Davidi Kitai – WSOP Event #38 – $2,000 Pot Limit Hold Em

The final table of Event #38 kicked off with Jan von Halle as the chipleader holding 485,000 with the average chip stack at 276,000. After just three hours of play, we were heads up with Davidi Kitai and Chris Bell. Here’s how the action breaks down:

Seat 1: Davidi Kitai (Belgium) — 274,000
Seat 2: Ben Roberts (London, England) — 82,000
Seat 3: Ayaz Mahmood (Houston, Texas) — 314,000
Seat 4: Michael Greco (London, England) — 120,000
Seat 5: Chris Bell (Raleigh, North Carolina) — 260,000
Seat 6: Jan Von Halle (Hamburg, Germany) — 485,000
Seat 7: Robert Cheung (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) — 352,000
Seat 8: Keith Greer (Fort Worth, Texas) — 238,000
Seat 9: Lee Watkinson (Cheney , Washington) — 357,000

The first ninteen hands saw very little action, as a raise was enough to take down the pot uncontested 11 times while the big blind was given a walk on four occasions. Hand number 20 saw short stack Ben Roberts all in against Michael Creco who called in the big blind for 18,000 more. Roberts turned over A 8 of spades and Creco was in a bad spot with his 2 4 offsuit. Ben Roberts doubled up when Creco missed his gutshot on a board of Jc Ah Qd 5s with the final card coming an 8c.

Ben Roberts’ double up seemed to be just what was needed as the next 4 hands included 3 flops and an elimination. Hand #24 saw Creco raise it to 40,000 and the action was folded around to Chris Bell who reraised to 100,000. Creco came back over the top by announcing all in and Bell made the call, turning up pocket aces against Creco’s pocket kings. Creco was sent home in ninth place when his hand failed to improve, he received $22,573 for his efforts.

Hand number 29 saw Robert Cheung raise to 39,000 with KJ of diamonds and Ben Roberts push all in for 52,000 with pocket sevens. Cheung made the call and the flop came 5s 8c 5h, giving Roberts a good shot at doubling up once again. However, the J c came off on the turn and Roberts was eliminated in 8th place when he failed to catch a seven on the river. Ben Roberts received $30,831 for his eighth place finish.

After several hands of small ball, Keith Greer gets his money all in with Aces against Chris Bell’s pocket Jacks on hand number 38. Greer’s aces hold up and Chris Bell is forced to send over a pile of chips.

Ayaz Mahmood was eliminated in seventh place on hand number 57 after seeing a flop of 3c Jh Qd with Jc 9h against Chris Bell with Qc 4s. Ayaz Mahmood pushed all in for 69,000 and Bell made the call. The turn came the 6s and the river brought the Kh, sending Mahmood home with $39,089 in prize money.

The field continued to dwindle 4 hands later when Bell raised to 60,000 and Cheung reraised the pot to 210,000. Bell thought a while and decided to put Cheung all in for his last 39,000. Chris bell showed Ac Kd and Cheung turned over 9s 9d. The flop was 5d Qh 7d and the turn was the Th, leaving Cheung a 77% favorite with just 10 cards to dodge on the river. The river has no concept of probability, of course, because it isn’t an actual entity and doesn’t possess intellect – it can be a bastard nonetheless. Thus the river was the Js, completing Bell’s runner runner broadway, or Forest Gump as we call it, and sending Cheung home in sixth place with $60,100.

Hand number 66 was played between the two blinds, with Lee Watkinson limping in from the small blind holding Kd 6c and Davidi Kitai raising 60,000 from the big blind with 7d 5c. Watkinson makes the call and the flop comes 4h 7s 3d. Watkinson leads out with a pot sized bet and Kitai moves all in with top pair and a straight draw. Watkinson makes the call and the turn brings the 6s completing Kitai’s straight and leaving Watkinson just 3 outs for a tie. The river is no help to Watkinson and Kitai doubles up.

On the very next hand, Watkinson gets his short stack all in against Bell in an unenviable position – holding Ad 4s against Bell’s Ah 6H. The flop was dealt 8h Jc Qc, the turn brought the 2h and the river was the 9h, giving Bell the nut flush and Watkinson $63,313 for a fifth place finish.

Roughly 30 hands later, on hand 99, Kitai raises to 75,000 and von Halle makes the call. The flop is 6s Ah 7d and both players check. The turn brings the Qd and von Halle bets the pot of 162,000, Kitai raises all in and von Halle makes the call. Kitai shows Ad 4h and von Halle turns over Qs Td, the river brings the 8d and von Halle is sent home in fourth place with $77,077.

One hand later, Chris bell raises to 80,000 and Keith Greer reraises the pot to 264,000. After a bit of though, Bell puts Greer all in and Greer makes the call. Bell is in a dominating position with pocket Queens against Greer’s pocket Jacks, when the board fails to improve Greer’s hand he is sent home in third place with $94, 695.

When heads up play began, Chris Bell had 1,425,000 chips against Davidi Kitai’s 997,000. It would take nearly five hours before a winner was decided. On hand number 240, Bell limped in on the button and Kitai made it an additional 100,000. Bell makes the call and the flop comes 2d 3s Qc. Kitai bets out 125,000 and Bell raises him to 350,000, after a moment’s hesitation Kitai makes the call and fourth street brings the 4d. Kitai checks his option and Bell pushes 500,000 into the pot. Davidi Kitai reraises all in and Bell is forced to make the call. Kitai shows Qd Qs for top set and Bell is caught with his hand in the cookie jar, reluctantly showing K 8. The river is a meaningless Jc and Kitai takes down a huge pot, leaving Bell with just 250,000.

It would take another 50 hands before a winner was decided. With 220,000 left, Chris Bell called Kitai’s all in bet with As Js only to be dominated by Kitai’s Ad Qs. When the board came all blanks, Chris Bell was out in 2nd place with $155,806 and Kitai became Belgium’s first WSOP bracelet holder, winning $244,546 in the process.