John Cernuto Poker Tournament Updates

Festa al Lago Preliminary Event Highlights

Oct 15, '10

Highlights from the preliminary events include preliminary victories by John Cernuto in a $1,000 Omaha eight-or-better event (he also cashed in fourth place in a $1,000 no-limit hold’em event), and James Van Alstyne in a $1,000 pot-limit Omaha with rebuys event (he also cashed in fourth place in a $1,000 no-limit hold’em with rebuys event).

John Phan won a $1,000 limit hold’em event, and he was joined at the final table by Card Player father and son duo of Barry Shulman, who cashed in fifth place, and Jeff Shulman, who cashed in third place.

Card Player Player of the Year contender Thomas Marchese also cashed in fifth place in a $1,000 no-limit hold’em with rebuys event to take home 120 POY points and close the gap between him and current leader, Dwyte Pilgrim. The battle for the POY lead is now just separated by just 210 points.

Scott Clements capped off an exciting preliminary week at Bellagio when he won a $1,000 no-limit hold’em with rebuys event, topping a final table that also included Van Altsyne, Jon Turner, and Gavin Smith.

The largest preliminary event of the week was a $5,000 no-limit hold’em event that attracted 90 players and created a $436,500 prize pool. November Niner Joseph Cheong won the tournament, taking home $142,635 in prize money. He topped Brock Parker in heads-up play, and a final table that included Vivek Rajkumar. The professionals fared well in the preliminary events at Bellagio as you can see, and they will out in force at the WPT main event as well.

Player Tags: John Phan,   John Cernuto,   Jeff Shulman,   Barry Shulman,   Scott Clements

Miami Takes a Hit in London

Sep 30, '10

“Miami” John Cernuto bet out from the button and a short-stacked player moved all in from the small blind. Cernuto made the call and flipped over K Q. His opponent showed A J. The board came 10 8 6 6x 3 and the player at risk’s request of “all numbers” was granted. Cernuto takes a bit of a hit and is now on 55,000.

Player Tags: John Cernuto

Level 15 Update: John Cernuto and Erica Schoenberg Eliminated

Jun 29, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000

Players Remaining: 51 out 460

Average Chip Count: 135,294

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Jose Nacho Barbero — 290,000
2. Michael Piper — 240,000
3. Men Nguyen — 230,000
4. Di Dang — 215,000
5. Robert Mizrachi — 210,000
6. Jason Mercier — 203,000
7. Kevin Boudreau — 170,000
8. Ryan D’Angelo — 170,000
9. Ali Aljenabi — 170,000
10. Chance Kornuth — 167,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Michael Piper — 240,000

Notable Eliminations:

John Cernuto
Phil Hellmuth
Lee Watkinson
Erica Schoenberg

Player Twitter Accounts:

Annette Obrestad
Matt Glantz
Justin Smith
Christian Harder

Big Hands:

John Cernuto Eliminated

John Cernuto bet on a flop of 1065 and Alan Reyf raised all in. Cernuto called all in for his tournament life. Cernuto tabled the QQ23 while Reyf exposed the A787. The turn brought the 3 and the 4 fell on the river. Reyf’s flush sent Cernuto to the rail.

Erica Schoenberg Eliminated

Erica Schoenberg was all in preflop with the KK84. Benjamin Spindler’s AQ1010 was able to run her kings down and she was eliminated.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Erica Schoenberg

Level 19 Update: John Cernuto and Michael Watson Eliminated

Jun 14, '10

Blinds: 8,000-15,000
Stakes: 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 16 out of 212

Average Chip Count: 397,500

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Abe Mosseri — 785,000
2. Michael Chow — 785,000
3. Sergey Altbregin — 710,000
4. James Dempsey — 693,000
5. Yueqi Zhu — 670,000
6. Steve Wong — 465,000
7. Oleg Shamardin — 450,000
8. Eugene Katchalov — 390,000
9. Mikael Thuritz — 325,000
10. Tai Nguyen — 305,000

Eliminations:

23. Barry Hartheimer — $17,138
22. John Cernuto — $17,138
21. Michael Watson — $17,138
20. Jose de Paz — $17,138
19. Chino Rheem — $17,138
18. John D’Agostino — $21,582
17. Jean-Robert Bellande — $21,582

Big Hands:

John Cernuto Eliminated in 22nd Place ($17,138)

John Cernuto was all in with the QQ53 versus Mikael Thuritz’s AJ54. The board ran out Q92K8 and Mikael Thuritz scooped the pot to send Cernuto packing. Thuritz was up to 210,000 after the hand.

Michael Watson Eliminated in 21st Place ($17,138)

Mike Watson bet on a board of K375 and then called all in for his tournament life after Abe Mosseri raised. Mosseri exposed the 2349 for a flush and a low. Watson tabled the AAK8. The 4 fell on the river and Watson was gone with a worse low and a dry pair of aces.

Chino Rheem Eliminated in 19th Place ($17,138)

Yueqi Zhu eliminated Chino Rheem with the AQQ8. The board read 542K2. Rheem mucked and was eliminated.

John D’Agostino Eliminated in 18th Place ($21,582)

John D’Agostino was all in versus James Dempsey and Oleg Shamardin. The 75454 were laying on the felt with D’Agostino tabling the AKQ4. Dempsey exposed the A522 for the nut low and a superior three of a kind. Shamardin mucked and D’Agostino was eliminated.

Jean-Robert Bellande Eliminated in 17th Place ($21,582)

Bellande raised and was called by Mike Sexton, Sam Farha and Yueqi Zhu. The board came out 437 and Zhu bet. Bellande raised. Sexton folded and Farha called. Zhu called as well. The 10 fell on the turn and Zhu checked. Bellande bet, Farha called and Zhu check-raised. Bellande called all in and Farha called. The 9 hit the felt and Zhu bet again. Farha called. Zhu and Farha split the pot and Bellande was eliminated.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Michael Watson

Level 18: Last Level Of Night

Jun 14, '10

Blinds: 6,000-12,000

Players Remaining: 23 out of 212

Average Chip Count: 235,556

Card Player Chip Counts:

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Abe Mosseri – 640,000
2. Michael Chow – 520,000
3. Tony Merksick – 460,000
4. Sam Farha – 440,000
5. John Cernuto – 375,000
6. Oleg Shamardin – 330,000
7. Sergey Altbregin – 310,000
8. David Baker – 280,000
9. Steve Wong – 260,000
10. Jean-Robert Bellande – 250,000

Notable Eliminations:

27. Dan Heimiller — $17,138
26. Pat Pezzin — $17,138
25. Huck Seed — $17,138
24. Jeffrey Lisandro — $17,138

Big Hands:

Dan Heimiller Eliminated In 27th Place ($17,138)

After a flop of 1043, Dan Heimiller bet 12,000 and was called by Jean-Robert Bellande, John D’Agostino and Sam Farha.

The turn was the Q and Farha led out for 24,000. Heimiller called for the rest of his chips and the two other players also called.

The river was the 7. D’Agostino was the one who fired a bet on this street and he was called by Bellande and Farha.

D’Agostino tabled the best low while Farha showed two pair for the high end and Heimiller was eliminated.

Pat Pezzin Eliminated In 26th Place ($17,138)

Pat Pezzin was all in after the flop came down KQ4. John Cernuto made the call and Pezzin turned over KKJJ for top set.

Cernuto tabled a gutshot straight draw with A10. The turn was the J, giving Pezzin two sets but making Cernuto his straight. The river was a brick and Pezzin was out.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Pat Pezzin

Level 19 Update: John Cernuto and Michael Watson Eliminated

Jun 14, '10

Blinds: 8,000-15,000
Stakes: 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 16 out of 212

Average Chip Count: 397,500

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Abe Mosseri — 785,000
2. Michael Chow — 785,000
3. Sergey Altbregin — 710,000
4. James Dempsey — 693,000
5. Yueqi Zhu — 670,000
6. Steve Wong — 465,000
7. Oleg Shamardin — 450,000
8. Eugene Katchalov — 390,000
9. Mikael Thuritz — 325,000
10. Tai Nguyen — 305,000

Eliminations:

23. Barry Hartheimer — $17,138
22. John Cernuto — $17,138
21. Michael Watson — $17,138
20. Jose de Paz — $17,138
19. Chino Rheem — $17,138
18. John D’Agostino — $21,582
17. Jean-Robert Bellande — $21,582

Big Hands:

John Cernuto Eliminated in 22nd Place ($17,138)

John Cernuto was all in with the QQ53 versus Mikael Thuritz’s AJ54. The board ran out Q92K8 and Mikael Thuritz scooped the pot to send Cernuto packing. Thuritz was up to 210,000 after the hand.

Michael Watson Eliminated in 21st Place ($17,138)

Mike Watson bet on a board of K375 and then called all in for his tournament life after Abe Mosseri raised. Mosseri exposed the 2349 for a flush and a low. Watson tabled the AAK8. The 4 fell on the river and Watson was gone with a worse low and a dry pair of aces.

Chino Rheem Eliminated in 19th Place ($17,138)

Yueqi Zhu eliminated Chino Rheem with the AQQ8. The board read 542K2. Rheem mucked and was eliminated.

John D’Agostino Eliminated in 18th Place ($21,582)

John D’Agostino was all in versus James Dempsey and Oleg Shamardin. The 75454 were laying on the felt with D’Agostino tabling the AKQ4. Dempsey exposed the A522 for the nut low and a superior three of a kind. Shamardin mucked and D’Agostino was eliminated.

Jean-Robert Bellande Eliminated in 17th Place ($21,582)

Bellande raised and was called by Mike Sexton, Sam Farha and Yueqi Zhu. The board came out 437 and Zhu bet. Bellande raised. Sexton folded and Farha called. Zhu called as well. The 10 fell on the turn and Zhu checked. Bellande bet, Farha called and Zhu check-raised. Bellande called all in and Farha called. The 9 hit the felt and Zhu bet again. Farha called. Zhu and Farha split the pot and Bellande was eliminated.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Michael Watson

Level 18: Last Level Of Night

Jun 14, '10

Blinds: 6,000-12,000

Players Remaining: 23 out of 212

Average Chip Count: 235,556

Card Player Chip Counts:

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Abe Mosseri – 640,000
2. Michael Chow – 520,000
3. Tony Merksick – 460,000
4. Sam Farha – 440,000
5. John Cernuto – 375,000
6. Oleg Shamardin – 330,000
7. Sergey Altbregin – 310,000
8. David Baker – 280,000
9. Steve Wong – 260,000
10. Jean-Robert Bellande – 250,000

Notable Eliminations:

27. Dan Heimiller — $17,138
26. Pat Pezzin — $17,138
25. Huck Seed — $17,138
24. Jeffrey Lisandro — $17,138

Big Hands:

Dan Heimiller Eliminated In 27th Place ($17,138)

After a flop of 1043, Dan Heimiller bet 12,000 and was called by Jean-Robert Bellande, John D’Agostino and Sam Farha.

The turn was the Q and Farha led out for 24,000. Heimiller called for the rest of his chips and the two other players also called.

The river was the 7. D’Agostino was the one who fired a bet on this street and he was called by Bellande and Farha.

D’Agostino tabled the best low while Farha showed two pair for the high end and Heimiller was eliminated.

Pat Pezzin Eliminated In 26th Place ($17,138)

Pat Pezzin was all in after the flop came down KQ4. John Cernuto made the call and Pezzin turned over KKJJ for top set.

Cernuto tabled a gutshot straight draw with A10. The turn was the J, giving Pezzin two sets but making Cernuto his straight. The river was a brick and Pezzin was out.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Pat Pezzin

Level 5 Update: Kostritsyn Fills Up

Jun 03, '10

Limits: Bring-in 200, ante 100, limits 600-1,200

Players Remaining: 144 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Annie Duke
Erick Lindgren
Tom Dwan

Big Hands:

Kostritsyn’s Boat Gets Some Action

Alexander Kostritsyn bet every street and seat 1 called him down until the final card dropped, then folded. Kostritsyn smiled and showed rolled up Jacks and a monster full house.

Kostritsyn: (JJ)-JQQ7-(X)
Seat 1: (X-X)-3K82-(X)

Kostritsyn took the pot and increased his stack to around 36,000.

Elezra Takes Down Cernuto

Eli Elezra bet every street until the last, on which he and John Cernuto checked it down.

Elezra: (J8)-J8410-(A)
Cernuto: (X-X)-A7KJ-(MUCK)

The two pair for Elezra gave him a pot of 3,8000 and boosted his total to 38,000.

The Champ Is Here

Last year’s winner of this event, Freddie Ellis, called a raise from Robert Mizrachi after 3rd street, then led out on 4th street, forcing Mizrachi to fold.

Ellis has chipped up to 40,000, while Mizrachi sits comfortably at 33,000.

Benyamine Fills Up to Eliminate Opposition

On fifth street, David Benyamine bet showing (X-X)-AA-4 and the player in seat 1 moved all in showing (X-X)-2-2-3. David “Devilfish” Ulliott cold-called showing (X-X)-J-9-4.

Benyamine caught the 5 on sixth, Ulliott caught a 7, and the all in player caught a 9. The river was dealt face down and Benyamine bet again.

“I haven’t made a flush all day,” said Ulliott as he squeezed his river card. “Maybe I don’t want to,” he continued as he flashed the 3 and mucked his hand.

He was right that he didn’t want to make a flush as Benyamine showed A53 in the hole, good for a full house and to send home a player. Benyamine is now back up to 25,000.

Lisandro Makes Flush, Wins Pot

Jeffrey Lisandro and his opponent were heads-up on fifth street with Lisandro showing (X-X)-K-4[A[suit:diamond]]-Q and his opponent showed (X-X)-7-8-6. Lisandro bet and was called by his opponent.

Lisandro caught the 9, bet again, and was called again when his opponent caught the 7. Lisandro bet the river after it was dealt, was called, and revealed the A-Q-A, giving him an ace-high flush, and the pot. He is now up to 40,000.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Robert Mizrachi,   Eli Elezra,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Freddie Ellis,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level 4 Update: Mizzi Shows Cernuto Queens

Jun 03, '10

Limits: Bring-in 200, Ante 100, Limits 500-1,000

Players Remaining: 148 out of 148

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

none

Big Hands:

Mizzi Shows Hidden Ladies

Sorel Mizzi bet on every street and was called in a heads up duel with John Cernuto. On the last card Cernuto called and Mizzi showed him the bad news.
Cernuto: (X-X)-KA10Q-(X)
Mizzi: (QQ8)-44103

Mizzi had queens in the hole, giving him two pair to take down the pot. Mizzi had around 32,000 after the hand while Cernuto has dropped to 17,000.

Kelly Fills Up on Phan

Entering the action late, Dan Kelly called Tim Phan’s bet on fourth street and check-raised him on fifth. Kelly then led out on 6th and 7th street, getting calls from Phan.

Kelly: (108)-K10910-(8)
Phan: (X-X)-A274-(MUCK)

Kelly’s full house took down a solid pot, increasing his stack to 46,000.

Black’s Kings Hold

Andy Black completed showing the 4 and was called by the player to his left and Alexander Kostritsyn. Black bet every street except for the river and was called by Kostritsyn the whole way down. The player to his left folded on fifth street.

The boards on the river looked like this.

Kostritysn: (X-X)-K-4-9-J-(X)
Black: (X-X)-4-10-6-A-(X)

Both players checked the river and Black showed concealed kings for a pair of kings and Kostritsyn mucked.

Gaspard Bests Seidel

Picking up the action on sixth street, Jean Gaspard was heads-up with Erik Seidel. Seidel bet and was raised by Gaspard and Seidel made the call. Seidel was showing (X-X)-6-Q-6-J and Gaspard was showing (X-X)-3-6-8-Q.

Both players checked the river and Gaspard showed concealed eights, giving him trips and the pot.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Tim Phan,   Sorel Mizzi,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   Jean Gaspard

Level 14 Update: Tim Begley Storms Up Leader Board

Feb 28, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 86 out of 745

Chip Counts:

1. Mark Newhouse — 510,000
2. Tim Begley — 500,000
3. Chris Moore — 370,000
4. Taylor Paur — 310,000
5. Carlos Mortensen — 280,000
6. Steve Sung — 270,000
7. Daniel Negreanu — 250,000
8. Dan Martin — 235,000
9. Paul Niemela — 230,000
10. Masaaki Kagawa — 205,000

Average Chip Count: 173,255

Notable Eliminations:

Kataneh Hamidi
Jonathan Aguiar
John Cernuto

Big Hands:

Tim Begley Busts Kataneh Hamidi In Monster Pot

In a hand that took up the entire duration of the break, Tim Begley busted Kataneh Hamidi to take the chip lead. The board read 8 5 5 10 7 and Begley put Hamidi all in.

Hamidi tanked for the last few minutes of the level and then the entire 15 minutes of the break before she announced call. Begley showed pocket eights for the flopped full house and Hamidi exited the tournament room.

Shawn Buchanan, who tank folded earlier in the hand, let the table know that he folded pocket queens. He suspected that Hamidi held jacks, or possibly even queens herself, but ruled out kings and aces based on her line. After the hand, Begley was chip leader with over 600,000. By the end of the level, he had dropped down to just over 500,000.

Tim West Eliminated

Tim West was all in holding pocket jacks against his opponent’s As Qh.

The board fell A 6 5 6 7 and West was eliminated from the tournament.

Jonathan Aguiar Busts

Jonathan Aguiar moved all in from the button and was called by the small blind who held pocket jacks.

Aguiar was in terrible shape with J 7 and didn’t get any help as the board rolled out 9 4 2 3 K.

Prahlad Friedman Gets a Double Up

Prahlad Friedman was all in holding Ah Kc against an opponent’s pocket tens.

The board fell J 9 8 K J and Friedman doubled up to over 100,000 in chips.

Miami John Cernuto Gets Lucky, Then Unlucky

John Cernuto was all in holding A-9 against an opponent’s pocket tens.

Cernuto was thrilled to hit the ace on the flop, but his mood immediately turned sour when the 10 hit the turn, ending his run here at Commerce.

High Roller Report:

The field size for the $25,000 High Roller Championship has increased to 31 players. Among them is recent venetian High Roller Champion Ashton “theASHMAN103” Griffin.

Not surprisingly, Griffin is now the chip leader in this event as well, after bluffing Justin “BoostedJ” Smith in a large pot.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Tim West,   Tim Begley,   Ashton Griffin,   Kataneh Hamidi

Level 8 Hour 2 Update: Ylon Schwartz Eliminated

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 1,827 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber — 475,000
2. Joh Hammer — 350,000
3. Andreas Altmeyer — 318,000
4. Brian Lemke — 291,000
5. Amir Lehavot — 280,000
6. Bertrand Grospellier — 250,000
7. Phil Ivey — 245,000
8. Adam Latimer — 242,000
9. Brennan Hanson — 240,000
10. Dan Bilzerian — 237,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 170,000
Phil Hellmuth – 139,000
Lee Watkinson – 80,000
Adam Schoenfeld – 125,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 20,000
Thomas Keller – 120,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Notable Eliminations:

Noah Schwartz
Adam Levy
Robert Williamson III
Ylon Schwartz

Big Hands:

Miami John Gets Doubled Through

A player at the table moves all in before the flop and Miami John Cernuto calls, he has him slightly covered.

Cernuto: Pocket Eights
Opponent: AQ

Board: KQ924

Cernuto’s opponent flops a queen and doubles through. Cernuto takes a small hit to his stack as he ships roughly 12,000 across the table.

Theo Tran Breaks 100K…And Still Going

Theo Tran raises before the flop, only to be reraised by another player at the table. Tran calls and the flop comes 832, both players check. The turn is the A, Tran checks, his opponent bets 6,100 and Tran calls. The river is the 4 and Tran bets 45,000, putting his opponent to a decision for the rest of his chips. After a minute in the tank his opponent folds and Tran rakes the pot, breaking the 100,000 mark.

A few hands later and Theo Tran gets involved in a three-way all in pot, Tran getting the best of it once again.

Tran: AA
Opponent 1: AQ
Opponent 2: KJ

Board: KQ953

Tran’s aces hold, eliminating two opponents this hand as he chips up to 130,000.

Tony Hachem Knocks One Out

Tony Hachem calls a 2,000 raise from the button and goes to the flop with one opponent. The flop comes J104, there is a 3,700 bet and Hachem quickly raises to 7,900. The original bettor moves all in for 11,000 and Hachem calls.

Hachem: J10
Opponent: AQ

Hachem flops top two against the royal flush draw of his opponent. The J hits the turn, filling Hachem and not a moment too soon as his opponent ends up making his flush with the 7 on the river. Hachem eliminated yet another player at his table and chips up to 180,000 this hand.

Hellmuth Flops Top Set, Doesn’t Get Paid Off, Shows Cards Anyway

With a raise of 2,500 and one caller in front of him, Phil Hellmuth reraises to 10,000 from hijack. The original raiser calls and the original caller folds. The flop comes KQ8, and it is checked to Hellmuth who bets 7,000. His opponent folds, but Hellmuth shows him anyway, turning over pocket kings for top set. Hellmuth rakes the pot and brings his stack up to 139,000 this hand.

David Plastik Doubles Up

On a flop of 862, David Plastik gets it all in against one opponent.

Plastik: 88
Opponent: 97

Plastik flops top set against his opponent’s open-ended straight draw. The turn and river are the 4 and the J, no help to his opponent a Plastik doubles up to 45,000 in chips this hand.

Ville Wahlbeck Doubles Up

On a flop of A42, Ville Wahlbeck gets it all in and is called in one spot.

Wahlbeck: A4
Opponent: AK

Wahlbeck flops top set against his opponent’s top pair. The turn and river are the 3 and the K, giving his opponent two pair, too late. Wahlbeck doubles up to 109,000 this hand.

Elky Breaks 250,000

On a board of K8626, Bertrand Grospellier bets the pot (40,000) and gets one caller. Grospellier turns over 86 for a full house while his opponent shows K7 for two pair. Grospellier rakes the pot and breaks the quart-million mark this hand.

Ylon Schwartz Eliminated by Bill Gazes

Ylon Schwartz gets it all in pre-flop against Bill Gazes.

Schwartz: K-K
Gazes: A-K

Board: A92QQ

Schwartz gets it in good but Gazes pairs his ace on the flop. Ylon Schwartz is eliminated from the main event.

Left in the Deck

Players are now on their last twenty-minute break of the night and will return at approximately 8:40 pm PDT to begin the last level of the day.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   David Plastik,   Bill Gazes,   Phil Hellmuth,   Ylon Schwartz,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Theo Tran,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Tony Hachem

Level 2 Update: 144 And Counting, Field Still Growing

Jun 18, '09

Ante: 75
Low Card: 100
Completion: 300
Limits: 300-600

Players Remaining: 144 out of 144

Chip Counts:

1. Scotty Nguyen — 49,000
2. Daniel Alaei — 44,700
3. Tuan Le — 41,200
4. Soheil Shamdseddin — 41,000
5. Alessio Isaia — 39,000
6. Brett Richey — 39,000
7. Josh Arieh — 38,000
8. Ted Forrest — 37,000
9. Toto Leonidas — 36,200
10. Bill Chen — 36,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Big Hands:

Mike Wattel vs. Miami John

The player in seat 1 opens for 100 with the 7, Mike Wattel completes the bet to 300 with the 7, Miami John Cernuto calls with the 8 and the original opener calls the raise as well.

Seat 1: X-X-710
Wattel: X-X-72
Cernuto: X-X-810

Cernuto bets 300 and both opponents call.

Seat 1: X-X-7108
Wattel: X-X-727
Cernuto: X-X-8106

Wattel bets 600, Cernuto raises to 1,200, Seat 1 calls, Wattel reraises to 1,800 and both Cernuto and seat 1 call the three-bets.

Seat 1: X-X-7108K
Wattel: X-X-7278
Cernuto: X-X-8106Q

Wattel bets 600 on sixth street, Cernuto calls and seat 1 folds. Wattel bets 600 on the river as well, this time Cernuto gives up the hand. Wattel rakes the pot, bringing his chip count up to 38,000 this hand while Cernuto falls back down to even (30,000).

Barry Greenstein vs. Soheil Shamseddin

Soheil Shamseddin opens the pot for 100 with the 4, Barry Greenstein completes the bet to 300 with the 7 and Shamseddin calls.

Greenstein: X-X-7K
Shamseddin: X-X-47

Greenstein bets 300 and Shamseddin calls.

Greenstein: X-X-7K9
Shamseddin: X-X-479

This time Shamseddin bets 600 and Greenstein calls.

Greenstein: X-X-7K92
Shamseddin: X-X-47910

Greenstein bets 600 on sixth street and Shamseddin folds. “I’m afraid of hearts. I have no hearts in my hand”, says Shamseddin as he throws his cards away. “Either do I”, says Greenstein as he rakes the pot, bringing himself back up to even (30,000) while Shamseddin stills has just about 40,000 in chips after this hand.

Left in the Deck

Players will take a twenty-minute break at the end of Level 2 and return at approximately 7:45 pm PDT to begin Level 3.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Barry Greenstein,   Michael Wattel,   Soheil Shamseddin

Level 15 Update: Chiu Fighting Back

Jun 05, '09

Level Structure:

2-7 triple draw, limit hold’em, and Omaha 8OB: 3,000-6,000 blinds and 6,000-12,000 limits

7-card stud, razz, and 7-card stud 8OB: 1,500 ante, 2,000 bring-in, with a 6,000 completion and 6,000-12,000 limits

no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha: 1,500-3,000 blinds with a 700 ante

NOTES: Games change every eight hands. Two players will be forced to sit out during 2-7 triple draw each hand.

Players Remaining: 37 out of 194

Chip Counts:

1. Soheil Shamseddin – 340,000
2. Eric Froehlich – 329,000
3. Huck Seed – 318,500
4. Adam Friedman – 290,000
5. Ville Wahlbeck – 230,000
6. Michael Binger – 230,000
7. Doyle Brunson – 205,000
8. Marc Karam – 204,000
9. Steve Sung – 190,000
10. Roman Yitzhaki – 180,000

Average Chip Count: 157,297

Notable Eliminations:

Patrick Bueno

Big Hands:

Stud 8

Two-Wheel Drive

Michael Binger: X-X-4103
Seat 6: X-X-A52

The player in seat 6 fired 12,000 into the pot and Michael Binger came along for the ride.

Michael Binger: X-X-41034
Seat 6: X-X-A5210

Seat 6 fired another 12,000 into the pot and Binger stuck around. When the river card came, the action was on Binger. However, seat 6 bet 12,000 out of turn and the dealer explained Binger was first to act. Binger conceded a check, then popped it to 24,000. Seat 6 wasn’t finished as he three-bet to 36,000. Binger made the call and seat 6 announced he had the wheel. “Me too,” Binger said as he tabled A25 for confirmation. The two players chopped the pot and Binger was around 190,000.

After the hand, Liv Boeree stopped by to say a few words to Binger. That in itself makes Binger a winner in this reporter’s book.

Stud

Chiu Making A Comeback

David Chiu: X-X-5
Seat 7: X-X-Q

Chiu was the low card and brought in 2,000. The player in seat 7 completed to 6,000 and Chiu made the call.

David Chiu: X-X-58
Seat 7: X-X-Q10

Seat 7 bet another 6,000 and Chiu made the call.

David Chiu: X-X-584
Seat 7: X-X-Q106

Seat 7 kept up the aggression, betting 12,000. Chiu stuck around and the players saw sixth street.

David Chiu: X-X-5845
Seat 7: X-X-Q106A

Chiu paired up on sixth street and quickly took control of the hand, firing 12,000. Seat 7 mucked his hand and Chiu raked in the pot. After being down to his last 20,000 earlier, Chiu has chipped back up to over 110,000.

Razz:

Brunson Muy Bueno

Patrick Bueno: X-X-2
Todd Brunson: X-X-6

After Steve Sung brought in 2,000 with the K, Bueno completed to 6,000 and Brunson immediately followed with a raise to 12,000. Sung mucked and Bueno called.

Patrick Bueno: X-X-2A
Todd Brunson: X-X-6A

Bueno led out again with 6,000 and Brunson again raised to 12,000. Bueno made the call.

Patrick Bueno: X-X-2A7
Todd Brunson: X-X-6A4

Brunson was first to act after fifth street gave him a better low hand on the board and he led out with 12,000. Bueno made the call.

Patrick Bueno: X-X-2A7J
Todd Brunson: X-X-6A4Q

The action reversed back to Bueno as he was showing the better low hand. He checked and Brunson bet 12,000. Bueno called again and the river was dealt. Bueno checked again and Brunson bet 12,000. Bueno had enough and mucked his hand, leaving himself with only 12,500. Brunson chipped up to over 220,000.

Miami John Builds His Big Stack

John Cernuto: X-X-34
Seat 5: X-X-37

Cernuto bet 6,000 and his opponent decided to tag along.

John Cernuto: X-X-342
Seat 5: X-X-3710

Cernuto fired another 12,000 and his opponent laid down his hand. Cernuto raked in the pot and he was around 175,000 in chips.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Todd Brunson,   David Chiu,   Patrick Bueno,   Michael Binger,   Liv Boeree

Level 14 Update: Adams Knocks Out Schulman, Habib Also Out

Jun 05, '09

Level Structure:

2-7 triple draw, limit hold’em, and Omaha 8OB: 2,500-5,000 blinds and 5,000-10,000 limits

7-card stud, razz, and 7-card stud 8OB: 1,000 ante, 2,000 bring-in, with a 5,000 completion and 5,000-10,000 limits

no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha: 1,200-2,400 blinds with a 600 ante

NOTES: Games change every eight hands. Two players will be forced to sit out during 2-7 triple draw each hand.

Players Remaining: 41 out of 194

Chip Counts:

1. Soheil Shamseddin – 305,000
2. Eric Froehlich – 230,000
3. Joe Tehan – 204,000
4. Michael Binger – 197,000
5. Brian Mizok – 196,000
6. Joe Serock – 196,000
7. Brian Powell – 186,000
8. John Hanson – 186,000
9. Jimmy Fricke – 180,000
10. Adam Friedman – 177,000

Average Chip Count: 126,522

Notable Eliminations:

Nick Schulman
Hasan Habib
Jimmy Fricke

Big Hands:

NLHE

Oppenheim Trying To Get Some Fighting Chips Back

With 13,000 in the pot, the flop came down 82. The player in seat 4 checked and the action was on David Oppenheim. He proceeded to raise it to 10,200 and seat 4 went in for a session in the tank. After much deliberation, he finally decided his hand was not ready for this kind of confrontation and threw his hand into the muck. Oppenheim raked in the pot and his stack was around 80,000.

2-7 Triple Draw

Habib’s Drawing Pencil Breaks, Gets Crippled

The player in seat 5 raised to 10,000 before the first draw and Hasan Habib decided to make the call.

First Draw: Habib Draws 3 cards, seat 5 draws 2

Seat 5 fired another 5,000 after Habib checked. Habib quickly called and the second draw was next.

Second Draw: Habib Draws 2 cards, seat 5 draws 1 card

Habib checked again and seat 5 fired 10,000. Habib remained persistent as he made the call.

Third Draw: Habib draws 1 card, seat 5 stands pat

Habib checked one last time and seat 5 kept up the pressure, firing 10,000. Habib could not call and mucked his hand, leaving himself with only 9,000 chips. Those would be gone soon enough.

Limit HE

Cernuto Shows Habib The Door

Action folded around to John Cernuto in the small blind and he raised to 10,000. Habib was next to act in the big blind and he raised 4,400 more as he put himself all in and at risk. Cernuto called and both players tabled their hands:

Cernuto: K10
Habib: J5

Habib needed some help and the flop was somewhat helpful as it dropped AQQ, giving Habib a flush draw. The turn brought the 7 and Habib still had outs, needing only to pair up to double up. But the river was unkind as the 8 sent Habib packing. Cernuto picked up the pot with King high and his stack was at 160,000.

PLO

Mizrachi Cripples Chiu With The Pot

David Chiu raised the action preflop to 5,200. Robert Mizrachi was the only one who made the call and the flop came down 726. Mizrachi then led out with a pot bet, 13,000. Chiu thought for a bit and made the call. On the turn, the 8 showed up and Mizrachi fired another pot bet, this one close to 35,000. Chiu went into a serious tank session as he was starting to get low on chips and a call would put him all in. He decided to live to fight another hand and mucked his cards. Mizrachi took in the pot and was around 220,000 while Chiu was on life support with just 26,000.

Adams’ Bullets Exterminate Schulman And His Ladies

Before the flop, Nick Schulman and Brandon Adams were involved in a skirmish in which all of Schulman’s chips wound up in the pot. He showed down QQ82. Adams then showed his heavy artillery, AA43. Schulman needed some help as the flop came down K76. The turn brought the 2 and Schulman was drawing slim. The 3 finished off Schulman as he made his exit from the tournament. Adams raked in the pot and his stack was around 160,000.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Robert Mizrachi,   Hasan Habib,   David Oppenheim,   David Chiu,   Brandon Adams,   Nick Schulman

Level 12 Update: Negreanu Eliminated, Players on Dinner Break

Jun 05, '09

Level Structure:

2-7 triple draw, limit hold’em, and Omaha 8OB: 1,500-3,000 blinds and 3,000-6,000 limits

7-card stud, razz, and 7-card stud 8OB: 700 ante, 1,000 bring-in, with a 3,000 completion and 3,000-6,000 limits

no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha: 800-1,6000 blinds with a 400 ante

NOTES: Games change every eight hands. Two players will be forced to sit out during 2-7 triple draw each hand.

Players Remaining: 54 out of 194
Chip Counts:

1. Soheil Shamseddin — 280,000
2. John Hanson — 255,000
3. Allie Prescott — 184,000
4. Robert Mizrachi — 160,000
5. Ville Wahlbeck — 160,000
6. Aurangzeb Sheikh — 156,00
7. Steve Sung — 141,000
8. Anthony Lellouche — 140,000
9. Adam Friedman — 136,000
10. David Oppenheim — 135,000

Average Chip Count: 107,777

Notable Eliminations:

Chris Bjorn
Daniel Negreanu
Gavin Smith
Macro Traniello
John Hennigan
Steve Billirakis
Jeff Madsen

Big Hands:

2-7 TRIPLE DRAW

Jonathan Tare Stands Pat, Wins Pot

Jonathan Tare raises to 6,000 from middle position and Mikael Thuritz calls from the small blind as does Scotty Nguyen from the big blind.

First Draw: Thuritz draws 2 cards, Nguyen draws 2 cards and Tare stands pat.

Tare bets 3,000 and both opponents call.

Second Draw: Thuritz draws 2 cards, Nguyen draws 2 cards and Tare stands pat.

Tare bets 6,000 and this time both Thuritz and Nguyen fold.

Tare is up to 105,000 after this hand while Thuritz is down to 70,000 and Nguyen now with 50,000 in chips.

PLO

Negreanu Can’t Hit a Flop, Not Feeling PLO

Action folds around to James van Alstyne who raises to 4,800 from the small blind. Daniel Negreanu pots it to 18,400 from the big blind and Van Alstyne calls the 9,600 raise.

The flop comes K87 and Van Alstyne bets 20,000. Negreanu folds AAQ6 face-up as Van Alstyne rakes the pot. After this hand Van Alstyne is up to 180,000 while Negreanu is down to 40,000 in chips.

A few hands later and Negreanu moves to another table just beginning their round of PLO while Negreanu had just finished that round at his last table. He laughs as he promises himself and the other players that he wouldn’t lose any more money in this game. Unfortunately for Negreanu, he was lying.

Chad Brown raises to 1,600 from under the gun and the player in seat 8 calls from middle position. Daniel Negreanu calls from the small blind, as does the player in the big blind. The flop comes QJ9, and Brown bets 5,500. Seat 8raises to 18,000 and everyone folds, including Negreanu who is now down to 36,000 after this hand.

LIMIT HOLD’EM

Lindgren Steals a Pot From R. Mizrachi

Robert Mizrachi raises to 3,000 from late position and Erick Lindgren calls from the big blind. The flop comes AQ9, and Lindgren checks to Mizrachi who bets 3,000, Lindgren calls. The turn is the 5 and this time both players check. The river is the 4 and Lindgren bets 6,000. Mizrachi mucks and is down to 155,000 this hand while Lindgren is up to 52,000 in chips.

George Danzer All-In, Splits Pot to Stay Alive

Miami John Cernuto raises to 6,000 from middle position and Hasan Habib reraises to 9,000 from the cutoff. The player in seat 5 three-bets to 12,000 from the small blind and George Danzer calls all in from the big blind for a total of 10,900. Both Cernuto and Habib call the raise.

The flop comes Q95, and Cernuto bets 3,000. Habib folds and the small blind calls. The turn is the K, and this time the small blind leads out for 6,000, Cernuto folds. The small blind rakes the side pot as he and Danzer turn over their cards.

Small Blind: J10
Danzer: J10

Both players have the same hand (nut straight), and with no one free-rolling on a flush draw, George Danzer has just split the pot to stay alive. The rive river the Q and Danzer is still alive. After the hand, Danzer is up to 20,000 in chips while Habib falls down to 110,000 and Cernuto at 50,000.

Left In The Deck:

The remaining 54 players are now on a sixty-minute dinner break and will return to Level 13 at approximately 7:35 pm PDT.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Robert Mizrachi,   Scotty Nguyen,   Erick Lindgren,   Hasan Habib,   Daniel Negreanu,   James Van Alstyne,   Jonathan Tare,   Mikael Thuritz,   George Danzer

Level 9 Update: Greg Mueller Eliminated (Stud)

Jun 05, '09

Level Structure:

2-7 triple draw, limit hold’em, and Omaha 8OB: 800-1,500 blinds and 1,500-3,000 limits

7-card stud, razz, and 7-card stud 8OB: 300 ante, 500 bring-in, with a 1,500 completion and 1,500-3,000 limits

no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha: 400-800 blinds with a 200 ante

NOTES: Games change every eight hands. Two players will be forced to sit out during 2-7 triple draw each hand.

Players Remaining: 120 out of 194

Chip Counts:

1. John Hanson — 172,000
2. David Oppenheim — 143,000
3. Daniel Negreanu — 121,300
4. Jimmy Fricke — 108,200
5. Eric Froehlich — 100,100
6. Brandon Adams — 96,200
7. Doyle Brunson — 95,000
8. Patrick Bueno — 93,400
9. Tommy Hang — 92,900
10. Alexandre Gomes — 92,500

Average Chip Count: XXX

Notable Eliminations:
Greg Mueller

Big Hands:

STUD
Greg Mueller; Busted by Hennigan, Eliminated by Miami John

Greg Mueller got involved in a huge pot with with a board of X-X-K284 against John Hennigan and a board of X-X-K8Q8. There is a series of bets and raises on the river, Mueller ultimately deciding just to call Hennnigan’s raise, leaving himself with just 200 behind. Hennigan turns over QQA for a full-house and Mueller mucks, claiming to have trips. Hennigan rakes the pot and brings his chip count up to 75,000 this hand while Mueller is left with just 200.

The very next hand and Mickey Appleman opens the pot for 500 with the 2. Greg Mueller calls all in for 200 with the 8, Nick Schulman completes the bet to 1,500 with the K and Miami John Cernuto calls with the 10.

Cernuto hits the J and bets 1,500 as Schulman folds the 7. Cernuto rakes the side pot and both him and Mueller turn over their cards.

Mueller: 478364-X
Cernuto: 10J55A73

Mueller tells the dealer to deal his last card face-down as he wants “…to squeeze it”, he says. He turns over a Q for a pair of fours, not to be outdone by Cernuto’s pair of fives. Mueller is eliminated from the tournament as Cernuto climbs up to 50,000 in chips after this hand.

Chau Giang vs. Gavin Griffin

Chino Rheem opens the pot for 500 with the 4 and Gavin Griffin completes the bet to 1,500 with the 9. Chau Giang raises to 3,000 with the 4, Rheem folds and Griffin calls.

Giang: X-X-410
Griffin: X-X-95

Giang checks, Griffin bets 1,500, Giang calls.

Giang: X-X-4102
Griffin: X-X-956

Giang bets 3,000 and Griffin calls.

Giang: X-X-41028
Griffin: X-X-956Q

Giang bets 3,000 on sixth street and Griffin calls. Giang bets another 3,000 on the river and Griffin calls. Giang turns over AA8 for two pair and Griffin mucks. Giang rakes the pot and is up to 40,000 this hand while Griffin falls down to just 12,000.

STUD/8

David Chiu vs. Jeff Madsen

David Gray opens the pot for 500 with the 5 and Jeff Madsen completes the bet to 1,500 with the 6. David Chiu raises to 3,000 with the K, Gray folds and Madsen calls.

Madsen: X-X-62
Chiu: X-XKQ

Chiu bets 1,500 and Madsen calls.

Madsen: X-X-629
Chiu: X-XKQA

Chiu bets 3,000 and Madsen folds. Chiu turns over AK for a pair of kings. Chiu is up to 34,000 this hand while Madsen drops down to just 15,000.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Greg Mueller,   David Chiu,   Chau Giang,   Gavin Griffin,   Jeff Madsen

Level 6 Update: Ferguson Goes Bust

Jun 04, '09

Level Structure:

2-7 triple draw, limit hold’em, and Omaha 8OB: 400-800 blinds and 800-1,600 limits

7-card stud, razz, and 7-card stud 8OB: 200 ante, 200 bring-in, with a 800 completion and 800-1,600 limits

no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha: 200-400 blinds with a 100 ante

NOTES: Games change every eight hands. Two players will be forced to sit out during 2-7 triple draw each hand.

Players Remaining: 167 out of 194

Chip Counts:

1. Vanessa Rousso – 80,000
2. David Singer – 74,000
3. Jimmy Fricke – 70,000
4. Daniel Negreanu – 68,000
5. Marco Traniello – 64,000
6. Andy Bloch – 62,000
7. Ted Forrest – 60,000
8. Nick Schulman – 60,000
9. Gavin Smith – 59,000
10. George Danzer – 55,500

Average Chip Count: 34,035

Notable Eliminations:

Mark Vos
Raphael Zimmerman
John D’Agostino
Chris Ferguson

Big Hands:

Limit HE

Madsen With the Bluff on Sung, Then Takes One Off Rousso

Fireworks went off between Steve Sung and Jeff Madsen after the flop came 832. Sung led out with 600 and Madsen raised to 1,200. Sung would not be outdone as he three-bet it to 1,800. Madsen came to play, however, and capped it to 2,400. Sung had enough of this game and mucked his hand. Madsen then poured salt in the wound when he tabled 54 for an open ended straight draw and not much else. Sung just smiled as his stack was down to 25,000. For Madsen, the action was just beginning.

On the next hand, Vanessa Rousso raised to 1,200 preflop and Madsen was the only caller. The flop came K85. Rousso bet 600 and Madsen came along. The turn was the 5 and both players checked. The river brought the 2 and Madsen took the initiative, firing 1,200. Rousso made the call and Madsen showed 99. It was better than Rousso’s 77 and he raked in the pot, his stack improving to almost 30,000. Rousso was down to around 73,000.

NLHE

Fitoussi Straightens Out Jesus

On a board reading 4573, Bruno Fitoussi bet enough to put Chris Ferguson all in. Ferguson then went into the tank for a while.

Daniel Negreanu and David Bach each got up and stretched their legs as Ferguson contemplated on what to do. Finally, Ferguson grabbed his stack and splashed it into the pot, tabling KK. Fitoussi showed 66 for a straight and the river could not save Jesus as he was eliminated. Fitoussi improved his stack to around 60,000 with the knockout.

Omaha 8

Smith Scoops The River

On a board showing 1075, John Cernuto bet 1,600 and Gavin Smith made the call, as did the player in seat 3. The river brought the 8 and the action was checked to Smith. He quickly fired 1,600 into the pot and both of his opponents called. Smith then turned over the bad news, showing AQ92 for a flush and the nut low, both acquired on the river. Both opponents mucked, Cernuto with a little extra sass on it, and Smith scooped the pot. His stack was around 75,000 while Cernuto was down to 55,000.

Razz

Planting The Seed

Chino Rheem: 26A
Huck Seed: 3AJ
David Chiu: 4AK

Rheem led out with 1,600 and Seed made the call. Chiu decided he had enough of this nonsense and mucked his hand.

Chino Rheem: 26A3
Huck Seed: 3AJ5

Rheem fired another 1,600 shot and Seed made the call. On the river, Rheem slowed down and checked. Seed followed suit and Rheem announced “seven,” indicating his seven-low. Seed then turned over 467 for a six-low and he took down the pot. His stack was around 44,000 while Rheem was at 46,000.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Chris Ferguson,   Huck Seed,   Gavin Smith,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Vanessa Rousso,   Chino Rheem,   Jeff Madsen