Event #32: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship Jour 1 | 2019 World Series of Poker

2019-06-13 13:49 UTC-7

Neuville Doubles Up, Still Under Starting Stack

Niveau 4 : 100/300, 300 ante

The first levels' play had left Pierre Neuville with around 7,500 chips when he scored a double through from his table chip leader Michael Mischkot. Neuville called Mischkot's preflop raise to 1,200 from the big blind, then led out for 1,000 on the flop. Mischkot made the call, then bet 4,000 on the turn when it was checked to him. This bet made it impossible to fold to Neuville's shove for 4,700 total, and the hole cards went face-up:

Neuville:
Mischkot:

The river brought the and a double for Neuville, a prolific live tournament player and second on Belgium's all-time money list having racked up over $4.6 million in winnings to date.

Joueur	Jetons	Progression
Michael Mischkot	65,000 65,000	65,000
Pierre Neuville	15,000 -5,000	-5,000

Tags: Michael Mischkot Pierre Neuville

Niveau: 4

Blinds: 100/300

Ante: 300

2019-06-13 13:40 UTC-7

Savage Above the Starting Stack

Niveau 3 : 100/200, 200 ante

Matt Savage mixed it up with a player three seats to his left in consecutive hands, and was on the losing end in both. The WPT Tour Director is still over the 25,000-chip mark as Level 4 begins, however.

In the first hand, Savage and his opponent arrived on a flop of , and Savage, on the button, called a bet of 2,200. The turn came and the action checked through. The opponent fired a bet of 3,500 on the river , and Savage folded.

On the next hand, Savage called a three-bet preflop from the same opponent, who was now sitting on the big blind, with Savage in the cutoff. The action checked through to the river on a , and on the final street the opponent put out a small bet and got the fold.

Joueur	Jetons	Progression
Matt Savage	25,100 25,100	25,100

Tags: Matt Savage

2019-06-13 13:28 UTC-7

Nuts for Iannuzzi

Niveau 3 : 100/200, 200 ante

Three-way to a flop, Vinnie Iannuzzi, Ali Zihni and Thad McNulty all checked. On the turn, Iannuzzi and Zihni checked in turn, and McNulty bet 2,500, called by Iannuzzi alone. The river was a third eight, the . Iannuzzi checked and disappointingly (for him) received a check back.

Iannuzzi: for quads. "I thought you were going to fire at that!" he said, raking in the pot.

His opponent, whom his tablemates say has "hit the deck hard" (he did not confirm or deny this) has two and a half times the starting stack already in Level 3, but apparently can't beat four of a kind.

Also on this unevenly-stacked table is Ali Zihni, who's just become eligible to play in this event. Of his WSOP so far, he says, "I've been having a disaster. But there's still time!"

Joueur	Jetons	Progression
Thad McNulty	49,000
Vinnie Iannuzzi	22,300
Ali Zihni	16,000

Tags: Thad McNulty Vinnie Iannuzzi Ali Zihni

2019-06-13 13:16 UTC-7

O'Dea at Work in the Pavillion Room

Niveau 3 : 100/200, 200 ante

Donnacha O'Dea is playing in today's event, having cashed in the Seniors and/or Super Seniors event for the past three years, and in WSOP tournaments since 1983. The Irish all-rounder has made money in World Series events ranging from Limit and No Limit Hold'em to Pot Limit Omaha, also finishing 5th in the $2,500 8 Game Event in 2012. His closest run on a bracelet came in 1983 in the same Limit Hold'em event won by Tom McEvoy (also in today's field).

O'Dea was the first player inducted to the European Poker Players Hall of Fame and is one of the most widely-respected and popular players on the circuit, active on both sides of the pond.

Joueur	Jetons	Progression
Donnacha O'Dea	18,000

Tags: Donnacha O'Dea Tom McEvoy

2019-06-13 13:16 UTC-7

Phillips Still Going Strong

Niveau 3 : 100/200, 200 ante

Dennis Phillips has been spotted among the masses in the Pavilion Room, and he's up to 27,000 chips in the early stages of this event. Phillips is best known for his runner-up finish to Peter Eastgate in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, and his deep run to a 45th-place finish in the Main Event the following year.

The man with the trademark St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap has also had incredible success as a WSOP senior, finishing second in the 2012 $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Championship for $372,895, and fifth in the 2014 edition of the event for $153,883.

Phillips scored a $4,517,773 payday as the 2008 Main Event runner-up, but he has more than $6 million in career earnings. A good portion of those non-Main Event winnings have come in the seniors events, and perhaps he'll add to that total with a deep run in 2019.

Joueur	Jetons	Progression
Dennis Phillips	27,000 27,000	27,000

Tags: Dennis Phillips

2019-06-13 12:51 UTC-7

Busting Is Not the End

Niveau 3 : 100/200, 200 ante

The occasional call of "seat open" reveals a gap where the busted player used to sit. However, the addition of a single re-entry into the Seniors Event means that an unlucky first level or two need not mean that hopes of a WSOP bracelet are dashed. The re-entry format also all but guarantees that last year's total number of entrants (5,918) will be easily surpassed.

Joueur	Jetons	Progression
Jeff Sloan	Eliminé
Wiliam Howe	Eliminé

2019-06-13 12:40 UTC-7

O'Kearney Makes a Flush Against Bull

Niveau 3 : 100/200, 200 ante

Just before the break, Irish online satellite wiz and Chip Race podcast maestro Dara O'Kearney bumped his stack up to 28,000 in a hand that started three-way and ended with Robert Bull running two pair into a flush. Action started slowly, with a check-round on the flop.

On the turn, Kevin Smith check-folded to O'Kearney's 1,000 bet (small blind and big blind respectively), while Bull made the call. The river brought the and another lead from O'Kearney, this time for 3,000. Bull called, announcing, "Two pair," again, but O'Kearney's flush won the hand.

O'Kearney, bedecked in an elaborately floral shirt, has only recently qualified age-wise for the Seniors event and is already stacking chips in the aptly-named Silver Section of the Brasilia room.

Joueur	Jetons	Progression
Dara O'Kearney	28,000 28,000	28,000

Tags: Dara O'Kearney

Niveau: 3

Blinds: 100/200

Ante: 200

2019-06-13 12:34 UTC-7

A True Spectacle

Niveau 2 : 100/200, 0 ante

Players are back from the 30-minute break, and navigating the halls of the Rio was quite the challenge during the intermission, with now more than 4,800 entrants in the $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em event.