2009 Lebanese Poker Championship

$10,000 Championship Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info

2009 Lebanese Poker Championship

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
98
Prize
$606,000
Event Info
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$1,925,100
Entries
207
Level Info
Level
29
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
10,000

On The Bubble

We are now just one place from the money.

Play is not hand-for-hand like at most tournaments, but we will try and catch the bubble hand.

Good Geadeh

On a flop of {9-Clubs} {6-Hearts} {4-Spades}, Omar Geadah got the rest of his ~90,000 chips in with {6-Spades} {9-Diamonds}. He was in good shape to double up when Sassine Gazaleh turned over {K-Spades} {9-Spades}. The turn was a blank {2-Hearts}, and the river {3-Clubs} locked up that double up. With his two pair, Geadeh has moved his way back up to 220,000.

Closing In On The Money

With 23 players remaining and only two more eliminations needed to make the money, the play has already started to slow up.

No word by the Tournament Director's have been spoken regarding the money, but most players have realised that they are in a tense time.

Stay tuned for the bust outs as we hit the money in the 2009 Lebanese Poker Championships!

Structural Integrity

If you look at the structure sheet for this event, you'll be quick to notice how amazing the levels are for this event, world class. Some of the largest tournaments in the world don't have structures this steady. In fact, if there's any problem at all, it's that the structure is too good.

The first symptom of that problem became visible as Day 2 dragged on yesterday. We were unable to get anywhere close to reaching the final table, setting us up for another marathon day today. At their discretion, the tournament staff had chosen to remove the 5,000/10,000 level in order to ensure a timely finish in the early morning hours.

However, as the start of this level approached, a wave of criticism swept through the three tables as a few of the players demonstrated their disapproval with the decision. Mark Demirjian was the most vocally frustrated, and he gave several members of the staff an earful, growing red with anger. "This is a serious tournament," he said. "And now we're into the serious part. This is when we need the blinds."

The staff tried to pacify him: "It's only one level."

"One level makes a big difference!" came the indignant reply. After a little pow-wow in the corner, the tournament staff decided that the best course of action was to reverse their decision and play the schedule as listed before the event.

So with that, we're off into 5,000/10,000.

What The?

Catching the action on the flop of {A-Clubs}{9-Diamonds}{9-Spades}, Nadia Lahham continued her preflop aggression by firing out 18,000 to find a check-call by Georges Ghassen.

The turn brought the {A-Spades} and Ghassen again checked to see Lahham fire 24,000. Ghassen quickly called and both players checked the {A-Diamonds} on the river.

Lahham tabled her {7-Hearts}{7-Diamonds} to see her playing the board, and remarkably, Ghassen tabled his {7-Clubs}{7-Spades} to chop the pot up!

Tags: Georges GhassenNadia Lahham

The Demise Of Tanios Habib

Tanios Habib clipped, crippled, quadruples and eliminated
Tanios Habib clipped, crippled, quadruples and eliminated
Tanios Habib saw all but 96,000 of his chips passed to Adham Makki when he doubled him up holding {A-Diamonds}{J-Diamonds} to Makki's {Q-Clubs}{Q-Diamonds}.

The board ran out {8-Spades}{4-Diamonds}{10-Diamonds}{4-Hearts}{4-Clubs} to see Makki double to 260,000.
quadruple
The following hand Habib would double Mark Demirjian when his {J-Hearts}{8-Hearts} was unable to outdraw Demirjian's {A-Diamonds}{Q-Clubs}.

The board ran out {J-Clubs}{8-Clubs}{5-Clubs}{K-Clubs}{Q-Hearts} to see Demirjian double to 200,000 as Habib was left crippled with just 3,000 in chips.

Two hands later Habib committed his last single 1,000 denomination chip to the pot with {K-Hearts}{5-Diamonds} and managed to see that push to 11,000 on a board reading {5-Clubs}{Q-Hearts}{5-Hearts}{J-Diamonds}{7-Clubs} against both the blinds.

A few hands after that Habib would perish when his {2-Diamonds}{2-Spades} was unable to improve against the {q-Diamonds}{Q-Clubs} of Chadi Ojeil on a final board of {A-Clubs}{9-Hearts}{7-Hearts}{8-Clubs}{10-Hearts}.

Tags: Adham MakkiMark DemirjianTanios Habib

Level: 20

Blinds: 5,000/10,000

Ante: 1,000