WSOP MAIN EVENT GOES TO THE HEADS UP (Update)

20 July 2007

Huge pots, fluctuating chip stacks and fast action continue as the field narrows

At the last World Series of Poker main event in 2006, cards went in the air at 2:12pm and Jamie Gold had won it at 3:40am the next morning in a total time of 13 hours and 28 minutes. And it took 10 hours and 30 minutes for action to get down to the final four players.

At the 2005 WSOP main event the final table started at 4:47pm and Joe Hachem won it at 6:41am the next day. Total time was 13 hours and 54 minutes, and it took 9 hours and 15 minutes for the action to get down to the final four players.

At the start of this year's epic an aggressive Jerry Yang dominated play despite his second lowest chip stack, forcing a fast pace, building a massive chip lead and leading onlookers to start betting that this might be the shortest main event yet. Starting with chip leader Philip Hilm, Yang had put paid to the top prize dreams of Hilm, Lee Watkinson, Lee Childs and Hevad Kahn by late evening (see previous InfoPowa update).

The fifth man out, Englishman Jon Kalmar went at hand 60 after around five hours play when he tangled with South African player Raymond Rahme, who maintained a strong position throughout the game with great calls and skilful decisions. Kalmar earned himself the first millionaire's paycheck in this year's final at $ 1 255 069, in the process boosting Rahme's chip count to 29.89 million.

From there on things quietened down as the remaining four players manouevred for advantage. But a remarkable surge by Russian Alex Kravchenko - partly due to an 18 million pot he took off Yang, perked up the general spectator interest before the dinner break at 7.30pm, lifting the Russian into third position.

After the break, the presentation of the Player of the Year Award by WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack to Tom Schneider provided some variety before the players got back down to business.

By Hand 100 Yang was still holding off all challengers for the lead, having taken an impressive 63 of the pots. Kravchenko's big run continued and by hand 127 he was second only to Yang in chip count with Rahme dropping to fourth behind Tuan Lam.

Just before midnight Round 35 started with blinds of 300 000 - 600 000 and a 75 000 ante, and Kravchenko seemed to go off the boil, dropping back to third position behind Lam and apparently perpetual chip leader Yang. Rahme had dropped to last after losing a massive pot to Lam earlier.

Only fifteen minutes into the new day it was Rahme who made a spectacular comeback, only 11 million behind chip leader Yang and ahead of Lam, with Kravchenko now trailing on 20 million. On hand 150 Raymond Rahme had doubled through Tuan Lam and his rewards vaulted him into second place from last place.

Rahme celebrated his progress by asking the crowd to wish world political icon and humanitarian Nelson Mandela a happy 89th birthday.

Unfortunately it turned out to be both Kravchenko and Rahme's swan song, as Jerry Yang took both out within three hands. Kravchenko was first to go in a 20 million pot tussle with Yang that saw him head for the rail in 4th place with a payout of $1 852 721. Rahme followed almost immediately, leaving Yang in charge of 81 percent of the total chips in play having dominated the lead throughout the final. Yang took down six of the seven eliminations - Hilm at hand 15; Watkinson at hand 21; Childs at hand 28; Kahn at hand 56; Kravchenko at hand 167 and Rahme at hand 169.

Going into the heads up with Tuan Lam, Jerry Yang looked to be in an almost unassailable position - in his last two eliminations, Yang had broken a World Series of Poker main event record as the first final table player ever to hold more than 100 million in chips, winning 67 out of 169 total hands.

Heads up for the $8.25 million main prize, Jerry Yang (104.45 million) faced Tuan Lam (23.025 million) Looking back at WSOP main event heads up history the 2005 WSOP heads up match between Joe Hachem and Steve Dannenmann lasted six hands. The 2006 WSOP heads up match between Jamie Gold and Paul Wasicka lasted seven hands.

Approaching 2.30 in the morning at hand 176, the counts were: Jerry Yang - 102.575 million Tuan Lam - 24.9 million

After 21 hands of heads up play, Jerry Yang continued to dominate Tuan Lam. Yang won 17 hands of the 21 hands, increasing his overall total to 84. Lam has played tight, folding his button three times in the last ten hands. Yang has increased his stack to about 117 million, while Lam's stack slipped to around 10 million.

The players have just completed a break and return to increased blinds of 400 000 - 800 000, with a 100 000 ante.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa