Michael Wattel - Live Updates

Level 20 Update: Final Table Set

Jun 29, '09

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

Players Remaining: 8 out of 95

Chip Counts:

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

Average Chip Count: 1,781,250

Notable Eliminations:

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

Big Hands:

Omaha 8/b

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Giang showed the AQK10 and Watted showed the A862.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Time For Heads-Up Play!

Jun 21, '09

Ante: 20,000
Low Card: 20,000
Completion: 80,000
Limits: 80,000-160,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 164

Chip Counts:

1. Farzad Rouhani —- 2,860,000
2. Jeff Lisandro — 2,150,000

Average Chip Count: 2,460,000

Notable Eliminations:

3. Mike Wattel — $176,605

Big Hands:

Mike Wattel Eliminated in Third Place ($176,605)

Farzad Rouhani brought it in with a trey and Jeffrey Lisandro completed. Mike Wattel called and Rouhani got out of the way.

Wattel: (A7)7JKX(X)
Lisandro: (45)87105x(4x)

Wattel check-raised all in on fourth street and Lisandro called. On seventh, Lisandro made fives up and Wattel bricked on his pair of sevens and low draw to bust from the tournament.

Player Tags: Michael Wattel

Final Table Update: Slow Start

Jun 20, '09

Ante: 5,000
Low Card: 5,000
Completion: 20,000
Limits: 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 164

Chip Counts:

1. Abe Mosseri — 1,167,000
2. Jeffrey Lisandro — 983,000
3. Farzad Rouhani — 859,000
4. Yan Chen — 775,000
5. Frank Mariani — 449,000
6. Doyle Brunson — 284,000
7. Justin Smith — 261,000
8. Mike Wattel — 154,000

Average Chip Count: 447,272

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Mike Wattel Doubles Up

Justin Smith raised on third street and Mike Wattel reraised. Yan Chen made it four bets to go and Smith mucked. Wattel reraised all in and Chen called. Their cards:

Wattel: (J-J)2324(J)
Chen: (Q-Q)6A9K(X)

Wattel drew a third jack on seventh street to make a full house and scoop the pot to double up.

Player Tags: Michael Wattel,   Yan Chen

Level 2 Update: 144 And Counting, Field Still Growing

Jun 18, '09

Ante: 75
Low Card: 100
Completion: 300
Limits: 300-600

Players Remaining: 144 out of 144

Chip Counts:

1. Scotty Nguyen — 49,000
2. Daniel Alaei — 44,700
3. Tuan Le — 41,200
4. Soheil Shamdseddin — 41,000
5. Alessio Isaia — 39,000
6. Brett Richey — 39,000
7. Josh Arieh — 38,000
8. Ted Forrest — 37,000
9. Toto Leonidas — 36,200
10. Bill Chen — 36,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Big Hands:

Mike Wattel vs. Miami John

The player in seat 1 opens for 100 with the 7, Mike Wattel completes the bet to 300 with the 7, Miami John Cernuto calls with the 8 and the original opener calls the raise as well.

Seat 1: X-X-710
Wattel: X-X-72
Cernuto: X-X-810

Cernuto bets 300 and both opponents call.

Seat 1: X-X-7108
Wattel: X-X-727
Cernuto: X-X-8106

Wattel bets 600, Cernuto raises to 1,200, Seat 1 calls, Wattel reraises to 1,800 and both Cernuto and seat 1 call the three-bets.

Seat 1: X-X-7108K
Wattel: X-X-7278
Cernuto: X-X-8106Q

Wattel bets 600 on sixth street, Cernuto calls and seat 1 folds. Wattel bets 600 on the river as well, this time Cernuto gives up the hand. Wattel rakes the pot, bringing his chip count up to 38,000 this hand while Cernuto falls back down to even (30,000).

Barry Greenstein vs. Soheil Shamseddin

Soheil Shamseddin opens the pot for 100 with the 4, Barry Greenstein completes the bet to 300 with the 7 and Shamseddin calls.

Greenstein: X-X-7K
Shamseddin: X-X-47

Greenstein bets 300 and Shamseddin calls.

Greenstein: X-X-7K9
Shamseddin: X-X-479

This time Shamseddin bets 600 and Greenstein calls.

Greenstein: X-X-7K92
Shamseddin: X-X-47910

Greenstein bets 600 on sixth street and Shamseddin folds. “I’m afraid of hearts. I have no hearts in my hand”, says Shamseddin as he throws his cards away. “Either do I”, says Greenstein as he rakes the pot, bringing himself back up to even (30,000) while Shamseddin stills has just about 40,000 in chips after this hand.

Left in the Deck

Players will take a twenty-minute break at the end of Level 2 and return at approximately 7:45 pm PDT to begin Level 3.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Barry Greenstein,   Michael Wattel,   Soheil Shamseddin

Time For Heads-Up Play!

Jun 21, '09

Ante: 20,000
Low Card: 20,000
Completion: 80,000
Limits: 80,000-160,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 164

Chip Counts:

1. Farzad Rouhani —- 2,860,000
2. Jeff Lisandro — 2,150,000

Average Chip Count: 2,460,000

Notable Eliminations:

3. Mike Wattel — $176,605

Big Hands:

Mike Wattel Eliminated in Third Place ($176,605)

Farzad Rouhani brought it in with a trey and Jeffrey Lisandro completed. Mike Wattel called and Rouhani got out of the way.

Wattel: (A7)7JKX(X)
Lisandro: (45)87105x(4x)

Wattel check-raised all in on fourth street and Lisandro called. On seventh, Lisandro made fives up and Wattel bricked on his pair of sevens and low draw to bust from the tournament.

Player Tags: Michael Wattel

Final Table Update: Slow Start

Jun 20, '09

Ante: 5,000
Low Card: 5,000
Completion: 20,000
Limits: 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 164

Chip Counts:

1. Abe Mosseri — 1,167,000
2. Jeffrey Lisandro — 983,000
3. Farzad Rouhani — 859,000
4. Yan Chen — 775,000
5. Frank Mariani — 449,000
6. Doyle Brunson — 284,000
7. Justin Smith — 261,000
8. Mike Wattel — 154,000

Average Chip Count: 447,272

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Mike Wattel Doubles Up

Justin Smith raised on third street and Mike Wattel reraised. Yan Chen made it four bets to go and Smith mucked. Wattel reraised all in and Chen called. Their cards:

Wattel: (J-J)2324(J)
Chen: (Q-Q)6A9K(X)

Wattel drew a third jack on seventh street to make a full house and scoop the pot to double up.

Player Tags: Michael Wattel,   Yan Chen

Level 2 Update: 144 And Counting, Field Still Growing

Jun 18, '09

Ante: 75
Low Card: 100
Completion: 300
Limits: 300-600

Players Remaining: 144 out of 144

Chip Counts:

1. Scotty Nguyen — 49,000
2. Daniel Alaei — 44,700
3. Tuan Le — 41,200
4. Soheil Shamdseddin — 41,000
5. Alessio Isaia — 39,000
6. Brett Richey — 39,000
7. Josh Arieh — 38,000
8. Ted Forrest — 37,000
9. Toto Leonidas — 36,200
10. Bill Chen — 36,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Big Hands:

Mike Wattel vs. Miami John

The player in seat 1 opens for 100 with the 7, Mike Wattel completes the bet to 300 with the 7, Miami John Cernuto calls with the 8 and the original opener calls the raise as well.

Seat 1: X-X-710
Wattel: X-X-72
Cernuto: X-X-810

Cernuto bets 300 and both opponents call.

Seat 1: X-X-7108
Wattel: X-X-727
Cernuto: X-X-8106

Wattel bets 600, Cernuto raises to 1,200, Seat 1 calls, Wattel reraises to 1,800 and both Cernuto and seat 1 call the three-bets.

Seat 1: X-X-7108K
Wattel: X-X-7278
Cernuto: X-X-8106Q

Wattel bets 600 on sixth street, Cernuto calls and seat 1 folds. Wattel bets 600 on the river as well, this time Cernuto gives up the hand. Wattel rakes the pot, bringing his chip count up to 38,000 this hand while Cernuto falls back down to even (30,000).

Barry Greenstein vs. Soheil Shamseddin

Soheil Shamseddin opens the pot for 100 with the 4, Barry Greenstein completes the bet to 300 with the 7 and Shamseddin calls.

Greenstein: X-X-7K
Shamseddin: X-X-47

Greenstein bets 300 and Shamseddin calls.

Greenstein: X-X-7K9
Shamseddin: X-X-479

This time Shamseddin bets 600 and Greenstein calls.

Greenstein: X-X-7K92
Shamseddin: X-X-47910

Greenstein bets 600 on sixth street and Shamseddin folds. “I’m afraid of hearts. I have no hearts in my hand”, says Shamseddin as he throws his cards away. “Either do I”, says Greenstein as he rakes the pot, bringing himself back up to even (30,000) while Shamseddin stills has just about 40,000 in chips after this hand.

Left in the Deck

Players will take a twenty-minute break at the end of Level 2 and return at approximately 7:45 pm PDT to begin Level 3.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Barry Greenstein,   Michael Wattel,   Soheil Shamseddin

Final Table Update: Todd Brunson 8th, Mike Wattel 7th, James Van Alstyne 6th

Jun 06, '09

Level Structure:

2-7 triple draw, limit hold’em, and Omaha 8OB: 20,000-40,000 blinds and 40,000-80,000 limits

7-card stud, razz, and 7-card stud 8OB: 10,000 ante, 10,000 bring-in, with a 40,000 completion and 40,000-80,000 limits

no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha: 10,000-20,000 blinds with a 5,000 ante

NOTES: Games change every eight hands. Two players will be forced to sit out during 2-7 triple draw each hand.

Players Remaining: 5 out of 194

Chip Counts:

1. David Chiu – 2,500,000
2. Mark Gregorich – 1,025,000
3. Huck Seed – 985,000
4. Scott Dorin – 775,000
5. Ville Wahlbeck – 705,000

Average Chip Count: 1,198,000

Notable Eliminations:

8. Todd Brunson — $54,845
7. Mike Wattel — $64,373
6. James Van Alstyne — $79,181

Big Hands:

STUD

Todd Brunson Eliminated in 8th Place ($54,845)

With the stakes rapidly rising, Todd Brunson decided to make his last stand with a split pair of tens. Unfortunately for Brunson, he ran his pair of tens right into David Chiu’s rolled-up kings. Chiu filled on the river while Brunson bricked-out. The final hands were as follows.

Chiu: (K)(K)K42Q(Q)
Brunson: (A)(10)10K4X 2X (7X)

Todd Brunson is eliminated in 8th place ($54,845).

NLH

Mike Wattel Eliminated in 7th place ($64,373)

David Chiu raises to 55,000 from the button and Mike Wattel moves all in for 56,000. Chiu calls the additional 1,000 and both players turn over their cards.

Wattel: 99
Chiu: K8

Board: AKJ84

Wattel gets it in good with a pair of nines, but Chiu flops a king and turns an eight for two pair. Mike Wattel is eliminated in 7th place ($64,373).

PLO

James Van Alstyne Eliminated In 6th Place($79,181)

David Chiu raised the pot, 55,000 preflop and Huck Seed made the call. The action was then on Van Alstyne who re-potted to 220,000. Chiu made the call and Seed decided to come along as well. The flop dropped 1094 and Van Alstyne moved in for his final 596,000. Chiu made the call and Seed got out of the way. Both players then turned up their hands.

Chiu: QJ109
Van Alstyne: AAJ2

Chiu hit top two pair and had an open ended straight draw to go with it. Van Alstyne’s aces were in trouble and the K on the turn didn’t help as it made Chiu’s straight. Van Alstyne needed a Queen to make Broadway or else he would be eliminated. The 7 on the river sealed his fate and he was shown the door in sixth place, good enough for $79,181.

Player Tags: Michael Wattel,   Todd Brunson,   David Chiu,   James Van Alstyne

Wattel Doubles Through DeMichele Again

Oct 25, '08

Michael DeMichele raises to 90,000 on the button and Mike Wattel reraises to 250,000. DeMichele calls and the flop comes KQ2.

Wattel immediately moves all in for 580,000. DeMichele agonizes over his decision for several minutes before calling with QJ. Wattel loves it and turns over AQ.

The turn and river come 66 and Wattel doubles up to nearly 1.7 million in chips. DeMichelle is left with just over 1 million and a lot of regret.

Player Tags: Michael Wattel,   Michael DeMichele

Mike Wattel Doubles Up

Oct 25, '08

Michael DeMichele raises to 90,000 and Mike Wattel moves all in for 415,000.

After about 3 minutes in the tank, DeMichele calls with K7 and Wattel shows 55. The board comes JJ934 and Wattel doubles up to just over 900,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Michael Wattel,   Michael DeMichele

Justin Bonomo Eliminated in 16th Place ($42,630)

Oct 24, '08

Justin Bonomo is all in with K9 against Mike Wattel's AK.

Both players flop trips when the board comes KK5410, but Wattel's kicker reigns supreme, busting Bonomo in 16th place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Michael Wattel,   Justin Bonomo

Wattel Doubles Through DeMichele Again

Oct 25, '08

Michael DeMichele raises to 90,000 on the button and Mike Wattel reraises to 250,000. DeMichele calls and the flop comes KQ2.

Wattel immediately moves all in for 580,000. DeMichele agonizes over his decision for several minutes before calling with QJ. Wattel loves it and turns over AQ.

The turn and river come 66 and Wattel doubles up to nearly 1.7 million in chips. DeMichelle is left with just over 1 million and a lot of regret.

Player Tags: Michael Wattel,   Michael DeMichele

Mike Wattel Doubles Up

Oct 25, '08

Michael DeMichele raises to 90,000 and Mike Wattel moves all in for 415,000.

After about 3 minutes in the tank, DeMichele calls with K7 and Wattel shows 55. The board comes JJ934 and Wattel doubles up to just over 900,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Michael Wattel,   Michael DeMichele

Justin Bonomo Eliminated in 16th Place ($42,630)

Oct 24, '08

Justin Bonomo is all in with K9 against Mike Wattel's AK.

Both players flop trips when the board comes KK5410, but Wattel's kicker reigns supreme, busting Bonomo in 16th place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Michael Wattel,   Justin Bonomo

Mike Wattel Eliminated

Aug 26, '08

Mike Wattel has just been eliminated from the tournament.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Michael Wattel

$50,000 World Champioship H.O.R.S.E. - Day 3 - Level 14 Recap

Jun 27, '08

Players Left: 41 of 148

Chip Leaders:

Barry Greenstein - 800,000
Huck Seed - 690,000
Michael DeMichele - 690,000
Patrick Bueno - 680,000
Joseph Michael  - 640,000
Edwin Ting - 640,000
Lyle Berman - 614,000
Farzad "Fred" Bonyadi - 520,000
Andy Bloch - 500,000
Mike Wattel - 450,000

Average Stack: 360,975

Eliminations:

Layne Flack
Kenny Tran
George Lind
Minh Ly
Raymon Dehkhargani

Big Hands and Storylines:

Razz

Looking Bleak for Doyle

With 855K exposed during razz Doyle Brunson bet 25,000 on seventh street against Bill Chen, who had 5K99 face up. Chen made the call and then turned over 764 in the hole. Brunson mucked his hand and conceded Chen the medium-size pot. "It's looking bleak," said Brunon after the hand to Abe Mosseri, who had come over to check on Doyle's stack. Doyle held under 300,000 after the hand.

Omaha 8OB

Odd Man Out

On a flop of A107 Mike Wattel bet 10,000 and both Chris Reslock and Andy Bloch made the call. The turn was dealt A and Reslock bet 20,000. Both opponents made the call and the 6 fell on the river. Reslock led out for 20,000 once again and both Bloch and Wattel made the call. Their cards:

Wattel: JJ32
Reslock: A782
Bloch: muck

Reslock took the high and Wattel the low. Bloch was the odd man out.

Stud

Doyle vs. Ivey

Doyle Brunson had A4Q2 exposed against Phil Ivey's QJ87. Bets and raises on every single street had built a nice pot worth more than 150,000 on seventh street when Ivey bet and Doyle raised. Ivey thought for a moment and then mucked his hand. The pot put Brunson back above the 300,000 mark, whil Ivey is now down to about 100,000.

Player Tags: Andy Bloch,   Michael Wattel,   Doyle Brunson,   Phil Ivey,   Chris Reslock,   William Chen

Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Low Ball - Final Table Set

Jun 23, '08

Action has played down to the final table of 6 players. Play will resume Tuesday at 2 p.m. with John Phan, Gioi Luong, Robert Mizrachi, Shunjiro Uchida, Ben Ponzio and David Sklansky still playing for the bracelet.

Final Table Starting Stacks:
John Phan: 294,000
Gioi Luong: 291,000
Robert Mizrachi: 215,000
Shunjiro Uchida: 200,000
Ben Ponzio: 113,000
David Sklansky: 78,000

Eliminations:
7th Place - Billy Baxter (15,054)
8th Place - Steve Sung ($15,054)
9th Place - Mike Wattel ($12,317)

Here are highlights from today's last round of play:

Baxter Bubbles Final Table, out in 7th Place ($15,054)

A short-stacked Billy Baxter  got all in against David Sklansky and Gioi Luong. After Sklansky folded after the second draw Baxter was heads up with Luong and in better shape. Both drew 1 card on the final draw and Luong showed Q-7-6-5-2. Baxter showed 8-5-4-2, but unfortunately for him he drew a queen and was eliminated one spot from tomorrow's final table, making $15,054- a remarkable feat considering he came into today's play 30th in chips out of 30 players.

Wattel Doubles, But Later Eliminated in 9th Place ($12,317)

Mike Wattel got all in against Ben Ponzio right off the bat. Wattel drew 1 on the first draw, 1 on the second and stood pat on the 3rd. Ponzio drew 3, 2, then 1. Wattel showed 8-7-5-4-2 and more than doubled up to stay alive.
A couple hands later Wattel got all in again against Gioi Luong and Ben Ponzio. In the end Ponzio showed a monster, 7-6-4-3-2 and Wattel was gone in ninth place, earning $12,317.

Sklansky Takes Early Pot From Ponzio

After both players took 1 card in the first draw, David Sklansky and Ben Ponzio checked and both took 1 card again on the second draw. Ponzio bet 10,000 and Sklansky called. Sklansky took 1 more on the third draw while Ponzio stood pat. But when Sklansky bet out 10,000 on the end Ponzio quickly folded and Sklansky took a nice early pot.

Wrong Game For Quads

When mucking his hand, David Sklansky brought laughter to the table when he showed quad 9s.

Player Tags: Gioi Luong,   Michael Wattel,   David Sklansky,   Ben Ponzio,   Billy Baxter

Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Low Ball - Luong, Phan To The Forefront

Jun 23, '08

Players are now on a 20 minute break. Action will resume around 9:55 p.m.

Blinds: 2,000-4,000

Players Left: 9 of 238

Chip Leaders:
Gioi Luong: 250,000
John Phan: 224,000
Robert Mizrachi: 195,000
Billy Baxter: 140,000
Shunjiro Uchida: 123,000
Steve Sung: 115,000
Ben Ponzio: 100,000
David Sklansky: 36,000
Michael Wattel: 20,000

Average Stack: 132,222

Eliminations:
10th - Richard Chase ($12,316)
11th - Greg Raymer ($9,580)
12th - Dario Alioto ($9,580)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Action will play down to the final 6 players. Now that they're getting close, David Sklansky has predicted that action will tighten up considerably.

Phan Busts Alioto in 12th Place - ($9,580)

John Phan got a short-stacked Dario Alioto all in and drew 2 on the first draw. Alioto drew 3. Phan drew 1 on the second draw and Alioto drew 2, then laughed when he saw his cards. When it was all said and done Phan showed 9-8-5-3-2 and Alioto showed a face card and was eliminated in 12th place.

Phan Outdraws Mizrachi For Monstrous Pot

Robert Mizrachi raised preflop and was called by John Phan. Phan couldn't have liked to hear Mizrachi say, "I'm good," when the dealer asked how many cards he wanted to draw. Phan on the other hand drew 2. Mizrachi bet 4,000 and Phan called and drew 2 more. Mizrachi bet 8,000, Phan called and drew a single card on his final draw. After receiving his final card Phan led out for 8,000 and Mizrachi called. Phan showed 8-5-4-3-2 and Mizrachi mucked. Phan took nice a huge pot and sits near the top with around 224,000 in chips.

Raymer Pairs a Deuce, Gone in 11th Place - ($9,580)

Greg Raymer got all in heads up before the first draw and both he and Richard Chase took two cards on the first draw. On the second draw Raymer took two again, but Chase stood pat. Raymer kept drawing, take two more on the final draw while Chase flipped over 8-5-4-3-2. Raymer showed 7-6-5-2-2 and paired his deuce on the end to be eliminated in 11th place.

Chase Eliminated in 10th Place - ($12,316)

Not long after eliminating Greg Raymer, Richard Chase got all in against Gioi Luong. After the first draw both players stood pat and Luong showed 8-7-6-4-3. Chase mucked and was eliminated in 10th place, while Luong jumped to the forefront with around 250,000 in chips.

So Close, Ponzio Loses Pot

When both Gioi Luong and Ben Ponzio stayed pat after their second draw it was safe to assume they had hands.Luong turned over 8-7-5-4-2 and Ponzio was disapointed when he turned over 8-7-6-4-2 to narrowly lose the hand.

Ponzio Cripples Wattel

Michael Wattel bet after every draw and Ben Ponzio came along for the ride each time. After the third draw was over Ponzio showed 10-7-5-4-2 and Wattel looked like he had been punched in the gut when he mucked. Wattel less than 20,000 in chips after the loss.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Gioi Luong,   Michael Wattel,   Greg Raymer,   Ben Ponzio,   Richard Chase,   Dario Alioto,   European Report

$2,500 Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw Lowball - Day 2 - Level 14 Recap

Jun 23, '08

The players are now on an hour-long dinner break

Blinds: 1,300-2,500

Players Left: 18 of 238

Chip Leaders:
John Phan - 156,000
Billy Baxter - 128,500
Shunjiro Uchida - 114,500
David Sklansky - 106,000
Robert Mizrachi - 100,000
Michael Wattel - 96,000
Gioi Luong - 92,500
Greg Raymer - 89,000
Richard Chase - 55,000
Dario Alioto - 54,500

Average Stack: 66,100

Eliminations:
15^th – Raymond Davis
16^th – Juan Luis Velador
17^th – Chau Giang
18^th – Claude Cohen

Big Hands and Storylines:

Billy Baxter’s Tremendous Turnaround

Billy Baxter started today with only 6,000 in chips, slightly more than a single big bet. 30^th of 30 in chips, it didn’t seem like he would make any sort of run today. Astoundingly, Baxter has turned it around completely and now stands at 2^nd in chips with 128,000. Baxter’s rapid rise in the deuce-to-seven event has caused a bit of a conflict however. While his stack grows and grows in the lowball event, his stack is being blinded off in the seniors’ event. Baxter had pre-registered for the seniors’ event assuming that he would bust early in the deuce-to-seven triple draw event. Mr. Baxter seems unperturbed by this development.

Billy Baxter Eliminates Chau Giang

“Cold deck,” Giang repeated as he was eliminated by Billy Baxter in a serious cooler of a hand. Action pre-draw saw four bets by each player and Baxter stood bat from the get-go. Giang drew one on each of the first two draws and then stood pat on the final draw. Giang check-raised Baxter on the final round of betting to get all of his chips in with no. 3: 7-6-5-3-2. Baxter’s good day kept getting better though, as he unveiled a perfect 7-5-4-3-2 to bust Giang. It’s good to be the king.

John Phan eliminates Raymond Davis

John Phan eliminated Ray Davis, moving into the chip lead in the process. It was an unfortunate end to the day for Davis, who had been talking boldly about his final-table aspirations all afternoon long. Davis, standing pat on the final two draws, ran into the 7-5-4-3-2 of Phan. The nut-low propelled Phan to 155,000 in chips, tops on the day.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Gioi Luong,   Robert Mizrachi,   Michael Wattel,   Chau Giang,   David Sklansky,   Shunjiro Uchida,   Claude Cohen,   Greg Raymer,   Richard Chase,   Billy Baxter,   Dario Alioto,   Jose Luis Velador

$2,500 Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw Lowball - Day 2 - Level 12

Jun 23, '08

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

Blinds: 800-1,500

Players Left: 22 of 238

Chip Leaders:
Shun Uchida - 101,000
Jose Luis Velador - 78,000
Gioi Luong - 74,100
David Baker - 70,500
Ray Davis - 67,700
Michael Wattel - 67,000
James Copeland - 62,700
Billy Baxter - 58,000
Chris Vitch - 54,500
Robert Mizrachi - 52,400

Average Stack: 44,100

Eliminations:
Bill Chen
Trung Ly

Big Hands and Storylines:

Trung Is The Bubble Boy... Juuuuust Bare-Ly

Trung Ly was so low on chips that there was no trying to sneak into the money for him. Left with only 1,000 chips, Ly found himself all-in on the 1^st draw. The drama didn’t come until after the 3^rd draw however. Ly declared a jack-low... and so did Claude Cohen. Ly clarified, “Jack-seven,” and again, Cohen had the same. The third card was the deciding one, and Ly’s J-7-6 low was bested by his Cohen’s J-7-5. Ly was eliminated in 25th place.

Ray Ray Ruins Chen Check-Raise Connivance

Ray Davis raised to 3,000 on the button and was called by Bill Chen in the big blind. Chen drew 2 and Davis took 1. Chen then check-called Davis’s bet. On the next draw each player asked for 1 card and, again, Chen check-called a Davis bet. On the final draw Chen drew a single card and Davis stood pat. Chen checked and Davis fired again. Chen sprung into action for the first time in the hand with a raise which was quickly called by Davis. Chen’s check-raise was a bluff however, and his pair of deuces was soundly defeated by Davis’s 8-7-5-4-3.

This would signal the beginning of the end for Chen’s day, as he would be eliminated in 24^th place, just squeaking into the money.

Sklansky Bucks Elimination, Triples Up

David Sklansky raised from early position with a short stack and eventually got his money all-in after the final draw. Both Steve Sung and Greg Raymer folded to Sklansky’s last bet of 2,500, but John Phan made the call. Sklansky showed 9-8-5-4-3 and Phan could only claim a 10-low before folding. That hand boosted him to 24,000 and allowed him to make the money.

Raymer Celebrates a Cash

Greg Raymer has just informed his table that this is his first cash in his past 24 World Series attempts. Congratulations are in order for Greg, but don’t feel too bad for him. After all, not many players have cashed for $5 million in a single World Series event.

Player Tags: Gioi Luong,   Robert Mizrachi,   Raymond Davis,   Michael Wattel,   Trung Ly,   Shunjiro Uchida,   Claude Cohen,   Greg Raymer,   William Chen,   James Copeland,   Billy Baxter,   Chris Vitch,   Jose Luis Velador

$2,500 Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw Lowball - Day 2 - Level 11 Recap

Jun 23, '08

Blinds: 600-1,200

Players Left: 27 of 238

Chip Leaders:
Shun Uchida - 79,200
Gioi Luong - 74,100
Ray Davis - 67,700
Robert Mizrachi – 65,000
Greg Raymer - 64,600
James Copeland - 62,700
Richard Chase - 59,200
Michael Wattel - 57,200
Chris Vitch - 54,500
Jose Luis Velador - 49,400

Average Stack: 44,100

Eliminations:
Antony Lellouche
John Roveto

Big Hands and Storylines:

“Advertise Now, Steal Later”

Those words uttered by Chris Vitch after raising from the small blind and forcing Bill Chen to lay down his hand. Vitch showed a made 8-6. Of course, one wonders if Vitch’s cunning gambit will pay off after letting Chen in on it.

The Table of Death

It appears that one table stands out above all others as one to watch during today’s early preceding. Greg Raymer is seated at a table along with Steve Sung, John Phan, Ralph Perry, David Sklansky, and Jose Luis Velador. Action started off fast as Raymer took a big pot off of Phan early in the first level of the day:

Raymer raised from the hijack and was called by Phan in the big blind. Both players drew 2 cards and Phan checked. Raymer bet and “The Razor” called. Phan drew one card and Raymer stood pat. Phan check-raised Raymer on the next betting round and Raymer called. Both players stood pat on the final draw and Phan check-called Raymer’s bet. Raymer’s no. 3 – 7-6-5-3-2 – was better than Phan’s eight low, and “Fossilman” raked in a sizeable pot. He’s now up to 65,000.

Billy Baxter Doubles Up

Lowball specialist Billy Baxter just doubled through Ray Henson to get back to more respectable 20,000 in chips. This is bad news for the rest of the players at the table. Baxter owns 5 deuce-to-seven bracelets and will be looking to add a 6^th to his collection.

Robert Mizrachi Racing To The Top

Gioi Luong, first to act, raised to 1,200, Mizrachi called in the small blind, James Copeland 3-bet from the big blind, and the other two players called. Mizrachi drew two and the others drew one card. Copeland bet and Mizarachi and Luong called. On the 2^nd draw each player took one card. On this round of betting Mizrachi and Copeland checked to Luong who bet and both players called. On the final draw Mizrachi drew one and the other players stood pat. Mizrachi led out into the two pat players, who both folded. Mizrachi claimed he had a 7-6 and raked in a large pot, taking him to 65,000.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Gioi Luong,   Robert Mizrachi,   Raymond Davis,   Michael Wattel,   Anthony Lellouche,   Shunjiro Uchida,   Greg Raymer,   Richard Chase,   James Copeland,   John Roveto,   Billy Baxter,   Chris Vitch,   Jose Luis Velador

$10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em - End of Day 1

Jun 15, '08

Play has concluded here on day 1 of the event 30, the $10,000 world championship limit hold'em tournament. The players will collect their bearings and get some rest tonight before reconvening in the Brasilia Room tomorrow at 3 p.m. PST. 98 players remain from the original 218 but only one will take home the first-prize of $496,931.

Here is a rundown of some of the action that took place on the final level of the day:

Blinds: 600-1,200

Players Left:  98 of 218

Chip Leaders:
Patrick Bueno - 88,000
Michael Mizrachi - 82,000
Kenneth Shei - 76,000
Matthew "mattster24" Sterling - 71,000
J.C. Tran - 68,000
Justin Bonomo - 67,000
Marco Traniello - 67,000
Alexander Kravchenko - 65,000
Brock "t soprano" Parker - 60,000
Terrence Chan - 58,000
Greg Mueller – 57,000

Average Stack: 45,000

Eliminations:
Bill Chen
Brandon Adams
Jennifer Harman

Big Hands and Storylines:

“Weak” Wahlroos Pips Parker

Thomas Wahlroos raised from early position and was called by Brock “t soprano” Parker in the big blind. Parker check-raised Wahlroos on a flop of 1085 and Wahlroos elected to call. Parker continued his aggression on the turn and river, betting both streets, and Wahlroos called him both times. Parker showed A10 for second pair, and when the Finn saw this he admitted, “I am so weak at this game,” before turning up his AA. The rockets blasted Wahlroos to 36,000. Parker still has a very healthy 60,000.

Sterling’s Straight Axes Adams

Brandon Adams got the majority of his chips in against Matt “mattster24” Sterling on a AQ8 flop. After Sterling put Adams all-in on the K turn the two revealed their hands:

Sterling: JT
Adams: AK

The river was the Q and Adams was sent packing. Sterling now has an impressive 71,000 chips to work with.

Odds, Schmodds

A very strange situation occurred in the last level involving Mike Wattel and the player to his left. Wattel and the player did a great deal of betting on the flop and turn. Then, on the river, with a board of Q953J, Wattel’s opponent tossed in his last 400 in chips.... into a pot of 21,000. Remarkably, after much consideration, Wattel folded. His opponent showed Q-Q, so we’ll give Wattel the benefit of the doubt and assume he didn’t have a straight.

The Mathematics of Value Bets

Bill Chen raised on the button and was three-bet by Justin Bonomo in the small blind. Bonomo bet into Chen on a flop of J55 and Chen called. Both players checked the 7 on the turn, and Bonomo bet again on the 2 river. Chen called, and Bonomo tabled AK. “Good value bet,” chimed Chen, who showed A-9. The pot helps Bonomo up to about 65,000 at the end of the day. Chen was eliminated only moments before the conclusion of day 1.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Michael Wattel,   Greg Mueller,   Michael Mizrachi,   Marco Traniello,   Jennifer Harman,   Brock Parker,   Alexander Kravchenko,   Terrence Chan,   Justin Bonomo,   Patrick Bueno,   Brandon Adams,   Thomas Wahlroos,   Kenneth Shei,   Matthew Sterling