Alan Smurfit Poker Tournament Updates

Alan Smurfit Eliminated by James Mordue

Oct 28, '09

A very short stacked Alan Smurfit finally woke up with a hand to push with in AK. His timing, however, couldn’t have been worse as his opponent James Mordue woke up with pocket aces.

The board ran out 872510 and Smurfit was eliminated.

Player Tags: James Mordue,   Alan Smurfit

Doyle Brunson More Than Doubles

Oct 23, '08

Dutch Boyd raises to 18,000 and Alan Smurfit moves all in for 60,000. Ted Lawson tanks before folding pocket tens and Doyle Brunson moves all in for 155,000.

Boyd makes the call and shows A-K, but Brunson has pocket kings. The board comes QQ667 and Brunson now has about 380,000 in chips. Smurfit is eliminated.

There are 55 players remaining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Doyle Brunson,   Alan Smurfit,   Dutch Boyd

Alan Smurfit Eliminated in Sixth Place (£153,351)

Oct 05, '08

Michael Martin moves all in preflop for 765,000 and Alan Smurfit makes the all-in call for just 180,000. Their cards:

Martin: JJ
Smurfit: A4

Board: KJ355

Smurfit is eliminated in sixth place, and he will take home £153,351 in prize money. Martin is back over 1 million once again.








 

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Michael Martin

Smurfit Shows a Nice Play

Oct 04, '08

Alan Smurfit moves all in for 302,000 after Anthony Lellouche opens things with a standard raise. Lellouche thinks for a minute or two, and then Lellouche mucks A-J face up on the table. Smurfit collects the pot and flips over A-7 as he does so to show that he is loosening up a bit. Smurfit has gotten a lot of respect at this table as an absolute rock. He may now try to use that table image to his advantage as the play continues to be tight on the televsion table bubble.












 

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit

Alan Smurfit Doubles Up

Oct 04, '08

With blinds at 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante Joe Elpayaa opens the pot for a standard raise under the gun. Johannes Strassmann reraises to 61,000 from middle position, leaving him 378,000 behind, and Alan Smurfit moves all in for 120,000 from the cutoff. Elpayaa folds and Strassmann makes the call. Their cards:

Strassmann: 1010
Smurfit: AA

Board: QJ763

Smurfit doubles up on the hand for the second time today through Strassmann, and he now has 240,000. Strassmann was knocked down to 319,000.






 

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Johannes Strassmann,   Joseph Elpayaa

Alan Smurfit Eliminated in Sixth Place (£153,351)

Oct 05, '08

Michael Martin moves all in preflop for 765,000 and Alan Smurfit makes the all-in call for just 180,000. Their cards:

Martin: JJ
Smurfit: A4

Board: KJ355

Smurfit is eliminated in sixth place, and he will take home £153,351 in prize money. Martin is back over 1 million once again.








 

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Michael Martin

Smurfit Shows a Nice Play

Oct 04, '08

Alan Smurfit moves all in for 302,000 after Anthony Lellouche opens things with a standard raise. Lellouche thinks for a minute or two, and then Lellouche mucks A-J face up on the table. Smurfit collects the pot and flips over A-7 as he does so to show that he is loosening up a bit. Smurfit has gotten a lot of respect at this table as an absolute rock. He may now try to use that table image to his advantage as the play continues to be tight on the televsion table bubble.












 

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit

Alan Smurfit Doubles Up

Oct 04, '08

With blinds at 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante Joe Elpayaa opens the pot for a standard raise under the gun. Johannes Strassmann reraises to 61,000 from middle position, leaving him 378,000 behind, and Alan Smurfit moves all in for 120,000 from the cutoff. Elpayaa folds and Strassmann makes the call. Their cards:

Strassmann: 1010
Smurfit: AA

Board: QJ763

Smurfit doubles up on the hand for the second time today through Strassmann, and he now has 240,000. Strassmann was knocked down to 319,000.






 

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Johannes Strassmann,   Joseph Elpayaa

$1,500 Limit Shootout - Hour Four

Jul 01, '08

Note: The official numbers are in...Today's $1,500 Limit Shootout event attracted a total of 823 entrants, creating a total prizepool $1,123,395. One player from each starting table will be paid, places 90 - 10 will each recieve $5,055 while the first place winner will receive $278,180 and a shiny new bracelet.

Note: Players will take a short twenty-minute break at the conclusion of Level 4 and will return at roughly 4:45 pm to begin Level 5 with increased blinds of 150-300 and stakes of 300-600.

Blinds: 100-200
Stakes: 200-400

Players: 823

Eliminations: Roy Winston, Tom Franklin, Dutch Boyd, Eric Froehlich, Sam Grizzle, Joe Sebok, Sam Grizzle, David Levi, Alex Kravchenko, Daniel Negreanu, Josh Arieh

Big Hands:

Table 42

Roy" The Oracle" Winston Eliminated

Both Alan Smurfit and Roy Winston were involved in a huge pot with three other players at their table. The action was capped at 800 each or 4,00 total before the flop, Winston was all in. The finall board was Q887J, where Smurfit turned over 109 for the nut straight to the queen. Smurfit flopped an inside straight draw, turned an open-ended straight draw, and rivered the nuts. Smurfit raked a huge pot, putting him in good shape to win his table as Roy Winston hit the rail.

Dutch Boyd Eliminated

Short stacked, Dutch Boyd got it all in with J2 against an opponent holding Q9. The board came  AK487, no help for either player as queen-high held up. Boyd was not happy with the way things went today as he stormed out of the room early in Level 4.

JC Tran Flops Quads, Sam Grizzle Hits The rail

Hot off of his big win last night, JC Tran got involved in a pot with Sam Grizzle from the small blind. Grizzle raised before the flop and Tran called. The flop came 888, and Tran bet out. Grizzle raised all in and Tran called. Tran was quick to turn over his cards, exposing Q8 for flopped quads as Grizzle just shook his head and threw his hand away before making an early exit here on Day 1.

Joe Sebok Eliminated

It was set over set that ended the day early for Joe Sebok. Losing most of chips to mark Seif with a set of sixes against Seif's set of jacks, Sebok got his last 800 in the pot on the very next hand with pocket kings against Matt Graham's Q-J. The board came A-10-9-J-8, giving Graham a straight to the queen on the river. Sebok was eliminated around the half-way mark in Level 4.

Alex Kravchenko Eliminated

Heads-up on a flop of 762, Kravchenko bet out and his opponent made the call. The turn was the K, and once again Kravchenko bet out. This time his opponent raised and Kravchenko called all in. Kravchenko turned over AJ for overcards while his opponent showed J7 for middle pair. The river was the Q, and that's it for Alex Kravchenko.

Player Tags: Tom Franklin,   Alan Smurfit,   Eric Froehlich,   Roy Winston,   Dutch Boyd

Alan Smurfit Doubles Up

Apr 22, '08

Alan Smurfit just doubled up with pocket threes. He moved all in preflop and was called down by a player with A 9. The board ran out 4-3-2-5-rag and Smurfit survived.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit

Level 3 Update

Jul 07, '07

Tony G has had an interesting afternoon thus far and is on a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Tony has been playing a lot of hands lately, but he has been doing an excellent job of getting away from the losing ones and capitalizing on his winning hands. Involved in a fairly large pot with www.PokerStars.com’s Alan Smurfit, Tony bets $1,500 on a flop of A K 2. Smurfit smooth calls and the turn brings the 7. Tony checks to Smurfit who bets $2,400 and after a few minutes of deliberation, Tony lays it down. Smurfit shows A Q and Tony gets a little reassurance. A few hands later and Tony would get all of the reassurance than he needed when he flopped a set of jacks and rivered quads in a huge pot against an opponent that was already made on the turn. On a board of J 9 4 A J, the player in seat no. 5 makes a large bet and Tony comes over the top for $5,000 more. His opponent was left with a very difficult decision and just couldn’t lay down the flush. Seat no.5 makes the call and Tony G turns over J J for quads. Tony rakes a big pot and cracks an even bigger smile.

Not everyone was running that well today, including Sam Farha who was eliminated this level when he moved all-in from the short stack with A 9 and an opponent in seat no. 2 made the call with A 8. The board came 8 5 2 3 K, with an eight in the window sending Farha to the rail halfway through Level 3.

Joe Sebok, who has had a commanding chip lead at his table all day, had finally met his match when he got stuck in a rag board against his opponent’s over pair. Sebok comes in for a raise of $1,200 and the player in seat no. 6 just flat calls. The flop comes 9 2 2, and Sebok  bets $1,600. The player in seat no. 6 raises to $3,000 and Sebok makes the call. The turn brings the 8 and both players check around. The river brings the 7 and Sebok checks to seat no. 6 who fires $4,000 at the pot. Sebok makes a crying call and his opponent turns over J J for the over pair. Sebok throws his hand into the muck and doesn’t sweat it too much as he has been playing solid poker all day and has a nice cushion closing in on dinner.

Trumper Watch
Englishman Simon ‘Aces’ Trumper finally succumbed to what he described as ‘bloody awful play’ at his table and is gone. ‘It’d make you sick how bad the play at my table was,’ he told CardPlayer.com. ‘I found A-Q suited and a guy at my table with $45,000 decides to limp with A-Q. This induced another caller who had K-10 – he wouldn’t have been in the pot if the $45,000 chip guy raises. So I’m all-in for my last $1,025 chips and the board comes 5-6-3-10-3 and that’s it. Ridiculous.’ he muttered shaking his head as he walked away.

Banzi Boshed But Battles On
On a board of 573Q7 Praz Banzi, on $15,100 in chips, looks like he is going to bet out on the river after he and his opponent checked the turn. He lifted $2,000 in chips and made a motion to throw them into the pot but stopped himself at the last second and checked.

His opponent looked visibly perplexed. He thought for a minute and bet $1,000. With the action on Praz dithered for a few moments and made what looked like a crying call, only to see his opponent flip up J-7. It looked like the little voice in his head saved him a few chips.

O’Connell The Cool
Veteran British player Kevin O’Connell, on $26,000 in chips, in the cut-off raised pre-flop to $500, was met with a re-raise and pumped it again to $2,700.

On a flop of A26 both he and his opponent checked. The turn as the 10 and both checked again. The river came 8 and O’Connell popped $1,000 into the pot. His opponent finally called and O’Connell flipped over K-K. His opponent, a fellow countryman, shrugged his shoulders and mucked his cards. O’Connell said to him almost apologetically, ‘I had to bet it.’

Euro Roundup

Eoghan O'Dea has almost double his stack since CardPlayer.com last looked and is now on $42,300. His father Donnacha has $30,000.

George McKeever, also from Ireland and a 1999 main event finalist, has a healthy $42,700.

Neil 'Bad Beat' Channing is 'very happy' with his table and has $55,000 in chips. Indeed, he is more concerned with getting the spelling of his name changed by a certain media outlet and wanting to have his nickname added.

Dane Martin Wendt has $32,900, Frenchman Pascal Perrault has $41,400, German Michael Keiner has $39,350, and Vicky Coren has $28,300.

Be sure to check  back with CardPlayer.com for more updates and your favorite Pro Blogs. 

Notable Chip Counts

Scott Bohlman	107,000
Scotty Nguyen	73,500
Doug Kim	61,000
Joe Sebok	60,000
David 'The Dragon' Pham	55,000
Bill Chen	50,000
Roland De Wolfe	48,800
Dan Harrington	48,000
Sabyl Cohen	47,000
'Miami John' Cernuto	40,000
Paul Wasicka	39,000
Patrik Antonius	36,000
Kathy Liebert	35,500
Tony G	32,000
Scott Fischman	31,000
Norm MacDonald	31,000
Barry Shulman	31,000
Alexander Kravchenko	31,000
Jordan Morgan	30,200
Jane Gold	27,300
Alan Smurfit	27,000
J.J. Liu	26,000
Isabelle Mercier	26,000
Evelyn Ng	26,000
Captain Tom Franklin	26,000
Kido Pham	25,000
Erik Seidel	23,000
Berry Johnston	23,000
Max Pescatori	22,000
Rhett Butler	21,500
Robert Mizrachi	21,000
Jeff Lisandro	20,500
Mark Seif	20,000
Justin Bonomo	20,000
Juha Helppi	19,000
Noah Boeken	17,000
Kirk Morrison	17,000
Jennifer Harman	16,500
David Singer	16,000
Joe Hachem	15,800
Tom McEvoy	15,300
Dan Shak	15,000
Jeffrey Lisandro	14,000
Richard Lee	12,000
Young Phan	11,000
Jan Sorenson	10,650
Hoyt Corkins	10,000
Dan Alspach	10,000
Dan Nassif	9,700
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman	9,600
Bruno Fitoussi	7,000

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Alan Smurfit,   Sam Farha,   Joe Sebok

Alan Smurfit Wins Event No. 33 ($464,867)

Jun 22, '07

Blinds Up

The blinds are now $80,000-$160,000

Take Forever – Part V

The heads-up match has now gone over 250 hands and the chip stacks are about back to even.

Smurfit Takes the Lead

Just like a shift in the tide, Smurfit took down a pot with a pot-sized raise. This once again gave him the chip lead.

Alan Smurfit Wins Event No. 33 ($464,867)

On a flop of J 8 6 Qushqar Morad moved all in and Alan Smurfit made the call. Smurfit turned up Q J 8 2 and Morad turned over 10 9 9 6. The turn and river cards were dealt 6 8. Smurfit won the hand, and $464,867. He also took home the gold bracelet after a 167 hand marathon heads-up battle. Morad took home $279,595 for his second-place finish.

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad

Hour Seven

Jun 22, '07

Chip Counts:

Alan Smurfitt: $2,400,000
Qushqar Morad: $900,000

Smurfit Closes the Door

Alan Smurfitt picked up yet another pot off of Morad with a pair of jacks. Morad is now in dire straights with under $400,000 going into the 100th hand of heads-up action.

Take Forever – Part IV

The heads-up match has now gone more hands than all the preceding final table action.

Blinds Up

The blinds are now $60,000-$120,000.

Even Steven

The chip stacks just got back to even.

Morad Fights Back

Qushqar Morad won a $960,000 pot to jump back into contention.

The Swing of the Pendulum

On a flop of A K 10 Smurfit had Morad covered all in. Smurfit flipped up A Q J 6 for a straight and Morad turned over A K 10 7. The turn paired the board and gave Morad a full house when the 10 was dealt. The river brought the 9 and Morad doubled up to reclaim the chip lead.

Smurfit Doubles Up

Smurfit moved all in for $253,000 on a board of K 5 3 A and Morad made the call. Morad showed 8 7 6 4 and Smurfit revealed K 10 9 5 and doubled up when the 10 hit on the river.

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad

Hour Six

Jun 22, '07

Take Forever – Part III

The heads-up match has now gone 75 hands.

The Price of Poker Has Gone Up – Astronomically

The players then went on a 15 minute break. When they returned the blinds were kicked up to $50,000-$100,000. Geeezzzz…

Smurfit Refuses to Quit

Alan Smurfit made a pot-sized $600,000 bet and Qushqar Morad made the call on a board of 9 7 6 8. The river brought the K and Smurfit moved all in. Morad called and Smurfit flipped over the A and 2 for a flush. Morad mucked and Smurfit double up again. This time he took the chip lead:

Alan Smurfit: $2,300,000
Qushqar Morad: $1,100,000

200 Hands – 96 Heads Up

‘Nuff said.

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad

Hour Five

Jun 22, '07

Suck Out City

Qushqar Morad makes a pot-sized raise and Alan Smurfit re-pots it, putting himself all in. He flipped over A 5 5 3 and Morad turned over A K K 8. The board was dealt 10 9 4 9 5 to hit one of two remaining outs in the deck and survive.

Take Forever – Part II

After the improbable win by Smurfit in his all-in pot he still held a dangerously low amount of chips. He hung tough though, and Morad seemed unable to send him to the rail. He wasn’t in too big of a rush though, and was content to wait for the next big confrontation. The blinds then kicked up to $40,000-$80,000. The first person to raise would have to do so for $240,000 at this point. Something would happen soon thanks to the blinds. One hundred and fifty hands had transpired at this point.

The Big 5 - 0

The heads up match has now gone 50 hands.

The Tables Have Turned

On a flop of Q 8 3 Alan Smurfit bet the pot for $480,000 and Morad made the call. The turn brought the 7 and Smurfit moved all in for his last $185,000. Morad called and flipped over A A 9 J. Smurfit showed down Q 9 9 8. The river brought the Q and we now have a new chip leader in Smurfit.

Alan Smurfit: $1,840,000
Qushqar Morad: $1,675,000

Or Have They?

Morad fought back and reclaimed the chip lead a few hands later. He once again held over $2 million.

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad

Hour Four

Jun 22, '07

Take Forever

The final three players didn’t seem too interested in advancing the action, so the blinds were kicked up again. The blinds were now $30,000-$60,000.

Van Marcus Eliminated in Third Place ($190,326)

After a rapid succession raise, reraise, all-in push; Van Marcus found himself all in against Alan Smurfit with a flop of 7 6 6 on the table. Smurfit revealed K 9 7 7 and Marcus turned up 9 8 6 3. The turn and river cards were dealt Q Q. Smurfit scored a full house and the pot. Marcus scored a trip to the rail in third place. He took home $190,326 as a consolation prize.

Heads Up

Qushqar Morad: $2,125,000
Alan Smurfit: $1,300,000

Early Tussle

On a board of A 8 8 8 Smurfit bet $100,000 and Qushqar Morad raised to $400,000 total. Smurfitt mucked his hand and he lost over $300,000 on the hand. Morad now had an even larger lead and the pace of the match would be his to determine.

Avoiding the Inevitable

Morad and Smurfit’s heads-up match went by with out much action for the next half hour but the blinds were cutting into Smurfit’s stack. Morad seemed content to just lean into him and wait for the issue to press itself. Smurfit had less than $900,000 at this point.

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad,   Van Marcus

Van Marcus Eliminated in Third Place ($190,326)

Jun 22, '07

After a rapid succession raise, reraise, all-in push; Van Marcus found himself all in against Alan Smurfit. A flop of 7 6 6 sat on the table. Smurfit revealed K 9 7 7 and Marcus turned up 9 8 6 3. The turn and river cards were dealt Q Q. Smurfit scored a full house and the pot. Marcus scored a trip to the rail in third place. He took home $190,326 as a consolation prize.

 

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Van Marcus

Hour Three

Jun 22, '07

Chris Bjorin Eliminated in Fourth Place ($129,691)

Chris Bjorin and Van Marcus got it all in with a flop of 9 6 2 out on the board. Bjorin revealed Q 10 9 7 and Marcus flipped up A J 10 7. The turn and river cards came 3 Q and Marcus made his diamond flush on the river. Bjorin was eliminated in fifth place by his opponent’s gain, and he will take home $129,691 in prize money.

Smurfitt Takes Down a Pot

Alan Smurfit grabbed a $500,000 pot from Qushqar Morad with three eights and a superior kicker. Both players held an eight, but the king kicker of Smurfitt gave him the large pot.

Morad Reclaims Some Chips

Morad and Smurfit have been exchanging punches as of late. They got involved in another large pot, and this time Morad was the victor. He revealed three nines after the action between Smurfit and Morad pumped the pot to $395,000.

Leader Board

Van Marcus: $545,000
Qushqar Morad: $1,980,000
Alan Smurfit: $945,000

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad,   Van Marcus

Hour Two

Jun 22, '07

Brandon Adams Eliminated in Sixth Place ($75,794)

Brandon Adams moved all in for his last $105,000 and Qushqar Morad made the call on a flop of J J 9. Adams flipped up A A 8 6 and Morad turned over Q Q 3 3. Adams was in the lead with aces up until the 3 fell on the river to give Morad a full house. The river brought the 9 and Adams was eliminated in sixth place. He took home $75,794 in prize money. Morad has now sent three of the last four players to the rail.

Chau Giang Eliminated in Fifth Place ($96,005)

On a board of K Q 10 3 Chris Bjorin bet the pot and Chau Giang made an all-in call. Bjorin turned over A J 10 4 and Giang revealed 10 10 7 3. Giang would need to improve his set of tens on the river to eclipse the ace-high straight. He just missed when the 9 was dealt on the river. Giang was eliminated in fifth place, and he will take home $96,005 in prize money.

Leader Board

Van Marcus: $425,000
Qushqar Morad: $1,540,000
Alan Smurfit: $650,000
Chris Bjorin: $880,000

Break Time

The players then went on a fifteen minute break.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Alan Smurfit,   Chau Giang,   Brandon Adams,   Qushqar Morad,   Van Marcus

Hour One

Jun 22, '07

Double Ups and Elimination Abound

The first hour of Omaha action saw a number of double ups and a handful of eliminations. At the end of the hour Chau Giang and Brandon Adams still remained in the hunt for a bracelet. Alan Smurfit, Van Marcus, and Sunny Nijran were among those to double up quickly, but not in all cases did they survive.

Hilbert Shirey Eliminated in Ninth Place ($30,317)

On the second hand of the final table Hilbert Shirey was the first player to make his exit. He was discarded by the set of kings that Qushqar Morad possessed. Shirey was eliminated in ninth place and took home $30,317 in prize money.

Sunny Nijran Eliminated in Eighth Place ($42,108)

It was 20 hands later that Sunny Nijran had moved all in and once again Morad had an opponent covered. This time a six-high straight was the fatal blow that Morad owned. Nijran was sent to the rail in eighth place, and took home $42,108 in prize money.

Robert Fellner Eliminated in Seventh Place ($57,266)

Robert Fellner was covered by Chau Giang preflop. Giang flipped over Q J 9 8, while Fellner turned up K Q 9 8. The board was dealt A K 2 10 4. Giang held the correct two pieces for the straight, jigsaw puzzle and he eliminated Fellner in seventh place on the hand. Fellner walked away with $57,266 in prize money.

Rest Stop

After Fellner was eliminated the players went on a short bathroom break for five minutes and then the final six players returned to the table.

Player Tags: Hilbert Shirey,   Alan Smurfit,   Chau Giang,   Brandon Adams,   Qushqar Morad,   Van Marcus,   Robert Fellner

Final Table Set

Jun 21, '07

The final table bubble has burst and there are only nine players remaining. Erick Lindgren was the unfortunate player to finish in 10th place, just missing what would have been his second final table of the 2007 World Series of Poker.

Qushqar Morad raised preflop and Lindgren called from the big blind. The flop came 6 4 2 and Lindgren bet out. Morad raised enough to put Lindgren all in and Lindgren made the call. Lindgren showed 10-10-7-5 and Morad was in the lead with Q-Q-7-5. The turn brought an ace and the river was a two, eliminating Lindgren and squandering his ongoing quest for his first World Series of Poker bracelet.

The following nine players will return tomorrow at 3 p.m. to battle down to a winner.

Qushqar Morad
Chris Bjorn
Brandon Adams
Chau Giang
Hilbert Shirey
Robert Fellner
Van Marcus
Birinder Nijran
Alan Smurfit

Come back tomorrow to CardPlayer.com to follow all the action and see which lucky player will secure a spot in history.

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Hilbert Shirey,   Alan Smurfit,   Chau Giang,   Birinder Nijran,   Brandon Adams,   Qushqar Morad,   Van Marcus,   Robert Fellner

Alan Smurfit Wins Event No. 33 ($464,867)

Jun 22, '07

Blinds Up

The blinds are now $80,000-$160,000

Take Forever – Part V

The heads-up match has now gone over 250 hands and the chip stacks are about back to even.

Smurfit Takes the Lead

Just like a shift in the tide, Smurfit took down a pot with a pot-sized raise. This once again gave him the chip lead.

Alan Smurfit Wins Event No. 33 ($464,867)

On a flop of J 8 6 Qushqar Morad moved all in and Alan Smurfit made the call. Smurfit turned up Q J 8 2 and Morad turned over 10 9 9 6. The turn and river cards were dealt 6 8. Smurfit won the hand, and $464,867. He also took home the gold bracelet after a 167 hand marathon heads-up battle. Morad took home $279,595 for his second-place finish.

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad

Hour Seven

Jun 22, '07

Chip Counts:

Alan Smurfitt: $2,400,000
Qushqar Morad: $900,000

Smurfit Closes the Door

Alan Smurfitt picked up yet another pot off of Morad with a pair of jacks. Morad is now in dire straights with under $400,000 going into the 100th hand of heads-up action.

Take Forever – Part IV

The heads-up match has now gone more hands than all the preceding final table action.

Blinds Up

The blinds are now $60,000-$120,000.

Even Steven

The chip stacks just got back to even.

Morad Fights Back

Qushqar Morad won a $960,000 pot to jump back into contention.

The Swing of the Pendulum

On a flop of A K 10 Smurfit had Morad covered all in. Smurfit flipped up A Q J 6 for a straight and Morad turned over A K 10 7. The turn paired the board and gave Morad a full house when the 10 was dealt. The river brought the 9 and Morad doubled up to reclaim the chip lead.

Smurfit Doubles Up

Smurfit moved all in for $253,000 on a board of K 5 3 A and Morad made the call. Morad showed 8 7 6 4 and Smurfit revealed K 10 9 5 and doubled up when the 10 hit on the river.

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad

Hour Six

Jun 22, '07

Take Forever – Part III

The heads-up match has now gone 75 hands.

The Price of Poker Has Gone Up – Astronomically

The players then went on a 15 minute break. When they returned the blinds were kicked up to $50,000-$100,000. Geeezzzz…

Smurfit Refuses to Quit

Alan Smurfit made a pot-sized $600,000 bet and Qushqar Morad made the call on a board of 9 7 6 8. The river brought the K and Smurfit moved all in. Morad called and Smurfit flipped over the A and 2 for a flush. Morad mucked and Smurfit double up again. This time he took the chip lead:

Alan Smurfit: $2,300,000
Qushqar Morad: $1,100,000

200 Hands – 96 Heads Up

‘Nuff said.

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad

Hour Five

Jun 22, '07

Suck Out City

Qushqar Morad makes a pot-sized raise and Alan Smurfit re-pots it, putting himself all in. He flipped over A 5 5 3 and Morad turned over A K K 8. The board was dealt 10 9 4 9 5 to hit one of two remaining outs in the deck and survive.

Take Forever – Part II

After the improbable win by Smurfit in his all-in pot he still held a dangerously low amount of chips. He hung tough though, and Morad seemed unable to send him to the rail. He wasn’t in too big of a rush though, and was content to wait for the next big confrontation. The blinds then kicked up to $40,000-$80,000. The first person to raise would have to do so for $240,000 at this point. Something would happen soon thanks to the blinds. One hundred and fifty hands had transpired at this point.

The Big 5 - 0

The heads up match has now gone 50 hands.

The Tables Have Turned

On a flop of Q 8 3 Alan Smurfit bet the pot for $480,000 and Morad made the call. The turn brought the 7 and Smurfit moved all in for his last $185,000. Morad called and flipped over A A 9 J. Smurfit showed down Q 9 9 8. The river brought the Q and we now have a new chip leader in Smurfit.

Alan Smurfit: $1,840,000
Qushqar Morad: $1,675,000

Or Have They?

Morad fought back and reclaimed the chip lead a few hands later. He once again held over $2 million.

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad

Hour Four

Jun 22, '07

Take Forever

The final three players didn’t seem too interested in advancing the action, so the blinds were kicked up again. The blinds were now $30,000-$60,000.

Van Marcus Eliminated in Third Place ($190,326)

After a rapid succession raise, reraise, all-in push; Van Marcus found himself all in against Alan Smurfit with a flop of 7 6 6 on the table. Smurfit revealed K 9 7 7 and Marcus turned up 9 8 6 3. The turn and river cards were dealt Q Q. Smurfit scored a full house and the pot. Marcus scored a trip to the rail in third place. He took home $190,326 as a consolation prize.

Heads Up

Qushqar Morad: $2,125,000
Alan Smurfit: $1,300,000

Early Tussle

On a board of A 8 8 8 Smurfit bet $100,000 and Qushqar Morad raised to $400,000 total. Smurfitt mucked his hand and he lost over $300,000 on the hand. Morad now had an even larger lead and the pace of the match would be his to determine.

Avoiding the Inevitable

Morad and Smurfit’s heads-up match went by with out much action for the next half hour but the blinds were cutting into Smurfit’s stack. Morad seemed content to just lean into him and wait for the issue to press itself. Smurfit had less than $900,000 at this point.

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad,   Van Marcus

Van Marcus Eliminated in Third Place ($190,326)

Jun 22, '07

After a rapid succession raise, reraise, all-in push; Van Marcus found himself all in against Alan Smurfit. A flop of 7 6 6 sat on the table. Smurfit revealed K 9 7 7 and Marcus turned up 9 8 6 3. The turn and river cards were dealt Q Q. Smurfit scored a full house and the pot. Marcus scored a trip to the rail in third place. He took home $190,326 as a consolation prize.

 

Player Tags: Alan Smurfit,   Van Marcus

Hour Three

Jun 22, '07

Chris Bjorin Eliminated in Fourth Place ($129,691)

Chris Bjorin and Van Marcus got it all in with a flop of 9 6 2 out on the board. Bjorin revealed Q 10 9 7 and Marcus flipped up A J 10 7. The turn and river cards came 3 Q and Marcus made his diamond flush on the river. Bjorin was eliminated in fifth place by his opponent’s gain, and he will take home $129,691 in prize money.

Smurfitt Takes Down a Pot

Alan Smurfit grabbed a $500,000 pot from Qushqar Morad with three eights and a superior kicker. Both players held an eight, but the king kicker of Smurfitt gave him the large pot.

Morad Reclaims Some Chips

Morad and Smurfit have been exchanging punches as of late. They got involved in another large pot, and this time Morad was the victor. He revealed three nines after the action between Smurfit and Morad pumped the pot to $395,000.

Leader Board

Van Marcus: $545,000
Qushqar Morad: $1,980,000
Alan Smurfit: $945,000

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Alan Smurfit,   Qushqar Morad,   Van Marcus

Hour Two

Jun 22, '07

Brandon Adams Eliminated in Sixth Place ($75,794)

Brandon Adams moved all in for his last $105,000 and Qushqar Morad made the call on a flop of J J 9. Adams flipped up A A 8 6 and Morad turned over Q Q 3 3. Adams was in the lead with aces up until the 3 fell on the river to give Morad a full house. The river brought the 9 and Adams was eliminated in sixth place. He took home $75,794 in prize money. Morad has now sent three of the last four players to the rail.

Chau Giang Eliminated in Fifth Place ($96,005)

On a board of K Q 10 3 Chris Bjorin bet the pot and Chau Giang made an all-in call. Bjorin turned over A J 10 4 and Giang revealed 10 10 7 3. Giang would need to improve his set of tens on the river to eclipse the ace-high straight. He just missed when the 9 was dealt on the river. Giang was eliminated in fifth place, and he will take home $96,005 in prize money.

Leader Board

Van Marcus: $425,000
Qushqar Morad: $1,540,000
Alan Smurfit: $650,000
Chris Bjorin: $880,000

Break Time

The players then went on a fifteen minute break.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Alan Smurfit,   Chau Giang,   Brandon Adams,   Qushqar Morad,   Van Marcus

Hour One

Jun 22, '07

Double Ups and Elimination Abound

The first hour of Omaha action saw a number of double ups and a handful of eliminations. At the end of the hour Chau Giang and Brandon Adams still remained in the hunt for a bracelet. Alan Smurfit, Van Marcus, and Sunny Nijran were among those to double up quickly, but not in all cases did they survive.

Hilbert Shirey Eliminated in Ninth Place ($30,317)

On the second hand of the final table Hilbert Shirey was the first player to make his exit. He was discarded by the set of kings that Qushqar Morad possessed. Shirey was eliminated in ninth place and took home $30,317 in prize money.

Sunny Nijran Eliminated in Eighth Place ($42,108)

It was 20 hands later that Sunny Nijran had moved all in and once again Morad had an opponent covered. This time a six-high straight was the fatal blow that Morad owned. Nijran was sent to the rail in eighth place, and took home $42,108 in prize money.

Robert Fellner Eliminated in Seventh Place ($57,266)

Robert Fellner was covered by Chau Giang preflop. Giang flipped over Q J 9 8, while Fellner turned up K Q 9 8. The board was dealt A K 2 10 4. Giang held the correct two pieces for the straight, jigsaw puzzle and he eliminated Fellner in seventh place on the hand. Fellner walked away with $57,266 in prize money.

Rest Stop

After Fellner was eliminated the players went on a short bathroom break for five minutes and then the final six players returned to the table.

Player Tags: Hilbert Shirey,   Alan Smurfit,   Chau Giang,   Brandon Adams,   Qushqar Morad,   Van Marcus,   Robert Fellner

Final Table Set

Jun 21, '07

The final table bubble has burst and there are only nine players remaining. Erick Lindgren was the unfortunate player to finish in 10th place, just missing what would have been his second final table of the 2007 World Series of Poker.

Qushqar Morad raised preflop and Lindgren called from the big blind. The flop came 6 4 2 and Lindgren bet out. Morad raised enough to put Lindgren all in and Lindgren made the call. Lindgren showed 10-10-7-5 and Morad was in the lead with Q-Q-7-5. The turn brought an ace and the river was a two, eliminating Lindgren and squandering his ongoing quest for his first World Series of Poker bracelet.

The following nine players will return tomorrow at 3 p.m. to battle down to a winner.

Qushqar Morad
Chris Bjorn
Brandon Adams
Chau Giang
Hilbert Shirey
Robert Fellner
Van Marcus
Birinder Nijran
Alan Smurfit

Come back tomorrow to CardPlayer.com to follow all the action and see which lucky player will secure a spot in history.

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Hilbert Shirey,   Alan Smurfit,   Chau Giang,   Birinder Nijran,   Brandon Adams,   Qushqar Morad,   Van Marcus,   Robert Fellner