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

Noah Kawashige Eliminated

Noah Kawashige - Eliminated
Noah Kawashige - Eliminated
A short-stacked Noah Kawashige moved all in before the flop and got action from Justin Sadauskas. Kawashige showed {A-Spades} {J-Spades} but was dominated by Sadauskas's {A-Diamonds} {A-Hearts}.

The board ran out {6-Clubs} {4-Clubs} {2-Spades} {A-Clubs} {3-Hearts} and Sadauskas got the checkmark and sent Kawashige to the rail.

More On the Significance of Timing

Brandon Cantu
Brandon Cantu
Brandon Cantu raised to 42,000 from middle position, and Peter Eastgate called from the small blind. Both checked the {K-Clubs}{8-Spades}{5-Hearts} flop. The turn was the {9-Diamonds}. Eastgate bet 80,000 and Cantu called. The river brought the {3-Clubs}. Eastgate bet 100,000 this time, and Cantu called again.

Eastgate showed {A-Spades}{A-Hearts}, and Cantu mucked. Eastgate now has 820,000.

The very next hand, Cantu raised to 42,000 from middle position again, and everyone folded. He showed {A-Clubs}{A-Diamonds} with a shrug, telling the table he's not tilting. Not yet, anyway.

Cantu is still doing well with 1.58 million.

Tags: Brandon CantuPeter Eastgate

El Doble for Kenna

Joe Bishop, a recent arrival to Green #5, opened the pot preflop with a raise to 35,000. Action folded to Stephen Kenna in the big blind, who pushed all in for 280,000. His raise put Bishop in the tank, where he mentioned that, having no prior history with Kenna, he wasn't sure whether Kenna was making a move or actually had the goods. He finally decided to call, and found out that Kenna had the goods.

Bishop: {A-Hearts} {J-Diamonds}
Kenna: {A-Clubs} {A-Spades}

The flop came down {10-Hearts} {5-Diamonds} {10-Diamonds}. The {8-Diamonds} on the turn meant that Kenna had to sweat the river, as a fourth diamond would allow Bishop to take the pot. That didn't happen, as the river fell {2-Spades}. Kenna doubled up to about 585,000, while Bishop slipped to 990,000.

Chino Catches Miraculous Double-Up

David "Chino" Rheem Stays Alive!
David "Chino" Rheem Stays Alive!
Chino Rheem opened with a raise to 36,000 from early position with Mike Matusow making the call. The action then folded to Sean Davis in the small blind, who announced a raise to 140,000. It was back with Rheem, who moved all in. Matusow got out of the way and Davis made a quick call.

Rheem: {Q-Clubs}{Q-Hearts}
Davis: {K-Diamonds}{K-Hearts}

The flop came {J-Clubs}{J-Diamonds}{6-Clubs}, but a miracle {Q-Diamonds} on the turn gave Rheem his two-outer to the screams of delight from his entourage in the stands. The river bricked the {3-Diamonds} and Rheem finds an incredible double-up to be back to close to 1.5 million chips.

Tags: ChinoDavid RheemSean Davis

Great Dane Crippled, Then Eliminated

Gus Hansen - Eliminated
Gus Hansen - Eliminated
Two tough hands, back-to-back, have sent Gus Hansen to the rail. First, with over 600,000 in the pot preflop and the board showing {8-Diamonds} {6-Spades} {5-Spades}, Hansen bet 189,000. His opponent, Jeremy Joseph, moved all in for 520,000 total. Hansen had Joseph covered and weighed his options before making the call.

Hansen: {Q-Hearts} {7-Spades}
Joseph: {A-Spades} {J-Hearts}

Hansen showed an up-and-down straight draw against Joseph's ace-high. The {6-Clubs} on the turn didn't improve anyone, nor did the {10-Diamonds} river. Joseph won the pot when his ace-high beat Hansen's queen-high.

On the next hand, Hansen called Chris Crilly's all in bet on a flop of {5-Spades} {9-Diamonds} {7-Diamonds}. Crilly's {A-Hearts} {6-Hearts} was behind Hansen's {Q-Diamonds} {9-Hearts} but the turn {3-Clubs} gave Crilly a few more outs.

"That keeps it interesting," quipped Hansen.

The river came down {8-Spades} to make a nine-high straight for Crilly. Hansen didn't say much after he was eliminated. He just picked up his things and headed to the payout table.

Chip Jett Eliminated

Chip Jett
Chip Jett
After Kellen Hunter raised to 29,000 Chip Jett moved in from the cutoff for his last 185,000. Unfortunately for Jett, Hunter wasn't making a late-position steal--he had {K-Diamonds} {K-Clubs} to Jett's modest {Q-Diamonds} {3-Hearts}. The {A-Spades} {A-Clubs} {7-Spades} was no help and while Jett caught the {Q-Spades} on the turn the river was the {10-Clubs} and Jett's Main Event came to an end.

Believe It, Phil

David Saab
David Saab
Phil Hellmuth limped from under the gun, then David Saab raised to 40,000 from the cutoff. Albert Kim called from the button, the blinds got out of the way, and Hellmuth called as well.

All three checked the {Q-Hearts}{10-Diamonds}{4-Clubs} flop. The turn was the {Q-Diamonds}. Hellmuth bet 140,000, and Saab called him instantly. Kim folded.

The river was the {8-Hearts}. This time Hellmuth checked, and Saab counted out some chips, eventually pushing 200,000 forward. Hellmuth mucked, and Saab showed {K-Clubs}{9-Hearts} before dragging the pot.

Hellmuth exhaled. "I play against these idiots," he began, Saab laughing in response. "Okay, you got away with it," Hellmuth conceded. "I should have reraised him preflop," added Kim.

Hellmuth was still shaking his head. "I can't believe what I just saw," he added, echoing Jack Buck's immortal call from another World Series.

"I'm the luckiest player," said Saab, still smiling. "Not only that, I'm color blind," a reference to the chip colors and their denominations.

(Incidentally, we're almost ten minutes later, now, and Hellmuth is still talking about the hand. He's saying now he folded pocket nines.)

Tags: Albert KimDavid SaabPhil Hellmuth

Terry Lade Gets Big Double Up with Quad Jacks

Terry Lade - Day 4
Terry Lade - Day 4
Terry Lade was all in before the flop against Jerry Martin. Lade had a big hand with {J-Clubs} {J-Hearts} but was way behind the {A-Hearts} {A-Spades} of Martin.

The dealer pulled in the pot and Martin said "no jack!" as the flop came {J-Diamonds} {9-Hearts} {5-Hearts}. To add insult to injury, the turn fell the {J-Spades} giving Lade four of a kind. The river was a meaningless {4-Hearts} and Lade doubled to approximately 1,400,000 chips. Martin meanwhile, is now a bit below average with roughly 625,000.

Hoyt Corkins Eliminated

Hoyt Corkins from Day 4
Hoyt Corkins from Day 4
Hoyt Corkins and Ivan Demidov exchanged a series of preflop raises that built a 600,000 pot, and after the flop came down {10-Diamonds} {4-Spades} {5-Spades} Corkins moved in for his last 275,000. Demidov called. That's when Hoyt learned that his {Q-Clubs} {Q-Diamonds} had run into Demidov's {A-Diamonds} {A-Hearts}. The {5-Clubs} on the turn and {J-Hearts} on the river brought Corkins no help and he was eliminated from the Main Event.