Mimi Tran Poker Tournament Updates

Level 20 Update: Well, That Was Fast

Jul 18, '09

Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 6 out of 268

Chip Counts:

1. Faraz Jaka — 5,041,000
2. Justin Smith — 2,992,000
3. Alec Torelli — 2,623,000
4. Erik Seidel — 2,170,000
5. Christopher Sonesson — 1,671,000
6. Alexandre Gomes — 1,586,000

Average Chip Count: 2,680,000

Notable Eliminations:

9. Sam Stein — $61,980
8. Ray Taylor — $87,160
7. Mimi Tran — $125,900

Big Hands:

Sam Stein Eliminated in Ninth Place ($61,980), Ray Taylor Eliminated in Eighth Place ($87,160)

Ray Taylor raised on the button to 70,000 and Sam Stein moved all in fromt he small blind for 531,000. Faraz Jaka called in the big blind and was then forced to call when Taylor shipped it in for his last 1,168,000.

Taylor showed KK, Stein showed Q9 and Jaka showed A9.

The board ran out 1062J5 and Jaka made the nut flush to take out two players and put the tournament on the final table bubble.

Stein was eliminated in ninth place and Taylor was eliminated in eighth place. After the hand, Jaka was stacked with 4.7 million in chips.

Mimi Tran Eliminated in Seventh Place ($125,900)

Mimi Tran open shoved for her last 382,000 and Faraz Jaka called in the small blind. Tran showed pocket jacks and was racing against Jaka’s AQ.

The board came Q96A10 and Jaka’s top two pair took the pot and sent Tran to the rail on the final table bubble.

NOTE: Play has ended for the day. The remaining six players will play down to a champion on Sunday.

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   Faraz Jaka,   Ray Taylor

Level 19 Update: Reshetov Out in Tenth

Jul 18, '09

Blinds: 10,000-20,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 9 out of 268

Chip Counts:

1. Faraz Jaka — 3,030,000
2. Justin Smith — 2,670,000
3. Alec Torelli — 2,270,000
4. Erik Seidel — 1,900,000
5. Christopher Sonesson — 1,725,000
6. Alexandre Gomes — 1,250,000
7. Ray Taylor — 1,245,000
8. Mimi Tran — 550,000
9. Sam Stein — 525,000

Average Chip Count: 1,786,000

Notable Eliminations:

10. Pavel Reshetov — $46,485

Big Hands:

Pavel Reshetov Eliminated in 10th Place ($46,485)

Ray Taylor’s second dealt card on the first hand of play was exposed as the K. Thinking it’s a misdeal, Taylor decided to show his other card, the Q. Mimi Tran and Alec Torelli see the card and Taylor quickly turns it back over. After realizing his mistake, the K is replaced and Taylor is forced to play the hand out as is.

He decided to limp under the gun and Erik Seidel followed behind. Justin Smith called on the button, Alec Torelli completed from the small blind and Pavel Reshetov took the free flop in the big blind.

The flop came out K64 and then one of the players decided to point out that Tran and Torelli had seen Taylor’s other card, but the rest of the hadn’t. Tran and Torelli confirmed they saw the Q and the tournament director ruled Taylor had to show it to the rest of the table.

The hand continued, with the table knowing half of Taylor’s hand, as Torelli checked. Reshetov bet 100,000 and everyone folded to Torelli, who check-raised to 240,000. Reshetov moved all in for his last 484,000 and Torelli called with K7. Amazingly, Reshetov showed K3 for the case king and needed help to stay alive. The turn was the A and the river was the A and Torelli’s seven played, knocking out Reshetov in the first hand of play. Torelli’s stack increased to nearly 2.6 million after the hand.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Mimi Tran,   Alec Torelli,   Justin Smith,   Pavel Reshetov,   Ray Taylor

Level 4 Update: Barry Greenstein Eliminated

Jun 30, '09

Blinds: 100-200 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: XXX out of XXX

Chip Counts:

1. John Duthie – 50,000
2. Dennis Phillips – 46,000
3. Shaun Deeb – 30,000
4. Alexander Kostritsyn – 30,000
5. Chad Batista – 30,000
6. Daniel Alaei – 29,000
7. Ivan Demidov – 20,000
8. David Pham – 19,200
9. Scotty Nguyen – 18,500
10. Justin Bonomo – 18,000

Average Chip Count: 15,000

Notable Eliminations:

Barry Greenstein
Jeff Madsen
Adam Junglen
Brock Parker
Dutch Boyd
Jason Mercier
Matt Graham
Jamie Gold

Big Hands:

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

Barry Greenstein went all in for 10,375 preflop from the button against an opponent in the small blind. The player went into the tank before finally making the call. Greenstein tabled the 99 while his opponent exposed the 1010. The board offered no help to the three-time bracelet winner, as it came KJ5QJ.

Dario Minieri Busts a Player

On a board of Q106, bracelet winner Dario Minieri bet 1,000 and his opponent moved all in for about 5,500 more. Minieri thought about it for a split second before making the call. He tabled the AQ while his opponent exposed the KJ for an open ended straight draw and an over card. The 8 hit the turn and Minieri added a flush draw to boot. The 7 fell on the river and Minieri is up to around the starting amount.

Mimi Tran Doubles Up

Mimi Tran and Chad Batista got all the money in with Tran holding the 1010 and Batista tabling the AQ. The board ran out 822K8 and Tran doubled up. After the hand there was some verbal sparring between the two players. Tran is up to just under the starting amount with 14,000 while Batista is healthy with 30,000.

Left in the Deck:

The players are now on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Mimi Tran,   Dario Minieri,   Chad Batista

Level 14 Update: Mimi Tran, Doyle Brunson Eliminated

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 2,500-5,000

Players Remaining: 41 out of 185

Chip Counts:

1. Chad Brown – 376,000
2. Kenny Hsiung – 330,000
3. Matt Hawrilenko – 310,000
4. Kenny Shei – 300,000
5. Soheil Shamseddin – 260,000
6. Ralph Perry – 255,000
7. Howard Lederer – 250,000
8. Pat Pezzin – 250,000
9. Todd Brunson – 250,000
10. Daniel Alaei – 225,000

Average Chip Count: 132,241

Notable Eliminations:

Mimi Tran
Doyle Brunson
Vitaly Lunkin
Eli Elezra
Chino Rheem

Big Hands:

Alaei Busts Doyle

Daniel Alaei raised to 5,000 from the cutoff and Doyle Brunson called with his short stack, putting himself all in.

Brunson: K7
Alaei: A9

Board: A101053

Alaei was ahead preflop and expanded his lead when he hit an ace on the flop. Brunson was drawing dead on the turn and he was eliminated.

Mimi Tran Eliminated

Once again facing ace-deuce, Mimi Tran got the last of her chips in the pot behind once more. Tran held ace-six against the flopped two pair of Soheil Shamseddin with ace-two. Tran failed to catch up on the river like she did to Eli Elezra just a few hands ago.

Zolotow Can’t Knock Veldhuis Out

Lex Veldhuis was all in preflop against Steve Zolotow.

Zolotow: KJ
Veldhuis: A8

Zolotow was drawing very live with his suited hand and the flop came 652. Zolotow was still drawing live to knock Veldhuis out but his chances were growing slimmer. The 3 on the turn offered Zolotow no more help and the 9 sealed the hand for Veldhuis, who doubled up to almost 30,000 while Zolotow was left with 25,000.

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   Steve Zolotow,   Doyle Brunson,   Daniel Alaei,   Lex Veldhuis

Level 13 Update: Scotty Nguyen, Annie Duke, Erik Seidel Eliminated

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 2,000-4,000

Players Remaining: 42 out of 185

Chip Counts:

1. Matt Hawrilenko – 272,000
2. Ralph Perry – 180,000
3. Mario Ho – 178,000
4. Josh Arieh – 165,000
5. Jen Harman – 160,000
6. Pat Pezzin – 155,000
7. Steve Zolotow – 150,000
8. Ville Wahlbeck – 135,000
9. Greg Mueller – 135,000
10. Chad Brown – 120,000

Average Chip Count: 132,241

Notable Eliminations:

Scotty Nguyen
Shaun Deeb
Annie Duke
Erik Seidel

Big Hands:

Scotty Nguyen Eliminated

Scotty Nguyen and Greg Mueller were locked up in a pot with the former Main Event champion holding pocket queens against the four-five of Mueller. The former hockey player nailed a straight with his connectors, eliminating Nguyen in the middle the day.

Annie Duke Eliminated

Severely short stacked with only 3,500, Annie Duke bet the last of her remaining chips with the 99 and ran into the JJ of Kenny Hsiung. Duke failed to catch anything and was eliminated early.

Mimi Tran Hits Miracle, Criples Eli Elezra

On a board of AJ92, Eli Elezra checked to Mimi Tran who bet 8,000. Elezra check-raised to 16,000, enough to cover Tran. Tran looked disgusted and threw the last of her chips into the middle. Elezra tabled the A2, while Tran exposed the dominated KQ for a gutshot straight draw. Tran picked up her bag, got up, tucked her chair in and began walking away from the table. However, her exit was halted when the 10 fell on the river, giving her broadway. Tran doubled up to 50,000 and crippled Elezra, leaving him with 21,000.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Mimi Tran,   Greg Mueller,   Eli Elezra

Level 6 Update: Ivey Doubles Up, Ho Takes Huge Pot

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 400-800

Players Remaining: 158 out of 185

Chip Counts

1. Greg Mueller – 95,000
2. Shaun Deeb – 88,000
3. Lex Veldhuis – 74,000
4. Markus Golser – 74,000
5. Mike Sowers – 72,500
6. Maria Ho – 68,000
7. Mark Teltscher – 64,000
8. Josh Arieh – 58,500
9. Dustin Sitar – 56,000
10. Chino Rheem – 54,000

Average Stack: 34,049

Notable Eliminations:

Nick Schulman
Dustin Woolf
Mike Caro
Sam Grizzle
Nikolay Evdakov
Pat Bueno

Big Hands:

Duke Bests Ivey

With the board reading 1046Q, Phil Ivey fired 1,600 into the pot. Annie Duke then popped it to 3,200 and Ivey made the call. The river brought the 8 and Duke led out with 1,600. Ivey made the call and Duke turned over AQ for top pair and Ivey mucked his hand. He was down to 16,000 while Duke was cruising with 45,000.

Tran Forces Wahlbeck Out

Mimi Tran raised to 1,600 preflop and Ville Wahlbeck made the call. The flop came A96 and Tran fired out 800. Wahlbeck mucked his hand and he was around 24,000. Tran raked in the pot and improved her chip stack to
42,000.

Ho Flushes A Monster Pot

Maria Ho raised to 1,600 preflop and her opponent in seat 4 raised to 2,400. Ho made the call and the flop came 643. Ho checked and her opponent took the bait, firing 800. Ho raised to 1,600 and he proceeded to three-bet to 2,400. Ho made the call and the K came on the turn. Seat 4 bet 1,600 and Ho raised to 3,200. Seat 4 then three-bet again to 4,800 and Ho just called. The 5 came on the turn and Ho checked again. Seat 4 checked behind her and Ho showed Q10 for a flush and seat 4 mucked. Ho raked in the huge pot and she was over 60,000 after the hand.

Ivey Drops More Chips

On a flop of 1074, Phil Ivey led out for 800 and his opponent in seat 4 raised to 1,600. Ivey three-bet to 2,400 and seat 4 made the call. The turn brought the 6 and Ivey fired 1,600. Seat 4 called again and the river was the 5. Ivey decided to check and his opponent bet 1,600. After short thought, Ivey made the call and his opponent tabled 98 for the straight. Ivey gave a frustrated look and mucked his hand. He was down to just 6,200 after the hand.

Three Ducks On Two Trays For Robin Hood

After a flop of 1023, Barry Greenstein, Eli Elezra and another player were into the pot for 2,400 each. The turn brought the 3 and everyone checked. The 7 came on the river and Elezra fired 1,600. Greenstein then raised to 3,200 and the other player in the hand folded his hand. Elezra decided to call and Greenstein showed 22 for a full house and Elezra mucked. He was down to 25,000 while Greenstein was at 44,000.

Slick River For Lieu, Ivey Doubles Through

Annie Duke, Phil Ivey and Liz Lieu were in for 2,400 each preflop. The flop came down Q67 and Lieu fired 800. Ivey called and Duke mucked her hand. Lieu then fired 1,600 in the dark, putting pressure on Ivey’s short stack. The 8 came along and Ivey called the bet. Lieu bet 1,600 in the dark again before the K fell on the river. Ivey made the call and tabled AK for top pair on the river. Lieu grunted in disgust as she showed QJ. Ivey just smiled and doubled up to 15,500 after the hand.

Smith Throws Seidel Off His Boat

Erik Seidel raised to 1,600 from the cutoff and Gavin Smith three-bet to 2,400 from the button. Seidel called and both players checked the flop of AA4. They did the same after the A showed up on the turn and the river brought the 3. Smith fired 1,600 and Seidel called. Smith showed 1010 for a full house and Seidel mucked. Smith improved to 12,000 while Seidel was doing just fine with 40,000.

Lieu And Her Girlfriends Double Up

The player in seat 3 raised to 1,600 and Liz Lieu three-bet to 2,400. Her opponent called and the flop came Q74. Both players checked and the turn was the 7. Seat 3 bet 1,600 and Lieu raised all in for 1,700 total. Her opponent made the call and Lieu tabled QQ for a set of queens. Her opponent showed QJ and the river was the A, doing no harm to Lieu and she doubled to just under 10,000.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Annie Duke,   Barry Greenstein,   Mimi Tran,   Eli Elezra,   Gavin Smith,   Phil Ivey,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Maria Ho,   Liz Lieu

Level 14 Update: Mimi Tran, Doyle Brunson Eliminated

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 2,500-5,000

Players Remaining: 41 out of 185

Chip Counts:

1. Chad Brown – 376,000
2. Kenny Hsiung – 330,000
3. Matt Hawrilenko – 310,000
4. Kenny Shei – 300,000
5. Soheil Shamseddin – 260,000
6. Ralph Perry – 255,000
7. Howard Lederer – 250,000
8. Pat Pezzin – 250,000
9. Todd Brunson – 250,000
10. Daniel Alaei – 225,000

Average Chip Count: 132,241

Notable Eliminations:

Mimi Tran
Doyle Brunson
Vitaly Lunkin
Eli Elezra
Chino Rheem

Big Hands:

Alaei Busts Doyle

Daniel Alaei raised to 5,000 from the cutoff and Doyle Brunson called with his short stack, putting himself all in.

Brunson: K7
Alaei: A9

Board: A101053

Alaei was ahead preflop and expanded his lead when he hit an ace on the flop. Brunson was drawing dead on the turn and he was eliminated.

Mimi Tran Eliminated

Once again facing ace-deuce, Mimi Tran got the last of her chips in the pot behind once more. Tran held ace-six against the flopped two pair of Soheil Shamseddin with ace-two. Tran failed to catch up on the river like she did to Eli Elezra just a few hands ago.

Zolotow Can’t Knock Veldhuis Out

Lex Veldhuis was all in preflop against Steve Zolotow.

Zolotow: KJ
Veldhuis: A8

Zolotow was drawing very live with his suited hand and the flop came 652. Zolotow was still drawing live to knock Veldhuis out but his chances were growing slimmer. The 3 on the turn offered Zolotow no more help and the 9 sealed the hand for Veldhuis, who doubled up to almost 30,000 while Zolotow was left with 25,000.

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   Steve Zolotow,   Doyle Brunson,   Daniel Alaei,   Lex Veldhuis

Level 13 Update: Scotty Nguyen, Annie Duke, Erik Seidel Eliminated

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 2,000-4,000

Players Remaining: 42 out of 185

Chip Counts:

1. Matt Hawrilenko – 272,000
2. Ralph Perry – 180,000
3. Mario Ho – 178,000
4. Josh Arieh – 165,000
5. Jen Harman – 160,000
6. Pat Pezzin – 155,000
7. Steve Zolotow – 150,000
8. Ville Wahlbeck – 135,000
9. Greg Mueller – 135,000
10. Chad Brown – 120,000

Average Chip Count: 132,241

Notable Eliminations:

Scotty Nguyen
Shaun Deeb
Annie Duke
Erik Seidel

Big Hands:

Scotty Nguyen Eliminated

Scotty Nguyen and Greg Mueller were locked up in a pot with the former Main Event champion holding pocket queens against the four-five of Mueller. The former hockey player nailed a straight with his connectors, eliminating Nguyen in the middle the day.

Annie Duke Eliminated

Severely short stacked with only 3,500, Annie Duke bet the last of her remaining chips with the 99 and ran into the JJ of Kenny Hsiung. Duke failed to catch anything and was eliminated early.

Mimi Tran Hits Miracle, Criples Eli Elezra

On a board of AJ92, Eli Elezra checked to Mimi Tran who bet 8,000. Elezra check-raised to 16,000, enough to cover Tran. Tran looked disgusted and threw the last of her chips into the middle. Elezra tabled the A2, while Tran exposed the dominated KQ for a gutshot straight draw. Tran picked up her bag, got up, tucked her chair in and began walking away from the table. However, her exit was halted when the 10 fell on the river, giving her broadway. Tran doubled up to 50,000 and crippled Elezra, leaving him with 21,000.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Mimi Tran,   Greg Mueller,   Eli Elezra

Level 6 Update: Ivey Doubles Up, Ho Takes Huge Pot

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 400-800

Players Remaining: 158 out of 185

Chip Counts

1. Greg Mueller – 95,000
2. Shaun Deeb – 88,000
3. Lex Veldhuis – 74,000
4. Markus Golser – 74,000
5. Mike Sowers – 72,500
6. Maria Ho – 68,000
7. Mark Teltscher – 64,000
8. Josh Arieh – 58,500
9. Dustin Sitar – 56,000
10. Chino Rheem – 54,000

Average Stack: 34,049

Notable Eliminations:

Nick Schulman
Dustin Woolf
Mike Caro
Sam Grizzle
Nikolay Evdakov
Pat Bueno

Big Hands:

Duke Bests Ivey

With the board reading 1046Q, Phil Ivey fired 1,600 into the pot. Annie Duke then popped it to 3,200 and Ivey made the call. The river brought the 8 and Duke led out with 1,600. Ivey made the call and Duke turned over AQ for top pair and Ivey mucked his hand. He was down to 16,000 while Duke was cruising with 45,000.

Tran Forces Wahlbeck Out

Mimi Tran raised to 1,600 preflop and Ville Wahlbeck made the call. The flop came A96 and Tran fired out 800. Wahlbeck mucked his hand and he was around 24,000. Tran raked in the pot and improved her chip stack to
42,000.

Ho Flushes A Monster Pot

Maria Ho raised to 1,600 preflop and her opponent in seat 4 raised to 2,400. Ho made the call and the flop came 643. Ho checked and her opponent took the bait, firing 800. Ho raised to 1,600 and he proceeded to three-bet to 2,400. Ho made the call and the K came on the turn. Seat 4 bet 1,600 and Ho raised to 3,200. Seat 4 then three-bet again to 4,800 and Ho just called. The 5 came on the turn and Ho checked again. Seat 4 checked behind her and Ho showed Q10 for a flush and seat 4 mucked. Ho raked in the huge pot and she was over 60,000 after the hand.

Ivey Drops More Chips

On a flop of 1074, Phil Ivey led out for 800 and his opponent in seat 4 raised to 1,600. Ivey three-bet to 2,400 and seat 4 made the call. The turn brought the 6 and Ivey fired 1,600. Seat 4 called again and the river was the 5. Ivey decided to check and his opponent bet 1,600. After short thought, Ivey made the call and his opponent tabled 98 for the straight. Ivey gave a frustrated look and mucked his hand. He was down to just 6,200 after the hand.

Three Ducks On Two Trays For Robin Hood

After a flop of 1023, Barry Greenstein, Eli Elezra and another player were into the pot for 2,400 each. The turn brought the 3 and everyone checked. The 7 came on the river and Elezra fired 1,600. Greenstein then raised to 3,200 and the other player in the hand folded his hand. Elezra decided to call and Greenstein showed 22 for a full house and Elezra mucked. He was down to 25,000 while Greenstein was at 44,000.

Slick River For Lieu, Ivey Doubles Through

Annie Duke, Phil Ivey and Liz Lieu were in for 2,400 each preflop. The flop came down Q67 and Lieu fired 800. Ivey called and Duke mucked her hand. Lieu then fired 1,600 in the dark, putting pressure on Ivey’s short stack. The 8 came along and Ivey called the bet. Lieu bet 1,600 in the dark again before the K fell on the river. Ivey made the call and tabled AK for top pair on the river. Lieu grunted in disgust as she showed QJ. Ivey just smiled and doubled up to 15,500 after the hand.

Smith Throws Seidel Off His Boat

Erik Seidel raised to 1,600 from the cutoff and Gavin Smith three-bet to 2,400 from the button. Seidel called and both players checked the flop of AA4. They did the same after the A showed up on the turn and the river brought the 3. Smith fired 1,600 and Seidel called. Smith showed 1010 for a full house and Seidel mucked. Smith improved to 12,000 while Seidel was doing just fine with 40,000.

Lieu And Her Girlfriends Double Up

The player in seat 3 raised to 1,600 and Liz Lieu three-bet to 2,400. Her opponent called and the flop came Q74. Both players checked and the turn was the 7. Seat 3 bet 1,600 and Lieu raised all in for 1,700 total. Her opponent made the call and Lieu tabled QQ for a set of queens. Her opponent showed QJ and the river was the A, doing no harm to Lieu and she doubled to just under 10,000.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Annie Duke,   Barry Greenstein,   Mimi Tran,   Eli Elezra,   Gavin Smith,   Phil Ivey,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Maria Ho,   Liz Lieu

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 18 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 6,000-12,000

Players Left:   20 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Dan Heimiller – 1,100,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 750,000
Matthew Matros - 712,000
Farzad Rouhani - 600,000
Scott Sitron - 570,000
Richard Kirsch - 490,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 475,000
Elliot Smith - 380,000
Voitto Rintala - 310,000
Corwin Cole - 282,000

Average Stack: 403,950

Eliminations:
21^st – Martin Cardno
22^nd – Paulo Nunes
23^rd – Joe Neiman
24^th – Dan Harmetz
25^th – Mimi Tran
26^th – Anders Fraulund
27^th – Andrew Garvin

Big Hands and Storylines:

Heimiller Time

Dan Heimiller raised to 40,000 in late position and action folded around to Andrew Garvin in the blinds. Garvin moved all-in for about 180,000. Heimiller insta-called and flipped up AA. Garvin showed 99. The board came 10758K and Garvin was eliminated. Heimiller grew his stack to an even more impressive 1,100,000.

Biggar is Better; Mimi Tran Eliminated

Gary Biggar and Mimi Tran, both short-stacked, got all-in pre-flop. Biggar had Tran dominated with his AQ going against her KQ. The flop came 1044 and the turn was the 6. Going to the river, Tran had only 3 outs, and when the 4 peeled off, her tournament was over. After winning the hand Biggar was up to 175,000.

Set Over Set Propels Rouhani

Farzad Rouhani raised to 36,000 from early position and Andriy Zaichenko made the call from the cutoff. The two saw a flop of 985. Rouhani led out for 32,000 and Zaichenko raised to 100,000. Undeterred by this show of strength, Rouhani moved all-in and was snap-called by Zaichenko. The two turned over their hands:

Rouhani: 99
Zaichenko: 55

Zaichenko did not make quads and he took a big hit, now at 750,000. Rouhani’s double up gives him 600,000.

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Mimi Tran,   Richard Kirsch,   Andrew Garvin,   Dan Harmetz,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Martin Cardno,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Anders Fraulund

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 17 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 5,000-10,000

Players Left:  28 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Matthew Matros - 712,000
Scott Sitron - 570,000
Richard Kirsch - 490,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 410,000
Elliot Smith - 380,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 375,000
Farzad Rouhani - 310,000
Voitto Rintala - 310,000
Joseph Neiman - 310,000
Corwin Cole - 282,000

Average Stack: 288,535

Eliminations:
Ben Spraggons
John McCauley
Esther Garza
Tim Barchie

Big Hands and Storylines:

Sundberg Doubles Up Through Tran

Mimi Tran raised to 30,000 from the button and Lars Sundberg moved all-in from the big blind. It was 49,000 more to Tran and she analyzed her decision. After about 50 seconds of thought, she made the call and the two turned up their cards:

Sundberg: 88
Tran: AQ

The board came 10975J and Sundberg won the hand with a jack-high straight. Sundberg now has 170,000 while Tran is languishing with 100,000.

Matros Keeps Accumulating

Twice during recent rounds, players have attempted to steal the blinds of Matt Matros. On both occasions Matros put in a big raise and forced the players to lay down their hands. Matt Matros did play a hand that went to showdown though. Anders Fraulund raised to 30,000 and this time Matros opted to call in the big blind. Matros checked the 965 flop and called a 45,000 bet from Fraulund. Both players checked when the 6 paired the board. The river was the 7 and Matros led out for 90,000. Fraulund called instantly and when Matros had confirmed this with the dealer he showed A6 for turned trips. Fraulund showed K9 and said, “Good hand.”

Matros has about 700,000. Fraulund is down to 160,000.

Tim Barchie Eliminated By Cody Slaubaugh

Tim Barchie moved all-in from early position and action folded around to Cody “thugmoneymkr” Slaubaugh in the small blind. It was 80,000 more to call for him. Instead of simply calling, he shoved over the raise for about 300,000. The big blind folded and the two showed their hands:

Barchie: A4
Slaubaugh: A6

The flop was perfect for Slaugbaugh: J106. Barchie could not catch up and he was eliminated.

Slaubaugh now has 410,000.

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Mimi Tran,   Richard Kirsch,   Joseph Neiman,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Tim Barchie,   Anders Fraulund

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 15 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 3,000-6,000

Players Left:  52 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Scott Sitron - 560,000
Corwin Cole - 420,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 370,000
Jeffery Courtney - 240,000
Mimi Tran - 230,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 220,000
Daniel Heimiller - 192,000
Gary Marcum - 180,000
Hans Erlandsson - 175,000
Matthew Matros - 168,000
Alvin Zeidenfeld - 163,000

Average Stack: 155,365

Eliminations:
Jason Morgan
John Monnette
Nath Pizzolatto

Big Hands and Storylines:

It’s a Good Day To Have Ace-Queen: Part I

John McCauley raised to 30,000 from the cutoff and the button moved all-in for 120,000. McCauley, who only had 60,000 left behind, made the call with AQ while the button had 66. The flop was J95 and the turn was the 10, giving McCauley an open-ended straight-draw in addition to his two over cards. Before either player even had a chance to soak in the suspense, the dealer turned over the Q, giving McCauley new life in the tournament. After the hand he was up to about 190,000.

It’s a Good Day To Have Ace-Queen: Part II

Corwin Cole raised to 15,000 from early position. A player in middle position called, and the player to his left moved all-in. The dealer counted up the chips and it was 52,000 more to Cole. After only about 20 seconds of thought, Cole made the call. The third player quickly folded and the two showed their hands:

Cole: AQ
Opponent: 88

The flop came K99 and Cole was drawing to six outs. The 5 was unhelpful, but once again, a queen – the Q – appeared on the river to help out ace-queen. Cole's opponent wasted no extra time at the table. He immediately walked over to the payout stand, located a mere 4 or 5 feet from his seat, and informed the tournament officials that he had been eliminated.

Cole is now up to 420,000.

Spraggons’ Kings Crack Aces

Ben “Spraggs” Spraggons and James Morgan got all in pre-flop. Morgan was well ahead with his AA dominating Spraggons’ KK. The flop was harmless: 842. The turn was anything but harmless however. When the K came off the deck Morgan sprung from his chair like it was electrified and began to bemoan his bad luck, “I’m not meant to win this year.” The turn blanked, and just like that Spraggons was up to 90,000. Morgan, down to 30,000, would be eliminated two hands later when his 73 was no match for, what else, KK.

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   Alvin Zeidenfeld,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Jason Morgan,   Hans Erlandsson,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Gary Marcum,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Dinner Time

Jul 01, '08

Note: Players are now on a 60-minute dinner break and will return at 7:30 p.m.

Blinds/Antes: 2,000-4,000 with a 500 ante.

Players Left: 78 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:

Andrey Zaichenko: 376,000
Scott Sitron: 310,000
Jeffery Courtney: 240,000
Cody Slaubaugh: 230,000
David Dneshgar: 200,000
Daniel Heiemiller: 192,000
Gary Marcum: 180,000
Matt Matros: 176,000
Alvin Zeidenfeld: 163,000
Elliot Smith: 162,000

Average Stack: 100,044

Big Hands:

Rousso the Traveler

Vanessa Rousso had her table broken three times during the last hour. "I go through the blinds, get to the button, and they break me," she told someone standing by her table. She was able to get one hand in during her travels.

Rousso raised from the button and the player in the big blind made the call. The flop came Q102. Both players checked and the turn was the 5. Rousso fired a warning shot of 15,000 and her opponent didn't heed it, making the call. The river was the J and Rousso put out a value bet of 10,000. Her opponent called and she turned over 98 for a straight on the river. Rousso was around 130,000 after the hand.

Mimi Tran Feels Your Pain

The player in seat 5 was very upset after taking a very bad hit to his stack. Mimi Tran sprung into action as she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She tried to comfort him, telling him that she knew the sick feeling of taking a bad beat. Her stack stood at around 130,000 so she was obviously talking about some other time.

Matros Adds to His Stack

Matt Matros raised to 10,000 from the small blind and the player in the big blind made the call. The flop came K99 and Matros led out with a bet. His opponent quickly mucked and Matros had a healthy stack of over 100,000.

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   Vanessa Rousso

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Tran Doubles Up

Jul 01, '08

Blinds/Antes: 1,,500-3,000 with a 400 ante

Players Left: 105 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:

Andrey Zaichenko: 320,000
Greg Hartwick: 181,000
Alvin Zeidenfeld: 180,500
Lars Fransson: 128,000
Nath Pizzolatto: 127,500
Feming Chan: 105,400
David Daneshgar: 105,000
Anders Fraulund: 103,600
Joesph Neiman: 98,800
Henry Majdik: 98,500
Daniel Heimiller: 97,000

Average Stack: 76,943

Big Hands:
Johnnie I Hardly Knew Ya

Matt Matros raised to 10,000 from the cutoff. The button folded and action was on seat 9 in the small blind. He reraised all in, making it 24,500 total. Matros called and turned over his pair of Johnnie's, JJ. Seat 9 showed big slick, AK. Unfortunately for Matros, the hand did not end there. The flop came A53. Not only did it put Matros behind in the hand, it took away one of his outs as the J would make a flush for his opponent. The turn was the A and Matros was drawing dead. For good measure, the 9 hit on the river to make seat 9 an unnecessary flush. Matros was down to 53,000.

Mimi Tran Doubles Up

Tran had been struggling since her table change. She sat down with over 70,000 but was down to her last 35,000 when she moved all in before the flop against Ray Henson. Tran turned over AJ while Henson showed 1010. Tran had to put her running shoes to win this race. The flop fell K49, giving Tran a heart draw. The turn added a straight draw to the mix as the Q hit the felt. The 10 on the river made Henson a set, but Tran got to her straight and doubled up to around 70,000.

Farzad Rouhani Doubles Up

Rouhani moved all in preflop against his opponent who was holding K10. Rouhani showed QQ and was in good shape. The flop was AJ10, holding Rouhani's pair but giving his opponent a pair. The board finished out 7 and 9 and Rouhani doubled up to about 80,000.
 

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Mimi Tran

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Rousso Doubles Up

Jul 01, '08

Note: Players are now 20-minute break.

Blinds/Antes: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante.

Players Left: 144 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:

Greg Hartwick: 181,000
Alvin Zeidenfeld: 180,500
Nath Pizzolatto: 150,000
Feming Chan: 105,400
Anders Fraulund: 103,600
Joesph Neiman: 98,800
Henry Majdik: 98,500
David Daneshgar: 98,000
Daniel Heimiller: 97,000
Elliot Smith: 96,700

Average Stack: 56,104

Big Hands:

A Pair of Ladies for the Lady Maverick

Vanessa Rousso moved all in for 28,000 from middle position. Action folded around to the player in seat 8 on the button. He took some time to think before deciding to make the call. "Queens," Rousso announced from across the table as she turned over QQ. Seat 8 showed 99 and needed help. The board ran out A5474 and Rousso's ladies helped her double up to 56,000.

On the next hand, seat 8 moved in for his remaining 9,600 from the cutoff and action folded to Rousso in the big blind. She made the call and showed KJ. Seat 8 was trailing as he showed Q9. The flop changed everything as it came down 994. The turn essentially ended the hand as the 9 fell, giving seat 8 quads. The river was the 2 and Rousso gave some chips back, but was still around 49,000.

An Tran Shows the Muscle

The player in seat 3 raised preflop to 6,500. Action folded around to Tran and he reraised to 20,000 total from the small blind. The big blind folded and action was back on seat 3. He looked at his cards one last time before he threw them in the muck and Tran took the pot. He was around 90,000 after the hand.

Mimi Tran Gets Out of the Way

On a board of 855, Mimi Tran led out for 8,000. The player in seat 6 grabbed one of his stacks and tumbled it into the pot. It totaled 25,000 and Tran had a decision to make. She took a couple of peeks at her cards, then flicked them into the muck. She was down to 44,000 after giving up the pot.

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   An Tran,   Vanessa Rousso

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Rousso's Struggles

Jul 01, '08

Blinds/Antes: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Left: 180 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:

Keith Carberry: 203,000
Alvin Zeidenfeld: 180,500
Feming Chan: 105,400
Anders Fraulund: 103,600
Joesph Neiman: 98,800
Henry Majdik: 98,500
Elliot Smith: 96,700
Satoru Ishii: 90,400
Scott Sitron: 88,600

Average Stack: 42,746

Big Hands:

An Tran Busts Opponent

Tran raised to 4,200 from the button preflop and the player in seat 7 moved all in from the small blind. Tran made the call and showed down A2. His opponent turned over K10. The board ran out J3267 giving Tran a pair of deuces, although his ace high would have also been good enough to take the pot. He was around 75,000 in chips after the hand.

Here Comes Mimi

Mimi Tran arrived at table 2 and the players there could not have been happy to see that. "No Mimi," Donald Blakely said from seat 8 as Tran took her seat. "No. Go somewhere else," he kept joking. "I did," Tran answered back. "They just broke it so they sent me here with you again." Tran took her seat and went straight to work.

On the first hand she saw at her new table, Tran raised to 5,000 under the gun. The player to her left in seat 3 called all in for 4,000. Action folded around to the player in seat 9 who called Tran's bet and the two contested a side pot. The flop came down Q66. Seat 9 bet out 6,000 and Tran came over the top, making it 14,000 to go. Seat 9 mucked his hand and Tran took the side pot. She then had to contest seat 3 for the main pot. Tran showed KK, but she had been outflopped by seat 3's 86. The board finished out with the 7 and the 9 and Tran lost the main pot. In the end, she came out ahead with 1,000 and her stack was at around 65,000.

Rousso Struggling

Vanessa Rousso finished Day 1 by tripling up with pocket kings, improving her starting stack for Day 2 to 31,000. But the early going was tough for Rousso in Day 2.

The player in seat 8 raised to 4,500 from the cutoff and Rousso called from the big blind. The flop came down AJ8 and Rousso checked. Seat 8 fired 7,000 and Rousso went into the tank. She stacked up a call, then puckered her lips as if she had just sucked on a lemon. She let her hand go, but her struggles continued after that.

Rousso raised to 4,000 from late position and the action folded to the player in seat 5. He reraised 8,800 more from the small blind and Rousso mucked again. After the pot had been pushed to seat 5, Rousso asked where her change was since she threw out an orange "5,000" chip for her raise. Both seat 5 and the dealer apologized and seat 5 slid her a yellow "1,000" chip. "You don't need it," Rousso said with a half-hearted smile. Her stack was down under 20,000.

 

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   An Tran,   Vanessa Rousso

Mixed Hold'em - Level 6

Jun 22, '08

Note: Players are on a 20 minute break. Play resumes at 12:10 a.m.

Limit Blinds: 300-600
No Limit Blinds: 100-200

Average Chip Stack: 12,183

Chip Counts:
Ivan Schertzer: 37,000
Jan Von Halle: 33,000
Richard Redmond: 30,000
Fabrice Soulier: 27,000
Tino Lechich: 24,000
Nick Binger: 23,000
Todd Witteles: 22,000
Michael Guzzardi: 20,000
David Levi: 18,500
David Plastik, 18,000

Players Left: 180 of 731

Big Hands/Storylines:

Limit Session

Liv Boeree Wins Big

Facing a bet of 1,200 on a board of Q746, Liv Boeree raised to 2,400 after some thought. Her opponent made the call and the river brought the 2. Her opponent checked and Boeree fired out 1,200. Her opponent called but mucked when Boeree turned over 108 for a flush. After the hand Boeree had around 17,000 in chips.

Tran Picks a Bad Spot

Mimi Tran bet on a board of 10965 and was called by her opponent. They both checke dthe J river and Tran's opponent showed K10 for a pair of 10s, which was good enough to take the pot. Tran still had around 10,000 after the hand.

Pham Loses a Pot

After chipping up to around 25,000 today, David "the Dragon" Pham lost a little pot midway through the limit level. He raised preflop and got two callers. Action was checked all the way down to the river, with the board running J52K2. On the river the player in seat 2 bet 1,200 and was called by Pham. Seat 1 didn't have the flush, and showed AK for top pair, but Pham apparently didn't have a club either and mucked his hand. He still had around 20,000 after the hand.

No Limit Session

Sexton Takes Nice Pot

Keith Sexton called a raise and was heads up on a flop of 943. Both players checked and on the 9 turn Sexton bet 700. His opponent called and both players checked the Q river. Sexton showed 66 and his opponent mucked. Sexton moved up to around 10,000 in chips after the hand.

Juanda Can't Take It Down

Heads up, John Juanda bet 500 after action was checked to him on a Q55 board. His opponent called and both players checked the 5 turn. Both players again checked the J river and Juanda's opponent showed Q9 for a full house. Juanda mucked and had around 4,000 after the hand.

Von Halle Running Over Table

Jan Von Halle has been bullying his table throughout the level. In one hand he called seat 4's raise of 575, and after both players checked the QQ2 flop Von Halle bet 900 on the 4 turn, prompting his opponent to fold.
The very next hand, Von Halle called another opponent's raise, and when his opponent bet 2,500 on a KQ6 flop, Von Halle didn't waste any time saying, "all in." His opponent mucked and Von Halle has around in chips.

Player Tags: David Pham,   John Juanda,   Mimi Tran,   Keith Sexton,   European Report

Mimi Tran Eliminated by Steve Sung

Mar 11, '08

Mimi Tran moves all in under the gun for 4,075 and is called by Lee Markholt in middle position and Steve Sung in the small blind.

Ted Forrest folds from the big blind and both players check down a board of AQ7JA. Markholt shows KJ, Tran shows 66 and Sung wins the pot and the bounty with Q8.

Tran is eliminated and Sung collects $5,000.

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   Steve Sung

Shooting Star Elimination: Mimi Tran

Mar 11, '08

Shooting Star Mimi Tran has busted out of the tournament. Details coming soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Mimi Tran

End Of Day Three

Jul 12, '07

At the end of the previous level players went on a thirty minute break. Once they returned they were set to play one last hour before ending the night. 

Minieri Breaks $2,000,000

Dario Minieri was the first player known to cross the $2,000,000 mark.  He ended the day as the chip leader with $2,400,000.

Payout Jump

With the elimination of the 352nd place player a new payout level was reached.  All remaining 351 players are guaranteed $39,445. 

The Wrath Of Kahn

PokerStars Supernova Haved "RainKahn" Kahn was seated at the ESPN featured table with Daniel Alaei for the last hour and a half of the night.  In that short span he was involved in a number of big pots, and sent a few opponents to the rail.  The ruckus at the featured table was heard from across the room as Kahn got all-in with Q Q against his opponents pocket aces only to have the board bring the Q Q 8.  The 5 on the turn meant his opponent was drawing dead, and Kahn doubled to roughly $940,000.  He later eliminated another opponent with A J against two fours with a board of A 7 6 K Q.  Kahn even won a decently sized pot against Daniel Alaei without showdown. 

Tran Dodges Flush

Mimi Tran raised from middle position to $18,000, Nick Binger called from the cutoff, the player in seat No. 9 called from the button, and the player in seat No. 2 called from the big blind.  The flop came 6 5 4, the player in the big blind checked, Tran bet $35,000, Binger called, the player on the button raised to $100,000, the big blind folded, Tran called after much deliberation, and Binger folded.  The turn card was the 2, Tran checked and the player in seat No. 9 moved all in.  Tran showed her pocket Jacks as she folded, and her opponent graciously showed her the A 10 as he folded.

The Waco Kidd Cometh

A player in seat four raises to $25,000 and is flat called by seat six.  It is folded to Jared Hamby  and he says, "One time dealer!", as he looks at his cards then he immediately moves all in for $98,000.  Both players call and the flop comes AQ4.  Seat four pushes all in with AQ, and seat six folds.  Hamby rolls over AA, and takes down a massive pot.  Noah Schwartz has taken credit for the success, because earlier Hamby has rubbed his Star of David for good luck. 

The Camera's Aren't Just For You

Seated with Hamby was Tobey Maguire and Humberto Brenes.  That obviously lead to a plethora of ESPN cameras at the table, but Brenes wasn't sure why.  When Hamby told him that Maguire was a move star, He half jokingly whispered to Cardplayer.com, "That is why all the cameras are here, I though they were for me."  Humberto immediately began to ham it up with Maguire and Jared Hamby said,"Your Poker Famous, Poker Famous is good, but he's actually famous."

Apparently The Force Was Not With Him

Leif Force was eliminated after getting all-in with J-J against A-A and failing to get any help from the board.

Tate Taps Cordovez
With just minutes of play left and on a board reading 41056K. Conor ‘Sealy’ Tate popped $30,000 into the pot of around $100,000. CardPlayer.com broadcaster Diego Cordovez thought long and head and eventually one player at the table called the clock on him. Tate showed J for a flush and Cordovez ruefully mucked.

End Of Day

337 players will return for day  tomorrow at noon.  Stay tuned to Cardplayer.com for all of your live updates through the conclusion of the event.


Notable Chip Counts

Dario Minieri	2,405,000
Kenny Tran	1,300,000
Jeff Banghart	1,200,000
Hevad Khan	1,050,000
Rep Porter	1,040,000
Gus Hansen	1,035,000
Atlan Nicolas	1,000,000
Isaac Haxton	790,000
Bill Edler	600,000
Huck Seed	586,000
Darrell Dicken	540,000
Lee Watkinson	500,000
Maria Ho	485,000
Peter Feldman	415,000
Chad Brown	410,000
Robert Varkonyi	400,000
Alex Kravchenko	360,000
Carlos Mortensen	350,000
Thor Hansen	344,000
Jared Hamby	330,000
Warren Karp	315,000
Sorel Mizzi	280,000
Scotty Nguyen	270,000
Humberto Brenes	200,000
Daniel Alaei	182,000
Hasan Habib	153,000
Nick Binger	146,000
Robert Mizrachi	143,000
Mimi Tran	140,000
Sully Erna	120,000
Billy Baxter	105,000
Tobey Maguire	100,000
Berry Johnston	91,000

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   Daniel Alaei,   Tobey Maguire,   Dario Minieri,   Leif Force,   Jared Hamby,   Nick Binger,   Hevad Khan

Back From Dinner

Jul 09, '07

Penalty Situation
On the river, Walt Oliver bet out and his opponent folded.  As Oliver went to muck his cards and pull in his uncalled bet, his opponent reached over and flipped his cards over, exposing his hand.  The table was shocked by the player's actions, and one player at the table commented how he had never seen anything like that before, outside of a very social home game.  The floor was called over for a ruling, and the player was given a 10-hand penalty.  He tried to appeal with other tournament directors, pleading his case, but the ruling stood.  With his low stack of $7,500, a 10-hand penalty is hard to swallow. 

Cyndy Violette Eliminated
Cyndy Violette pushed her last $2,150 into the pot and her opponent made the call with 6 6.  She showed A 9, commenting that it was the first Ace she had seen in quite awhile.  The board came K K 7 3 Q, and Violette was sent to the rail. 

BoDogAri Takes A Hit
On a flop of K 10 5, Alan "Ari" Engel bet out $4,000.  His opponent raised all in for $11,700 and Engel thought awhile before making the call.  His opponent showed K Q and Engel turned over 8 7 for a flush draw.  The turn and river came 2 8, and Engel took a hit, lowering his stack to $33,000. 

Irish Eyes Are Smiling
We, not quite, but they're holding their own largely. Padraig Parkinson, who made the final table of the main event in 1999 when his fellow countryman Noel Furlong won the bracelet, has $26,500 in chips and seems in feisty form. Trading jokes with the table and generally looking like he's enjoying the occasion. Read his Pro Blog at CardPlayer.com.

Don Fagan took a hit of around $14,500 he ran a set of nines into a set of kings. 'That's why i want a big stack so i can take these confrontations,' he told CardPlayer.com

Ken 'KPNuts' Powell is breathing a little easier. 'I was down to $9,500 and had to fight fire with fire. I went all in about 4 times and now i'm up to $19,000.' His table broke and he seemed relieved. A few moment later he won another $2,000 plus pot on the turn with a three-quarter pot-sized bet.

Scott Gray, fourth in the 2002 main event, is sitting on $37,000, drinking coffee and engaging in banter at his table.

Sean Coughlan, seated at Thor Hansen's table, is 'very happy' with his table. 'It's quite passive which suits me fine at the minute. Hansen tried a few moves at the beginning but has quietened down a lot. A new guy just came to the table and got spanked a couple of times so things are going grand. He has over $30,000.

Irish players confirmed bust are Adrian Walshe, Danny McHugh, Jude Jackson, and Joe Rafferty.
Notable Chip Counts

Paul "X-22" Magriel	71,000
Gavin Smith	60,000
Daniel Negreanu	60,000
John Phan	58,000
Prahlad Friedman	56,000
Young Phan	53,000
Barbara Enright	49,000
Chip Jett	48,000
Gus Hansen	47,000
Carlos Mortensen	42,000
Chris "The Armenian Express" Grigorian	39,000
Ted Forrest	38,000
Layne Flack	37,000
Erick Lindgren	37,000
Karina Jett	35,000
Chip Reese	35,000
Mimi Tran	28,000
Freddy Deeb	25,000
David Benyamine	25,000
Leif Force	16,000
Jean Gaspard	16,000
David Chiu	16,000
Surinder Sunar	8,000
Shawn "Sheiky" Sheikhan	8,000
Sorel "Imper1um" Mizzi	7,800
Antonio Esfandiari	7,000
Dutch Boyd	6,000
Tuan Le	5,800

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   Daniel Negreanu,   Cyndy Violette

End Of Day Three

Jul 12, '07

At the end of the previous level players went on a thirty minute break. Once they returned they were set to play one last hour before ending the night. 

Minieri Breaks $2,000,000

Dario Minieri was the first player known to cross the $2,000,000 mark.  He ended the day as the chip leader with $2,400,000.

Payout Jump

With the elimination of the 352nd place player a new payout level was reached.  All remaining 351 players are guaranteed $39,445. 

The Wrath Of Kahn

PokerStars Supernova Haved "RainKahn" Kahn was seated at the ESPN featured table with Daniel Alaei for the last hour and a half of the night.  In that short span he was involved in a number of big pots, and sent a few opponents to the rail.  The ruckus at the featured table was heard from across the room as Kahn got all-in with Q Q against his opponents pocket aces only to have the board bring the Q Q 8.  The 5 on the turn meant his opponent was drawing dead, and Kahn doubled to roughly $940,000.  He later eliminated another opponent with A J against two fours with a board of A 7 6 K Q.  Kahn even won a decently sized pot against Daniel Alaei without showdown. 

Tran Dodges Flush

Mimi Tran raised from middle position to $18,000, Nick Binger called from the cutoff, the player in seat No. 9 called from the button, and the player in seat No. 2 called from the big blind.  The flop came 6 5 4, the player in the big blind checked, Tran bet $35,000, Binger called, the player on the button raised to $100,000, the big blind folded, Tran called after much deliberation, and Binger folded.  The turn card was the 2, Tran checked and the player in seat No. 9 moved all in.  Tran showed her pocket Jacks as she folded, and her opponent graciously showed her the A 10 as he folded.

The Waco Kidd Cometh

A player in seat four raises to $25,000 and is flat called by seat six.  It is folded to Jared Hamby  and he says, "One time dealer!", as he looks at his cards then he immediately moves all in for $98,000.  Both players call and the flop comes AQ4.  Seat four pushes all in with AQ, and seat six folds.  Hamby rolls over AA, and takes down a massive pot.  Noah Schwartz has taken credit for the success, because earlier Hamby has rubbed his Star of David for good luck. 

The Camera's Aren't Just For You

Seated with Hamby was Tobey Maguire and Humberto Brenes.  That obviously lead to a plethora of ESPN cameras at the table, but Brenes wasn't sure why.  When Hamby told him that Maguire was a move star, He half jokingly whispered to Cardplayer.com, "That is why all the cameras are here, I though they were for me."  Humberto immediately began to ham it up with Maguire and Jared Hamby said,"Your Poker Famous, Poker Famous is good, but he's actually famous."

Apparently The Force Was Not With Him

Leif Force was eliminated after getting all-in with J-J against A-A and failing to get any help from the board.

Tate Taps Cordovez
With just minutes of play left and on a board reading 41056K. Conor ‘Sealy’ Tate popped $30,000 into the pot of around $100,000. CardPlayer.com broadcaster Diego Cordovez thought long and head and eventually one player at the table called the clock on him. Tate showed J for a flush and Cordovez ruefully mucked.

End Of Day

337 players will return for day  tomorrow at noon.  Stay tuned to Cardplayer.com for all of your live updates through the conclusion of the event.


Notable Chip Counts

Dario Minieri	2,405,000
Kenny Tran	1,300,000
Jeff Banghart	1,200,000
Hevad Khan	1,050,000
Rep Porter	1,040,000
Gus Hansen	1,035,000
Atlan Nicolas	1,000,000
Isaac Haxton	790,000
Bill Edler	600,000
Huck Seed	586,000
Darrell Dicken	540,000
Lee Watkinson	500,000
Maria Ho	485,000
Peter Feldman	415,000
Chad Brown	410,000
Robert Varkonyi	400,000
Alex Kravchenko	360,000
Carlos Mortensen	350,000
Thor Hansen	344,000
Jared Hamby	330,000
Warren Karp	315,000
Sorel Mizzi	280,000
Scotty Nguyen	270,000
Humberto Brenes	200,000
Daniel Alaei	182,000
Hasan Habib	153,000
Nick Binger	146,000
Robert Mizrachi	143,000
Mimi Tran	140,000
Sully Erna	120,000
Billy Baxter	105,000
Tobey Maguire	100,000
Berry Johnston	91,000

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   Daniel Alaei,   Tobey Maguire,   Dario Minieri,   Leif Force,   Jared Hamby,   Nick Binger,   Hevad Khan

Back From Dinner

Jul 09, '07

Penalty Situation
On the river, Walt Oliver bet out and his opponent folded.  As Oliver went to muck his cards and pull in his uncalled bet, his opponent reached over and flipped his cards over, exposing his hand.  The table was shocked by the player's actions, and one player at the table commented how he had never seen anything like that before, outside of a very social home game.  The floor was called over for a ruling, and the player was given a 10-hand penalty.  He tried to appeal with other tournament directors, pleading his case, but the ruling stood.  With his low stack of $7,500, a 10-hand penalty is hard to swallow. 

Cyndy Violette Eliminated
Cyndy Violette pushed her last $2,150 into the pot and her opponent made the call with 6 6.  She showed A 9, commenting that it was the first Ace she had seen in quite awhile.  The board came K K 7 3 Q, and Violette was sent to the rail. 

BoDogAri Takes A Hit
On a flop of K 10 5, Alan "Ari" Engel bet out $4,000.  His opponent raised all in for $11,700 and Engel thought awhile before making the call.  His opponent showed K Q and Engel turned over 8 7 for a flush draw.  The turn and river came 2 8, and Engel took a hit, lowering his stack to $33,000. 

Irish Eyes Are Smiling
We, not quite, but they're holding their own largely. Padraig Parkinson, who made the final table of the main event in 1999 when his fellow countryman Noel Furlong won the bracelet, has $26,500 in chips and seems in feisty form. Trading jokes with the table and generally looking like he's enjoying the occasion. Read his Pro Blog at CardPlayer.com.

Don Fagan took a hit of around $14,500 he ran a set of nines into a set of kings. 'That's why i want a big stack so i can take these confrontations,' he told CardPlayer.com

Ken 'KPNuts' Powell is breathing a little easier. 'I was down to $9,500 and had to fight fire with fire. I went all in about 4 times and now i'm up to $19,000.' His table broke and he seemed relieved. A few moment later he won another $2,000 plus pot on the turn with a three-quarter pot-sized bet.

Scott Gray, fourth in the 2002 main event, is sitting on $37,000, drinking coffee and engaging in banter at his table.

Sean Coughlan, seated at Thor Hansen's table, is 'very happy' with his table. 'It's quite passive which suits me fine at the minute. Hansen tried a few moves at the beginning but has quietened down a lot. A new guy just came to the table and got spanked a couple of times so things are going grand. He has over $30,000.

Irish players confirmed bust are Adrian Walshe, Danny McHugh, Jude Jackson, and Joe Rafferty.
Notable Chip Counts

Paul "X-22" Magriel	71,000
Gavin Smith	60,000
Daniel Negreanu	60,000
John Phan	58,000
Prahlad Friedman	56,000
Young Phan	53,000
Barbara Enright	49,000
Chip Jett	48,000
Gus Hansen	47,000
Carlos Mortensen	42,000
Chris "The Armenian Express" Grigorian	39,000
Ted Forrest	38,000
Layne Flack	37,000
Erick Lindgren	37,000
Karina Jett	35,000
Chip Reese	35,000
Mimi Tran	28,000
Freddy Deeb	25,000
David Benyamine	25,000
Leif Force	16,000
Jean Gaspard	16,000
David Chiu	16,000
Surinder Sunar	8,000
Shawn "Sheiky" Sheikhan	8,000
Sorel "Imper1um" Mizzi	7,800
Antonio Esfandiari	7,000
Dutch Boyd	6,000
Tuan Le	5,800

Player Tags: Mimi Tran,   Daniel Negreanu,   Cyndy Violette

Hour One Recap

Jun 30, '07

The first hour of play on day two of event #48 has passed. There are only 93 players left and Mimi Tran, John Turner and John Juanda are no longer among them.  Juanda is technically still in the event, but has left his seat and his chips and is currently being blinded off.

Table 60 has got to be scary for the player in seat two. At his table are David Sklansky (seat 1), Robert Williamson III (seat 2), Steve Deano (seat 4), Andy Bloch (seat 5) and Gavin Griffin (seat 6). At least for now the player in seat two appears to be hanging back and letting the big names at his table go after each other's chips.

Level eight is now over and the limits will be going up to $800-$1,600 in level nine.

Notable Chip Counts

Rafi Amit	48,500
Victor Ramdin	32,400
Michael Binger	30,700
Thor Hansen	28,600
David Williams	26,300
Greg Raymer	25,300
Hoyt Corkins	23,700
Robert Mizrachi	19,800
Allen Cunningham	18,900
Robert Williamson III	18,400
Jeff Madsen	18,400
Steve Zolotow	18,100
Daniel Negreanu	17,300
Chau Giang	16,000
Andy Bloch	13,800
Marco Traniello	11,800
Mickey Appleman	10,800
Amnon Filippi	10,700
Chris "Jesus" Ferguson	10,000
Sabyl Cohen	8,300
Bill Chen	8,000
Berry Johnston	7,400
David Sklansky	5,500
Mel Judah	2,700
John Juanda	1,800

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Andy Bloch,   Mimi Tran,   John Turner,   David Sklansky,   Gavin Griffin,   Robert Williamson III