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2009 World Series of Poker - Event #31 - Day 1
by 2009 World Series of Poker Coverage   
Sunday, 14 June 2009


2009 World Series of Poker - Event #31 - H.O.R.S.E. $1,500 - Day 1

End of Day 1 chip counts and seating assignments:

Last Name, First NameCityState/CountryChip CountTableSeat
1Sebastien, SabicParisFrance72,7001942
2Kurtzman, EricLas VegasNV57,8001912
3Traniello, MarcoLas VegasNV55,0001822
4Silveira, JimSanta RosaCA55,0001825
5Black, AndrewDublinIreland54,3001767
6Saab, DougBirmingham AL51,4001863
7Buckley, WilliamPhillipsburgNJ43,3001927
8Barone, VitoCastel MaggioreItaly42,3001997
9Fu, TianxiongCypressCA41,5001914
10Gaspard, JeanEvanstonIL40,3001941
11Fiorenza, BrunoPhiladelphiaPA36,1002016
12Hofman, RonnieDordrechtNetherlands35,8001911
13Green, JonathanSchenectadyNY34,8001766
14Dollinger, JasonCoral SpringsFL34,4001907
15Eichel, WilliamParkerSD34,1001818
16Lee, MingNatickMA32,5001925
17Soulier, FabriceLas VegasNV32,2001903
18Hong, JayRiverside CA32,0002004
19Bjorin, ChrisLondonUnited Kingdom31,1001875
20Rousso, VanessaLas VegasNV30,9001807
21Blanda, BillGalvestonTX30,3001962
22Krouner, KenRoswellGA30,3001865
23Lazarou, VassiliosLas VegasNV30,1001856
24Barbieri, Al "Sugar Bear"PhiladelphiaPA30,0002043
25Bryan, DustinMarysvilleOH29,8001851
26Leinhos, BonnieLas VegasNV29,6001876
27Karatas, SarharibWiesbadenGermany29,1001773
28Karas, ArchieBoulder CityNV28,8001841
29Gelencser, PeterBudapestHungary27,6001934
30Lonardo, VincentWest Palm BeachFL27,2001874
31Odell, FrankieDenver CO26,5001771
32Salazar, HernanSantiagoChile26,2001917
33Moore, PeteAtlanta GA25,9001782
34Fishman, EddieLas VegasNV25,3001904
35Taylor, DavidAmeliaOH25,1002044
36Shei, KennyLas VegasNV25,0001778
37Van Alstyne, JamesLas VegasNV24,5001965
38Yu, BenjaminPalo AltoCA24,5001991
39Myerson, AlanSherman OaksCA24,4001833
40Hughes, RyanPhoenixAZ24,3001858
41Duke, AnniePortlandOR23,7001855
42Kacir, JeffreyHendersonNV23,6001943
43Micon, BryanLas VegasNV23,6001808
44Landowski, BenjaminHartlandWI23,5001843
45Jones, LaceySan AntonioTX23,4001884
46Lozano, RolandoHoustonTX23,2001803
47Koubi, FuadVan NuysCA23,1001777
48Burkart, Alexander Germany23,0001805
49Ezykowich, KeithGulfportMS22,7001944
50Anderson, KyleNew MilfordCT22,0001958
51Altizer, VonAmerican CanyonCA21,9001878
52Malcolm, BrianRedmandWA21,7001853
53Rouhani, FarzadGermantownMD21,0001968
54Kipnis, AdamNorthridgeCA21,0002046
55Iversen, TorsteinOsloNorway20,7001895
56Schaaf, JamesTorranceCA20,7002018
57Wheatley, JimHarrisonburgWA20,6002025
58Shorr, ShannonLas VegasNV20,2001836
59Hinton, ClydeOdessaTX20,0001926
60Stencil, StevenEstacadaDominican Republic19,9001885
61Tran, MimiLos AngelesCA19,8001921
62Schock, MitchBismarckND19,7001828
63Darden, PaulLas VegasNV19,6001768
64Digiorgio, Richard  19,5001992
65Shrader, DamonPortlandOR19,4001931
66Burt, TimothyRobinsonvilleMS18,9001814
67Portano, DesmondChicagoIL18,8002027
68May, DavidPlantationFL18,6002041
69Golding, DavidLondonUnited Kingdom18,5001864
70Ettinger, Scott  18,5001977
71Nematinia, AmirAtlantaGA18,2001924
72Kelly, MattFt. WorthTX18,1001812
73Puskarich, MikeLas VegasNV18,1001932
74Plusch, RyanNew YorkNY17,7001813
75Heimowitz, LonnieMonticelloNY17,7001832
76Young, JustinMorehead CityNC17,6001894
77Racener, JohnTampaFL17,3001762
78Friedman, PerryLas VegasNV17,3001993
79Hagens, NathanAppletonWI17,1001966
80Crawford, QuincyEllicott CityMD17,1001935
81Hofer, DannyBronxNY17,0002042
82Acker, TimLas VegasNV17,0001873
83Painter, JamesonGoodfiledIL17,0001956
84Hippensteel, SethNorth ManchesterIN16,9002014
85Stubbs, MarkTorontoON, Canada16,6001847
86Monaldi, GregDavieFL16,6001852
87Brown, ChadLas VegasNV16,5001861
88Raymond, KathyLas VegasNV16,5002033
89Rose, PaulLos AngelesCA16,5001978
90Glickman, MarcWoodland HillsCA16,4001982
91Hunt, ThomasLas VegasNV16,1002021
92Hanneman, DevinArlingtonVA16,0001793
93Persson, MagnusGothenburgSweden15,9001786
94Hansen, ThorEl SegundoCA15,9001824
95Devonshire, BryanHendersonNV15,8001868
96Pardey Sr, RodneySeattleWA15,7002022
97Raymond, DerekPortlandME15,5001775
98Roth, JasonAllentownPA15,4001788
99Singer, DavidLas VegasNV15,1001916
100Donev, IvoBregenzAustria15,1001862
101Nguyen, MinhLake ElismoreCA15,0001854
102Taylor, BrianMaconGA14,7002007
103Baghchehsaraie, SirousLong BeachCA14,6001797
104Centeno, JohnChicagoIL14,4002023
105Yano, JasonSan FranciscoCA14,4001905
106Wade, TristanBoynton BeachFL14,4001891
107Maier, LanaBound BrookNJ14,4001996
108Wroblewski, AnnaLas VegasNV14,3001795
109Nelson, MikeEdmondOK14,3001871
110Pezzin, PatTorontoCanada14,0001981
111Marmorstein, PhillipMunichGermany14,0001922
112Armbrust, JohnCulver CityCA14,0001821
113Engelbert, GlenGloncester NJ13,9002034
114Birk, LawrenceAnn ArborMI13,6002032
115Vuong, JonathanRancho Palos VerdesCA13,5001987
116Peercy, PatFortvilleIN13,4001964
117Brogdon, JarrodSan AntonioTX13,1001936
118Schiffman, RonaldCherry HillNJ13,1001882
119Provenzano, MarkMelrose ParkIL13,0002031
120Wagner, JeffLos AngelesCA12,9001972
121Crawford, JoshDorchesterMA12,8001961
122Boston, AlanOld Orchard BeachMaine12,8001928
123Mascio, GregFullertonCA12,8001811
124Serock, JoeSan FranciscoCA12,7002001
125Gregorich, MarkLas VegasNV12,5001796
126Sexton, KeithDaytonOH12,4001902
127Scheer, DavidLakewoodOH12,2002024
128Hans, PfisterZurichSwitzerland11,9001971
129Bihl, ThomasFrankfurtGermany11,9002035
130West, TomLos AltosCA11,9001897
131Pechac, JimPhoenixAZ11,8001947
132Brodie, RichardKirklandWA11,8001776
133Jurgens, TadPhoenixAZ11,8001952
134Bluman, SethNew YorkNY11,8001763
135Dylewski, JakubVancouverBC, Canada11,6001946
136Elizabeth, ShannonLos AngelesCA11,6001893
137Rodman, BlairLas VegasNV11,5001906
138Niesert, ChristophBerlinGermany11,5001835
139Lauria, BobNorwich 11,4001842
140Lewis, RobertMiami BeachFL11,4001938
141Catania, RalphMaywoodNJ11,3002036
142Gundrum, TrentFond Du Lac 11,3002026
143Luske, MarcelAlmere BuitenNetherlands11,1001857
144Simmons, ReginaldTampaFL10,9001838
145Delamare, Robert  10,7001908
146Dyer, GregMinneapolisMN10,6001963
147Johnson, RolloAspenCO10,5001794
148Stacy, KevinCoronaCA10,5001846
149Middleton, KennethCorpus ChristiTX10,4001872
150Seber, BillHoustonTX10,4001948
151Krescanko, MikeScottsdaleAZ10,3001945
152Duncan, ArtLake ZurichIL10,3002037
153Selberis, FrankLas VegasNV10,2001973
154Tsodikov, RostislavDaly CityCA10,2002047
155Gray, BrianCoral SpringsFL10,2001954
156Reslock, ChrisAtlantic CityNJ10,0001953
157Schulman, StevenTucsonAZ10,0001877
158Schneyer, DaveWhite Lake 9,8001848
159Losey, TonyMission ViejoCA9,6001986
160Weekley, JonathanDenverCO9,4001923
161Fuentes, Carlos  9,3002006
162Ng, CharlieLas VegasNV9,2001967
163Bolnick, JoeLos AngelesCA9,1001772
164Bershad, MarkNew YorkNY8,9001883
165Levine, Eric  8,7001933
166Rich, JordanPortlandOR8,6001831
167Cobbe, JessicaSeattleWA8,6001791
168Pap, EdsonBostonMA8,3001888
169Browne, WalterBerkeleyCA8,2001801
170Repetti, JohnLas VegasNV8,2001915
171Gurwitz, HarveyChathamNJ8,2001826
172Comer, JohnCantonOH8,2001781
173Mallor, RossNew YorkNY8,2001792
174Haney, KevinSomersetNJ7,7001994
175Costa, PeterLas VegasNV7,6001998
176Heller, AdamLondonUnited Kingdom7,5002003
177Writer, GavinCastle RockCO7,5001887
178Mcclure, RaymondStratfordON, Canada7,3001881
179Labandeira, ManuelLong BeachCA7,3001976
180Tonnellier, EdSt. AlbertAB, Canada7,2001957
181Bari, AllenWest OrangeNJ7,2001787
182Leonidas, TotoLos AngelesCA7,1001984
183Diano, SteveLas VegasNV7,1002045
184Kim, AllenLos AngelesCA7,0001827
185Oshiro, KirkHarbor CityCA6,8001975
186DePietro, MichaelCoxsackieNY6,7001817
187Marco, MelioliReggio EmiliaItalty6,7001866
188Greenstein, BarrySan JoseCA6,4001784
189Atkinson, RichardPonte VedraFL6,3002005
190Savage, MattLas VegasNV6,2002002
191Wilcox, ChrisBillingsMT6,1001761
192Valter, Farina Italy5,9001951
193Evans, PaulMount ShastaCA5,9001985
194Foehl, CharlesSanta RosaCA5,5001802
195Axel, DennyLas VegasNV5,3001913
196Han, KyungChicagoIL5,2001974
197Feldman, PeterLas VegasNV5,2001844
198Gilbert, ZakRenoNV5,0001955
199Friedman, EricSilver SpringMD5,0002013
200Bonyadi, FarzadLos AngelesCA4,9002015
201Grapenthien, MattChicagoIL4,8001983
202Womack, JohnLauder HillFL4,6002048
203Baxter, KathyLaurelMD4,1001783
204Thater, KatjaHamburgGermany4,1002012
205Snyder, SeanSan DiegoCA4,0002028
206Shevach, RavivTel AvivIsrael3,7002038
207Appleman, MickeyFort LeeNJ3,6001765
208Comeau, PatrickSalchaAK3,6002017
209Balestrere, JimKansas CityMO3,6001837
210Cordovez, DiegoLas VegasNV3,5001918
211Taylor, EstherLas VegasNV3,4001892
212Kettner, EricCalgaryAB, Canada3,3001988
213Carone, CoreyToledoOH3,3001937
214Bartlog, MarkCertaldo Italty3,2001901
215Vartzar, RomikLos AngelesCA3,1001815
216Deacon, RobBullhead CityAZ2,0001834
217Trevisanato, Marcandrea Italy1,8001804
218Marin, RayLos AngelesCA1,2001896
219Bluman, SethWest HillsCA1,2001995
220Zhu, RichRowland HeightsCA1,1001898


Monday, 15th of June 2009 03:00 AM

(O'Keeya Singleton reporting)



Max Pescatori is out of today’s competition.  He fell prey to the sheriff syndrome.  Perhaps, he was looking to be all-in and all-out with his short stack, Pescatori called a bet on every street to the River, when he was all-in.
The hand of Stud 8 (or better) proceeded as follows:

Other Player:   Jc(bet) Kh(bet) 7h(bet)  4s(bet)  8c(bet)      8hXx
Pescatori:        Ac(call) 9h(call) 8s(call) Ks(call) Th(all-in)  XxXx

Pescatori saw his opponent’s hand and mucked.  Perhaps, tomorrow will be a better day for catching fish.



Greenstein played aggressively, the cards just didn’t fall his way.  Barry bet on each street until the 7th, when it was bet to him and he reraised and was called.

Greenstein:       Kd(bet)    4c(bet)   Ac(bet)   Qs(bet)    Xx(raise)      XxXx
Other Player:    5s(call)     4d(call)  Ad(call)   Kh(call)  7c(bet-call)  7sAs.

Barry lost to Aces-up on the River, hmm… that would be a good book title.


Play is over for tonight and play will reconvene tomorrow (technically today) at 2PM



Monday, 15th of June 2009 02:00 AM

(O'Keeya Singleton reporting)



What is it about Limit poker that turns normally aggressive No Limit Hold’em players into calling stations?  For ten minutes I walked around the Brasilia room and the constant theme was aggressive poker players just calling bets all across the room.  I would like to commend Erick Lindgren and Anna Wroblewski for staying true to themselves and continuing to be the aggressor in their hands.  Wroblewski was playing Stud 8 or better.  She was raising every street until the last.  Her door card was the 7 .  She bet and picked up two callers.  She bet 4th St. a 3 , same result.  She bet 5th Q and 6th St. A and was called on both streets.  So on 7th St. she was showing 7 3 Q A .  An all-in player was showing 5 2 3 6 and the one other player was showing Q 7 K Q .  “Wroblewski can dodge bullets, baby!”  She suddenly slammed on the brakes and tossed her cards in the muck without having to see a bet.  The all in player had trip Sixes, but fell a little short of the other player’s trip Kings.  “You gotta know when to fold ’em … know when to run.!” 


Erick Lindgren is still aggressive, even when he’s playing limit hold’em.  Lindgren raised at every opportunity.  The Flop came 8 T 8 .  The Turn was the 9 and the River was the 2 .  At the end of the hand Lindgren was aggressive, but disappointed, when he turned over his pocket Queens (Q Q ) and the other player turned over pocket Aces (A A ).  Had the other player been more aggressive and reraised, Lindgren probably would have lost a lot more chips.



Monday, 15th of June 2009 01:00 AM

(O'Keeya Singleton reporting)


In a simple game of limit hold’em Marcel Luske found himself playing sheriff, as he called a bet each round.  He called preflop and the Flop came 3 7 4 .  It was bet to Luske and he called again.  The Turn was the J , rinse repeat.  The 4 was the River card and Luske just turned his cards over (9h6h).   It confused his opponent, he wasn’t quiet sure what was going on or what Luske had.  The dealer explained Luske had a “four flush.”  He had basically folded, when he showed his hand.  The winner showed his A 3 to take the pot with just a pair of Threes.  Limit is so different from No Limit.  I suspect that and would have turned out very different were the players allowed to bet as much of their stack as they liked. 


Chad Brown is often just referred to these days as Vanessa Russo’s fiancé, boy have times changed.  Chad once played Caesar on television, but tonight he found himself playing sheriff in a game of Razz.  He was calling instead of raising or folding.  Brown was showing A 2 3 to his opponent’s 2 7 4 , where just for consistency’s sake, he again called a bet.  Brown received a T on 6th St. and his sole opponent an 8 .  You can probably figure out what happened.  That’s right Brown called another bet.  Finally, on the River, Brown must have figured his hand was beaten as he folded to a River bet.  I can only assume his opponent had A3 in the hole and Brown had big cards in his hole with no help on the River. 


Player’s have taken a 20 minute break


Monday, 15th of June 2009 12:00 AM

(O'Keeya Singleton reporting)

All the $1500 HORSE Tournament player are located in the Brasilia now.  There are no stragglers left in the Miranda Room. 



Paul Darden didn’t want to be left of the split club.  He split a Stud Hi-Lo pot.  Darden called all the way down to the river.  His cards were T Q K 5 K T XxXx against J A 2 4 4 6 7 .  Darden’s Kings-up took the high and his opponent’s Seven high qualified for the low.  In a Hi-Lo game, sometimes after its all said and done,  you just get your money back.

Mike Matusow and Justin Bonomo were involved in a Stud 8 game with two All-in players.  Matusow was showing 9 7 J , when he folded to a raise from Bonomo.  The first all-in player showed 8 9 A before mucking.  The second all-in showed 2 6 5 A 6 TxXx.  Bonomo scooped with 5 7 2 3 4 6x (a six high straight for the high and the low.)

Chris Ferguson is down to six chips and a chair: 3 gray (100) and 3 orange (1000). 


Sunday, 14th of June 2009 11:00 PM

(O'Keeya Singleton reporting)

In a town known for quickie marriages, there have been a ton of splits tonight in the $1500 HORSE Event.


The Omaha hi-lo board read 6 A Q .  Chris “Jesus” Ferguson called a bet and went to the Turn three handed.  The Turn was the 9 .  Three checks to the River.  The River brought the 7 .  Again, all three players checked.  Ferguson showed A Q T J and another player turned up 2 5 A 9 .  Ferguson played for the high (Aces Up) and the other player qualified for the low (Seven high).  Another Split pot tonight!


On the other side of the Miranda room Todd Brunson was playing Stud Hi.  Brunson bet the whole way to 7th St. where he finally slowed down.  He bet with a 6 door card, even though his opponent had an Ace door card showing.  He bet again when he found an Ace on Fourth St.  He even emphasized it by pointing to his Ace before betting.  Brunson bet again when he paired his door card 6 on 5th St.  His Opponent called each time.  This is a limit game after all.  Todd bet his Nine on the 6th St.  Another call.  Both players checked 7th St.  The other players showed A 4 9 5 A 2xXx for a pair of Aces with one of his Aces being in hole.  Thus, he never improved from his starting hand, but still beat an aggressive Brunson, who mucked at the end.  His open cards were 6 A 6 9 .



Sunday, 14th of June 2009 10:00 PM

(O'Keeya Singleton reporting)


David Williams is very active at his table, but in poker sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and some times you split the pot.  Williams bet into his opponent on the river only to be called and share the wealth.  He showed 7 T 8 A 7 XxXx.  The other player showed T 9 A 5 4 3 6 .  The game was Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo.  Williams, perhaps was originally aiming for the low (hard to know without seeing his hole cards), wound up with the high with a pair of Sevens.  The other players took the low with a Six high. 


Half way through the hour players left on a 60 minute "dinner"  break. 


Sunday, 14th of June 2009 09:00 PM

(O'Keeya Singleton reporting)


This tournament is littered with famed poker talent.  In the Miranda room are Ted Forest, Marco Traniello, Jennifer Harmon (Traniello), Annie Duke, David Williams, Jason Mercier, Barry Greenstein, and Tom McEvoy.  If you walk around the Brasilia room, try not to be start struck by the likes of Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Brock Parker, Dutch Boyd, Todd and Doyle Brunson, Robert Mizrachi, Mike Sexton, Shannon Elizabeth, Mike Matusow, Jason Bonomo, Gregg Raymer, Paul Darden, Eskimo Clark, and Chau Giang.  A lot of WSOP jewelry is represented in this tournament.  Tonight’s toughest table award goes to the table with Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman, and Erick Lindgren.  Good luck to the other players at that table.



Jason Mercier is making himself known at his table by raising and reraising the action.  Mercier is sitting at the same table as Jeff Lisandro.  Mercier reraised on a 2 6 4 board and two caller followed to the Turn.  The Turn was the 5 .  Mercier bet 400, and again two callers.  The River was the J and again Mercier bet and the same two players called.  The Pot was sliced and diced in a multitude of ways as the table was playing Omaha 8 or better.  Mercier showed 3 6 K A .  Another player showedA 3 9 3x and the third player had A 3 J Q .  All three players split the low with A2346.  Mercier took the high with a pair of Sixes. 





Sunday, 14th of June 2009 08:00 PM
(Dane Young reporting)

The players have returned from break and the official head count is 770, spread between the Miranda and Brasilia Rooms. More faces have been spotted, including Jimmy Fricke, Chris Ferguson, Todd Brunson, Jennifer Harman, and Phil Ivey and Marcel Luske straddling their dealer on table 163. Hopefully the action will pick up soon and we can bring you some poker news.


Sunday, 14th of June 2009 07:00 PM
(Dane Young reporting)

Some players are confused about what game they are in, despite the red card next to the dealer that notes the current game. More discouragingly, Some dealers are also clueless. One dealer was seen shipping a pot to a player because she didnt realize they were playing a split game.

In more normal rules, Mike Matusow is talking neighbor Justin Bonomo's ear off, oblivious to the fact that Bonomo has his headphones in.

Play is on pause for a break, but will return in 20 minutes.


Sunday, 14th of June 2009 06:00 PM
(Dane Young reporting)

This low buy-in H.O.R.S.E event has picked up a large field thanks to the recent popularization of mixed games. Not many people can afford to play the $50,000 version of this tournament, but $1,500 is up over 700 players' alleys.

The going is slow early on, but there are a lot of big names in the field. Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, Daniel Negreanu, Ivan Demidov, David Pham, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow and Gavin Griffin are just a sampling of who's who in the Brasilia Room.


Time to get back up on that H.O.R.S.E... Event 31 is a player's chance to get in some practice for the $50,000 event yet to come at the '09 WSOP. Many will find this event a more affordable option and will come out to play. In 2008 James Schaaf parlayed some good luck and solid play into a $256,412 payday and a WSOP bracelet. He had to beat 802 other entrants in the process. Who will ride this H.O.R.S.E. to the finish line? Post time is 5 p.m. PDT and Poker Pages will be there to call all the LIVE action.



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