Event #20 was the $1,500 PL Omaha Event. A field of 885 players turned out for an event which had a final table headlined by Nenad Medic and John “Tex” Barch. Medic would falter and finish in 4th place. Barch played heads-up for the bracelet with Klinghammer Thibaut. The final hand saw Thibaut all-in on the turn with two pair. However, Barch held a better two pair and took the hand and the bracelet. Tex Barch won his first WSOP bracelet and $259,919
Event #21 was the $1,500 Stud Event. Sorel Mizzi entered the final table as chip leader, but fell in 6th place. Christine Pietsch was the third woman this year to make a WSOP final table and played heads-up for the bracelet against Richard Ashby. While she held the chip lead going into heads-up play, she was unable to hold onto it and Ashby went on a late rush to take out Pietsch and take home his first bracelet and $140,467.
Event #22 was the $1,000 Ladies World Championship. This event was riddled with controversy as several men entered the event and one of those men even finished in the money. The final table saw Sidsel Boesen start as chip leader. She would make heads-up play against Vanessa Hellebuyck, but Hellebuyck held a 4 to 1 chip lead going into heads-up play. Hellebuyck would take the event and $192,132 top prize.
Event #23 was the $2,500 Six-Handed Limit Holdem Event. The final table was headlined by both Dutch Boyd and Al Barbieri. Boyd would play for the bracelet against Brian Meinders and was trailing heading into heads-up play. Boyd made a comeback and ground Meinders down and eventually out of the event to take home his 2nd career WSOP bracelet.
Event #24 was another $1,000 NL event. Poker writer J.D. McNamara was the chip leader going into final table action and ultimately battled Jeffrey Tebben heads-up for the bracelet. Tebben held more than a 2 to 1 chip lead and ultimately knocked McNamara out to take his first bracelet.
The $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo World Championship was Event #25 of the WSOP. Sammy Farha, James Dempsey, Eugene Katchalov all highlighted the final table of this event. Heads-up play was between Dempsey and Farha. The two battled all night for the bracelet and as many were heading to breakfast, Farha was taking home his 3rd career WSOP bracelet.
Event #26 was the $2,500 Six-Handed NL Holdem bracelet event. William Haydon started the final as the short stack, but wound up playing for the bracelet against Jeffrey Papola. He held a 7.39 Million to 1.91 Million chip lead at the start of heads-up play and it didn’t take long before Papola was all-in and all out of the event. William Haydon went from worst to first to take his first bracelet.
Event #27 saw history made. David Warga won a bracelet in 2002 in the $500 Employee’s Event. Never in the history of the WSOP has a player won the Employee’s Event and then turned around and won an open event. That changed when Warga took down the $1,500 Stud Hi-Lo Event at a final table that included Karina Jett and David Levi. Warga took the bracelet and $208,682.
Event #28 was another run of the mill $2,500 PL Omaha Event. 596 players turned out for the event and T.J. Cloutier made a deep run in this event. However, by the final table, none of the big names in the field were left and Patrick Hanoteau led Miguel Proulx by just 1,000 chips. Proulx would make heads-up play with L.J. Klein and was behind by almost a Million at the start of heads-up play. He made a strong charge and overtook the chip lead and eventually Klein to take the bracelet and $315,311.
Matt Keikoan scored his 2nd career bracelet in Event #29, the $10,000 Limit Holdem Championship. Michael Mizrachi made his third final table of the WSOP in this event. Brock Parker, David Chiu, and Jameson Painter were also at this table. Heads-up play saw Daniel Idema take a more than 2 to 1 chip lead into heads-up play. However, heads-up play dragged on until the blinds were so big that just a couple of pots would decide the event. Those pots went Keikoan’s way, and he took down the bracelet and $425,969.
Event #30 was another $1,500 NL bracelet. Christopher Gonzales took a chip lead of over 1 Million into the final table and made it heads-up with Mike Ellis. Gonzales lead 7.85 Million to just 2.875 Million to start heads-up but Gonzales battled back and in a huge two pair over two pair hand, Ellis took a commanding chip lead. The final hand saw Gonzales get aces cracked after Ellis turned the nut flush and Mike Ellis takes down his first bracelet and $581,851.
The $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. Event saw Robert Mizrachi and Al Barbieri both make their 2nd final table of the 2010 WSOP. Mizrachi would bust in 8th place, but Barbieri would battle Konstatin Puchkov for the bracelet. Heads-up play went on for a couple of hours and Puchkov went on a run late to grind down Barbieri. Eventually, Barbieri was all-in against Puchkov and had to not only hit, but also hope Puchkov didn’t fill up. Puchkov filled up on sixth street and Barbieri was out. Konstatin Puckov took home his first bracelet and $256,820.
Event #32 saw another epic heads-up battle in the $5,000 NL Holdem Six-Handed Event. Erick Lindgren, Men Nguyen, and Jeffrey Papola were all at the final table. Papola and Nguyen made it heads-up and the battle between the two lasted several hours. Papola finished 2nd in the $2,500 Six-Handed and looked to improve his finish. Men Nguyen won the $10k Stud and was looking for his 8th bracelet. Men Nguyen made a bad bluff late leaving him somewhat short and he then ran K-10 into pocket jacks. Nguyen couldn’t catch and Papola won the bracelet and $667,433.
Victor Ramdin, Rob Hollink, and David Chiu all headlined the Event #33, $2,500 Pot-Limit Holdem/Omaha, final table. Heads-up play was between Jose-Luis Velador and David Chiu. Velador held a monster chip lead going into heads-up play and it did not take long before Chiu was in. He moved in on a six-high flop with A-10 and Velador called with 7-6. The board missed Chiu and Velador took the bracelet and $260,517.
The Seniors World Championship, Event #34, drew the largest single day crowd in the history of live poker at 3,142 players. John Woo started the final table as chip leader but finished 3rd. Harold Angle and Michael Minetti battle for the bracelet and when all was said and done, Angle walked away with the bracelet and $487,994.
Event #35 was the $10,000 Heads-Up NL Holdem Championship. The field was capped at 256 players and by the time the elite 8 round was reached, Vanessa Rousso, Faraz Jaka, and Alexander Kostritsyn were still in the event. Unfortunately, none made the final match as Ayaz Mahmood battled Ernst Schmejkal. In a final that took a total of 12 hours over two days of play, Mahmood emerged as victor, sweeping the match 2-0 and won his first bracelet and $625,682.
Event #36 was just another $1,000 NL Holdem Event on paper, but by the time we reached the final table, all eyes were on Scott Montgomery. Montgomery made the final table of the 2008 WSOP Main Event and was still looking for his 2nd bracelet. While he entered the final table the 2nd short stack, he came charging back to take more than a 2 to 1 chip lead into heads-up play with Mick Carlson. Carlson never made a serious challenge to Montgomery and the former “November Nine” member walked away with the bracelet and $481,760 in prize money.
Event #37 was the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E Event. While the field making the final table was strong, all eyes were on Phil Ivey. Ivey made the final table of this event along with Bill Chen, John Juanda, Jeff Lisandro, Chad Brown, and Dave Baker. Chen and Ivey would battle heads-up for the bracelet, and while Ivey started with a 3 to 1 deficit in chips, he managed to pull off a strong comeback and defeat Bill Chen for his 8th career WSOP bracelet. In addition to his 8th bracelet, Ivey took $329,840 in prize money.
The $10,000 Pot-Limit Holdem World Championship only boasted one big name in Blair Rodman. Valdemar Kwaysser and Matt Marafioti battled heads-up for the title and $617,214. Kwaysser held 7.385 Million chips at the start of heads-up play to just the 655,000 of Marafioti. Marafioti tried to make a comeback, but his comeback fell short and Valdemar Kwaysser took home his first bracelet.
The $1,500 NL Shootout, Event #39, was supposed to be three rounds of single table sit-n-go’s. However, the field of 1,397 players forced the final round to be a 14 player sit-n-go. Annette Obrestad and J.C. Tran were both in the third round, but both fell short of the final table. Jeffrey King and Steven Kelly battled for the bracelet with Kelly starting with a more than 3 to 1 chip lead. King could never catch back up and finished in 2nd place. Kelly took home the bracelet and $381,922.
The $2,500 Razz Event saw a strong final table that included Frank Kassela, Jennifer Harman, Chris Bjorin, and Vladimir Schmelev. This was Harman’s 2nd final of this WSOP and Shchmelev’s fourth. It was Kassela that would battle Maxwell Troy heads-up. Kassela was going for his 2nd bracelet of this WSOP. He started heads-up slightly trailing but put on a charge to take out Troy and Kassela became the first multi-bracelet winner of the 2010 WSOP.
Phil Hellmuth made his first final table of this WSOP in Event #41, the $1,500 PL Omaha Hi-Lo Event. Mandy Thomas was also the fifth woman to make a final table in an open event this year. Hellmuth would ultimately fall in 7th, leaving John Gottlieb and Steve Jelinek to battle for the bracelet. Eventually, Jelinek conquered Gottlieb and won his first WSOP bracelet and $245,871 in prize money.
Event #42 was another $1,500 NL bracelet event. 2,521 players turned out to make a top prize of $604,222. Dean Hamrick started the final table as chip leader and battled heads-up with the #2 position in chips at the final table start, Thomas O’Neal. Stacks were relatively even at the start of heads-up and Hamrick eventually knocked O’Neal down to about 3.1 Million. O’Neal then tried to shove with A-9 but Hamrick woke up with A-Q. The queen held and Dean Hamrick won his first bracelet.
The $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship drew 241 players and the final table was moderately strong with Marco Traniello, Nick Schulman, Carlos Mortensen, Matt Glantz, Eugene Katchalov, and Richard Ashby all making the final. Ashby won the $1,500 Stud Event earlier in this WSOP and got a chance to play for his 2nd bracelet against Ian Gordon heads-up. Heads-up play took one hand as Ashby was drawing in Holdem with A-J of diamonds against the pocket nines of Gordon. Ashby failed to hit and Ian Gordon took the H.O.R.S.E. World Championship bracelet and $611,666 in prize money.
Event #44 was the only Mixed Holdem Event of this WSOP. The final table was headlined by three-time WSOP Circuit ring holder Dwyte Pilgrim and Gavin Smith. Smith started 2nd in chips at the final table to Jared Soloman, but heads-up play started between Smith and Danny Hannawa. Smith held a 2.1 to 1.7 Million chip lead at the start of heads-up play. Hannawa tried his best to overtake Smith, but never got there. Smith crippled Hannawa and Hannawa was forced to move in with 10-8. Smith woke up with A-Q and quickly caught an ace on the flop. Smith’s aces would hold and Gavin Smith finally won his first WSOP bracelet and $268,238 in prize money.
John Juanda is the current leader in the WSOP Player of the Year race with 225 points. Frank Kassela is 2nd with 220 points and Vladimir Schmelev is next with 210 points.
There are still nine events that have not yet started yet, so there is still plenty of time left for those wanting to try and make a run.
We are now in the home stretch of the 2010 WSOP. The Main Event is just 8 days away and anticipation is running high. Stay tuned as we bring you more coverage from the 2010 World Series of Poker.
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