Shawn Sheikhan - Live Updates

Level 5 Update: John Hennigan Eliminated

Jun 10, '09

Blinds: 250-500 with a 125 ante

Players Remaining: 87 of 96

Chip Counts:

1. Vince Musso — 84,000
2. Bruno Fitoussi — 64,000
3. Gus Hansen — 62,000
4. Jon Turner — 61,000
5. Amnon Filippi — 60,000
6. Max Pescatori — 58,000
7. Daniel Alaie — 56,500
8. Mark Weitzman — 54,000
9. Eli Elezra — 53,000
10. Mike Matusow — 53,000

Average Chip Count: 33,103

Notable Eliminations:

John Hennigan

Big Hands:

John Hennigan Eliminated by Gus Hansen

John Hennigan raises to 1,200 before the flop and Chino Rheem calls behind him. Gus Hansen reraises to 5,400 from the small blind and both players call.

Hansen stands pat while both Hennigan and Rheem draw one card each.

First to act, Hansen checks and Hennigan immediately moves all in for 17,775. Rheem tanks for a few minutes before Hennigan calls the clock on him. Rheem eventually folds as Hansen takes his turn in the tank. Hennigan proceeds to call the clock on him as well, perhaps prompting a call. Hansen calls with a 10-9 low and Hennigan throws his ace-high away. Johnny World is eliminated from the tournament.

Mickey Appleman Doubles Through Bobby Bellande

Barry Greenstein opens the pot for 1,500 from early position and Bobby Bellande calls from middle position. Mickey Appleman moves all in for 9,225 from the button, Greenstein folds and Bellande calls.

Appleman stands pat while Bellande draws one card. Bellande turns over 7632, waiting for Appleman to reveal his hand before turning over his last card. Appleman shows 98752 for a 9-8 low while Bellande turns over the Q for queen-high. Appleman doubles up to 22,000 this hand while Bellande falls down to 35,000 in chips.

Shawn Sheikhan Knock One Out

Shawn Sheihkhan gets it all in pre-flop against the player ins seat 2; Sheikhan has seat 2 covered. Seat 2 draws one card while Sheikhan stands pat. Seat 2 shows a queen-high while Sheikhan turns over 98542 for a 9-8 low. Sheikhan eliminates his opponent and brings his chip count up to 44,000 this hand.

Filippi Takes One from Fitoussi

Brunno Fitoussi raises to 800 from under the gun and the player in seat 4 calls from early position. Amnon Filippi reraises to 4,500 from the button, Fitoussi calls and seat 4 folds.

Fitoussi draws one card while Filippi stands pat. Both players check around.

Fitoussi shows queen-high while Filippi turns over 107652 for 10-7 low. Filippi rakes the pot and brings his chip count up to 66,000 while Fitoussi falls down to 60,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Mickey Appleman,   Gus Hansen,   Shawn Sheikhan,   John Hennigan,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Amnon Filippi,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Chino Rheem

Level 1 Update: World Championsip of Seven Card Stud Underway

Jun 01, '09

Ante: 50
Low Card: 50
Completion: 200
Limits: 200-400

Players Left: 122 out of 122

Big Hands:

Matt Glantz vs. Rafe Furst

The player in seat 5 opens for 50 with the 6, Matt Glantz completes the bet to 200 with the 7 and Rafe Furst raises to 400 with the K.

Furst: X-X-K2
Glantz:X-X-73

Furst bets 200, Glantz raises to 400, Furst reraises to 600, Glantz four-bets to 800, Furst calls.

Furst: X-X-K2J
Glantz:X-X-73J

Furst checks to Glantz who bets 200. Furst raises to 800, Glantz reraises to 1,200 and Furst calls.

Furst: X-X-K2JQ
Glantz: X-X-73JK

Furst checks to Glantz who bets 400, Furst calls.

Both players are dealt their river cards and Furst checks blind, Glantz bets 400 and Furst calls. Glantz turns over 33 for trip threes and rakes the pot. After this hand Glantz is up to 34,000 while Furst falls down to 26,600.

Shawn Sheikhan vs. Daniel Negreanu

Daniel Negreanu opens for 50 with the 7, Shawn Sheikhan completes the bet to 200 with the A and Negreanu calls.

Sheikhan: X-X-A4
Negreanu: X-X-79

Sheikhan bets 200 and Negreanu calls.

Sheikhan: X-X-A48
Negreanu: X-X-79A

Sheikhan bets 400 and Negreanu folds, showing A4 for a pair of aces with a flush draw. Sheikhan rakes the pot and brings his stack up to 32,000 this hand while Negreanu falls to 28,000 in chips.

Justin Smith vs. Max Pescatori

The player in seat 5 opens the pot for 50 with the 2, Max Pescatori completes the bet to 200 with the 8 and Justin Smith raises to 400 with the K. Seat 5 folds and Pescatori calls.

Smith: X-X-KQ
Pescatori: X-X-89

Smith bets 200 and Pescatori calls.

Smith: X-X-KQQ
Pescatori: X-X-897

Smith bets 400 and Pescatori calls.

Smith: X-X-KQQA
Pescatori: X-X-897J

Smith bets 400 and Pescatori calls.

Both players check their river cards and Smith turns over QQ33 for two pair. Pescatori folds and Smith rakes the pot. Smith is up to 31,000 after this hand while Pescatori falls down to 32,000 in chips.

Left In The Deck:

There are currently more stacks than players in today’s $10K World Championship of Seven Card Stud as late arrivals keep pouring in to fill their seats. Notable pros spotted in the field so far include Frank Kasella, Bret Richey, Nick Frangos, Scott Fischman, Jeff Lissandro, Daniel Negreanu, Matt Glantz, Rafe Furst, Shawn Sheikhan, Allen Kessler, Jerry Buss, Chad Brown, Shawn Buchanan, Bill Edler, Bruno Fitoussi, Farzad Bonyadi, and Bill Chen.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Max Pescatori,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Matthew Glantz,   Rafe Furst

Level 7 Update: Sheikhan Drops a Pot

May 31, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with 25 ante

Players Remaining: 880 out of 3,021

Big Hands:

The Sheik Gets Caught

Three players limped, including Shawn Sheikhan from the big blind. The flop came KQJ and everyone checked. The turn was the 5 and Sheikhan put 1,200 into the middle. One player folded, but the button in seat 1 stuck around and both players saw the 9 on the river. Sheikhan checked and his opponent quickly bet 2,000. Sheikhan asked the dealer a question, then flashed the 6 and mucked his hand with a laugh. He was down to 7,700.

Somerville Takes a Pot

Jason Somerville was in a pot with two other players and a board reading 1098. Players checked to Somerville on the button who bet 550. His opponents mucked and he took a small pot, adding to his stack of 9,700.

Dobrilovic Wins the Race

Preflop, Tom Dobrilovic raised to 800 and action folded to seat 7. He reraised to 2,100 and Dobrilove pushed all in. His opponent called, putting himself all in. He turned over AQ while Dobrilovic showed pocket fives. The race was on and the board ran out 1082K3, missing seat 7 completely and he was out, courtesy of Dobrilovic. His stack improved to 33,250.

Micon Pushes Back

The player in seat 8 raised to 900 from middle position and action folded to Bryan Micon in the small blind. He reraised to 3,500 total and the player in seat 8 mucked his hand. Micon took the pot and improved to 5,100.

Tran Doing Well

J.C. Tran just took down a pot holiding AQ on a board reading J105J10. Action was checked all the way and Tran’s pair of Queens was good enough to take a small pot and increase his stack to over 36,000.

Left In the Deck:

After the dinner break, 1,017 players returned for play of the original 3,021 for Day 1B. That means that there have been 5.5 eliminations per minute today, just slightly lower than the 5.9 average of Day 1A after the dinner break.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Jason Somerville,   Tomislav Dobrilovic,   Bryan Micon

Level 4 Update: Another Pro Eliminated With a Flush

May 31, '09

Blinds: 75-150

Players Remaining: 2,000 out of 3,021

Notable Eliminations:

David Chiu
David Daneshgar
Isaac Baron
T.J. Cloutier
Joe Awada

Big Hands:

David Chiu Eliminated

David Chiu raised pre-flop with the 103 and was called by the big blind who held the K7. The flop came out ten high with two spades, putting Chiu out in front with top pair and a flush draw. However, his opponent with a higher flush draw, called Chiu’s all-in bet of just under 10 big blinds (1,450) and hit the spade on the turn. Both players nailed their flush, but Chiu was drawing dead for the river and was sent home on day 1. Chiu continues the trend of big name pros knocked out of the event holding a flush.

Paul Darden Doubles Up

Paul Darden gets it all-in with AK on a board of AA297. Not sure when the money got in, but Darden is up over 4,000 after this hand.

Shawn Sheikhan Doubles up

The player in seat 2 raises to 400 from middle position and Shawn Sheikhan calls from the small blind. The flop comes AQ3, seat 2 bets 700 and Sheikhan calls. The river is the 3, and seat 2 bets enough to put Sheikhan all-in. Sheikhan calls all-in for 675 and turns over AA for top set. His opponent shows AK for top pair and ships the pot. Sheikhan doubles up to 3,500 this hand.

Daniel Negreanu Moves All-in

After min-raising to 300 pre-flop, Daniel Negreanu was re-raised to 750 by an opponent in seat 9. Negreanu called and both players saw a flop of 247. Negreanu checked and his opponent bet 1,000. Negreanu contemplated briefly before moving all in for 1,575 total, 575 more. His opponent went into the tank for minutes before eventually folding pocket tens face up. Negreanu said, “I thought you were calling,” before mucking his cards. Negreanu is up to 4,300 in chips.

Dario Minieri Doubles Up

From the button, Dario Minieri moved all-in for 2,075 with K9 and was called by the 33 of seat 8. The flop came out 457 and Minieri was in bad shape, as his opponent added a gut-shot straight draw to go along with his pocket pair. The Q hit the turn and the Italian pro was down to his last card. The 9 hit the river, giving the bracelet winner a pair of nines to double up to 4,150.

Left In The Deck

The players are on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Shawn Sheikhan,   David Chiu,   Paul Darden,   David Daneshgar,   Isaac Baron,   Dario Minieri

Daniel Negreanu Busts Two

Oct 23, '08

Shawn Sheikhan opens with a raise and Daniel Negreanu flat calls. Doug Lee then moves all in on the short stack and Sheikhan isolates all in as well. The problem is that Negreanu has pocket aces and makes the call.

Lee shows pocket fives, Sheikhan shows pocket eights and the board produces neither. Negreanu makes a full house with an A-3-3 flop and now sits with 450,000 in chips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Doug Lee

Shawn Sheikhan Gone

Jul 14, '08

Shawn Sheikhan, who temporarily held the chip lead on Day 1, has been eliminated from the tournament.

Sheikhan had a pretty solid summer, taking third place in the Deuce-to-Seven No-Limit tournament at the World Series of Poker for more than $200,000. He added to that result by finishing just outside the top 100 players in the main event.

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Shawn Sheikhan

$10,000 Main Event - Sheikhan On the Rise

Jul 10, '08

Blinds/Antes: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 ante

Players Left: 693 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:
Jeremiah Smith: 963,000
Sigurd Eskeland: 750,000
Alberto Font: 696,000
Karle Wilson: 690,000
Jeff Kimber: 686,000
Matthew Jensen: 600,000
Edward Roger: 590,000
Vito Branciforte: 590,000
Alan Jaffray: 573,000
James Mills: 550,000

CP Chip Counts:
Victor Ramdin: 512,000
Phil Hellmuth: 470,000
Jon Friedberg: 448,000
Matt Matros: 448,000
Gus Hansen: 307,000
Mike Matusow: 295,000
Allen Cunnigham: 265,000
Thomas Keller: 205,000

Average Stack: 197,518

Eliminations: Alex Kravchenko, Toto Leonidas

Big Hands:

Sheikhan Knocks One Out, Breaks 500,000

On a board of AQ42, Shawn Sheikhan got it all in against the player in seat 3. Sheikhan had him covered and both players turned over their cards.

Sheikhan: AQ
Seat 3: AJ

Sheikhan led with the best hand on the turn, top two pair, and his opponent was drawing to a flush. The river was the 6, and no spade meant that Sheikhan had eliminated another player at his table. Sheikhan screamed out in excitement on the river, "Yes! That's how mother-f#@%ers do it! I'm the real mother-f#@%er!" The player in seat 2 asked Sheikhan, "So I take it that f I call you a mother-f#@%er later, you won't mind?" Sheikhan didn't seem to mind because after this hand, he had finally broken the 500,000 chip mark and claimed himself a spot on the leader board.

Nguyen Pushes Giang Out, Much to the Chagrin of Giang

On a board of AQJ2, Men "The Master" Nguyen fired 15,000 into a pot totaling almost 40,000. The action was on Giang who took a session in the think tank. After much deliberation, Giang angrily mucked his cards and Nguyen took the pot, improving his stack to 140,000. Giang was not pleased, seeing his stack shrink to 45,000. On the next hand, Giang angrily shuffled his chips, slamming them on the felt every other shuffle, the thought of losing that hand still on his mind.

Smith Taking Command

Jeremiah Smith had already reraised when the player in seat 2 made it 100,000 to go. The action came back to Smith, who reraised all in. Seat 2 shook his head and, after much time thinking and cameras swarming the table, he gave up his hand to the chip leader. Smith was not done showing his table who was boss.

A couple of hands later, Smith reraised to 250,000 after the player in seat 8 opened for a raise. Seat 8 made the call and showed down AK. Smith then turned over the bad news, AA. The board ran out Q5477 and Smith knocked another player out. He was at 725,000.

Turner Turns On The Jets

At a tough table featuring Ryan Daut, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner, and the current chip leader of the main event Jeremiah Smith - the player in seat 4 raised on the first hand after dinner break and Turner reraised to 26,000 total. Action folded back to the initial raiser who elected to call. The flop came AK8 and seat 4 checked to Turner, who led out with a bet of 29,000. Seat 4 called and the 10 came on the turn. Seat 4 checked again and Turner bet 58,000. Seat 4 counted out his chips and tanked for a few minutes, occasionally looking at Turner. He eventually folded, giving Turner more than 75,000 of his chips in the proccess. Turner sits with around 275,000 in chips.

Ng Keeps Firing

Evelyn Ng raised to 9,000 from middle position and the player in seat 8 made the call from the cutoff. The flop came out 1063 and Ng led out with 14,500. Seat 8 made the call and the turn was the 9. Ng would not stop with the pressure, firing 37,000 more into the pot. Seat 8 quickly made the call and the river brought the 7. Ng hesitated briefly, then unloaded a 65,000 shot into the pot. Seat 8 then took a long session in the tank. After almost 10 minutes of thinking, he finally mucked his hand and Ng took a pot of over 100,000. Her stack was at around 340,000.

Gazes Pushes Back

Action folded around to the player in seat 2 who raised to 9,200 from the cutoff. Action was next on Bill Gazes on the button, who repopped to 22,500. The blinds folded and action was back on seat 2. The cameras came over as seat 2 asked for time to make his decision. He finally folded AK face up and surrendered the pot to Gazes, who's stack grew to around 90,000.

Good Luck Betting Out Vos

From late position Seat 3 raised to 8,000 preflop and Mark Vos made the call in the big blind. The flop came K102 and Vos checked to seat 3, who bet 9,000. Vos made the call and checked when the 2 hit on the turn. Seat 3 checked behind this time and the J landed on the river. Vos fired 15,000 and seat 3 gave his hand up. Vos has around 300,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Evelyn Ng,   Men Nguyen,   Bill Gazes,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Chau Giang,   Jon Turner,   Mark Vos

$10,000 Main Event - Day 3 - Level 12

Jul 10, '08

Blinds/Antes: 1,000-2,000-300

Players Remaining: 974 out of 6,844

Average Chip Stack: 137,000

Eliminations:

Tony Cousineau
Erik Seidel

Big Hands and Storylines:

Shawn Sheikhan Loses Half His Stack in Two Hands

Shawn Sheikhan raised to 6,500 from middle position and was called only by the two players in the blinds. On a flop of A75, the action was checked to Sheikhan who fired a bet of 12,000 into the pot. The small blind called, allowing the big blind to get out of the way. The turn brought the A and another check from the small blind. Sheikhan launched four orange 5,000 chips across the line, and the small blind made the call. “Black card,” Sheikhan requested as the dealer put down the Q on the river. “God damn it,” Sheikhan exclaimed upon sight of the red queen. The small blind checked, and Sheikhan announced that he held an ace. The small blind turned over J10 and Sheikhan was verbally distraught. He flashed the Ac as he mucked his cards.

On the next hand, the player under the gun raised to 7,000 and Sheikhan made the call as the next player to act. All other players folded, and the dealer put down a flop of J86. Both players checked, and the 9 came on the turn. Again the under-the-gun player checked, prompting a bet of 15,000 from Sheikhan which was quickly called. The player check-called another bet of Sheikhan’s, this time 20,000, when a blank fell on the river. “You got it,” Sheikhan declared after his opponent made the call. The player turned over 1010 and Sheikhan mucked his cards.

After the two-hand downward spiral, Sheikhan was left with only 110,00 in chips.

Traply Needs No Trap To Snare Gray

Peter Traply raised to 5,300 from early position and Jason Gray called from the cutoff. The flop was AJ10 and Traply led out for 9,500, Gray called. Traply bet another 22,000 on the 5 turn and Gray again called. The river was the 4 and Traply fired a third bullet – 48,000 – which Gray called after a minute of thought. Traply tabled KQ for a flopped straight which was good to take down the sizeable pot. Traply is now up to 245,000; Gray is down to 75,000.

Matusow Takes a Hit

Mike Matusow raised pre-flop from middle position and was met with an all-in raise from an opponent. Matusow learned that it would be 8,500 more to call, and call he did. Matusow was pleased to see that his Q10 was live against his opponent’s A3 . The board offered no help, however, as it ran out J545K . After losing that pot, Matusow is down to 112,000.

Hevad Khan Doubles Up with an Unlikely Suck Out

After the action folded around, Hevad Khan made it 6,000 to go from his position on the button. The small blind folded, but the player in the big blind elected to call. The flop came 644 and the big blind led out with a bet of 8,000. Khan announced a raise and moved all in for an additional 36,300. The camera crews came rushing over while the big blind deliberated his situation, ultimately deciding to call. “Nice call. Do you have a pair?” Khan asked, to which his opponent nodded and turned over 22. Khan turned over A7 and needed to catch a card. The 8 on the turn didn’t directly improve Khan, but the 6 on the river counterfeited the deuces and brought a round of gasps from the players and spectators. Khan’s ace-high was good enough to double him up and bring him close to 100,000 in chips.

The two players had a recent history. After a flop of 554 Khan bet 11,500 and his opponent called. Both players then checked the 7 on the turn and 10 on the river. The button then showed 33 which was enough to win the pot.

Rousso Makes Jacks Work

Vanessa Rousso was in the small blind, and play was folded until a player in late position moved all-in for 28,000. Rousso, not with a lot of chips herself, made the call and turned over JJ. The all-in player held 74, and the flop gave him numerous outs, coming 642. However he had two swings and misses, as the 2 came on the turn and 8 hit the river to send the chips to Rousso. She now has about 74,000 in chips.

Hansen Dominated

Gus Hansen raised to 6600 from middle position and the small blind then moved all-in for 17,500. Hansen admitted he wasn’t crazy about his cards. “This is my worst hand of the day, which means I’m probably going to call,” he said. He came close to folding, but finally threw in the chips to call. He didn’t like realizing he was up against A6. “Oh my God, I wanted diamonds,” he said, turning over K7. Neither player would connect with the board that finished J8432 and the small blind stayed alive. A few hands later in the big blind, Hansen was given a walk, at which time he flipped over another king-seven. “Now I’m one-for-two” he quipped.

Agarwal drops 12,200x3 with tens

Aditya Agarwal faced bets of 12,200 on the flop, turn and river and called every time. The board in the end was K8792 and Agarwal's opponent flipped over AJ for a flush. Agarwal showed the 10 for a worse flush. His opponent then asked to see his other card. Agarwal didn't like it, but his opponent saw it was the T. After the hand Agarwal had roughly 200,000 chips.

 

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Mike Matusow,   Vanessa Rousso,   Jason Gray,   Aditya Agarwal,   Hevad Khan,   Peter Traply

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2 Done

Jul 09, '08

Day 2 has come to an end. Almost 2,400 players played in Day 2B and only 855 made it to Day 3. There are no more flight days from here on in. The 1,324 players who survived Day 2 will gather in the Amazon Room Wednesday at noon and play another five levels. It may be a day that see's the field reach the 666 player mark, signaling the money bubble. Tune in to Card Player then for all of the live updates from Day 3 of the 2008 main event.

Blinds/Antes: 600-1,200 with a 200 ante

Players Left: 855 of 2,378

Chip Leaders:

Alex Outhred: 486,000
Peter Biebel: 380,000
Raja Kattamuri: 375,000
Steve Goosen: 358,000
Reagan Silber: 340,000
Darryl Ranconi: 315,000
Jason McClane: 312,000
Rafael Caiaffa: 310,000
Victor Ramdin: 307,000
Andrew Teng: 298,000

Spade Club:

David Kim: 112,000

Eliminations: David Singer, Bryan Micon, Tom Chambers, David Tran, Liz Lieu

Big Hands:

"The Goofball Beat Me, Honey!"

Phil Hellmuth raised to 4,000 under the gun and the player in seat 5 made the call. The flop came Q55 and Hellmuth checked, letting seat 5 bet 7,000. Hellmuth called and again checked when the 5 hit on the turn. Seat 5 bet 10,000 and Hellmuth removed his shades and studied the board and his opponent. After asking his opponent how much he had left, Hellmuth just called. The 10 fell on the river and seat 5 pushed all in for about 40,000. "Okay buddy, you win this one," Hellmuth said as he mucked his hand. "My turn next time, okay?"

But it wasn't okay with the layer in seat 5. Two hands later Hellmuth bet 7,500 on a flop of K53 and only seat 5 made the call. The A hit on the turn and Hellmuth led out for 13,000. Seat 5 announced he was all in and Hellmuth was stunned. He mucked and jumped from his seat to talk to his wife.

"The goofball beat me, honey!" he said to her. "He might be the worst player here by far."

But Hellmuth's confidence was still not shaken as he said, "I want to tell you something. He's going to be drawing dead against me in the next 10 minutes."

Chan Doubles, Demands Micon Gets His Drink

Johnny Chan raised to 4,600 from late position and was called by the big blind. The flop was J82 and the big blind led out for 11,000. Chan reached to his stack and re-raised, making it 26,000 more to go. The big blind wasted little time pushing all in, having Chan covered by around 12,000. Chan made the call and was all in for his tournament life. The big blind flipped up JJ for top set and was in the lead. But Chan showed J9 and was far from drawing dead. The turn brought the 6 to complete Chan's flush and the A completed the board, making Chan's flush the best hand and giving him reason to pump his fist as he doubled up to 180,000.
The table is an interesting one - featuring Chan, Bryan Micon and Shawn Sheikhan. After doubling up and cripping his opponent, Chan yelled "Get this man a drink!" The playful demand was in reference to Micon, who has been nursing his short stack and calling for a cocktail waitress for a while.

Suck & Re-Suck: Chris Grigorian Doubles Through David Singer

On a flop of A75, David Singer bet 6,000 and Chris Grgorian made the call. The turn was the A, and this time Singer led out with 15,000. Grigorian made the call and the river was the Q. Singer bet 30,000 and Grigorian quickly moved all in. Singer called just as quick and turned over A7 for a full house (aces full of sevens). Singer flopped top two pair and turned the full house. Grigorian showed AQ for a better full house (aces full of queens) on the river. Singer fell down to 42,000 in chips while "The Armenian Express" brought himself up over 100,000 this hand. Singer would bust later in the level.

Clements Tries to Defend, But Can't Connect

The player in seat 7 raised to 4,600 from the button and Scott Clements repopped to 10,200 from the small blind. Seat 7 made the call and the flop came down KJ6 and Clements blasted 20,000 into the pot. Seat 7 went nowhere, however, making the call. Both players checked the 2 on the turn and the river brought the 3. Both players checked again and Clements announced, "Ace high." Seat 7 turned over QJ for second pair and took a good sized pot. Clements was down to about 72,000.

THAY3R Gets Love From The Ladies

Thayer "THAY3R" Rasmussen called a short stack's all in bet and flipped over QQ. The all in player showed AJ and had one over-card. The board ran 98248 and Rasmussen knocked out another player while increasing his stack to around 110,000.

Don't Mess With Evelyn's Big Blind

The player in seat 8 raised to 3,300 from the button and Evelyn Ng repopped to 9,300 from the big blind. The button made the call and the flop came down K26 and Ng fired 14,000. Seat 8 nodded his head, signaling it was too much to call and folded his hand. Ng took the pot and increased her stack to a very healthy 176,000.

Micon Pushes Back, Then Gets Pushed Out

Shawn Sheikhan raised to 4,500 and Johnny Chan folded his hand from the small blind. Micon was next to act in the big blind and, after pump faking a fold, decided to push all in for 17,400 more. Sheikhan decided to muck his hand and Micon added some chips to his short stack. He was at 23,100 while Sheikhan was at 131,500. Micon would not last, however, as he would go bust later in the level.

Matusow Takes a Pot

Mike Matusow raised to 3,800 from under the gun. The player in seat 2 called from the button and the two players were heads up going to the flop. "It's just me and the other human card rack," Matusow said before the flop of J93 hit the felt. Matusow then led out with 6,400 and seat 2 quickly mucked. Matusow then showed his QQ and raked in the pot. He was around 70,000.

Player Tags: Chris Grigorian,   Evelyn Ng,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Mike Matusow,   David Singer,   Johnny Chan,   Scott Clements,   Bryan Micon,   Thayer Rasmussen

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2B - Level 7 (Hr. 1)

Jul 09, '08

Blinds: 300/600 with 75 ante

Eliminations:
Shannon Elizabeth.

Big Hands/Storylines

Hellmuth Catches Bluff

Action folded around to Phil Hellmuth who limped in middle position. His opponent, on the button, raised to 2,700, and Hellmuth made the call. Hellmuth checked in the dark before the 1083 flop and his opponent checked behind. Hellmuth then check-called a 3,200 bet on the J turn. The river was the J and Hellmuth checked again. His opponent thought for a few seconds before betting 5,700. “You’ve got me beat but I can’t lay this down,” said Hellmuth, moments before calling. His opponent rapped the table and showed 42. Hellmuth’s Q10 was good enough to take down the pot. Hellmuth’s epilogue: “Whenever I limp you guys just keep coming after me!”

With the pot Hellmuth increases his stack to about 90,000.

Excellent Call

A player raised from middle position and Jean-Robert Bellande re-raised to 5,600. The other player called and they saw a flop of A88. Both players checked. Both players checked again on the 9 turn. The river was the K and the other player checked. Bellande, sensing a good opportunity to take down the pot, bet 3,500. He was quickly called and turbo-mucked his hand. His opponent tabled KQ. Bellande is now down to 33,000.

D’Agostino Takes One From Gordon

With the board reading 962210 and about 8,000 in the pot, Phil Gordon bet 6,500 into John D’Agostino. D’Agostino thought for a few seconds before making the call. D’Agostino showed 109 for a rivered top two pair. Despite the hit, Gordon still has nearly 55,000. D'Agostino has 40k.

Elizabeth Bows Out

Shannon Elizabeth was shortstacked through the day, and finally elected to move all-in for her remaining 7150 when in the cut-off position and play folded to her. The button made the call however and showed AJ. It was a dominating hand over Elizabeth’s A8. The flop came QQ7, followed by the 6 and the 9, and Elizabeth was finished in the main event for 2008.

Shulman Nurses Shortstack

Jeff Shulman continues to hover around the 7,000 chip mark, looking for the right moment to double up. One attempt, a 2000 raise from the cut-off, resulted in a reraise to 5100 from the small blind, and Shulman folded, now down to 5300 total. However, he managed to steal the blinds and antes on successive hands minutes later to crawl back to around the 7000 mark.

Sheikhan, Chan Doing Battle

One noteworthy table pairing has experienced pros Johnny Chan and Shawn Sheikhan seated together in the Brasilia Room, with Chan to the immediate left of Sheikhan. In one recent hand, it was 2200 preflop with both players and another in the cut-off. A dangerous looking flop of AAK came down and was checked by all three players. After the 7 on the turn, Sheikhan, in the small blind, bet 6000. That brought about a pair of folds.

Min-Raise Enough for Booth

Brad Booth was in the cut-off, and with the blinds at 300/600 he put in a raise to 1200. Both blinds called. The flop came J22, and after both blinds checked Booth bet 3000. It was enough to take down the pot.

Allen Cunningham continues to be among the shortstacks, but after a recent double-up now has 22,000 in chips.

 

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Johnny Chan,   Brad Booth,   Shannon Elizabeth

$10,000 Main Event - Sheikhan On the Rise

Jul 10, '08

Blinds/Antes: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 ante

Players Left: 693 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:
Jeremiah Smith: 963,000
Sigurd Eskeland: 750,000
Alberto Font: 696,000
Karle Wilson: 690,000
Jeff Kimber: 686,000
Matthew Jensen: 600,000
Edward Roger: 590,000
Vito Branciforte: 590,000
Alan Jaffray: 573,000
James Mills: 550,000

CP Chip Counts:
Victor Ramdin: 512,000
Phil Hellmuth: 470,000
Jon Friedberg: 448,000
Matt Matros: 448,000
Gus Hansen: 307,000
Mike Matusow: 295,000
Allen Cunnigham: 265,000
Thomas Keller: 205,000

Average Stack: 197,518

Eliminations: Alex Kravchenko, Toto Leonidas

Big Hands:

Sheikhan Knocks One Out, Breaks 500,000

On a board of AQ42, Shawn Sheikhan got it all in against the player in seat 3. Sheikhan had him covered and both players turned over their cards.

Sheikhan: AQ
Seat 3: AJ

Sheikhan led with the best hand on the turn, top two pair, and his opponent was drawing to a flush. The river was the 6, and no spade meant that Sheikhan had eliminated another player at his table. Sheikhan screamed out in excitement on the river, "Yes! That's how mother-f#@%ers do it! I'm the real mother-f#@%er!" The player in seat 2 asked Sheikhan, "So I take it that f I call you a mother-f#@%er later, you won't mind?" Sheikhan didn't seem to mind because after this hand, he had finally broken the 500,000 chip mark and claimed himself a spot on the leader board.

Nguyen Pushes Giang Out, Much to the Chagrin of Giang

On a board of AQJ2, Men "The Master" Nguyen fired 15,000 into a pot totaling almost 40,000. The action was on Giang who took a session in the think tank. After much deliberation, Giang angrily mucked his cards and Nguyen took the pot, improving his stack to 140,000. Giang was not pleased, seeing his stack shrink to 45,000. On the next hand, Giang angrily shuffled his chips, slamming them on the felt every other shuffle, the thought of losing that hand still on his mind.

Smith Taking Command

Jeremiah Smith had already reraised when the player in seat 2 made it 100,000 to go. The action came back to Smith, who reraised all in. Seat 2 shook his head and, after much time thinking and cameras swarming the table, he gave up his hand to the chip leader. Smith was not done showing his table who was boss.

A couple of hands later, Smith reraised to 250,000 after the player in seat 8 opened for a raise. Seat 8 made the call and showed down AK. Smith then turned over the bad news, AA. The board ran out Q5477 and Smith knocked another player out. He was at 725,000.

Turner Turns On The Jets

At a tough table featuring Ryan Daut, Jon "PearlJammer" Turner, and the current chip leader of the main event Jeremiah Smith - the player in seat 4 raised on the first hand after dinner break and Turner reraised to 26,000 total. Action folded back to the initial raiser who elected to call. The flop came AK8 and seat 4 checked to Turner, who led out with a bet of 29,000. Seat 4 called and the 10 came on the turn. Seat 4 checked again and Turner bet 58,000. Seat 4 counted out his chips and tanked for a few minutes, occasionally looking at Turner. He eventually folded, giving Turner more than 75,000 of his chips in the proccess. Turner sits with around 275,000 in chips.

Ng Keeps Firing

Evelyn Ng raised to 9,000 from middle position and the player in seat 8 made the call from the cutoff. The flop came out 1063 and Ng led out with 14,500. Seat 8 made the call and the turn was the 9. Ng would not stop with the pressure, firing 37,000 more into the pot. Seat 8 quickly made the call and the river brought the 7. Ng hesitated briefly, then unloaded a 65,000 shot into the pot. Seat 8 then took a long session in the tank. After almost 10 minutes of thinking, he finally mucked his hand and Ng took a pot of over 100,000. Her stack was at around 340,000.

Gazes Pushes Back

Action folded around to the player in seat 2 who raised to 9,200 from the cutoff. Action was next on Bill Gazes on the button, who repopped to 22,500. The blinds folded and action was back on seat 2. The cameras came over as seat 2 asked for time to make his decision. He finally folded AK face up and surrendered the pot to Gazes, who's stack grew to around 90,000.

Good Luck Betting Out Vos

From late position Seat 3 raised to 8,000 preflop and Mark Vos made the call in the big blind. The flop came K102 and Vos checked to seat 3, who bet 9,000. Vos made the call and checked when the 2 hit on the turn. Seat 3 checked behind this time and the J landed on the river. Vos fired 15,000 and seat 3 gave his hand up. Vos has around 300,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Evelyn Ng,   Men Nguyen,   Bill Gazes,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Chau Giang,   Jon Turner,   Mark Vos

$10,000 Main Event - Day 3 - Level 12

Jul 10, '08

Blinds/Antes: 1,000-2,000-300

Players Remaining: 974 out of 6,844

Average Chip Stack: 137,000

Eliminations:

Tony Cousineau
Erik Seidel

Big Hands and Storylines:

Shawn Sheikhan Loses Half His Stack in Two Hands

Shawn Sheikhan raised to 6,500 from middle position and was called only by the two players in the blinds. On a flop of A75, the action was checked to Sheikhan who fired a bet of 12,000 into the pot. The small blind called, allowing the big blind to get out of the way. The turn brought the A and another check from the small blind. Sheikhan launched four orange 5,000 chips across the line, and the small blind made the call. “Black card,” Sheikhan requested as the dealer put down the Q on the river. “God damn it,” Sheikhan exclaimed upon sight of the red queen. The small blind checked, and Sheikhan announced that he held an ace. The small blind turned over J10 and Sheikhan was verbally distraught. He flashed the Ac as he mucked his cards.

On the next hand, the player under the gun raised to 7,000 and Sheikhan made the call as the next player to act. All other players folded, and the dealer put down a flop of J86. Both players checked, and the 9 came on the turn. Again the under-the-gun player checked, prompting a bet of 15,000 from Sheikhan which was quickly called. The player check-called another bet of Sheikhan’s, this time 20,000, when a blank fell on the river. “You got it,” Sheikhan declared after his opponent made the call. The player turned over 1010 and Sheikhan mucked his cards.

After the two-hand downward spiral, Sheikhan was left with only 110,00 in chips.

Traply Needs No Trap To Snare Gray

Peter Traply raised to 5,300 from early position and Jason Gray called from the cutoff. The flop was AJ10 and Traply led out for 9,500, Gray called. Traply bet another 22,000 on the 5 turn and Gray again called. The river was the 4 and Traply fired a third bullet – 48,000 – which Gray called after a minute of thought. Traply tabled KQ for a flopped straight which was good to take down the sizeable pot. Traply is now up to 245,000; Gray is down to 75,000.

Matusow Takes a Hit

Mike Matusow raised pre-flop from middle position and was met with an all-in raise from an opponent. Matusow learned that it would be 8,500 more to call, and call he did. Matusow was pleased to see that his Q10 was live against his opponent’s A3 . The board offered no help, however, as it ran out J545K . After losing that pot, Matusow is down to 112,000.

Hevad Khan Doubles Up with an Unlikely Suck Out

After the action folded around, Hevad Khan made it 6,000 to go from his position on the button. The small blind folded, but the player in the big blind elected to call. The flop came 644 and the big blind led out with a bet of 8,000. Khan announced a raise and moved all in for an additional 36,300. The camera crews came rushing over while the big blind deliberated his situation, ultimately deciding to call. “Nice call. Do you have a pair?” Khan asked, to which his opponent nodded and turned over 22. Khan turned over A7 and needed to catch a card. The 8 on the turn didn’t directly improve Khan, but the 6 on the river counterfeited the deuces and brought a round of gasps from the players and spectators. Khan’s ace-high was good enough to double him up and bring him close to 100,000 in chips.

The two players had a recent history. After a flop of 554 Khan bet 11,500 and his opponent called. Both players then checked the 7 on the turn and 10 on the river. The button then showed 33 which was enough to win the pot.

Rousso Makes Jacks Work

Vanessa Rousso was in the small blind, and play was folded until a player in late position moved all-in for 28,000. Rousso, not with a lot of chips herself, made the call and turned over JJ. The all-in player held 74, and the flop gave him numerous outs, coming 642. However he had two swings and misses, as the 2 came on the turn and 8 hit the river to send the chips to Rousso. She now has about 74,000 in chips.

Hansen Dominated

Gus Hansen raised to 6600 from middle position and the small blind then moved all-in for 17,500. Hansen admitted he wasn’t crazy about his cards. “This is my worst hand of the day, which means I’m probably going to call,” he said. He came close to folding, but finally threw in the chips to call. He didn’t like realizing he was up against A6. “Oh my God, I wanted diamonds,” he said, turning over K7. Neither player would connect with the board that finished J8432 and the small blind stayed alive. A few hands later in the big blind, Hansen was given a walk, at which time he flipped over another king-seven. “Now I’m one-for-two” he quipped.

Agarwal drops 12,200x3 with tens

Aditya Agarwal faced bets of 12,200 on the flop, turn and river and called every time. The board in the end was K8792 and Agarwal's opponent flipped over AJ for a flush. Agarwal showed the 10 for a worse flush. His opponent then asked to see his other card. Agarwal didn't like it, but his opponent saw it was the T. After the hand Agarwal had roughly 200,000 chips.

 

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Mike Matusow,   Vanessa Rousso,   Jason Gray,   Aditya Agarwal,   Hevad Khan,   Peter Traply

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2 Done

Jul 09, '08

Day 2 has come to an end. Almost 2,400 players played in Day 2B and only 855 made it to Day 3. There are no more flight days from here on in. The 1,324 players who survived Day 2 will gather in the Amazon Room Wednesday at noon and play another five levels. It may be a day that see's the field reach the 666 player mark, signaling the money bubble. Tune in to Card Player then for all of the live updates from Day 3 of the 2008 main event.

Blinds/Antes: 600-1,200 with a 200 ante

Players Left: 855 of 2,378

Chip Leaders:

Alex Outhred: 486,000
Peter Biebel: 380,000
Raja Kattamuri: 375,000
Steve Goosen: 358,000
Reagan Silber: 340,000
Darryl Ranconi: 315,000
Jason McClane: 312,000
Rafael Caiaffa: 310,000
Victor Ramdin: 307,000
Andrew Teng: 298,000

Spade Club:

David Kim: 112,000

Eliminations: David Singer, Bryan Micon, Tom Chambers, David Tran, Liz Lieu

Big Hands:

"The Goofball Beat Me, Honey!"

Phil Hellmuth raised to 4,000 under the gun and the player in seat 5 made the call. The flop came Q55 and Hellmuth checked, letting seat 5 bet 7,000. Hellmuth called and again checked when the 5 hit on the turn. Seat 5 bet 10,000 and Hellmuth removed his shades and studied the board and his opponent. After asking his opponent how much he had left, Hellmuth just called. The 10 fell on the river and seat 5 pushed all in for about 40,000. "Okay buddy, you win this one," Hellmuth said as he mucked his hand. "My turn next time, okay?"

But it wasn't okay with the layer in seat 5. Two hands later Hellmuth bet 7,500 on a flop of K53 and only seat 5 made the call. The A hit on the turn and Hellmuth led out for 13,000. Seat 5 announced he was all in and Hellmuth was stunned. He mucked and jumped from his seat to talk to his wife.

"The goofball beat me, honey!" he said to her. "He might be the worst player here by far."

But Hellmuth's confidence was still not shaken as he said, "I want to tell you something. He's going to be drawing dead against me in the next 10 minutes."

Chan Doubles, Demands Micon Gets His Drink

Johnny Chan raised to 4,600 from late position and was called by the big blind. The flop was J82 and the big blind led out for 11,000. Chan reached to his stack and re-raised, making it 26,000 more to go. The big blind wasted little time pushing all in, having Chan covered by around 12,000. Chan made the call and was all in for his tournament life. The big blind flipped up JJ for top set and was in the lead. But Chan showed J9 and was far from drawing dead. The turn brought the 6 to complete Chan's flush and the A completed the board, making Chan's flush the best hand and giving him reason to pump his fist as he doubled up to 180,000.
The table is an interesting one - featuring Chan, Bryan Micon and Shawn Sheikhan. After doubling up and cripping his opponent, Chan yelled "Get this man a drink!" The playful demand was in reference to Micon, who has been nursing his short stack and calling for a cocktail waitress for a while.

Suck & Re-Suck: Chris Grigorian Doubles Through David Singer

On a flop of A75, David Singer bet 6,000 and Chris Grgorian made the call. The turn was the A, and this time Singer led out with 15,000. Grigorian made the call and the river was the Q. Singer bet 30,000 and Grigorian quickly moved all in. Singer called just as quick and turned over A7 for a full house (aces full of sevens). Singer flopped top two pair and turned the full house. Grigorian showed AQ for a better full house (aces full of queens) on the river. Singer fell down to 42,000 in chips while "The Armenian Express" brought himself up over 100,000 this hand. Singer would bust later in the level.

Clements Tries to Defend, But Can't Connect

The player in seat 7 raised to 4,600 from the button and Scott Clements repopped to 10,200 from the small blind. Seat 7 made the call and the flop came down KJ6 and Clements blasted 20,000 into the pot. Seat 7 went nowhere, however, making the call. Both players checked the 2 on the turn and the river brought the 3. Both players checked again and Clements announced, "Ace high." Seat 7 turned over QJ for second pair and took a good sized pot. Clements was down to about 72,000.

THAY3R Gets Love From The Ladies

Thayer "THAY3R" Rasmussen called a short stack's all in bet and flipped over QQ. The all in player showed AJ and had one over-card. The board ran 98248 and Rasmussen knocked out another player while increasing his stack to around 110,000.

Don't Mess With Evelyn's Big Blind

The player in seat 8 raised to 3,300 from the button and Evelyn Ng repopped to 9,300 from the big blind. The button made the call and the flop came down K26 and Ng fired 14,000. Seat 8 nodded his head, signaling it was too much to call and folded his hand. Ng took the pot and increased her stack to a very healthy 176,000.

Micon Pushes Back, Then Gets Pushed Out

Shawn Sheikhan raised to 4,500 and Johnny Chan folded his hand from the small blind. Micon was next to act in the big blind and, after pump faking a fold, decided to push all in for 17,400 more. Sheikhan decided to muck his hand and Micon added some chips to his short stack. He was at 23,100 while Sheikhan was at 131,500. Micon would not last, however, as he would go bust later in the level.

Matusow Takes a Pot

Mike Matusow raised to 3,800 from under the gun. The player in seat 2 called from the button and the two players were heads up going to the flop. "It's just me and the other human card rack," Matusow said before the flop of J93 hit the felt. Matusow then led out with 6,400 and seat 2 quickly mucked. Matusow then showed his QQ and raked in the pot. He was around 70,000.

Player Tags: Chris Grigorian,   Evelyn Ng,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Mike Matusow,   David Singer,   Johnny Chan,   Scott Clements,   Bryan Micon,   Thayer Rasmussen

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2B - Level 7 (Hr. 1)

Jul 09, '08

Blinds: 300/600 with 75 ante

Eliminations:
Shannon Elizabeth.

Big Hands/Storylines

Hellmuth Catches Bluff

Action folded around to Phil Hellmuth who limped in middle position. His opponent, on the button, raised to 2,700, and Hellmuth made the call. Hellmuth checked in the dark before the 1083 flop and his opponent checked behind. Hellmuth then check-called a 3,200 bet on the J turn. The river was the J and Hellmuth checked again. His opponent thought for a few seconds before betting 5,700. “You’ve got me beat but I can’t lay this down,” said Hellmuth, moments before calling. His opponent rapped the table and showed 42. Hellmuth’s Q10 was good enough to take down the pot. Hellmuth’s epilogue: “Whenever I limp you guys just keep coming after me!”

With the pot Hellmuth increases his stack to about 90,000.

Excellent Call

A player raised from middle position and Jean-Robert Bellande re-raised to 5,600. The other player called and they saw a flop of A88. Both players checked. Both players checked again on the 9 turn. The river was the K and the other player checked. Bellande, sensing a good opportunity to take down the pot, bet 3,500. He was quickly called and turbo-mucked his hand. His opponent tabled KQ. Bellande is now down to 33,000.

D’Agostino Takes One From Gordon

With the board reading 962210 and about 8,000 in the pot, Phil Gordon bet 6,500 into John D’Agostino. D’Agostino thought for a few seconds before making the call. D’Agostino showed 109 for a rivered top two pair. Despite the hit, Gordon still has nearly 55,000. D'Agostino has 40k.

Elizabeth Bows Out

Shannon Elizabeth was shortstacked through the day, and finally elected to move all-in for her remaining 7150 when in the cut-off position and play folded to her. The button made the call however and showed AJ. It was a dominating hand over Elizabeth’s A8. The flop came QQ7, followed by the 6 and the 9, and Elizabeth was finished in the main event for 2008.

Shulman Nurses Shortstack

Jeff Shulman continues to hover around the 7,000 chip mark, looking for the right moment to double up. One attempt, a 2000 raise from the cut-off, resulted in a reraise to 5100 from the small blind, and Shulman folded, now down to 5300 total. However, he managed to steal the blinds and antes on successive hands minutes later to crawl back to around the 7000 mark.

Sheikhan, Chan Doing Battle

One noteworthy table pairing has experienced pros Johnny Chan and Shawn Sheikhan seated together in the Brasilia Room, with Chan to the immediate left of Sheikhan. In one recent hand, it was 2200 preflop with both players and another in the cut-off. A dangerous looking flop of AAK came down and was checked by all three players. After the 7 on the turn, Sheikhan, in the small blind, bet 6000. That brought about a pair of folds.

Min-Raise Enough for Booth

Brad Booth was in the cut-off, and with the blinds at 300/600 he put in a raise to 1200. Both blinds called. The flop came J22, and after both blinds checked Booth bet 3000. It was enough to take down the pot.

Allen Cunningham continues to be among the shortstacks, but after a recent double-up now has 22,000 in chips.

 

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Johnny Chan,   Brad Booth,   Shannon Elizabeth

$50,000 H.O.R.S.E - Level 4

Jun 25, '08

Players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds:
Hold'em: 600-1,200
Omaha 8: 600-1,200
Razz: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion
Stud: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion
Eight or Better: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion

Chip Counts:
Ray Dehkharghani: 190,000
James Mackey: 185,000
Ralph Perry: 170,000
Shawn Sheikhan: 167,000
Chris Reslock: 152,000
Minh Ly: 152,000
Greg Mascio: 152,000
Steve Sung: 150,000
Rafi Amit: 150,000
Bill Chen: 148,000

Storylines:

The Drunken Fan

It's late, it's Vegas, and during the level a drunken spectator was thrilled to be able talk (yell) over the rail to Scotty Nguyen and express his admiration. Clearly excited to see poker's superstars in person, the man later noticed Tony G and began to tell Tony how great he is, to which Tony just smiled and gave two thumbs up. This made the drunk's night. Too bad he won't remember it in the morning...

Hold'em

Hansen Strong Out Of The Small Blind

David Williams raised and the player in seat 2 re-raised all preflop. Gus Hansen, sitting in the small blind, made the call and so did Williams. The flop came 1077, Hansen checked, David Williams checked and seat 2 bet out. Hansen quickly re-raised, Williams folded and seat 2 folded AK face up. Hansen didn't show and just raked his chips while talking about how he played the hand.

Friedman's Pair of Aces Beats Dwan

Perry Friedman bet and was called by Tom Dwan on every street of a A65108 board. Friedman flipped over A4 for a pair of aces, and it was good enough to take the pot.

Omaha 8

Mackey Takes One From Some Tough Competition

On a flop of A106 James Mackey checked and David Singer bet. Both Andy Bloch and Mackey made the call. The J came on the turn and Mackey checked again, allowing Singer to bet. Bloch made the call and Mackey said raise, then put in some more chips. Singer didn't hear Mackey say raise and the floor was called to the table. The dealer explained to the floorman that he did indeed hear Mackey say raise before he put his chips in, then he said it again while putting them in. The floorman said the raise stood and Singer and Bloch both made the call. The players checked the 3 river card and Mackey turned over AK4Q for the nut straight. When he saw Mackey's hand Bloch laughed and mucked. Singer also mucked and Mackey won a nice three-way pot again two of the better H.O.R.S.E players in the tournament. At the end of the level he sat with around 185,000 in chips.

Flack Scoops

Layne Flack raised from late position and was called by Hasan Habib, Justin Bonomo and John Cernuto. The flop came 973 and action was checked to Flack who bet out. Both Habib and Bonomo called, but Cernuto folded. The turn was the 10 and action was again checked to Flack who bet out. Both opponents made the call again and the river brought the 7. Action checked to Flack, he bet, Habib called and Bonomo folded.
Flack turned over 9-9-A-4, giving him a set of nines to scoop the entire pot.

Brown Missteps

The player in seat 2 bet the A108 flop and Chad Brown made the call. On the 2 turn card seat 2 bet and Brown raised. Both players checked the 4 river and Brown turned over A-8-4-6. His opponent showed A-10-5-7. There was some brief confusion as to who got what, but the dealer explained that Brown's opponent had the best two pair and low hand because Brown had not made a low hand.

Razz

Sheikhan Ready To Gamble

Shawn Sheikhan bet out on every street and was called by the player in seat 4. Their cards were:
Sheikhan: 4A23 (K-9-6)
Seat 4: 58J3 (A-4-8)

Sheikhan went ahead and bet blind after being dealt the final card. He showed a big hand - 6-low. Seat 4 paired his 8 on the end and Sheikhan took down a big pot.
After the hand Sheikhan told the table, "You guys want to gamble - I'll gamble."
Sheikhan had around 167,000 in chips.

Stud

Forrest Takes Monster Pot From Hellmuth

Ted Forrest bet every street and was called by Phil Hellmuth all the way down to seventh street. Hellmuth took off his sunglasses to look at his last down card. He put out a bet and started to put his shades back on but stopped dead in his tracks when Forrest raised him. A frustrated Hellmuth made the call and Forrest turned over his hand. Their cards were:
Forrest: QQ5A (Q-J-5)
Hellmuth: 764K (X-X-X)

Seeing Forrest's three queens, Hellmuth quietly slid his cards into the muck.

Stud 8

An Aggressive Galfond Bets Out Ivey and Williamson

Phil Galfond bet on fifth and sixth street and was called by Robert Williamson III and Phil Ivey. When Galfond led out on the end, Ivey mucked his hand and Williamson looked pained as he thought over his decision.
Galfond: AKQJ (X-X-X)
Ivey: 59QK
Williamson III: 82J9 (X-X-X)

Williamson eventually mucked, and Dwan started to infer about his friend Galfond's hand. Galfond smiled and the table laughed when he showed only one card - the 7.

Player Tags: Andy Bloch,   Hasan Habib,   Chad Brown,   Gus Hansen,   Ted Forrest,   Layne Flack,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Phil Hellmuth,   David Singer,   Phil Ivey,   Perry Friedman,   David Williams,   James Mackey,   Justin Bonomo,   Robert Williamson III,   Tom Dwan

Lowball Done For the Night

Jun 22, '08

Blinds: 500-1,000
Limits: 1,000-2,000

Players Left: 30 of 238

Chip Leaders:

Greg Raymer: 65,000
Ray Davis: 64,000
Shunjiro Uchida: 62,000
James Copeland: 60,000
Steve Sung: 47,000
Bill Chen: 44,000
Mike Wattel: 44,000
George Lind III: 42,000
Von Altizer: 34,500
John Phan: 33,000

Average Stack: 39,667

Notable Eliminations:

Freddy Deeb
Phil Hellmuth
Chad Brown
Shawn Sheikhan

Recap:

The day began with 238 players, most of which were big names. Players like Scotty Nguyen, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Shawn Sheikhan and Annie Duke were just some of the names that could not cut the 2-7 mustard. They were all gone before Day 1 came to a close. But Greg Raymer not only made it to Day 2, he made it as chip leader with 65,000 in chips. Other notables returning for Day 2 include Bill Chen, David Sklansky, Chau Giang, Billy Baxter and John Phan. Players return Monday at 2 p.m. The money will be reached after six players are eliminated. The surviving players will earn at leat $5,474. Players will play down to a final table of six, where they will be guaranteed at least $20,527. For the complete rules of low ball, click here.

Big Hands:

Out in a Flash

The player in seat 4 raised to 2,000 and Ray Davis three-bet to 3,000. Shawn Sheikhan was next to act and made the call, followed by seat 4. Sheikhan took two cards on the first draw while seat 4 and Davis took one. Action was checked to Davis who bet 1,000. Both players called and Sheikhan drew one along with seat 4. Davis stood pat and bet 2,000. Sheikhan hung around while seat 4 got out of the way. Both players stood pat and Sheikhan checked.

After he checked, he flashed his hand to Davis. "Did you just show me a number two?" Davis asked. He then bet 2,000 and was immediately raised by Sheikhan. Davis called, saying that he thought it was a flush. As soon as Davis' call went into the pot, Sheikhan's hand flew into the muck.

"I thought you didn't see it," Sheikhan muttered. "Stevie Wonder would've seen that," Davis replied. He later showed Sheikhan the flashing light of the "Exit" sign as he sent "Sheiky" to the rail.

Mizrachi Takes the Three-Way

Picking up the action on the second draw, Billy Baxter asked for one card. Robert Mizrachi stood pat and Steve Sung opted to draw two cards. Mizrachi then bet 2,000. Sung and Baxter made the call. Baxter and Sung both drew one card on the final draw while Mizrachi stood pat again. Everyone checked and Mizrachi showed 8-7-6-5-2. Baxter and Sung mucked and Mizrachi was up to around 60,000.

Deeb Doubles Up, Then Double Times it Toward the Exit

Freddy Deeb was all in against the player in seat 1. Deeb took one card on the first draw while his opponent took two cards. Both players took one card on the second draw. Deeb then flipped his hand over, 10-7-6-5-2. His opponent drew one more card, but flipped over the K and threw his hand in the muck. Deeb was saved for the moment, doubling to 9,000. But he would not make it to the end of Day 1 as he busted later in the level.

It Takes a Pair

Picking up the action on the final draw, David Sklansky stood pat against his opponent in seat 3, who also stood pat. Both players refused to bet and Sklansky turned over 4-4-7-3-2 for a pair of fours. Normally, a pair is a loser in low ball, but seat 3 turned over a pair of sixes and Sklansky raked in the pot. He was around 25,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Raymond Davis,   Shawn Sheikhan,   David Sklansky,   Steve Sung,   Billy Baxter,   Freddy Deeb

WInding Down

Jun 22, '08

Blinds: 400-800
Limits: 800-1,600

Players Left: 48 of 238

Chip Leaders:

Mike Wattel: 45,500
Steve Sung: 44,000
Greg Raymer: 39,000
Von Altizer: 34,500
John Phan: 33,000
Ray Davis: 31,500
Patrick Poels: 30,000
George Lind III: 29,000
Trung Ly: 29,000
Chris Vitch: 29,000

Average Stack: 24,782

Notable Eliminations: Nick Schulman, David Singer

Big Hands:

Sklansky Does It to Brown

Chad Brown raised to 1,600 from the small blind and Sklansky called from the big blind. Both player drew two cards on the first draw. Brown led out with 800 and Sklansky called. Both players then drew one on the second draw. Brown fired 1,600, but Sklansky hung around. Both players stood pat on the last draw. Brown checked and Sklansky bet 1,600. "What a sneaky Dave," Shawn Sheikhan commented from across the table. Brown mucked his hand and Sklansky was up to 26,000 while Brown was down under 10,000.

A Drunken Razor Still Cuts Deep

The player in seat 5 raised to 1,600 from the cutoff and John "Razor" Phan three-bet to 2,400 from the small blind. Seat 5 made the call and Phan drew one card on the first draw. His opponent drew two and Phan fired 800. Seat 5 called and both players drew one card on the second draw. Phan led out again with 1,600 and was called. Phan stood pat on the final draw while his opponent asked for one. Both players checked and Phan turned over 9-7-5-3-2, good enough to beat the K his opponent flipped over. Phan raked in the pot and, after a couple of words about his play, Phan summed it up in one sentence. "I'm so drunk anyway."

Schulman Trampled by the Wheel

The player in seat 2 raised to 1,600. Nick Schulman three-bet to 2,400 and was called. Both players took two cards on the first draw and then all hell broke loose.

Seat 2 checked and Schulman fired 800. Seat 2 then check-raised to 1,600. Not to be outdone, Schulman three-bet to 2,400. Seat 2 would have none of that and launched a fourth bet to 3,200. Schulman then capped the betting at 3,600. Seat 2 called and both players stood pat on the second draw. Seat 2 led out with 1,600 and Schulman just called. They stood pat again on the third draw and seat 2 bet another 1,600. Schulman called and his opponent showed the nuts, 7-5-4-3-2. Schulman mucked and was left with about 10,000. He was later eliminated.

Sheiky Loves Him Some Philly

Picking up the action on the second draw in a three-way pot, Phil Hellmuth stood pat while Shawn "Sheiky" Sheikhan drew one. Chad Brown completed the action by drawing two. Hellmuth then led out with 800. That bet was quickly stepped on by Sheikhan, who made it 1,600. Brown and Hellmuth called. Hellmuth stood pat again on the final draw while Sheikhan and Brown each drew one card. All players checked the end and Hellmuth turned over 10-6-4-3-2. It was no good though, as Sheikhan turned over 10-5-4-3-2. Brown mucked and Sheikhan was up to around 14,000. "I love me some Philly," Sheikhan said later.

Vegas' Most Wanted

During their time next to each other, Phil Hellmuth and Shawn Sheikhan were heard singing a song that either mentioned Warren G, or was performed by Warren G. Either way, it was like a bad episode of Say What? Karaoke. At least they were keeping it "gangsta," though.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Chad Brown,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Phil Hellmuth,   David Sklansky,   Nick Schulman

Seif Gone. So is Griffin

Jun 22, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 300-600
Limits: 600-1,200

Players Left: 53 of 238

Chip Leaders:

Mike Wattel: 45,500
Ray Davis: 42,000
Bill Chen: 40,000
Anthony Lellouche: 38,000
Amnon Filippi: 36,000
Trung Ly: 32,000
Chris Vitch: 29,000
George Lind III: 27,800
Thor Hansen: 27,000
Freddy Deeb: 27,000

Average Stack: 22,453

Eliminations: Mark Seif, Gavin Griffin

Big Hands:

Aw Nuts

The player in seat 4 raised to 1,200 before the first draw. Mark Seif three-bet to 1,800 and seat 4 tapped Seif for 2,175. Both players drew one card on the first draw. They did the same on the second draw. On the third draw, Seif drew one and seat 4 stood pat. "I got the nuts," seat 4 said, turning over 7-5-4-3-2. "You got the nuts?" Seif asked. "I can't beat that." He threw his hand in the muck and made his way toward the exit.

Griffin Lives, Temporarilly Anyway

Gavin Griffin put all his chips into the pot against seat 1. On the first draw, both players drew two cards. The second draw saw seat 1 take two cards while Griffin elected to draw one. Seat 1 drew one more card on the final draw while Griffin stood pat. He showed 8-7-5-4-2 and seat 1 mucked. Griffin doubled up to about 5,000 but he was later knocked out permanently by Chad Brown.

Davis Mutes Singer

Ray Davis raised to 1,200 and David Singer three-bet to 1,800. Davis repopped to 2,400 and Singer made the call. Singer drew one on the first draw and Davis stood pat. He then bet 600 and Singer called. Davis stood pat again on the second draw and Singer took one more. Davis fired 1,200 and Singer stuck around. One more card came to Singer and Davis stood pat for the last time. Both players checked and Davis turned over 8-7-5-4-2 and Singer mucked his hand. Singer was around 6,500 while Davis was up to around 42,000.

Oh the Humanity!

Table 5 saw the exit of Gavin Griffin, Mark Seif, and another player. They were replaced by some guys named David Sklansky, Phil Hellmuth and Shawn Sheikhan. There were rumors that those guys were decent card players. They were welcomed to the table by Chad Brown in seat 5. Well, all except Hellmuth who was over at the mixed hold'em event.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Raymond Davis,   Chad Brown,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Phil Hellmuth,   David Singer,   David Sklansky,   Gavin Griffin

$5,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud 8/b - Day 2 - Level 15 Recap

Jun 18, '08

Limit: 3,000-6,000, 1,000 ante, 1,000 bring in

Players Left: 30 of 261

Chip Leaders:
Steve Sung - 278,000
Sebastian Ruthenberg - 190,000
Alessio Isaia - 170,000
Chau Giang - 170,000
Than Duc Nguyen - 114,000
Jeffrey Burdsall - 110,000
Marcel Luske - 108,000
Chris Ferguson - 108,000
Allen Cunningham - 108,000
Robert Lauria - 100,000

Average Stack: 87,000

Eliminations:
Mike Matusow
Mike Sexton
Shawn Sheikhan

Big Hands and Storylines:

Matusow Eliminated

Mike Matusow was recently busted by Thang Duc Nguyen. When they turned up their cards Nguyen had A847365 for a straight and a low while Matusow could only muster two pair, aces and jacks. According to Matusow, he went from 75,000 to bust in a matter of only three hands. Matusow was eliminated in 33^rd place.

Cunningham Scoops on Seventh

Allen Cunninham: 4KA6
Opponent: 7573

Cunningham played passively from the outset, simply calling on streets three through five. Then, on 6^th street, he raised his opponent’s bet, which was met by a call. His opponent checked to him on 7^th street and Cunningham bet again. The other player called and Cunningham showed (Q)(2)(3). His opponent to his right angrily mucked his hand and shouted to someone following him on the rail, “Rivered again!” The pot takes Cunningham up to 108,000.

Ruthenberg Snags More from Ferguson

Fresh off their last confrontation in which the German won a big pot, Sebastian Ruthenberg and Chris Ferguson tangled again. Ruthenberg brought in with the 3 and Ferguson completed his 4. Ruthenberg called and bet out on 4^th street when he drew the A and Ferguson was given the 9. Ferguson called, and on 5^th street Ruthenberg bet his 5 and Ferguson, having bought a 4, folded. Ruthenberg’s stack is still hovering near 200,000 while Ferguson is at 108,000.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Allen Cunningham,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Mike Matusow,   Chau Giang,   Mike Sexton,   Marcel Luske,   Jeffrey Burdsall,   Than Duc Nguyen,   Steve Sung,   Sebastian Ruthenberg,   Alessio Isaia

$5,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud 8/b - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 18, '08

Limit: 2,000-4,000, 500 ante, 500 bring in

Players Left:  56 of 261

Chip Leaders:
Robert Lauria - 132,000
Shahram "Shawn" Sheikhan - 110,000
Steve Sung - 107,000
David Benyamine - 106,000
Matt Grapenthien - 90,000
Jan Suchanek - 83,000
Tim Frazin - 80,000
Chris Ferguson - 78,000
Kirill Gerasimov - 75,000
Alessio Isaia - 72,000

Average Stack: 46,600

Eliminations:

Big Hands and Storylines:

Matusow Motivated

Annie Duke and Mike Matusow were having a lighthearted conversation about how if they could just stay at their table without it breaking for a few hours longer they could sneak into the money. Matusow then added, “I want to win.” He continued, “I just know that every year somebody wins 2 bracelets, and I want to be the one that does it.” He’ll need a bit of help to accomplish that goal though, as he has a below average stack of 35,000. Duke, with 28,000, is in need of some aid too.

Cunningham Scoops Rasmussen

Allen Cunningham just took a nice pot off of Thayer “thay3r” Rasmussen as his broadway straight took the high side of the pot and neither player could make a low:

Cunningham: J10KK
Rasmussen: 6397

Cunningham brought in with the J and called Rasmussen’s raise. On 4^th and 5^th streets Cunningham check-called, but on 6^th street, pairing his king, he bet out. Rasmussen called the bet and both players checked 7^th street. Cunningham showed (A)(J)Q) for a broadway straight (to go along with two pair) and Rasmussen mucked his hand. Cunningham is now at 57,000 while Rasmussen is left with only 15,000.

Everything Coming Up Roses for Violette

Cyndy Violette, who already has a World Series bracelet in Stud 8/b, just busted a very short-stacked opponent. They got their money all-in on 3^rd street. Though her opponent made a straight on 6^th street, Violette made aces full of fours on 7^th street to take down the entire pot and eliminate a player. Violette is sitting at about average with 50,000.

Kill Kirill

Barry Greenstein just won a small pot against Kirill Gerasimov. With Barry’s board reading 546, he fired out against Kirill’s AQJ on both 4^th and 5^th streets. Though Kirill called the first barrel, he laid his hand down following the second. Gerasimov still has the bigger stack though, his 75,000 is more than double Greenstein’s 34,000.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Annie Duke,   Barry Greenstein,   Matt Grapenthien,   Allen Cunningham,   Shawn Sheikhan,   David Benyamine,   Mike Matusow,   Cyndy Violette,   Kirill Gerasimov,   Steve Sung,   Jan Suchanek,   Thayer Rasmussen,   Tim Frazin,   Alessio Isaia