Phil Laak Poker Tournament Updates

Level 25: Binger Leads Final Three

Jul 08, '11

Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 3 out of 352

Average Chip Count: 1,760,000

Chip Counts:

1. Nick Binger – 2,495,000
2. David Bach – 2,000,000
3. Bryce Yockey – 820,000

Eliminations:

4th. Phil Laak – $133,337
5th. Trevor Reader – $99,512
6th. Peter Charalambous – $74,845
7th. Nick Schulman – $56,729

Nick Schulman Eliminated in 7th Place ($56,729)

David Bach opened the pot for 75,000 before the flop, Phil Laak called from late position, Nick Schulman reraised to 245,000 from the big blind, Bach four-bet the size of the pot, Laak folded and Schulman called all in.

Bach: A A K 2
Schulman: 6 5 4 3

The board came 10 8 5 8 6, giving Bach two pair (aces and eights) for the high and the nut low to scoop the pot. Nick Schulman was eliminated in 7th place ($56,729).

Peter Charalambous Eliminated in 6th Place ($74,845)

Peter Charalambous was eliminated in a two-part series of sorts with Bryce Yockey taking the lion’s share of his stack. Both on the short stack, Yockey and Charalambous got it all in before the flop.

Charalambous: K K 2 2
Yockey: A K 5 4

The board came A A 8 4 8, giving Yockey a full house for the double up. That hand put Yockey at about 500,000 in chips and left Charalambous with just 10,000.

Left with just 10,000 on the very next hand, Charalambous was forced all in from the small blind against Nick Binger.

Charalambous: K K 10 9
Binger: A K 6 3

The board came 7 6 6 A 7, giving Binger a full house to win the pot. Peter Charalambous was eliminated in 6th place ($74,845).

Trevor Reader Eliminated in 5th Place ($99,512)

Phil Laak opened the pot for 75,000 from under the gun, Nick Binger called, Trevor Reader made a pot-sized reraise to 300,000 and both players called.

The flop came A K 8, Reader moved all in for 160,000 and both players called.

The turn was the A and both players checked the side pot.

The river was the 10, Laak checked, Binger 430,000 and Laak folded.

Binger: A 10 J 7
Reader: A Q 7 2

Binger won the pot with a full house and Trevor Reader was eliminated in 5th place ($99,512).

Phil Laak Eliminated in 4th Place ($133,337)

Phil Laak opened the pot for 80,000 from under the gun and David Bach called from the big blind.

The flop came 8 8 4 and both players checked.

The turn was the 10, Bach checked, Laak bet 150,000, Back check-raised all in and Laak called all in.

Bach: A 84 3
Laak: A Q J 10

Bach flopped a full house and Laak would need a ten on the river to make a better full house. The river was the
Q and Phil Laak was eliminated in 4th place ($133,337).

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   David Bach,   Nick Schulman,   Nick Binger,   Trevor Reader

Level 23: Laak Leads Final Seven; Verbakel 8th, Kessler 9th

Jul 07, '11

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Remaining: 7 out of 352

Average Chip Count: 754,285

Chip Counts:

1. Phil Laak – 1,750,000
2. Nick Binger – 936,000
3. David Bach – 862,000
4. Nick Schulman – 570,000
5. Peter Charalambous – 330,000
6. Bryce Yockey – 328,000
7. Trevor Reader – 309,000

Eliminations:

8th. Bjorn Verbakel – $43,328
9th. Allen Kessler – $33,352

Laak Doubles Through Yockey, Takes Chip Lead

Phil Laak opened for a pot-sized raise from the button and Bryce Yockey called from the big blind.

The flop came 6 3 3, Yockey checked, Laak bet 48,000 and Yockey called.

The turn was the 9, Yockey checked, Laak bet 174,000 and Yockey called.

The river was the A, Yockey checked, Laak moved all in for 527,000 and Yockey called.

Laak showed Q 4 3 2 for trip threes (high) and the nut-low to scoop the pot. Laak doubled up to about 1,600,000 that hand, taking the chip lead and leaving Yockey short with about 330,000.

Allen Kessler Eliminated in 9th Place ($33,352)

Phil Laak opened the pot for 70,000 before the flop, Allen kessler moved all in for 126,000 from the small blind and Laak called.

Kessler: A A 6 3
Laak: A J 5 4

Kessler was ahead before the flop with a pair of aces. The board came J 10 6 5 J, giving Laak top pair on the flop for a draw, two pair on turn for the lead and a full house on the river to win the pot.

Allen Kessler came to the official nine-handed final table as the short stack and was the first one eliminated in 9th place ($33,352).

Bjorn Verbakel Eliminated in 8th Place ($43,328)

Bjorn Verbakel opened the pot for 40,000 before the flop, Nick Binger reraised to 150,000 from the button and Verbakel called.

The flop came J 10 4, Verbakel moved all in for 202,000 and Binger called.

Verbakel: A K Q 4
Binger: A K J 2

Binger was ahead with a pair of jacks on the flop against Verbakel’s pair of fours. The turn and river were the 3 and the 7 and Binger scooped the pot. Bjron Verbakel was eliminated in 8th place ($43,328).

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Allen Kessler,   Bjorn Verbakel,   Bryce Yockey

Level 23: Wheeler Eliminated 10th, Final Table Now Underway

Jul 07, '11

NOTE: Play ended last night with 25 players and resumed today at 3:00pm. With the elimination of Brent Wheeler in 10th place ($25,874), the official nine-handed final table is now underway.

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Remaining: 9 out of 352

Average Chip Count: 586,666

Chip Counts:

1. Brice Yockey – 1,140,000
2. Nick Binger – 936,000
3. David Bach – 862,000
4. Phil Laak – 801,000
5. Nick Schulman – 632,000
6. Bjorn Verbakel – 312,000
7. Trevor Reader – 309,000
8. Peter Charalambous – 145,000
9. Allen Kessler – 143,000

Payouts:

1st. $397,073
2nd. $245,314
3rd. $180,180
4th. $133,377
5th. $99,512
6th. $74,845
7th. $56,729
8th. $43,328
9th. $33,352

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   David Bach,   Allen Kessler,   Nick Schulman,   Nick Binger,   Peter Charalambous,   Bjorn Verbakel,   Trevor Reader,   Bryce Yockey

Michael Mizrachi Defeats Phil Laak

Mar 05, '11

Phil Laak was all in hoding A8 against the dominating A10 of Michael Mizrachi.

The board fell K7625 and Laak was eliminated. Mizrachi moves into the money and will face David Benyamine in the Sweet 16.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Michael Mizrachi

Phil Laak Defeats Daniel Negreanu

Mar 04, '11

Daniel Negreanu was short stacked, and drinking, and found himself all in holding 9-6 on a 6-5-4 flop. Phil Laak called him quickly, showing middle set of fives.

The turn was a deuce, giving Negreanu outs to a chop, but the river was a brick, sending Negreanu home early. Laak will now play Michael Mizrachi in the round of 32.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Laak

Michael Mizrachi Defeats Phil Laak

Mar 05, '11

Phil Laak was all in hoding A8 against the dominating A10 of Michael Mizrachi.

The board fell K7625 and Laak was eliminated. Mizrachi moves into the money and will face David Benyamine in the Sweet 16.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Michael Mizrachi

Phil Laak Defeats Daniel Negreanu

Mar 04, '11

Daniel Negreanu was short stacked, and drinking, and found himself all in holding 9-6 on a 6-5-4 flop. Phil Laak called him quickly, showing middle set of fives.

The turn was a deuce, giving Negreanu outs to a chop, but the river was a brick, sending Negreanu home early. Laak will now play Michael Mizrachi in the round of 32.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Laak

Phil Laak Eliminated

Feb 25, '11

We didn’t catch the action, but Phil Laak has been eliminated from the tournament. We’re guessing that it cost him about $3,500 an hour to play in this event, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing him trying to make that back downstairs in the cash games soon.

Player Tags: Phil Laak

Phil Laak Makes His Exit

Nov 15, '10

On a flop of KK2, Joseph Melancon checked and Phil Laak bet 20,000.

Melancon then raised to 200,000, putting Laak all in for his last 190,000 or so. Laak called, showing 99 and he was temporarily ahead of Melancon’s J8 for a flush draw.

The turn and river fell 47, however, and Laak was eliminated. Melancon is now up to 600,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Joseph Melancon

Phil Laak Gets Doubled Up

Nov 14, '10

Phil Laak was all in holding AK against the pocket nines of Michael Lazar.

The board fell J556K and Laak doubled up to just over the average with 135,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Phil Laak

Level 3 Update: The March Down Begins

Nov 13, '10

Blinds: 100-200

Players Remaining: 328 (Approximate)

Eliminations:

David Levi

Big Hands:

Tony Rivera Doubles Up

There was 23,000 in the pot and a flop that read Q 8 7 when Ben Klier raised to 32,000 from the small blind. Tony Rivera made the all-in call for 16,600. Their cards:

Rivera: K K
Klier: A Q

Turn and River: 6 3

Rivera doubled up on the hand to survive.

Jason Koon Takes a Hit

There was 2,700 in the pot and a flop of Q 9 5 sat on the table when WPT Festa al Lago final tablist Jason Koon bet 1,500 from the cutoff. A player in middle position raised to 3,175 and Koon made the call. Both players then checked the 10 on the turn and the 10 followed on the river. Middle position bet 6,600 and Koon went into the tank. He eventually mucked and his stack now resides at 26,200.

Ali Eslami Trends Down

There was 1,000 in the pot and a flop that read Q 5 2 on the table when Ali Eslami bet 1,100 UTG+1. The button made the call and the turn fell A. Eslami bet 3,000 and the button made the call again. The river fell 5 and both players checked. Eslami flipped over pocket sixes, but they were bested by the pocket nines of his opponent.

Senti Plays Picks Up Chips

The board read 10 9 2 7 J with 6,700 in the pot when a player under the gun put out a small bet. Michael Kamran made the call from the hijack and then Jason Senit raised to 2,000 from the button. UTG made the call and Kamran mucked. Senti flipped over K Q and he won the pot.

Left in the Deck

A Little Brighter

A few more stars have snuck into the tournament field just before the registration cutoff. They include Hollywood stars Shannon Elizabeth and Jennifer Tilly, as well as poker stars like Phil Laak.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Jennifer Tilly,   Tony Rivera,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Michael Kamran,   Jason Senti,   Jason Koon,   Ben Klier

Phil Laak Makes His Exit

Nov 15, '10

On a flop of KK2, Joseph Melancon checked and Phil Laak bet 20,000.

Melancon then raised to 200,000, putting Laak all in for his last 190,000 or so. Laak called, showing 99 and he was temporarily ahead of Melancon’s J8 for a flush draw.

The turn and river fell 47, however, and Laak was eliminated. Melancon is now up to 600,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Joseph Melancon

Phil Laak Gets Doubled Up

Nov 14, '10

Phil Laak was all in holding AK against the pocket nines of Michael Lazar.

The board fell J556K and Laak doubled up to just over the average with 135,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Phil Laak

Level 3 Update: The March Down Begins

Nov 13, '10

Blinds: 100-200

Players Remaining: 328 (Approximate)

Eliminations:

David Levi

Big Hands:

Tony Rivera Doubles Up

There was 23,000 in the pot and a flop that read Q 8 7 when Ben Klier raised to 32,000 from the small blind. Tony Rivera made the all-in call for 16,600. Their cards:

Rivera: K K
Klier: A Q

Turn and River: 6 3

Rivera doubled up on the hand to survive.

Jason Koon Takes a Hit

There was 2,700 in the pot and a flop of Q 9 5 sat on the table when WPT Festa al Lago final tablist Jason Koon bet 1,500 from the cutoff. A player in middle position raised to 3,175 and Koon made the call. Both players then checked the 10 on the turn and the 10 followed on the river. Middle position bet 6,600 and Koon went into the tank. He eventually mucked and his stack now resides at 26,200.

Ali Eslami Trends Down

There was 1,000 in the pot and a flop that read Q 5 2 on the table when Ali Eslami bet 1,100 UTG+1. The button made the call and the turn fell A. Eslami bet 3,000 and the button made the call again. The river fell 5 and both players checked. Eslami flipped over pocket sixes, but they were bested by the pocket nines of his opponent.

Senti Plays Picks Up Chips

The board read 10 9 2 7 J with 6,700 in the pot when a player under the gun put out a small bet. Michael Kamran made the call from the hijack and then Jason Senit raised to 2,000 from the button. UTG made the call and Kamran mucked. Senti flipped over K Q and he won the pot.

Left in the Deck

A Little Brighter

A few more stars have snuck into the tournament field just before the registration cutoff. They include Hollywood stars Shannon Elizabeth and Jennifer Tilly, as well as poker stars like Phil Laak.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Jennifer Tilly,   Tony Rivera,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Michael Kamran,   Jason Senti,   Jason Koon,   Ben Klier

Phil Laak Makes His Exit

Nov 15, '10

On a flop of KK2, Joseph Melancon checked and Phil Laak bet 20,000.

Melancon then raised to 200,000, putting Laak all in for his last 190,000 or so. Laak called, showing 99 and he was temporarily ahead of Melancon’s J8 for a flush draw.

The turn and river fell 47, however, and Laak was eliminated. Melancon is now up to 600,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Joseph Melancon

Phil Laak Gets Doubled Up

Nov 14, '10

Phil Laak was all in holding AK against the pocket nines of Michael Lazar.

The board fell J556K and Laak doubled up to just over the average with 135,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Phil Laak

Level 3 Update: The March Down Begins

Nov 13, '10

Blinds: 100-200

Players Remaining: 328 (Approximate)

Eliminations:

David Levi

Big Hands:

Tony Rivera Doubles Up

There was 23,000 in the pot and a flop that read Q 8 7 when Ben Klier raised to 32,000 from the small blind. Tony Rivera made the all-in call for 16,600. Their cards:

Rivera: K K
Klier: A Q

Turn and River: 6 3

Rivera doubled up on the hand to survive.

Jason Koon Takes a Hit

There was 2,700 in the pot and a flop of Q 9 5 sat on the table when WPT Festa al Lago final tablist Jason Koon bet 1,500 from the cutoff. A player in middle position raised to 3,175 and Koon made the call. Both players then checked the 10 on the turn and the 10 followed on the river. Middle position bet 6,600 and Koon went into the tank. He eventually mucked and his stack now resides at 26,200.

Ali Eslami Trends Down

There was 1,000 in the pot and a flop that read Q 5 2 on the table when Ali Eslami bet 1,100 UTG+1. The button made the call and the turn fell A. Eslami bet 3,000 and the button made the call again. The river fell 5 and both players checked. Eslami flipped over pocket sixes, but they were bested by the pocket nines of his opponent.

Senti Plays Picks Up Chips

The board read 10 9 2 7 J with 6,700 in the pot when a player under the gun put out a small bet. Michael Kamran made the call from the hijack and then Jason Senit raised to 2,000 from the button. UTG made the call and Kamran mucked. Senti flipped over K Q and he won the pot.

Left in the Deck

A Little Brighter

A few more stars have snuck into the tournament field just before the registration cutoff. They include Hollywood stars Shannon Elizabeth and Jennifer Tilly, as well as poker stars like Phil Laak.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Jennifer Tilly,   Tony Rivera,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Michael Kamran,   Jason Senti,   Jason Koon,   Ben Klier

Level 12 Update: Day 2 Ends

Sep 25, '10

NOTE: Day 2 has come to a close and the remaining field will return tomorrow at noon local time (4 a.m. PST). Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events. Tomorrow, the field will play down to the final 27 or through six levels, whichever comes first. Tomorrow will also feature the final game in the high roller heads-up final match between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy to decide who will take home the gold bracelet for event No. 4. The best-of-three match is tied 1-1.

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 66 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Viktor Blom — 443,200
2. Darren Woods — 442,300
3. Thomas Bichon — 372,500
4. Andrew Pantling — 316,000
5. Arnaud Mattern — 300,000
6. Phil Ivey — 289,300
7. Nick Schulman — 281,000
8. David Peters — 280,000
9. David Baker — 250,000
10. Nicolas Levi — 250,000

Average Chip Count: 157,272

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Baldwin
Phil Laak
Praz Bansi
Dag Palovic
Tony Cousineau

Big Hands:

Daniel Negreanu is Really Good at the WSOP Europe

Daniel Negreanu furthered his efforts to make a third WSOP Europe final table during the last level of the night. In a recent hand Negreanu checked a Q 8 3 K board and David Peters bet 15,700. Negreanu made the call and the river brought the J. Negreanu took the initiative this time and bet 45,000. Peter mucked and his stack dropped to 280,000. Negreanu held 156,000 after the hand, more than enough for him to make some moves with tomorrow.

Eric Baldwin Eliminated

The reigning Card Player Player of the Year, Eric Baldwin, has busted out of the tournament during the last level of the day. He opened a pot from the cutoff for 7,000 and Quinn Do reraised to 20,000 from the small blind. Baldwin moved all in and Do made the call. Their cards:

Baldwin: A 10
Do: 9 9

Board: Q 7 5 2 5

Baldwin lost the hand and Do grew his stack to 136,000.

Phil Laak Eliminated

Phil Laak was eliminated from the tournament when his A-K ran into pocket fours and there was no help on the board for the Unabomber. He still leaves London with his first gold bracelet. Making for a successful jump across the pond.

Praz Bansi Eliminated

Praz Bansi moved all in for 33,100 preflop and Remy Biechel made the call. Their cards:

Bansi: 9 9
Biechel: A Q

Board: Q 8 5 J K

Bansi was eliminated after the hand and Biechel held 130,000.

Arnaud Mattern Takes a Nice Pot off Barny Boatman

Barny Boatman raised to 5,100 under the gun and Arnaud Mattern reraised to 14,400 from middle position preflop. Boatman made the call and then both players checked a K 8 3 flop. The turn fell 7 and Boatman checked. Mattern bet 13,000 and Boatmn made the call. The river fell 8 and Boatman checked again. Mattern bet 26,000 and Boatman went into the tank. He eventually made the call but mucked his cards when Mattern revealed A K. Boatman dropped to 110,000 after the hand and Mattern held 300,000.

Quintessential Cousineau

Tony Cousineau was down to his final 14,000 when he decided to call a bet from Clint Coffee that was devised to put him all in. Cousineau was in the lead with pocket queens against the A-3 of Coffee, but the board brought a third ace and Cousineau was eliminated.

Player Tags: Tony Cousineau,   Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Laak,   Barny Boatman,   Quinn Do,   Eric Baldwin,   Arnaud Mattern,   Praz Bansi,   Remy Biechel

Level 10 Update: Viktor Blom Rockin' It

Sep 25, '10

Note: Players are now on a 90-minute dinner break. They will return at 8.45 p.m. local time.

Blinds: 600-1,200 with 200 ante

Players Remaining: 98 of 346

Chip Counts:

1 Viktor Blom — 450,000
2 Darren Woods — 310,000
3 Phil Ivey — 296,000
4 Thomas Bichon — 290,000
5 Dan Shak — 285,000
6 Barny Boatman — 255,000
7 Andrew Pantling — 240,000
8 Rob Akery — 225,000
9 Bojan Gledovic — 220,000
10 Nick Schulman — 218,000

Card Player Family Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman — 81,000

Average Chip Count: 105,918

Notable Eliminations:

John Racener
Tyler Bonkowski
Jim Collopy
Charles Chua
Andy Black

Big Hands:

Viktor Blom Takes the Lead

Magnus Persson raised preflop UTG+1 and Viktor Blom reraised preflop. Persson made the call and the two saw a flop of 9 6 5. Both players checked and then the 2 fell on the turn. Persson checked, Blom bet 13,500, and Persson made the call. The river fell 5 and Persson checked again. Blom bet 49,000 and Persson made the call. Blom flipped over AA and Persson mucked. Blom held 480,000 after the hand as he continues to increase his chip lead. He ended the level with 450,000 in chips.

Three Streets of Value for Schulman

Nicolas Levi raised to 3,000 UTG +1 and Nick Schulman made the call from late position. Ivey made the call from the big blind as well. The flop fell A 4 3 and Ivey and Levi check. Schulman bet 6,500. Ivey mucked and Levi called. The 8 fell on the turn and Levi checked. Schulman bet 15,000. Levi called. The river fell 2. Levi checked and Schulman bet 25,000. Levi called and mucked when Schulman flipped over 4 4. Levi held 100,000 after the hand. During happier times at the start of the day he was one of the chip leaders. Schulman rose above 200,000 after the hand.

Shak and Awe

On a flop of J 9 5, Antonio Esfandiari had led out, only to be raised to 18,000 by Dan Shak. Esfandiari went into the tank, only to eventually announce all-in for around 140,000 in total. Shak called without hesitation, and the players revealed their hands.

Esfandiari: K 10

Shak: 6 3

With a dominant flush draw, gut shot straight draw, and the currently good king-high, Esfandiari was a strong favorite with all but a few thousand of his chips in the middle.

The turn came the 2, leaving Shak drawing only to the remaining non-diamond threes and sixes.

The 3 did roll off on the river, and Esfandiari exploded out of his seat in shocked disgust. As the dealer laboriously counted out the stacks, Esfandiari politely said “Nice hand.” Shak apologized about the bad beat, but unsurprisingly this did little to salve Esfandiari’s wounds.

Shak’s stack grew to around 280,000 after the hand.

Show The Bluff

Phil Laak bets 3,000 from mid-position and Andy Frankenberger calls from the cut-off. Dan Fleyshman calls also, from the big blind. The flop is dealt A J 2 and it is checked around. The turn comes the 7. Fleyshman checks, Laak bets 5,000, Frankenberger calls, and Fleyshman folds. The river is the Q, Laak bets 11,000 and Frankenberger thinks for some time. He then raises it to 26,000, putting the decision back to Laak. Laak goes into the tank – he has about 58,000 behind his original bet. Eventually Laak passes and instantly starts trying to get Frankenberger to show his cards, “Show the bluff and make me crazy. I’ll pay you, just say the number!” He takes out some sterling notes and places them on the table. “I’ll give you £40 to show me the bluff,” he says smiling. Frankenberger stays quiet as the others debate what he had. He now has 147,000 in chips.

Up and Down Day for Lacay

Coming in late into the action, Ludovic Lacay has moved all in for 22,000 on a J 8 4 5 8 board with about 15,000 already in the middle. The decision is on Daniel Steinberg and he takes his time. He finally calls and mucks when he sees Lacay’s A A for the nut flush. Steinberg has 120,000 remaining while Lacay reaches the 74,000 mark. He soon loses a good few chips however when he calls Eugene Katchalov’s all in with pocket nines. Katchalov has A Q and the board falls Q 5 8 8 J. “It’s been like this all day!” says Lacay.

Present for Praz

Allen Cunningham bets 3,500 from UTG and Roland de Wolfe calls from the small blind. Praz Bansi calls from the big blind and the flop comes 9 6 5. De Wolfe and Bansi check and Cunningham bets 6,000. De Wolfe folds but Bansi pops it to 14,800. “What do you have behind?” asks Cunningham. It’s about 33,000. After a few minutes Cunningham passes and Bansi mucks. The British pro is nearing the 60,000 mark just before dinner time.

De Wolfe Gets Lucky

Guy Gorelik bets 3,000 from late position and Roland de Wolfe calls from the hijack. Martin Davis makes it 9,500 and Gorelik steps aside. Players begin to make their way out for the dinner break as de Wolfe and David go head to head. De Wolfe asks Davis, “A-K?” “Yep, I have,” answers Davis, and then sadds, “Maybe.” De Wolfe calls and the flop is dealt K Q 6. Davis bets 9,000 and smiles. De Wolfe sighs and debates whether he wants to come back after dinner with 10 big blinds. “I know I’m behind,” he says. As the room eventually clears, de Wolfe moves all in for 17,300. Davis calls and shows A K. De Wolfe reveals Q J. The turn is the A and the river is the 10 giving de Wolfe a straight. He smiles mischievously as Davis simply says, “Shit!”

Left in the Deck

Chip Movers and Shakers

The last two levels of the tournament have truly created a new hierarchy within the chip counts. Viktor Blom, the alleged “Isildur1” has been crushing it today and he now holds more than 400,000 to lead the way. We have two players at the 300,000 level and they are Phil Ivey and Darren Woods. The 200,000 club can count Barny Boatman, Nick Schulman, Thomas Bichon and Andre Pantling among its members.

Player Tags: Antonio Esfandiari,   Phil Laak,   Daniel Shak,   Eugene Katchalov,   Roland de Wolfe,   Nick Schulman,   Martin Davis,   Nicolas Levi,   Praz Bansi,   Ludovic Lacay,   Andy Frankenberger,   Viktor Blom,   Daniel Steinberg

WSOP Europe Preliminary Winners

Sep 23, '10

The WSOP Europe main event is the fifth tournament on the schedule this year at the Empire Casino in London’s Leicester Square. Here is a look at the preliminary event winners and a link to the final-table recaps for each event that has crowned a winner:

Event No. 1 (£2,650 6-hand NLHE): Phil Laak — £170,802
Final-Table Recap

Event No. 2 (£5,250 pot-limit Omaha): Jeffrey Lisandro — £159,514
Final-Table Recap

Event No. 3 (£1,075): Scott Shelley — £133,857
Final-Table Recap

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Scott Shelley

Level 12 Update: Day 2 Ends

Sep 25, '10

NOTE: Day 2 has come to a close and the remaining field will return tomorrow at noon local time (4 a.m. PST). Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events. Tomorrow, the field will play down to the final 27 or through six levels, whichever comes first. Tomorrow will also feature the final game in the high roller heads-up final match between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy to decide who will take home the gold bracelet for event No. 4. The best-of-three match is tied 1-1.

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 66 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Viktor Blom — 443,200
2. Darren Woods — 442,300
3. Thomas Bichon — 372,500
4. Andrew Pantling — 316,000
5. Arnaud Mattern — 300,000
6. Phil Ivey — 289,300
7. Nick Schulman — 281,000
8. David Peters — 280,000
9. David Baker — 250,000
10. Nicolas Levi — 250,000

Average Chip Count: 157,272

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Baldwin
Phil Laak
Praz Bansi
Dag Palovic
Tony Cousineau

Big Hands:

Daniel Negreanu is Really Good at the WSOP Europe

Daniel Negreanu furthered his efforts to make a third WSOP Europe final table during the last level of the night. In a recent hand Negreanu checked a Q 8 3 K board and David Peters bet 15,700. Negreanu made the call and the river brought the J. Negreanu took the initiative this time and bet 45,000. Peter mucked and his stack dropped to 280,000. Negreanu held 156,000 after the hand, more than enough for him to make some moves with tomorrow.

Eric Baldwin Eliminated

The reigning Card Player Player of the Year, Eric Baldwin, has busted out of the tournament during the last level of the day. He opened a pot from the cutoff for 7,000 and Quinn Do reraised to 20,000 from the small blind. Baldwin moved all in and Do made the call. Their cards:

Baldwin: A 10
Do: 9 9

Board: Q 7 5 2 5

Baldwin lost the hand and Do grew his stack to 136,000.

Phil Laak Eliminated

Phil Laak was eliminated from the tournament when his A-K ran into pocket fours and there was no help on the board for the Unabomber. He still leaves London with his first gold bracelet. Making for a successful jump across the pond.

Praz Bansi Eliminated

Praz Bansi moved all in for 33,100 preflop and Remy Biechel made the call. Their cards:

Bansi: 9 9
Biechel: A Q

Board: Q 8 5 J K

Bansi was eliminated after the hand and Biechel held 130,000.

Arnaud Mattern Takes a Nice Pot off Barny Boatman

Barny Boatman raised to 5,100 under the gun and Arnaud Mattern reraised to 14,400 from middle position preflop. Boatman made the call and then both players checked a K 8 3 flop. The turn fell 7 and Boatman checked. Mattern bet 13,000 and Boatmn made the call. The river fell 8 and Boatman checked again. Mattern bet 26,000 and Boatman went into the tank. He eventually made the call but mucked his cards when Mattern revealed A K. Boatman dropped to 110,000 after the hand and Mattern held 300,000.

Quintessential Cousineau

Tony Cousineau was down to his final 14,000 when he decided to call a bet from Clint Coffee that was devised to put him all in. Cousineau was in the lead with pocket queens against the A-3 of Coffee, but the board brought a third ace and Cousineau was eliminated.

Player Tags: Tony Cousineau,   Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Laak,   Barny Boatman,   Quinn Do,   Eric Baldwin,   Arnaud Mattern,   Praz Bansi,   Remy Biechel

Level 10 Update: Viktor Blom Rockin' It

Sep 25, '10

Note: Players are now on a 90-minute dinner break. They will return at 8.45 p.m. local time.

Blinds: 600-1,200 with 200 ante

Players Remaining: 98 of 346

Chip Counts:

1 Viktor Blom — 450,000
2 Darren Woods — 310,000
3 Phil Ivey — 296,000
4 Thomas Bichon — 290,000
5 Dan Shak — 285,000
6 Barny Boatman — 255,000
7 Andrew Pantling — 240,000
8 Rob Akery — 225,000
9 Bojan Gledovic — 220,000
10 Nick Schulman — 218,000

Card Player Family Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman — 81,000

Average Chip Count: 105,918

Notable Eliminations:

John Racener
Tyler Bonkowski
Jim Collopy
Charles Chua
Andy Black

Big Hands:

Viktor Blom Takes the Lead

Magnus Persson raised preflop UTG+1 and Viktor Blom reraised preflop. Persson made the call and the two saw a flop of 9 6 5. Both players checked and then the 2 fell on the turn. Persson checked, Blom bet 13,500, and Persson made the call. The river fell 5 and Persson checked again. Blom bet 49,000 and Persson made the call. Blom flipped over AA and Persson mucked. Blom held 480,000 after the hand as he continues to increase his chip lead. He ended the level with 450,000 in chips.

Three Streets of Value for Schulman

Nicolas Levi raised to 3,000 UTG +1 and Nick Schulman made the call from late position. Ivey made the call from the big blind as well. The flop fell A 4 3 and Ivey and Levi check. Schulman bet 6,500. Ivey mucked and Levi called. The 8 fell on the turn and Levi checked. Schulman bet 15,000. Levi called. The river fell 2. Levi checked and Schulman bet 25,000. Levi called and mucked when Schulman flipped over 4 4. Levi held 100,000 after the hand. During happier times at the start of the day he was one of the chip leaders. Schulman rose above 200,000 after the hand.

Shak and Awe

On a flop of J 9 5, Antonio Esfandiari had led out, only to be raised to 18,000 by Dan Shak. Esfandiari went into the tank, only to eventually announce all-in for around 140,000 in total. Shak called without hesitation, and the players revealed their hands.

Esfandiari: K 10

Shak: 6 3

With a dominant flush draw, gut shot straight draw, and the currently good king-high, Esfandiari was a strong favorite with all but a few thousand of his chips in the middle.

The turn came the 2, leaving Shak drawing only to the remaining non-diamond threes and sixes.

The 3 did roll off on the river, and Esfandiari exploded out of his seat in shocked disgust. As the dealer laboriously counted out the stacks, Esfandiari politely said “Nice hand.” Shak apologized about the bad beat, but unsurprisingly this did little to salve Esfandiari’s wounds.

Shak’s stack grew to around 280,000 after the hand.

Show The Bluff

Phil Laak bets 3,000 from mid-position and Andy Frankenberger calls from the cut-off. Dan Fleyshman calls also, from the big blind. The flop is dealt A J 2 and it is checked around. The turn comes the 7. Fleyshman checks, Laak bets 5,000, Frankenberger calls, and Fleyshman folds. The river is the Q, Laak bets 11,000 and Frankenberger thinks for some time. He then raises it to 26,000, putting the decision back to Laak. Laak goes into the tank – he has about 58,000 behind his original bet. Eventually Laak passes and instantly starts trying to get Frankenberger to show his cards, “Show the bluff and make me crazy. I’ll pay you, just say the number!” He takes out some sterling notes and places them on the table. “I’ll give you £40 to show me the bluff,” he says smiling. Frankenberger stays quiet as the others debate what he had. He now has 147,000 in chips.

Up and Down Day for Lacay

Coming in late into the action, Ludovic Lacay has moved all in for 22,000 on a J 8 4 5 8 board with about 15,000 already in the middle. The decision is on Daniel Steinberg and he takes his time. He finally calls and mucks when he sees Lacay’s A A for the nut flush. Steinberg has 120,000 remaining while Lacay reaches the 74,000 mark. He soon loses a good few chips however when he calls Eugene Katchalov’s all in with pocket nines. Katchalov has A Q and the board falls Q 5 8 8 J. “It’s been like this all day!” says Lacay.

Present for Praz

Allen Cunningham bets 3,500 from UTG and Roland de Wolfe calls from the small blind. Praz Bansi calls from the big blind and the flop comes 9 6 5. De Wolfe and Bansi check and Cunningham bets 6,000. De Wolfe folds but Bansi pops it to 14,800. “What do you have behind?” asks Cunningham. It’s about 33,000. After a few minutes Cunningham passes and Bansi mucks. The British pro is nearing the 60,000 mark just before dinner time.

De Wolfe Gets Lucky

Guy Gorelik bets 3,000 from late position and Roland de Wolfe calls from the hijack. Martin Davis makes it 9,500 and Gorelik steps aside. Players begin to make their way out for the dinner break as de Wolfe and David go head to head. De Wolfe asks Davis, “A-K?” “Yep, I have,” answers Davis, and then sadds, “Maybe.” De Wolfe calls and the flop is dealt K Q 6. Davis bets 9,000 and smiles. De Wolfe sighs and debates whether he wants to come back after dinner with 10 big blinds. “I know I’m behind,” he says. As the room eventually clears, de Wolfe moves all in for 17,300. Davis calls and shows A K. De Wolfe reveals Q J. The turn is the A and the river is the 10 giving de Wolfe a straight. He smiles mischievously as Davis simply says, “Shit!”

Left in the Deck

Chip Movers and Shakers

The last two levels of the tournament have truly created a new hierarchy within the chip counts. Viktor Blom, the alleged “Isildur1” has been crushing it today and he now holds more than 400,000 to lead the way. We have two players at the 300,000 level and they are Phil Ivey and Darren Woods. The 200,000 club can count Barny Boatman, Nick Schulman, Thomas Bichon and Andre Pantling among its members.

Player Tags: Antonio Esfandiari,   Phil Laak,   Daniel Shak,   Eugene Katchalov,   Roland de Wolfe,   Nick Schulman,   Martin Davis,   Nicolas Levi,   Praz Bansi,   Ludovic Lacay,   Andy Frankenberger,   Viktor Blom,   Daniel Steinberg

WSOP Europe Preliminary Winners

Sep 23, '10

The WSOP Europe main event is the fifth tournament on the schedule this year at the Empire Casino in London’s Leicester Square. Here is a look at the preliminary event winners and a link to the final-table recaps for each event that has crowned a winner:

Event No. 1 (£2,650 6-hand NLHE): Phil Laak — £170,802
Final-Table Recap

Event No. 2 (£5,250 pot-limit Omaha): Jeffrey Lisandro — £159,514
Final-Table Recap

Event No. 3 (£1,075): Scott Shelley — £133,857
Final-Table Recap

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Scott Shelley

Level Five Hour One: Laak's Stack Takes Big Blow

Jul 06, '10

Blinds: 200-400 with a 25 ante

Number of Entrants 1,489

Average Chip Count 37,888

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Robert Miller – 150,000
2. James Danielson – 148,000
3. Phil Galfond – 141,000
4. Gabe Walls – 138,000
5. Alex Kostritsyn – 126,000
6. Jim Collopy – 125,000
7. Jason DeWitt – 121,000
8. Tristan Wade – 120,000
9. Jon Van Fleet – 118,600
10. Kido Pham - 117,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 39,000
Michael Piper – 14,000
Josh Brikis – 90,000

Notable Eliminations

None

Big Hands:

Laak Loses a Huge Pot

On a flop of 945, Tristan Wade checked to Phil Laak who bet 10,000. Wade check-raised to 25,000 and Laak moved all in, having Wade covered. Wade called all in for around 60,000. Their hands:

Laak: 45
Wade: 99

Both players hit the flop in a big way, but Wade’s flopped set was well ahead of Laak’s two pair. The turn and river didn’t help and Laak took a big blow to his massive stack. Fortunately for him, he had accumulated enough chips today so that he was still healthy with 58,000 after the hand.

Wade had around 120,000.

Small Pockets Good For Cahail

Blake Cahail raised to 1,000 preflop and was called by seat 1. The flop fell 659 and both players checked.

The 10 came on the turn and Cahail checked to seat 1, who bet 1,700. Cahail called and the 3 landed on the river. Both players checked and Cahail showed a simple 44. It was good enough, and he took a pot and chipped up above 75,000.

Griffin Lets One Go

Gavin Griffin called a bet from seat 7 on a flop of 86J. On the 7 turn, seat 7 bet 3,200 and Griffin called.

The K fell on the river and seat 7 reached for chips. he bet 6,200 and as soon as they hit the middle of the table Griffin looked pain. He eventually mucked and still had around 90,000 in chips.

Hamby Gets Bluffed

On a flop of K49, Jared Hamby led out for 800 and was called by the player on the button. The turn was the A and Hamby led out again, this time for 1,300 and was once again called.

The A fell on the river and this time Hamby opted to check. The player on the button bet 6,000 and Hamby went deep into the tank. Several minutes went by and was truly torn at what to do.

After a long period of though, Hamby let his hand go. The player on the button showed 89 and showed his busted flush draw. Hamby claimed he folded the king-high flush draw, which gave him top pair on the flop as well. Hamby is still very healthy in chips though.

Langmann Moving in the Right Direction

There were 8,600 chips in the middle on the turn with the board reading 2K3A. There was a check and Florian Langmann checked behind.

The A fell on the river and Langmann’s opponent bet out as 2,200. Langmann made the call and showed KJ. It was just ahead of his opponent’s K10 and Langmann increased his stack to 96,000.

Mitchell Gets Action on Aces

A player in early position raised to 2,000 and Nick Mitchell called from the button. The flop came 9610 and the original raiser bet 5,000 and Mitchell raised to 20,000, which covered his opponent.

His opponent made the call very quickly and showed JJ and Mitchell showed AA. The turn was the 2 and the 4 was the river card, to boost Mitchell to 50,000.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Gavin Griffin,   Tristan Wade,   Jared Hamby,   Florian Langmann,   Blake Cahail,   Nick Mitchell

Level Four Hour One Update: Laak Cruising

Jul 06, '10

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Number of Entrants 1,489

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Robert Miller — 154,000
2. Kido Pham — 110,000
3, Jim Collopy — 97,000
4. Jason DeWitt 94,000
5. Josh Brikis — 90,000
6. Phil Galfond — 86,000
7. Valdemar Kwaysser — 78,000
8. James Dempsey — 78,000
9. Alex Bonnin — 78,000
10. Matthias De Meulder — 75,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 39,000
Michael Piper – 32,000
Josh Brikis – 90,000

Notable Eliminations

Erick Lindgren
Joe Sebok
Phil Collins

Hands:

Laak Makes Good Read

On a flop of 769 Phil Laak checked to the player on the button, who bet 1,500. Laak made the call.

The turn brought the 4 and Laak checked to the button again, who bet 2,700. Laak again made the call.

The 10 fell on the river, putting three diamonds on the board. Laak checked again and this time so did the player on the button. Laak showed A7 for two pair and the button quietly mucked. Laak had around 83,000 after the hand.

Daniel Kelly Loses a Pot

Daniel Kelly and an opponent saw a flop of J75. Kelly’s opponent checked and he bet out 4,400. The unknown player check-raised to 10,000 and Kelly quickly folded. He is down to 55,000.

Orel Hershiser Wins a Pot

On a board reading AJ5JA Orel Hershiser bet 6,600 and his opponent folded. Hershiser tabled the 108 for a busted draw and said, “I want to have chips or go to bed.”

Phil Galfond Forced to Fold

On a board reading J962 Phil Galfond bet 7,800 into a pot of about 10,000. The player on the button moved all in for about 25,000 total and Galfond mucked. He was down to about 45,000 after the hand.

Adams Doubles Up, Still Short

We picked up the action with Brandon Adams getting all of his chips in the middle against the player in seat 1.

It was a classic race situation when Adams tabled 88 and the player in seat 1 showed KQ.

It wasn’t a race when the flop came A98. The turn was the 9 and the hand was officially over and Adams doubled up to 9,000.

Hershiser Takes One

The board on the turn read AK102 and a player checked over to Orel Hershiser on the button. Hershiser bet 3,500 and was called.

The river was the 9 and it was checked to Hershizer again. Hershizer checked back and tabled AQ and his opponent. Hershizer climbs back to 28,000 with the win.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Phil Galfond,   Daniel Kelly,   Orel Hershiser