Day 2 of Event #15: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. is in the books, and Mark Klecan leads the remaining field with 518,000 in chips. Yesterday, 862 players started this event. Only 177 returned today, and after 10 hours of play, there are now only 21 left. Tomorrow, the they will play down to a winner who will walk away with the $258,960 first-place prize and a coveted World Series of Poker gold bracelet.
Behind Klecan are Eddie Blumenthal with 443,000 and Scott Bohlman with 382,000. All three of those players have had a number of WSOP cashes, but they are each seeking their first bracelet. The chip leaders will face a fierce challenge from a number of formidable opponents still in the field. Among them are bracelet winners Dan Heimiller, Dan Kelly, Frankie O’Dell, and David Singer.
Play resumes tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the Amazon Room at the Rio. PokerNews will be here to bring you all the action as the players determine a winner.
Eddie Blumenthal completed with , and three players came along. Blumenthal bet fourth street, and everyone called once again. He then bet fifth street with the following boards out:
Blumenthal:
Mark Klecan:
Jeff Tims:
Darin Thomas:
George Rechnitzer:
Klecan and Tims called, then Thomas raised. Rechnizter cold-called. Blumenthal folded, Klecan called and Tims called. The dealer sent out sixth street.
Klecan:
Tims:
Thomas:
Rechnitzer:
Thomas once again took the betting lead, and everyone else called him. On seventh, everyone checked to Klecan, who bet. Tims and Thomas called, and Rechnizter folded.
"Trips," Klecan announced, revealing as his down cards. Tims and Thomas slowly slid their cards to the dealer, and Klecan scooped the biggest pot of the tournament by far.
We arrived at the table on the river, with the board showing . Mark Klecan and David "Gunslinger" Bach had kept raising until Bach was all-in. Bach showed for the nuts, a straight flush. Klecan mucked his cards, and Bach doubled up.
Dan Heimiller completed with a after it folded around to him in last position. Dan Kelly made the call with up. Kelly called down through sixth, then bet when checked to on seventh.
Heimiller:
Kelly:
Kelly had called down despite holding two paint cards, so Heimiller went deep into the tank. He thought for about two minutes, thinking aloud softly.
"Gahhh," he finally said as he flicked his cards away as if he wanted them never to return.
"I thought you had broadway, then I saw it was Razz," another player said.
"It wasn't stud?" Kelly deadpanned before allowing a sly smile.
David Chiu will fall short of last year's second place finish.
Razz
David Chiu's quest for a repeat final table in the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. tournament has ended.
According to a player at the table, last year's second-place finisher got it all in drawing live on sixth street, and made a seven-five low on seventh street. Tyson Marks, however, improved to a six-four to send Chiu to the rail.
Online legend James "mig.com" Mackey, Avinash Kataria and one other player each put in five bets before the flop, according to a player at the table.
We found Mackey betting the turn with the board reading . His opponent raised, and Mackey came back over the top for three bets. Kataria tanked before folding, saying he couldn't believe what he was laying down.
Mackey continues to surge upward in the chip counts, while Kataria busted a couple of hands later when an opponent turned trip eights with against Kataria's .
Dan Kelly fired fifth, sixth and seventh with a jack-high board against an opponent's jack-high board. Kelly had three babies to go with it, while his opponent had three to a six-low. Kelly's opponent folded on seventh, and Kelly, who was down to just five big bets recently, is now building momentum.
We got to Table 440 just in time to see poker personality Norman Chad be sent to the rail. Chad held , and his opponent had on a board of . Chad faded the turn, but on the river the dealer revealed a deuce, and Chad's opponent made a wheel.
Meanwhile, at Table 439, Hassan Habib, who was being blinded off for the last 90 minutes, has finally showed up.
, and three players came along. Blumenthal bet fourth street, and everyone called once again. He then bet fifth street with the following boards out:
as his down cards. Tims and Thomas slowly slid their cards to the dealer, and Klecan scooped the biggest pot of the tournament by far.
. Mark Klecan and David "Gunslinger" Bach had kept raising until Bach was all-in. Bach showed 
for the nuts, a straight flush. Klecan mucked his cards, and Bach doubled up.
up. Kelly called down through sixth, then bet when checked to on seventh.
against Kataria's 
, and his opponent had 
. Chad faded the turn, but on the river the dealer revealed a deuce, and Chad's opponent made a wheel.
