The £2,500 buy-in HORSE tournament wrapped up on Wednesday at the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe. Winning the coveted bracelet was Sherkhan Farnood, who took home £76,999. He bested Ivo Donev heads-up; the runner up banked £48,125. Others at the final table included Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, and Jeff Lisandro.
Farnood finished second in a $1,500 rebuy Pot Limit Omaha tournament during the 2006 World Series of Poker, cashing for $165,274 in the process. In last year’s Pot Limit Omaha event at the WSOP Europe, he finished sixth and pocketed £38,220. This year, he made his mark in HORSE. He’s no stranger to winning tournaments, either. Farnood won two events at the 2003 Crown Australasian Poker Championships. The full list of players who cashed in Event 2 includes some of the most recognizable names in poker:
1st Place: Sherkhan Farnood, £76,999
2nd Place: Ivo Donev, £48,125
3rd Place: Howard Lederer, £30,250
4th Place: Jeff Duvall, £22,000
5th Place: Mark Gregorich, £17,188
6th Place: Phil Ivey, £13,750
7th Place: Jeffrey Lisandro, £11,000
8th Place: Spencer Lawrence, £8,938
9th Place: Erik Albinsson, £6,875
10th Place: Yuval Bronshtein, £6,875
11th Place: Raul Paez, £6,188
12th Place: Phil Hellmuth, £6,188
13th Place: Isaac Haxtonm £5,500
14th Place: Mark Gregorich, £5,500
15th Place: Marc Goodwin, £4,812
16th Place: David Williams, £4,812
If Hellmuth had won the second event of the WSOP Europe, it would have marked his 12th World Series of Poker bracelet. His first came by virtue of being the youngest player ever to win the Main Event at age 24, a record that still holds today. That win was worth $755,000 and kicked off one of the most successful poker careers in history. His most recent win came in a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event in 2007. Currently Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson each have 10 bracelets, trailing “The Poker Brat” by just one. Hellmuth nearly grabbed his 12th bracelet in this year’s WSOP, but finished third in the $1,500 buy-in HORSE tournament.
Donev won his first, and to date only, bracelet in a $1,500 buy-in Limit Omaha tournament during the 2000 WSOP. In that event, he defeated Thor Hansen heads-up and walked away with $85,800. Lederer is a two-time WSOP bracelet winner, taking down a $5,000 Limit Omaha High-Low event in 2000 and a No Limit Deuce to Seven Lowball event in 2001. He’s actively involved with the Poker Players Alliance, the online poker industry’s main lobbying group, and is a Full Tilt Poker sponsored pro.
Duvall made the final table of a $1,500 Omaha High-Low Split tournament during the 2005 WSOP, finishing third and taking home $77,170. Gregorich won $117,216 for finishing 11th in the 2007 HORSE Championship at the World Series of Poker. He was the runner up in a $5,000 buy-in Limit Hold’em tournament in 2003 for $126,340.
Finally, Ivey and Lisandro are household names. Ivey is a five-time WSOP bracelet winner and also a representative of Full Tilt Poker. Lisandro’s lone bracelet came in 2007. He has 24 total WSOP cashes for $1.75 million.
Thursday marks Day Two of Event 3 of the 2008 WSOP Europe, a ₤5,250 Pot Limit Omaha tournament. The three-day event plays down to a winner on Friday.
