World Series of Poker’s main event Day 8

[clevfan]

World Series of Poker’s main event Day 8

The Associated Press

Fri, Jul 11, 2008 (5:21 p.m.)

DAY: 8 (Officially known as Day 4).

BIG NEWS: Card by card, pot by pot, the World Series of Poker pressed on Friday, with prize money already a certainty for the players who remained, but the effects of a grueling play schedule creeping in.

Players were given an extra hour off before resuming play after a long session in which they burst through the money bubble. Survivors established themselves in the top 9.7 percent of the field _ winners of some piece of a $64.3 million pie in the no-limit Hold 'em tournament that attracted 6,844 entrants.

Play started Friday with 464 players, and two hours later, 114 had been eliminated. Tournament officials expected play to slow as more people are eliminated and the average number of chips each player holds increase.

STUD OF THE DAY: Jenna Phillips was assured a spot at the tournament's final table Friday when she won the series' dealer of the year award. Phillips won the award over hundreds of others who tournament officials say are carefully vetted each year to deal cards at the event. Phillips began the day with the traditional "Shuffle up and deal" announcement, and was told that she had been hired to deal cards at the final table in November.

BUSTED OUT: "Survivor: China" contestant and nightclub owner Jean-Robert Bellande, 2007 pot-limit Omaha champion Robert Mizrachi, special education teacher Brian Schaedlich, who lost more than 800,000 in chips in less than 11 hours of play Thursday and Friday.

UP NEXT: Remaining players will resume Saturday until 50 to 100 players are left.

POKER TALK: Go into the tank: When a player pauses to think about what to do next during a big situation, reviewing the hand and deciding whether to call, fold or raise. With a board showing a queen, eight and three, all diamonds, Jason Su, a poker player from Houston, went into the tank after betting 60,000 and being raised 219,000 by Alberto Font, once the tournament's chip leader. After a few minutes, Su re-raised all-in and Font called. Su made three eights to beat Font's three threes, and Font was eliminated.

HE SAID WHAT?: "Phil (Hellmuth), please don't send me home with a 10-9. Dealer, please don't send me home with a 10-9. Don't do it to me." _ Jean-Robert Bellande, a 37-year-old former "Survivor: China" contestant from Las Vegas who was all-in with an ace and a queen against the 10-9 of Sarkis Akopyan of Moscow. Bellande erupted with excitement when an ace hit on the flop to pair his cards, but his face blanched two cards later when Akopyan hit a six and a seven to make a straight.

[clevfan]

Poker players press on in main event despite hours


July 12, 2008

LAS VEGAS -- Card by card, pot by pot, the World Series of Poker pressed on Friday, with prize money already a certainty for the players who remained, but the effects of a grueling play schedule creeping in.


"There's no doubt about it, I'm tired," said Jeremy Joseph, a 23-year-old from Buffalo, N.Y., who started the day as the main event's chip leader. "I do catch myself at moments thinking, 'What would happen if I just took a nap for 30 minutes?'"

Players were given an extra hour of rest Friday before resuming play just hours after a long night in which they burst through the money bubble. Those who remained placed themselves in the top 9.7 percent of the field _ winners of some piece of a $64.3 million pie in the no-limit Hold 'em tournament that attracted 6,844 entrants.

By early Tuesday, just nine players will remain, and the tournament will break for four months before the final table is played in November and a winner is awarded $9.12 million.

Joseph's huge stack of more than 2 million chips dwarfed even that of Johnny Chan, the back-to-back main event winner from 1987 and 1988, who sat at his table.

"All-in, all-in, all-in, all-in," said Chan, echoing the sounds of dealers calling out the action at dozens of tables at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino. Chan was later eliminated.

Play started Friday with 464 players, and two hours later 114 had been eliminated. Tournament officials expected play to slow as more people are eliminated and the average number of chips each player holds increases.

Blinds and antes, or minimum bets each player is required to make to play a hand, increase every two hours in the tournament. But each player eliminated decreases the significance of the blinds being raised because the players left hold more chips.

Jeremiah Smith, a 31-year-old producer for the online Full Tilt Poker Web site, said he was doing his best to keep in mind a lesson he learned from poker professional Howard Lederer _ stay in the moment.

"Each hand is a new hand and I've been really focused on staying in the moment even though my phone is ringing off the hook, the media have been all over me. It's just been that idea that's really carried me through," said Smith, who started the day in second place with more than 1 million chips.

Smith said he was hoping to steadily increase his stack and not make plays that could cost him his place in tournament.

"You just try not to lose your mind today. You can't win it today, you can't win it tomorrow," said poker author and player Phil Gordon. "It's all about patience and outlasting your opponents."

Gordon said players get too aggressive because they aren't used to playing so many hours in a row. Good players, he said, take advantage of those mistakes.

"If you think they've slept, you're out of your mind," Gordon said. "Anytime you haven't been in this spot before you don't sleep well at night at all."

Players who were short-stacked tried to quickly pick up a hand they could stake the rest of their chips on in hopes of doubling their stack and playing back into contention. Larger stacks looked to increase their position by pushing the smaller stacks around and forcing them to into uncomfortable decisions with mediocre hands.

"I'm just playing it hand for hand," said Joseph, who said he makes a living playing at card rooms in New York. "I'm trying not to worry too much about an overall strategy, I just want to play each hand the best I can play."

[Bobby C]

I always skip these poker articles, but I'm glad I opened this one, for this rib-tickler:

Originally Posted by clevfan

tournament officials say (dealers) are carefully vetted each year to deal cards at the event.

If you've ever played a Harrah's-Era WSOP, or spoken to anyone who has, you'll fully appreciate the comedy.