Two very coordinated boards and a communication problem may have led to a missed bet for Jeff Lisandro. Bill Chen completed third street and was called by Lisandro. Chen bet fourth street after Lisandro checked the lead; Lisandro called. On fifth street Lisandro still had the lead and opted to bet it. It was Chen's turn to call.
Both players checked sixth street. Down the river, Chen checked his hole cards several times.
"Want to check again?" Lisandro asked.
Chen must have just heard "Check again," because he responded, "You check? Ok I check. I have queens up," and opened . Lisandro opened a full house, , and collected the pot without further discussion.
He's up to about 800,000. Chen is down to 1.2 million.
Some hands play themselves. Ken Aldridge completed third street and was called only by Jeff Lisandro. Aldridge had the best board on fourth street and bet it. On fifth street he made open aces and took the pot down with another bet.
Jeff Lisandro won three bracelets last year, in stud, stud split and razz. It stands to reason that he knows how to play the stud games in this H.O.R.S.E. format. He and Ken Aldridge both called Phil Ivey's completion bet on third street. Lisandro drew best on fourth and bet it. Ivey folded but Aldridge called despite catching a brick. Lisandro continued to draw well on fifth street and bet again, finally inducing a fold from Aldridge.
Juanda: X-X / 4-9-7-A / X
Lisandro: X-X / 3-10-2-2 / X
We finally found a spot of action in razz, courtesy of John Juanda and Jeff Lisandro. Juanda completed on third street, then was raised by Lisandro on his left. Juanda called and caught slightly better than Lisandro on fourth street. With the lead, he fired a bet into the pot that Lisandro called.
Juanda kept the lead the rest of the way, betting fifth street, sixth street and the river. Lisandro called every time but the last. Down the river, Lisandro flashed 4-5-2 in the hole and mucked his hand, a 10-5, in the face of Juanda's four-card nine on board.
Juanda is back up to about 660,000. Lisandro is sitting behind 580,000.
We're in the razz round now, probably the least-favorite round of most H.O.R.S.E players. The first five hands have already been played, with the low card completing the bring-in and taking down the pot on third street each time.
In a battle of the blinds, small blind Phil Ivey raised pre-flop and was called by the big blind and chip leader, Bill Chen. Ivey fired out a bet after the flop came down and fired again on the turn. Chen called each time to see the hit the river. Both players checked. Chen showed down two pair, aces and queens, , to scoop the pot.
Chen is now sitting behind 1,350,000. Ivey is hanging tough at about 580,000.
Twice, Albert Hahn ran into a flopped set. Twice, he rivered a low to chop the pot. First he raised pre-flop and was called by Jeff Lisandro in the small blind. Lisandro bet the flop and the turn. When Hahn called each time and the river came , Lisandro slowed down. He checked, then called one bet with , a set of kings. Hahn showed for the nut low and a pair of sevens. Chop it up.
The next hand, Hahn again raised from middle position. He was called by Phil Ivey out of the big blind. Ivey got in a check-raise on a flop of , then bet the turn and the river. Hahn called every time, tabling for a pair of aces and the second nut-low. Ivey turned over for a set of treys. Again, chop it up.
After going on a tear about an hour ago, Phil Ivey has been sitting back for roughly the last 30 minutes of play. He limped into an omaha pot from middle position and took a flop of with only the blinds, John Juanda and Jeff Lisandro. Juanda and Lisandro checked to Ivey, then folded for a single bet.
John Juanda came into this final table as the chip leader, but his stack is down to about 310,000 -- almost 600,000 off its high point -- after losing a small pot to Dave Baker. Baker raised in early position pre-flop, with action folding to Juanda's big blind. He called, and then check-called a bet on a flop of . Juanda also checked the turn, then folded to another bet by Baker.
Finally, a short-stacked player has busted off of this star-studded final table. Chad Brown raised from the cutoff pre-flop. Bill Chen, sitting in the big blind, was the only caller.
Both players checked the flop. When the turn came a small heart, , Chen led out. Brown raised all in for 87,000 total and Chen quickly called. It turned out that both players were drawing. Chen had a straight draw with ; Brown had the best hand and a flush draw with . Neither player made their main draw, but Chen paired sixes on the river with the to collect the pot.