2008 World Series of Poker

39th Annual World Series of Poker Main Event
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

Recent Eliminations

Andreas Martens got all in preflop with pocket jacks. Nghia Le called with pocket aces and promptly flopped an ace on the {A-Hearts} {6-Diamonds} {Q-Clubs} flop. The {10-Clubs} turn gave Martens the faintest glimmer of life, but the river brutally snatched it away by blanking out as the {2-Diamonds}. Martens has been eliminated.

Also recently eliminated was Raul Paez. He was all in preflop with pocket queens, and ran into the pocket kings of Andrew Brokos. Brokos' cowboys held up after neither player improved on the {7-Hearts} {10-Spades} {A-Diamonds} {8-Diamonds} {6-Clubs} board.

Mike Matusow Doubles Through Thomas Keller

The Kiddie Game is Down the Street
The Kiddie Game is Down the Street
Thomas Keller opened the pot for a 23,000 raise from early position, Mike Matusow reraised to 65,000 from middle position and Keller called. The flop was {9-Diamonds} {8-Diamonds} {3-Clubs}. Keller checked, and Matusow moved all in for 260,000. Keller went into the tank, trying to get a read on Matusow who sat completely still. Finally, Keller made the call.

"I know you've got queens, right?" said Matusow as he tabled his {A-Hearts} {A-Diamonds}.

Keller turned up {10-Diamonds} {10-Clubs}.

Matusow leapt out of his seat and began shadow-boxing as the dealer burned and turned the {K-Hearts} and the {2-Clubs}.

"That's what I'm talking about!" cried Matusow as he raked in the pot. He's now up to 600,000.

Tags: Mike MatusowThomas Keller

The Percentages Play Out

Pocket jacks didn't hold up against an underpair for David Angel when he was eliminated a few minutes ago, but they did the trick for Alex Outhred as he held {J-Clubs} {J-Spades} to WeiKai Chang's {7-Diamonds} {7-Hearts} and when the board came {4-Hearts} {K-Hearts} {10-Clubs} {5-Spades} {6-Hearts}. Chang was eliminated.

May the Schwartz Be With You

Ylon Schwartz was the victor of a large pot, over 1,000,000 chips, against Edward Roger. We didn't see the preflop action, but we did see Schwartz's last action on the {J-Clubs} {j-Hearts} {7-Diamonds} flop -- an all-in raise of 309,000. Roger made the call with {8-Clubs} {8-Diamonds}, and was in bad shape against Schwartz's {Q-Clubs} {Q-Hearts}. They held up when the turn {J-Spades} meant Roger was drawing dead. The {4-Diamonds} completed the board.

Schwartz now has about 1,000,000 chips. Roger slipped to 755,000.

Dominik Kulicki Doubles Through David Olson

Dominik Kulicki - Event #23
Dominik Kulicki - Event #23
Exact details are sketchy but David Olson moved all in for 108,000 and picked up one caller in Dominik Kulicki. Kulicki had just 82,000 chips and was all in for his tournament life. The players showed:

Kulicki: {7-Spades} {7-Diamonds}
Olson: {J-Clubs} {5-Clubs}

The board ran out {7-Clubs} {4-Diamonds} {2-Diamonds} {8-Hearts} {5-Spades} and Kulicki's set of sevens was best. He doubled up to about 185,000 and left Olson with a mere 26,000 chips.

The Final Ten Ladies

The always-stylish Evelyn Ng, poised for a deep run in the Main Event
The always-stylish Evelyn Ng, poised for a deep run in the Main Event
Of the 279 players remaining in the field, only 10 are women. Here's how they stand at the beginning of today's third level:

Alana Morin 755,000
Minna Ritakorpi 520,000
Tiffany Michelle 375,000
Lisa Parsons 370,000
Kara Scott 300,000
Veronica Dabul 215,000
Evelyn Ng 190,000
Van Nguyen 170,000
Karen Manfrede 138,000
Tracey "XTraCeY" Nguyen 126,000

Veronica Dabul of Buenos Aires, Argentina has already bested her 314th-place finish in last year's Main Event, while on-camera stars Kara Scott (of the EPT) and our own Tiffany Michelle are making impressive runs in their first Main Event appearances. Tracey Nguyen is an online professional who won her seat in the first WSOP satellite Full Tilt Poker ran this year. She's also dating Jon "PearlJammer" Turner. Van Nguyen is married to Men "The Master" Nguyen and holds the honor of being the only woman to have won an open event on the World Poker Tour. She's already cashed three times at this year's WSOP. Minna Ritakorpi comes to Las Vegas all the way from Finland, where she has made final table appearances at the Grand Casino Helsinki, while Karen Manfrede has made her fourth career WSOP cash and largest-ever tournament poker payday here in the Main Event. Lisa Parsons cashed in the Ladies Event in '07, and the most famous face in this group, Evelyn Ng is making her deepest Main Event run of her career. As for Alana Morin, the ladies' chip leader, this is her first recorded tournament cash!

We'll continue to keep you posted on the progress of these women.

Tags: Evelyn Ng