As the $1,500 no limit hold’em event narrows down from a massive 3929 players to 21, two more events are heating up: the $1,500 pot limit hold’em and $5,000 mixed hold’em.
On day two of the $1,500 no limit hold’em event, young German Johannes Strassmann finally found his all-in hand. With blinds at 1000/2000, Strassmann pushed all-in pre-flop with Q
Q
against his opponents’ 8
8
and AK . His hand held as the board rolled out J7J39 raking him in a hefty 185,000 chip pot.
The $1,500 pot limit hold’em event saw 714 players register but only 72 will make the money. First place is set to earn
$214,131. Early on in the event, European Poker Tour supremo John Duthie found himself in a sticky situation. With blinds at 50/100, the small blind checked and Duthie bet 1,000 on a flop of 863. The player to his left raised all in and the small blind immediately followed, leaving Duthie — perhaps feeling pot committed — to push his last 700 into the pot with J5. He was in dire straits when the player to his left flipped over pocket nines, and the small blind – pocket queens. Unfortunately, there was no runner-runner and the Englishman was eliminated with thirty minutes to go in the second round.
This year’s first mixed hold’em event resumed earlier today with 91 remaining out of 332. At levels 9 and 10 Marcel Luske limped under-the-gun, enticing two middle position players to call the blind during the limit level. They each called again when the player in the cut-off raised. Luske led out on the 1052 flop, causing both limpers to fold, but the original aggressor raised again. Luske called, then checked and called another bet on the turn which was a 9. The action was the same on the river with the 8. Luske mucked his hand when his opponent flipped over the KK.
At level 11, Dario Minieri was eliminated after getting caught bluffing. Facing a late position raise, Minieri moved all-in for 8,650 from the button. The raiser called and flipped over the JJ, forcing Minieri to expose the 97. The board brought a 9 for Minieri, but failed to give him enough to overtake the jacks.
At levels 15 and 16 in the no-limit round, David “Devilfish” Ulliot moved all in for 4,100, leaving Hoyt Corkins next to act. While Corkins considered his move, Ulliot began serenading the other players, much to the amusement of the spectators. Hoyt eventually moved all-in for over 12,000, which generated immediate folds from all but Phil Hellmuth, who pondered for some time before mucking. Ulliot turned over AJ but found himself dominated by Corkins JJ. The board failed to bring help to Devilfish, and he was eliminated. Hellmuth — who had been struggling to stay alive — declared that he had folded the AJ.
Shortly after, Phil Hellmuth took his last stand by pushing all-in for 4,975 against a button raise from chipleader Ariel Schneller. Schneller pondered aloud on how bad the berating from Hellmuth would be for calling with his hand, but eventually did with his 95 against Hellmuth’s AQ. By the turn things looked promising for Hellmuth with a board of T63 and K, but the 9 on the river sent him packing.
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