Hellmuth and Brunson Out of WSOP Early
Here is some pretty interesting stuff reported early Monday morning. Stars Phil Helmuth and Doyle Brunson are kicked out of the World Series of Poker much earlier than expected.
"Horrendous, horrendous luck," Hellmuth said Saturday after stunningly being knocked out of the world's richest poker tournament in only six hours. "I'm still half in shock."
Also out of the running for the estimated $11 million grand prize is poker legend Doyle Brunson, who lasted about five hours longer than Hellmuth, but lost when he went all-in on a pair of nines and got beaten by three 10s.
"It never feels good to go out," said Brunson, who shares the record with Hellmuth and Johnny Chan as a 10-time WSOP winner. "But at some point, you've got to try to win some pots. If you don't, you're just wasting your time, so that's what I did."
Hellmuth had lost about one-tenth of his 10,000 chips before he ever saw a card, the result of his penchant for showing up fashionably late. Players not at the table still have to chip in their "blinds" to the kitty, the forced bets each player must make twice every 10-15 minutes or so in Texas Hold 'Em.
Once he got to the table, however, "I kept thinking I wished I'd shown up earlier or much, much later."
He was victimized as much by bad luck as by the aggressive and unpredictable style of amateur players who fill the field in an event boasting more than 8,600 entrants.
"Some guys are so bad, it's not even Texas Hold 'Em," Hellmuth said. "I think I'm the best Hold 'Em player in history."
It's hard to argue that. Hellmuth won his record-tying 10th WSOP bracelet earlier this month in a preliminary event against a field of 1,690 players. He holds the record for cashing at the WSOP (54 times) and has finished in the top 10 in 36 WSOP tournaments.
Still, it's much harder to wade through a field of this size. And when bad luck kicks in, even a player as good as Hellmuth can fall victim.
After only two hands, he had lost significant chunks of his stack when his pair of jacks got beaten by two queens, then when a pair of kings lost to two aces. Players weren't willing to simply fold and move on when Hellmuth made raises - the way many pros do - and he was forced to alter his game plan.
He lost on the same hand that knocked him out last year. He went all in with an ace-queen against an opponent holding a pair of sevens. It's about a 50-50 bet as to who will win, and Hellmuth lost.
"I feel like I'm at the top of my game," Hellmuth said. "When I come into one of these tournaments, I'm not even looking for average luck. I'm looking for a little below-average luck. Today, it was just horrendous luck."
Because of the record number of players, the field has been divided into four, with more than 2,000 playing their opening round each day, beginning Friday. As the numbers dwindle, the fields will be combined until only nine players remain for the final table, scheduled for Aug. 10.
July 31, 2006
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
Previous Page | Internet Gambling | Top Online Casinos | Submit News!