Dan O'Brien Poker Tournament Updates

Dan O'Brien Eliminated By James Maxey

Mar 18, '13

We caught up with this hand as Dan O’Brien called all-in with 99 against the K5 of James Maxey on a 1042 board. Maxey hit his flush draw on the turn when the J fell and O’Brien was left drawing dead. The K sealed the deal, sending O’Brien to the rail and building Maxey’s stack above 45,000.

Wave crashed hard. Called a big all in hoping to see a flush draw and was correct. On the turn, I was no longer happy to see the flush draw.

— Dan O’Brien (@DanOBrienPoker) March 19, 2013

Player Tags: Dan O'Brien,   James Maxey

Level 25: O'Brien Eliminated 7th, Final Table Now Underway

Jun 25, '11

NOTE: Play ended last night with 20 players and resumed today at 2:30pm. With the elimination of Dan O’Brien in 7th place ($70,872), the official six-handed final table is now underway.

Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Remaining: 6 out of 732

Average Chip Count: 1,830,000

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Filtz – 3,700,000
2. Robert Merulla – 2,950,000
3. Matt Jarvis – 1,680,000
4. Wesley Pantling – 1,150,000
5. Matthew Vengrin – 760,000
6. Tore Lukashaugen – 720,000

Payouts:

1st. $808,538
2nd. $499,855
3rd. $317,136
4th. $208,281
5th. $141,125
6th. $98,567

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

Player Tags: Matthew Vengrin,   Robert Merulla,   Justin Filtz,   Matt Jarvis,   Wesley Pantling,   Dan O'Brien,   Tore Lukashaugen

Level 26: Dan O'Brien Eliminated in 4th Place ($179,162)

Jun 17, '11

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 3 out of 1,378

Average Chip Count: 3,445,000

Chip Counts:

1. Oleksii Kovalchuk – 6,800,000
2. Anton Ionel – 2,400,000
3. Chris Moorman – 1,100,000

Eliminations:

4th. Dan O’Brien – $179,162

Dan O’Brien Eliminated in 4th Place ($179,162)

Dan O’Brien began the level as the short and couldn’t really get much going. In his final pot of evening, O’Brien raised to 60,000 from under the gun and Oleksii Kovalchuk called from the big blind.

The flop came K 5 5, Kovalchuk checked, O’Brien bet 70,000, Kovalchuk check-raised to 140,000, O’Brien three-bet to 250,000, Kovalchuk shoved and O’Brien called all in.

O’Brien turned over K Q for top pair against Kovalchuk’s 8 6 flush draw.

The turn and river were the 3 and the 9, giving Kovalchuk a flush on the turn. Dan O’Brien was eliminated in 4th place ($179,162).

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

Player Tags: Dan O'Brien,   Oleksii Kovalchuk

Level 25: Failla Eliminated 7th, Final Table Now Underway

Jun 17, '11

NOTE: Play ended last night with 22 players and resumed today at 2:30pm. With the elimination of Will Failla in 7th place ($60,473), the official six-handed final table is now underway.

Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Remaining: 6 out of 1,378

Average Chip Count: 1,722,500

Chip Counts:

1. Oleksii Kovalchuk – 4,700,000
2. Anton Ionel – 2,500,000
3. Dan O’Brien – 1,700,000
4. Chris Moorman – 1,150,000
5. Mazin Khoury – 520,000
6. Anthony Ruberto – 518,000

Payouts:

1st. $689,739
2nd. $428,140
3rd. $271,800
4th. $179,162
5th. $121,416
6th. $84,549

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

Player Tags: Chris Moorman,   Dan O'Brien,   Anton Ionel,   Anthony Ruberto Jr,   Mazin Khoury,   Oleksii Kovalchuk

Level 2 Update

Mar 05, '11

Blinds: 75-150

Players Remaining: 245 out of 245

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Richard Toth — 40,000
2. Christian Harder — 35,000
3. Shannon Shorr — 35,000
4. Michael Kamran — 35,000
5. Tom McEvoy — 30,000
6. Mas Kagawa — 30,000
7. Shane Schleger — 30,000
8. Randal Flowers — 25,000
9. Brett Richey — 25,000
10. Mike Leah — 20,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Justin Smith

Big Hands:

Michael Kamran Makes a Straight

The board read 6 4 3 5 A when Michael Kamran bet 2,050 from the cutoff. His opponent went into the tank on the hi-jack and eventually made the call. He flipped over pocket fives but Kamran showed down pocket twos for the straight.

Hinkle vs. O’Brien

The board read 10 7 4 7 8 and there was 3,900 in the pot when Dan O’Brien bet 2,400 from the small blind. Mohsin Charania mucked UTG+1, and then Blair Hinkle went into the tank on the button. He raised to 10,000 and O’Brien mucked.

Late Arrivals

Here is a look at some of the tables that have formed with late arrivals. They are very pro heavy:

Table 32: Amnon Filippi, James Mackey, Jonathan Aguiar

Table 33: Brett Richey, Thor Hansen, Christian Harder, Sam Stein

Table 34: Victor Ramdin, Steve O’Dwyer, Alex Keating, Shaun Deeb

Player Tags: Michael Kamran,   Blair Hinkle,   Mohsin Charania,   Dan O'Brien

Level 4 Update: Candio Can Do No Wrong

Sep 23, '10

NOTE: The field is now on a 90-minute dinner break and play will resume at 8:50 p.m. local time (12:50 PST).

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 115 out of 137 (unofficial)

Chip Counts:

Fabian Quoss – 93,000
Faraz Jaka – 82,000
Almira Skripchenko – 75,000
Nicolas Levi – 75,000
Erik Seidel – 75,000
Simon Persson – 74,000
Arnaud Mattern – 69,000
Farzad Bonyadi – 69,000
Allen Cunningham – 62,000
Filippo Candio – 62,000

Average Chip Count: 35,128

Notable Eliminations:

Vanessa Selbst
Daniel “Jungleman12” Cates

Big Hands:

Candio Applies Pressure

A table which could be described as being of the “doom” variety features Filippo Candio, Leo Margets, Phil Hellmuth, and Daniel “Jungleman12” Cates (Sadly Jungleman did not survive it however). Candio looks set to be on the war path and has not been letting up.

The player in under the gun +1 position bet 850 and when folded back to Candio, he made it 2,300 from the big blind. His opponent then reraised to 7,300 and Candio fired out once more to 17,700. After some thought his opponent folded and Candio chipped up to around the 43,000 mark.

In the very next hand Candio was at it again, this time from the small blind. The Italian November Niner bet 650 and Jungleman12 made it 2,000 from the big blind. Candio then asked Jungleman how much he had left behind – the answer was 16,400 so Candio made it 7,200. Jungleman thought about it for a few moments and then folded. Candio is steadily but aggressively making his way to the 50,000 mark.

Seidel Moves On Up

With 1,950 in the middle and a board reading A 6 6 Joseph Cheong bets 1,125 from the cut-off. Erik Seidel raises it to 2,700 from the big blind and the turn comes the A. Seidel bets 3,000 and Cheong mucks. Seidel now has the best part of 75,000 in chips in front of him.

Dan O’Brien Makes a Nice Call

The board read J 10 5 4 7 when seat 9 bet 2,675 from the button into a pot worth 3,800. Dan O’Brien went into the tank in middle position and he eventually made the call. O’Brien flipped over 5 3 and his opponent mucked. O’Brien held 35,000 after the hand.

Left In The Deck:

Phil Hellmuth’s Poker Face

Phil Hellmuth made one of his most over-the-top entrances to date here at the 2010 WSOP Europe. It involved a red double-decker bus, Lady Gaga impersonators, and a marching band, all while the song “Poker Face” blared in the background. It did not go over to well with the poker players in the room when all of the sound flooded the casino. Gus Hansen in particular was none to pleased as he was facing a big decision in his semi-final match in the high roller heads-up tournament.

High Roller Heads-Up Report — Final Set

The £10,350 heads-up high roller event has reached its final from a total of 103. Gus Hansen beat Andrew Feldman in the semi-final and will soon continue the hunt for his first bracelet and of course the £288,409 that comes with it. Ram Vaswani’s battle against Jim Collopy went on a good deal longer but in the end it was Collopy who made it through. He now faces Hansen in the final. The runner-up will take home £178,211 and some deflated hopes.

Here are the results so far for this event:

3: Ram Vaswani — £96,212
3: Andrew Feldman — £96,212
5: Daniel Negreanu — £47,045
5: Kevin Eyster — £47,045
5: Huck Seed — £47,045
5: Neil Channing — £47,045
9: Howard Lederer — £22,847
9: Martin Kabrhel — £22,847
9: McLean Karr — £22,847
9: Saar Wilf — £22,847
9: Andrew Robl — £22,847
9: Phil Ivey — £22,847
9: Marius Torbergson — £22,847
9: Sondre Svaniek — £22,847

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Phil Hellmuth,   Filippo Candio,   Dan O'Brien,   Daniel Cates

Level 6 Update: Day 1A Ends

Aug 21, '10

NOTE: Day 1A has come to an end and the tournament clock shows that 90 players remain. Join us at 1 p.m. tomorrow for full day 1B coverage of the WPT Legends of Poker main event at the Bicycle Casino.

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 90 out of 186

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Manuel Reyes — 205,350
2. Raymond Dolan — 165,500 (pictured right)
3. Max Casal — 138,500
4. Ken Michelman — 125,200
5. Franco Brunetti — 124,575
6. Mike Baxter — 117,700
7. Tim Phan — 110,700
8. McLean Karr — 107,200
9. Barry Greenstein — 100,675
10. Craig Bergeron — 95,400

Average Chip Count: 51,666

Notable Eliminations:

Billy Baxter
Hasan Habib

Chip Movers and Shakers

Multiple players have rushed up the leader board during the last level of the night and now hold six-figure chip counts. Nine players are members of that exclusive club and they are Ken Michelman, Max Casal, McLean Karr, Mike Baxter, Barry Greenstein, Franco Brunetti, Tim Phan, Raymond Dolan, and over night chip leader Manuel Reyes, who ended the night with 205,350.

Big Hands:

Raymond Dolan Moves to the Top

Steve Brecher raised to 1,100 in early position and Raymond Dolan made the call. The big blind then made it 2,200 to go and both Brecher and Dolan made the call. The flop fell A-Q-10 and the big blind checked. Brecher bet 3,500 and Dolan raised to 8,100 total. The big blind then moved all in for 50,000 and Brecher mucked. Dolan made the call and he flipped over K-J for a Broadway straight. His opponent turned over pocket aces and neither the turn nor river were able to reverse his fate.

Bobby Suer Doubles Up through Tim Phan

Tim Phan raised to 2,000 preflop and Bobby Suer reraised all in for 6,950. Phan made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Phan: 97
Suer: 65

Board: Q6539

Suer doubled up on the hand to survive with close to 15,000.

Dan O’Brien Doubles up through Maria Ho

Maria Ho made it 950 to go preflop on the button and Dan O’Brien reraised to 2,500 from the small blind. The big blind mucked and Ho reraised all in. O’Brien made the all-in call for 10,000 and they flipped over their cards:

O’Brien: K-K
Ho: A-9

Board: 9888K

Both players made a full house on the hand but O’Brien held the higher one and doubled up to 25,000. Ho was still strong after setback with 78,000.

Allen Bari Takes a Hit

There was 4,600 in the pot and a board of AK66J sitting on the table when the player under the gun put in a sizeable raise worth 10,500. Bari went into the tank and eventually made the call. His opponent flipped over AQ and Bari mucked. He held 70,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Steve Brecher,   Tim Phan,   Allen Bari,   Maria Ho,   Bobby Suer,   Raymond Dolan,   Dan O'Brien

Level Eight: Last Level Of The Night

Jun 10, '10

Blinds: 300-600 with a 150 ante

Players Remaining: 74 out of 101

Average Chip Count: 40,946

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Homan Houshiar – 116,100
2. Tommy Vedes – 112,600
3. David Baker – 104,000
4. Greg Mueller – 69,000
5. Andy Black – 58,000
6. Steve Zolotow – 56,000
7. Farzad Bonyadi – 55,300
8. Brett Richey – 55,000
9. Dee Tiller – 50,000
10. Stephen Chidwick – 50,000

Notable Eliminations:

Erick Lindgren
Nick Binger
Dan Shak
Howard Lederer
J.C. Tran
Justin Smith
Dario Alioto

Players Twitter Accounts:

Daniel Negreanu
Jean-Robert Bellande
Doyle Brunson
Barry Greenstein
Chad Brown

Big Hands:

Erick Lindgren Busts

Dan O’Brien raised to 1,500 before the draw. The action was on Erick Lindgren who shoved all in for his remaining 13,000.

O’Brien made the call and drew one card. Lindgren tabled 10-8-6-4-3.

O’Brien took his drawn card and then tabled 8-7-5-3-2 to best Lindgren and send him to the rail on the last level of the night.

Mizrachi Straightens Out Grey

Michael Mizrachi raised to 2,000 before the draw and the action was then on David Grey. Grey made the call and both players drew one card.

Mizrachi then led out with 4,000 and Grey mucked his hand. Mizrachi then showed Grey a straight, 8-7-6-5-4, a wicked smile on his face as he showed off his bluff.

Grey had shown a face card and probably would have taken the pot down with a call. Mizrachi was at 30,000 after the hand.

Richey Completes The Comeback

Freddy Deeb raised to 2,000 before the draw and the action folded to Brett Richey. He reraised to 6,000. The big blind then repopped it to 20,000. Deeb mucked and Richey raised to 26,200 total, putting himself all in.

The big blind made the call and drew one card. Richey stood pat and showed down J-8-7-3-2. It was just enough as the big blind tabled Q-8-6-4-2. Richey was once down to his last 1,000 in chips but rebounded all the way up to 55,000 after that double up.

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Michael Mizrachi,   David Grey,   Brett Richey,   Freddy Deeb,   Dan O'Brien

Level 10 Update: Crazy Action to Start the Day

Apr 27, '10

Blinds: 600-1,200

Players Remaining: 385 out of 848

Average Chip Count: 66,077

Chip Counts:

1. Thiago Nishijima — 215,000
2. Ramzi Jelassi — 215,000
3. Paul Berende — 195,000
4. Tommaso Briotti — 175,000
5. Simon Munz — 175,000
6. Chris Bjorin — 171,000
7. Brent Wheeler — 170,000
8. Antonio Palma — 169,000
9. Salvatore Bonavena — 156,000
10. Johannes Steindl — 141,000

Big Hands:

Vanessa Rousso and Allen Bari Chop It Up, Neither Realize It

Vanessa Rousso was all in holding A-J and up against Allen Bari’s A-K. The flop came down 10-7-5 and the turn was another 7, giving Rousso a flush draw.

The river was a 5 and Rousso reached over to shake Bari’s hand, resigned to her fate. Bari, not realizing both players held two pair with an ace kicker, accepted her hand and began to rake in the pot.

The dealer and the rest of the players at the table then informed both players that the pot was split and they both took back their bets, albeit a little red in the face.

After the hand, Bari began to joke, saying, “She shook my hand, isn’t that binding?” When another opponent asked if he had ever played poker before, Bari responded dryly, “Just once a year, here in Monte Carlo.”

Team PokerStars Pro Noah Boeken Hits the Rail

Noah Boeken was all in for his last 17,100 holding AQ against Claudio Pagano’s AJ and looking good to double up, but the board ran out AQ10K7 to end his tournament.

Not A Good Start For the Chip Leader

Thiago Nishijima entered the day with the chip lead and still has it, but he is going in the wrong direction.

Nishijima doubled up Anirudh Seth when his pair of queens failed to improve against a made straight. Nishijima is down to 215,000.

Van Zadelhoff Put In Tough Spot…Accidently

On a flop of Q103, Steven Van Zadelhoff bet 4,600 and then the action got weird. Yorane Kerignard, who is French, then verbalized the word “eighty.” Kerignard meant “eight,” but even that wasn’t enough for a proper raise. To top it all off, Kerignard only had 50,000 in his stack anyway.

The floor was called over and rule that he was required to raise all in, even though most at the table agreed his intention was to make it 8,000. Van Zadelhoff tanked for a bit and made the call with KQ, which was miles ahead of Kerignard’s K10.

Of course, the turn and river fell JA, and both player chopped the pot with a Broadway straight. A fitting end to an awkward situation.

Russell Carson Out Flops Dan O’Brien… Big Time!

Dan O’Brien was all in holding pocket aces and was in great shape to double up against Russell Carson’s pocket eights. Unfortunately, the flop brought the two case eights and O’Brien hit the rail.

Carson is now up to a whopping 120,000 in chips.

Katja Thater Doubles Up

Team PokerStars Pro Katja Thater was all in for 16,700 holding pocket sevens and was up against Sami “Larz Luzak” Kelopuro’s A7.

The board fell 10324J and Thater doubled up to about 35,000 in chips.

Ramzi Jelassi Moves Near Chip Lead

On a board reading Q6510, Ramzi Jelassi bet 24,000 and his opponent, Christoph Pereira check-raised all in for 80,000 more.

Jelassi was angry with himself for not checking behind, but reluctantly made the call anyway, tabling 65 for two pair.

Pereira showed KQ for just a pair of queens and missed when the river was the 4. Jelassi now has 215,000 in chips.

Miracle For Monfils

Tennis Pro and Team PokerStars SportStar Gael Monfils was in major trouble, but found the river to double up to just over his starting stack.

Someone opened for 2,700 and the button reraised to 7,000. Monfils then decided to shove from the small blind for 14,500. The button insta-called with pocket aces and Monfils revealed KQ.

The board fell K726Q and Monfils got lucky to hit a non-diamond queen on the river to stay alive in the tournament.

Player Tags: Noah Boeken,   Allen Bari,   Vanessa Rousso,   Russell Carson,   Katja Thater,   Ramzi Jelassi,   Steven Van Zadelhoff,   Thiago Nishijima,   Dan O'Brien

Faraz Jaka Doubles Up Through Dan O'Brien

Dec 17, '09

Faraz Jaka raised preflop, Dan O’Brien reraised, Jaka moved all in and O’Brien made the call with AQ. Jaka showed the superior AK and it held when the board came AK642.

O’Brien is now short stacked with 100,000 while Jaka moves up to 730,000.

Player Tags: Faraz Jaka,   Dan O'Brien