2008 WSOP Event 2A and B No-Limit Hold'em

Event #2 -- No-Limit Hold'em Day 1A

Well if you are ready for new records, this one did it! There were 2048 players who each paid $1,500 to get into this one. Once the other portion of the field on entrants comes in on Day 1B we can give you total stats. To let you know what is happening from a record standpoint, here is what the WSOP said in a press release:

Las Vegas, NV (May 31, 2008) � Just two days into the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Presented by Milwaukee�s Best Light a new record has been set � the most ever players entered into any tournament � outside of a WSOP Main Event.

Event #2, the $1,500 No-Limit Hold�em tournament thus far has attracted more than 3,500 poker enthusiasts for the two-day starting tournament. Today, a capacity crowd of 2,048 participants flooded the Amazon Room at the Rio to try and turn their $1,500 entry fee into an estimated $750,000 first place prize.

�This is a great start,� said WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. �The sound of chips chirping throughout the Rio is a welcome return for all of us who love poker.�

An additional 1,550 entrants are pre-registered for the second day of Event #2 which starts tomorrow. For those players seeking to be a part of history � there is still room for approximately 500 more entrants to register for this event � but procrastinators must act fast, because seats are filling up rapidly.

The tournament closes officially when 2,050 slots are filled for Sunday. The final entrant number and prize pool statistics will be official and made available around 3:00 PM Sunday � but the possibility this event will reach 4,000 entrants remains strong.

1. David Robertson -- 109,100
2. Ryan D'Angelo -- 105,800
3. Frank Siwopoli -- 103,900
4. Shane Schleser -- 89,000
5. Henry Tran -- 80,300
6. John Carlson -- 80,200
7. Grant Hinkle -- 77,800
8. Scott Montegomery -- 76,800
9. Cameron Main -- 65,500

Event #2 -- No-Limit Hold'em Day 1B

The second half of the field came to the tables 1881 strong for an Event #2 total of 3,929 players! This has set a new World Series of Poker record for the largest number of players outside of a Main Event tournament. We don't have the official figures for the prize pool but there will be 378 who will see money. Last year�s champion, Ciaran O�Leary entered to defend his crown but unfortunately, busted out of the event without cashing. Jeremy Roenick of the San Jose Sharks (NHL) and Earl Barron of the Miami Heat (NBA) were also seen at the tables. Here is the payout list for the final table:

1. $831,279.00
2. $520,219.00
3. $388,287.00
4. $327,148.00
5. $268,154.00
6. $211,842.00
7. $158,211.00
8. $117,988.00
9. $83,128.00

1. David Bach -- 115,400
2. Allan Puzantyan -- 111,400
3. Pat White -- 92,300
4. Nadim Shabou -- 75,500
5. Chris Savage -- 74,000
6. Mark Vos -- 71,600
7. Maen Shaddu -- 63,400
8. Motoyuki Mabuchi -- 62,800
9. Sean Ferrer -- 62,600

Event #2 -- No-Limit Hold'em Day 2

Well the official size of the prize pool reached $5,363,085.00 and eliminations ran amok yesterday. Day 2 started out with 449 players, (225 from Day 1A and 224 from Day 1B), and was VERY long for those who participated. They tried to get down to the final table 9, but the finish was stopped at 6:00 am on June 3, the day of the final table, with 18 still remaining from the 15 hour plus marathon.

Action began with blinds at 500-1,000 and 100 ante. When it came close to the bubble, it was hand for hand play for 1 hour until it broke. Normally when the bubble bursts, players go out like lemmings off the edge of a cliff and head straight for the cashiers cage for payouts. But too many had their eye on the high six figure payout for first place, so things lasted longer than they should have. Chris Ferguson is 14th with 444,000 chips, Frank Sinopoli is 18th with 165,000, Joe Rutledge is 12th having 486,000 and Brandon Blake 11th with 514,000 as part of the group that will get less than 7 hours of sleep before dragging their bodies back to the table to begin play for the gold bracelet at 1:30 p.m. Here are the top 9 with chip counts:

1. Aaron Coulthard -- 1,327,000
2. Theo Tran -- 1,199,000
3. James Akenhead -- 1,039,000
4. Matthew Kearney -- 1,024,000
5. David Bach -- 786,000
6. Eric Hicks -- 703,000
7. Melvin Jones -- 660,000
8. Perry Friedman -- 653,000
9. Minh Nguyen Lake -- 600,000

Event #2 -- No-Limit Hold'em Final Table

This was a grueling final table which began at 1:30 p.m. on June 3. No one can say anything bad about these players as it was hell to get here. First bust was Joe Rutledge in 9th place by Chris Ferguson when Joe went all-in with pocket 6's and was called by Chris with A 9. The flop gave Chris another A resulting in Joe going to collect his hard fought money by the river. David Bach claimed 8th after his all-in with 7 6 of diamonds lost to Theo Tran with J 9 of diamonds when Theo paired his 9 card. Melvin Jones was rewarded with over 150K for 7th after losing to the pocket A's of Theo Tran. Chip leader Aaron Coulthard went out in 6th after his K J was overcome by the A K suited of James Akenhead after all the cards on the table helped neither player.

Mike Ngo claimed 5th after losing to Grant Hinkle when his A K lost to A J after Grant paired his Jack on the river. Grant was also responsible for sending Theo Tran home in 4th with a full house (A's/4's). Chris Ferguson ended up in 3rd after an all-in move with K 10 suited failed against James Akenhead's A 10 when James paired his Ace card on the flop. Chris has been crippled in the previous hand by Akenhead who held pocket A's against his straight, flush and straight flush draw. Now it was time for the heads up match between Grant Hinkle (7,595,000 chips) and James Akenhead (4,235,000 chips).

The winning hand brought an astounding end to a marathon tournament. Holding a 2 to 1 chip lead, Hinkle was dealt 10-4 of diamonds. He tried to push his opponent out of the pot with an all-in pre-flop re-raise. At first glance, it was a case of very bad timing by the chip leader. Akenhead called and showed A-K. The flop brought cheers and screams, depending on one�s allegiance. When 10-10-4 flopped, Hinkle�s cheering section went bonkers. Another ten on the turn gave Hinkle the biggest pot of the night and his first-ever WSOP gold bracelet. It was a fitting reward for ending the 16 hour final table. Clocking in at a total duration of 53.5 hours, this was the fourth-longest tournament in WSOP history.

1. Grant Hinkle -- $831,279.00
2. James Akenhead -- $520,219.00
3. Chris Ferguson -- $388,287.00
4. Theo Tran -- $327,148.00
5. Mike Ngo -- $268,154.00
6. Aaron Coulthard -- $211,842.00
7. Melvin Jones -- $158,211.00
8. David Bach -- $117,988.00
9. Joe Rutledge -- $83,128.00