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WSOPE event #3 – final table set
Posted by: James Carter. - Fri, 2009-09-25 11:21
The second day of the WSOPE’s event #3 saw a field of 35 Day 1 survivors belly up to the tables of the Empire Casino, all looking to catch up with Jani Vilmunen, the previous day’s chip leader, who’d managed to build an almost disrespectfully large lead on his peers.
Ashton Griffin, one of the hottest online nosebleed stakes players, who had been riding a $3 million winning streak lately, had also finished day 1 near the top of the chip count, and he too was looking to take on all comers in his first ever WSOPE event.
Two other players who did well on the previous day were Sandra Naujoks and Noah Boeken. Unfortunately for Noah though, Sandra Naujoks decided to begin day 2 by tripling up, at his and Adam Bilzerian’s expense.
Left crippled, Bilzerian faded away a few hands later. Boeken however managed to fight back and double up. It wasn’t until past the first break that he too hit the rail.
Tom Dwan, who came into day 2 action on a shortish stack, did extremely well though. He managed to consistently add to his stack, and at one point he even overtook Vilmunen.
The money bubble had been set for 18th place, and sure enough, as it drew closer, play gradually slowed down. Then suddenly 5 players hit the rail one after the other and the bubble had burst.
Dwan and two other players at this table were so glad they’d made the money that they decided it called for some celebration. They began drinking and Robert Williamson III came out of the celebration rather intoxicated.
No wonder that the largest pot of the session came about at the party folks’ table. There were only 15 players left in contention, when Dwan opened a hand with a raise, prompting calls from Aarno Kiveilo and Jani Vilmunen and a re-raise by Tony Bloom. Dwan and Kiveilo made the call and Vilmunen folded.
The flop fell Qd,8s,4d, and all hell broke loose. Tony Bloom went all-in, got called by Dwan and then Kiveilo went all-in as well. Dwan made the second call too and the three players tabled their pocket hands. Bloom had a pair of aces, Dwan had a set of Qs and Kiveilo a set of 8s. The turn (which fell a 6d), gave Kiveilo a flush. The 10c fell on the river and Kiveilo chipped up, sending Bloom to the rail and leaving Dwan crippled.
Dwan was saved from immediate elimination by the dinner break, but he busted out soon afterwards in 14th place.
His online rival, Ashton Griffin followed him in 12th. Chris Bjorin’s elimination in 11th place made it possible for the remaining players to come together around a single table. The official final table bubble burst when Sandra Naujoks hit the rail in 10th place, having run her set into Jani Vilmunen’s straight.
Aarno Kiveilo made it to the final table, together with Ross Boatman, Howard Lederer, Robert Williamson III and Jani Vilmunen.
