2008 World Series of Poker Europe
Pot Limit Omaha (Event 3)
Date:
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 to Friday, September 26, 2008
Buy-In:
£ 5,000 (American Conversion $9,179)
Prize Pool:
£ 825,000
Entrants:
165
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 01:11:22
Congratulations to Theo Jorgensen, Event #58 Champion!
Pot-Limit Omaha is perhaps the ultimate action game and tonight's final table was no exception. Compared to the nearly 15-hour marathon we witnessed a few nights ago at the £2,500 H.O.R.S.E., tonight's final table clocked in at a brisk seven hours of play, with Copenhagen's Theo Jorgensen riding the chip lead he brought to the final all the way to victory. Seven pros and one decorated amateur all fell by the wayside, as Jorgensen channeled his run-good powers, even hitting quads in back-to-back hands to eliminate both Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Jason Mercier.
Jorgensen is no stranger to a WSOP final table. Out of the four times he's cashed at the series, he's made three final tables and now can add a WSOP bracelet to his growing collection of poker accolades.
Though the Scandinavians can at times be a stoic lot, the affable Jorgensen is a notable exception and nothing could wipe the ear-to-ear grin off his face as he wrapped his first bracelet around his wrist and posed for the cameras. That's two out of three now for the Danes at the WSOP-Europe, as his fellow countryman Jesper Hougaard took down the £1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event earlier this week.
Congratulations to Theo Jorgensen, tonight a happy man indeed as he left the stage to celebrate with his friends.
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 01:00:18
Theo Jorgensen Wins Event #58 (£218,626), Sorel Mizzi Eliminated in 2nd Place (£132,000)
After what was quickly becoming an adrenalin-pumping roller coaster of a ride, we finally unearthed our champion, and thus the winner of the resplendent gold bracelet.
It all happened on a 
flop, and in a matter of seconds too. Jorgensen bet 100,000, Mizzi reraised, Jorgensen pushed all in, Mizzi called and we had our showdown.
Jorgensen = 
for top set.
Mizzi = 
for the nut flush draw.
"Heart!" yelled a slightly intoxicated Annette Obrestad from the rail. "Seven of diamonds!" exclaimed another. "Pair the f***ing board!" screamed Jorgensen, refusing to mince his words.
In the end, it was the second of those requests that mysteriously came true, the blank 
turn being followed by a harmless 
river, delivered straight from the Twilight Zone.
"Woooooooo!" screeched Jorgensen as the collective shoulders of Mizzi and his Mizzilites dropped in unison. With a battered and bruised Mizzi staring dejectedly down at the felt, the jubilant victor jumped into the arms of fellow countryman Martin Vallo and the two Danes proceeded to celebrate their nation's second triumph of the week. An incredible feat, and one that will have the North Americans turning green with envy.
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:52:03
A Return to Small Ball?
The tone of this match has turned much more methodical since Theo Jorgensen doubled back up through Sorel Mizzi. Instead of, "pot, re-pot, all in," it's been more like, "check, bet, call" as of late. Here's how the last three heads-up hands played out.
1. Jorgensen raised to 60,000 from the button and Mizzi called. The flop was 
and both players checked. The turn was the 
and they checked again. The river was the 
. Mizzi checked, Jorgensen bet the pot, and Mizzi folded.
2. Mizzi raised to 40,000 from the button, Jorgensen reraised to 120,000 and Mizzi called. A 150,000 bet from Jorgensen took it down on the flop.
3. Jorgensen raised to 50,000 from the button and Mizzi called. The flop was 
. Mizzi checked, Jorgensen bet 80,000 and Mizzi folded.
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:47:41
Updated Chip Counts
Theo Jorgensen 2,562,000
Sorel Mizzi 648,000
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:45:37
Tales from the Rail
Out of the two remaining players, it would appear as though Sorel Mizzi is the more heavily supported, with various young online pros shouting him on from the sidelines. Also gracing us with their presence here at ringside are the first and second-place finishers from last year's Main Event, Annette Obrestad and John Tabatabai.
In a moment of madness, Tabatabai raced up to the table to give Mizzi a big wet kiss on the cheek. The timing of this platonic (or, so I hope) show of affection was probably not the best, as Mizzi had just lost an all-in for the bracelet. Otherwise I'm sure he would have reciprocated.
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:37:25
Mizzi Struggling
Theo Jorgensen seems to be picking up most of the smaller pots at the moment. The last hand of note I witnessed saw both players reaching a 
flop. Mizzi led out for 80,000, Jorgensen reraised, and Mizzi made a swift fold.
Mizzi is down to 620,000.
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:36:14
Special Guest Star: RW3
With Jack Effel taking a phone call, the announcing duties have been turned over to the Omaha King himself, Robert Williamson III.
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:28:42
Jorgensen Slow-Plays His Flush
Sorel Mizzi opened for a min-raise to 40,000 and Theo Jorgensen called. The flop was 
and both players checked. The turn was the . Jorgensen checked, Mizzi bet 63,000 and Jorgensen called. The river was the . Jorgensen checked again, and perhaps detecting that something was amiss, Mizzi checked behind.
Jorgensen rolled over 
for a queen-high flush and Mizzi mucked.
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:26:01
Updated Chip Counts
With that hand, we're back to exactly where this heads-up match started.
Theo Jorgensen 2,435,000
Sorel Mizzi 865,000
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:19:08
Theo Jorgensen Doubles Through Sorel Mizzi
As the excitement continued to build, Theo Jorgensen increased his stack twofold after an encounter of such high drama that it would have made an EastEnders cliffhanger look tame.
With Sorel Mizzi raising to 60,000 preflop, Jorgensen made it 180,00 and Mizzi called. On the 
flop, bedlam ensued, with both players shoving their stacks across the line and rising from their seats in anticipation.
As the crowd edged the rail forward and the salivating press closed in, the hands were revealed.
Mizzi = 
Jorgensen = 
"Low card!" screamed the Mizzilites.
Turn = 
The Mizzilites went berserk.
River = 
The Mizzilites stopped going berserk.
Jorgensen, meanwhile, leaped into the air as if launched out of a cannon and celebrated with fellow countryman Martin Vallo on the sidelines. Mizzi, on the other hand, could but slump back in his seat with the look of a child who'd just had his favorite toy snatched from his grasp.
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:09:28
Quite a Dramatic Chop
On the very next hand after Mizzi's double-up, he led out for 108,000 on a flop of 
. Theo Jorgensen raised pot to 444,000, Mizzi moved all in and Jorgensen called.
Jorgensen: 
Mizzi:
Mizzi and Jorgensen had both flopped seven-high straights. The on the turn, though gave Mizzi a flush draw, and his flock of baseball-cap wearing railbirds lunged toward the table and screamed for a heart on the river. The last card fell the 
, though, and Jorgensen breathed a sigh of relief as they chopped up the pot.
Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:01:09
Sorel Mizzi Doubles Through Theo Jorgensen
Sorel Mizzi raised it up to 60,000 preflop and Theo Jorgensen made the call.
On the 
flop, Jorgensen led for 110,000 and Mizzi called.
A turn triggered a dwell from Jorgensen, who eventually held up three fingers and bet out 300,000.
Sorel Mizzi paused momentarily before motioning all in. After mumbling an unrepeatable profanity, Jorgensen shrugged his shoulders and made the call.
Jorgensen = 
Mizzi = 
"Sick pot," observed Jorgensen.
The tension built as the dealer remained poised, but upon dealing out the river, the Mizzilites whooped and their hero doubled through.
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:52:33
Mizzi Strikes Again
Sorel Mizzi raised to 42,000 and Theo Jorgensen called. The flop came down and both players checked. The turn was the 
. Jorgensen led out for 60,000 and Mizzi called. The river was the . Jorgensen slid out a tall stack of blue chips worth 120,000 and after checking and re-checking his cards with looks back at the board, Mizzi made the call.
Jorgensen turned up 
, but Mizzi had an eight-high straight with and won the pot.
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:44:23
First Blood to Mizzi
Sorel Mizzi has sneaked in the first jab of heads-up play. He flat-called a preflop min-raise before taking the pot with a bet of 42,000 on the river of a checked 
board.
First blood to Mizzi, who looks nothing like Rambo.
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:42:26
Heads-Up Play Commences
With reveling cocktailers, clinking glasses, a rail full of rambunctious Mizzi and Jorgensen supporters and the ever-present thump of electronica spilling out from the upstairs nightclub, heads-up play has commenced at what might be the noisiest final table in WSOP history.
Jorgensen has nearly a 3-to-1 chip lead over Mizzi as they get down to business.
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:36:03
Heads-Up Chip Counts
Theo Jorgensen 2,435,000
Sorel Mizzi 865,000
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:35:15
Eric Dalby Eliminated in 3rd Place (£84,562)
Sorel Mizzi opened for 49,000 from the button, Theo Jorgensen called from the small blind and Eric Dalby called from the big. The flop was . Jorgensen checked, Dalby bet 147,000, Mizzi got out of the way and Jorgensen called. The turn was the 
. Jorgensen led out for 270,000, Dalby re-potted all in and Jorgensen insta-called.
Jorgensen turned over for the nut straight, Dalby drawing dead with 
. The river was the and the affable Englishman was eliminated. He'll collect £ 84,562 for his finish here today.
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:26:31
Updated Chip Counts
It's anyone's game now...
Theo Jorgensen 1,400,000
Eric Dalby 990,000
Sorel Mizzi 920,000
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:26:07
Erik Friberg Eliminated in 4th Place (£66,000)
With the Empire Casino packed to the rafters from the hustle and bustle of the Friday night crowd, Sorel Mizzi and Erik Friberg saw a cheap 
flop.
After Mizzi had called a bet of 20,000, Friberg fired out again on the turn, this time to the tune of 60,000. Mizzi glanced back down at his cards before announcing, "Raise," and pushing two columns of 100,000 over the line. Friberg called all in, and we had a showdown.
With Friberg's up against , the Swede had his nose in front but was looking to avoid any spade, a deuce, a king, or a five (don't quote me on that, it's late). Much to the delight of the Mizzilites on the rail, two of those outs were rolled into one as the dealer duly dealt out a clinical on the river.
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:12:35
Dalby Strikes Again
Eric Dalby raised to 32,000 from the small blind and Erik Friberg called from the big blind. The flop was . Dalby checked, Friberg bet 45,000 and Dalby called. The turn was the and both players checked. The river was the . Dalby bet 61,000 and Friberg gave up his hand.
With that pot, Dalby is now on 915,000 in chips, while Friberg has fallen to 190,000.
Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:05:34
A Ripe Old Age
As a result of his recent double-through, Eric Dalby currently boasts a stack of 647,000 and has now become a genuine contender for bracelet gold in this £5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha freezeout. It's remarkable to see a man of his experience and seasoning still able to perform at such a high level, and at the ripe old age of 78, there aren't too many people in the building who can bend the ear of Doyle Brunson and utilize the phrase, "Back in my day, son..."
