WSOP Hand of the Day: Scott Seiver vs. Brian Rast

World Series of Poker / Short-Stacked Shamus / 06 July 2011 / Leave a Comment

Brian Rast picking up chips at Event #55 (Photo credit: PokerNews / WSOP.com)

Day 4 of the $50,000 Poker Player's Championship (Event #55) ran quite long last night, not stopping until just before 6 a.m. when the sun had already risen over the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. They began the day with 29 players and played down to nine, with Minh Ly ending the day with a large chip lead. Ly will return to a stack of more than 5.2 million today, with his nearest challengers Brian Rast, Matt Glantz, George Lind, and Phil Hellmuth all hovering at just below half that stack.

However, Ly's lead is hardly safe from threat. Until the next elimination they will continue with the "eight-game mix" format, with the blinds, antes, and stakes having by now become so high that much can change on a single hand, including in the fixed-limit games (2-7 triple draw and the H.O.R.S.E. games). When they reach the final eight they will switch to no-limit only, where we all know an appropriately-timed double-up can change everything in the blink of an eye.

It was an exciting time in the Amazon Room last night watching the $50K event play down to the final nine, with a number of dramatic hands that might have qualified for yesterday's WSOP Hand of the Day. Indeed, George Lind alone probably played a half-dozen or more hands in which he was all in and survived, including a couple for which he was down to drawing a final river or seventh street card to stay in the game.

However I've chosen to highlight from yesterday a hand from just after the dinner break, a huge pot-limit Omaha hand between Scott Seiver and Brian Rast with 14 players remaining. Josh Arieh was involved in this one, too, until the turn, but by the river the hand had become a huge confrontation between Seiver and Rast.

At the start of the hand, Seiver had about 2.4 million, Rast about 1.5 million, and Arieh about 1.3 million. As Rich Ryan reported on PokerNews, the blinds were 10,000/20,000 and they were playing seven-handed when Scott Seiver opened with a raise to 55,000 from the cutoff seat. Arieh -- who began Day 4 as the chip leader but would ultimately fall in 13th -- called from the button, and Rast called as well from the big blind.

The flop came As-7d-4h and Rast checked. Seiver bet 115,000, Arieh called, and Rast called as well. That meant the pot had already grown to a little over half a million chips when the 8c fell on the turn.

Rast led with a bet of 250,000 -- about half the pot -- and Seiver raised the pot to 1.27 million. Arieh quickly got out, and Rast thought for a long time about what to do. He had but 1.05 million left, so calling would mean putting his tourney life on the line. Finally he made the call.

Seiver had Ac-6d-5c-4d for the eight-high straight and the current nuts. Meanwhile, Rast had 10c-9s-7s-7h for a set of sevens plus a draw to a higher straight.

The rainbow board -- meaning no flush was possible -- likely further encouraged Rast to make the call. Seiver commented afterwards that the hand represented "probably the biggest flip of my life," but in actuality he was about a 2-to-1 favorite to win with one card to come.

Alas for Seiver, that card would be the 8h, filling up Rast and giving him the 3.1 million-chip pot and the chip lead. Seiver would soon rebound, though, and by the next level would climb right back close to the top of the counts once again.

Check over at PokerNews' live reporting today to see who survives the ups and downs of Day 5 of the $50K Player's Championship, and you might also dial up ESPN3 where I believe (if you can access it) there will be live coverage of today's final table.