Kido Pham On Top of WPO After Day 2

With seventeen spots left until the money at the World Poker Open in Tunica, Kido Pham leads the field with $585,000 in chips. Behind him, also above the half million mark, is Victor Ramdin with $504,400. Nobody else is even above $400,000.

Other notable players still sitting at the tables include Hoyt Corkins, Eskimo Clark, J.C. Tran, Gavin Smith, Mark Seif, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Robert Mizrachi, and Amir Vahedi.

The call of the day goes to Daniel Negreanu for his uncanny read on Amir Vahedi. With blinds at $400/$800, Negreanu raised three and a half times the big blind pre-flop, getting called by Vahedi. They checked the J-9-8 flop to see a 4 on the turn. Vahedi led out this time with a $3,500 bet and Negreanu matched it. Vahedi took the initiative again on the river when a Queen landed, betting $7,000. Negreanu called, showing pocket 3’s and, to everybody’s surprise, it was the best hand as Vahedi mucked his cards.

Forty-four players are left to battle for the title. The final three tables will enjoy a payday.

Originally published 1:39 PM Tuesday, January 23, 2007