WSOPE Event 2: Sherkhan Farnood Wins The £2,500 HORSE
Thursday, 25 September 2008
He might have been annointed 'probably the worst player I have ever played with' by Phil Hellmuth, but Sherkhan Farnood proved the Poker Brat and any other doubters wrong by winning Event 2 at the World Series of Poker Europe.
While most expected Ivey, Lederer, Lisandro or even the well-respected Mark Gregorich to be at the business-end of play, it came to two of the relative unknowns to battle it out heads-up. Eventually Farnood was able to eliminate Ivo Donev in second place to capture his first WSOP bracelet.
Eleven players had returned from the previous day, and with the eliminations of Raul Paez, Yuval Bronshtein and Erik Albinsson, the final table of eight was set as follows:
Seat 1: Sherkhan Farnood 88,000
Seat 2: Phil Ivey 139,000
Seat 3: Spencer Lawrence 113,500
Seat 4: Jeffrey Lisandro 165,000
Seat 5: Ivo Donev 65,000
Seat 6: Jeff Duvall 136,000
Seat 7: Howard Lederer 283,500
Seat 8: Mark Gregorich 104,000
Local lad Spencer Lawrence was the first out and he was promptly followed by the Big Game player Jeff Lisandro, who seemingly couldn't get any momentum going. Six handed play saw the action slow down (from slow to painful), and perhaps this was part of the reason why Phil Ivey's day was cut short with his elimination in sixth place.
Phil IveyMark Gregorich is a player who Mike Matusow described as a player who 'just needs one break' before he hits the big time. Those in the game know he is a great player, and he showed once again he is on the cusp of something with his performance in London. It wasn't to be his event here though, after he was knocked out by Farnood in the Hold'em round.
The home city lost it's last representative when Jeff Duvall was knocked out in fourth. Railed by fellow 'Vic' legend Keith 'The Camel' Hawkins, Duvall was unable to manoeuver around the stacked Ivo Donev or the impressive Lederer, and he eventually met his demise after being scooped by 'The Professor' in Omaha Eight.
Jeff Duvall - the only man with a Camel on the railThree handed play became a war of attrition, and with so many chips in play many expected it continue well into the small hours of the morning. Patience is something that has always been considered one of Howard Lederer's best skills, coming from his chess background and being analytical on every street. The next few hours saw Lederer's chip lead eroded first to parity, and then he suffered a major blow in a big stud hand with Sherkhan Farnood. Crippled after losing that hand, Lederer was eventually finished off in the Omaha Eight round.
And so it came to two of the players no one anticipated would be battling it out for the crown. Ivo Donev held the chip lead, but the flow of Farnood's game seemed to carry him through, clawing back chip by chip before finally capturing the title with Queens-up against a busted flush draw in the Stud.
Congratulations to Sherkhan Farnood - perhaps not the worst player in the world.
Sherkhan Farnood: Winn-aaaaah!
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Poker News, WSOPE, Event, 2:, Sherkhan, Farnood, Wins, The, £2, 500, HORSE