2010 World Series of Poker Day 11: Yan Chen Captures Gold, 18 Remain in Event #15 and More
Monday was somewhat of a quiet day at the 2010 World Series of Poker with only four events in progress. Yan Chen ended the night early in Event #14 when he bested Mike Wattel during a heads-up battle that was over well before midnight. Only 18 players will return Tuesday to the Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better World Championship with Frank Kassela as the leader. And as to be expected, a large field of no-limit hold'em players flocked to Event #16, but with play being six handed, eliminations happened quickly.
Event #13: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Anything can happen in poker, and that was certainly proven during Day 2 of Event #13. After running away with pot after pot, using skill and a little help from Lady Luck, players like Shaun Deeb, David "Bakes" Baker, and Victor Ramdin looked poised to make a run for the final nine.
Baker, who was chip leader for most of the day, saw his stack begin to shrink during the last few levels of play. He was ultimately sent packing when he ran his pocket fours into an opponent's A♥7♥ and was unable to hold.
Ramdin was a player to be feared throughout Day 2, as well, but like the young Baker, he too got short-stacked near the end of the night and made his move holding K♣J♥. A larger-stacked caller showed J♠J♣, and the board ran out with Ramdin missing the king he needed to stay alive.
Deeb also was eliminated after a day spent climbing the chip ladder. He was crippled in hand when he ran into an opponents trip sevens in a large pot. A few hands later, Deeb was all-in and was unable to survive.
Day 3 should be short with the remaining 56 players playing to a final table. Follow the action here beginning at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Event #14: $1,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball
Yan Chen proved victorious in Event #14 in a rare WSOP occurrence Monday night; Chen outlasted six other players, was presented his bracelet, completed the winners interview, and went to collect $92,817 ― all before midnight. We'd bet that half the poker world missed out on watching because they may still have been in bed.
The heads-up battle between Chen and Mike Wattel began when the younger of the the Binger brothers, Nick, failed to hit his draw to a seven-wheel and was eliminated in third. With Binger gone, the two most experienced players were left to three-bet, pat and walk their way to the end. Sounds like a day at the park with the dogs rather than a poker event.
Wattel, who had his second career bracelet on the line, moved all-in for 98,000 after a raise of 24,000 by Chen. Chen, shuffled his chips a bit before making the call. Wattel's QxJx10x 9x4x failed to stand up to Chen's 10♥8♦7♣ 6♥2♥ and the night ended right then and there.
Find out how it all went down here.
Event#15: $10,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better World Championship
What started out as a small, star-studded field composed of 170 of poker's best stud players has dwindled to just 18.
Day 2 of Event #15 played out much like Day 1 with a slow trickle to the rail. With a world championship title on the line, players were holding on tight in hopes of the glory that comes with taking down such an impressive field.
Richard Ashby was the last player to be sent home before the floor announced play had ended for the night. Before him, Mike Sexton, Phil Hellmuth, Gus Hansen, Erick Seidel and Eli Elezra were a few of the casualties who won't be back for Day 3.
John Juanda, Allen Kessler, Jennifer Harman and Chip Jett will be among the 18 who return Tuesday to chase after the chips held by leader Frank Kassela.
Keep up with the action through our live updates here.
Event#16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six Handed
Day 1 of Event #16 was one of the fastest we have seen yet. More than 1,660 players filtered in to play the first short-handed no-limit hold'em event of the 2010 WSOP, but when chips were bagged only 146 were still standing ― or rather, seated.
Poker players are notorious for being late and nothing was different on Monday, but with fewer players at the table, the late-birds were even more noticeable. For a while Joe Kustosz and an opponent were playing heads-up at their table as they were the only two who had arrived. Soon the two began to play as if they were the final two players in the tournament, and the opponent shoved his chips to the middle for his tournament life with A♣J♣ after a flop of 3♣10♣7♥. Kustosz made the call with K♣7♣ and the board ran out 2♠10♣, sending the opponent packing. With the other entrants at his table off somewhere in the neon lights of Vegas, Kustosz was forced to sit alone, except for the dealer, and wait.
When Day 2 begins Tuesday afternoon, hopefully the remaining players will be in their seats ― after all, you can't play poker alone.
On Tap
More Texas hold'em of course: Event #17: $5,000 no-limit Hold'em will begin at 12 p.m. Tuesday. Follow the action as it happens here.
Video of the Day
Kristy Arnett caught up with Matt Hawrilenko during Day 1 of the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed event. They discussed how his tournament is going and his mom, "Hossmom", who has been railing the action on PokerNews.
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