Alex Keating Poker Tournament Updates

Level 17 Update: Day 3 Ends -- 22 Return Tomorrow

Sep 26, '10

NOTE: Play has ended for the night and the final 22 will return tomorrow at noon local time to play down to the final table of nine players. Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events, and check back tomorrow for more live coverage of the 2010 WSOP Europe main event.

Blinds: 3,000-6,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 22 of 346

Official Chip Counts:

Ronald Lee	947,000
David Peters	829,000
Andrew Pantling	821,000
Daniel Steinberg	768,000
Viktor Blom	705,000
Phil Ivey	657,000
Hoyt Corkins	566,000
Nicolas Levi	515,000
Bojan Gledovic	500,000
Arnaud Mattern	468,000
James Bord	445,000
Clint Coffee	438,000
Fabrizio Baldassari	382,000
Barny Boatman	379,000
Jean Paul Seatelli	356,000
Dan Fleyshman	336,000
Thomas Bichon	308,000
Anthony Newman	280,000
Brian Powell	264,000
Jani Sointula	181,000
Greg Mueller	151,000
Roland de Wolfe	113,000

Average Chip Count: 471,818

Notable Cashes:

23	Barry Greenstein	26,400
24	Yevgeniy Timoshenko	26,400
25	Hoi Cheung	26,400
26	Alex Keating	26,400
27	John Eames	26,400
28	Michael Benvenuti	21,106

Big Hands:

Michael Benvenuti Eliminated in 28th Place (₤21,106)

Just back from dinner break and Michael Benvenuti moves all in with two black sevens. Daniel Steinberg makes the call with A Q and the flop comes down 10 7 2. Benevenuti hits his set but is in danger of Steinberg hitting his flush on fourth and fifth street. The K turn doesn’t change anything but the 4 floats in on the river and puts Benvenuti on the other side of the rail. With his elimination there is a redraw for this year’s final three tables.

Blom Takes Chunk Out of Greenstein

Coming in late into the action, there was a healthy pot on the line, and it was between Barry Greenstein and Viktor Blom. A board of 7 4 3 10 was showing and Greenstein had checked and was patiently waiting for Blom to make his move. Blom then slid out a couple stacks of chips, totaling just under 70,000 and it didn’t take long for Greenstein to announce he was all in. Blom’s tournament life was on the line as Greenstein had him covered, but after he had put his roughly 190,000 in chips in the middle, he looked a little more relieved to see Greenstein had pocket fives. Blom flipped over pocket aces which stayed ahead on the 7 river. Greenstein’s stack took quite a blow, pushing him down to 162,000. Blom now has more than 555,000 in chips.

Alex Keating Eliminated in 26th Place (£26,400)

It was pocket eights that stopped Alex Keating’s run in the main event. All in preflop his 7 6 could not better the pocket pair when the board ran out.

Yevgeniy Timoshenko Eliminated in 24th Place (£26,400)

David Peters bet 14,000 from mid-late position and Yevgeniy Timoshenko shoved his 137,000 stack in from the button. It was folded back to Peters who called and showed pocket kings. A shocked Timoshenko flipped over K 10 and although a 10 dropped on the flop, the turn and river could not muster anything to improve his hand and Peters is now the new owner of his stack. He moves to over 730,000 after this hand.

Barry Greenstein Eliminated in 23rd Place (£26,400)

Daniel Steinberg raised to 15,000 under the gun and Barry Greenstein reraised to 45,000. Steinberg went into the tank and eventually reraised enough chips to put Greenstein all in. Greenstein made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Greenstein: A A
Steinberg: 101 10

Board: 10 4 3 7 3

Steinberg made a full house and he won the hand to eliminate Greenstein in 23rd place (£26,400).

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Yevgeniy Timoshenko,   Alex Keating,   Viktor Blom,   Daniel Steinberg

Level 11 Update: Wow, This Tournament Is Really Moving!

Apr 27, '10

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 285 out of 848

Average Chip Count: 89,263

Chip Counts:

1. Ramzi Jelassi — 260,000
2. Aaron Gustavson — 250,000
3. Thiago Nishijima — 215,000
4. Simon Munz — 205,000
5. Paul Berende — 195,000
6. Chris Moneymaker — 186,000
7. Tommaso Briotti — 175,000
8. Chris Bjorin — 171,000
9. Brent Wheeler — 170,000
10. Antonio Palma — 169,000

Notable Eliminations:

Nenad Medic
Ben Grundy
Thierry Van Den Berg
Liv Boeree

Big Hands:

Alex Keating Takes out Ben Grundy

Ben Grundy moved all in over the top of Alex Keating’s 3,800 preflop raise for his last 31,000 and Keating made the call, showing pocket tens.

Grundy was well ahead with pocket kings, but the board fell A-10-4-6-2, giving the hefty pot to Keating.

Chris Moneymaker Moving On Up

Vladislav Varlashin moved all in for his last 14,800 holding A7 and Team PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker made the call with AQ.

The board fell 654J9, giving Moneymaker a scare, but he ultimately took the pot and moved up to 186,000 in chips.

Thierry Van Den Berg Eliminated

Thierry Van Den Berg raised to 4,000 and then called all in for his last 29,000 when an opponent shoved.

Van Den Berg was racing with AK against his opponent’s pocket deuces, but failed to connect on a board reading QJ933.

Liz Lieu Doubles Up

Liz Lieu got it in with pocket kings on a Q76 flop and it managed to hold against her opponent’s pocket jacks.

The turn was a king and Lieu raked in the pot, bringing her stack to just over 50,000 in chips.

Liv Boeree Busts, Everyone Gets Sad

Recent EPT Champion Liv Boeree took on a fellow EPT Champion in Salvatore Bonavena and came out on the losing end.

Boeree raised to 3,700 and Bonavena reraised to 10,600. Boeree moved in and was snap called by AK. Boeree showed a dominated AJ and missed the 976510 board entirely.

Player Tags: Chris Moneymaker,   Liz Lieu,   Thierry Van Den Berg,   Ben Grundy,   Liv Boeree,   Alex Keating

Loser's Bracket -- Final 4 Part II Summary

Feb 24, '10

Alex Keating vs. Michael Binger

Michael Binger got out to an early lead in his match against Alex Keating and things never really swung back the other way. On the final hand Keating was all in on the river of a Q J 4 7 A board and Binger was waiting to make the call. Keating held Q 8 and Binger revealed K Q to win the match. Binger advanced to part I of the loser’s bracket final after the hand.

Vivek Rajkumar vs. Anthony Guetti

Vivek Rajkumar took a slight lead in the match but it wasn’t until he bet 6,500 on a board of J J 8 A 10 and Anthony Guetti mucked that he really started to dominate. Rajkumar collected the 14,000 pot that sat in the middle of the table after Guetti mucked and he grew his stack to 26,800.

Guetti held 13,200 after the hand and during a long lull between any big pots Rajkumar began to lean on his opponent and increased his lead pot by pot. Rajkumar cotninued to wear down his opponent until the final hand of their match. Guetti limped preflop and Rajkumar bet 1,100. Guetti raised all in and Rajkumar made the call. Rajkumar flipped over A-Q and Guetti revealed pocket nines. The board ran out A-10-3-6-6 and Rajkumar advanced to the first round of the finals on the loser’s side of the bracket.

This keeps alive the hopes for a rematch of last year’s winner vs. loser bracket champions final that took place between Chris Moore and Rajkumar.

Player Tags: Michael Binger,   Vivek Rajkumar,   Alex Keating

Loser's Bracket -- Final 4 Part I Summary

Feb 24, '10

Victor Ramdin vs. Alex Keating

The first final four match on the loser’s side of the bracket to make it into the books today took place between Victor Ramdin and Alex Keating. Ramdin took an early lead in the match but Keating doubled up to take the lead. He was all in preflop with J 3 and Ramdin had him covered with 9 7 in the hole. The board ran out J 7 2 K 2 and Keating grew his stack to 27,100, while Ramdin held 12,900.

Keating won the match a short time later when all of the chips went into the middle preflop between him and Ramdin. Their cards:

Keating: A K
Ramdin: A 3

Board: Q 5 2 Q 7

Keating won the hand and he advanced to a second final four match against Michael Binger.

Daniel Gabriel vs. Vivek Rajkumar

Vivek Rajkumar took the early lead in this match and he extended it to a chip stack worth 33,000 when he raised enough to put Daniel Gabriel all in on a board of 9 4 2 K 6. Gabriel had bet 3,200 on the river and after he mucked his stack was sliced down to 7,000.

He battled hard on the short stack and his first all-in bet came with pocket threes in the hole. Rajkumar made the call with A 2, but their hole cards didn’t matter after a board of A 9 5 6 10 sat on the table. The two chopped things up and the excitement resided for a while.

The next all in saw Gabriel commit all of his chips to the middle with A-K in the hole. Rajkumar also held A-K and the two competitors shared a laugh as the board changed nothing and they chopped up another pot. Gabriel moved all in again on the very next hand and Rajkumar made the call. Gabriel was dominated this time though, his Q 10 was far behind the A 10 of Rajkumar. The board ran out J 7 5 4 8.

Rajkumar won the hand and he advanced to a second final four match against Daniel Guetti.

Player Tags: Victor Ramdin,   Vivek Rajkumar,   Alex Keating

Level 11 Update: A Flurry of Early Eliminations

Dec 16, '09

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 107 out of 329

Chip Counts:

1. Steven Landfish — 610,000
2. Brent Hanks — 470,000
3. Matt Stout — 398,000
4. Sorel Mizzi — 380,000
5. Matt Waxman — 377,500
6. Toto Leonidas — 373,000
7. Chad Batista — 355,000
8. Faraz Jaka — 340,000
9. Eric Hershler — 330,000
10. Antonio Esfandiari — 310,000

Average Chip Count: 184,486

Notable Eliminations:

Steve Zolotow
Noah Boeken
Tim West
Todd Brunson
Glen Chorny
Brian Rast

Big Hands:

Steve Zolotow Eliminated

Steve Zolotow (pictured right) moved all in preflop with pocket fives and Bill Kontaratos had him covered with pocket kings. The board was dealt 97348 and Zolotow was eliminated from the tournament. Kontaratos grew his stack to 275,000 after the hand.

Alex Keating Doubles Up Through Doyle Brunson with Quads

Alex Keating raised from early position preflop and Doyle Brunson made the call from the small blind. The flop was dealt 842 and Brunson checked. Keating bet 15,000 and Brunson raised enought o put Keating all in. Keating made the all-in call for 84,400 and they flipped over their cards:

Keating: 1010
Brunson: 99

Turn and River: 1010

Keating makes quad tens on the hand to double up to 188,000 and Brunson takes a hit and now holds 170,000.

Brent Hanks Knocks Out Tim West and Noah Boeken

Noah Boeken raised all in under the gun preflop for 8,500 and Vivek Rajkumar min-raised 14,600. Tim West reraised all in for 56,300 and Brent Hanks (pictured left) made the call. Rajkumar mucked A-J and the three remaining players flipped over their cards:

Boeken: J10
Hanks: QQ
West: KK

Board: A962Q

Hanks hit a set on the river and he knocked out both West and Boeken in one full swoop. Hanks now holds 470,000 in chips.

Steven Landfish Increases his Lead

Steven Landfish showed down 65 on a board of 8437Q for an eight-high straight against Dutch Boyd. Landfish grew his stack to 600,000 after the pot while Boyd watched his holdings shrink to less than 100,000.

POY Watch

Three players from the POY top 10 still remain in the tournament. Cornel Cimpan can pass Eric Baldwin for the lead with a third-place finish or better. Yevgeniy Timoshenko can claim the top spot with a second-place finish or better. Soheil Shamseddin can’t catch Baldwin, even with a win but he can improve his final standing in the POY race with a cash here at Bellagio. Here is a look at their current chip counts:

Soheil Shamseddin: 280,000
Yevgeniy Timoshenko: 180,000
Cornel Cimpan: 90,000

Player Tags: Steven Landfish,   Steve Zolotow,   Doyle Brunson,   Noah Boeken,   Dutch Boyd,   Bill Kontaratos,   Tim West,   Brent Hanks,   Alex Keating

Alex Keating Eliminated in Fourth Place ($60,970)

Oct 29, '09

MONSTER HAND BELOW!!!

Isaac Baron raised to 54,000 on the button and Alex Keating called in the big blind. The flop came down QQ4 and Keating checked.

Baron bet 75,000 and Keating check raised to 170,000. Baron made it 270,000 and Keating reraised to 420,000.

The dealer brought in the 270,000 and Baron moved all in for an additional 1,295,000. Keating made the call, having Baron covered by about 15,000 in chips, not even enough for a big blind.

Baron showed AQ and had Keating’s Q9 out kicked. The turn and river fell 3J and Baron took a commanding lead of over 3.2 million in this tournament.

ELIMINATION HAND BELOW!!!

Keating was all in on the very next hand preflop and Glen Chorny made the call. Baron might have called, but he was still stacking up his millions and millions of chips. Keating showed 76 for his final stand and Chorny showed 82. The board was dealt A105104 and Keating was eliminated in fourth place.

Player Tags: Isaac Baron,   Glen Chorny,   Alex Keating

Jimmy Tran Eliminated in Fifth Place ($45,728)

Oct 29, '09

Jimmy Tran got the last of his chips into the middle preflop against Alex Keating and they turned over their cards. Tran held AQ and Keating showed QQ.

The board was dealt J8822 and Tran was eliminated.

Keating is now tied for the chip lead with 1.4 million.

Player Tags: Jimmy Tran,   Alex Keating

Alex Keating Doubles Up

Oct 29, '09

Glen Chorny raised to 30,000 preflop and Alex Keating reraised all in for 228,000. Their cards:

Keting: QQ
Chorny: 1010

Board: 776AJ

Keating doubled up on the hand and he now holds close to 600,000.

Player Tags: Glen Chorny,   Alex Keating

Steve Sung Eliminated in 16th Place ($9,146) in Two Acts

Oct 29, '09

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “There are no second acts in American lives.” Contrary to that opinion, Steve Sung just experienced his tournament demise in two acts. The second was short lived, but at least it was interesting.

Act I

Adam Levy moved all in preflop for 83,000 and Steve Sung made the call. Their cards:

Levy: 10 10
Sung: A K

Board: 10 8 6 J 9

Sung was crippled after the hand with just 11,000 remaining, and he got that all in quickly…

Act II

Kathy Liebert raised to 16,000 and Alex Keating made the call from the small blind. Sung was all in for 9,000 in the big blind and the flop was dealt J 9 9. Keating checked, Liebert bet 25,000, and Keating check-raised all in for 185,000. Liebert mucked and the final two players turned up their cards:

Keating: A 9
Sung: 10 5

Turn and River: A 4

Sung needed two clubs to make his flush, which he received, but one of them was the ace that Keating needed to make a full house. Sung was eliminated from the tournament in 16th place.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Steve Sung,   Adam Levy,   Alex Keating

Baron vs. Keating II

Oct 28, '09

Alex Keating bet 6,700 from the cutoff on a flop of K73 and David Williams check-raised to 17,000 from the small blind. Isaac Baron check-called from the big blind and Keating reraised to 35,000. Williams mucked and Baron asked for a count on Keating’s stack. Kaeting held 90,000 and Baron went into the tank with 218,000 in his stack. He checked and the 9 fell on the turn. Both players checked and the 9 fell on the river. Both players checked again and Keating said, “I was making a play.” Baron turned over K3 and he collected the pot when Keating mucked. Baron moved up to 270,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Isaac Baron,   Alex Keating

Baron vs. Keating

Oct 28, '09

Alex Keating raised to 5,500 preflop from the cutoff and Isaac Baron made the call from the big blind. The flop was dealt 953 and Baron bet 8,000. Keating made the call and the turn fell 2. Baron bet 17,500 and Keating made the call. The river fell 8 and Baron checked. Keating bet 25,000 after sitting in the tank for a minute or two. Now Baron went into the tank to ponder the call and he eventually tossed enough chips into the middle. Keating flipped over K9 for a flush and Baron mucked his hand. Baron held 195,000 after the hand and Keating grew his stack to 160,000.

Player Tags: Isaac Baron,   Alex Keating

Jason Mercier Eliminated

Oct 28, '09

With 7,500 in the pot and a flop of 852 sitting on the table, Jason Mercier bet 5,400 from the big blind and Alex Keating raised to 12,900 from the cutoff. Mercier reraised all in and Keating made the all-in call for 34,600. Their cards:

Keating: 88
Mercier: AA

Turn and River: 24

Keating doubled up on the hand to 76,500 and Mercier was crippled with just 1,500 remaining. Mercier was eliminated a few minutes later.

Player Tags: Jason Mercier,   Alex Keating

Jimmy Fricke Grabs a Pot

Oct 27, '09

With 8,000 in the pot and a board of K6432 sitting on the table, Alex Keating bet 8,000 from middle position and Jimmy Fricke went into the tank. He made the call and flipped over KJ. Keating mucked and Fricke grew his stack to 75,000. Keating’s stack shrunk down to 38,000.

Player Tags: Jimmy Fricke,   Alex Keating

Alex Keating Eliminated in Fourth Place ($60,970)

Oct 29, '09

MONSTER HAND BELOW!!!

Isaac Baron raised to 54,000 on the button and Alex Keating called in the big blind. The flop came down QQ4 and Keating checked.

Baron bet 75,000 and Keating check raised to 170,000. Baron made it 270,000 and Keating reraised to 420,000.

The dealer brought in the 270,000 and Baron moved all in for an additional 1,295,000. Keating made the call, having Baron covered by about 15,000 in chips, not even enough for a big blind.

Baron showed AQ and had Keating’s Q9 out kicked. The turn and river fell 3J and Baron took a commanding lead of over 3.2 million in this tournament.

ELIMINATION HAND BELOW!!!

Keating was all in on the very next hand preflop and Glen Chorny made the call. Baron might have called, but he was still stacking up his millions and millions of chips. Keating showed 76 for his final stand and Chorny showed 82. The board was dealt A105104 and Keating was eliminated in fourth place.

Player Tags: Isaac Baron,   Glen Chorny,   Alex Keating

Jimmy Tran Eliminated in Fifth Place ($45,728)

Oct 29, '09

Jimmy Tran got the last of his chips into the middle preflop against Alex Keating and they turned over their cards. Tran held AQ and Keating showed QQ.

The board was dealt J8822 and Tran was eliminated.

Keating is now tied for the chip lead with 1.4 million.

Player Tags: Jimmy Tran,   Alex Keating

Alex Keating Doubles Up

Oct 29, '09

Glen Chorny raised to 30,000 preflop and Alex Keating reraised all in for 228,000. Their cards:

Keting: QQ
Chorny: 1010

Board: 776AJ

Keating doubled up on the hand and he now holds close to 600,000.

Player Tags: Glen Chorny,   Alex Keating

Steve Sung Eliminated in 16th Place ($9,146) in Two Acts

Oct 29, '09

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “There are no second acts in American lives.” Contrary to that opinion, Steve Sung just experienced his tournament demise in two acts. The second was short lived, but at least it was interesting.

Act I

Adam Levy moved all in preflop for 83,000 and Steve Sung made the call. Their cards:

Levy: 10 10
Sung: A K

Board: 10 8 6 J 9

Sung was crippled after the hand with just 11,000 remaining, and he got that all in quickly…

Act II

Kathy Liebert raised to 16,000 and Alex Keating made the call from the small blind. Sung was all in for 9,000 in the big blind and the flop was dealt J 9 9. Keating checked, Liebert bet 25,000, and Keating check-raised all in for 185,000. Liebert mucked and the final two players turned up their cards:

Keating: A 9
Sung: 10 5

Turn and River: A 4

Sung needed two clubs to make his flush, which he received, but one of them was the ace that Keating needed to make a full house. Sung was eliminated from the tournament in 16th place.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Steve Sung,   Adam Levy,   Alex Keating

Baron vs. Keating II

Oct 28, '09

Alex Keating bet 6,700 from the cutoff on a flop of K73 and David Williams check-raised to 17,000 from the small blind. Isaac Baron check-called from the big blind and Keating reraised to 35,000. Williams mucked and Baron asked for a count on Keating’s stack. Kaeting held 90,000 and Baron went into the tank with 218,000 in his stack. He checked and the 9 fell on the turn. Both players checked and the 9 fell on the river. Both players checked again and Keating said, “I was making a play.” Baron turned over K3 and he collected the pot when Keating mucked. Baron moved up to 270,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Isaac Baron,   Alex Keating

Baron vs. Keating

Oct 28, '09

Alex Keating raised to 5,500 preflop from the cutoff and Isaac Baron made the call from the big blind. The flop was dealt 953 and Baron bet 8,000. Keating made the call and the turn fell 2. Baron bet 17,500 and Keating made the call. The river fell 8 and Baron checked. Keating bet 25,000 after sitting in the tank for a minute or two. Now Baron went into the tank to ponder the call and he eventually tossed enough chips into the middle. Keating flipped over K9 for a flush and Baron mucked his hand. Baron held 195,000 after the hand and Keating grew his stack to 160,000.

Player Tags: Isaac Baron,   Alex Keating

Jason Mercier Eliminated

Oct 28, '09

With 7,500 in the pot and a flop of 852 sitting on the table, Jason Mercier bet 5,400 from the big blind and Alex Keating raised to 12,900 from the cutoff. Mercier reraised all in and Keating made the all-in call for 34,600. Their cards:

Keating: 88
Mercier: AA

Turn and River: 24

Keating doubled up on the hand to 76,500 and Mercier was crippled with just 1,500 remaining. Mercier was eliminated a few minutes later.

Player Tags: Jason Mercier,   Alex Keating

Jimmy Fricke Grabs a Pot

Oct 27, '09

With 8,000 in the pot and a board of K6432 sitting on the table, Alex Keating bet 8,000 from middle position and Jimmy Fricke went into the tank. He made the call and flipped over KJ. Keating mucked and Fricke grew his stack to 75,000. Keating’s stack shrunk down to 38,000.

Player Tags: Jimmy Fricke,   Alex Keating

Alex Keating Eliminated in Fourth Place ($60,970)

Oct 29, '09

MONSTER HAND BELOW!!!

Isaac Baron raised to 54,000 on the button and Alex Keating called in the big blind. The flop came down QQ4 and Keating checked.

Baron bet 75,000 and Keating check raised to 170,000. Baron made it 270,000 and Keating reraised to 420,000.

The dealer brought in the 270,000 and Baron moved all in for an additional 1,295,000. Keating made the call, having Baron covered by about 15,000 in chips, not even enough for a big blind.

Baron showed AQ and had Keating’s Q9 out kicked. The turn and river fell 3J and Baron took a commanding lead of over 3.2 million in this tournament.

ELIMINATION HAND BELOW!!!

Keating was all in on the very next hand preflop and Glen Chorny made the call. Baron might have called, but he was still stacking up his millions and millions of chips. Keating showed 76 for his final stand and Chorny showed 82. The board was dealt A105104 and Keating was eliminated in fourth place.

Player Tags: Isaac Baron,   Glen Chorny,   Alex Keating

Jimmy Tran Eliminated in Fifth Place ($45,728)

Oct 29, '09

Jimmy Tran got the last of his chips into the middle preflop against Alex Keating and they turned over their cards. Tran held AQ and Keating showed QQ.

The board was dealt J8822 and Tran was eliminated.

Keating is now tied for the chip lead with 1.4 million.

Player Tags: Jimmy Tran,   Alex Keating

Alex Keating Doubles Up

Oct 29, '09

Glen Chorny raised to 30,000 preflop and Alex Keating reraised all in for 228,000. Their cards:

Keting: QQ
Chorny: 1010

Board: 776AJ

Keating doubled up on the hand and he now holds close to 600,000.

Player Tags: Glen Chorny,   Alex Keating

Steve Sung Eliminated in 16th Place ($9,146) in Two Acts

Oct 29, '09

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “There are no second acts in American lives.” Contrary to that opinion, Steve Sung just experienced his tournament demise in two acts. The second was short lived, but at least it was interesting.

Act I

Adam Levy moved all in preflop for 83,000 and Steve Sung made the call. Their cards:

Levy: 10 10
Sung: A K

Board: 10 8 6 J 9

Sung was crippled after the hand with just 11,000 remaining, and he got that all in quickly…

Act II

Kathy Liebert raised to 16,000 and Alex Keating made the call from the small blind. Sung was all in for 9,000 in the big blind and the flop was dealt J 9 9. Keating checked, Liebert bet 25,000, and Keating check-raised all in for 185,000. Liebert mucked and the final two players turned up their cards:

Keating: A 9
Sung: 10 5

Turn and River: A 4

Sung needed two clubs to make his flush, which he received, but one of them was the ace that Keating needed to make a full house. Sung was eliminated from the tournament in 16th place.

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   Steve Sung,   Adam Levy,   Alex Keating

Baron vs. Keating II

Oct 28, '09

Alex Keating bet 6,700 from the cutoff on a flop of K73 and David Williams check-raised to 17,000 from the small blind. Isaac Baron check-called from the big blind and Keating reraised to 35,000. Williams mucked and Baron asked for a count on Keating’s stack. Kaeting held 90,000 and Baron went into the tank with 218,000 in his stack. He checked and the 9 fell on the turn. Both players checked and the 9 fell on the river. Both players checked again and Keating said, “I was making a play.” Baron turned over K3 and he collected the pot when Keating mucked. Baron moved up to 270,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Isaac Baron,   Alex Keating

Baron vs. Keating

Oct 28, '09

Alex Keating raised to 5,500 preflop from the cutoff and Isaac Baron made the call from the big blind. The flop was dealt 953 and Baron bet 8,000. Keating made the call and the turn fell 2. Baron bet 17,500 and Keating made the call. The river fell 8 and Baron checked. Keating bet 25,000 after sitting in the tank for a minute or two. Now Baron went into the tank to ponder the call and he eventually tossed enough chips into the middle. Keating flipped over K9 for a flush and Baron mucked his hand. Baron held 195,000 after the hand and Keating grew his stack to 160,000.

Player Tags: Isaac Baron,   Alex Keating

Jason Mercier Eliminated

Oct 28, '09

With 7,500 in the pot and a flop of 852 sitting on the table, Jason Mercier bet 5,400 from the big blind and Alex Keating raised to 12,900 from the cutoff. Mercier reraised all in and Keating made the all-in call for 34,600. Their cards:

Keating: 88
Mercier: AA

Turn and River: 24

Keating doubled up on the hand to 76,500 and Mercier was crippled with just 1,500 remaining. Mercier was eliminated a few minutes later.

Player Tags: Jason Mercier,   Alex Keating

Jimmy Fricke Grabs a Pot

Oct 27, '09

With 8,000 in the pot and a board of K6432 sitting on the table, Alex Keating bet 8,000 from middle position and Jimmy Fricke went into the tank. He made the call and flipped over KJ. Keating mucked and Fricke grew his stack to 75,000. Keating’s stack shrunk down to 38,000.

Player Tags: Jimmy Fricke,   Alex Keating