Day 16 of the 2008 World Series of Poker saw the finals of the $2,500 pot-limit hold’em/Omaha and the $2,000 no-limit hold’em tournaments. Day two of the $10,000 World Championship Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em and $1,500 razz events and the start of the $1,500 no-limit hold’em and $5,000 pot-limit Omaha with rebuys tournaments.
Event 24, the $2,500 pot-limit hold’em/Omaha, saw three Europeans — Lennart Holtkamp from the Netherlands (second in chips), Max Pescatori from Italy (third in chips), and John Paul Kelly (ninth in chips).
Kelly was, perhaps predictably, the first eliminated during a round of hold’em, earning $22,599.
Kyle Kloeckner raised to 25,000 and Kelly moved all in for 64,000 on the short stack. Kloeckner called and showed A
10
.
Kelly needed help with his K
J, but the board ran out A658
Q to eliminate Kelly in ninth place.
Holtkamp was sent to the rail in seventh during a round of Omaha for $38,365.
Pescatori limped and both Greg Hurst and Holtkamp came along in the blinds. The flop came down K82 and Hurst checked to Holtkamp, who bet 21,000. Pescatori called and Hurst got out of the way. The turn was the A and Pescatori bet 75,000 when it was checked to him. Holtkamp moved all in and was instantly called by Pescatori’s top set of kings. Holtkamp need a non-board pairing spade to stay alive, but the river was the 2 sending him to the rail in seventh place.
Pescatori was by now building up momentum. When Jonathan Depa was all in with less than a big blind Pescatori called. Depa failed to catch anything to help his hand and was eliminated in sixth place.
The Italian, who was chasing his second bracelet, got heads-up with Kyle Kloeckner with 1 million in chips compared to Kloeckner’s 1.3 million.
He took a big chip lead over Kyle Kloeckner. Pescatori raised to 65,000 from the button and Kloeckner called from the big blind. The flop came Q105, and Pescatori bet 100,000. Kloeckner raised to 350,000 and after a few minutes in the tank, Pescatori moved all in. Kloeckner folded and Pescatori took a commanding chip lead of 1.5 million to just under 700,000.
On the final hand of the night, Pescatori raised to 72,000 and Kloekner made the call. The flop came KJ3, and Pescatori bet 110,000, Kloeckner called. The turn was the 2, and Pescatori bet the pot (364,000). Kloeckner tanked for a few minutes before moving all in. Pescatori called and had him covered. When they revealed their hands, Kloeckner showed jacks and threes for two pair, but he was drawing dead to one card when Pescatori showed kings and jacks with a flush draw. Kloeckner needed the last black three in the deck, but the river was the 2, giving Pescatori victory over the 457 strong field.
Hopes were high for another bracelet in event 23, the $2,000 no-limit hold’em tournament, with Chris Bjorin from Sweden, Stephane Tayer from France, and Dominik Kulicki from the Netherlands.
There was a mixed start to the event with for the European trio when Tayer was eliminated in ninth place for $45,252. He got it all in preflop and David Steicke made the call. Their cards:
Steicke: QQ
Tayar: A10
The board fell 5229K and the Tayer hit the rail.
Soon after though Bjorin doubled up. He raised to 108,000 preflop and Dustin Dirksen made the call. Blair Hinkle then reraised all in over the top of everyone and Dirksen laid down his hand. Bjorin and Hinkle then revealed their cards:
Hinkle: KJ
Bjorin: 1010
Board: 1054Q6
Bjorin doubled up on the hand to survive by spiking a 10 on the flop.
Dutchman Dominik Kulicki got all of his chips into the middle preflop against Hinkle and they turned up their cards:
Hinkle: AJ
Kulicki: Q Q
Board: AA105K
Kulicki was eliminated in seventh place, and he took home $81,944 in prize money.
Bjorin’s resurgence was short lived however. Hinkle raised to 65,000 preflop and Bjorin reraised all in for 113,000. Hinkle made the call and they revealed their hands:
Hinkle: A3
Bjorin: KQ
Board: 108235
The London-based Swede was eliminated in sixth place, and he took home $106,404 in prize money from his second final table of the Series.
Hinkle went on to win the event and $507,563.
Hopes in the $10,000 World Championship Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’Em event, which was down to the final 32, rested with Irishman Andy Black and Russian Alexander Kostritsyn.
Black was up against Michael McNeill. A key hand towards the end of play saw Black push his remaining 36,500 into the pot on a flop of AQ7 and opponent McNeil made the call. Black turned over A4, the best hand against McNeil’s Q7. The turn and river offered no help to McNeil, and Black successfully doubled up.
However, Black’s improvement to his stack was short-lived. Black and McNeil got it all in preflop on a subsequent hand, this time with Black’s J10 trailing McNeil’s A6. Both Black and McNeil made pairs on the A104 flop, but the 3 on the turn and Q on the river failed to improve Black and he was eliminated.
Gavin Griffin busted Kostritsyn which ended European hopes in the event.
The final four battling for the bracelet are Vanessa Selbst, Kenny Tran, Jonathan Jaffe, and the winner of the match between Lyle Berman and Alec Torelli.
The business end of the $1,500 seven-card razz event had little European interest but the final table was notable for the presence of Archie Karas, widely regarded as one of the biggest gamblers of all time and a razz expert.
The $1,500 no-limit hold’em event attracted a field of 2,706 but only around 200 remained at the end of play.
Former Card Player Poker + Sports bureau chief Rolf Slotboom, who has managed deep finishes in several events so
far during this Series, was a late elimination on day 1.
Shortly after the bubble burst, Rolf Slotboom was all in on a board of J94 holding AJ against his opponent’s A9, only to see the 9 peel off on the turn.
A much smaller field of 152 signed up for the $5,000 Omaha with rebuys event. Europeans gunning for the bracelet were David Benyamine, Alexander Kostritsyn, Thomas Wahlroos, Andy Black, Joe Beevers, Patrik Antonius, Kirill Gerasimov, Barny Boatman, Rob Hollink, Alex Kravchenko, and Tony G. Less than half of the field remained at the end of play and tomorrow will see the run to the final table.
Players will also return for the $1,500 seven-card razz final table and the final two matches of the $10,000 World Championship Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’Em. Two events will start — the $3,000 no-limit hold’em tournament and the $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold’Em game.
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