Chris Moneymaker - Live Updates

Adolfo Vaeza Gets Lucky Again, Chris Moneymaker Out

Sep 30, '09

Adolfo Vaeza first sucked out on Erik Seidel to take the chip lead and he just sucked out again to put himself nearly out of reach, at least as far as today is concerned.

On the most recent hand, he somehow found himself all in with Team PokerStars pro Chris Moneymaker on a J-10-4 flop. Vaeza held pocket kings, but was drawing slim against Moneymaker’s set of jacks.

Alas, the turn and river came 9-Q, giving Vaeza the winning straight and a massive stack of 370,000. Moneymaker was eliminated, with one hell of a bad beat story to tell.

Player Tags: Chris Moneymaker,   Adolfo Vaeza

Level 2 - Hour 2 Update: Chris Moneymaker Eliminated

Jul 04, '09

Blinds: 100-200

Chip Counts:

1. Vadim Gruzglin — 123,000
2. Jesse Rios — 105,000
3. Sam Khouiss — 79,000
4. Shaun Deeb — 67,000
5. Grant Levy — 65,000
6. Angelo Ricci — 62,000
7. Catherine Hearn — 62,000
8. Save D’Alesandro — 59,000
9. Jeremiah Smith — 58,900
10. Paris heard — 57,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Todd Brunson — 26,100
Mike Matusow — 28,600
Stephen Murphy – 18,100

Notable Eliminations:

Chris Moneymaker
David Steicke
Ralph Perry

Big Hands

Moneymaker Eliminated; Runs Tens Into Aces

After battling from the short stock for most of the day, Chris Moneymaker finally gets it all in (8,000) before the flop against Joe Villacci.

Moneymaker: 1010
Villacci: AA

Board: Q976Q

Moneymaker gets it in behind and fails to improve, he is eliminated from the tournament.

Vadim Trincher Gets Rivered

The player in seat 7 raises to 600 from middle position, Vadim Trincher reraises to 1,800 from the button and seat 7 calls. The flop comes 943, and both players check around. The turn is the 10, Trincher bets 2,000 and seat 7 calls. The river is the 4 and both players check. Seat 7 turns over A4 for trips on the river and Trincher throws his hand into the muck. Trincher is down to 23,000 after this hand.

Greenstein Rivers A Set

On a board of 642AJ, the player in seat 7 bets 2,100 and Barry Greenstein raises 5,000 more. Seat 7 calls and Greenstein turns over JJ for a set on the river. Greenstein rakes the pot and is up to 27,000 in chips after this hand.

Greg Raymer vs. Alex Kravchenko

On a board of A655, Alex Kravchenko bets 300 on the turn, Raymer raises to 1,300 and Kravchenko calls. The river is the 10, and Kravchenko checks. Raymer bets 2,000 and Kravchenko calls. Raymer turns over J5 for trip fives on the turn and rakes the pot. Raymer is up to 24,000 this hand while Kravchenko drops to 28,000 in chips.

David Pham Bluffed

After an under the gun player raised preflop, another player reraised. David Pham put in another raise, making it 3,500. The initial raiser folded and the second raiser called. Pham and his opponent saw a flop of K65. Pham’s opponent bet 6,700 which was almost enough to put him all in. Pham went into the tank before finally making. His opponent exposed the 98 for a gut shot straight flush draw. Pham is at just 6,800.

Alexander Kravchenko Rivers Full House

On a board of K103104, the small blind bet 1,000 and Alexander Kravchenko raised to 3,000. The small blind went into the tank and eventually made the call. Kravchenko exposed the 44 for a rivered full house. Kravchenko is around the starting amount of 30,000.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Chris Moneymaker,   Greg Raymer,   Alexander Kravchenko,   Vadim Trincher

Level 16 Update: Moneymaker, Zolotow Flame Out

May 29, '09

Blinds: 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 36 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 2,380,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 1,250,000
3. Keith Lehr — 1,080,000
4. Matt Marafioti — 1,080,000
5. Matt Glantz — 1,058,000
6. Brian Townsend — 1,015,000
7. Justin Bonomo — 980,000
8. Noah Schwartz — 980,000
9. Ted Forrest — 915,000
10. Vitaly Lunkin — 915,000

Average Chip Count: 670,000

Notable Eliminations:

Mark Dickstein
Humberto Brenes
Chris Moneymaker
Steve Zolotow

Big Hands:

Steve Zolotow Doubles Up Through Alec Torelli

Steve Zolotow was all in holding AJ against Alec Torelli and his KK. The flop came out AJ4, giving Zolotow the lead with two pair, but Torelli held the nut flush draw. The turn and river bricked out when it came 36 and Zolotow doubled up to 845,000. Torelli is still a live, but in considerably worse shape with 375,000.

Moneymaker Hurting After Tony G Double Up

Tony G was all in holding A-K against Chris Moneymaker’s pocket queens. The board ran out 8-6-2-K-J, giving Guoga the winning pair of kings and taking a huge chunk of Moneymaker’s stack.

After the hand, Moneymaker was down to just 230,000 while Guoga chipped up to over 830,000.

Humberto Brenes Taken Out By Greg Raymer

Humberto Brenes moved all in on the short stack from the cutoff and Greg Raymer made the call in the small blind. The action moved to Andrew Robl in the big blind, who appeared to be contemplating a call. After a while, some members of the table got up and Robl realized the action was on him. He quickly folded and Brenes showed A-7 offsuit. Raymer revealed pocket nines and they held to bust THE CHARK from the tournament.

Ted Forrest Wakes Up, Gets Moneymaker’s Stack

After sleeping through most of the past two levels, Ted Forrest finally returned to the tournament and almost immediately took the rest of Chris Moneymaker’s chips.

Moneymaker made his move with pocket tens and Forrest held pocket kings. Both players flopped a set when it came K-J-10 and the turn and river ran out 7-J to give both players a full house. Moneymaker’s was lower and he was ousted from the tournament. Forrest now has about 1.1 million in chips.

Greg Raymer Cruises Past 2 Million By Taking Out Steve Zolotow

Very reminiscent of 2004, Greg Raymer just can’t seem to lose coinflips today. After putting the all in pressure on Steve Zolotow and his 600,000+ stack, Zolotow made a good call with QQ. Raymer turned over AK and was once again in a race situation for a huge pot.

The flop came out 422 which someone at the table mentioned was a good flop for Zolotow. Sure enough, the next card off was the K and Zolotow slammed the table. The river 2 have both players a boat, but Raymer’s was best, busting Zolotow from the tournament. Raymer now has 2.38 million in chips.

Player Tags: Humberto Brenes,   Antanas Guoga,   Steve Zolotow,   Chris Moneymaker,   Greg Raymer,   Alec Torelli

Level 15 Update: Greg Raymer Gets Stronger

May 29, '09

Blinds: 6,000-12,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 40 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 2,660,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 1,400,000
3. Matth Glantz — 1,058,000
4. Brian Townsend — 1,015,000
5. Justin Bonomo — 980,000
6. Ted Forrest — 940,000
7. Vitaly Lunkin — 915,000
8. Sorel Mizzi — 840,000
9. Chris Moneymaker — 835,000
10. David Pham — 820,000

Average Chip Count: 603,000

Notable Eliminations:

James Mackey
Alex Jacob
Dale Pinchot

Big Hands:

Greg Raymer Takes Out James Mackey

Shortly into the level, James Mackey found himself all in holding K-Q. Unfortunately, Greg Raymer woke up with A-K. The board brought a king, but Raymer’s kicker was enough to send Mackey home out of the money. After the hand, Raymer stacked ballooned to 1.67 million.

Alec Torelli Picks Up a Big Pot With an All-In Move

Greg Raymer opened from early position to 30,000 and Vanessa Rousso made the call. Brian Rast then raised to 105,000 in the hijack and the action moved over to Alec Torelli. After a few minutes in thought, Torelli moved all in for 810,000.

Raymer quickly folded, as did Rousso. Rast asked for a count, saw that his 650,000 was well covered and the folded. Torelli moved up to approximately 960,000.

Phil Galfond Doubles Through Justin Bonomo

Phil Galfond found himself all in holding a dominating A-K against Justin Bonomo and his A-J. A king hit the flop and Bonomo failed to catch up, doubling Galfond to 488,000 in chips. Bonomo is still healthy with about 1.1 million.

Sami Kelopuro Doubles Up Courtesy of Alan Sass

After an all-in and call, Sami Kelopuro revealed his pocket queens and was way ahead of Alan Sass and his pocket eights. The board ran out Q63J4 and Kelopuro’s set of queens were enough to double him up to about 375,000 in chips.

Chris Moneymaker Gives Up Some Chips to Noah Schwartz

Noah Schwartz was all in on the short stack holding pocket kings against the pocket sevens of Chris Moneymaker. The board failed to help the 2003 champion and Schwartz doubled up to 320,000. Moneymaker dropped below the million mark with 910,000.

Sorel Mizzi Doubles Through Frank Kassela

On a flop of J107 Sorel Mizzi is all in holding J-10 for top two pair against Frank Kassela’s and his pocket eights. Kassela needs an eight or a nine to bust Mizzi but the turn and river come 610, giving Mizzi a boat and a newly formed stack of about 750,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Frank Kassela,   Chris Moneymaker,   Greg Raymer,   James Mackey,   Justin Bonomo,   Vanessa Rousso,   Brian Rast,   Phil Galfond,   Alan Sass,   Noah Schwartz,   Alec Torelli,   Sorel Mizzi,   Sami Kelopuro

Level 13 Update: Antonio Esfandiari Eliminated, Justin Bonomo Climbs to the Top

May 29, '09

Blinds: 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 60 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo- 1,280,000
2. Brian Townsend – 1,200,000
3. Brian Rast – 1,000,000
4. Alex Veldhuis – 990,000
5. Phil Galfond – 800,000
6. Matthew Glantz – 800,000
7. Ted Forrest – 690,000
8. Alec Torelli – 494,500
9. JC Tran- 491,000
10. Isaac Haxton- 525,000

Average Chip Count: 402,000

Notable Eliminations:

Antonio Esfandiari
Kyle Wilson
Mark Seif
Phil Ivey
David Singer
Josh Arieh
David Benefield

Big Hands:

Antonio Esfandiari Knocked Out by Chris Moneymaker

Holding AQ, Antonio Esfandiari moved all in pre-flop and was called by the AK of Chris Moneymaker. Moneymaker flopped a king and sent the Magician to the rail.

Kyle Wilson is Eliminated

Justin Bonomo and Kyle Wilson got it all-in pre-flop with Wilson holding ace queen off-suit against the KK of Justin Bonomo. Wilson failed to improve and was eliminated. Bonomo now has a monster stack of over 1 million.

Justin Bonomo adds to huge chip stack

In a hand versus J.C. Tran and Phil Galfond, Justin Bonomo made a 125,000 chip river bet on a board of 10Q867. Galfond thought briefly before folding and then Tran folded quickly. Bonomo is now up to 1,200,000.

Chris Moneymaker Continues to Leak Chips

On a board of 73AK, J.C. Tran checked to Chris Moneymaker on the button. Moneymaker checked behind and the 5 fell on the river. Tran checked and Moneymaker quickly fired a bet of 33,000 which was quickly called by Tran. Moneymaker said it was a good call and Tran flipped over the A10 to win the pot. Moneymaker is down to 400,000.

Phil Ivey Eliminated

David Baker limped from middle position and Humberto Brenes raised to 26,000 right behind him. Phil Ivey reraised all in for 84,000 and then Mizzi reraised to 150,000 from the small blind. Baker and Brenes mucked and then Ivey and Mizzi flipped up their cards:

Mizzi: 1010
Ivey: AQ

Board: J669K

Ivey was eliminated on the hand and Mizzi grew his stack to 760,000.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   J.C. Tran,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Chris Moneymaker,   Phil Ivey,   Justin Bonomo,   Phil Galfond,   Kyle Wilson,   Sorel Mizzi

Level 12 Update: Brian Townsend Builds a Huge Stack

May 29, '09

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

Players Remaining: 67 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Alex Veldhuis – 1,090,000
2. Brian Townsend – 950,000
2. Brian Rast – 910,000
3. Justin Bonomo- 760,000
4. Chris Moneymaker – 700,000
6. Ted Forrest – 690,000
7. Matthew Marafioti – 540,000
8. Alec Torelli – 494,500
9. JC Tran- 491,000
10. Andy Black- 470,000

Average Chip Count: 354,706

Notable Eliminations:

Doyle Brunson
Kenny Tran
Lee Markholt
John Duthie
Matt Giannetti
Adam Junglen
Michael DeMichele
Chris Mooreman
David “Devil Fish” Ulliott

Big Hands:

Chau Giang Doubles Up

Facing a 26,500 button raise from Andrew Robl, Chau Giang moved all in pre-flop for 45,000 more. Robl was committed and quickly called with the A10 and Giang was happy to see he had his opponent dominated with the AK. The board ran out Q643K and Giang doubled up to a modest stack of 146,000.

Chris Moneymaker Avoids Disaster

Chris Moneymaker raised pre-floped and Humberto Brenes just called. The flop brought the A and both played the hand cautiously until Moneymaker made a 25,000 bet on the river that Brenes quickly called. Moneymaker turned over pocket queens and Brenes exposed pocket kings to take the small pot. Moneymaker exclaimed, “I got lucky with that flop,” and Brenes said, “Yes you did.”

Brian Townsend Wins a Huge Pot

On a board of A87103 with 330,000 already sitting in the pot, Brian Townsend bet 300,000, leaving just 45,000 in his stack. Mark Seif then went into the tank for a few minutes on the button. Seif was sitting on a stack of 415,000 and he decided to make the call after some deliberation. Townsend flipped over AK and Seif mucked. Seif took a huge hit down to 115,000 after the hand and Townsend’s stack grew to 975,000.

Chris Moore Busts One

Chris Moore (UTG) and his opponent on the small blind got it all in preflop. Their cards:

Moore: AA
Small Blind: 99

Board: 854JJ

Moore won the hand and sent his opponent packing.

Michael DeMichele Sent to the Rail

On a board of 810585, Alexander Veldhuis put Michael DeMichele all in. DeMichele looked disgusted and tanked for quite some time before calling with pocket aces. Veldhuis exposed 88 for quads to eliminate DeMichele.

Brian Rast Gets Lucky to Double Up

On a flop of 75A, Brian Rast got it all in against the A5 of Bruno Fitoussi. The turn brought the Q, giving the online cash game player extra outs. The Q fell on the river and Rast rivered a better two pair to double up to about 650,000.

David “Devil Fish” Ulliott is Eliminated

On the very next hand after Brian Rast’s huge double up, the short stack David Ulliott raised pre-flop to 25,000 with pocket kings. Rast min-raised to 50,000 and Ulliott went all-in instantly. Rast called and exposed 77 and Ulliott tabled pocket kings. The flop was a disaster for Ulliott, as it came A67. Ulliott failed to connect with a higher set and was sent home.

Table 60 is running hot

At the same table and a hand after Rasts double up and Ulliot’s elimination, Greg Raymer called the all-in of Ville Wahlbeck. Raymer showed AJ and Wahlbeck exposed pocket kings. Kings were no good once again as Raymer flopped an ace and built his stack to around 300,000.

Left in the Deck:

Mike Matusow is entered in the Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better tournament that is running simultaneously and has ran over to the other table to see a hand.

Players went to a 20 minute break, and will return to play more 2 more levels before a 60 minute dinner break later this evening. After the break they will play four levels or down to 18 players, whichever comes first.

Card Player TV

Check out this video from CardPlayer TV with chip leader Lex Veldhuis.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   David Ulliott,   Humberto Brenes,   Chris Moneymaker,   Chau Giang,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Greg Raymer,   Brian Rast,   Chris Moore,   Brian Townsend,   Andrew Robl

Level 6 Update: Jesus is Eliminated

May 28, '09

Blinds: 800-1600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 150 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Antonio Esfandiari — 470,000
2. Justin Bonomo — 470,000
3. Mark Seif — 450,000
4. Chris Moneymaker — 415,000
5. Matthew Glantz — 400,000
6. Bruno Fitoussi — 367,000
7. Frank Kassela — 340,000
8. Lex Veldhuis — 330,000
9. Isaac Haxton — 324,000
10. Eric Kesselman — 315,000

Average Chip Count: 160,800

Notable Eliminations:

Annie Duke
Chris Ferguson
Shaun Deeb

Big Hands:

Ivan Demidov Rivers a Flush

After a bet of 17,100 on the flop of 356 by Ivan Demidov, Vanessa Rousso and Eric Kesselman called. The turn brought the 5 and Rousso checked, Demidov checked and Kesselman checked. The river was the 6, completely the back door flush draw. Rousso checked, Demidov bet out 22,000 quickly and Kesselman thought about it briefly for making the call. Rousso folded and Demidov tabled AQ and Kesselman mucked. Demidov is now back up to 130,000.

Dennis Philips Doubles Through Doug Lee

A short-stacked Dennis Phillips gets it all in with AA against Doug Lee’s KJ on a flop of A72. The turn and river bring no help to Lee who is down to 65,000 after doubling Phillips up to 85,000 this hand.

Annie Duke is Eliminated

On a flop of 10Q3, Antonio Esfandiari bet out and Annie Duke called. The turn brought the 8 and Esfandiari bet out again, and Duke called. The river was the 4 and Esfandiari put Annie Duke all in for about 70,000. Duke thought for about 2 minutes before calling. Esfandiari turned over 33, and Duke mucked AQ. Esfandiari is now up to 460,000.

Dragon Eliminates Corwin Cole

David “The Dragon” Pham raises to 4,500 from early position, Corwin Cole reraises to 12,500 from middle position and Pham calls. The flop comes Q53, and Corwin bets 16,400. Pham calls and the turn is the J. This time Cole checks to Pham who bets 25,000, enough to put his opponent all in. Cole calls off his tournament life and flips over KK for the overpair, but Pham turns over JJ for middle set. The river is the Q, giving Pham a full house, and sending Cole home early. After eliminating Corwin Cole this hand, Pham is sitting just under 250,000.

Chris Ferguson is Eliminated

On a flop of J98, Chris Ferguson moved all in and was called by Chris Moneymaker, while Humberto Brenes, who was also in the hand, folded. Ferguson tabled 1010 and Moneymaker had him dominated with J10, and Ferguson was hoping for a split pot. The turn was the K and the river was the K, eliminating Ferguson and vaulting Moneymaker to 360,000 in chips.

Dinner Break

The remaining 165 players are now on a dinner break. Join us at 8:30 PST when play resumes.

Player Tags: Humberto Brenes,   David Pham,   Chris Ferguson,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Chris Moneymaker,   Vanessa Rousso,   Dennis Phillips,   Corwin Cole,   Ivan Demidov

Level 5 Update: Shawn Buchanan Doubles Up

May 28, '09

Blinds: 600-1,200 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 171 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Lex Veldhuis — 330,000
2. Matt Glantz — 310,00
3. Antonio Esfandiari — 302,000
4. Scott Seiver — 300,000
5. Charles Lehr — 275,000
6. Justin Bonomo — 275,000
7. Ted Forrest — 270,000
8. Tony G — 270,000
9. Vivek Rajkumar — 262,000
10. Barry Schwartz — 255,000

Average Chip Count: 141,053

Notable Eliminations:

Greg Mueller

Big Hands:

Shawn Buchanan Doubles Up

Michael DeMichele raises to 2,600 from middle position and Shawn Buchanan moves all in for 13,300 more. The action folds back around to DeMichele who makes the call. Buchanan turns over JJ while DeMichele shows A10. The board comes K1024K, and Buchanan’s jacks hold up. Buchanan doubles up to 35,000 this hand while DeMichele takes a slight hit down to 222,000.

Doyle Brunson doubles up Nicolas Levi

Nicolas Levi moved all in pre-flop and was called by Doyle Brunson. Levi exposed QQ and Brunson flipped over 99 and was well behind. The flop bricked for Brunson and the queen on the turn had the 10-time bracelet winner drawing dead.

Shaun Deeb Doubles up Lex Veldhuis

With AK, Alexander Veldhuis moved all in pre-flop and was called quickly by the 44 of Shaun Deeb. The pot stood at about 330,000 and the flop completely missed Veldhuis. However, the ace on the turn put Veldhuis ahead and gave him the massive pot.

Chris Moneymaker Making a Run Up the Leaderboard

Keith Lehr raises to 3,000 from early position and Chris Moneymaker calls from the button. The flop comes Q43, Lehr bets 7,000, Moneymaker calls. The turn is the K and this time Lehr bets 17,000. Moneymaker raises another 25,000 and Lehr folds after a minute in the tank. After the hand Lehr falls down just about 200,000 while Moneymaker climbs up to 260,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Doyle Brunson,   Chris Moneymaker,   Shawn Buchanan,   Keith Lehr,   Michael DeMichele,   Shaun Deeb,   Nicolas Levi

Level 16 Update: Moneymaker, Zolotow Flame Out

May 29, '09

Blinds: 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 36 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 2,380,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 1,250,000
3. Keith Lehr — 1,080,000
4. Matt Marafioti — 1,080,000
5. Matt Glantz — 1,058,000
6. Brian Townsend — 1,015,000
7. Justin Bonomo — 980,000
8. Noah Schwartz — 980,000
9. Ted Forrest — 915,000
10. Vitaly Lunkin — 915,000

Average Chip Count: 670,000

Notable Eliminations:

Mark Dickstein
Humberto Brenes
Chris Moneymaker
Steve Zolotow

Big Hands:

Steve Zolotow Doubles Up Through Alec Torelli

Steve Zolotow was all in holding AJ against Alec Torelli and his KK. The flop came out AJ4, giving Zolotow the lead with two pair, but Torelli held the nut flush draw. The turn and river bricked out when it came 36 and Zolotow doubled up to 845,000. Torelli is still a live, but in considerably worse shape with 375,000.

Moneymaker Hurting After Tony G Double Up

Tony G was all in holding A-K against Chris Moneymaker’s pocket queens. The board ran out 8-6-2-K-J, giving Guoga the winning pair of kings and taking a huge chunk of Moneymaker’s stack.

After the hand, Moneymaker was down to just 230,000 while Guoga chipped up to over 830,000.

Humberto Brenes Taken Out By Greg Raymer

Humberto Brenes moved all in on the short stack from the cutoff and Greg Raymer made the call in the small blind. The action moved to Andrew Robl in the big blind, who appeared to be contemplating a call. After a while, some members of the table got up and Robl realized the action was on him. He quickly folded and Brenes showed A-7 offsuit. Raymer revealed pocket nines and they held to bust THE CHARK from the tournament.

Ted Forrest Wakes Up, Gets Moneymaker’s Stack

After sleeping through most of the past two levels, Ted Forrest finally returned to the tournament and almost immediately took the rest of Chris Moneymaker’s chips.

Moneymaker made his move with pocket tens and Forrest held pocket kings. Both players flopped a set when it came K-J-10 and the turn and river ran out 7-J to give both players a full house. Moneymaker’s was lower and he was ousted from the tournament. Forrest now has about 1.1 million in chips.

Greg Raymer Cruises Past 2 Million By Taking Out Steve Zolotow

Very reminiscent of 2004, Greg Raymer just can’t seem to lose coinflips today. After putting the all in pressure on Steve Zolotow and his 600,000+ stack, Zolotow made a good call with QQ. Raymer turned over AK and was once again in a race situation for a huge pot.

The flop came out 422 which someone at the table mentioned was a good flop for Zolotow. Sure enough, the next card off was the K and Zolotow slammed the table. The river 2 have both players a boat, but Raymer’s was best, busting Zolotow from the tournament. Raymer now has 2.38 million in chips.

Player Tags: Humberto Brenes,   Antanas Guoga,   Steve Zolotow,   Chris Moneymaker,   Greg Raymer,   Alec Torelli

Level 15 Update: Greg Raymer Gets Stronger

May 29, '09

Blinds: 6,000-12,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 40 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 2,660,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 1,400,000
3. Matth Glantz — 1,058,000
4. Brian Townsend — 1,015,000
5. Justin Bonomo — 980,000
6. Ted Forrest — 940,000
7. Vitaly Lunkin — 915,000
8. Sorel Mizzi — 840,000
9. Chris Moneymaker — 835,000
10. David Pham — 820,000

Average Chip Count: 603,000

Notable Eliminations:

James Mackey
Alex Jacob
Dale Pinchot

Big Hands:

Greg Raymer Takes Out James Mackey

Shortly into the level, James Mackey found himself all in holding K-Q. Unfortunately, Greg Raymer woke up with A-K. The board brought a king, but Raymer’s kicker was enough to send Mackey home out of the money. After the hand, Raymer stacked ballooned to 1.67 million.

Alec Torelli Picks Up a Big Pot With an All-In Move

Greg Raymer opened from early position to 30,000 and Vanessa Rousso made the call. Brian Rast then raised to 105,000 in the hijack and the action moved over to Alec Torelli. After a few minutes in thought, Torelli moved all in for 810,000.

Raymer quickly folded, as did Rousso. Rast asked for a count, saw that his 650,000 was well covered and the folded. Torelli moved up to approximately 960,000.

Phil Galfond Doubles Through Justin Bonomo

Phil Galfond found himself all in holding a dominating A-K against Justin Bonomo and his A-J. A king hit the flop and Bonomo failed to catch up, doubling Galfond to 488,000 in chips. Bonomo is still healthy with about 1.1 million.

Sami Kelopuro Doubles Up Courtesy of Alan Sass

After an all-in and call, Sami Kelopuro revealed his pocket queens and was way ahead of Alan Sass and his pocket eights. The board ran out Q63J4 and Kelopuro’s set of queens were enough to double him up to about 375,000 in chips.

Chris Moneymaker Gives Up Some Chips to Noah Schwartz

Noah Schwartz was all in on the short stack holding pocket kings against the pocket sevens of Chris Moneymaker. The board failed to help the 2003 champion and Schwartz doubled up to 320,000. Moneymaker dropped below the million mark with 910,000.

Sorel Mizzi Doubles Through Frank Kassela

On a flop of J107 Sorel Mizzi is all in holding J-10 for top two pair against Frank Kassela’s and his pocket eights. Kassela needs an eight or a nine to bust Mizzi but the turn and river come 610, giving Mizzi a boat and a newly formed stack of about 750,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Frank Kassela,   Chris Moneymaker,   Greg Raymer,   James Mackey,   Justin Bonomo,   Vanessa Rousso,   Brian Rast,   Phil Galfond,   Alan Sass,   Noah Schwartz,   Alec Torelli,   Sorel Mizzi,   Sami Kelopuro

Level 13 Update: Antonio Esfandiari Eliminated, Justin Bonomo Climbs to the Top

May 29, '09

Blinds: 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 60 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo- 1,280,000
2. Brian Townsend – 1,200,000
3. Brian Rast – 1,000,000
4. Alex Veldhuis – 990,000
5. Phil Galfond – 800,000
6. Matthew Glantz – 800,000
7. Ted Forrest – 690,000
8. Alec Torelli – 494,500
9. JC Tran- 491,000
10. Isaac Haxton- 525,000

Average Chip Count: 402,000

Notable Eliminations:

Antonio Esfandiari
Kyle Wilson
Mark Seif
Phil Ivey
David Singer
Josh Arieh
David Benefield

Big Hands:

Antonio Esfandiari Knocked Out by Chris Moneymaker

Holding AQ, Antonio Esfandiari moved all in pre-flop and was called by the AK of Chris Moneymaker. Moneymaker flopped a king and sent the Magician to the rail.

Kyle Wilson is Eliminated

Justin Bonomo and Kyle Wilson got it all-in pre-flop with Wilson holding ace queen off-suit against the KK of Justin Bonomo. Wilson failed to improve and was eliminated. Bonomo now has a monster stack of over 1 million.

Justin Bonomo adds to huge chip stack

In a hand versus J.C. Tran and Phil Galfond, Justin Bonomo made a 125,000 chip river bet on a board of 10Q867. Galfond thought briefly before folding and then Tran folded quickly. Bonomo is now up to 1,200,000.

Chris Moneymaker Continues to Leak Chips

On a board of 73AK, J.C. Tran checked to Chris Moneymaker on the button. Moneymaker checked behind and the 5 fell on the river. Tran checked and Moneymaker quickly fired a bet of 33,000 which was quickly called by Tran. Moneymaker said it was a good call and Tran flipped over the A10 to win the pot. Moneymaker is down to 400,000.

Phil Ivey Eliminated

David Baker limped from middle position and Humberto Brenes raised to 26,000 right behind him. Phil Ivey reraised all in for 84,000 and then Mizzi reraised to 150,000 from the small blind. Baker and Brenes mucked and then Ivey and Mizzi flipped up their cards:

Mizzi: 1010
Ivey: AQ

Board: J669K

Ivey was eliminated on the hand and Mizzi grew his stack to 760,000.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   J.C. Tran,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Chris Moneymaker,   Phil Ivey,   Justin Bonomo,   Phil Galfond,   Kyle Wilson,   Sorel Mizzi

Level 12 Update: Brian Townsend Builds a Huge Stack

May 29, '09

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

Players Remaining: 67 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Alex Veldhuis – 1,090,000
2. Brian Townsend – 950,000
2. Brian Rast – 910,000
3. Justin Bonomo- 760,000
4. Chris Moneymaker – 700,000
6. Ted Forrest – 690,000
7. Matthew Marafioti – 540,000
8. Alec Torelli – 494,500
9. JC Tran- 491,000
10. Andy Black- 470,000

Average Chip Count: 354,706

Notable Eliminations:

Doyle Brunson
Kenny Tran
Lee Markholt
John Duthie
Matt Giannetti
Adam Junglen
Michael DeMichele
Chris Mooreman
David “Devil Fish” Ulliott

Big Hands:

Chau Giang Doubles Up

Facing a 26,500 button raise from Andrew Robl, Chau Giang moved all in pre-flop for 45,000 more. Robl was committed and quickly called with the A10 and Giang was happy to see he had his opponent dominated with the AK. The board ran out Q643K and Giang doubled up to a modest stack of 146,000.

Chris Moneymaker Avoids Disaster

Chris Moneymaker raised pre-floped and Humberto Brenes just called. The flop brought the A and both played the hand cautiously until Moneymaker made a 25,000 bet on the river that Brenes quickly called. Moneymaker turned over pocket queens and Brenes exposed pocket kings to take the small pot. Moneymaker exclaimed, “I got lucky with that flop,” and Brenes said, “Yes you did.”

Brian Townsend Wins a Huge Pot

On a board of A87103 with 330,000 already sitting in the pot, Brian Townsend bet 300,000, leaving just 45,000 in his stack. Mark Seif then went into the tank for a few minutes on the button. Seif was sitting on a stack of 415,000 and he decided to make the call after some deliberation. Townsend flipped over AK and Seif mucked. Seif took a huge hit down to 115,000 after the hand and Townsend’s stack grew to 975,000.

Chris Moore Busts One

Chris Moore (UTG) and his opponent on the small blind got it all in preflop. Their cards:

Moore: AA
Small Blind: 99

Board: 854JJ

Moore won the hand and sent his opponent packing.

Michael DeMichele Sent to the Rail

On a board of 810585, Alexander Veldhuis put Michael DeMichele all in. DeMichele looked disgusted and tanked for quite some time before calling with pocket aces. Veldhuis exposed 88 for quads to eliminate DeMichele.

Brian Rast Gets Lucky to Double Up

On a flop of 75A, Brian Rast got it all in against the A5 of Bruno Fitoussi. The turn brought the Q, giving the online cash game player extra outs. The Q fell on the river and Rast rivered a better two pair to double up to about 650,000.

David “Devil Fish” Ulliott is Eliminated

On the very next hand after Brian Rast’s huge double up, the short stack David Ulliott raised pre-flop to 25,000 with pocket kings. Rast min-raised to 50,000 and Ulliott went all-in instantly. Rast called and exposed 77 and Ulliott tabled pocket kings. The flop was a disaster for Ulliott, as it came A67. Ulliott failed to connect with a higher set and was sent home.

Table 60 is running hot

At the same table and a hand after Rasts double up and Ulliot’s elimination, Greg Raymer called the all-in of Ville Wahlbeck. Raymer showed AJ and Wahlbeck exposed pocket kings. Kings were no good once again as Raymer flopped an ace and built his stack to around 300,000.

Left in the Deck:

Mike Matusow is entered in the Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better tournament that is running simultaneously and has ran over to the other table to see a hand.

Players went to a 20 minute break, and will return to play more 2 more levels before a 60 minute dinner break later this evening. After the break they will play four levels or down to 18 players, whichever comes first.

Card Player TV

Check out this video from CardPlayer TV with chip leader Lex Veldhuis.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   David Ulliott,   Humberto Brenes,   Chris Moneymaker,   Chau Giang,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Greg Raymer,   Brian Rast,   Chris Moore,   Brian Townsend,   Andrew Robl

Level 6 Update: Jesus is Eliminated

May 28, '09

Blinds: 800-1600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 150 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Antonio Esfandiari — 470,000
2. Justin Bonomo — 470,000
3. Mark Seif — 450,000
4. Chris Moneymaker — 415,000
5. Matthew Glantz — 400,000
6. Bruno Fitoussi — 367,000
7. Frank Kassela — 340,000
8. Lex Veldhuis — 330,000
9. Isaac Haxton — 324,000
10. Eric Kesselman — 315,000

Average Chip Count: 160,800

Notable Eliminations:

Annie Duke
Chris Ferguson
Shaun Deeb

Big Hands:

Ivan Demidov Rivers a Flush

After a bet of 17,100 on the flop of 356 by Ivan Demidov, Vanessa Rousso and Eric Kesselman called. The turn brought the 5 and Rousso checked, Demidov checked and Kesselman checked. The river was the 6, completely the back door flush draw. Rousso checked, Demidov bet out 22,000 quickly and Kesselman thought about it briefly for making the call. Rousso folded and Demidov tabled AQ and Kesselman mucked. Demidov is now back up to 130,000.

Dennis Philips Doubles Through Doug Lee

A short-stacked Dennis Phillips gets it all in with AA against Doug Lee’s KJ on a flop of A72. The turn and river bring no help to Lee who is down to 65,000 after doubling Phillips up to 85,000 this hand.

Annie Duke is Eliminated

On a flop of 10Q3, Antonio Esfandiari bet out and Annie Duke called. The turn brought the 8 and Esfandiari bet out again, and Duke called. The river was the 4 and Esfandiari put Annie Duke all in for about 70,000. Duke thought for about 2 minutes before calling. Esfandiari turned over 33, and Duke mucked AQ. Esfandiari is now up to 460,000.

Dragon Eliminates Corwin Cole

David “The Dragon” Pham raises to 4,500 from early position, Corwin Cole reraises to 12,500 from middle position and Pham calls. The flop comes Q53, and Corwin bets 16,400. Pham calls and the turn is the J. This time Cole checks to Pham who bets 25,000, enough to put his opponent all in. Cole calls off his tournament life and flips over KK for the overpair, but Pham turns over JJ for middle set. The river is the Q, giving Pham a full house, and sending Cole home early. After eliminating Corwin Cole this hand, Pham is sitting just under 250,000.

Chris Ferguson is Eliminated

On a flop of J98, Chris Ferguson moved all in and was called by Chris Moneymaker, while Humberto Brenes, who was also in the hand, folded. Ferguson tabled 1010 and Moneymaker had him dominated with J10, and Ferguson was hoping for a split pot. The turn was the K and the river was the K, eliminating Ferguson and vaulting Moneymaker to 360,000 in chips.

Dinner Break

The remaining 165 players are now on a dinner break. Join us at 8:30 PST when play resumes.

Player Tags: Humberto Brenes,   David Pham,   Chris Ferguson,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Chris Moneymaker,   Vanessa Rousso,   Dennis Phillips,   Corwin Cole,   Ivan Demidov

Level 5 Update: Shawn Buchanan Doubles Up

May 28, '09

Blinds: 600-1,200 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 171 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Lex Veldhuis — 330,000
2. Matt Glantz — 310,00
3. Antonio Esfandiari — 302,000
4. Scott Seiver — 300,000
5. Charles Lehr — 275,000
6. Justin Bonomo — 275,000
7. Ted Forrest — 270,000
8. Tony G — 270,000
9. Vivek Rajkumar — 262,000
10. Barry Schwartz — 255,000

Average Chip Count: 141,053

Notable Eliminations:

Greg Mueller

Big Hands:

Shawn Buchanan Doubles Up

Michael DeMichele raises to 2,600 from middle position and Shawn Buchanan moves all in for 13,300 more. The action folds back around to DeMichele who makes the call. Buchanan turns over JJ while DeMichele shows A10. The board comes K1024K, and Buchanan’s jacks hold up. Buchanan doubles up to 35,000 this hand while DeMichele takes a slight hit down to 222,000.

Doyle Brunson doubles up Nicolas Levi

Nicolas Levi moved all in pre-flop and was called by Doyle Brunson. Levi exposed QQ and Brunson flipped over 99 and was well behind. The flop bricked for Brunson and the queen on the turn had the 10-time bracelet winner drawing dead.

Shaun Deeb Doubles up Lex Veldhuis

With AK, Alexander Veldhuis moved all in pre-flop and was called quickly by the 44 of Shaun Deeb. The pot stood at about 330,000 and the flop completely missed Veldhuis. However, the ace on the turn put Veldhuis ahead and gave him the massive pot.

Chris Moneymaker Making a Run Up the Leaderboard

Keith Lehr raises to 3,000 from early position and Chris Moneymaker calls from the button. The flop comes Q43, Lehr bets 7,000, Moneymaker calls. The turn is the K and this time Lehr bets 17,000. Moneymaker raises another 25,000 and Lehr folds after a minute in the tank. After the hand Lehr falls down just about 200,000 while Moneymaker climbs up to 260,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Doyle Brunson,   Chris Moneymaker,   Shawn Buchanan,   Keith Lehr,   Michael DeMichele,   Shaun Deeb,   Nicolas Levi

Daniel Negreanu Defeats Chris Moneymaker

Mar 06, '09

The Daniel Negreanu vs. Chris Moneymaker match was a true coinflip. After Negreanu doubled into a tiny chip lead with top pair against Moneymaker's middle pair, both players found themselves all in once again.

Negreanu showed pocket nines and Moneymaker turned over A-K offsuit. Moneymaker could hardly watch and left the stage entirely. While he was gone, Negreanu pretended an ace had hit and stomped all over the stage for a bit. The crowd laughed and Moneymaker returned just in time to see Negreanu call for a nine.

The flop came Q94 and Negreanu hit his set. The crowd cheered, but the turn was the J, giving Moneymaker outs to the straight. "It's never easy," said Negreanu.  The river was the Q and Negreanu's full house eliminated Moneymaker from the tournament.

Negreanu will now take on the winner of the Mike Matusow and Dario Minieri match up.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Chris Moneymaker

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1C - Level 4, Hour 2

Jul 05, '08

Blinds/Antes: 150/300/25

Day 1C Players Remaining: 1,251 out of 1,928

Recent Eliminations: Amit Makhija, Jeffrey Lisandro, Kirk Morrison, Bryan Devonshire.

Big Hands and Storylines:

Makhija Busts Out

Amit Makhija was nursing a shortstack, but appeared on the verge of successfully staving off his elimination midway through the second hour of level 4. It all ended when his flopped two pair ran into a straight.

Just previously, Makhija held only 5425 in chips when he was the big blind. Play was folded to the button who raised to 900, and Makhija had enough chips to scare off his opponent with an all-in. The move brought him to 6650 in chips. Then two hands later as the button, Makhija watched as the player in the cut-off put in an initial raise to 725. Again Makhija pushed all-in, and again his opponent folded in the face of the move.

The next hand spelled his doom, however. From the cut-off Makhija raised to 900, and the big blind was the lone caller. The flop came AQJ, the big blind checked, and Makhija bet 1200. The big blind called the bet, and together they saw the 9 hit the turn. The big blind checked, Makhija bet 3200, and the big blind then check-raised to put Makhija all-in. Makhija made the instant call, showing AQ. But the big blind had filled his straight, holding 108. Needing an ace or queen on the river to stay alive, Makhija saw the 3 come down and end his main event.

Lisandro Loves His Luck, Later Loses

Despite patiently nursing a short stack throughout most of the level, Jeffrey Lisandro ultimately ended up with a one-way ticket to the rail after a successful double up. Lisandro first got it all in with 44 for his last 2,800 against his opponent’s QJ. The flop was beautiful for Lisandro, bringing J104. The 2 on the turn had his opponent drawing dead, and Lisandro collected his chips.

Within two hands, Lisandro again got his chips back into the middle against the same opponent, this time while holding AsQs against his opponent’s KK. The flop brought another set with K54, and the 8 on the turn this time had Lisandro drawing dead. Lisandro made his exit.

Moneymaker drops some chips, but going strong

With the board Q55K8, Chris Moneymaker and his opponent both checked. His opponent flipped over A8 and Moneyaker mucked. The pot had just a few thousand in it, and Moneymaker currently has around 70,000 chips.

Gowen's small bluff fails

With the board A9848, Clonie Gowen bet 3,000 and her opponent called. Gowen immediately mucked her hand, and though he didn't need to her opponent showed A7. After the hand Gowen was up to 60,000 chips.

Devonshire out, Mattern takes chip lead

On a T86 flop, a series of back-and-forth raises ends with Bryan Devonshire all in and Arnaud Mattern right there with him in a monster pot. They both hold 9-7, but Mattern's cards are spades giving him a flush draw. And what do you know -- it made a difference. After the A on the turn, the A came on the river to give Mattern the pot and give him 155,000 chips.

Don’t Mess with Singer

A player in middle position raised to 1000 and David Singer, one of the chip leaders of the day, called from the button, as did the big blind. The flop came KQ2, the big blind checked, and the original raiser bet out 1600. Singer made the call and the big blind folded. The J hit the turn and his opponent came out for 2500. Singer then put in a reraise to 7000. His opponent then mucked his hand.
 

Boredom for some

It's the main event and there are millions at stake, but for some players the slow pace of play creates the need for distractions. Nenad Medic has been playing solitare on his ipod and David Benefield has been reading a book. But it looks like they're also playing some good poker when the time calls for it; Medic and Benefield have 90,000 and 60,000 chips, respectively.

Player Tags: Chris Moneymaker,   Clonie Gowen,   David Singer,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Nenad Medic,   Amit Makhija,   David Benefield

$10,000 Main Event - Hour 3

Jul 05, '08

Note: Due to the late start and the timing of the break, our coverage was cut short during the first part of the level. Please check back at 4 p.m. for more extensive coverage of Level 2 action.

Blinds: 100-200

Chip Leaders:
Carl Henriksson: 62,000
Juan Maceiras: 60,000
John Strzemp 58,600
Clonie Gowen: 58,300
Bryan Devonshire: 49,500
Dmitri Nobles: 48,000
Ryan Hughes: 48,000
Jared Brintz: 42,000
Jeff Madsen: 42,000
John D'Agostino: 42,000

CP Chip Counts:
Mark Gregorich: 20,000
Isaac Haxton: 21,200
Mike Matusow: 27,800
Michael Binger: 19,900
Gavin Griffin: 8,000

Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier: 7,400
Jeff Kimber: 16,200
Michael Keiner: 16,000
Gary Clark: 27,000
Padraig Parkinson: 31,000
Paul Testud: 17,100
Archie Karas: 24,000
Steve Davis: 35,000
Henning Granstadt: 26,000
Martin Green: 23,300
Dave Callaghan: 15,000
Marcel Luske: 21,000
Sammy Farha: 33,000

Eliminations: Al Krux, Minh Ly, Lars Bonding

Notable Hands:
David Singer Chips Up

Action folded around to David Singer who raised to 600 from the button and got one caller from the big blind. The flop came K87, and the big blind checked to Singer who bet 1,000. The big blind called and the turn was the 2. Once again the big blind checked to Singer who this time bet 2,000. The big blind called and the river was the 2. Both players checked the river and exposed their cards in order. The big Blind turned over 65 for a busted straight draw and Singer showed K10 for top pair. Singer raked the pot, bringing his chip count up to 35,000.

Don't Play With Sam Farha

Sam Farha limped into a pot from early position. The player in the cutoff raised to 800, folding action back around to Farha, who made the call. Both players checked the flop, which read Q42. The turn brought the Q, and Farha started applying pressure, firing a bet of 1,000. Farha's opponent seemed unwilling to play a pot with Sammy on such a coordinated board, folding his hand. Farha moved up to 33,400 after the hand.

The Trouble With Being Moneymaker

Chris Moneymaker started his Main Event today, and is already having some trouble dealing with the target on his back. Early in the level, Moneymaker raised from middle position to 600. He was called by only one player on the button. Moneymaker led out for another 700 on the flop, which came J85. His opponent made the call. Moneymaker then checked on the turn of Q before calling his opponent's bet of 2,000. The 6 fell on the river, and Moneymaker checked once again, only to fold to his opponent's river bet of 5,000. Moneymaker is still up for the day, however, sitting behind around 24,000.

Player Tags: Chris Moneymaker,   David Singer,   Sam Farha

$1,500 Limit Shootout - Hour Two

Jul 01, '08

Note: Players are on their first twenty-minute break of the day and will return at 2:20 pm to Level 3 with increased blinds of 75-150 with stakes of 150-300.

Blinds: 50-100
Stakes: 100-200

Players: 818

Eliminations: Michael Craig, Sorel Mizzi, Tex Barch, Layne Flack

Big Hands:

Chris Bell Takes A Pot From Greg Mueller

Greg Mueller raised to 200 from late position and Chris Bell called from the small blind. The flop came A43, and Mueller led out with a 100 bet. Bell raised to 200 and Mueller called. The turn was the J and Bell bet 200, Mueller called. The river was the 9, and both players checked. Bell turned over A7 for top pair and Mueller mucked his hand. After the hand Chris Bell was up to 3,800 while Mueller fell to 4,800.

Bruno Fitoussi Catches A Bad Beat

Bruno Fitoussi raised to 200 before the flop from an early position and the player in seat 7 raised to 300. Action fodled back around to Fitoussi who made the call. The flop came AKQ, and seat 7 bet 100 and Fitoussi called. The turn was the 7 and both players checked. The river was the 10 and Fitoussi bet 200, seat 7 raised to 400, and Fitoussi went into the tank. Seat 7 says to him "How does it feel to catch a bad beat like that on the river?" Fitoussi replies, "I shouldn't have misssd that bet on the turn." Fitoussi ends up folding the hand face up, showing his opponent AK as seat 7 raked the pot. After the hand Fitoussi was down to 1,700 in chips.

Moneymaker's Ace No Good

The player in seat 3 raised to 200 preflop and Chris Moneymaker was the only caller. The flop came AQ7 and seat 3 bet 100. Moneymaker called and the turn was the J. Seat 3 bet 200 and Moneymaker made the call. The river paired the board as the 7 landed on the felt. Seat 3 checked and Moneymaker bet 200. His opponent made the call and Moneymaker turned over A5 for two pair. But seat 3 turned over AJ for a better two pair and she took the pot. Moneymaker was down to 2,300.

Harman Knocks One Out

On a board of 7655, the player in seat 1 bet his final 200 into the pot. Harman called and showed 53 for a set. Her opponent did not have that beat and his cards went into the muck after the 2 came on the river. Harman was around 9,000 in chips after the hand, the clear chip leader at her table that also featured David Singer.

One Angry Giang

A situation arose at Chau Giang's table. The player in seat 8 asked Giang to move his water bottle so that seat 8 could see how many chips the player in seat 4 had. Neither player was in the hand and Giang did not see a reason to move the bottle as he felt the chips were clearly visible to everyone at the table. Instead of letting it go, seat 8 kept nagging at Giang to move it. Finally, Giang had enough of this obnoxious pest and retorted, "Don't f#&$@%g talk to me!"

"This is limit poker!" Giang also added, not seeing the point of his nemesis' argument. "I'm nobody," seat 8 countered. "Who the hell are you?"

The dealer immediately called for a floor person, who ruled that Giang did not have to move the bottle and that seat 8 could simply ask the dealer for a count if he needed to do so. He also ruled that both players cease talking to each other. After a couple of more heated words, things seemed to settle down and the table resumed playing poker.

Player Tags: Greg Mueller,   Chris Moneymaker,   Jennifer Harman,   Chau Giang,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Chris Bell

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Action Picks Up

Jun 30, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20-minute break

Blinds/Antes: 50-100

Players Left: 2,280 of 2,700

Average Stack: 3,286

Eliminations: Beth Shak, Antonio Esfandiari, Marco Traniello, J.C. Alvarado

Big Hands:

Schoenberg Won't Be Pushed Around

Action folded around to seat 6 in the small blind who raised to 425. Erica Schoenberg was in the big blind and she made the call. The flop came K49. Seat 6 bet 350 and Schoenberg made the call. The A on the turn saw both players checked. The 10 on the river drew a bet of 850 and Schoenberg made her move, raising to 2,200. Seat 6 then took forever to make his decision. He looked at Schoenberg many times. Who knows if it was to get a read, or simply to admire her beauty. Either way, he finally mucked and Schoenberg improved her stack to 5,200.

Laak And Ulliot Tangle

Usually when the action folds to the blinds, the ensuing pot is uneventful. Good luck having that happen when Phil Laak is in the small blind with Dave "Devil Fish" Ulliot is in the big blind. Laak completed the big blind and Ulliot checked his option in this particular hand. The flop came A3Q. Laak fired 150 and Ulliot made the call. The 6 drew a check from Laak. Ulliot tried to take control of the hand, betting 300. Laak then quickly grabbed a stack of yellow and black chips. The raised totaled somewhere around 4,800 or some obscene number in that vicinity. Ulliot mucked 85 face up and Laak took the pot. He was well over 6,000 while Ulliot was around 4,000.

Obey Your Master

On a board that read 862, Men "The Master" Nguyen bet 200 and his opponent in seat 7 made the call. The 10 was checked by both players on the turn. The river brought the 9 and seat 7 bet 225. Nguyen quickly threw out two blue chips worth 500 each. Seat 7 called all in and Nguyen turned over A4 for the nut flush and seat 7 simply tapped the table and made his exit. Nguyen was over 8,000 after the hand.

Back-To-Back-To-Back Aces On Table 34

On a flop of J82, the player in seat 4 moved all in for his last 1,025 and Young Phan made the call. They turned over their cards.

Seat 4: AA
Phan: 55

The table couldn't believe it as seat 4 showed a pair of aces, and neither could Phan. The turn and river brought the K and the 4, and this was now the third hand in a row that a player at table 34 was dealt pocket aces. Not to mention, all three times pocket aces held up. Seat 4 doubled through Phan, and just as the dealer was about to shuffle the deck and possibly deal out a fourth pair of aces, he was replaced and the table shared some mixed emotions over his untimely exit.

Moneymaker Reads Opponent As Weak, Correct Until River

Chris Moneymaker thought for a long time before calling his opponent's bet of 825 on a board Q657. Moneymaker stared down his opponent instead of the A that hit on the river. His opponent bet all in with his remaining 1,025. Moneymaker leaned back and studied his opponent, asking him, "You got aces?" His opponent didn't answer, but was visibly nervous and shaking slightly. Moneymaker made the call and his opponent turned over AK for a rivered pair of aces. Moneymaker looked upset, having correctly thought his opponent was weak on the turn only to have him catch up on the river. Moneymaker mucked his hand and lost a large pot.

Ramdin Takes Down Pot Uncontested

The player in seat 6 raised to 250 and was called by Victor Ramdin and the player in seat 8. The flop of 964 was checked by all three players. When the 2 fell on the turn action was checked to Ramdin who bet out 600. Both of his opponents folded and Ramdin took a small pot early in level 2.

Player Tags: Young Phan,   Men Nguyen,   Phil Laak,   Chris Moneymaker,   Victor Ramdin,   Erica Schoenberg,   European Report

$10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha - Level Five - Williams Shoots Up The Leaderboard

Jun 29, '08

Blinds: 250-500

Entrants: 234 of 381

Average Stack: 32,564

Chip Counts:
Josh Arieh: 110,000
David Williams: 89,000
Jesper Hougaard: 83,000
Jonas Entin: 82,000
Jannick Wrang: 81,000
Leif Force: 78,000
Ryan Daut: 63,000
Ram Vaswani: 62,000
Dario Alioto: 61,000
Nam Le: 58,000
Mats Rahmn: 58,000

Eliminations: Chris Ferguson

Big Hands and Storylines:

Williams Shoots Up Leaderboard

After a series of raises David Williams got all in on a flop of J42 and showed down KKJ4. His opponent showed AA76 and was trailing Williams' two pair. The 7 hit on the turn, not changing much, but when the J fell on the river Williams filled up and took a massive pot that put him around 80,000 in chips.

Ferguson Outdrawn, Elimianted

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson got all in on a flop of Q98 and showed J1033 for the flopped straight and flush draw. He was in good shape against his opponent's KQQ7 - an overpair with a better flush draw. But when the 4 came on the turn Ferguson's opponent hit the larger flush and Ferguson was drawing dead. The K came on the river and Jesus was gone.

The Italian Pirate Hits His Flush

Max Pescatori was all in on a flop of 983 and showed JJQA for an overpair and the nut flush draw. His opponent showed 5689 for two pair and a gutshot straight draw. The 3 came on the turn to give Pescatori a better two pair, and the final nail went in the coffin when the 7 hit on the river to give Pescatori the nut flush.

Cold Deck For Kostritsyn

Alexander Kostritsyn called when seat 7 bet 4,000 on a flop of J54. When seat 7 bet 8,000 on the Q turn, Kostritsyn called again. When both players checked the river seat 7 began to shake his head as if he had nothing and was embarrassed to show his hand. Kostrisyn proudly showed K-K-x-x for an overpair, but finally seat 7 showed AA109 for the ultimate overpair. Kostritsyn held up his hands as if to say, "Why would you slowroll me?" and seat 7 made it known that it was not his intention to do so, and he just thought he was beat. The loss put Kostritsyn on the short stack.

Moneymaker Bullies Rizen

Eric Lynch bet 6,000 on a board of Q33J only to have Chris Moneymaker raise to 13,000. Lynch looked surprised by the raise and eventually elected to lay down his hand and give a nice pot to Moneymaker early in the level.

Player Tags: Chris Moneymaker,   David Williams,   Eric Lynch,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   European Report

$10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha - Level Four - Moneymaker Shoots Up The Leaderboard

Jun 29, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break.

Blinds: 200-400

Entrants: 288 of 381

Average Stack: 26,458

Chip Counts:
Jannick Wrang: 81,000
Jonas Entin: 71,000
Leif Force: 65,000
Mikael Hogbom: 57,500
Ram Vaswani: 57,000
Rob Hollink: 55,000
Ryan Daut: 53,000
Kido Pham: 52,000
Dario Alioto: 49,000
Thayer Rasmussen: 48,500

Eliminations: Erik Seidel, Hoyt Corkins

Big Hands and Storylines:

Moneymaker Takes One From The Professor

Howard Lederer bet 1,000 on a flop of 1042 and Chris Moneymaker made the call. The K fell on the turn and Lederer bet out 3,500. Moneymaker again made a quick call and the river brought the 5. Lederer slowed down and checked and Moneymaker did the same. Lederer turned over two of his cards - A10, but Moneymaker showed QQ53 for an overpair of queens, and Lederer mucked while Moneymaker raked the pot and climbed up the leaderboard.

Seidel Eliminated By Wrang

After Jannick Wrang raised to 2,000, Erik Seidel re-raised to 10,000. Wrang pushed in enough to put Seidel in and got a call. Seidel was ahead, holding AA3K against Wrang's KQQ10. But the board ran J105109, giving Wrang the straight to eliminate Seidel.

Clements Runs Into Quads

Scott Clements raised his opponent when the board showed J33A, only to have his opponent re-raise all in. Clements held AA27 for aces full of threes, so he quickly made the call. However, he was nearly drawing dead, as his opponent turned over 33Q9 for quad threes. The 8 fell on the river and Clements fell to around 20,000 in chips.

Top Set For Chiu

Daniel Alaei was heads up with David Chiu on a flop of A3J. Chiu bet the pot and Alaei showed 9-8-7-6 as he mucked saying, "Not a good flop." Chiu showed two of his cards in response - AA - for a flopped set of aces, and the table laughed.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Howard Lederer,   Chris Moneymaker,   David Chiu,   Daniel Alaei,   Scott Clements,   Jannick Wrang,   European Report

Pot-Limit Hold'em - Berman-Berman battle sends Brad to rail

May 30, '08

Eliminations:

Isaac Haxton
Jonathan Little
Eric Lynch
Allen Cunningham
Andy Black

Big Hands:

Lyle Berman knocks out son

On a board of 3KQ, Bradley Berman check-raised pot and then shipped the rest of his stack in when Lyle re-raised him. Brad held AT for a flush draw and gutshot straight draw while Lyle flipped over 33 for bottom set. The turn and river came 2 and 8. After the hand Berman had roughly 70,000 chips.

Ivey gets some breathing room

After the first two players to act limped in for 1,600 Phil Ivey raised to 8,800. Jonathan Little then reraised to 23,900 in the small blind. The first limper folded quickly and then after a couple minutes the second limper folded as well. Ivey immediately moved all in for only 3,000 more. Little called with pocket queens and Ivey flipped over AK. The board came A7J87 and Ivey doubled up to roughly 55,000. Little dropped down to around 30,000.

Justin Newton among chip leaders

Newton bet 21,700 with the board reading 7966 and Ben Grundy called. The A came on the turn and both players checked. Newton flipped over T6 for three sixes. With the pot Newton's chip stack was now roughly 190,000.

Tuan Le joins frontrunners

Tuan Le in the big blind was the second of two players to call a raise to 4,800. The flop came down K4A, and Le made a bet of 16,000 before being raised by an all-in shortstack who had 18,400. The J on the turn and J on the river didn't change matters, Le winning with A6, topping his opponents KQ. Le moved to 170,000 in chips.

Licastro dodges danger

Ben Sprengers put himself at risk with a big move against tournament chip-leader Tony Licastro. On a flop of 9J6, Sprengers made a pot-sized bet of 64,900. Licastro debated before Sprengers called for a clock. Time ran out, and Licastro showed his folded AK. Sprengers jumped to 140,000 in chips.

Phil Laak Adds to His Stack

With a pot of over 10,000 and a board of J53, Phil Laak and his seat 6 opponent both checked the 8 as it fell on the turn. When the river brought the 7, Laak made a bet of 7,800, which caused his opponent to fold. This pot increased Phil's stack to over 150,000. The war between Laak and this opponent was far from over. After limping, Laak folded to his opponent's raise.

Ben Grundy and Chris Moneymaker Mix it Up

Ben Grundy has raised several hands in a row at his table, including one confrontations with Chris Moneymaker. After making it 4,000 from middle position, Grundy faced a call from the player on the button and Moneymaker in the big blind. All three players checked the 942 flop. Moneymaker fired 6,200 from first position when the turn brought the 4 and received no calls. His stack improved to 33,000. Moneymaker was eliminated shortly after.

Player Tags: Tuan Le,   Phil Laak,   Chris Moneymaker,   Phil Ivey,   Anthony Licastro,   Ben Grundy,   Justin Newton,   European Report