Thomas Keller Poker Tournament Updates

Level 7 Update: Kenny Tran Eliminated

Jul 12, '11

Note: Levels are two hours in length.

Players Remaining on Day 2B: 2,490

Blinds: 300-600 with a 75 ante

Chip Leaders:

Kevin Saul: 324,000
Ryan D’Angelo: 275,000
Arnaud Esquevin: 264,500
Nicolas Fierro: 260,000
Jeff Frerichs: 242,000
Scott Shelley: 230,000
Ben Lamb: 225,000
Francesco Nguyen: 200,000
Andrew Hinrichsen: 200,000
Kenneth Griffin: 198,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matt Matros — 108,000
Todd Brunson — 85,000
Lee Watkinson — 45,000
Diego Cordovez — 25,000
Jeff Shulman — BUSTED
Tony Dunst — BUSTED

Notables Eliminated:

Eugene Katchalov
Roland de Wolfe
William Thorson
Michael Benvenuti
Beth Shak
Maxim Lykov
Kenny Tran

Hands:

Kenny Tran Eliminated

Kenny Tran got the last of his chips into the middle with K Q and and his opponent held K 6 with a flop that read Q 4 3 sat on the table.

The turn and river fell 9 and 9 and Tran was eliminated from the tournament.

Featured Poker Tweet — Joe Hachem

Thomas Keller Doubles Up

The flop read 10 9 7 when Thomas Keller bet 4,500. Lyle Berman raised to 22,000 and Keller reraised all in for 57,825. Berman made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Keller: 10 8
Berman: K J

Turn and River: 6 and A

Berman lost the hand and his stack fell to 62,000. Keller doubled up on the hand to 127,000.

Maxim Lykov Eliminated by Garry Gates

Garry Gates raised to 1,400 preflop and Maxim Lykov reraised all in for 18,000. Gates made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Lykov: J 10
Gates: A K

Board: A-J-8-8-10

Gates won the hand to grow his stack to 100,000 and Lykov was eliminated on the hand.

Featured Poker Tweet — Matt Stout

Player Tags: Thomas Keller,   Lyle Berman,   Kenny Tran,   Joe Hachem,   Matt Stout,   Maxim Lykov,   Garry Gates

Final Table Update: Thomas Keller Eliminated in Third Place

Jun 09, '09

Blinds: 50,000-100,000 with a 10,000 ante

Players Remaining: 2 out of 655

Chip Counts:

1. Fabian Quoss — 7,666,000
2. Brian Lemke — 2,150,000

Average Chip Count: 4,912,500

Notable Eliminations:

3. Thomas Keller – $280,852

Elimination Hands:

Thomas Keller Eliminated in Third Place ($280,852)

Thomas Keller limped from the small blind preflop and Fabian Quoss raised to 240,000 from the small blind. Keller reraised all in and Quoss made the call. Their cards:

Keller: QJ
Quoss: AA

Board: 55243

Quoss won the hand to grow his stack to 7,666,000 heading into heads-up play and Keller was eliminated in second place.

Player Tags: Thomas Keller,   Fabian Quoss

$10,000 Main Event - Day 5 - Level 20

Jul 12, '08

Blinds: 6,000/12,000 with 2,000 ante

Players Left: 164 of 6844

Chip Leaders:
Cristian Dragomir - 2,800,000
Brandon Cantu - 2,200,000
Nikolay Losev - 2,100,000
David Benefield - 2,000,000
Felix Osterland - 1,800,000
Chris Crilly - 1,800,000
Albert Kim - 1,800,000
Reagan Silber - 1,800,000
Andrew Rosskamm - 1,800,000
Victor Ramdin - 1,750,000

Eliminations:
James Mills
Lou Esposito
Chad Layne
Charles Dolan
Helge Pedersen

Big Hands/Storylines

Hellmuth Can Dodge Mullets, Baby!

Following a flop of 654, Phil Hellmuth and Barry Leventhal checked and the button bet 75,000. Hellmuth made the call and then Leventhal moved all in for an additional 399,000. The button folded and then the action was on Hellmuth, who had Leventhal covered by only 100,000 or so. While Hellmuth debated a call, Leventhal, a large man with a mullet and a heavy Brooklyn accent, talked nonstop. He even shouted out, "Honey, I'm all in," which Hellmuth had done to his wife just a short time earlier. Hellmuth even flashed his cards to Gus Hansen when he walked by. Finally he folded Q7 face up, shocking the players at his table and players at other tables who had stopped by to watch.

Keller Cracks Aces

Thomas Keller didn’t realize how thin he was drawing, but he still managed to get the best of Alan Gould. Keller was all-in for 160,000 with K10, but found himself up against pocket aces. He was then up against a set when the flop came A63. But the Q on the turn gave Keller four outs, and the J on the river proved to be one of them, as Keller filled his straight and remained alive in the tourney.

Kings for Karle

It must have been music to Karle Wilson’s ears. James Mills announced all-in for 210,000, and two players to the left, Wilson woke up with KK. He made the call and everyone else folded. Mills held 88, but he was even further behind after the flop came KQ10, giving Wilson a set. The 4 on the turn and 6 on the river completed the board and Mills was sent to the rails.

Vos Draws to a Winner

Mark Vos was in the cut-off and raised to 32,000, and was called by Cornel Pazai in the big blind. The flop came QJ5, and after Pazai checked, Vos bet 40,000. Pazai then check-raised to 80,000 total, at which point Vos sent a two-fisted stack of orange chips to the center of the table to force Pazai all-in. Pazai did make the decision for about 250,000 and showed J9 for middle pair. Vos tabled K2 for the flush draw, and filled it on the turn with the 8. The 3 on the river ended the day for Pazai.

Chino Rheem’s Check and Raise Takes One Away from Buzgon

Dan Buzgon open raised to a total of 34,000 after the action folded to him in the cut-off.  Christian Dragomir called from the button, as did Chino Rheem from the big blind.  The three players saw a flop of A104, and Rheem checked.  Buzgon made a bet of 68,000 and Dragomir folded.  Rheem check-raised an additional 121,000, and Buzgon went into the tank.  Buzgon eventually released his hand, and Rheem won the pot.

Four-of-a-Kind Adds to Dragomir’s Stack

On a board of Q743, Chino Rheem checked to Christian Dragomir who fired a bet of 165,000 into the pot.  Rheem made the call and the dealer put down the 4 on the river.  Again Rheem checked and this time Dragomir put in a bet of 265,000.  Rheem quickly called and Dragomir excitedly turned over 44 for four-of-a-kind.  As the large pot was pushed to Dragomir, Rheem showed that he held pocket eights.  The pot put Dragomir’s stack to over 2.8 million in chips, making him the current tournament leader.

Another Big Hit for Chino Rheem

Chino Rheem made it 32,000 to go from middle position, and the action folded to Sean Davis in the small blind.  Davis made the call, and the two players saw a flop of KK4.  Davis checked, allowing Rheem to make a bet of 32,000 which was called by Davis.  The turn brought the K, and this time Davis led out for 100,000.  Rheem announced a raise and counted out an additional 150,000.  Davis made the call, and both players checked when the 10 fell on the river.  Davis turned over JdJc, and Rheem mucked his cards.  Rheem lost over half a million in chips during one orbit.

Player Tags: Thomas Keller,   Phil Hellmuth,   Mark Vos,   Daniel Buzgon,   Cristian Dragomir

Main Event - Day 4 - Level 18

Jul 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 4,000-8,000-1,000

Players Remaining: 239 of 6,844

Average Chip Stack: 567,9670

Eliminations:

Alan Jaffray
Eric Tom
Marco Marcon

Big Hands and Storylines:  

Nicholas Sliwinski Eliminates Phongthep Thiptinnakon

Action folded around to Phongthep Thiptinnakon who moved in for 115,000. Action folded to Nicholas Sliwinski in the big blind. He insta-called and showed AK. Thiptinnakon’s KQ was dominated and when the board came A647A he was eliminated. That infusion of chips lifts Sliwinski to almost 800,000.

Ylon Schwartz Joins The Million Chip Club

On a board of JJ7, Edward Roger had to decide whether or not to call Ylon Schwartz’s bet of 309,000. After quiet and careful deliberation, Roger made the call. The two showed their hands:

Schwartz: QQ
Roger: 88

The turn was the J, sealing the hand for Schwarz. With that pot, Schwartz jumps to just over one million in chips. Roger is still more than healthy with about 750,000.

David Saab Hits Alan Jaffray Hard

An important hand occurred in the last level that we just got wind of via David Saab:

Action folded around to Helge Pederen in the cutoff who raised to 18,000. Alan Jaffray called on the button. David Saab, in the small blind, made it 60k to go after a bit of hesitation. Pedersen laid down his hand and action was back on Jaffray. Jaffray, perhaps suspicious of Saab (who had squeezed earlier), raised to 300k. Saab then moved all-in for another 500,000 and Jaffray made the call. Saab showed A-K and his hand held up against Jaffray’s A-9 offsuit. That hand decimated Jaffray’s stack, and he would be eliminated a short time later.

Saab now sits as one of the chip leaders with 1.7 million.

'Raptor' Swoops in for a Monster

David “Raptor” Benefield swept in with such precision, Eric Tom never knew what hit him. There was a raise to 24,000 from a player in early position, and Tom smooth-called from middle position. The player in front of the cut-off made the call as well, and Benefield in the small blind called to create a four-way pot, as James McManus in the big blind folded. The flop came 875, and after two checks, Tom stepped out for 100,000. Play was folded to Benefield, who called. The J hit the turn, and after Benefield checked, Tom announced all-in for 320,000. Benefield snap-called and showed the bad news – 96 in his hand for the nut straight plus a flush draw. Tom, with his QQ, was drawing dead as the 3 hit the river, and Benefield scooped in the monster 980,000 pot. 

Queens Work for Qiu

Unlike Tom, the red ladies worked for Andrew Qiu. He was all-in for 149,000 with QQ against the AK of Terry Lade. The board ran out 95329 and Qiu doubled up.

Billirakis Bounces Marcon

Marco Marcon announced all-in from middle position for 113,000, and play was folded to Steve Billarakis in the small blind who made the call. Marcon held 77 while Billirakis held A10. Marcon watched as an ace flopped, coming A99, and never caught up with the 8 on the turn and 2 on the river.

Matusow Doubles Through Keller with Aces

On a flop of 983, Mike Matusow shipped in his remaining 271,000 into a pot already containing over 100,000 in chips.  His opponent, Thomas Keller, went into the tank and deliberated for several minutes while considering his options.  After counting out the necessary amount for a call, Keller announced as much and turned over 1010.  Matusow stood up and pumped his fists into the air as he flipped over AA.  After Matusow settled down, the dealer put down the K on the turn.  “A jack would have been more interesting,” commented Gus Hansen, who wandered over from his nearby table to watch the action and brought a burst of laughter from the spectators.  “I mean, for me.  I’m just passing by,” he added.  The 2 fell on the river, and Matusow won a large pot bringing his stack to almost 700,000.  Keller was crippled and left with under 200,000 in chips.

Cantu bluffs to take down huge pot of over 700k

With the board 1010Q2, the small blind checked and then Brandon Cantu bet 125,000 from the button. The small blind thought it over for a long time before raising to 275,000. Cantu immediately asked how many chips he had left. When he heard about 350,000 he moved all in. The small blind folded and Cantu jumped out of his seat and flipped over AJ. Mike Matusow, who recently doubled up, turned around and took a look at the table. "Did you check-raise bluff Brandon?" Matusow asked. "You should have moved all in then. You have no idea how sick he is?"

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Thomas Keller,   Ylon Schwartz,   Steve Billirakis,   Eric Tom,   Brandon Cantu,   David Benefield,   David Saab,   Alan Jaffray

$10,000 Main Event - Lieu Doubles Up

Jul 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Left: 1,071 of 2,378

Chip Leaders:

Peter Biebel: 380,000
Alex Outhred: 315,000
Steve Lade: 290,000
Darryl Ronconi: 290,000
Evan Woodington: 265,000
Steve Chung: 260,000
Henning Granstad: 255,000
Mohamad Kowssarie: 250,000
Chad Layne: 240,000
Andy Wrtek: 230,000

Big Hands:

"Double Up Time"

On a flop of K97, Liz Lieu checked and the player in seat 8 bet 8,000. Liu raised (check-raise) all in for 20,000. Seat 8 tanked for a minute before making the call. Both players turned over their cards.

Lieu: KJ
Seat 8: AJ

Lieu got it in with top pair against ace-high, and the turn and river brought the 3 and the 4. Lieu's kings held up as she doubled up to just about 50,000 after the hand.

Bernard Lee Eliminated

On a board of J623, Bernard Lee bet 9,600 and the player in seat 9 raised to 30,000. Lee came over the top and moved all in for 70,000, seat 9 made the call. Lee turned over 52 for the flush, but seat 9 showed A7 for the ace-high flush. Lee wasn't quite drawing dead on the turn, he would need to catch the 4 on the river to make the straight flush and double through his opponent. The river brought the 10, and Bernard Lee was eliminated from the main event.  

Gordon Gets Bigger

On the flop of a board reading 643, action checked around to Phil Gordon in the cutoff, who made a large bet of 15,000. The player in the small blind thought for some time before moving all in. Gordon quickly pushed in a call, showing 44 and crushing his opponent's 33. The turn was the J, leading Gordon to call for another spade for the chop. The river instead brought the 5, sending the pot across the felt to Gordon and sending the player in the small blind home. Gordon was up over 165,000 after the hand.

A few hands later, Gordon lost a few of those chips when he and fellow pro John D'Agostino both called a short stacked player's raise all-in before the flop. D'Agostino and Gordon both checked down the entire board, which ran out QJ1022. The short stacked player, sitting in seat 6, flipped over AK for the flopped nut straight. D'Agostino and Gordon both mucked their cards. Even after the triple up, seat 6 sat behind only around 7,000 in chips.

Thunder Gets Rolled

The player in seat 8 raised to 3,300 from late position and action folded to Thomas "Thunder" Keller in the big blind. Keller asked his opponent what he had left (33,200). Keller then raised to 12,000 and seat 8 immediately moved all in for 21,200 more. Keller thought for a couple of seconds before making the call and turning over AQ. Seat 8 rolled over QQ, dominating Keller's hand. The flop brought the case queen as it fell Q84. Keller needed running aces to win the pot. But the turn brought the J, leaving Keller drawing dead. The A was an added kick to the groin, giving Keller a worthless two pair. Keller was down to 121,000 after the hand.

Billirakis Makes a Move, Takes a Hit

Steve "MrSmokey1" Billirakis limped under the gun along with 3 others and the flop came 1087. Action was checked to Billirakis who bet 3,500. Seat 7 then check-raised to 10,000. Billirakis had his opponent covered and eyed seat 7's chips. He eventually announced he was all in, putting his opponent to the ultimate test. The pressure definitely made seat 7 uncomfortable, as he adjusted in his seat and sighed while thinking what to do. After some deliberation, he said he called and Billirakis showed 92 for the open-ended straight draw and flush draw. Seat 7 slammed down 88 happily and pumped his fist. The turn brought the 10, sending seat 7 into a celebration-mode because he made a full house, leaving Billirakis drawing dead. The river was a meaningless 2 and Billirakis lost nearly 100,000 in the hand, dropping to around 115,000.

A Table Worth Watching

Talk about a fun table. Teddy "Iceman" Monroe has just joined the table already featuring Bryan Micon, who announced, "It'  the Iceman!" as Monroe took his seat.

Micon Knows What Cards You Have

Bryan Micon raised to 2,500 from late position and was called by the player in seat 2, who was in the big blind. On a flop of KQ2, the big blind checked to Micon, who fired out 2,300. Seat 2 thought it over and stared at Micon. Micon smiled back and the big blind cracked a smile as well. He eventually called and when the 7 hit on the turn the big blind instantly moved all in for 7,800 more. "So sick," Micon said. "I know exactly what you have." Micon mucked his cards and told his opponent that he had a pair. His opponent said he could beat that.

Bellande Ready To Push

After grabbing a stack of chips Jean-Robert Bellande eye-balled the under the gun player who had just limped into the pot. Bellande elected to just limp in as well, and when the flop came out there were 6 players who had done so. The flop came Q106 and the player in the big blind led out for 2,300. Action folded to Bellande who announced a raise and made it 10,000 more to go. Action folded around back to seat 3 who thought briefly before mucking. Bellande said that he had a hand this time. "I was going all in," he said. "I had middle pair with the flush draw and I was ready."

Player Tags: John D'Agostino,   Phil Gordon,   Thomas Keller,   Bernard Lee,   Liz Liu

$10,000 Main Event - Day 5 - Level 20

Jul 12, '08

Blinds: 6,000/12,000 with 2,000 ante

Players Left: 164 of 6844

Chip Leaders:
Cristian Dragomir - 2,800,000
Brandon Cantu - 2,200,000
Nikolay Losev - 2,100,000
David Benefield - 2,000,000
Felix Osterland - 1,800,000
Chris Crilly - 1,800,000
Albert Kim - 1,800,000
Reagan Silber - 1,800,000
Andrew Rosskamm - 1,800,000
Victor Ramdin - 1,750,000

Eliminations:
James Mills
Lou Esposito
Chad Layne
Charles Dolan
Helge Pedersen

Big Hands/Storylines

Hellmuth Can Dodge Mullets, Baby!

Following a flop of 654, Phil Hellmuth and Barry Leventhal checked and the button bet 75,000. Hellmuth made the call and then Leventhal moved all in for an additional 399,000. The button folded and then the action was on Hellmuth, who had Leventhal covered by only 100,000 or so. While Hellmuth debated a call, Leventhal, a large man with a mullet and a heavy Brooklyn accent, talked nonstop. He even shouted out, "Honey, I'm all in," which Hellmuth had done to his wife just a short time earlier. Hellmuth even flashed his cards to Gus Hansen when he walked by. Finally he folded Q7 face up, shocking the players at his table and players at other tables who had stopped by to watch.

Keller Cracks Aces

Thomas Keller didn’t realize how thin he was drawing, but he still managed to get the best of Alan Gould. Keller was all-in for 160,000 with K10, but found himself up against pocket aces. He was then up against a set when the flop came A63. But the Q on the turn gave Keller four outs, and the J on the river proved to be one of them, as Keller filled his straight and remained alive in the tourney.

Kings for Karle

It must have been music to Karle Wilson’s ears. James Mills announced all-in for 210,000, and two players to the left, Wilson woke up with KK. He made the call and everyone else folded. Mills held 88, but he was even further behind after the flop came KQ10, giving Wilson a set. The 4 on the turn and 6 on the river completed the board and Mills was sent to the rails.

Vos Draws to a Winner

Mark Vos was in the cut-off and raised to 32,000, and was called by Cornel Pazai in the big blind. The flop came QJ5, and after Pazai checked, Vos bet 40,000. Pazai then check-raised to 80,000 total, at which point Vos sent a two-fisted stack of orange chips to the center of the table to force Pazai all-in. Pazai did make the decision for about 250,000 and showed J9 for middle pair. Vos tabled K2 for the flush draw, and filled it on the turn with the 8. The 3 on the river ended the day for Pazai.

Chino Rheem’s Check and Raise Takes One Away from Buzgon

Dan Buzgon open raised to a total of 34,000 after the action folded to him in the cut-off.  Christian Dragomir called from the button, as did Chino Rheem from the big blind.  The three players saw a flop of A104, and Rheem checked.  Buzgon made a bet of 68,000 and Dragomir folded.  Rheem check-raised an additional 121,000, and Buzgon went into the tank.  Buzgon eventually released his hand, and Rheem won the pot.

Four-of-a-Kind Adds to Dragomir’s Stack

On a board of Q743, Chino Rheem checked to Christian Dragomir who fired a bet of 165,000 into the pot.  Rheem made the call and the dealer put down the 4 on the river.  Again Rheem checked and this time Dragomir put in a bet of 265,000.  Rheem quickly called and Dragomir excitedly turned over 44 for four-of-a-kind.  As the large pot was pushed to Dragomir, Rheem showed that he held pocket eights.  The pot put Dragomir’s stack to over 2.8 million in chips, making him the current tournament leader.

Another Big Hit for Chino Rheem

Chino Rheem made it 32,000 to go from middle position, and the action folded to Sean Davis in the small blind.  Davis made the call, and the two players saw a flop of KK4.  Davis checked, allowing Rheem to make a bet of 32,000 which was called by Davis.  The turn brought the K, and this time Davis led out for 100,000.  Rheem announced a raise and counted out an additional 150,000.  Davis made the call, and both players checked when the 10 fell on the river.  Davis turned over JdJc, and Rheem mucked his cards.  Rheem lost over half a million in chips during one orbit.

Player Tags: Thomas Keller,   Phil Hellmuth,   Mark Vos,   Daniel Buzgon,   Cristian Dragomir

Main Event - Day 4 - Level 18

Jul 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 4,000-8,000-1,000

Players Remaining: 239 of 6,844

Average Chip Stack: 567,9670

Eliminations:

Alan Jaffray
Eric Tom
Marco Marcon

Big Hands and Storylines:  

Nicholas Sliwinski Eliminates Phongthep Thiptinnakon

Action folded around to Phongthep Thiptinnakon who moved in for 115,000. Action folded to Nicholas Sliwinski in the big blind. He insta-called and showed AK. Thiptinnakon’s KQ was dominated and when the board came A647A he was eliminated. That infusion of chips lifts Sliwinski to almost 800,000.

Ylon Schwartz Joins The Million Chip Club

On a board of JJ7, Edward Roger had to decide whether or not to call Ylon Schwartz’s bet of 309,000. After quiet and careful deliberation, Roger made the call. The two showed their hands:

Schwartz: QQ
Roger: 88

The turn was the J, sealing the hand for Schwarz. With that pot, Schwartz jumps to just over one million in chips. Roger is still more than healthy with about 750,000.

David Saab Hits Alan Jaffray Hard

An important hand occurred in the last level that we just got wind of via David Saab:

Action folded around to Helge Pederen in the cutoff who raised to 18,000. Alan Jaffray called on the button. David Saab, in the small blind, made it 60k to go after a bit of hesitation. Pedersen laid down his hand and action was back on Jaffray. Jaffray, perhaps suspicious of Saab (who had squeezed earlier), raised to 300k. Saab then moved all-in for another 500,000 and Jaffray made the call. Saab showed A-K and his hand held up against Jaffray’s A-9 offsuit. That hand decimated Jaffray’s stack, and he would be eliminated a short time later.

Saab now sits as one of the chip leaders with 1.7 million.

'Raptor' Swoops in for a Monster

David “Raptor” Benefield swept in with such precision, Eric Tom never knew what hit him. There was a raise to 24,000 from a player in early position, and Tom smooth-called from middle position. The player in front of the cut-off made the call as well, and Benefield in the small blind called to create a four-way pot, as James McManus in the big blind folded. The flop came 875, and after two checks, Tom stepped out for 100,000. Play was folded to Benefield, who called. The J hit the turn, and after Benefield checked, Tom announced all-in for 320,000. Benefield snap-called and showed the bad news – 96 in his hand for the nut straight plus a flush draw. Tom, with his QQ, was drawing dead as the 3 hit the river, and Benefield scooped in the monster 980,000 pot. 

Queens Work for Qiu

Unlike Tom, the red ladies worked for Andrew Qiu. He was all-in for 149,000 with QQ against the AK of Terry Lade. The board ran out 95329 and Qiu doubled up.

Billirakis Bounces Marcon

Marco Marcon announced all-in from middle position for 113,000, and play was folded to Steve Billarakis in the small blind who made the call. Marcon held 77 while Billirakis held A10. Marcon watched as an ace flopped, coming A99, and never caught up with the 8 on the turn and 2 on the river.

Matusow Doubles Through Keller with Aces

On a flop of 983, Mike Matusow shipped in his remaining 271,000 into a pot already containing over 100,000 in chips.  His opponent, Thomas Keller, went into the tank and deliberated for several minutes while considering his options.  After counting out the necessary amount for a call, Keller announced as much and turned over 1010.  Matusow stood up and pumped his fists into the air as he flipped over AA.  After Matusow settled down, the dealer put down the K on the turn.  “A jack would have been more interesting,” commented Gus Hansen, who wandered over from his nearby table to watch the action and brought a burst of laughter from the spectators.  “I mean, for me.  I’m just passing by,” he added.  The 2 fell on the river, and Matusow won a large pot bringing his stack to almost 700,000.  Keller was crippled and left with under 200,000 in chips.

Cantu bluffs to take down huge pot of over 700k

With the board 1010Q2, the small blind checked and then Brandon Cantu bet 125,000 from the button. The small blind thought it over for a long time before raising to 275,000. Cantu immediately asked how many chips he had left. When he heard about 350,000 he moved all in. The small blind folded and Cantu jumped out of his seat and flipped over AJ. Mike Matusow, who recently doubled up, turned around and took a look at the table. "Did you check-raise bluff Brandon?" Matusow asked. "You should have moved all in then. You have no idea how sick he is?"

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Thomas Keller,   Ylon Schwartz,   Steve Billirakis,   Eric Tom,   Brandon Cantu,   David Benefield,   David Saab,   Alan Jaffray

$10,000 Main Event - Lieu Doubles Up

Jul 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Left: 1,071 of 2,378

Chip Leaders:

Peter Biebel: 380,000
Alex Outhred: 315,000
Steve Lade: 290,000
Darryl Ronconi: 290,000
Evan Woodington: 265,000
Steve Chung: 260,000
Henning Granstad: 255,000
Mohamad Kowssarie: 250,000
Chad Layne: 240,000
Andy Wrtek: 230,000

Big Hands:

"Double Up Time"

On a flop of K97, Liz Lieu checked and the player in seat 8 bet 8,000. Liu raised (check-raise) all in for 20,000. Seat 8 tanked for a minute before making the call. Both players turned over their cards.

Lieu: KJ
Seat 8: AJ

Lieu got it in with top pair against ace-high, and the turn and river brought the 3 and the 4. Lieu's kings held up as she doubled up to just about 50,000 after the hand.

Bernard Lee Eliminated

On a board of J623, Bernard Lee bet 9,600 and the player in seat 9 raised to 30,000. Lee came over the top and moved all in for 70,000, seat 9 made the call. Lee turned over 52 for the flush, but seat 9 showed A7 for the ace-high flush. Lee wasn't quite drawing dead on the turn, he would need to catch the 4 on the river to make the straight flush and double through his opponent. The river brought the 10, and Bernard Lee was eliminated from the main event.  

Gordon Gets Bigger

On the flop of a board reading 643, action checked around to Phil Gordon in the cutoff, who made a large bet of 15,000. The player in the small blind thought for some time before moving all in. Gordon quickly pushed in a call, showing 44 and crushing his opponent's 33. The turn was the J, leading Gordon to call for another spade for the chop. The river instead brought the 5, sending the pot across the felt to Gordon and sending the player in the small blind home. Gordon was up over 165,000 after the hand.

A few hands later, Gordon lost a few of those chips when he and fellow pro John D'Agostino both called a short stacked player's raise all-in before the flop. D'Agostino and Gordon both checked down the entire board, which ran out QJ1022. The short stacked player, sitting in seat 6, flipped over AK for the flopped nut straight. D'Agostino and Gordon both mucked their cards. Even after the triple up, seat 6 sat behind only around 7,000 in chips.

Thunder Gets Rolled

The player in seat 8 raised to 3,300 from late position and action folded to Thomas "Thunder" Keller in the big blind. Keller asked his opponent what he had left (33,200). Keller then raised to 12,000 and seat 8 immediately moved all in for 21,200 more. Keller thought for a couple of seconds before making the call and turning over AQ. Seat 8 rolled over QQ, dominating Keller's hand. The flop brought the case queen as it fell Q84. Keller needed running aces to win the pot. But the turn brought the J, leaving Keller drawing dead. The A was an added kick to the groin, giving Keller a worthless two pair. Keller was down to 121,000 after the hand.

Billirakis Makes a Move, Takes a Hit

Steve "MrSmokey1" Billirakis limped under the gun along with 3 others and the flop came 1087. Action was checked to Billirakis who bet 3,500. Seat 7 then check-raised to 10,000. Billirakis had his opponent covered and eyed seat 7's chips. He eventually announced he was all in, putting his opponent to the ultimate test. The pressure definitely made seat 7 uncomfortable, as he adjusted in his seat and sighed while thinking what to do. After some deliberation, he said he called and Billirakis showed 92 for the open-ended straight draw and flush draw. Seat 7 slammed down 88 happily and pumped his fist. The turn brought the 10, sending seat 7 into a celebration-mode because he made a full house, leaving Billirakis drawing dead. The river was a meaningless 2 and Billirakis lost nearly 100,000 in the hand, dropping to around 115,000.

A Table Worth Watching

Talk about a fun table. Teddy "Iceman" Monroe has just joined the table already featuring Bryan Micon, who announced, "It'  the Iceman!" as Monroe took his seat.

Micon Knows What Cards You Have

Bryan Micon raised to 2,500 from late position and was called by the player in seat 2, who was in the big blind. On a flop of KQ2, the big blind checked to Micon, who fired out 2,300. Seat 2 thought it over and stared at Micon. Micon smiled back and the big blind cracked a smile as well. He eventually called and when the 7 hit on the turn the big blind instantly moved all in for 7,800 more. "So sick," Micon said. "I know exactly what you have." Micon mucked his cards and told his opponent that he had a pair. His opponent said he could beat that.

Bellande Ready To Push

After grabbing a stack of chips Jean-Robert Bellande eye-balled the under the gun player who had just limped into the pot. Bellande elected to just limp in as well, and when the flop came out there were 6 players who had done so. The flop came Q106 and the player in the big blind led out for 2,300. Action folded to Bellande who announced a raise and made it 10,000 more to go. Action folded around back to seat 3 who thought briefly before mucking. Bellande said that he had a hand this time. "I was going all in," he said. "I had middle pair with the flush draw and I was ready."

Player Tags: John D'Agostino,   Phil Gordon,   Thomas Keller,   Bernard Lee,   Liz Liu

$10,000 Main Event - Day 5 - Level 20

Jul 12, '08

Blinds: 6,000/12,000 with 2,000 ante

Players Left: 164 of 6844

Chip Leaders:
Cristian Dragomir - 2,800,000
Brandon Cantu - 2,200,000
Nikolay Losev - 2,100,000
David Benefield - 2,000,000
Felix Osterland - 1,800,000
Chris Crilly - 1,800,000
Albert Kim - 1,800,000
Reagan Silber - 1,800,000
Andrew Rosskamm - 1,800,000
Victor Ramdin - 1,750,000

Eliminations:
James Mills
Lou Esposito
Chad Layne
Charles Dolan
Helge Pedersen

Big Hands/Storylines

Hellmuth Can Dodge Mullets, Baby!

Following a flop of 654, Phil Hellmuth and Barry Leventhal checked and the button bet 75,000. Hellmuth made the call and then Leventhal moved all in for an additional 399,000. The button folded and then the action was on Hellmuth, who had Leventhal covered by only 100,000 or so. While Hellmuth debated a call, Leventhal, a large man with a mullet and a heavy Brooklyn accent, talked nonstop. He even shouted out, "Honey, I'm all in," which Hellmuth had done to his wife just a short time earlier. Hellmuth even flashed his cards to Gus Hansen when he walked by. Finally he folded Q7 face up, shocking the players at his table and players at other tables who had stopped by to watch.

Keller Cracks Aces

Thomas Keller didn’t realize how thin he was drawing, but he still managed to get the best of Alan Gould. Keller was all-in for 160,000 with K10, but found himself up against pocket aces. He was then up against a set when the flop came A63. But the Q on the turn gave Keller four outs, and the J on the river proved to be one of them, as Keller filled his straight and remained alive in the tourney.

Kings for Karle

It must have been music to Karle Wilson’s ears. James Mills announced all-in for 210,000, and two players to the left, Wilson woke up with KK. He made the call and everyone else folded. Mills held 88, but he was even further behind after the flop came KQ10, giving Wilson a set. The 4 on the turn and 6 on the river completed the board and Mills was sent to the rails.

Vos Draws to a Winner

Mark Vos was in the cut-off and raised to 32,000, and was called by Cornel Pazai in the big blind. The flop came QJ5, and after Pazai checked, Vos bet 40,000. Pazai then check-raised to 80,000 total, at which point Vos sent a two-fisted stack of orange chips to the center of the table to force Pazai all-in. Pazai did make the decision for about 250,000 and showed J9 for middle pair. Vos tabled K2 for the flush draw, and filled it on the turn with the 8. The 3 on the river ended the day for Pazai.

Chino Rheem’s Check and Raise Takes One Away from Buzgon

Dan Buzgon open raised to a total of 34,000 after the action folded to him in the cut-off.  Christian Dragomir called from the button, as did Chino Rheem from the big blind.  The three players saw a flop of A104, and Rheem checked.  Buzgon made a bet of 68,000 and Dragomir folded.  Rheem check-raised an additional 121,000, and Buzgon went into the tank.  Buzgon eventually released his hand, and Rheem won the pot.

Four-of-a-Kind Adds to Dragomir’s Stack

On a board of Q743, Chino Rheem checked to Christian Dragomir who fired a bet of 165,000 into the pot.  Rheem made the call and the dealer put down the 4 on the river.  Again Rheem checked and this time Dragomir put in a bet of 265,000.  Rheem quickly called and Dragomir excitedly turned over 44 for four-of-a-kind.  As the large pot was pushed to Dragomir, Rheem showed that he held pocket eights.  The pot put Dragomir’s stack to over 2.8 million in chips, making him the current tournament leader.

Another Big Hit for Chino Rheem

Chino Rheem made it 32,000 to go from middle position, and the action folded to Sean Davis in the small blind.  Davis made the call, and the two players saw a flop of KK4.  Davis checked, allowing Rheem to make a bet of 32,000 which was called by Davis.  The turn brought the K, and this time Davis led out for 100,000.  Rheem announced a raise and counted out an additional 150,000.  Davis made the call, and both players checked when the 10 fell on the river.  Davis turned over JdJc, and Rheem mucked his cards.  Rheem lost over half a million in chips during one orbit.

Player Tags: Thomas Keller,   Phil Hellmuth,   Mark Vos,   Daniel Buzgon,   Cristian Dragomir

Main Event - Day 4 - Level 18

Jul 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 4,000-8,000-1,000

Players Remaining: 239 of 6,844

Average Chip Stack: 567,9670

Eliminations:

Alan Jaffray
Eric Tom
Marco Marcon

Big Hands and Storylines:  

Nicholas Sliwinski Eliminates Phongthep Thiptinnakon

Action folded around to Phongthep Thiptinnakon who moved in for 115,000. Action folded to Nicholas Sliwinski in the big blind. He insta-called and showed AK. Thiptinnakon’s KQ was dominated and when the board came A647A he was eliminated. That infusion of chips lifts Sliwinski to almost 800,000.

Ylon Schwartz Joins The Million Chip Club

On a board of JJ7, Edward Roger had to decide whether or not to call Ylon Schwartz’s bet of 309,000. After quiet and careful deliberation, Roger made the call. The two showed their hands:

Schwartz: QQ
Roger: 88

The turn was the J, sealing the hand for Schwarz. With that pot, Schwartz jumps to just over one million in chips. Roger is still more than healthy with about 750,000.

David Saab Hits Alan Jaffray Hard

An important hand occurred in the last level that we just got wind of via David Saab:

Action folded around to Helge Pederen in the cutoff who raised to 18,000. Alan Jaffray called on the button. David Saab, in the small blind, made it 60k to go after a bit of hesitation. Pedersen laid down his hand and action was back on Jaffray. Jaffray, perhaps suspicious of Saab (who had squeezed earlier), raised to 300k. Saab then moved all-in for another 500,000 and Jaffray made the call. Saab showed A-K and his hand held up against Jaffray’s A-9 offsuit. That hand decimated Jaffray’s stack, and he would be eliminated a short time later.

Saab now sits as one of the chip leaders with 1.7 million.

'Raptor' Swoops in for a Monster

David “Raptor” Benefield swept in with such precision, Eric Tom never knew what hit him. There was a raise to 24,000 from a player in early position, and Tom smooth-called from middle position. The player in front of the cut-off made the call as well, and Benefield in the small blind called to create a four-way pot, as James McManus in the big blind folded. The flop came 875, and after two checks, Tom stepped out for 100,000. Play was folded to Benefield, who called. The J hit the turn, and after Benefield checked, Tom announced all-in for 320,000. Benefield snap-called and showed the bad news – 96 in his hand for the nut straight plus a flush draw. Tom, with his QQ, was drawing dead as the 3 hit the river, and Benefield scooped in the monster 980,000 pot. 

Queens Work for Qiu

Unlike Tom, the red ladies worked for Andrew Qiu. He was all-in for 149,000 with QQ against the AK of Terry Lade. The board ran out 95329 and Qiu doubled up.

Billirakis Bounces Marcon

Marco Marcon announced all-in from middle position for 113,000, and play was folded to Steve Billarakis in the small blind who made the call. Marcon held 77 while Billirakis held A10. Marcon watched as an ace flopped, coming A99, and never caught up with the 8 on the turn and 2 on the river.

Matusow Doubles Through Keller with Aces

On a flop of 983, Mike Matusow shipped in his remaining 271,000 into a pot already containing over 100,000 in chips.  His opponent, Thomas Keller, went into the tank and deliberated for several minutes while considering his options.  After counting out the necessary amount for a call, Keller announced as much and turned over 1010.  Matusow stood up and pumped his fists into the air as he flipped over AA.  After Matusow settled down, the dealer put down the K on the turn.  “A jack would have been more interesting,” commented Gus Hansen, who wandered over from his nearby table to watch the action and brought a burst of laughter from the spectators.  “I mean, for me.  I’m just passing by,” he added.  The 2 fell on the river, and Matusow won a large pot bringing his stack to almost 700,000.  Keller was crippled and left with under 200,000 in chips.

Cantu bluffs to take down huge pot of over 700k

With the board 1010Q2, the small blind checked and then Brandon Cantu bet 125,000 from the button. The small blind thought it over for a long time before raising to 275,000. Cantu immediately asked how many chips he had left. When he heard about 350,000 he moved all in. The small blind folded and Cantu jumped out of his seat and flipped over AJ. Mike Matusow, who recently doubled up, turned around and took a look at the table. "Did you check-raise bluff Brandon?" Matusow asked. "You should have moved all in then. You have no idea how sick he is?"

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Thomas Keller,   Ylon Schwartz,   Steve Billirakis,   Eric Tom,   Brandon Cantu,   David Benefield,   David Saab,   Alan Jaffray

$10,000 Main Event - Lieu Doubles Up

Jul 09, '08

Blinds/Antes: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Left: 1,071 of 2,378

Chip Leaders:

Peter Biebel: 380,000
Alex Outhred: 315,000
Steve Lade: 290,000
Darryl Ronconi: 290,000
Evan Woodington: 265,000
Steve Chung: 260,000
Henning Granstad: 255,000
Mohamad Kowssarie: 250,000
Chad Layne: 240,000
Andy Wrtek: 230,000

Big Hands:

"Double Up Time"

On a flop of K97, Liz Lieu checked and the player in seat 8 bet 8,000. Liu raised (check-raise) all in for 20,000. Seat 8 tanked for a minute before making the call. Both players turned over their cards.

Lieu: KJ
Seat 8: AJ

Lieu got it in with top pair against ace-high, and the turn and river brought the 3 and the 4. Lieu's kings held up as she doubled up to just about 50,000 after the hand.

Bernard Lee Eliminated

On a board of J623, Bernard Lee bet 9,600 and the player in seat 9 raised to 30,000. Lee came over the top and moved all in for 70,000, seat 9 made the call. Lee turned over 52 for the flush, but seat 9 showed A7 for the ace-high flush. Lee wasn't quite drawing dead on the turn, he would need to catch the 4 on the river to make the straight flush and double through his opponent. The river brought the 10, and Bernard Lee was eliminated from the main event.  

Gordon Gets Bigger

On the flop of a board reading 643, action checked around to Phil Gordon in the cutoff, who made a large bet of 15,000. The player in the small blind thought for some time before moving all in. Gordon quickly pushed in a call, showing 44 and crushing his opponent's 33. The turn was the J, leading Gordon to call for another spade for the chop. The river instead brought the 5, sending the pot across the felt to Gordon and sending the player in the small blind home. Gordon was up over 165,000 after the hand.

A few hands later, Gordon lost a few of those chips when he and fellow pro John D'Agostino both called a short stacked player's raise all-in before the flop. D'Agostino and Gordon both checked down the entire board, which ran out QJ1022. The short stacked player, sitting in seat 6, flipped over AK for the flopped nut straight. D'Agostino and Gordon both mucked their cards. Even after the triple up, seat 6 sat behind only around 7,000 in chips.

Thunder Gets Rolled

The player in seat 8 raised to 3,300 from late position and action folded to Thomas "Thunder" Keller in the big blind. Keller asked his opponent what he had left (33,200). Keller then raised to 12,000 and seat 8 immediately moved all in for 21,200 more. Keller thought for a couple of seconds before making the call and turning over AQ. Seat 8 rolled over QQ, dominating Keller's hand. The flop brought the case queen as it fell Q84. Keller needed running aces to win the pot. But the turn brought the J, leaving Keller drawing dead. The A was an added kick to the groin, giving Keller a worthless two pair. Keller was down to 121,000 after the hand.

Billirakis Makes a Move, Takes a Hit

Steve "MrSmokey1" Billirakis limped under the gun along with 3 others and the flop came 1087. Action was checked to Billirakis who bet 3,500. Seat 7 then check-raised to 10,000. Billirakis had his opponent covered and eyed seat 7's chips. He eventually announced he was all in, putting his opponent to the ultimate test. The pressure definitely made seat 7 uncomfortable, as he adjusted in his seat and sighed while thinking what to do. After some deliberation, he said he called and Billirakis showed 92 for the open-ended straight draw and flush draw. Seat 7 slammed down 88 happily and pumped his fist. The turn brought the 10, sending seat 7 into a celebration-mode because he made a full house, leaving Billirakis drawing dead. The river was a meaningless 2 and Billirakis lost nearly 100,000 in the hand, dropping to around 115,000.

A Table Worth Watching

Talk about a fun table. Teddy "Iceman" Monroe has just joined the table already featuring Bryan Micon, who announced, "It'  the Iceman!" as Monroe took his seat.

Micon Knows What Cards You Have

Bryan Micon raised to 2,500 from late position and was called by the player in seat 2, who was in the big blind. On a flop of KQ2, the big blind checked to Micon, who fired out 2,300. Seat 2 thought it over and stared at Micon. Micon smiled back and the big blind cracked a smile as well. He eventually called and when the 7 hit on the turn the big blind instantly moved all in for 7,800 more. "So sick," Micon said. "I know exactly what you have." Micon mucked his cards and told his opponent that he had a pair. His opponent said he could beat that.

Bellande Ready To Push

After grabbing a stack of chips Jean-Robert Bellande eye-balled the under the gun player who had just limped into the pot. Bellande elected to just limp in as well, and when the flop came out there were 6 players who had done so. The flop came Q106 and the player in the big blind led out for 2,300. Action folded to Bellande who announced a raise and made it 10,000 more to go. Action folded around back to seat 3 who thought briefly before mucking. Bellande said that he had a hand this time. "I was going all in," he said. "I had middle pair with the flush draw and I was ready."

Player Tags: John D'Agostino,   Phil Gordon,   Thomas Keller,   Bernard Lee,   Liz Liu

Limit Hold 'Em Level 4

Jun 10, '08

Note: Players are now on a 30 minute break.

Blinds/Antes: 75-150 with 150-300 betting limits

Players Left: 380 of 480

Chip Leaders:

Ayaz Mahmood: 12,500
Alexander Kravchenko: 11,500
Daniel Makowsky: 10,375
Daniel Negreanu: 10,300
Stuart Patterson: 9,800
Brendan Taylor: 9,500
John Phan: 9,000
Farzad Rouhani: 7,700
Jimmy Shultz: 7,500
Vivek Rajkumar: 7,200

Eliminations: Humberto Brenes, Annie Duke

Big Hands:

Traniello's 3-Way

Three players, including Marco Traniello, called the big blind and saw a flop. It came 643. Action was checked to Traniello who bet 150. Seat 1 called and seat 2 raised to 300. Traniello three-bet to 450 and seat 1 had enough, mucking his hand. Seat 2 called and the turn was the A. Traniello bet 300 and his opponent called. The river was the 8 and Traniello bet again. His opponent made the call and Traniello showed QQ and his opponent mucked. Traniello's stack was around 11,000.

Thunder Gets Rolling

On a flop of KQ9, the player in seat 6 led out with 150 and Thomas "Thunder" Keller made the call. The turn was the 2 and Keller checked to his opponent, who bet 300. Keller made the call and the 3 came on the river. Both players checked and seat 6 showed 77. They were no good, however, as Keller showed 1010. He scooped up the pot and was around 7,000.

Rajkumar Amongst the Chip Leaders

After a flop of J97, Rajkumar bet 150 and his opponent raised to 300. Rajkumar would not stand for that nonsense and reraised to 450. His opponent called and the turn was the K. Rajkumar bet 300 and was called. On the 9 river, Rajkumar continued the trend, betting 300. His opponent folded and Rajkumar took the pot. He was at 7,200 after the pot.

Player Tags: Thomas Keller,   Marco Traniello,   Vivek Rajkumar

2,000 NLHE - Day 2 - Level 13

Jun 05, '08

Note: Players are back from break

Blinds/Antes: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 Ante Moving to 2,000-4,000 with a 500 Ante

Players Left: 77 of 1,592

Chip Leaders:

Manelic Minaya: 215,000
Kai Danilo Paulsen: 195,000
Pawel Andrzejewski: 188,000
Andre De Montesquiou: 165,000
Brent Roberts: 150,000
Dustin Woolf: 146,000
John Chadwick: 133,000
Nick Romano: 130,000
David Gent: 120,000
Mihai Manole: 118,000

Average Stack: 82,700

Eliminations: Thomas Keller

Big Hands:

Hear the Thunder Roll... Out

Thomas Keller had an average sized stack coming in from the break. But he lost a huge pot when his opponent's pocket 8's held on a board that showed two queens. Keller's stack was pounded down to just over 8,000.

Moments later, Keller pushed his short stack all in. His opponent in seat 8 came over the top for all of his chips, but no one else dared to call. Keller showed KQ while his opponent showed down 99. Keller was in his race car with two over cards, but his engine exploded when the flop came 975. The 2 on the turn sealed his fate and Keller was eliminated.

Woolf Gets Rivered

On a flop showing KQ4, seat 5 bet 6,000 and Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf called. The 8 hit on the turn and both players checked. On the river, the J fell and Woolf checked. His opponent fired out a bet this time and Woolf quickly called. His opponent showed A10 for a broadway straight on the river. Woolf tabled QJ for two pair. Despite the loss, Woolf was still at around 110,000.

John "The Tank" Phan

Phan is going to have to change his nickname from "Razor" to "Tank." He has been taking a lot of time making his decisions, to the amusement of the spectators and even some players at his table.

Pawel Andrzejewski raised to 8,000 preflop and Phan took ages to fold his big blind. Later, Ryan Franklin raised to 9,000 preflop and Phan again took ages to make his decision. Eventually, he decided to reraise to 28,000 total. Franklin mucked in far less time and Phan was at around 50,000.

The next time around on his big blind, Phan decided that thinking for ages was not enough. He had to add some spice to it, and what better way than to eat an apple while taking his time. Andrzejewski raised to 25,000 from the cutoff and Phan took some bites from his green apple during his tank session, and then mucked his hand.

Myung Steals

Action folded around to John Myung on the button. He raised to 7,000 and the blinds folded their hands. After stealing the blinds and antes, Myung's stack was around 55,000.

Player Tags: John Phan,   John Myung,   Thomas Keller,   Dustin Woolf

2,000 NLHE - Day 2 - Level 12

Jun 05, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break. They will return at level 13 with the blinds at 1,500-3,000 with a 400 Ante.

Blinds/Antes: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 Ante

Players Left: 102 of 1,592

Chip Leaders:

Dustin Woolf: 150,000
Pawel Andrzejewski: 145,000
Joe Cutler: 136,500
Manelic Minaya: 132,000
Steven Etoch: 127,000
Nick Romano: 126,500
David Gent: 120,000
Richard Monroe: 116,000
Thong Tran: 115,000
Luke Vrabel: 110,000

Average Stack: 62,431

Big Hands:

Rolling Thunder

Thomas "Thunder" Keller raised to 5,000 preflop. The action folded to 0804 who pushed all in. Keller quickly glanced at his cards to make sure what he had, and made the call. Keller turned over KK and 0804 showed AJ. The board ran out 93QJ7 and Keller's cowboys held up.

Moments later, Keller raised from the button to 6,400. No one called and he stole the blinds and antes, which are worth a pretty penny at this stage in the tournament. Keller's stack was at around 60,000.

Goldberg Wins a Nice Pot

Under the gun, Fred Goldberg limped in. The action folded to the button who popped it to 4,000 total. The blinds mucked and Goldberg made the call. On the K65 flop, Goldberg led out with 4,500. The button called. On the turn, the 2 showed up and Goldberg fired a shot of 8,000. He was called again. On the K river, both players checked and Goldberg showed 99 for two pair and his opponent showed A6 for a lesser two pair. Goldberg took the pot of about 35,000 and his stack improved to 60,000.

Heads or Tails?

Pawel Andrzejewski raised to 5,000 preflop and John "Razor" Phan came over the top to 15,000 total. Andrzejewski made the call and the flop came J32. Andrzejewski took control of the hand with two simple words: "all in." Phan went into the tank, which he is becoming famous for. The clock was finally called and Phan had one minute to make a decision. Phan reached behind his chips many times, as if he was about to push his chips in. Finally, Phan took one of his black "100" chips and flip it. "Tails!" somebody at the table said. Apparently it was heads and Phan finally mucked his hand, sending a pot of over 40,000 toward Andrzejewski.

Fall From Grace

Theo Tran has had a rough patch. He started the day as chip leader, but has lost many big pots. With the board showing J76102, Kurosh Dejgosha made a bet, with the pot already well over 50,000. Tran tanked for a long time, finally grabbing a tower of yellow "1,000" chips and shoving them in the middle for the call. Dejgosha showed QJ for top pair and Tran mucked. With the loss, Tran's stack that once stood close to 150,000 was almost half gone as he sat with around 80,000.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Thomas Keller,   Fred Goldberg,   Theo Tran,   Pawel Andrzejewski

2,000 NLHE - Day 1 - Level 6

Jun 04, '08

Note: Players are now on a 90 minute dinner break. They will return to action at level 7 with the blinds at 300-600 with a 75 ante.

Blinds/Antes: 200-400 with a 50 Ante

Players Left: 410 of 1,592

Chip Leaders:

John Myung: 48,000
Lee Redmond: 41,000
J.C. Tran: 40,000
Derek Dempsey: 40,000
Florian Langmann: 36,000
Michael Michlich: 34,000
John Phan: 31,000
Stuart Krasney: 31,000
Evan Schwartz: 28,000
Mihai Manole: 27,000

Average Stack: 15,532

Eliminations:

Victor Ramdin, Joe Sebok, Lee Markholt

Big Hands:

Brenes Chops a Pot with Big Slick, But Then the Shark Gets Hungry

Humberto Brenes moved his opponent all in, only to find that they each had the same hand. Brenes showed AK while his opponent showed AK. The board ran out Q10JQK for a couple of flopped broadway straights and a chopped pot.

Later, Brenes reraised his opponent in seat 5 to over 4,000. Seat 5 folded and Brenes turned over J4. "No, no, no!" Brenes said, tired of being raised by his opponent. "Shark's hungry!" Considering Brenes' stack is hovering at under 10,000, below the average stack, it's no wonder the shark is hungry.

Who Needs The Flop?

With seat 2 and seat 3 already all in, J.C. Tran made the call from the big blind. He showed 55 while seat 2 showed 99 and seat 3 showed A-J. The flop was empty for Tran, dropping 1044. But the turn brought a 5, giving Tran a set and control of the hand. The river was the 5, giving Tran quads and helping him eliminate two players. His stack was over 33,000 after the hand.

Jim Meehan Double s Up

Meehan reraised to 2,700 from late position. Seat 1 pushed all in for 12,500 and Meehan debated his move, eventually electing to call. Seat 1 showed QQ while Meehan held AK. The flop came K-9-4 and Meehan hit on ace on the turn for good measure. Meehan improved his stack to 29,775.

Schoenberg Hanging Around for Dinner

Erica Schoenberg has been short stacked for ages, but she found a way to survive through the dinner break. She moved all in from the cutoff and had no callers, allowing her to pick up the blinds and antes. Her stack was around 2,500 as the dinner break rolled around.

Thunder Joins The Master, Loses First Pot

Thomas "Thunder" Keller was moved to Men "The Master" Nguyen's table early into level 6. Soon after, Nguyen poured some eyedrops into his eyes as he had not played a hand in what seemed like an eternity. Keller lost his first hand at his new table when his opponent bet enough to put Keller all in and "Thunder" mucked his hand. Keller was left with just around 11,000 in chips.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Humberto Brenes,   Men Nguyen,   Thomas Keller,   Jim Meehan,   Erica Schoenberg

2,000 NLHE - Day 1 - Level 5

Jun 04, '08

Note: It has just been announced that there will be a total of 153 places will be paid and first place will cash out with $550,601.

Blinds/Antes: 150-300 with a 25 Ante moving to 200-400 with a 50 Ante

Players Left: 580 of 1,592

Chip Leaders:

Lee Redmond: 41,000
Derek Dempsey: 38,000
Florian Langmann: 36,000
Alan Snow: 34,000
Michael Michlich: 34,000
John Myung: 33,000
Stuart Krasney: 31,000
Jeremiah Smith: 31,000
Evan Schwartz: 28,000
Eric Liu: 27,100
John Phan: 26,000
J.C. Tran: 24,000

Average Stack: 11,125

Eliminations:

"Miami" John Cernuto, Phil Laak, Mark Seif, Ted Lawson, Eric "Rizen" Lynch, Jerry Yang

Big Hands:

J.C. Tran and his Cowboys Send Jerry Yang to the Rail

Under the gun, Tran raised to 3,000. The player in seat 6 moved all in and the action folded to Jerry Yang in the big blind. Yang went into the tank and decided it was time to put the remainder of his stack into the pot. Tran quickly called both players and showed KK. The player in seat 6 showed AK and Jerry Yang brought up the rear, trailing with A7. The board ran out J3899 and Tran ousted the defending main event champion, as well as the player in seat 6. With the win, Tran's stack improved to around 20,000. Moments later, the table was broken and Tran moved to table 26.

Seif and Phan Pushed Out

Preflop, Mark Seif raised to 900. Robert Morgan in seat 10 called, as did John "Razor" Phan. The flop came A35 and the action was checked to Morgan. He promptly pushed all in and left Phan with a decision. Phan thought for ages. He eventually laid down his hand and Seif quickly followed suit. After the hand, Phan was around 17,000 and Seif was left with just over 5,000 and was later eliminated from the tournament.

Shorr Folds on the Turn

Before the flop, Shannon Shorr raised to 800 and was called by the player in seat 1. The flop was A29. Shorr led out with a shot of 1,200. His opponent called and the turn came the A. Shorr checked this time around and his opponent bet 2,000. Shorr thought for a second and flicked his cards into the muck. His stack was around 12,000 after the hand.

Keller Can't See a Flop

Thomas "Thunder" Keller raised to 900 preflop. His opponent in seat 2 looked down at his cards and reraised to 3,000 total. Keller looked at his opponent, tapped his cards on the table twice and threw them into the muck. His stack was still at a healthy 16,000 after the hand.

 

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   John Phan,   J.C. Tran,   Thomas Keller,   Shannon Shorr

2,000 NLHE - Day 1 - Level 4

Jun 04, '08

Blinds/Antes: 100-200 with a 25 Ante

Players Left: 730 of 1,593

Chip Leaders:

Eric Liu: 16,500
Jeremiah Smith: 16,500
Lee Markholt: 13,000
Brandon Cantu: 13,000
Arnold Spee: 12,000
Sabyl Cohen-Landrum: 11,300
Eugene Todd: 10,900
Matt Graham: 10,500
Leif Force: 10,400
J.C. Tran: 10,000

Average Stack: 8,724

Eliminations: Noah Boeken, Anna Wroblewski, Amir Vahedi, "Devilfish", Danny Wong

Big Hands:

Brenes Let's His Pray Go Free

The man famous for capping his cards with sharks, Brenes raised to 625 under the gun. The table folded around to the big blind in seat 2. He thought for a couple of moments and then pushed all in for 1,350. Brenes took off his headphones and paused his mp3 player as he tanked for a couple of minutes. He measured out a call and held it in his hand, but the shark could not chomp down on his pray as he threw his cards into the muck. After the hand, Brenes stood at around 9,000 in chips.

Phan Busts Oppponent With Pocket 7's

John Phan had called an opponent's all in bet. Phan showed 77 while his opponent had J10. The board ran out A5Q58 and Phan's 7's held up. His stack was at 16,000.

Keller Doing Well

With the board 48A, Thomas "Thunder" Keller bet 1,250 into a 2,500 pot. His opponent mucked his hand, sending the pot over to Keller. With the win, Keller's stack improved to over 11,000 in chips.

Schoenberg Steals the Blinds

Short stacked and on the button, Erica Schoenberg shoved her remaining 1,225 in chips into the pot. The small blind and the big blind folded quickly and Schoenberg added to her short stack, but she has a lot of work to do if she wants to do any damage in this tournament.

Seif Muscles Out His Opponent

Facing a preflop raise of 600, Mark Seif popped it to 2,500 total. The player in seat 2 tanked for over three minutes. He finally folded and Seif added to his stack, which now stands at around 21,000.

Men "The Master" Doubles Up On River 
 

Men Nguyen limped in for 200 from middle postion and the big blind exercised his option by raising 1,500, enough to put Nguyen all in. Nguyen called with J5 while the big blind turned over K8. The board came K108AQ, giving Nguyen the nut straight on the river. "The Master" doubled up this hand to about 4,000.

On a board of QJJQ7, Jared Hamby bet 3,000 on the river and the player in seat 8 thinks for a minute before making the call. Hamby says, "You must be a very curious man" throwing his hand into the muck. Seat 8 turned over K10 for two pair, king kicker and raked the pot. Hamby looks at him and says, "I had a pocket pair. it's the only way I could win."  
 

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Humberto Brenes,   Men Nguyen,   Thomas Keller,   Erica Schoenberg,   Jared Hamby

2,000 NLHE - Day 2 - Level 13

Jun 05, '08

Note: Players are back from break

Blinds/Antes: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 Ante Moving to 2,000-4,000 with a 500 Ante

Players Left: 77 of 1,592

Chip Leaders:

Manelic Minaya: 215,000
Kai Danilo Paulsen: 195,000
Pawel Andrzejewski: 188,000
Andre De Montesquiou: 165,000
Brent Roberts: 150,000
Dustin Woolf: 146,000
John Chadwick: 133,000
Nick Romano: 130,000
David Gent: 120,000
Mihai Manole: 118,000

Average Stack: 82,700

Eliminations: Thomas Keller

Big Hands:

Hear the Thunder Roll... Out

Thomas Keller had an average sized stack coming in from the break. But he lost a huge pot when his opponent's pocket 8's held on a board that showed two queens. Keller's stack was pounded down to just over 8,000.

Moments later, Keller pushed his short stack all in. His opponent in seat 8 came over the top for all of his chips, but no one else dared to call. Keller showed KQ while his opponent showed down 99. Keller was in his race car with two over cards, but his engine exploded when the flop came 975. The 2 on the turn sealed his fate and Keller was eliminated.

Woolf Gets Rivered

On a flop showing KQ4, seat 5 bet 6,000 and Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf called. The 8 hit on the turn and both players checked. On the river, the J fell and Woolf checked. His opponent fired out a bet this time and Woolf quickly called. His opponent showed A10 for a broadway straight on the river. Woolf tabled QJ for two pair. Despite the loss, Woolf was still at around 110,000.

John "The Tank" Phan

Phan is going to have to change his nickname from "Razor" to "Tank." He has been taking a lot of time making his decisions, to the amusement of the spectators and even some players at his table.

Pawel Andrzejewski raised to 8,000 preflop and Phan took ages to fold his big blind. Later, Ryan Franklin raised to 9,000 preflop and Phan again took ages to make his decision. Eventually, he decided to reraise to 28,000 total. Franklin mucked in far less time and Phan was at around 50,000.

The next time around on his big blind, Phan decided that thinking for ages was not enough. He had to add some spice to it, and what better way than to eat an apple while taking his time. Andrzejewski raised to 25,000 from the cutoff and Phan took some bites from his green apple during his tank session, and then mucked his hand.

Myung Steals

Action folded around to John Myung on the button. He raised to 7,000 and the blinds folded their hands. After stealing the blinds and antes, Myung's stack was around 55,000.

Player Tags: John Phan,   John Myung,   Thomas Keller,   Dustin Woolf

2,000 NLHE - Day 2 - Level 12

Jun 05, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break. They will return at level 13 with the blinds at 1,500-3,000 with a 400 Ante.

Blinds/Antes: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 Ante

Players Left: 102 of 1,592

Chip Leaders:

Dustin Woolf: 150,000
Pawel Andrzejewski: 145,000
Joe Cutler: 136,500
Manelic Minaya: 132,000
Steven Etoch: 127,000
Nick Romano: 126,500
David Gent: 120,000
Richard Monroe: 116,000
Thong Tran: 115,000
Luke Vrabel: 110,000

Average Stack: 62,431

Big Hands:

Rolling Thunder

Thomas "Thunder" Keller raised to 5,000 preflop. The action folded to 0804 who pushed all in. Keller quickly glanced at his cards to make sure what he had, and made the call. Keller turned over KK and 0804 showed AJ. The board ran out 93QJ7 and Keller's cowboys held up.

Moments later, Keller raised from the button to 6,400. No one called and he stole the blinds and antes, which are worth a pretty penny at this stage in the tournament. Keller's stack was at around 60,000.

Goldberg Wins a Nice Pot

Under the gun, Fred Goldberg limped in. The action folded to the button who popped it to 4,000 total. The blinds mucked and Goldberg made the call. On the K65 flop, Goldberg led out with 4,500. The button called. On the turn, the 2 showed up and Goldberg fired a shot of 8,000. He was called again. On the K river, both players checked and Goldberg showed 99 for two pair and his opponent showed A6 for a lesser two pair. Goldberg took the pot of about 35,000 and his stack improved to 60,000.

Heads or Tails?

Pawel Andrzejewski raised to 5,000 preflop and John "Razor" Phan came over the top to 15,000 total. Andrzejewski made the call and the flop came J32. Andrzejewski took control of the hand with two simple words: "all in." Phan went into the tank, which he is becoming famous for. The clock was finally called and Phan had one minute to make a decision. Phan reached behind his chips many times, as if he was about to push his chips in. Finally, Phan took one of his black "100" chips and flip it. "Tails!" somebody at the table said. Apparently it was heads and Phan finally mucked his hand, sending a pot of over 40,000 toward Andrzejewski.

Fall From Grace

Theo Tran has had a rough patch. He started the day as chip leader, but has lost many big pots. With the board showing J76102, Kurosh Dejgosha made a bet, with the pot already well over 50,000. Tran tanked for a long time, finally grabbing a tower of yellow "1,000" chips and shoving them in the middle for the call. Dejgosha showed QJ for top pair and Tran mucked. With the loss, Tran's stack that once stood close to 150,000 was almost half gone as he sat with around 80,000.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Thomas Keller,   Fred Goldberg,   Theo Tran,   Pawel Andrzejewski

2,000 NLHE - Day 1 - Level 6

Jun 04, '08

Note: Players are now on a 90 minute dinner break. They will return to action at level 7 with the blinds at 300-600 with a 75 ante.

Blinds/Antes: 200-400 with a 50 Ante

Players Left: 410 of 1,592

Chip Leaders:

John Myung: 48,000
Lee Redmond: 41,000
J.C. Tran: 40,000
Derek Dempsey: 40,000
Florian Langmann: 36,000
Michael Michlich: 34,000
John Phan: 31,000
Stuart Krasney: 31,000
Evan Schwartz: 28,000
Mihai Manole: 27,000

Average Stack: 15,532

Eliminations:

Victor Ramdin, Joe Sebok, Lee Markholt

Big Hands:

Brenes Chops a Pot with Big Slick, But Then the Shark Gets Hungry

Humberto Brenes moved his opponent all in, only to find that they each had the same hand. Brenes showed AK while his opponent showed AK. The board ran out Q10JQK for a couple of flopped broadway straights and a chopped pot.

Later, Brenes reraised his opponent in seat 5 to over 4,000. Seat 5 folded and Brenes turned over J4. "No, no, no!" Brenes said, tired of being raised by his opponent. "Shark's hungry!" Considering Brenes' stack is hovering at under 10,000, below the average stack, it's no wonder the shark is hungry.

Who Needs The Flop?

With seat 2 and seat 3 already all in, J.C. Tran made the call from the big blind. He showed 55 while seat 2 showed 99 and seat 3 showed A-J. The flop was empty for Tran, dropping 1044. But the turn brought a 5, giving Tran a set and control of the hand. The river was the 5, giving Tran quads and helping him eliminate two players. His stack was over 33,000 after the hand.

Jim Meehan Double s Up

Meehan reraised to 2,700 from late position. Seat 1 pushed all in for 12,500 and Meehan debated his move, eventually electing to call. Seat 1 showed QQ while Meehan held AK. The flop came K-9-4 and Meehan hit on ace on the turn for good measure. Meehan improved his stack to 29,775.

Schoenberg Hanging Around for Dinner

Erica Schoenberg has been short stacked for ages, but she found a way to survive through the dinner break. She moved all in from the cutoff and had no callers, allowing her to pick up the blinds and antes. Her stack was around 2,500 as the dinner break rolled around.

Thunder Joins The Master, Loses First Pot

Thomas "Thunder" Keller was moved to Men "The Master" Nguyen's table early into level 6. Soon after, Nguyen poured some eyedrops into his eyes as he had not played a hand in what seemed like an eternity. Keller lost his first hand at his new table when his opponent bet enough to put Keller all in and "Thunder" mucked his hand. Keller was left with just around 11,000 in chips.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Humberto Brenes,   Men Nguyen,   Thomas Keller,   Jim Meehan,   Erica Schoenberg

2,000 NLHE - Day 1 - Level 5

Jun 04, '08

Note: It has just been announced that there will be a total of 153 places will be paid and first place will cash out with $550,601.

Blinds/Antes: 150-300 with a 25 Ante moving to 200-400 with a 50 Ante

Players Left: 580 of 1,592

Chip Leaders:

Lee Redmond: 41,000
Derek Dempsey: 38,000
Florian Langmann: 36,000
Alan Snow: 34,000
Michael Michlich: 34,000
John Myung: 33,000
Stuart Krasney: 31,000
Jeremiah Smith: 31,000
Evan Schwartz: 28,000
Eric Liu: 27,100
John Phan: 26,000
J.C. Tran: 24,000

Average Stack: 11,125

Eliminations:

"Miami" John Cernuto, Phil Laak, Mark Seif, Ted Lawson, Eric "Rizen" Lynch, Jerry Yang

Big Hands:

J.C. Tran and his Cowboys Send Jerry Yang to the Rail

Under the gun, Tran raised to 3,000. The player in seat 6 moved all in and the action folded to Jerry Yang in the big blind. Yang went into the tank and decided it was time to put the remainder of his stack into the pot. Tran quickly called both players and showed KK. The player in seat 6 showed AK and Jerry Yang brought up the rear, trailing with A7. The board ran out J3899 and Tran ousted the defending main event champion, as well as the player in seat 6. With the win, Tran's stack improved to around 20,000. Moments later, the table was broken and Tran moved to table 26.

Seif and Phan Pushed Out

Preflop, Mark Seif raised to 900. Robert Morgan in seat 10 called, as did John "Razor" Phan. The flop came A35 and the action was checked to Morgan. He promptly pushed all in and left Phan with a decision. Phan thought for ages. He eventually laid down his hand and Seif quickly followed suit. After the hand, Phan was around 17,000 and Seif was left with just over 5,000 and was later eliminated from the tournament.

Shorr Folds on the Turn

Before the flop, Shannon Shorr raised to 800 and was called by the player in seat 1. The flop was A29. Shorr led out with a shot of 1,200. His opponent called and the turn came the A. Shorr checked this time around and his opponent bet 2,000. Shorr thought for a second and flicked his cards into the muck. His stack was around 12,000 after the hand.

Keller Can't See a Flop

Thomas "Thunder" Keller raised to 900 preflop. His opponent in seat 2 looked down at his cards and reraised to 3,000 total. Keller looked at his opponent, tapped his cards on the table twice and threw them into the muck. His stack was still at a healthy 16,000 after the hand.

 

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   John Phan,   J.C. Tran,   Thomas Keller,   Shannon Shorr

2,000 NLHE - Day 1 - Level 4

Jun 04, '08

Blinds/Antes: 100-200 with a 25 Ante

Players Left: 730 of 1,593

Chip Leaders:

Eric Liu: 16,500
Jeremiah Smith: 16,500
Lee Markholt: 13,000
Brandon Cantu: 13,000
Arnold Spee: 12,000
Sabyl Cohen-Landrum: 11,300
Eugene Todd: 10,900
Matt Graham: 10,500
Leif Force: 10,400
J.C. Tran: 10,000

Average Stack: 8,724

Eliminations: Noah Boeken, Anna Wroblewski, Amir Vahedi, "Devilfish", Danny Wong

Big Hands:

Brenes Let's His Pray Go Free

The man famous for capping his cards with sharks, Brenes raised to 625 under the gun. The table folded around to the big blind in seat 2. He thought for a couple of moments and then pushed all in for 1,350. Brenes took off his headphones and paused his mp3 player as he tanked for a couple of minutes. He measured out a call and held it in his hand, but the shark could not chomp down on his pray as he threw his cards into the muck. After the hand, Brenes stood at around 9,000 in chips.

Phan Busts Oppponent With Pocket 7's

John Phan had called an opponent's all in bet. Phan showed 77 while his opponent had J10. The board ran out A5Q58 and Phan's 7's held up. His stack was at 16,000.

Keller Doing Well

With the board 48A, Thomas "Thunder" Keller bet 1,250 into a 2,500 pot. His opponent mucked his hand, sending the pot over to Keller. With the win, Keller's stack improved to over 11,000 in chips.

Schoenberg Steals the Blinds

Short stacked and on the button, Erica Schoenberg shoved her remaining 1,225 in chips into the pot. The small blind and the big blind folded quickly and Schoenberg added to her short stack, but she has a lot of work to do if she wants to do any damage in this tournament.

Seif Muscles Out His Opponent

Facing a preflop raise of 600, Mark Seif popped it to 2,500 total. The player in seat 2 tanked for over three minutes. He finally folded and Seif added to his stack, which now stands at around 21,000.

Men "The Master" Doubles Up On River 
 

Men Nguyen limped in for 200 from middle postion and the big blind exercised his option by raising 1,500, enough to put Nguyen all in. Nguyen called with J5 while the big blind turned over K8. The board came K108AQ, giving Nguyen the nut straight on the river. "The Master" doubled up this hand to about 4,000.

On a board of QJJQ7, Jared Hamby bet 3,000 on the river and the player in seat 8 thinks for a minute before making the call. Hamby says, "You must be a very curious man" throwing his hand into the muck. Seat 8 turned over K10 for two pair, king kicker and raked the pot. Hamby looks at him and says, "I had a pocket pair. it's the only way I could win."  
 

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Humberto Brenes,   Men Nguyen,   Thomas Keller,   Erica Schoenberg,   Jared Hamby

Pot-Limit Hold'em - Last Level of the Night

May 30, '08

Blinds/Antes: 1,000-2,000

Players left: 70 of 352

Average Stack: 100,000

Chip Leaders:

Justin Newton - 230,000
Mike Sowers - 230,000
David Bach - 207,000
Anthony Licastro - 205,000
Nenad Medic - 198,000
Phil Laak - 175,300
Tuan Le - 175,000
Eli Elezra - 162,000
Alexander Kostritsyn - 158,000
Raphael Zimmerman - 157,000

Eliminations:

Alex Kravchenko
Markus Lehmann
Eugene Katchalov
Erik Seidel
John Juanda
Phil Ivey
Ray Coburn
Joe Sebok


Big Hands:

Showdown At Table 9

A battle of huge chipstacks became a threesome in the final minute of Level 9, when veteran Eli Elezra was moved when Table 13 was killed. Elezra joined big stacks Mike Sowers and Raphael Zimmerman just as the blinds increased to 1000-2000.

Elezra brought with him 150,000 in chips, and in a matter of minutes had eliminated Ray Coburn. After an initial Elezra raise, Coburn came over the top to 12,500, only to have Elezra make it 40,000 to play. Coburn eventually committed all of his 57,000 into the pot and flipped over pocket queens, while Elezra showed kings. The flop of 10AK gave Elezra a set and left Coburn drawing to a gut-shot straight, but he failed to hit when the 6 and 2 rounded out play.
Sowers and Zimmerman had been butting heads earlier. On play had Sowers raise pre-flop, into a second raise of Zimmerman to 45,000. Sowers made it 89,600 and Zimmerman sent up the white flag. Sowers stands at 230,000 in chips, while Zimmerman would recover to amass 185,000.

Juanda's Time Runs Out

John Juanda elected to make a stand with his shortstack and moved all-in with 48,000 chips. David "Raptor" Benefield made the call with A-K, and a bullet on the flop sent Juanda packing just as Level 9 expired.

Tuan Le Wins Massive Pot

Tuan Le became one of the tournament chip leaders thanks to a well-timed value bet. After being checked to on the river, Le bet approximately 70% of his remaining stack. His opponent deliberated for several minutes before announcing a call. Tuan Le's set of sevens was good, increasing his stack to over 200,000.

Eric Seidel Eliminated

After battling a short stack for the last round, Erik Seidel called a 5,500 raise from the player on the button. Almost as soon as the A54 flop fell, Seidel bet his remaining 6,400 and was called by his opponent. Seidel turned over 43 while his opponent showed 97. The 9 on the turn took the lead away from Seidel, and the 5 on the river meant that Erik Seidel's run had ended.

David Bach Still Slingin'

David Bach won a massive pot when his pocket queens eliminated his opponent's pocket 8s. He now has over 190,000 and is among the tournament chip leaders.

Eugene Katchalov Eliminated by Eli Elezra

Eugene got it in with the nut flush draw against Elezra's trip deuces. Eugene hit his flush on the river, but it was too late as Elezra hit quad deuces on the turn.

Laak and Keller Go At It

On a board of JT732, Phil Laak made a bet of 23,300 into his opponent, Thomas Keller. Keller pondered for several minutes before calling. Laak turned over J7 and Keller mucked. Laak now has over 175,000, but Keller is still over 100,000.

Curtains for Kravchenko

Alex Kravchenko's A-T could not improve against his opponent's J-J and his night ended prematurely.

Harman Up

Phil Laak made it 4,500 from late position but was met with a re-raise by Jen Harman in the small blind. In typical "Unabomber" fashion, Laak laughed maniacally before folding his cards.

Harman Down

Phil Laak limped two off the button, eliciting a shout of, "Is that even allowed?" from his tablemate Shawn Keller. Harman completed from the small blind and Joe Patrick checked his option. The flop of 844 checked around, leading to the 5 turn. Harman led out for 4,000, Patrick quickly raised to 13,500, leaving himself only 12,000 behind. Harman thought for two minutes before sticking in a final raise. Patrick snap called. Harman's 74 was in front of Patrick's monster draw of 63. The river brought the 2, shipping the pot to Patrick and leaving Harman with only 23,000 near the end of the day.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   John Juanda,   Tuan Le,   Thomas Keller,   Eli Elezra,   David Bach,   Jennifer Harman,   Alexander Kravchenko,   Eugene Katchalov,   Raphael Zimmerman,   Markus Lehmann,   Raymond Coburn,   David Benefield,   Mike Sowers