Event
#20
DAY TWO REPORT:
“We’re in the Money” – The 27 finalists
of the championship event are all in the
money. Prize money ranges from $9,162
to $589,990. First place includes a $25,000
buy-in to the World Poker Tour Championship.
The
World Poker Open is truly an international
spectacle. Of the 27 remaining players,
there are five different countries represented
– England, France, Greece, Israel, and
the United States.
Building
a big stack on the first day of the four-day
championship event appears to have almost
no significance. Consider that each of
the top four chip leaders after Day One
– Gary Jones, Toto Leonidas, Andy Pachman,
Frank Kasella – were eliminated on Day
Two.
The
point might seem obvious, but the players
who were lowest in chips after Day One
went out quickly on Day Two. None of the
12 lowest stacks after Day One survived.
Asher Derei was 85th in chips (13th lowest
after the first day) and managed to make
it to Day Three. He is currently in 21st
place.
The
biggest chip increase from the previous
day was by Robert Willis, from Grenada,
Mississippi. Willis came into Day Two
with only $8,625 in chips. He went on
a remarkable run on Day Two, and now has
$90,100, which currently ranks 5th among
the active players.
Of the seven former World Series of Poker
champions that entered, there are only
two still in the main event. Tom McEvoy
(1983) and Phil Hellmuth (1989) are both
in good chip position going into Day Three.
McEvoy is currently 15th in chips. Hellmuth
is 7th in chips. All of the former World
Poker Open champions are out.
The
2003 World Poker Open has been an unusual
experience for Tom McEvoy, to say the
least. Two weeks ago, the 1983 World Poker
Champion was rushed to a nearby hospital
and spent seven days confined to a bed,
following an emergency operation. McEvoy
later returned to the tournament only
one day before the main event started.
He now has $48,100 in chips and appears
to have fully recovered from the unexpected
surgery.
Dayne
Baverman, from Cincinnati, Ohio, is the
current chip leader. He came into Day
Two with just $12,200 in chips and now
as 12 times that number.
An
interesting tip about tournament strategy
from an anonymous source:
“I think how you play the blinds is
the most important aspect of a no-limit
hold’em tournament. If you play the blinds
well, you can build up some serious chips.
If you play weak, you don’t have a chance
to win. All the guys playing in this tournament
are aggressive. They are raising every
single pot. If you can wake up with a
big hand, or know when to make a stand
in the blinds, you’ve got half the battle
won.”
Bad
Beat of the Day: The hand that eliminated
Erik Seidel and left Paul Darden short-stacked
was brutal. Darden was the largest stack
and had two players all-in. Erik Seidel
had J-J. Johnny Donaldson had A-3. Darden
was delighted to see the flop come with
an ace since he had top pair with the
better kicker. However, a 3 fell on the
river (for two pair) and tripled-up Donaldson.
Seidel was out, and Darden was left shaking
his head wondering what might have been
had he won that critical hand. Darden
went out a short time later.
Are
pocket queens overrated? In a no-limit
hold’em tournament, the answer is positively
yes. More tournament players seem to be
eliminated with Q-Q than any other hand.
I lost count of the number of hands where
Q-Q went up against either A-A, K-K, or
A-K -- and lost.
On
Day Two, Table 27 provided a first for
the World Poker Open. Mike Pauley from
Tennessee sat next to his grandfather,
Paul McKinney from West Virginia. There
have been many cases of father and son
duos playing together in major tournaments,
but this may have been the first grandfather-grandson
confrontation. Paul McKinney is still
in the tournament going into Day Three.
More
wisdom from Englishman Paul Costas:
“What
I love about tournaments like this is
the challenge. Anyone can play pocket
aces or kings. It’s ‘the play’ that turns
me on. The opportunity to outplay your
opponent – without holding good cards
– is unlike any other game in the world.”
Larry
Beilfuss, from Wisconsin, was the chip
leader during much of Day Two. Before
he took a beat and ended up in 13th place
going into the third day, Beilfuss demonstrated
why he rightly deserves a spot in the
money. On a key hand, Beilfuss called
down a large river bet by 2001 World Series
of Poker Champion Carlos Mortenson. Beilfuss
then confidently showed A-6, for ace-high,
but no-pair. Mortenson, who was obviously
bluffing, could not believe the call and
quietly mucked his hand. A short time
later, Mortenson was out of the tournament.
Tomorrow,
the 27 players who survived after Day
Two will play down to the final table.
That means, twenty-one players are destined
to be eliminated, while six players will
make the final table. Each of the six
finalists will be profiled in tomorrow’s
report.
-- by Nolan Dalla
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