Mike Matusow Poker Tournament Updates

Day 1B -- Level 4

Jul 08, '11

NOTE: Levels are two hours in length and players are starting with 30,000 in chips.

Players on Day 1B: 825 out of 985

Blinds: 150-300

Notables Remaining:

Notables Eliminated This Level:

None

Hands:

Jon Aguiar Stuck In Reverse

On a board of 9 8 2 K, Jon Aguiar checked-called a bet of 3,000. The 3 on the river prompted a check-call of 7,000. Aguiar’s opponent showed a set of nines and that was good. Aguiar fell to 20,000.

Matusow Checks Quads

Mike Matusow called 800 from the small blind with pocket eights, and the big blind also called. The flop came A 8 2, and Matusow bet 1,100. One opponent called and the other raised to 2,500. Matusow called. The Q on the turn prompted a check-call of 5,500 from Matusow. The river was another eight, giving Matusow quads, and he checked. His opponent brutally checked behind and that was that.

Scott Seiver Going South

Seiver had A-K and put another player all in. However, his opponent woke up with aces and Seiver was in horrible shape. The board ran out Q 9 6 5 5, and Seiver was left with just 7,500.

Poker Tweets:

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Scott Seiver

Greg Raymer Defeats Mike Matusow

Mar 04, '11

After winning a crucial coinflip, Greg Raymer had Mike Matusow on the ropes and looking for a double up. Matusow moved in blind with Q8 and Raymer looked him up holding K9.

The board came 98556 and Matusow hit the rail. Raymer will now face the winner between Tom Marchese and Phil Gordon in the next round.

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Greg Raymer

Level 13 Update: Mike Matusow Eliminated

Jun 29, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000

Players Remaining: 70 out 460

Average Chip Count: 98,571

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Kevin Boudreau — 310,000
2. Men Nguyen — 245,000
3. Daniel Makowsky — 225,000
4. Javed Abrahams — 175,000
5. Matt Glantz — 175,000
6. Jose Nacho Barbero — 160,000
7. Ran Azor — 160,000
8. Kyle Bowker — 160,000
9. Alex Freiberg — 155,000
10. Michael Piper — 135,000

Notable Eliminations:

Mike Matusow

Player Twitter Accounts:

Annette Obrestad
Matt Glantz
Mike Watson
Jonathan Little
Phil Hellmuth
Eugene Todd
Justin Smith

Big Hands:

David Colclough Eliminated

David Colclough was all in preflop. Ran Azor and Ali Aljenabi had a side pot. The flop came 522 and Azor bet. Aljenabi folded. Colclough tabled the KQJ9 and Azor exposed the AAQ8. The 5 on the turn and A on the river were no help. Azor was up to 160,000 after the hand.

Mike Matusow Eliminated

Matt Glantz bet 5,000. Benny Spindler called. Mike Matusow raised to 21,000. Glantz called and Spindler folded. The flop came 1072 and Matusow moved all in for 52,000. Glantz called. Matusow tabled the AAK9 while Glantz exposed the Q987. The J on the turn was disaster for Matusow. The 5 on the river ended the hand and Matusow was gone. Glantz is up to 175,000.

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Matthew Glantz,   Ran Azor

Level 8 Update: Day 1 Complete

Jun 29, '10

Blinds: 300-600

Players Remaining: 207 out 460

Average Chip Count: 33,333

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Kevin Schaffel — 178,900
2. Alex Freiberg — 138,900
3. Kevin Boudreau — 137,300
4. Jonas Entin — 118,200
5. Dan Shak — 100,800
6. Javed Abrahams — 92,700
7. Scotty Nguyen — 67,000
8. Annette Obrestad — 58,000
9. Joshua Tieman — 57,000
10. Senovio Ramirez — 52,100

Notable Eliminations:

Kevin Saul
Vitaly Lunkin
James Akenhead
Shannon Shorr
Jason Somerville

Big Hands:

Jason Mercier Doubles Up

Jason Mercier limped and Ted Lawson bet. Scotty Nguyen called along with two other players. Mercier shoved all in for his tournament life. Lawson moved all in over the top. Nguyen and everyone else mucked. Mercier tabled the AAQ8 and was up against the K7K6 of Lawson. The board ran out 1032A2 and Mercier doubled to 38,000. Lawson was down to 6,000.

Mike Matusow Loses One

Kevin Schaffel bet preflop and Mike Matusow raised to 4,100. Schaffel called. The flop came K108. Schaffel checked and Matusow checked. The 5 on the turn prompted a 6,000 bet by Schaffel. Matusow called. Schaffel bet 15,000 on a 4 river. Matusow tank-called. Schaffel tabled the K433 for two pair. Matusow mucked. Schaffel was up to 88,000 after the hand while Matusow was down to 38,000.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Mike Matusow,   Ted Lawson,   Kevin Schaffel,   Jason Mercier

Level 7 Update: Danny Wong and Michael Mizrachi Double Up

Jun 29, '10

Blinds: 200-400

Players Remaining: 270 out 460

Average Chip Count: 25,555

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. John Cernuto — 86,000
2. Kevin Schaffel — 71,000
3. Mike Matusow — 52,000
4. John Duthie — 48,000
5. Nick Binger — 44,000
6. Vadim Markushevski — 43,000
7. Greg Raymer — 42,000
8. Christian Harder — 42,000
9. Felipe Ramos — 40,000
10. Andrew Brown — 38,000

Notable Eliminations:

Peter Jetten
Alex Kravchenko
Sam Farha
Chris Ferguson
Tom McEvoy
David Benyamine
Tony Cousineau

Big Hands:

Danny Wong Doubles Up

Danny Wong was all in for 14,000 with the AA73 and was up against the QQJ10 of his opponent. The board ran out 94272 and Wong doubled up to 30,000.

Michael Mizrachi Doubles Up

Michael Mizrachi was all in for 4,100 with the AA72 against the J986 of an opponent. The board ran out K7673 and Mizrachi doubled to 9,000.

Tony Cousineau Eliminated

An under-the-gun player bet 1,100. Tony Cousineau raised to 3,900. Mike Matusow called and so did the original bettor. The flop came K94 and action was checked to Cousineau. He bet 2,700. Matusow called and the other opponent potted. Cousineau called all in for his tournament life. Matusow folded. Cousineau tabled the AA86 while his opponent exposed the AJ9K. Cousineau was behind against the two pair of his opponent. Both the turn and river bricked for Cousineau and he was gone.

Player Tags: Tony Cousineau,   Mike Matusow,   Michael Mizrachi,   Danny Wong

Level 13 Update: Mike Matusow Eliminated

Jun 29, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000

Players Remaining: 70 out 460

Average Chip Count: 98,571

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Kevin Boudreau — 310,000
2. Men Nguyen — 245,000
3. Daniel Makowsky — 225,000
4. Javed Abrahams — 175,000
5. Matt Glantz — 175,000
6. Jose Nacho Barbero — 160,000
7. Ran Azor — 160,000
8. Kyle Bowker — 160,000
9. Alex Freiberg — 155,000
10. Michael Piper — 135,000

Notable Eliminations:

Mike Matusow

Player Twitter Accounts:

Annette Obrestad
Matt Glantz
Mike Watson
Jonathan Little
Phil Hellmuth
Eugene Todd
Justin Smith

Big Hands:

David Colclough Eliminated

David Colclough was all in preflop. Ran Azor and Ali Aljenabi had a side pot. The flop came 522 and Azor bet. Aljenabi folded. Colclough tabled the KQJ9 and Azor exposed the AAQ8. The 5 on the turn and A on the river were no help. Azor was up to 160,000 after the hand.

Mike Matusow Eliminated

Matt Glantz bet 5,000. Benny Spindler called. Mike Matusow raised to 21,000. Glantz called and Spindler folded. The flop came 1072 and Matusow moved all in for 52,000. Glantz called. Matusow tabled the AAK9 while Glantz exposed the Q987. The J on the turn was disaster for Matusow. The 5 on the river ended the hand and Matusow was gone. Glantz is up to 175,000.

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Matthew Glantz,   Ran Azor

Level 8 Update: Day 1 Complete

Jun 29, '10

Blinds: 300-600

Players Remaining: 207 out 460

Average Chip Count: 33,333

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Kevin Schaffel — 178,900
2. Alex Freiberg — 138,900
3. Kevin Boudreau — 137,300
4. Jonas Entin — 118,200
5. Dan Shak — 100,800
6. Javed Abrahams — 92,700
7. Scotty Nguyen — 67,000
8. Annette Obrestad — 58,000
9. Joshua Tieman — 57,000
10. Senovio Ramirez — 52,100

Notable Eliminations:

Kevin Saul
Vitaly Lunkin
James Akenhead
Shannon Shorr
Jason Somerville

Big Hands:

Jason Mercier Doubles Up

Jason Mercier limped and Ted Lawson bet. Scotty Nguyen called along with two other players. Mercier shoved all in for his tournament life. Lawson moved all in over the top. Nguyen and everyone else mucked. Mercier tabled the AAQ8 and was up against the K7K6 of Lawson. The board ran out 1032A2 and Mercier doubled to 38,000. Lawson was down to 6,000.

Mike Matusow Loses One

Kevin Schaffel bet preflop and Mike Matusow raised to 4,100. Schaffel called. The flop came K108. Schaffel checked and Matusow checked. The 5 on the turn prompted a 6,000 bet by Schaffel. Matusow called. Schaffel bet 15,000 on a 4 river. Matusow tank-called. Schaffel tabled the K433 for two pair. Matusow mucked. Schaffel was up to 88,000 after the hand while Matusow was down to 38,000.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Mike Matusow,   Ted Lawson,   Kevin Schaffel,   Jason Mercier

Level 7 Update: Danny Wong and Michael Mizrachi Double Up

Jun 29, '10

Blinds: 200-400

Players Remaining: 270 out 460

Average Chip Count: 25,555

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. John Cernuto — 86,000
2. Kevin Schaffel — 71,000
3. Mike Matusow — 52,000
4. John Duthie — 48,000
5. Nick Binger — 44,000
6. Vadim Markushevski — 43,000
7. Greg Raymer — 42,000
8. Christian Harder — 42,000
9. Felipe Ramos — 40,000
10. Andrew Brown — 38,000

Notable Eliminations:

Peter Jetten
Alex Kravchenko
Sam Farha
Chris Ferguson
Tom McEvoy
David Benyamine
Tony Cousineau

Big Hands:

Danny Wong Doubles Up

Danny Wong was all in for 14,000 with the AA73 and was up against the QQJ10 of his opponent. The board ran out 94272 and Wong doubled up to 30,000.

Michael Mizrachi Doubles Up

Michael Mizrachi was all in for 4,100 with the AA72 against the J986 of an opponent. The board ran out K7673 and Mizrachi doubled to 9,000.

Tony Cousineau Eliminated

An under-the-gun player bet 1,100. Tony Cousineau raised to 3,900. Mike Matusow called and so did the original bettor. The flop came K94 and action was checked to Cousineau. He bet 2,700. Matusow called and the other opponent potted. Cousineau called all in for his tournament life. Matusow folded. Cousineau tabled the AA86 while his opponent exposed the AJ9K. Cousineau was behind against the two pair of his opponent. Both the turn and river bricked for Cousineau and he was gone.

Player Tags: Tony Cousineau,   Mike Matusow,   Michael Mizrachi,   Danny Wong

Tournament of Champions Begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday

Jun 27, '10

The World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions will begin at 1 p.m. PDT on Sunday, June 27 at the 2010 WSOP. This invitation-only tournament includes 27 players and they will all begin with 30,000 in tournament chips. Blinds will begin at 50-100. Levels will be 60 minutes long and there will be a 20-minute break after every two levels. There will be a 60-minute dinner break after the completion of level 6. Here is a look at the schedule for the event:

Sunday, June 27, 1 p.m.: Day 1 (Play down to final 9 players)
Sunday, July 4, 1 p.m.: Final Table

This is the fourth year for this prestigious invitational event. The previous champions include Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, and Mike Sexton. CardPlayer.com will bring you live updates, chip counts, photos, and videos from this marquee event.

Here is the full lineup of players for this event, which includes Card Player’s Barry Shulman (pictured above right). Twenty players were chosen by a popular fan vote, while seven spots were automatic invites or sponsor exemptions:

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Mike Matusow,   Barry Shulman,   Mike Sexton

Level 18 Update: Money Bubble Bursts

Jun 22, '10

Blinds: 5,000-10,000

Players Remaining: 26 out of 268

Average Chip Count: 309,230

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Peter Jetten – 684,000
2. Clement Thumy – 616,000
3. Sam Stein – 531,000
4. Thomas Marchese – 522,000
5. James Calderaro – 509,000
6. Marc Inizen – 492,000
7. Nathan Doudney – 465,000
8. Nikolai Yakovenko – 463,000
9. Dani Stern – 425,000
10. Alexander Kuzmin – 424,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Lester

Big Hands:

Makhija Busts Minnullin

Albert Minnullin raised to 25,000 from the button and Amit Makhija reraised from the big blind. Minnullin then came over the top with all of his chips and Makhija made the call.

Minnullin tabled QJ but was dominated by Makhija’s AQ.

The board ran out AJ910A to give Makhija trip aces and send Minnullin out the door. Makhija was at 184,000.

Calderaro Doubles Through Thumy

Clement Thumy raised to 17,000 and James Calderaro made the call from the cutoff. The flop came down Q33 and Thumy bet 18,000. Calderaro called and the 7 came on the turn.

Both players checked and the river was the 9. Thumy bet 56,000 and Calderaro shoved for 110,000. After a few moments of thought Thumy called.

Calderaro then tabled 77 for a full house and Thumy mucked. Calderaro doubled to 590,000 while Thumy was down to 420,000.

Jason Lester Busts, Hand For Hand Commences

Jason Lester found himself all in preflop against Peter Jetten. Lester was holding AK, but was in deep trouble against Jetten’s KK.

The board ran out 85577 and Lester was eliminated.

With his elimination the field was down to 28, resulting in the beginning of hand-for-hand play until the money bubble bursts.

Mike Matusow Triples Up And Bursts Money Bubble In Process

Mike Matusow moved all in for 33,000 before the flop and Ilya Bulychev moved all in right behind him. Both players were called by Konstantin Bucheri.

Matusow tabled AK, Bulychev showed KQ and Bucheri showed AQ.

The board ran out 987108 and Matusow’s ace-high held up. He tripled up to over 100,000 and Bulychev was the bubble boy as he lost the side pot with Bucheri.

After Surviving Bubble, Matusow First To Cash

Marc Inizen put in a raise preflop and Mike Matusow moved in from the small blind. Inizen called, tabling J10. Matusow was dominating as he showed A10.

But the flop came down J22 and Matusow was behind the 8-ball. The board finished off 98 and Matusow was the first player to earn some money in event no. 38.

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Jason Lester,   James Calderaro,   Amit Makhija,   Ilya Bulychev,   Albert Minnullin,   Clement Thumy

Level 13: Cold Decks Served After Dinner

Jun 21, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000

Players Remaining: 51 out of 268

Average Chip Count: 157,647

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Peter Jetten – 605,000
2. Clement Thurny – 535,000
3. Jason Lester – 290,000
4. Thomas Marchese – 283,000
5. John Duthie – 270,000
6. Blair Rodman – 250,000
7. Allen Kessler – 245,000
8. Nikolai Yakovenko – 236,000
9. Daniel Smith – 235,000
10. Vitaly Lunkin – 215,000

Notable Eliminations:

J.J. Liu
Rob Hollink
Danny Wong
Erica Schoenberg

Big Hands:

Cold Deck Does In Liu

Picking up the action on the flop, J.J. Liu and Allen Kessler were involved in a hand. The board was J75 and Kessler fired 10,000 after Liu checked.

Liu then check-raised to 45,000 and Kessler responded by moving all in for 112,000. Liu made the call and showed down KK but was in deep trouble against Kessler’s AA.

The turn was the 9 and the river was the 4 and Liu was sent to the rail just after dinner.

Hollink’s Ladies Shown The Door

Rob Hollink found himself all in against Johaness Strassman after a flop of J95.

Hollink held QQ but was behind Strassman’s pocket rockets, AA.

The turn was the 2 and the river was the 4 and Hollink was another victim of a cold deck after the dinner break.

Matusow Chipping Back Up

Mike Matusow used pocket aces to double up against Josh Tieman’s pocket queens right after the dinner break.

A few hands later, the board read Q656 and Matusow faced a bet of 10,500 from his opponent in the small blind.

Matusow answered by raising to 22,000. His opponent mucked and Matusow took in another pot. He started the level with just over 30,000 but worked all the way back up to 85,000 with those two wins.

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Allen Kessler,   Rob Hollink,   Joanne Liu,   Johannes Strassmann

Level 12: Naujoks Chips Up

Jun 21, '10

Blinds: 1,200-2,400

Players Remaining: 63 out of 268

Average Chip Count: 127,619

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Peter Jetten – 585,000
2. Clement Thurny – 395,000
3. Daniel Smith – 312,000
4. Thomas Marchese – 292,000
5. Blair Rodman – 258,000
6. Nikolai Yakovenko – 236,000
7. John Duthie – 223,000
8. John Dwyer – 208,000
9. Vitaly Lunkin – 190,000
10. Matthew Marafioti – 182,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jonathan Aguiar
Carlos Mortensen

Note: Players are on a 60-minute break and will return at 8:20 p.m.

Big Hands:

Naujoks Continues To Chip Up

Sandra Naujoks put in a raise preflop and she was called by the player in seat 7. The flop came down K65 and both players checked.

The turn was the 7 and seat 7 checked. Naujoks bet 7,000 and seat 7 relased his hand.

Naujoks took the pot and was at 112,000.

Griffin Muscles Out Keller

Ashton Griffin raised to 4,900 from the cutoff and Shawn Keller made the call from the big blind. The flop came down 843 and Griffin bet 7,000 and Keller tanked.

After a few moments to think, he raised to 21,000. Griffin then moved all in for 31,900 more.

Keller thought a few more moments and mucked his hand, dropping his stack to 160,000. Griffin was up to 105,000 after the hand.

Matusow Drops One

Picking up the action after the turn, the board read Q992.

Mike Matusow bet 8,000 and the player in seat 9 made the call. The player in seat 2 was also in the hand but folded to the bet. The river was the K and Matusow thought for a while.

Eventually, he checked and seat 9 checked behind. Matusow just tapped the table lightly and seat 9 showed 77 for the winner.

Matusow dropped the pot and was at 73,000.

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Shawn Keller,   Ashton Griffin,   Sandra Naujoks

Matusow Runs Into Queens

Jun 16, '10

Blinds: 600-1,200

Players Remaining: 130 out of 171

CP Family Chip Counts

Jen Harman — 32,000

Average Chip Count: 39,461

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Brett Richey — 84,000
2. Shaun Deeb — 82,000
3. Vladimir Schmelev — 75,000
4. Pat Walsh — 69,500
5. Anh Van Nguyen — 68,000
6. Dana Kellstrom — 65,000
7. Jeffrey Lisandro — 64,000
8. Hoyt Corkins — 60,000
10. Phil Ivey — 59,000

Notable Eliminations:
Andy Bloch
Alex Kravchenko
Mike Matusow
Kathy Liebert
Barry Shulman
Carlos Mortensen

Big Hands:

Doyle Fears No Flushes

On a flop of 942 Doyle Brunson raised the small blind’s bet and the two went to the turn.

The turn brought the Q, on which Brunson bet and the small blind called, and the river was the K, on which Dolly bet again and the small blind called.

With four clubs out there it would’ve made since for Brunson to show a flush, but instead he flipped over KQ, for two pair. Apparently his opponent was club-less as well, mucking his hand.

Brunson had 57,000 after the hand.

Ladies Knock Out Matusow

Mike Matusow put his last 3,000 in pre-flop and was called by Jameson Painter. Their hands:

Matusow: K6
Painter: QQ

Matusow was trailing and the flop brought no help, coming AA5. He needed a king or running cards, but the board bricked the rest of the way — 4 and 8, and Matusow was eliminated.

Painted had around 54,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Doyle Brunson,   Jameson Painter

Level 10 Update: Brandon Adams Eliminated

Jun 10, '10

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 53 out of 101

Average Chip Count: 57,169

Card Player Chip Counts:

Daniel Negreanu – 80,000
Todd Brunson – 82,000
Doyle Brunson – 32,500
Steve Zolotow – 15,500

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Anton Allemann – 130,000
2. Tommy Vedes – 102,000
3. Homan Houshiar – 93,000
4. David Baker – 89,000
5. Brett Richey – 86,000
6. Tom Dwan – 82,000
7. Todd Brunson – 82,000
8. Eric Kesselman – 82,000
9. Billy Baxter – 81,000
10. Daniel Negreanu – 80,000

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Mizrachi
Dan Heimiller
Brandon Adams
Mike Matusow

Big Hands:

Dwan Picks off Zolotow

The action folded to Steve Zolotow on the button and raised to 3,200.

Tom Dwan was in the big blind and stared at Zolotow for a good minute before grabbing enough chips to make a raise to 11,800.

Zolotow joked about his hand as he showed the K-K-8-3-2 and tossed his hand in the muck. Zolotow slipped to 48,000 and Dwan climbed to over 55,000.

Raymer Gets the Better of Phan

The action folded around to Raymer in the small blind and raised to 2,500. Loi Phan made the call in the big blind and both players drew one card.

Raymer fired 3,500 after the draw and Phan made the call. Raymer tabled the 8-7-6-4-3 to take the pot. Raymer increased his stack to 24,000 and Phan dropped to 12,000.

Negreanu Pairs Up, Still Takes Pot

Daniel Negreanu made it 4,000 from under-the-gun and was called by Anton Allemann from the big blind. Both players drew one before both players checking after the draw.

Alleman showed a pair of sixes and Negreanu tabled the 8-6-4-5-5, for a pair of fives and then pot.

“Nobody had any heart,” Negreanu added as his stack improved to 68,000.

Brandon Adams Eliminated

Brandon Adams moved all-in for his last 11,700 from the cutoff and Negreanu called from the big blind.

Neagreanu stood pat as he showed the J-8-7-6-5 and Adams drew one and showed the 6-4-3-2. Adams could only muster up a Q from the dealer and Negreanu was sent to the rail, while Negreanu improves to 80,000.

Raymer Makes the Nuts

Mike Watts raised to 2,500 under-the-gun and Greg Raymer made the call before Stephen Chidwick three-bet to 10,500. Watts folded and Raymer made the call.

Chidwick stood pat and Raymer drew one. Raymer squeezed out the one card before moving all-in for 39,000 causing Chidwick to fold. Raymer showed Chidwick he made a good fold as he tabled 7-5-4-3-2.

Kesselman Knocks Out Two

Mark Dickstein raised to 3,000 from the cutoff and Mike Matusow raised all-in for 19,400 from the small blind. Eric Kesselman called as well from the big blind and Dickstein moved all of his chips into the middle for not much more.

Matusow drew two cards, Kesselman drew one, and Dickstein drew one.

Matusow showed the A-8-7-5-3, Kesselman showed the 10-9-7-6-2, and Dickstein tabled the J-8-4-3-2. Kessleman’s 10 was good for the pot and Matusow and Dickstein have been sent home earlier than they had hoped.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Steve Zolotow,   Mike Matusow,   Greg Raymer,   Brandon Adams,   Tom Dwan

Level Two: Minieri Busts Early

Jun 09, '10

Blinds: 50-100 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 82

Notable Eliminations:

Dario Minieri

Players Twitter Accounts:

Daniel Negreanu
Justin Smith
Jean-Robert Bellande
Doyle Brunson
Vanessa Rousso
Barry Greenstein
Chad Brown

Big Hands:

No Snow On This Wheel

George Lind raised to 300 and Mike Matusow made the call before the draw. Both players drew two cards, but before they received their cards Matusow showed Lind his hand.

“You don’t have the best of it buddy,” Matusow said to Lind after Lind suggested he was ahead. Matusow said after the hand he showed Lind a 7-4-2.

After the players received their cards, Lind led out with 325. Matusow immediately popped it to 2,000. Lind thought for a minute and then released his hand.

Matusow then showed down the nuts, 7-5-4-3-2.

“I tried to make it look like a bluff,” Matusow said. “Showed him my hand and everything.” Matusow took the pot but had none of his add-on chips left.

Should Have Rapped Pat?

Catching up with the action on the draw, Yan Chen decided to take one card. Tom Schneider was his opponent and also took one. Chen then smacked the table in frustration after he saw Schneider decide to draw.

Schneider then bet 450 into the pot and Chen let his cards fly into the muck, surrendering the pot to Schneider.

The Supreme Dario

Dario Alioto raised to 350 and the player in seat 3 made the call. Dario Minieri then raised it to 1,925. Alioto tanked before deciding to push all in for 6,350 more. Minieri made the call and drew one card.

Alioto stood pat and showed 8-7-5-3-2. Minieri paired up, showing 8-8-5-4-2 and Alioto doubled to 13,300 with his three add ons still intact. Minieri was down to around 4,000 with no add-on chips behind.

A few hands later, Minieri raised to 850 and Alioto made it 3,000 to go. Minieri then pushed all in for the rest of his chips and Alioto called.

Minieri stood pat after Alioto decided to draw one card.

“What do I have to beat?” Alioto asked.

Minieri turned over 10-9-5-3-2 while Alioto showed the four cards he kept, 8-7-5-2. Alioto then sweated his card and flipped over the 6 to make a better low and send Minieri to the rail early in the day.

Left In The Deck:

How Many Will There Be?

Registration is set to close at the start of level three. The board reads 82 entrants and has been climbing. The players will have a 20-minute break after level two, during which registration will stay open. Last year’s total number was 96 so the final number could get very close or even surpass last year’s number by the time level three begins.

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Tom Schneider,   Yan Chen,   Dario Minieri,   Dario Alioto

Level 10 Update: Brandon Adams Eliminated

Jun 10, '10

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 53 out of 101

Average Chip Count: 57,169

Card Player Chip Counts:

Daniel Negreanu – 80,000
Todd Brunson – 82,000
Doyle Brunson – 32,500
Steve Zolotow – 15,500

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Anton Allemann – 130,000
2. Tommy Vedes – 102,000
3. Homan Houshiar – 93,000
4. David Baker – 89,000
5. Brett Richey – 86,000
6. Tom Dwan – 82,000
7. Todd Brunson – 82,000
8. Eric Kesselman – 82,000
9. Billy Baxter – 81,000
10. Daniel Negreanu – 80,000

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Mizrachi
Dan Heimiller
Brandon Adams
Mike Matusow

Big Hands:

Dwan Picks off Zolotow

The action folded to Steve Zolotow on the button and raised to 3,200.

Tom Dwan was in the big blind and stared at Zolotow for a good minute before grabbing enough chips to make a raise to 11,800.

Zolotow joked about his hand as he showed the K-K-8-3-2 and tossed his hand in the muck. Zolotow slipped to 48,000 and Dwan climbed to over 55,000.

Raymer Gets the Better of Phan

The action folded around to Raymer in the small blind and raised to 2,500. Loi Phan made the call in the big blind and both players drew one card.

Raymer fired 3,500 after the draw and Phan made the call. Raymer tabled the 8-7-6-4-3 to take the pot. Raymer increased his stack to 24,000 and Phan dropped to 12,000.

Negreanu Pairs Up, Still Takes Pot

Daniel Negreanu made it 4,000 from under-the-gun and was called by Anton Allemann from the big blind. Both players drew one before both players checking after the draw.

Alleman showed a pair of sixes and Negreanu tabled the 8-6-4-5-5, for a pair of fives and then pot.

“Nobody had any heart,” Negreanu added as his stack improved to 68,000.

Brandon Adams Eliminated

Brandon Adams moved all-in for his last 11,700 from the cutoff and Negreanu called from the big blind.

Neagreanu stood pat as he showed the J-8-7-6-5 and Adams drew one and showed the 6-4-3-2. Adams could only muster up a Q from the dealer and Negreanu was sent to the rail, while Negreanu improves to 80,000.

Raymer Makes the Nuts

Mike Watts raised to 2,500 under-the-gun and Greg Raymer made the call before Stephen Chidwick three-bet to 10,500. Watts folded and Raymer made the call.

Chidwick stood pat and Raymer drew one. Raymer squeezed out the one card before moving all-in for 39,000 causing Chidwick to fold. Raymer showed Chidwick he made a good fold as he tabled 7-5-4-3-2.

Kesselman Knocks Out Two

Mark Dickstein raised to 3,000 from the cutoff and Mike Matusow raised all-in for 19,400 from the small blind. Eric Kesselman called as well from the big blind and Dickstein moved all of his chips into the middle for not much more.

Matusow drew two cards, Kesselman drew one, and Dickstein drew one.

Matusow showed the A-8-7-5-3, Kesselman showed the 10-9-7-6-2, and Dickstein tabled the J-8-4-3-2. Kessleman’s 10 was good for the pot and Matusow and Dickstein have been sent home earlier than they had hoped.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Steve Zolotow,   Mike Matusow,   Greg Raymer,   Brandon Adams,   Tom Dwan

Level Two: Minieri Busts Early

Jun 09, '10

Blinds: 50-100 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 82

Notable Eliminations:

Dario Minieri

Players Twitter Accounts:

Daniel Negreanu
Justin Smith
Jean-Robert Bellande
Doyle Brunson
Vanessa Rousso
Barry Greenstein
Chad Brown

Big Hands:

No Snow On This Wheel

George Lind raised to 300 and Mike Matusow made the call before the draw. Both players drew two cards, but before they received their cards Matusow showed Lind his hand.

“You don’t have the best of it buddy,” Matusow said to Lind after Lind suggested he was ahead. Matusow said after the hand he showed Lind a 7-4-2.

After the players received their cards, Lind led out with 325. Matusow immediately popped it to 2,000. Lind thought for a minute and then released his hand.

Matusow then showed down the nuts, 7-5-4-3-2.

“I tried to make it look like a bluff,” Matusow said. “Showed him my hand and everything.” Matusow took the pot but had none of his add-on chips left.

Should Have Rapped Pat?

Catching up with the action on the draw, Yan Chen decided to take one card. Tom Schneider was his opponent and also took one. Chen then smacked the table in frustration after he saw Schneider decide to draw.

Schneider then bet 450 into the pot and Chen let his cards fly into the muck, surrendering the pot to Schneider.

The Supreme Dario

Dario Alioto raised to 350 and the player in seat 3 made the call. Dario Minieri then raised it to 1,925. Alioto tanked before deciding to push all in for 6,350 more. Minieri made the call and drew one card.

Alioto stood pat and showed 8-7-5-3-2. Minieri paired up, showing 8-8-5-4-2 and Alioto doubled to 13,300 with his three add ons still intact. Minieri was down to around 4,000 with no add-on chips behind.

A few hands later, Minieri raised to 850 and Alioto made it 3,000 to go. Minieri then pushed all in for the rest of his chips and Alioto called.

Minieri stood pat after Alioto decided to draw one card.

“What do I have to beat?” Alioto asked.

Minieri turned over 10-9-5-3-2 while Alioto showed the four cards he kept, 8-7-5-2. Alioto then sweated his card and flipped over the 6 to make a better low and send Minieri to the rail early in the day.

Left In The Deck:

How Many Will There Be?

Registration is set to close at the start of level three. The board reads 82 entrants and has been climbing. The players will have a 20-minute break after level two, during which registration will stay open. Last year’s total number was 96 so the final number could get very close or even surpass last year’s number by the time level three begins.

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Tom Schneider,   Yan Chen,   Dario Minieri,   Dario Alioto

Day 1 Ends

May 31, '10

Day 1 has come to a close at the $1,500 Omaha eight-or-better event at the 2010 World Series of Poker. The tournament attracted a total of 818 participants and 297 have survived the first day.

The total prize pool for the event is $1,104,300 and the top prize is $237,421. The top 81 players will walk away with at least $2,750 in prize money.

The leader board is crowded with some of the biggest names in poker. Here is a look at the top 10 unofficial chip counts at the end of play:

Amnon Filippi: 20,000
David Bach: 18,000
Phil Ivey: 17,000
Shaun Deeb: 16,000
Todd Brunson: 15,600
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman: 14,700
George Lind: 13,000
Gavin Smith: 11,700
Dario Minieri: 11,000
Ted Forrest: 10,500

Notable Eliminations: Barry Shulman, Daniel Negreanu, Mike Matusow, Greg Raymer, Matt Savage, Tom Dwan, John Phan, Greg Mueller, David Benyamine, Justin Bonomo, Chad Brown

Day 2 will begin at 3 p.m. tomorrow and the field will play down to the final table or 10 more levels if the final table is not reached. Be sure to check out the twitter updates from players still in the field here:

Gavin Smith
Jeff Madsen
Phil Hellmuth
Allen Kessler
Shaun Deeb
Cyndy Violette
Justin Smith
Howard Lederer

Player Tags: Allyn Jaffrey Shulman,   Barry Greenstein,   Daniel Negreanu,   Todd Brunson,   Mike Matusow,   Barry Shulman,   David Bach,   Phil Ivey,   Amnon Filippi,   Shaun Deeb