2007 38th Annual World Series of Poker
Pot Limit Hold'em (Event 37)
Date:
Friday, June 22, 2007 to Sunday, June 24, 2007
Buy-In:
$2,000
Prize Pool:
$1,090,180
Entrants:
599
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:48:09
Greg Hopkins Wins the Race...And the $2,000 Pot-Limit Title
With both players keeping things very close to the vest, you knew they'd both need to pick up big hands before anything decisive took place. And that's exactly what happened on the last hand of this Pot-Limit event. Jason Newburger was dealt 
and he raised the pot, and Greg Hopkins looked down at the 
. He reraised, and although he'd made some big laydowns earlier in the day Newburger wasn't about to give up his hand now. He moved all in for the last of his chips and Hopkins called.
The 
gave Newburger a gutshot draw and two additional outs. The 
didn't help, and needing paint on the last card, the 
arrived on the river to give the pot to Hopkins. The chip counts were so close that it wasn't immediately clear the match was over, but Hopkins seemed to know as he raced over and hugged some supporters in the audience who just watched him win his first bracelet.
Jason Newburger turned the tide of the match over the last hour or so, but after fighting back from next-to-nothing, he had to settle for being our runner-up and $165,707 in prize money. And in addition to the coveted World Series of Poker bracelet, Greg Hopkins won $269,707.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:30:15
Even Up
It looked like we might have a confrontation when Newburger was dealt 
and Hopkins 
, but neither player got a piece of the board and the hand was checked down. The chip count now looks like this:
1,220,000 for Hopkins
1,180,000 for Newberger
Even steven.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:12:08
Watching Where They Step
Forgive the lack of updates the last half-hour or so, but there's been precious little to update about. Neither player seems willing to raise before the flop, or bet after. We've seen a number of hands checked down, even after one player made a pair on the flop. And so far the cards have trended Newburger's way.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:09:39
Newberger Pulls Even
When he picked up a pair of kings to Hopkins' Q-10 and Hopkins made a rare play at the pot after a 
flop. Newberger came over the top with an all-in bet, and after giving the situation considerable thought (despite having no hand or draw), Hopkins mucked.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 21:28:12
Jason Newburger Doubles Up
And in most-unlikely fashion. Facing a raise, Newburger tried to make a move with 
and Hopkins called with 
. With his flush outs removed from the equation, Newburger's best hope was to hit a pair...and that's just what he did on the 
flop. Hopkins picked up some additional outs when the turned, but he didn't get the picture card he needed on the river. Newhouse has now closed the gap to 1.6 million to 800,000.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 21:13:14
VERY Slow Going
Neither player seems willing to show any aggression. Hopkins has the chip lead, yet he isn't using those chips to put Newburger to the test and really beat him down. The players seem content to limp into pots and check them down, and so far Newburger is getting slightly the better of that, increasing his stack to around 400K.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:54:37
Hopkins Wins A Huge Pot
Jason Newburger went with his read...and it nearly cost him the tournament. Holding 
Newburger flopped a pair on the 
board, but Hopkins flopped top pair with 
. Hopkins bet the pot, and after thinking about it Newburger called.
The 
fell on the turn and again Hopkins bet the pot. Again Newburger thought a long time before just calling. That left him with only about 275,000 behind and when the fell on the river Hopkins moved all in. With just bottom pair, Newburger thought for several minutes about what he should do. That also filled every possible draw on the board, but there was so much money in the pot that Newburger seemed unwilling to surrender his hand. It took him several minutes of stacking and re-stacking his chips before he conceded defeat and mucked his cards, giving Hopkins a massive chip lead.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:45:14
Slow Going
Both Hopkins and Newburger are playing EXTREMELY cautiously in the early stages of their heads-up battle. Lots of limping, lots of checking, very little betting.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:22:58
Heads-Up
We're down to heads-up play and here are the chip counts:
Greg Hopkins: 1,660,000
Jason Newburger: 740,000
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:21:25
Yuval Bronshtein Is Eliminated in Third Place
After losing that huge hand to Greg Hopkins, Yuval Bronshtein needed to find a hand and go with it, and that's what he did when he found pocket sixes. After Hopkins raised on the button with 
Bronshtein moved in for the last of his chips with pocket sixes. Hopkins called and the race was on.
And it was all but over when the flop came 
. Bronshtein started gathering his things and when the fell the rest of the way, Yuval Bronshtein was our third-place finisher, collecting $109,018.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:08:24
The Turn of a Card
The three player left in today's event all had nearly equal stacks, so if anyone could land a decisive blow, he could take a 2-1 chip lead into the heads-up battle. Yuval Bronshtein came one card away from doing just that.
On the button, Bronshtein raised with 
and after Jason Newburger folded, Greg Hopkins raised the pot with 
. Bronshtein chose to call, and after the flop of 
Hopkins announced he was all-in. Bronshtein made the call with the best hand, but when the turned it gave Hopkins a flush draw as well.
A draw he didn't need in the end. The 
spiked on the river to give Hopkins the pot and the chip lead with 1,225,000. Instead of going into the heads-up battle with a huge lead, Bronshtein was left with just 360,000.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 19:43:18
Pete Lawson is Eliminated in Fourth Place
With a new lease on life, Jason Newburger crippled Pete Lawson when Lawson raised before the flop with pocket sixes and Newburger woke up in the big blind with pocket nines. He raised, Lawson made the call, and after Lawson got no help on the 
flop the spiked on the turn to give Newburger the pot.
On the next hand Lawson put in the rest of his chips with and this time Newburger held pocket deuces. The board rand out 
and Pete Lawson, not long ago our chip leader, was eliminated in fourth place, winning $72,497
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 19:40:34
New Chip Counts
Yuval Bronshtein: 850,000
Greg Hopkins: 840,000
Pete Lawson: 380,000
Jason Newburger: 325,000
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 19:35:02
Jason Newburger Doubles Up
Newburger needed a hand to push with, and in pocket eights he found one. Yuval Bronshtein chose to just call with , and then Pete Lawson reraised with . That gave Bronshtein a decision to make, and he chose to lay his hand down.
With one fewer ace in play, Newburger was in better shape than your usual coin-flip, and the 
board didnâ??t improve Lawsonâ??s hand and doubled Newburger to 325K. If Bronshtein had chosen to call, he mightâ??ve won a nice pot and eliminated Newburgerâ?¦but thatâ??s a pretty big if.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 19:19:00
Greg Hopkins Gets No Customers
After Pete Lawson raised with pocket sixes, Jason Newburger chose to flat-call with and Greg Hopkins called in the big blind with 
. The flop came and when Lawson and Newburger didn't make a move at the pot, Hopkins threw in a bet. The others escaped the trap and Hopkins picked up the pot.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 19:11:49
Bronshtein Hits Late to Win a Pot From Lawson
After Pete Lawson charged from last place to take over the chip lead, Yuval Bronshtein turned the tables for one hand at least. Holding J-10, Lawson flopped top pair on the flop and checked it, and when he turned the 
he led out for 35K. But that card gave Bronshtein, holding 
, a flush draw, one that came in when the spiked on the river. Lawson checked and then called Bronshtein's 65,000 bet, and that big hand moved Bronshtein back near the chip lead.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 18:47:48
David Zarrin is Eliminated in Fifth Place
In a three-way pot both David Zarrin and Greg Hopkins flopped aces with a so-so kicker on an A-J-10 boardâ?¦but Pete Lawson, holding K-Q, flopped Broadway. Zarrin bet and when Lawson raised, that chased Hopkins out of the pot.
Zarrin called and both players checked the 
on the turn. The on the river was a scare card that might have convinced Zarrin not to put any more chips in the pot, but he made a move for the rest of his chips and Lawson quickly called. That eliminated David Zarrin in fifth place, which was good for a $52,874 payday.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 18:25:58
Lawson Doubles Up
Yuval Bronshtein has been pushing a lot of hands so far today, but on one occasion when he raised with a fairly decent hand (A-9) Pete Lawson reraised him with pocket jacks. Bronshtein made the call and the 
board didn't improve Bronshtein's hand. That doubled Lawson up to 650,000 and dropped Bronshtein down to 760,000.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 17:51:33
Big-Stack Bully
So far Yuval Bronshtein has pretty much dictated the play at the final table. He's playing his big stack aggressively...so aggressively, in fact, that he's been picked off twice in big hands. But both times he's hit miracle cards to wriggle off the hook and pad his lead, and so far he shows no signs of slowing down.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 17:14:10
Sick Hand, Take Two
Yuval Bronshtein has been pushing with his big stack all afternoon, but when he raised with Bob Collison decided enough was enough and moved in the last of his chips with . Bronshtein was getting the right price, so he called.
The flop gave Collison an inside-straight draw that canceled out Bronshteinâ??s jacks. The came on the turn and Bronshtein was drawing dead to a four.
And the spiked on the river.
A three-outer this time, not as bad as the one-outer than eliminated Gioi Luong, but that was still enough to eliminate Bob Collison in 6th place, for which he receives $41,427.
Sun, 24 Jun 2007 16:56:48
Chip Counts
After that big hand the chip picture has changed considerably:
Yuval Bronshtein: 1,092,000
Greg Hopkins: 503,000
Jason Newburger: 273,000
David Zarrin: 200,000
Pete Lawson: 180,000
Bob Collison: 150,000
