Welcome to Day 2 coverage of Event #48: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship.
A total of 125 entries took part in the action on Day 1 and, after 10 one-hour levels, 48 players still remain in the hunt to capture the first-place prize of $320,193 and a World Series of Poker gold bracelet.
On top of the chip counts entering Day 2 is three-time bracelet winner Benny Glaser with 325,500. Rounding out the top five are Mack Lee (292,500), Todd Brunson (271,000), Randy Ohel (248,500), and Richard Chiovari (246,500). Others still in the field include WSOP Player of the Year points leader James Obst (137,500), second in the POY race Mike Leah (171,000), sixth in the POY race and six-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu (97,500), and 14-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth (70,000).
Cards will be in the air at 2 p.m. and the plan for the day is to play five double levels, which is likely to the get the field just into the money (19 places pay) and down to two tables.
Anthony Zinno was the bring-in, Jameson Painter called, David Bach completed, Matt Grapenthien made it two bets, Belianin made it three bets, and Zinno made it four bets. Painter folded, Bach capped it at five bets, Grapenthien folded, Belianin called, and Zinno called.
Still with us? Good.
Belianin had the on-board lead on fourth street and bet his remaining 4,000. Zinno raised and Bach called all in for his remaining few thousand.
Zinno: /
Bach: /
Belianin: /
Zinno led with rolled up threes while his two opponents were drawing thin. Here was the rest of the runout:
Zinno: / /
Bach: / /
Belianin: / /
Bach caught trip kings on fifth street to overtake Zinno in the hand, but Belianin had taken the lead with jacks full of queens. Bach, however, caught running sevens to make kings full of sevens to basically triple up. Belianin's lower full house was defeated and he was eliminated while Zinno's rolled up threes finished third-best. He was down to 37,000 and busted shortly thereafter.
We caught up to Benny Glaser and Mike Leah involved in a hand already on seventh street. Glaser bet and Leah called quicky.
"Straight," Glaser said. "Seven low."
Glaser showed . Leah showed for three pairs, but it was no good. That would give Glaser the pot and allow him to chip up. Leah was left with 9,500 and was eliminated just one hand later.
Dario Sammartino completed and Mack Lee called, having already brought in.
Lee picked up the betting lead and led out and Sammartino called. Sammartino continued to call bets on fifth and sixth street.
On seventh, Lee checked his cards.
"I forgot what I have," Lee said. "It's been a long time."
Eventually, he decided to bet. Sammartino frustratedly picked up his three down cards and shuffled them around in his hands. He thought for about a minute before finally calling.
Lee showed for a pair of fives and an eight low, and that was good enough to take down the pot. Sammartino was cut down to just 10,000.
"That's a real cooler buddy," Phil Hellmuth said to Jameson Painter after the last hand.
In this hand, Painter completed. He was called by Richard Chiovari, as well as Mack Lee from the bring-in.
On fourth street, Chiovari checked. Painter bet, and Chiovari and Lee both called. Chiovari check-called again on fifth, while Lee folded to the bet from Painter. Chiovari check-called again on sixth. On seventh, Chiovari checked once more to Painter. Painter bet again, but this time Chiovari released.
"He only plays for scoops!" Scott Abrams said from the rail.
"Can you cool it, buddy?" Phil Hellmuth said, still frustrated from the last hand. "I mean, I don't mind it if we were on the final table, but can you just tone it down a little?"
"I mean, I'm only doing it when he scoops, but he scoops every hand!" Abrams said.
Richard Chiovari was the bring-in, Viacheslav Zhukov completed all in for 7,000, Abe Mosseri raised, David Bach reraised, Chiovari folded, and Mosseri called.
Mosseri bet on fourth and fifth streets, Bach called each time, both players checked sixth street, and Bach check-called a bet on seventh street.
Mosseri tabled for aces up, Bach showed for eights up and mucked, Zhukov showed , and Mosseri took the pot. Zhukov was eliminated on the hand, while Bach was left with about 25,000 and busted shortly thereafter.
Meanwhile, Shirley Rosario busted just before that hand.at another table.
Stephen Chidwick was already all in by fourth street. Randy Ohel and Daniel Negreanu had heads-up action on the side heading to fifth. On fifth, Ohel checked, and so did Negreanu. On sixth, Ohel bet, and Negreanu paused before calling. Ohel bet again on seventh, and Negreanu sighed and called.
Ohel showed for a flush an eight-six low. Negreanu frustratedly tossed his cards into the muck. Chidwick showed , but it was no good, and he was eliminated from the tournament.
After the hand, Negreanu stood up and began recording a video about how in an earlier H.O.R.S.E. event in which he had also been short on the bubble and was anted all in.
Players are now on the stone bubble, and the next player eliminated will be the last to leave the tournament without a payday.
Richard Chiovari was the bring-in, Jameson Painter completed, Chiovari raised, Painter reraised, and Chiovari called all in.
This is how their boards ran out through sixth street:
Painter: / /
Chiovari : / /
Painter had the low locked up, but the on seventh street left him just ace-high for the high. Chiovari needed to make a pair, but the was no help, and he was eliminated on the money bubble.
On third street, Randy Ohel completed. Daniel Negreanu raised, and Ohel called.
"I bet you don't like that king-three," Negreanu said on fourth street. "I'm gonna bet it."
He bet, and Ohel called.
"I bet you like it now," Negreanu said about Ohel's fifth street card. Ohel bet with the lead, and Negreanu called. Ohel bet again on sixth, and Negreanu called. On seventh, Ohel checked to Negreanu. Negreanu bet, and after a second, Ohel called.
"I have a full house," Negreanu said, showing .
"Okay," Ohel said.
"Good job, Randy," Todd Brunson, who was also at the table, said sarcastically.
"Way to go, Daniel!" someone on the rail cheered. "Cash 100!"
They were, of course, referring to the fact that this marks Negreanu's 100th World Series of Poker cash. Negreanu is still alive, though, and will look to turn his 100th WSOP cash into his seventh bracelet.