Matt Graham managed to overturn a 13:1 chip deficit to take the $10,000 World Championship of Pot-Limit Omaha title. Graham is no stranger to winning a WSOP bracelet the hard way, last year he fought his way back from being 8:1 behind to win the $1,500 Limit Holdem Shootout. 

The final table included players such as, Barry Greenstein, Vitaly Lunkin, David Williams,  Josh Arieh and 2009 WSOP  $5,000 winner Richard Austin. Matt Graham held a small going into the final table and still had a small lead when he reached the heads-up stage against Vitaly Lunkin. A monster pot decimated Graham’s chipstack and all but handed the win to Lunkin. But Graham even though down to just $600,000,  would not give up without a fight and three double ups later, he had managed to regain the chiplead.

Thirty minutes after having his stack crippled, Matt Graham hit a set of tens that would seal the win. Lunkin took home $419,832 for his second place finish, while Graham collected the top prize of $679,379 and his second WSOP bracelet.

The $5,000 pot-limit Omaha tournament was decided on the third day when Richard Austin took the bracelet with a surprise double elimination in the last hand, knocking out both Cliff Josephy and Sorel Mizzi.

Day 1 started with 363 players starting the event, partly due to the elimination of rebuys from the 2009 WSOP. Among the players at the tables were Omaha specialists like Erik Seidel, Barry Greenstein, John Juanda and Erik Lindgren.

 Defending Champion  Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond would not be reclaiming his title, as he was busted on the first day. The final hand proved something of an anti-climax as Sore Mizzi, Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy and Richard Austin were at the three handed stage. Mizzi and Josephy were both all-in on a flop of  Kc-9d-3c. Josephy had hit top set, but Austin holding Qh-Js-8c-5c, only needed a ten or a club to take pot and the tournament. The turn showed a harmless 8s, but the 7c on the river gave Austin his flush and the title.  At first the tournament director was about to award a split pot between Josephy and Mizzi, before realising that Austin had the better hand and was now the tournament winner. Austin collected $409,484 for the win and the WSOP gold bracelet.

JC Tran won his second gold bracelet of this years WSOP by taking the $2,500 pot-limit Omaha tournament. He came into the final table fourth in the leaderboard, which was lead by the Hendon Mob’s Ross Boatman. Tran fought his way through the final table and actually eliminated five of his last eight opponents.

Dane Theo Jorgensen was Tran’s victim, when he missed his flush draw and Tran made his straight draw on the river. Tran’s pair of kings then bust out Chad Layne in seventh place. While holding the chip lead Tran lost a size able amount of chips when he was involved in a three way pot which saw Jean- Phillipe Leandri triple his stack and Rami Boukai bust out.

Boatman’s better two pair was no good as Tran hit a runner-runner flush with a spade on a river, and he went out in fourth.  Leandri was next to go leaving Tran and Jeff Kimber face each other heads-up. Tran went into the heds-up stage with a 2-1 chiplead and within less than half an hour he had increased it to 5-1. The final hand saw Kimber drawing dead against Tran’s eight over sevens full house.

Roland de Wolfe won the World Series Of Poker $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo tournament and in doing so completed a historic hattrick of wins. It was not only his first WSOP bracelet, but he is only the second man to complete the ”Triple Crown” of  WPT, EPT and WSOP wins.

De Wolfe beat Brett Richey in heads up play to take the title, but faced some very tough opposition to get there. Scott Clements went into the final table as chipleader and it did not take him long to eliminate his first opponent Anthony Lellouche, who started the day in second place in the leaderboard.

Andy Black, who was also chasing his first WSOP bracelet, was knocked out in sixth place by Robert Campbell. Alex Kravchenko was the next player to fall to Scott Clements, going out in fifth place. Campbell had started the day as the shortest stack, but managed to stay in the tournament long enough to get eliminated by the eventual winner in fourth place.

With the table now three handed, De Wolfe managed to get the chiplead, before eliminating the tournament favourite Scott Clements. With a 4-1 chiplead over Brett Richey, it did not take long for De Wolfe to claim the title. Richey collected $152,618 for his second place. Roland de Wolfe took home $246,616, the WSOP gold bracelet and his place in poker history.

Going into the second day of $5,000 pot-limit Omaha hi/lo tournament, 59 players started and by the end of the 3 am deadline, the final table had been set.  Scott Clements holds the chiplead, with Anthony Lellouche some way behind him.

Of the 59 that started Day 2, only 18 would reach the money with Mickey Appleman being the unlucky player to go out in 19th place. A few other notables were eliminated short of the money as well including, Jason Mercier, Chris Reslock, Michael Binger, Eli Elezra and Phil Ivey.

Scott Clements is hoping to collect his third WSOP gold bracelet, but has some tough competition in the final with players like, Andy Black, Roland de Wolfe, Anthony Lellouche and Alex Kravchenko.

Event #18 of the World Series Of Poker saw Daniel Alaei win his second Bracelet by overcoming tough opposition in the $10,000 World Championship of Omaha Hi/Lo tournament. Seventeen competitors started on the last day, but players including Alex Kravchenko, Sam Khouiss and Ville Wahlbeck all went out before the nine handed final table was set.

Scott Clements was chipleader going into the final table, Jonh Monnette was his closest competitor. Also seated at the final table were Annie Duke and Daniel Negreanu. Duke was eliminated in eigth place and Negreanu, who was in his second final table of the WSOP so far, was knocked out in fourth.

Ben Boyd was out in third place, which left Clements and Alaei to battle it out heads-up. Alaei had the chip lead going heads-up play and in the second hand dealt  he finished Clements off.  Clements took home $275,946 for his second place finish and Alaei came away with the winners bracelet and $445,898.

Jason Mercier claimed his first ever World Series Of Poker Bracelet in the $1,500 PLO tournament. He ended the first day as chipleader, but going into the final table he was fourth in the chipstack ranks with Kevin Iacofano as the chipleader. Mercier did not have the best of  starts and lost half his chips early in the day, but won a few keys pots and started the momentum that took him to the top of the leaderboard.

The pace of the table started slowly, but the first big pot of the day saw four players limp into the pot. After the flop Mercier and Tare folded,  Tran bet and Chris Biondino pushed all-in with his last 165,000, and hit his flush draw on the turn to double up to over $400,000.

The first elimination saw Victa Park busted out by Matt Giannetti, while another four way limped pot saw An Tran bust out. Mercier and Biondino folded,Tran was all-in with a set of deuces but was beaten by Steve Burkholder who flopped a set of fives. 

Dario Alioto was next to go at the hands of chipleader Kevin Iacofano. The table slowed down for another hour , but then Jason Mercier hit his stride and eliminated the next three players to hit the rail. First to go was Tare, who’s two pairs was no good up against Mercier’s set of Jacks. Short stack Chris Biondino was next to go to the rail, holding a five high wrap draw, he was bettered by two pairs. Mercier then made a ten high straight on the river to knock out Matt Giannetti.

Kevin Iacofano was knocked out by Steve Burkholder and then the table was down to heads-up, with Burkholder having a slight chiplead over Mercier, who’s PLO experience would help him turn the tide of the heads-up stage.  Mercier hit a full house on the turn to swing the chiplead back in his favour.The final hand saw both players hit trip jacks on the flop with Burkholder having the better kicker. The queen on the turn saw Mercier hit the full house that would seal the win as the king on the river was no help to Buckholder.

Buckholder goes home with $146,748 as runner up. Jason Mercier collects his first ever WSOP bracelet and the first prize of  $237,415.

A field of 81 players started Day 2 of the $1,500 PLO tournament in the World Series Of Poker and we ended the day with a new leader.  Kevin Iocofan is the new leader going going into the final day. He amounted a chipstack of  $770,000, his nearest opponent is Jonathon Tare with $639,000.

The remaining players had already passed the money bubble, so the tournament started at a fast pace as the short stacked players tried to stay in the game. Robert Mizrachi was an early elimination when he pushed all-in with a pair of queens only to be beaten by a pair of kings. Matt Stout and Alexander Kostritsyn also went out early in the day.

The leader from Day 1 Jason Mercier’s stack dropped to below $400,000 when he called Dario Alioto’s all-in shove. Mercier missed his flush draw and wrap draw and was beaten by Alioto’s pair of kings.

The last player to be eliminated before the final table was Alex Micheals who was busted by Chris Biondino’s jack high flush. So the final table was set and the seating draw is as follows;

1. An Tran  –  435,100
2. Jason Mercier  –  384,400
3. Chris Biondino  –  182,000
4. Matt Giannetti  –  311,000
5. Kevin Iacofano  –  770,000
6. Jonathon Tare  –  639,000
7. Dario Alioto  –  315,000
8. Victa Park  –  341,000
9. Steven Burkholder  –  263,000

Event #5 on the World Series Of Poker schedule, is the first pot-limit Omaha event. This tournament in the past had been a rebuy tournament, but now rebuys are a thing of the past in the WSOP and now the participants use add-ons to bolster their chipstacks.  The players are given two red add-on chips to use in the first three levels. If they are not used within the allotted time they are added on automatically to keep a more even field.

A field of 809 players started the tournament, but by the end of the first day 81 players are remaining, with Jason Mercier as the chipleader. The tournament attracted some big name entrants and many of them were amongst the players who would not make it through to the next day. Daniel Negreanu was to be an early victim, going out during the first level.

By the end of the fourth level over half of the field had been eliminated, including such names as David Ulliott, Sorel Mizzi, Chris Bell and Jeff Madsen. Phil Hellmuth saw his set of 5’s beaten by a set of Aces. Chris Ferguson was another big name victim, having hit a straight on the river, only to be beaten by a small flush.

All the while Jason Mercier continued to build his chipstack, targetting and eliminating several short stacks. He ended the day with a commanding lead, with over 88,000 more than his nearest opponent.

Thang Luu made WSOP history by winning  the $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo title for the second year running. The tournament started with a record field of 917 players and the third and last day there was just 19 left to fight it out for the WSOP  bracelet. It would take ten hours for the eventual winner to be found, but it took less than an hour for the first five players to head to the rail. After that the pace of the tournament slowed.

The nine handed final table was sat when Sebastian Ruthenberg was eliminated in tenth place. At this time the chipleaders were Ed Smith and Jordan Rich with commanding chipstacks over the remaining players. Freddy Deeb, Jim Geary and Pascal Leyo were all short stacked and were all eliminated by the bigger stacks.

Thang Luu managed to double against Ming Reslock and then bust out Jordan Rich who went out in sixth place. Reslock eliminated Leyo in fifth place, but it was Luu who started to really turn the screw by knocking out Robert Price and then Ming Reslock who eventually went out in third place.

Thang Luu and Ed Smith started the day as chipleaders and they would be the two protagonists that would eventually battle it out heads-up. As time wore on and Smith became more short stacked, he survived a number of all-ins that resulted in chopped pots, but the end came when both players had two pairs, but it was Luu’s hand that was the better one.

Vietnamese born Luu took his second bracelet in this event and the winners cheque of $263,165