Despite a diminishing overseas presence at the final stages of the $2,500 Omaha / seven-card-stud high-low event and the $2,000 no-limit hold’em event, Europeans are doing well overall on day eight of the WSOP. Dutchman Michiel Brummelhuis played a blinder in the $1,500 no-limit hold’em six-handed event, and carved himself out a seat at the final table. Tables were set for the final stages of the $5,000 no-limit hold’em shootout with a good mix of nationalities taking part, and Marcel Luske and Marco Traniello were making good head-way in the $1,500 limit hold’em tournament.
With four players remaining in the $2,000 no-limit hold’em event, Romanian Mihai Manole and Chris Bjorin from Sweden were sadly eliminated in 5th and 6th place. A desperately short stacked Chris Bjorin moved all in from under the gun for his last 61,000. Both Mihai Manole and Carter Gill made the call. The flop came Q
10
5, and Manole and Gill check. The turn was the 9 and both players check once again. The river brought the 8 and still there is no action. With no side pot, all three players turned up their hands. Bjorin: K
9, Manole: 64, and Gill: 76.
Bjorin unknowingly held the lead going into the river where Carter Gill peeled off an eight for the inside straight. Gill raked the pot while Bjorin was sent home in 6th place, earning $123,141.
Shortly after, Theo Tran raised to 60,000 from under the gun and the action folded around to Mihai Manole who reraised to 160,000 from the small blind. Tran made the call and the flop came 8
53. Manole bet 150,000 and Tran raised to 350,000. Manole reraised all-in and Tran made a quick call. Manole turned over A8 for top pair with top kicker, while Tran showed 55 for middle set. The turn brought the 10 and Manole was drawing dead to an inconsequential river card (Q). Mihai Manole was eliminated in 5th place ($155,013) while chip leader Theo Tran raked what was surely the biggest pot of the night.
Despite this, Tran was eliminated next, followed by Carter Gill. Matt Keikoan emerged victorious from his heads-up battle with Shannon Shorr, earning him a gold bracelet and $550,601.
Europeans were up and down during the late stages of the $1,500 no-limit hold’em six-handed event. At level 12, Irishman Peter “pmarrsouth” Marr had all his money in the pot against Thomas Fuller. They both came into the second day of the tournament as two of the top stacks. The board read A-A-K-K and a blank. Marr showed AJ for the full house and Fuller mucked. After all the counting was done, Fuller sent over 70,000 in chips toward Marr, giving him a total of 180,000 chips after the hand. However, the luck of the Irish soon ran out when Marr was sent packing.
Another well-stacked European to hit the rail was German Jan Von Halle. At level 16, he got involved in a hand with Anatoly Shilyuk. Shilyuk raised to 22,000 from the button. In the small blind, Jan Von Halle looked at his cards and immediately slid his stack — 160,000 — toward the middle of the table. Devin Porter in the big blind thought for a good long while before moving all-in himself. Shilyuk folded and the two revealed their cards: Von Halle had QJ and Porter AQ. The dealer peeled off 55298 and Jan Von Halle was eliminated.
The final six left to fight it out are:
John Conkright
Michiel Brummelhuis
Ralph "Rep" Porter
Nathan Templeton
Anatoly Shilyuk
Devin Porter
Europeans were slim pickings in the final stages of the $2,500 Omaha / seven-card-stud high-low event as the field was narrowed to 12 from 388, but they maintained their presence at the $5,000 no-limit hold’em shootout.
Although early on at level 6, Russian Alex Kravchenko and Italian Marco Traniello were eliminated, tables were soon set for the next stage of play and these included players from all parts of Europe. Andrey Zaichenko from Moscow, Lithuanian-born Tony "G" Guoga, Polishman Michael Gracz, Pier Ruscalla from Italy and Mats Gavatin from Sweden are some of the finalists. All of the day’s winners represent the money group for this event and are guaranteed to receive at least $16,920 in prize money.
The two European names who made their mark on day one of the $1,500 limit hold’em tournament were Dutchman Marcel Luske and Italy’s Marco Traniello. At first however, Luske found it hard to build his stack. On a board showing 743, Luske bet 75. He was called by one opponent and the turn came 10. Luske led out again with 150 and his opponent raised to 300. Luske quickly folded leaving his chips just 200 over what he started the day with.
From the big blind at level 3 Luske was part of a three-way pot for 200 when the flop came 975. The three players
checked. After the 8 on the turn, Luske led out for 200 and his opponents folded. The next hand from the small blind, Luske was heads-up after two pre-flop raises. The flop of JJ5 had Luske bet and his opponent raise. The 9 on the turn was checked, as was the 3 on the river. Luske showed pocket sevens, and lost the pot to pocket queens.
As soon as level 7 got underway Luske had another battle on his hands. After he was moved to a new table, and to the right of another large chip stack in Terrence Chan, it did not take long for the fireworks. The initial damage came when the players raised and reraised each other on a board of A97T5. Luske bet the river for 800, and was raised to 1,600 before showing the AK. Chan rolled over the 1010 for a set he hit on the turn.
On the next hand, three players saw the flop of 875 for 1,600 each. The small blind bet 200 all-in, one player called, Luske raised to 600, was check-raised to 1,000, added his own check-raise, and then betting was capped for the 3 on the turn. The turn produced a pair of 800 bets, as did the river when the 10 hit. Luske showed QQ, beaten by the KK.
Down to 2,500, Luske raised the next hand and drew a call from the cutoff. The board came 886, both players committed another 400, the 5 produced two 800 bets, and the 6 produced another 1,600 in chips. Luske climbed back into play with the 96 to scoop the pot.
With 181 players left out of 880, Luske did well to make his way into the top ten chip stacks. Marco Traniello is doing even better, sitting further up in the ranks.
The winners of the $1,500 no-limit hold’em six-handed and the $2,500 Omaha / seven-card-stud high-low events will emerge tomorrow, and play will continue in the $1,500 limit hold’em and $5,000 no-limit hold’em shootout tournaments. Two new battles to look forward to also are the $2,500 no-limit hold’em and $10,000 World Championship Seven-Card-Stud events.
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