The first event of this World Series of Poker is over and the Canadian Nenad Medic is champion! Besting a ridiculous field of his professional peers to become this year's world champion of Pot-Limit Hold'em! Medic takes the bracelet, the bragging rights and the $794,112. Bloch takes another second-place and $488,084.

Read on for all the gory details.

Medic Performs Bloch Bypass

Nenad Medic went into heads-up with a more than two to one chip lead and was able to extend his advantage even further. Bloch managed a few double-ups but couldn't get his hands on enough chips to make a real charge.

The final hand began with Medic limping his button and Bloch using his big blind to make it $300,000. Medic made the call and the flop came down 8 5 4. Bloch led out for $500,000 and Medic raised the pot, enough to put Bloch all-in.

Andy made the call and saw he would need to dodge a ridiculous number of outs with 9 9 to Medic's 5 7. The dealer paused for effect and the audience leaned in a few inches closer to catch a glimpse of the next cards off the deck.

It was the J! Nenad had nailed his flush. It wasn't over though as Bloch held the 9 and therefore still had outs to a better flush. Medic watched implacably as fifth street hit the felt, the 5.

Medic's seven-high flush is good for the final elimination and everything that goes with it.

Stay tuned for an interview with our winner as well as our famous wrap-up blog!

 

Systematic Elimination

Nenad Medic is dominating this heads-up match. We’ll have to wait for the television broadcast to find out whether it’s the cards or just Medic’s unrelenting aggression in this match but one thing is clear, the advantage lies on Medic’s side of the table.

Bloch’s stack just got so low he was forced into action. Read on to find out how it went down.

Sixty-Forty Not Good Enough for Medic

Nenam Medic was just a few cards away from his first WSOP bracelet, getting his money in good against the all-in Andy Bloch. The money went in before the flop with Medic’s K-5 leading Bloch’s Q-8. Screams for every cards in the deck were going up from all over the room, the loudest of which being the queen.

Sure enough when the first three cards hit the felt there was a lady staring up at us. The rest of the board was devoid of help for Medic and Bloch earns a much-needed double.

Counts One Time

Nenad Medic	$5,800,000
Andy Bloch	$1,240,000

Kathy Liebert: The Exit Interview

PL.com's Jason Kirk caught up with our third place finisher Kathy Liebert to get an inside look at how this event went for her. Enjoy! 

There was a true marquee field that turned out for this event. What were your impressions of the event overall?

This field was the toughest field I’ve ever played because in the 10K you get mostly top players and professionals. I was fortunate early on that Harry Demetriou made a pretty loose play against me to double me up.

Third is still pretty good, I guess.

I had a pretty good stack to work with because the structure was pretty good. With 40,000 in chips on the first day I could play solid and pick my spots. I didn’t have to play super fast.
I remember that in the World Series many years ago, when the blinds went from 200-400 to 400-800, you felt like you didn’t have much play.

You had to start shoving, which was correct of course, but you had to get really lucky. In this tournament I never felt under pressure.

Was that final table lineup the toughest you’ve ever seen?

That was a super tough final table. Obviously most of the competition was made up is one of the top players in the world. You couldn’t pick a much tougher final table.

It feels good to get there. It’s a little disappointing not to win it, of course, but the competition was very tough.

Do you feel like you have some momentum going forward in the WSOP after playing so well in the first event?
There’s a lot of tournaments on the schedule, and this event exhausting, but yeah, I do. I think I’ll probably take a few days off and then come back and play my best games.

During the WSOP there’s a tendency to want to play all the tournaments because they’re all good, and you always have a chance to win. But if I pace myself, I like my chances and I feel good coming into the rest of the events.

The landscape of this final table just changed in a big way. The hand in question was a massive three-way all-in which left Nenad Medic chip leader and Liebert on the rail. Read on for the details but first, check out the chip counts for the final two competitors.

Nenad Medic	$4,940,000
Andy Bloch	$2,100,000

PokerKat: Not Coming Back (3rd)

Kathy Libert is the highest grossing woman in the history of tournament poker and just added another $306,064 to her lifetime total with her third place finish here tonight.

Medic was the one to get the ball rolling with a pre-flop raise to $300,000 from the button. Liebert moved all-in from the small blind for $850,000 and Bloch re-popped to $2.8 million, enough to put Medic all-in should he choose to get involved.

Getting involved was exactly what Nenad had in mind with his initial raise and quickly called all-in, turning over pocket queens. He was in great shape against Andy’s pocket nines and Liebert’s wired sixes. Things went from good to great with the A Q 2 flop.

Medic wouldn’t relinquish his stranglehold on the hand and as the board finished 4 5 Liebert got up, shook hands and headed to the cage to grab her cash.

Bloch-Rocker

The advantage has tilted in the direction of the FullTilt pro Andy Bloch this last level. He’s punishing his two opponents and built up a big lead. Here’s a quick look at how he’s making it happen.

Bloch raises from the button, making it $250,000, and gets calls from Medic in the small blind and Liebert in the big. The flop rolls out 8 7 3 and it’s checked to Bloch. He fires $400,000 and takes it down.

Bloch raises to $250,000 from the button and gets calls from blinds. The flop comes down 8 6 3 and it’s checked to Bloch. He fires out $750,000 and takes it down.

In the last few minutes we've seen a flurry of activity that's left us with just three remaining players. There was nothing but big names when this table started so it's no surprise the last three are as well.

Three on the Tree

Nenad Medic	$2,760,000
Andy Bloch	$2,630,000
Kathy Liebert	$1,650,000

 
The House of Medic

Nenad Medic just played a hand very intelligently, making a great value bet on the river. It started with Kathy Liebert opening from the button to $240,000 and Medic making the call from the big blind. The flop came down 9 6 6 and Medic checked.

Liebert reached for chips and pushed $225,000 across the line. Medic made the call and the turn brought the 8. Both players checked and the river came the 6. Medic paused before betting out $375,000. Liebert made the call but mucked when she saw Nenad’s pocket fours for the boat.

Down to Three! Sexton Smashed

We are down to three, one of whom will be walking away from this final table one WSOP bracelet richer. Mike Sexton lost a big race not long ago against Nenad Medic which left him low in the chip department.

On his final hand he opened for $280,000 from the button, a large portion of his stack, and Kathy Liebert made the call from the big blind. The flop rolled out A J 8 and Liebert checked it over to Sexton. The voice of the WPT moved all-in for his remaining chips and got a quick call from the PokerKat.

Liebert rolled A 8 which had Mike’s A 6 in a bad spot. The board finished out 4 6 and that was all she wrote for Mr. Sexton. He takes $248,160 for his fourth-place finish.

It seems we may be destined for an extended period of four-handed play at this final table. While there's no shortage of all-ins, so far at least the players at risk have managed to stay alive.

Gimme Four!

Here's a look at the stacks of the final four, courtesy of www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

Andy Bloch	$2,750,000
Nenad Medic	$2,720,000
Kathy Liebert	$1,200,000
Mike Sexton	$360,000

PokerKat Must be Running Out of Lives

Kathy Liebert got very lucky yesterday to make it to this final table and it seems her run of good fortune will continue. A moment ago we saw her all-in bad, at risk of elimination, before catching the cards she needed to stay alive and take a bite out of Andy Bloch’s chip lead.

The hand began with Bloch opening to $200,000 and Liebert moving all-in from the big blind for around $600,000. Bloch made the call and saw he was in great shape with A Q against Kat’s A 7. The flop gave Liebert some hope, coming 6 5 3, and the turn completed the miracle with the 4 but gave Andy the nut flush draw.

The redraw wasn’t in the cards, however, and Liebert doubles to around $1.2 million.

Medic!

Canadian Nenad Medic , who took down a World Poker Tour title on Season 6, just got himself back in this thing with a well-timed double-up.

Mike Sexton opened the hand in question to $215,000 from the button and Medic re-popped to $765,000. Sexton moved all-in and Medic made the call. When the cards were on their backs we saw it was a race between Sexton’s pocket tens and the Canuck’s A J.

The board came down A 6 3 and Medic took a big lead. The A on the turn didn’t change much but the Q on the river sealed the deal. Medic is now on $2.7 million while Sexton is down below $500,000.

Kathy Liebert raises to $150,000 from the small blind and Andy Bloch re-raises to $245,000 in the big blind, enough to put Liebert all-in. The PokerKat makes the call and shows A T to Bloch’s Q 3, and the board comes A 8 4 6 9 and Liebert doubles to $465,000.

Liebert Doubles Through Medic

Kathy Liebert raises to $175,000 and Nenad Medic re-raises to $375,000. Liebert calls all-in and turns up K T to Medic’s A 8. The flop comes Q 7 5 and Medic retains the lead, but after the turn card is the 5 the river is the T and the PokerKat spikes a miracle ten to double through Medic and boost her stack to over $1 million.

Bloch Takes a Bigun!

Andy Bloch raises to $180,000 and Mike Sexton makes the call in the big blind. The flop comes K J 7 and both players check. The turn is the 5 and Bloch bets out $250,000. Sexton flat-calls and the river is the 5, prompting another $250,000 from Bloch and another call from Sexton. The Full Tilt Poker pro shows K 9 for kings-up and it’s good for the pot.

Chip Counts!

Here are the chip counts for the final four, courtesy www.worldseriesofpoker.com:

Andy Bloch	$3,600,000
Nenad Medic	$1,760,000
Mike Sexton	$1,130,000
Kathy Liebert	$850,000

 

Amit Makhija raises to $175,000 and Andy Bloch re-ups to $415,000. Makhija calls all-in and turns up A 3 to Bloch’s A 7. The board comes Q 9 6 and Bloch retains his lead. The turn is the 4 and the river the A and Makhija is out in fifth place, a finish worth $198,528.

Medic Doubles Through Bloch

Andy Bloch raises to $150,000 and Nenad Medic re-raises the pot. Bloch re-raises enough to put the Canadian all-in and Medic calls off his last $1,105,000 in a battle of Full Tilt pros that sees Medic turn up A K and Bloch muster K K.

Bloch looks primed to take a dominating chip position into three-handed play, but the flop comes 7 6 2 and Medic flops the nut flush for the extreme suckout. The turn is the 2 and Bloch picks up outs for the boat, but the river is the 3 and Medic doubles up to $2.3 million while Bloch is down to $3.8 million.

Sexton Doubles Through Bloch

Andy Bloch raises to $150,000 in the small blind and Mike Sexton re-raises to $400,000 in the big blind. Bloch puts Sexton all-in and the WPT frontman all-in makes the call, turning up A J to Bloch's A 6. The flop comes K J 7 and Sexton flops middle pair. The board finishes 4 Q and Sexton doubles through Bloch.

Chip Counts!

Here are the latest final table chip counts, courtesy www.worldseriesofpoker.com:

Andy Bloch	$3,750,000
Nenad Medic	$1,810,000
Mike Sexton	$1,500,000
Kathy Liebert	$305,000

Chris Bell raises to $140,000 and Nenad Medic raises the pot. Action folds back around to Bell, who calls all-in and shows A 3 to Medic's J J. The flop comes Q 6 5 and Medic retains the lead, but the A on the turn gives Bell the overpair. The river card is the dagger J, however, giving Medic the reverse suckout with the two-outer to send Bell packing in sixth place. He'll take $157,168 from the prize pool for his efforts.

Chip Counts

Here are the current chip counts for the remaining five players, courtesy www.WorldSeriesofPoker.com:

Andy Bloch	$3,120,000
Mike Sexton	$1,445,000
Nenad Medic	$1,410,000
Kathy Liebert	$595,000
Amit Makhija	$515,000

 

Mike Sexton raises to $100,000 and Kathy Liebert re-pops it to $250,000. Patrik Antonius moves all-in for $465,000 and Sexton gets out of the way, laying down A-10 of clubs, and Liebert calls all-in with A A to Antonius’ K K. The board comes 7 4 4 9 2 and Liebert doubles up at the final table.

Antonius Triples

Patrik Antonius raises to $140,000 and is called by both Nenad Medic and Kathy Liebert in the blinds. The flop comes A Q T and Medic checks to Liebert, who bets out $40,000. Antonius calls all-in for $25,000 and Medic makes the call. The turn is the 4 and Medic checks to Liebert, who moves all-in.

The Canadian gets out of the way and Liebert turns up A 4 for aces-up. Antonius, however, has T T for the set and after the river is the 7 the Finn triples up to just under $500,000 to stay alive.

Gonzo!

Sowers Patched (8th)!

Mike Sexton raises to $110,000 in the small blind and Mike Sowers pots it in the big blind, making it $390,000 to go. Sexton moves all-in over the top and Sowers calls, pinning his tournament life on 9 4 while Sexton has Q Q. The board comes K 8 3 A J and Mike Sowers is busto in eighth place. He takes $99,264 for his time.

Antonius Finnished (7th)!

Patrik Antonius raises to $120,000 in the small blind and Andy Bloch makes it $360,000 to go in the big blind. Antonius re-raises all-in over the top and Bloch makes the call, showing A 4 to Antonius’ K T. The board comes 9 9 5 7 5 and Antonius can’t spike a king or a ten to save his tournament life. He’s out in seventh place and takes $124,080 for his efforts.

On the first hand of the final table, Phil Laak opens for $90,000 and brand-new Full Tilt Poker pro Patrik Antonius moves all-in over the top for $230,000. Action folds back to Laak, who makes the call and turns up J J to Antonius’ K K. Antonius looks primed to double, but the flop brings disaster, coming A J 2.

The crowd goes wild as Laak takes the lead, and but the T on the turn gives Antonius more outs for the re-suck. The river card is the K and the rest of the crowd erupts into more applause as the Finn doubles through Laak in wild start to the final table.

Laak Eliminated!

Mike Sowers raises to $85,000 and Phil Laak moves all-in over the top for $185,000 from the small blind. In the big blind, Nenad Medic makes it $350,000 to go and Sowers lays down the hand. Laak turns up a pocket pair of jacks and is way behind Medic’s pocket aces, and after the board comes K-Q-2-9-5 the aces hold and Laak is out in 9th place. He’ll take home $74,448 for his efforts.

It's 3 p.m. in Vegas and that means it's final table time at the 2008 World Series of Poker. The final nine survivors in Event #1, the $10,000 Pot Limit Hold'em World Championship have returned to the tables today to play down to a gold WSOP bracelet and $794,112 first prize.

PokerListings.com will have comprehensive coverage from today's star-studded final table so keep it locked right here and we'll keep you up to date on the thrilling conclusion to this first event of '08.

Here are the chip counts for the nine survivors:

Andy Bloch	$2,115,000
Nenad Medic	$1,200,000
Mike Sexton	$1,130,000
Mike Sowers	$675,000
Amit Makhija	$525,000
Chris Bell	$455,000
Phil Laak	$425,000
Kathy Liebert	$285,000
Patrik Antonius	$230,000