It’s not often that a WSOP event runs over it’s allotted schedule, but that’s what happened to  the $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo Split 8 or better Event #20 on the way to seeing Calen McNeil winning $277,274 and a very tasteful gold bracelet.

It’s probably not surprising that if it happened in any event it would have been one that offers split pots, as it always seems to take longer for these events to reach a conclusion.

The first bust out from the final table was Dao Bac who was eliminated two hands after being crippled when his set of Jacks was beaten by McNeil with a turned Broadway straight. The hand that sent him to the rail started when Bac called all in to John Monnette’s late position raise. McNeil came along in the big blind, and check called Monnette’s bet on the 36J flop. The 6 saw McNeil check fold. Monnette tabled AA34 and was ahead of Bac’s A482. Bac was hoping for a low card to split the pot, but the Q wasn’t in the ballpark, and set him To the rail in 9th with $19,753.

As you’d expect, 8th place is up next, and this saw the elimination of Won Goag. The hand got interesting when Won opened with a raise from late position only to see Tony Ma three bet, everyone else fold, and Goag shove his remaining chips over the line. Ma made the call for Goag’s stack, and the players tabled their cards. Goag was left hoping to take the low pot when his A2KT was seriously behind Ma’s AAKQ. The flop of A2Q hit both players hands pretty nicely, but Goag was still behind, with only a Jack giving him outs to stay in the tournament. The turn brough a blank 6 and the river was revealed to be the 2, giving Goag a smaller full house, and busting him in 8th place with a cheque for $25,283.

Next to leave the lights, cameras and table was John Monnette when he got it in to a three bet on the J28 flop against Calen McNeil. Monnette had 5323 against McNeil’s A766, leaving Monnette needing a 3 to take the high pot, or a low card to take the low. The turn and river brought none of these, and sent Monnette home in 7th with $32,798.

Brit Stephen Chidwick was the next to leave the action. The pre flop action was a bit manic, and Chidwick ended up 5-bet shoving for less than a full bet, and McNeil and Brunson both made the call to bring the flop. The 3T8 flop brought a bet from McNeil, which Brunson check/called. The turn was the 6, Brunson checked, and then folded to McNeil’s bet with a comment of “How did I get into this mess?”

McNeil was ahead with AA74 giving him a flush draw as well as a pair of Aces, while Chidwick only had pocket kings. Another 8 on the river sent Chidwick to the cashiers cage looking for his $43,120.

Tony Ma was out next after first doubling up a short stacked Todd Brunson after Brunson flopped two pair, and then losing to a rivered full house, again to Brunson. The final nail in Ma’s tournament coffin was when he got it all in with his last big blind, and a pair of pocket queens. Ma didn’t improve and was busted by Ford’s Flush, and Brunson’s 8 low. Ma pocked up $57,521 for his efforts.

4th place was awarded after Joe Ford and Can Kim Hua started throwing some preflop raises back and forth, and got all of Ford’s chips into the middle. Ford was holding 86A3 and was looking ok against Hua’s 6c532 until the board ran out J95QK, and Hua’s pair of fives were enough to send Ford to the rail in fourth for $77,917.

Todd Brunson had been yo-yoing his stack up and down, and finally his luck just couldn’t hold. From the small blind, Brunson raised, and Can Kim Hua made the call behind. The TA9 saw Brunson fire out a bet, and Hua make a call. The turn of Q saw Brunson fire again, and Hua flat called behind to bring the 2 river. This time Brunson check called to leave himself about a single big bet. Hua showed the nut flush with AK25, and Brunson flashed an ace and a queen before mucking his hand. Brunson was eliminated a few hands later when he raised from the big blind and found a caller in McNeil who had limped in front. The flop came down J32 and the rest of Brunson’s chips went over the line and McNeil called. Brunson tabled his A437 and was ahead with a pair of threes and a better low draw when McNeil showed his 459T to have an open ended straight draw. The turn brought the A
to complete McNeil’s draw, and the 9 bricked out the board. Brunson left in 3rd with $107,349.

The heads up battle ran for the rest of the scheduled play for the day, and with McNeil having about a 3 to 1 chip lead, the players decided to come back the next day.

When play resumed, it didn’t go in McNeils way to begin with. Hua’s five and a half big bets were enough for him to build off, and get up to double McNeil’s chip stack. With such a swingy game it wasn’t unexpected to see the chip lead go back and forth between these two, and it finally came down to a single hand.

Calen McNeil

Calen McNeil

McNeil opened with a raise, and Hua called from the big blind. The 3 cards in the middle were turned over to show 8K4 and Huw quickly fired out a bet, only to see Mcneil fire another bet back. Hua called to bring the turn of the T and the rest of the chips sailed into the middle.

Hua showed TK97 for a pair of tens and an open ended straight draw, while McNeil held KKA3 for top set. McNeil got a little ahead of himself thinking Can Kim was drawing dead, but the river of 2 sealed the deal anyway, and McNeil won the event. Hua hit the rail in second for $171,577.

This is the first of this year’s events to run over it’s time, but i doubt it’ll be the last. The final table payouts look like this:

  1. Calen McNeil – $277,274
  2. Can Kim Hua – $171,577
  3. Todd Brunson – $107,349
  4. Joe Ford – $77,917
  5. Hieu Ma – $43,120
  6. Stephen Chidwick – $43,120
  7. John Monnette – $32,798
  8. Won Goag – $25,283
  9. Dao Bac – $19,753