Bodog Beat

Poker pro Jean Robert Bellande took a brutal beat while at the ESPN TV table during Day 4 of the 2008 WSOP Main Event. (Bodog Beat Image)

Well it was bound to happen to someone, and it happens in these huge player fields all the time, the brutal bad beat that sends a popular pro to the rail. This time it was Bodog poker pro Jean Robert Bellande who was on the receiving end, ending his deep run here way, way too early.

Here is the excellent write-up, once again, from PokerNews.com:

Jean-Robert Bellande moved all in for his last 66,000 and was called by Sarkis Akopyan. Bellande's led Akopyan's and when the flop came it seemed certain that Bellande would double up.

The fell on the turn and Bellande slapped his hands together and said "Yes", perhaps thinking that he had the hand locked up. But there was some murmuring in the crowd as everyone realized that Akopyan now had a gutshot straight draw.

The was the usual dramatic pause before the river was dealt…and when the dealer placed the on the felt there was a combined roar and moan from the crowd as Bellande fell to a brutal runner-runner straight and saw his Main Event come to an sudden end.

Since that hand, which we just barely missed witnessing ourselves after being up in the Milwaukee's Best Light No Limit Lounge just moments before taking the above picture, we have heard countless cries of "all-in and a call" from the dealers. The bustouts seem to be continuing the blistering pace that they set last night after the money bubble burst. We're now down to 422 left out of the 474 that began the day and play has only been underway for about an hour.

All Team Bodog members are fairing well so far. Evelyn Ng and Magnus Petersson are right about where they started and we just heard that Will Soffin doubled up twice to almost one million in chips. Bellande is…well, that's what this post was about.

Stay tuned for more WSOP live updates from the Bodog Beat.