Martin Klaser Poker Tournament Updates

Event No. 48 Begins at Noon on Thursday

Jun 25, '09

Event No. 48 ($1,500 pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better) will begin at noon PDT on Thursday, June 25. Players will begin with 1,500 in tournament chips. Blinds will start at 25-50. Players may receive two additional add-ons for 1,500 in tournament chips at any time during the first three levels. If a player has not taken the add-ons by the end of the third level they will receive them automatically.

Levels will be 60-minutes long and there will be a 20-minute break after every two levels. There will be a 90-minute dinner break after level 6 on day 1. Here is a look at the schedule for the event:

Thursday, June 25, noon: Day 1 (play 8 levels)
Friday, June 26, 2 p.m.: Day 2 (play down to final table)
Saturday, June 27, 2 p.m.: Final Table

In 2008 this event attracted 720 players and the champion was Martin Klaser, who took home $216,249 in prize money. CardPlayer.com will bring you a summary of the action at the dinner break and end of play from day 1 for this event.

Player Tags: Martin Klaser

Inching Closer

Jun 25, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break.

Blinds: 4,000-8,000

Players Left: 10 of 720

Chip Leaders:

Erik Seidel: 308,000
Martin Klaser: 300,000
Tom Chambers: 260,000
Jonathan Maren: 240,000
Chad Burum: 240,000
Joseph Haddad: 180,000
Daniel Klein: 150,000
Michael Fetter: 90,000
Larry Wright: 90,000
Casey Kastle: 67,000

Average Stack: 216,000

Eliminations:

11th: Derek Kadota: $12,205
12th: Gary Hutzler: $12,205
13th: Mark Gallo: $9,829

Big Hands:

Klaser Sends Hutzler Home on Route 66...

On a board of KJ5, Martin Klaser and Gary Hutzler checked and saw a 6 land on the turn. Apparently that set something off in both players as Hutzler fired 60,000 into the pot. Klaser, not to be outdone, moved all in. Both players were neck-and-neck in chips. Hutzler made the call and both players showed down.

Hutzler: A287
Klaser: 10462

Klaser's pair of sixes were ahead, but needed to dodge Hutzler's open ended straight draw, as well as the nut-low draw. The river brought the Q. Klaser threw his head back, as if defeated. He then realized that his medium pair held up and won him a monster pot. It also sent Hutzler to the rail in 12th place.

...Then Seidel Lays Down the Spike Strip on Klaser

Erik Seidel and Klaser didn't need to see a flop to put all their chips in the middle. Seidel moved in preflop and Klaser called. Both players turned up their hands.

Seidel: AK32
Klaser: AQ62
Board: K8710K

There was no qualifying low hand, not that it mattered since Seidel had the nut-low draw. Seidel dodged Klaser's gutshot straight draw on the river, making trip kings and vaulting into the chip lead with over 300,000.





 

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Martin Klaser

$1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low - Day 2 - Level 14 Recap

Jun 25, '08

Note: The players are now on a 60-minute dinner break

Blinds: 2,000-4,000

Players Left: 19 of 720

Chip Leaders:
Martin Klaser - 290,000
Tom Chambers - 230,000
Chad Burum - 212,000
Michael Fetter - 200,000
Derek Kadota - 172,000
Joseph Haddad - 170,000
Larry Wright - 145,000
Ian Graham - 115,000
Gary Hutzler - 87,000
Daniel Klein - 86,000

Average Stack: 113,700

Eliminations:
Ed Smith
Shannon Shorr

Big Hands and Storylines:

The Hunter Becomes The Hunted

Not long after Dan “Stainley88” Adams amassed a stack of 130,000, he would see most of it disappear.

Derek Kadota raised to 11,000 from under-the-gun. Action folded around to Adams in the blind who made it 44,000. Kadota, covered by Adams, called with 60,000 behind. Adams moved all-in on the Q92 flop and Kadota called. The two turned over their hands:

Adams: AA105
Kadota: AQ102

Kadota was in the lead with two-pair, and his hand held up when the turn and river came 5 and K. That pot lifted “The Ghost” – so nicknamed because his opponents’ chips always seem to vanish (what that has to do with being a ghost I’m not quite sure. Do ghosts have the power to make other objects disappear? I don’t know, I’m just reporting what I was told) up to 240,000.

Adams is now down to 30,000.

Table Draw? More Like Table Unfair!

As the tournament played down to 27, the players were re-drawn to new tables on the other side of the Brasilia Room. The table draw, produced at random, made table 9 the center of the action. Not only were the 4 largest chip stacks assigned to the table, but Erik Seidiel and Shannon Shorr as well. By contrast, not a single player assigned to table 10 had more than 20 big blinds.

No Shorr Thing

Shannon Shorr met a similar fate to Dan Adams, his aces getting cracked in a most painful way. Shorr and Tom Chambers got all of their money in on a Q54 flop. The pot was worth 230,000 and the two turned over their cards:

Shorr: AAK7
Chambers: A853

The turn was the 9, but the river was the crushing 2, giving Chambers a wheel and leaving Shorr with only 5,000. Shorr would be eliminated a short while later when he was rivered again by, what else, a wheel.

Player Tags: Larry Wright,   Gary Hutzler,   Chad Burum,   Michael Fetter,   Joseph Haddad,   Daniel Klein,   Derek Kadota,   Shannon Shorr,   Tom Chambers,   Daniel Adams,   Martin Klaser

$1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 25, '08

Blinds: 1,500-3,000

Players Left: 32 of 720

Chip Leaders:
Martin Klaser - 270,000
Joseph Haddad - 131,000
Daniel “Stainley88” Adams - 130,000
Ed Smith - 113,000
Chad Burum - 105,000
Larry Wright - 98,000
Erik Seidel - 86,000
Doug Mandeville - 81,000
Sam Khouiss - 80,000
Shannon Shorr - 60,000

Average Stack: 67,500

Eliminations:
Berry Johnston
Chip Jett
Joe Hachem

Big Hands and Storylines:

Sooner Or Later, All Chips Lead To Klaser

Moments after scoring a big pot off of Erik Seidel, Shannon Shorr had the misfortune of tangling with Martin Klaser. Like all other comers today, Shorr did not fare very well. An 80,000 pot was shipped in Klaser’s direction when his AK83 was good for both the high and low on a board of 962Q5. Klaser is now fully in command of his table, with a staggering 270,000 in chips, while Shorr is left with 60,000.

Dan Adams: Bounty Hunter

While there are no actual bounties in this tournament, Dan “Stainley88” Adams has just succeeded in knocking out two of the more notable players in the field.

First, Chip Jett got his last 11,000 all-in pre-flop with AAK2 but Adams’ AQJ4 wound up victorious when the board – 108893 – made him a straight.

Then Adams continued his predatory ways against Joe Hachem, again getting his opponent all-in pre-flop. This time it was Hachem’s KK54 against Adams’ A742. The flop was a nightmare for Hachem: A74. Not only did it give Adams 3-pair, but Hachem’s low draw was counterfeited. To add insult to injury, the Q on the turn and 3 on the river gave Adams a runner-runner flush. Hachem’s elimination brought an end to the his first deep run of the World Series.

But Wait, There’s More...

Sandwiched between those two hands, Adams won a 100,000 chip pot when he and his opponent got it all-in on a K83 flop. Adams showed KK42 for top set and the second low draw while his opponent  tabled A832 for the nut low draw and bottom two-pair. The turn and river were high cards – J and 10 – and Adams’ hand held up. He now has about 125,000.

Player Tags: Larry Wright,   Erik Seidel,   Chip Jett,   Berry Johnston,   Chad Burum,   Joseph Haddad,   Joe Hachem,   Shannon Shorr,   Sam Khouiss,   Doug Mandeville,   Daniel Adams,   Martin Klaser

$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 KJ8 Haddad and Singer got their chips all-in and showed their hands:

Haddad: AAQ5
Singer: AK73

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

Martin Klaser Wins Event No. 43 ($216,249)

Jun 26, '08

Martin Klaser Dominates Early

Martin Klaser used his chip lead out of the gates to apply constant pressure to his opponent Casey Kastle. As a result, Klaser won nearly 80 percent of the hands without having to go to a showdown. Kastle was pushed down to just under 10 big blinds.

Martin Klaser Wins Event No. 43 ($216,249)

On a flop of J99 Casey Kastle put in his last 120,000 and Martin Klaser made the call. Klaser turned over an overpair of queens and all Kastle could muster was a pair of jacks. The Queen on the turn sealed the deal, and Klaser won his first WSOP bracelet.

Casey Kastle finished in second place, earning $137,985.

Player Tags: Casey Kastle,   Martin Klaser

$1,500 PLO 8/ob - Heads Up Time

Jun 26, '08

Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Players Left: 2 of 720

Chip Leaders:

Seat 6: Casey Kastle - 1,500,000
Seat 8: Martin Klaser - 700,000

Eliminations:  Michael Fetter (3rd Place)

Big Hands:

Michael Fetter Eliminated in Third Place ($83,538)

Michael Fetter was short stacked and all in against Martin Klaser. Fetter held AQ109 and Klaser turned over AQ27. The board came 77610Q and Klaser made trips to send Fetter home in third place.

NOTE: The players then took a 20-minute break before heads up play began.

Heads Up Play Begins

Martin Klaser - 1,500,000
Casey Kastle - 700,000

Player Tags: Casey Kastle,   Michael Fetter,   Martin Klaser

$1,500 PLO 8/ob - Not Much Action

Jun 26, '08

Blinds: 8,000-16,000

Players Left: 5 of 720

Chip Leaders:

Seat 5: Michael Fetter - 240,000
Seat 6: Casey Kastle - 730,000
Seat 7: Jon Maren - 215,000
Seat 8: Martin Klaser - 580,000
Seat 9: Erik Seidel - 400,000

Eliminations:  Chad Burum (6th Place),

Big Hands:

Chad Burum Eliminated in Sixth Place ($44,266)

Chad Burum got his last few thousand in with the second nut-low draw and a flush draw against Martin Klaser's two pair and nut-low draw. The gave Klaser the low and the river bricked to keep his two pair ahead. Burum was eliminated in sixth place.

Player Tags: Chad Burum,   Martin Klaser

$1,500 PLO 8/ob - Two More Down

Jun 26, '08

Blinds: 6,000-12,000

Players Left: 6 of 720

Chip Leaders:

Seat 4: Chad Burum - 70,000
Seat 5: Michael Fetter - 230,000
Seat 6: Casey Kastle - 790,000
Seat 7: Jon Maren - 245,000
Seat 8: Martin Klaser - 500,000
Seat 9: Erik Seidel - 325,000

Eliminations:  Larry Wright (8th Place), Joseph Haddad (7th Place),

Big Hands:

Chad Burum Doubles Through Joseph Haddad

On a flop of K64, Chad Burum got it all in against Joseph Haddad. Burum held A347 for the second nut-low draw, a pair of fours and a back door nut-flush draw and Haddad showed A2910 for the nut-low draw and not much else. The not much else cost him when the turn brought the 2, counterfeiting his low, and the 5 on the gave Burum the wheel and a much needed double up.

Joseph Haddad Triples, Then Doubles

After getting all of his dangerously low stack in preflop against two opponents, Haddad revealed his fours full of tens on the river to triple up. A few hands later, his hole cards made the nut low and nut straight against Larry Wright to double up yet again to about 160,000.

Larry Wright Eliminated in Eighth Place ($27,027)

Larry Wright was all in for his last 17,000 against Casey Kastle. Kastle flopped the nut flush in spades, and Wright was unable to make a low by the river to survive. Wright was eliminated in eighth place.

Joseph Haddad Eliminated in Seventh Place ($34,389)

Martin Klaser raised and Joseph Haddad moved all in over the top. Klaser reluctantly called showing A1035 and he was in relatively bad shape against Haddad's AA24. But the flop gave Klaser the wheel, and Haddad was unable to catch up or improve. Haddad was eliminated in seventh place.

NOTE: The players then took a 20-minute break.

Player Tags: Casey Kastle,   Larry Wright,   Chad Burum,   Joseph Haddad,   Martin Klaser

Inching Closer

Jun 25, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break.

Blinds: 4,000-8,000

Players Left: 10 of 720

Chip Leaders:

Erik Seidel: 308,000
Martin Klaser: 300,000
Tom Chambers: 260,000
Jonathan Maren: 240,000
Chad Burum: 240,000
Joseph Haddad: 180,000
Daniel Klein: 150,000
Michael Fetter: 90,000
Larry Wright: 90,000
Casey Kastle: 67,000

Average Stack: 216,000

Eliminations:

11th: Derek Kadota: $12,205
12th: Gary Hutzler: $12,205
13th: Mark Gallo: $9,829

Big Hands:

Klaser Sends Hutzler Home on Route 66...

On a board of KJ5, Martin Klaser and Gary Hutzler checked and saw a 6 land on the turn. Apparently that set something off in both players as Hutzler fired 60,000 into the pot. Klaser, not to be outdone, moved all in. Both players were neck-and-neck in chips. Hutzler made the call and both players showed down.

Hutzler: A287
Klaser: 10462

Klaser's pair of sixes were ahead, but needed to dodge Hutzler's open ended straight draw, as well as the nut-low draw. The river brought the Q. Klaser threw his head back, as if defeated. He then realized that his medium pair held up and won him a monster pot. It also sent Hutzler to the rail in 12th place.

...Then Seidel Lays Down the Spike Strip on Klaser

Erik Seidel and Klaser didn't need to see a flop to put all their chips in the middle. Seidel moved in preflop and Klaser called. Both players turned up their hands.

Seidel: AK32
Klaser: AQ62
Board: K8710K

There was no qualifying low hand, not that it mattered since Seidel had the nut-low draw. Seidel dodged Klaser's gutshot straight draw on the river, making trip kings and vaulting into the chip lead with over 300,000.





 

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Martin Klaser

$1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low - Day 2 - Level 14 Recap

Jun 25, '08

Note: The players are now on a 60-minute dinner break

Blinds: 2,000-4,000

Players Left: 19 of 720

Chip Leaders:
Martin Klaser - 290,000
Tom Chambers - 230,000
Chad Burum - 212,000
Michael Fetter - 200,000
Derek Kadota - 172,000
Joseph Haddad - 170,000
Larry Wright - 145,000
Ian Graham - 115,000
Gary Hutzler - 87,000
Daniel Klein - 86,000

Average Stack: 113,700

Eliminations:
Ed Smith
Shannon Shorr

Big Hands and Storylines:

The Hunter Becomes The Hunted

Not long after Dan “Stainley88” Adams amassed a stack of 130,000, he would see most of it disappear.

Derek Kadota raised to 11,000 from under-the-gun. Action folded around to Adams in the blind who made it 44,000. Kadota, covered by Adams, called with 60,000 behind. Adams moved all-in on the Q92 flop and Kadota called. The two turned over their hands:

Adams: AA105
Kadota: AQ102

Kadota was in the lead with two-pair, and his hand held up when the turn and river came 5 and K. That pot lifted “The Ghost” – so nicknamed because his opponents’ chips always seem to vanish (what that has to do with being a ghost I’m not quite sure. Do ghosts have the power to make other objects disappear? I don’t know, I’m just reporting what I was told) up to 240,000.

Adams is now down to 30,000.

Table Draw? More Like Table Unfair!

As the tournament played down to 27, the players were re-drawn to new tables on the other side of the Brasilia Room. The table draw, produced at random, made table 9 the center of the action. Not only were the 4 largest chip stacks assigned to the table, but Erik Seidiel and Shannon Shorr as well. By contrast, not a single player assigned to table 10 had more than 20 big blinds.

No Shorr Thing

Shannon Shorr met a similar fate to Dan Adams, his aces getting cracked in a most painful way. Shorr and Tom Chambers got all of their money in on a Q54 flop. The pot was worth 230,000 and the two turned over their cards:

Shorr: AAK7
Chambers: A853

The turn was the 9, but the river was the crushing 2, giving Chambers a wheel and leaving Shorr with only 5,000. Shorr would be eliminated a short while later when he was rivered again by, what else, a wheel.

Player Tags: Larry Wright,   Gary Hutzler,   Chad Burum,   Michael Fetter,   Joseph Haddad,   Daniel Klein,   Derek Kadota,   Shannon Shorr,   Tom Chambers,   Daniel Adams,   Martin Klaser

$1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 25, '08

Blinds: 1,500-3,000

Players Left: 32 of 720

Chip Leaders:
Martin Klaser - 270,000
Joseph Haddad - 131,000
Daniel “Stainley88” Adams - 130,000
Ed Smith - 113,000
Chad Burum - 105,000
Larry Wright - 98,000
Erik Seidel - 86,000
Doug Mandeville - 81,000
Sam Khouiss - 80,000
Shannon Shorr - 60,000

Average Stack: 67,500

Eliminations:
Berry Johnston
Chip Jett
Joe Hachem

Big Hands and Storylines:

Sooner Or Later, All Chips Lead To Klaser

Moments after scoring a big pot off of Erik Seidel, Shannon Shorr had the misfortune of tangling with Martin Klaser. Like all other comers today, Shorr did not fare very well. An 80,000 pot was shipped in Klaser’s direction when his AK83 was good for both the high and low on a board of 962Q5. Klaser is now fully in command of his table, with a staggering 270,000 in chips, while Shorr is left with 60,000.

Dan Adams: Bounty Hunter

While there are no actual bounties in this tournament, Dan “Stainley88” Adams has just succeeded in knocking out two of the more notable players in the field.

First, Chip Jett got his last 11,000 all-in pre-flop with AAK2 but Adams’ AQJ4 wound up victorious when the board – 108893 – made him a straight.

Then Adams continued his predatory ways against Joe Hachem, again getting his opponent all-in pre-flop. This time it was Hachem’s KK54 against Adams’ A742. The flop was a nightmare for Hachem: A74. Not only did it give Adams 3-pair, but Hachem’s low draw was counterfeited. To add insult to injury, the Q on the turn and 3 on the river gave Adams a runner-runner flush. Hachem’s elimination brought an end to the his first deep run of the World Series.

But Wait, There’s More...

Sandwiched between those two hands, Adams won a 100,000 chip pot when he and his opponent got it all-in on a K83 flop. Adams showed KK42 for top set and the second low draw while his opponent  tabled A832 for the nut low draw and bottom two-pair. The turn and river were high cards – J and 10 – and Adams’ hand held up. He now has about 125,000.

Player Tags: Larry Wright,   Erik Seidel,   Chip Jett,   Berry Johnston,   Chad Burum,   Joseph Haddad,   Joe Hachem,   Shannon Shorr,   Sam Khouiss,   Doug Mandeville,   Daniel Adams,   Martin Klaser

$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 KJ8 Haddad and Singer got their chips all-in and showed their hands:

Haddad: AAQ5
Singer: AK73

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

Martin Klaser Wins Event No. 43 ($216,249)

Jun 26, '08

Martin Klaser Dominates Early

Martin Klaser used his chip lead out of the gates to apply constant pressure to his opponent Casey Kastle. As a result, Klaser won nearly 80 percent of the hands without having to go to a showdown. Kastle was pushed down to just under 10 big blinds.

Martin Klaser Wins Event No. 43 ($216,249)

On a flop of J99 Casey Kastle put in his last 120,000 and Martin Klaser made the call. Klaser turned over an overpair of queens and all Kastle could muster was a pair of jacks. The Queen on the turn sealed the deal, and Klaser won his first WSOP bracelet.

Casey Kastle finished in second place, earning $137,985.

Player Tags: Casey Kastle,   Martin Klaser

$1,500 PLO 8/ob - Heads Up Time

Jun 26, '08

Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Players Left: 2 of 720

Chip Leaders:

Seat 6: Casey Kastle - 1,500,000
Seat 8: Martin Klaser - 700,000

Eliminations:  Michael Fetter (3rd Place)

Big Hands:

Michael Fetter Eliminated in Third Place ($83,538)

Michael Fetter was short stacked and all in against Martin Klaser. Fetter held AQ109 and Klaser turned over AQ27. The board came 77610Q and Klaser made trips to send Fetter home in third place.

NOTE: The players then took a 20-minute break before heads up play began.

Heads Up Play Begins

Martin Klaser - 1,500,000
Casey Kastle - 700,000

Player Tags: Casey Kastle,   Michael Fetter,   Martin Klaser

$1,500 PLO 8/ob - Not Much Action

Jun 26, '08

Blinds: 8,000-16,000

Players Left: 5 of 720

Chip Leaders:

Seat 5: Michael Fetter - 240,000
Seat 6: Casey Kastle - 730,000
Seat 7: Jon Maren - 215,000
Seat 8: Martin Klaser - 580,000
Seat 9: Erik Seidel - 400,000

Eliminations:  Chad Burum (6th Place),

Big Hands:

Chad Burum Eliminated in Sixth Place ($44,266)

Chad Burum got his last few thousand in with the second nut-low draw and a flush draw against Martin Klaser's two pair and nut-low draw. The gave Klaser the low and the river bricked to keep his two pair ahead. Burum was eliminated in sixth place.

Player Tags: Chad Burum,   Martin Klaser

$1,500 PLO 8/ob - Two More Down

Jun 26, '08

Blinds: 6,000-12,000

Players Left: 6 of 720

Chip Leaders:

Seat 4: Chad Burum - 70,000
Seat 5: Michael Fetter - 230,000
Seat 6: Casey Kastle - 790,000
Seat 7: Jon Maren - 245,000
Seat 8: Martin Klaser - 500,000
Seat 9: Erik Seidel - 325,000

Eliminations:  Larry Wright (8th Place), Joseph Haddad (7th Place),

Big Hands:

Chad Burum Doubles Through Joseph Haddad

On a flop of K64, Chad Burum got it all in against Joseph Haddad. Burum held A347 for the second nut-low draw, a pair of fours and a back door nut-flush draw and Haddad showed A2910 for the nut-low draw and not much else. The not much else cost him when the turn brought the 2, counterfeiting his low, and the 5 on the gave Burum the wheel and a much needed double up.

Joseph Haddad Triples, Then Doubles

After getting all of his dangerously low stack in preflop against two opponents, Haddad revealed his fours full of tens on the river to triple up. A few hands later, his hole cards made the nut low and nut straight against Larry Wright to double up yet again to about 160,000.

Larry Wright Eliminated in Eighth Place ($27,027)

Larry Wright was all in for his last 17,000 against Casey Kastle. Kastle flopped the nut flush in spades, and Wright was unable to make a low by the river to survive. Wright was eliminated in eighth place.

Joseph Haddad Eliminated in Seventh Place ($34,389)

Martin Klaser raised and Joseph Haddad moved all in over the top. Klaser reluctantly called showing A1035 and he was in relatively bad shape against Haddad's AA24. But the flop gave Klaser the wheel, and Haddad was unable to catch up or improve. Haddad was eliminated in seventh place.

NOTE: The players then took a 20-minute break.

Player Tags: Casey Kastle,   Larry Wright,   Chad Burum,   Joseph Haddad,   Martin Klaser