Champ Phil Galfond (ImageMasters)

The Heads-Up spectacular is in the books

After over one hundred hands of heads-up play, Phil 'OMGClayAiken' Galfond finally was able to beat the seemingly invincible Adam Hourani. Hourani was all-in more than ten times during the course of the final table, but was unable to hold off the continued offensive attack of Galfond, finally losing when his A K J 10 was bested by the A 7 6 5 . When the flop showed the A Q 8  and both players were all-in and hole cards exposed, WSOP tournament staff made the comment that "Phil is in bad shape here." The turn brought renewed life to Galfond, who had to have believed that Hourani would double once again, as the 6  spiked giving Galfond two pair and the lead. The meaningless 2  fell on the river and Adam Hourani is busted from Event 28 as our second place finished. He will take home $493,748 for his time.

Champ Phil Galfond will be $817,781 richer and perhaps more importantly has gained a bracelet to go along with his online fame.

Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth

Much like the title post to this entry the action and chips have been going back and forth for the better part of the last hour. Hourani has been able to slowly make his way back to close to even despite the continued pressure of Galfond. Few pots are making it to the river.

Action slows to a walk, not quite a crawl...

The last hour has seen Phil 'OMGClayAiken' slowly grinding away at the chip stack of Adam Hourani. Galfond had Hourani very short stacked when the following hand took place. Galfond limped from the button (small blind) and Hourani raised. Galfond made the call and the flop came J 3 2 . Hourani bet out and Golfand raised to put him all-in. Hourani tabled the K J 9 8  and Galfond the 5 7 6 3 . With the crowd behind Galfond and calling for a four, the turn and the river were unable to eliminate Adam Hourani and he has doubled his stack.

Benyamine sent home in third place

David Benyamine has just been eliminated in 3rd place and has won $316,307 for his play. Opening preflop with a raise from the button, Benyamine was called by Adam Hourani playing out of the big blind. The flop showed the Q J 9  and Hourani, first to act, checked. Benyamine moved it all-in for his last 300,000 and Hourani made the call. Benyamine tabled A-A-10-4 and Hourani A-Q-Q-10 which put Hourani in a pretty solid lead. With the turn the 3  and the river the 8c  Benyamine received no love from the poker gods and is done for the night.

Chip counts for the final three:

Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond 3,126,000
Adam Hourani 1,970,000
David Benyamine 1,264,000

Players are now back from break and the cards are back in the air.

Players are now on a dinner break for the next hour.

The Orient Express given express ticket to the rail

Johnny Chan's quest for his eleventh bracelet has ended for the evening. Raising and getting two callers in David Benyamine and Phil Galfond. The flop reads J 10 3  and Benyamine opens for a small-sized bet. Galfond makes the call and Chan makes the call for his tournament life. The turn shopws the 8  and the river the A  and Chan's two pair (10-9-9-8) is bested by the higher two pair of Benyamine (A-K-9-8). Johnny Chan has been eliminated from the tournament in fourth place earning $246,874.

Play has slowed considerably in the last hour. In contrast to the previous two hours which saw chips moving around the table and players busting out, the final three have seen few flops and played even fewer to-the-river pots. We are seeing a lot of free walks for those in the big blind.

A hand that makes it to the river

Adam Hourani was able to win a pot on the river after moving all-in against Phil Galfond. With the board reading 9 4 2 6 7 , Hourani pushed himself all-in. Galfond gave it a little consideration, but thought better of it, tossing his cards to the muck.

 Benyamine doubles up. Crowd goes wild

David Benyamine was all-in for his tournament life with with Johnny Chan holding the advantage. The pro-Benyamine crowd (containing fiance Erica Schoenberg) erups as he picks up a lucky river card to survive. Up to this point Chan was the dominant chip leader, but now finds himself around 1.1 million in chips.

Kirill Gerasimov ousted

With a short stack due to a previous hand that doubled up Adam Hourani, Kirill Gerasimov pushes his short stack to the middle from the small blind and Phil Galfond calls. Tabling the A 10 8 7  Gerasimov is facing the A J 8 5  of Phil 'OMGClayAiken' Galfond. The board doesn't offer any help for Gerasimov, and he has been eliminated in fifth place and will earn $192,870.

Bust-outs a-plenty in the last hour

Daniel Negreanu will not be taking home his second 2008 WSOP bracelet (at least not yet). Facing a prelfop raise from Phil Galfond, Negreanu shoves it all to the middle. Galfond makes the call and tables the A A 2 2 . Negreanu will have to catch a few cards as he tables the K K J 5 . The flop brings 3  giving Galfond the nut flush. On the turn, Negreanu caught a set allowing some hope to survive in the form of a full-house. It wasn't to be, and as the 2  falls on the river. Daniel Negreanu has been eliminated in seventh place and will earn $123,437.

And not long after... Juanda busts

A few hands after Negreanu was sent to the rail, John Juanda was also facing an all-in call for his tournament life. Post flop (9 8 2 ) Chan bets, is reraised by Juanda, and then reraises himself all-in. Juanda makes the call (with the smaller stack) and tables the K 10 9 7  against Chan's 10 9 8 2 . The turn nor the river brought any salvation for Juanda, and John Juanda busts in sixth place worth $154,296.

Players have taken and returned from a thirty minute play and the cards are back in the air.

Daniel Negreanu survives an all-in

Sitting on a short-stack, Daniel Negreanu pushes all-in on a flop of 10s5s8d. Phil Galfond makes the call and tables K-J-10-9 against Negreanu's 10-9-7-6. Galfond continued in the lead when the turn brought the Kh. The river, however, had Daniel's name all over it in the form of a 4s giving 'Kid Poker' the straight to survive.

The 'Poker Brat' is eliminated

Phil Hellmuth has just been eliminated by David Benyamine in eighth place, taking home $100,292. Phils AsKc10c4c wasn't able to overcome the AhAcKd4h of Benyamine, and Hellmuth's quest for bracelet number twelve has ended.

Negreanu takes a pot from Chan

Chan make a pot-sized bet from middle position and action folds around to Daniel Negreanu who makes the call from the big blind. The flop shows the 9-Q-10 and both player check. The turn brings the 6 and both players again check it. The river brings the K and again both players check. Negreanu ends up showing a straight and Chan throws his cards to the muck.

Some famous faces in the crowd.

With such a pro-packed field some recognizable faces have come down to watch the action. Along with color commentator (and 2008 WSOP 'Best Hair' nominee) Perry Friedman, Joe Hachem, Tony G, and Mike Matusow have been in the crowd so far today. As play wears on, there are sure to be more famous faces popping in from time to time.

Also just spotted in the tournament area is Eli Elezra. He is presently sitting next to Hachem and they can be seen chatting presumably about the action.

Daniel Negreanu has been active in this last hour. Seems he is feeling out his opponents using the 'small-ball' strategy of seeing cheap flops and making post flop moves. It looks to play out similar to a boxer using a jab to setup a bigger punch.  Perhaps we'll see Daniel unleash his famous left hook on the other players (OK... he doesn't have a famous left hook per se, but he does have game on the felt!)

And then there were eight.

Brian Rast has been eliminated in 9th place and will take home $84,863.  With a raised preflop pot by Rast, Chan and Rast see a flop of J 4 3 . Chan checks and Rast bets pot-sized. Chan pushes all-in and Rast makes the call. Rast tables the J 10 7 6  and Chan the A 9 7 7  which has Rast leading with a pair and a straight draw. Chan, however, holds the nut-flush draw and when the turn brings the Q , Rast's tournament ends.

Final Table action is underway!

After playing until almost five in the morning today, the players returned just ten hours later to battle it out for the coveted bracelet and the $817,781 in first place prize money.

With common household names like Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Johnny Chan, John Juanda and online names like 'tsarrast' (Brian Rast) and 'OMGClayAiken' (Phil Galfond), this table shapes up to be one of the most recognizable and perhaps most skilled of the 2008 WSOP thus far. 

In early action 'The Orient Express' Johnny Chan was able to double up through Brian Rast. Rast started the day second in chips, but the pot lost to Chan puts a dent in his stack.

Shortly after doubling up Chan, Rast does the same for Phil Hellmuth getting his AA22 against Hellmuth's KK54. Hellmuth began his exit by shaking hands with Rast and the flop shows the J88. Hellmuth's exit was cut short when the K spiked the turn. The river didn't bring salvation to Rast, and he has again taken a hit to his chip count.