Day 2 at the World Series of Poker 2008 in Las Vegas saw the $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Hold’Em tournament near the final table with a handful of Europeans still in contention while day 1A the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’Em event attracted a record-breaking field of 2,000 (with a minimum of around 1,500 already registered for today’s 1B session). The tournament looks set to smash last year’s turnout of 2,998.
It took only 8 hours and 15 minutes of play today to whittle the day 1A field of the $1,500 event to 225. Officials were forced to halt play early in order to ensure that day 1A and day 1B each produce a similar number of survivors, especially with the money bubble rapidly approaching.
European numbers were swamped in this event by the local turnout. European Poker Tour finalist Johaness Strassman from Germany was one player who ended the day with more chips than he started. Towards the end of play, after a button raise to 3,000 he three-bet to 9,000 total, leaving himself only a few thousand behind. His opponent folded A-J face-up, earning a placative, "Nice fold" from Strassmann. The pot took Strassmann up to 34,000 in chips.
In the $10,000 World Championship No-Limit Hold’Em event 70 players
started the day and, at the time of writing (level 18 with blinds at 8,000 and 16,000), only 11 remained including:
Patrik Antonius – 825,000
John Kabbaj – 640,000
Players advanced into the money when Russian Nikolai Evdakov’s K
Q held up against James Gorham’s 9
8. All players were then guaranteed at least $23,162. Evdakov would later bust just before the final table.
Other unlucky Europeans included David Benyamine who was eliminated just before the bubble and former Card Player Poker + Sports bureau chief Rolf Slotbloom from the Netherlands. He made the money but was eliminated when his KQ
failed to catch up to Chris Bell’s AK. Bell improved his stack to over 725,000.
German Andreas Krause waited valiantly to make his move, and committed his short-stack when he raised to 42,000 pre-flop with a couple of tables left. Kathy Liebert re-raised, and action was folded to Krause, who tossed in his final 15,000 in chips. Krause showed JJ , while Liebert revealed KK , effectively taking away any hopes of a miracle flush for Krause. The board of A
Q863 did nothing to change the status of the hand and Krause was eliminated in 16th place.
Russian Alexander Kostritsyn was crippled after calling a pre-flop raise in the big blind from David Benefield on the button. Kostritsyn checked the J43 flop and Benefield checked behind. The turn brought the 8. Kostritsyn led out with a bet of 45,000, which was called by Benefield. On the 10 river, Kostritsyn fired again, this time to the tune of 77,000. When Benefield called, Kostritsyn mucked without showing. At the request of another player, Benefield flipped over J9 . After that hand, Kostritsyn was down to 99,000 while Benefield built his stack to over 540,000.
Today’s action sees the final table of the $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Hold’Em event and day 1B of the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’Em.
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