Phil Laak - Live Updates

Level 5 Update -- Day 1 Ends

Oct 21, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with a 50 ante

Players Left: 213 of 244 (Approximately)

Chip Leaders

Jason Somerville — 175,000
Phil Laak — 170,000
Dutch Boyd — 165,000
Jennifer Tilly — 160,000
Eugene Katchalov — 142,000
Jonathan Little — 140,000
Chau Giang — 135,000
Jason Lester — 125,000
Ralph Perry — 118,000
Lee Markholt — 115,000

Notable Eliminations:

Amit Makhija
Joe Sebok
John Hennigan
Daniel Negreanu (pictured right)

Level Summary:

One of the biggest names in the field today fell out of the tournament during the last level of the night. Daniel Negreanu was all in with pocket jacks preflop against pocket sixes. His opponent spiked a six and Negreanu got his jacks cracked. Other players that followed him to the rail included Joe Sebok, John Hennigan, and Amit Makhija.

Jennifer Tilly won the most exciting hand of the level when she eliminated two opponents. On a flop of KQ9 Allen Carter checked the small blind and Tilly bet 3,100. Another player raised all in and both Carter and Tilly made the call. Their cards:

Tilly: 98
Carter: 99
Opponent: AK

Turn and River: 56

Tilly won the hand, grew her stack to 160,000, and she joined her boyfriend Phil Laak (170,000) near the top of the leader board.

When the final bell tolled 213 players remained from the 244 that entered the tournament. Registration will remain open until 5 p.m. on Day 2 so the total number of players left in the event will surely grow. Stay tuned tonight for a recap of the day’s events and check back in at noon PDT tomorrow for day 2 action.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Laak,   Jennifer Tilly

Level 4 Update -- Phil Laak Is Back

Oct 21, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Left: 213 of 241 (Approximately)

Chip Leaders

Phil Laak — 203,000
Jason Somerville — 175,000
Eugene Katchalov — 142,000
Jason Lester — 125,000
Matt Graham — 125,000
David Baker — 123,000
Chau Giang — 120,000
Jonathan Little — 120,000
Ralph Perry — 118,000
Antonio Esfandiari — 102,000

Notable Eliminations:

Alec Torelli
David Ulliott

Level Summary:

Despite the relatively low blinds and deep stack play, many found level 4 to be a level filled with big hands and big stacks moving up and down the leader board. The Unabomber, Phil Laak is now at the top of the chip counts, cracking the 200,000 mark. Joining him are notables such as Jason Somerville, who is parlaying his time at the featured table to a 175,000 stack.

David “bakes” Baker is now in the top ten thanks to a fortunate flop that saw him sitting with a set of nines against his opponent’s pocket aces. The turn put a four-card straight on board, but that didn’t stop the money from getting in. The river harmlessly paired the board and Baker chipped up to 125,000.

On the other side of the spectrum is Sam Stein, who made back-to-back WPT final tables earlier this year. He called Chau Giang’s all in with trip sevens on a Q-7-7 board, but Giang showed pocket queens to double up to 120,000, leaving Stein with a crippled 10,000 stack.

The remaining players will now get set for their final level of the evening.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Chau Giang,   David Baker,   Sam Stein

Level 6 Hour 1 Update: Jesus Doubles, Elezra Has Some Fun

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Day 2A Field: 1,476

Chip Counts:

1. Samer Rahman – 195,000
2. Coba Cao – 175,000
3. Chris Ferguson – 145,000
4. Fabrice Soulier – 143,000
5. Nick Maimone – 142,000
6. Redmond Lee – 140,000
7. Jim Bookstaff – 137,000
8. Tom Schneider – 125,000
9. Craig Hopkins – 121,000
10. Ludovic Lacay – 120,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Mike Matusow – 28,000
Todd Brunson – 27,000

Notable Eliminations:

Phil Laak
Tony G
John Hennigan
Mike Caro

Big Hands:

The World Is A Lie

The player in seat 4 raised to 1,500 preflop and John Hennigan called from the cutoff. The big blind also came along and the flop came down 965. Action was checked to Hennigan and he bet the pot with 3,500. The big blind made the call and seat 4 mucked. The turn was the A and both players checked. The river was the 4 and the big blind checked to Hennigan, who fired 15,000. The big blind tanked for a while and then called.

Hennigan tapped the table, signifying he was caught with nothing and the big blind took down the pot with just 75, a pair of fives. Hennigan was down to 53,000 after that failed bluff attempt. He would later bust.

The Hammer Of Thor

The player in seat 6 raised to 1,500 preflop and Thor Hansen made the call from the big blind. The flop came down Q84 and both players checked. The turn was the K and Hansen led out with 2,200. Seat 6 called and the river was the A. Hansen led out again, this time for 7,200. Seat 6 gave up his hand and Hansen was at 44,000.

Reach Out And Grab your Opponents Hand

Four players saw a flop of A42 and they all checked. The turn was the 2 and Eli Elezra bet 4,000. The player in seat 7 called and the other two players mucked. The river was the 8 and Elezra checked. Seat 7 took control, betting 5,000.

Elezra then went into the tank for a minute. After a bit of waiting, seat 7 leaned his hand to the middle of the table, ready to either turn the hand over or throw it in the muck depending on what Elezra did. Elezra then playfully reached across the table and tried to flip over his opponents hand. Seat 7 held on for dear life and Elezra just mucked his hand. “You aren’t turning my hand over,” seat 7 said. “He wasn’t really gonna do that,” Michael Kamran replied from seat 3. “He got scared,” Elezra joked. Everyone had a good time, especially seat 7 since he took the pot. Elezra was at 44,000.

This Bomb Is A Dud

Phil Laak has been eliminated from the 2009 main event. He made his last stand with Q9 and was actually racing against his opponent’s 88. Unfortunately for Laak, he could not pull out the hand and he was eliminated.

Oh Sweet Jesus, The Man Doubled Up

Chris Ferguson now has a few extra chips to toss around as he has doubled up.

Ken Kelly raised to 2,000 from the button and called from the small blind. The two players saw a flop of QQ2 and Ferguson led out with 8,000 chips. Kelly made the call and the 7 fell on the turn. Ferguson led out again, this time for 17,000. Kelly came over the top with all of his chips, having Ferguson covered.

Ferguson made the call and showed AQ. Kelly tabled AK for just ace-high. The river was just a formality, bringing the 9 and Ferguson doubled up to 145,000.

Corkins Doubles, Still Short

Hoyt Corkins moved all in preflop for his last 4,000 chips. He was called by one opponent who tabled AJ. Corkins was in good shape with AK. The board ran out 874105 and Corkins doubled to 8,000.

Sexton Hits The Diamonds

On a flop of 1042, Mike Sexton led out with 1,500. His opponent then raised to 4,500 and Sexton made the call. The turn was the 9 and both players checked. The river was the 4 and Sexton got back to his betting ways, firing 8,000.

His opponent made the call and Sexton tabled K8 for the flush and his opponent mucked. Sexton took the pot and was at 79,300.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Thor Hansen,   Chris Ferguson,   Phil Laak,   Eli Elezra,   John Hennigan,   Mike Sexton

Level 5 Hour 2: Johnny Chan Out

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Day 2A Field: 1,476

Chip Counts:

1. Samer Rahman – 145,000
2. Nick Maimone – 142,000
3. Redmond Lee – 140,000
4. Tom Schneider – 133,000
5. Fabrice Soulier – 130,000
6. Jim Bookstaff – 120,575
7. Craig Hopkins – 118,150
8. Jani Sointula – 113,000
9. Daniel Makowsky – 100,200
10. Lana Maier – 95,0000

Notable Eliminations:

Johnny Chan
Jennifer Tilly
Brian Townsend
Katja Thater
Barry Shulman
Jon Turner

Big Hands:

The Orient Express Derailed

Johnny Chan moved all in for 6,000 from the big blind. Matthew Woodward had limped in earlier and made the call. Chan tabled A4 while Woodward was in better shape with 99.

The board ran out K8Q10Q and Chan was eliminated from the 2009 main event.

Tilly Counterfeited, Sent Out

Jennifer Tilly moved all in after a flop 876 and was called by an opponent holding 99. Tilly tabled 86 for two pair.

The turn was the Q, holding Tilly’s lead but the 7 counterfeited her hand and sent her packing.

Laak Gets Bombed

After a flop of 843, a player bet 5,600 and another player in middle position called. The action was then on Phil Laak who shoved for over 53,000. Jani Sointula was also in the hand from the small blind and he made the call. The other players folded and Laak tabled K3 for the second nut flush draw and bottom pair. Sointula showed A6 for the nut flush draw.

Sointula made no flush on the turn, but did hit the 6 to take the lead. Laak was in trouble and the river was the 8, dropping Laak’s stack to just 11,000.

Brian Townsend Gone

Brian Townsend got his stack all in preflop with Q9. He was called by one player holding pocket jacks and Townsend needed help. The flop came down A103, giving little help to Townsend. The turn was the J, giving his opponent a set but Townsend outs to a straight. But the river bricked for Townsend and he was gone.

Thater Hammered Down, Then Busts

Katja Thater had her opponent all in on the turn with the board reading 928J. Her opponent was holding A7 for the nut flush draw and a gutshot straight draw, plenty of outs. But Thater held two of those outs to a straight as she held 1010.

Despite that, the 10 managed to fall on the river and Thater’s opponent doubled up. Thater was steaming after the hand, left with only 10,000 in chips. She would lose the rest of those later in the level.

Brunson Drops Chips

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read AK66. Todd Brunson was first to act and checked his option. His opponent bet 2,600 and Brunson made the call. The river was the 7. Brunson checked again and his opponent bet 5,100. Brunson called and was shown the bad news as his opponent flipped over 77 for a full house on the river. Brunson mucked and was under 30,000.

Don’t Bluff Me, I’m Kara Scott

A player in middle position raised to 1,025 preflop. The action folded to Kara Scott on the button. She raised to 3,000 and her opponent called. The flop was A2Q and action was checked to Scott. She bet 4,000 and her opponent came along. The turn was the 2 and Scott’s opponent led out for 6,700. Scott made the call and the river was the 6. Scott faced another bet, this one over 17,000.

She made the call and her opponent mucked his hand. She tabled A3 for two pair and built her stack up to 63,000.

Player Tags: Todd Brunson,   Phil Laak,   Johnny Chan,   Jennifer Tilly,   Brian Townsend,   Katja Thater,   Kara Scott

Level 2 Update: Nelly Doubles Up

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 100-200

Chip Counts:

1. Bryan Colin — 96,000
2. Keven Stammen — 76,000
3. Jonas Klausen — 68,000
4. Radeck Stockner — 67,500
5. Jerry Yang — 55,000
6. Robert McGlaughlin — 55,000
7. Tony G — 53,000
8. Phil Laak – 46,000
9. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman — 40,000
10. Barry Shulman — 35,000

Notable Eliminations:

Cody Slaubaugh
Jon Von Halle
Mike Sowers

Big Hands:

Jerry Yang Doubles Up With Quads

2007 Main Event Champion Jerry Yang raises to 800 from early position and it gets reraised 2,600 behind him. Yang calls and the flop comes 1076. Yang checks, his opponent bets 2,625 and Yang calls. The turn is the 4, Yang checks, his opponent bets 12,000 and Yang calls all in for 11,325.

Yang: 1010
Opponent: KK

Yang is ahead on the turn with top set against his opponent’s pair of kings. The river is the 10, giving Yang quads and putting back in the black this hand with 34,000 in chips.

Cody Slaubaugh Eliminated by Eli Elezra

Over on the featured table, Cody Slaubaugh got it all in on the river against Eli Elezra on a board of KQ326. Slaubaugh was covered and turned over K5 for top pair and a busted flush draw, but Elezra showed K6 for two pair. Elezra rakes the pot this hand while Slaubaugh hits the rail.

Matt Vengrin Capitalizes on Opponent’s Mistake

Matt Vengrin raises before the flop from middle position and gets one caller from the player in seat 9. The flop comes 662, and Vengrin bets 550. Seat 9 throws 1,050 into the middle, failing to verbalize a call. The floorman comes over and rules that his bet is in fact a raise and forces the action to 1,100. Vengrin immediately reraise to 4,025 and his opponent folds.

Michael Tureniec Runs Into Set Over Set

Michael Tureniec just doubled up his opponent with the 44 after a flop of J74. His opponent held the 77 and won the hand. Tureniec is just under the starting amount with 28,000.

Nelly Doubles Up

Nelly had a smaller stack of 12,000 when he moved all in over the preflop bet of an opponent. The initial raiser went into the tank before finally making the call. Nelly exposed the A10 and was up against the 66 of his opponent. The board ran out 97310J, as Nelly nailed his ten on the turn and eventually win the hand. He is back up to 24,000 in chips.

Phil Laak Puts Opponent All In

After calling a preflop raise from his opponent, Phil Laak saw a flop of 962. Laak’s opponent bet out and Laak made the call. The 5 hit the turn and Laak once again called a bet. On the river of the Q, action was checked to Laak who threw out a bet of 11,300, enough to put his opponent all in. The player mucked and Laak took down the pot. Laak is at 46,000.

Jennifer Tilly Puts Most of Stack at Risk

On a board of 653, Jennifer Tilly checked raised a bet of 2,200 by her opponent. She made it 6,000 which was almost half of her remaining chip stack. Her opponent went into the tank and eventually mucked. Tilly is at 18,000 in chips.

Andrew Black Adds to Stack

On a board of A42Q, a player checked to Andrew Black. The 2005 main event final table member bet 2,000 and his opponent quickly called. The 8 fell on the river and the player once again checked to Black, who bet the same 2,000. He was quickly called. Black exposed A-Q for top two pair to take the pot. Black is up to 35,000.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Eli Elezra,   Jennifer Tilly,   Andy Black,   Jerry Yang,   Matthew Vengrin,   Cody Slaubaugh

Level 1 Update: John Phan Eliminated; Gets Aces Cracked

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 50-100

Chip Counts:

1. Kenny Hallaert — 80,000
2. Jonas Klausen — 70,000
3. Craig Gray — 47,000
4. Steven van Zadelhoff — 44,000
5. C.K. Hua — 43,000
6. John Magill — 43,000
7. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman — 41,000
8. Erik Cajelais — 40,000
9. Ted Lawson — 38,000
10. Barry Shulman — 31,000

Notable Eliminations:

John Phan

Big Hands:

Mark Gregorich Off To Healthy Start

After a flop of A32, Mark Gregorich threw in a check raise against his opponent. Gregorich was called and bet the turn of the 7. His opponent called and both players saw a K fall on the river. Gregorich threw in a bet of 4,300 and was called by his opponent. Gregorich exposed the J9 for a flopped flush. His opponent mucked and Gregorich is now up to 45,000.

Phil Laak Gets Picked Off

The player in seat 2 raises to 325 from late position, Phil Laak calls from the cutoff as does the player on the button. The flop comes 762, seat 2 bets 625, Laak calls and the button folds. The turn is the 3, and this time seat 2 checks to Laak. Laak bets 1,050 and seat 2 calls. The river is the 9, and once again seat 2 checks. Laak bets 3,650 and seat 2 calls. Laak turns over 109 for a pair of nines on the river but seat 2 shows KK for a better pair. Seat 2 rakes the pot and Laak drops down to 27,000 in chips.

John Phan Eliminated

After being knocked down to just 4,000 the hand before after running his pocket queens into the turned nut straight of his opponent, John Phan raises this pot to 300 before the flop and gets two callers. The flop comes 987, and Phan bets 700. One opponent folds from late position and his other opponent in the small blind raised to 5,000. Phan called all in.

Phan: AA
Small Blind: K9

The turn is the 10, but the river is the K, giving Phan’s opponent two pair and the win. John Phan is eliminated from the tournament just halfway through the first level.

Jennifer Tilly Off to a Slow Start

On a flop of A42, Jennifer Tilly bets 300 and the player in seat 3 calls. The turn is the J, and this time Tilly bets 600, seat 3 calls. The river is the Q, and this time both players check. Seat 3 turns over A8 for top pair and Tilly mucks her hand. Seat 3 rakes the pot and Tilly is down to just 15,000 in chips after this hand.

Cory Carroll Doesn’t Get There

Cory Carroll raises to 300 from middle position and gets one caller from the cutoff. The flop comes A98, Carroll bets 525, the cutoff calls.The turn is the 8, Carroll checks, the cutoff bets 900 and Carroll calls. The river is the 7, Carroll checks, the cutoff bets 1,000 and Carroll folds. The cutoff rakes the pot while Carroll slips into the red 28,000 in chips after this hand.

Andy Black Bounces Back

Andy Black and a player saw a flop of KJ10. Black’s opponent checked to him and Black fired out a bet of 675. His opponent quickly called and the A hit the turn. Both players checked and the A fell on the river. Black’s opponent threw out a bet of 2,500 and Black reraised to 8,000. Black was called after brief deliberation. Black exposed the AK for a full boat. His opponent mucked a queen for the straight. Black is now up to about the starting stack of 30,000.

Left in the Deck

Players will take a twenty-minute break at the end of Level 1 and will return at approximately 2:30 pm PDT to begin Level 2.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Phil Laak,   Mark Gregorich,   Jennifer Tilly,   Andy Black,   Cory Carroll

Level 6 Hour 1 Update: Jesus Doubles, Elezra Has Some Fun

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Day 2A Field: 1,476

Chip Counts:

1. Samer Rahman – 195,000
2. Coba Cao – 175,000
3. Chris Ferguson – 145,000
4. Fabrice Soulier – 143,000
5. Nick Maimone – 142,000
6. Redmond Lee – 140,000
7. Jim Bookstaff – 137,000
8. Tom Schneider – 125,000
9. Craig Hopkins – 121,000
10. Ludovic Lacay – 120,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Mike Matusow – 28,000
Todd Brunson – 27,000

Notable Eliminations:

Phil Laak
Tony G
John Hennigan
Mike Caro

Big Hands:

The World Is A Lie

The player in seat 4 raised to 1,500 preflop and John Hennigan called from the cutoff. The big blind also came along and the flop came down 965. Action was checked to Hennigan and he bet the pot with 3,500. The big blind made the call and seat 4 mucked. The turn was the A and both players checked. The river was the 4 and the big blind checked to Hennigan, who fired 15,000. The big blind tanked for a while and then called.

Hennigan tapped the table, signifying he was caught with nothing and the big blind took down the pot with just 75, a pair of fives. Hennigan was down to 53,000 after that failed bluff attempt. He would later bust.

The Hammer Of Thor

The player in seat 6 raised to 1,500 preflop and Thor Hansen made the call from the big blind. The flop came down Q84 and both players checked. The turn was the K and Hansen led out with 2,200. Seat 6 called and the river was the A. Hansen led out again, this time for 7,200. Seat 6 gave up his hand and Hansen was at 44,000.

Reach Out And Grab your Opponents Hand

Four players saw a flop of A42 and they all checked. The turn was the 2 and Eli Elezra bet 4,000. The player in seat 7 called and the other two players mucked. The river was the 8 and Elezra checked. Seat 7 took control, betting 5,000.

Elezra then went into the tank for a minute. After a bit of waiting, seat 7 leaned his hand to the middle of the table, ready to either turn the hand over or throw it in the muck depending on what Elezra did. Elezra then playfully reached across the table and tried to flip over his opponents hand. Seat 7 held on for dear life and Elezra just mucked his hand. “You aren’t turning my hand over,” seat 7 said. “He wasn’t really gonna do that,” Michael Kamran replied from seat 3. “He got scared,” Elezra joked. Everyone had a good time, especially seat 7 since he took the pot. Elezra was at 44,000.

This Bomb Is A Dud

Phil Laak has been eliminated from the 2009 main event. He made his last stand with Q9 and was actually racing against his opponent’s 88. Unfortunately for Laak, he could not pull out the hand and he was eliminated.

Oh Sweet Jesus, The Man Doubled Up

Chris Ferguson now has a few extra chips to toss around as he has doubled up.

Ken Kelly raised to 2,000 from the button and called from the small blind. The two players saw a flop of QQ2 and Ferguson led out with 8,000 chips. Kelly made the call and the 7 fell on the turn. Ferguson led out again, this time for 17,000. Kelly came over the top with all of his chips, having Ferguson covered.

Ferguson made the call and showed AQ. Kelly tabled AK for just ace-high. The river was just a formality, bringing the 9 and Ferguson doubled up to 145,000.

Corkins Doubles, Still Short

Hoyt Corkins moved all in preflop for his last 4,000 chips. He was called by one opponent who tabled AJ. Corkins was in good shape with AK. The board ran out 874105 and Corkins doubled to 8,000.

Sexton Hits The Diamonds

On a flop of 1042, Mike Sexton led out with 1,500. His opponent then raised to 4,500 and Sexton made the call. The turn was the 9 and both players checked. The river was the 4 and Sexton got back to his betting ways, firing 8,000.

His opponent made the call and Sexton tabled K8 for the flush and his opponent mucked. Sexton took the pot and was at 79,300.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Thor Hansen,   Chris Ferguson,   Phil Laak,   Eli Elezra,   John Hennigan,   Mike Sexton

Level 5 Hour 2: Johnny Chan Out

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Day 2A Field: 1,476

Chip Counts:

1. Samer Rahman – 145,000
2. Nick Maimone – 142,000
3. Redmond Lee – 140,000
4. Tom Schneider – 133,000
5. Fabrice Soulier – 130,000
6. Jim Bookstaff – 120,575
7. Craig Hopkins – 118,150
8. Jani Sointula – 113,000
9. Daniel Makowsky – 100,200
10. Lana Maier – 95,0000

Notable Eliminations:

Johnny Chan
Jennifer Tilly
Brian Townsend
Katja Thater
Barry Shulman
Jon Turner

Big Hands:

The Orient Express Derailed

Johnny Chan moved all in for 6,000 from the big blind. Matthew Woodward had limped in earlier and made the call. Chan tabled A4 while Woodward was in better shape with 99.

The board ran out K8Q10Q and Chan was eliminated from the 2009 main event.

Tilly Counterfeited, Sent Out

Jennifer Tilly moved all in after a flop 876 and was called by an opponent holding 99. Tilly tabled 86 for two pair.

The turn was the Q, holding Tilly’s lead but the 7 counterfeited her hand and sent her packing.

Laak Gets Bombed

After a flop of 843, a player bet 5,600 and another player in middle position called. The action was then on Phil Laak who shoved for over 53,000. Jani Sointula was also in the hand from the small blind and he made the call. The other players folded and Laak tabled K3 for the second nut flush draw and bottom pair. Sointula showed A6 for the nut flush draw.

Sointula made no flush on the turn, but did hit the 6 to take the lead. Laak was in trouble and the river was the 8, dropping Laak’s stack to just 11,000.

Brian Townsend Gone

Brian Townsend got his stack all in preflop with Q9. He was called by one player holding pocket jacks and Townsend needed help. The flop came down A103, giving little help to Townsend. The turn was the J, giving his opponent a set but Townsend outs to a straight. But the river bricked for Townsend and he was gone.

Thater Hammered Down, Then Busts

Katja Thater had her opponent all in on the turn with the board reading 928J. Her opponent was holding A7 for the nut flush draw and a gutshot straight draw, plenty of outs. But Thater held two of those outs to a straight as she held 1010.

Despite that, the 10 managed to fall on the river and Thater’s opponent doubled up. Thater was steaming after the hand, left with only 10,000 in chips. She would lose the rest of those later in the level.

Brunson Drops Chips

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read AK66. Todd Brunson was first to act and checked his option. His opponent bet 2,600 and Brunson made the call. The river was the 7. Brunson checked again and his opponent bet 5,100. Brunson called and was shown the bad news as his opponent flipped over 77 for a full house on the river. Brunson mucked and was under 30,000.

Don’t Bluff Me, I’m Kara Scott

A player in middle position raised to 1,025 preflop. The action folded to Kara Scott on the button. She raised to 3,000 and her opponent called. The flop was A2Q and action was checked to Scott. She bet 4,000 and her opponent came along. The turn was the 2 and Scott’s opponent led out for 6,700. Scott made the call and the river was the 6. Scott faced another bet, this one over 17,000.

She made the call and her opponent mucked his hand. She tabled A3 for two pair and built her stack up to 63,000.

Player Tags: Todd Brunson,   Phil Laak,   Johnny Chan,   Jennifer Tilly,   Brian Townsend,   Katja Thater,   Kara Scott

Level 2 Update: Nelly Doubles Up

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 100-200

Chip Counts:

1. Bryan Colin — 96,000
2. Keven Stammen — 76,000
3. Jonas Klausen — 68,000
4. Radeck Stockner — 67,500
5. Jerry Yang — 55,000
6. Robert McGlaughlin — 55,000
7. Tony G — 53,000
8. Phil Laak – 46,000
9. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman — 40,000
10. Barry Shulman — 35,000

Notable Eliminations:

Cody Slaubaugh
Jon Von Halle
Mike Sowers

Big Hands:

Jerry Yang Doubles Up With Quads

2007 Main Event Champion Jerry Yang raises to 800 from early position and it gets reraised 2,600 behind him. Yang calls and the flop comes 1076. Yang checks, his opponent bets 2,625 and Yang calls. The turn is the 4, Yang checks, his opponent bets 12,000 and Yang calls all in for 11,325.

Yang: 1010
Opponent: KK

Yang is ahead on the turn with top set against his opponent’s pair of kings. The river is the 10, giving Yang quads and putting back in the black this hand with 34,000 in chips.

Cody Slaubaugh Eliminated by Eli Elezra

Over on the featured table, Cody Slaubaugh got it all in on the river against Eli Elezra on a board of KQ326. Slaubaugh was covered and turned over K5 for top pair and a busted flush draw, but Elezra showed K6 for two pair. Elezra rakes the pot this hand while Slaubaugh hits the rail.

Matt Vengrin Capitalizes on Opponent’s Mistake

Matt Vengrin raises before the flop from middle position and gets one caller from the player in seat 9. The flop comes 662, and Vengrin bets 550. Seat 9 throws 1,050 into the middle, failing to verbalize a call. The floorman comes over and rules that his bet is in fact a raise and forces the action to 1,100. Vengrin immediately reraise to 4,025 and his opponent folds.

Michael Tureniec Runs Into Set Over Set

Michael Tureniec just doubled up his opponent with the 44 after a flop of J74. His opponent held the 77 and won the hand. Tureniec is just under the starting amount with 28,000.

Nelly Doubles Up

Nelly had a smaller stack of 12,000 when he moved all in over the preflop bet of an opponent. The initial raiser went into the tank before finally making the call. Nelly exposed the A10 and was up against the 66 of his opponent. The board ran out 97310J, as Nelly nailed his ten on the turn and eventually win the hand. He is back up to 24,000 in chips.

Phil Laak Puts Opponent All In

After calling a preflop raise from his opponent, Phil Laak saw a flop of 962. Laak’s opponent bet out and Laak made the call. The 5 hit the turn and Laak once again called a bet. On the river of the Q, action was checked to Laak who threw out a bet of 11,300, enough to put his opponent all in. The player mucked and Laak took down the pot. Laak is at 46,000.

Jennifer Tilly Puts Most of Stack at Risk

On a board of 653, Jennifer Tilly checked raised a bet of 2,200 by her opponent. She made it 6,000 which was almost half of her remaining chip stack. Her opponent went into the tank and eventually mucked. Tilly is at 18,000 in chips.

Andrew Black Adds to Stack

On a board of A42Q, a player checked to Andrew Black. The 2005 main event final table member bet 2,000 and his opponent quickly called. The 8 fell on the river and the player once again checked to Black, who bet the same 2,000. He was quickly called. Black exposed A-Q for top two pair to take the pot. Black is up to 35,000.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Eli Elezra,   Jennifer Tilly,   Andy Black,   Jerry Yang,   Matthew Vengrin,   Cody Slaubaugh

Level 1 Update: John Phan Eliminated; Gets Aces Cracked

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 50-100

Chip Counts:

1. Kenny Hallaert — 80,000
2. Jonas Klausen — 70,000
3. Craig Gray — 47,000
4. Steven van Zadelhoff — 44,000
5. C.K. Hua — 43,000
6. John Magill — 43,000
7. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman — 41,000
8. Erik Cajelais — 40,000
9. Ted Lawson — 38,000
10. Barry Shulman — 31,000

Notable Eliminations:

John Phan

Big Hands:

Mark Gregorich Off To Healthy Start

After a flop of A32, Mark Gregorich threw in a check raise against his opponent. Gregorich was called and bet the turn of the 7. His opponent called and both players saw a K fall on the river. Gregorich threw in a bet of 4,300 and was called by his opponent. Gregorich exposed the J9 for a flopped flush. His opponent mucked and Gregorich is now up to 45,000.

Phil Laak Gets Picked Off

The player in seat 2 raises to 325 from late position, Phil Laak calls from the cutoff as does the player on the button. The flop comes 762, seat 2 bets 625, Laak calls and the button folds. The turn is the 3, and this time seat 2 checks to Laak. Laak bets 1,050 and seat 2 calls. The river is the 9, and once again seat 2 checks. Laak bets 3,650 and seat 2 calls. Laak turns over 109 for a pair of nines on the river but seat 2 shows KK for a better pair. Seat 2 rakes the pot and Laak drops down to 27,000 in chips.

John Phan Eliminated

After being knocked down to just 4,000 the hand before after running his pocket queens into the turned nut straight of his opponent, John Phan raises this pot to 300 before the flop and gets two callers. The flop comes 987, and Phan bets 700. One opponent folds from late position and his other opponent in the small blind raised to 5,000. Phan called all in.

Phan: AA
Small Blind: K9

The turn is the 10, but the river is the K, giving Phan’s opponent two pair and the win. John Phan is eliminated from the tournament just halfway through the first level.

Jennifer Tilly Off to a Slow Start

On a flop of A42, Jennifer Tilly bets 300 and the player in seat 3 calls. The turn is the J, and this time Tilly bets 600, seat 3 calls. The river is the Q, and this time both players check. Seat 3 turns over A8 for top pair and Tilly mucks her hand. Seat 3 rakes the pot and Tilly is down to just 15,000 in chips after this hand.

Cory Carroll Doesn’t Get There

Cory Carroll raises to 300 from middle position and gets one caller from the cutoff. The flop comes A98, Carroll bets 525, the cutoff calls.The turn is the 8, Carroll checks, the cutoff bets 900 and Carroll calls. The river is the 7, Carroll checks, the cutoff bets 1,000 and Carroll folds. The cutoff rakes the pot while Carroll slips into the red 28,000 in chips after this hand.

Andy Black Bounces Back

Andy Black and a player saw a flop of KJ10. Black’s opponent checked to him and Black fired out a bet of 675. His opponent quickly called and the A hit the turn. Both players checked and the A fell on the river. Black’s opponent threw out a bet of 2,500 and Black reraised to 8,000. Black was called after brief deliberation. Black exposed the AK for a full boat. His opponent mucked a queen for the straight. Black is now up to about the starting stack of 30,000.

Left in the Deck

Players will take a twenty-minute break at the end of Level 1 and will return at approximately 2:30 pm PDT to begin Level 2.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Phil Laak,   Mark Gregorich,   Jennifer Tilly,   Andy Black,   Cory Carroll

Level 7 Update: Laak Loves Vivian

Jun 30, '09

Blinds: 300-600 with a 75 ante

Players Remaining: 384 out of 928

Chip Counts:

1. Juha Helppi – 75,000
2. Eli Elezra – 53,000
3. Marc Naalden – 40,000
4. Chris Ferguson – 36,000
5. Ivan Demidov – 35,000
6. Allen Cunningham – 32,000
7. Phil Hellmuth – 31,000
8. Victor Ramdin – 30,000
9. Chad Batista – 30,000
10. Kathy Liebert – 22,000

Average Chip Count: 36,250

Big Hands:

Laak Doubles Up and Thanks the Dealer

After a raise from the cutoff, Phil Laak three-bet from the button. After both the blinds folded, the original raiser moved all in for another 6200 chips.

“It’s inescapable,” said Laak. “I raise to steal and I get priced in.”

Laak made the call with AJ and was up against his opponent’s QQ. The board came out 23954, giving Laak the wheel and eliminating his opponent.

Laak also asked some of the field reporters to let everybody know that Vivian is the best dealer that he has ever had. So if you are in the Rio, and are looking to suck out against a big pair, go find Vivian.

Tran Loses a Few Chips

After some preflop action, J.C. Tran and the small blind take a flop of 689. Both players checked and the 10 fell on the turn.

Tran bet 5000 after his opponent checked and his opponent called. The Q fell on the river and both players checked.

The small blind showed the Q10, good for top two pair and Tran mucked his hand.

Kathy Liebert Starts a Big Preflop Encounter

A player under the gun raises to 1500 and Kathy Liebert puts in another raise to 4500. The player to her left cold calls the 4500. It folds to the small blind who now puts in 12,500. The original raiser folds, Liebert counted out her chips and then folded, and then the last player left in the hand moves all in and is snap called by the small blind.

The small blind turned over KK, but unfortunately for him the player in seat 5 turned over AA.

The board ran out AJ672 and the player in seat five doubled up to 80,000.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Kathy Liebert,   Phil Laak

Level 9 Update: Howard Lederer Out

May 28, '09

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with 400 ante

Players Remaining: 106 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Michael DeMichele – 690,000
2. Lex Veldhuis – 625,000
3. Emil Patel 615,000
4. Justin Bonomo 570,000
5. Kyle Wilson 465,000
6. Chris Moneymaker 460,000
7. Alan Sass 440,000
8. Ted Forrest 380,000
9. Alex Jacob 370,000
10. Antonio Esfandiari 365,000

Average Chip Count: 227,000

Notable Eliminations:

Howard Lederer
Cory Zeidman
Dennis Phillips
Brett Richey
Philippe Rouas
Steve Sung
David Einhorn

Big Hands:

Table 70 Is Stacked

In case we haven’t made this clear yet, table 70 may be one of the toughest tournament tables ever assembled. Here is a look at the table:

1. Scott “mastrblastr” Seiver
2. Scotty Nguyen
3. Phil Ivey
4. Brett “get crunk” Richey (Eliminated During the Level)
5. David “The Dragon” Pham
6. Alan “The Usher” Sass
7. Phil Hellmuth
8. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
9. Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis

Phil Ivey Takes 90,000 Pot From Bertrand Grospellier

Bertrand Grospellier raised to 7,200 from under the gun and Phil Ivey reraised to 22,000 from the hijack seat. Grospellier called and both players checked down a board of K5292 until Ivey fired out a 20,000 value bet. Grospellier reluctantly called and mucked his hand when Ivey showed pocket queens.

Ivey is now stacked with 358,000 while Grospellier finds himself with only 57,000. Grospellier picked up some chips later on against Steve Billirakis shortly after without a showdown.

School’s Out for the Professor

Dave Ulliott raised to 6,400 under the gun and the action folded around to Howard Lederer moved all in from the small blind for his last 30,000. Next to act was Jeff Lisandro from the big blind and he made the call. Ulliott got out of the way and Lisandro tabled AK while Lederer showed JJ. The flop was bad news for Lederer as it dropped A7K giving Lisandro top two pair. The 9 and 3 completed the board and Lederer was gone. Lisandro improved his stack to 270,000.

Philippe Rouas Out, Marco Johnson Gets Healthier

Philippe Rouas found himself all in and covered by Marco Johnson. Rouas showed pocket sevens and was racing against the QJ of Johnson. The flop brought a jack and Rouas failed to catch up, busting from the tournament.

Seif and Makhija Chop It Up

Amit Makhija raised to 8,000 preflop from middle position. The action came around to Mark Seif who pushed in most of his chips, election to only keep his black “100” chips in front of him. The bet totaled close to 225,000 and Makhija made the call with his last 118,000. He flipped over AQ while Seif showed AQ. “That was a bad call sir,” Seif joked with Makhija. The board ran out 1098K7 and both players chopped the pot. Seif was at 290,000 while Makhija was around 126,000.

Left in the Deck:

Mike Matusow just walked over to table 62 where Andy Black and Phil Laak are seated. Matusow commenced to poke a little fun at Laak. Black then playfully interrupted “The Mouth,” telling him that making fun of people is not allowed at the World Series of Poker. Matusow countered, saying that making fun of Laak is the exception. All the players laughed and Matusow went back to his table.

Later on, Matusow resumed roaming the room and chatted up Nam Le for a bit while Phil Laak began building an elaborate Stonehenge-like structure with his chips. Yes folks, things are starting to slow down here late in the night.

Player Tags: David Ulliott,   Howard Lederer,   Phil Laak,   Mike Matusow,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Phil Ivey,   Andy Black,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Philippe Rouas,   Marco Johnson

Level 1 Update: Erik Cajelais Exits Early

May 28, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 180 out of 184

Chip Counts:

1. Phil Laak — 270,000
2. Scott Seiver — 260,000
3. Phil Laak — 245,000
4. Tony G — 240,000
5. David Chiu — 240,000
6. Michael DeMichelle — 200,000
7. Andy Black — 185,000
8. Chad Batista — 175,000
9. Isaac Haxton — 175,000
10. Nenad Medic — 175,000

Average Chip Count: 125,000

Notable Eliminations:

Erik Cajelais
Jim Bechtel

Big Hands:

Erik Cajelais Is Crippled By Tony G

On a board reading 753, Tony G was all in holding pocket aces against the 86 of Erik Cajelais. Cajelais needed to hit his massive draw to bust Guoga, but the turn and river fell A8.

Guoga moved up to 248,000 after the hand and Cajelais was crippled down to just 4,000. He was eliminated by Chris Moneymaker shortly after.

Brandon Adams Gets Caught Lying

Isaac Haxton raises to 1,400 from the cutoff and Brandon Adams reraises to 4,200 from the small blind. The flop comes Q53, and this time Adams leads out for 4,200. Haxton calls and the turn is the J. Adams bets out once again, this time for 6,200. Haxton tanks for a few minutes before making the call. The river is the J and both players check around. Adams turns over A10 for ace-high while Haxton shows 44 for a small pair. Haxton rakes the pot and brings his chip count up to 145,000 while Adams fall to just about 75,000 this hand.

Andy Black Collects Big Pot With Set Over Set

Chris Moore and Andy Black were locked into a hand, each holding a big pocket pair. Moore turned a set of jacks but the river brought a king, and Andy Black bet out 50,000. Moore called and Black turned over a set of kings to collect a big pot.

Phil Laak Cripples Opponent

James Calderaro held pocket kings against Phil Laak’s flopped set of eights. Laak moved all in on the river and was called, collecting a 270,000 chip pot.

Eric Liu Wins Pot on the River

On a board of QQ847, Eric Liu bet 15,550 on the river against Mark Seif. Seif contemplated briefly before folding. Seif is down to around 81,000.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Antanas Guoga,   Phil Laak,   Andy Black,   Erik Cajelais,   Brandon Adams,   Chris Moore,   Isaac Haxton,   Eric Liu

Phil Laak Eliminated

May 01, '09

Phil Laak is all-in with K 8 versus Vadim Shlez' pocket jacks. The board comes Q J 4 2 2 and the event sees one of its greatest personalities hitting the rail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Phil Laak

Phil Laak is Back

Apr 30, '09

Catching the end of the action, it looked as if Phil Laak was heading for the exit. Standing with his bag on his back, the board read K J 2 6 6. An all-in Laak looks surprised as he watches his opponent, Jason Mercier muck his cards once Laak's pocket queens are revealed. He sits back down for the last level of the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Jason Mercier

Phil Laak Eliminated

May 01, '09

Phil Laak is all-in with K 8 versus Vadim Shlez' pocket jacks. The board comes Q J 4 2 2 and the event sees one of its greatest personalities hitting the rail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Phil Laak

Phil Laak is Back

Apr 30, '09

Catching the end of the action, it looked as if Phil Laak was heading for the exit. Standing with his bag on his back, the board read K J 2 6 6. An all-in Laak looks surprised as he watches his opponent, Jason Mercier muck his cards once Laak's pocket queens are revealed. He sits back down for the last level of the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Jason Mercier

Level 5 Update

Mar 17, '09

Big Hands:

John Phan Eliminated

John Phan moved all in preflop for 3,075, Chris McCormack reraised all in, and Gary Tighe called both players down. Their cards:

Phan: AJ
McCormack: KK
Tighe: A2

Board: 543QJ

Tighe made a wheel and he busted both Phan and McCormack. Tighe was also awarded the $5,000 bounty for bouncing Phan.

Official Prize Pool

1: $1,025,500
2: $550,000
3: $291,500
4: $230,000
5: $180,000
6: $135,000
7-8: $90,000
9-10: $60,000
11-12: $40,000
13-18: $30,000
19-24: $25,000
25-30: $20,000
31-36: $15,000
37-45: $12,500

Phil Laak Eliminated

Phil Laak moved all in with K-Q on a king-high flop against Frank Khadivi, who held A-K. Laak was busted out of the tournament when the turn and river bricked and Khadivi collected the $5,000 bounty.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Phil Laak,   Chris McCormack

David Oppenheim Defeats Phil Laak

Mar 07, '09

David Oppenheim was behind in his match with Phil Laak, but his pocket kings held against pocket nines to double up and take the chip lead.

A short while later, Laak was all in holding the pocket kings, this time ahead of Oppenheim and his A-J. Unfortunately for the Unabomber, there was an ace in the window and the rest of the board bricked out.

Laak was eliminated and the Oppenheim/Flack team rolls on to face the winner of Kenny Tran and Jennifer Harman.

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   David Oppenheim

Phil Laak Defeats Kenny Yeh

Mar 06, '09

Kenny Yeh and Phil Laak predictably had the loudest match of the afternoon thus far, but it's not Laak who was doing the talking. Yeh, by far the crowd favorite, was talking up a storm in broken english. His favorite two phrases seemed to be "pair the board," "the party's not over yet," and "are you serious?"

Yeh doubled up with Q-J against Laak's A-8, then took the lead when his pocket fours held against Laak's K-10. It finally came down to a crapshoot when the blinds increased to 1,500-3,000. It didn't help any that both players took their time with each all in move. After several all ins went uncalled by Yeh, Laak retook the lead.

On the final hand, Laak moved all in and Yeh called. Laak held K-Q and Yeh was in trouble with Qx9. The board ran out KQJ39x and Laak's two pair were enough to advance. Yeh, entertaining as he was, is eliminated from the tournament.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Kenny Yeh

David Oppenheim Defeats Phil Laak

Mar 07, '09

David Oppenheim was behind in his match with Phil Laak, but his pocket kings held against pocket nines to double up and take the chip lead.

A short while later, Laak was all in holding the pocket kings, this time ahead of Oppenheim and his A-J. Unfortunately for the Unabomber, there was an ace in the window and the rest of the board bricked out.

Laak was eliminated and the Oppenheim/Flack team rolls on to face the winner of Kenny Tran and Jennifer Harman.

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   David Oppenheim

Phil Laak Defeats Kenny Yeh

Mar 06, '09

Kenny Yeh and Phil Laak predictably had the loudest match of the afternoon thus far, but it's not Laak who was doing the talking. Yeh, by far the crowd favorite, was talking up a storm in broken english. His favorite two phrases seemed to be "pair the board," "the party's not over yet," and "are you serious?"

Yeh doubled up with Q-J against Laak's A-8, then took the lead when his pocket fours held against Laak's K-10. It finally came down to a crapshoot when the blinds increased to 1,500-3,000. It didn't help any that both players took their time with each all in move. After several all ins went uncalled by Yeh, Laak retook the lead.

On the final hand, Laak moved all in and Yeh called. Laak held K-Q and Yeh was in trouble with Qx9. The board ran out KQJ39x and Laak's two pair were enough to advance. Yeh, entertaining as he was, is eliminated from the tournament.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Kenny Yeh