Event #44: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
Day 2 Completed
2017 World Series of Poker
Event #44: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
Day: 2
Level 20
: 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
On Day 2 of Event #44: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E., a field of 156 players was reduced to just 18.
Tom Koral leads the remaining players with 770,000 chips after what he called the hottest run he's ever had in a limit tournament at the World Series of Poker. After taking about 20 big bets into the dinner break, Koral came back to his heater, making a wheel against Josh Arieh in razz.
Then, Koral busted Tom West in crushing fashion, first making a flush in stud when he put in a check-raise with his draw on fourth and then finishing West off improbably with just a small pair against rolled up jacks. Koral has had plenty of success in live poker tournaments, with almost $1.8 million in cashes, but has yet to bank his first bracelet.
One player with plenty of gold hardware who advanced is Mike "The Mouth" Matusow. Matusow, at one point down to 4,500 after being bluffed in devastating fashion by Scotty Nguyen, crawled his way out of the depths. He kept singing about how he played so much better with a nub, and he did indeed make his short stack last.
"They couldn't bust me when I had 4,500, how the f*** are they gonna bust me now?" he kept asking.
Matusow is seeking his fifth bracelet.
"I'm the best short-stack player in the world!" he crowed after bagging. "I've got all the confidence in the world. You can't beat confidence.
"They just don't understand how good I play! They can't beat me!"
Others remaining in contention are David Steicke, Phil Hui, Don Zewin and Valentin Vornicu.
Some players who busted among the 60 paid places included Stephen Chidwick, Phil Hellmuth, Jason Mercier, Nguyen and Shaun Deeb.
The 18 remaining will meet at 2 p.m. in Brasilia for the final day of the event. Come back to PokerNews for more coverage.
| Room | Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brasilia | 700 | 1 | Seamus Cahill | Ireland | 287,000 |
| Brasilia | 700 | 3 | Don Zewin | United States | 155,000 |
| Brasilia | 700 | 4 | Matthew Honig | United States | 240,000 |
| Brasilia | 700 | 5 | Brendan Taylor | United States | 312,000 |
| Brasilia | 700 | 6 | Nikolay Fal | Russia | 222,000 |
| Brasilia | 700 | 7 | Valentin Vornicu | United States | 62,000 |
| Brasilia | 700 | 8 | Matthew Schreiber | United States | 388,000 |
| Brasilia | 701 | 1 | Ryan Hughes | United States | 288,000 |
| Brasilia | 701 | 2 | Gabe Paul | United States | 484,000 |
| Brasilia | 701 | 3 | Ryan Himes | United States | 219,000 |
| Brasilia | 701 | 5 | Mike Matusow | United States | 212,000 |
| Brasilia | 701 | 7 | Alex Livingston | Canada | 146,000 |
| Brasilia | 701 | 8 | Richard Bai | United States | 371,000 |
| Brasilia | 702 | 1 | Marcus Mizzi | Canada | 485,000 |
| Brasilia | 702 | 3 | Dmitry Chop | Ukraine | 346,000 |
| Brasilia | 702 | 4 | Tom Koral | United States | 770,000 |
| Brasilia | 702 | 5 | Phillip Hui | United States | 516,000 |
| Brasilia | 702 | 6 | David Steicke | Hong Kong | 441,000 |
Level 20
: 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
770,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
|
||
|
|
516,000
221,000
|
221,000 |
|
485,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
484,000
99,000
|
99,000 |
|
441,000
-109,000
|
-109,000 |
|
388,000
-70,000
|
-70,000 |
|
||
|
371,000
151,000
|
151,000 |
|
346,000
61,000
|
61,000 |
|
312,000
-78,000
|
-78,000 |
|
|
||
|
288,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
||
|
287,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
240,000
154,000
|
154,000 |
|
222,000 | |
|
|
||
|
219,000
-76,000
|
-76,000 |
|
212,000
132,000
|
132,000 |
|
||
|
155,000
-106,000
|
-106,000 |
|
146,000
-234,000
|
-234,000 |
|
|
||
|
62,000
-148,000
|
-148,000 |
Level 20
: 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
After fighting with his short stack throughout the last few levels of the night, and doubling up several times and chopping several pots, Tom McCormick finally succumbed in one of the last few hands of the night in unknown action.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Level 20
: 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
Omaha Hi-Lo
Seamus Cahill raised from the cutoff and he was called by Hanks Honig from the small blind and Brendan Taylor from the big blind.
The flop came 
and action checked to Cahill. He bet and was called by both players.
On the 
turn, Honig and Taylor checked again. Cahill bet and Honig and Taylor called.
The river was the 
and both Taylor and Honig checked again. Cahill bet for a third time. Only Honig called. Cahill showed 
for kings full and that was good enough to take down the entire pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
280,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
|
86,000
-97,000
|
-97,000 |
Level 20
: 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
Hold'em
Christopher Korent got his remaining chips in on a 
flop with 
, but Dmitry Chop had outflopped him with 
. The turn was a 
and the river a 
, eliminating Korent.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
285,000
-15,000
|
-15,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 20
: 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
Hold'em
Hanks Honig check-raised from the big blind on a 
board against Matthew Schreiber, and Schreiber called. Honig bet the 
river and Schreiber quickly called with , beating Honig's 
for a whiffed flush draw.
Then, Valentin Vornicu raised early and Honig made it three bets in the small blind. Vornicu called, and called more barrels on the flop and turn as 
hit the felt. Honig tanked about 30 seconds before checking the river, and Vornicu checked back but couldn't beat 
.
"Well-played," Honig said. "I was calling."
Vornicu raised the next hand as well and again got three-bet by the small blind, this time Brendan Taylor. Taylor fired the 
flop and Vornicu raised. Taylor called and checked the . Vornicu bet again, and Taylor fired in a raise.
"Ace-jack?" Vornicu wondered. He folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
458,000
128,000
|
128,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
390,000
154,000
|
154,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
210,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
|
183,000
-62,000
|
-62,000 |
Level 20
: 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
Stud Hi-Lo
Tom McCormick was all in on third street and he was called by Phil Hui and Matthew Davidow. On fourth street, Davidow also moved all in. Hui called and the boards completed as such:
McCormic: 
/ 
/
Hui: / 
/
Davidow: 
/ 
/
That gave McCormick aces for the high and Hui a seven-low and a pair of fours for the high side pot. Davidow was left with king high and not a good enough low for any of the pot so he was eliminated while Hui and McCormick chopped the main pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
295,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
|
25,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 20
: 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
Stud
While we missed the action, Alex Livingston explained that he had Mike Krasienko all in and at risk with his starting hand of 
. Krasienko was holding 
and neither player improved. That locked up the knockout for Livingston while Krasienko was sent to the rail in 22nd place, where he collected $7,141.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
380,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 20
: 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
Stud Hi-Lo
Justin Vold completed, Dmitry Chop raised, Brandon Cantu thought awhile and cold-called, and Vold put in his 23,000. Chop didn't slow down in the side pot, betting every street until Cantu called off his 5,000 on the river.
Chop: 
/
Cantu: /
Vold: 
/
Cantu couldn't get away from his jacks up, but Chop's set of tens busted everyone.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
300,000
140,000
|
140,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
|
||