2008 WSOP Event #10 $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi/Low Day 2: Rouhani Leads
Event #10, $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, drew 388 players initially, but only 108 of them returned to the Rio on Day 2 to try for their shot at the final table. Among the players remaining to start Day 2 were Greg Raymer, Howard Lederer, "Miami" John Cernuto, Hoyt Corkins and Todd Brunson. The mixed game was structured so that players had eight hands of Omaha Hi/Lo and then switched to eight hands of stud hi/lo, rather than switching games each level or half-level.
Early eliminations included Bryan Devonshire, Doug "Rico" Carli, Howard Lederer, Men Nguyen, Greg Raymer and Steve Zolotow. Play continued at a quick pace until the invariable tightening up around the bubble, but hand-for-hand play didn't last long before Matt Prescott's elimination put the remaining players in the money. Prescott got all his chips in preflop in Omaha on his last hand and found two callers. Cory Wolnewitz bet the turn and river of the J♣4♦8♠2♣6♠ board, and Craig Gray called him all the way down with A♥3♥8♦7♥. Wolnewitz tabled 3♠4♥5♠5♠ for a straight to the six and a six-low, good enough to scoop the pot and send Prescott to the rail.
Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler, Berry Johnston, Allen Cunningham and Barbara Enright all busted shortly after the dinner break, along with Jeff Lisandro, who went to the rail in 19th place. Play slowed down considerably once the event reached the final two tables, with several hours passing before the final table was set. Suddenly, what looked to be a short Day 2 for the remaining players dragged into a marathon.
Claude Cohen, Sam Silverman and Craig "MrCasino" Gray all went to the rail playing stud hi/lo, as did Hoyt Corkins, who busted to James Van Alstyne in 14th place ($10,709). Corkins got it all in with 7♦Q♦3♥4♥ showing, but mucked to Van Alstyne's hidden straight with [5♦6♣] 3♣Q♣4♦7♠ [8♠].
Matt Graham busted in 12th ($15,171) when he got all his chips in on third street in stud hi/lo and found two callers in Brandon Cantu and Greg Pappas. Cantu led out on every street and picked up the side pot with [A♥A♦] 10♣10♥2♥7♦ [4♣]. Cantu's aces up was good against Graham's [K♦7♠] 7♣J♣6♠2♠ [3♦], and Graham was eliminated. As the night turned into morning, James Van Alstyne exited in 11th place ($15,171), and then players went into lockdown mode on the final-table bubble. With eight seats available at the final table, play became extremely tight, until finally Tad Jurgens busted in 10th place ($19,633) to leave one elimination for the day.
It took almost another hour for the final elimination, but in the end it was Brandon Cantu who bubbled the final. In Omaha Hi/Lo, Cantu raised preflop and was called by "Miami" John Cernuto. Cantu held A♦4♥10♦10♥ to Cernuto's 6♥A♣3♣3♠. Cernuto flopped the nut flush on the 5♣6♣4♣ board, and Cantu was drawing thin. The turn and river came 5♦7♥, and Cernuto scooped with the nut flush for high and the 6-5-4-3-A low. Cantu picked up $19,633 for his ninth-place finish.
With Cantu's exit, the final table was set, with Farzad Rouhani holding a commanding chip lead over his opponents. In yet another star-studded final table, "Miami" John Cernuto and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi joined Rouhani at the final table of the $2,500 Omaha/Stud event. The final chip stacks looked like this at the end of a very long Day 2.
Farzad Rouhani 513,000
Greg Pappas 304,000
John Cernuto 285,000
Tom Chambers 235,000
Michael Mizrachi 231,000
John Racener 180,000
Daniel Mowczan 122,000
Yueqi Zhu 87,000
