Singer had top pair and a flush draw, but Haddad had a better pair and a better flush draw. The turn was the 2c and when the river blanked with a 2s, Haddad doubled up to about 85,000.
Then, a few hands later, Haddad finished the job. This time Singer got all of his chips – about 45,000 of them – in pre-flop with A832 against Haddad’s AA86. The flop – JJ4 – was a bad one for Singer, causing him to stand up and congratulate Haddad. The turn 4 lessened his pessimism, if only for a moment. And only a moment it was, as seconds later the dealer peeled off the 3, sealing Singer’s fate.
Haddad now sits at second in chips with 134,000.
It Doesn’t Get Much Better Than That
Chip leader Martin Kläser forced an opponent all-in for 15,000 total and the opponent called. “Yes!” Klasner shouted when he saw his opponent’s holding: AQ72. Kläser’s exclamation was justified, as his opponent was drawing slim in a way rarely seen in Omaha. With Klasner holding AK72 he was a big favorite.
The board cemented Kläser’s lead further and the German boosted his chip stack to 170,000. This is no small feat considering his table also includes Erik Seidel, Shannon Shorr, and Berry Johnston. Thus far today the young German has yet to make a single misstep.
Player Tags: Casey Kastle, Larry Wright, Erik Seidel, Chris Ferguson, Joseph Haddad, Sam Khouiss, Doug Mandeville, Bryan Jolly, Damon Singer, Martin Klaser
$1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low - Day 2 - Level 11 Recap
Jun 25, '08
Blinds: 800-1,600
Players Left: 68 of 720
Chip Leaders:
Martin Klaser - 132,000
Ed Smith - 119,500
Shannon Shorr - 86,900
Damon Singer - 80,400
Larry Wright - 75,300
Sam Khoueis - 73,000
Bryan Jolly - 63,300
Erik Seidel - 58,900
Jack Rosenfeldt - 57,700
Joe Hachem - 50,000
Average Stack: 31,750
Eliminations:
Greg Hurst
Lou Piccioni
Big Hands and Storylines:
Kläser Accosts Costner
Martin Kläser just raked in the biggest hand of the tournament, doubling through Gabe Costner. Action was raised pre-flop and the two saw a flop of K95. Costner led out for a bet of 6,400 which Kläser raised to 21,000. Kläser sat still, confidently, hands clasped, while Costner studied the board and weighed his options. The Alabamian re-potted, effectively putting the German all-in for... a good deal of chips. Kläser, having lost a bit of the confidence he was sporting just moments earlier, made the call and tentatively turned over Q994. His middle set was in fantastic shape against Costner’s K1095. The turn and river rolled out A and 3 and, neither player qualifying for a low, Kläser scooped the entire pot with his set of nines.
Then came the difficult part: counting out exactly how much Costner owed Kläser. The dealer counted the two stacks of chips over and over, making sure he had the right amounts, and convincing Costner that the amounts were indeed accurate. When the chips were tallied, it was determined that Costner needed to ship 65,300 to the young German. Kläser now has a stack of over 130,000 while Costner is on life-support with 5,000.
Pass The Sugar
Joe Hachem just eliminated two short-stacked (micro-stacked might be more appropriate, as both had less than one small blind remaining) opponents. The three got all-in pre-flop with the following holdings:
Joe Hachem: AA63
Greg Hurst: A1062
Lou Piccioni: 9522
The board rolled out just the way Hachem needed – Q104J5 – and the former main event champ knocked out two adversaries. Hachem celebrated with a quite understated, barely audible, “Pass the sugar,” appropriate for winning a pot of approximately 3 big blinds. Hachem is now up to 50,000.
Practice Makes Perfect
Hachem may be the most recognizable player at his table, but he still isn’t above the rules. A floorperson just came over to him and informed him that he wasn’t allowed to listen to music (as is standard once players make the money). Hachem politely removed his earbuds, smiled, and quipped, “I haven’t made the money yet. I’m a bit out of practice.”
Player Tags: Erik Seidel, Lou Piccioni, Joe Hachem, Shannon Shorr, Greg Hurst, Sam Khouiss, Gabe Costner, Bryan Jolly, Damon Singer, Martin Klaser
