Bernard Lee - Live Updates

Level 6 Update: Bernard Lee, Chad Brown Double Up

May 31, '09

Blinds: 100-200 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 1,100 out of 3,000

Notable Eliminations:

John Phan
Michael Carroll
Michael Binger
Nick Binger
Daniel Shak
Alex Jacob

Big Hands:

Bernard Lee Doubles Up…Again

The UTG player opens for a raise and gets three callers including Bernard Lee from middle position. The flop comes K-K-9, and action checks around to Lee who moves all in. The UTG player makes the call and both players turn over their cards. Lee turns over K-J suited for trip kings while his opponent shows pocket aces. The turn is a 3 and the river is a 10 as Bernard Lee doubles up again, this time to 6,700 in chips.

Chad Brown Doubles Up

Chad Brown just doubled up when he made an ace-high flush against an opponent’s straight. Brown is almost up to 5,000 after this hand.

Michael Carroll is Eliminated

The severely short stacked Mike Carroll went all-in pre-flop for 1200 total. Action was folded to the button who instantly called with QQ. Carroll was well behind as he turned over the 88. The board ran out 4K103A and Carroll was unable to have another deep run in another multiple thousand player field.

Dan Shak Eliminated

Dan Shak was short stacked when he shoved all-in with 45, and unfortunately ran up against the pocket queens and pocket kings of two other opponents. The flop came 10104 and Shak needed a four to stay alive. The board bricked out and Shak was sent to the rail.

Dinner Break

The remaining players in today’s $1,000 NLH event are now on a ninety-minute dinner break and will return at 8:30 PDT to begin Level 7.

Player Tags: Chad Brown,   Daniel Shak,   Bernard Lee

Level 5 Update: Dario Minieri Eliminated, Jimmy Fricke Catches a Bluff

May 31, '09

Blinds: 100-200

Players Remaining: 1,600 out of 3,021

Notable Eliminations

Dario Minieri

Big Hands:

Dario Minieri Eliminated

Dario Minieri raised pre-flop and was called by the king queen off-suit of Jonathan Tyler. The flop brought an ace, king and queen, giving Tyler bottom two and Minieri a pair and a gut-shot straight draw. Minieri bet the flop and Tyler called. The turn was a blank for Minieri and Tyler checked. Minieri fired out a bet again and Tyler called. The river was a disaster card for Minieri, as another queen fell. Tyler checked and Minieri went all-in with his trip queens for about 3,000 and was called by the full house of Tyler, sending the Italian pro to the rail late on day 1.

Jimmy Fricke Catches All-in Bluff

On a board of 6Q273, Jimmy Fricke and seat 6 were locked into a river confrontation. Fricke’s opponent shoved all-in for 3,025 and Fricke went into the tank. After about a minute of deliberation Fricke made the call and his opponent immediately said, “good call” and looked discouraged. Fricke turned over the K7 for middle pair and won a big pot. Fricke is now up to 11,400 in chips.

Bernard Lee Doubles Up

The player in seat 1 raises to 600 from the button and Bernard Lee moves all in from the small blind. The button calls and both players turn over their cards. Lee has A6 while his opponent holds 1010. The board comes J528A, and Lee hits an ace on the river to double up. After the hand Lee is back up to 3,000 in chips.

J.C. Tran Knocks One Out

With three players to a flop of AQ2, and one all in, J.C. Tran bets 800 and gets the other player to fold. Seat 1 turns over AK for top pair while Tran shows 63 for the flush. The turn and river bring the 9 and 6 as J.C. Tran eliminates another player and brings his stack up to 15,000.

Kathy Liebert Successfully Defends Her Big Blind

Action folds around to the small blind who completes the bet. Kathy Liebert raises to 400 from the big blind and the small blind calls the raise. The flop comes 952, Liebert bets 500 and wins the pot. After this hand Liebert is up to 4,000 in chips.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Kathy Liebert,   Bernard Lee,   Dario Minieri,   Jimmy Fricke

$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 7 (Hr. 2)

Jul 09, '08

Players are going on an extended 30-minute break as tournament officials now take all the 25 chips off the tables.

Blinds/Antes: 300-600-75

Day 2B Players Left: 1,701

Chip Leaders:
Terry Lade - 300,000
Henning Granstad - 280,000
Cliff Josephy - 250,000
Evan Woodington - 240,000
Alexander Kotritsyn – 210,000
Victor Ramdin – 203,000
Chad Layne - 200,000
Vlad Teposu - 195,000
Serj Markarian - 185,000
Howard Berchowitz - 184,000
Igor Ioffe - 175,000
Brandon Becker - 175,000

Other Notables:
Phil Hellmuth – 107,000
Nenad Medic – 105,000
Jennifer Harman – 101,000
Mike Wattel – 84,000
Nikolay Evdakov – 78,000
Jeff Madsen – 75,000
Thayer Rasmussen – 69,000
Mike Matusow – 60,000
Minh Nguyen – 58,000
Kyle Kloeckner – 48,000
Jean-Robert Bellande – 47,000
Ayaz Mahmood – 45,000
Joe Hachem – 43,000
Rolf Slotboom – 39,000
Matt Vengrin – 29,000
Allen Cunningham – 28,000
Ryan Daut – 23,000
Tony Dunst – 22,000
Cory Zeidman – 18,000
Ed Brogdon – 13,000

Big Hands and Storylines:

Don’t Mess with the Force

Play was folded around the table to the small blind, where Leif Force raised to 2300. The player in the big blind sensed a steal, so he reraised to 7000. Force then decided to prove he was serious, and made a second raise, this to 17,300. It was going to cost the big blind another 10,300 to call, with a stack of about 30,000. He elected to fold, but accidently flashed the 7 in the process. “I can beat that,” Force told him, mucking his hand.

Lee uses straight flush to increase stack

Late in the level Bernard Lee raised from under the gun with pocket tens and the big blind reraised all in for 20,000 more. Lee called and was up against A-K. The board came K-10-4-9-7 and Lee took the pot. Later he got involved in a pot with J7. The flop came 8-8-7 with the 8 and Lee called a 1,000 bet. He called another bet when the T came on the turn, and then the 9 came on the river, giving him a straight flush. Lee made a 2,100 bet and got a call and the pot. At the break Lee was up to 70,000 chips.

Ng Adds to Chip Count

Evelyn Ng was in the small blind and called a raise from a player in late position. The flop came 1055, and after Ng checked, she called a 5000 bet. Both players checked when the 2 fell on the river, then Ng led out for another 5000 when the 2 double-paired the board on the river. Her opponent called, but trailed with his 66, and Ng was holding 77.

Men the Master chops pocket kings

Preflop, Men Nguyen made a reraise of 12,000 and was called. Then on a J76 flop he check-raised all in for about 40,000. He called an his opponent flipped over two kings. "I'm freerolling. Give me two diamonds," Nguyen announced before flipping over a pair of kings with the K. But the turn was a heart, chopping the roughly 120,000-chip pot.

Childs Takes a Hit

Nenad Medic raised to 1800 from the cut-off and Lee Childs called from the big blind. The flop came Q97 and after Childs checked Medic checked behind him. The 5 came on the turn and Childs stabbed at the pot with a 2500 bet. Medic made the call. The 10 was the river card and Childs checked. Medic then moved out 5000, and Childs reluctantly made the call. Medic showed Q8 for top pair, and Childs mucked. He lost almost half his stack in the hand, now with 11,800 in front of him. Nedic has been joined at the table by fellow Canadian Isabelle Mercier.

Matusow Takes Small Pot

Mike Matusow was in the big blind, after checked after the player in the cut-off limped for 600. The flop came 742and both players checked. The 3 came on the turn and Matusow bet 1500, which drew a call. The 6 came on the river and Matusow bet 2400. His opponent folded and Matusow improved to about 55,000 in chips.
 

Player Tags: Evelyn Ng,   Mike Matusow,   Nenad Medic,   Bernard Lee,   Leif Force,   Lee Childs

$10,000 Main Event - Brunson and Minieri Take Their Leave

Jul 06, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Left: 1,503 of 2,461

Chip Leaders:

Steve Austin: 140,000
Shawn Conix: 136,000
Dylan Linde: 135,000
Jason Katsutani: 133,000
Carlos Mortensen: 133,000
Richard Smith: 130,000
William Blanda: 121,700
Victor Ramdin: 120,000
David Saab: 119,400
David Stucke: 115,000

CP Counts:

Phil Hellmuth: 52,800
Jeff Shulman: 40,000
Todd Brunson: busted

Eliminations: Dario Minieri, Todd Brunson, Shane Schleger, Cyndy Violette, Michael Mizrachi

Big Hands:

The Ladies Hold Cunningham... errr, Hold FOR Cunningham

The player in seat 4 raised to 1,200 from early position and Allen Cunningham made the call from the cutoff. The flop came down 964 and seat 4 fired 2,600. Cunningham quickly called and the turn was the 10. Seat 4 slowed down, checking to his opponent. Cunningham kept his foot on the gas and fired 5,000 into the pot. Seat 4 made the call and the river was the 2. Seat 4 checked and Cunningham took time to think about whether he could get any value out of a final bet. He decided he couldn't and checked as well. Seat 4 showed down JJ for an overpair. Cunningham showed an overpair of his own, QQ, and raked in the pot. He was at 80,000 after the hand.

Brunson Busts

Todd Brunson's tournament came to an end when his 56 ran into his opponent's nut flush with AJ on the turn of a board reading 6426. Brunson failed to improve on the river, which brought the A and the end of the Brunson's 2008 WSOP.

El Matador Gored... Slightly

On a board of Q10545, Carlos Mortensen made a 4,000 bet on the river and the player in seat 3 looked him up. Mortensen rolled his eyes and threw his hand into the muck. Seat 3 raked the pot, but failed to make a significant dent in Mortensen's growing stack. After the hand, Mortensen still had well over 120,000 in chips.

Bernard Lee Gets Bluffed Out?

Heads-up and on a board of 1093K5, Bernard Lee bet 7,700 on the river. His opponent in seat 7 thought for a minute before asking Lee how much he had left. Lee did a quick count replying, "A little under 11,000." Seat 7 moved all in and a short stacked Lee folded the hand after a minute or so in the tank. Seat 7 showed 88 as he raked the pot, Lee looked a little thrown off. Seat 7 said, "I wouldn't have done that, but you checked the king on the turn, so I knew you didn't have it." Lee shook his head and shrugged it off, down to 11,000 in chips.

Phil Gordon Can't Stand It

Gordon raised preflop to 1,025 from middle position and the player in seat 2 called from the cutoff. The flop came down QQJ and Gordon checked. Seat 2 fired 1,000 and Gordon quickly called. The turn was the 3 and Gordon checked again. Seat 2 fired 2,500 into the pot this time and Gordon quickly called again. The river was the 8 and Gordon checked one more time. Seat 2 fired 5,000 into the 9,050 pot. Gordon quickly called and seat 2 showed down KQ and Gordon shot out of his chair, a disgusted groan coming out of him. He took a short walk away from the table as his hand was placed in the muck. He was down to 35,000 in chips.

Matt Savage Knocks One Out On River

The player in seat 1 moved all in before the flop and Matt Savage made the call. Savage had him covered and both players turned over their cards.

Savage: A6
Seat 1: AQ
Board: Q7584

Matt Savage was way behind before the flop, his opponent making top pair on the flop and all but reducing Savage to going runner-runner. The 8 on the turn gave savage the open-ended straight draw, and the 4 on the river locked it up. Savage sucked out to make the eight-high straight, eliminating his opponent and bringing his stack up to 45,000 after the hand.

Men "The Master"...Not So Much

The player in seat 7 raised to 1,200 from the cutoff and Men "The Master" Nguyen reraised to 4,000 from the big blind. Seat 7 called and the flop came 765. Nguyen fired out 6,000 and seat 7 made the call. The turn was a scare card (2) and both players checked around. The river was another scare card (8), and Nguyen went into the tank for nearly three minutes on his own action. Finally Nguyen checked to to his opponent who rapped the table as well. Seat 7 said, "How big is your pair?" as he turned over A5 for a pair of fives. Nguyen said, "Fives are good man" as he threw his cards into the muck. Nguyen lost more than half of his stack that hand, now down to just 9,000 in chips.

Ramdin Pushed Out, So What?

Victor Ramdin raised to 1,200 from middle position and the player in seat 8 made the call from the small blind. The flop came down 1043. Ramdin continued with the aggression as he fired 2,000 into the pot. The small blind had enough of that nonsense, however, and he came over the top with 3,000 more. Ramdin mucked his hand, but was still left with a healthy 93,000 in chips.

Some More Magic

The player in seat 6 raised to 2,400 from middle position and action folded to Antonio Esfaniari on the button. "How much do you have left," Esfandiari asked his opponent. After getting his answer (approx. 24,000), Esfandiari made the call and the flop came down 1084. Seat 6 checked and Esfandiari applied the pressure with a bet of 4,600. Seat 6 liked the 24,000 he had left and decided not to put any more of it at risk as he mucked his hand. Esfandiari took the pot and was around 88,000 after the hand.

Dario's Day Over

Dario Minieri raised against one middle position limper to 1,600 from the small blind. The limper called, and also called Dario's bet of 2,300 on the flop of 722. The turn was the 10, and the Italian Harry Potter shoved for his remaining 7,500. His opponent called once again, and was in bad shape holding A10 against Minieri's QQ. But the river brought an unfortunate 10, sending the bracelet winner to the rail early in the last level of the night.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Allen Cunningham,   Carlos Mortensen,   Phil Gordon,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Todd Brunson,   Victor Ramdin,   Bernard Lee,   Matt Savage,   Dario Minieri

$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 7 (Hr. 2)

Jul 09, '08

Players are going on an extended 30-minute break as tournament officials now take all the 25 chips off the tables.

Blinds/Antes: 300-600-75

Day 2B Players Left: 1,701

Chip Leaders:
Terry Lade - 300,000
Henning Granstad - 280,000
Cliff Josephy - 250,000
Evan Woodington - 240,000
Alexander Kotritsyn – 210,000
Victor Ramdin – 203,000
Chad Layne - 200,000
Vlad Teposu - 195,000
Serj Markarian - 185,000
Howard Berchowitz - 184,000
Igor Ioffe - 175,000
Brandon Becker - 175,000

Other Notables:
Phil Hellmuth – 107,000
Nenad Medic – 105,000
Jennifer Harman – 101,000
Mike Wattel – 84,000
Nikolay Evdakov – 78,000
Jeff Madsen – 75,000
Thayer Rasmussen – 69,000
Mike Matusow – 60,000
Minh Nguyen – 58,000
Kyle Kloeckner – 48,000
Jean-Robert Bellande – 47,000
Ayaz Mahmood – 45,000
Joe Hachem – 43,000
Rolf Slotboom – 39,000
Matt Vengrin – 29,000
Allen Cunningham – 28,000
Ryan Daut – 23,000
Tony Dunst – 22,000
Cory Zeidman – 18,000
Ed Brogdon – 13,000

Big Hands and Storylines:

Don’t Mess with the Force

Play was folded around the table to the small blind, where Leif Force raised to 2300. The player in the big blind sensed a steal, so he reraised to 7000. Force then decided to prove he was serious, and made a second raise, this to 17,300. It was going to cost the big blind another 10,300 to call, with a stack of about 30,000. He elected to fold, but accidently flashed the 7 in the process. “I can beat that,” Force told him, mucking his hand.

Lee uses straight flush to increase stack

Late in the level Bernard Lee raised from under the gun with pocket tens and the big blind reraised all in for 20,000 more. Lee called and was up against A-K. The board came K-10-4-9-7 and Lee took the pot. Later he got involved in a pot with J7. The flop came 8-8-7 with the 8 and Lee called a 1,000 bet. He called another bet when the T came on the turn, and then the 9 came on the river, giving him a straight flush. Lee made a 2,100 bet and got a call and the pot. At the break Lee was up to 70,000 chips.

Ng Adds to Chip Count

Evelyn Ng was in the small blind and called a raise from a player in late position. The flop came 1055, and after Ng checked, she called a 5000 bet. Both players checked when the 2 fell on the river, then Ng led out for another 5000 when the 2 double-paired the board on the river. Her opponent called, but trailed with his 66, and Ng was holding 77.

Men the Master chops pocket kings

Preflop, Men Nguyen made a reraise of 12,000 and was called. Then on a J76 flop he check-raised all in for about 40,000. He called an his opponent flipped over two kings. "I'm freerolling. Give me two diamonds," Nguyen announced before flipping over a pair of kings with the K. But the turn was a heart, chopping the roughly 120,000-chip pot.

Childs Takes a Hit

Nenad Medic raised to 1800 from the cut-off and Lee Childs called from the big blind. The flop came Q97 and after Childs checked Medic checked behind him. The 5 came on the turn and Childs stabbed at the pot with a 2500 bet. Medic made the call. The 10 was the river card and Childs checked. Medic then moved out 5000, and Childs reluctantly made the call. Medic showed Q8 for top pair, and Childs mucked. He lost almost half his stack in the hand, now with 11,800 in front of him. Nedic has been joined at the table by fellow Canadian Isabelle Mercier.

Matusow Takes Small Pot

Mike Matusow was in the big blind, after checked after the player in the cut-off limped for 600. The flop came 742and both players checked. The 3 came on the turn and Matusow bet 1500, which drew a call. The 6 came on the river and Matusow bet 2400. His opponent folded and Matusow improved to about 55,000 in chips.
 

Player Tags: Evelyn Ng,   Mike Matusow,   Nenad Medic,   Bernard Lee,   Leif Force,   Lee Childs

$10,000 Main Event - Brunson and Minieri Take Their Leave

Jul 06, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Left: 1,503 of 2,461

Chip Leaders:

Steve Austin: 140,000
Shawn Conix: 136,000
Dylan Linde: 135,000
Jason Katsutani: 133,000
Carlos Mortensen: 133,000
Richard Smith: 130,000
William Blanda: 121,700
Victor Ramdin: 120,000
David Saab: 119,400
David Stucke: 115,000

CP Counts:

Phil Hellmuth: 52,800
Jeff Shulman: 40,000
Todd Brunson: busted

Eliminations: Dario Minieri, Todd Brunson, Shane Schleger, Cyndy Violette, Michael Mizrachi

Big Hands:

The Ladies Hold Cunningham... errr, Hold FOR Cunningham

The player in seat 4 raised to 1,200 from early position and Allen Cunningham made the call from the cutoff. The flop came down 964 and seat 4 fired 2,600. Cunningham quickly called and the turn was the 10. Seat 4 slowed down, checking to his opponent. Cunningham kept his foot on the gas and fired 5,000 into the pot. Seat 4 made the call and the river was the 2. Seat 4 checked and Cunningham took time to think about whether he could get any value out of a final bet. He decided he couldn't and checked as well. Seat 4 showed down JJ for an overpair. Cunningham showed an overpair of his own, QQ, and raked in the pot. He was at 80,000 after the hand.

Brunson Busts

Todd Brunson's tournament came to an end when his 56 ran into his opponent's nut flush with AJ on the turn of a board reading 6426. Brunson failed to improve on the river, which brought the A and the end of the Brunson's 2008 WSOP.

El Matador Gored... Slightly

On a board of Q10545, Carlos Mortensen made a 4,000 bet on the river and the player in seat 3 looked him up. Mortensen rolled his eyes and threw his hand into the muck. Seat 3 raked the pot, but failed to make a significant dent in Mortensen's growing stack. After the hand, Mortensen still had well over 120,000 in chips.

Bernard Lee Gets Bluffed Out?

Heads-up and on a board of 1093K5, Bernard Lee bet 7,700 on the river. His opponent in seat 7 thought for a minute before asking Lee how much he had left. Lee did a quick count replying, "A little under 11,000." Seat 7 moved all in and a short stacked Lee folded the hand after a minute or so in the tank. Seat 7 showed 88 as he raked the pot, Lee looked a little thrown off. Seat 7 said, "I wouldn't have done that, but you checked the king on the turn, so I knew you didn't have it." Lee shook his head and shrugged it off, down to 11,000 in chips.

Phil Gordon Can't Stand It

Gordon raised preflop to 1,025 from middle position and the player in seat 2 called from the cutoff. The flop came down QQJ and Gordon checked. Seat 2 fired 1,000 and Gordon quickly called. The turn was the 3 and Gordon checked again. Seat 2 fired 2,500 into the pot this time and Gordon quickly called again. The river was the 8 and Gordon checked one more time. Seat 2 fired 5,000 into the 9,050 pot. Gordon quickly called and seat 2 showed down KQ and Gordon shot out of his chair, a disgusted groan coming out of him. He took a short walk away from the table as his hand was placed in the muck. He was down to 35,000 in chips.

Matt Savage Knocks One Out On River

The player in seat 1 moved all in before the flop and Matt Savage made the call. Savage had him covered and both players turned over their cards.

Savage: A6
Seat 1: AQ
Board: Q7584

Matt Savage was way behind before the flop, his opponent making top pair on the flop and all but reducing Savage to going runner-runner. The 8 on the turn gave savage the open-ended straight draw, and the 4 on the river locked it up. Savage sucked out to make the eight-high straight, eliminating his opponent and bringing his stack up to 45,000 after the hand.

Men "The Master"...Not So Much

The player in seat 7 raised to 1,200 from the cutoff and Men "The Master" Nguyen reraised to 4,000 from the big blind. Seat 7 called and the flop came 765. Nguyen fired out 6,000 and seat 7 made the call. The turn was a scare card (2) and both players checked around. The river was another scare card (8), and Nguyen went into the tank for nearly three minutes on his own action. Finally Nguyen checked to to his opponent who rapped the table as well. Seat 7 said, "How big is your pair?" as he turned over A5 for a pair of fives. Nguyen said, "Fives are good man" as he threw his cards into the muck. Nguyen lost more than half of his stack that hand, now down to just 9,000 in chips.

Ramdin Pushed Out, So What?

Victor Ramdin raised to 1,200 from middle position and the player in seat 8 made the call from the small blind. The flop came down 1043. Ramdin continued with the aggression as he fired 2,000 into the pot. The small blind had enough of that nonsense, however, and he came over the top with 3,000 more. Ramdin mucked his hand, but was still left with a healthy 93,000 in chips.

Some More Magic

The player in seat 6 raised to 2,400 from middle position and action folded to Antonio Esfaniari on the button. "How much do you have left," Esfandiari asked his opponent. After getting his answer (approx. 24,000), Esfandiari made the call and the flop came down 1084. Seat 6 checked and Esfandiari applied the pressure with a bet of 4,600. Seat 6 liked the 24,000 he had left and decided not to put any more of it at risk as he mucked his hand. Esfandiari took the pot and was around 88,000 after the hand.

Dario's Day Over

Dario Minieri raised against one middle position limper to 1,600 from the small blind. The limper called, and also called Dario's bet of 2,300 on the flop of 722. The turn was the 10, and the Italian Harry Potter shoved for his remaining 7,500. His opponent called once again, and was in bad shape holding A10 against Minieri's QQ. But the river brought an unfortunate 10, sending the bracelet winner to the rail early in the last level of the night.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Allen Cunningham,   Carlos Mortensen,   Phil Gordon,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Todd Brunson,   Victor Ramdin,   Bernard Lee,   Matt Savage,   Dario Minieri

Event 27 - $1,500 NLHE - Seif Sent Home

Jun 15, '08

Blinds: 2000-4000 (500 Ante)

Chip Leaders:

Tony Gargano: 365,000
Benjamin Zamani: 353,000
Richard Alm: 320,000
Ali Salman: 280,000
Philip Yeh: 280,000
Malyshev Nikolay: 266,000
Harold Akiona: 257,000
John Myung: 240,000
Aliaksandr Dzianisau: 210,000
Jan Von Halle: 199,000

Players Remaining: 78

Eliminations: Bernard Lee, Mark Seif

Notable Hands:
Seif Sucked Out On

Brian Olsson opened for a raise from seat 4, prompting a shove from not only the player in seat 6, but also Mark Seif in seat 1. Olsson made the call, tabling AK, and seemed to be in bad shape against seat 6's QQ and Seif's KK. But then came the flop, with a big red ace and a loud shoud of disappointment from Seif: A87. The turn and river came out 83, and Seif was unable to redraw with the case king to make his hand.

Mueller Moves Up and Down

Greg Mueller called all in preflop with A6 against the player in seat 1, who held AJ. The flop ran out A423K, and Mueller took a major hit to his stack.

Just a few hands later, Mueller moved all in from the cutoff for his last 11,500. He was called by one player in the small blind, who showed K10. Mueller was behind again, showing K7. But the gods smiled on FBT, as the board ran out 86455 and he backed into a straight for a double up.

Bernard Goes Bust

Bernard Lee had been steadily bleeding off his chip lead throughout the day, finally going broke near the end of the level. Lee held AJ against his opponent's AQ. The flop gave his dominated hand some hope, showing Q-9-10, but the turn and river failed to complete his straight, bringing a 5 and a 3.

Players are now on a 60 minute dinner break.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Greg Mueller,   Bernard Lee

Event 27 - $1,500 NLHE - Bellande's Bandana Buddy

Jun 15, '08

Blinds: 800-1,600 (200 Ante), moving up to 1,000-2,000 (300 Ante)

Average Stack: 49,803

Players Remaining: 163

Eliminations: Sarah Bilney

Notable Hands:

Seif's Set of Sevens Safe

Mark Seif opened for a raise and then called a shove by the short stack in seat 2. Seif held 77, and was racing his opponent's AQ. The race was a short one, however, as the dealer peeled off 762, giving Seif a slot player's dream: trip sevens. The turn and river were arbitrary, A8, and the player in seat 2 was eliminated. Seif secured his stack size, which was up over 70,000 after the hand.

Bobby Bellande Busts Bandana Boy

Jean-Robert Bellande opened with a raise to 4,300. The player in seat one, who had posted the big blind, thought for a moment before saying that he was all in, at which point he disappeared briefly underneath the table. He remerged a moment later sporting a "Survivor" bandana wrapped around his head, much to the amusement of his table. Bellande was not one to let the gesture go unpunished, and made the call, showing Q8. Bandana Boy tabled AJ, and secured an early lead when the flop brought KJ7. But the poker gods are apparently not fond of such mockery, and they dealt out what they felt was an appropriate punishment: a backdoor straight for Bellande. The turn and river brought 109, and Bellande added the player's chips to his stack, surviving through another level of tournament play. The bandana boy took his leave from the table to go wait in the cashier's line, which has been steadily growing in length due to the large number of eliminations during the level. The line has grown so long, in fact, that tournament staff have recently announced that a 15 minute break will be held at the end of this level (1 hour early) in order to process all of the eliminations.

Bernard Lee's New Move

Bernard Lee opened for a raise to 4,500 in early position, and was called by Mark Seif on the button. On a flop of AK4, both players checked. Seif led out for 9,000 on the turn after the fall of the 5, and Bernard Lee called with alarming rapidity. The speed of his action gave Seif pause on the river, which brought the J. Seif decided to err on the side of discretion and checked. Lee checked behind, and showed KJ to scoop the pot. Seif proceeded to express how shocked he was that a player as tight as Lee would open from early position with a hand like K-J, saying that he hoped to learn from Lee's creative approach to the hand.

 

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Bernard Lee

No Limit 'Hold Em Level 10 Recap

Jun 14, '08

Blinds: 600-1200 ante 100

Players Left: 232

Chip Average: 34,891

Chip Leaders:

Bernard Lee: 167,000
Mark Tschirch: 138,000
Philip Yeh: 130,000
Joe Awada: 125,000
Mike Abbott: 104,000
Rainier Meyer: 95,000
Terry Quinn: 94,000
Michael Larsen: 87,000
Kyle Wilson: 85,000
Court Harrington: 73,000

Big Hands:

Lee Busts Another

Bernard Lee eliminated another player when he pushed an early position raiser all in holding pocket nines. He was behind his opponent, who had two aces, but the flop came nine five five, and Lee won the pot. Lee is now in commanding position entering Day 2, with an astounding 55 original buy-ins.

Scott, Slotboom Eliminated

Justin Scott, who accumulated a ton of chips early, saw his tournament life reduced to a simple coin flip with Philip Yeh: Scott held K10 and Yeh 77 for a pot worth about 25,000 chips. The board ran out Q5248, and Scott was done for the day.

Shortly after the bubble burst, Rolf Slotboom was all in on a board of J94 holding AJ against his opponent's A9--only to see the 9 peel off on the turn.

Player Tags: Bernard Lee,   Rolf Slotboom

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Level Six Recap

Jun 14, '08

Note: Players are now on a 90-minute dinner break.

Blinds/Antes: 200-400-50

Player Remaining: 650 of 2706

Average Chip Stack: 12,500

Chip Counts:

Alan Jaffray - 62,000
Bernard Lee - 58,000
Eli Berg - 53,000
Sarah Bilney - 43,000
Kevin Saul - 40,000
Joe Awada - 39,000
Tony Dunst - 33,500
Jean-Robert Bellande - 28,000
Seth Weinger - 26,500
Ryamond Davis - 25,500
Craig Gray - 22,000

Eliminations:

Nam Le
Amnon Filippi

Big Hands and Storylines:

Great Scott! Justin eliminates three, including Tilly

A player raised from the cutoff position to 1,200 and Jennifer Tilly called on the button. Justin Scott reraised from the small blind, and then the player in the big blind moved all in. Then the player in the cutoff moved all in, and then Tilly moved all in. Scott, who had all three players covered, made the call. They four hands were:

Justin Scott (Small Blind): A-A
Big Blind: 9-9
Cutoff: K-K
Jennifer Tilly (Button): 97

Board: 85473

Only the player in the cutoff had a heart, but Scott's aces held up. 

Gray shows table how it's done

With the board of QT62, Craig Gray raised a bet of 1,200 to about 8,000 chips more. After a third player in the hand folded, the player who bet out thought for a couple minutes before calling with AT. It was good at that moment, but Gray's 86 had outs. And he caught one of them, the A, on the river. As Gray raked in the pot another player at the table said to him, "So that's how you guys do it," and Gray replied, "You got it." After the hand Gray had about 23,000 chips.

Lee flops set to get up to 58k

Holding JJ, Bernard Lee raised to 1,450 from under the gun. The button, small blind and big blind called and the four of them saw a flop of KJ3. The blinds checked and Lee bet 2,650. The button raised all in for 12,000 and after the blinds got out of the way Lee called. The button held Q-T for a straight draw, and didn't get there, as the turn and river were the 5 and 3, respectively. Lee ended the level with 58,000 chips and is among the chip leaders.

Saul picks up pot with trips

Kevin Saul raised to 1,100 from under the gun and a player in middle position and another player in the big blind called. The three players checked the flop of QJJ. After the K on the turn the player in the big blind bet 2,500 and both players called. The river was the 4, and the blind checked and Saul bet 4,200. The player in middle position called and the big blind folded. Saul showed JT, and his opponent flipped over pocket aces. After the hand Saul had about 35,000 chips.

Player Tags: Bernard Lee,   Craig Gray,   Kevin Saul,   Justin Scott

Event 27 - $1,500 NLHE - Seif Sent Home

Jun 15, '08

Blinds: 2000-4000 (500 Ante)

Chip Leaders:

Tony Gargano: 365,000
Benjamin Zamani: 353,000
Richard Alm: 320,000
Ali Salman: 280,000
Philip Yeh: 280,000
Malyshev Nikolay: 266,000
Harold Akiona: 257,000
John Myung: 240,000
Aliaksandr Dzianisau: 210,000
Jan Von Halle: 199,000

Players Remaining: 78

Eliminations: Bernard Lee, Mark Seif

Notable Hands:
Seif Sucked Out On

Brian Olsson opened for a raise from seat 4, prompting a shove from not only the player in seat 6, but also Mark Seif in seat 1. Olsson made the call, tabling AK, and seemed to be in bad shape against seat 6's QQ and Seif's KK. But then came the flop, with a big red ace and a loud shoud of disappointment from Seif: A87. The turn and river came out 83, and Seif was unable to redraw with the case king to make his hand.

Mueller Moves Up and Down

Greg Mueller called all in preflop with A6 against the player in seat 1, who held AJ. The flop ran out A423K, and Mueller took a major hit to his stack.

Just a few hands later, Mueller moved all in from the cutoff for his last 11,500. He was called by one player in the small blind, who showed K10. Mueller was behind again, showing K7. But the gods smiled on FBT, as the board ran out 86455 and he backed into a straight for a double up.

Bernard Goes Bust

Bernard Lee had been steadily bleeding off his chip lead throughout the day, finally going broke near the end of the level. Lee held AJ against his opponent's AQ. The flop gave his dominated hand some hope, showing Q-9-10, but the turn and river failed to complete his straight, bringing a 5 and a 3.

Players are now on a 60 minute dinner break.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Greg Mueller,   Bernard Lee

Event 27 - $1,500 NLHE - Bellande's Bandana Buddy

Jun 15, '08

Blinds: 800-1,600 (200 Ante), moving up to 1,000-2,000 (300 Ante)

Average Stack: 49,803

Players Remaining: 163

Eliminations: Sarah Bilney

Notable Hands:

Seif's Set of Sevens Safe

Mark Seif opened for a raise and then called a shove by the short stack in seat 2. Seif held 77, and was racing his opponent's AQ. The race was a short one, however, as the dealer peeled off 762, giving Seif a slot player's dream: trip sevens. The turn and river were arbitrary, A8, and the player in seat 2 was eliminated. Seif secured his stack size, which was up over 70,000 after the hand.

Bobby Bellande Busts Bandana Boy

Jean-Robert Bellande opened with a raise to 4,300. The player in seat one, who had posted the big blind, thought for a moment before saying that he was all in, at which point he disappeared briefly underneath the table. He remerged a moment later sporting a "Survivor" bandana wrapped around his head, much to the amusement of his table. Bellande was not one to let the gesture go unpunished, and made the call, showing Q8. Bandana Boy tabled AJ, and secured an early lead when the flop brought KJ7. But the poker gods are apparently not fond of such mockery, and they dealt out what they felt was an appropriate punishment: a backdoor straight for Bellande. The turn and river brought 109, and Bellande added the player's chips to his stack, surviving through another level of tournament play. The bandana boy took his leave from the table to go wait in the cashier's line, which has been steadily growing in length due to the large number of eliminations during the level. The line has grown so long, in fact, that tournament staff have recently announced that a 15 minute break will be held at the end of this level (1 hour early) in order to process all of the eliminations.

Bernard Lee's New Move

Bernard Lee opened for a raise to 4,500 in early position, and was called by Mark Seif on the button. On a flop of AK4, both players checked. Seif led out for 9,000 on the turn after the fall of the 5, and Bernard Lee called with alarming rapidity. The speed of his action gave Seif pause on the river, which brought the J. Seif decided to err on the side of discretion and checked. Lee checked behind, and showed KJ to scoop the pot. Seif proceeded to express how shocked he was that a player as tight as Lee would open from early position with a hand like K-J, saying that he hoped to learn from Lee's creative approach to the hand.

 

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Bernard Lee

No Limit 'Hold Em Level 10 Recap

Jun 14, '08

Blinds: 600-1200 ante 100

Players Left: 232

Chip Average: 34,891

Chip Leaders:

Bernard Lee: 167,000
Mark Tschirch: 138,000
Philip Yeh: 130,000
Joe Awada: 125,000
Mike Abbott: 104,000
Rainier Meyer: 95,000
Terry Quinn: 94,000
Michael Larsen: 87,000
Kyle Wilson: 85,000
Court Harrington: 73,000

Big Hands:

Lee Busts Another

Bernard Lee eliminated another player when he pushed an early position raiser all in holding pocket nines. He was behind his opponent, who had two aces, but the flop came nine five five, and Lee won the pot. Lee is now in commanding position entering Day 2, with an astounding 55 original buy-ins.

Scott, Slotboom Eliminated

Justin Scott, who accumulated a ton of chips early, saw his tournament life reduced to a simple coin flip with Philip Yeh: Scott held K10 and Yeh 77 for a pot worth about 25,000 chips. The board ran out Q5248, and Scott was done for the day.

Shortly after the bubble burst, Rolf Slotboom was all in on a board of J94 holding AJ against his opponent's A9--only to see the 9 peel off on the turn.

Player Tags: Bernard Lee,   Rolf Slotboom

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Level Six Recap

Jun 14, '08

Note: Players are now on a 90-minute dinner break.

Blinds/Antes: 200-400-50

Player Remaining: 650 of 2706

Average Chip Stack: 12,500

Chip Counts:

Alan Jaffray - 62,000
Bernard Lee - 58,000
Eli Berg - 53,000
Sarah Bilney - 43,000
Kevin Saul - 40,000
Joe Awada - 39,000
Tony Dunst - 33,500
Jean-Robert Bellande - 28,000
Seth Weinger - 26,500
Ryamond Davis - 25,500
Craig Gray - 22,000

Eliminations:

Nam Le
Amnon Filippi

Big Hands and Storylines:

Great Scott! Justin eliminates three, including Tilly

A player raised from the cutoff position to 1,200 and Jennifer Tilly called on the button. Justin Scott reraised from the small blind, and then the player in the big blind moved all in. Then the player in the cutoff moved all in, and then Tilly moved all in. Scott, who had all three players covered, made the call. They four hands were:

Justin Scott (Small Blind): A-A
Big Blind: 9-9
Cutoff: K-K
Jennifer Tilly (Button): 97

Board: 85473

Only the player in the cutoff had a heart, but Scott's aces held up. 

Gray shows table how it's done

With the board of QT62, Craig Gray raised a bet of 1,200 to about 8,000 chips more. After a third player in the hand folded, the player who bet out thought for a couple minutes before calling with AT. It was good at that moment, but Gray's 86 had outs. And he caught one of them, the A, on the river. As Gray raked in the pot another player at the table said to him, "So that's how you guys do it," and Gray replied, "You got it." After the hand Gray had about 23,000 chips.

Lee flops set to get up to 58k

Holding JJ, Bernard Lee raised to 1,450 from under the gun. The button, small blind and big blind called and the four of them saw a flop of KJ3. The blinds checked and Lee bet 2,650. The button raised all in for 12,000 and after the blinds got out of the way Lee called. The button held Q-T for a straight draw, and didn't get there, as the turn and river were the 5 and 3, respectively. Lee ended the level with 58,000 chips and is among the chip leaders.

Saul picks up pot with trips

Kevin Saul raised to 1,100 from under the gun and a player in middle position and another player in the big blind called. The three players checked the flop of QJJ. After the K on the turn the player in the big blind bet 2,500 and both players called. The river was the 4, and the blind checked and Saul bet 4,200. The player in middle position called and the big blind folded. Saul showed JT, and his opponent flipped over pocket aces. After the hand Saul had about 35,000 chips.

Player Tags: Bernard Lee,   Craig Gray,   Kevin Saul,   Justin Scott

Bernard Lee Eliminated

Apr 04, '08

Bernard Lee has busted out of the tournament. Hand details coming soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Bernard Lee