Gus Hansen - Live Updates

Double Up For Gus Hansen's Killer

Sep 30, '09

Before the hand began, Sorel Mizzi began a discussion with the table (possibly a bet), about a scenario where Erik Cajelais and Gus Hansen fight to the death.

As the table begins to wonder how long it would take for either person to kill the other, using no weapons, Justin Smith raises to 1,650. Behind him, Evan McNiff makes it 6,500.

It folds around to Cajelais himself, who moves all in for 16,000 or so. McNiff makes the call with AK and is in bad shape against Cajelais pocket aces.

The board rolled out safely and Cajelais doubled up. Meanwhile, the table continued to discuss the important matter of the fake to-the-death fight in question.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Erik Cajelais,   Sorel Mizzi,   Evan McNiff

Level 5 Hour 1 Update: Gus Hansen Busts

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 1,476 out of 1,476

Chip Counts:

1. Nick Maimone – 135,000
2. Craig Hopkins – 118,150
3. Jesse Rios – 117,150
4. Lehoussine Karim – 104,975
5. Daniel Makowsky – 100,200
6. Fabrice Soulier – 97,725
7. Jason Riesenberg – 93,650
8. Jason Alexander – 89,575
9. Shane Warne – 87,625
10. Jeremy Ausmus – 85,300

Notable Eliminations:

Gus Hansen
Sandra Naujoks

Big Hands:

Gus Hansen Eliminated

Gus Hansen entered the day with over 38,000 in chips but he was sent to the rail early in day 2a.

After the flop came down KQ3, Hansen called a bet from Norman Gautron. The turn brought the 10 and Gautron bet again. Hansen raised and was promptly reraised all in. Hansen called and showed AJ for a Broadway straight. Gautron tabled pocket threes for a set. Hansen was in good shape but the K on the river filled up Gautron and Hansen was out.

Billy Argyros Doubles Up

The man known as “the croc,” Billy Argyros moved all in with AK and was called by a player holding A9.

The board failed to crack Argyros’ big slick and he doubled up to about 17,000.

The Legend Takes Some Off Boatman

“Amarillo” Slim Preston raised to 1,500 preflop and Barny Boatman made the call. The flop fell 974 and Preston checked.Boatman did the same and the turn was the J.

Boatman bet 2,500 after Preston checked. The bet was called and the river was the 5. Both players checked again and Preston showed 96 for top pair on the flop. Boatman showed AK, missing everything and Preston took the pot. Preston was at 55,000 while Boatman was at 35,000.

Andy Black Gets There

On a flop of 422 the player under the gun led out for 1,500 and Andy Black called from the button. The turn was the 6 and the under the gun player bet 3,000. Black raised to 8,000 and was called. The river was the A. Action was checked to Black, who bet 14,000. The bet was called and Black showed A8 for top pair on the river and it was good for the pot. Black was at 74,000.

Naujoks Goes Bust

Sandra Naujoks was down to her last 13,000 and moved it all in with AK. She was called by a player with QQ.

The flop came Q86, giving her opponent a set. The turn left her drawing dead when she could not connect and she was gone early in day 2a.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Amarillo Slim Preston,   Andy Black,   Billy Argyros,   Sandra Naujoks

Level 4 Hour 2 Update: Last Hour of the Day

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 921 out of 1116

Chip Counts:

1. Redmond Lee – 130,000
2. James Navlanic – 100,000
3. Bryan Colin – 98,000
4. Jason Riesenberg – 92,000
5. Domen Pinteric – 90,000
6. Dragan Gelic – 88,000
7. Jason Alexander – 84,500
8. Eli Elezra – 84,300
9. Chris Demaci – 80,000
10. David Sands – 80,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jerry Yang, Perry Friedman, Darryl Dicken, Orel Hershiser, David Grey, Isaac Haxton, Andy Bloch

Big Hands:

Tilly Can’t Win A Flip

The player in seat 4 raised to 800 and Jennifer Tilly made the call. The player in seat 9 then moved all in for 13,000 and seat 4 mucked. Tilly then took a session in the tank and decided to make the call.

Seat 9: 33
Tilly: A9

Board: Q62J4

Tilly was in a race situation with two overcards but could not connect and she was down to 12,000 in chips.

Hansen Picks Up Aces, Takes Pot

Gus Hansen was in the big blind and was battling with the small blind. On the river the board read 62KJ7 and there was already over 10,000 in the pot.

The small blind checked over to Hansen, who bet 4450. The small blind tanked for a minute or so before begrudgingly tossing in the call. Hansen showed the AA and his opponent in the small blind just shook his head and mucked his hand.

Johnny Chan Doubles Up, Cripples Steve Paul-Ambrose

Johnny Chan got all of his chips in the middle preflop against Steve Paul-Ambrose. With his tournament life on the line, Chan tabled AK and was way ahead of the AQ of Ambrose.

The board ran out J223A, which was not good enough for Steve Paul-Ambrose, and gave Chan the pot. Chan doubled to 14,000, but Ambrose was left with just 6000

Andy Black Takes A Pot

On a flop of 953, Andy Black bet 1,200 and his opponent in seat 2 made the call. The turn was the 7 and Black fired another 3,000. Seat 2 decided to muck his hand and Black took the pot, improving his stack to 66,000.

Naujoks Lives To Fight Again

Picking up the action on the river, the board read Q9946, Sandra Naujoks fired 8,100 into the pot. The player in seat 3 then raised to 63,000, having Naujoks well covered.

Naujoks then took a long tank session to decide whether to commit her remaining 18,750 into the pot. After a couple of minutes, she finally decided to release her hand.

David Grey Busts

David Grey was all in against his opponent. Grey was holding 85 and flopped two pair as it fell J85. However, his opponent made a flush and Grey was ousted from the main event.

Straight Flushed

With over 12,000 in the pot preflop, the flop came down 532. Mike Sexton moved all in and his opponent made the call. Sexton tabled 54 for top pair and a straight flush draw while his opponent tabled 33 for a set. The turn made Sexton his flush as the 8 fell. The river then brought the 6, making Sexton a straight flush to add insult to injury as his opponent was eliminated and Sexton was up to 40,000.

Andy Bloch Loses Race and Ends Main Event Run

After a middle position limper, a short stacked Andy Bloch moved all in for his remaining chips. The limper ended up calling Bloch’s all in and showed 44 and was racing against Bloch’s AJ.

The flop was 8KQ, giving Bloch a straight draw to go along his overcards. The turn gave Bloch more outs as it was the Q. Bloch was unable to catch a K, 8, 10, J, or A on the river as the 7 fell and eliminated him from the tournament.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Johnny Chan,   Mike Sexton,   Jennifer Tilly,   Andy Black,   Steve Paul Ambrose,   Sandra Naujoks

Level 5 Hour 1 Update: Gus Hansen Busts

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 1,476 out of 1,476

Chip Counts:

1. Nick Maimone – 135,000
2. Craig Hopkins – 118,150
3. Jesse Rios – 117,150
4. Lehoussine Karim – 104,975
5. Daniel Makowsky – 100,200
6. Fabrice Soulier – 97,725
7. Jason Riesenberg – 93,650
8. Jason Alexander – 89,575
9. Shane Warne – 87,625
10. Jeremy Ausmus – 85,300

Notable Eliminations:

Gus Hansen
Sandra Naujoks

Big Hands:

Gus Hansen Eliminated

Gus Hansen entered the day with over 38,000 in chips but he was sent to the rail early in day 2a.

After the flop came down KQ3, Hansen called a bet from Norman Gautron. The turn brought the 10 and Gautron bet again. Hansen raised and was promptly reraised all in. Hansen called and showed AJ for a Broadway straight. Gautron tabled pocket threes for a set. Hansen was in good shape but the K on the river filled up Gautron and Hansen was out.

Billy Argyros Doubles Up

The man known as “the croc,” Billy Argyros moved all in with AK and was called by a player holding A9.

The board failed to crack Argyros’ big slick and he doubled up to about 17,000.

The Legend Takes Some Off Boatman

“Amarillo” Slim Preston raised to 1,500 preflop and Barny Boatman made the call. The flop fell 974 and Preston checked.Boatman did the same and the turn was the J.

Boatman bet 2,500 after Preston checked. The bet was called and the river was the 5. Both players checked again and Preston showed 96 for top pair on the flop. Boatman showed AK, missing everything and Preston took the pot. Preston was at 55,000 while Boatman was at 35,000.

Andy Black Gets There

On a flop of 422 the player under the gun led out for 1,500 and Andy Black called from the button. The turn was the 6 and the under the gun player bet 3,000. Black raised to 8,000 and was called. The river was the A. Action was checked to Black, who bet 14,000. The bet was called and Black showed A8 for top pair on the river and it was good for the pot. Black was at 74,000.

Naujoks Goes Bust

Sandra Naujoks was down to her last 13,000 and moved it all in with AK. She was called by a player with QQ.

The flop came Q86, giving her opponent a set. The turn left her drawing dead when she could not connect and she was gone early in day 2a.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Amarillo Slim Preston,   Andy Black,   Billy Argyros,   Sandra Naujoks

Level 4 Hour 2 Update: Last Hour of the Day

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 921 out of 1116

Chip Counts:

1. Redmond Lee – 130,000
2. James Navlanic – 100,000
3. Bryan Colin – 98,000
4. Jason Riesenberg – 92,000
5. Domen Pinteric – 90,000
6. Dragan Gelic – 88,000
7. Jason Alexander – 84,500
8. Eli Elezra – 84,300
9. Chris Demaci – 80,000
10. David Sands – 80,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jerry Yang, Perry Friedman, Darryl Dicken, Orel Hershiser, David Grey, Isaac Haxton, Andy Bloch

Big Hands:

Tilly Can’t Win A Flip

The player in seat 4 raised to 800 and Jennifer Tilly made the call. The player in seat 9 then moved all in for 13,000 and seat 4 mucked. Tilly then took a session in the tank and decided to make the call.

Seat 9: 33
Tilly: A9

Board: Q62J4

Tilly was in a race situation with two overcards but could not connect and she was down to 12,000 in chips.

Hansen Picks Up Aces, Takes Pot

Gus Hansen was in the big blind and was battling with the small blind. On the river the board read 62KJ7 and there was already over 10,000 in the pot.

The small blind checked over to Hansen, who bet 4450. The small blind tanked for a minute or so before begrudgingly tossing in the call. Hansen showed the AA and his opponent in the small blind just shook his head and mucked his hand.

Johnny Chan Doubles Up, Cripples Steve Paul-Ambrose

Johnny Chan got all of his chips in the middle preflop against Steve Paul-Ambrose. With his tournament life on the line, Chan tabled AK and was way ahead of the AQ of Ambrose.

The board ran out J223A, which was not good enough for Steve Paul-Ambrose, and gave Chan the pot. Chan doubled to 14,000, but Ambrose was left with just 6000

Andy Black Takes A Pot

On a flop of 953, Andy Black bet 1,200 and his opponent in seat 2 made the call. The turn was the 7 and Black fired another 3,000. Seat 2 decided to muck his hand and Black took the pot, improving his stack to 66,000.

Naujoks Lives To Fight Again

Picking up the action on the river, the board read Q9946, Sandra Naujoks fired 8,100 into the pot. The player in seat 3 then raised to 63,000, having Naujoks well covered.

Naujoks then took a long tank session to decide whether to commit her remaining 18,750 into the pot. After a couple of minutes, she finally decided to release her hand.

David Grey Busts

David Grey was all in against his opponent. Grey was holding 85 and flopped two pair as it fell J85. However, his opponent made a flush and Grey was ousted from the main event.

Straight Flushed

With over 12,000 in the pot preflop, the flop came down 532. Mike Sexton moved all in and his opponent made the call. Sexton tabled 54 for top pair and a straight flush draw while his opponent tabled 33 for a set. The turn made Sexton his flush as the 8 fell. The river then brought the 6, making Sexton a straight flush to add insult to injury as his opponent was eliminated and Sexton was up to 40,000.

Andy Bloch Loses Race and Ends Main Event Run

After a middle position limper, a short stacked Andy Bloch moved all in for his remaining chips. The limper ended up calling Bloch’s all in and showed 44 and was racing against Bloch’s AJ.

The flop was 8KQ, giving Bloch a straight draw to go along his overcards. The turn gave Bloch more outs as it was the Q. Bloch was unable to catch a K, 8, 10, J, or A on the river as the 7 fell and eliminated him from the tournament.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Johnny Chan,   Mike Sexton,   Jennifer Tilly,   Andy Black,   Steve Paul Ambrose,   Sandra Naujoks

Level 20 Update: Final Table Set

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 20,000-40,000 Limits — 40,000-80,000
Stud Games: Ante – 10,000, Bring-In – 10,000, Completion – 40,000, Limits – 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 3,675,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,490,000
3. David Bach – 2,345,000
4. John Hanson – 1,70,000
5. Huck Seed – 1,380,000
6. Chau Giang – 1,075,000
7. Erik Seidel – 965,000
8. Ville Wahlbeck – 645,000

Average Chip Count: 1,781,250

Notable Eliminations:

12. David Chiu – $99,590
11. Ray Dehkharghani – $99,590
10. Mike Wattel – $123,895
9. Gus Hansen – $123,895

Big Hands:

Omaha 8/b

David Chiu Eliminated in 12th Place ($99,590)

John Hanson raised from the button and David Chiu called and was al in from the small blind. Ville Wahlbeck also called from the big blind.

Hanson and Wahlbeck checked it all the way down and the board fell J1047J and Chiu turned up the K832, good for a flush, but Wahlbeck showed the 77X-X, rivering a full house and sending Chiu to the rail in 12th place.

Ray Dehkharghani Eliminated in 11th Place ($99,590)

Vitaly Lunkin raised from the button and Ray Dehkharghani three-bet all in from the small blind. Huck Seed called from the big blind and Lunkin also came along.

Seed and Lunkin checked all the way down as the board fell AJ339. Lunkin showed the KKQ6, Dehkharghani tabled the A755 and Seed showed the A1076.

Seed took the whole pot as he made aces and threes with a ten kicker, which eliminated Dehkharghani in 11th place.

Mike Wattel Eliminated in 10th Place ($123,895)

Chau Giang raised from middle position and Mike Wattel called in the big blind. The flop was AQ10 and Wattel moved in for his last 30,000 which was called by Giang.

Giang showed the AQK10 and Watted showed the A862.

Giang had flopped two pair and had Wattel on the ropes. The J on the turn and the 2 on the river proved to be the knockout blow, sending Wattel home, which meant the remaining nine will combine to one table.

Gus Hansen Eliminated in Ninth Place ($123,895)

Vitaly Lunkin raised from middle position and was called by Chau Giang, Gus Hansen, Ville Wahlbeck, and Erik Sagstrom.

More than half the table saw the flop of K8K. Everybody checked to Giang and bet and after Wahlbeck and Sagstrom folded, hansen made the call for his last 30,000 and Lunkin came along for the turn card.

The J fell on the turn and Giang bet after Lunkin checked. Lunkin folded and Giang showed AKQ2, which was miles ahead of Hansen’s 3328. The A was the river card and Hansen comes up one spot short of the final table.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Michael Wattel,   David Chiu,   Ray Dehkharghani

Level 19 Update: Freddy Deeb, Tony G Eliminated

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 15,000-30,000, Limits – 30,000-60,000
Stud Games: Ante — 8,000, Bring-In — 10,000, Completion — 30,000, Limits — 30,000-60,000

Players Remaining: 12 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 3,782,000
2. David Bach – 2,800,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,00,000
4. Erik Seidel – 1,315,000
5. John Hanson – 1,290,000
6. Huck Seed – 1,230,000
7. Ville Wahlbeck – 714,000
8. Gus Hansen – 537,000
9. Ray Dehkharghani – 280,000
10. Chau Giang – 225,000
11. Mike Wattel – 105,000
12. David Chiu – 37,000

Average Chip Count: 1,875,000

Eliminations:

14. Freddy Deeb – $83,630
13. Antanas Guoga – $83,630

Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Freddy Deeb Eliminated in 14th Place ($83,630)

The 2007 $50K H.O.R.S.E champion was down to just 100,000 chips when he defended from the big blind against the button raise of Gus Hansen. With all the money in the pot, Deeb exposed the A2 and was up against the J9 of Gus Hansen. The board ran out KQJ7J, as Hansen made trip jacks to eliminate Deeb late on day four. Hansen at 1,080,000.

STUD

Tony G Doubles

The short stack of Antanas Guoga and Gus Hansen got all the money in on fourth street.

Their cards:

Hansen: (A5)-43A6- (8)
Guoga: (K2)-K4J2-(7)

Guoga made kings and deuces on sixth street to take the lead against Hansen’s aces. Hansen failed to hit any of his numerous outs on the end and doubled up Guoga to 230,000. Hansen is down to 670,000.

Tony G Eliminated in 13th Place ($83,630)

Antanas Guoga was all in on fifth street against Erik Sagstrom and Gus Hansen.

Their cards:

Guoga: (X-X)-36JA-(X)
Sagstrom: (X-X)-4Q84-(X)
Hansen: (X-X)-45J2-(X)

Tony G exposed the 368 for two pair, threes and sixes. He was no good as Sagstrom continued his hot run by tabling the QJ7 for a flush. Hansen folded his hand on the end. Sagstrom eliminated Guouga and is up to 2,430,000.

Left in the Deck:

The players are now on a 90 minute dinner break.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Gus Hansen,   Erik Sagstrom,   Freddy Deeb

Level 18 Update: John Kabbaj, Steve Billirakis Eliminated

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 13,000-25,000, Limits – 25,000-50,000
Stud Games: Ante — 5,000, Bring-In — 7,000, Completion — 25,000, Limits — 25,000-50,000

Players Remaining: 14 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,050,000
2. Erik Sagstrom – 2,000,000
3. David Bach – 1,570,000
4. Ville Wahlbeck – 1,420,000
5. Huck Seed – 1,300,000
6. John Hanson – 1,100,000
7. Gus Hansen – 1,080,000
8. Erik Seidel – 975,000
9. Ray Dehkharghani – 960,000
10. David Chiu – 630,000

Average Chip Count: 950,000

Eliminations:

16. John Kabbaj – $72,914
15. Steve Billirakis – $72,914

Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Gus Hansen Builds Chip Stack

Ville Wahlbeck raised and Gus Hansen reraised from the cutoff. Wahlbeck made the call. The flop came 1098 and Wahlbeck checked. Hansen bet and Wahlbeck made the call. The Q hit the turn turn, and once again Wahlbeck checked. Hansen bet again and Wahlbeck quickly called. The Q fell on the river. The action went like it had before, with Wahlbeck check-calling a bet from Hansen. Hansen exposed the J10 for a straight and Wahlbeck mucked. Hansen was at 1,480,000 after the hand.

A few hands later, Gus Hansen and Tony Guoga were tangled up in a hand. Tony G raised in late position and Hansen defended from the big blind. The flop came QJ10 and Hansen bet out. Tony G made the quick call and the river brought the A. Hansen opted to check this time and Tony G made a bet. Hansen called and the 7 fell on the river. Both players checked and Tony G tabled the KK while Hansen exposed his rags of J2, to win with a baby flush. Hansen was looking strong with 1,560,000 after the hand but dropped a few hands before the break and currently sits with 1,080,000. Tony G is down to just 280,000.

Steve Billirakis Eliminated in 15th Place ($72,914)

On a board of A977A, Steve Billirakis put the last of his chips into the middle and was snap called by Vitaly Lunkin. Lunkin exposed A9 for aces full and Billirakis mucked the A10 for trips. Lunkin is now over two million, sitting with 2,050,000 in chips.

RAZZ

John Kabbaj Eliminated in 16th Place ($72,914)

Erik Seidel bet on the end and John Kabbaj raised all in. Seidel thought about it briefly before making the call.

Their cards:

Seidel: 4X-3X-7X-9X-(AX-2X-4X)
Kabbaj: 5X-5X-3X-QX-(2X-7X-?X)

When Seidel called and exposed his hand for a 7-4 low. Kabbaj looked at his cards for a few moments before mucking. Seidel is up to 830,000.

Left in the Deck:

The remaining players are on a 20 minute dinner break.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Erik Seidel,   Gus Hansen,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Steve Billirakis,   John Kabbaj,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 17 Update: Players Are In The Money

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 10,000-20,000, Limits – 20,000-40,000
Stud Games: Ante — 5,000, Bring-In — 5,000, Completion — 20,000, Limits — 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 16 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin – 1,510,000
2. John Hanson – 1,350,000
3. David Bach – 1,300,000
4. Ville Wahlbeck – 1,100,000
5. Erik Seidel – 1,030,000
6. Freddy Deeb – 910,000
7. Erik Sagstrom – 840,000
8. Gus Hansen – 760,000
9. Mike Wattel – 745,000
10. Huck Seed – 722,000

Average Chip Count: 890,625

Eliminations:

Todd Brunson
Brett Richey
Frank Kassela

Big Hands:

STUD/8

Todd Brunson Eliminated

Todd Brunson was all in at the end of the hand against Vitaly Lunkin.

Their cards:

Brunson: (67)-41075-(Q)
Lunkin: (85)-28QJ-(X)

Brunson exposed just a pair of sevens, as his low draw and straight draw both missed. Lunkin tabled a pair of eights, which was good enough to send Brunson home early on day four. Lunkin is at 1,510,000.

Brett Richey Eliminated

Brett Richey was short when he got the last of his chips into the middle against bracelet winner Ville Wahlbeck.

Their cards:

Richey: (103)-10929-(X)
Wahlbeck: (54)-5QQ4-(9)

Wahlbeck’s queens and nines were good enough to eliminate Richey who didn’t improve on the end. Wahlbeck is now at 1,100,000.

John Kabbaj Stays Alive In Hand For Hand

The short stack of John Kabbaj was all in on fifth street against Freddy Deeb.

Their cards:

Kabbaj: (A2)-4999-(8)
Deeb: (J2)-J63Q-(X)

Kabbaj needed help against Deeb’s jacks. It came when the 9 on sixth street gave him trips. Kabbaj doubled up to 243,000 and is still in danger of bubbling the tournament.

OMAHA/8

Gus Hansen Scoops Pot

On a board of QJ348, John Kabbaj checked to Gus Hansen. Kabbaj had been the aggressor in the hand up until the river check. Hansen looked at his hand briefly before tossing out a bet. Kabbaj thought about it briefly before making the call. Hansen tabled the 52K9 to scoop the pot with his king-high flush and his 52 for the winning low. Kabbaj mucked and Hansen is up to 760,000.

HOLD’EM

Freddy Deeb Losing Chips

David Bach raised preflop from the cutoff and Freddy Deeb called from the big blind. The flop came A82 and the 2007 $50K H.O.R.S.E. champion checked. Bach bet and Deeb called. The Q hit the turn and both players checked. The 3 fell on the river and Deeb once again checked. Bach threw out a bet and Deeb made the call. Bach exposed the A10 for a pair of aces. Deeb mucked and is down to 910,000. Bach is moving up the chip counts, currently sitting with 1,300,000.

Left in the Deck:

The remaining 16 players have reached the money.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Todd Brunson,   David Bach,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Brett Richey,   John Kabbaj,   Freddy Deeb,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 15 Update: Patrik Antonius, Scott Clements Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 8,000-15,000, Limits – 15,000-30,000
Stud Games: Ante — 3,000, Bring-In — 5,000, Completion — 15,000, Limits — 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 26 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 1,300,000
2. Freddy Deeb – 1,200,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 970,000
4. David Bach – 960,000
5. Ville Wahlbeck – 955,000
6. John Hanson – 800,000
7. Brett Richey – 770,000
8. Gus Hansen – 730,000
9. Huck Seed – 690,000
10. Chau Giang – 620,000

Average Chip Count: 548,076

Notable Eliminations:

Patrik Antonius
Scott Clements
Hasan Habib
John Monnette
Matt Hawrilenko

Big Hands:

Hold’em

Clements Scores A Double Double…

Hasan Habib raised to 60,000 preflop and the action was on Scott Clements. He reraised all in and Habib made the call.

Habib: 99
Clements: 88

Board: KQ810A

Clements started in bad shape but flopped a set and never looked back, doubling to 120,000.

A few hands later, he and Thor Hansen tangled resulting in Clements’ chips ending up in the middle again. Clements had AK while Hansen held 1010. The flop was harmless for Hansen as it came 887. The turn was another blank in the J, but the river was the K and Clements doubled again to 240,000.

Omaha/8

The Seed Grows A Little More

Gus Hansen raised to 60,000 from the button and Huck Seed called from the small blind. Erik Seidel called from the big blind and the players saw a flop of 1072 and Seed checked. Seidel bet 30,000 and Hansen raised to 60,000. Seed and Seidel both called and the Q fell on the turn. Everyone checked and it was the same story for the 2 on the river.

Seed then turned over AQ33 for top pair and the pot. He was up to 250,000.

Razz

Deeb Doesn’t Believe In Hawrilenko

Freddy Deeb and Matt Hawrilenko tangled in a hand and the pot had a lot of chips in it by seventh street. Here were their boards.

Hawrilenko: X-X-2-7-A-J
Deeb: X-X-2-10-6-6

Hawrilenko fired 30,000 into the pot an Deeb thought for a while. He decided to look up his opponent and Hawrilenko turned over (A-A-3) for a jack-low. Deeb turned over 3-7-10) for a 10-low and he took down a nice pot. He was up to 650,000 while Hawrilenko was at 175,000.

The Tournament Just Got A Little Less Attractive

Patrik Antonius just busted after getting involved in a hand with Erik Seidel and Gus Hansen.

Antonius: X-X-5
Hansen: X-X-6
Seidel: X-X-5

Hansen completed to 15,000 and Antonius moved his last 24,000 into the pot. Seidel and Hansen both called.

Antonius: X-X-5-4
Hansen: X-X-6-2
Seidel: X-X-5-A

Seidel bet 30,000 and Hansen made the call.

Antonius: X-X-5-4-Q
Hansen: X-X-6-2-4
Seidel: X-X-5-A-10

Hansen was first to act now and he bet 60,000. Seidel made the call.

Antonius: X-X-5-4-Q-K
Hansen: X-X-6-2-4-6
Seidel: X-X-5-A-10-4

Seidel bet 60,000 after Hansen paired on sixth street. Hansen made the call. The river was dealt and Seidel bet again. Hansen finally mucked and Seidel showed (2-3-7) for the wheel. Antonius mucked and he was eliminated.

Stud High

…But Mr. Clements Still Goes Bust

Scott Clements managed to double up twice early in the level but the chips didn’t last long as he found himself all in against John Hanson. Here is how their boards ran out.

Clements: (K5)39A10(K)
Hanson: (QJ)QJ42(5)

Clements started with three diamonds and was given another one on fourth street. Hanson had two pair by fourth street and Clements needed just one diamond to hit his flush on the next three streets. But Clements saw nothing but black cards for the remainder of the hand and he was eliminated.

Stud/8

Wahlbeck Flushes Scotty Baby

Scotty Nguyen and Ville Wahlbeck tangled in a hand. Nguyen completed to 15,000 and Wahlbeck made the call. Here is how their boards looked heading into fourth street.

Nguyen: X-X-AK
Wahlbeck: X-X-73

Nguyen bet 30,000 and Wahlbeck made the call.

Nguyen: X-X-AK2
Wahlbeck: X-X-73J

Nguyen bet 60,000 and Wahlbeck called.

Nguyen: X-X-AK2K
Wahlbeck: X-X-73J3

Nguyen bet another 60,000 and Wahlbeck made the call. The river was dealt and Nguyen checked to his Finnish opponent. Wahlbeck then bet 60,000 and Nguyen called. Wahlbeck turned over (A85) for the nut flush and an 8-7 low. Nguyen mucked and Wahlbeck scooped the pot, improving to 950,000 while Nguyen was at 167,000.

Player Tags: Thor Hansen,   Erik Seidel,   Hasan Habib,   Huck Seed,   Gus Hansen,   Patrik Antonius,   Scott Clements,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Freddy Deeb

Level 13 Update: Doyle Brunson, Erick Lindgren Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 5,000-10,000, Limits – 10,000-20,000
Stud Games: Ante — 2,000, Bring-In — 3,000, Completion — 10,000, Limits — 10,000-20,000

Players Remaining: 37 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Gus Hansen — 890,000
2. Erik Sagstrom — 835,000
3. Ray Dehkharghani – 823,000
4. Todd Brunson — 610,000
5. Hasan Habib — 490,000
6. Jani Sointula – 470,500
7. Scotty Nguyen – 463,000
8. Frank Cremen – 457,000
9. Jim Bechtel – 455,000
10. Freddy Deeb – 450,000

Average Chip Count: 385,135

Notable Eliminations:

Doyle Brunson
Justin Smith
Erick Lindgren
David Grey

Big Hands:

OMAHA/8

Doyle Brunson Eliminated

John Hanson raised preflop and Doyle Brunson called in the cutoff, putting himself all in.

Their cards:

Brunson: 7532
Hanson: AAQ4

The board came KJ10610, and Brunson was eliminated by the straight of the 2007 H.O.R.S.E third place finisher. Hanson is up to 280,000.

RAZZ

Justin Smith Eliminated

Justin Smith had all his chips in the middle in Razz against 2007 champion Freddy Deeb. Smith had a disaster with a hand of 4X-7X-7X-4X-AX-4X-AX, for two pair. Smith was no good against Deeb and was sent packing early on day three.

STUD HIGH

Erick Lindgren Eliminated

The 2008 $50k H.O.R.S.E. third place finisher was all in on third street against 2007 champion Freddy Deeb.

Their cards:

Lindgren: (910)-106 98-(9)
Deeb: (JJ)-J7 4Q-(4)

Lindgren held tens and nines against Deeb’s three jacks. Both made full boats on the end but Deeb held the higher one to eliminate Lindgren. Deeb is up to 450,000 and looks to be making a run at another final table.

David Grey Triples Up, Eliminated Shortly After

David Grey was all in for just 21,000 against Patrik Antonius and the big stack of Gus Hansen.

Their cards:

Grey: (98)-2725-(6)
Antonius: (X-X)107610-(X)
Hansen: (K10)AJQQ-(X)

After massive side betting between Hansen and Antonius on every street, David Grey exposed a flush to take the small main pot. Hansen bet on the end and was just called by Antonius. Hansen showed the K10 for a Broadway straight. Hansen is up to 890,000 and Grey is up to just 64,000. Antonius is down to 170,000.

Grey was on life support after the hand, eventually hitting the rail against recent bracelet winner John Kabbaj in stud high.

Left in the Deck:

The players are currently on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Doyle Brunson,   David Grey,   Patrik Antonius,   John Hanson,   John Kabbaj,   Freddy Deeb,   Justin Smith

Level 12 Update: Phil Ivey, Nick Schulman Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 4,000-8,000, Limits – 8,000-16,000
Stud Games: Ante — 2,000, Bring-In — 2,000, Completion — 8,000, Limits — 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 44 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Ray Dehkharghani — 900,000
2. Erik Sagstrom — 770,000
3. Gus Hansen – 740,000
4. Todd Brunson — 549,000
5. Hasan Habib — 490,000
6. Jani Sointula – 470,500
7. Scotty Nguyen – 463,000
8. Frank Cremen – 457,000
9. Jim Bechtel – 455,000
10. Antanas Guoga – 433,000

Average Chip Count: 285,000

Notable Eliminations:

Nick Schulman
Alex Kravchenko
Phil Ivey
Jason Gray
Barry Greenstein
David Benyamine
Daniel Alaei

Big Hands:

OMAHA/8

Nick Schulman Eliminated

Nick Schulman was down to just 40,000 when he got the last of his chips into the middle in Omaha 8OB. Schulman raised under the gun and Erick Lindgren made the call from the cutoff. Gus Hansen reraised from the button. Schulman and Lindgren both quickly called.

The flop came Q105 and everyone checked. Schulman fired out when the 8 hit the turn. Lindgren raised, Hansen called, and Schulman threw in another raise that put the rest of his stack at risk. Lindgren and Hansen both called the 21,000 all-in from Schulman. The A fell on the river and Lindgren bet. Hansen quickly called.

Their cards:

Schulman: AK53
Lindgren: AQ64
Hansen: A642

The high went to Lindgren with the nut flush while Hansen won the low with 8542A. Schulman couldn’t beat either and was eliminated early on day three.

Phil Ivey Eliminated

With a severe short stack, Phil Ivey was all in for just 5,000 on a board of K84A10 against Hasan Habib and Erik Sagstrom.

Their cards:

Sagstrom: AA86
Ivey: J973
Habib: A1043

Sagstrom scooped the whole side pot and got half the main pot with a set of aces. Ivey received the half of the main pot with a 8743A low. Ivey was still down to almost nothing and was eliminated immediately after in Razz by Hasan Habib who made the nuts.

STUD HIGH

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

The only man to cash in the $50K H.O.R.S.E ever year since its creation has been eliminated. Barry Greenstein was all in along with Justin Smith, versus Erick Lindgren.

Their cards:

Greenstein: (AA)75KQ(7)
Smith: (AQ)J4K6(10)
Lindgren: (77)528A-(X)

Greenstein made aces up on the end, but Justin Smith made a straight on seventh street, sending Greenstein home without a fourth consecutive deep finish in the event.

Left in the Deck:

The players are currently on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Barry Greenstein,   Hasan Habib,   Gus Hansen,   Phil Ivey,   Nick Schulman

Day 3 Begins At 2:00 pm PDT

Jun 28, '09

Day 3 of the $50,000 World Championship of H.O.R.S.E. is about to begin and and just 53 players remain out of the 91 that started Day 2. Hasan Habib came into Day 2 as the overnight chipleader, maintaining that lead almost the entire day until finally relinquishing it to Gus Hansen right before the closing bell.

Both Scotty Nguyen and Freddy Deeb have survived through the night and will return at 2:00 pm PDT to defend their titles. Day 3 is sure to bring a lot of action, so be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com as we bring you live updates, chip counts and eliminations from this marquee event.

1		Gus Hansen		686,000
2		Ray Dehkarghani		643,000
3		Erik Sagstrom		560,000
4		Todd Brunson		549,000
5		Hasan Habib		490,000
6		Scotty Nguyen		463,000
7		Frank Cremen		457,000
8		David Bach		451,000
9		Tony G		433,000
10		Jani Sointula		412,000
11		Patrick Bueno		380,000
12		Frank Kassela		379,000
13		John Kabbaj		376,000
14		Ralph Perry		348,000
15		David Chiu		344,000
16		Matt Glantz		337,000
17		Bill Chen		324,000
18		John Monnette		324,000
19		Jim Bechtel		312,000
20		Vitaly Lunkin		308,000
21		Mike Wattel		307,000
22		Ville Wahlbeck		307,000
23		Steve Billirakis		300,000
24		Barry Greenstein		284,000
25		Thor Hansen		256,000
26		Huck Seed		244,000
27		Mikhail Tulchinskiy		235,000
28		Chau Giang		231,000
29		Doyle Brunson		224,000
30		Scott Clements		221,000
31		Freddy Deeb		208,000
32		David Grey		191,000
33		Matt Hawrilenko		190,000
34		Erik Seidel		179,000
35		Jon Turner		179,000
36		Chris Ferguson		173,000
37		Kirill Rabtsov		165,000
38		Nick Schulman		157,000
39		Phil Ivey		154,000
40		Jason Gray		144,000
41		John Hennigan		142,000
42		Fabrice Soulier		138,000
43		Patrik Antonius		131,000
44		David Benyamine		130,000
45		Jerry Buss		130,000
46		Erick Lindgren		114,000
47		John Hanson		113,000
48		Martin Vallo		100,000
49		Justin Smith		87,000
50		Alex Kravchenko		80,000
51		Daniel Alaei		63,000
52		Steve Sung		50,000
53		Brett Richey		43,000

Player Tags: Gus Hansen

Level 11 Update: End of Day 2; Gus Hansen Leads

Jun 28, '09

Day 2 of the $50,000 World Championship of H.O.R.S.E. has come to an end and just 53 players remain out of the 91 that started the day. Hasan Habib came into the day as the overnight chipleader, maintaining that lead almost the entire day until finally relinquishing it to Gus Hansen right before the closing bell.

Both Scotty Nguyen and Freddy Deeb have the survived the day and will return at 2:00 pm PDT to defend their titles. Day 3 is sure to bring a lot of action, so be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com as we bring you live updates, chip counts and eliminations from this marquee event.

Flop Games: Blinds – 3,000-6,000, Limits – 6,000-12,000
Stud Games: Ante — 1,500, Bring-In — 2,000, Completion — 6,000, Limits — 6,000-12,000

Players Remaining: 53 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Ray Dehkharghani — 643,000
2. Gus Hansen — 540,000
3. Erik Sagstrom — 500,000
4. Matt Glantz — 475,000
5. Hasan Habib — 440,000
6. David Bach — 405,000
7. John Monnette — 402,000
8. Frank Kassela — 400,000
9. Jani Sointula — 390,000
10. Todd Brunson — 380,000

Average Chip Count: 268,867

Notable Eliminations:

Allen Kessler
Howard Lederer
Michael Saltzburg
Matthew Grapenthien
Abe Mosseri
Nikolay Evdakov
Andy Black
Farzad Bonyadi
Annie Duke
Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Bonyadi Doubles Through Lederer, Leaves Him Crippled

Farzad Bontadi and Howard Lederer each get four bets in before the flop.

The flop comes Q99, Bonyadi gets it all in, Lederer calls and has him covered.

Bonyadi: AQ
Lederer: AK

Bonyadi flops a queen to take the lead. The turn and river are the 7 and the 9 as Bonyadi doubles up to 80,000 in chips while Lederer is left with just over 30,000 this hand.

Bonyadi Finishes the Job; Howard Lederer Eliminated

A few hands later and Howard Lederer raises before the flop and Farzad Bonyadi calls.

The flop comes KJ6, Lederer bets out and Bonyadi calls.

The turn is the 2, Lederer gets it all in and Bonyadi calls.

Lederer: 99
Bonyadi: 97

Lederer only has a pair on the turn while Bonyadi has already made a flush. Lederer is drawing dead on the river (10) and is eliminated from the tournament.

RAZZ

Abe Mosseri Eliminated by Hasan Habib

Abe Mosseri is all in on fourth street against Hasan Habib.

Mosseri: 3-2-4-7-7-7-K
Habib: A-7-8-2-2-4-J

Mosseri started off good on fourth street wen his money went in, but then tripped up on fifth and sixth streets, making a a king-low on the river. Habib makes a jack-low, adding even more chips to his stack as he eliminates Abe Mosseri right before the end of the play.

Dehkharghani Doubles Through Lindgren; Steals late-Night Chiplead

Ray Dehkharghani took control of the pot early with Erick Lindgren calling to a showdown.

Dehkharghani: 6-J-2-A-5-7-7
Lindgren: X-X-4-8-9-4-X

Dehkharghani makes a 7-low and Lindgren mucks his hand. Dehkharghani steals the chiplead with just under 650,000 this hand while Lindgren drops to 100,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Fred Bonyadi,   Erick Lindgren,   Hasan Habib,   Gus Hansen,   Howard Lederer,   Abe Mosseri,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Erik Sagstrom

Level 9 Update: Zeidman, Chan, Cassidy Eliminated

Jun 27, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 2,000-4,000, Limits – 4,000-8,000
Stud Games: Ante — 1,000, Bring-In — 1,000, Completion — 3,000, Limits — 4,000-8,000

Players Remaining: 73 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Hasan Habib — 555,000
2. David Bach — 480,000
3. Scotty Nguyen — 410,000
4. John Kabbaj — 355,000
5. Mikhail Tulchiniskiy — 355,000
6. Chris Ferguson — 334,000
7. Matt Glantz — 325,000
8. Ray Dehkharghani — 310,000
9. Annie Duke — 307,000
10. Frank Kassela — 304,000

Average Chip Count: 195,205

Notable Eliminations:

Cory Zeidman
Johnny Chan
Joe Cassidy
Yuval Bronshtein

Big Hands

STUD/8

Cory Zeidman Eliminated

Cory Zeidman was all in on third street against both Annie Duke and Patrik Antonius.

Ziedman: X-X-A6J6
Duke: X-X-QKQ2
Antonius: X-X-3Q68

Duke turned over Q2 for a full house, winning the high hand while Antonius showed 754 for a 7-6 low, winning the low hand. Cory Zeidman mucks his hand and is eliminated from the tournament.

Big Pot; Hansen and Betchel Come Out on Top

Four players get involved in this huge pot.

Hansen: 789J
Betchel: 883K
Buss: K743
Bueno: J526

Pat Bueno takes his turn betting out on fourth street and Jerry Buss leads out on fifth street. All four players check around on sixth street and Gus Hansen leads out on the river. Jim Betchel raises and Jerry Buss and Patrik Bueno both fold. Hansen three-bets, Betchel four-bets and Hansen calls.

Betchel turns over 822 for a full house, winning the high pot while Hansen shows A32 for the low hand. Hansen and Betchel both break the 200,000 chip mark this hand as they split the pot.

Johnny Chan Eliminated by Chau Giang

Johnny Chan was all in on fourth street against Chau Giang.

Chan: X-X-8979
Giang: X-X-2KK-2

Chan made just a pair of nines while Giang made two pair on the river . Chau Giang rakes the pot, eliminating Johnny Chan from the tournament.

HOLD’EM

Negrenau Moving Backwards

On a flop of 932, Ray Dehkharghani bets and Daniel Negreanu raises, Dehkharghani calls.

The turn is the 9, and this time Dehkharghani checks to Negreanu who bets, Dehkharghani calls.

The river is the 2 and both players check. First to act, Dehkharghani shows 44 for two pair and Negreanu folds. Dehkharghani breaks 300,000 his hand while Negreanu falls down to just about half of that.

OMAHA/8

Jerry Buss Scoops a Pot

Pat Bueno raises from early position and both Jerry Buss and Jim Betchel calls from the blinds.

The flop comes 543, and it is checked to Bueno. Bueno bets and both opponents call.

The turn is the 4 and everyone checks around.

The river is the Q, and this time Buss bets out. Both opponents calls and Buss turns over AK87 to scoop the pot. Buss is back to just under 100,000 in chips this hand.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Jerry Buss,   Gus Hansen,   Daniel Negreanu,   Johnny Chan,   Chau Giang,   Cory Zeidman,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Patrik Antonius,   Patrick Bueno,   Jim Betchel

Level 20 Update: Final Table Set

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 20,000-40,000 Limits — 40,000-80,000
Stud Games: Ante – 10,000, Bring-In – 10,000, Completion – 40,000, Limits – 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 3,675,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,490,000
3. David Bach – 2,345,000
4. John Hanson – 1,70,000
5. Huck Seed – 1,380,000
6. Chau Giang – 1,075,000
7. Erik Seidel – 965,000
8. Ville Wahlbeck – 645,000

Average Chip Count: 1,781,250

Notable Eliminations:

12. David Chiu – $99,590
11. Ray Dehkharghani – $99,590
10. Mike Wattel – $123,895
9. Gus Hansen – $123,895

Big Hands:

Omaha 8/b

David Chiu Eliminated in 12th Place ($99,590)

John Hanson raised from the button and David Chiu called and was al in from the small blind. Ville Wahlbeck also called from the big blind.

Hanson and Wahlbeck checked it all the way down and the board fell J1047J and Chiu turned up the K832, good for a flush, but Wahlbeck showed the 77X-X, rivering a full house and sending Chiu to the rail in 12th place.

Ray Dehkharghani Eliminated in 11th Place ($99,590)

Vitaly Lunkin raised from the button and Ray Dehkharghani three-bet all in from the small blind. Huck Seed called from the big blind and Lunkin also came along.

Seed and Lunkin checked all the way down as the board fell AJ339. Lunkin showed the KKQ6, Dehkharghani tabled the A755 and Seed showed the A1076.

Seed took the whole pot as he made aces and threes with a ten kicker, which eliminated Dehkharghani in 11th place.

Mike Wattel Eliminated in 10th Place ($123,895)

Chau Giang raised from middle position and Mike Wattel called in the big blind. The flop was AQ10 and Wattel moved in for his last 30,000 which was called by Giang.

Giang showed the AQK10 and Watted showed the A862.

Giang had flopped two pair and had Wattel on the ropes. The J on the turn and the 2 on the river proved to be the knockout blow, sending Wattel home, which meant the remaining nine will combine to one table.

Gus Hansen Eliminated in Ninth Place ($123,895)

Vitaly Lunkin raised from middle position and was called by Chau Giang, Gus Hansen, Ville Wahlbeck, and Erik Sagstrom.

More than half the table saw the flop of K8K. Everybody checked to Giang and bet and after Wahlbeck and Sagstrom folded, hansen made the call for his last 30,000 and Lunkin came along for the turn card.

The J fell on the turn and Giang bet after Lunkin checked. Lunkin folded and Giang showed AKQ2, which was miles ahead of Hansen’s 3328. The A was the river card and Hansen comes up one spot short of the final table.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Michael Wattel,   David Chiu,   Ray Dehkharghani

Level 19 Update: Freddy Deeb, Tony G Eliminated

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 15,000-30,000, Limits – 30,000-60,000
Stud Games: Ante — 8,000, Bring-In — 10,000, Completion — 30,000, Limits — 30,000-60,000

Players Remaining: 12 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 3,782,000
2. David Bach – 2,800,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,00,000
4. Erik Seidel – 1,315,000
5. John Hanson – 1,290,000
6. Huck Seed – 1,230,000
7. Ville Wahlbeck – 714,000
8. Gus Hansen – 537,000
9. Ray Dehkharghani – 280,000
10. Chau Giang – 225,000
11. Mike Wattel – 105,000
12. David Chiu – 37,000

Average Chip Count: 1,875,000

Eliminations:

14. Freddy Deeb – $83,630
13. Antanas Guoga – $83,630

Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Freddy Deeb Eliminated in 14th Place ($83,630)

The 2007 $50K H.O.R.S.E champion was down to just 100,000 chips when he defended from the big blind against the button raise of Gus Hansen. With all the money in the pot, Deeb exposed the A2 and was up against the J9 of Gus Hansen. The board ran out KQJ7J, as Hansen made trip jacks to eliminate Deeb late on day four. Hansen at 1,080,000.

STUD

Tony G Doubles

The short stack of Antanas Guoga and Gus Hansen got all the money in on fourth street.

Their cards:

Hansen: (A5)-43A6- (8)
Guoga: (K2)-K4J2-(7)

Guoga made kings and deuces on sixth street to take the lead against Hansen’s aces. Hansen failed to hit any of his numerous outs on the end and doubled up Guoga to 230,000. Hansen is down to 670,000.

Tony G Eliminated in 13th Place ($83,630)

Antanas Guoga was all in on fifth street against Erik Sagstrom and Gus Hansen.

Their cards:

Guoga: (X-X)-36JA-(X)
Sagstrom: (X-X)-4Q84-(X)
Hansen: (X-X)-45J2-(X)

Tony G exposed the 368 for two pair, threes and sixes. He was no good as Sagstrom continued his hot run by tabling the QJ7 for a flush. Hansen folded his hand on the end. Sagstrom eliminated Guouga and is up to 2,430,000.

Left in the Deck:

The players are now on a 90 minute dinner break.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Gus Hansen,   Erik Sagstrom,   Freddy Deeb

Level 18 Update: John Kabbaj, Steve Billirakis Eliminated

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 13,000-25,000, Limits – 25,000-50,000
Stud Games: Ante — 5,000, Bring-In — 7,000, Completion — 25,000, Limits — 25,000-50,000

Players Remaining: 14 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,050,000
2. Erik Sagstrom – 2,000,000
3. David Bach – 1,570,000
4. Ville Wahlbeck – 1,420,000
5. Huck Seed – 1,300,000
6. John Hanson – 1,100,000
7. Gus Hansen – 1,080,000
8. Erik Seidel – 975,000
9. Ray Dehkharghani – 960,000
10. David Chiu – 630,000

Average Chip Count: 950,000

Eliminations:

16. John Kabbaj – $72,914
15. Steve Billirakis – $72,914

Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Gus Hansen Builds Chip Stack

Ville Wahlbeck raised and Gus Hansen reraised from the cutoff. Wahlbeck made the call. The flop came 1098 and Wahlbeck checked. Hansen bet and Wahlbeck made the call. The Q hit the turn turn, and once again Wahlbeck checked. Hansen bet again and Wahlbeck quickly called. The Q fell on the river. The action went like it had before, with Wahlbeck check-calling a bet from Hansen. Hansen exposed the J10 for a straight and Wahlbeck mucked. Hansen was at 1,480,000 after the hand.

A few hands later, Gus Hansen and Tony Guoga were tangled up in a hand. Tony G raised in late position and Hansen defended from the big blind. The flop came QJ10 and Hansen bet out. Tony G made the quick call and the river brought the A. Hansen opted to check this time and Tony G made a bet. Hansen called and the 7 fell on the river. Both players checked and Tony G tabled the KK while Hansen exposed his rags of J2, to win with a baby flush. Hansen was looking strong with 1,560,000 after the hand but dropped a few hands before the break and currently sits with 1,080,000. Tony G is down to just 280,000.

Steve Billirakis Eliminated in 15th Place ($72,914)

On a board of A977A, Steve Billirakis put the last of his chips into the middle and was snap called by Vitaly Lunkin. Lunkin exposed A9 for aces full and Billirakis mucked the A10 for trips. Lunkin is now over two million, sitting with 2,050,000 in chips.

RAZZ

John Kabbaj Eliminated in 16th Place ($72,914)

Erik Seidel bet on the end and John Kabbaj raised all in. Seidel thought about it briefly before making the call.

Their cards:

Seidel: 4X-3X-7X-9X-(AX-2X-4X)
Kabbaj: 5X-5X-3X-QX-(2X-7X-?X)

When Seidel called and exposed his hand for a 7-4 low. Kabbaj looked at his cards for a few moments before mucking. Seidel is up to 830,000.

Left in the Deck:

The remaining players are on a 20 minute dinner break.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Erik Seidel,   Gus Hansen,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Steve Billirakis,   John Kabbaj,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 17 Update: Players Are In The Money

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 10,000-20,000, Limits – 20,000-40,000
Stud Games: Ante — 5,000, Bring-In — 5,000, Completion — 20,000, Limits — 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 16 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin – 1,510,000
2. John Hanson – 1,350,000
3. David Bach – 1,300,000
4. Ville Wahlbeck – 1,100,000
5. Erik Seidel – 1,030,000
6. Freddy Deeb – 910,000
7. Erik Sagstrom – 840,000
8. Gus Hansen – 760,000
9. Mike Wattel – 745,000
10. Huck Seed – 722,000

Average Chip Count: 890,625

Eliminations:

Todd Brunson
Brett Richey
Frank Kassela

Big Hands:

STUD/8

Todd Brunson Eliminated

Todd Brunson was all in at the end of the hand against Vitaly Lunkin.

Their cards:

Brunson: (67)-41075-(Q)
Lunkin: (85)-28QJ-(X)

Brunson exposed just a pair of sevens, as his low draw and straight draw both missed. Lunkin tabled a pair of eights, which was good enough to send Brunson home early on day four. Lunkin is at 1,510,000.

Brett Richey Eliminated

Brett Richey was short when he got the last of his chips into the middle against bracelet winner Ville Wahlbeck.

Their cards:

Richey: (103)-10929-(X)
Wahlbeck: (54)-5QQ4-(9)

Wahlbeck’s queens and nines were good enough to eliminate Richey who didn’t improve on the end. Wahlbeck is now at 1,100,000.

John Kabbaj Stays Alive In Hand For Hand

The short stack of John Kabbaj was all in on fifth street against Freddy Deeb.

Their cards:

Kabbaj: (A2)-4999-(8)
Deeb: (J2)-J63Q-(X)

Kabbaj needed help against Deeb’s jacks. It came when the 9 on sixth street gave him trips. Kabbaj doubled up to 243,000 and is still in danger of bubbling the tournament.

OMAHA/8

Gus Hansen Scoops Pot

On a board of QJ348, John Kabbaj checked to Gus Hansen. Kabbaj had been the aggressor in the hand up until the river check. Hansen looked at his hand briefly before tossing out a bet. Kabbaj thought about it briefly before making the call. Hansen tabled the 52K9 to scoop the pot with his king-high flush and his 52 for the winning low. Kabbaj mucked and Hansen is up to 760,000.

HOLD’EM

Freddy Deeb Losing Chips

David Bach raised preflop from the cutoff and Freddy Deeb called from the big blind. The flop came A82 and the 2007 $50K H.O.R.S.E. champion checked. Bach bet and Deeb called. The Q hit the turn and both players checked. The 3 fell on the river and Deeb once again checked. Bach threw out a bet and Deeb made the call. Bach exposed the A10 for a pair of aces. Deeb mucked and is down to 910,000. Bach is moving up the chip counts, currently sitting with 1,300,000.

Left in the Deck:

The remaining 16 players have reached the money.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Todd Brunson,   David Bach,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Brett Richey,   John Kabbaj,   Freddy Deeb,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 15 Update: Patrik Antonius, Scott Clements Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 8,000-15,000, Limits – 15,000-30,000
Stud Games: Ante — 3,000, Bring-In — 5,000, Completion — 15,000, Limits — 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 26 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 1,300,000
2. Freddy Deeb – 1,200,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 970,000
4. David Bach – 960,000
5. Ville Wahlbeck – 955,000
6. John Hanson – 800,000
7. Brett Richey – 770,000
8. Gus Hansen – 730,000
9. Huck Seed – 690,000
10. Chau Giang – 620,000

Average Chip Count: 548,076

Notable Eliminations:

Patrik Antonius
Scott Clements
Hasan Habib
John Monnette
Matt Hawrilenko

Big Hands:

Hold’em

Clements Scores A Double Double…

Hasan Habib raised to 60,000 preflop and the action was on Scott Clements. He reraised all in and Habib made the call.

Habib: 99
Clements: 88

Board: KQ810A

Clements started in bad shape but flopped a set and never looked back, doubling to 120,000.

A few hands later, he and Thor Hansen tangled resulting in Clements’ chips ending up in the middle again. Clements had AK while Hansen held 1010. The flop was harmless for Hansen as it came 887. The turn was another blank in the J, but the river was the K and Clements doubled again to 240,000.

Omaha/8

The Seed Grows A Little More

Gus Hansen raised to 60,000 from the button and Huck Seed called from the small blind. Erik Seidel called from the big blind and the players saw a flop of 1072 and Seed checked. Seidel bet 30,000 and Hansen raised to 60,000. Seed and Seidel both called and the Q fell on the turn. Everyone checked and it was the same story for the 2 on the river.

Seed then turned over AQ33 for top pair and the pot. He was up to 250,000.

Razz

Deeb Doesn’t Believe In Hawrilenko

Freddy Deeb and Matt Hawrilenko tangled in a hand and the pot had a lot of chips in it by seventh street. Here were their boards.

Hawrilenko: X-X-2-7-A-J
Deeb: X-X-2-10-6-6

Hawrilenko fired 30,000 into the pot an Deeb thought for a while. He decided to look up his opponent and Hawrilenko turned over (A-A-3) for a jack-low. Deeb turned over 3-7-10) for a 10-low and he took down a nice pot. He was up to 650,000 while Hawrilenko was at 175,000.

The Tournament Just Got A Little Less Attractive

Patrik Antonius just busted after getting involved in a hand with Erik Seidel and Gus Hansen.

Antonius: X-X-5
Hansen: X-X-6
Seidel: X-X-5

Hansen completed to 15,000 and Antonius moved his last 24,000 into the pot. Seidel and Hansen both called.

Antonius: X-X-5-4
Hansen: X-X-6-2
Seidel: X-X-5-A

Seidel bet 30,000 and Hansen made the call.

Antonius: X-X-5-4-Q
Hansen: X-X-6-2-4
Seidel: X-X-5-A-10

Hansen was first to act now and he bet 60,000. Seidel made the call.

Antonius: X-X-5-4-Q-K
Hansen: X-X-6-2-4-6
Seidel: X-X-5-A-10-4

Seidel bet 60,000 after Hansen paired on sixth street. Hansen made the call. The river was dealt and Seidel bet again. Hansen finally mucked and Seidel showed (2-3-7) for the wheel. Antonius mucked and he was eliminated.

Stud High

…But Mr. Clements Still Goes Bust

Scott Clements managed to double up twice early in the level but the chips didn’t last long as he found himself all in against John Hanson. Here is how their boards ran out.

Clements: (K5)39A10(K)
Hanson: (QJ)QJ42(5)

Clements started with three diamonds and was given another one on fourth street. Hanson had two pair by fourth street and Clements needed just one diamond to hit his flush on the next three streets. But Clements saw nothing but black cards for the remainder of the hand and he was eliminated.

Stud/8

Wahlbeck Flushes Scotty Baby

Scotty Nguyen and Ville Wahlbeck tangled in a hand. Nguyen completed to 15,000 and Wahlbeck made the call. Here is how their boards looked heading into fourth street.

Nguyen: X-X-AK
Wahlbeck: X-X-73

Nguyen bet 30,000 and Wahlbeck made the call.

Nguyen: X-X-AK2
Wahlbeck: X-X-73J

Nguyen bet 60,000 and Wahlbeck called.

Nguyen: X-X-AK2K
Wahlbeck: X-X-73J3

Nguyen bet another 60,000 and Wahlbeck made the call. The river was dealt and Nguyen checked to his Finnish opponent. Wahlbeck then bet 60,000 and Nguyen called. Wahlbeck turned over (A85) for the nut flush and an 8-7 low. Nguyen mucked and Wahlbeck scooped the pot, improving to 950,000 while Nguyen was at 167,000.

Player Tags: Thor Hansen,   Erik Seidel,   Hasan Habib,   Huck Seed,   Gus Hansen,   Patrik Antonius,   Scott Clements,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Freddy Deeb

Level 13 Update: Doyle Brunson, Erick Lindgren Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 5,000-10,000, Limits – 10,000-20,000
Stud Games: Ante — 2,000, Bring-In — 3,000, Completion — 10,000, Limits — 10,000-20,000

Players Remaining: 37 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Gus Hansen — 890,000
2. Erik Sagstrom — 835,000
3. Ray Dehkharghani – 823,000
4. Todd Brunson — 610,000
5. Hasan Habib — 490,000
6. Jani Sointula – 470,500
7. Scotty Nguyen – 463,000
8. Frank Cremen – 457,000
9. Jim Bechtel – 455,000
10. Freddy Deeb – 450,000

Average Chip Count: 385,135

Notable Eliminations:

Doyle Brunson
Justin Smith
Erick Lindgren
David Grey

Big Hands:

OMAHA/8

Doyle Brunson Eliminated

John Hanson raised preflop and Doyle Brunson called in the cutoff, putting himself all in.

Their cards:

Brunson: 7532
Hanson: AAQ4

The board came KJ10610, and Brunson was eliminated by the straight of the 2007 H.O.R.S.E third place finisher. Hanson is up to 280,000.

RAZZ

Justin Smith Eliminated

Justin Smith had all his chips in the middle in Razz against 2007 champion Freddy Deeb. Smith had a disaster with a hand of 4X-7X-7X-4X-AX-4X-AX, for two pair. Smith was no good against Deeb and was sent packing early on day three.

STUD HIGH

Erick Lindgren Eliminated

The 2008 $50k H.O.R.S.E. third place finisher was all in on third street against 2007 champion Freddy Deeb.

Their cards:

Lindgren: (910)-106 98-(9)
Deeb: (JJ)-J7 4Q-(4)

Lindgren held tens and nines against Deeb’s three jacks. Both made full boats on the end but Deeb held the higher one to eliminate Lindgren. Deeb is up to 450,000 and looks to be making a run at another final table.

David Grey Triples Up, Eliminated Shortly After

David Grey was all in for just 21,000 against Patrik Antonius and the big stack of Gus Hansen.

Their cards:

Grey: (98)-2725-(6)
Antonius: (X-X)107610-(X)
Hansen: (K10)AJQQ-(X)

After massive side betting between Hansen and Antonius on every street, David Grey exposed a flush to take the small main pot. Hansen bet on the end and was just called by Antonius. Hansen showed the K10 for a Broadway straight. Hansen is up to 890,000 and Grey is up to just 64,000. Antonius is down to 170,000.

Grey was on life support after the hand, eventually hitting the rail against recent bracelet winner John Kabbaj in stud high.

Left in the Deck:

The players are currently on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Doyle Brunson,   David Grey,   Patrik Antonius,   John Hanson,   John Kabbaj,   Freddy Deeb,   Justin Smith

Level 12 Update: Phil Ivey, Nick Schulman Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 4,000-8,000, Limits – 8,000-16,000
Stud Games: Ante — 2,000, Bring-In — 2,000, Completion — 8,000, Limits — 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 44 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Ray Dehkharghani — 900,000
2. Erik Sagstrom — 770,000
3. Gus Hansen – 740,000
4. Todd Brunson — 549,000
5. Hasan Habib — 490,000
6. Jani Sointula – 470,500
7. Scotty Nguyen – 463,000
8. Frank Cremen – 457,000
9. Jim Bechtel – 455,000
10. Antanas Guoga – 433,000

Average Chip Count: 285,000

Notable Eliminations:

Nick Schulman
Alex Kravchenko
Phil Ivey
Jason Gray
Barry Greenstein
David Benyamine
Daniel Alaei

Big Hands:

OMAHA/8

Nick Schulman Eliminated

Nick Schulman was down to just 40,000 when he got the last of his chips into the middle in Omaha 8OB. Schulman raised under the gun and Erick Lindgren made the call from the cutoff. Gus Hansen reraised from the button. Schulman and Lindgren both quickly called.

The flop came Q105 and everyone checked. Schulman fired out when the 8 hit the turn. Lindgren raised, Hansen called, and Schulman threw in another raise that put the rest of his stack at risk. Lindgren and Hansen both called the 21,000 all-in from Schulman. The A fell on the river and Lindgren bet. Hansen quickly called.

Their cards:

Schulman: AK53
Lindgren: AQ64
Hansen: A642

The high went to Lindgren with the nut flush while Hansen won the low with 8542A. Schulman couldn’t beat either and was eliminated early on day three.

Phil Ivey Eliminated

With a severe short stack, Phil Ivey was all in for just 5,000 on a board of K84A10 against Hasan Habib and Erik Sagstrom.

Their cards:

Sagstrom: AA86
Ivey: J973
Habib: A1043

Sagstrom scooped the whole side pot and got half the main pot with a set of aces. Ivey received the half of the main pot with a 8743A low. Ivey was still down to almost nothing and was eliminated immediately after in Razz by Hasan Habib who made the nuts.

STUD HIGH

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

The only man to cash in the $50K H.O.R.S.E ever year since its creation has been eliminated. Barry Greenstein was all in along with Justin Smith, versus Erick Lindgren.

Their cards:

Greenstein: (AA)75KQ(7)
Smith: (AQ)J4K6(10)
Lindgren: (77)528A-(X)

Greenstein made aces up on the end, but Justin Smith made a straight on seventh street, sending Greenstein home without a fourth consecutive deep finish in the event.

Left in the Deck:

The players are currently on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Barry Greenstein,   Hasan Habib,   Gus Hansen,   Phil Ivey,   Nick Schulman

Day 3 Begins At 2:00 pm PDT

Jun 28, '09

Day 3 of the $50,000 World Championship of H.O.R.S.E. is about to begin and and just 53 players remain out of the 91 that started Day 2. Hasan Habib came into Day 2 as the overnight chipleader, maintaining that lead almost the entire day until finally relinquishing it to Gus Hansen right before the closing bell.

Both Scotty Nguyen and Freddy Deeb have survived through the night and will return at 2:00 pm PDT to defend their titles. Day 3 is sure to bring a lot of action, so be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com as we bring you live updates, chip counts and eliminations from this marquee event.

1		Gus Hansen		686,000
2		Ray Dehkarghani		643,000
3		Erik Sagstrom		560,000
4		Todd Brunson		549,000
5		Hasan Habib		490,000
6		Scotty Nguyen		463,000
7		Frank Cremen		457,000
8		David Bach		451,000
9		Tony G		433,000
10		Jani Sointula		412,000
11		Patrick Bueno		380,000
12		Frank Kassela		379,000
13		John Kabbaj		376,000
14		Ralph Perry		348,000
15		David Chiu		344,000
16		Matt Glantz		337,000
17		Bill Chen		324,000
18		John Monnette		324,000
19		Jim Bechtel		312,000
20		Vitaly Lunkin		308,000
21		Mike Wattel		307,000
22		Ville Wahlbeck		307,000
23		Steve Billirakis		300,000
24		Barry Greenstein		284,000
25		Thor Hansen		256,000
26		Huck Seed		244,000
27		Mikhail Tulchinskiy		235,000
28		Chau Giang		231,000
29		Doyle Brunson		224,000
30		Scott Clements		221,000
31		Freddy Deeb		208,000
32		David Grey		191,000
33		Matt Hawrilenko		190,000
34		Erik Seidel		179,000
35		Jon Turner		179,000
36		Chris Ferguson		173,000
37		Kirill Rabtsov		165,000
38		Nick Schulman		157,000
39		Phil Ivey		154,000
40		Jason Gray		144,000
41		John Hennigan		142,000
42		Fabrice Soulier		138,000
43		Patrik Antonius		131,000
44		David Benyamine		130,000
45		Jerry Buss		130,000
46		Erick Lindgren		114,000
47		John Hanson		113,000
48		Martin Vallo		100,000
49		Justin Smith		87,000
50		Alex Kravchenko		80,000
51		Daniel Alaei		63,000
52		Steve Sung		50,000
53		Brett Richey		43,000

Player Tags: Gus Hansen

Level 11 Update: End of Day 2; Gus Hansen Leads

Jun 28, '09

Day 2 of the $50,000 World Championship of H.O.R.S.E. has come to an end and just 53 players remain out of the 91 that started the day. Hasan Habib came into the day as the overnight chipleader, maintaining that lead almost the entire day until finally relinquishing it to Gus Hansen right before the closing bell.

Both Scotty Nguyen and Freddy Deeb have the survived the day and will return at 2:00 pm PDT to defend their titles. Day 3 is sure to bring a lot of action, so be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com as we bring you live updates, chip counts and eliminations from this marquee event.

Flop Games: Blinds – 3,000-6,000, Limits – 6,000-12,000
Stud Games: Ante — 1,500, Bring-In — 2,000, Completion — 6,000, Limits — 6,000-12,000

Players Remaining: 53 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Ray Dehkharghani — 643,000
2. Gus Hansen — 540,000
3. Erik Sagstrom — 500,000
4. Matt Glantz — 475,000
5. Hasan Habib — 440,000
6. David Bach — 405,000
7. John Monnette — 402,000
8. Frank Kassela — 400,000
9. Jani Sointula — 390,000
10. Todd Brunson — 380,000

Average Chip Count: 268,867

Notable Eliminations:

Allen Kessler
Howard Lederer
Michael Saltzburg
Matthew Grapenthien
Abe Mosseri
Nikolay Evdakov
Andy Black
Farzad Bonyadi
Annie Duke
Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Bonyadi Doubles Through Lederer, Leaves Him Crippled

Farzad Bontadi and Howard Lederer each get four bets in before the flop.

The flop comes Q99, Bonyadi gets it all in, Lederer calls and has him covered.

Bonyadi: AQ
Lederer: AK

Bonyadi flops a queen to take the lead. The turn and river are the 7 and the 9 as Bonyadi doubles up to 80,000 in chips while Lederer is left with just over 30,000 this hand.

Bonyadi Finishes the Job; Howard Lederer Eliminated

A few hands later and Howard Lederer raises before the flop and Farzad Bonyadi calls.

The flop comes KJ6, Lederer bets out and Bonyadi calls.

The turn is the 2, Lederer gets it all in and Bonyadi calls.

Lederer: 99
Bonyadi: 97

Lederer only has a pair on the turn while Bonyadi has already made a flush. Lederer is drawing dead on the river (10) and is eliminated from the tournament.

RAZZ

Abe Mosseri Eliminated by Hasan Habib

Abe Mosseri is all in on fourth street against Hasan Habib.

Mosseri: 3-2-4-7-7-7-K
Habib: A-7-8-2-2-4-J

Mosseri started off good on fourth street wen his money went in, but then tripped up on fifth and sixth streets, making a a king-low on the river. Habib makes a jack-low, adding even more chips to his stack as he eliminates Abe Mosseri right before the end of the play.

Dehkharghani Doubles Through Lindgren; Steals late-Night Chiplead

Ray Dehkharghani took control of the pot early with Erick Lindgren calling to a showdown.

Dehkharghani: 6-J-2-A-5-7-7
Lindgren: X-X-4-8-9-4-X

Dehkharghani makes a 7-low and Lindgren mucks his hand. Dehkharghani steals the chiplead with just under 650,000 this hand while Lindgren drops to 100,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Fred Bonyadi,   Erick Lindgren,   Hasan Habib,   Gus Hansen,   Howard Lederer,   Abe Mosseri,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Erik Sagstrom

Level 9 Update: Zeidman, Chan, Cassidy Eliminated

Jun 27, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 2,000-4,000, Limits – 4,000-8,000
Stud Games: Ante — 1,000, Bring-In — 1,000, Completion — 3,000, Limits — 4,000-8,000

Players Remaining: 73 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Hasan Habib — 555,000
2. David Bach — 480,000
3. Scotty Nguyen — 410,000
4. John Kabbaj — 355,000
5. Mikhail Tulchiniskiy — 355,000
6. Chris Ferguson — 334,000
7. Matt Glantz — 325,000
8. Ray Dehkharghani — 310,000
9. Annie Duke — 307,000
10. Frank Kassela — 304,000

Average Chip Count: 195,205

Notable Eliminations:

Cory Zeidman
Johnny Chan
Joe Cassidy
Yuval Bronshtein

Big Hands

STUD/8

Cory Zeidman Eliminated

Cory Zeidman was all in on third street against both Annie Duke and Patrik Antonius.

Ziedman: X-X-A6J6
Duke: X-X-QKQ2
Antonius: X-X-3Q68

Duke turned over Q2 for a full house, winning the high hand while Antonius showed 754 for a 7-6 low, winning the low hand. Cory Zeidman mucks his hand and is eliminated from the tournament.

Big Pot; Hansen and Betchel Come Out on Top

Four players get involved in this huge pot.

Hansen: 789J
Betchel: 883K
Buss: K743
Bueno: J526

Pat Bueno takes his turn betting out on fourth street and Jerry Buss leads out on fifth street. All four players check around on sixth street and Gus Hansen leads out on the river. Jim Betchel raises and Jerry Buss and Patrik Bueno both fold. Hansen three-bets, Betchel four-bets and Hansen calls.

Betchel turns over 822 for a full house, winning the high pot while Hansen shows A32 for the low hand. Hansen and Betchel both break the 200,000 chip mark this hand as they split the pot.

Johnny Chan Eliminated by Chau Giang

Johnny Chan was all in on fourth street against Chau Giang.

Chan: X-X-8979
Giang: X-X-2KK-2

Chan made just a pair of nines while Giang made two pair on the river . Chau Giang rakes the pot, eliminating Johnny Chan from the tournament.

HOLD’EM

Negrenau Moving Backwards

On a flop of 932, Ray Dehkharghani bets and Daniel Negreanu raises, Dehkharghani calls.

The turn is the 9, and this time Dehkharghani checks to Negreanu who bets, Dehkharghani calls.

The river is the 2 and both players check. First to act, Dehkharghani shows 44 for two pair and Negreanu folds. Dehkharghani breaks 300,000 his hand while Negreanu falls down to just about half of that.

OMAHA/8

Jerry Buss Scoops a Pot

Pat Bueno raises from early position and both Jerry Buss and Jim Betchel calls from the blinds.

The flop comes 543, and it is checked to Bueno. Bueno bets and both opponents call.

The turn is the 4 and everyone checks around.

The river is the Q, and this time Buss bets out. Both opponents calls and Buss turns over AK87 to scoop the pot. Buss is back to just under 100,000 in chips this hand.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Jerry Buss,   Gus Hansen,   Daniel Negreanu,   Johnny Chan,   Chau Giang,   Cory Zeidman,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Patrik Antonius,   Patrick Bueno,   Jim Betchel

Level 20 Update: Final Table Set

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 20,000-40,000 Limits — 40,000-80,000
Stud Games: Ante – 10,000, Bring-In – 10,000, Completion – 40,000, Limits – 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 3,675,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,490,000
3. David Bach – 2,345,000
4. John Hanson – 1,70,000
5. Huck Seed – 1,380,000
6. Chau Giang – 1,075,000
7. Erik Seidel – 965,000
8. Ville Wahlbeck – 645,000

Average Chip Count: 1,781,250

Notable Eliminations:

12. David Chiu – $99,590
11. Ray Dehkharghani – $99,590
10. Mike Wattel – $123,895
9. Gus Hansen – $123,895

Big Hands:

Omaha 8/b

David Chiu Eliminated in 12th Place ($99,590)

John Hanson raised from the button and David Chiu called and was al in from the small blind. Ville Wahlbeck also called from the big blind.

Hanson and Wahlbeck checked it all the way down and the board fell J1047J and Chiu turned up the K832, good for a flush, but Wahlbeck showed the 77X-X, rivering a full house and sending Chiu to the rail in 12th place.

Ray Dehkharghani Eliminated in 11th Place ($99,590)

Vitaly Lunkin raised from the button and Ray Dehkharghani three-bet all in from the small blind. Huck Seed called from the big blind and Lunkin also came along.

Seed and Lunkin checked all the way down as the board fell AJ339. Lunkin showed the KKQ6, Dehkharghani tabled the A755 and Seed showed the A1076.

Seed took the whole pot as he made aces and threes with a ten kicker, which eliminated Dehkharghani in 11th place.

Mike Wattel Eliminated in 10th Place ($123,895)

Chau Giang raised from middle position and Mike Wattel called in the big blind. The flop was AQ10 and Wattel moved in for his last 30,000 which was called by Giang.

Giang showed the AQK10 and Watted showed the A862.

Giang had flopped two pair and had Wattel on the ropes. The J on the turn and the 2 on the river proved to be the knockout blow, sending Wattel home, which meant the remaining nine will combine to one table.

Gus Hansen Eliminated in Ninth Place ($123,895)

Vitaly Lunkin raised from middle position and was called by Chau Giang, Gus Hansen, Ville Wahlbeck, and Erik Sagstrom.

More than half the table saw the flop of K8K. Everybody checked to Giang and bet and after Wahlbeck and Sagstrom folded, hansen made the call for his last 30,000 and Lunkin came along for the turn card.

The J fell on the turn and Giang bet after Lunkin checked. Lunkin folded and Giang showed AKQ2, which was miles ahead of Hansen’s 3328. The A was the river card and Hansen comes up one spot short of the final table.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Michael Wattel,   David Chiu,   Ray Dehkharghani

Level 19 Update: Freddy Deeb, Tony G Eliminated

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 15,000-30,000, Limits – 30,000-60,000
Stud Games: Ante — 8,000, Bring-In — 10,000, Completion — 30,000, Limits — 30,000-60,000

Players Remaining: 12 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 3,782,000
2. David Bach – 2,800,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,00,000
4. Erik Seidel – 1,315,000
5. John Hanson – 1,290,000
6. Huck Seed – 1,230,000
7. Ville Wahlbeck – 714,000
8. Gus Hansen – 537,000
9. Ray Dehkharghani – 280,000
10. Chau Giang – 225,000
11. Mike Wattel – 105,000
12. David Chiu – 37,000

Average Chip Count: 1,875,000

Eliminations:

14. Freddy Deeb – $83,630
13. Antanas Guoga – $83,630

Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Freddy Deeb Eliminated in 14th Place ($83,630)

The 2007 $50K H.O.R.S.E champion was down to just 100,000 chips when he defended from the big blind against the button raise of Gus Hansen. With all the money in the pot, Deeb exposed the A2 and was up against the J9 of Gus Hansen. The board ran out KQJ7J, as Hansen made trip jacks to eliminate Deeb late on day four. Hansen at 1,080,000.

STUD

Tony G Doubles

The short stack of Antanas Guoga and Gus Hansen got all the money in on fourth street.

Their cards:

Hansen: (A5)-43A6- (8)
Guoga: (K2)-K4J2-(7)

Guoga made kings and deuces on sixth street to take the lead against Hansen’s aces. Hansen failed to hit any of his numerous outs on the end and doubled up Guoga to 230,000. Hansen is down to 670,000.

Tony G Eliminated in 13th Place ($83,630)

Antanas Guoga was all in on fifth street against Erik Sagstrom and Gus Hansen.

Their cards:

Guoga: (X-X)-36JA-(X)
Sagstrom: (X-X)-4Q84-(X)
Hansen: (X-X)-45J2-(X)

Tony G exposed the 368 for two pair, threes and sixes. He was no good as Sagstrom continued his hot run by tabling the QJ7 for a flush. Hansen folded his hand on the end. Sagstrom eliminated Guouga and is up to 2,430,000.

Left in the Deck:

The players are now on a 90 minute dinner break.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Gus Hansen,   Erik Sagstrom,   Freddy Deeb

Level 18 Update: John Kabbaj, Steve Billirakis Eliminated

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 13,000-25,000, Limits – 25,000-50,000
Stud Games: Ante — 5,000, Bring-In — 7,000, Completion — 25,000, Limits — 25,000-50,000

Players Remaining: 14 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,050,000
2. Erik Sagstrom – 2,000,000
3. David Bach – 1,570,000
4. Ville Wahlbeck – 1,420,000
5. Huck Seed – 1,300,000
6. John Hanson – 1,100,000
7. Gus Hansen – 1,080,000
8. Erik Seidel – 975,000
9. Ray Dehkharghani – 960,000
10. David Chiu – 630,000

Average Chip Count: 950,000

Eliminations:

16. John Kabbaj – $72,914
15. Steve Billirakis – $72,914

Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Gus Hansen Builds Chip Stack

Ville Wahlbeck raised and Gus Hansen reraised from the cutoff. Wahlbeck made the call. The flop came 1098 and Wahlbeck checked. Hansen bet and Wahlbeck made the call. The Q hit the turn turn, and once again Wahlbeck checked. Hansen bet again and Wahlbeck quickly called. The Q fell on the river. The action went like it had before, with Wahlbeck check-calling a bet from Hansen. Hansen exposed the J10 for a straight and Wahlbeck mucked. Hansen was at 1,480,000 after the hand.

A few hands later, Gus Hansen and Tony Guoga were tangled up in a hand. Tony G raised in late position and Hansen defended from the big blind. The flop came QJ10 and Hansen bet out. Tony G made the quick call and the river brought the A. Hansen opted to check this time and Tony G made a bet. Hansen called and the 7 fell on the river. Both players checked and Tony G tabled the KK while Hansen exposed his rags of J2, to win with a baby flush. Hansen was looking strong with 1,560,000 after the hand but dropped a few hands before the break and currently sits with 1,080,000. Tony G is down to just 280,000.

Steve Billirakis Eliminated in 15th Place ($72,914)

On a board of A977A, Steve Billirakis put the last of his chips into the middle and was snap called by Vitaly Lunkin. Lunkin exposed A9 for aces full and Billirakis mucked the A10 for trips. Lunkin is now over two million, sitting with 2,050,000 in chips.

RAZZ

John Kabbaj Eliminated in 16th Place ($72,914)

Erik Seidel bet on the end and John Kabbaj raised all in. Seidel thought about it briefly before making the call.

Their cards:

Seidel: 4X-3X-7X-9X-(AX-2X-4X)
Kabbaj: 5X-5X-3X-QX-(2X-7X-?X)

When Seidel called and exposed his hand for a 7-4 low. Kabbaj looked at his cards for a few moments before mucking. Seidel is up to 830,000.

Left in the Deck:

The remaining players are on a 20 minute dinner break.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Erik Seidel,   Gus Hansen,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Steve Billirakis,   John Kabbaj,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 17 Update: Players Are In The Money

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 10,000-20,000, Limits – 20,000-40,000
Stud Games: Ante — 5,000, Bring-In — 5,000, Completion — 20,000, Limits — 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 16 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin – 1,510,000
2. John Hanson – 1,350,000
3. David Bach – 1,300,000
4. Ville Wahlbeck – 1,100,000
5. Erik Seidel – 1,030,000
6. Freddy Deeb – 910,000
7. Erik Sagstrom – 840,000
8. Gus Hansen – 760,000
9. Mike Wattel – 745,000
10. Huck Seed – 722,000

Average Chip Count: 890,625

Eliminations:

Todd Brunson
Brett Richey
Frank Kassela

Big Hands:

STUD/8

Todd Brunson Eliminated

Todd Brunson was all in at the end of the hand against Vitaly Lunkin.

Their cards:

Brunson: (67)-41075-(Q)
Lunkin: (85)-28QJ-(X)

Brunson exposed just a pair of sevens, as his low draw and straight draw both missed. Lunkin tabled a pair of eights, which was good enough to send Brunson home early on day four. Lunkin is at 1,510,000.

Brett Richey Eliminated

Brett Richey was short when he got the last of his chips into the middle against bracelet winner Ville Wahlbeck.

Their cards:

Richey: (103)-10929-(X)
Wahlbeck: (54)-5QQ4-(9)

Wahlbeck’s queens and nines were good enough to eliminate Richey who didn’t improve on the end. Wahlbeck is now at 1,100,000.

John Kabbaj Stays Alive In Hand For Hand

The short stack of John Kabbaj was all in on fifth street against Freddy Deeb.

Their cards:

Kabbaj: (A2)-4999-(8)
Deeb: (J2)-J63Q-(X)

Kabbaj needed help against Deeb’s jacks. It came when the 9 on sixth street gave him trips. Kabbaj doubled up to 243,000 and is still in danger of bubbling the tournament.

OMAHA/8

Gus Hansen Scoops Pot

On a board of QJ348, John Kabbaj checked to Gus Hansen. Kabbaj had been the aggressor in the hand up until the river check. Hansen looked at his hand briefly before tossing out a bet. Kabbaj thought about it briefly before making the call. Hansen tabled the 52K9 to scoop the pot with his king-high flush and his 52 for the winning low. Kabbaj mucked and Hansen is up to 760,000.

HOLD’EM

Freddy Deeb Losing Chips

David Bach raised preflop from the cutoff and Freddy Deeb called from the big blind. The flop came A82 and the 2007 $50K H.O.R.S.E. champion checked. Bach bet and Deeb called. The Q hit the turn and both players checked. The 3 fell on the river and Deeb once again checked. Bach threw out a bet and Deeb made the call. Bach exposed the A10 for a pair of aces. Deeb mucked and is down to 910,000. Bach is moving up the chip counts, currently sitting with 1,300,000.

Left in the Deck:

The remaining 16 players have reached the money.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Todd Brunson,   David Bach,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Brett Richey,   John Kabbaj,   Freddy Deeb,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 15 Update: Patrik Antonius, Scott Clements Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 8,000-15,000, Limits – 15,000-30,000
Stud Games: Ante — 3,000, Bring-In — 5,000, Completion — 15,000, Limits — 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 26 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 1,300,000
2. Freddy Deeb – 1,200,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 970,000
4. David Bach – 960,000
5. Ville Wahlbeck – 955,000
6. John Hanson – 800,000
7. Brett Richey – 770,000
8. Gus Hansen – 730,000
9. Huck Seed – 690,000
10. Chau Giang – 620,000

Average Chip Count: 548,076

Notable Eliminations:

Patrik Antonius
Scott Clements
Hasan Habib
John Monnette
Matt Hawrilenko

Big Hands:

Hold’em

Clements Scores A Double Double…

Hasan Habib raised to 60,000 preflop and the action was on Scott Clements. He reraised all in and Habib made the call.

Habib: 99
Clements: 88

Board: KQ810A

Clements started in bad shape but flopped a set and never looked back, doubling to 120,000.

A few hands later, he and Thor Hansen tangled resulting in Clements’ chips ending up in the middle again. Clements had AK while Hansen held 1010. The flop was harmless for Hansen as it came 887. The turn was another blank in the J, but the river was the K and Clements doubled again to 240,000.

Omaha/8

The Seed Grows A Little More

Gus Hansen raised to 60,000 from the button and Huck Seed called from the small blind. Erik Seidel called from the big blind and the players saw a flop of 1072 and Seed checked. Seidel bet 30,000 and Hansen raised to 60,000. Seed and Seidel both called and the Q fell on the turn. Everyone checked and it was the same story for the 2 on the river.

Seed then turned over AQ33 for top pair and the pot. He was up to 250,000.

Razz

Deeb Doesn’t Believe In Hawrilenko

Freddy Deeb and Matt Hawrilenko tangled in a hand and the pot had a lot of chips in it by seventh street. Here were their boards.

Hawrilenko: X-X-2-7-A-J
Deeb: X-X-2-10-6-6

Hawrilenko fired 30,000 into the pot an Deeb thought for a while. He decided to look up his opponent and Hawrilenko turned over (A-A-3) for a jack-low. Deeb turned over 3-7-10) for a 10-low and he took down a nice pot. He was up to 650,000 while Hawrilenko was at 175,000.

The Tournament Just Got A Little Less Attractive

Patrik Antonius just busted after getting involved in a hand with Erik Seidel and Gus Hansen.

Antonius: X-X-5
Hansen: X-X-6
Seidel: X-X-5

Hansen completed to 15,000 and Antonius moved his last 24,000 into the pot. Seidel and Hansen both called.

Antonius: X-X-5-4
Hansen: X-X-6-2
Seidel: X-X-5-A

Seidel bet 30,000 and Hansen made the call.

Antonius: X-X-5-4-Q
Hansen: X-X-6-2-4
Seidel: X-X-5-A-10

Hansen was first to act now and he bet 60,000. Seidel made the call.

Antonius: X-X-5-4-Q-K
Hansen: X-X-6-2-4-6
Seidel: X-X-5-A-10-4

Seidel bet 60,000 after Hansen paired on sixth street. Hansen made the call. The river was dealt and Seidel bet again. Hansen finally mucked and Seidel showed (2-3-7) for the wheel. Antonius mucked and he was eliminated.

Stud High

…But Mr. Clements Still Goes Bust

Scott Clements managed to double up twice early in the level but the chips didn’t last long as he found himself all in against John Hanson. Here is how their boards ran out.

Clements: (K5)39A10(K)
Hanson: (QJ)QJ42(5)

Clements started with three diamonds and was given another one on fourth street. Hanson had two pair by fourth street and Clements needed just one diamond to hit his flush on the next three streets. But Clements saw nothing but black cards for the remainder of the hand and he was eliminated.

Stud/8

Wahlbeck Flushes Scotty Baby

Scotty Nguyen and Ville Wahlbeck tangled in a hand. Nguyen completed to 15,000 and Wahlbeck made the call. Here is how their boards looked heading into fourth street.

Nguyen: X-X-AK
Wahlbeck: X-X-73

Nguyen bet 30,000 and Wahlbeck made the call.

Nguyen: X-X-AK2
Wahlbeck: X-X-73J

Nguyen bet 60,000 and Wahlbeck called.

Nguyen: X-X-AK2K
Wahlbeck: X-X-73J3

Nguyen bet another 60,000 and Wahlbeck made the call. The river was dealt and Nguyen checked to his Finnish opponent. Wahlbeck then bet 60,000 and Nguyen called. Wahlbeck turned over (A85) for the nut flush and an 8-7 low. Nguyen mucked and Wahlbeck scooped the pot, improving to 950,000 while Nguyen was at 167,000.

Player Tags: Thor Hansen,   Erik Seidel,   Hasan Habib,   Huck Seed,   Gus Hansen,   Patrik Antonius,   Scott Clements,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Freddy Deeb

Level 13 Update: Doyle Brunson, Erick Lindgren Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 5,000-10,000, Limits – 10,000-20,000
Stud Games: Ante — 2,000, Bring-In — 3,000, Completion — 10,000, Limits — 10,000-20,000

Players Remaining: 37 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Gus Hansen — 890,000
2. Erik Sagstrom — 835,000
3. Ray Dehkharghani – 823,000
4. Todd Brunson — 610,000
5. Hasan Habib — 490,000
6. Jani Sointula – 470,500
7. Scotty Nguyen – 463,000
8. Frank Cremen – 457,000
9. Jim Bechtel – 455,000
10. Freddy Deeb – 450,000

Average Chip Count: 385,135

Notable Eliminations:

Doyle Brunson
Justin Smith
Erick Lindgren
David Grey

Big Hands:

OMAHA/8

Doyle Brunson Eliminated

John Hanson raised preflop and Doyle Brunson called in the cutoff, putting himself all in.

Their cards:

Brunson: 7532
Hanson: AAQ4

The board came KJ10610, and Brunson was eliminated by the straight of the 2007 H.O.R.S.E third place finisher. Hanson is up to 280,000.

RAZZ

Justin Smith Eliminated

Justin Smith had all his chips in the middle in Razz against 2007 champion Freddy Deeb. Smith had a disaster with a hand of 4X-7X-7X-4X-AX-4X-AX, for two pair. Smith was no good against Deeb and was sent packing early on day three.

STUD HIGH

Erick Lindgren Eliminated

The 2008 $50k H.O.R.S.E. third place finisher was all in on third street against 2007 champion Freddy Deeb.

Their cards:

Lindgren: (910)-106 98-(9)
Deeb: (JJ)-J7 4Q-(4)

Lindgren held tens and nines against Deeb’s three jacks. Both made full boats on the end but Deeb held the higher one to eliminate Lindgren. Deeb is up to 450,000 and looks to be making a run at another final table.

David Grey Triples Up, Eliminated Shortly After

David Grey was all in for just 21,000 against Patrik Antonius and the big stack of Gus Hansen.

Their cards:

Grey: (98)-2725-(6)
Antonius: (X-X)107610-(X)
Hansen: (K10)AJQQ-(X)

After massive side betting between Hansen and Antonius on every street, David Grey exposed a flush to take the small main pot. Hansen bet on the end and was just called by Antonius. Hansen showed the K10 for a Broadway straight. Hansen is up to 890,000 and Grey is up to just 64,000. Antonius is down to 170,000.

Grey was on life support after the hand, eventually hitting the rail against recent bracelet winner John Kabbaj in stud high.

Left in the Deck:

The players are currently on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Doyle Brunson,   David Grey,   Patrik Antonius,   John Hanson,   John Kabbaj,   Freddy Deeb,   Justin Smith

Level 12 Update: Phil Ivey, Nick Schulman Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 4,000-8,000, Limits – 8,000-16,000
Stud Games: Ante — 2,000, Bring-In — 2,000, Completion — 8,000, Limits — 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 44 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Ray Dehkharghani — 900,000
2. Erik Sagstrom — 770,000
3. Gus Hansen – 740,000
4. Todd Brunson — 549,000
5. Hasan Habib — 490,000
6. Jani Sointula – 470,500
7. Scotty Nguyen – 463,000
8. Frank Cremen – 457,000
9. Jim Bechtel – 455,000
10. Antanas Guoga – 433,000

Average Chip Count: 285,000

Notable Eliminations:

Nick Schulman
Alex Kravchenko
Phil Ivey
Jason Gray
Barry Greenstein
David Benyamine
Daniel Alaei

Big Hands:

OMAHA/8

Nick Schulman Eliminated

Nick Schulman was down to just 40,000 when he got the last of his chips into the middle in Omaha 8OB. Schulman raised under the gun and Erick Lindgren made the call from the cutoff. Gus Hansen reraised from the button. Schulman and Lindgren both quickly called.

The flop came Q105 and everyone checked. Schulman fired out when the 8 hit the turn. Lindgren raised, Hansen called, and Schulman threw in another raise that put the rest of his stack at risk. Lindgren and Hansen both called the 21,000 all-in from Schulman. The A fell on the river and Lindgren bet. Hansen quickly called.

Their cards:

Schulman: AK53
Lindgren: AQ64
Hansen: A642

The high went to Lindgren with the nut flush while Hansen won the low with 8542A. Schulman couldn’t beat either and was eliminated early on day three.

Phil Ivey Eliminated

With a severe short stack, Phil Ivey was all in for just 5,000 on a board of K84A10 against Hasan Habib and Erik Sagstrom.

Their cards:

Sagstrom: AA86
Ivey: J973
Habib: A1043

Sagstrom scooped the whole side pot and got half the main pot with a set of aces. Ivey received the half of the main pot with a 8743A low. Ivey was still down to almost nothing and was eliminated immediately after in Razz by Hasan Habib who made the nuts.

STUD HIGH

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

The only man to cash in the $50K H.O.R.S.E ever year since its creation has been eliminated. Barry Greenstein was all in along with Justin Smith, versus Erick Lindgren.

Their cards:

Greenstein: (AA)75KQ(7)
Smith: (AQ)J4K6(10)
Lindgren: (77)528A-(X)

Greenstein made aces up on the end, but Justin Smith made a straight on seventh street, sending Greenstein home without a fourth consecutive deep finish in the event.

Left in the Deck:

The players are currently on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Barry Greenstein,   Hasan Habib,   Gus Hansen,   Phil Ivey,   Nick Schulman

Day 3 Begins At 2:00 pm PDT

Jun 28, '09

Day 3 of the $50,000 World Championship of H.O.R.S.E. is about to begin and and just 53 players remain out of the 91 that started Day 2. Hasan Habib came into Day 2 as the overnight chipleader, maintaining that lead almost the entire day until finally relinquishing it to Gus Hansen right before the closing bell.

Both Scotty Nguyen and Freddy Deeb have survived through the night and will return at 2:00 pm PDT to defend their titles. Day 3 is sure to bring a lot of action, so be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com as we bring you live updates, chip counts and eliminations from this marquee event.

1		Gus Hansen		686,000
2		Ray Dehkarghani		643,000
3		Erik Sagstrom		560,000
4		Todd Brunson		549,000
5		Hasan Habib		490,000
6		Scotty Nguyen		463,000
7		Frank Cremen		457,000
8		David Bach		451,000
9		Tony G		433,000
10		Jani Sointula		412,000
11		Patrick Bueno		380,000
12		Frank Kassela		379,000
13		John Kabbaj		376,000
14		Ralph Perry		348,000
15		David Chiu		344,000
16		Matt Glantz		337,000
17		Bill Chen		324,000
18		John Monnette		324,000
19		Jim Bechtel		312,000
20		Vitaly Lunkin		308,000
21		Mike Wattel		307,000
22		Ville Wahlbeck		307,000
23		Steve Billirakis		300,000
24		Barry Greenstein		284,000
25		Thor Hansen		256,000
26		Huck Seed		244,000
27		Mikhail Tulchinskiy		235,000
28		Chau Giang		231,000
29		Doyle Brunson		224,000
30		Scott Clements		221,000
31		Freddy Deeb		208,000
32		David Grey		191,000
33		Matt Hawrilenko		190,000
34		Erik Seidel		179,000
35		Jon Turner		179,000
36		Chris Ferguson		173,000
37		Kirill Rabtsov		165,000
38		Nick Schulman		157,000
39		Phil Ivey		154,000
40		Jason Gray		144,000
41		John Hennigan		142,000
42		Fabrice Soulier		138,000
43		Patrik Antonius		131,000
44		David Benyamine		130,000
45		Jerry Buss		130,000
46		Erick Lindgren		114,000
47		John Hanson		113,000
48		Martin Vallo		100,000
49		Justin Smith		87,000
50		Alex Kravchenko		80,000
51		Daniel Alaei		63,000
52		Steve Sung		50,000
53		Brett Richey		43,000

Player Tags: Gus Hansen

Level 11 Update: End of Day 2; Gus Hansen Leads

Jun 28, '09

Day 2 of the $50,000 World Championship of H.O.R.S.E. has come to an end and just 53 players remain out of the 91 that started the day. Hasan Habib came into the day as the overnight chipleader, maintaining that lead almost the entire day until finally relinquishing it to Gus Hansen right before the closing bell.

Both Scotty Nguyen and Freddy Deeb have the survived the day and will return at 2:00 pm PDT to defend their titles. Day 3 is sure to bring a lot of action, so be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com as we bring you live updates, chip counts and eliminations from this marquee event.

Flop Games: Blinds – 3,000-6,000, Limits – 6,000-12,000
Stud Games: Ante — 1,500, Bring-In — 2,000, Completion — 6,000, Limits — 6,000-12,000

Players Remaining: 53 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Ray Dehkharghani — 643,000
2. Gus Hansen — 540,000
3. Erik Sagstrom — 500,000
4. Matt Glantz — 475,000
5. Hasan Habib — 440,000
6. David Bach — 405,000
7. John Monnette — 402,000
8. Frank Kassela — 400,000
9. Jani Sointula — 390,000
10. Todd Brunson — 380,000

Average Chip Count: 268,867

Notable Eliminations:

Allen Kessler
Howard Lederer
Michael Saltzburg
Matthew Grapenthien
Abe Mosseri
Nikolay Evdakov
Andy Black
Farzad Bonyadi
Annie Duke
Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Bonyadi Doubles Through Lederer, Leaves Him Crippled

Farzad Bontadi and Howard Lederer each get four bets in before the flop.

The flop comes Q99, Bonyadi gets it all in, Lederer calls and has him covered.

Bonyadi: AQ
Lederer: AK

Bonyadi flops a queen to take the lead. The turn and river are the 7 and the 9 as Bonyadi doubles up to 80,000 in chips while Lederer is left with just over 30,000 this hand.

Bonyadi Finishes the Job; Howard Lederer Eliminated

A few hands later and Howard Lederer raises before the flop and Farzad Bonyadi calls.

The flop comes KJ6, Lederer bets out and Bonyadi calls.

The turn is the 2, Lederer gets it all in and Bonyadi calls.

Lederer: 99
Bonyadi: 97

Lederer only has a pair on the turn while Bonyadi has already made a flush. Lederer is drawing dead on the river (10) and is eliminated from the tournament.

RAZZ

Abe Mosseri Eliminated by Hasan Habib

Abe Mosseri is all in on fourth street against Hasan Habib.

Mosseri: 3-2-4-7-7-7-K
Habib: A-7-8-2-2-4-J

Mosseri started off good on fourth street wen his money went in, but then tripped up on fifth and sixth streets, making a a king-low on the river. Habib makes a jack-low, adding even more chips to his stack as he eliminates Abe Mosseri right before the end of the play.

Dehkharghani Doubles Through Lindgren; Steals late-Night Chiplead

Ray Dehkharghani took control of the pot early with Erick Lindgren calling to a showdown.

Dehkharghani: 6-J-2-A-5-7-7
Lindgren: X-X-4-8-9-4-X

Dehkharghani makes a 7-low and Lindgren mucks his hand. Dehkharghani steals the chiplead with just under 650,000 this hand while Lindgren drops to 100,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Fred Bonyadi,   Erick Lindgren,   Hasan Habib,   Gus Hansen,   Howard Lederer,   Abe Mosseri,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Erik Sagstrom

Level 9 Update: Zeidman, Chan, Cassidy Eliminated

Jun 27, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 2,000-4,000, Limits – 4,000-8,000
Stud Games: Ante — 1,000, Bring-In — 1,000, Completion — 3,000, Limits — 4,000-8,000

Players Remaining: 73 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Hasan Habib — 555,000
2. David Bach — 480,000
3. Scotty Nguyen — 410,000
4. John Kabbaj — 355,000
5. Mikhail Tulchiniskiy — 355,000
6. Chris Ferguson — 334,000
7. Matt Glantz — 325,000
8. Ray Dehkharghani — 310,000
9. Annie Duke — 307,000
10. Frank Kassela — 304,000

Average Chip Count: 195,205

Notable Eliminations:

Cory Zeidman
Johnny Chan
Joe Cassidy
Yuval Bronshtein

Big Hands

STUD/8

Cory Zeidman Eliminated

Cory Zeidman was all in on third street against both Annie Duke and Patrik Antonius.

Ziedman: X-X-A6J6
Duke: X-X-QKQ2
Antonius: X-X-3Q68

Duke turned over Q2 for a full house, winning the high hand while Antonius showed 754 for a 7-6 low, winning the low hand. Cory Zeidman mucks his hand and is eliminated from the tournament.

Big Pot; Hansen and Betchel Come Out on Top

Four players get involved in this huge pot.

Hansen: 789J
Betchel: 883K
Buss: K743
Bueno: J526

Pat Bueno takes his turn betting out on fourth street and Jerry Buss leads out on fifth street. All four players check around on sixth street and Gus Hansen leads out on the river. Jim Betchel raises and Jerry Buss and Patrik Bueno both fold. Hansen three-bets, Betchel four-bets and Hansen calls.

Betchel turns over 822 for a full house, winning the high pot while Hansen shows A32 for the low hand. Hansen and Betchel both break the 200,000 chip mark this hand as they split the pot.

Johnny Chan Eliminated by Chau Giang

Johnny Chan was all in on fourth street against Chau Giang.

Chan: X-X-8979
Giang: X-X-2KK-2

Chan made just a pair of nines while Giang made two pair on the river . Chau Giang rakes the pot, eliminating Johnny Chan from the tournament.

HOLD’EM

Negrenau Moving Backwards

On a flop of 932, Ray Dehkharghani bets and Daniel Negreanu raises, Dehkharghani calls.

The turn is the 9, and this time Dehkharghani checks to Negreanu who bets, Dehkharghani calls.

The river is the 2 and both players check. First to act, Dehkharghani shows 44 for two pair and Negreanu folds. Dehkharghani breaks 300,000 his hand while Negreanu falls down to just about half of that.

OMAHA/8

Jerry Buss Scoops a Pot

Pat Bueno raises from early position and both Jerry Buss and Jim Betchel calls from the blinds.

The flop comes 543, and it is checked to Bueno. Bueno bets and both opponents call.

The turn is the 4 and everyone checks around.

The river is the Q, and this time Buss bets out. Both opponents calls and Buss turns over AK87 to scoop the pot. Buss is back to just under 100,000 in chips this hand.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Jerry Buss,   Gus Hansen,   Daniel Negreanu,   Johnny Chan,   Chau Giang,   Cory Zeidman,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Patrik Antonius,   Patrick Bueno,   Jim Betchel

Level 20 Update: Final Table Set

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 20,000-40,000 Limits — 40,000-80,000
Stud Games: Ante – 10,000, Bring-In – 10,000, Completion – 40,000, Limits – 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 3,675,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,490,000
3. David Bach – 2,345,000
4. John Hanson – 1,70,000
5. Huck Seed – 1,380,000
6. Chau Giang – 1,075,000
7. Erik Seidel – 965,000
8. Ville Wahlbeck – 645,000

Average Chip Count: 1,781,250

Notable Eliminations:

12. David Chiu – $99,590
11. Ray Dehkharghani – $99,590
10. Mike Wattel – $123,895
9. Gus Hansen – $123,895

Big Hands:

Omaha 8/b

David Chiu Eliminated in 12th Place ($99,590)

John Hanson raised from the button and David Chiu called and was al in from the small blind. Ville Wahlbeck also called from the big blind.

Hanson and Wahlbeck checked it all the way down and the board fell J1047J and Chiu turned up the K832, good for a flush, but Wahlbeck showed the 77X-X, rivering a full house and sending Chiu to the rail in 12th place.

Ray Dehkharghani Eliminated in 11th Place ($99,590)

Vitaly Lunkin raised from the button and Ray Dehkharghani three-bet all in from the small blind. Huck Seed called from the big blind and Lunkin also came along.

Seed and Lunkin checked all the way down as the board fell AJ339. Lunkin showed the KKQ6, Dehkharghani tabled the A755 and Seed showed the A1076.

Seed took the whole pot as he made aces and threes with a ten kicker, which eliminated Dehkharghani in 11th place.

Mike Wattel Eliminated in 10th Place ($123,895)

Chau Giang raised from middle position and Mike Wattel called in the big blind. The flop was AQ10 and Wattel moved in for his last 30,000 which was called by Giang.

Giang showed the AQK10 and Watted showed the A862.

Giang had flopped two pair and had Wattel on the ropes. The J on the turn and the 2 on the river proved to be the knockout blow, sending Wattel home, which meant the remaining nine will combine to one table.

Gus Hansen Eliminated in Ninth Place ($123,895)

Vitaly Lunkin raised from middle position and was called by Chau Giang, Gus Hansen, Ville Wahlbeck, and Erik Sagstrom.

More than half the table saw the flop of K8K. Everybody checked to Giang and bet and after Wahlbeck and Sagstrom folded, hansen made the call for his last 30,000 and Lunkin came along for the turn card.

The J fell on the turn and Giang bet after Lunkin checked. Lunkin folded and Giang showed AKQ2, which was miles ahead of Hansen’s 3328. The A was the river card and Hansen comes up one spot short of the final table.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Michael Wattel,   David Chiu,   Ray Dehkharghani

Level 19 Update: Freddy Deeb, Tony G Eliminated

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 15,000-30,000, Limits – 30,000-60,000
Stud Games: Ante — 8,000, Bring-In — 10,000, Completion — 30,000, Limits — 30,000-60,000

Players Remaining: 12 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 3,782,000
2. David Bach – 2,800,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,00,000
4. Erik Seidel – 1,315,000
5. John Hanson – 1,290,000
6. Huck Seed – 1,230,000
7. Ville Wahlbeck – 714,000
8. Gus Hansen – 537,000
9. Ray Dehkharghani – 280,000
10. Chau Giang – 225,000
11. Mike Wattel – 105,000
12. David Chiu – 37,000

Average Chip Count: 1,875,000

Eliminations:

14. Freddy Deeb – $83,630
13. Antanas Guoga – $83,630

Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Freddy Deeb Eliminated in 14th Place ($83,630)

The 2007 $50K H.O.R.S.E champion was down to just 100,000 chips when he defended from the big blind against the button raise of Gus Hansen. With all the money in the pot, Deeb exposed the A2 and was up against the J9 of Gus Hansen. The board ran out KQJ7J, as Hansen made trip jacks to eliminate Deeb late on day four. Hansen at 1,080,000.

STUD

Tony G Doubles

The short stack of Antanas Guoga and Gus Hansen got all the money in on fourth street.

Their cards:

Hansen: (A5)-43A6- (8)
Guoga: (K2)-K4J2-(7)

Guoga made kings and deuces on sixth street to take the lead against Hansen’s aces. Hansen failed to hit any of his numerous outs on the end and doubled up Guoga to 230,000. Hansen is down to 670,000.

Tony G Eliminated in 13th Place ($83,630)

Antanas Guoga was all in on fifth street against Erik Sagstrom and Gus Hansen.

Their cards:

Guoga: (X-X)-36JA-(X)
Sagstrom: (X-X)-4Q84-(X)
Hansen: (X-X)-45J2-(X)

Tony G exposed the 368 for two pair, threes and sixes. He was no good as Sagstrom continued his hot run by tabling the QJ7 for a flush. Hansen folded his hand on the end. Sagstrom eliminated Guouga and is up to 2,430,000.

Left in the Deck:

The players are now on a 90 minute dinner break.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Gus Hansen,   Erik Sagstrom,   Freddy Deeb

Level 18 Update: John Kabbaj, Steve Billirakis Eliminated

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 13,000-25,000, Limits – 25,000-50,000
Stud Games: Ante — 5,000, Bring-In — 7,000, Completion — 25,000, Limits — 25,000-50,000

Players Remaining: 14 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin – 2,050,000
2. Erik Sagstrom – 2,000,000
3. David Bach – 1,570,000
4. Ville Wahlbeck – 1,420,000
5. Huck Seed – 1,300,000
6. John Hanson – 1,100,000
7. Gus Hansen – 1,080,000
8. Erik Seidel – 975,000
9. Ray Dehkharghani – 960,000
10. David Chiu – 630,000

Average Chip Count: 950,000

Eliminations:

16. John Kabbaj – $72,914
15. Steve Billirakis – $72,914

Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Gus Hansen Builds Chip Stack

Ville Wahlbeck raised and Gus Hansen reraised from the cutoff. Wahlbeck made the call. The flop came 1098 and Wahlbeck checked. Hansen bet and Wahlbeck made the call. The Q hit the turn turn, and once again Wahlbeck checked. Hansen bet again and Wahlbeck quickly called. The Q fell on the river. The action went like it had before, with Wahlbeck check-calling a bet from Hansen. Hansen exposed the J10 for a straight and Wahlbeck mucked. Hansen was at 1,480,000 after the hand.

A few hands later, Gus Hansen and Tony Guoga were tangled up in a hand. Tony G raised in late position and Hansen defended from the big blind. The flop came QJ10 and Hansen bet out. Tony G made the quick call and the river brought the A. Hansen opted to check this time and Tony G made a bet. Hansen called and the 7 fell on the river. Both players checked and Tony G tabled the KK while Hansen exposed his rags of J2, to win with a baby flush. Hansen was looking strong with 1,560,000 after the hand but dropped a few hands before the break and currently sits with 1,080,000. Tony G is down to just 280,000.

Steve Billirakis Eliminated in 15th Place ($72,914)

On a board of A977A, Steve Billirakis put the last of his chips into the middle and was snap called by Vitaly Lunkin. Lunkin exposed A9 for aces full and Billirakis mucked the A10 for trips. Lunkin is now over two million, sitting with 2,050,000 in chips.

RAZZ

John Kabbaj Eliminated in 16th Place ($72,914)

Erik Seidel bet on the end and John Kabbaj raised all in. Seidel thought about it briefly before making the call.

Their cards:

Seidel: 4X-3X-7X-9X-(AX-2X-4X)
Kabbaj: 5X-5X-3X-QX-(2X-7X-?X)

When Seidel called and exposed his hand for a 7-4 low. Kabbaj looked at his cards for a few moments before mucking. Seidel is up to 830,000.

Left in the Deck:

The remaining players are on a 20 minute dinner break.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Erik Seidel,   Gus Hansen,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Steve Billirakis,   John Kabbaj,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 17 Update: Players Are In The Money

Jun 29, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 10,000-20,000, Limits – 20,000-40,000
Stud Games: Ante — 5,000, Bring-In — 5,000, Completion — 20,000, Limits — 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 16 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin – 1,510,000
2. John Hanson – 1,350,000
3. David Bach – 1,300,000
4. Ville Wahlbeck – 1,100,000
5. Erik Seidel – 1,030,000
6. Freddy Deeb – 910,000
7. Erik Sagstrom – 840,000
8. Gus Hansen – 760,000
9. Mike Wattel – 745,000
10. Huck Seed – 722,000

Average Chip Count: 890,625

Eliminations:

Todd Brunson
Brett Richey
Frank Kassela

Big Hands:

STUD/8

Todd Brunson Eliminated

Todd Brunson was all in at the end of the hand against Vitaly Lunkin.

Their cards:

Brunson: (67)-41075-(Q)
Lunkin: (85)-28QJ-(X)

Brunson exposed just a pair of sevens, as his low draw and straight draw both missed. Lunkin tabled a pair of eights, which was good enough to send Brunson home early on day four. Lunkin is at 1,510,000.

Brett Richey Eliminated

Brett Richey was short when he got the last of his chips into the middle against bracelet winner Ville Wahlbeck.

Their cards:

Richey: (103)-10929-(X)
Wahlbeck: (54)-5QQ4-(9)

Wahlbeck’s queens and nines were good enough to eliminate Richey who didn’t improve on the end. Wahlbeck is now at 1,100,000.

John Kabbaj Stays Alive In Hand For Hand

The short stack of John Kabbaj was all in on fifth street against Freddy Deeb.

Their cards:

Kabbaj: (A2)-4999-(8)
Deeb: (J2)-J63Q-(X)

Kabbaj needed help against Deeb’s jacks. It came when the 9 on sixth street gave him trips. Kabbaj doubled up to 243,000 and is still in danger of bubbling the tournament.

OMAHA/8

Gus Hansen Scoops Pot

On a board of QJ348, John Kabbaj checked to Gus Hansen. Kabbaj had been the aggressor in the hand up until the river check. Hansen looked at his hand briefly before tossing out a bet. Kabbaj thought about it briefly before making the call. Hansen tabled the 52K9 to scoop the pot with his king-high flush and his 52 for the winning low. Kabbaj mucked and Hansen is up to 760,000.

HOLD’EM

Freddy Deeb Losing Chips

David Bach raised preflop from the cutoff and Freddy Deeb called from the big blind. The flop came A82 and the 2007 $50K H.O.R.S.E. champion checked. Bach bet and Deeb called. The Q hit the turn and both players checked. The 3 fell on the river and Deeb once again checked. Bach threw out a bet and Deeb made the call. Bach exposed the A10 for a pair of aces. Deeb mucked and is down to 910,000. Bach is moving up the chip counts, currently sitting with 1,300,000.

Left in the Deck:

The remaining 16 players have reached the money.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Todd Brunson,   David Bach,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Brett Richey,   John Kabbaj,   Freddy Deeb,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 15 Update: Patrik Antonius, Scott Clements Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 8,000-15,000, Limits – 15,000-30,000
Stud Games: Ante — 3,000, Bring-In — 5,000, Completion — 15,000, Limits — 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 26 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Erik Sagstrom – 1,300,000
2. Freddy Deeb – 1,200,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 970,000
4. David Bach – 960,000
5. Ville Wahlbeck – 955,000
6. John Hanson – 800,000
7. Brett Richey – 770,000
8. Gus Hansen – 730,000
9. Huck Seed – 690,000
10. Chau Giang – 620,000

Average Chip Count: 548,076

Notable Eliminations:

Patrik Antonius
Scott Clements
Hasan Habib
John Monnette
Matt Hawrilenko

Big Hands:

Hold’em

Clements Scores A Double Double…

Hasan Habib raised to 60,000 preflop and the action was on Scott Clements. He reraised all in and Habib made the call.

Habib: 99
Clements: 88

Board: KQ810A

Clements started in bad shape but flopped a set and never looked back, doubling to 120,000.

A few hands later, he and Thor Hansen tangled resulting in Clements’ chips ending up in the middle again. Clements had AK while Hansen held 1010. The flop was harmless for Hansen as it came 887. The turn was another blank in the J, but the river was the K and Clements doubled again to 240,000.

Omaha/8

The Seed Grows A Little More

Gus Hansen raised to 60,000 from the button and Huck Seed called from the small blind. Erik Seidel called from the big blind and the players saw a flop of 1072 and Seed checked. Seidel bet 30,000 and Hansen raised to 60,000. Seed and Seidel both called and the Q fell on the turn. Everyone checked and it was the same story for the 2 on the river.

Seed then turned over AQ33 for top pair and the pot. He was up to 250,000.

Razz

Deeb Doesn’t Believe In Hawrilenko

Freddy Deeb and Matt Hawrilenko tangled in a hand and the pot had a lot of chips in it by seventh street. Here were their boards.

Hawrilenko: X-X-2-7-A-J
Deeb: X-X-2-10-6-6

Hawrilenko fired 30,000 into the pot an Deeb thought for a while. He decided to look up his opponent and Hawrilenko turned over (A-A-3) for a jack-low. Deeb turned over 3-7-10) for a 10-low and he took down a nice pot. He was up to 650,000 while Hawrilenko was at 175,000.

The Tournament Just Got A Little Less Attractive

Patrik Antonius just busted after getting involved in a hand with Erik Seidel and Gus Hansen.

Antonius: X-X-5
Hansen: X-X-6
Seidel: X-X-5

Hansen completed to 15,000 and Antonius moved his last 24,000 into the pot. Seidel and Hansen both called.

Antonius: X-X-5-4
Hansen: X-X-6-2
Seidel: X-X-5-A

Seidel bet 30,000 and Hansen made the call.

Antonius: X-X-5-4-Q
Hansen: X-X-6-2-4
Seidel: X-X-5-A-10

Hansen was first to act now and he bet 60,000. Seidel made the call.

Antonius: X-X-5-4-Q-K
Hansen: X-X-6-2-4-6
Seidel: X-X-5-A-10-4

Seidel bet 60,000 after Hansen paired on sixth street. Hansen made the call. The river was dealt and Seidel bet again. Hansen finally mucked and Seidel showed (2-3-7) for the wheel. Antonius mucked and he was eliminated.

Stud High

…But Mr. Clements Still Goes Bust

Scott Clements managed to double up twice early in the level but the chips didn’t last long as he found himself all in against John Hanson. Here is how their boards ran out.

Clements: (K5)39A10(K)
Hanson: (QJ)QJ42(5)

Clements started with three diamonds and was given another one on fourth street. Hanson had two pair by fourth street and Clements needed just one diamond to hit his flush on the next three streets. But Clements saw nothing but black cards for the remainder of the hand and he was eliminated.

Stud/8

Wahlbeck Flushes Scotty Baby

Scotty Nguyen and Ville Wahlbeck tangled in a hand. Nguyen completed to 15,000 and Wahlbeck made the call. Here is how their boards looked heading into fourth street.

Nguyen: X-X-AK
Wahlbeck: X-X-73

Nguyen bet 30,000 and Wahlbeck made the call.

Nguyen: X-X-AK2
Wahlbeck: X-X-73J

Nguyen bet 60,000 and Wahlbeck called.

Nguyen: X-X-AK2K
Wahlbeck: X-X-73J3

Nguyen bet another 60,000 and Wahlbeck made the call. The river was dealt and Nguyen checked to his Finnish opponent. Wahlbeck then bet 60,000 and Nguyen called. Wahlbeck turned over (A85) for the nut flush and an 8-7 low. Nguyen mucked and Wahlbeck scooped the pot, improving to 950,000 while Nguyen was at 167,000.

Player Tags: Thor Hansen,   Erik Seidel,   Hasan Habib,   Huck Seed,   Gus Hansen,   Patrik Antonius,   Scott Clements,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Freddy Deeb

Level 13 Update: Doyle Brunson, Erick Lindgren Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 5,000-10,000, Limits – 10,000-20,000
Stud Games: Ante — 2,000, Bring-In — 3,000, Completion — 10,000, Limits — 10,000-20,000

Players Remaining: 37 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Gus Hansen — 890,000
2. Erik Sagstrom — 835,000
3. Ray Dehkharghani – 823,000
4. Todd Brunson — 610,000
5. Hasan Habib — 490,000
6. Jani Sointula – 470,500
7. Scotty Nguyen – 463,000
8. Frank Cremen – 457,000
9. Jim Bechtel – 455,000
10. Freddy Deeb – 450,000

Average Chip Count: 385,135

Notable Eliminations:

Doyle Brunson
Justin Smith
Erick Lindgren
David Grey

Big Hands:

OMAHA/8

Doyle Brunson Eliminated

John Hanson raised preflop and Doyle Brunson called in the cutoff, putting himself all in.

Their cards:

Brunson: 7532
Hanson: AAQ4

The board came KJ10610, and Brunson was eliminated by the straight of the 2007 H.O.R.S.E third place finisher. Hanson is up to 280,000.

RAZZ

Justin Smith Eliminated

Justin Smith had all his chips in the middle in Razz against 2007 champion Freddy Deeb. Smith had a disaster with a hand of 4X-7X-7X-4X-AX-4X-AX, for two pair. Smith was no good against Deeb and was sent packing early on day three.

STUD HIGH

Erick Lindgren Eliminated

The 2008 $50k H.O.R.S.E. third place finisher was all in on third street against 2007 champion Freddy Deeb.

Their cards:

Lindgren: (910)-106 98-(9)
Deeb: (JJ)-J7 4Q-(4)

Lindgren held tens and nines against Deeb’s three jacks. Both made full boats on the end but Deeb held the higher one to eliminate Lindgren. Deeb is up to 450,000 and looks to be making a run at another final table.

David Grey Triples Up, Eliminated Shortly After

David Grey was all in for just 21,000 against Patrik Antonius and the big stack of Gus Hansen.

Their cards:

Grey: (98)-2725-(6)
Antonius: (X-X)107610-(X)
Hansen: (K10)AJQQ-(X)

After massive side betting between Hansen and Antonius on every street, David Grey exposed a flush to take the small main pot. Hansen bet on the end and was just called by Antonius. Hansen showed the K10 for a Broadway straight. Hansen is up to 890,000 and Grey is up to just 64,000. Antonius is down to 170,000.

Grey was on life support after the hand, eventually hitting the rail against recent bracelet winner John Kabbaj in stud high.

Left in the Deck:

The players are currently on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Doyle Brunson,   David Grey,   Patrik Antonius,   John Hanson,   John Kabbaj,   Freddy Deeb,   Justin Smith

Level 12 Update: Phil Ivey, Nick Schulman Eliminated

Jun 28, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 4,000-8,000, Limits – 8,000-16,000
Stud Games: Ante — 2,000, Bring-In — 2,000, Completion — 8,000, Limits — 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 44 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Ray Dehkharghani — 900,000
2. Erik Sagstrom — 770,000
3. Gus Hansen – 740,000
4. Todd Brunson — 549,000
5. Hasan Habib — 490,000
6. Jani Sointula – 470,500
7. Scotty Nguyen – 463,000
8. Frank Cremen – 457,000
9. Jim Bechtel – 455,000
10. Antanas Guoga – 433,000

Average Chip Count: 285,000

Notable Eliminations:

Nick Schulman
Alex Kravchenko
Phil Ivey
Jason Gray
Barry Greenstein
David Benyamine
Daniel Alaei

Big Hands:

OMAHA/8

Nick Schulman Eliminated

Nick Schulman was down to just 40,000 when he got the last of his chips into the middle in Omaha 8OB. Schulman raised under the gun and Erick Lindgren made the call from the cutoff. Gus Hansen reraised from the button. Schulman and Lindgren both quickly called.

The flop came Q105 and everyone checked. Schulman fired out when the 8 hit the turn. Lindgren raised, Hansen called, and Schulman threw in another raise that put the rest of his stack at risk. Lindgren and Hansen both called the 21,000 all-in from Schulman. The A fell on the river and Lindgren bet. Hansen quickly called.

Their cards:

Schulman: AK53
Lindgren: AQ64
Hansen: A642

The high went to Lindgren with the nut flush while Hansen won the low with 8542A. Schulman couldn’t beat either and was eliminated early on day three.

Phil Ivey Eliminated

With a severe short stack, Phil Ivey was all in for just 5,000 on a board of K84A10 against Hasan Habib and Erik Sagstrom.

Their cards:

Sagstrom: AA86
Ivey: J973
Habib: A1043

Sagstrom scooped the whole side pot and got half the main pot with a set of aces. Ivey received the half of the main pot with a 8743A low. Ivey was still down to almost nothing and was eliminated immediately after in Razz by Hasan Habib who made the nuts.

STUD HIGH

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

The only man to cash in the $50K H.O.R.S.E ever year since its creation has been eliminated. Barry Greenstein was all in along with Justin Smith, versus Erick Lindgren.

Their cards:

Greenstein: (AA)75KQ(7)
Smith: (AQ)J4K6(10)
Lindgren: (77)528A-(X)

Greenstein made aces up on the end, but Justin Smith made a straight on seventh street, sending Greenstein home without a fourth consecutive deep finish in the event.

Left in the Deck:

The players are currently on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Barry Greenstein,   Hasan Habib,   Gus Hansen,   Phil Ivey,   Nick Schulman

Day 3 Begins At 2:00 pm PDT

Jun 28, '09

Day 3 of the $50,000 World Championship of H.O.R.S.E. is about to begin and and just 53 players remain out of the 91 that started Day 2. Hasan Habib came into Day 2 as the overnight chipleader, maintaining that lead almost the entire day until finally relinquishing it to Gus Hansen right before the closing bell.

Both Scotty Nguyen and Freddy Deeb have survived through the night and will return at 2:00 pm PDT to defend their titles. Day 3 is sure to bring a lot of action, so be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com as we bring you live updates, chip counts and eliminations from this marquee event.

1		Gus Hansen		686,000
2		Ray Dehkarghani		643,000
3		Erik Sagstrom		560,000
4		Todd Brunson		549,000
5		Hasan Habib		490,000
6		Scotty Nguyen		463,000
7		Frank Cremen		457,000
8		David Bach		451,000
9		Tony G		433,000
10		Jani Sointula		412,000
11		Patrick Bueno		380,000
12		Frank Kassela		379,000
13		John Kabbaj		376,000
14		Ralph Perry		348,000
15		David Chiu		344,000
16		Matt Glantz		337,000
17		Bill Chen		324,000
18		John Monnette		324,000
19		Jim Bechtel		312,000
20		Vitaly Lunkin		308,000
21		Mike Wattel		307,000
22		Ville Wahlbeck		307,000
23		Steve Billirakis		300,000
24		Barry Greenstein		284,000
25		Thor Hansen		256,000
26		Huck Seed		244,000
27		Mikhail Tulchinskiy		235,000
28		Chau Giang		231,000
29		Doyle Brunson		224,000
30		Scott Clements		221,000
31		Freddy Deeb		208,000
32		David Grey		191,000
33		Matt Hawrilenko		190,000
34		Erik Seidel		179,000
35		Jon Turner		179,000
36		Chris Ferguson		173,000
37		Kirill Rabtsov		165,000
38		Nick Schulman		157,000
39		Phil Ivey		154,000
40		Jason Gray		144,000
41		John Hennigan		142,000
42		Fabrice Soulier		138,000
43		Patrik Antonius		131,000
44		David Benyamine		130,000
45		Jerry Buss		130,000
46		Erick Lindgren		114,000
47		John Hanson		113,000
48		Martin Vallo		100,000
49		Justin Smith		87,000
50		Alex Kravchenko		80,000
51		Daniel Alaei		63,000
52		Steve Sung		50,000
53		Brett Richey		43,000

Player Tags: Gus Hansen

Level 11 Update: End of Day 2; Gus Hansen Leads

Jun 28, '09

Day 2 of the $50,000 World Championship of H.O.R.S.E. has come to an end and just 53 players remain out of the 91 that started the day. Hasan Habib came into the day as the overnight chipleader, maintaining that lead almost the entire day until finally relinquishing it to Gus Hansen right before the closing bell.

Both Scotty Nguyen and Freddy Deeb have the survived the day and will return at 2:00 pm PDT to defend their titles. Day 3 is sure to bring a lot of action, so be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com as we bring you live updates, chip counts and eliminations from this marquee event.

Flop Games: Blinds – 3,000-6,000, Limits – 6,000-12,000
Stud Games: Ante — 1,500, Bring-In — 2,000, Completion — 6,000, Limits — 6,000-12,000

Players Remaining: 53 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Ray Dehkharghani — 643,000
2. Gus Hansen — 540,000
3. Erik Sagstrom — 500,000
4. Matt Glantz — 475,000
5. Hasan Habib — 440,000
6. David Bach — 405,000
7. John Monnette — 402,000
8. Frank Kassela — 400,000
9. Jani Sointula — 390,000
10. Todd Brunson — 380,000

Average Chip Count: 268,867

Notable Eliminations:

Allen Kessler
Howard Lederer
Michael Saltzburg
Matthew Grapenthien
Abe Mosseri
Nikolay Evdakov
Andy Black
Farzad Bonyadi
Annie Duke
Big Hands:

HOLD’EM

Bonyadi Doubles Through Lederer, Leaves Him Crippled

Farzad Bontadi and Howard Lederer each get four bets in before the flop.

The flop comes Q99, Bonyadi gets it all in, Lederer calls and has him covered.

Bonyadi: AQ
Lederer: AK

Bonyadi flops a queen to take the lead. The turn and river are the 7 and the 9 as Bonyadi doubles up to 80,000 in chips while Lederer is left with just over 30,000 this hand.

Bonyadi Finishes the Job; Howard Lederer Eliminated

A few hands later and Howard Lederer raises before the flop and Farzad Bonyadi calls.

The flop comes KJ6, Lederer bets out and Bonyadi calls.

The turn is the 2, Lederer gets it all in and Bonyadi calls.

Lederer: 99
Bonyadi: 97

Lederer only has a pair on the turn while Bonyadi has already made a flush. Lederer is drawing dead on the river (10) and is eliminated from the tournament.

RAZZ

Abe Mosseri Eliminated by Hasan Habib

Abe Mosseri is all in on fourth street against Hasan Habib.

Mosseri: 3-2-4-7-7-7-K
Habib: A-7-8-2-2-4-J

Mosseri started off good on fourth street wen his money went in, but then tripped up on fifth and sixth streets, making a a king-low on the river. Habib makes a jack-low, adding even more chips to his stack as he eliminates Abe Mosseri right before the end of the play.

Dehkharghani Doubles Through Lindgren; Steals late-Night Chiplead

Ray Dehkharghani took control of the pot early with Erick Lindgren calling to a showdown.

Dehkharghani: 6-J-2-A-5-7-7
Lindgren: X-X-4-8-9-4-X

Dehkharghani makes a 7-low and Lindgren mucks his hand. Dehkharghani steals the chiplead with just under 650,000 this hand while Lindgren drops to 100,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Fred Bonyadi,   Erick Lindgren,   Hasan Habib,   Gus Hansen,   Howard Lederer,   Abe Mosseri,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Erik Sagstrom

Level 9 Update: Zeidman, Chan, Cassidy Eliminated

Jun 27, '09

Flop Games: Blinds – 2,000-4,000, Limits – 4,000-8,000
Stud Games: Ante — 1,000, Bring-In — 1,000, Completion — 3,000, Limits — 4,000-8,000

Players Remaining: 73 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Hasan Habib — 555,000
2. David Bach — 480,000
3. Scotty Nguyen — 410,000
4. John Kabbaj — 355,000
5. Mikhail Tulchiniskiy — 355,000
6. Chris Ferguson — 334,000
7. Matt Glantz — 325,000
8. Ray Dehkharghani — 310,000
9. Annie Duke — 307,000
10. Frank Kassela — 304,000

Average Chip Count: 195,205

Notable Eliminations:

Cory Zeidman
Johnny Chan
Joe Cassidy
Yuval Bronshtein

Big Hands

STUD/8

Cory Zeidman Eliminated

Cory Zeidman was all in on third street against both Annie Duke and Patrik Antonius.

Ziedman: X-X-A6J6
Duke: X-X-QKQ2
Antonius: X-X-3Q68

Duke turned over Q2 for a full house, winning the high hand while Antonius showed 754 for a 7-6 low, winning the low hand. Cory Zeidman mucks his hand and is eliminated from the tournament.

Big Pot; Hansen and Betchel Come Out on Top

Four players get involved in this huge pot.

Hansen: 789J
Betchel: 883K
Buss: K743
Bueno: J526

Pat Bueno takes his turn betting out on fourth street and Jerry Buss leads out on fifth street. All four players check around on sixth street and Gus Hansen leads out on the river. Jim Betchel raises and Jerry Buss and Patrik Bueno both fold. Hansen three-bets, Betchel four-bets and Hansen calls.

Betchel turns over 822 for a full house, winning the high pot while Hansen shows A32 for the low hand. Hansen and Betchel both break the 200,000 chip mark this hand as they split the pot.

Johnny Chan Eliminated by Chau Giang

Johnny Chan was all in on fourth street against Chau Giang.

Chan: X-X-8979
Giang: X-X-2KK-2

Chan made just a pair of nines while Giang made two pair on the river . Chau Giang rakes the pot, eliminating Johnny Chan from the tournament.

HOLD’EM

Negrenau Moving Backwards

On a flop of 932, Ray Dehkharghani bets and Daniel Negreanu raises, Dehkharghani calls.

The turn is the 9, and this time Dehkharghani checks to Negreanu who bets, Dehkharghani calls.

The river is the 2 and both players check. First to act, Dehkharghani shows 44 for two pair and Negreanu folds. Dehkharghani breaks 300,000 his hand while Negreanu falls down to just about half of that.

OMAHA/8

Jerry Buss Scoops a Pot

Pat Bueno raises from early position and both Jerry Buss and Jim Betchel calls from the blinds.

The flop comes 543, and it is checked to Bueno. Bueno bets and both opponents call.

The turn is the 4 and everyone checks around.

The river is the Q, and this time Buss bets out. Both opponents calls and Buss turns over AK87 to scoop the pot. Buss is back to just under 100,000 in chips this hand.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Jerry Buss,   Gus Hansen,   Daniel Negreanu,   Johnny Chan,   Chau Giang,   Cory Zeidman,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Patrik Antonius,   Patrick Bueno,   Jim Betchel

Level 5 Update: John Hennigan Eliminated

Jun 10, '09

Blinds: 250-500 with a 125 ante

Players Remaining: 87 of 96

Chip Counts:

1. Vince Musso — 84,000
2. Bruno Fitoussi — 64,000
3. Gus Hansen — 62,000
4. Jon Turner — 61,000
5. Amnon Filippi — 60,000
6. Max Pescatori — 58,000
7. Daniel Alaie — 56,500
8. Mark Weitzman — 54,000
9. Eli Elezra — 53,000
10. Mike Matusow — 53,000

Average Chip Count: 33,103

Notable Eliminations:

John Hennigan

Big Hands:

John Hennigan Eliminated by Gus Hansen

John Hennigan raises to 1,200 before the flop and Chino Rheem calls behind him. Gus Hansen reraises to 5,400 from the small blind and both players call.

Hansen stands pat while both Hennigan and Rheem draw one card each.

First to act, Hansen checks and Hennigan immediately moves all in for 17,775. Rheem tanks for a few minutes before Hennigan calls the clock on him. Rheem eventually folds as Hansen takes his turn in the tank. Hennigan proceeds to call the clock on him as well, perhaps prompting a call. Hansen calls with a 10-9 low and Hennigan throws his ace-high away. Johnny World is eliminated from the tournament.

Mickey Appleman Doubles Through Bobby Bellande

Barry Greenstein opens the pot for 1,500 from early position and Bobby Bellande calls from middle position. Mickey Appleman moves all in for 9,225 from the button, Greenstein folds and Bellande calls.

Appleman stands pat while Bellande draws one card. Bellande turns over 7632, waiting for Appleman to reveal his hand before turning over his last card. Appleman shows 98752 for a 9-8 low while Bellande turns over the Q for queen-high. Appleman doubles up to 22,000 this hand while Bellande falls down to 35,000 in chips.

Shawn Sheikhan Knock One Out

Shawn Sheihkhan gets it all in pre-flop against the player ins seat 2; Sheikhan has seat 2 covered. Seat 2 draws one card while Sheikhan stands pat. Seat 2 shows a queen-high while Sheikhan turns over 98542 for a 9-8 low. Sheikhan eliminates his opponent and brings his chip count up to 44,000 this hand.

Filippi Takes One from Fitoussi

Brunno Fitoussi raises to 800 from under the gun and the player in seat 4 calls from early position. Amnon Filippi reraises to 4,500 from the button, Fitoussi calls and seat 4 folds.

Fitoussi draws one card while Filippi stands pat. Both players check around.

Fitoussi shows queen-high while Filippi turns over 107652 for 10-7 low. Filippi rakes the pot and brings his chip count up to 66,000 while Fitoussi falls down to 60,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Mickey Appleman,   Gus Hansen,   Shawn Sheikhan,   John Hennigan,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Amnon Filippi,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Chino Rheem

Huck Seed Defeats Gus Hansen

Mar 07, '09

Huck Seed had the lead in the match against Gus Hansen and both players picked up solid hands preflop to get it all in.

Seed held A-Q and was racing against Hansen's pocket jacks. The board ran out Q10745 and Hansen was eliminated from contention

Seed makes the money and will play the winner of Glen Chorny and Brad Garrett.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Gus Hansen

Gus Hansen Defeats David Benyamine

Mar 06, '09

David Benyamine was short stacked and moved all in with 65. Gus Hansen made the call and revealed J4.

The flop came out 762 and Benyamine took the lead with a pair of sixes. However, Hansen made his flush when the A hit the turn.

Benyamine was eliminated and Hansen advances to play Huck Seed in the round of 32.

 

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   David Benyamine

Huck Seed Defeats Gus Hansen

Mar 07, '09

Huck Seed had the lead in the match against Gus Hansen and both players picked up solid hands preflop to get it all in.

Seed held A-Q and was racing against Hansen's pocket jacks. The board ran out Q10745 and Hansen was eliminated from contention

Seed makes the money and will play the winner of Glen Chorny and Brad Garrett.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Gus Hansen

Gus Hansen Defeats David Benyamine

Mar 06, '09

David Benyamine was short stacked and moved all in with 65. Gus Hansen made the call and revealed J4.

The flop came out 762 and Benyamine took the lead with a pair of sixes. However, Hansen made his flush when the A hit the turn.

Benyamine was eliminated and Hansen advances to play Huck Seed in the round of 32.

 

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   David Benyamine