Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:07:55 -0700
Congratulation to Max Pescatori, Event #24 Champion! ($246,471)
The "Italian Pirate" has just plundered the bracelet here in Event 24. Max Pescatori outlasted a pro-heavy field of 457 players over the course of three long days to take the title and the hardware.
It was a hard-fought battle for our champion. He jumped out to a chip lead early in Day 2, but found himself in the middle of the pack by the end of the day. Today, he sat patiently while the opponents at his table went after each other, sticking his nose in only when he had a chance to snag some chips. Midway through the day, he reacquired the chip lead once again, only to watch Kyle Kloeckner overtake him prior to the heads-up battle. But Pescatori made quick work of his opponent, running down his chip stack and capturing the title.
For his three days' worth of work, Pescatori will take away $246,471 and something money can't buy: his second WSOP gold bracelet.
Congratulations to Max Pescatori, Champion!
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:01:22 -0700
Max Pescatori Wins Event #24, $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em/Omaha, Kyle Kloeckner Eliminated in Second Place ($152,410)
Omaha -
Max Pescatori raised from the button to 72,000. Kyle Kloeckner made the call from the small blind. The flop came down all red,
. Kloeckner checked over to Pescatori, who made a bet of 110,000. Kloeckner thought and then made the call.
The turn was the
and Kloeckner checked one more time to Pescatori. Max asked the dealer to verify the pot size and then announced he would bet the pot, 364,000. Kloeckner went into the tank for several minutes. He mentioned, "I think you know what I have," and had a grim look on his face.
After thinking for another couple of minutes, Kloeckner announced he was all in. Pescatori made the call and the hands were revealed.
Pescatori:
Kloeckner:
The river came off the
and Pescatori jumped from his chair and raised his good arm in the air for victory. Italian words were screamed from the crowd as Pescatori ran over to high-five his buddies that railed him for the entire final table.
Kloeckner gave a strong performance and didn't give up when faced with adversity at this final table. He earned $152,410 for his second-place finish.
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:34:12 -0700
Kloeckner Gets Some Back
Hold'em -
On the last hand of hold'em, Kyle Kloeckner and Max Pescatori both saw a flop for the minimum. The flop came
and Kloeckner bet out 30,000. Max called.
The turn was the
and Kloeckner check-called a bet of 50,000 from Pescatori. The river fell the
and both players checked.
Kloeckner turned up
for a pair of queens. Max tapped the table and then mucked his hand.
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:31:22 -0700
Pescatori Gives Another Jab
Max Pescatori raises it to 90,000 from the small blind. Kyle Kloeckner makes the call, and the two men see the flop.
It comes
, and both players check. The turn is the
. Check-check again.
The river brings the
. Pescatori leads out with 100,000, and Kloeckner makes the call. Max flips over
, and it's good enough as his opponent mucks his cards.
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:27:11 -0700
Pescatori Takes a Big One
Hold'em -
Max Pescatori raised from the button to 65,000 and Kyle Kloeckner called. The flop came
. Kloeckner checked and Pescatori bet out 100,000. After some thought, Kloeckner raised to 350,000.
Pescatori thought and thought, just as Marcel Luske jumped to the rail to watch the action. Pescatori studied for a few minutes before announcing all in. Kloeckner immediately folded and the Italian scooped the big pot.
Pescatori - 1,500,000
Kloeckner - 670,000
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:19:53 -0700
Greg Hurst Eliminated in 3rd Place ($94,599)
Max Pescatori folds from the button. Kyle Kloeckner raises it up, making it 80,000 to go. Greg Hurst makes a reraise, stacking out a total of 175,000. Kloeckner calls.
The flop comes
. Kloeckner leads out with a covering bet, and Hurst pushes his last 200,000 or so into the pot. The hands are turned over:
Kloeckner:
Hurst:
Hurst needs some help, but the board runs down
,
, and that's going to do it for him. Kloeckner knocks him out and moves his stack up to 1,300,000.
Hurst put on a strong performance today, doubling up early on to give himself some breathing room. He was disappointed, but he will pocket $94,599 for his three-day run.
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:10:16 -0700
Updated Chip Counts
Max Pescatori - 1,030,000
Kyle Kloeckner - 742,000
Greg Hurst - 450,000
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:07:29 -0700
Forza Pescatori!
Hold'em -
Picking up the action on the turn when the board read
, Max Pescatori checked over to Kyle Kloeckner. Kloeckner bet out 90,000 and Pescatori called.
The river was the
and Pescatori checked again to Kloeckner. This time, he bet 130,000. Pescatori quickly called.
Kloeckner showed
and then Pescatori rolled over
for a better ace high with a six kicker and scooped the pot.
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:00:28 -0700
Cards Back In The Air
Kyle Kloeckner - 1,100,000
Max Pescatori - 690,000
Greg Hurst - 500,000
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:52:59 -0700
Dinner Break
Players are now taking a one-hour dinner break. See you in 60 minutes.
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:52:27 -0700
Allen Cunningham Eliminated in Fourth Place ($76,205)
Omaha -
The action happened fast, but here's what we know. Allen Cunningham got all his chips, about 90,000 worth, in the middle against Kyle Kloeckner. Cunningham held
, and was in big trouble against
.
The board punched Cunningham right in the stomach. It came
, giving Kloeckner a set of aces and sending Cunningham home a little early.
The quiet pro was riding a roller-coaster of action this evening. He went from big stack to short stack to being on the brink of extinction to being healthy once again, all within a span of less than an hour. When all is said and done, he will be disappointed to be out in fourth, but will pocket $76,205 for his hard work.
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:49:46 -0700
"Nice Bluff"
Omaha -
Allen Cunningham limped from the small blind and Max Pescatori checked his option.
The flop came
and Allen bet out 30,000. Pescatori made the call. The turn was the
and Cunningham fired a big, pink stack of 100,000.
Pescatori asked, "How much do you have left, Allen?"
Cunningham replied that he had 210,000 and then Max said, "I raise the pot," which was 400,000 total according to the dealer.
Cunningham stood up and said, "Nice bluff," before thinking for a minute or two. He stood up while thinking and just stared at the board. Finally, Allen made the fold. He only has 210,000 remaining and has been standing for the past few minutes while he's been really active and on the short stack.
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:42:19 -0700
Kyle Hegeman Eliminated in Fifth Place ($62,015)
Omaha -
From the button, Max Pescatori limps in, and Kyle Hegeman raises from the small blind, making it 80,000 to go. Next to him, the other Kyle (Kloeckner) calls, and Pescatori follows suit.
The three men see the flop come down
. Hegeman moves all in for approximately 125,000, and Kloeckner makes the quick call. Pescatori gets out of the way, and the two men show down their hands:
Hegeman:
Kloeckner:
The turn brings a straight for Kloeckner when the
falls, leaving Hegeman drawing dead and headed for the door. For his three days' worth of work, Hegeman will be rewarded with $62,015.
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:38:05 -0700
Short No More
Omaha -
Kyle Kloeckner raises first in to 60,000. It folds over to Allen Cunningham, and he reraises another 150,000, leaving just 30,000 behind it. Kloeckner shakes his head, shrugs, and puts in the call.
The flop is
, and Kloeckner fires a stack into the middle. Cunningham has no decision; his last few chips go in, and the cards are turned up.
Kloeckner:
Cunningham:
The turn and river blank off as far as Kloeckner is concerned, and Allen Cunningham doubles though him, back to life now with 450,000.
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:31:02 -0700
Updated Chip Counts
Max Pescatori - 600,000
Kyle Kloeckner - 550,000
Greg Hurst - 472,000
Kyle Hegeman - 254,000
Allen Cunningham - 245,000
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:15:51 -0700
Double or Nothing
Short stack Kyle Hegeman has just doubled up through Allen Cunningham. The pro opened the betting with a raise to 60,000, and when it came back to Hegeman, he moved all in for a total of 144,000. Cunningham was priced in, and he called with
. Hegeman loved the news; his
was well in command.
The board ran out
, failing to improve Cunningham and doubling Hegeman's chip count. After the hand, he sits with 300,000 while Cunningham has dropped back to 460,000.
Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:10:03 -0700
Now We've Got Action
The all-ins are coming fast now.
Kyle Kloeckner opened to 72,000, and Greg Hurst came over the top for a total of 200,000, leaving himself 55,000 behind. When Kloeckner reraised, all the chips went into the middle. Kloeckner was holding
and Hurst was in good shape with his
.The board failed to improve Kloeckner as it ran out
.
After that win, Hurst doubles up over 500,000, while Kloeckner is worked down to 371,000.
