PokerStars.com World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Day 1 Report
PokerStars' World Championship of Online Poker is now underway and for the next 15 days, over $30,000,000 will be on the line in various events. Two events kicked off the excitement on Friday afternoon, the first of 33 on the 2008 WCOOP slate.
WCOOP Event #1: $215 NLHE 6-max
The WCOOP started with a bang as 7,217 participants flocked to the $1M guaranteed event for a total prize pool of $1,443,400. Several known players got off to impressive WCOOP starts, including Mark "RandALLin" Flowers in 103rd place ($1,948.60) and Christopher "TaTaTunes" Antunes in 43rd place ($2,886.81). Thirty-minute levels meant a long day, an entire night, and well into the next morning for the ones that made it
to the final table. Fourteen and a half hours after play began the final six were set. The chip counts to start the final table were:
shane147 - 6,854,221
SilverSocks - 4,867,367
- DoV - - 3,455,180
Jordan "scarface_79" Smith - 3,016,834
pffwhatever - 2,199,042
CURDOG1KCK - 1,258,356
A deal was discussed early on at the final table, but no agreement could be reached and play resumed. When blinds and antes were at the 20,000/40,000/4,000 level, the first elimination occurred. Shane147, from under the gun, made it 200,000 to go and Jordan "scarface_79" Smith raised it up to 700,000. Shane147 then put his big stack to use and moved all in, but Smith snap-called with Q?Q? and was ahead of shane147's K?Q?. The flop came 10?10?9? giving shane147 a gutshot straight draw and the J? on the turn completed the straight. Jordan Smith could only survive with a queen or a ten river, but it was the 9? instead, eliminating Jordan "scarface_79" Smith in sixth place for $23,686.20.
The next to fall was CURDOG1KCK at the 25,000/50,000/5,000 level. Short-stacked, CURDOG1KCK found A?7? and pushed all in from the small blind for 419,712. SilverSocks called from the big blind with K?9? and took the lead when the flop came Q?9?5?. After the A? hit the turn, CURDOG1KCK looked primed to double up. However, the river delivered the K?, making two pair for SilverSocks and felting CURDOG1KCK in fifth place for $49,075.61.
A deal was then hammered out between the remaining players. Each was guaranteed:
shane147 - $180,856
SilverSocks - $140,000
- DoV - - $110,000
pffwhatever - $92,583
Left in the middle was the required $20,000 and the championship bracelet. The next one out in the quest to take down Event #1 was - DoV -. With the blinds at 40,000/80,000 and an ante of 8,000, - DoV - raised to 199,999 and shane147 called from the big blind. The flop came 9?8?J? and shane147 moved all in. - DoV - thought for a while before making the call and revealing 10?10?, trailing shane147's J?6?. The turn and river were the 5? and 6?, eliminating - DoV - in fourth place for $110,000.00. SilverSocks was eliminated a few hands later after getting all in with A?10?, but needed help against shane147's A?Q?. The board ran out 6?4?Q?8?4? and SilverSocks earned $140,000.00 for the third-place showing.
Heads-up play began with these chip counts:
shane147: 17,623,677
pffwhatever: 4,027,323
Though pffwhatever was able to double up once, it would not be enough. Facing an all-in preflop raise from shane147, pffwhatever called all in himself and was in dominating position to double up and take the chip lead, with A?J? to shane147's J?2?.
Unfortunately for pffwhatever, the flop came 2?K?Q? and shane147 took the lead. The 4? turn brought shane147 within one of the championship bracelet. The river was the K? and it was all over. Pffwhatever finished runner-up for $92,583.00. shane147 emerged as the winner of Event #1, outlasting 7,216 opponents and withstanding over 17 hours of play to win the championship bracelet and $200,856.00.
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The final standings were:
*1. shane147 - $200,856
*2. pffwhatever - $92,583
*3. SilverSocks - $140,000
*4. - DoV - - $110,000.00
5. CURDOG1KCK - $49,075.61
6. Jordan "scarface_79" Smith - $23,686.20
* �� four-way deal for remaining prize money; $20,000 to eventual winner
WCOOP Event #2: $215 Pot-Limit 5-Card Draw
PokerStars guaranteed $100,000 for Event #2 and the field more than doubled that amount with 1,024 entrants for a prize pool of $204,800. Team PokerStars pro Hevad "RaiNKhAN" Khan fell just short of the final table, finishing in seventh place for $4,096.00.
The event took over 15 hours to complete and in the end the battle was between wedlowjones and ImBillMcNeal. The heads-up match started nearly even in chips, but ImBillMcNeal pulled away to wikn WCOOP Event #2.
The final results were:
1. ImBillMcNeal - $34,201.60
2. wedlowjones - $25,395.20
3. Isidor3 - $18,739.20
4. Yamzit - $14,848
5. nathalie111 - $11,038.72
6. xoxol73 - $7,680
