2010 World Series of Poker

Event #57: $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Event Info

2010 World Series of Poker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aj
Prize
$8,944,310
Event Info
Buy-in
$10,000
Prize Pool
$68,798,600
Entries
7,319
Level Info
Level
41
Blinds
800,000 / 1,600,000
Ante
200,000

A Tale of Two Levels

It was the best of times for Vanessa Rousso, it was the worst of times for Vanessa Rousso. If last level was the spring of hope, this one could very well be the winter of despair for "LadyMaverick".

Rousso opened a pot pre-flop for 1,600 from early position, then called a re-raise to 3,850. She and the re-raiser were heads-up to an ace-high flop, {a-Diamonds}{6-Hearts}{3-Hearts}. Rousso checked to the re-raiser, who made an initial bet of 4,850. Rousso check-raised to 11,000, then called her opponent's all in for roughly 40,000 total. Rousso showed down {a-Hearts}{j-Hearts} for a pair of aces and a flush draw. Her opponent showed {a-Spades}{k-Hearts} for a pair of aces with a bigger kicker. Rousso was unable to improve, {6-Clubs} on the turn and {9-Clubs} on the river. She lost the pot and dropped all the way back to 108,000 after being at about 200,000 to start the level.

Tags: Vanessa Rousso

Dutch Courage

Rolf Slotboom raised to 1,350 on the button and both blinds called. On the {5-Hearts}{9-Clubs}{4-Clubs} fop, the big blind bet 3,000 and Slotboom raised to 8,000. After the small blind had ducked out of the way, the big blind moved all in and Slotboom called.

Cards on their backs and it was winces all around as the set-over-set encounter was revealed, Slotboom's {9-Diamonds}{9-Spades} in dominating shape against an inferior {5-Diamonds}{5-Spades}. No miracle on the {7-Diamonds} turn and {Q-Hearts} river and the former dealer and magazine editor jumped back up to 85,400.

Tags: Rolf Slotboom

Reaching New Heits, Man

Jan Heitmann raised to 1,500 in early position and another player made it 4,500 a couple seats down. Karina Jett called behind, Heitmann called too, and they saw a flop.

All three players checked the {3-Spades}{4-Diamonds}{a-Hearts} flop. Heitmann bet out 8,200 on the {6-Hearts} turn and the preflop reraiser folded; Jett made the call.

They saw an {a-Spades} river as well and Heitmann bet out another 8,200. Jett called, but she mucked when Heitmann turned over {a-Diamonds}{3-Diamonds} for a full house.

Heitmann - up to 92,000
Jett - down to 82,000.

BREAKING NEWS

We missed the hand, but the next time we strolled by Jett's table she was up to 160,000. She wouldn't tell us what happened, but commented that every time our field reporter walked away from her table she won a huge hand, and requested that he go away again and come back in a bit. If this is true, she must be chip leader by now...

Tags: Jan HeitmannKarina Jett

Full House: Remedy for Tilt

We're not sure what happened to get Jean-Robert Bellande tilted, or even if he is, but the player to his right is convinced that's the case and was remarking on something that happened earlier, saying, "You know how tilted you are right now? That was so funny."

Bellande asked the player to stop needling him for a moment so he could play a hand where he had raised to 2,000 from middle position, getting called by the player on the button.

The flop came {4-Diamonds}{4-Clubs}{10-Spades} and Bellande led out for 2,000. When his opponent folded, Bellande showed {10-}{10-} before collecting the chips.

Tags: Jean-Robert Bellande

Slow and Steady for Bardah

Ronnie Bardah raised from the cutoff seat and the big blind made the call. After the flop came down spread out and suited with the {A-Diamonds}{9-Diamonds}{2-Hearts}, Bardah fired a continuation bet of 1,300 after his opponent checked. He won the pot with that bet and is sitting on about 70,000 in chips.

Tags: Ronnie Bardah

Moon Gets a Big Fold

We're not sure how the action developed between Darvin Moon and his opponent. We just know that Moon was all in for about 40,000 on a flop of {6-Clubs}{6-Diamonds}{3-Hearts}. Roughly 25,000 had already been pulled into the middle by the dealer and Moon's opponent was tanking.

"Kings I can't beat," he finally said. He open folded pocket queens and repeated, "Kings!"

"You'll see it on TV," Moon replied. That might be true but for the fact that Moon is playing on one of the outer tables.

Tags: Darvin Moon

Take Sabat!

Eddy Sabat opened to 2,000 and a player with the button three-bet to 4,200. Sabat called.

The flop fell {k-Clubs}{2-Hearts}{3-Hearts} and Sabat check-called 3,100 from his opponent on the button.

Both players checked the {8-Diamonds} on the turn, but after the {10-Spades} rived Sabat led for 2,000. His opponent called and mucked when Sabat showed him {a-Hearts}{10-Hearts} for a pair of tens.

Sabat is now up to 54,000 chips.

Tags: Eddy Sabat

Pot A-Borted

A huge commotion occurred by the rail as one player jumped out of his seat in a fit of rage. "He said call!" he roared. "Between two and one. He said call, everybody heard it!"

A board of {6-Spades}{J-Spades}{9-Hearts}{5-Diamonds}{2-Clubs} remained fixed to the felt, and reliable sources filled us in on the back story: Prahlad Friedman had called a bet of 20,000 on the turn and was facing an all-in on the river for 77,200 (pot around 80,000). "I don't know if I can lay this down to you," commented Friedman. "Well call then," responded foe Ted "The Bark" Bort.

Friedman pitched up tent in the think tank, lit a camp fire and dwelt for a good few minutes, maybe more. After a while, his opponent called the clock and a tournament director duly trundled over to the table to issue a one-minute warning.

With 10 seconds remaining, no decision had been made, and the T.D. commenced his countdown: "Three... Two... One... Dead hand." "He said call!" screamed Bort. "Even the rail heard him!" Various members of the crowd nodded in unison, some agreeing verbally.

Despite Bolt's pleas, the T.D. stuck to his guns. "I want that T.D. back, get me another floorman," he demanded. "Oh my God, that's the worst decision ever." Friedman, meanwhile, remained relatively quiet, perhaps surprised to be experiencing an even bigger kerfuffle than 2006's ante-gate.

Within a few minutes, there were four T.D.s grouped together in a football huddle, frantically discussing the situation and the ins and outs of the ruling. Eventually, a spokesman emerged from the group to confirm the decision, and that the hand was indeed dead.

Still foaming at the mouth, Bolt continued his rant. "I want that video tape! I can watch it and have the satisfaction of knowing I busted him out."

After the hand, I spoke to one of the T.D.s regarding the ruling. "Officially, a hand is dead when the T.D. says the word 'one'," he clarified. "But you know, regardless, they have plenty of time. For a clock to be called, they have to have taken a long time already, then they get extra seconds when the T.D's on his way, and then the T.D. has to ask the dealer if he has indeed had enough time. Players can't really nit-pick about that one second. Why don't they just make up their minds with 10 seconds left?"

The most bizarre thing about this hand? Bort has a tendency to bark inexplicably at certain moments, and, well, this was one of those moments. Yep, it's a strange world.

Tags: Prahlad FriedmanTed Bort

Deeb Bluffed for Cameras

Freddy Deeb, back at the table after his one-round penalty, opened for 2,000 in mid position and then called a reraise to 5,700 from the gentleman in the cutoff.

Deeb check-called 6,200 from his opponent on the {5-Diamonds}{4-Diamonds}{7-Hearts} flop and another 13,200 on the {9-Hearts} turn. He checked again on the {q-Spades} river and this time his opponent went all in for 30,300. Deeb folded, leaving himself 32,000.

"Show for the cameras?" hazarded Deeb - the ESPN folks had been crowding around the table in the latter parts of the hand. And indeed his opponent did show - {3-Clubs}{4-Clubs} for nothing more than a pair of fours.

"Good bluff," Deeb told him as the cameras departed.

Tags: Freddy Deeb