Mary Jones Poker Tournament Updates

$1,500 H.O.R.S.E. - Day 1 - Level 7 Recap

Jun 29, '08

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  200-400 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  100 ante, 100 bring in, 400-800 stakes

Players Left: 224 of 803

Chip Leaders:
Victor Ramdin - 23,000
Arash Ghaneian - 22,900
Phil Hellmuth Jr. - 19,000
Chad Brown - 18,000
Keith Sexton - 17,000
Mary Jones - 17,000
Perry Friedman - 15,200
John Juanda - 15,000
Eugene Katchalov - 14,100
Michael Binger - 12,500

Average Stack: 10,750

Eliminations:
Brian Micon
David Sklansky
Isabelle Mercier

Big Hands and Storylines:

Table 28: The Place To Be

Though table 28 has lost David Chiu since we last left them,  that doesn’t mean that the action has slowed down any. Victor Ramdin has been getting in a number of pots while David Sklansky has remained his usual tight, mathematically sound self (edit: until he was eliminated late in the level). And with Bryan Micon and Mike Matusow providing an endless soundtrack for the players and rail alike, this table is worth keeping tabs on even while the dealer is shuffling the cards. A series of entertaining hands took place in rapid succession during the seven-card-stud eight or better round. Here are those hands:

The Mouth Approves

Going into fourth street with a 7 against Victor Ramdin’s 5 and another player’s 4, Matusow, short-stacked, implored of the dealer, “I really need an ace on this next street.” The dealer gave the first player a K, Ramdin the T, and, to Matusow’s delight, he was delivered the A. He exploded, “That’s how to deal this game dealer!” Matusow bet out with his newfound confidence and the first player folded quickly. While Ramdin was thinking over his decision, Matusow kept up that chatter, saying that he didn’t care whether Ramdin called or not, that either way was good for him. Eventually though, Ramdin folded and Matusow raked in the pot.

A Dramatic Finale... Or Not

Ramdin: 58AK
Matusow: 103J8

Victor Ramdin completed with the 5 and Matusow raised with the 10. Ramdin called. Matusow bet fourth street, Ramdin raised, and Matusow called. Ramdin bet fifth street and Matusow called; the same happened on sixth street, only this time Matusow had no further chips to bet. Ramdin showed (Q)(J) and Matusow, professing to having a pair of tens, called for Ramdin to catch “any baby red.” Matusow flipped up his cards: (A)(10). Matusow did have a pair of tens, but the fact that he also had an ace-high flush had completely escaped him until that moment. “I already have a flush!” The only card that Ramdin could catch to win the pot was the A, and when his final card blanked, the 8,000 chip pot was Matusow’s. After the hand, Matusow continued on about his myopia (figuratively, though I believe he is also near-sighted): “I didn’t even know I had it! I knew I had ten-ten-ace...” Fortunately for Matusow he was all-in by the end of the hand anyway, so he didn’t miss gaining an extra bet anywhere.

Ramdwn’d

As Bryan Micon waxed about one of his recent bad beats, Matusow interrupted him and told him that he wasn’t allowed to tell any bad beat stories at the table. In fact, Matusow asserted, Micon was never in front during the hand; Ramdin was the favorite the entire way through. Micon explained his thought process during the hand, “I knew I was beat high but I had infinite odds; I was trying to scoop low.” At just that moment the fairly subdued Ramdin piped in with some of his own bombast. He averred, “You’re playing against Victor Ramdin. You’re not supposed to scoop the low.” This comment earned a (much coveted) high five from Mike Matusow. By the end of the level Ramdin was chip leader with 23,000, so he had reason to be cocksure.

Micon Gone

Bryan Micon found his remaining 1,200 chips all-in against an opponent on 4^th street with the following cards:

Micon: (K)(9)K10
Opponent: (A)(6)8A

Micon needed two-pair to escape elimination, but things took a turn for the worse just seconds later when his opponent was dealt the 8 for aces up. “You are in a world of hurt, my friend,” opined Matusow, despite Micon drawing the 10. Matusow was right, and Micon’s final card blanked. Micon, one of the chip leaders during the early stages of the day, could not quite make it to the end of day 1.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Mike Matusow,   Phil Hellmuth,   Victor Ramdin,   Arash Ghaneian,   Keith Sexton,   Perry Friedman,   Isabelle Mercier,   Eugene Katchalov,   Mary Jones,   Michael Binger,   Brian Micon

$1,500 H.O.R.S.E. - Day 1 - Level 6 Recap

Jun 29, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Stakes:
Hold’em/Omaha:  150-300 blinds
Stud/Razz/Stud8:  75 ante, 100 bring in, 300-600 stakes

Players Left: 320 of 803

Chip Leaders:
Mary Jones - 20,500
Keith Sexton - 16,500
Tom Schneider - 16,000
Perry Friedman - 14,500
Victor Ramdin – 13,500
John Juanda - 12,600
Claude Cohen - 12,000
Phil Hellmuth Jr. - 11,000
Joe Hachem - 11,000
Yueqi "Rich" Zhu - 10,500
Mickey Seagle - 10,000

Average Stack: 7,525

Eliminations:
Chris Ferguson
David Chiu
Howard Lederer

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Neither Turn Nor River Save Jesus

Chris Ferguson raised from under-the-gun to 600, leaving himself a mere 250 chips behind. The button called, as did the small blind, and the three saw a flop. The flop rolled off K82. The small blind checked, Ferguson put his last sad chips into the pot, the button called and the small blind folded. The two showed their hands:

Ferguson: A6
Opponent: QQ

Ferguson would need one of the remaining aces in the deck to stay alive. The turn was the 2 and the river was the 5 though, ending Ferguson’s day prematurely.

Omaha

Ramdin Keeps Rollin’

Victor Ramdin raised it up from the button and, as so often happens in Omaha/8, the big blind called. On a flop of QQ10 the big blind bet out and Ramdin quickly met him with a raise. The big blind called and then check-called a bet on the turn (4). The river was the J and the action went check-call yet again. Ramdin showed AQ54 for a full house and took down the pot. That hand kept Ramdin climbing, now all the way up to 13,500.

Stud/8b

Now Those Are Some Scary Boards

Cyndy Violette: 6K66
Opponent: 29J8

Violette raised on third street with the 6 and her opponent called with the 2 up after having brought in. Violette bet again when she drew a king and her opponent appeared to blank with a nine. The boards only got better from there. On the next two streets, Violette received a pair of sixes while her opponent drew two hearts. On every single street Violette bet, and on every single street she was called. “Boat,” was her simple response when met with the last call, showing (7)(7)(8). After taking down that pot Violette sits just above average with 7,500.

Player Tags: Mickey Seagle,   Chris Ferguson,   John Juanda,   Phil Hellmuth,   Victor Ramdin,   Tom Schneider,   Keith Sexton,   Perry Friedman,   Claude Cohen,   Mary Jones,   Joe Hachem

Down to 13

Jun 11, '07

There are 13 women left in the field of the $1,000 No Limit Hold 'Em ladies event. Play has condensed down to two tables and the blinds are becoming high enough to become a factor. The blinds are up to $6,000-$12,000 with a $1,000 ante, forcing many of the players into do or die decisions

Vanessa Selbst is our new chip leader with over $400,000. Selbst built her stack with a series of preflop raises that seems to have intimidated the six other players at her table. With the blinds at $4,000-$8,000 last level, Selbst's series of $25,000 raises preflop scared away most potential callers. After one of her standard raises, Selbst was reraised by the player in seat 7 to the tune of $75,000. Selbst got away from the hand and the player in seat 7 showed her K-K.

Last year's winner, Mary Jones, was eliminated in 16th place.

Player Tags: Mary Jones,   Vanessa Selbst

Vanessa Selbst Dominating the Field

Jun 10, '07

Roughly 300 players now remain in the Ladies event meaning that we’ve already lost more than two-thirds of the total entrants, and it’s not even dinner yet. Reigning Champion, Mary Jones continues to add to her chip stack as she eliminates yet another opponent at her table. Jones raises the pot $1,000 before the flop and the table folds around to the big blind who moves all-in for another $400. Jones calls and flips over A10 while her opponent shows J8. The board comes QQ744, no help to either player as Jones rakes the pot with an ace high.

Freddy Deeb’s daughter, Jeanine was eliminated when her pockets tens ran into her opponent’s pocket aces. The player in seat 8 raises the pot to $1,300 before the flop and the player in seat 9 makes the calls. Deeb calls all-in for her last $1,050 when the player in seat 1 re-raises all-in. The rest of the table folds and Seat-1 pulls the rest of her chips back. Deeb turns over 1010 while Seat-1 shows AA. The board comes KJ488, no help to Deeb as she is eliminated from this event.

Vanessa Selbst is drawing the attention of more than just the ESPN cameras as her stack continues to grow in upwards of $50,000. Dominating her table and the field as a whole, Selbst has so many chips now that the players at her table have been lobbying the tournament staff to color her up. She has her chips stacked as high as they can go, covering the entire corner of her table, and all of the spillover is now being placed into racks.

Player Tags: Mary Jones,   Vanessa Selbst

An Emotional Level

Jun 10, '07

The ladies event started with some big names in the field including pros Vanessa Rousso, Isabelle Mercier, Maureen Feduniak, Evelyn Ng, Kathy Liebert, Mary Jones, Karina Jett, Jennifer Tilly, J. J. Liu, Jennifer "Jennicide" Leigh, Clonie Gowen, Patty G., Marsha Waggoner, Erica Schoenberg and Susie Isaacs.  Hollywood was well represented with celebrities Shannon Elizabeth and Cheryl Hines.  Also playing in today's event is Shirley Williams, the mother of professional David Williams, final table participant Vanessa Selbst, 2006 ladies event final table participant Devi Ortega, Nikki LeTran and Marlis Sawicki.  Even some of the media has joined in to participate including Amanda Leatherman, Lisa Wheeler and Heather Borowski. 

So far the ladies have been playing cautious.  In some cases, absurdly tight.  Over in the corner of the room, an interesting hand took place between three unknowns.  With the blinds at $25-$50, the UTG player open shoved all-in for $1,500.  The button thought for a few seconds before re-shoving all-in for $3,400.  The big blind instantly and proudly mucked KK face up for all to see.  The UTG player showed down QJ and the Button showed KQ.  Embarassed, the big blind stated that one of them must of had Aces and spent the remainder of the hand shaking her head in disbelief.  I did too.  The board came KJJ42 and the UTG player caught trip Jacks to double up.  The silence at the table was incredibly uncomfortable and a once chatty table took a few minutes before coming back to life. 

The ladies event has certainly brought out the nicer side of the players.  Some of the bustouts have even been followed by hugs and emotional goodbyes. 

Evelyn Ng was the only notable bustout in the first hour.

As the field shrinks and chip leaders develop, we'll get you all the action from the floor right here on CardPlayer.com

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Evelyn Ng,   Marsha Waggoner,   Clonie Gowen,   Maureen Feduniak,   Karina Jett,   Susie Isaacs,   Isabelle Mercier,   Joanne Liu,   Jennifer Tilly,   Mary Jones,   Vanessa Rousso,   Shirley Williams,   Jennifer Leigh,   Erica Schoenberg,   Nikki Letran,   Vanessa Selbst,   Devi Ortega,   Shannon Elizabeth

Down to 13

Jun 11, '07

There are 13 women left in the field of the $1,000 No Limit Hold 'Em ladies event. Play has condensed down to two tables and the blinds are becoming high enough to become a factor. The blinds are up to $6,000-$12,000 with a $1,000 ante, forcing many of the players into do or die decisions

Vanessa Selbst is our new chip leader with over $400,000. Selbst built her stack with a series of preflop raises that seems to have intimidated the six other players at her table. With the blinds at $4,000-$8,000 last level, Selbst's series of $25,000 raises preflop scared away most potential callers. After one of her standard raises, Selbst was reraised by the player in seat 7 to the tune of $75,000. Selbst got away from the hand and the player in seat 7 showed her K-K.

Last year's winner, Mary Jones, was eliminated in 16th place.

Player Tags: Mary Jones,   Vanessa Selbst

Vanessa Selbst Dominating the Field

Jun 10, '07

Roughly 300 players now remain in the Ladies event meaning that we’ve already lost more than two-thirds of the total entrants, and it’s not even dinner yet. Reigning Champion, Mary Jones continues to add to her chip stack as she eliminates yet another opponent at her table. Jones raises the pot $1,000 before the flop and the table folds around to the big blind who moves all-in for another $400. Jones calls and flips over A10 while her opponent shows J8. The board comes QQ744, no help to either player as Jones rakes the pot with an ace high.

Freddy Deeb’s daughter, Jeanine was eliminated when her pockets tens ran into her opponent’s pocket aces. The player in seat 8 raises the pot to $1,300 before the flop and the player in seat 9 makes the calls. Deeb calls all-in for her last $1,050 when the player in seat 1 re-raises all-in. The rest of the table folds and Seat-1 pulls the rest of her chips back. Deeb turns over 1010 while Seat-1 shows AA. The board comes KJ488, no help to Deeb as she is eliminated from this event.

Vanessa Selbst is drawing the attention of more than just the ESPN cameras as her stack continues to grow in upwards of $50,000. Dominating her table and the field as a whole, Selbst has so many chips now that the players at her table have been lobbying the tournament staff to color her up. She has her chips stacked as high as they can go, covering the entire corner of her table, and all of the spillover is now being placed into racks.

Player Tags: Mary Jones,   Vanessa Selbst

An Emotional Level

Jun 10, '07

The ladies event started with some big names in the field including pros Vanessa Rousso, Isabelle Mercier, Maureen Feduniak, Evelyn Ng, Kathy Liebert, Mary Jones, Karina Jett, Jennifer Tilly, J. J. Liu, Jennifer "Jennicide" Leigh, Clonie Gowen, Patty G., Marsha Waggoner, Erica Schoenberg and Susie Isaacs.  Hollywood was well represented with celebrities Shannon Elizabeth and Cheryl Hines.  Also playing in today's event is Shirley Williams, the mother of professional David Williams, final table participant Vanessa Selbst, 2006 ladies event final table participant Devi Ortega, Nikki LeTran and Marlis Sawicki.  Even some of the media has joined in to participate including Amanda Leatherman, Lisa Wheeler and Heather Borowski. 

So far the ladies have been playing cautious.  In some cases, absurdly tight.  Over in the corner of the room, an interesting hand took place between three unknowns.  With the blinds at $25-$50, the UTG player open shoved all-in for $1,500.  The button thought for a few seconds before re-shoving all-in for $3,400.  The big blind instantly and proudly mucked KK face up for all to see.  The UTG player showed down QJ and the Button showed KQ.  Embarassed, the big blind stated that one of them must of had Aces and spent the remainder of the hand shaking her head in disbelief.  I did too.  The board came KJJ42 and the UTG player caught trip Jacks to double up.  The silence at the table was incredibly uncomfortable and a once chatty table took a few minutes before coming back to life. 

The ladies event has certainly brought out the nicer side of the players.  Some of the bustouts have even been followed by hugs and emotional goodbyes. 

Evelyn Ng was the only notable bustout in the first hour.

As the field shrinks and chip leaders develop, we'll get you all the action from the floor right here on CardPlayer.com

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Evelyn Ng,   Marsha Waggoner,   Clonie Gowen,   Maureen Feduniak,   Karina Jett,   Susie Isaacs,   Isabelle Mercier,   Joanne Liu,   Jennifer Tilly,   Mary Jones,   Vanessa Rousso,   Shirley Williams,   Jennifer Leigh,   Erica Schoenberg,   Nikki Letran,   Vanessa Selbst,   Devi Ortega,   Shannon Elizabeth