2009 40th Annual World Series of Poker
Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better (Event 48)
Date:
Thursday, June 25, 2009 to Saturday, June 27, 2009
Buy-In:
$1,500
Prize Pool:
$1,040,130
Entrants:
762
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:33:54
Lee Watkinson Eliminated in 2nd Place ($141,873); Brandon Cantu wins Event 48!
We finally have a winner. After a series of hands in which all the chips went in the middle, Brandon Cantu eliminated Lee Watkinson. On the final hand, Cantu raised his button to 150,000 and Watkinson called. The rest of the chips went in on a flop of 
. Cantu showed 
, a pair of fours with a club draw. Watkinson showed a huge draw, 
. Any non-board-pairing low card would have been a great card for Watkinson. Instead the turn fell 
and the river fell 
to make trip fours for Cantu and finally send Watkinson to the rail.
Watkinson walks away with $141,873.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:21:12
Cantu Returns the Favor
The action is "end to end" now. Once again Brandon Cantu and Lee Watkinson were all in preflop. Cantu's 
bested Watkinson's 
by making a lowly pair of sixes on a 
board.
Cantu now has a two-to-one chip lead.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:18:28
Watkinson Back in the Driver's Seat
Lee Watkinson raised preflop to 100,000 and was called by Brandon Cantu. Cantu checked a flop of 
, then check-raised to 800,000 after Watkinson bet 200,000. Watkinson moved all in, drawing a fold from Cantu.
Watkinson has the lead again with approximately 2.2 million chips.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:06:15
Watkinson Quartered
It's an unlucky blow for Lee Watkinson. He opened for 100,000 from the button. Brandon Cantu reraised to 300,000, bringing a third raise from Watkinson. Cantu quickly got all in and Watkinson called.
Watkinson: 
Cantu: 
The flop hit Cantu without hitting Watkinson, 
. Watkinson was lucky to catch running low cards, 
and , to salvage one quarter. Even with those chips, he has relinquished the chip lead to Cantu.
Count:
Cantu - 1,970,000
Watkinson - 1,430,000
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:01:15
Cantu on the Rebound
Some more positive movement for Brandon Cantu's stack. After Lee Watkinson opened the button for 125,000, Brandon Cantu reraised to 300,000. Watkinson called, then folded to a pot-sized bet on a flop of 
.
Cantu now has about 1.3 million.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:58:21
No Change
The last ten minutes of play haven't seen much change in the stacks. What was looking like it might be a quick heads-up match now seems destined for a bit more longevity.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:46:25
Brandon Cantu Doubles Up
Brandon Cantu is not quite ready to leave this final table. He raised to 150,000 preflop after Lee Watkinson limped the button. Watkinson called, then called Cantu's all-in bet of 270,000 on a flop of 
. Cantu showed down middle set and a small flush draw, 
. Watkinson was drawing thin with 
. The turn and river were bricks to double up Cantu to 840,000.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:42:06
No Break!
Since we're heads up (and probably also in part because Lee Watkinson has such a huge chip lead) the players have opted not to take a break.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:32:53
Cantu Teetering
Brandon Cantu is down to about 570,000 chips now. He opened his button for 100,000, then tanked when Lee Watkinson reraised to 300,000. Cantu eventually folded, prompting Watkinson to show two cards -- 
.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:27:21
All Watkinson So Far
We've had seven hands of heads-up play so far, with Lee Watkinson having the decided advantage. He's had three walks, and taken down another pot by potting preflop after Brandon Cantu opened for 100,000. Watkinson also got a small pot for the minimum preflop and a small turn bet after action otherwise checked down.
We had one chopped pot. The only other pot was limped by Watkinson who then folded to a pot-sized raised from Cantu. Cantu is down to about 700,000.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:19:16
Heads-Up Chip Counts
Lee Watkinson - 2,485,000
Brandon Cantu - 945,000
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:18:39
Mathieu Jacqmin Eliminated in 3rd Place ($92,946)
It was a brutally stunning collapse and elimination for Mathieu Jacqmin. He had the chip lead just ten minutes ago. Now he's out in third place.
Jacqmin started the preflop action by raising pot from the small blind. Lee Watkinson called from the big blind to a flop of . Jacqmin checked to Watkinson, who fired out for pot. Jacqmin then check-raised all in and was dismayed to see Watkinson quickly call!
Watkinson: 
Jacqmin:
Watkinson flopped the nuts, a set of queens. He had to fade non-pairing spades and a running low draw. The brought part of the running low draw home, but the river bricked 
to send Jacqmin to the rail in third place.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:11:41
Here Comes Lee
Look out, Brandon Cantu and Mathieu Jacqmin. Lee Watkinson has the chip lead now and that's very dangerous for both of you. Watkinson raised his button to 125,000 and was called only by Jacqmin. Both players checked the 
flop. On the turn , Jacqmin led out for 250,000. Watkinson won the pot by raising that bet to 600,000 and drawing a fold out of Jacqmin.
Watkinson is now leading with 1.6 million. Jacqmin is down to 1.075 million.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:04:47
Watkinson's Good Call Preserves Some Chips
Mathieu Jacqmin raised to 110,000 and was called by Lee Watkinson. Both players checked the 
flop. When the turn fell 
, Jacqmin led out for 120,000. Watkinson called.
On to the river the players went. Jacqmin fired a second bullet, putting 350,000 chips up for grabs. Watkinson tanked before calling with top set, 
. Jacqmin turned over , a pair of a aces and an eight-low. The pot was chopped.
"Nice call," Jacqmin told Watkinson after the hand.
"Thank you," Watkinson replied.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:53:53
Bluff Shown. Gauntlet Thrown?
We had our first three-way limped pot of three-handed play. On an all-big flop of , Lee Watkinson checked to Brandon Cantu, who bet 120,000 (pot). Mathieu Jacqmin then raised to 400,000, folding Watkinson.
Cantu tanked for a bit before declaring, "Fold." Then he added, "Will you show me" as he opened three cards 
and for three pair. Jacqmin obligingly showed .
The very next hand, Cantu limped his small blind and then called a pot-sized raise to 120,000 from Mathieu. On a flop of 
, Cantu angrily slammed the table and mucked his cards first to act.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:45:24
Watkinson Crests a Million
The stacks have evened out a bit to start the level. Lee Watkinson took down back-to-back small (raised) pots, one from each of Brandon Cantu and Mathieu Jacqmin. After those pots, the counts stand as:
Jacqmin: 1,400,000
Watkinson: 1,020,000
Cantu: 950,000
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:40:20
Back to Small Ball
The last couple of hands have all been small-ball type of hands. Action is either checking on most streets or ending with either a preflop raise or a single bet on the flop. Expect the same for about an hour (even with increased blinds). We probably won't see much significant movement until Level 25.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:29:04
Ted Weinstock Eliminated in 4th Place ($64,727)
A three-way raised pot was the last pot in this tournament for Ted Weinstock. He was in the big blind and elected to call a raise to 100,000 made by Mathieu Jacqmin after Brandon Cantu also raised.
The flop came down . Cantu was first to act and bet pot, 300,000. Weinstock then moved all in for 500,000 before Jacqmin also moved all in, having Weinstock covered. Cantu quickly folded out of the way.
Jacqmin:
Weinstock: 
Jacqmin had aces and the nut flush draw and the nut low draw. Weinstock had the nut low draw and a pair of sixes. The turn 
cinched the high half of the pot for Jacqmin; that left Weinstock looking to chop the low, but he couldn't get there when the river paired sixes, .
Weinstock's reward for fourth place in $64,727.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:21:20
Cantu Back on Top
Remember what we said about big pots and big swings? Brandon Cantu has gone from last place to first place in the span of just a few hands. Sitting in the big blind, he called a raise to 90,000 made by Mathieu Jacqmin from the button. Cantu opened for 195,000 on a flop of , a bet that Jacqmin raised to 500,000. It seemed that Cantu meant to go all in at that point but announced just a call.
It didn't matter. The rest of Cantu's 135,000 chips were in on the turn. Jacqmin called with , a live four and two pair. Cantu had him beat the low with , a live trey. The river gave Cantu a wheel to scoop the whole pot.
Cantu is up to 1.465 million, while Jacqmin slipped back to 815,000.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:13:15
Tommy Vedes Eliminated in 5th Place ($47,617)
Oh boy. Pots are huge now and swings are big -- big enough to knock players out. Mathieu Jacqmin raised to 90,000 preflop and was called by Tommy Vedes from the button. On a flop of 
, Jacqmin checked to Vedes, who bet 225,000. Jacqmin then check-raised all in and Vedes called.
Jacqmin:
Vedes: 
There would be no joy for Vedes. He paired nines with the turn , but missed all of his outs on the river. When the stacks were counted down, Jacqmin just barely had Vedes covered. Vedes was therefore eliminated.
