blonde poker forum

Hello everyone. As you know, Jen, Floppy and I brought the live updates to a halt a few days ago due to lack of access, but we're still here in Vegas. NoflopsHomer is probably in bed after sleeping off a night on the tiles with antesup whilst Jen is visiting family in California. Meanwhile, I'm stuck in my hotel room waiting patiently for my flight to depart... on the 18th. After 3 and a half weeks here, I'm quite keen to leave now. I'm missing my immediate family and girlfriend, Dana, and feel a bit stranded. I don't mind Vegas, and at any other time I'd be whizzing around the place looking for things to do, but now we're at the tail end of the trip, it's all become a lit stale and jaded.

It's true what they say, there really is no day or night in Vegas, and that has become crystal clear with my sleeping and eating habits. My apetite has completely vanished after living off a Subway per day and I'm finding myself forcing food down my mouth to keep myself going. Also, I went to bed at 5pm yesterday afternoon and woke up at 1am this morning, so every thing's a bit topsy turvy and my head is really starting to spin.

However, what really has got the adrenalin going is the fact that a Brit is still in the Main Event. Unlike Jen, tikay and co, I've never been around come final day, and I thought it would be ace to pop down and see it in action, even if was only just for an hour or two. Seeing that I've got a few hours to kill, I thought I'd pop in early doors and check out the atmosphere before heading over to the press conference with the players at 10am, which is about 90 minutes time.

This is not a live update, but I just thought I'd open this thread to post a few observations and photos, and provide everyone with a place to share news on the final and offer their support to Jon. Skalie's a cracking lad and I'm yet to meet anyone who has a bad word to say about him, so I genuinely hope he takes this one down to become the first Brit in history to win the World Series Main Event.

Good luck Skalie!

snoops ;snoopy;

bios, chip counts and whatnot can be found here:

http://www.blondepoker.com/index.php?q=node/11093 (http://www.blondepoker.com/index.php?q=node/11093)

There's a real eerie silence here at the Rio - it honestly doesn't feel as though 8.5 million is going to be won today. At the moment, all I can see are a few security guards wandering around the cardroom aimlessly. I'm sure it'll pick up soon with the hordes of spectators and eager-to-get-on-tv spectators coming in their droves.

The cardroom looks really odd. There are no tables, they've all been cleared, so it's basically a big empty chasm of a space with a load of chairs crammed into the corner. If they told me that they'd moved the final elsewhere, I wouldn't be surprised. Very surreal.

the stage area is still there, but they seem to have moved it around a little to cater for a larger audience. You probably can't make it out from the photo, but there's a raised area overlooking the playing area with sofas and other comfy chairs. I guess the vip's will be watching from here.

Here's further evidence of how quiet it is. Admittedly, play doesn't commence for another three hours, but a week or two ago, this hallway would have been brimming with poker enthusiasts, not to mention the odd dollop of norkage.

 :hello: Snoops, You really need to eat more than a nibble on a sub, You will have no energy and Darna will soon wear you out on your return.

I hope so  ;D

There's this matlepiece kinda furnishing thingy out in the hallway that shows winners of various events. It flickers annoyingly and looks really tacky, so I'm not a fan.

Talking of thingy majiggies, two other features down the hallway are this clock (they're really pushing the makers of the bracelets this year) and a cubicle which blows money around. It reminds me of that one in Noel's House Party when they did grab a grand, except this one has gone tits up with most of the dosh sticking to the sides and not blowing around like it should do. I managed to grab one of the notes through a little slit and pull it out, but it turned out to be Monopoly money so I popped it back in before security spotted me.

This, ladies and gentleman, is one of my favourites parts of Vegas. Not only is this the walkway where most of the players enter the convention centre, but it's also where 4 or 5 fans spray water at you. I can't tell you how enjoyable that short walk can be when it's 117 degrees Fahrenheit, as it was not too long ago.

I had one of them fans all to myself whilst tanning up, it was absolute sheer bliss. It was soooo nice that i forgot how hot it was and burnt my paps.

I might buy one that sprays heat for back home.

Beautifully put.

;D

Not sure if they're up to date or not, but I noticed these odds on paddy:

Jon Kalmar                   7-2
Philip Hilm                    4-1
Tuan Lam                     9-2
Raymond Rahme          6-1
Lee Watkinson             7-1
Lee Childs                    8-1
Hevad Khan                 11-1
Alex Kravchenko         12-1
Jerry Yang                    14-1

Not sure if they've changed or not, but is Kravchenko worth a punt at 12-1. I know he hasn't got many chips, but as Roland proved in Ireland earlier this year, it only take one double up. He's also got a bracelet under his belt, so he's no mug.

What are paps?

One a sidenote, there are some cracking photos (courtesy of Rhowena) recently uploaded onto the Main Site. Some big names in there, but I feel the blondeites will be more interested in Miss Coren. I've also taken over 500 this week, so keep an eye out for them too. I'll try and get them uploaded when I get back, as well as adding them to blondepedia.

http://www.blondepoker.com/index.php?q=image/tid/260 (http://www.blondepoker.com/index.php?q=image/tid/260)

Still really quiet here, although a queue has formed outside the cardroom, people sitting on the floor waiting for the doors to open as if they've camped overnight for a Take That concert. Good job they got here early doors though, as I think many will be turned away later on.

It's almost 10am here, so I'm going to head off to the press conference soon to see if the players have anything interesting to say.

the betting on bluesq
Philip Hilm (23M)              4/1 
Lee Childs (13M)            13/2   
Tuan Lam (20M)              9/2                  Hevad 'Rain' Khan (9M)  10/1   
John Kalmar (20M)           9/2                  Jerry Yang (8.5M)         12/1   
Raymond Rahme (16M)    6/1                  Alex Kravchenko (6.5M)  12/1
Lee Watkinson (10M)      13/2         
 
Each-way bets on 3 places at 1/5 odds
17th of July 2007 8:00pm
 

Well, it's certainly picked up in here. That group of people on the right hand side of the photo is just a small portion of the queue which seems to extend for miles.

Before I speak of the press conference I've just attended, I have to quickly tell you of something an American journalist said to me. As I entered earlier this morning, this guy from US Today introduced himself and said, "Did you hear about the hooligan they threw out yesterday, he was drunk and supporting Jon Kalmar, I think his name was Peter Haram, or something like that."  ;carlocitrone;

I collared Jon later on and his response was, "Oh yeah, that was Bullet Pete. The phrases 'free bar' and 'Englishman' don't got together too well."

Hmm, think WSOP may be reconsidering the free bar come next year.  ;D

As I entered the press conference, I was surprised by the lack of press actually there. I guess it was up to me to ask the questions or be faced with an awkward silence and a case of the ol  ;booder;

Nevermind, there were mints awaiting me, plus I stole a pen. Awesome!

I think Jon Kalmar is worth a bet there, he's here to win and in excellent spirits.

First up were the organisers/officials. One, I believe, was Jeffrey Pollock, and the other was Jack. Sorry, they just called him Jack, so perhaps he doesn't have a surname like those Brazilian footballers.

Basically, this was just a self indulgent exercise (and I don't mean that to sound as mean as it does) where they encouraged questions, but basically turned it around to themselves and how well they'd done this year in making this such a great experience for the players.

Questions weren't too taxing, and, to be honest, weren't shooting from all angles, so I decided to raise my little paw and pose a question regarding the structure and what the feedback was like after doubling the stacks and compensating via the removal of levels, the latter of which, unsurprisingly, wasn't marketed as heavily. I didn't receive the most detailed of response and they never really told me if feedback had been good, but Jack basically reported that he was happy with the way it panned out and that perhaps they could add some levels in the middle (although they'll probably make it 1k starting stack). He did add that he was keen for players to have plenty of play at the start. Not sure if that is how it worked out this year, would have to ask some of the players.

I do recall one chap asking an interesting question regarding the chip boo boo from last year and what measures they'd gone too this year to ensure it didn't happen again. Everyone's buddy Jack took the microphone again and said that they'd employed more people to overlook the colour ups and engaged more peoplein the taxing process of making sure a billion chips aren't accidentally to the comp. He did say, defensively, that it's not easy organising 6,000 players. 

Continuing the subtle mocking theme, one guy amusingly challenged the fact that at one stage all the chips at the table were all slightly different shades of orange, to which good ol Jack replied by saying, "When we selected the chip colours, we were in a dimly lit room."

Brilliant!

 rotflmfao

A couple of other comments from Jack and Jeff (hey, that's catchy, like Bill and Ben):

-- They're considering 90 minute levels for some of the side events
-- There were less players this year, but they're focussed on quality, not quantity
-- They spotted some inappropriate acts of agenting this year and, in the interest of players rights, will be going to greater measures next year to minimise this
-- They are aware that the tent was a bit of a disaster this year and will be looking to rectify the problem for 2008
-- They firmly believe that snoopy will be crowned world champion next year, so might as well give him the money now

Tut tut Snoopy... ;scarymoment;

The players were up next, in two sets of four (I think they either ran out of chairs or Skalie hadn't turned up yet).

From right to left, they introduced themselves, rather poorly, I might add: Philip Hilm, Lee Childs, Lee Watkinson and Jerry Yang.

Out of the four, Jerry Yang yearned for the spotlight most, mainly to waffle on about his life history, which can basically be summarised as such: grew up in Laos, lived on a mountain, couldn't afford a marble, moved to America at 13, graduated, is now a psychologist. Crikey, I did it a bit quicker than him.

In all seriousness, he did seem like a nice chap, and was actually rather tearful. Furthering his rags to riches story, he claimed to have qualified for £225, which is a cool story, but then ruined it all by saying the corny line, "I'm living the dream, if it's God will, I shall be victorious." I thought Martin Luther King had stepped up to the podium for a moment.

Yang also added that he's going to give a away 10% of his winnings to a variety of charities, which is a nice gesture. He was a missionary for a couple of years, so I guess he's keen to give a bit back. I wonder if I could guilt trip him up to 20%...  ;goodvevil;

Philip Hilm's only words were regarding his 1623poker team of Mats, Christian and Larsson, whoever they are. "We're like the Danish Hendon Mob," he added. Afterwards, I tried to find out if he did live in England, and he confessed to residing in Cambridge for the last two months and playing as an online professional. I don't think he has any plans to play the UK circuit events though.

Back to the corny lines, Lee Childs said those sickly words, "We're all winners", whilst Yang credited God for the umpteenth time. Lee Watkinson was as quiet as a mouse, as if we were wrongfully taking up his time. He did answer a question about the Full Tilt rumour though, saying that it's true that if he wins the Main Event, he gets 10 million from Full Tilt. Blimey, Mr Tilt must be excreting bricks!

 

My post has been doctored. Yellow card! One more and you're off.

 ;yellowcard; + ;yellowcard; = :redcard:

Well, they've started, tikay's watching the live feed on his lappie. His eyebrow raised in a momentary Roger Moore moment when he heard Phil Gordon say that he didn't expect an exit within the first 3 or 4 hours.  :P

Skalie has got involved in two early hands with no success, but the night is very young yet.  Surprised to see Yang making the running at this point.

tikkay is on the fina table in hee???/lol

There was a bit of a pause whilst a young lady asked if the other players had arrived. Tuan Lam, Alex Kravchenko and Raymond what's his face were here, but where the eck's Skalie? At that moment, in he strode, and the other four players took their seat on the stage, the only player missing from the press conference being Haved 'Rain' Khan. Golly, must have been a nasty hangover.

Embarrassingly, there was that awkward silence right from the off, a bunch of tumbleweed flowing by as the lady on the microphone asked if there were any questions. It's as if the four on stage weren't film stars after all! Anyhow, I had to break the eerie silence with a question and so took the mike and asked Skalie why the player counts at the end of each day had his hometown listed as Chorleyville when the location didn't actually exist.  ;D Of course, he had to come clean and admit he'd written Chorleyville as a gag for his mates back home and to make it sound a bit posher. Not sure you can ever make Choley sound posh.

Actually, out of the four, eight, in fact, Jon seemed the most laid back and relaxed - he was certainly the only one to say "howdy do" when asked to introduce themselves. It was a bit of a cheeky question from the crowd, but we did find out that Jon has dealt out 45% of himself, 10% just for cash I believe. He even sold another 10% to play another satellite to get his Mrs over a couple of weeks back, but that didn't go too well and she had to wait until he was guaranteed half a mil. Regarding his bad run of late, Jon finished by saying, "You can go a long long time without winning, and I splashed out my money a bit too much. I wasn't careful enough."

Down to 18 mil I think tikay said.

Apparently, Tuan Lam (one of the smallest names in poker, surely), has played 5 hands in the first orbit.  :o

Yang just made a nice all in bet

Would anyone have played the Queens that Childs has just dropped to Yang?

Did anyone see that Childs/Yang hand where Childs folded Queens?

Can anyone confirm how the action went?

not againsta  guy that played 5 hands in the first 10 hands and is essentially freerolling.

action was. Lee raised pre-flop, yang reraised to 2mill. Lee called. Lee bet 3mill on the flop and yang went all-in.

Lee Childs is all tilted up now (and I don't just mean his clothes).

You've got to feel that he just folded the best hand there. Yang did not like the pre-flop call. Tens or Jacks?

Yang is on fire, when he is not taking pots, he is stacking chips from the pots he has taken....

Long shot, but it could have been sevens.....for trips.

qq was miles infront .,.,if he had aa or kk he would have showed him.,.,they all like each other and they are ALL very very nervous

most the posters on 2+2 reckon Yang had Jacks

How did they action go on that Queens hand. Did Yang raise under the gun and flat call a re-raise? Did he then re-raise all-in on Flop?

i reckon this will all be over by 2-3 am if not before

Hes still banging on about it, Jeez you'd think it was the World Series  ;marks;

Phil Gordon observed that he was shaking for a few hands afterwards, which might back up that suggestion.

haven't heard anything about Skalie - what seat is he in please?

reread my earlier post.

Skalie is in seat 1

TY - for that and your link!! It worked :-)

av a listen to chan.,,.whos he???lol

yang can't be as big a donk as everyone makes him out to be..I reckon he;s much better than they give him credit for (the commentators) and he's playing like this on purpose...and it's working :)

Yang and Hilm seeing a flop with 5.4m in the pot

Ace hits

this is great without hole cards


so far i havent guessed right once


lol

chan yang BANG

3m raise from Yang....called.....

Alex Kravchenko was amusing in the press conference. He said that he had lots of friends in Russia following his action, which was nice, but he said it in a broad Russian accent that reminded me of the chap in Rocky 4. If he just exclaimed "I am invincible!" at the table, they'd run a mile!

The players were also asked about deals, but they confirmed that no deals had been made as of yet. Tuan, who, incidentally, was initially heading back to Vietnam before switching to Vegas last minute, admitted to being quite keen about a deal if it was fair. The others, in the meantime, didn't seem too eager, basically saying that they were freerolling already. Alexander, finally, simply asked, "Are we even allowed to make deals?"

Ps. The South African dude reminds me of Crocodile Dundee. When someone raises, he should re-raise and say in a deep Southern hemisphere accent, "That's a raise".

Hilm...check......Yang....all in......Hilm folds and Yang is the new chipleader....wow

wow..what a move by yang on the turn!

Seat 1, been pretty quiet except for a couple of pots early doors that knocked him down a couple of mil.

he seemed over happy with his fold

as if his hand was marginal

well thats my tell anyway

wp that man

The Queens earlier on - wouldn't Yang flat call the Flop with Aces or Kings?

ASK CHAN WHAT IM HAVING FOR TEA?


HE WILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU IN A MINUTE.,.,

Yang is running all over the table so far, the rest are just looking at each other like WTF!!!!

Skalie is in seat 8.....

Courtesy of worldseriesofpoker.com

1st  Jerry Yang -- $25,040,000
2nd  Tuan Lam -- $20,805,000
3rd  Philip Hilm -- $19,390,000
4th  Jon Kalmar -- $17,780,000
5th  Raymond Rahme -- $16,310,000
6th  Lee Watkinson -- $9,325,000
7th  Hevad 'Rain' Khan -- $7,125,000
8th  Lee Childs -- $6,720,000
9th  Alex Kravchenko -- $4,920,000
   

Sry, my bad.

Incredibly, I think Philip Hilm has just bitten the dust! All-in on the Turn, he had a flush draw with 8-5 against Yang's top pair A-K. No diamond on the River and the chip leader at the start of the day is gone.

Incredible.....

OMG wang tang yang the chip collecting machine

You guys seen the hand yet? I think you get a slight delay.

I believe Hilm also flopped a pair so could hit any diamond, five or eight. 14 outs, I think.

whats the link that everyone is watching?

could someone PM it to please

yep.and they called yang the mug :)

Wow

Yang upto 45mill!!!!!!!!!!

omg,hes killing it..dont really like helms play last 2 hands.think he got frustrated.but who am i to comment,i cant win a stt at the minute,lol

absolutely amazing call

absolutlely amazing all in!!

WOW

How bad must Hilm be feeling.  Hero to Zero (its all relative) in 15 hands.

OMFG!!!!!!

C/L to out - how sick will he be tomorrow

Good move, but against the wrong person imo

(M3boy btw)

unbelievable - chip leader to first out......

Thanks guys

LMAO Johnny Chan pimping his energy drink  rotflmfao

BE OVER BY 12

I am watching this Live Feed, it costs $19.95, (good coverage) & we also have a live feed here in the Press Room, from which we'll try & keep you updated

http://broadband.espn.go.com/ppv/poker

I think this is going to become a rollercoaster game....Yang has them tilting already and he was prepared to push all in against a 20m stack on the turn with top pair.

im watchin that for free,thanks jim :kiss:

Take a look at the spondoolies in front of Yang!  :o

Hey - if you think when I'm on the final table next year I won't be mentioning colonic irrigation you are sadly mistaken  ;D

LOL WE ALL GOT IT FOR FREE LOL

well i aint i asked dingdell for the link but she hasnt sent it me can someone send it me plz

ive heard of a coffee colinic...is this true Tracey?

Oh yes - certainly would keep you awake to watch this through the night :-)

yang is playing truly amazing stuff.

DONE

skalie learned fast after the 1st hand keep out of the way of the mad man

Seat 9 must have had some smarties - he is definitely hyper active :-)

Sent again - sorry

surely with this field he will make take a dramatic fall,someone is gonna lay the big trap with a set or suchlike

Good Luck to you, but for $20, I prefer to go the legal route.

did none of the players realise fuchsia is the new black ::)

Just heard Skalie speak - how long will it be until they ask for him to only speak English at the table?  ;D

Is anyone else watching the overhead camera video with separate commentary?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5256194032478942911

pmsl


aint seen him in a hand yet

but i bet he is capable of speechplay

I'm in hot water in the pressroom. Compo's playing the Mansion comp and asked if I'd take over his hands while he interviewed Philip Hilm. Of course, I duly obliged, happy to fold until he got back, until I was dealt Pocket Queens... that is.

Blinds were 25/50, so I raised it up to 175, content to take the blinds if need be. Worryingly, the big blind called and the Flop came 9-6-6 rainbow. He bet out 200 and I flat called. Turn was a 2, he checked, I bet 500 and he called. River was a King, and we both checked, although I had to persuaded to check by tikay.

Unfortunately, I lost and Comp wasn't too chuffed when he returned moments later, but can anyone work out what Mateyboy had?

ps. Never ask me to take control of your game!

 rotflmfao rotflmfao rotflmfao rotflmfao

6-2

Can someone PM me the link please?

The link I have doesn't seem to be working

Either AK or A6 soooooted?

wow

Lee Watkinson is OUT.

All-in pre-flop against the chip leader.

Yang = Aspades 9d

Watkinson = Ac 7h

Board = 2c 6d 5h Kd Js

Yang has just killed a chimpanzee.

my god the bloke is a nutter

How on EARTH do these guys get all their chips with A-9 & A-7.......?

He had Pocket Kings. How on earth could I put him on that?!

My defense to Compo was swift, "Well, it could have been worse, if I'd have raised the Flop your whole stack would have been gone."

He still didn't seem best pleased.

Glad I didn't bet that River.

To quote Yang....

Father, in the name of Jesus....let me win.....

erm

wtf runhotsuperlaghard poker praise the lord

GOD HELP ME WIN ON  full tilt tonight please.,.,

i'm speechless

watkinson bites the dust with the most reckless ( or inspired ) call i think i have ever seen

calling an allin for 25% of his stack with A9 os...........WOWEEEE


now this yang fellow is praying to god...

god help skalie

think i have the wrong link mine is of a game down the pub 2 guys went all in with A/9 against A/7

Also that he would use the money to glorify the name of Jesus Christ - Hmmmmm.

Holy Jesus Lord....let Skalie give this guy a verrrryyy wide berth....

Praying to the poker god is one thing but bargaining with god is sick imho. Whether you are a believer or not the morality of it is questionable.

I really fancy Skalie now though...

Jerry Yang has 55 million.

I would expect alot better from Lee - a seasoned pro , he MUST know Lang just WILL NOT back down.

Only 10% of the money mind......

Doesn't look your type...... ;-)

if Skalie picks up a hand against the nutter he will get payed off

Yeah, it was pretty sick. i quite want him to blow up after that.

lololololol

Can someone PM the link to me see vu play? Thanks!!!

rotflmfao rotflmfao rotflmfao  Just choked on my popcorn when I read that!!!  LMAOOOOOOOOO!!!  

Some mad poker being played in the start

To put it into perspective, Yang has taken the chips of 2,300 starting day players in a little over 2 hours.....now that is worthy of a holy jesus.....

ONE GOLDEN RULE IN POKER DONT BLUFF THE DONKEY. U WILL NOT WIN AND DNT DESERVRE TO WIN IF U TRY BECAUSE THEN YOU ARE THE BAD PLAYER

LEE SHOULD OF KNOWN THAT. PLZ SKALLIE ONLY PLAY MONSTA HANDS AGAINST HIM

I would imagine he had yang making a move but for god's sake he has won 50 % of all the pots so far.....he just doesnt back down,at least not preflop.....

he has to change gears....or get a bad run of cards

Who is the bigger fish the better or the caller? Mind you this is a normal hand for when i play. ace rag - All in.  ;whistle;

Skalie seems to be having a fantastic time - laughing and joking at the table. Good for him - time of his life.  ;tightend;

and again..chip the chippies to Yang!..the man is ruthless.

2,300 I think - the starting stack was 20,000. Still impressive though!

So, these are the best players in the world, right? Unblievable.......

Meanwhile, Jon is sitting quietly & the ladder is gathering speed....

i'm sure Yang plays the £2 mtt's on Crypto

lol....had just edited my original post....the 20k starting stack got me.  What are the press room making of Yang Tony?

C'MON SKALIE....

Um I think they are being harsh on Yang. SB v BB I don't see that either of them did anything wrong to be honest I call with the A9 and I move in with the A7. SB v BB lee watkinson is not putting Yang on as good as A9 as he would raise with any 2 cards in this position. Lee Watkinson's hand range is wide and Yang will still be chip leader if he loses the pot. Maybe call me a fish but he played that hand fine.

Also, is Phil Gordon really annoying anybody else?

GOOOOOOOOOOO SKALIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that's his brother, Ying.

Yes, all I can think about is that ruddy Celebrity show he does - ugh.

The Press Room are agog Des, this is just extraordinary. He's being roundly mocked. Still, if it works, I guess we can't knock it.

Where did the last female player get to? Any ideas? Just want something to aim for next year.....

Pretty sure she finished in the 30 something.

I like that celebrity show.
 :D

must have hit the menobubble

Maria Ho finished 38th.

;hide;

Now we have K-J v J-8 suited - ALL-IN PRE-FLOP!

WHAT?

38th - $237,000

lol...only joking.....

That's the one...cheers Donkey!  

20 minute break.

We've had another exit, Lee Childs in 7th!

Yang = Js 8s

Childs = Kh Jc

All-in pre-flop.

Flop = 4d 4c 6c

Turn = 8c

River = 9d

Sick!

thers only 1 option now- who can fold most to get 2cnd

lol@the 8..that's what you get for calling all in with KJ off..and skalie moves up the laqdder :)

It's unbelievable....all good for Skalie I guess?

'Another one bites the dust....and another one's gone and another one's gone and another one bite's the dust.....'  

UNREAL!

so sick.....

Yang 62 million, lam in 2nd on 20 million. Ouch!

Amusingly, before the River was dealt, Jamie Gold shrewdly observed, "He can hit the King of clubs, which is also a club."  ;noflopshomer;

Rumour has it that the King of diamonds is a diamond - will need to confirm that though.

Seriously - this guy is making me tilt  ;grr; ;grr;

he's giving religion a bad name - no wonder there are so many wars.

At least Skalie gets a bigger pay out.

Two chip leaders at start of day out already.

Bonkers, this.

lol

I'm with you on that, praying to god to win a poker game, whatever your motivation, doesn't rest easily......and asking Watkinson to pray for him, after he just knocked him out was a bit odd....

I believe it was Maria Ho, gotta love that name  ::)

Forgive them, for they know not what they say. It's just kids with no social skills.

Meanwhile, skalie homes in on the magic million.

I'm sorry but if someone put me out of a tournament and then went screeming, whooping and yelling around the arena. I would have difficulty in maintaining my composure.Maybe the live scene isn't for me if this acceptable behaviour but I'm very surprised that no-one has been put to night nights because of this.

Guy seems like a bit of a muppet what is it with folk who seem to win WSOP Moneymaker, Gold now the Blowhard! 

I know he's not won anything yet but its going to be difficult for anyone to get back at him with that lead and he's a total luck box.

FYP

I think I play far too tight.

NO way would i have gone out of the tournament with A7 or KJ - not with the chips they had, just NO WAY EVER!

He's 40 years old.

That's a year older then you Tikay.

Speaking of Ho's, there was a sign in the Orlean's cardroom that read HOE event. Obviously that's Hold'Em, Omaha, and Eight or Better, but I had to laugh when it said 'women only comp' underneath. Do the pimps not get to play?!

Anyone brave enough to lay a bet on the exchanges against Yang, 2.28 (5/4) on betfair?

That sort of behaviour is the default out here in Vegas. It disgusts me, but I guess I'm old & out of touch.

2 more to go and skalie will be at it .

This might be God's revenge on Harrahs for using that bake-a-tent

from now on i want to be known as .,.,.
 SOFA----FATHER,POPE,CHRISTIAN,CATHOLIC,AH FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN,GOD BLESS THE QUEEN,MORNING HAS BROKEN,NUN,PRIEST,----KING.

LOL Godaments!

We all want Skalie to win obviously. However if this donk takes it down and with a possible reversal in the US online gaming laws on the horizon it may not be the worst thing ever.......

Another Moneymaker effect? ;kev;

LOL Testaments.

Its like playing a $30 rebuy on the net!

The all in calls are just plain MAD!

Don't be silly ....

Why don't they do the final table at Binnions anymore?  I like tradition.

Just chatted to skalie in the corridor.

He said he's told Yang that he can wait until the two of them are heads-up, then they can dance.

You are right Ralph, I'm a mere spring chicken compared to you.

What is your take on this whooping & hollering?

Best interview ever

'how do you feel when your husband goes all in?'

Love it - Tikay out - Skalie in as my hero.

**&^%$££££$%$^&**&%$$£

As an aside...didn't Jesus push over the tables of the moneylenders and gamblers? - idn't realise he had changed his position on gambling......when was that announced?  Actually - I think Yang has a direct line - perhaps he heard it from the man himself.

Has Phil Gordon just suggested that the players should loosen their starting hand requirements..... ;D

Are you kidding - Jesus was the biggest poker player of all time.

He managed to win three days after the Romans had dealt the river card.

Yang has only been playing poker for two years, and has never played on the internet - all live.

That's not a lot of hands experience.

Loosen starting hands?!  They're already making the 'ladies' down by the docks look tighter than nuns.

he cant of got this far playing like this no way its impossible he is on a roll and he must think he cant lose a hand with any card and its working so far

Jon's called the preflop raise of 1.2m

That may well have been considered a string-raise in some schools....

w00t, won a 2.4m pot :D

go jk

 yes!!...first hand won

It was quite a dwell up.

If it had been Carlo Citrone, he'd still be up on the cross.

Didn't Jesus win the main event a few years ago?

I've just realised how boring live poker is to watch unless you have a percentage of someone.

Hang in there Jon!!!

Gotta love the rubdown the TV presenter gave to the token scandie that was first out!

Seems like a proper nice bloke that helm.

ohhh.... Khan on drugs?

That rain bloke is a tosser

That Khan geezer is a complete and utter knob end... But it's great TV!

 whatever khan's on ....I'll take two ;gobsmacked;

Bear in mind he's playing 39 fewer tables than he normally does, so he's probably got a bit of excess energy.

Great putdown by Phil Gordon there.

'Philip Hilm showed a lot of class, in contrast to at least one of our remaining players'

and
Skalie picks up the blinds

Chorleyville is in Lincolnshire, in case you were wondering...

not sure about him making the chicken noises when the others folded - may not work out for him later - or it may be his way of inciting a call later. Any thoughts?

Kahn may be a knob but Yang is a bell-end of biblical proportions. DIS- :respect:

He has been quiet so, at the moment, is not likely to get much action on his big hands. Doesn't hurt to put yourself in your opponent's minds if you've been very tight.

It's not tactical, he's just enjoying himself...

Bell-ends are in the bible?


off to check

 ;iagree;

he seems to be really making the most of the ocassion

Yang is buying a house here

Yang is the best player on that final

yep no doubt about that

he is now

now that he has the CL

i guess the others have a choice,fold n move up the ladder

or take a stand ( preferably with AA )

He is.

End of. Everyone had their chance to play poker with him, when he started 8th in chips. Awesome aggression and awesome calls. The guy is better than anyone on there.

Your man has now started doing super obvious bluffs Rookie.

shame no jack

That's as may be but I was referring more to his general demeanour and all-round-want-to-have-a-pint-with-down-The-Bull's-Head-ability...

nice call by our man there..but strange bluff..bet 3mill and he folds

i disaagree

too many free cards given away

Skalie is quickly becoming Yangs nemesis.

Dont know about him being the best, but if Ivey, Hellmuth or Raymer or players of that type are making them calls (apart from the J9), we would be saying great calls, thats why there the best!!

He has only gone in behind once....(ahem)

Oh no, the second time hes been caught in how many hands?????????? Im sorry, hes lost 1.5m on a river bet, but made 55m elsewhere... hmmm..


i disagree. no fold there.

 ;woohoo;

Finally got the live stream, thanks for the assistance guys.

He pushed with the J 8 hand mate, not a bad play

who has played with jon here?

he is loving it


although i think he laughed too much with that last RR,he was very comfy with it..i.e. he had a monster

Yeah I meant J8, but he was behind pre flop.....Not saying it was a bad play, he nearly pushed him off it..

What the hell is that commentator banging on about.

Like the fame you'd get for winning the world series is more important than $8,000,000

i'm with rookie, hes played super aggressive and won. He obviously set out to do it in order to win and i wish that phil  gordon would stop saying how shit he is.


deleted flaming nickname!

Man its great to see jon enjoying it so much, every other player looks like a right mardy arsed bazza!!!

One thing that annoys me and im not even religious is Yang praying and talking to God begging him for cards. I think thats highly blastphemous!

thank god were all agreed on that

i wanna see a live F bomb.

preferably from Khan

i pray we all are! please god....

Yep, hes talking so much shit.

I agree that Yang might not react correctly/his religious stuff is annoying me.

Why is my post showing edited?

See Ace2M post above!

Chance for a large pot.

Take it Skalie!

sigh

whats the sigh for.... ? I don't have the link ?

Overzealous censorship?

It wasn't very offensive...

hi all

can i have the live link please

regards

M

Guys, let's just enjoy what is a really fun thread.

Thanks.

Kravchenko moves all-in under the gun for 2.6 million with K-Js and Rain makes a risky push from the small blind with Threes.

9-Q-A-J-4

Kravchenko doubles through.

Haha Gordon's bet on when Helmuth mentions his 11 bracelets

How much class did Alex show as he won the pot , no dancing , singing or praying , a true champion !

I agree Simon. Men & boys, eh?

Men & Boy's ???

Is alex a yank?

cheers all

7 pm's in 30 seconds

Blonde people are fantastic

Cheers

Regards

M

Russian

And then the co-presenter nearly messed it up by by introducing him as '11-time cha' before he stopped himself.

Exactly, thats why he's not acting like an untrained monkey when he wins a pot!

instacall doesnt work that time...

slightly sus the overbet on river but how  can he not call

I dont care what anyone says, i love to listen to hellmuth's analysis of hands and plays.

Such a knowledgable player, makes a great commentator!

does he call?

previous says yes

just joined watching this anyone know thedeal Skalie wearing Full Tilt

Regards

M

call no doubt!!

people can slag him all they like helmuth is one of the best  ;tightend;

Kahn announced all in in the dark!!! FFS, its the FT of the WSOP ME.

donk

Any chance of someone pm ing me the link please?

lol all in in the dark donkaments

WTF ????

He put in 6m of 9m stack, obv all in!!!

Another Great call. Wish he would stop the praying shit tho!

Can someone please PM the link. Would love to watch this.

hi all just came home can someone give me an update of the table please

Skalie has a minimum guaranteed $1,000,000!!!

impressive stuff

the others are committing suicide!!

all in in the dark with AQ - i mean FFS this is not a $20 tourney down ur local this is the FT of the WSOP Main Event.  Does he think he can push Jerry off for only an extra 3.5mill - TERRIBLE PLAY

I reckon Skalie is gonna get busy now

Right, just got home - what have I missed?

:dontask:

Not started yet pal.

Pretty strong hand for being "in the dark", I wonder if he had a little peek  ;)

me? :D  :kiss:

lots of people committing suicide with weak hands and terrible play

thought they started at 8pm?

a lot of strange calls/ all in moves!


Magic ball says GFY!

in the dark just before flop dealt - lots of action preflop tho

JJ raise AQ reraised JJ called

then AQ says all in dark on the flop

Evening guys, just caught up......Sounds like Scalie knows exactly what he's doing, playing the player and staying out of the way of the nutcase, who, to be quite frank is playing this how it should be played. Think of the pressure you can put on players. Also, could someone send me a link please.... :)  thankyou.

in the dark not much wrong! He reraised to $6m... leaving 3-3.5k behind. Whats he sposed to do check fold?????????????????????????????????????

agreed

million in the bag

one double thru with yang's assistance n he has a shout

not reraise the nutter in the first place with AQoff

Ah, I see

I didnt hate the move, just was never gonna shake Yang off the pot no matter what he did!

If it had have come Q high, he would have looked quite gd!

Not saying he should leave it behind, but announcing preflop that he is all in in the dark was a bit lame imo

could someone please pm me the link please.

thanks

So what did u think he should do once yang calls the $6m??

Ps Triple, i agree about the reraise.

Yeah guess your right, he should look at the flop then push anyway eh?

play the man not the cards ;)

Yeah anyway, push on the flop after thinking  :D

  LOL, 6 pms in 2 mins, but none beat rookie for speed. Cheers for links blondes, love dodging bit corporate TV charges :)

dunno - i never liked the guy on the FT - a complete pr*ck

i think he was trying to be all cool with the Im all in in the dark.

as someone said its just lame and u look a bigger prat than if he had just pushed on the flop anyway which was really the only option he had as he screwed up with the reraise pre-flop by leaving himself committed no matter what happened!

Just terrible play

hi guys somebody PM me the link please
cheers Colin

Push, he has no choice!!

I didnt pay attention to preflop, im guessing yang raised, kahn reraises, its the reraise im not happy with.

The way it panned out, there was only one thing happening aftre flop because money was already committed, if called preflop with push post flop he MIGHT have got Yang off the hand coz it would have been around 6.5-7.5 million more for yang to call with an overcard onboard.

Isnt it called the stop n go move?

bloody hell Carnoustie is now in London.............picked the wrong week to give up buckfast!!

gl Jon

Thanks for the links

Johnny Chan drank too many red bulls !

Hilarious, "ill have this tournament over by 12". Legend status already.

 rotflmfao   rotflmfao    rotflmfao

THats calling the raise then pushing infront of the raiser mate.

any ideas why i cant watch it all i get is the espn screen with a video box saying thanks for watching!

I think its the vodka mixed with the red bull thats the problem!

Correction, thats called a Tightend no.1 play.

I think you need to watch in IE not Firefox,

pm sent with possible other link, if you have that one, I'll send you the other one :D

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=25810.45

Sandy

reverse stop in go in the dark move?


LOL

Works fine in Firefox

Hellmuth - Legend

Comment to Phil Gordon

"oh Phil, you're outta your league here."

Class comment

Geo

say what you like about Phil, but I could listen to him talk about poker all day long - SO much knowledge

Hellmuth  "Dannerman made himself look bad on tv there", pot and kettle Phil!

lo m8! Wish he could stop educating players mind. Thought he was gonna go into leading with sets for a minute...............

Ive been listening to his audiobook on the ipod

and he knows his stuff

great stuff

lmao He did that earlier, but he said he checks his sets to internet players coz they think a check means take the pot

rotflmfao

hmmmmmmmmmmm!

Wouldn't let Hellmuth drive my car though.

Ok interesting call there... hmmmm...

lol nope :D

Got to sleep, GL Jon, will watch around 8:15am hopefully if it's still going,

guess it won't be

1st  Jerry Yang -- $68,170,000
2nd  Tuan Lam -- $19,835,000
3rd  Raymond Rahme -- $16,375,000
4th  Jon Kalmar -- $13,325,000
5th  Alex Kravchenko -- $9,780,000

according to worldseriesofpoker.com

helmouth is a genius best no limit player ever he surley nos wt hes talking about. hmmm 11 braclets

i miss phil!!!

Jon All In!!!!!

Scallie all in

Skalie shoves!!

All in with a smile on his face, the guy is enjoying it

He wont if he gets called me thinks!

Called and covered!!

Called!

AK v JJ

Ace ace ace ace!!  One time!!

;goodluck;

One Time!

I know what happens...

Just the river...

Poo

FUFFINGSHITCAKE

GG WP.

Great stuff - 5th.  $1.25M  Now that's a good week's work.

VERY VERY VERY WELL PLAYED SKALIE

UTMOST RESPECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sh*t

Still stunning effort!! Well played JK

Sick time to flip  :'(

Well done Skalie.

My thoughts exactly!

Congratulations on a great performance Jon, a week to remember.

SIGH, vwp though...

 :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect: :respect:

 Well Done skalie

 ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend;

Great advert for UK poker the way he conducted himself on the FT.
Good result and very well played.

Brilliant Mr Kalmar - my greatest  :respect: sir.

skalie was a credit to himself, his behaviour at the final was absolutely magnificent and great to watch.. congrats to him on a great performance.

well played, unlucky not to hit. British poker is proud of you.

Fantastic result 1.25m

 ;kneelsucker; ;kneelsucker; ; ;mexicanwave; ;mexicanwave;

Fantastic result Skalie.

You must be very proud  ;applause;

Well played Jon! You showed great composure, patiance and a wonderful approach to the game - you should be proud.  

Brilliant:)

Still awesome result.  Well done jon!!

TBH I dont watch much telly poker but I have been totally caught up in this, im actually sitting here all choked up with tears streaming down my face. Not sure if its because im delighted he has won over $1 mil or because he didnt win.

Bloody well done Skalie....TOTAL RESPECT  ;kneelsucker;

He will be so gutted right now.   but when he looks back tommorow and reflects he'l reliase what a great achivement that was considering how low his br was.   The reason we all play poker and with great dignity and had fun at the table.

wp   :respect:

I was rooting for that Ace or King so hard !!!


 Anyone know anything about this bad beat poker team that Skalie is reported being on?

Gotta say

He was a darned sight more relaxed about it over there than I was over here.

And he looked to be having a great time.

As has already been said - a great advert for poker this side of the pond.

I hope this is a stepping stone to the big time.

Next season of HSP maybe ?????

 ;applause; ;applause; ;tightend; ;tightend;

in fact

 ;yippee; ;hattip;

Well played Jon, a fantastic performance. I'm so pleased for you.

well played Jon, you did us proud.

wp jon

Well played jon, :respect:

Is it me or are people playing huge pots unecessarily? Congrats to skalie but I can't help but think with the stacks so deep a huge coinflip was not the way to go here?

But hey he's won over 1 Mill so what do I know

Congrats!

My sentiments exactly. Against these players i want to play flop flop flops.

was a big big call with the JJ I thought.

1st  $8,250,000 
2nd  $4,840,981 
Harrahs $3,780,00
3rd  $3,048,025 
4th  $1,852,721 
5th  $1,255,069 

wd!

wp!

and well proud you should be, squire...

we all certainly are!

 :respect:

Congrats!!!

My link did not work (but many thanks for the help Dingdell and Bolt) so many thanks to all forumites and their posts which kept me going and able to keep Bainn informed whilst he was at work. We both appreciate it and send our congrats to Skalie.

Very proud Skal

It was a right dodgy call by the JJ in my view.

Malc-M

i already said earlier to play these guys you got to have a monsta because they will not put down. we have seen thiss all night.

Shocking final table, highlighted after wathing the nyugen masterclass from 1998 in the break. Its so boring im off ot bed early. NN all. See some of you in Ncastle.

Well done Jkalmar, 600k is a nice touch.

KQ v 33?? WTF!!!!

Get me on that fecking table!

AAAAYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!

Go the Russian, bring it back to Yorkshire!

Alex seems like a good chap, come on. I have no respect for yham

The start of the blow up maybe? KJ!?!!

Kravchenko well in it now and looking like he may go all the way.

They are playing it like a turbo SNG and there's no need, they will pick off the donk if they just play a few flops.

Right lets see some moves from the russki now, not just weak limp or all in pushes.

LETS PLAY SOME POKER!!!

this is a fecking joke i think ime watching 1 dollar sng. its a joke

kq can be dominated in so many ways. go the russian

Odds on Yang raising pre flop for 1.5 million next hand?!

Am I halucinating ???

Did he put it down ???

South African denting him. I think he was up against a flush on that laydown.

WTG....such a great experience too i bet;...xx  Party time .

I like the way the saffie is playing now, sensible and solid.

If we leave now it will still be going when we get there - and that includes the hours we'll spend going through security  ;D

Thong packed in bag with passport..

Chip counts courtesy of worldseriesofpoker.com

1st  Jerry Yang -- $71,025,000
2nd  Raymond Rahme -- $32,850,000
3rd  Alex Kravchenko -- $12,000,000
4th  Tuan Lam -- $11,600,000

You wear that top and we/I can smuggle any amount of drugs through customs......

90 minute break.

That's bed 3 hours then catch the end at work in the morning hopefully. Enjoy the rest all you hardcore all nighters!

I actually made it (without computer, though) to the press room in time to watch the last seven until now - just wanted to add my congratulations to Mr. Kalmar as he gets whisked off to be interviewed by many a TV company in the next 24 hours.  Cheerfully focused the whole week long, Jon deserves his excellent finish and it was a pleasure supporting him from afar. 

Here's Mr Kalmar, fresh off his 5th place finish.

??????

He is a resident of Hull.

I'm still here (just) and so are the players, play having just this moment resumed.

Tuan Lam has just doubled up. K-Q vs. A-T and a 4-J-T-4-Q board.

Just waiting for them to wrap it up now so I can post my news item, hit the sack and catch my flight home.

BREAKING NEWS::::

Yang actually PASSED to re-raise all in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh dear, another double up for Kravy courtesy of Jerry. K-K v A-T, 8-6-6-3-2 board.

Courtesy of worldseriesofpoker.com:

1st  Jerry Yang -- $47,725,000
2nd  Raymond Rahme -- $30,450,000
3rd  Alex Kravchenko -- $27,600,000
4th  Tuan Lam -- $21,700,000

Oi Snoops.

I nearly read your post before I watched the hand. I opened the thread and had to take emergency action when I realised what your post might be about. I bruised my elbow when I jerked the mouse to close the page.

I hold you responsible  ;nemesis;

Please wait a couple of moments before telling us what's about to happen!

But it's so much fun knowing I get there a few minutes before you.  ;goodvevil;

 >:(

My elbow hurts!

anything happen in the last hour?

ive had a rather nice breakfast

well had a nice nights sleep...back to watching..shame i have to leave for work soon :(

bacon egg saugage blackpudding tattie scones beans?

Darn IT department at work! It appears they have blocked any streaming :(

Keep the updates coming guys.

use a proxy!

wow, 12 hours play and only 155 hands.

Don't get that in my local £20 double chance!

 steroids + red bull 


been up all night

ok then-2 poached eggs toast pot of tea

such a wuss

Yang all in v the Russian, 88 v AK, flop brings the set for Yang, Russia out.

Exciting hand,

Rainme (sp?) reraised Yang preflop to 6.5m, Yang called, flop J8A, checked to Yang who bets 10m, check raise all in another 17.5m,

Yang isn't sure what to do!

Exciting

ooo he's called, pot is MASSIVE!

Ramme, KK, Yang A5

Yang ahead again.  Brave call imo, but good call

 Rahme (!!!)  is out

No help on the turn or river and Yang is massive chip leader and we're  heads up

104m v 23m !  Wonder how long this will last, not to long I guess. 

Great Call by Yang

have they not learnt against this guy, wow.

i bet good money that tuan lam wins.

Calling with only a 5 kicker was brave though don't you think?  Rahme didn't play it well.  Wonder if he'd have played the kings better he would still be in.


Could easily, he seems to be the only one not trying to bluff him.  Decent hand and he'll get paid off nicely.   

Wonder if Yangs getting invited to the Big Game tomorrow :D

He couldn't have played them much differently apart from i would have led the flop, if you get bluffed off it fair enough but your still in.

I fancy tuan lam will play the better heads up by a mile and it only takes one double up.

Leading the flop would have been good, but shutting up would have been better after he check raised, what's all this "play your hand" stuff, that's just saying I don't want a caller.

Still, easy for me to say, I failed in qualifying, he did get 3rd :D

Wonder if Yangs getting invited to the Big Game tomorrow :D
[/quote]


 sounds of high stakes cash players licking lips and rubbing hands together

Just to add my congrats to skalie - fantastic achievement!   ;tightend;

Hachem was a great champ wasn't he.  That last hand they just showed was pure class.    Wander what when through Steve's mind when Joe showed 73 for the straight - must have been devastated.

What was the punk band Jon was the singer of?  Anything remotely famous?

please can someone send me the link - thank u in advance

done

thanks mate

Yangs moved allin on a 6s Qh Ks 5s board  Lam thinking..

but passes,

Lam down to 12.5m

Latest chip counts?

Lam 10m
Yang 117m

give or take a few bob

They've been on a break for the last 15-20 mins so nothing has happened for a bit

Lam all in, Yang calls

Lam 3d4d, Yang, As 9h

K 8 4 flop!

Turn 6h

River Ks

Lam doubles up to 19m

You wait ages for something to push with, Lam finally pushes  with 34s?  Come on Lam, play some hands!

Yang raises again from the button to 3.5m, Lams moved all in

Yang lays it down.

LAMS gaining momentum, one double up and this will be close!

cooooommmeeee on lam!!

200 hands played on the final table  ;gobsmacked;

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, i feel good after a night sleep :)

KK guy is a bit odd trying to bluff him with KK on A high flop.

Thanks for the updates, keep em coming :)

All ins!

Lam fed up with Yang raising moves all in

Ad Qd for Lam Pocket 8's for Yang

Q hits!!!!!

I hope this is it, I have work to do and I need to go to the Post Office

Flop comes....(insert long pause)

with a queen!  5 Q 9 all black

turn 7, river 6!! 

Yang's hit runner runner to win the WSOP!!!!

Damn!

wounder. fair play to him.

Yang is blessed  ::)

And the contest devolves into dual nationalistic chanting. A fitting end.

Fair play to Yang, he's played the most poker at this final table.  Made some dodgy calls and got lucky once or twice but overall, he's played pretty good and went out to win it, especially heads up, Lam was far to passive (weak).  Most times when Yang went in, he had decent cards.

Congratulations Yang ;applause;

$8.25m - nice touch

I cant wait for his god ramblings and the likes for the next 12 months!

Yippeeeee  ::)

I thought he was a total donk at first. But he's actually not too bad, he just plays a little bit unorthodox with the size of his bets etc. To to fair he got his money in with the best hand virtually every time and some of his early crazy plays got him paid off by better players who called/pushed with weaker hands and they should have known better than to do that against him.

I think that Yang played the best poker at the start of the final table and was at that time the only person who appeared to be playing to win. He made alot of very dodgy calls some hit for him some didn't but his huge chip lead at the time meant he could cope with the losses.
Did he deserve to win overall? Not sure as I haven't seen it from about 3am. If he played heads up like he did at the start of the FT then I guess it was deserved. I just don't like alot of his calls, although that A9 was either inspired or insane.

If you have never called with A9 in a spot like that then you ain't a good player imo.

he seems like a really nice guy so well done to him. even if some of his play was little odd

i cnt reraly see on the live feed but ime pretty sure i knocked this guy out in the 1500 event.  ;hide;

wdone to this man he seems gracious in victory very goood not to be a idiot like last year

Done a complete 180

In interview come of as a humble, funny and deserving man.

All the best to him, i think he stands a chance of being a very gd poker ambassador for the next 12 months!

Pollock just nicked my ambassador line!

I've made calls like that many a time. Some have won, a few have lost.
Regardless of what I would have done I was commenting on the WSOP winner, not my play :)

Well done to the guy who won.

He went out to play, and made the final more watchable as a result.
He also got sucked out on a few times - probably as many times as he got lucky - so, on balance, IMO was a deserving winner on the day.

His game looks a bit one-dimensional, so it is a decent bet that he won't follow this up with any more big results - but hell - he's WSOP Main Event Champ so who cares!

Well done..he fully deserved his win

i think it was a bad winner, totally against what i think poker is about, if he put a chip in he never folded no matter the action, and bluffed stupidly, do not know how the hell he won

started off a bit crazy.,.,but fair doos to him .,he was the only one who looked like taking it down from the off,.,.,what a great interview he done.,.,seems a real nice guy.,and a family man.,.,.,

anyone know what he had when he went all in and the other guy passed qq face up.,.,did he say?????

no i think the russian was the class act at that table, runner up was a close 2nd imo.
still think the russian had the class to steer clear of coin flips, i think hed fold ak v pair, must have read aj kq etc
its a shame, 2 jaime golds in a row.

I think thats really unfair. I though he was a donk at first, but he had the best hand neary all the time and had his fair share of both good and bad luck. It was some of the early exits that played terribly and gifted their chips to him, WTF was Lee Watkinson thinking?? Everyone tells you how important aggression is in poker and he bullied the table to death, its as simple as that. When he got early chips there was always going to be some serious pain for the rest of them.

He won the only way he knew how, by playing it like it was a tourney at his local club where the stacks are shorter and the only move is raise and all in, but I don't think we can fault him for that.

apparently he said he had 44 which if i remember rightly means he must have flopped a set.

not had it confirmed tho - if it is right what a laydown by Childs tho i do think he did it more out of being scared at being the first out rather than being convinced he was behind to trips...

Which ever way he chose to play, he got the desired result, Congrat's to him I say.

Harsh i'd say... Although his final table play was fairly loose, thats probably only about 5% of the hands he played in the tourny, the rest we'll never see, he must have made some crucial calls and folds along the way so all credit to him I say...

he never made one laydown at all, total gung ho luck box(see j.gold,06), but your right its all he knows.
i just prefer class acts winning, makes me feel theres a point to the game, otherwise its snap!

But he got better players to put their chips in behind, if they were as classy as they think they are they would have waited for better spots. He was not particularly lucky either he just got the others to make weak plays because of his aggression/bullying.

i dont remember many times he was ahead of any1 bar the old south african, seemed it was all races or he was behind

what he was good at was time over decisions and no visable tells

Yang done good.  He came out of the blocks running, and got that early double up, after taking down pretty much every one of the first dozen or so hands.

Getting some donk to bluff all his chips at you , for an early double up on the ft of the wsop main event.  Nice work if you can get it.

After that it was pretty much plain sailing.

I have to say I thought it was pretty poor charging into his fans everytime he knocked someone out, before shaking hands with the loser.  That put me right off him.

And all that ' God was on my side ' stuff.  Just don't let him plan any trips to the middle east.

And the fact that, with the exception of one REALLY good player, all the rest just bet into him, or called, for all their chips with non premium hands.  He didn't play brilliantly, but he did what had to be done.

Once the game got to 4 handed he started playing better, and ended up looking very comfortable by the HU.

Congrats to the 2nd best player there.

( I forget the name of the best player, but I think he's had a couple of  namechecks here abouts.  Now HIS push had plenty of FE and if only ..... )

Tell you something for nothing.  Of all the play I've seen on the final table, I rated Kravchenko beforehand because of what he's achieved, and I think his game will keep him in good stead.

Not particularly exciting personality tho'

BUT.

There was only one guy whose charisma came oozing through the ether.

Only one guy deserves to be taken up on a huge sponsorship deal.

Step up to the plate young Skalie

First 4 guys he took out

1) He had TPTK villain had an 8 high flush draw with one card to come

2) He had A9 ( I think ) villain had A7

3) He had nothing, but villain CALLED with KJ.  he deserved that one purely because he was the aggressor.

4) He had JJ villain had AQ on a K high flop, with virtually nothing extra to put in post flop. ( khan played this one REALLY badly - he should have pushed preflop.  He still would have lost, but.......)

He can't be faulted for that little lot

WTF, this guy was the ONLY one at the FT who deserved to win the thing. Out players under pressure, constant aggression forced massive mistakes. Cant help but feel that a semi-decent pro would have ripped him apart though. Well done to him, dominated that final.

I hope he doesn't get labelled a donk because as you say he went out to win it and got what he deserved. Your right regarding the second point, I just don't understand why the other decent players didn't sit back and wait for better spots as they were mostly deep stacked early on. I'm still shaking my head at Lee Watkinson particularly, he will regret that one for a loooooooong time.

He played exactly the right way for a short stack at the final table of the ME..and after he had the table pretty much figured out he got the supposed better players to make stupid bets.

He was behind when he got his chips in with J8 suited but the other guy called for his entire tourneylife with KJ off suit...everybody else up untill that point he completely outplayed..it's that simple.

i think he ll be another gold, i really do. doyles gonna rip him to pieces in hsp

Unlike other players i'm fairly sure most of that money will never see the green felt again

I agree from what I can see from his interview on the world series site he seems like a really nice bloke who will try and use the money to do some good. I hope he does and good luck to him

Yarp. Although slightly OTT on the religious nonsense tbh.

I have to agree he was probably the player who deserved it most by the way he played. If he was regarded as a tighter player there is no way he would have been called by KJ, re-raised by AQ or tried to be bluffed with A7, so his table image as a LAG served him well in the end.

Childs, Watkinson and Khans plays were very poor I believe. Hilm's wasn't bad as he had several outs and it was a hopeful call by Yang with only one pair albeit TPTK. I realised Hilm didn't push til the turn but he would have been called on the flop anyway.

Did Kalmar play his AK too fast, it was an insta-all in against a tight player who raised it an irregular amount (1.7m vs the usual 900k-1m) which could arouse suspicion in my mind?

Is it just me or do the Yanks deliberately not admit when they've made a bad play. I listened to Watkinson's comments on the live stream trying to justify his call. I realise him, Childs & Hilm were out to win but to put your tournaments on the line with KJ, A7 and a draw when you have a tons of chips is just suicide in my book, you wouldn't see Hellmuth play like that. These guys being eliminated served Yang well as the others (maybe apart from the Russian) were clearly trying to move up in the money.