$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 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
$1,500 HORSE - Final Day - Level 25
Jul 01, '08
Blinds/Antes: Stud - A: 5,000 B: 5,000 C: 20,000 , Razz - A: 5,000 B: 5,000 C: 20,000, Stud 8 - A: 5,000 B: 5,000 C: 20,000, Omaha: 10,000/20,000, Hold’em: 10,000/20,000
Players Remaining: 4 of 803
Chip Counts:
James Schaaf – 930,000
Tommy Hang – 845,000
Esther Rossi – 440,000
Phil Hellmuth – 115,000
Eliminations:
Jason Dollinger Eliminated in 5th Place ($54,804)
Big Hands:
Jason Dollinger Eliminated in 5th Place ($54,804)
In the stud round, Jason Dollinger completed showing the K and was raised by Tommy Hang, the chip leader, showing the 9. Dollinger reraised and Hang made the call. The two eventually got it all in on fifth street and at the showdown Dollinger showed one pair, fours, against Hang’s three-of-a-kind, sevens. Dollinger earned $54,804 for his 5th place finish.
New Chip Leader at Break
After a few hands of stud eight-or-better, the remaining four players took a 20 minute break. Just before the break, James Schaaf overtook Tommy Hang as the tournament chip leader thanks in part to two pots with the undisputed crowd favorite, Phil Hellmuth. Hellmuth lost both to Schaaf and went into the break as the short stack with less than 150,000 in chips.
Play resumed just before the stroke of midnight.
Player Tags: Tommy Hang, Phil Hellmuth, Esther Rossi, James Schaaf, Jason Dollinger
$1,500 HORSE - Final Day - Level 24
Jul 01, '08
Blinds/Antes: Stud - A: 5,000 B: 5,000 C: 20,000 , Razz - A: 5,000 B: 5,000 C: 20,000, Stud 8 - A: 5,000 B: 5,000 C: 20,000, Omaha: 10,000/20,000, Hold’em: 10,000/20,000
Players Remaining: 5 of 803
Chip Counts:
Tommy Hang - 1,000,000
James Schaaf - 450,000
Esther Rossi - 400,000
Phil Hellmuth - 300,000
Jason Dollinger - 240,000
Eliminations:
Sam Silverman Eliminated in 6th Place ($42,966)
Big Hands:
Sam Silverman Eliminated in 6th Place ($42,966)
Sam Silverman became the sixth place finisher after getting all his chips in the middle pre-flop during the hold’em round with 33 against Jason Dollinger’s 77. The final board came down KJ10108. Silverman earned $42,996 for his sixth place finish and enjoyed a round of applause as he exited the tournament area.
Player Tags: Tommy Hang, Phil Hellmuth, Sam Silverman, Esther Rossi, James Schaaf, Jason Dollinger
$1,500 HORSE - Final Day - Final Table Set!
Jul 01, '08
Blinds/Antes: Stud - A: 3000 B: 3000 C: 12000 , Razz - A: 3000 B: 3000 C: 12000, Stud 8 - A: 3000 B: 3000 C: 12000, Omaha: 6000/12000, Hold’em: 6000/12000
Players Remaining: 8 of 803
Chip Leaders:
Tommy Hang - 680,000
Phil Hellmuth - 400,000
James Schaaf - 392,000
Jason Dollinger - 346,000
Sam Silverman - 310,000
Victor Ramdin - 166,000
Esther Rossi - 78,000
Matt Grapenthien - 46,000
Eliminations:
Lonnie Heimowitz Eliminated in 10th Place ($22,031)
Edward Brogdon Eliminated in 9th Place ($22,031)
Big Hands:
Lonnie Heimowitz Eliminated in 10th Place ($22,031)
During the Omaha eight-or-better round, Lonnie Heimowitz got it all in pre-flop with AQ76 against Victor Ramdin’s JJ43. The flop came AKQ, giving two pair to Heimowitz and a flush draw to Ramdin. The 10 on the turn was a blank for Ramdin, but the 5 on the river completed his flush. Heimowitz was eliminated in 10th place, earning $22,031 for his efforts.
Final Table Bubble Played Nine-Handed
As the players sweat the bubble for the final table, the remaining nine players will be combining into one nine-handed table. When another player has been eliminated, the remaining eight final tablists will take a one hour dinner break.
Edward Brogdon Eliminated in 9th Place ($22,031)
Not long after combining into one nine-handed table, Edward Brogdon became the final table bubble boy after being eliminated by current chip leader Tommy Hang. Brogdon and Hang got it all in pre-flop, with 106 for Hang and 77 for Brogdon. The final board read KQ432, and Brogdon earned $22,031 for his “unlucky” 9th place finish.
Storylines:
Final Table Set
With the elimination of Edward Brogdon (9th) right before the dinner break, the final eight players prepared for the final table. Here was what the final table (eight-handed) looked like as the players left for dinner:
Seat 1 - James Schaaf - 392,000
Seat 2 - Matt Grapenthien - 46,000
Seat 3 - Sam Silverman - 310,000
Seat 4 - Phil Hellmuth - 400,000
Seat 5 - Jason Dollinger - 346,000
Seat 6 - Tommy Hang - 680,000
Seat 7 - Victor Ramdin - 78,000
Seat 8 - Esther Rossi - 166,000
Player Tags: Lonnie Heimowitz, Matt Grapenthien, Tommy Hang, Phil Hellmuth, Victor Ramdin, Sam Silverman, Esther Rossi, Edward Brogdon, European Report, James Schaaf, Jason Dollinger
$1,500 HORSE - Final Day - Level 22
Jul 01, '08
Blinds/Antes: Stud - A: 3000 B: 3000 C: 12000 , Razz - A: 3000 B: 3000 C: 12000, Stud 8 - A: 3000 B: 3000 C: 12000, Omaha: 6000/12000, Hold’em: 6000/12000
Players Remaining: 10 of 803
Chip Leaders:
Phil Hellmuth - 420000
Sam Silverman - 345000
James Schaaf - 340000
Jason Dollinger - 285000
Tommy Hang - 280000
Matt Grapenthien - 250000
Esther Rossi - 190000
Victor Ramdin - 150000
Edward Brogdon - 60000
Lonnie Heimowitz - 26000
Eliminations:
Randy Holland Eliminated in 13th Place ($11,070)
Phillip Penn Eliminated in 12th Place ($16,551)
Steve Diano Eliminated in 11th Place ($16,551)
Big Hands:
Randy Holland Eliminated in 13th Place ($11,070)
Sam Silverman eliminated Randy Holland during the razz level when his 9-6-5-4-3 ended up being the better hand against Holland’s 10-5-4-3-2. Holland picked up $11,070 in prize money as he exited the tournament area in 13th place.
Phillip Penn Sr. Eliminated in 12th Place ($16,551)
Phillip Penn was eliminated by Matt Grapenthein during the stud eight-or-better round, earning $16,551 for his 12th place finish.
Steve Diano Eliminated in 11th Place ($16,551)
Steve Diano fell victim to Esther Rossi’s four-of-a-kind during the stud eight-or-better round and was unable to take even a portion of the pot with a low. Diano earned $16,551 for his 11th place finish, and the remaining players are closer to the final table. Only two more eliminations before the seats are redrawn and final table play commences.
Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth, Victor Ramdin, Sam Silverman, European Report, James Schaaf, Jason Dollinger
