WSOP 2010 Thread. Feed your wild side revisited

[DaveShoelace]

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29/news-views-gossip/latest-ivey-prop-bet-814913/

Rumours that Ivey is getting 7-1 he will win another bracelet in Vegas this year

[TightEnd]

Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada
Official Report
Event #38
Pot-Limit Hold’em Championship
Buy-In: $10,000
Number of Entries: 268
Total Net Prize Pool: $2,519,200
Number of Places Paid: 27
First Place Prize: $617,214
June 20-23, 2010

TOURNAMENT HEADLINES
Hungary for Victory
Valdemar “Luigi” Kwaysser Wins WSOP Gold Bracelet in Event 38
Kwaysser Collects $617,214 in Prize Money
Hungarian Wins Pot-Limit Hold’em World Championship, Making Second Victory
for Hungary this Year
Through 38 WSOP Events -- WSOP Attendance up 15 Percent over Last Year

OVERVIEW Valdemar “Luigi” Kwaysser was the winner of the $10,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold’em World Championship at the 2010 World Series of Poker. This marked his first career WSOP gold bracelet victory, after six previous cashes here in Las Vegas. Kwaysser, who goes by “Luigi,” is from Budapest, Hungary. He became the second Hungarian to win a gold bracelet this year, following Peter Gelencser’s victory in the $2,500 Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball event, which was played out during the first week of the series. Kwaysser is now
one of only three Hungarians ever to win WSOP titles. The first to win was Peter Tarply, who was victorious in the Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Shootout held last year.
Kwaysser collected $617,214 for first place, which was his biggest poker payday ever. He previously won major tournaments held in Costa Rica and Italy. But this win eclipsed those previous victories, both in terms of prize money and prestige.
The runner up was Matt Marafioti, from Toronto, Ontario (Canada). This was his third time to cash at the WSOP. He finished in-the-money in last year's 40th Anniversary Special Championship. Second place in this year’s event paid $381,507.
The third-place finisher was James Calderaro, from Venice, FL. He is best known for finishing 13th in last year’s WSOP Main Event. Calderaro, who narrowly missed being one of the 2009 November Nine, received a $284,845 consolation prize for his effort in this tournament.
The top 27 finishers collected prize money. Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Blair Rodman (8th), Vitaly Lunkin (23rd) and Mike Matusow (26th). There were nine different nations represented among the 27 players who cashed – Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Hungary, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. Through the 38 events played so far, tournament attendance is up significantly over the same period last year. Through 38 events last year, there were 36,326 entries. This year, there have been 42,070 total entries to date, an increase of 15.8 percent.
Tournament prize money figures are also up slightly from last year. Last year, through 38 events, the sum of total prize money won was $72,935,941. This year’s total prize money figure currently stands at $73,625,210, an increase of .9 percent (note the decimal).

THE CHAMPION – VALDEMAR “LUIGI” KWAYSSER
The $10,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold’em champion (Event #38) is Valdemar Kwaysser, from Budapest, Hungary.
Kwaysser goes by the nickname, “Luigi.”
Kwaysser is 26-years-old.
Kwaysser has seven brothers and sisters.
Kwaysser studied at the University of Budapest for three years, majoring in economics. He did not graduate. He says he may return to school later.
Kwaysser has been playing poker seriously since the age of 21.
Kwaysser is active in the Hungarian poker community. He writes about and teaches poker to new players at an online coaching site.
Prior to this victory, Kwaysser previously won major tournaments held in Costa Rica and Italy. But this win eclipsed those previous achievements, both in terms of prize money and prestige.
Kwaysser is engaged to be married. His fiancée was with him when he won his first WSOP gold bracelet.
This marked the fourth year Kwaysser has attended the WSOP.
Kwaysser thus far has played in 11 events this year.
Kwaysser collected $617,214 for first place.
According to official records, Kwaysser now has one win, one final table appearance, and seven in-the-money finishes at the WSOP. His career WSOP earnings now total $663,634.
Following his victory, Kwaysser admitted he does not much play much Pot-Limit Hold’em.
Kwaysser became the second Hungarian to win a WSOP gold bracelet this year. Peter Gelencser, also from Budapest, won the $2,500 Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball event.
Kwaysser became one of only three Hungarians ever to win a WSOP title. The first winner was Peter Tarply, who was victorious in the Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Shootout held last year.

WINNER QUOTES
On having his fiancée with him at the WSOP: “She gives me confidence and takes care of me. This (win) is part hers, as well.”
On his experience as a Pot-Limit Hold’em player: “Actually, I do not know that much about Pot-Limit Hold’em. I have barely played it. I know the structure and the lack of an ante makes it a much tighter game. In the beginning of the tournament, I played very tight. Then, later -- I started to play more hands. People started respecting my raises, and that is how I won some pots. In No-Limit Hold’em tournaments there are usually antes, so you cannot just wait for a hand because you will get blinded out.”
On being somewhat unknown at the final table: “I had some advantages. They did not know me at all.”
On being the third Hungarian WSOP gold bracelet winner: “We help each other a lot. I truly believe that Hungary has done so well, considering the size of the country which is small, is because we all stick together, and we learn together, and discuss poker together.”

THE FINAL TABLE
The final table included only one former WSOP gold bracelet winner – Blair Rodman. When he was eliminated in eighth place, a first-time champion was guaranteed.
The final table began nine-handed.
The final table included players from five different nations: Canada, Germany, Hungary, Russia, and he United States.
As the time passed and Kwaysser became the favorite to win, the Hungarian cheering section swelled to nearly two dozen spectators. The Hungarians chanted and sang songs when Kwaysser won a big pot.
The runner up was Matt Marafioti, from Toronto, Ontario (Canada). This was his third time to cash at the WSOP. He finished in-the-money in last year's 40th Anniversary Special
Championship. Second place paid $381,507.
The third-place finisher was James Calderaro, from Venice, FL. He is best known for finishing 13th in last year’s WSOP Main Event. Calderaro, who narrowly missed being one of the 2009 November Nine, received a $284,845 consolation prize for his effort in this tournament.
The fourth-place finisher was Konstantine Bucherl, from Regensburg, Germany. Germany has come close to winning a gold bracelet, but again fell short (fellow countryman Moritz Schmejkal finished second in the Heads-Up Championship). Bucherl has several online cashes and five in-the-money finishes in WSOP events. He cashed in the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event. Fourth place in this tournament paid $214,106.
The fifth-place finisher was Dani Stern, from New York, NY. He took fourth place in last year’s 40th Anniversary Special, which paid a whopping $540,000. Fifth place in this event paid another nice score amounting to $161,934.
The sixth-place finisher was Thomas Marchese, from Parsippany, NJ. He won the NAPT championship held at the Venetian in Las Vegas earlier this year. This was his best WSOP finish to date, which paid $123,264.
The seventh-place finisher was Peter Jetten, from Toronto, Ontario (Canada). He has more than $1.5 million in overall tournament earnings. His best showing at the WSOP was second place in the $10,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship two years ago. Jetten put on another fine performance in this tournament and collected $94,394.
The eighth-place finisher was former WSOP gold bracelet winner Blair Rodman, from Las Vegas, NV. He won a No-Limit Hold’em event in 2007. This was Rodman’s 37th career cash, which puts him close to the Top 25 all-time. He also has more than $1.5 million in WSOP earnings after pocketing $72,754 in this tournament.
The ninth-place finisher was Alexander Kuzmin, from Moscow, Russia. This was his first time to cash at the WSOP. Ninth place paid $56,404.
The final table began at 10:00 pm and ended at 4:00 am, lasting about six hours.

OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS
The top 27 finishers collected prize money. Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Vitaly Lunkin (23rd) and Mike Matusow (26th).
Illustrating the popularity of Pot-Limit games played in around the globe, there were nine different nations represented among the 27 players who cashed – Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Hungary, Russia, Sweden, and the United States.
The defending champion was John Kabbaj, from London, England. He entered this year’s tournament but did not cash.

ODDS AND ENDS
This is the 866th gold bracelet event in World Series of Poker history. Note: This figure includes every official WSOP event played, including tournaments during the early years when there were no actual gold bracelets awarded. It also includes the 11 gold bracelets
awarded at WSOP Europe (to date).
Some poker purists consider Pot-Limit to be a greater test of skill than No-Limit. This is due to Pot-Limit’s emphasis on post-flop play. Since pots gradually escalate in size in Pot-Limit, the magnitude of every decision is amplified as the hand progresses. Contrast this with No-Limit, in which players can push “all in” at any time, which tends to create more races and reduces the element of skill.
“Pot-Limit” means a player can wager only up to the exact amount of what is contained in the pot at any time. Contrast this with “No-Limit,” which means a player can wager any or all of his/her chips at any time.
The official WSOP gold bracelet ceremony takes place on the day following the winner’s victory (or some hours later when the tournament runs past midnight). The ceremony takes place inside The Pavilion, which is the expansive main tournament room hosting all noon starts this year. The ceremony begins at the conclusion of the first break of the noon tournament, usually around 2:20 pm. The national anthem of the winner’s nation is played. The entire presentation is open to public and media. Video and photography are permitted by both public and members of the media.
Kwaysser requested that the national anthem of Hungary be played at his WSOP gold bracelet ceremony.

EVENT HISTORY
Pot-Limit poker made its debut at the WSOP in 1984, when two Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments were offered. There were no Pot-Limit tournaments of any kind played at the WSOP from 1970 through 1983.
The only Pot-Limit that was played at the WSOP between 1984 and 1991 was Pot-Limit Omaha. Pot-Limit Hold’em action was restricted to cash games.
The first Pot-Limit Hold’em tournament at the WSOP took place in 1992. The game has been a fixture on the WSOP schedule ever since. During most years, it was one of the first tournaments on the schedule.

POT-LIMIT HOLD’EM LEADERS
The player with the most WSOP gold bracelets (wins) in Hold’em events (all variations) is Phil Hellmuth, currently with 11.
The player with the most lifetime WSOP cashes in Hold’em events (all variations) is Phil Hellmuth, currently with 48.
No player has ever won more than one WSOP gold bracelet in Pot-Limit Hold’em. There are 47 players with one gold bracelet each in this form of poker.
The player with the most career WSOP cashes in Pot-Limit Hold’em events at the WWSOP is Jason Lester, with 9. Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, T.J. Cloutier, and Ken Flaton each have 8.

TOURNAMENT PLAY
The tournament was played over three consecutive days, from June 19-21, 2010.
The $10,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold’em championship attracted 268 entries. The total prize pool amounted to $2,519,200. The top 27 finishers collected prize money. Numbers declined slightly from last year attendance figure, which attracted 275 players.
Kwaysser held the chip lead during most of the final table. His chip stack grew with each passing hour. When heads-up play began, Kwaysser was ahead by about a 5 to 1 margin.
The final hand of the tournament came when Luigi Kwaysser was dealt against Matt Marafioti’s . The board came – giving Kwaysser a pair of jacks and his first WSOP victory.

2010 WSOP STATISTICS
Tournament attendance is up significantly from this same point last year. Last year, through 38 events, there were 36,326 entries. Thus far this year, there have been 42,070 total entries, an increase of 15.8 percent.
Tournament prize money figures are up slightly from last year. Last year, through 38 events, the sum of total prize money won was $72,935,941. This year’s total prize money figure through 38 events stands at $73,625,210, an increase of .9 percent (note the decimal).
Through the conclusion of Event #38 (sans 36, which is not yet completed), the nationalities of winners have been:
United States (25)
Great Britain (4)
Canada (3)
Hungary (2)
New Zealand (1)
France (1)
Russia (1)
Through the conclusion of Event #38 (sans 36), the national origin (birthplace) of winners has been:
United States (18)
Great Britain (4)
Canada (3)
Vietnam (2)
China (2)
Hungary (2)
New Zealand (1)
France (1)
Lebanon (1)
Russia (1)
Mexico (1)
Bangladesh (1)

Through the conclusion of Event #38 (sans 36), the ratio of professional poker players to semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets is as follows:
Professional Players (25): Michael Chow, Michael Mizrachi, Praz Bansi, Josh Tieman, Peter
Gelencser, James Dempsey, Men “the Master” Nguyen, Matt Matros, Yan R. Chen, Steve Gee, Carter Phillips, Jason DeWit, Eric Buchman, David Baker, Richard Ashby, Dutch Boyd, Sammy Farha, David Warga, Will Haydon, Matt Keikoan, Mike Ellis, Luis Velador, Ayaz Mahmood, Phil Ivey, Luigi Kwaysser
Semi-Pros (4): Frank Kassela, Tex Barch, Miguel Proulx, Jeffrey Papola
Amateurs (: Duc Pham, Aadam Daya, Pascal Lefrancois, Simon Watt, Vanessa Hellebuyck, Jeff Tebben, Konstantin Puchkov, Harold Angle

Through the conclusion of Event #38 (sans 36), here is the list of repeat WSOP gold bracelet winners at the 2010 WSOP:
Praz Bansi
Men “the Master” Nguyen
Russ “Dutch” Boyd
Sammy Farha
David Warga (* his first WSOP win was in a non-open event)
Matt Keikoan
Luis Velador
Phil Ivey
-- by Nolan Dalla

[TightEnd]

Frank Kassela Wins Bracelet #2 in Event #40! ($214,085)
 

Last year was the year of the multiple bracelet winner, and it took forty long events to find our first one at the 2010 World Series of Poker.

Frank Kassela, a husband and father of five from Memphis, Tennessee has just completed his climb to the top of the pack for the second time this year, besting a field of 365 runners to take the only razz bracelet in the display case. Kassela is your champion of Event #40, and this $2,500 Razz event pays him nearly a quarter-million dollars along with a bracelet to go on his other wrist.

Kassela came into the final table third in chips, one spot behind eventual runner-up Maxwell Troy. The two men picked their spots carefully, and some twelve hours after play began on Day 3, they were heads up for the title. The battle was a long one; it's always a grind to close out a short-handed razz table. Kassela finally started to gain some momentum as the increasing antes and limits forced the play, though, and he was able to close out Troy just before the clock struck five in the morning.

It should be noted, for all you short-stack ninjas out there, that Kassela was a long way away from this spot at the end of Day 1. He bagged up just 5,100 chips on Monday night, putting him in 105th position out of 105 returning players. No matter for him though; Kassela had a great Day 2, and he was able to put himself into a position to win during the early stages of this Day 3.

Frank Kassela is the toast of the town tonight, and his accomplishment is one of the highlights of the WSOP thus far. We send him our congratulations on another fine run this summer, and he's still got a few events to try and put him in the elite tier of triple bracelet winners.

[TightEnd]

Event #42: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em


28 of 2521 left

1      Ryan Hemmel     1,070,000
2    James Schaaf    980,000
3    Andrew Rosskamm 800,000
4    Niccolo Caramatti  700,000
5    Humberto Brenes 665,000
6    Dean Hamrick    635,000
7    Aaron Gustavson 550,000
8    Aaron Kaiser    540,000
9    William Prieto    495,000
10    Peter Granlund    460,000

[TightEnd]

Event #43: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship

25 of 241 left

Top Chip Counts
1    Brian Townsend    623,000
2    Marco Johnson    610,000
3    Carlos Mortensen 560,000
4    Brandon Adams    460,000
5    Cuong Do            460,000
6    Nick Schulman    445,000
7    Roman Yitzhaki    390,000
8    Ian Gordon    365,000
9    Eugene Katchalov 350,000
10    Richard Ashby 325,000

[TightEnd]

2010 World Series of Poker
Event #44: $2,500 Mixed Hold'em

Event #44 kicked off today with 507 runners turning up for some $2,500 Mixed Hold'em shenanigans. After ten levels of half-and-half play, that number has been dashed to seventy or less.

A veritable laundry list of notables hit the felt just after noontime to kick off this event, everyone looking to cash in on one of these final few shots at snagging a bracelet in 2010. A glance at some of the early casualties hints at what a strong field this event has featured; they included Allen Cunningham, Antonio Esfandiari, David Williams, Joe Sebok, Michael Mizrachi, Sorel Mizzi, Tom Dwan, David Benyamine, and on and on the list goes.

With chips flying around the felt, there were a few players who managed to accumulate some sizable stacks by night's end. Eli Elezra was the biggest beneficiary of the late action, and he appears to be leading the pack into Day 2 with his finishing count of 165,400. Also in the mix is Jim "Mr_BigQueso" Collopy with 140,400. Jarred Solomon finished with 127,600, and Dwyte Pilgrim is another dangerous six-figure finisher with 109,500 in his bag.

Top Chip Counts
1    Eli Elezra    181,000
2    Jim Collopy    113,000
3    Jonathan Tamayo 89,000
4    Brian Aleksa    85,000
5    Jeffrey Kelly    83,000
6    Ray Henson    79,000
7    Brian Rast             78,000
8    Eric Froehlich    74,000
9    Aaron Steury    69,000
10    Valdemar Kwaysser 68,000

[TightEnd]

Event #40
Razz
Buy-In: $2,500
Number of Entries: 365
Total Net Prize Pool: $839,500
Number of Places Paid: 40
First Place Prize: $214,085
June 21-24, 2010

TOURNAMENT HEADLINES
Lights Out! Second Win This Year for Kassela!
All That Razz: Big Comeback Victory for Kassela
Frank Kassela Wins WSOP Gold Bracelet in Event 40
Kassela Collects $214,084 in Prize Money
Through 40 WSOP Events -- WSOP Attendance up 11 Percent from Last Year

OVERVIEW When the first of three long days in this year’s Razz championship ended, Frank Kassela was in the worst possible situation short of being bounced out of the tournament. He ranked in 105th place. That’s 105th place -- out of 105 players. Dead last. Surviving on bread crumbs. One hand away from down to the felt.
Frank Kassela had no shot to win. None whatsoever. Two days later, with mountains of chips piled in front of him, Kassela was beaming at the final table at the 2010 World Series of Poker. With flashbulbs popping high above, Kassela answered a question that would have been unthinkable 48-hours earlier.
The question was – how did he do it? How did he manage to comeback from being dead last? How did this mild-mannered semi-pro poker player and businessman make it all the way to the final table and overcome a huge chip disparity? How did he end up with every single chip in the tournament and win his second WSOP gold bracelet victory within two weeks? Well, for one – Kassela won a critical hand early on Day Two and managed to double up. Within the first two hours, he was in 74th place out of 81 survivors. It was a nice comeback, but that’s something like reaching Pahrump, NV, on a cross-country trip from LA to NYC. Indeed, Kassela still had a long way to go. Kassela fought and scratched and continued to move up in the chip standings. Meanwhile, one by one, players busted. Once the money was reached, Kassela had about an average-sized stack. He was emotionally freerolling, fortunate, he knew, just to be in-the-money. It was like the town hobo stumbling over a bottle of unopened Thunderbird -- temporary bliss, but still not much of a future. Over the next several hours, Kassela went from tournament hobo to bona fide contender. He was able to move into a comfortable chip position, and eventually arrived at the final table as a formidable force. That was just the start of it. Unfortunately, things did not go well for Kassela during the first seven hours of what turned out to be a grueling 10-hour finale. He was dead last again in chips when play stood at four handed. In fact, he was all-in and down to the felt again. Then, something happened. Call it divine providence. Call it a miracle. Call it some idiot at the local electric company tripping over the wrong switch on the electrical grid. The entire building went dark. The lights went out. While four tournaments were being played simultaneously and the Rio's Amazon Room was filled with approximately 1,500 people – while the final table of the Razz championship was being played and the action was down to four people -- the room fell into total darkness. A power outage temporarily hit the Rio (and much of Las Vegas). The lights remained out for about 20 seconds before emergency generators were engaged and began to provide limited power and lighting. The mood was surreal for the next several minutes, as play throughout the Rio was suspended until full power and lighting were restored. Once the lights came back partially, the final table remained in a shadowy state. So, the action shifted to the ESPN Main Stage, which was amply supplied with plenty of light. Chips were moved. Spectators shuffled their way towards new seats. Players collectively transferred to seats at a new final table. It was just the break that Frank Kassela desperately needed. The break, certainly accidental and beyond anyone’s control, allowed Kassela to gather his thoughts, refocus is attention, and take a new seat at another final table with a fresh attitude and renewed sense of optimism. Two hours later, it was all over. The lights were back on in full. Sitting in the spotlight was none other than Frank Kassela, the champion. Kassela became the first multiple gold bracelet winner of 2010. Kassela collected $214,084 in prize money. He earned gold bracelet number two. But what will undoubtedly be most memorable about this long night was not just the prize money he won or the satisfaction of victory. What shall be remembered most was how Frank Kassela won the most unlikely of victories – how he rose from the ash heap of being dead last in chips and how he rechanneled his energy when fate provided him the opportunity.
The two-time champion now has a new nickname. Call him Frank “Lights Out” Kassela.

THE CHAMPION – FRANK “LIGHTS OUT” KASSELA
The $2,500 buy-in Seven-Card Razz champion (Event #40) is Frank Kassela, from Las Vegas, NV. He previously lived in Memphis, TN.
Kassela is 42-years-old. He was born in Chicago, IL. His family relocated and he grew up in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite.
At age 25, Kassela moved to Memphis, TN -- were he started a successful business.
Kassela is the owner of Mid-American Specialties, which sells promotional and specialty products, primarily to government offices. His company has one office in Dallas and three offices in Memphis.
Kassela says he sleeps very little. He usually gets about three to four hours of sleep per night.
Kassela began playing poker seriously about 10 years ago.
Kassela moved to Las Vegas recently so he could concentrate more on poker playing. He could be classified either as a pro or semi-pro, depending on the time of year. Kassela is playing poker full-time now; however, during other months he spends much of his time concentrating on his business.
Kassela’s favorite poker game is Pot-Limit Omaha. He is trying to start up a regular mid-to-high stakes Pot-Limit game at various Las Vegas casinos. Since he has not been successful, he often plays PLO with $2-5 blinds, which is the largest game found on a regular basis.
Kassela has already accumulated more than $1.8 million in career tournament winnings. He has 37 major cashes. His only tournament victory prior to two wins at this year’s WSOP was in a Pot-Limit tournament at the 2009 LA Poker Classic.
Kassela’s first tournament cash was at the 2003 Jack Binion World Poker Open.
Kassela collected $214,085 for first place. He was presented with his second WSOP gold bracelet.
Kassela won his first gold bracelet just two weeks ago in the Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split championship.
According to official records, Kassela now has two wins, three final table appearances, and six cashes at the WSOP. His career WSOP earnings now total $764,144.
Kassela now becomes a real threat to tie the record for most wins at a WSOP (one year), which is three.

WINNER QUOTES
On how he feels after winning gold bracelet number two: “It’s awesome. It’s really exciting. I’ve been playing in a ton of events since I won that last one, just because I knew I had a decent chance at ‘Player of the Year.’ Now, with this – I think I am tied. Vladimir is up there, so it is going to be close.”
On making an incredible comeback: “I had 5,100 in chips at the start of Day Two. I got lucky. I mean, you have to get lucky, especially at Razz. I think the bets were 600-1,200 at the time, so I had like four bets left. I ended up making a hand on seventh street, and doubled up.”
On the lights going out at the Rio while the final table was being played: “It was startling. All we did was cover our chips. I was just sitting in my chair in the darkness and lowered my hands and covered my chips. We had an emergency light from someone’s cell phone. The tournament director told us to pull back our antes and we sat there and waited until the lights came back on. Then, the lights came back on enough for us to play four more minutes until the end of the level. After that we moved to the main table. It was a good thing.”
On the power outage helping him to refocus: “It was definitely good for me that the power went out. It was a good thing. It was bad for my opponents.”
On the prospects of winning a third gold bracelet this year, which would tie five other players who share that record: “Sure, I can even beat the record. That’s what I am going to try to do. Why not? I’ll go over to Europe if I have to.” (Note: WSOP Europe events count towards the record.)

THE FINAL TABLE
The final table included three former WSOP gold bracelet winners – Chris Bjorin, Jennifer Harman, and Frank Kassela.
The final table began eight-handed.
The final table included players from five different nations: Canada, Finland, Great Britain, Russia, and he United States.
The runner up was Maxwell Troy, a 37-year-old poker pro from Los Angeles, . This was his second time to cash this year, after finishing as the runner up in Event #27 (Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split). He added $132,229 to his poker bankroll and now has over a quarter-million in earnings at this year’s WSOP.
The third-place finisher was George Lewis, from North York, Ontario (Canada). He is a 49-year-old financial services professional. Lewis cashed one other time this year. But this was his best WSOP finish to date, which paid $85,284.
The fourth-place finisher was Vladimir Shchemelev, from St. Petersburg, Russia. This was his sixth time to cash at the WSOP. He is a banker who is experiencing a breakout year at this year’s WSOP. Shchemelev collected $61,795.
Shchemelev became the first player at this year’s WSOP to make four final table appearances. He now has a 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 7th place showing in four tries. He took the lead in the 2010 WSOP “Player of the Year” race – at least for a few hours until Frank Kassela won his second gold bracelet. The race is on.
The fifth-place finisher was Mikko Pispala, from Helsinki, Finland. This was his second time to cash at the WSOP. His first cash took place back in 2007. Fifth place paid $45,433.
The sixth-place finisher was two-time gold bracelet winner Jennifer Harman (a.k.a. Jennifer Harman Traniello), from Las Vegas, NV. Her wins were in 2000 (Deuce-to-Seven Lowball) and 2002 (Limit Hold’em). She made her second final table this year (she took third in the
Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split championship). Harman now has 26 WSOP cashes, which ranks second on the all-time list among women. Harman collected $33,890.
The seventh-place finisher was Stuart Rutter, from Birmingham, England. Rutter cashed for the third time this year, which paid $25,646.
The eighth-place finisher was longtime tournament veteran Chris Bjorin, from London, England. Bjorin is a two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner, who achieved victories in 1997 (Pot-Limit Omaha) and 2000 (No-Limit Hold’em). Eighth-place paid $19,686.
The final table began at 6:40 pm and ended at 5:20 am, meaning the duration was 10 hours and 30 minutes.

[TightEnd]

2010 World Series of Poker
Event #41: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better


Day 3 completed
Congratulations to Steve Jelinek, Event No. 41 Champion ($245,871)!


Just over 12 hours after the final day began with 15 players returning to the felt for action, it's all over. Steve Jelinek has emerged as the champion of Event No. 41, capturing the title of this year's $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better champion, the WSOP gold bracelet and a hefty payday of $245,871!

Last year, Jelinik final tabled this very same event where he went on to finish in sixth place. This year, he didn't leave himself too much room for improvement, but he was able to claim the best spot of the five that could beat his performance last year.

John Gottlieb finished in second place and had himself one heck of a run, but couldn't help but feel completely shattered without taking home the win. After the final hand, Gottlieb stared at the two hands from each player and the final board, trying to piece together any scenario which would give him even just a portion of the pot. It wouldn't be though as the cards fell in the favor for Jelinek.

That wraps up our coverage of Event No. 41 as we watch another bracelet winner named at the 2010 WSOP. Congratulations to all the winners and especially to Steve Jelinek who took the title.

[Karabiner]

Patrik Antonious and Gus Hansen seem to be MIA.

Any sightings, or any rumours ?

[Royal Flush]

Patrik Antonious and Gus Hansen seem to be MIA.

Any sightings, or any rumours ?

Seen both in Bobby's room

[GreekStein]

Patrik Antonious and Gus Hansen seem to be MIA.

Any sightings, or any rumours ?

Seen both in Bobby's room

u taken a shot there yet?

[TightEnd]

2010 World Series of Poker
Event #45: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em

And what a Day 1 it's been! With 3,097 players sitting down to start off the day, we're already down to just under 400 through ten levels of play.

With such a huge field, it's no surprise that it was peppered with notable players. Those who will be showing up for another day of play tomorrow include our chip leader Will Failla (156,000), Chino Rheem (63,000), Dutch Boyd (61,000), Theo Tran (54,000), John Phan (58,500), John Juanda (50,000), David Chicotsky (46,000), Johnathan Little (41,000), Victor Ramdin (28,500), Tom Schneider (25,900) and Adam Junglen (24,000).

Many weren't so lucky, though. Included in those who won't be showing up tomorrow are Phil Ivey, Eric Baldwin, David Williams, Dennis Phillips, James Akenhead, Joe Sebok, Chris Moorman, Phil Gordon, Bertrand Grospellier, Neil Channing, Sorel Mizzi, Faraz Jaka, Shaun Deeb, Hoyt Corkins, Tony Dunst, Scott Montgomery, Scott Seiver, Jason Mercier and Antonio Esfandiari.

The screens went black before play concluded, so we're not sure exactly how many players are left, but it's certainly less than 400.


Top Chip Counts
1    Will Failla    156,000
2    Hiren Patel    138,000
3    Francois Safieddine 126,000
4    Jesse Rockowitz    125,000
5    Patrick Karschamroon    125,000
6    Sean Hodge    123,000
7    Alex Wilson    118,000
8    Tim Kates    105,000
9    Stephen Chidwick 96,000
10    Chris Dombrowski 94,000


Sam Trickett, Ben Roberts, Rob Sherwood all reported still in

[TightEnd]

Event #46: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better

207 of 284 left

Top Chip Counts
1    Johannes Steindl 47,000
2    Toto Leonidas    41,000
3    Mike Matusow    40,000
4    Max Pescatori    37,500
5    John Cernuto    34,000
6    Scott Seiver    33,000
7    Ilari Tahkokallio    33,000
8    Dan Heimiller    32,000
9    Mickey Appleman 30,500
10    Erik Seidel            30,000

[TightEnd]

Event #42: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em


Down to the final three

Top Chip Counts
1    Dean Hamrick 7,250,000
2    Ian Wiley        2,500,000
3    Thomas O'Neal 1,195,000

[TightEnd]

2010 World Series of Poker
Event #44: $2,500 Mixed Hold'em

10 left

Top Chip Counts
1    Jarred Solomon    865,000
2    Gavin Smith    725,000
3    Michael Michnik    530,000
4    Danny Hannawa    450,000
5    Timothy Finne    285,000
6    Jamie Rosen    220,000
7    Dwyte Pilgrim    175,000
8    Michael Santoro    175,000
9    Daniel Idema    165,000
10    Alfonso Amendola 92,000