WSOP 2008 Blog
Team PokerRoom.com at the WSOP 2008
Fabulous Las Vegas and the Glamorous Star Studded WSOP 2008 turned out to be the winning combination for Team PokerRoom which placed this class of '08 forever into our PokerRoom.com history books!
With 76 players joining Team PokerRoom here in Vegas, this was our highest turnout yet at a major live poker event. And if the pressure was on to deliver it sure wasn’t showing on anyone’s face.
Several anxious days and several sleepless nights later when it was all said and done not only did this team enjoy the highest amount to survive to day 2 but saw the most team players cash ever. A total of 8 players cashed here in Vegas an astounding combined total of $270,841.
But it wasn’t all just about the poker by any means. In between the fast and furious action at the poker tables, the whole gang managed to enjoy the finest that Vegas had to offer, sumptuous dinners, the hottest nightclubs, outings to the Grand Canyon and other great tourist destinations.
And so here in our farewell tribute to Team PokerRoom.com WSOP 2008 we take a quick trip down memory lane and hall of fame, and from all of us here at PokerRoom.com say Thank You for making this the best trip yet!
You can find more pictures from the whole trip here!
The Farewell Party
Sadly as they begin to pack up the WSOP 2008 until this November, we find ourselves having to pack up and say goodbye as well. The triumphant Team comes together for one last time tonight to celebrate all that is great about Team PokerRoom.com with our traditional farewell party.
Expect much discussion of those unpleasant bad beats, incredible calls and life saving rivers, but more so, I think it gives us and the Team a chance to reflect on what has been awesome event. With so many cashing, we proved that weren't just here to take part, we were here to win.
It's been an incredible event that has gone by all too quickly.
And Then There Were Nine
After 11 long, grueling days of poker here at the WSOP Main Event, we've finally got a final table of nine players who will return in November to determine who the 2008 WSOP Main Event champion is:
Seat 1: Dennis Phillips - 26,295,000
Seat 2: Craig Marquis - 10,210,000
Seat 3: Ylon Schwartz - 12,525,000
Seat 4: Scott Montgomery - 19,690,000
Seat 5: Darus Suharto - 12,520,000
Seat 6: David "Chino" Rheem - 10,230,000
Seat 7: Ivan Demidov - 24,400,000
Seat 8: Kelly Kim - 2,620,000
Seat 9: Peter Eastgate - 18,375,000
If you're scratching your head as to who any of the players are, well, join the crowd, as it's a rather anonymous final table. Unlike the last few years in which at least one well-known pro has reached the final table, the final nine players for 2008 are all virtual unknowns in the poker world, although some do claim professional status and have some sizable tournament cashes in the past.
Now it's a waiting game until November to see if Harrah's change to the final table format will ultimately bear fruit, as the goal was to create buzz in the media in the months leading up to the delayed conclusion. With a field of unknown players, that buzz may be hard to generate, as it's hard for casual fans to get excited about which of nine equally unknown players will emerge as Main Event champion.
Catching up with the Main Event
Action just started at the Main Event here in Las Vegas for Day 7, with 27 players returning. By the end of the day just nine players will remain, with the final table set. Unlike previous years, Harrah's changed the final table format this year so that instead of playing out the final table now, the nine final players will return in November, at which point the Main Event champion will be crowned.
Yesterday saw the final two well-known pros bow out of the field, with Phil Hellmuth finishing 45th and Mike Matusow going on in 30th place. Plenty of fans (and ESPN television execs) had been rooting hard that both the Poker Brat and Mike the Mouth would make it through to the final table, but neither could survive to Day 7, leaving a field of amateurs and little-known pros to battle it out at the Rio.
Peter Eastgate and Dennis Phillips are currently battling for the chip lead, with each sitting on just over 12 million chips.
The Trip Rolls On Even After the Poker is Done
Just a quick programming note before your bloggers collapse for a few hours of sleep before dragging our tired bones to the exclusive Team PokerRoom party tonight at the Rum Jungle nightclub here in Mandalay Bay (We know, we know, 'tis indeed a tough, tough job we have here.)
While the Main Event may be done for the Team, all that means is that now the fun can really begin for many of the players, as they can finally enjoy Vegas with no worries whatsoever. And your blogging crew will still be here blogging away in the next few days, sharing the entire experience with you. We've been caught up in the poker action the last few days but still have stories to share from past outings golfing and to the Grand Canyon, as well as more fun to look forward to.
So stay tuned to these pages for more updates from Sin City, and don't forget that plenty of promos for other live events such as this one are running, including European stops on the tournament circuit, Poker Race Trophy competitions, and PokerIsland.
With a little luck and skill we might be writing about you here in the blog at the next big live event, taking down huge pots and stacking up chips!
Well Done, Team PokerRoom!
It's been a whirlwind last few days here at the Rio as we hit the money bubble and pushed onward, with the Team far exceeding even our own expectations over the closing days. While individual players have cashed for more in past events as part of Team PokerRoom, a record number of Team members fought their way to the money:
119th: EroticDon ($41,816)
141st: MickeMusxxx ($41,816)
152nd: AREZ_ONE ($41,816)
168th: Githead ($38,600)
251st: drohse ($35,383)
497th: UpChitCreek ($25,090)
565th: ---Grazy--- ($23,160)
600th: bettysogray ($23,160)
Total cashes for Team PokerRoom at the 2008 WSOP: $270,841
That's a pretty amazing total, as far as the Team going home more than a quarter of a million dollars richer, so a hearty round of applause for everyone! It's especially impressive given that many players played their way in via freerolls and qualifiers, so their return on investment is pretty astronomical.
And a hearty round of applause for all the Team members who played their way here, regardless of whether you cashed or not. It's an amazing accomplishment just to get here and something many poker players never achieve, so every single member of the Team should be very proud of what they've accomplished.
EroticDon Exits in 119th
The last Team member has fallen here on Day 5, with EroticDon bowing out in 119th for $41,816. He was down to about 275,000 chips when he was in the BB and facing a bet and a call. He shoved all-in and the initial bettor shoved all-in himself for about 650,000 more, which was called as well by the player in late position who'd called the initial bet.
EroticDon had live cards with 10 8 but was up against AK and AJ. The board missed everyone, running out Q 4 3 6 9 and AK was good enough to take down the pot and eliminate EroticDon in 119th.
EroticDon Carrying the Team PokerRoom Banner
EroticDon is now the last Team member alive in the 2008 WSOP, currently sitting on about 850,000 chips. He's been sitting on a lot of chips for most of the last few days, and while he's taken some hits from time to time he's managed to build back up each time, so the Team hopes is in pretty capable hands.
Take it down, EroticDon
And Then There Was One: MickeMusxxx Out
Team PokerRoom has been taking some hits early today, with MickeMusxxx the latest casualty.
Two hands did him in in pretty rapid succession. In the first a UTG player opened action for a raise, and a player in middle position called. MickeMusxxx re-raised with AK (and said later that he planned to fold if the UTG player came over the top of his re-raise). The UTG player folded, but the MP player who had flat-called the first time decided to shove.
MickeMusxxx made the call, as he had the MP player covered, but found himself well behind when his opponent flipped over AA MickeMusxxx couldn't suckout and found himself down to about 240,000 chips after that hand.
Shortly after MickeMusxxx raised with 66 and was re-raised enough to put him all in. He decided to make his stand there and called with his pocket sixes, only to find himself up against another huge hand, this time pocket kings. No help came for MickeMusxxx and his WSOP run was over, finishing in 141st place for $41,816.
Great show, MickeMusxxx
Updates at the Second Break
We're down to two Team members in action today, which is a bit of sad news with Githead and AREZ_ONE bowing out, but the good news is that both survivors have chips to work with:
MickeMusxxx: 729,000
EroticDon: 700,000
Blinds will be 8,000/16,000 with 2,000 antes when players return from the break.
MickeMusxxx said he was pretty happy with his table but that he still was looking for more chips before he opened up his game and started trying to make any moves. While 700,000 chips sounds like a lot, you have to keep in mind that with just 142 players currently left the average stack is now nearly 1,000,000 chips, so both our remaining Team members are slightly below average. Blinds and antes now eat about 42,000 chips per orbit from players' stacks, so our guys are under pressure to make a move in the near future.AREZ_ONE Finishes in 152nd
The action folded around to the SB, who shoved. AREZ_ONE called from the BB with A4s and was slightly ahead, as the SB was trying to steal with 10 7.
That lead didn't last long, with the flop coming K 10 4, although AREZ_ONE still had outs. A 7 came on the turn, which left AREZ_ONE some outs, but a K on the river sealed his fate.
It's always sad to see our players get knocked out, but AREZ_ONE has a lot to be proud of. Not only did he win $41,816 but he outlasted more than 6,500 of the world's best poker players, and battled through a bout with a cold in the early days to win more than $40,000 in the world's biggest poker tournament. Well done, AREZ_ONE, as you've got a lot to be proud of and hopefully this is just you first cash in a WSOP event.
AREZ_ONE all smiles, even after his exit.
Next Stop for MickeMusxxx and Barte: Uruguay
MickeMusxxx is not only making a deep run here at the 2008 Main Event but he and barte already have plans for the next stop on their poker tour of the world, as each has qualified for a live tournament in Uruguay that's part of the Latin America Poker Tour.
barte is here on Day 5 cheering on his friend and poker coach MickeMusxxx from the rails, and so far it's been a good show, with MickeMusxxx chipping up in early action.
barte here on Day 5 cheering on MickMusxxx from the rail.
Can you spot the MickeMusxxx off in the distance?
The Dutch Double
He's got double the celebration! He took time out from going to deep in this year's WSOP to make an honest women of missus Githead. We've joked with unmarried couples on previous trips here that they should make the leap and tie the knot but Githead did us one better and actually followed through, wearing PokerRoom gear no less! That's true dedication to the Team, so well done Githead.
Team PokerRoom Hanging in There
We've got a little over half an hour to the next break and the guys are all hanging in there.
MickeMusxxx: 735,000
EroticDon: 550,000
AREZ_ONE: 230,000
We're down to 157 players left with the next money jump at 99th place, which pays $51,466.
AREZ_ONE Pushes and Picks Up Some Chips
With his stack down to 180K, AREZ_ONE just pushed all-in and picked up a nice 60k pot to get back up to 240k.
In LP and facing a raise of 25k from his right, AREZ_ONE pushed all his chips into the middle and forced a fold from his opponent. With 36k in blinds and antes the pot was 60k and it gave AREZ_ONE a little more breathing room. He looks very comfortable out there today and is playing as patiently as ever.
Githead Bows Out in 168th Place
We sadly just lost Githead, who finished in 168th place. A very loose player at his table raised to 35,000 pre-flop and Githead re-raised to 80,000 with AQh. His opponent made the call and checked in the dark. The flop came K 5 6 and Githead made a play at it, shoving all-in.
His opponent called, tabling KQ for top pair, and Githead couldn't hit an A on the turn or river to stay alive. While it's disappointing to see him bow out of action, he was pretty much all smiles after his exit, as he not only played some of the best poker of his life over the last week here at the money event but also pocketed $38,600 for his efforts (plus an extra $100 courtesy of Mark Vos).
Githead at the tables in earlier action.
Chip Counts, Once Again
We posted about this yesterday but it's worth repeating. If you're following along with chip counts for Team PokerRoom players provided by Bluff or PokerNews, please be aware that sometimes they're not updated frequently for lesser-known players and may not be accurate.
Githead is a great example of that, as PokerNews still hasn't updated his stack to reflect his double-up earlier today, so his stack is actually twice what's reflected in their chip counts.
We're not trying to knock other providers (and sadly we're restricted from providing accurate chip counts from play ourselves, except for at the breaks), as they do an amazing job covering the field as a whole. Just keep in mind that if you're getting chip counts from PokerNews or the official WSOP site, they may not be accurate, as those providers just aren't able to keep updated totals for the entire field, so their counts may be pretty outdated from time to time.
Updates from the First Break: Githead Doubles, AREZ_ONE Takes a Hit
Because we ended early last night, there was still 40 minutes on the clock from the last level, which was finished off this morning and players getting a 15 minute break. Here are the chip stacks roughly 40 minutes into play today:
MickeMusxxx: 675,000
EroticDon: 600,000
Githead: 420,000
AREZ_ONE: 200,000
Githead got a nice double-up early when he raised with AKo and an opponent put him to the test for all his chips. Githead called and was in great shape, as his opponent was making a move with 6c 7c and Githead flopped an A to get a much needed double to start the day.
Tough start for AREZ_ONE, as he raised with A10 and got calls from both the SB and BB. The flop came K high and the blinds checked, AREZ_ONE made a hefty continuation bet and only the BB called. An A came on the turn and the BB checked again, AREZ_ONE bet 80,000, and the BB check-raised him to 200,000.
While he had turned top pair, AREZ_ONE said he couldn't see his opponent making that move with anything he could beat, so he laid down top pair. He's still got 200,000 to work with, so he wasn't completely crippled by the hand.
Blinds are now 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante. 173 players remain, with the next money jump coming at 162, when players will be guaranteed to make at least $41,816.
Thanks a Lot, Harrah's
Today promises to be a frustrating day on the blogger front, as we've once again been kicked off the main floor. Harrah's is only allowing PokerNews/ESPN media access to the tables today, so we're basically reduced to looking on like any other spectator from the rails.
The frustrating part is that there's plenty of room for media to co-exist peacefully, as was the case yesterday, as there's plenty of space now that the field is dwindling down. Harrah's doesn't quite see it that way, though, and have actively been enforcing the new restrictions, kicking us out of the main floor three times so far and being less than cordial about it.That's good for AREZ_ONE fans, as we can actually see his table from the rail, but coverage on the other three Team members won't be as good. We can see them sitting there, so they're still in (yay!), but we'll only be able to get chip counts on the breaks.
AREZ_ONE hopes the future is so bright he'll continue to wear shades.
Day 5 at the 2008 WSOP
We're back at the Rio today for Day 5 of the 2008 WSOP, and we've still got four Team PokerRoom members among the last 189 players chasing the poker dream of a lifetime: becoming a Main Event champion.
Cards will be in the air in about 10 minutes, with blinds of 5,000/10,000 and 1,000 antes when action starts. Average stack is 724,000 and the chip leader is Jeremy Joseph with 2,187,000 chips.
Here's how our four remaining Team members stack up:
MickeMusxxx: 619,000
EroticDon: 611,000
AREZ_ONE: 359,000
Githead: 249,000
We'll have two Team members on the same table (Githead and EroticDon), who will be playing with Victor Ramdin, and AREZ_ONE has Hoyt Corkins at his table.
Today promises to be a pretty exciting day, with many twists and turns, and we'll be bringing you all the developments right here. If you have any words of encouragement for our Team members, leave a comment and we'll pass them along to them at the first chance we get.
Githead ready to roll on Day 5
AREZ_ONE relaxing before cards are in the air.
An Early End to Day 4
The tournament directors decided to end the night early when 189 players were remaining, so they're done for the evening. Here are the chip counts of the Day 4 survivors from Team PokerRoom:
MickeMusxxx: 619,000
EroticDon: 611,000
AREZ_ONE: 359,000
Githead: 249,000
A very successful day for Team PokerRoom all in all. While we did lose drohse to a bad beat, 4 of the 5 players that started the day were still standing at the end, which is pretty amazing considering that we're down to just 189 players left.
All remaining players are guaranteed at least $38,600 at this stage, and our four brave Team PokerRoom warriors will return tomorrow at noon to see if they can increase that payday even more.
Hansen vs Matusow
With play slowing down a little since the last break, Table Blue 35 has certainly made up for the lack of action with the Gus Hansen vs Mike Matusow show.
The two have been verbally sparring and Hanson has been playing especially aggressive which has made for great viewing.
A Very Quiet Last Level
Other than MickeMusxxx's double up early in the level, there's not much action to report from out there. AREZ_ONE won a decent pot early on and is sitting at about 340,000 at the moment, with Githead slipping down to about 175,000 and bettysogray sitting on about 550,000-600,000.
We're down to 197 players with about an hour left in the last level of the day.
Mus bangs up a double
News from the ESPN featured table... MickeMusxxx has just doubled up with A,A
Raised pre flop 30k, got re-raised to 90k then Mus pushed everything into the middle. Opponent called with A,Q, flop came 10,A,4 giving Mus his set, the board played out giving him a smoking double up.
Taking mussy baby up yo 330,000.
Great news for the guy who was lamenting his lack of aces all tournament.
Next Up On the Paytable: 162nd for $41,816
The next jump on the payout is for 162nd place, which pays out $41,816. There are currently 216 players left who'll return from the dinner break to be met with 5,000/10,000 blinds and 1,000 antes.
They've announced that we'll be playing four levels instead of five levels today, and that means we have just one more level to go before calling it quits tonight, with action resuming tomorrow at noon. Hopefully we'll get all four remaining Team members through the last level tonight and into Day 5 tomorrow.
Chip Counts at the Dinner Break of Day 4
We're off to catch up with the players over dinner but here are the stacks at the dinner break. Back in about ninety minutes with more details and stories from Day 4:
EroticDon: 630,000
AREZ_ONE: 317,000
Githead: 206,000
MickeMusxxx: 188,000
There are currently 218 players left at the dinner break.
MickeMusxxx and barte on the dinner break.
Next Stop on the Money Train: 225th for $38,600
Quick Tour of the Room
The four remaining Team PokerRoom players are still hanging in there, with less than an hour to go to the dinner break.
It's been a very up and down day for EroticDon, as he lost a huge pot about half an hour ago when he was pushed off his hand and a monster pot on a complete bluff by his opponent, but he's still sitting on about 500,000-600,000 chips again.
AREZ_ONE has been playing musical chairs, moved to new tables twice in quick succession, and looks to have a little over 300,000 in chips.
Githead hasn't been tangling in many hands of late, sitting on about 200,000 chips. He said it'd been a combo of losing small pots and a cold deck that'd whittled his stack down, and that he was looking to make a move soon.
Strange as it sounds, it's very difficult to get chip counts for feature table players, as the table is too far from the stands to see the chip stacks well and the live feeds of the tables here don't show the stacks of players but MickeMusxxx appears to still be sitting on quite a few chips.
The dinner break is in 40 minutes so expect exact chip counts at that time.
drohse Knocked Out By a Terrible Beat
We just lost drohse in pretty brutal fashion. He'd lost a pretty big pot the previous hand to knock him down to 210,000 and the very next hand he raised to 24,000 pre-flop from early position.
The button (who barely covered drohse and who was the player that drohse had previously bluffed out of a big hand) re-raised to about 70,000 and drohse quickly moved all-in, and the button snap-called.
drohse asked him if he had aces, due to how quickly he called, but when the button finally showed his hand he was just holding AQ. drohse flipped over AK and was way ahead, and even farther ahead when the flop came Ah 8h 5h, as drohse held the Kh.
The turn, though, was a very ugly Qc, and despite a ton of outs on the river for drohse they all missed when the 10d fell, eliminating drohse somewhere around 255th.
A really disappointing end for him obviously, especially since he started the day with just 50,000 chips and made a huge move as the day wore on, but he can definitely hold his head high. Not only is he $35,383 richer but he definitely did both himself and Team PokerRoom proud at the tables.
drohse on Day 4
Githead Makes a Quick $100 at the Tables
Githead has played his way to at least a $35,253 payday here at the Main Event, but he also pocketed an extra cool $100 during the last level.
Poker pro Mark Vos is sitting two to the right of Githead and they tangled in a hand right before the break. Githead led out for 17,000 from UTG and Vos was the only caller from the SB. The flop came Js 4d 5h and Githead quickly bet out 30,000. Vos dwelled for awhile before folding.
Before the dealer could muck Githead's hand Vos whipped out a $100 bill and said he'd pay Githead $100 if he'd show his hand. Githead quickly grabbed his cards and flipped them over, showing 10 10, and pocketing possibly the easiest $100 he's ever made.
Githead and Mark Vos battling at the table.
2 Levels In the Books on Day 4
We've hit the second break on Day 4 and here are the chip stacks:
EroticDon: 700,000
MickeMusxxx: 679,000
drohse: 450,000
Githead: 377,000
AREZ_ONE: 260,000
We're down to 280 players left, so remaining players are guaranteed to make $35,383. Blinds will be 4,000/8,000 with 1,000 antes when players return for the next level.
EroticDon has rebounded nicely from some early setbacks and MickeMusxxx is having no trouble at all on the feature table. He's playing with Victor Ramdin on the tv table and said he was pretty happy about that, as Ramdin was giving him no respect whatsoever despite the fact that MickeMusxxx has only shown down strong hands.
MickeMusxxx also said that the cameras weren't bothering him much as he's played on televised tables four or five times. He did say it was bugging him to have to stack his chips to a certain side for the cameras, as he's used to stacking his chips on the opposite side and he's apparently a Musxxx of habit.
Checking Up on the Team
We've been very busy crazily running back and forth posting updates but here are some general updates. We'll have exact chip counts in 30 minutes at the next break.
AREZ_ONE is sitting comfortably on about 275,000-300,000 chips and hasn't had much action since the earlier excitement.
Githead has dropped down some, now on about 400,000-425,000.
drohse is on about 400,000, with EroticDon on about the same as well.
MickeMusxxx looks to be leading the way for the Team at the moment with about 500,000 chips. Exact chip counts to come in half an hour.
It's the MickeMusxxx Show
Our man MickeMusxxx is sitting on about 450,000 chips and has just been moved to the main ESPN feature table here at the Rio, which is the first time we've had a player on the main feature table (BEATME x spent most of a day on the secondary feature table).
Shortly after getting moved to the feature table the Musxxx struck, calling a raise pre-flop. Flop came K 7 6 and MickeMusxxx led out for 25,000, his opponent shoved all-in for more than 100,000 and MickeMusxxx made the call with AK. His opponent held KQ and was way behind and out-kicked and got no help on the turn or river, with MickeMusxxx raking in a huge pot.
MickeMusxxx on the main feature table.
drohse Steals Huge Pot with a Stone Cold Bluff
drohse is unstoppable at the moment. He has just moved to over 400k with an absolute cracker of a bluff.
Sitting on BB, drohse was the only caller to an 18k raise from MP. The flop came 8h8s6c and droshe checked, MP bet out 20k and drohse called. The turn showed 3x, drohhe checked it again and his opponent put in 70k. droshe then re-raised all-in.
This move sent his opponent into immediate dispair, he sat for five minutes questioning whether droshe had caught trips, questioning why he didn't push all-in on the turn, and finally started asking drohse if he would show his cards if he folded.
droshe sat completely unmoved through the whole episode, and only after his opponent eventually folded did drohse say "I'll show my hand" and showed AQo.
His opponent immediately got up and walked away from table completely shattered as he had just laid down pocket T's.
drohse stacking chips after his big bluff
Quick Note on Coverage Here
Quick note about PokerNews coverage here, just to clear up a few misconceptions. First things first, PokerNews is a great outlet and do an amazing job with their live coverage and chip counts. Anyone who has tried to do it knows how difficult it can be, and they do a tremendous job of grabbing all sorts of hands on the flying and relating it to readers.
That said, they're trying to cover 300+ players at the moment, and chip counts are notoriously hard to get. PokerNews tends to focus on famous players and top pros, so take their chip counts for some of the lesser known players with a grain of salt, as they're often very delayed. At the moment they're covering all 5 remaining Team members, but the chip counts for 3 of them haven't been updated by PokerNews is nearly an hour, so don't assume that PokerNews is always correct.
Ditto for hand histories. Not to toot our own horns, but we're covering 5 players at this stage so it's much easier for us to grab details, and in a few cases PokerNews simply hasn't gotten all of the action right. Again, not their fault, just the reality of what happens when you try to cover the entire field, as opposed to just a handful of players. We'll screw up details ourselves form time to time, so we're far from perfect, but in general we get the action right, as far as all of the money going in on the flop, pre-flop, etc.
One last night is that we don't give out Team members real names here, out of respect for privacy, so we can't share their real names so that you can follow them in PokerNews coverage, etc. Sorry about that.
AREZ_ONE and MickeMusxxx Take Down Big Pots
More good news for Team PokerRoom, as MickeMusxxx has doubled-up and is now sitting on about 450,000 chips, and AREZ_ONE just knocked out an opponent to take down a 125,000 pot.
A middle position player to AREZ_ONE's right shoved all-in for his last 100,000 and AREZ_ONE shoved himself for about 175,000. Everyone else folded and the two players turned oover their hands, with AREZ_ONE's AKd in great shape versus his opponent's AQo.
The flop came As 7s 6s, and the turn the 8s, giving us a bit of a scare as a spade on the river would result in a chopped pot since neither player held a spade in their hand. The river was a red K, though, which gave AREZ_ONE a very nice pot to push him close to the 300,000 mark.
drohse Powers to 250k
drohse's day has just got even better, doubling again up to 250k after starting the day on just over 50k.
On the flop droshe pushed with aces and found a caller chasing a straight. The board ran out and droshe's aces held up to drag in his fourth big pot of the day.
Having already guaranteed himself $32,166 droshe day just powering on.
The Money Watch: 288th for $35,383
The next jump on the paytable occurs at 288th place, at which point players will lock in a $35,383 payday. We're currently sitting on 335 players left, so it shouldn't be long before the next pay jump occurs.
AREZ_ONE Running With the Devil, Doubles Up
AREZ_ONE just doubled-up and is now sitting on about 175,000, but he may have signed a deal with the devil in the process.
A middle position player raised to nearly 20,000 and AREZ_ONE moved all-in from the SB. His opponent made the call and tabled QJ0, with AREZ_ONE sitting on 66.
The flop came J K 7 and things were looking grim for AREZ_ONE. And it just got grimmer when an A fell on the turn, leaving AREZ_ONE praying for one of the two remaining 6s in the deck on the river.
Which was exactly what came, with a beautiful 6 falling on the river to give AREZ_ONE a set of sixes and a big pot that pushed him back up to the 175,000 mark.
Whew...
Githead Gives a Shout Out
Githead just dropped into the media room during the break and wanted to give shout out to all his friends and fans who have been following his progress.
He said that he hadn't been behind a computer during the month of July, but once he gets done filling his pockets with cash at the WSOP he will be back online and in contact.
Team PokerRoom Still Five Strong at First Break of Day 4
Not only was it a pretty amazing accomplishment to get five Team members through to Day 4, but all five are still alive and kicking at the first break!
Githead: 521,000
EroticDon: 360,000
MickeMusxxx: 228,000
drohse: 155,000
AREZ_ONE: 75,000
Githead was obviously the bright spot of the first level, as he made a big move early and sat over 500,000 for the rest of the level. drohse also tripled up to get out of super-short-stack danger land.
EroticDon took some big hits to his stack but he's proven before that he isn't shy about moving chips around and tangling in pots so hopefully he'll start the rebuilding process. He lost a big pot with JJ versus QQ and then lost another huge one when he flopped two pair and got an opponent with AA all-in, only to have his opponent spike another ace for a set to take down the pot.
AREZ_ONE is going to need to make a move soon as he's getting a bit short and blinds and antes are increasingly taking their toll.
350 players remain at the break, so everyone still in the running is now guaranteed to take home at least $32,166. Blinds will be 3,000/6,000 with 1000 antes when play resumes after the break.
EroticDon No Stranger to Tournament Success
EroticDon has been a bit of a mystery man here at the 2008 WSOP, as we haven't seen much of him at all except for when he's at the tables building up a towering fortress of chips.
He's already got a cash to his name in the 2008 WSOP, though, taking home $9,080 in the Event #46 $5K NLHE tournament, as well as a $22,281 cash at the 2007 Irish Poker Championships.
He and drohse are definitely doing Denmark proud here at the 2008 Main Event, as we had six Danes on the Team overall and 2 of them are still alive on Day 4, with EroticDon in the top 20 in chips at the moment.
Another Dane in action on Day 4 who isn't a half bad poker player.
drohse Takes Down Another; AREZ_ONE Hanging Tough
For the AREZ_ONE fans, not too much in the way of action. He's chipped up a bit on the day and looks to have about 110,000 or so. With blinds of 2,500/5,000 and 500 antes, he doesn't have too much in the way of wriggle room to get involved in many pots, so he's more than likely in push or fold mode at the moment, especially if facing a raise in front of him.
drohse just won another nice pot to push his stack to just under 100,000. It folded to him in the SB and he shoved, with the BB sitting on an even shorter stack than his of about 30,000. The SB made the call with 10 9 and drohse admitted that he'd shoved in blind without checking his cards, turning over Q5o. He hit a Q on the flop and the BB's flush draw missed, with drohse building his stack a bit higher.
Githead is still over 500,000 despite losing a 50K pot and MickeMusxxx looks to be well over 200,000 at the moment. EroticDon seems to be cruising as well, looking to be over the 800,000 mark.
Eliminations Coming Fast and Furious
The cries of "All-in and a call!" from dealers and resulting eliminations are coming really quickly this morning, and they've already made another money jump on the paytable, with all remaining players now taking home at least $28,950.
Next up is 351st or better, which pays out $32,166.
drohse Doubles Up
drohse moved in for his last 24,000 with KQo and was called by an opponent with 77. The flop came K high and drohse got the double up he needed to move up to about 55,000. He's still way below average stack of about 310,000 but better to be short-stacked than out.
Githead also dragged in another nice pot and is sitting over the 500,000 mark at the moment.
drohse hanging in there on Day 4
Githead Wins a Nice Early Pot
Githead got off to a great start here on Day 4 when he scooped in a nice pot when his opponent played his flush draw fast but didn't get there. Githead is sitting on about 480,000 chips at the moment and is also sitting to the left of female pro Evelyn Ng.
Everyone else is still hanging steady in early action, with drohse still on a very short stack.
Githead sitting next to Evelyn Ng
Day 4 at the 2008 WSOP
We've got 5 Team PokerRoom members still alive and kicking in action today, with "Shuffle up and deal" just announced in the tournament room.
Here are the chip stacks of the remaining players:
EroticDon: 689,000
Githead: 318,000
MickeMusxxx: 181,000
AREZ_ONE: 92,500
drohse: 51,599
There are currently 474 players left, with an average stack of 288,000. Here are the top ten stacks to start the day, per PokerNews:
Jeremy Joseph 1,458,000
Jeremiah Smith 1,079,500
Mark Ketteringham 950,000
Kyle Carlston 932,500
Dag Martin Mikkelsen 931,000
Alan Jaffray 908,500
Owen Crowe 900,000
Alexander Kostritsyn 887,000
James McManus 875,000
Chris Barrile 873,500
All remaining Team members are slated to win at least $27,020, but hopefully that number will climb throughout the day. With blinds of 2,500/5,000 and a 500 ante, some of our shorter stacks (especially drohse) will be looking to double up early.
You going to eat all of that?
A cleanshaven AREZ_ONE on Day 4
MickeMusxxx looking for more chips on Day 4
Team PokerRoom Cashes In on Day 3
We had an amazing day here at the Rio with 8 players surviving nearly 36 hours of play to finish the day in the money here at the 2008 WSOP!
As far as players moving on to Day 4, here are the chip stacks at the end of the day:
EroticDon: 689,000
Githead: 318,000
MickeMusxxx: 181,000
AREZ_ONE: 92,500
drohse: 40,000
EroticDon was the big story at the end of the day, making a pretty huge move, as did Githead who managed to build his stack nicely the last level. With 474 players left, the remaining team members are guaranteed to cash for at least $27,020.
The following players all fought their way to the money, cashing for the following amounts:
497th: UpChitCreek ($25,090)
565th: ---Grazy--- ($23,160)
600th: bettysogray ($23,160)
A huge congratulations to all the players that made it to Day 3 (as it's no small feat to last two days at the WSOP), all the players who cashed, and especially to the players moving on to Day 4.
Day 4 starts tomorrow at 1 PM, so stay tuned for more coverage tomorrow.
UpChitCreek Paddles His Way to $25,090
UpChitCreek's run has sadly come to an end here at the WSOP, but he's definitely all smiles after playing his way to a $25,090 payday.
He turned top pair in his final hand with A10s and a board of x x J A, but his opponent had flopped a set with JJ and took down the pot and knocked out UpChitCreek.
Hard to see his deep run here as anything other than a huge success, though, and hats off to our Scotsman as he played his ass off here and enjoyed every minute of it.
UpChitCreek earlier on Day 3
---Grazy--- Has 23,160 Reasons to Smile
---Grazy--- has just finished his WSOP Main Event journey in 565th place. Looking down on pocket Q's ---Grazy--- found one caller on his pre-flop raise of 11k.
The flop came 7 4 T and after ---Grazy--- lead out with 40k, his opponent re-raised all in. ---Grazy--- went to the tank for about 5 minutes and made the call turning over his pocket Q's. It wasn't to be enough however, as his opponent turned over pocket 4's for the flopped set.
With the board running out with no help, ---Grazy---'s tournament ended with a 23,150 pay day. It was a great by the young Austrian, especially when you consider the absolute killer table he was on for all of Day 3.
---Grazy--- we salute you.
Bling bling $25,090 and Climbing
The six remaining Team members in action (Githead, EroticDon, drohse, UpChitCreek, AREZ_ONE, and MickeMusxxx) are now locked in to win at least $25,090, as there are now just 533 players left in the field. Bustouts are coming fast and furious now that the money bubble is long gone.
Next target? 477th, which pays $27,020.
drohse is on a very short stack, though, as we can see his table from the rails and so far the level has been a tough one for him.
And They Just Made At Least $23,160
The seven remaining Team PokerRoom players have managed to move up another spot on the pay table, with all guaranteed to now make at least $23,160. There are now just 575 players left, so all the guys will get at least $23,160, and have their eyes now on making it to 540th, which pays $25,090.
Apologies for the lack of chip counts but we've once again been kicked out of the room for not being exclusive media, so we'll have to wait until the break to get caught up on chip counts.
Betty so cashed
Our man Betty who held on by the skin of his teeth to break through the bubble has bailed out of this year's WSOP. but Jesus, you wouldn't think it to talk to him. He was thrilled with his cash, and proud of his achievement, as he should be!
This is the first leg of an around the world trip he has been planning, and now he has some extra spending cash. He's off to Australia after this event... enjoy your cash down under cobber!
Team PokerRoom.com's Honary Member
Whilst sweeping around the floor during the hand-by-hand play I ran into an old PokerRoom.com player, thebignasty. While we waited for the rest of the tables to complete their hands he told me that he really wanted to be a member of Team PokerRoom.com and after a good chat I ended up scoring him a hoody to wear for the rest of the tournament.
His name is Evan Jarvis and the Main Event will be his second cash at the WSOP after finishing 32nd in the $1500 event on the 2nd of June. He is currently sitting on a nice stack towards the end of Day 3 so watch out for him to go deep over the next few days.
Payout Table for the 2008 WSOP Main Event
Below is the full payout table for all spots here at the Main Event. Now that we've got all 8 surviving Team members safely in the money, it's time to see just how high they can climb the payout table.
1: $ 9,119,517
2: $ 5,790,024
3: $ 4,503,355
4: $ 3,763,515
5: $ 3,088,012
6: $ 2,412,510
7: $ 1,769,174
8: $ 1,286,672
9: $ 900,670
10-12: $ 591,869
13-15: $ 463,201
16-18 $ 334,534
19-27: $ 257,334
28-36: $ 193,000
37-45: $ 154,400
46-54: $ 135,100
55-63: $ 115,800
64-72: $ 96,500
73-81: $ 77,200
82-90: $ 64,333
91-99: $ 51,466
100-162: $ 41,816
163-225: $ 38,600
226-288: $ 35,383
289-351: $ 32,166
352-414: $ 28,950
415-477: $ 27,020
478-540: $ 25,090
541-603: $ 23,160
604-666: $ 21,230
8 PokerRoom.com Players
With the bubble bursting it is now back to business as the players resume for the final level of Day 3.
Here are the chipstacks for the 8 remaining Team PokerRoom.com players:
EroticDon: 450,000
drohse: 320,000
---Grazy---: 277, 000
Githead: 200,000
MickeMusxxx: 170,000
AREZ_ONE: 115,000
UpChitCreek: 70,000
bettysogray:58,000
EroticDon had another huge level, and both drohse and ---Grazy--- have maintained there impressive stacks. All the guys were excited at the break to have cashed, and now they are looking to go deep and turn the 2008 WSOP Main Event into their big pay day.
And we're in the money!
Yep that's right folks, we are now in the money. We now have 666 out of 6844 players left of the 39th Annual World Series of Poker and what a night it's been! All players are guaranteed to walk away at least $21,230 richer.
And it's not all bad news for the bubbleboy who came in 667th as he'll gain automatic entrance to next years WSOP Main Event. We're now on a break, so expect a chip count update soon...but rest assured ---Grazy---, EroticDon, drohse, MickeMusxxx, AREZ_ONE, Githead, bettysogray, UpChitCreek all made it!
Hand-By-Hand Play - The War of Attrition
After 30 minutes of hand-by-hand play we have seen three hands been completed and it is down to 671 players.
The tension is extreme and every all-in call causes high drama. Once a hand is completed at any table the dealer must stand up to signify that they are done and only once all dealers in the room are standing does the announcer call for more cards to be dealt.
Hope those dealers have strong legs because they might be standing for a long time tonight!
We will keep you posted as soon as any news breaks.
674...
We're are down to hand by hand at this year's Main Event 2008... If it's tension that you're looking for, jump on the next plane to Vegas.
677 Players Left
10 more spots to the money. All 8 guys are still in and all are sitting on decent stacks except for bettysogray, who's getting short-stacked. This'll likely be the last update before the bubble bursts, so keep your fingers crossed that when we dash back out of the room after the bubble bursts that we have great news of all remaining Team PokerRoom players making the money.
---Grazy---'s Table Of Death
Although ---Grazy---'s stack of 280k is well above the average for the room (200k), he is actually well below the average for his table. ---Grazy--- is surrounded by some absolute monsters, including chip leader Jeremiah Smith who is sitting on almost 1 million.
Despite the tough situation, ---Grazy--- is certainly holding his own against the big stacks and looks at home on the big stage.
A WSOP Thought
I want to take a moment or two to explain quite how important this is. Players who are now sitting at the World Series Of Poker, are the simple same players who log on everyday on PokerRoom.com. The have fought and battled their way through qualifiers, freerolls and heartbreaking heads ups.
They been there and they’ve done that, and no matter their placing, no one can take way quite what they’ve archived. At the risk of sounding corny each one is winner.
Guys and Girls of Team PokerRoom.com listen up, those who are out, have a hell of time in Vegas.
Those still in, go deep like the Hoover Damn ;)
Bubble Approaching
We've got 695 players left at the Rio, but there could actually be less. Harrah's is taking forever to update the tournament clocks as far as the players remaining, and we've seen multiple players get knocked out without the total players left number budging.
All Team members are holding pretty steady to their stacks at the break, with drohse, Githead, UpChitCreek, and EroticDon all picking up chips so far in this level, which is half over.
Nice Boat, But Mine Is Bigger - droshe
Team PokerRoom.com's very own 'great dane' droshe has just pulled in a huge pot to move well above 300k.
With over 100k at stake, droshe turned over T9 with the board showing Jc TC 9C Th 4c to make a boat, T's over 9's. His opponent showed 99 and was shattered to lose a monster with 9's over T's.
UpChitCreek Wins a Big Pot
Our boy UpChitCreek just dodged a pretty big bullet and took down a nice pot to get up to about 125,000 chips. He shoved all-in from the button with no action in front of him but the BB woke up with AK and called. UpChitCreek covered him, but not by much, and things weren't looking good for Team PokerRoom when UpChitCreek turned over QJo.
The flop was all undercards but a lovely Q fell on the turn, followed by a lovelier Q on the river. His opponent was none too happy but it was day over for him and a nice boost to UpChitCreek's stack.
Everyone else is holding steady so far. 711 players are currently left.
Cards are in the Air After the Dinner Break
They're back at it after the dinner break, with blinds of 1,500/3,000 and antes of 400. There are currently 733 players left, with 666 making the money.
Most of the players at the dinner break said they'd be content to take it easy and fold a bit, hoping to ease into the money, so we'll see if that turns out to be the case. Think good thoughts for the remaining 8 players as they try to scratch and claw their way into the money here on Day 3.
Dinner Break of Day 3
We're at the dinner break and here are the stacks:
---Grazy---: 300,000
EroticDon: 235,000
drohse: 215,000
MickeMusxxx: 175,000
AREZ_ONE: 148,000
Githead: 145,600
bettysogray: 110,000
UpChitCreek: 82,000
Some of the bigger stacks are estimates and may be a bit off, but we wanted to get you an update before taking off for dinner to catch up with the players. 747 players are still remaining in the field. We're off for a 90 minute dinner break, with blinds of 1,500/3,000 and antes of 400 when players return to action.
Githead Doubles
Githead just took down a big pot and got a needed double-up shortly before the dinner break. Sitting on pocket kings, he got action from an opponent holding AK and the kings held to give Githead a huge double-up. He's now sitting on about 150,000 chips.
758 players are now left with 15 minutes remaining in the level, with an average stack of 180,000.
Githead grinding away at the tables
MickeMusxxx Going From Strength to Strength
After being getting down as low as 33k earlier in the day, MickeMusxxx has gone on a big run and now moved to over 230k.
With the flop showing J 6 4, MickeMusxxx called his aggressive opponents bluff and A6 was enough to take down a massive pot. MickeMusxxx seems to have a really good read on a lot of the players at his table and is in total control at the moment.
783 players remaining, 117 more busts until we reach the money.
The Calm Before the Money Bubble Storm
Not a lot to report as far as movement in chip counts for Team members left in action on Day 3. Githead chipped up some and is sitting on about 110,000, and drohse and MickeMusxxx have won a few pots as well.
With 801 players left and an average stack of 170,000, nearly all of the surviving Team members are in pretty good shape. We've got a little over an hour before the dinner break and it's looking like the money bubble will hit after dinner, as the pace of knockouts has slowed pretty dramatically.
droshe's Hidden Boat
drohse has just won a nice pot with a turned boat and has pushed his stack back up above 250k.
Looking at a 8k raise pre-flop, drohse re-raised to 28K only for his opponent to re-raise all-in with another 18k over the top. drohse called and turned over pocket T's against his opponents KAo.
The flop came Q T 5 giving drohse a set, but also giving his opponent a gut shot draw. The turn showed 5 and then the river showed J causing drohse to rise from his set in disgust, thinking his opponent sucked out a straight on the river.
Luckily, he soon realised that he had turned a boat, T's over 5's, and his dismay quickly turned to relief.
It's almost halfway through the 3rd level and we have 810 players still standing, another 144 until we hit the money. monzie1 is still the only Team PokerRoom.com player to have busted this level.
monzie1 Hits the End of the Trail
monzie1 had been patiently surviving his way through day after day here, flying under the radar at the tables without too many huge fluctuations to his stack, but he finally ran into a big hand and was eliminated.
With pre-flop action building a nice pot and a flop of 10 5 3, his opponent moved all-in and monzie1 made the call, tabling QQ. His opponent unfortunately was holding KK, though, and was way ahead. monzie1 couldn't spike a Q on the turn or river to stay alive and exited in about 846th place.
This was monzie1's third time to play the Main Event and the farthest he'd gone, and he seemed pretty upbeat about his performance and said he's planning on sticking around Vegas and enjoying himself.
monzie1 at the tables on Day 3
Archer52 of PokerRoom.com Keepin' It Real...
Cast you mind back, way back...back to the turn of the millennium and you may just recognize this PokerRoom.com logo that we found archer52 so proudly displaying:
2 Levels Down in Day 3
Two levels are in the books here at the 2008 WSOP and here are the chip stacks for Team PokerRoom:
---Grazy---: 350,000
EroticDon: 250,000
drohse: 200,000
UpChitCreek: 155,000
AREZ_ONE: 150,000
bettysogray: 120,000
MickeMusxxx: 115,000
monzie1: 98,000
Githead: 76,000
There are just 856 players left in the field, so we've got less than 200 players to go before the money. Average stack is 159,000, so the Team is in pretty good shape, although things may be tense for many of them when the bubble nears. Blinds will be 1,200/2,400 with 300 antes when they return.
The level started out well but things reversed themselves towards the end. EroticDon lost a big 100K pot at the very end of the level when his kings were run down by a rivered straight for his opponent. AREZ_ONE (who doubled up earlier with AA vs. QQ) said he lost a big pot as well to knock him back under the 200K mark.
It'll be very interesting to see if the bubble bursts before the dinner break, as the pace of knockouts is slowing (and will slow further when the bubble nears), so they may go on dinner break with the bubble intact, which could make for a tense meal for players on a short-stack. The first payout tier is $21,230, so there's quite a lot at stake for many of the players trying desperately to cash.
Getting To Know AREZ_ONE
Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson once created an online poker account and built his bankroll to over $10K without ever depositing. Not a bad effort, but if you want a real rags to riches story look no further than Swiss master AREZ_ONE.
After signing up to PokerRoom.com in 2006 AREZ_ONE built up his bankroll playing freerolls, qualified for the WSOP Main Event, and is now in a stong postion to cash on Day 3.
Having already graduated from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology with a Masters of Architecture, AREZ_ONE is currently working on his second master’s degree in the history and theory of architecture. He is also interested in sports, especially football, ice hockey and martial arts
I asked AREZ_ONE what has been his most satisfying poker win so far in his career and he said that it was definatly his first freeroll win. "It allowed me to get into real money games, but having said that winning the ticket to Vegas was a fantastic moment" he said.
If everything keeps going to plan here in Vegas, maybe there will be another memorable win on the cards for AZEZ_ONE. Let's hope anyway.
A kick in the Nuts
-NUTS6020- has gone to the rail at the WSOP 2008.
After some pre-flop action he pushed it all in the middle on K,Q, and was met by an opponents ace's, the board played out neglecting both hands. And that as they say, is that.
We found -NUTS6020- in the WSOP Kitchen after his bust and he said he was going to enjoy his first burger of the WSOP.
pokerfiah Bows Out To Aces
Sitting on just under 50k, pokerfiah made his move by pushing all in with pocket Q's. Unfortunately he ran into pocket A's and was unable to out-draw his opponent. pokerfiah said he would have naturally loved to have placed in the money, but he was still happy to have made it so far in the tournament.
It was certainly a lot of fun to follow pokerfiah through all the twists and turns of his 23 hours of poker, and I think it would be hard to come across a nicer guy.