Gambling
Related Essays and Reports by Andrew W Scott
World
Series of Poker Main Event... Report number 9
Las
Vegas, Nevada, USA
July
16th 2007
Day 6: Sunday 15 July
Of the 6,358 starters, only 36 remained at the start
of day 5.
Those 36 men are:
1
David Tran California 10,280,000
2 Philip Hilm Cambridge 9,950,000
3 Ray Henson Houston, TX 8,250,000
4 Hevad Khan Poughkeepsie, NY 7,585,000
5 Kevin Farry Pearl River, NY 7,400,000
6 Scott Freeman Oak Park, CA 7,360,000
7 Lee Childs Reston, VA 6,520,000
8 Jerry Yang Temecula, CA 5,090,000
9 Kenny Tran Arcadia, CA 4,955,000
10 William Spadea South Easton, MA 4,575,000
11 Tuan Lam Canada 3,600,000
12 Lee Watkinson Cheney, WA 3,500,000
13 Stefan Mattsson Stockholm, Sweden 3,260,000
14 Raymond Rahme Johannesburg, South Africa 3,100,000
15 Ron Kluber Seoul, South Korea 3,070,000
16 Bill Edler Las Vegas, NV 2,680,000
17 Jon Kalmar Chorleyville 2,665,000
18 John Armbrust Austin, TX 2,600,000
19 Peter Darvill Vancouver, BC 2,430,000
20 Hoa Nguyen Fairfax, VA 2,205,000
21 Bob Slezak Omaha, NE 2,115,000
22 Jason Welch Fort Collins, CO 2,115,000
23 Steven Garfinkle Bellingham, WA 2,115,000
24 Jeff Bryan Fort Calhoun, NE 2,100,000
25 Mikkel Madsen Copenhagen, Denmark 2,080,000
26 Christian Togsverd Copenhagen, Denmark 2,030,000
27 Daniel Alaei Las Vegas, NV 1,995,800
28 Scotty Nguyen Las Vegas, NV 1,960,000
29 Ryan Elson Canton, OH 1,785,000
30 Paulo Loureiro New York, NY 1,645,000
31 Alex Kravchenko Moscow, Russia 1,555,000
32 Jason Koshi Los Angeles, CA 1,175,000
33 Roy Winston Brooklyn, NY 1,071,000
34 Allan King San Diego, CA 1,000,000
35 Kevin Kim Los Angeles, CA 610,000
36 Robin Bergren Saskatoon, SK 520,000
Only
one former winner remained in the field, 1998 winner
Scotty Nguyen. This is the business end of the tournament.
Every player remaining will cash for at least $285,678,
but there is the chance to cash for a whole lot more
than that, right up to the $8.25 million first prize.
Play will go down to 9 players, no matter how long
it takes. This will prove to be a long, long time.
It is the most gruelling day of the tournament so
far. Play begins just after 12 noon, at the twenty-fifth
level, with blinds at 30,000/60,000 and an ante of
10,000. The average stack is 3.53 million.
We
lost two players in the first hand. Robin Bergen,
the shortest stack in the field, moved all-in under
the gun with 10-6 offsuit. Unfortunately he ran into
Alan King, another short stack with a pair of Queens
who called. Roy Winston, who only just had King covered,
also went all in with Ace-King, and King called. The
flop came A-10-4, the turn A and the river K. It was
all over for Bergen and King.
36th
Robin Bergen, Saskatchewan, Canada ($285,678)
35th Allan King, Tacoma, WA ($285,678)
Hoa
Nguyen raises to 160,000 on the button, and gets called
by Lee Childs in the big blind. The flop comes 3-2-2
with two hearts. Childs checks, Nguyen bets 225,000,
Childs raises to 500,000, and Nguyen stops. He quietly
thinks for about two minutes, then calls. The turn
comes 9 diamonds, Childs bets 450,000, and Nguyen
thinks for about a minute before finally calling.
There is 2.34 million in the pot. The river is 4 hearts.
Childs check, Nguyen moves all in for 1,085,000. Now
the pressure is on Childs - did Nguyen hit a flush?
Finally after two minutes, Childs calls. Nguyen shows
a pair of 5s for fives and deuces, Childs shows Ace-9
for nines and deuces and Nguyen is out.
34th
Hoa Nguyen, Fairfax, VA ($285,678)
On
the featured ESPN TV table, Christian Togsverd moves
all-in from the big blind with Ace-Jack, and gets
called by Tuan Lam, with a pair of Queens. Lam flops
top set and Togsverd is out. 33rd Christian Togsverd
Denmark ($285,678)
Paulo
Loureiro raised 200,000 and Kevin Kim moved all-in
for his last 700,000. Kim had Ace-King and Loureiro
Ace-9. Kim was unlucky to see a 9 on the flop, and
then no Ace or King on the turn or river. He was out.
32nd
Kevin Kim Los Angeles, CA ($285,678)
Play
slows to about six minutes per hand on the ESPN feature
table, excruciatingly slow. A big problem in this
tournament is the colour of the chips. The 5,000,
25,000 and 50,000 chips are all different shades of
orange. It is quite ridiculous. Peter Darvill raises
to 180,000 on the button. Bill Edler re-raises to
480,000, and Darvill calls. The flop comes small,
5-3-2 rainbow. Edler moves all in for 2,100,000. Darvill
thinks for several minutes, and then makes the call
with a pair of 7s. Edler merely had Jack-9 with no
flush potential, not even runner-runner. The turn
was Ace, but then the six-outer river hit, a nine.
Darvill feels sick, and is out.
31st
Peter Darvil Coquitlan, Canada ($285,678)
Kenny Tran raises from late position to 175,000, but
Jason Koshi moves all-in on the button for 945,000.
Tran insta-calls with a pair of Aces, having Koshi's
King-7 diamonds easily beat. The board is no help
and Koshi is gone.
30th
Jason Koshi Los Angeles, CA ($285,678)
Scott
Freeman raised from late position to 195,000, and
Ron Kluber calls in the small blind. Both players
checked the flop which was 8-A-J with two spades.
A non-spade 3 came on the turn, and Kluber pushed
all-in for 2.8 million. Freeman called and showed
Ace-9 to Kluber's Jack-9. The river was no help for
Kluber and he was busted.
29th
Ron Kluber Aurora, IL ($285,678)
At
2:33pm the twenty-sixth level begins, with 28 men
still alive. The blinds are 40,000/80,000 with an
ante of 10,000. The average stack is 4.54 million.
The chip leader is Lee Childs with 11.68 million.
Paulo Loureiro limps in from middle position, Hevad
"Rain" Khan calls from the small blind, William Spadea
raised to 230,000 from the big blind, Loureiro moves
all in for 1,750,000, Khan folds and Spadea calls.
Loureiro has the powerhouse pair of Kings, but ran
into Spadea's pair of Aces. No help from the board
and it's goodnight Mr Loureiro.
28th
Paulo Loureiro New York, NY ($285,678)
At
28, there are four tables of seven players. But now
that the players are down to 27, there is a redraw
for the final three tables, each with nine players.
The prize money now kicks up. The fans are all behind
Scotty Nguyen. At the TV table, Jeff Bryan limps in
one to the right of the button for 80,000, Phillip
Hilm raises from the button to 320,000. Bryan moves
all-in for 1,375,000 and Hilm calls him with Ace-King.
Bryan merely has Jack-10. The flop is Q-7-7, no help
to either player. The turn comes 10 and Bryan hits
the front. But the river comes J giving Hilm top straight
and Bryan is out.
27th
Jeffrey Bryan Ft. Calhoun, NE ($333,490)
Roy
Winston opens for a 380,000 raise, but Jerry Yang
moves all in for 4.1 million. Winston calls with pocket
Queens. Yang has Ace-King for the classic race. The
flop was A-10-3 all hearts. Neither player had a heart
in his hand. When the turn comes 8 of heights, Winston
has a chance for a chop is the river comes hearts
making the board all hearts. But it comes a blank
6 of spades and Winston is busted.
26th
Roy Winston Rancho Mirage, CA ($333,490)
Daniel
Alaci moves all-in with Ace-Queen, but is called by
Jon Kalmar's Ace-King. The board ran 9 high and Alaci
was gone.
25th
Daniel Alaci Las Vegas, NV ($333,490)
Ryan
Elson and Jon Kalmar check a flop of Q-8-J rainbow,
and when the Ace hit on the turn Kalmar check-called
a 200,000 bet from Elson. An 8 fell on the river,
Elson checked, and Kalmar bet 400,000. Elson moved
all-in but Kalmar called him. Elson had 8-9 for trips,
but Kalmar had King-10 for the top straight. Elson
was out.
24th
Ryan Elson Canton, OH ($333,490)
Bill
Edler moved all-in for his last 1.9 million in late
position with 9-10 and was called by Jerry Yang in
the small blind, with Ace-King of spades. No help
on the flop for either player, but the turn came an
Ace and Edler was history.
23th
Bill Edler Las Vegas, NV ($333,490)
At
5:04pm, play resumes at the twenty-seventh level with
blinds of 50,000/100,000 with a 10,000 ante. The average
stack is now 5.78 million. Stefan Mattson pushed all-in
from middle position and was called by Jerry Yang
in the big blind. Mattson had 7-9 of clubs and Yang
Ace-Jack of spades. Yang hit his spade flush on the
turn and Mattsson was gone. Yang's stack increased
to around 9 million.
22nd
Stefan Mattsson Sweden ($333,490)
Jason
Welch moved all-in from early position for 1.55 million
and was called by Steven Garfinkle. Welch's Ace-3
unsuited was well behind Garfinkle's pocket Jacks.
The board did nothing and Welch headed to the rail.
21st
Jason Welch Ft. Collins, CO ($333,490)
Mikkel
Madsen had Queen-10 hearts and moved all in for 1.07
million and was called by Raymond Rahme's pocket 9s.
The board was no help and Madsen was gone.
20th
Mikkel Madsen Denmark ($333,490)
Scott
Freeman raised 325,000 from the small blind, John
Armbrust raised to 1 million, and Freeman's response
was all-in for about 5 million. Armbrust called. It
was a race, Armbrust had Ace-King and Freeman pocket
10s. The flop was A-K-3 and Freeman was looking down
the barrel of a 2 outer. It didn't come and he was
gone.
19th
Scott Freeman Oak Park, CA ($333,490)
With
only 19 players there were two tables of six and one
of seven, but at 18 players there was a redraw to
two tables of 9. By this stage, the players had generally
all met each other on various tables in the past now,
and really got to know each other. The only two tables
are the ESPN feature TV table and the second feature
table, which is also equipped with hole card cameras.
John
Armbrust raises from the big blind to 700,000, and
Childs who had limped in re-raises to 1.7 million.
Armbrust quickly moves all in for 5.04 million. Childs
eventually calls, with Ace clubs-Queen spades. Armbrust
has Ace-King of spades, a monster favourite. The flop
comes J-7-2, but all clubs! The turn card is the 10
of clubs and it's a sick exit for Armbrust.
18th
John Armbrust Austin, TX ($381,302)
The
players take a dinner break of almost two hours, to
9pm. At 9:03pm, play resumes at the twenty-eighth
level with blinds of 60,000/120,000 with a 15,000
ante. The average stack is now 7.48 million. The Russian
Alex Kravchenko moves all-in on the button for 1.95
million. Kenny Tran called from the small blind with
Ace-Queen and Kevin Farry called from the big blind
with King-Queen of hearts. Kravchenko had pocket tens.
The board helped no-one and Kravchenko had Farry covered.
17th
Kevin Farry Manassas, VA ($381,302)
Kenny
Tran in the cutoff (with a dead button) raises to
350,000, Jon Kalmar in the small blind calls him.
The flop is 10-3-6 (2 clubs) and Kalmar checks. Tran
bets 500,000 and Kalmar calls. The turn is a 9, again
Kalmar checks, Tran bets 1.3 million and Kalmar calls.
The river is a 2 of clubs, making three clubs on the
board. Kalmar goes all-in. Tran thinks forever and
finally Kalmar calls the clock on him. With four seconds
to go, Tran calls. Kalmar shows Ace-8 of clubs for
the stone cold nuts. Tran
is gone, and Kalmar is the new chip leader with 17
million.
16th
Kenny Tran Arcadia, CA ($381,302)
Bob
Slezak moves all-in from early position for 2.125
million. Raymond Rahme calls him from late positon.
Rahme has pockets 7s, sickening Slezak who only has
pocket 4s. The board is no help and Slezak's long
tournament is over.
15th
Robert Slezak Omaha, NE ($429,114)
Tuan
Lam raises from the cutoff for 500,000, and David
Tran, who had limped in, moves all-in for 2.605 million.
With only 12 minutes remaining at the level, the other
players get up and start chatting to friends or checking
out the other table. Lam continues to study Tran,
who sits motionless with his sunglasses on. After
a long time, Lam calls, showing Ace-King. Tran has
pocket 6s, and the race is on. The flop comes with
a 6. The turn and river don't help Tran, and he busts
out.
14th
David Tran Elmonte, CA ($429,114)
William
Spadea raises to 400,000 in middle position, and is
met with John Kalmar's 1.2 million raise in the big
blind. Spadea moves all-in, Kalmar calls and has Spadea
covered. Spadea has Ace-King, but was sick to see
Kalmar's pocket Aces. The flop was A-8-8 and Spadea
was dead.
13th
William Spadea South Easton, MA ($429,114)
At
11:22pm, play resumes at the twenty-ninth level with
blinds of 80,000/160,000 with a 20,000 ante. The average
stack is now 10.595 million. Ray Henson limps from
the small blind for 160,000, Scotty Nguyen raises
from the big blind for 500,000. Henson re-raises to
1,175,000 and Nguyen calls. The flop comes K-6-6.
Henson checks, Nguyen bets 700,000, but Henson moves
all-in! Nguyen quickly calls, showing King-Queen.
Henson shows a pair of 9s. The turn and river don't
help, and the chips are counted down as Nguyen's and
Henson's stacks are very close. Nguyen has Henson
covered by just 145,000 and Henson is out. Nguyen
is up to about 15.5 million.
12th
Ray Henson Houston, TX ($476,926)
Philip
Hilm raises under the gun for 480,000, and Scotty
Nguyen calls from the big blind. The flop comes Kc-7c-3s,
Nguyen moves all-in and Hilm quickly calls. Nguyen
shows 10-9 of spades for the flush draw, and Hilm
has K-Q. The turn is 2h, the river Qs and the last
remaining former World Champion in the tournament
is busted. The crowd is distraught.
11th
Scotty Nguyen Las Vegas, NV ($476,926)
The
final ten players now redraw to move on to one table,
but it is not known as the final table. One last player
needs to be eliminated to get the field down to nine
players, for the official final table which will play
on Tuesday. Scotty Nguyen takes the microphone and
thanks all the fans in the crowd. The ten final men
sit down, all ten now at the ESPN TV feature table.
At 2:15am, play resumes at the twenty-ninth level
with blinds of 100,000/200,000 with a 30,000 ante.
The average stack is now 12.716 million. Play grinds
on for two hours, no-one wanting to be the final table
bubble boy. Finally, Steve Garfinkle moves all-in
from middle position for 3.515 million. Raymond Rahme
calls from the small blind. Garfinkle shows Ace-3,
but Rahme has pocket Queens. Garfinkle needs an Ace.
The flop comes K-Q-J given Rahme a set, but actually
giving Garfinkle an extra out as he now needs a ten
for the top straight. The turn is 6, the river 2,
and Garfinkle is out.
10th
Steven Garfinkle Bellingham, WA ($476,926)
Finally,
at 4:20am, we have our final table:
Philip
Hilm Cambridge, England 22,070,000
Tuan Lam Mississauga, Ontario Canada 21,315,000
Jon Kalmar Chorleyville, Lancashire, England 20,320,000
Raymond Rahme Johannesburg, South Africa 16,320,000
Lee Childs Reston, VA 13,240,000
Lee Watkinson Cheney, WA 9,925,000
Hevad Khan Poughkeepsie, NY 9,205,000
Jerry Yang Temecula, CA 8,459,000
Alex Kravchenko Moscow, Russia 6,570,000
They
are fighting for this prize money:
Winner
$8,250,000
Runner-up $4,840,981
3rd $3,048,025
4th $1,852,721
5th $1,255,069
6th $956,243
7th $705,229
8th $585,699
9th $525,934
The
final days play begins at 12 noon (Las Vegas time)
on Tuesday 17 July 2007. You can follow my updates
here
©
2007 Andrew W Scott
andrew@andrewscott.com
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