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2009 World Series of Poker - Event #45 - World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em $10,000 - Final
Friday, 26th of June 2009 02:00 AM
(Elissa Harwood reporting)
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| Champ John Kabbaj | |
Ladies and gentleman, we have a winner. After finishing as runner-up five years ago and 8th in this event last year, John Kabbaj has finally earned his first bracelet in Pot Limit Hold’em, the game he considers his specialty. In the first of two big hands, both players saw a T 9 2 flop for the minimum. Gerasimov bet out 200,000, and John called. 6 on the turn. Kirill fired 475,000, and after a minute to consider, Kabbaj made it 1,575,000 total. Big decision. Gerasimov tanked. And tanked. And tanked some more. After more than five minutes, he decided to give it up. After the tournament, Kabbaj told Gerasimov that he had 96 for the turned two pair. Kirill said he folded T7.
Last night, Kabbaj won a huge pot when his AA held up against the current chip leader’s pocket Kings. After the double, Kabbaj began today with a large chip lead. And he had a 5:2 lead when he looked down at pocket Aces once again. And lucky for him, Gerasimov squeezed KK. They got it all in on a 7 4 3 flop. 4 on the turn, Q on the river, bracelet on Kabbaj’s wrist and $633,335 in his pocket. Gerasimov earns $391,369 for 2nd, but he’ll have to wait for another chance to win his first title. He’s now finished 2nd in three WSOP events and 3rd in one.
Friday, 26th of June 2009 01:00 AM (Elissa Harwood reporting) On hand #9 of heads up play, John Kabbaj got it all in with A4 against Gerasimov’s pocket treys. There wasn’t much of a sweat for the crowd after the fairly decisive A A 4 flop. Must be nice. Kabbaj and his boat doubled to 4.4 million, giving him the chip lead by about 600K. After another 15 uneventful hands, the chip counts are nearly the same.
Friday, 26th of June 2009 12:00 AM (Elissa Harwood reporting) We’ve seen non-stop action since the final three returned from break. First, Eric Baldwin opens for 335,000, and John Kabbaj calls. Flop is 9 6 2. Check-check to the Q on the turn. Baldwin fires 365,000 at the pot, and Kabbaj calls. A on the river. Baldwin checks to Kabbaj, who makes it 650,000. Basebaldy moves all in for another 740,000. After mulling over the check-raise for a few minutes, Kabbaj tosses it into the muck. Baldwin was up to 3.2 million after the hand, and Kabbaj was down to 1.25 million. But this is poker, and with giant blinds and aggressive players, fortunes can change (and fortunes can change hands) in minutes. Kabbaj gets it all in preflop with pocket 9s against Kirill Gerasimov’s A9 a few hands later. The Q 9 7 Q 8 board gives Kabbaj 9s full and a newly healthy stack of 2.5 million. Gerasimov’s A9 looks a little better a few hands later, when he goes heads up with Eric Baldwin to a A 9 8 flop. Baldwin check-raises the Russian, who moves all in. Basebaldy calls with AJ to see the bad news. Bricks on the turn and river give Gerasimov a giant double up and leave Baldwin with just 420,000. He moves in on the next hand, and his J6 is up against John Kabbaj’s A5. An Ace and a 5 on the flop pretty much ends things for Baldwin. He pairs his 6 on the turn and his Jack on the river, but it’s still not enough to keep him alive. Baldwin earns $259,534 for 3rd place, but not the second bracelet of the year he was hoping for. Going into heads up play, Gerasimov has a slightly bigger than 2:1 lead over Kabbaj.
Thursday, 25th of June 2009 11:00 PM (Elissa Harwood reporting) The all-ins took a while to start, but they’ve just kept coming since. J.C. Alvarado was down to 200,000 when he won one all-in confrontation and then took down the blinds with two shoves. He then doubled again when his pocket Tens held against Eric Baldwin’s AK. J.C. had worked all the way back to 1.45 million in chips. After a few rounds without shipping it in, Alvarado raised to 200,000. John Kabbaj made it 700,000 to go, and Alvarado was all in all over again. Kabbaj called, and it was his pocket Tens this time racing J.C.’s AQ. Both players left the table to stand with their friends in the stands, and Alvarado’s rail (including Scott Seiver and Adam Levy) loudly called for Queens and Aces. But the dealer didn’t listen, instead laying out J 7 6 7 J. Alvarado made a valiant comeback, but couldn’t escape 5th place. He earns $138,375 for his 6th WSOP cash. Alvarado’s rail of online phenoms had barely cleared out when it was time for another section of the stands to get on their feet. Kirill Gerasimov opened on the button, and Davidi Kitai moved all in from the big blind. Kirill called with K T to race Davidi’s 5 5. The J 7 2 flop gave Kitai and his Winimax crew more to sweat. The 8 on the turn was safe, but the K on the river was enough to get the crowd shouting (ok, not so much shouting from Alex Kravchenko) and send Kitai home in 4th place. The Belgian earned his first bracelet in Pot Limit Hold’em last year, but this year, he’ll have to settle for $183,638. Down to three players, Gerasimov is far out in the lead with 3,895,000. John Kabbaj has 2,505,000, and Eric "basebaldy" Baldwin is working with 1,880,000.
Thursday, 25th of June 2009 10:00 PM (Elissa Harwood reporting) It’s quite impressive how long these highly skilled players have managed to push the blinds around and avoid confrontations. It was nearly two full orbits before they saw a flop and another one before they made it to a showdown. But they couldn’t avoid the inevitable forever. In the first all-in hand of the hour, Jason Lester opened from the cutoff to 200,000, and Eugene Todd moved all in behind with A7. Lester called with AJ, and the Q 8 6 flop brought no help for Todd. The 8 wasn’t any better. But a 7 on the river was exactly what he needed to double up to 1 million, leaving Lester with only 350,000. Eugene Todd wasn’t content to sit on those chips for long, however. A few hands later, J.C. Alvarado raised UTG, and Todd raised to 600,000. Kirill Gerasimov four-bet shoved from the SB, and after Alvarado quickly mucked, Todd called all in with AQ. He once again was down to three outs when he saw Gerasimov’s pocket Queens. The board ran out 8 7 2 3 2. No miracle this time, and Todd goes home in 7th place with $93,085. This is his second cash of the Series and his 3rd WSOP final table. He finished 5th in a PLO event last year and 3rd in a No Limit tournament in 2006. Once the action started, it just kept going. Jason Lester shipped it in minutes later when it folded to him in the cutoff. Davidi Kitai looked him up from the button with A 5, meaning Lester’s J T needed to improve. The board fell 9 3 3 Q 7, missing both. Kitai’s Ace-high was enough to eliminate Lester in 6th place. For his only cash of the 2009 Series, Lester earns $110,431. This marks the bracelet-winner’s 9th WSOP final table appearance. John Kabbaj was all in next against J.C. Alvarado. It was a classic race with John’s AT against J.C.’s pocket 6s. An Ace on the flop gave Kabbaj the lead. Bricks on the turn and river put Kabbaj at 1.4 million and left Alvarado with only 200,000. Alvarado doubled on the next hand when his KQ held against Davidi Kitai’s 64. After stealing the blinds with a shove on the next hand, J.C. is up to 550,000. After eliminating Todd, Kirill Gerasimov moved into the chip lead with 2.45 million. Davidi Kitai is next with 1.95 million, and J.C. Alvarado is grinding the short stack with 760,000. Blinds will 50,000/100,000 in a few minutes.
Thursday, 25th of June 2009 09:00 PM The players are starting to take their seats after dinner, and cards should be in the air shortly.
Thursday, 25th of June 2009 08:00 PM (Aaron Angerman reporting)Level 25 has wrapped up and the final seven have been sent to dinner. Play will resume around 9:00. Official chip counts from the WSOP, current as of break time: J.C. Alvarado - 1,200,000 Jason Lester - 790,000 Eugene Todd - 985,000 David Kitai - 1,375,000 John Kabbaj - 1,320,000 Kirill Gerasimov - 1,060,000 Eric Baldwin - 1,600,000 The chip stacks have really evened out. When they return blinds will be 30K/60K, so the difference between the chip leader, which is now "basebaldy", and the short stack (Lester) is just 12 BB's.
Thursday, 25th of June 2009 07:00 PM (Aaron Angerman reporting) Seven-handed now, thanks to a bunch of exciting all ins. The first couple involved JC Alvarado. First it was Alvarado getting it in with Q J vs. Isaac Haxton's A8. Alvarado wasn't behind for long as he not only flopped a pair of Jacks, but he also turned a Queen for top two and the double. After the double up, Alvarado would have enough to put Jason Lester at risk. An Alvarado raise was met with a Lester all in. Alvarado called to table A Q , dominated by the AK of Lester. The J T 5 flop had JC calling for the "9 !" He would get the 9 , giving him straight outs to the river. But just a 4 would brick off, giving the double to Lester. After the hand, Lester was up to 900K, while JC was down to 600K. Then the knockout... Isaac Haxton then ran whatever chips he had left from the previous Alvarado confrontation right into the AQ of Davidi Kitmai holding only KQ. Haxton told those in attendence how he wasn't worried, because KQ always wins, but the board bricked all the way down to give the hand to Kitmai. Isaac Haxton has been bounced in 8th-place to take home $82,668. After the hand, Kitmai inherited the chip lead with just under 2 million. Then Alvarado shipped again. Kitmai looked up Alvarado with AQ. Alvarado had put his last half million in with KT. The board ran out K 9 6 7 8. Alvarado flopped top pair, then improved to a straight on the river. After the hand, Kitmai surrendered the lead by to Kabbaj, while Alvarado was up to 1 million.
Thursday, 25th of June 2009 06:00 PM (Aaron Angerman reporting)The 25K/50K blinds are really having an effect on the final table. It's been raise it and take it for quite a while. Very few flops have been seen. Here are some official chip counts gathered not too long ago during the latest 20-min break: John Kabbaj - 1,840,000 Davidi Kitai - 1,665,000 Isaac Haxton - 1,215,000 Eric Baldwin - 1,125,000 J.C. Alvarado - 710,000 Jason Lester - 610,000 Eugene Todd - 565,000 Kirill Gerasimov - 530,000 The giant blinds now have both Todd and Gerasimov in 10 BB shove range. Alvarado and Lester probably find themselves in the same boat, each with less than 15 BB.
Thursday, 25th of June 2009 05:00 PM (Aaron Angerman reporting)We've had a couple all ins and calls. Only one busted. First, Jason Lester was able to double up holding Aces. Lester was able to do so through JC Alvarado, a player he was forced to make a big laydown to way back when play was 10-handed. In said hand, with 6 7 8 9 on the board and about 200K in the pot, Alvarado check-raised all in over the top of Lester and his 110K bet. Lester mucked to save his last 200K for the final table. Fast-forward to nine-handed. In a battle of the blinds, it folds to Alvarado in the SB. He makes it 120K and Lester ships. Alvarado calls the extra 50K, or so, with T9 and sees Lester's AA. The 7 4 3 K 8 board didn't provide the suckout JC was looking for and Lester chips up to 600K. Alvarado is down below 400K. But Alvarado wasn't done, and he soon turned his attention to Darryll Fish. Fish had just shoved once and nobody wanted to look him up. The second time, he shipped from the SB and Alvarado shipped from the BB. Fish called off the rest of his chips with A8, racing with the 77 of the PokerStars Pro. The J 9 4 Q 2 board missed Fish. Alvarado was now up to almost 600K. Darryll Fish is out in 9th, earning $77,136.Just about time for level 24 and 25K/50K blinds.
Thursday, 25th of June 2009 04:00 PM (Aaron Angerman reporting)Still nine-handed at the final table, but Eugene Todd was close to leaving. The table went quite a while without a showdown, before Todd got in a raising war with new bracelet winner Eric "basebaldy" Baldwin. A pot from Baldwin was met by a re-pot from Todd. After a minute, Baldwin then re-potted, putting Todd all in. Eugene called. The cards were turned and Todd's 99 was racing the KQ suited of Baldwin. But the 7 5 5 8 6 board missed "basebaldy". Todd didn't need it, but he improved to a straight anyways. After the hand, Gene Todd Bro was up to 540K. John Kabbaj still leads with more than 2 million chips. Blinds are now at 20K/40K.
Thursday, 25th of June 2009 03:00 PM (Aaron Angerman reporting)Sorry for any confusion, but our listed 2 p.m. start time is incorrect. The cards actually went into the air at 1 p.m. PDT and we've seen two hours of action. In the first two hours, they managed to carve out a final table. Here's how. Play began with blinds at 12,000/24,000. Short stacked Thomas Patterson was the first to go, earning $43,091 for his eventual 14th-place finish after having his JT come up short to Ace-rag. Not far behind was Ken Lennaard. Lennaard was just a week removed from a runner-up finish in Event #36, earning $360,439. The Swede would add $43,091 to that after going out in 13th. Lennaard watched Isaac Haxton put in a button raise. Lennaard looked down at a suited QT in the BB and shoved. Haxton, not just stealing, made the call to turn over Big Slick. The board ran out A A 2 3 2 and Haxton filled up to send Lennaard to the payouts for his third cash of the WSOP. Michael Kamran was next to go. Kamran burst onto the scene in October of last year, taking home a half a million as runner-up to Hevad Kahn in the Caesars Palace Classic. Kamran was on another run in this event, but a big pot bet pre-flop committed him to J 9 . Billy Kopp looked down at A 7 in the BB and re-raised. Kamran called off his last 40K. The cards were turned and the dealer ran out Q 8 7 Q Q to fill up Kopp. Kamran finished with only J9-high, good for 12th-place and $57,645. But Kopp couldnt' do much with Kamran's chips. He would get them all in shortly after during a confrontation with Davidi Kitai. Kopp tabled A Q after a 8 4 3 flop for overs and the nut diamond draw. Kitai tabled two black Jacks. The turn and river bricked off a couple black cards and a shocked Kopp, who spent most of Day 2 as a big stack, is out in 11th, worth $57,645. They were now ten-handed and consolidated to one table. One more K.O. and they'd move to the big stage. That last K.O. ended up being Mohsin "chicagocards1" Charania. Charania tried to avoid the final table bubble, even doubling through Darryll Fish when his KK held vs. 66. But Charania would lose a big race when his QQ came up short to the turned nut flush of Lester, who moved in with AsKs. A couple hands later, Moshin shipped with AJ and was looked up by Davidi Kitai, who held 99. The nines were good come showdown, and Charania would earn $57,645 for finishing 10th.
Final table setup and chip counts:- Darryll Fish - 180,000
- J.C. Alvarado - 540,000
- Jason Lester - 444,000
- Eugene Todd - 420,000
- Isaac Haxton - 1,087,000
- Davidi Kitai - 1,570,000
- Mohsin Charania - 302,000
- John Kabbaj - 2,060,000
- Kirill Gerasimov - 660,000
- Eric Baldwin - 969,000
Fourteen players will return for the final day of the $10,000 Pot Limit Hold'em World Championship. John Kabbaj leads with over 2 million chips, but J.C. Alvarado, Kirill Gerasimov, Isaac Haxton, Eugene Todd, Mohsin Charania, and Jason Lester are still in the hunt. The final day of starts play at 2 p.m. Thursday. Follow the LIVE action right here at Poker Pages. |
| Name | Chip Count | City | State/Country | Seat | | Alvarado, J.C. | 924,000 | | Mexico | 2 | | Baldwin, Eric | 713,000 | Henderson | NV | 3 | | Kitai, Davidi | 581,000 | Brussels | Belgium | 4 | | Gerasimov, Kirill | 550,000 | Moscow | Russia | 8 | | Fish, Darryll | 368,000 | Las Vegas | NV | 7 | | Lester, Jason | 240,000 | Miami | FL | 6 | | Charania, Mohsin | 224,000 | Chicago | IL | 5 | | | | | | | Table 155 | | | | | | Name | Chip Count | City | State/Country | Seat | | Kabbaj, John | 2,226,000 | London | UK | 5 | | Kopp, Billy | 772,000 | Erlanger | KY | 1 | | Haxton, Isaac | 660,000 | Las Vegas | NV | 6 | | Lennaard, Ken | 467,000 | Stockholm | Sweden | 7 | | Todd, Eugene | 351,000 | Brooklyn | NY | 2 | | Kamran, Michael | 261,000 | Los Angeles | CA | 8 | | Pettersson, Thomas | 121,000 | | Sweden | 3 |
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