John D'Agostino Poker Tournament Updates

Level 27: Down To The Final Four; Fukumoto 5th, D'Agostino 6th

Jun 19, '11

NOTE: Sixty minute levels with games changing every six hands.

Limits: 40,000-80,000

No-Limit Hold’em – Razz – Hold’em – Badugi:
Blinds: 20,000-40,000

Stud – 2-7 Draw (No-Limit) – Omaha 8:
Ante: 10,000
Bring In: 10,000
Completion: 40,000

PLO (No Ante) – Triple Draw 2-7 – Stud 8:
Blinds: 10,000-20,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 4 out of 431

Average Chip Count: 808,112

Chip Counts:

1. Travis Pearson – 850,000
2. Chris Lee – 850,000
3. Brian Haveson – 800,000
4. Shaun Deeb – 750,000

Eliminations:

5th. Kendal Fukumoto – $45,839
6th. John D’Agostino – $32,200

John D’Agostonio Eliminated in 6th Place ($32,200)
PLO

John D’Agostino began the official six-handed final table as the short stack and was the first one to go in 6th place.

John D’Agostino got it all in before the flop with A Q 10 7 against Chris Lee’s K K 10 5.

Lee was ahead before the flop with a pair of kings. The board came A Q 7 10 J, giving D’Agostino top pair on the flop, but Lee made an ace-high straight on the river to win the pot. John D’Agostino was eliminated in 6th place ($32,200).

Kendal Fukumoto Eliminated in 5th Place ($45,839)
Triple Draw 2-7

Kendal Fukumoto button-raised before the draw and Travis Pearson called from the big blind.

Pearson drew three cards while Fukumoto drew two cards. Pearson bet and Fukumoto called all in for 10,000.

On the second draw, Pearson drew one card while Fukumoto drew two cards.

On the third draw, Pearson and Fukumoto drew one card each.

Fukumoto: J – 7 – 4 – 2 – 7
Pearson: 9 – 8 – 5 – 3 – J

On the final draw, Pearson made a J – 9 while Fukumoto paired his sevens and was eliminated in 5th place ($45,839).

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: John D'Agostino,   Kendall Fukumoto,   Travis Pearson,   Chris Lee

Level 25: Chance Eliminated 7th, Final Table Now Underway

Jun 19, '11

NOTE: Play ended last night with 19 players and resumed today at 4:00pm. With the elimination of Kevin Chance in 7th place ($23,248), the official six-handed final table is now underway.

NOTE: Sixty minute levels with games changing every six hands.

Limits: 30,000-60,000

No-Limit Hold’em – Razz – Hold’em – Badugi:
Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Stud – 2-7 Draw (No-Limit) – Omaha 8:
Ante: 7,000
Bring In: 10,000
Completion: 30,000

PLO (No Ante) – Triple Draw 2-7 – Stud 8:
Blinds: 8,000-16,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Remaining: 6 out of 431

Average Chip Count: 538,750

Chip Counts:

1. Shaun Deeb – 1,318,000
2. Brian Haveson – 577,000
3. Travis Pearson – 507,000
4. Chris Lee – 505,000
5. Kendall Fukumoto – 271,000
6. John D’Agostino – 142,000

Payouts:

1st. $254,955
2nd. $157,491
3rd. $101,258
4th. $67,146
5th. $45,839
6th. $32,200

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: John D'Agostino,   Brian Haveson,   Kendall Fukumoto,   Travis Pearson,   Shaun Deeb,   Chris Lee

Level Three Hour Two Update: Adams Crippled By One-Outter

Jul 06, '10

Blinds: 150-300

Number of Entrants: 1,489

Average Chip Count 34,000

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Robert Miller – 150,000
2. Jim Collopy – 95,000
3. Phil Laak – 83,000
4. James Dempsey – 80,000
5. Kido Pham – 80,000
6. Alex Bonnin – 78,000
7. Dan Kelly – 72,000
8. Todd Witless – 72,000
9. Thomas Kremser – 66,000
10. Ludovic Lacay – 64,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 41,300

Notable Eliminations

Brett Jungblut
John D’Agostino
Robert Williamson

Big Hands:

Adams Crippled in Horrific One-Outter

Brandon Adams had to be pleased to get all in holding AA. His opponent held KK was in serious trouble.

The flop gave both players a set, running A3K. The turn was the 3 giving Adams the best possible full house, but on the river the table exploded with a collective “oooh!” as the case K fell to give quad king to the other player.

After a nice start to the day, Adams was down to just 5,000 in chips. Interestingly enough, just a few hands later a player with pocket aces got all in again against a player holding pocket kings. Once again, a king fell on the flop and the aces were cracked, eliminating the player holding them.

Friedberg’s Aggression Earns Him a Pot

We caught up with the action on the river with the board reading 8Q682. There was already over 14,000 in the pot and Jon Friedberg had put out a bet of 8,100.

His opponent immediately went into the tank and said “I don’t know how I’m supposed to get away from this.”

Friedberg sat motionless with his sunglasses on and eventually his opponent flashed A-Q and tossed it into the muck. Friedberg immediately mucked his cards and the dealer pushed him the pot.

Friedberg is now up to 41,300 with the pot.

J-Dags Gets Three-Outed, Eliminated

We got to the action at the end of a preflop raising war between John D’Agostino and Alex Bonnin. It resulted in D’Agostino getting his last 17,000 into the middle with pocket jacks against the K5 of Bonnin.

To make a long story short, Bonnin hit a king on the flop to send D’Agostino home.

Chewy Can’t Beat Eights

Andrew Lichtenberger was checked to a flop of AJ6. Lichtenberger fired 1,100 and was called by his opponent.

The 6 fell on the turn and both players checked. The 5 was the river card and both players checked again. Lichtenberger mucked his hand when the other player turned up 88, dropping him to 15,000 in chips.

Pavilion Room Coverage

Robert Williamson Eliminated

Robert Williamson got all his chips into the middle preflop with pocket queens. His all-in of just under 20,000 was called by an opponent with A-K. The flop came Q105 and gave Williamson top set, but left his opponent with a gutshot. The J filled the straight draw and Williamson needed the board to pair. However, the 2 on the river sealed his fate and he was eliminated.

Player Tags: John D'Agostino,   Jon Friedberg,   Brandon Adams

Level One: Bellande Looking For Action

Jun 23, '10

Flop Games: 100-200 blinds
Stud Games: 50 ante, 50 bring-in, 200-400 limits

Players Remaining: 171

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Hold’Em

D’Agostino Takes An Early One

Picking up the action on the flop of J103, the player in seat 1 bet 200 and seat 3 made the call. John D’Agostino then raised it up to 400 and both players called.

The turn was the J fell on the turn and the action was checked to D’Agostino. He bet 400 and seat 1 was the only caller. The river was the 10 and D’Agostino bet another 400.

Seat 1 mucked and D’Agostino took an early pot.

Omaha/8

Schneider Chops Up For A Profit

Picking up the action after the turn, the board read 9865. Tom Schneider, seat 1 and seat 6 all checked and saw the 4 on the river.

Seat 1 led out with 400 and both opponents called. Seat 1 tabled A335 for an ace-low while Schneider showed K2J4 for a heart-flush and took the high end.

Seat 6 mucked and watched Schneider and seat 1 share his chips.

Baker Takes One Off Bronshtein

After the board had run out 1075310, Yuval Bronshtein led out for 400.

David Baker then raised it to 800 and Bronshtein juggled his chips for a few seconds before throwing them in for the call. Baker then tabled AA64 for a seven-high straight.

Bronshtein mucked and Baker took an early pot.

Left In The Deck

Bellande Looking For Some Action

Jean-Robert Bellande is in the tournament, but which table he is assigned to is anyone’s guess. He spent the majority of the first level walking around the tournament area and laying odds to everyone on a last longer bet.

He got some takers, while others had other things to say to Bellande.

“You’re too loud,” Chau Giang said. “There are no cameras on you and you are making my ears hurt!”

“You can’t win a last longer if you’re not in your seat baby,” Scotty Nguyen said.

Bellande didn’t seem to hear either of them as he kept looking for takers.

Player Tags: Tom Franklin,   John D'Agostino,   Tom Schneider,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Yuval Bronshtein,   David Baker

Level Five: Mizrachi's Bluff Fails

Jun 09, '10

Blinds: 150-300 with a 75 ante

Players Remaining: 97 out of 101

Average Chip Count: 31,237

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Stephen Chidwick – 74,000
2. Andy Bloch – 48,000
3. Michael Mizrachi – 48,000
4. Barry Greenstein – 46,000
5. David Williams – 46,000
6. Mike Matusow – 43,000
7. Todd Brunson – 41,000
8. Eli Elezra – 41,000
9. Tom Dwan – 40,000
10. Anton Allemann – 39,500

Notable Eliminations:

Nikolay Evdakov
Dan Heimiller

Players Twitter Accounts:

Daniel Negreanu
Justin Smith
Jean-Robert Bellande
Doyle Brunson
Vanessa Rousso
Barry Greenstein
Chad Brown

Big Hands:

Lisandro Takes A Chunk Out Of Tran

Picking up the action after the draw, Jeffrey Lisandro bet 5,000 and J.C. Tran took a session in the tank.

After a long time thinking about it, Tran made the call. Lisandro then turned over 8-6-5-3-2. Tran stared at the hand for a bit just to make sure and then mucked his hand.

Lisandro took the pot and was at 23,000 while Tran was getting short with just over 13,000.

Elezra One-Ups Mueller

Eli Elezra raised to 900 before the draw and Greg Mueller was the only caller. Elezra elected to draw one card and Mueller did the same.

Elezra then counted out some chips and threw 2,700 into the middle. Mueller made the call and Elezra turned over 8-7-4-3-2.

Mueller showed a 9-low and surrendered the pot to Elezra. Elezra was up around 50,000 while Mueller was at 35,000.

Mizrachi’s Snow Melts

Huck Seed started the action by raising to 900 before the draw. The player in seat 3 then reraised to 3,000. The action folded around to Michael Mizrachi who put in one more raise to 7,000.

Seed mucked his hand and seat 3 made the call. Mizrachi stood pat on the draw and seat 3 did the same.

Mizrachi then fired 12,000 into the pot and was called down by his opponent. Mizrachi tapped the table and turned over 22 to reveal his bluff. Seat 3 turned over 10-8-6-5-3 and took down the pot.

Mizrachi was around 40,000 after the hand.

Alioto Bets Out Smith In Battle Of The Blinds

Dario Alioto raised to 1,000 from the small blind and Justin Smith made the call. Alioto then drew one card while Smith elected to take two.

Alioto then bet 1,500 and Smith played around with his chips for a bit before mucking his hand. Alioto took the pot and was around 30,000 while Smith was at 23,500.

D’Agostino Loses Big Chunk Of His Chips

John D’Agostino raised to 1,050 before the draw. The player in seat 4 made the call and everyone else folded.

D’Agostino took one card on the draw and his opponent did the same. D’Agostino then led out with 1,850 and seat 4 thought for a bit before raising to 10,000. D’Agostino only had 5,000 left and took a long session in the tank on whether he wanted to put himself at risk.

Eventually, he decided to muck and keep his last 5,000 in chips for another hand.

Rousso Bets Out Lisandro

We picked up this hand on the draw. Jeffrey Lisandro drew one card and Vanessa Rousso elected to stand pat.

Rousso then led out with 1,500 and Lisandro mucked his hand rather quickly. Rousso raked in the pot and was at 25,000.

Lisandro was at 29,000 after the hand.

No Draw Necessary For Schneider

Tom Dwan opened the action by raising to 1,050 before the draw. The action folded to Yan Chen who put in a second raise to 3,150. The action was then on Tom Schneider who took a tank session.

He then fired out 9,500 in chips. Action folded back around to Dwan who took his own session in the tank before mucking his hand. Chen was next to act and, after a tank session of his own, mucked his hand as well.

Schneider took a nice pot before the draw and was around 40,000. Dwan was at 44,000 and Chen was at 24,000.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Huck Seed,   John D'Agostino,   Michael Mizrachi,   Tom Schneider,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Vanessa Rousso,   Yan Chen,   Tom Dwan,   Dario Alioto,   Justin Smith

Level One: Turner And Lindgren Start Off Well

Jun 09, '10

Blinds: 50-75 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 70

Notable Eliminations:

None

Players Twitter Accounts:

Daniel Negreanu
Justin Smith
Jean-Robert Bellande
Doyle Brunson
Vanessa Rousso
Barry Greenstein
Chad Brown

Big Hands:

Turner Bets Out Chen And Monnette

Picking up the action on the draw, John Monnette stood pat, Yan Chen drew one card and Jon Turner drew two cards.

Chen then led out with 400 and Monnette quickly folded. Turner then popped it to 1,600 and Chen released his hand just as quickly as Monnette.

Turner took the 1,600 pot and was off to a good start.

Brown’s Nine Bests Alaei

We caught up with this hand at showdown and Chad Brown turned over 9-6-4-3-2. Alaei mucked his hand and Brown took an early 800 chip pot, his three add-on chips still by his side.

Bellande Gets Jacked

Alessio Isaia raised to 1,800 and Jean-Robert Bellande made the call. Bellande drew one card while Isaia stood pat.

Bellande then fired 3,600 and Isaia thought for a few moments before making the call.

“I got a queen,” Bellande said as he tapped the table.

Isaia showed J-9-7-6-2 and he took a nice pot early in the day.

Greenstein Takes One Down

Jean-Robert Bellande raised to 250 before the draw and he was called by John Kabbaj and Barry Greenstein.

Bellande stood pat, Kabbaj took one and Greenstein took two cards on the draw. The three players then checked and Greenstein turned over a perfect jack-low, J-5-4-3-2.

He took down the 1,000-chip pot and was off to a positive start.

Lindgren Takes Pot Off Four Players

Erik Seidel, John D’Agostino, Nikolay Evdakov, Erick Lindgren and the player in seat 6 each had 300 in the pot before the draw.

Seidel and D’Agostino each drew two cards, Lindgren and seat 6 drew one and Evdakov stood pat.

Lindgren then led out for 900 and only Evdakov stuck around to look him up. Lindgren showed 9-6-5-4-3 and Evdakov mucked, surrendering the 1,350 pot to Lindgren.

Mizrachi Beats Seed

Huck Seed raised to 225 and Michael Mizrachi three-bet to 600. Seed made the call and Mizrachi stood pat on the draw.

Seed drew one card and both players checked. Mizrachi then turned over 10-9-8-4-2 and Seed mucked, surrendering the 1,350 pot to Mizrachi.

Left In The Deck

Reload When Ready

The players have started the tournament with 7,500 in chips in front of them. But they also have three red add-on chips worth 7,500, thus making the starting stacks equal 30,000. The players are free to use the chips at any time during the first four levels, after which they will be forced to cash them in.

Come Back In 45 Minutes

Freddy Deeb and Steve Sung were just a couple of players who registered late for this event. As a result, the floor has told them that they will be a part of the second flight and must return at the beginning of the second level. The entrants list reads 70 at the moment, but that number is sure to grow by the time the dinner break hits after level four.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Erick Lindgren,   Barry Greenstein,   Huck Seed,   John D'Agostino,   Michael Mizrachi,   John Monnette,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Steve Sung,   Jon Turner,   Freddy Deeb,   Nikolay Evdakov,   Alessio Isaia

Level 2 Update: Lisandro Chips Up

Jun 03, '10

Limits: Bring-in 100, Ante 75, Limits 300-600

Players Remaining: 128 out of 128

Notable Eliminations:

none

Big Hands:

Jeff Lisandro Picks Up a Three-Way Pot

George Lind, Jeff Lisandro, and David Benefield got tangled up in a three-way pot. On fifth street, Lind’s board was (X-X)-Q-7-10, Lisandro’s board was (X-X)-A-K-3, and Benefield’s board was (X-X)-8-5-4.

Lind 600, Lisandro called, and Benefield raised to 1,200, which was called by both players. Benefield then caught a 3, Lisarndro caught the K, and Lind caught the 8. Now Lisandro bet 600 and was called by both players. Lisandro bet again after the river was dealt and Benefield folded and Lind called. Lisandro showed K-10-2 in his hand, showing that he missed his flush, but made three kings and Lind mucked his hand.

Brandon Adams Bests Mueller

On fifth street, Brandon Adams bet and was called by Mueller with his board looking like (X-X)-A-3-5. Mueller’s board was (X-X)-Q39. Mueller paired his nine when he caught the 9 on sixth and Adams caught the J and both players checked.

The river was dealt face down and both players knocked the table again. Adams exposed the AQ7 in the hole, giving him a pair of aces and Mueller mucked his hand. Adams is up to 33,000.

Master of Broadway

Entering late on heads up action between Men Nguyen and Abe Mosseri, The Master bet on the end and Mosseri called to see the bad news. The Master showed 10-J-Q-K-A for the broadway straight, and Mosseri mucked, giving the 3,000 pot to The Master. He had 34,200 after the hand.

D’Agostino Shows Opponent Who Is King

John D’Agostino bet and was called on 4th and 5th street before checking 5th street. Seat 1 checked behind him and D’Agostino fired again on 6th street and was called. Both players checked the end and showed down.

Seat 1: (X-X) 9A10K-(X)
D’Agostino: (X-X) K549 – D’Agostino showed the K in the hole for the pair of kings, and seat 1 mucked. The pot put D’Agostino’s stack around 31,500.

Ivey Wins a Pot, What a Shocker

Phil Ivey completed the bring-in showing the 10 and was called by Ylon Schwartz, Marco Traniello, and Cory Zeidman. Traniello then bet every street up to the river, and was called by every player. On the river their boards looked like this.

Ivey: (X-X)-10-3-9-5
Zeidman: (X-X)-6-10-4-7
Schwartz: (X-X)-8-4-3-10
Traniello: (X-X)-Q-K-2-2

Traniello now checked and was the only caller of Ivey’s bet. Ivey showed the AQ7 in the hole, making him a flush good enough to take the pot.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   John D'Agostino,   Greg Mueller,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Abe Mosseri,   Brandon Adams,   David Benefield

Level Nine: Jennifer Harman Eliminated

May 29, '10

Blinds:

Flop/Limit Games: 1,000-4,000 blinds; 4,000-8,000 stakes
Stud Games: 1,000 ante, 1,000 bring-in, 4,000-8,000 limits
No Limit Hold’em/PLO: 500 ante, 1,000-2,000 blinds

Players Remaining: 82 out of 116

Tournament Leaderboard

1. Alexander Kostritsyn – 430,000
2. Steve Zolotow – 420,000
3. Doyle Brunson – 390,000
4. John Cernuto – 379,000
5. David Oppenheim – 360,000
6. Brian Hastings – 340,000
7. Joe Serock – 340,000
8. Daniel Alaei – 335,000
9. Erik Sagstrom – 329,100
10. Amnon Filippi – 315,000

Average Chip Count: 212,195

Notable Eliminations:

Jennifer Harman
Ted Lawson
Howard Lederer
Shawn Buchanan
Alexander Kravchenko
Carlos Mortensen
Marco Johnson

Big Hands:

Omaha/8

Jennifer Harman Eliminated

On a board showing AQ5K2, Jennifer Harman was all in against Cole South.

South showed down A643 for a wheel. Harman could not beat that, flashing two queens from her hand and then releasing them into the muck and she was eliminated.

Ivey And Baker Chop It Up

We caught up with this hand on the turn. The board was 842 and Phil Ivey bet 8,000.

David Baker made the call and the river was the 8.

Ivey bet another 8,000 into the pot and Baker called again.

Ivey showed down A993 for an overpair. Baker showed A2K4 to get the low and the players chopped.

Ivey was at 166,000 while Baker was very healthy with 220,000.

No Limit Hold’em

Almost Fireworks

Phil Ivey raised to 6,000 preflop from the button and Patrik Antonius reraised to a total of 22,000 from the big blind. Ivey instantly started stacking chips that would’ve amounted to another significant reraise, but ultimately laid his hand down.

Antonius had around 230,000 after the hand.

Boeken and Mosseri Keeping Active

Noah Boeken and Abe Mosseri have been involved in many of the hands in the no limit hands. In one Boeken made it 6,000 preflop and Mosseri called.

The flop came Q75 and Boeken fire 8,500 into the pot. Mosseri quickly raised to 20,000 though, prompting Boeken to ask him how much he had left behind, before folding his hand.

Later, Mosseri raised to 5,000 and Phil Ivey called. Both players checked the entire board of AK325, and Ivey mucked when Mosseri showed a king. The pot sent Mosseri’s stack to around 210,000.

Brown Takes A Small One

Picking up the action on the flop, John Monnette checked a board of A42.

Chad Brown bet 6,000 into the pot and Monnette mucked his hand.

Brown took a small pot and was at 70,000 while Monnette was at 60,000.

Limit Hold’em

Dario Called Down, Loses to Jack High

Dario Minieri raised to 8,000 from the button and was called by Mike Gorodinsky in the big blind. The flop came AAK and action checked to Minieri who bet 4,000. Gorodinsky called and both players checked the K on the turn.

They again checked the 8 on the river and Gorodinsky showed J7 for jack-high. Minieri sadly tapped the table and mucked, seeing his stack drop under 50,000 for the first time.

Gorodinsky had around 170,000 after the hand.

D’Agostino Wins A Pot

On a board reading J109, John D’Agostino bet 5,000 into the pot. Sorel Mizzi quickly folded, surrendering the pot to D’Agostino.

D’Agostino was at 65,000 while Mizzi was around 55,000.

Brunson Hammers Mortensen

We caught up with this hand on the river. The board had run J75QK.

Doyle Brunson and Carlos Mortensen were contesting a massive pot. Brunson turned over JJ for top set. Mortensen could only look in disgust as he showed 55 for bottom set and mucked his hand.

Brunson took the pot and was up near 400,000. Mortensen dropped near 100,000 after the hand and would later be eliminated from the tournament.

Pot Limit Omaha

David Bach Doubles Through Josh Arieh

Picking up the action after the flop, the board read 863.

Josh Arieh bet 4,500 and David Bach raised the pot, 15,000. Daniel Alaei got out of the way and Arieh reraised the pot. Bach eventually got all of his chips in the middle and turned over K787 for a flush draw.

Arieh showed 7532 for straight draws galore. The turn was the 10 and the river was the A, giving Bach the hand and the double up.

Bach started with just over 30,000 and ended up doubling to about 61,000. Arieh was at 250,000.

Ivey Gets Some Back

Entering the action on a flop of 874, Phil Ivey bet 4,000 and was called by Eli Elezra. On the J turn Ivey bet 25,000 and Elezra tanked long and hard before folding. Ivey was at around 170,000 after the hand.

Razz

D’Agostino Picks One Off From The Grinder

John D’Agostino, Michael Mizrachi, and Erick Lindgren, were all in a hand that saw each lead out with bets on a different street, before having D’Agostino and Mizrachi heads up at the end. Their cards were shown to be:

D’Agostino – 4564A25
Mizrachi – 3A98 – Muck

Following the win, D’Agostino’s stack boosted to around 150,000.

Player Tags: David Baker,   John D'Agostino,   Carlos Mortensen,   Doyle Brunson,   David Bach,   Michael Mizrachi,   Jennifer Harman,   Phil Ivey,   John Monnette,   Patrik Antonius,   Dario Minieri,   Sorel Mizzi,   Mike Gorodinsky,   Cole South

Level Six: D'Agostino, Ivey Chipping Up

May 29, '10

Blinds:

Flop/Limit Games: 1,000-2,000 blinds; 2,000-4,000 stakes
Stud Games: 500 ante, 500 bring-in, 2,000-4,000 limits
No Limit Hold’em: 300 ante, 500-1,000 blinds

Players Remaining: 107 out of 116

Tournament Leaderboard

1. Erik Sagstrom – 329,100
2. David Oppenheim – 313,800
3. Doyle Brunson – 269,200
4. Edwin Ting – 258,900
5. Justin Bonomo – 257,300
6. Joe Serock – 253,900
7. Steve Billirakis – 251,900
8. John Cernuto – 251,400
9. Vladimir Schmelev – 243,700
10. Barry Greenstein – 240,100

Average Chip Count: 162,616

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands:

Limit Hold’em

Mizzi Spaces On The Current Game

Sorel Mizzi raised to 4,000 preflop only to have John D’Agostino reraise to 6,000. Mizzi made the call.

The flop came 1064 and Mizzi checked to D’Agostino who bet 2,000. Mizzi looked confused but called.

After the 2 fell on the turn Mizzi checked and folded to D’Agostino’s bet of 4,000 on the turn, admitting in the process that he didn’t realize they were playing limit hold’em at the moment and thought D’Agostino was making an odd minimum bet on the flop.

D’Agostino was at around 60,000 after the hand and Mizzi was still up around 135,000.

D’Agostino Uses Limit Hold’em Round to Chip Up

Against the player in seat 8 two hands later, D’Agostino three-bet preflop and the flop came Q43.

D’Agostino called seat 8’s 2,000 bet and the K fell on the turn.

When seat 8 bet the turn, D’Agostino raised to a total of 8,000 and was called.

The 9 came on the river and D’Agostino bet 4,000 and was called. He showed AJ for the nut flush. Seat 8 mucked and D’Agostino took the pot to boost his stack back up to around 80,000.

Haxton Throws Glantz Overboard

Isaac Haxton raised to 4,000 from the cutoff and Matt Glantz made the call from the button. The flop came down JJ5 and Haxton checked.

Glantz fired 2,000 and Haxton check-raised to 4,000. Glantz made the call and the 4 fell on the turn. Haxton led out with 4,000 and Glantz called.

The river was the J and both players checked. Haxton showed down 99 for a full house and Glantz mucked. Haxton started the hand with about 140,000 and improved to 155,000 while Glantz dropped from 115,000 to just under 100,000.

Bloch Gets Better Of Ferguson

We caught up with this hand on the river. The board ran out K6632 and Andy Bloch bet 4,000 into a 20,000 pot. Chris Ferguson could not make the call and Bloch took down a nice pot.

He was up to 144,000 while Ferguson’s stack fell to 110,000 and it would fall lower during the Stud round.

2-7 Lowball

Matusow Forces Out Juanda

Mike Matusow raised to 4,000 before the first draw and John Juanda made the call. The players each took two cards on the first draw and Juanda bet 2,000.

Matusow raised it to 4,000 and Juanda made the call. Both players drew one card on the second draw and Juanda checked. Matusow fired 4,000 and Juanda mucked his hand.

Matusow started the hand with 132,000 and improved to 141,000 with the win. Juanda dropped from 138,000 to just over 130,000.

Williamson Cuts The Razor

Robert Williamson III was heads up with John Phan and drew 1 on the first draw, while Phan took two. Williamson bet 2,000 and Phan made the call.

Phan drew two again and Williamson stood pat. After Williamson fired 4,000 into the pot, Phan gave up on the hand and Williamson boosted his stack to around 148,000. Phan was down to around 125,000.

Also seated at this table is Gus Hansen, Andy Bloch, and Chris Ferguson.

Omaha/8

Ivey Chops With Elezra

We caught up with this hand after the flop. The board was AJ3 and Phil Ivey bet 2,000. Eli Elezra then raised to 4,000 and Ivey made the call.

The turn was the 4 and both players checked. They did the same on the Q river and then tabled their hands.

Ivey showed J952 for a wheel while Elezra showed K106A for a broadway straight. The players chopped the pot and Elezra was at 145,000 while Ivey was at 143,000.

Ivey Takes Down Pot, Mosseri Cashes In

We caught up with this hand on the river. The board was KQ933 and Ivey bet 4,000 into the pot. Eli Elezra folded but seat 2 made the call. During Elezra’s contemplation of a call, Abe Mosseri and Daniel Negreanu were whispering to each other.

When Ivey tabled K3910, Mosseri cheered. Negreanu reached into his pocket and paid Mosseri $500. Mosseri apparently guessed Ivey’s hand while Negreanu missed.

Ivey took in the pot and was around 155,000 after the hand while Negreanu’s wallet got just a little lighter.

7-Stud

Jesus Turns Weak Cards Into Two Pair

Entering the hand in progress, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson showed 964 and called a bet from seat 6 of 4,000 with seat 6 showing AK10.

Seat 6 then got the 5 and bet 4,000. Jesus got the 3 and made the call.

After seat 6 slowed down and checked the last card, Jesus bet 4,000 and was called. He showed 64J for two pair and seat 6 mucked.
Jesus was sitting with around 80,000 after the hand.

Ivey’s Kings are King

Showing X-X-4, Phil Ivey raised to 4,000 and was called by Dario Alioto with X-X-A.

After being dealt the 7 next, Ivey fired 2,000 and was called by Alioto who got the 8.

Ivey bet 4,000 on his next card, the J and Alioto raised to 8,000 on his K. Ivey made the call

Ivey fired 4,000 after being dealt the 5, and Alioto called after getting the 5.

After calling Ivey’s final bet of 4,000 after the last cards were dealt, Alioto had to muck when Ivey showed KK in the hole along with the 7 for two pair. Ivey had around 185,000 after the hand.

Left in the Deck:

Table redraws create star-studded tables

Seated at the table right next to the Card Player work area are Phil Ivey, Eli Elezra, Daniel Negreanu and Huck Seed.

Another table features Erik Seidel, Phil Hellmuth, Michael Binger, David Oppenheim, Scott Clements and Isaac Haxton.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Erik Seidel,   Chris Ferguson,   Huck Seed,   Daniel Negreanu,   John D'Agostino,   David Oppenheim,   Mike Matusow,   Phil Hellmuth,   Eli Elezra,   Phil Ivey,   Matthew Glantz,   Scott Clements,   Michael Binger,   Sorel Mizzi,   Isaac Haxton

Level 8 Update: Howard Lederer Triples Up

Jun 08, '09

Blinds: 600-1,200

Players Remaining: 133 out of 179

Chip Counts:

1. Chris Bjorin – 134,000
2. Scott Clements – 131,000
3. Phil Ivey – 88,000
4. Sam Farha – 76,000
5. Alex Kostritsyn – 74,000
6. Phil Hellmuth – 70,000
7. John Hennigan – 63,000
8. John Lester – 60,000
9. John Monnette – 60,000
10. Jeff Madsen – 58,000

Average Chip Count: 40,074

Notable Eliminations:

Gavin Smith
Greg Raymer

Big Hands:

Howard Lederer Triples Up

The professor was able to get the last of his short stack into the pot with A1029. Lederer was called by Ivey and another opponent. The board ran out A7376 and Lederer tripled up by scooping the main pot. Ivey and the other player split the side pot.

Jeff Madsen Scoops Against John D’Agostino

On board of 66Q74, Jeff Madsen made a river bet and was called by John D’Agostino. The birthday boy exposed the AKJ3 and D’Agostino mucked. Madsen scooped and is up to 70,000 in chips.

Mike Matusow Scoops Pot Vs. Daniel Negreanu

On a board of 63AA5, Mike Matusow bet and Negreanu went into the tank before saying that he didn’t see how he could fold. He eventually made the 4,800 chip call and Matusow exposed the 5A24 for aces full and a 2-4 low for the low. Matusow scooped the pot and is now up to about 40,000 in chips.

Left In The Deck:

The players have stopped action for the night and will resume at 2 p.m. tomorrow.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   John D'Agostino,   Howard Lederer,   Mike Matusow,   Jeff Madsen

John D'Agostino Eliminated

Nov 06, '08

Despite flopping quads earlier in the day, John D'Agostino has been eliminated from the tournament.

Player Tags: John D'Agostino

Jimmy Fricke Eliminated

Nov 06, '08

On an 8-8-5-5-K board Jimmy Fricke bets 6,100 and John D'Agostino reraises to 15,000. Even though Fricked suspects D'Agostino has quads, he moves all in. D'Agostino shows his quads and Fricke is eliminated from the tournament.

D'Agostino now has over 50,000 in chips. 

Player Tags: John D'Agostino

$10,000 Main Event - Lieu Doubles Up

Jul 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Left: 1,071 of 2,378

Chip Leaders:

Peter Biebel: 380,000
Alex Outhred: 315,000
Steve Lade: 290,000
Darryl Ronconi: 290,000
Evan Woodington: 265,000
Steve Chung: 260,000
Henning Granstad: 255,000
Mohamad Kowssarie: 250,000
Chad Layne: 240,000
Andy Wrtek: 230,000

Big Hands:

"Double Up Time"

On a flop of K97, Liz Lieu checked and the player in seat 8 bet 8,000. Liu raised (check-raise) all in for 20,000. Seat 8 tanked for a minute before making the call. Both players turned over their cards.

Lieu: KJ
Seat 8: AJ

Lieu got it in with top pair against ace-high, and the turn and river brought the 3 and the 4. Lieu's kings held up as she doubled up to just about 50,000 after the hand.

Bernard Lee Eliminated

On a board of J623, Bernard Lee bet 9,600 and the player in seat 9 raised to 30,000. Lee came over the top and moved all in for 70,000, seat 9 made the call. Lee turned over 52 for the flush, but seat 9 showed A7 for the ace-high flush. Lee wasn't quite drawing dead on the turn, he would need to catch the 4 on the river to make the straight flush and double through his opponent. The river brought the 10, and Bernard Lee was eliminated from the main event.  

Gordon Gets Bigger

On the flop of a board reading 643, action checked around to Phil Gordon in the cutoff, who made a large bet of 15,000. The player in the small blind thought for some time before moving all in. Gordon quickly pushed in a call, showing 44 and crushing his opponent's 33. The turn was the J, leading Gordon to call for another spade for the chop. The river instead brought the 5, sending the pot across the felt to Gordon and sending the player in the small blind home. Gordon was up over 165,000 after the hand.

A few hands later, Gordon lost a few of those chips when he and fellow pro John D'Agostino both called a short stacked player's raise all-in before the flop. D'Agostino and Gordon both checked down the entire board, which ran out QJ1022. The short stacked player, sitting in seat 6, flipped over AK for the flopped nut straight. D'Agostino and Gordon both mucked their cards. Even after the triple up, seat 6 sat behind only around 7,000 in chips.

Thunder Gets Rolled

The player in seat 8 raised to 3,300 from late position and action folded to Thomas "Thunder" Keller in the big blind. Keller asked his opponent what he had left (33,200). Keller then raised to 12,000 and seat 8 immediately moved all in for 21,200 more. Keller thought for a couple of seconds before making the call and turning over AQ. Seat 8 rolled over QQ, dominating Keller's hand. The flop brought the case queen as it fell Q84. Keller needed running aces to win the pot. But the turn brought the J, leaving Keller drawing dead. The A was an added kick to the groin, giving Keller a worthless two pair. Keller was down to 121,000 after the hand.

Billirakis Makes a Move, Takes a Hit

Steve "MrSmokey1" Billirakis limped under the gun along with 3 others and the flop came 1087. Action was checked to Billirakis who bet 3,500. Seat 7 then check-raised to 10,000. Billirakis had his opponent covered and eyed seat 7's chips. He eventually announced he was all in, putting his opponent to the ultimate test. The pressure definitely made seat 7 uncomfortable, as he adjusted in his seat and sighed while thinking what to do. After some deliberation, he said he called and Billirakis showed 92 for the open-ended straight draw and flush draw. Seat 7 slammed down 88 happily and pumped his fist. The turn brought the 10, sending seat 7 into a celebration-mode because he made a full house, leaving Billirakis drawing dead. The river was a meaningless 2 and Billirakis lost nearly 100,000 in the hand, dropping to around 115,000.

A Table Worth Watching

Talk about a fun table. Teddy "Iceman" Monroe has just joined the table already featuring Bryan Micon, who announced, "It'  the Iceman!" as Monroe took his seat.

Micon Knows What Cards You Have

Bryan Micon raised to 2,500 from late position and was called by the player in seat 2, who was in the big blind. On a flop of KQ2, the big blind checked to Micon, who fired out 2,300. Seat 2 thought it over and stared at Micon. Micon smiled back and the big blind cracked a smile as well. He eventually called and when the 7 hit on the turn the big blind instantly moved all in for 7,800 more. "So sick," Micon said. "I know exactly what you have." Micon mucked his cards and told his opponent that he had a pair. His opponent said he could beat that.

Bellande Ready To Push

After grabbing a stack of chips Jean-Robert Bellande eye-balled the under the gun player who had just limped into the pot. Bellande elected to just limp in as well, and when the flop came out there were 6 players who had done so. The flop came Q106 and the player in the big blind led out for 2,300. Action folded to Bellande who announced a raise and made it 10,000 more to go. Action folded around back to seat 3 who thought briefly before mucking. Bellande said that he had a hand this time. "I was going all in," he said. "I had middle pair with the flush draw and I was ready."

Player Tags: John D'Agostino,   Phil Gordon,   Thomas Keller,   Bernard Lee,   Liz Liu

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2B - Level 6 (Hour 2)

Jul 09, '08

Blinds: 300-600, 75 ante

Chip Leaders:
Henning Granstad - 242,950
Igor Ioffe - 195,000
David Stucke - 168,000
David Benefield - 160,000
Dylan Linde - 146,000
Bill Blanda - 145,000
Sami Rustom - 140,450
Steve Billirakis - 137,000
David Singer - 136,000

Other Notables:
Nenad Medic - 122,000
Brad Booth - 120,000
Gus Hansen - 117,000
Andrew Robl - 105,000
Ayaz Mahmood - 80,000
Shun Uchida - 80,000
Jan Sjavik - 79,000
Phil Hellmuth - 77,000
Jeff Madsen - 75,000
Evelyn Ng - 75,000
Phil Gordon - 73,000
Chris Moneymaker - 68,000
David Daneshgar - 62,000
Liz Lieu - 55,000
Tony Dunst - 55,000
Mike Matusow - 53,000
Rolf Slotboom - 50,000
Joe Hachem - 34,000
Matt Hawrilenko - 32,000
Minh Nguyen - 32,000
Amir Vahedi - 31,950
Kyle Kloeckner - 30,000
Cory Zeidman - 28,000
Ryan Daut - 24,000
Bill Chen -24,000
Howard Lederer - 24,000
Nick Binger - 22,000
Ryan Daut - 18,000
Allen Cunningham - 16,000
Michael Binger - 12,000
Shannon Elizabeth - 11,500
Jeff Shulman - 10,000

Eliminations:
Alex Jacob
Jerry Yang
Beth Shak
Brian Townsend
Danny Wong
Joe Awada

Big Hands and Storylines:

Amnon Filippi Eliminated

Ryan Hughes raised to 1,400 under the gun and three players in middle position called. Then Charles Large, on the button, moved in for 12,500. Amnon Filippi, who had been holding his chips in his hand since the start of his hand, moved in for about 4,200. Hughes called and the three other players folded. The three players showed their hands:

Hughes: 99
Filippi: AK
Large: AK

Interestingly, not only were Filippi and Large sharing outs, but one of the players who folded claimed to have had pocket nines. The board was even worse news for Filippi and Large: the 876 flop giving Hughes an open-ended straight draw in addition to his pair. The turn was the 4, giving Large a flush draw, but the 8 on the river ended the World Series hopes of both Large and Filippi. Hughes is now up to 73,000.

Duane Thompson Doubles Through Evelyn Ng

Duane Thompson was all-in on the button for 11,000 against Evelyn Ng in the small blind. Thompson showed A2 and was visibly pleased when Ng showed KQ. Thompson was audibly pleased too, saying, “I can’t believe I’m ahead.” The raggy board – 75325 – kept him ahead, and he doubled up to 24,000. Despite the hit, Ng still has 75,000.

D’Agostino Takes a Hit

John D’Agostino just lost a 60k pot when his A-K could not improve against his opponent’s pocket queens. D’Agostino, sitting directly across from Phil Gordon, is down to 55,000.

Yang's run comes to an end

The defending champion has been eliminated. Seated at the second featured table, Jerry Yang was shortstacked and in need of luck. He first ran A-2 into A-Q, but survived when the board brought two pair and only their aces played. Then he moved in with A-J and was called by A-9, but a nine came on the flop and Yang was eliminated. On his way out, he wished everyone at his table good luck and then received a nice applause from everyone in the Amazon Room.

Goldstein Can't Pull the Trigger

Ken Goldstein, the SpadeClub poker room manager, was on the button and called a raise to 1500 from a player in middle position. The flop came K53 and both players checked. The 5 paired the board on the turn, and again both players checked. The J on the river brought the flush into play, and another checks followed. "No pair," declared the other player. Goldstein couldn't show a winner at that point. When the other player showed 108, Goldstein mucked his hand. Goldstein had about 12,000 in chips after the hand.

Hansen off to Nice Start

Gus Hansen was in middle position and raised to 1625, which resulted in play being folded around to the big blind, who made the call. The flop came J54, and both players checked. The 10 fell on the turn, and the big blind came out with a 4000 bet. Hansen seemed uncertain whether to simply call, or push the player all-in for his remaining 21,000. He finally made the call, and the 2 on the river made a four-flush on board. It was enough of a scare card that both players checked. The big blind showed KJ for top pair, while Hansen held 1010 for a set spiked on the turn, and he collected the pot. Hansen has about 120,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Evelyn Ng,   Kenny Goldstein,   Gus Hansen,   John D'Agostino,   Amnon Filippi,   Jerry Yang

$10,000 Main Event - Cloutier Being Aggressive

Jul 05, '08

Blinds/Antes: 100-200

Chip Leaders:

Rhett Butler: 63,000
Carl Henriksson: 62,000
John Strzemp: 58,600
Clonie Gowen: 58,300
Brad Booth: 56,000
Adam Zinn: 51,000
Bryan Devonshire: 49,500
Dmitri Nobles: 48,000
Matt Hawrilenko: 45,000
Jared Brintz: 42,000

Card Player Counts:

Rolf Slotboom: 32,000
Mike Matusow: 27,800
Isaac Haxton: 21,200
Mark Gregorich: 20,300
Marcel Luske: 19,800
Michael Binger: 18,100
Gavin Griffin: 6,500
Bertrand Grospellier: 3,500

Eliminations: Mike Sexton, Daniel Alaei, Max Pescatori, Dustin Woolf, Davidi Kitai

Big Hands:

Makhija Runs Into Bullets

Amit Makhija raised to 600 from the cutoff before the flop. Seat 9 called from the button and the player in seat 1 reraised to 1,700 from the small blind. Action came back to Makhija, who made the call. Seat 9 got out of the way and the flop came down J106. Seat 1 led out with 3,000 and Makhija made the call. The turn paired the board as the J hit the felt. Seat 1 thought for a long time before deciding to move all in for 10,200. Makhija took his own time to think, but he eventually called and showed 99. Seat 1 turned over AA and Makhija was in trouble. He needed to hit a two-outer to take the pot, but the 8 fell on the river and Makhija trasported almost half of his stack to seat 1. He started the hand with almost 27,000 in chips and ended it with just 12,000.

Le Gets Pushed Out

Nam Le raised to 650 before the flop from middle position. The player in seat 4 made the call from the hijack position and everyone else folded. The flop came down 10105 and Le fired a continuation bet of 800. Seat 4 immediately made his move as he pushed all in for 5,025 more. Le went in the tank as camera crews rushed over to the table. Le looked at his hand a couple of times and finally mucked. He was down to 28,000.

Cloutier Sends His Opponent's Ladies into the Muck

T.J. Cloutier raised to 600 from middle position preflop and seat 4 made the call from the button. The player in seat 6 also called from the big blind and everyone saw a flop of 1087. Cloutier fired 1,000 into the pot of 1,800 and the button called. The player in the big blind got out of the way and the 4 came on the turn. Cloutier kept up his aggression as he fired 3,000 into the pot. The button turned over his hand, QQ, and released it into the muck. "I'll let you win this hand," he told Cloutier. "Oh, you had me beat," Cloutier says as he showed the 10. Regardless, Cloutier raked in the pot and improved to 14,000 in chips.

Quack, Quack, Quack

In a limped four-way pot, the flop came J22. Action checked to the player in seat 6 who fired 600. John D'Agostino made the call and the other players folded. The turn brought the 5 and both players checked. When the 4 fell on the river, D'Agostino bet 1,500 and his opponent made the call. D'Agostino showed K2 for a set of ducks. His opponent mucked and D'Agostino's stack grew to about 40,000.

Medic Doubles Up

Nenad Medic raised to 600 preflop and was called by the player in the big blind. The flop came down 832. Medic bet 1,000 after the big blind checked. The big biind then check-raised to 2,500. Medic repopped to 6,000 and the big blind put Medic all in. Medic called and showed 83, ahead of his opponent's 99. The turn was the Q and the river was the 5 and Medic doubled up to around 24,000.

We Told You Not to Play With Sam Farha

A player in middle position raised to 700 and Farha made the call. The player on the button jumped in as well and the flop came down Q86. The initial bettor checked, as did Farha. The button then fired 1,100 into the pot. The initial bettor folded and Farha raised to 4,100. The button looked at Farha, frowned, nodded, looked at his hand and threw it into the muck. Farha was up to 45,000.

Online Poker LIve at the WSOP

The Brasilia Room has apparently been designated as the "online room." Players like Chad "lilhodem954" Batista, Adam "Roothlus" Levy, Jonathan "driverseati" Tamayo, David Benefield and Philip "uscphildo" Collins are all going to work there.

Chad Batista Hammered Down By Big Slick

After Batista raised to 550 preflop, another player pushed all in for 3,000. Batista made the call and showed QJ. His opponent turned over big slick, AK and hit the flop of K74. Batista needed running cards to win the pot, but the K on the turn sealed the deal and Batista was drawing dead. The meaningless river was the 6 and Batista dropped to around 9,000 in chips.

Collins Picked Off

Collins was involved in a hand where he bet 1,000 on a board of K746. He was called by the player in seat 2. When the J hit on the river, Collins fired 3,500 and seat 2 went into the tank. He eventually said that he couldn't put Collins on a real hand so he made the call. Collins showed 65 for a pair of sixes. Seat 2 showed K8 for top pair to rake in the pot. After the loss, Collins had around 20,000.

Teltscher Teaches Tiffany A Lesson

Brit Mark Teltscher was a match for Tiffany Michelle's aggression when he called every bet on ever street including 4,000 on the river. The board read A-A-K-7-2 and Teltscher went into the tank finally calling. Michelle looked a little downbeat. "You got an Ace?" she asked and went to muck her cards. Teltscher flipped over A-3 for trip aces and Michelle's bluff had gone badly awry. After the hand she was down to 34,000 and the Englishman was up to 26,000.

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier,   Nam Le,   John D'Agostino,   Amit Makhija,   Phil Collins

$10,000 Main Event - Lieu Doubles Up

Jul 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Left: 1,071 of 2,378

Chip Leaders:

Peter Biebel: 380,000
Alex Outhred: 315,000
Steve Lade: 290,000
Darryl Ronconi: 290,000
Evan Woodington: 265,000
Steve Chung: 260,000
Henning Granstad: 255,000
Mohamad Kowssarie: 250,000
Chad Layne: 240,000
Andy Wrtek: 230,000

Big Hands:

"Double Up Time"

On a flop of K97, Liz Lieu checked and the player in seat 8 bet 8,000. Liu raised (check-raise) all in for 20,000. Seat 8 tanked for a minute before making the call. Both players turned over their cards.

Lieu: KJ
Seat 8: AJ

Lieu got it in with top pair against ace-high, and the turn and river brought the 3 and the 4. Lieu's kings held up as she doubled up to just about 50,000 after the hand.

Bernard Lee Eliminated

On a board of J623, Bernard Lee bet 9,600 and the player in seat 9 raised to 30,000. Lee came over the top and moved all in for 70,000, seat 9 made the call. Lee turned over 52 for the flush, but seat 9 showed A7 for the ace-high flush. Lee wasn't quite drawing dead on the turn, he would need to catch the 4 on the river to make the straight flush and double through his opponent. The river brought the 10, and Bernard Lee was eliminated from the main event.  

Gordon Gets Bigger

On the flop of a board reading 643, action checked around to Phil Gordon in the cutoff, who made a large bet of 15,000. The player in the small blind thought for some time before moving all in. Gordon quickly pushed in a call, showing 44 and crushing his opponent's 33. The turn was the J, leading Gordon to call for another spade for the chop. The river instead brought the 5, sending the pot across the felt to Gordon and sending the player in the small blind home. Gordon was up over 165,000 after the hand.

A few hands later, Gordon lost a few of those chips when he and fellow pro John D'Agostino both called a short stacked player's raise all-in before the flop. D'Agostino and Gordon both checked down the entire board, which ran out QJ1022. The short stacked player, sitting in seat 6, flipped over AK for the flopped nut straight. D'Agostino and Gordon both mucked their cards. Even after the triple up, seat 6 sat behind only around 7,000 in chips.

Thunder Gets Rolled

The player in seat 8 raised to 3,300 from late position and action folded to Thomas "Thunder" Keller in the big blind. Keller asked his opponent what he had left (33,200). Keller then raised to 12,000 and seat 8 immediately moved all in for 21,200 more. Keller thought for a couple of seconds before making the call and turning over AQ. Seat 8 rolled over QQ, dominating Keller's hand. The flop brought the case queen as it fell Q84. Keller needed running aces to win the pot. But the turn brought the J, leaving Keller drawing dead. The A was an added kick to the groin, giving Keller a worthless two pair. Keller was down to 121,000 after the hand.

Billirakis Makes a Move, Takes a Hit

Steve "MrSmokey1" Billirakis limped under the gun along with 3 others and the flop came 1087. Action was checked to Billirakis who bet 3,500. Seat 7 then check-raised to 10,000. Billirakis had his opponent covered and eyed seat 7's chips. He eventually announced he was all in, putting his opponent to the ultimate test. The pressure definitely made seat 7 uncomfortable, as he adjusted in his seat and sighed while thinking what to do. After some deliberation, he said he called and Billirakis showed 92 for the open-ended straight draw and flush draw. Seat 7 slammed down 88 happily and pumped his fist. The turn brought the 10, sending seat 7 into a celebration-mode because he made a full house, leaving Billirakis drawing dead. The river was a meaningless 2 and Billirakis lost nearly 100,000 in the hand, dropping to around 115,000.

A Table Worth Watching

Talk about a fun table. Teddy "Iceman" Monroe has just joined the table already featuring Bryan Micon, who announced, "It'  the Iceman!" as Monroe took his seat.

Micon Knows What Cards You Have

Bryan Micon raised to 2,500 from late position and was called by the player in seat 2, who was in the big blind. On a flop of KQ2, the big blind checked to Micon, who fired out 2,300. Seat 2 thought it over and stared at Micon. Micon smiled back and the big blind cracked a smile as well. He eventually called and when the 7 hit on the turn the big blind instantly moved all in for 7,800 more. "So sick," Micon said. "I know exactly what you have." Micon mucked his cards and told his opponent that he had a pair. His opponent said he could beat that.

Bellande Ready To Push

After grabbing a stack of chips Jean-Robert Bellande eye-balled the under the gun player who had just limped into the pot. Bellande elected to just limp in as well, and when the flop came out there were 6 players who had done so. The flop came Q106 and the player in the big blind led out for 2,300. Action folded to Bellande who announced a raise and made it 10,000 more to go. Action folded around back to seat 3 who thought briefly before mucking. Bellande said that he had a hand this time. "I was going all in," he said. "I had middle pair with the flush draw and I was ready."

Player Tags: John D'Agostino,   Phil Gordon,   Thomas Keller,   Bernard Lee,   Liz Liu

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2B - Level 6 (Hour 2)

Jul 09, '08

Blinds: 300-600, 75 ante

Chip Leaders:
Henning Granstad - 242,950
Igor Ioffe - 195,000
David Stucke - 168,000
David Benefield - 160,000
Dylan Linde - 146,000
Bill Blanda - 145,000
Sami Rustom - 140,450
Steve Billirakis - 137,000
David Singer - 136,000

Other Notables:
Nenad Medic - 122,000
Brad Booth - 120,000
Gus Hansen - 117,000
Andrew Robl - 105,000
Ayaz Mahmood - 80,000
Shun Uchida - 80,000
Jan Sjavik - 79,000
Phil Hellmuth - 77,000
Jeff Madsen - 75,000
Evelyn Ng - 75,000
Phil Gordon - 73,000
Chris Moneymaker - 68,000
David Daneshgar - 62,000
Liz Lieu - 55,000
Tony Dunst - 55,000
Mike Matusow - 53,000
Rolf Slotboom - 50,000
Joe Hachem - 34,000
Matt Hawrilenko - 32,000
Minh Nguyen - 32,000
Amir Vahedi - 31,950
Kyle Kloeckner - 30,000
Cory Zeidman - 28,000
Ryan Daut - 24,000
Bill Chen -24,000
Howard Lederer - 24,000
Nick Binger - 22,000
Ryan Daut - 18,000
Allen Cunningham - 16,000
Michael Binger - 12,000
Shannon Elizabeth - 11,500
Jeff Shulman - 10,000

Eliminations:
Alex Jacob
Jerry Yang
Beth Shak
Brian Townsend
Danny Wong
Joe Awada

Big Hands and Storylines:

Amnon Filippi Eliminated

Ryan Hughes raised to 1,400 under the gun and three players in middle position called. Then Charles Large, on the button, moved in for 12,500. Amnon Filippi, who had been holding his chips in his hand since the start of his hand, moved in for about 4,200. Hughes called and the three other players folded. The three players showed their hands:

Hughes: 99
Filippi: AK
Large: AK

Interestingly, not only were Filippi and Large sharing outs, but one of the players who folded claimed to have had pocket nines. The board was even worse news for Filippi and Large: the 876 flop giving Hughes an open-ended straight draw in addition to his pair. The turn was the 4, giving Large a flush draw, but the 8 on the river ended the World Series hopes of both Large and Filippi. Hughes is now up to 73,000.

Duane Thompson Doubles Through Evelyn Ng

Duane Thompson was all-in on the button for 11,000 against Evelyn Ng in the small blind. Thompson showed A2 and was visibly pleased when Ng showed KQ. Thompson was audibly pleased too, saying, “I can’t believe I’m ahead.” The raggy board – 75325 – kept him ahead, and he doubled up to 24,000. Despite the hit, Ng still has 75,000.

D’Agostino Takes a Hit

John D’Agostino just lost a 60k pot when his A-K could not improve against his opponent’s pocket queens. D’Agostino, sitting directly across from Phil Gordon, is down to 55,000.

Yang's run comes to an end

The defending champion has been eliminated. Seated at the second featured table, Jerry Yang was shortstacked and in need of luck. He first ran A-2 into A-Q, but survived when the board brought two pair and only their aces played. Then he moved in with A-J and was called by A-9, but a nine came on the flop and Yang was eliminated. On his way out, he wished everyone at his table good luck and then received a nice applause from everyone in the Amazon Room.

Goldstein Can't Pull the Trigger

Ken Goldstein, the SpadeClub poker room manager, was on the button and called a raise to 1500 from a player in middle position. The flop came K53 and both players checked. The 5 paired the board on the turn, and again both players checked. The J on the river brought the flush into play, and another checks followed. "No pair," declared the other player. Goldstein couldn't show a winner at that point. When the other player showed 108, Goldstein mucked his hand. Goldstein had about 12,000 in chips after the hand.

Hansen off to Nice Start

Gus Hansen was in middle position and raised to 1625, which resulted in play being folded around to the big blind, who made the call. The flop came J54, and both players checked. The 10 fell on the turn, and the big blind came out with a 4000 bet. Hansen seemed uncertain whether to simply call, or push the player all-in for his remaining 21,000. He finally made the call, and the 2 on the river made a four-flush on board. It was enough of a scare card that both players checked. The big blind showed KJ for top pair, while Hansen held 1010 for a set spiked on the turn, and he collected the pot. Hansen has about 120,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Evelyn Ng,   Kenny Goldstein,   Gus Hansen,   John D'Agostino,   Amnon Filippi,   Jerry Yang

$10,000 Main Event - Cloutier Being Aggressive

Jul 05, '08

Blinds/Antes: 100-200

Chip Leaders:

Rhett Butler: 63,000
Carl Henriksson: 62,000
John Strzemp: 58,600
Clonie Gowen: 58,300
Brad Booth: 56,000
Adam Zinn: 51,000
Bryan Devonshire: 49,500
Dmitri Nobles: 48,000
Matt Hawrilenko: 45,000
Jared Brintz: 42,000

Card Player Counts:

Rolf Slotboom: 32,000
Mike Matusow: 27,800
Isaac Haxton: 21,200
Mark Gregorich: 20,300
Marcel Luske: 19,800
Michael Binger: 18,100
Gavin Griffin: 6,500
Bertrand Grospellier: 3,500

Eliminations: Mike Sexton, Daniel Alaei, Max Pescatori, Dustin Woolf, Davidi Kitai

Big Hands:

Makhija Runs Into Bullets

Amit Makhija raised to 600 from the cutoff before the flop. Seat 9 called from the button and the player in seat 1 reraised to 1,700 from the small blind. Action came back to Makhija, who made the call. Seat 9 got out of the way and the flop came down J106. Seat 1 led out with 3,000 and Makhija made the call. The turn paired the board as the J hit the felt. Seat 1 thought for a long time before deciding to move all in for 10,200. Makhija took his own time to think, but he eventually called and showed 99. Seat 1 turned over AA and Makhija was in trouble. He needed to hit a two-outer to take the pot, but the 8 fell on the river and Makhija trasported almost half of his stack to seat 1. He started the hand with almost 27,000 in chips and ended it with just 12,000.

Le Gets Pushed Out

Nam Le raised to 650 before the flop from middle position. The player in seat 4 made the call from the hijack position and everyone else folded. The flop came down 10105 and Le fired a continuation bet of 800. Seat 4 immediately made his move as he pushed all in for 5,025 more. Le went in the tank as camera crews rushed over to the table. Le looked at his hand a couple of times and finally mucked. He was down to 28,000.

Cloutier Sends His Opponent's Ladies into the Muck

T.J. Cloutier raised to 600 from middle position preflop and seat 4 made the call from the button. The player in seat 6 also called from the big blind and everyone saw a flop of 1087. Cloutier fired 1,000 into the pot of 1,800 and the button called. The player in the big blind got out of the way and the 4 came on the turn. Cloutier kept up his aggression as he fired 3,000 into the pot. The button turned over his hand, QQ, and released it into the muck. "I'll let you win this hand," he told Cloutier. "Oh, you had me beat," Cloutier says as he showed the 10. Regardless, Cloutier raked in the pot and improved to 14,000 in chips.

Quack, Quack, Quack

In a limped four-way pot, the flop came J22. Action checked to the player in seat 6 who fired 600. John D'Agostino made the call and the other players folded. The turn brought the 5 and both players checked. When the 4 fell on the river, D'Agostino bet 1,500 and his opponent made the call. D'Agostino showed K2 for a set of ducks. His opponent mucked and D'Agostino's stack grew to about 40,000.

Medic Doubles Up

Nenad Medic raised to 600 preflop and was called by the player in the big blind. The flop came down 832. Medic bet 1,000 after the big blind checked. The big biind then check-raised to 2,500. Medic repopped to 6,000 and the big blind put Medic all in. Medic called and showed 83, ahead of his opponent's 99. The turn was the Q and the river was the 5 and Medic doubled up to around 24,000.

We Told You Not to Play With Sam Farha

A player in middle position raised to 700 and Farha made the call. The player on the button jumped in as well and the flop came down Q86. The initial bettor checked, as did Farha. The button then fired 1,100 into the pot. The initial bettor folded and Farha raised to 4,100. The button looked at Farha, frowned, nodded, looked at his hand and threw it into the muck. Farha was up to 45,000.

Online Poker LIve at the WSOP

The Brasilia Room has apparently been designated as the "online room." Players like Chad "lilhodem954" Batista, Adam "Roothlus" Levy, Jonathan "driverseati" Tamayo, David Benefield and Philip "uscphildo" Collins are all going to work there.

Chad Batista Hammered Down By Big Slick

After Batista raised to 550 preflop, another player pushed all in for 3,000. Batista made the call and showed QJ. His opponent turned over big slick, AK and hit the flop of K74. Batista needed running cards to win the pot, but the K on the turn sealed the deal and Batista was drawing dead. The meaningless river was the 6 and Batista dropped to around 9,000 in chips.

Collins Picked Off

Collins was involved in a hand where he bet 1,000 on a board of K746. He was called by the player in seat 2. When the J hit on the river, Collins fired 3,500 and seat 2 went into the tank. He eventually said that he couldn't put Collins on a real hand so he made the call. Collins showed 65 for a pair of sixes. Seat 2 showed K8 for top pair to rake in the pot. After the loss, Collins had around 20,000.

Teltscher Teaches Tiffany A Lesson

Brit Mark Teltscher was a match for Tiffany Michelle's aggression when he called every bet on ever street including 4,000 on the river. The board read A-A-K-7-2 and Teltscher went into the tank finally calling. Michelle looked a little downbeat. "You got an Ace?" she asked and went to muck her cards. Teltscher flipped over A-3 for trip aces and Michelle's bluff had gone badly awry. After the hand she was down to 34,000 and the Englishman was up to 26,000.

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier,   Nam Le,   John D'Agostino,   Amit Makhija,   Phil Collins