2008 WSOP Event #28, $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys, Day 1: Sebag Leads
152 world-class players took the field for what has traditionally been one of the more raucous events of the WSOP. Day 1 of Event 28, the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys tourney, would live up to that tradition. And even though the action was pervasive throughout the field, spectators flocked to Table No. 15. At one point in time, this table of death hosted Erick Lindgren, Phil Hellmuth, Erik Seidel, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, and Robert Williamson III, representing over 30 WSOP bracelet-winning performances between them. And when the day finally came to a close, all but one of these players were still in the hunt to add another bracelet to their collections.
It would be the bracelet-less Emmanuel Sebag, however, who would secure the chip lead going into Day 2. Sebag has come close to a bracelet, finishing in second place behind Johnny Chan in the 2003 WSOP $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event. The overnight top ten:
Emmanuel Sebag 466,200
David Benyamine 343,700
Erick Lindgren 262,800
Adam Hourani 236,400
John Juanda 213,300
Eli Elezra 205,800
Phil Hellmuth 201,800
Brian Rast 178,200
Daniel Negreanu 176,400
Thomas Wahlroos 171,200
The 152 players managed to rack up 483 rebuys, swelling the total prize pool to over $3 million. After the rebuy period concluded, the field starting shedding players quickly, managing to get down to 54 players by the end of the night. The remaining players will still have a lot of unpaid work for Day 2 as only 18 will be eligible for a payday. The bracelet winner will add $817,781 to his bankroll.
Patrik Antonius departed shortly after the rebuy period ended. All the money went in on an almost immaterial flop, as it was Antonius' K-K-x-x vs. Emmanuel Sebag's A-A-x-x. Sebag's aces held and Antonius was eliminated. The defending champion in this event, Burt Boutin, didn't last much longer. Boutin scored a boat when his 9-9-x-x connected with the 9-8-8 flop. But David Benyamine's trip eights improved to quads when the case eight fell on the turn.
Hoyt Corkins and another player were eliminated in a four-way pot where two players had pocket aces, one player had pocket kings and one player had pocket queens and pocket jacks. In the end, Rafi Amit was glad that his pocket aces also included a deuce as he tripled up when he made the wheel on the river. David Benyamine's pocket aces picked up the side pot.
In a period of less than ten minutes, Tom "durrrr" Dwan busted both Phil Ivey and Dario Minieri. All of Ivey's money went in on a 10?8?4? flop. It was Ivey's 5?6?7?2? facing off against Dwan's K?Q?A?10?. The board filled in with more clubs and Dwan's higher flush eliminated Ivey. Minieri then got it in with the best of it, with his queen-high straight besting Dwan's jack-high straight when the chips went in. But Dwan would catch a runner-runner flush to oust Minieri.
John Juanda eliminated JC Tran after both players caught trip nines on a 9-9-5 flop. Juanda's A-A-9-3, however, would score an ace on the turn for the boat, sending Tran to the rail. On one of the last hands of the night, Daniel Negreanu announced that he wanted chips or he wanted to go home. Negreanu had to settle for chips when he doubled up against David Williams. All the money went in on the turn with the board reading 3?6?J?9?. Negreanu had made a flush with his 4?5?6?A? while Williams had two pair with K?J?6?2?. Williams couldn't find a boat on the river and Negreanu will join him tomorrow for Day 2.
Among those rejoining our chip leaders for Day 2 are Rafi Amit, Gavin Smith, Chris Ferguson, Robert Williamson III, Josh Arieh, Tony G, Johnny Chan, Alexander Kostritsyn, Joe Hachem, Freddy Deeb, Kirill Gerasimov, Rob Hollink, Mike Sexton and Erik Seidel.
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