2008 World Series of Poker

39th Annual World Series of Poker Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info

2008 World Series of Poker

Event Info
Buy-in
$10,000
Entries
6,844
Players Left
9
Next Payout
Place 9
$900,670
Level Info
Level
33
Blinds
120,000 / 240,000
Ante
30,000

Official Numbers for Day 1b

Tournament director Jack Effel just announced the official registration count for Day 1b. It is a very surprising 1,158. Perhaps scheduling one of the Day 1s for the 4th of July wasn't the best idea.

Combined with the 1,297 from yesterday, that puts the field at 2,455 so far. We expect that Day 1c and Day 1d will have far larger fields.

Bellia Butchered

Edgardo Bellia
Edgardo Bellia
Edgardo Bellia got his last 2,000 chips in the middle against a player that wanted to be known as Bob "The Butcher." Bellia held {A-Spades} {A-Hearts} and was up against {A-Diamonds} {Q-Spades}.

The board ran out {K-Spades} {J-Spades} {8-Clubs} {10-Diamonds} {7-Spades} and Bellia was butchered by a straight on the turn.

Tags: Edgardo Bellia

Warnie Wins a Monstah

Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Warne had seen his stack slip quite a bit during the day but he just picked up a huge pot that got him well in a hurry. After a {8-Hearts} {Q-Hearts} {K-Diamonds} flop the small blind checked and Warne bet 1,300. A player in late position called and the small blind then moved all in for 7,975. Warne called and after the late-position player gave up his hand Shane needed his {A-Diamonds} {A-Clubs} to hold up against his opponent's {K-Hearts} {5-Hearts}. The turn brought the {7-Diamonds} and the river the {4-Spades} and Warne won a 29,000 pot.

Vaswani Busts

Ram Vaswani Busto
Ram Vaswani Busto
Ram Vaswani opened with a raise to 800 from early position before Neil Channing raised it up to 2,200. Steve Wise flat-called on the button, as did Vaswani.

They saw a flop of {A-?}{A-Spades}{4-Spades} and the action was checked to Wise, who fired out a pot-sized bet. Vaswani made the call, leaving himself only a few chips behind, with Channing folding his hand.

Vaswani tossed his last chips into the middle holding {10-Spades}{7-Spades} for just a flush draw as Wise called with {A-?}{Q-?}. Vaswani failed to hit a spade on the turn or river and is left heading to an early dinner.

Tags: Ram Vaswani

Lemons Everywhere

Cero Zuccarello must feel like his table is ganging up on him. First, on a board of {10-Hearts} {10-Diamonds} {4-Clubs} {3-Spades}, he bet 1,500 and was called by his lone opponent. He checked the {A-Diamonds} river, then called when his opponent bet 5,000. The other player showed {4-Hearts} {4-Diamonds} for a flopped full house, which was good.

A few hands later, Zuccarello raised from the small blind to 2,500 and was called by the big blind. Zuccarello bet 3,600 when the flop came down {A-Diamonds} {10-Diamonds} {7-Spades}, but had to fold when his opponent raised all in to 15,000.

Those two defeats have left Zuccarello with 12,000 chips.

Don't They Know He's Called the Bulldog?

On the mound Orel Hershiser was known for his tenacity as much as his breaking ball. Down to his last few chips Orel is showing the same dogged determination that he did on the diamond. ESPN has a camera crew hanging around his table, waiting to record his bustout hand and so far he's not obliged them. He moved all in, the cameras crowded around...and everyone folded.

"I'll give you a signal," he said to the film crew, tugging on his ear and brushing his shoulder like a third-base coach. A few hands later the player in the cutoff raised to 850 and Hershiser looked over to the camera crew and tugged on his ear. He moved all in as the cameras came over. When the cutoff called and showed {A-Hearts} {Q-Diamonds} to Orel's {A-Hearts} {J-Hearts}, it looked like the Bulldog's Main Event was about to end.

But just as the New York Mets and Oakland A's learned in in 1988, never underestimate the Bulldog. The flop came {J-Clubs} {9-Clubs} {8-Spades} to give Hershiser top pair, and when the board ran out {2-Clubs} {6-Diamonds} he doubled up to 5,350. And once again, the cameras were forced to retreat, to wait for what could be a very long time.

Verkerk Vaults

Jeffrey Dunbar raised to 1,400 from under the gun, and it folded around to Chris Verkerk on the button, who pushed all in with his remaining 5,850. The blinds got out of the way, and Dunbar called.

Dunbar showed {A-Hearts}{Q-Spades} and Verkerk {10-Spades}{10-Diamonds}. The board ran out {K-Hearts}{9-Diamonds}{5-Spades}{J-Hearts}{2-Hearts}, and Verkerk's tens held up.

Verkerk is up to 15,300, while Dunbar has slipped to 24,000.

Tags: Chris VerkerkJeffrey Dunbar

Sixes Are Good for Vanessa

Vanessa Rousso
Vanessa Rousso
On a flop of {7-Clubs} {7-Hearts} {3-Diamonds}, Vanessa Rousso bet out 1,000, a middle-position player raised to 2,000 and Rousso called. The turn was the {2-Clubs}, and Rousso check-called a 2,000 bet from her opponent. The river was the {5-Diamonds} and both players checked.

Rousso's pocket sixes were good against her opponent's {A-Clubs} {3-Spades} and she raked in the pot, increasing her stack to 37,000.

Tags: Vanessa Rousso

Young Rising

Jason Young
Jason Young
Jason Young's chip stack has been on the up and up all day. He bet out 775 into George Dost. The board read {Q-Spades} {10-Hearts} {9-Diamonds} {2-Spades}. Dost made the call.

The river was the {6-Diamonds} and Young fired out 4,650. Dost made the call. Young showed Dost the nuts with {K-Spades} {J-Diamonds} and Dost mucked his hand.

Young is now at 50,000.

Tags: George DostJason Young

Formica Used to Shootouts

Would you want to rob this man?
Would you want to rob this man?
As reported earlier, Silvio Formica is playing in today's event. He mentioned before that he was a mob member in Chicago and Cleveland. He mentioned that one time he got into a shootout with five police officers.

He says that he was walking around one time with about $160,000 in cash and was approached by five men in plain clothes and they were trying to rob him. One thing lead to another and a shootout ensued. Obviously, Formica survived to tell the tale. He never mentioned what happened to the money, however.

Tags: Silvio Formica