Amid the clamor of “The Colossus” at the 2015 World Series of Poker on Sunday, two tournaments were also in the mix. In one that was delayed from Saturday night, a veteran pro came from behind to take the title while the “speed junkies” in the poker world set the final table for the first-ever turbo WSOP event.
Event #3 – $1500 Omaha Hi/Lo Eights or Better
In a clash that took longer than probably both players expected, Robert Mizrachi was able to come from behind against Jacob Dahl on Day Four to win the bracelet for the delayed $1500 Omaha Hi/Lo Eights or Better tournament.
Mizrachi and Dahl had dominated the final table through its play on Saturday but, as the clock passed 3AM on Sunday morning, WSOP officials decided to suspend play and bring the duo back on Sunday to determine a champion. Dahl, holding five million chips to Mizrachi’s 1.8 million, looked to have the inside track to the title but Mizrachi, a two-time WSOP bracelet holder himself, didn’t seem to want the event to end.
Mizrachi got a key double up on Hand 7, turning trip deuces and getting his final chips in the center against Dahl. That seemed to energize not only Mizrachi but his rail as, only four hands later, Mizrachi would scoop Dahl and take over the lead when his J-J-10-9 was good enough for a full house on a 6-3-3-3-9 that Dahl couldn’t best. It consistently seemed that Dahl was able to take the uncontested pots for the most part but, when it came down to scooping an entire pot, Mizrachi was in the position to do just that.
Although it would take more than 60 hands after he took over the lead to do it, Mizrachi was able to wear down Dahl’s stack and capture the prize. On the final hand, the betting reached the point where Dahl was all in holding a Q-8-6-3 against Mizrachi’s A-6-5-5. The 10-7-2 flop was all clubs but, since neither man held two clubs, that was uneventful and kept Mizrachi (pair of fives for high, best draw at low) in the lead. Another ten on the turn made Mizrachi two pair and left Dahl, who now had no chance for the low, looking for a Queen (better two pair) or a nine (straight) to earn a split in the pot. Instead, a trey came on the river to make Mizrachi’s low and, along with the high hand, earn him his third WSOP bracelet (tied with his brother, Michael).
1. Robert Mizrachi, $251,022
2. Jacob Dahl, $155,333
3. Don Zewin, $97,185*
4. Ryan Himes, $70,540*
5. Dominick Cuzzi, $52,075*
6. James Juvancic, $39,037*
7. Nguyen Tran, $29,693*
8. Bruce Levitt, $22,693*
9. Thomas Taylor, $17,883*
* – Eliminated on Saturday’s Day 3 play
Event #6 – $1000 Hyper Texas Hold’em
In a new experiment on the WSOP schedule, the $1000 Hyper Texas Hold’em tournament – much like online poker tournaments with their rapid level increases in their “turbo” formats – made its debut on the WSOP stage on Sunday. From all appearances, the experiment was a good one as 1436 players put up their money to participate and, by the end of the evening, nine men would remain in the hunt for the bracelet.
Surprisingly, several popular professional players stepped into the fray, perhaps looking to leverage their online abilities in a live arena. Jake Cody and Stephen Chidwick – players with a massive live tournament poker resume but weaned on online turbo games – were early casualties in the fray, but Jason Mercier and Greg Merson both were able to earn a cash in the tournament (the top 144 players posted a WSOP cash to their records). Also joining Merson in making his second cash of the 2015 WSOP was actor/poker player (or is it poker player/actor?) James Woods, who left the tournament in 37th place to add to his final table performance in the Shootout event.
The most notable name left from the nine men who will vie for the WSOP is Ryan Julius, who has nearly $1 million in career earnings but has yet to win his first major title. He will be in second place when the final table begins on Monday, only looking up to chip leader Harrison Beach, who used a double-knockout of Ron McMillan and Marc Boyko (in tenth and eleventh places, respectively) to stack a mountain of chips heading to the final table.
1. Harrison Beach, 2.28 million
2. Ryan Julius, 930,000
3. Robert Suer, 765,000
4. Matt Woodward, 710,000
5. Marc MacDonnell, 655,000
6. Kenneth Johnson, 650,000
7. John Reading, 610,000
8. Aleksandr Gofman, 435,000
9. Wayne Boyd, 175,000
