Spencer Lawrence Poker Tournament Updates

Limit Hold'em Shootout - Final Table - Final Table Eliminations Commence

Jul 02, '08

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Left: 5 of 823

Chip Counts:
Joe De Niro: 875,000
Danny Wong: 525,000
Jean-Robert Bellande: 520,000
Brandon Wong: 350,000
Matt Graham: 320,000

Eliminations:
6th Place - Spencer Lawrence ($20,221)
7th Place - John Kranyak ($13,480)
8th Place - Andrew Prock ($10,335)
9th Place - Michael Kachan ($7,526)

Hands:

Lawrence Doesn't Connect, Eliminated in Sixth Place ($20,221)

Spencer Lawrence got all of his chips in the middle preflop against Jean-Robert Bellande and showed K10. Bellande was the favorite, holding A9. The flop came 963, giving Bellande a pair. Lawrence still had two overs he could connect with, but the 2 came on the turn and the Q river card eliminated Lawrence in sixth place.

Kranyak Has Lower Kicker, Gone in Seventh Place ($13,480)

Preflopp action was raised until capped by John Kranyak and Joe De Niro. When 943 fell on the flop Kranyak bet and was called by De Niro. The A came on the turn, inducing action. Betting was capped again, getting Kranyak all in. He had connected with the ace on the turn and showed AJ. However, De Niro showed AQ for a pair of aces with a queen kicker. The Q dropped on the river to give De Niro two pair and the juicy pot, sending Kranyak to the rail in seventh place.

Prock Gets Outdrawn, Busts in Eighth Place ($10,335)

Andrew Prock got all in preflop and held AQ, a favored hand over Joe De Niro's AJ. The flop changed things fast, coming AJ3 to give De Niro two pair - aces and jacks. The K fell on the turn, giving Prock more outs. But the river 8wasn't one of them and Prock was eliminated in eight place.

Kachan First To Go, Out in Ninth Place ($7,526)

Michael Kachan put in a raise preflop and was called by Brandon Wong, Danny Wong, Jean-Robert Bellande and Spencer Lawrence. The flop brought A76 and Danny Wong led out. Lawrence got out of the way, and Kachan raised all in. Brandon Wong folded and Bellande put in yet another raise. Danny Wong called, and when the 4 fell on the turn both he and Bellande checked. The Q fell on the river and Wong bet. Bellande folded and Wong showed AK. Kachan couldn't beat Wong's pair of aces and was the first player eliminated from the final table.

Player Tags: Jean-Robert Bellande,   Brandon Wong,   Spencer Lawrence,   Andrew Prock,   Danny Wong,   European Report

Limit Hold'em Shootout - Final Table - Good Round For Kranyak

Jul 02, '08

Players are on a 20 minute break.

Blinds: 5,000-10,000

Players Left: 9 of 823

Chip Counts:
John Kranyak: 650,000
Jean-Robert Bellande: 420,000
Spencer Lawrence: 365,000
Joe De Niro: 325,000
Brandon Wong: 270,000
Andrew Prock: 230,000
Matt Graham: 170,000
Danny Wong: 160,000
Mike Kachan: 120,000

Hands:

Graham Hits Straight, Takes Pot

Matt Graham bet every street on a board of KJ9810 and was called down by Spencer Lawrence. Graham showed he rivered the broadway straight with AQ in his hand and took the pot.

Good Round For Kranyak

John Kranyak has climbed up the leaderboard by winning several big hands throughout the level.
In one big 3-way Kranyak raised after Jean-Robert Bellande bet a flop of K106 and Bellande and Brandon Wong called. Kranyak bet the K turn and was called again by both opponents. The 9 on the river was a scare card and all players checked. Kranyak showed K7 for trip kings, Bellande mucked and Wong showed A10. Kranyak took a big pot and ended the level with around 650,000 in chips.
 

Player Tags: Jean-Robert Bellande,   Spencer Lawrence,   Matt Graham,   Danny Wong,   John Kranyak,   European Report

Limit Hold'em Shootout - Level 20 - Final Table Set, Will Start at 10 p.m.

Jul 02, '08

Final Table play will start at 10 p.m.

Final Table Players Are:
Andrew Prock
Brandon Wong
Danny Wong
Jean-Robert Bellande
Joe DeNiro
John Kranyak
Mike Kachan
Spencer Lawrence
Matt Graham

Here are highlights from the last round:

Blinds: 3,000 - 6,000

Eliminations: Stefan Rapp, Mikael Norinder, Duane Graff Jr.

Hands:

Graham Advances to Final Table

Raising back and forth, Matt Graham got Duane Graff Jr. all in and showed AK. Graff showed J5. The board can AQ992 and a thrilled Graham is heading to the final table.

Rapp Eliminated

Stefan Rapp was all in against Duane Graff Jr. preflop. Rapp showed K8 and saw that one of his outs was taken, as Graff Jr. held 88. The board ran 10934, giving Rapp a flush draw for more outs. But the 4 hit on the river and he was eliminated, leaving Graff Jr. heads up with only 32,000 against Matt Graham's 238,000.

Lawrence Puts Norinder Away

Mikael Norinder was all in on the turn with the board showing 10936. He showed KJ for a gutshot straight draw, but was trailing Spencer Lawrence's K3 for a pair of threes. The river was the 2 and Lawrence advanced to the final table.

Norinder Can't Catch a Break

Short-stacked with 60,000 versus the 240,000 on Spencer Lawrence, Mikael Norinder picked up AA and after the betting was concluded on a board of K3245 Lawrence showed he had nothing but ace-high and had hit the miracle river to chop the pot. And the players are back where they started before the hand.
 

Player Tags: Spencer Lawrence,   Matt Graham,   Duane Graff,   Mikael Norinder,   Stefan Rapp,   European Report

Limit Hold'em Shootout - Level 19 - Prock Advances

Jul 02, '08

Blinds: 2,000-4,000

Players Remaining: 3 Away From The Final Table

Eliminations: Lorenz Guarin, Jelger Wiegersma

Hands:

Guarin Gone

Spencer Lawrence had Lorenz Guarin covered when he got him all in. Guarin showed K9 and was a big favorite against Lawrence's 96. But the board ran 763Q7 to give Lawrence a pair of sixes to send Guarin to the rail.

Prock Pairs Ace, Advances

Andrew Prock got all in with Jelger Wiegersma and showed A9 against Wiegersma's QJ. The board ran A10427, giving Prock a pair of aces and sending him to the final table and Wiegersma to the rail.




 

Player Tags: Spencer Lawrence,   Andrew Prock,   European Report,   Lorenzo Guarin,   Jelger Wiegersma

$10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 16 Recap

Jun 16, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20-minute break

Blinds: 4,000-8,000

Players Left:  18 of 218

Chip Leaders:
Aaron Katz - 530,000
Andy Bloch - 395,000
Brock Parker - 380,000
Michael Mizrachi - 325,000
Tam "Tommy" Hang - 270,000
Rich Chase - 260,000
Chris Vitch - 260,000
Eric Froehlich - 250,000
Rob Hollink - 250,000
Matt Woodward -240,000

Average Stack: 242,200

Eliminations:

19^th place – Todd “Dan Druff” Witteles
20^th place – Thomas Johnston
21^st place – Hoyt Corkins
22^nd place – Spencer Lawrence

Big Hands and Storylines:

Corkins Eliminated in 21^st Place

Apparently Aaron Katz doesn’t have premium hands all the time. Hoyt Corkins found this out the hard way when his QQ was cracked by Katz’s 65 on a JT63K board. Katz, who won a $1,500 limit hold’em event in 2004, is on an excellent track to claim his second bracelet. He is currently the chip leader with 530,000.

Thomas Johnston Eliminated in 20^th Place

Thomas Johnston declared his “pot-committedness” before the hand as almost his entire stack would be consumed by the big blind. He was still in good spirits as he saw Jerrod Ankenman and Tex Barch cap the betting pre-flop. The flop was AJ5 and both Barch and Ankenman checked. Barch bet the J turn and Ankenman folded. The river was the 5c. When Barch showed AA Johnston, having not looked at his cards claimed, “I could have pocket jacks.” He flipped his cards one at a time. The first was the 5, eliciting a roar from the table. Unfortunately for Johnston, his second card was the 10 and he had to go, eliminated in 20^th place.

Hollink Continues to Straighten Out

Eric Froehlich raised from middle position and the only caller was Rob Hollink in the big blind. The flop was 1087 and Hollink check-called a bet from Froehlich. The turn was a 6 and Hollink checked. “EFro” bet and the man from Groningen put out a raise. Froehlich called and the pair saw the 4 river. Hollink bet and Froehlich called.  The two showed:

Hollink: A9
Froehlich: AA

Hollink’s second straight in as many levels has him up to 250,000, coincidentally, the same amount as Froehlich.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Andy Bloch,   Tommy Hang,   Michael Mizrachi,   Rich Chase,   Aaron Katz,   John Barch,   Brock Parker,   Rob Hollink,   Matt Woodward,   Spencer Lawrence,   Todd Witteles,   Eric Froehlich,   Chris Vitch,   Jerrod Ankenman,   European Report,   Thomas Johnston

$10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 15 Recap

Jun 16, '08

Blinds: 3,000-6,000

Players Left:  22 of 218

Chip Leaders:
Andy Bloch - 350,000
Michael Mizrachi - 340,000
Brock "t soprano" Parker - 325,000
Aaron Katz - 322,000
Matt Woodward - 295,000
Shunjiro Uchida - 288,000
Jerrod Ankenman - 250,000
Eric Froehlich - 245,000
Tommy Hang – 180,000
J.C. Tran - 175,000
Hoyt Corkins - 170,000
Rob Hollink – 165,000

Average Stack: 198,200

Eliminations:
23^rd – Dewey Tomko
24^th – Greg Debora
25^th – Terrence Chan
26^th – Patrick Bueno

Big Hands and Storylines:

Katz True To His Word

Aaron Katz has been talking constantly about how he has yet to show down a bad hand, and, in a pot against Jerrod Ankenman, he backed up his banter. Ankenman raised from middle position and Katz re-raised on his left to 1,800. Action folded back around to Ankenman who made the call. Ankenman check-raised the AJ3 flop and Katz called. Ankenman bet the J turn and Katz cagily raised, drawing a call from Ankenman. The dealer put out the 3 on the river and Ankenman check-called. Katz tabled AK and took down the pot. Maybe next time someone at the table will respect Katz’s raise. Until then, Katz will be sitting behind a stack of 320,000 chips. Ankenman still has 250,000.

Hanging Around

Andy Bloch raised from the small blind and Tommy Hang in the big blind called. Hang raised Bloch’s bet on the Q52 flop and Bloch called. Action on the turn and river – K and 3 – went check-bet-call, and Hang won the pot with two pair, showing KQ. Hang has now climbed to 180,000 while Bloch, still the chip leader, is down to 350,000

River Dagger Cripples Lawrence

Rob Hollink raised from late position and the only caller was Spencer Lawrence in the big blind. The flop came Q95 and Lawrence bet out. Hollink raised, Lawrence 3-bet, and Hollink just called. The A on the turn was followed by a bet by Lawrence and another call by Hollink. Lawrence bet the river  and the Dutchman raised him. After a minute of thought, Lawrence made the call. Hollink tabled the nuts: JT. After the hand Lawrence was left with only 20,000 while Hollink grew his stack to 165,000.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   J.C. Tran,   Andy Bloch,   Tommy Hang,   Dewey Tomko,   Michael Mizrachi,   Aaron Katz,   Shunjiro Uchida,   Brock Parker,   Rob Hollink,   Terrence Chan,   Greg DeBora,   Matt Woodward,   Spencer Lawrence,   Eric Froehlich,   Patrick Bueno,   Jerrod Ankenman,   European Report

$10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 16, '08

Blinds: 2,000-4,000

Players Left:  31 of 218

Chip Leaders:
Eric Froehlich - 320,000
Michael Mizrachi - 280,000
Matt Woodward - 278,000
J.C. Tran - 270,000
Tex Barch - 270,000
Steve Sung - 265,000
Hoyt Corkins - 260,000
Brock “t soprano” Parker - 230,000
Jerrod Ankenman - 179,100
Andy Bloch - 146,000
Greg DeBora - 145,000

Average Stack: 140,650

Eliminations:
Erick Lindgren
Justin Bonomo
Thomas Wahlroos

Big Hands and Storylines:

Parker Busts Bonomo

Despite doubling up a few hands earlier against Eric Froehlich, Justin Bonomo would see all of his chips disappear against Brock “t soprano” Parker. Rob Hollink raised from the cutoff and Bonomo, with only 15,000 total chips, raised it up. Parker 4-bet from the big blind, Hollink called, and Bonomo tossed his final few chips in. Hollink called Parker’s bet on the J62 flop, but folded to a second-barrel on the 2 turn. With that, Parker took down the small side pot, but he still needed to best Bonomo’s holding in order to claim the sizeable main pot. Parker showed AK, and ace-king high was well ahead of Bonomo’s A9. The river was the 7 and Bonomo found himself out 10 places before the money.

Spencer Lawrence Giveth, and Spencer Lawrence Taketh Away

Thomas Wahlroos was all-in for his final 11,500 against Spencer Lawrence. Lawrence had a meager Q7, but was racing against the Finn’s 55. The board was a safe one for Wahlroos – K629K – and he raked in a pot of 27,000. That relief was short-lived however. Although their table was broken when they reached 36 players, the duo found themselves seated together once again at a new table. It was here that Lawrence’s pocket nines would hold up against Wahlroos’s pocket sevens. Wahlroos, who had earlier been commiserating with Rob Hollink about bubbling in tournaments, has a new story to add to his collection.

Musical Chairs

Another significant result of having a table break was that Brock Parker took a seat to J.C. Tran’s left. The duo have 500,000 chips between them, with Tran holding a 270k to 230k advantage over Parker. Despite having Parker outchipped, Tran can not be happy with this recent turn of events.

Muy Bueno

Patrick Bueno, chip leader at the start of the day, had seen his stack dwindle to a measly 20,000 before he found himself all-in on the A77 flop. Both he and his opponent had an ace, but Bueno’s queen kicker nipped his opponent’s ten. The turn and river blanked and Bueno found himself smiling again, brandishing a stack of 50,000.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   J.C. Tran,   Erick Lindgren,   Andy Bloch,   Michael Mizrachi,   John Barch,   Brock Parker,   Rob Hollink,   Greg DeBora,   Justin Bonomo,   Matt Woodward,   Spencer Lawrence,   Eric Froehlich,   Steve Sung,   Patrick Bueno,   Thomas Wahlroos,   Jerrod Ankenman,   European Report

Omaha High-Low - Thang Luu Wins Event no. 6

Jun 05, '08

Through sheer aggression, Thang Luu took a 3-1 chip lead on Spencer Lawrence. Lawrence wasn't catching anything on any flop, and as a result was forced to commit the rest of his stack with a marginal holding. On the final hand, Luu raised preflop and Lawrence made the call. The flop came down K87 and Luu bet once again. After Lawrence raised, Luu put him all in and Lawrence made the call showing 9655 for a diamond and wrap draw. Unfortunately, his diamonds were dead when Luu showed K743. The turn and river came 8K and Luu made a full house to take the pot, the title, the bracelet and $243,356. Lawrence receives $156,343 for his second place effort.

Player Tags: Spencer Lawrence,   Thang Luu

Omaha High-Low - Heads Up Play Begins

Jun 05, '08

Players Left: 2

Big Hands:

Chris Falconer Eliminated in Fifth Place ($64,243)

Chris Falconer raised all in for his last 80,000 in the cutoff and was called by both Thang Luu and George Guzman in the blinds. Both players checked down a board of 1095A5 and Luu turned over J762 for a flush, which scooped the pot. Falconer mucked his cards and was eliminated.

James Pritchard Eliminated in Fourth Place ($78,456)

James Pritchard was getting short and had to make his move. He got the rest of his chips in the middle holding 10654 against Thang Luu's KQ92. The board ran out JJ4K7 and Luu's turned king sent Pritchard home in fourth place.

George Guzman Eliminated in Third Place ($93,806)

George Guzman moved all in preflop holding KQ97 and was up against Spencer Lawrence's AAQ9. The board came 433A6 and Lawrence's turned aces full was enough to send Guzman home and begin heads up play.

NOTE: Heads up play has begun.

Player Tags: Spencer Lawrence,   Thang Luu,   Chris Falconer,   George Guzman

Omaha High-Low - Lost Two Players

Jun 05, '08

Players Left: 5

Big Hands

:

Craig Sabel Eliminated in Seventh Place ($39,228)

Craig Sabel had the rest of his chips in the pot in the big blind. The flop came K54 and Spencer Lawrence and George Guzman checked. The turn was the Q and Lawrence bet. Guzman folded and the two remaining players turned up their hands.

Lawrence - QQ64
Sabel - AJQ6

Lawrence was in the lead with a set of queens and Sabel needed a low card to split or a ten to scoop. The river was the 4 and Sabel was eliminated in seventh place.

Greg Jamison Eliminated in Sixth Place ($50,598)

Greg Jamison was all-in in the big blind for his last 25,000 and had to deal with three unfortunate limpers. All three limpers checked down a board of A6310Q and everyone revealed their hands.

George Guzman turned over 8-4 which was good enough for the low and Spencer Lawrence's set of tens took the high. Jamison mucked his hand and was eliminated from the tournament.
 

Player Tags: Spencer Lawrence,   George Guzman,   Craig Sabel

Omaha High-Low - Mark Wilds Eliminated

Jun 05, '08

NOTE: CardPlayer TV – Erik Seidel Talks About Omaha Hi-Lo


Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Players Left: 7

Big Hands:

Spencer Lawrence Hits a Four-Outer to Survive

On a board of Q9810, Spencer Lawrence is all in against Mark Wilds. Both players turn over their hands:

Lawrence - A982
Wilds - AJQ5

Lawrence is drawing to the four remaining nines and eights to stay alive and the river is the... 8. Lawrence makes his full house and doubles up to over 300,000.

Mark Wilds Eliminated in Eighth Place ($30,700)

Mark Wilds was all in for his last 10,000 in the small blind. Thang Luu and George Guzman were also in the hand and checked a flop of Q107. The turn was the 7 and Guzman bet 60,000. Luu folded and Guzman revealed AJ97. Wilds showed J942 and needed an an eight or a king to survive with a straight. The river was the A and Guzman improved to a full house, sending Wilds to the rail in eighth place.

NOTE: The players are now on a 20-minute break.

Player Tags: Mark Wilds,   Spencer Lawrence,   Thang Luu,   George Guzman,   Craig Sabel

Omaha High-Low - Double Up Madness

Jun 05, '08

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Left: 8

Big Hands:

James Pritchard Chips Up With 3/4 of the Pot

On a flop of J53, James Pritchard bets and is called by Craig Sabel. The turn is the 10 and once again Sabel calls Pritchards bet. The river is the 6 and Pritchard is all in. Sabel calls and the players turn up their hands.

Sabel - AK92
Pritchard - AJ102

Sagel rivered the nut low, but so did Pritchard. In addition, Pritchard has the high with jacks and tens. He takes 3/4 of the pot and chips up to 170,000.

Spencer Lawrence Doubles Up

Spencer Lawrence is all in for his tournament life and is called by Greg Jamison. Lawrence turns over AK72 and Jamison shows JJ42. The flop comes J76 and Jamison takes a big lead in the hand, but the turn and river come 10Q giving Lawrence a broadway straight and the whole pot. After the hand, Lawrence is sitting with 75,000 in chips.

George Guzman Won't Go Quietely

After getting crippled to next to nothing, George Guzman has refused to bust, chopping and scooping his way to a stack of 180,000 courtesy of several double ups from the rest of the table.

Player Tags: Greg Jamison,   Spencer Lawrence,   George Guzman,   Craig Sabel

Omaha High-Low - Scott Clements Out

Jun 05, '08

NOTE: CardPlayer TV – Erik Seidel Talks About Omaha Hi-Lo


Blinds: 8,000 - 15,000 switching to 10,000 - 20,000

Players Left: 8

Big Hands:

Scott Clements Eliminated in Ninth Place ($22,172)

After being crippled on an earlier hand, Scott Clements is all in for his last 12,000. James Pritchard calls in the small blind and Thang Luu checks his option in the big blind. The flop comes JJ9 and both players check it down. The turn and river come 28 and Pritchard shows KJQ2 to take the pot with jacks full. Clements claims to have aces, and he is eliminated from the tournament.

Don't worry, for posterity, we will continue to cover this tournament. After all, there is a gold bracelet on the line.

George Guzman Picks Up A Big Pot

Greg "Fargo" Jamison limps, as does Chris Falconer and Geogre Guzman. Spencer Lawrence checks his option in the big blind. The flop comes J107 and Jamison bets 15,000. Guzman is the only caller and the turn is the 8. Both players check and the river is the J. Jamison bets 30,000 and Guzman makes the call. Jamison can only turn over pocket deuces and Guzman's AKQQ is enough to take it down.

NOTE: The blinds then went up to 10,000-20,000 and the 1,000 denomination chips were raced off the table.

The players then went on a 20-minute break.

Player Tags: Greg Jamison,   Scott Clements,   Spencer Lawrence,   Thang Luu,   Chris Falconer,   George Guzman

Omaha High-Low - Scott Clements Going Backwards

Jun 05, '08

Blinds: 6,000 - 12,000 switching to 8,000 - 15,000

Players Left: 9

Eliminations: None

Big Hands:

Thang Luu and Spencer Lawrence Chop One

Thang Luu raises preflop, as he has done 60 percent of the time, and Spencer Lawrence calls in the big blind. The flop comes J53 and Luu continues with a bet of 12,000. Lawrence raises to 24,000 and Luu calls. The turn is the 9 and Lawrence leads out for 24,000. Luu calls. The river is the A and Lawrence thinks for a while before deciding to bet once again. Luu beats him into the pot and both players turn over their hands.

Thang Luu - A622
Spencer Lawrence - A9J10

Lawrence takes the high with Aces up and Luu claims the low with his 6-2.

Chris Falconer Takes It All

Chris Falconer raises under the gun and James Pritchard makes the call. The flop comes Q107 and Falconer checks. Pritchard bets and Falconer calls. The turn is the 10 and both players check. The river is the J and Falconer bets 24,000. Pritchard calls and sees the bad news when Falconer turns over AK42 for the second nut flush.

NOTE: At this point, the blinds increase to 8,000 - 15,000

Thang Luu Takes 3/4

Spencer Lawrence raises and Thang Luu calls in the big blind. The flop comes 986 and both players check. The turn is the A and Luu bets. Lawrence calls and the river is the J. Luu bets again and Lawrence makes the call as the players reveal their hole cards.

Thang Luu - 9643
Spencer Lawrence - AQ43

Luu wins the high with his nines and sixes and both players share the same 4-3 low. As a result, Luu wins 3/4 of the pot.

Scott Clements Going Backwards

Craig Sabel calls under the gun and both George Guzman  and Scott Clements come along in the blinds. The flop comes A53 and Clements bets 15,000. Both of his opponents call and the turn is the 4. Everyone checks and Guzman leads the 3 on the river for 30,000. Both Clements and Sabel fold.

After the hand, Clements is down to about 100,000.

Player Tags: Scott Clements,   Spencer Lawrence,   Thang Luu,   George Guzman,   Craig Sabel