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2012 43rd Annual World Series of Poker

Tuesday, June 26, 2012 to Thursday, June 28, 2012

Event #47: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better

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  • Buy-in: $1,500
  • Prizepool: $1,320,300
  • Entries: 978
  • Remaining: 0

EVENT UPDATES

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Thursday, June 28, 2012 9:03 PM Local Time

WSOP Gold Bracelet Winner Steven Loube

On Thursday, the third and final day of Event #47: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better played out as the final ten players of a 978-player field battled it out for the $267,345 first-place prize and 47th gold bracelet of the 2012 World Series of Poker. After eight hours of play, the man who walked away with the top prize and the gold was Steven Loube, a 34-year-old personal injury attorney from Atlanta, Georgia, who was playing in his first-ever WSOP event.

The day start off quick when the short-stacked Viatcheslav Ortynskiy, who was crippled in the last hand of Day 2, got all in with      but failed to overcome the      of Sonu Sharma as the board ran out      . The Russian finished in tenth place and earned $15,078 for his performance.

Not long after, Paul Ewen was dispatched by Tim Finne in ninth place, while Kyle Carlston, who finished fourth in this event back in 2009, followed him out the door in eighth place.

The next elimination came when Loube raised to 55,000 under the gun and cleared the field all the way around to Paul Taylor in the big blind. The latter moved all in for around 125,000 and Loube snap-called.

Showdown
Loube:     
Taylor:     

The     wasn't particularly interesting, while the   turn saw Loube pump his fist and say, "It's over." Indeed, Taylor was drawing dead going to the river, which came the meaningless  . Taylor silently made his way to the payout desk to collect $31,634 for his seventh-place finish.

A little while later, Sharma limped from under the gun plus one only to have Loube raise pot to 106,000 from the button. Finne was in the small blind and inquired with the floor as to whether or not the action would be reopened to Loube if Sharma, who started the hand with 139,000, were to move all in. The answer was no, and Finne made the call. Sharma moved in as expected, and Loube made the call.

When the flop fell    , Finne ended up check-folding to a pot-sized bet, leaving Sharma and Loube to turn up their cards.

Showdown
Loube:     
Sharma:     

Loube flopped top two pair but Sharma held a big wrap. Unfortunately for the latter, the   turn and   river would both be dry and he would exit in sixth place for $41,589.

Charalampos Lappas, the start-of-the-day chip leader, was the next to go in fifth place. Lappas never got much going and was eliminated shortly after a river bluff failed.

It took more than three and a half hours for the next elimination to occur, which meant four-handed play was a grueling affair. Eventually Roch Cousineau raised to 100,000 under the gun and received a call from Cameron Mckinley in the big blind. The latter checked the     flop, but then woke up with a check-raise to 250,000 when his opponent bet 100,000. Cousineau made the call and then watched Mckinley move all in for around 620,000 on the   turn. Cousineau, who had 570,000, shrugged and put his chips in the pot.

Showdown
Cousineau:     
Mckinley:     

"Big card and I scoop," Cousineau said as he held the nut low and two pair. Much to the delight of his supporters, that's exactly what he got when the   peeled off on the river. Mckinley got up to leave after the hand, but after the stacks were counted down, it was discovered he was left with 50,000. Not surprisingly, Mckinley was eliminated in the very next hand, finishing fourth place and bringing about the dinner break.

After returning from the dinner break, action was fast. Each of the three players took turns doubling, before Cousineau was dealt a crippling blow from Loube. On the very next hand, Cousineau would be eliminated in third place for $103,538.

Heads-up play saw Loube begin with a 3-1 chip lead over Finne, and it only took a couple of hands for Loube to seal the deal, which he did by hitting a lucky heart on the river. Not too shabby for a true amateur whole told us shortly before his big win: "Like I told you guys before, my biggest cash before this was a $50 [gift certificate], good for food, but not for liquor."

Final Table Results

PlacePlayerPrize
1stSteven Loube$267,345
2ndTim Finne$165,486
3rdRoch Cousineau$103,538
4thCameron McKinley$75,151
5thCharalampos Lappas$55,479
6thSonu Sharma$41,589
7thPaul Taylor$31,634
8thKyle Carlston$24,386
9thPaul Ewen$19,052
10thViatcheslav Ortynskiy$15,078

That does it for our coverage from Event #47: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split 8-or-Better. Be sure to visit our Live Reporting Section to see what other tournaments you can follow from the 2012 WSOP.

Thursday, June 28, 2012 8:59 PM Local Time

Timothy Finne - 2nd place

Steven Loube began heads-up play with about a 3-to-1 chip advantage, and after a couple of small-pot hands, enjoyed about the same lead when Timothy Finne limped in from the button. Loube quickly raised the pot to 180,000, and Finne called.

The flop came    . Loube sat quietly for just a moment, then bet 360,000.

It was Finne's turn to sit in contemplation for several seconds before announcing he was reraising all in. Loube called right away.

Finne:     
Loube:     

Finne had a pair of kings and an open-ended straight draw, while Loube had a nut flush draw with backdoor low possibilities. "Heart!" yelled Loube's supporters, but the turn brought the   to give Finne two pair and take away any low.

The dealer then burned a card and turned over the river... the  ! "Yes!" shouted Loube at the sight of the card, who after exchanging hugs with his rail shook Finne's hand.

Finne finishes second, better than the three third-places he's earned at the WSOP before. A nice run, but one spot shy of the goal. Meanwhile, Steven Loube is 1-for-1... this is his very first WSOP tournament ever!

Steven Loube4,400,0001,170,000
Timothy Finne0-1,170,000
Thursday, June 28, 2012 8:50 PM Local Time
Steven Loube3,230,000-20,000
Timothy Finne1,170,000120,000
Thursday, June 28, 2012 8:49 PM Local Time

Roche Cousineau - 3rd place

In the very next hand after being crippled, Roch Cousineau moved all in for his last 60,000 on the button and was called by Steven Loube in the small blind. Tim Finne checked his option in the big, and then both players checked it down as the board ran out      .

Cousineau rolled over     , but it was no good against the      of Loube. With that, Cousineau made his exit in third place, good for $103,538.

Roch Cousineau0-60,000
Thursday, June 28, 2012 8:43 PM Local Time

Roch Cousineau open-raised to 150,000 from the small blind, then Steven Loube didn't waste any time raising pot to 450,000. Cousineau thought a while, then called.

Both checked the     flop. The turn brought the   and a bet of 375,000 from Cousineau. Loube rechecked his cards, exhaled, then announced he was reraising all in. Cousineau sat with his mouth open for a moment as he contemplated what to do with the 725,000 or so he had behind.

Finally, after about a half-minute, he called.

Cousineau:     
Loube:     

"High card," said Loube. He had two pair, while Cousineau was hoping to make a low and/or fill a wheel wrap. Then came the river — the  !

The chips were counted down, and it was discovered Cousineau had had Loube covered by just 60,000, thus enabling Cousineau to play at least one more hand.

Steven Loube3,250,0001,300,000
Roch Cousineau60,000-1,465,000
Gorilla Gaming
Thursday, June 28, 2012 8:28 PM Local Time

While this didn't happen in our event, we still thought you might enjoy the following video where Kristy Arnett finds two beauties sitting at the same table, Lauren Kling and Xuan Liu, and pulled them aside for another edition of Versus.

Thursday, June 28, 2012 8:19 PM Local Time

Roch Cousineau raised to 120,000 from the button and Tim Finne defended from the big blind. Both players proceeded to check the    , bringing about the   on the turn.

This time Finne led out for 145,000, but then folded when Cousineau raised to 380,000.

Roch Cousineau1,525,000445,000
Timothy Finne800,000-490,000
Thursday, June 28, 2012 8:07 PM Local Time

Timothy Finne

Here we go again.

They've only played a couple of orbits since returning, but we've already seen three all-ins — and double-ups — in the space of just a few minutes... one for each player!

In this one Timothy Finne opened for 190,000 from the button, Roch Cousineau repotted for 630,000 from the small blind, Steven Loube folded, Finne reraised all in for 645,000 total, and Cousineau called the remainder.

Finne showed      and Cousineau     . The flop came single-suited —     — giving Cousineau the flush and Finne a pair of queens.

Finne reacted negatively to the sight of the flop, turning away from the table. But a supporter of his on the rail was more sanguine, shouting "10!" as the dealer burned a card and delivered the turn — the  ! A full house for Finne, making the   river no matter.

"Back to where you started," said Finne's supporter. "We're down to the skill game part," said Finne sheepishly as he gathered his chips.

Steven Loube1,950,000-150,000
Timothy Finne1,290,000500,000
Roch Cousineau1,080,000-445,000
Thursday, June 28, 2012 8:02 PM Local Time

Tim Finne raised to 120,000 from the button only to have Roch Cousineau three-bet to 420,000 from the small blind. After Steven Loube folded the big, Finne four-bet and Cousineau got all in for 735,000.

Showdown
Cousineau:     
Finne:     

The     flop was interesting as it gave Cousineau the nut flush, but also provided Finne a set. Unfortunately for the latter, the   turn gave Cousineau full-house blockers. Finne now needed a low card to take half the pot of the last remaining seven.

The dealer burned one last time and put out the  . With that, Cousineau doubled and left Finne as the short stack.

Roch Cousineau1,525,000760,000
Timothy Finne790,000-740,000
Thursday, June 28, 2012 7:57 PM Local Time

Steven Loube

After several hours passed between the last two eliminations, it appears players have come back from the dinner break ready to speed things up a bit.

On just the second hand back, Steven Loube opened with a pot-sized raise to 210,000 from the button, Timothy Finne folded the small blind, then Roch Cousineau repotted from the big blind. Loube reraised all in response, and Cousineau called.

Cousineau:     
Loube:     

"Oh man, if I lose this," said Loube, imagining the worst. But the board rolled out      , and just like that Loube is our new chip leader.

Steven Loube2,100,0001,050,000
Roch Cousineau765,000-1,050,000
Gorilla Gaming
Thursday, June 28, 2012 7:53 PM Local Time
Level: 27
Blinds: 30000/60000
Ante: 0
Thursday, June 28, 2012 7:00 PM Local Time

The last three players and their respective supporters have left for the one-hour dinner break.

Thursday, June 28, 2012 6:57 PM Local Time

Cameron Mckinley - 4th place

With Cameron Mckinley down to his last 45,000 and in the small blind, both Steven Loube and Timothy Finne limped in, Mckinley was all in, and Roch Cousineau checked from the big blind. All three of the remaining players checked down the     flop,   turn, and   river.

The tabling of cards commenced, and when Mckinley spied how the      of Steven Loube had given him a straight, Mckinley mucked his cards, the crowd cheered his fourth-place run, and the three remaining players left for the dinner break

Roch Cousineau1,815,000-35,000
Timothy Finne1,530,000365,000
Steven Loube1,050,000-180,000
Cameron Mckinley0-45,000
Thursday, June 28, 2012 6:51 PM Local Time

Roch Cousineau raised to 100,000 under the gun and received a call from Cameron Mckinley in the big blind. The latter checked the     flop, but then woke up with a check-raise to 250,000 when his opponent bet 100,000. Cousineau made the call and then watched Mckinley move all in for around 620,000 on the   turn.

Cousineau, who had 570,000, shrugged and put his chips in the pot.

Showdown
Cousineau:     
Mckinley:     

"Big card and I scoop," Cousineau said as he held the nut low and two pair. Much to the delight of his supporters, that's exactly what he got when the   peeled off on the river.

Mckinley got up to leave after the hand, but after the stacks were counted down, it was discovered he was left with 45,000.

Roch Cousineau1,850,0001,030,000
Cameron Mckinley45,000-1,010,000
Thursday, June 28, 2012 6:31 PM Local Time

Roch Cousineau opened for 175,000 from the cutoff, Timothy Finne raised the pot from the big blind, and Cousineau called with the 275,000 or so he had left.

Cousineau:     
Finne:     

The five community cards came      , giving Finne the high (queens and nines) and Cousineau the low (7-5-4-3-A) for a split pot.

Cousineau would see flops on the next two hands — both limped pots — and would take both down with pot-sized bets on the flop, thus nearly doubling his stack.

Steven Loube1,230,000-70,000
Timothy Finne1,165,000-85,000
Cameron Mckinley1,055,000-105,000
Roch Cousineau820,000360,000
Gorilla Gaming
Thursday, June 28, 2012 6:24 PM Local Time

Cameron Mckinley

Cameron Mckinley was under the gun and came out firing to the tune of 175,000. Roch Cousineau made the call from the button, and after the blinds got out of the way, the flop fell    .

Mckinley slid out 350,000, leaving just 50,000 behind, and Cousineau moved in. Mckinley called off and the hands were tabled:

Showdown
Cousineau:     
Mckinley:     

Cousineau was ahead with kings, but Mckinley was drawing live to a lot of low outs. The   turn was not one of them and Mckinley got out of his seat and began putting on his backpack, but then the   spiked on the river to give him a pair of aces for the scoop.

Cousineau sat silent as he dropped to just 460,000 while his rail bemoaned the unlucky river card.

Cameron Mckinley1,160,000580,000
Roch Cousineau460,000-780,000
Thursday, June 28, 2012 6:16 PM Local Time

We just saw a couple of consecutive hands with flops that we can report.

Just now Tim Finne limped from the button, Cameron Mckinley called from the small blind, and Roch Cousineau checked his option. The flop came    . Mckinley quickly led for 85,000, Cousineau folded, and Finne called. The turn was the  . This time Mckinley checked, Finne bet 190,000, and Mckinley let it go.

On the next hand Finne was limping in again from under the gun, and Cousineau called from the small blind. Steven Loube made it 200,000 to go from the big blind, Finne called, and Cousineau folded. The flop came    , Loube fired a pot-sized bet of 450,000, and after a little thought Finne folded.

Steven Loube1,300,000340,000
Timothy Finne1,250,000-50,000
Roch Cousineau1,240,000-100,000
Cameron Mckinley580,000-100,000
Thursday, June 28, 2012 6:05 PM Local Time

It's been three hours and ten minutes since the last elimination, which means four-handed action has been taking place for right around 170 minutes (don't forget there was a 20-minute break in there).

Needless to say, the players are content to play patiently and make as few mistakes as possible.

Thursday, June 28, 2012 5:57 PM Local Time

Tim Finne raised to 100,000 from the button and Roch Cousineau defended from the big blind. The latter proceeded to check-call a bet of 135,000 on the     flop, only to have Finne fire a healthy 475,000 bet on the   turn after action was checked to him.

Cousineau wasted little time in flinging his cards to the muck, allowing Finne to essentially even up stacks with him.

Roch Cousineau1,340,000-360,000
Timothy Finne1,300,000365,000
Thursday, June 28, 2012 5:49 PM Local Time

Roch Cousineau opened with a raise to 95,000 from the small blind, then Steven Loube potted from the big blind for 285,000, forcing a fold.

"Rocky" tried again the next hand, raising to 85,000 from the button, and Timothy Finne called from the big blind. The flop came     and both players checked. The turn was the  . Finne checked again, Cousineau fired 105,000, and Finne passed.

Playtika - Jason Alexander
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