The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas was jam-packed with events on day 27 of the World Series. The $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em World Championship’s final table produced a winner, German Martin Kläser trail-blazed his way through day 2 of the $1,500 pot-limit Omaha high-low split eight-or-better event, and Englishmen Peter Gould and Roland de Wolfe went hell for leather at the opening stages of the $1,000 no-limit hold’em with rebuys event. The day was filled to the brim with action as the $50,000 World Championship Horse event also kicked off, with a field of 148 players, all competing for the $1,989,120 top prize.
The $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em World Championship event ended today but not before an interesting final table played out. With nine players at start of day, the first to go was Englishman Marty Wilson, after Fred Berger took him down with A-Q.
A short stacked Wilson took his chance and put all his chips in the middle after Berger raised to 90,000 preflop. Berger thought about it for a while before making the call, which took most of his chips. The flop crushed Wilson’s pocket eights when it came Q-Q-K. Only an eight could save him, but it was not to be as the turn and river came J-7, and the event waved goodbye to the last remaining European.
This was Wilson’s first-ever World Series final table appearance. He takes home $34,312 for his ninth place finish.
Dan Lacourse, a policeman from Ohio went heads up against Dale Eberle, a fireman also from Ohio, for the first place prize of $368,832. It was Lacourse who took it down in the end, and lucky for him, it was the highest poker prize ever to be paid to a senior event winner.
A total 198 players out of an initial 2,218 cashed in the event, but only two of them, excluding Wilson, were European. Ian McDonald from England received $3,633 for his 76th place finish, and Robert Willis from Ireland came 98th taking home $2,825.
Euro action was slightly better over at the $1,500 pot-limit Omaha high-low split eight-or-better event, mainly in the form of one player, Martin Kläser. The German trail-blazed his way towards day 2, leaving a mass of destruction in his wake.
At level 11, Kläser raked in the biggest hand of the tournament, doubling through Gabe Costner. Action was raised pre-flop and the two saw a flop of K
9
5
. Costner led out for a bet of 6,400 which Kläser raised to 21,000. Kläser sat confidently still with his hands clasped, while Costner studied the board and weighed his options. Costner then re-potted, almost putting Kläser all-in. Kläser, having lost some of the confidence he was sporting moments earlier, made the call and tentatively turned over Q99
4. His middle set was in fantastic shape against Costner’s K1095. The turn and river rolled out A and 3 and Kläser scooped the entire pot with his set of nines.
Soon after this, the German chip leader forced an opponent all-in for 15,000. “Yes!” Klaser shouted when the opponent called and showed his holding: AQ72. Kläser’s exclamation was justified, as his opponent was drawing slim in a way rarely seen in Omaha. With Klaser holding AK72 he was a big favourite. The board cemented Kläser’s lead and the German continued his reign.
Moments after taking a big pot off Erik Seidel, Shannon Shorr had the misfortune of tangling with Kläser, and like all opponents Kläser took on up to this point, he did not fare very well. At the end of the hand, another large pot was shipped in Germany’s direction, and Klaser became the commander of the table.
On a board of KJ5, Kläser and Gary Hutzler checked and saw a 6 land on the turn. That set something off as Hutzler fired 60,000 into the pot and Kläser, not to be outdone, went all-in. Both players were neck-and-neck in chips. Hutzler made the call and showed A287, while Kläser tabled 10462. Kläser’s pair of sixes was ahead, but needed to dodge Hutzler’s open ended straight draw, as well as the nut-low draw. The river brought the Q and Kläser threw his head back, as if defeated. He then realised that his medium pair had won him a monster pot, and he sent Hutzler to the rail in 12th place.
Towards the end of the day, as the players got down to the final nine, Erik Seidel picked up speed and passed Kläser out. The two went head to head, but this time Kläser was not so lucky. With all their chips in the middle preflop, both players turned up their hands.
Seidel: AK32
Kläser: AQ62
Board: K8710K
Seidel dodged Kläser’s gutshot straight draw on the river, making trip kings and vaulting him into the chip lead with around 320,000.
The final table was set after a little over eight hours of play. Nine will return tomorrow, and all are guaranteed at least $19,656. The winner will take home $216,219 and a gold bracelet. Anything could happen on the final day of the event with the two aggressors defending their stacks and vying for gold.
If there is a rebuy tournament going on at the World Series, odds are Englishman Peter Gould will be there, and today saw the first day of the $1,000 no-limit hold’em with rebuys event. In its opening hours, there were a lot of shenanigans going on — as per usual in any World Series rebuy event — and Gould was at the forefront of it.
It was a five-way all in pre-flop situation at a somewhat isolated table in the back of the Brasilia Room, with the action most likely orchestrated by Peter Gould. The table featured a plethora of action junkies including Brit Roland de Wolfe, J.C. Alvarado, and of course, Gould himself. Two unknowns also got involved in the preflop madness. Seat 2 had the best hand the whole way, turning top set and hitting a house on the river. Alvarado, de Wolfe, and seat 8 each went immediately into their pockets for some quick rebuy action.
Gould continuously commented on how much time was left before the rebuy period ended as he swiftly called all-in raises and often went all-in blind, all the time adding on or rebuying. “Quickly boys, we’ll get one more hand in!” he screamed after losing a hand to an opponent.
During the final moments of level 2, the dealer managed to dish out four more double add-ons and start a third deal. Once again Gould shoved blind, followed by Peter Neff, and then de Wolfe, who was caught looking.
Gould had K4, Neff: 102, and de Wolfe: 77. The board came Q8862.
Peter Gould was excited to see an overcard as he turned over his hand, but no one was as happy as de Wolfe. His pocket sevens held up and he became the clear chip leader on the final hand of the rebuy period.
Other Europeans who did well in the event on the day, often appearing on the chip leader board, were Frenchman Nicolas Levi and Russian Alexander Kostritsyn. As the dust settled after the rebuy madness, play began to take a different pace, and styles changed as the event made its way towards day 2.
Notable Europeans who were taking part on the first day of the $50,000 World Championship Horse event were Russian Alexander Kravchenko, Italy’s Max Pescatori, and Frenchmen Patrick Bueno, Bruno Fitoussi, and David Benyamine. Fitoussi knocked Phil Hellmuth out in the stud round just before end of day, and Finn Patrik Antonius is among chip leaders going into day 2.
Tomorrow will see the final day of the $1,500 pot-limit Omaha high-low split eight-or-better event, while the $1,000 no-limit hold’em with rebuys and $50,000 World Championship Horse field’s will whittle down to their final tables. Other events that will also be thrown into the mix are the $1,500 seven-card-stud high-low and the $5,000 no-limit hold’em six-handed.
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