Carlos Mortensen - Live Updates

Level 2 Update -- Hachem Reigns At 8-Game Championship

Oct 03, '09

Blinds: 75-150

Players Remaining: 400 out of 420 (Unofficial)

Average Chip Count:

31,000

Notable Eliminations:

Dario Minieri

Hand of the Level:

Mortensen Gets Value From Trips

From middle position, a player raised to 300 and Carlos Mortensen reraised to 1,225. His opponent called and the flop came down 6-4-4.

Mortensen continued to fire, this time a 2,100 bet. He was called and the turn was a 9. Mortensen bet 3,500 and his opponent once again came along.

The river was a 2 and Mortensen put in a 8,200 bet. His opponent called and Mortensen’s A-4 was good enough to take down the large pot and boost his stack over 50,000.

Left In The Deck

Aussie, Aussie, 8-Game!

Joe Hachem had a tough run in the EPT High-Roller Championship, going deep but falling just short of the money.

Yesterday, he made back his money and then some, taking down the £2,000 + £150 8-Game Championship. The event had 60 entrants and Hachem won £42,400 for outlasting them all.

Other notable players to take down preliminary events here at the London Poker Festival include Fabrice Soulier, who won the £1,000 + £100 pot-limit Omaha double chance event and Andreas Gulunay, who took down the £1,000 + £100 six-handed no-limit hold’em tourney.

PokerStars TV

For those of you who weren’t around yesterday to check out video footage of the PokerStars party, here you go.

Watch EPT 6 London Day 1A: PokerStars Party on PokerStars.tv

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Joe Hachem

Carlos Mortensen Eliminated

Sep 05, '09

Carlos Mortensen has busted out of the tournament during level 5 on day 1B.

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen

Level 2 Update

Aug 22, '09

Blinds: 100-200

Players Remaining: 263 out of 279

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Mueller — 60,000
2. Billy Baxter — 57,000
3. Amir Vahedi — 56,000
4. Bryan Devonshire — 52,000
5. Chad Brown — 51,000
6. J.J. Tavares — 50,000
7. Jimmy Tran — 46,000
8. David Daneshgar — 46,000
9. Justin Smith — 43,000
10. Allen Kessler — 42,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Beth Shak
Carlos Mortensen

Hand of the Level:

Carlos Mortensen Busted Early

As we reported earlier, Carlos Mortensen was one of the most active players in the tournament during the first two levels and ultimately, it led to his premature departure.

Mortensen got the rest of his stack in holding 108 on a J95 flop against his opponent’s A10.

Ace-high was good and it stayed that way when the turn and river came 92.

Level Summary:

With the conclusion of the first break, registration came to a close and the final tally of 279 players resulted in a $2.6 million prize pool. Last year’s field of 373 has been cut down by more than a fourth, raising some interesting questions about who never made it down to the Bicycle Casino.

Interestingly, none of the former seven champions in this event showed up. Chris Karagulleyan, Mel Judah, Doyle Brunson, Alex Kahaner, Joe Pelton and Dan Harrington were all no-shows. Even last year’s champion and reigning Card Player Player of the Year John Phan failed to attend.

Last year’s final tablists, however, are well represented with Amit “amak316” Makhija, “Crazy” Zachary Clark and Paul “UCLABRUINZ” Smith all still in the field.

Those who did attend are now in contention for the at least $1 million first-place prize. Official numbers will be posted soon under the “Event Info” tab.

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen

Level 1 Update

Aug 22, '09

Blinds: 50-100

Players Remaining: 290 out of 290

Chip Counts:

1. Bryan Devonshire — 58,000
2. Marco Johnson — 56,000
3. Carlos Mortensen — 42,000
4. Soheil Shamseddin — 38,000
5. Billy Baxter — 38,000
6. Hafiz Khan — 35,000
7. Allen Cunningham — 30,000
8. Daniel Negreanu — 25,000
9. Vanessa Rousso — 23,000
10. Jonathan Little — 19,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

NONE

Hand of the Level:

Carlos Mortensen Active Early

Carlos Mortensen raised to 3,500 after his opponent bet 1,500 from middle position on a flop of JJ8. Middle position reraised to 8,500 and Mortensen made the call. The turn fell 6 and middle position bet 10,000. Mortensen went into the tank and then mucked his hand. He held 19,000 after the tussle.

Later in the level an opponent moved all in against Mortensen on the river of a board that was sowing two tens and a nine. Mortensen made the all-in call with J-9 and he doubled up to 42,000 when his opponent showed down A-K.

Level Summary:

There are currently 29 tables in action during the first level at the 2009 Legends of Poker championship event. A few players are still strolling into the new events center here at the Bicycle Casino, but it looks like the final number will fall short of the 373 players that played at Legends in 2008. We’ll let you know what the final number of entries stands at when registration is closed.

Despite the small blinds and antes many players have managed to lose a large chunk of their stack in the early going. Jimmy Fricke is down to 18,000, Jonathan Little holds 19,000, Vanessa Rousso holds 23,000 and Daniel Negreanu is down to 25,000. Check out how each of these players is doing throughout the day on the CardPlayer.com Twitter page. A few players have managed to almost double up in the early going. Bryan Devonshire leads the way with 58,000 and Marco Johnson is at 56,000.

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen

Level 9 Hour 1 Update: Carlos Mortensen Doubles

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 500-100 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 720 out of 1476

Chip Counts:

1. Samer Rahman – 325,000
2. Greg Mueller – 305,000
3. Andy Black – 225,000
4. Mike Sexton – 170,000
5. Chris Ferguson – 155,000
6. Tom Schneider – 141,000
7. Juha Helppi – 140,000
8. Jani Sointula – 135,000
9. Vitaly Lunkin – 132,000
10. Greg Raymer – 118,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Ciaran O’Leary – 31,400
Andrew Brokos – 78,000

Average Chip Count Day 2A: 80,635

Notable Eliminations:

Amarillo Slim
Amanda Baker
Berry Johnston

Big Hands:

Carlos Mortensen Doubles Up

With the JJ the 2001 main event champion was put all in by an opponent on a board of K109Q2. Mortensen made the quick call and exposed his hand. His opponent mucked and Mortensen won the large pot and is back up to 71,000 chips.

Sam Farha Doubles Up

On a board of K869, the 2003 main event runner up got all his chips into the pot with the 75 against the KQ of his opponent. The meaningless Q fell on the river and Farha doubled to 72,000.

Andrew Brokos Wins a Pot

On a flop of KJ10, Andrew Brokos bet 3,400 from the big blind and a player in middle position called. The 4 fell on the turn and Brokos bet 10,000, which was quickly called by his opponent. The 4 hit the river and Brokos threw out 20,000. His opponent looked disgruntled and finally mucked the J10 face up. Brokos is now up to about 78,000.

Amarillo Slim Eliminated

Amarillo Slim was short when he went all in with 9-8 and was unfortunately called by the pocket nines of his opponent. The board offered no help to Slim, as he was eliminated late on day 2.

Eli Elezra Doubles Up

In the small blind Eli Elezra was faced with a 2,600 bet from the cutoff. Elezra elected to ship his stack of 7,000 into the pot preflop and his opponent made the quick call. Elezra tabled the AJ and was dominating the KJ of the cutoff. The board ran out A8735, giving Elezra the pot and a still short stack of 15,100.

Andrew Black Eliminates Opponent

All the chips went into the middle with Andrew Black holding the AK against the QQ of an opponent. The board ran out A10872, as Black paired his ace to win the pot. Black is now at 225,000.

Left in the Deck

Here is one of the toughest tables assembled so far during this year’s main event (Table 29):

Seat 1: Shane Warne
Seat 3: Ludovic Lacay
Seat 6: Luca Pagano
Seat 7: Isaac Baron
Seat 8: Grant Levy
Seat 9: Tom Schneider

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Eli Elezra,   Sam Farha,   Andy Black,   Andrew Brokos,   Amarillo Slim

Level 8 Hour 2 Update: Brad Garrett Eliminated

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 740 out of 1476

Chip Counts:

1. Samer Rahman – 322,000
2. Greg Mueller – 250,000
3. Andy Black – 182,000
4. Mike Sexton – 170,000
5. Chris Ferguson – 155,000
6. Tom Schneider – 141,000
7. Juha Helppi – 140,000
8. Jani Sointula – 135,000
9. Vitaly Lunkin – 132,000
10. Greg Raymer – 118,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Ciaran O’Leary – 31,400

Average Chip Count Day 2A: 80,635

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Williams
Brad Garrett

Big Hands:

Carlos Mortensen Out Kicked

Carlos Mortensen limped in from the cutoff and the button folded. The small blind called and the big blind checked. Three players saw a flop of A63 and both blinds checked to Mortensen. The former main event event champion bet 1,500 and the small blind called with 4-5 for an open ended straight draw. The big blind called with the A9 and Mortensen was trailing with the A77. The 3 hit the turn and both blinds checked once again. Mortensen quickly fired out a bet of 2,500 which was again quickly called by both blinds. The 3 fell on the river and Mortensen once again found action checked to him. He threw out a small bet of 3,500 which prompted the small blind to much his missed draw and the big blind called quickly. Mortensen found out the bad news after he exposed his A-7. Mortensen is down to 33,000.

Joe Awada Doubles Up Opponent

Joe Awada raised to 1,500 under the gun and action folded around to the small blind who went into the tank. With only 1,500 left in his stack, the small blind had just enough to make Awada’s call. He eventually called all in and tabled the J9 while Awada exposed the A7. The board ran out K649K and Awada’s opponent won with a pair of nines. Awada is down to 34,000.

Erik Seidel Doubles Up

Erik Seidel bet 8,000 after a flop of J82 and was called by an opponent. The Q hit the turn and Seidel moved all in. His opponent quickly called and tabled the KQ for top pair and flush draw. Seidel was ahead with his AA but needed to dodge many cards in order to double up. The 10 on the river was good news for Seidel as he doubled to 56,000.

Jim Bechtel Wins Another

Jim Bechtel checked on a board of 532 to his opponent on the button. The button threw out a bet of 7,000 and Bechtel called. The 3 hit the turn and the action went check-check. The K fell on the river and Bechtel checked for a third time. The button bet 10,000 and Bechtel thought about it briefly before making the call with the JJ, with no club. His opponent tabled the AQ and was no good as Bechtel picked off his bluff. Bechtel is now at 95,000.

Brad Garrett Eliminated

On a board of Q43A9 the cutoff bet 20,200 and Brad Garrett went into the tank in middle position. He went back and forth on his decision for a few minutes while a wall of people surrounded the table to watch his antics. He eventually made the all-in call and flipped over QJ. His opponent turned up Q9 amnd Garrett was eliminated from the tournament.

Left in the Deck

Before he was eliminated from the tournament Brad Garrett was making quite an impression during the evening’s play. The ESPN cameras were eating it up, and Garrett was able to produce a consistent line of chuckles from the players who were along for the ride with him at his table, including former world champion Berry Johnston. At one point, Garrett exclaimed, “Change the rhythm, everybody stand,” and his table played a hand standing up just to mix things up. His table is much quieter now and the ESPN cameras are no longer around after his absence.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Carlos Mortensen,   Joe Awada,   Brad Garrett,   Jim Bechtel

Level 4 Hour 1 Update: Sebok Mixing It Up

Jul 04, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Left: 720 of 873

Chip Counts:

1. Craig Hopkins – 131,000
2. Nick Maimone – 125,000
3. Jim Bookstaff – 118,000
4. Vadim Gruzglin – 118,000
5. Jesse Rios – 110,500
6. Ali Eslami – 90,000
7. Karin Lehoussing – 87,000
8. Jonathan Tare – 75,000
9. Sam Khouiss – 72,000
10. Dave D’Alesandro – 68,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Todd Brunson — 41,000
Mike Matusow — 29,000

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands

Sebok Mixes It Up

The player under the gun limped in for 300. The next player to act raised to 1,500 and Joe Sebok was next to act. He made the call and everyone else mucked, including the player under the gun.

The flop then fell 764 and both players checked. It was the same story on the 8 turn and J river. Sebok then showed his hand, 22. It was good enough to take the pot as his opponent showed A10 for just ace high.

A few hands later, the flop came down J83. Sebok called his opponent’s all in bet and tabled 54 for a flush draw. His opponent tabled KK and Sebok needed help. The turn didn’t give him anything as it was the 10, but the A on the river made Sebok his flush and he knocked out his opponent, pushing his stack to 64,000.

Raymer Straightens Out His Opponent

A player raised to 950 and the player in the cutoff made the call. The action was then on Greg Raymer on the button, who raised to 3,500. Everyone folded except the cutoff and the flop was 987. Both players checked and saw the 10 fall on the turn.

The cutoff bet 5,000 and Raymer made the call. The river was the 2 and the action was checked to Raymer. He bet another 5,000 and the cutoff called. Raymer tabled KJ for a straight and the cutoff mucked. Raymer raked in the pot and was at 48,000.

Mortensen Getting Short

On a board reading J96Q, Carlos Mortensen bet 5,000. Another player raised to 13,000 and Mortensen made the call. The river was the 2 and the player shoved his entire stack, having Mortensen covered. Mortensen then mucked pocket nines face up, giving up his set. The other player showed K10 for the flush and took the pot, knocking out another player in the hand. Mortensen was down to just 12,000.

Helppi’s Pocket Kings Hold Up, Even With an Ace on Board

Juha Helppi raised to 900 under the gun and got four callers. The flop came AJ6 and everybody checked around. The turn was the 6 and everybody checked again.

The river brought the 6 and now Helppi put out a bet of 1,150 and it folded around to the player in the small blind who cut out a call and put the chips in. Helppi tabled KK and his opponent mucked his cards.

Kravchenko and Raymer Mixing it Up

After some preflop action, three players, including Alex Kravchenko and Greg Raymer see a flop of AQ2. Kravchenko bet 1,500, there was a fold and then Raymer made the call. The turn was the K and both players checked.

The river was the 6 and Kravchenko checked again. Raymer bet 4,000 and after a few moments, Kravchenko mucked. Raymer tabled the AQ, good for two pair.

Just a few hands later, these same two players were sparring again. Raymer checked and called a bet from Kravchenko on the turn and a third player came along for the river.

The final board read KJ9K8. Raymer checked, the other player checked and Kravchenko bet 3,000. Raymer quickly made the call and the third party got out of the way. Kravchenko showed AK and Raymer mucked.

Round 2 goes to Kravchenko.

Jason Young Gets Bluffed

A player under the gun made it 900 to go and got three callers, including Jason Young who called from the button. The flop was K64 and the under the gun player bet 2,100. After there were two folds in between, Jason Young opted to raise to 5,150. After some thought, the under the gun player tossed in the call.

The 7 fell on the turn and both players checked. The 2 was the river card and now the original preflop raiser bets 9,000. “You got two aces?” asked Young before he mucks his hand. His read was a little off as his opponent showed the 54, for just a pair of fours.

Left In The Deck:

It was just announced that 873 players registered for Day 1b of the main event, with 720 remaining. This is down from 1,158 players that registered on Day 1b last year. It appears that people just don’t want to spend their 4th of July holiday in the poker room.

Player Tags: Juha Helppi,   Carlos Mortensen,   Greg Raymer,   Jason Young,   Joe Sebok

Level 9 Hour 1 Update: Carlos Mortensen Doubles

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 500-100 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 720 out of 1476

Chip Counts:

1. Samer Rahman – 325,000
2. Greg Mueller – 305,000
3. Andy Black – 225,000
4. Mike Sexton – 170,000
5. Chris Ferguson – 155,000
6. Tom Schneider – 141,000
7. Juha Helppi – 140,000
8. Jani Sointula – 135,000
9. Vitaly Lunkin – 132,000
10. Greg Raymer – 118,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Ciaran O’Leary – 31,400
Andrew Brokos – 78,000

Average Chip Count Day 2A: 80,635

Notable Eliminations:

Amarillo Slim
Amanda Baker
Berry Johnston

Big Hands:

Carlos Mortensen Doubles Up

With the JJ the 2001 main event champion was put all in by an opponent on a board of K109Q2. Mortensen made the quick call and exposed his hand. His opponent mucked and Mortensen won the large pot and is back up to 71,000 chips.

Sam Farha Doubles Up

On a board of K869, the 2003 main event runner up got all his chips into the pot with the 75 against the KQ of his opponent. The meaningless Q fell on the river and Farha doubled to 72,000.

Andrew Brokos Wins a Pot

On a flop of KJ10, Andrew Brokos bet 3,400 from the big blind and a player in middle position called. The 4 fell on the turn and Brokos bet 10,000, which was quickly called by his opponent. The 4 hit the river and Brokos threw out 20,000. His opponent looked disgruntled and finally mucked the J10 face up. Brokos is now up to about 78,000.

Amarillo Slim Eliminated

Amarillo Slim was short when he went all in with 9-8 and was unfortunately called by the pocket nines of his opponent. The board offered no help to Slim, as he was eliminated late on day 2.

Eli Elezra Doubles Up

In the small blind Eli Elezra was faced with a 2,600 bet from the cutoff. Elezra elected to ship his stack of 7,000 into the pot preflop and his opponent made the quick call. Elezra tabled the AJ and was dominating the KJ of the cutoff. The board ran out A8735, giving Elezra the pot and a still short stack of 15,100.

Andrew Black Eliminates Opponent

All the chips went into the middle with Andrew Black holding the AK against the QQ of an opponent. The board ran out A10872, as Black paired his ace to win the pot. Black is now at 225,000.

Left in the Deck

Here is one of the toughest tables assembled so far during this year’s main event (Table 29):

Seat 1: Shane Warne
Seat 3: Ludovic Lacay
Seat 6: Luca Pagano
Seat 7: Isaac Baron
Seat 8: Grant Levy
Seat 9: Tom Schneider

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Eli Elezra,   Sam Farha,   Andy Black,   Andrew Brokos,   Amarillo Slim

Level 8 Hour 2 Update: Brad Garrett Eliminated

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 740 out of 1476

Chip Counts:

1. Samer Rahman – 322,000
2. Greg Mueller – 250,000
3. Andy Black – 182,000
4. Mike Sexton – 170,000
5. Chris Ferguson – 155,000
6. Tom Schneider – 141,000
7. Juha Helppi – 140,000
8. Jani Sointula – 135,000
9. Vitaly Lunkin – 132,000
10. Greg Raymer – 118,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Ciaran O’Leary – 31,400

Average Chip Count Day 2A: 80,635

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Williams
Brad Garrett

Big Hands:

Carlos Mortensen Out Kicked

Carlos Mortensen limped in from the cutoff and the button folded. The small blind called and the big blind checked. Three players saw a flop of A63 and both blinds checked to Mortensen. The former main event event champion bet 1,500 and the small blind called with 4-5 for an open ended straight draw. The big blind called with the A9 and Mortensen was trailing with the A77. The 3 hit the turn and both blinds checked once again. Mortensen quickly fired out a bet of 2,500 which was again quickly called by both blinds. The 3 fell on the river and Mortensen once again found action checked to him. He threw out a small bet of 3,500 which prompted the small blind to much his missed draw and the big blind called quickly. Mortensen found out the bad news after he exposed his A-7. Mortensen is down to 33,000.

Joe Awada Doubles Up Opponent

Joe Awada raised to 1,500 under the gun and action folded around to the small blind who went into the tank. With only 1,500 left in his stack, the small blind had just enough to make Awada’s call. He eventually called all in and tabled the J9 while Awada exposed the A7. The board ran out K649K and Awada’s opponent won with a pair of nines. Awada is down to 34,000.

Erik Seidel Doubles Up

Erik Seidel bet 8,000 after a flop of J82 and was called by an opponent. The Q hit the turn and Seidel moved all in. His opponent quickly called and tabled the KQ for top pair and flush draw. Seidel was ahead with his AA but needed to dodge many cards in order to double up. The 10 on the river was good news for Seidel as he doubled to 56,000.

Jim Bechtel Wins Another

Jim Bechtel checked on a board of 532 to his opponent on the button. The button threw out a bet of 7,000 and Bechtel called. The 3 hit the turn and the action went check-check. The K fell on the river and Bechtel checked for a third time. The button bet 10,000 and Bechtel thought about it briefly before making the call with the JJ, with no club. His opponent tabled the AQ and was no good as Bechtel picked off his bluff. Bechtel is now at 95,000.

Brad Garrett Eliminated

On a board of Q43A9 the cutoff bet 20,200 and Brad Garrett went into the tank in middle position. He went back and forth on his decision for a few minutes while a wall of people surrounded the table to watch his antics. He eventually made the all-in call and flipped over QJ. His opponent turned up Q9 amnd Garrett was eliminated from the tournament.

Left in the Deck

Before he was eliminated from the tournament Brad Garrett was making quite an impression during the evening’s play. The ESPN cameras were eating it up, and Garrett was able to produce a consistent line of chuckles from the players who were along for the ride with him at his table, including former world champion Berry Johnston. At one point, Garrett exclaimed, “Change the rhythm, everybody stand,” and his table played a hand standing up just to mix things up. His table is much quieter now and the ESPN cameras are no longer around after his absence.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Carlos Mortensen,   Joe Awada,   Brad Garrett,   Jim Bechtel

Level 4 Hour 1 Update: Sebok Mixing It Up

Jul 04, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Left: 720 of 873

Chip Counts:

1. Craig Hopkins – 131,000
2. Nick Maimone – 125,000
3. Jim Bookstaff – 118,000
4. Vadim Gruzglin – 118,000
5. Jesse Rios – 110,500
6. Ali Eslami – 90,000
7. Karin Lehoussing – 87,000
8. Jonathan Tare – 75,000
9. Sam Khouiss – 72,000
10. Dave D’Alesandro – 68,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Todd Brunson — 41,000
Mike Matusow — 29,000

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands

Sebok Mixes It Up

The player under the gun limped in for 300. The next player to act raised to 1,500 and Joe Sebok was next to act. He made the call and everyone else mucked, including the player under the gun.

The flop then fell 764 and both players checked. It was the same story on the 8 turn and J river. Sebok then showed his hand, 22. It was good enough to take the pot as his opponent showed A10 for just ace high.

A few hands later, the flop came down J83. Sebok called his opponent’s all in bet and tabled 54 for a flush draw. His opponent tabled KK and Sebok needed help. The turn didn’t give him anything as it was the 10, but the A on the river made Sebok his flush and he knocked out his opponent, pushing his stack to 64,000.

Raymer Straightens Out His Opponent

A player raised to 950 and the player in the cutoff made the call. The action was then on Greg Raymer on the button, who raised to 3,500. Everyone folded except the cutoff and the flop was 987. Both players checked and saw the 10 fall on the turn.

The cutoff bet 5,000 and Raymer made the call. The river was the 2 and the action was checked to Raymer. He bet another 5,000 and the cutoff called. Raymer tabled KJ for a straight and the cutoff mucked. Raymer raked in the pot and was at 48,000.

Mortensen Getting Short

On a board reading J96Q, Carlos Mortensen bet 5,000. Another player raised to 13,000 and Mortensen made the call. The river was the 2 and the player shoved his entire stack, having Mortensen covered. Mortensen then mucked pocket nines face up, giving up his set. The other player showed K10 for the flush and took the pot, knocking out another player in the hand. Mortensen was down to just 12,000.

Helppi’s Pocket Kings Hold Up, Even With an Ace on Board

Juha Helppi raised to 900 under the gun and got four callers. The flop came AJ6 and everybody checked around. The turn was the 6 and everybody checked again.

The river brought the 6 and now Helppi put out a bet of 1,150 and it folded around to the player in the small blind who cut out a call and put the chips in. Helppi tabled KK and his opponent mucked his cards.

Kravchenko and Raymer Mixing it Up

After some preflop action, three players, including Alex Kravchenko and Greg Raymer see a flop of AQ2. Kravchenko bet 1,500, there was a fold and then Raymer made the call. The turn was the K and both players checked.

The river was the 6 and Kravchenko checked again. Raymer bet 4,000 and after a few moments, Kravchenko mucked. Raymer tabled the AQ, good for two pair.

Just a few hands later, these same two players were sparring again. Raymer checked and called a bet from Kravchenko on the turn and a third player came along for the river.

The final board read KJ9K8. Raymer checked, the other player checked and Kravchenko bet 3,000. Raymer quickly made the call and the third party got out of the way. Kravchenko showed AK and Raymer mucked.

Round 2 goes to Kravchenko.

Jason Young Gets Bluffed

A player under the gun made it 900 to go and got three callers, including Jason Young who called from the button. The flop was K64 and the under the gun player bet 2,100. After there were two folds in between, Jason Young opted to raise to 5,150. After some thought, the under the gun player tossed in the call.

The 7 fell on the turn and both players checked. The 2 was the river card and now the original preflop raiser bets 9,000. “You got two aces?” asked Young before he mucks his hand. His read was a little off as his opponent showed the 54, for just a pair of fours.

Left In The Deck:

It was just announced that 873 players registered for Day 1b of the main event, with 720 remaining. This is down from 1,158 players that registered on Day 1b last year. It appears that people just don’t want to spend their 4th of July holiday in the poker room.

Player Tags: Juha Helppi,   Carlos Mortensen,   Greg Raymer,   Jason Young,   Joe Sebok

Level 9 Update: Grinder Eliminated

Jun 24, '09

Blinds: 800-1,600

Players Remaining: 108 out of 275

Chip Counts:

1. Darryll Fish — 221,000
2. Luke Staudenmaier — 218,000
3. Chris Moore — 198,000
4. Michael Brummelhuis — 182,000
5. Masaaki Kagawa — 175,000
6. Eric Bladwin — 168,000
7. David Pham — 160,000
8. Kirill Gerasimov — 145,000
9. David Singer — 143,000
10. Erik Seidel — 122,900

Average Chip Count: 76,388

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Cajelais
Erick Lindgren
Patrick Bueno
Michael Mizrachi
Brandon Adams
David Baker
Alex Bolotin

Big Hands:

Luke Staudenmaier Eliminates Patrick Bueno

Patrick Bueno raises to 5,200 from under the gun, another player reraises to 16,000 and Luke Staudenmaier three-bets the size of the pot. Bueno calls all in while the other player folds.

Bueno: KQ
Staudenmaier: 1010

Board: 98285

Bueno fails to improve as Staudenmaier’s tens hold up. Bueno is eliminated from the tournament as Staudenmaier makes a run at the chiplead with just under 215,000 this hand.

The Grinder is Eliminated

The players in seat 8 and seat 1 limp in to the pot from middle position and Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi puts in a raise from the button. Seat 8 calls the raise and seat 1 reraises the size of the pot (59,800). Mizrachi calls all and seat 8 folds.

Mizrachi: QQ
Seat 1: AK

Board: AJ542

Mizrachi gets it in good but his opponent spikes an ace on the flop, eliminating The grinder from this event.

Mortensen Doubles Through Charania

It was just last level that Mohsin Charania doubeld through Carlos Mortensen to stay alive, and this time it was Mortensen that doubled through Charania to stay alive when Charania checks to Mortensen a flop of 432. Mortensen bets 6,000 and Charania raises to 17,000. Mortensen moves all in for 24,000 and change, Charania calls.

Mortensen: AA
Charania: 77

Mortensen has the lead on the flop with the best overpair but the 5 gives his opponent four more outs. The river is a safe card (9) for Mortensen as he doubles up to almost 60,000 this hand, leaving Charania with just above 30,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Michael Mizrachi,   Patrick Bueno,   Luke Staudenmaier

Level 8 Update: Edler, Montgomery Eliminated

Jun 23, '09

Blinds: 600-1,200

Players Remaining: 126 out of 275

Chip Counts:

1. Darryll Fish — 230,000
2. David Singer — 143,000
3. Kirill Gerasimov — 140,000
4. David Pham — 127,000
5. Alex Popov — 101,000
6. David Steickie — 96,000
7. Erik Seidel — 94,000
8. Vanessa Rousso — 93,500
9. Toto Leonidas — 83,000
10. Kathy Liebert — 80,000

Average Chip Count: 65,476

Notable Eliminations:

Bill Edler
Steve Sung
Theo Tran
Chris Ferguson
Joe Sebok
Jared Hamby
Evan McNiff
Greg Raymer
Scott Montgomery

Big Hands:

Bill Edler Eliminated by Kirill Gerasimov

On a board of 86210, Kirill Gerasimov bets 19,000 and Bill Edler moves all in fir 38,000. Gerasimov calls and has him covered.

Edler: J9
Gerasimov: 66

Edler got it all in on the turn when he had both an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw. Gerasmiov flopped middle set.

The river is the 5, no help for Bill Edler who is eliminated from the tournament. Gerasimov moves up the leaderboard this hand with just under 150,000 in chips.

Mohsin Charania Doubles Through Carlos Mortensen

Mohsin Charania raises to 3,000 from middle position and Carlos Mortensen calls from the button.

The flop comes J54, and Charania bets 5,200. Mortensen raises to approximately 30,000 (enough to put Charania all in), and Charania calls all in; Mortensen has him covered.

Charania: AJ
Mortensen: KJ

Both players flop to p pair, Charania has Mortensen out-kicked. The turn and river are the 2 and the 6, no help for Mortensen as Charania doubles up to over 65,000 this hand while Mortensen falls to just bout 60,000 in chips.

Scott Montgomery Eliminated

The player in seat 6 raises the size of the pot and Scott Montgomery re-pots all in. Seat 6 calls and both players turn over their cards.

Montgomery: KQ
Seat 6: 55

Board: 106493

Montgomery finds no help from the board and is eliminated from the tournament.

Left in the Deck

Players are now on their last twenty-minute break with the completion of Leve1 8, and will return shortly to begin play in Level 9.

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Kirill Gerasimov,   Bill Edler,   Scott Montgomery,   Mohsin Charania

Final Table Update: Mortensen 3rd ($89,342)

Jun 13, '09

Omaha-8: 20,000-40,000
Stud-8: Ante – 10,000, Bring-In – 10,000, Stakes – 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 376

Chip Counts:

1. Phil Ivey — 1,785,000
2. Ming Lee – 1,035,000

Average Chip Count: 1,410,000

Notable Eliminations:

3. Carlos Mortensen — $89,342

Big Hands:

Carlos Mortensen Eliminated in 3rd Place ($89,342)

Carlos Mortensen got it all in before the flop against Ming Lee, who had him covered.

Mortensen: A1063
Lee: AKK4

Board: Q84K4

Leading the hand the entire way, Lee makes a full house on the river, eliminating Carlos Mortensen in 3rd place ($89,342).

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Phil Ivey,   Ming Lee

Final Table Update: Jon Turner Out In 5th, Dutch Boyd 4th

Jun 13, '09

Omaha-8: 10,000-20,000
Stud-8: Ante – 5,000, Bring-In – 5,000, Stakes – 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 3 out of 376

Chip Counts:

1. Phil Ivey – 1,480,000
2. Carlos Mortensen – 800,000
3. Ming Lee – 620,000

Average Chip Count: 1,000,000

Notable Eliminations:

5. Jon Turner — $45,237
4. Dutch Boyd — $61,919

Big Hands:

Jon Turner Eliminated In 5th Place($45,237)

With the board showing 882Q, Jon Turner was all in against Dutch Boyd and both players tabled their hands.

Boyd: A44K
Turner: A9K2

Boyd held the nut flush draw and a low draw while Turner was stuck with a mediocre two pair. The river brought the 6 and Boyd made his flush and low, managing to scoop the pot and show Turner the door in 5th place. Turner took home $45,237 for his efforts.

Dutch Boyd Eliminated In 4th Place($61,919)

Dutch Boyd was all in before any cards were distributed and Carlos Mortensen made the call and then the cards were handed out.

Mortensen: (107)10A10A(8)
Boyd: (J6)J768(Q)

Mortensen’s full house evicted Boyd from the tournament in 4th place.

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Jon Turner,   Dutch Boyd

Final Table Update: Tom Koral Eliminated In 7th Place, Eric Buchman 6th

Jun 13, '09

Omaha-8: 6,000-12,000
Stud-8: Ante – 3,000, Bring-In – 3,000, Stakes – 12,000-24,000

Players Remaining: 5 out of 376

Note: Players have gone on a 60 minute dinner break and will return at 7 p.m.

Chip Counts:

1. Carlos Mortensen – 804,000
2. Phil Ivey – 578,000
3. Jon Turner – 575,000
4. Dutch Boyd – 495,000
5. Ming Lee – 349,000

Average Chip Count: 560,200

Notable Eliminations:

7. Tom Koral — $27,993
6. Eric Buchman — $34,747

Big Hands:

Tom Koral Eliminated In 7th Place($27,993)

Carlos Mortensen raised to 24,000 from under the gun and Ming Lee three-bet from late position. Tom Koral made the call from the big blind and Koral called as well. The flop came A66 and Lee led out with 12,000. Koral then raised to 24,000 and Mortensen called. Lee three-bet to 36,000 and Koral called the remainder of his stack into the pot.

Mortensen called as well and the turn was the K. Mortensen check-called a bet by Lee and both players checked the 10 on the river. Mortensen then showed JJ76 for a club-flush and Lee mucked. Koral showed down his losing hand, A2108 for two pair and he made his exit in 7th place.

Eric Buchman Eliminated In 6th Place($34,747)

Buchman moved all-in on fourth street with the board reading the following.

Buchman: X-X-105
Dutch Boyd: X-X-6J
Ming Lee: X-X-2J

After fourth street, Lee and Boyd fought over the side pot with Boyd leading out the whole way. After all was said and done, Boyd turned over his hand of (QQQ)6J52 and Lee mucked. Buchman was showing 105J5 and turned over two of his hole cards, (K2) and was drawing dead to Boyd’s three ladies. He mucked his river card and was ousted in 6th place.

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Eric Buchman,   Tom Koral,   Ming Lee,   Dutch Boyd

End Of Day 2

Jun 13, '09

Many bracelets remain in the field of 14 in Event No. 25 ($2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 8-or-better). Action will resume at 1 p.m. tomorrow as the tournament will play down to a winner. Jon “PearlJammer” Turner is the massive chip leader with almost 200,000 more than Carlos Mortensen in second. Be sure to check back at CardPlayer.com tomorrow for level by level updates.

Here are the chip counts:

1. Jon Turner – 465,000
2. Carlos Mortensen – 280,000
3. Frank Debus – 250,000
4. Eric Buchman – 240,000
5. Steve Wong – 235,000
6. Dutch Boyd – 225,000
7. Blair Rodman – 210,000
8. Matt Kelly – 160,000
9. Phil Ivey – 150,000
10. Mark Scott – 148,000
11. Tom Koral – 130,000
12. Peter Gelencser – 125,000
13. Ming Lee – 85,000
14. Chad Brown – 40,000

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Jon Turner

Final Table Update: Mortensen 3rd ($89,342)

Jun 13, '09

Omaha-8: 20,000-40,000
Stud-8: Ante – 10,000, Bring-In – 10,000, Stakes – 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 376

Chip Counts:

1. Phil Ivey — 1,785,000
2. Ming Lee – 1,035,000

Average Chip Count: 1,410,000

Notable Eliminations:

3. Carlos Mortensen — $89,342

Big Hands:

Carlos Mortensen Eliminated in 3rd Place ($89,342)

Carlos Mortensen got it all in before the flop against Ming Lee, who had him covered.

Mortensen: A1063
Lee: AKK4

Board: Q84K4

Leading the hand the entire way, Lee makes a full house on the river, eliminating Carlos Mortensen in 3rd place ($89,342).

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Phil Ivey,   Ming Lee

Final Table Update: Jon Turner Out In 5th, Dutch Boyd 4th

Jun 13, '09

Omaha-8: 10,000-20,000
Stud-8: Ante – 5,000, Bring-In – 5,000, Stakes – 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 3 out of 376

Chip Counts:

1. Phil Ivey – 1,480,000
2. Carlos Mortensen – 800,000
3. Ming Lee – 620,000

Average Chip Count: 1,000,000

Notable Eliminations:

5. Jon Turner — $45,237
4. Dutch Boyd — $61,919

Big Hands:

Jon Turner Eliminated In 5th Place($45,237)

With the board showing 882Q, Jon Turner was all in against Dutch Boyd and both players tabled their hands.

Boyd: A44K
Turner: A9K2

Boyd held the nut flush draw and a low draw while Turner was stuck with a mediocre two pair. The river brought the 6 and Boyd made his flush and low, managing to scoop the pot and show Turner the door in 5th place. Turner took home $45,237 for his efforts.

Dutch Boyd Eliminated In 4th Place($61,919)

Dutch Boyd was all in before any cards were distributed and Carlos Mortensen made the call and then the cards were handed out.

Mortensen: (107)10A10A(8)
Boyd: (J6)J768(Q)

Mortensen’s full house evicted Boyd from the tournament in 4th place.

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Jon Turner,   Dutch Boyd

Final Table Update: Tom Koral Eliminated In 7th Place, Eric Buchman 6th

Jun 13, '09

Omaha-8: 6,000-12,000
Stud-8: Ante – 3,000, Bring-In – 3,000, Stakes – 12,000-24,000

Players Remaining: 5 out of 376

Note: Players have gone on a 60 minute dinner break and will return at 7 p.m.

Chip Counts:

1. Carlos Mortensen – 804,000
2. Phil Ivey – 578,000
3. Jon Turner – 575,000
4. Dutch Boyd – 495,000
5. Ming Lee – 349,000

Average Chip Count: 560,200

Notable Eliminations:

7. Tom Koral — $27,993
6. Eric Buchman — $34,747

Big Hands:

Tom Koral Eliminated In 7th Place($27,993)

Carlos Mortensen raised to 24,000 from under the gun and Ming Lee three-bet from late position. Tom Koral made the call from the big blind and Koral called as well. The flop came A66 and Lee led out with 12,000. Koral then raised to 24,000 and Mortensen called. Lee three-bet to 36,000 and Koral called the remainder of his stack into the pot.

Mortensen called as well and the turn was the K. Mortensen check-called a bet by Lee and both players checked the 10 on the river. Mortensen then showed JJ76 for a club-flush and Lee mucked. Koral showed down his losing hand, A2108 for two pair and he made his exit in 7th place.

Eric Buchman Eliminated In 6th Place($34,747)

Buchman moved all-in on fourth street with the board reading the following.

Buchman: X-X-105
Dutch Boyd: X-X-6J
Ming Lee: X-X-2J

After fourth street, Lee and Boyd fought over the side pot with Boyd leading out the whole way. After all was said and done, Boyd turned over his hand of (QQQ)6J52 and Lee mucked. Buchman was showing 105J5 and turned over two of his hole cards, (K2) and was drawing dead to Boyd’s three ladies. He mucked his river card and was ousted in 6th place.

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Eric Buchman,   Tom Koral,   Ming Lee,   Dutch Boyd

End Of Day 2

Jun 13, '09

Many bracelets remain in the field of 14 in Event No. 25 ($2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 8-or-better). Action will resume at 1 p.m. tomorrow as the tournament will play down to a winner. Jon “PearlJammer” Turner is the massive chip leader with almost 200,000 more than Carlos Mortensen in second. Be sure to check back at CardPlayer.com tomorrow for level by level updates.

Here are the chip counts:

1. Jon Turner – 465,000
2. Carlos Mortensen – 280,000
3. Frank Debus – 250,000
4. Eric Buchman – 240,000
5. Steve Wong – 235,000
6. Dutch Boyd – 225,000
7. Blair Rodman – 210,000
8. Matt Kelly – 160,000
9. Phil Ivey – 150,000
10. Mark Scott – 148,000
11. Tom Koral – 130,000
12. Peter Gelencser – 125,000
13. Ming Lee – 85,000
14. Chad Brown – 40,000

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Jon Turner

Level 7 Update: Rousso, Alioto, Williams Eliminated

Jun 11, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 66 out of 96

Chip Counts:

1. Roland de Wolfe — 124,000
2. Vince Musso — 118,000
3. John Juanda — 111,000
4. Jeff Lisandro — 92,300
5. Johnny Chan — 73,000
6. Sam Grizzle — 71,000
7. Mike Matusow — 68,000
8. Bruno Fitoussi — 67,000
9. Jean-Robert Bellande — 66,000
10. Amnon Filippi — 61,000

Average Chip Count: 43,636

Notable Eliminations:

Vanessa Rousso
Dario Alioto
David Williams
Dan O’Brien
Erik Lindgren
Phil Hellmuth
Barry Greenstein
Carlos Mortensen

Big Hands:

Vanessa Rousso Eliminated by Daniel Alaei

Vanessa Rousso moves all in for 3,500 from the button and Daniel Alaei calls from the small blind.

Rousso draws two cards while Alaei draws only one.

Aleai turns over a made J-7 low while Rousso shows a 10-9-2 low and first draws a queen, and then another ten. Rousso is eliminated from the tournament.

Dario Alioto Eliminated by John Juanda

Carlos Mortensen raises to 2,000 from under the gun and Freddy Deeb calls from early position. John Juanda reraises to 8,500 from the cutoff and Dario Alioto four-bets a total of 17,000. Mortensen and Deeb both fold their hands and Juanda calls.

Juanda draws one card while Alioto stands pat.

Juanda bets 30,000 after the draw, enough to put Alioto all in. Alioto calls all in for his last 25,000 and Juanda turns over an 8-7-5-4-3 low. Alioto mucks his cards and Juanda rakes the pot. Dario Alioto is eliminated from the tournament as Juanda brings his stack back up to 102,000 which keeps him in contention.

David Williams Eliminated by Justin Smith

David Williams moves all in for 3,425 from the button and Justin Smith calls from the small blind.

Both players draw one card each.

Williams was drawing to a J-10 low while Smith had already made a 9-6 low. With Williams drawing dead, Smith rakes the pot as he eliminates his opponent from the tournament.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Carlos Mortensen,   Daniel Alaei,   David Williams,   Vanessa Rousso,   Dario Alioto,   Freddy Deeb,   Justin Smith

Carlos Mortensen Eliminated

Apr 29, '09

Former WSOP and WPT champion Carlos Mortensen has busted out of the tournament.
















 

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen