Event #1 of the 2008 World Series of Poker is shaping up to be a classic. The second day of play ended just short of 5AM with one of the better final tables in recent memory. For a hold’em finale, it’s absolutely pristine.
The chip leader going to day three is Andy Bloch, who has twice as many chips as anyone else at the table. Second in chips is the one and only Mike Sexton, followed by 21 year old phenom Mike Sowers, the enigmatic Phil Laak, cash game master Nenad Medic and professionals Chris Bell, Kathy Liebert, Amit Makhija and Patrik Antonius. There is no weak link.
Going from ten players to nine was a drawn out affair. John Kabbaj was the eventual victim after hours of ten-man play. With ESPN’s cameras looming for tomorrow, there was a lot more than ‘just’ the money in play and no one wanted to be the one left out. The dam finally broke when Kabbaj lost his stack to “Big Serb” Nenad Medic.
In Kabbaj’s final hand, Medic raised from the cutoff to T85,000. Kabbaj moved all in from the big blind for T173,000 total and Medic made the call. Kabbaj showed a pair of sevens; Medic showed Q-J.
The flop came K-10-2, giving Medic the straight draw. The turn was a second ten, meaning Medic needed an ace, king, queen jack or nine to take the hand. The river was a nine, giving Medic a king-high straight to win the hand and send the assembled running for bed. Kabbaj will receive $49,632 for his efforts, the rest of us one hell of a final table.
Gary Wise
gary@wisehandpoker.com
