Despite being down to his final chips at one point in the action at the final table, Zac Fellows fought back to heads up action against professional James Van Alstyne and defeated him to capture the $3000 H.O.R.S.E. championship last night at the World Series of Poker.
452 players started Event #21 on Tuesday, building a prize pool of slightly over $1.2 million with $311,899 and the gold WSOP going to the champion. Twenty one players came back on Thursday to battle down to the final table and, after almost four hours, had reached the final nine. Professionals Gavin Smith, Chau Giang and former “November Nine” combatant Ylon Schwartz were some of the casualties of the early going.
Professional Van Alstyne led the chip count at the start of the final table and Fellows followed close behind. Over the next eight hours, the duo fended off the challenges – and Fellows avoided elimination – of such players as Matt Hawrilenko, Gabriel Nassif, Michele Limongi and Tim Finne, who was the third place finisher. When Van Alstyne and Fellows entered heads up action, they were virtually tied in chips.
After the first half hour of the duel, Fellows had established an edge on Van Alstyne. Fellows seemed to make his run from the two Seven Card segments of H.O.R.S.E. (Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Hi/Lo), while Van Alstyne kept his head above water during the Hold’em segment of the rotation. Fittingly enough, when the rotation came around to Stud Hi/Lo, Fellows gained enough momentum to finally knock out the veteran Van Alstyne and capture the WSOP bracelet after a two-and-a-half-hour heads-up fight.
The final table of the Event #22, the $1500 No Limit Hold’em Shootout was determined before the completion of Event #21. 1000 players started on Wednesday and the final 100 players who advanced in the shootout format – and cashed in the tournament – came back for play on Thursday. Such players as Barry Shulman, Tony Cousineau, Victor Ramdin and Allen Smurfit started the day but were unable to make the final table.
After the eleven hours of battle at the ten Shootout tables, the final table was determined. The most notable name at the final table is Eugene Katchalov, but challenges could arise from opponents Brandon Wong (eleven WSOP cashes), Joshua Tieman (seven WSOP cashes) and Christopher Moore. All the players will begin the final table with 450,000 in chips when the final table begins at 2PM (Pacific Time) this afternoon.
Event #23 on this year’s WSOP schedule, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball tournament, was not able to make its seven handed final table before the 3AM curfew fell this morning. Ten players remain from the original 96 who started the tournament with players such as Full Tilt Poker’s Roland de Wolfe and John Juanda, David Benyamine and Ville Wahlbeck, the winner of Event #12, the $10K World Championship Mixed Game tournament, still in contention. They will all be following Vince Musso, who holds the chip lead with 765,500 and whose only cash at the WSOP came in this event – in 1979!
Two other tournaments saw their first day action on Thursday. Event #24, a $1500 buy in No Limit Hold’em tournament, started with 2506 runners at noon and had worked down to the 270 players who will cash in the tournament. Such notables as Joe Sebok, Thayer Rasmussen and Vince Burgio are still alive as are bracelet holders Humberto Brenes, Robert Mizrachi and Burt Boutin.
Event #25, the $2500 Omaha/Seven Card Hi-Lo mixed tournament, had 376 players start the action on Thursday. An estimated 160 players still remain in the tournament today; it will be almost impossible for the final table to be determined during the second day of play and it may be a stretch to reach the final 40 players who will cash in the tournament. There are a host of professionals in this tournament, with such players as Layne Flack, Blair Rodman, Dutch Boyd, Mel Judah, Chip Jett, Hoyt Corkins, Jennifer Harman and Phil Ivey just a few of the notables.
Two events will kick off action in their first days today. Event #26 ($1500 Limit Hold’em) and Event #27 ($5000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo) will start at noon on the felt in the Rio. With the start of these events, the halfway mark of this year’s World Series will also have been reached. As we have since the beginning, Poker News Daily will continue to keep you informed of all the action as it occurs during the WSOP.