WSOP $5,000 Short-handed NLHE: Day 1 - At A Glance

[Djinn]

Here we'll be posting gathered chip counts and information from the fast-paced short-handed NLHE event, which looks to have increased in popularity as a format dramatically since last year.  Expect a record field, dotted with many a UK player.  If you would like to ask about anyone or anything specific, or see our photos from this event, there is our Interactive Update found here: http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=25110.0

Play will start at Noon, Vegas time (8pm in the UK).

1st   Amnon Filippi -- $4,015,000
2nd  Freddy Deeb -- $3,500,000
3rd  Kenny Tran -- $2,445,000
4th  John Hanson -- $1,995,000
5th  David Singer -- $1,330,000
6th  Bruno Fitoussi -- $895,000
7th  Barry Greenstein -- $750,000
8th  Thor Hansen -- $40,000

[NoflopsHomer]

Ok, here's how today is going to work. Sadly this crossover of events coincided with us changing our hotel from the Gold Coast back to the Orleans.

So, I'm here and will be covering the $5,000 six-handed event, then when Jen and Snoopy arrive shortly. They'll take over that and I'll be watching the HORSE Final and reporting on the other thread which starts at 2pm, (10pm UK)

Therefore, start opening up a few tabs!

[NoflopsHomer]

This event is proving massively popular. So much so that people are still registering now.

Board:



Chips flying in...

MB1:



MB2:



Turn:



River:



Our first mateyboy squared moment of the WSOP 2007...

[NoflopsHomer]

Scotty Nguyen folds after Johnny Chan check/raised his 500 bet to 2100 on an board.

[NoflopsHomer]

Pab isn't in his seat where I spotted him earlier and I've not been able to locate him since. Elsewhere I'm not sure JP has managed to get a seat yet, but the room is so huge we could easily have missed him.

The number of entrants for this event is reckoned to be close to 800.

[Djinn]

The short-handed nature of this event has meant that it looks like a much larger field as so very many tables are needed to start it off - the giant Amazon room is heaving, and tables are breaking as fast as they are forming.  Here are a couple of sets of tablemates:

Jennifer Harman
Phil Laak
Andreas Hagen

Joe Beevers
Jonas Molander (who just so happened to win his first tournament upon arriving in Vegas at the Bellagio, chopping with Iwan Jones for over $60k and going on to win heads up for the $25k WPT seat... nice start)

William Thorsson
Steve Zolotow
Mark Vos

And also spotted (in just one quarter of the main room):
Humberto Brenes
Andy Black
Dave Colclough
Kevin O'Connell
Abel Meijberg
Max Pescatori
Jamie Gold
Martin Wendt
Johnny Lodden
Chip Reese
Barney Boatman
Noah Boeken
Tony G
Per Ummer
Stuart Fox
Jeff Buffenbarger
Joe Hachem
JP Kelly
Jeff Kimber
Sorel Mizzi
Justin Bonomo
Arnaud Mattern

And Many More (pictures of several on Interactive thread).

[Djinn]

Found Dusk Til Dawn's Kevin O'Connell (there are a few DTD hats dotted around the room - also spotted DC and Mikka).  He was just involved in a threeway pot, betting out 800 on the flop.  The button raised to 2,600 and the third player who'd initially checked folded.  This left O'Connell to resignedly pass his face up...his chips now 6,450.
__________________________

Andy Black on the button bets 800 on an flop, gets check-called, and checks the following and , finding the small blind's to be good. 
__________________________

David Benyamine busts someone sharpish - empty seat and Benyamine stacking up his 17,100.

[NoflopsHomer]

Henning Granstad was facing a chunky 4k bet on the turn of board, he passed his face up and was shown in return.

El Blondie just took a pot down, he betting the river of a board against two opponents, getting one caller and showing the to put him back over the 10k starting stack.

[NoflopsHomer]

The HORSE final is about to start over at http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=25109.0

---------

Isn't that always the way, just as I pop back into the cardroom in search of hands and fascinating anecdotes, they all disperse for their 20 minute break.

However, whilst they were leaving, I did catch David Daneshgar virtually all-in on board, his miles ahead of his opponent's in-need-of-runners .

But the runners failed to arrive and the popular young American doubles up to around 10k.

[snoopy1239]

Beagle news from the break...

Jeff Kimber is up to 21k after, in his own words, "muppetting some guy with A-Q vs. A-K".

It's not as bad it sounds though (maybe...) - Jeff raised it up to 300, a serial raiser made it 1,100 and Jeff pushed for his opponent's remaining 4.

Ace high flop, runner runner heart. Ouch - if you're gonna muppet your opponent, muppet them in style.

Jeff also added, "Patrick Antonius just sat next down to me, I can't think of anyone else I'd want to see less."

[snoopy1239]

A few chippy counts from the bottom left quadrant:

Phil Hellmuth -- 5.5k
Michael Binger-- 24.1k
Marco Traniello -- 22.7k
Michael Mizrachi -- 11.3k
Max Pescatori -- 13.8k
Abel Meijberg -- 11.6k
Kirk Morrison -- 12.7k
Jeff Lisandro -- 8k
Daniel Alaei -- 7.8k
Erik Friberg -- 15.6k
Mad Marty Wilson -- 5.6k
Roland de Wolfe -- 17k
Thomas Middelthon -- 21.5k
Jamie Gold -- 20.1k
Tex Barch -- 14.1k
David Pham -- 25.2k
David Daneshgar -- 11.8k
Stephen Pearce -- 24.6k
Steve Wong -- 13.3k
BIll Gazes -- 11k
Jason Lester -- 4.9k
Brandon Shaeffer -- 12.3k
Mark Seif -- 10.8k
Age Spets -- 22.4k

-----------

A dejected Marc Goodwin is OUT.

He missed an opened ended flush draw with 5-6s after re-raising pre-flop. Mateyboy bet a tiny amount on the River, but Marc was forced to fold.

Soon after, he ran Tens into Big Slick - "I just knew he was going to hit," he said in defeat.

[snoopy1239]

Frenchman and former GSOP winner Arnaud Mattern is OUT, subsequently meaning that is massage was cut short.

[NoflopsHomer]

Patrick Antonius is OUT. He re-raised all-in with but found a caller with Ace Queen, which made a Broadway on the river.

"Why does he play these events?" asked one of the reporters, telling me yesterday after busting out of the Horse that he was playing on Full Tilt with $700,000 spread across 4 tables...


Bumped into Barry Neville who said, "Fookin' 'ell, these young American kids are mad. This kid 'ere bets out on a Queen 'igh flop, 'nd this guy raises him, and kid move all in for t' whole stack with Q-5 and other guy calls wit' two pair! Fookin' 'ell."

[NoflopsHomer]

Jeff Buffenbarger is OUT, backpack was on and he was walking away from the table...

[snoopy1239]

Thomas Wahlroos -- 11.7k
Jeff Cabinillas (sp?) -- 7.6k
John Shipley -- 10.4k
Alex Jacob -- 18.8k
Jeff Madsen -- 12.2k
Ted Forrest -- 6.5k
Johnny Chan -- 7.3k
Tobey Maguire -- 15k

Players are now on a 20 minute break.