If you weren’t checking out PocketFivesLive on Monday, you missed an eventful night at the 2008 World Series of Poker. Online superstar Phil OMGClayAiken Galfond won Event #28, a $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha tournament with rebuys. He cashed for $817,781 and his first WSOP bracelet. Event #27, the $1,500 no limit tournament, was a gold mine for PocketFivers, led by Barry BarryGS Schultz, who made the final table and finished seventh. A whopping 15 PocketFivers made the money in Event #27, the second most for any tournament so far. All of the action throughout the entire World Series of Poker can be found on PocketFivesLive.com, your home for WSOP coverage.

In Event #28, the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys tournament, Phil OMGClayAiken Galfond emerged victorious from a pack of 152 entrants. PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Adam Johnson, who followed Galfond throughout the event, explains his success: “Galfond is no stranger to the high stakes scene. Despite being in his early twenties, Galfond is one of the heaviest hitters online, specializing in heads-up No-Limit and nosebleed short-handed PLO games. Galfond is regarded by most online players as one of the best no-limit hold’em and PLO players in the world. He recently appeared on GSN's High Stakes Poker, where the blinds are $300-600 with a frequent $1,200 straddle.”

Also in Event #28, Brian tsarrast Rast finished ninth, cashing for $84,863. After doubling up Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth (who have 21 combined World Series of Poker bracelets), Rast was sent packing. Ahead going into the river card against Chan, Rast was devastated by an ace that gave Chan a better pair. It was his second WSOP cash ever. Online, he took third in the Sunday Million in March for $73,490 and final tabled the Full Tilt Poker $750K Guarantee in December. Joining Rast and Galfond at the final table on Monday night were Chan, Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, David Benyamine, and John Juanda. Talk about a tough group.

In Event #27, Barry BarryGS Schultz (pictured at right) finished seventh for $112,657 when he found himself all in pre-flop with pocket fours against Barry Firestone’s A-2 of spades. An ace on the turn gave Firestone the lead in the hand; a brick on the river meant that was all she wrote for Schultz. It was his first WSOP cash; he notched one score in a WSOP Circuit Event in Tunica last September. PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Jill Harrison commented, “Sporting his PocketFives t-shirts and a perpetual smile, this 41 year-old Memphis native was friendly and inviting with everyone around as the cards were dealt. On the felt, however, his play was tight and aggressive; prior to the final table, he had only moved all in one time in a hand. Schultz told PocketFives that he only grinds $20 and under tournaments online; he should be an inspiration to all low-stakes players everywhere, as his persistence and patience going into the final table paid off.”

Jordan scarface_79 Smith finished in 11th place in the $1,500 no limit tournament, bubbling the final table. In the big blind, he re-raised Bobby Firestone all in with A-5; Firestone held pocket eights, which held up. It was his second cash of the 2008 World Series; the other was for $15,604 in Event #4. He’s also cashed in Circuit Events at the Grand Casino Tunica and Harrah’s San Diego. PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Court Harrington commented, “Tournaments require great timing. Jordan knows exactly where he is in a tournament at all times. He knows when he has to chip up and take chances and he knows when the time is right to sit back and be patient. He made it through Day 2 playing a short to mid stack most of the day, but never got antsy or made a costly mistake.”

Jason Gray (pictured at left) finished 26th in Event #27 and took home $17,360. Gray recorded his first WSOP cash since 2003, when he made the final table of a $5,000 no limit event. He’s earned over $80,000 throughout his WSOP career, which started in 1995. Gray won the $1K Monday on Full Tilt Poker for $75,000 in December. He also won the PokerStars $109 rebuy for $19,500 on May 16th. PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Brett Collson commented, “Jason used an early push in Day 2 to increase his stack from 25K to over 200K and make a deep run in Event #27. I didn't see him make a single misstep during the day — and I spent most of my time covering the event. It's yet another example of a group of poker-playing friends talking game strategy and being a support system and it paying dividends. These guys continue to make cash after cash this year.”

Justin Looshle Pechie finished 38th in Event #27. He was the unfortunate victim of holding A-K against the pocket aces of Trevor Donaldson. The board came 5-2-9-5-3, sending Pechie to the rails. The coverage on the World Series of Poker website notes that Jean-Robert Bellande, former Survivor contestant and Team Bodog member, told Pechie, “You played good kid. You couldn't have played any better.” He’s had a string of impressive cashes at the WSOP, including a third place finish in a $2,500 buy-in no limit event in 2006 and a fourth place finish in a $2,000 limit even last year. His lifetime WSOP and Circuit Event earnings top $550,000. Harrington spoke highly of Pechie’s play: “Pechie quietly racks up results. He is one of the underrated players out of the online world that doesn't get as much attention as some of the bigger names. However, from the top players, he gets the same respect. Pechie showing up deep in events is not a surprise to anyone that has played with him.”

Other PocketFivers who cashed in Event #27 included Stamdogg (50th), YoungSupremacy (57th), tdomeski (79th), Mossified84 (90th), THE__D__RY (106th), improved (108th), billywestom (148th), basebaldy (224th), Bond18 (230th), and USCphildo (232nd). Harrington took a break from reporting for PocketFivesLive.com and finished 91st, cashing for $4,802. There were 15 PocketFivers who cashed, the second most of any tournament so far in the 2008 World Series of Poker (Event #5 had 19, including worldsgrtest and yellowsub, who finished first and second, respectively).

It’s hard to believe that the 2008 WSOP Main Event begins in a little over two weeks from the Amazon Room at the Rio in Las Vegas. Are you playing in any of the remaining events at the World Series? If so, click here to register and we’ll cover you. Visit PocketFivesLive.com for continued WSOP coverage.