The 8 Biggest Hands from the First 2 Weeks of the 2018 WSOP - Hand Number 1
The 2018 World Series of Poker, which is sponsored by 888poker, is two weeks in and has minted more than a dozen bracelet winners. Among them are 2009 WSOP Main Event champ Joe Cada (Event #3: $3,000 NLH Shootout for $226,218), William “Twooopair” Reymond (Event #10: $365 WSOP.com Online for $154,996), and the red-hot Justin Bonomo (Event #16: $10,000 Heads-Up Championship for $185,965).
Throughout all the tournaments and variants some special hands have taken place, and we thought we’d highlight eight of the biggest from the first two weeks of the 2018 WSOP.
8.) Jacobson Kicked to the Rail
2014 WSOP Main Event champ and 888poker Ambassador Martin Jacobson was making a deep run in Event #17: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed, a tournament that drew 1,663 players. With 64 remaining in Level 17 (2,000/4,000/500), Yordan Petrov opened for 8,000 from the cutoff and Jacobson defended from the big blind.
The Kx5x10x flop saw Jacobson go for the stop-and-go play by betting his last 20,000, but Petrov called. Jacobson showed 10x8x for a pair of tens - but he had a kicker problem as Petrov held the Qx10x. Neither the 4x turn nor 9x river helped the Swede and he was ousted in 64th place for $4,608, his first cash of the summer.
7.) King High Good in 0-8 Hand
In Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better, the end of Day 2 finished with the elimination of Victor Ramdin. It happened when he raised from the small blind and Chris Roth defended the big blind with what he called a “really bad hand.”
The A♥Q♥5♣ flop saw Ramdin bet 8,000 and Roth raise to 16,000. Ramdin’s re-raise put him all-in and Roth called with the K♦7♦4♣3♠, which was technically ahead of Ramdin’s 6♦4♥3♣2♣. Ramdin had a ton of outs but the running 9♦ turn and J♦ river meant Roth scooped it with king high! With that, Ramdin busted in 38th place for $4,723 while Roth went on to finish 15th for $10,340.
6.) Moorman Misses in the Shootout
In Event #3: $3,000 NLH Shootout, 888poker Ambassador Chris Moorman won his first table (which included tough players like Josh Arieh, Nick Yunis, and Josh Reichard) and advanced to Day 2 where he made it to heads-up play against Sam Phillips. The winner would advance to the final table.
In Level 24 (4,000/8,000/1,000), Phillips put the pressure on Moorman by moving all-in from the button. Moorman, who didn’t have much to work with, called off with the K♠6♦ and was actually ahead of Phillips’ 10♦8♥. Unfortunately for the most decorated player in online tournament poker history, the board ran out Q♥10♠Q♣A♦3♥ and he had to settle for 17th place and $6,302 in prize money. Phillips went on to finish second for $139,804.
5.) Double Knockout with Quads
On Day 1C of Event #7: $565 Colossus, a 2♦9♥Q♣ flop saw the player in the small blind move all in for 1,750 and Brian Mcinnis called. The player on the button then raise all in for 7,775 and Mcinnis paused for a few beats before calling with the K♦Q♥ for top pair. The player on the button had him beat with the A♥A♦ and the small blind was way behind with the 9♠7♣.
The Q♠ turn gave Mcinnis the lead, and the Q♦ river was the cherry on top to give him quads! Mcinnis went on to finish 225th out of 13,070 entries for $3,192.
4.) Nitsche Done in By Brutal River
At the end of Day 2 in Event #20: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em, 888poker Ambassador and four-time bracelet winner Dominik Nitsche was looking to be one of just 26 players to bag. That is when Nitsche opened to 20,000 and Patrick Truong three-bet to 55,000 next-to-act.
Action folded back to Nitsche and he moved all-in for 270,000 with the A♠Q♣. Truong called holding the K♥K♦ and Nitsche was looking for some help. He didn’t get any on the 7♠5♦2♥ flop, but the A♥ turn was just what he needed.
A king on the river was the only thing that would eliminate Nitsche, and the two-outer hit when the K♠ peeled off. Nitsche was sent to the rail in heartbreaking fashion taking home $14,572 for his 26th-place finish.
3.) Negreanu Falls Short of Bracelet No. 7
Event #22: $1,500 Eight Game Mix began with 481 players and with just three remaining Daniel Negreanu was looking to capture his seventh bracelet. However, he’d come up two spots shy.
In a round of No-Limit Hold’em, Negreanu limped the small blind and then called when Kevin Malis raised to 50,000 from the big. Negreanu check-called a bet of 40,000 on the 4♥5♠K♦ flop and then one of 130,000 on the A♣ turn.
When the 10♣ completed the board on the river, Negreanu checked for the third time and Malis moved all in for 880,000.
“What a turn card,” Negreanu exclaimed. “This is so ridiculous.”
Eventually “Kid Poker” called off his last 438,000 with the K♠4♠ for two pair. It was no good though as Malis had flopped a set with the K♥K♣. Negreanu earned $59,788 for his third-place finish.
2.) Brunson Returns to the WSOP
“Going to the Rio to play in 2-7 lowball tournament. Probably the last one I’ll ever play.”
That’s what living poker legend Doyle Brunson tweeted on Monday, June 11, 2018. The Poker Hall of Famer took advantage of late registration to jump into action at the start of Day 2 in Event #23: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship. Before long, he was in the chip lead - thanks in no small part to scooping a massive all-in pot.
It happened when Brunson raised to 13,000 under-the-gun, and Farzad Bonyadi called next-to-act. Paul Volpe came along from the cutoff and then John Hennigan three-bet to 80,000 from the small blind. Brunson and Bonyadi both called while Volpe got out of the way.
Hennigan stood pat and his two opponents each drew one. Hennigan checked and Brunson moved all-in for 95,500. Bonyadi quickly called and Hennigan folded. Bonyadi held 8x5x4x3x2x for a number five but it was no good as Brunson had a number four with 7x6x5x4x2x.
“I wasn’t going anywhere,” Brunson said with a smile. If this was going to be Brunson’s last hurrah, he was doing it in style.
1.) Don’t Celebrate Until the River
In the most memorable hand of the 2018 WSOP thus far, action was heads-up in the Colossus – a tournament that drew 13,070 entries – between Brazil’s Roberly Felicio and Las Vegas local Sang Liu.
It happened on Hand #227 of the final table in Level 43: $1,000,000/2,000,000/300,000 when Felicio limped with the J♦8♥, and then called when Liu raised to 5,000,000 with the J♣10♠. When the flop came down J♠7♦3♣, Liu checked, and Felicio moved all-in for 23,700,000. Liu snap-called and was two cards away from winning the tournament.
Liu began celebrating and bouncing around the tournament. He took off his jacket and while jumping up down said, “Keep it low.”
The K♣ turn was safe for Liu, but then the 8♦ spiked on the river to give Felicio two pair. He dropped to his knees and a somber Liu returned to his seat.
“That was really the key moment,” said Felicio about spiking the eight on the river. “I know that in poker these things happen and afterwards, he pulled even again. I looked at Andre Akkari and he told me to keep calm and play my game. That’s what I did and that came my result.”
Felicio, a 49-year-old restaurant owner from Anapolis, went on to win the tournament for $1,000,000 and a gold bracelet.
