2007 World Series: Kevin "lucko21" O'Brien--A Razor Slashes at the Table

Kevin was sitting comfortably with 79k in chips, feeling great about his table. When one player busts, you never know who will grab a chair.

Kevin had Dan Heimiller in the 5s for much of the day. The relatively unknown veteran has ten WSOP final tables under his belt, including a 2002 WSOP bracelet. He is a constant in the WSOP events, taking part in most events.



An aggressive player moved into the 10s, and the table dynamics changed dramatically with the new arrival in the 1s. It was John "The Razor" Phan.

Phan is an extremely talented tournament pro, a tricky player who can deploy aggression at any time. Since 2004, he's won eleven tournaments with runner-up WSOP finishes each of the last two years. He arrived below to the table below average in chips.

"He donked off alot then called a raise with 8d-5d. The flop came 8-8-9, bet/raise/re-raise/shove/call and he got some more chips." The small towers of green chips in front of Phan are a badge of honor, a visible warning that all antes and blinds are at risk. As players fled the room on break, a hand developed between Phan, the 10s, and the 4s. On a board of Jc-7c-5d-7h, the original 10s raiser bet 5k into a 7k pot. Phan called, and the 4s raised all-in for another 7k. The 10s folded, and Phan called with pocket eights. The all-in showed 8c-9c for the straight flush draw, but Qs ended his day and shipped the 36k pot to Phan.

"I had A-7 there, but I just didn't feel it was a good time to play it with a raise and his call in front of me," said Kevin. "I'm not itching to mix it up without some hand. I didn't lose any chips that level, and I'm fine with that."

What happens when an aggressive players with chips gets two aggro players in the two seats to his right? It should be fireworks, and hopes his lucko moniker holds true.