Brandon Adams Poker Tournament Updates

Brandon Adams Eliminated in Seventh Place ($77,556)

Oct 28, '10

Brandon Adams moved all in from the button for his last 139,000 and was called by David Sands in the big blind.

Adams showed A5, but was dominated by the AQ of Sands. The board fell J9268 and Adams was eliminated.

Player Tags: Brandon Adams,   David Sands

Brandon Adams Doubles Through Shannon Shorr

Oct 28, '10

Shannon Shorr raised from early position and Brandon Adams moved all in behind him. Shorr was priced in and made the call, showing 55.

Adams had the best hand with 1010 and it held when the board fell K9898.

Player Tags: Brandon Adams,   Shannon Shorr

Brandon Adams Doubles Up

Oct 27, '10

Brandon Adams got all in preflop and Shannon Shorr made the call. Their cards:

Shorr: A K
Adams: A 10

Board: 10 8 6 2 7

Adams doubled up on the hand and Shorr is knocked out of the chip lead.

Player Tags: Brandon Adams,   Shannon Shorr

A Tense Moment Between Pros

Oct 26, '10

Curt Kohlberg raised to 8,000 from the button preflop and Brandon Adams reraised to 28,000 from the big blind. Kohlberg made the call and the flop fell A 8 5. Adams bet 45,000 and Kohlberg raised all in. Adams went into the tank to ponder the all-in call, but he eventually mucked.

Player Tags: Curt Kohlberg,   Brandon Adams

Brandon Adams Eliminated in Seventh Place ($77,556)

Oct 28, '10

Brandon Adams moved all in from the button for his last 139,000 and was called by David Sands in the big blind.

Adams showed A5, but was dominated by the AQ of Sands. The board fell J9268 and Adams was eliminated.

Player Tags: Brandon Adams,   David Sands

Brandon Adams Doubles Through Shannon Shorr

Oct 28, '10

Shannon Shorr raised from early position and Brandon Adams moved all in behind him. Shorr was priced in and made the call, showing 55.

Adams had the best hand with 1010 and it held when the board fell K9898.

Player Tags: Brandon Adams,   Shannon Shorr

Brandon Adams Doubles Up

Oct 27, '10

Brandon Adams got all in preflop and Shannon Shorr made the call. Their cards:

Shorr: A K
Adams: A 10

Board: 10 8 6 2 7

Adams doubled up on the hand and Shorr is knocked out of the chip lead.

Player Tags: Brandon Adams,   Shannon Shorr

A Tense Moment Between Pros

Oct 26, '10

Curt Kohlberg raised to 8,000 from the button preflop and Brandon Adams reraised to 28,000 from the big blind. Kohlberg made the call and the flop fell A 8 5. Adams bet 45,000 and Kohlberg raised all in. Adams went into the tank to ponder the all-in call, but he eventually mucked.

Player Tags: Curt Kohlberg,   Brandon Adams

Brandon Adams Eliminated in Seventh Place ($77,556)

Oct 28, '10

Brandon Adams moved all in from the button for his last 139,000 and was called by David Sands in the big blind.

Adams showed A5, but was dominated by the AQ of Sands. The board fell J9268 and Adams was eliminated.

Player Tags: Brandon Adams,   David Sands

Brandon Adams Doubles Through Shannon Shorr

Oct 28, '10

Shannon Shorr raised from early position and Brandon Adams moved all in behind him. Shorr was priced in and made the call, showing 55.

Adams had the best hand with 1010 and it held when the board fell K9898.

Player Tags: Brandon Adams,   Shannon Shorr

Brandon Adams Doubles Up

Oct 27, '10

Brandon Adams got all in preflop and Shannon Shorr made the call. Their cards:

Shorr: A K
Adams: A 10

Board: 10 8 6 2 7

Adams doubled up on the hand and Shorr is knocked out of the chip lead.

Player Tags: Brandon Adams,   Shannon Shorr

A Tense Moment Between Pros

Oct 26, '10

Curt Kohlberg raised to 8,000 from the button preflop and Brandon Adams reraised to 28,000 from the big blind. Kohlberg made the call and the flop fell A 8 5. Adams bet 45,000 and Kohlberg raised all in. Adams went into the tank to ponder the all-in call, but he eventually mucked.

Player Tags: Curt Kohlberg,   Brandon Adams

Level Three Hour Two Update: Adams Crippled By One-Outter

Jul 06, '10

Blinds: 150-300

Number of Entrants: 1,489

Average Chip Count 34,000

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Robert Miller – 150,000
2. Jim Collopy – 95,000
3. Phil Laak – 83,000
4. James Dempsey – 80,000
5. Kido Pham – 80,000
6. Alex Bonnin – 78,000
7. Dan Kelly – 72,000
8. Todd Witless – 72,000
9. Thomas Kremser – 66,000
10. Ludovic Lacay – 64,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 41,300

Notable Eliminations

Brett Jungblut
John D’Agostino
Robert Williamson

Big Hands:

Adams Crippled in Horrific One-Outter

Brandon Adams had to be pleased to get all in holding AA. His opponent held KK was in serious trouble.

The flop gave both players a set, running A3K. The turn was the 3 giving Adams the best possible full house, but on the river the table exploded with a collective “oooh!” as the case K fell to give quad king to the other player.

After a nice start to the day, Adams was down to just 5,000 in chips. Interestingly enough, just a few hands later a player with pocket aces got all in again against a player holding pocket kings. Once again, a king fell on the flop and the aces were cracked, eliminating the player holding them.

Friedberg’s Aggression Earns Him a Pot

We caught up with the action on the river with the board reading 8Q682. There was already over 14,000 in the pot and Jon Friedberg had put out a bet of 8,100.

His opponent immediately went into the tank and said “I don’t know how I’m supposed to get away from this.”

Friedberg sat motionless with his sunglasses on and eventually his opponent flashed A-Q and tossed it into the muck. Friedberg immediately mucked his cards and the dealer pushed him the pot.

Friedberg is now up to 41,300 with the pot.

J-Dags Gets Three-Outed, Eliminated

We got to the action at the end of a preflop raising war between John D’Agostino and Alex Bonnin. It resulted in D’Agostino getting his last 17,000 into the middle with pocket jacks against the K5 of Bonnin.

To make a long story short, Bonnin hit a king on the flop to send D’Agostino home.

Chewy Can’t Beat Eights

Andrew Lichtenberger was checked to a flop of AJ6. Lichtenberger fired 1,100 and was called by his opponent.

The 6 fell on the turn and both players checked. The 5 was the river card and both players checked again. Lichtenberger mucked his hand when the other player turned up 88, dropping him to 15,000 in chips.

Pavilion Room Coverage

Robert Williamson Eliminated

Robert Williamson got all his chips into the middle preflop with pocket queens. His all-in of just under 20,000 was called by an opponent with A-K. The flop came Q105 and gave Williamson top set, but left his opponent with a gutshot. The J filled the straight draw and Williamson needed the board to pair. However, the 2 on the river sealed his fate and he was eliminated.

Player Tags: John D'Agostino,   Jon Friedberg,   Brandon Adams

Level Two Hour Two Update: Galfond Doubles, Collopy Surging

Jul 06, '10

Blinds: 100-200

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Jim Collopy – 86,000
2. Todd Witteles – 72,000
3. James Dempsey – 70,000
4. Phil Laak – 60,000
5. Jean-Robert Bellande – 55,000
6. Kevin Saul – 55,000
7. Marco Johnson – 54,000
8. Minh Ly – 52,000
9. Brandon Adams – 49,000
10 Dan Kelly – 48,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 32,500

Notable Eliminations

Justin Young
Jamie Gold

Big Hands:

Galfond Gets Lucky

On a flop of 1038, Phil Galfond check-called a bet from his opponent and the 3 came on the turn.

Galfond then check-raised the turn all-in for his remaining 9,000 and was called by his opponent. Galfond was not in good shape when he turned over his K10 and his opponent turned up the QQ.

The river was the 10, however, giving Galfond the best hand and doubling him up to 37,000.

Shchemelev Doubles

On the river, the board read 99Q85 and there was already 10,000 in the middle. Vladimir Shchemelev moved all-in for his last 13,275 and his opponent made the call.

Shchemelev showed AA and his opponent mucked. Shchemelev doubled up to 36,500.

Vlad The Impaler

Shchemelev was at it again a little later. He raised to 600 from late position and the player in the big blind made the call.

The flop came 5K10 and the big blind checked to Shchemelev who bet 1,000. The big blind called and the 9 fell on the turn. The big blind checked again and Shchemelev fired 3,000 into the pot. The big blind sighed and eventually folded.

Shchemelev had around 40,000 after the hand.

Collopy Scoops Big One

Jim “Mr_BigQueso” Collopy got all-in preflop and turned over KK. He was in great shape against his opponent’s QQ.

The board ran out 710J37, keeping Collopy in the lead and the player with pocket queens hit the rail. One of the other two players at the table cliamed that he folded the other two kings after the hand was over.

Collopy now has 85,000 and looks to be the biggest stack in the room.

Adams Scares Off Best Hand

Three players limped in, including Brandon Adams, and the player in seat 1 raised to 1,500. One player folded and seat 3 and Adams called.

The flop came J89 and seat 1 led out for 2,500. Seat 3 folded and Adams raised to 6,500. Seat 1 thought and decided to give Adams respect for a big hand, showing the table QQ as he folded.

Adams showed a weaker AJ as he scooped the pot and admitted that he didn’t think seat 1’s hand was very strong.

With that, Adams had around 49,300 in chips.

Griffin Multitasking Well

On a three-way flop of JK4 action checked to Gavin Griffin who bet 1,200. Everyone folded to Griffin, who after stacking his chips went immediately back to reading a book on his Kindle.

Between reading breaks Griffin has chipped up to around 40,000.

Player Tags: Gavin Griffin,   Brandon Adams,   Phil Galfond,   Vladimir Shchemelev

Level Two Hour One Update: Adams Chipping up

Jul 06, '10

Blinds: 100-200

Notable Chip Counts:

Minh Ly – 60,000
Kevin Saul – 55,850
Jean-Robert Bellande – 43,000
Amit Makhija – 40,000
Brandon Adams – 40,000
Dan Kelly – 37,000
Jeremiah Smith – 35,600

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 32,500

Notable Eliminations

Mark Seif

Big Hands:

Adams Chipping Up

Brandon Adams limped under the gun and the player in seat 5 raised to 850. The player in the big blind and Adams both called.

The flop ran 57Q and the big blind checked to Adams who bet 3,300. Seat 5 called the sizeable bet quickly and the big blind folded.

The J hit on the turn and Adams again led out for 6,000. Seat 5 called very quickly again.

The 10 landed on the river and Adams bet two orange chips for a 10,000 bet. This time seat 5 took a deep breath and tanked, shaking his head. He asked Adams if he had a set and Adams didn’t move a muscle.

Seat 5 eventually folded, flashing pocket kings and Adams scooped a nice pot that put his stack around 40,000.

Swick Takes Quick Hit

In a 3-way limped pot the flop ran 104K and action was checked to seat 9, who bet 1,200. UFC fighter Mike Swick made the call and the gentleman sitting to Swick’s left raised to 5,000. Seat 9 folded and so did Swick. Despite the loss, Swick still sits with around 30,000.

Young Gets Hit With a cold Deck and Crippled

On a flop of 272, Justin Young checked and his opponent on the button bet 2,275. Young check-raised to 6,700 and his opponent went into the tank. After a minute of thought or so, his opponent moved all-in for 22,075.

Young winced and said “I’m supposed to snap-call, but I don’t like it.”

Young eventually made the call and showed K2. His opponent on the button turned up A2, giving him the better kicker with his trips.

The turn was the 5 and the river was the Q and Young was crippled with around 4,000 left.

Le Doubles With Flush

Tuan Le got his last 10,000 or so all in on a flop of 467. he held AQ for a flush draw and his opponent held the flopped set with 44.

The 5 hit on the turn, giving Le the flush, and the 10 on the river meant that doubled up to around 21,500.

Williamson Over Dang

Robert Williamson III bet 250 on a fop of JQ5 and was called by Hac Dang. Both players checked the 10 turn and the 4 river card.

Williamson showed Q6 and Dang mucked. They are both hovering around the 30,000 starting stack.

Williamson Allegedly Lays Down Aces

On a board of 109210 Robert Williamson bet 2,800. His opponent raised to 8,000 and Williamson tanked. He eventually elected to fold. His opponent tabled the K10 and Williamson claimed he folded aces.

Player Tags: Tuan Le,   Justin Young,   Brandon Adams,   Mike Swick

Level 21 Update: Bustouts Galore

Jun 25, '10

Blinds:

Flop Games: 20,000-40,000 limits
Stud Games: 5,000 ante, 5,000 bring-in, 20,000-40,000 limits

Players Remaining: 9 out of 241

Average Chip Count: 803,333

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Marco Johnson – 1,680,000
2. Matt Glantz – 1,400,000
3. Eugene Katchalov – 870,000
4. Carlos Mortensen – 780,000
5. Ian Gordon – 690,000
6. Scott Fischman – 515,000
7. Nick Schulman – 385,000
8. Marco Traniello – 325,000
9. Richard Ashby – 300,000

Notable Eliminations:

16. Brandon Adams – $26,459
15. Roman Yitzhaki – $26,459
14. John Hennigan – $31,851
13. Michael Chow – $31,851
12. Cuong Do – $39,078
11. Steve Billirakis – $39,078
10. Brian Townsend – $48,638

Big Hands:

Brandon Adams Eliminated

Omaha 8

Brandon Adams got the last of his chips in the middle against Marco Johnson on a flop of 7-5-3.

Adams had the A-A-K-J, giving him just dry aces with no low draw, and Johnson flopped two pair and a low with his A-8-5-3. The turn was a 2 and the river was a 10 to eliminated Adams and vault Johnson to the top of the chip counts.

Roman Yitzhaki Eliminated

Omaha 8

Matt Glantz raised preflop on the button and Roman Yitzhaki three-bet from the big blind. Glantz called and the two saw a flop of Q74. There were a ton of raises that led to Yitzhaki being all-in.

Glantz showed the AA55 and Yitzhaki held the AQ92. Glantz had an over pair and a bad low draw and Yitzhaki had top pair and the nut low draw.

The turn was the J and the river was the K, meaning no low was possible and Yitzhaki was eliminated.

Johnson Rolling

Razz

Marco Johnson completed and then bet fourth and fifth street against Eugene Katchalov. Katchalov led out on sixth and was raised by Johnson with their boards looking like this.

Johnson: (X-X)-4-7-5-10-(X)
Katchalov: (X-X)-2-9-7-4-(X)

Johnson fired another bullet on the river and Katchalov folded. Katchalov fell to 880,000 and Johnson is up to 1,200,000.

Hennigan Eliminated

Stud

We missed the exact details of the hand, but a very short stacked John Hennigan was all-in against Michael Chow. At the end of the hand, Chow was stacking chips and Hennigan was walking away from the table.

Michael Chow Eliminated

Stud

Michael Chow completed and was raised by Marco Johnson. Chow made the call and got all of his chips in the middle by fifth street against Johnson.

Chow: (A-7)-A-8-6-Q-(2)
Johnson: (J-J)-2-J-6-3-(7)

Chow’s aces never improved and Johnson continued to cruise as he made trip jacks to eliminated Chow.
Cuong Do Eliminated

Stud 8

Cuong Do was down to his last 11,000 after calling bets the whole way down from Scott Fischman in a stud hand and having to fold the river. He got his last 11,000 in the middle on third against Brian Townsened. The boards ran out like this.

Do: (K-10)-A-8-5-6-(X)
Townsend: (6-5)-7-10-9-9-(8)

Townsend made a straight and left Do drawing dead on his river card to eliminated Do in 12th place.

Steve Billirakis Eliminated

Stud 8

Steve Billirakis got the last of his chips in the middle on sixth street against Ian Gordon.

Billirakis: (5-5)-8-5-4-8-(9)
Gordon: (A-7)-7-7-2-A-(K)

Both players made full houses, but Gordon’s sevens full of aces trumped Billirakis’ fives full of eights and Billirakis was eliminated in 11th as we inch closer to the final table.

Brian Townsend Eliminated

Scott Fischman raised from the cutoff and Brian Townsend three-bet from the button. Carlos Mortensen then made it four bets from the big blind. Fischman folded and Townsend made the call.

The flop was Q32 and Mortensen bet out 20,000. Townsend raised his remaining chips and it was only a little more to Mortensen who made the call.

Townsend showed A3 and was up against the JJ of Mortensen.

The Q came on the turn and the 5 on the river kept Mortensen in the lead and Townsend was eliminated in tenth place, leaving the final nine players to re-draw to the unofficial final table of nine.

Player Tags: John Hennigan,   Eugene Katchalov,   Brandon Adams,   Roman Yitzhaki,   Brian Townsend,   Cuong Do,   Marco Johnson,   Michael Chow

Level 19 Update: Scotty Nguyen and Todd Brunson Bust

Jun 25, '10

Blinds:

Flop Games: 15,000-30,000 limits
Stud Games: 3,000 ante, 5,000 bring-in, 15,000-30,000 limits

Players Remaining: 16 out of 241

Average Chip Count: 451,875

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Eugene Katchalov – 830,000
2. Marco Johnson – 810,000
3. Brian Townsend – 730,000
4. Ian Gordon - 700,000
5. Nick Schulman – 610,000
6. Michael Chow – 530,000
7. Richard Ashby – 450,000
8. Cuong Do – 350,000
9. Matt Glantz – 315,000
10. Scott Fischman – 310,000

Notable Eliminations:

19. Scotty Nguyen – $21,997
18. Todd Brunson – $21,997
17. Robert Mizrachi – $21,997

Big Hands:

Scotty Nguyen Eliminated

Razz

This hand took place at the very end of the last level. Scotty Nguyen got the last of his chips in on third street against Carlos Mortensen. Their boards ran out like this.

Nguyen: (5-7)-4-K-8-8-(10)
Mortensen: (6-2)-7-A-8-J-(4)

Nguyen bricked off after starting good on third and Mortensen ended up making a 7-6 low, which was plenty good enough for the pot.

Todd Brunson Eliminated

Stud

We caught up with the action with Todd Brunson already with the last of his chips in the middle against Brandon Adams and the hole cards were already face up.

Brunson: (K-Q)-7-3-J-5-(2)
Adams: (5-8)-J-3-10-K-(K)

Adams paired up on the river to eliminated Brunson now his chip stack is up to 240,000.

Chow Scoops

Stud 8

On sixth street all the boards looked like this.

Michael Chow: (X-X)-6-Q-7-7
Carlos Mortensen: (X-X)-9-10-J-2
Brandon Adams: (X-X)-9-6-5-6

There was already 200,000 in the middle when Carlos Mortensen bet out and was raised by Brandon Adams. After tanking for a little bit, Michael Chow put in a third raise. Both his opponents, although visibly shocked, called to see the river. Everybody checked around on seventh street and Chow turned over A-A-2, giving him aces-up.

Mortensen and Adams both mucked and Chow scooped the pot, moving him up to 530,000. Adams fell to 200,000 and Mortensen fell to 270,000.

Robert Mizrachi Eliminated

Omaha 8

Robert Mizrachi and Nick Schulman saw a flop of 1085 and they got three bets in. The turn came the 3, which made a low possible and they got another three bets in which resulted in Mizrachi being all-in.

Mizrachi showed the AK94, giving him a good low and a flush, but Schulman showed the AAQ2, giving him the nut flush and the nut low. Mizrachi was drawing dead and was eliminated and Schulman grew his stack to 610,000.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Carlos Mortensen,   Todd Brunson,   Brandon Adams,   Michael Chow

Level Five: Players Start To Fall

Jun 23, '10

Flop Games: 300-600 blinds
Stud Games: 100 ante, 200 bring-in, 600-1,200 limits

Players Remaining: 228 out of 241

Average Chip Stack: 31,711

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Brandon Adams – 70,000
2. Marco Johnson – 59,000
3. Dario Alioto – 52,000
4. John Racener – 52,000
5. Chad Brown – 50,000
6. Jason Lester – 49,000
7. Carlos Mortensen – 49,000
8. Todd Brunson – 48,500
9. David Baker – 45,000
10. Chris Amaral – 45,000

Notable Eliminations:

Lex Veldhuis
Howard Lederer
David Bach

Big Hands:

Stud

Bloch Gets Short

Picking up the action on sixth street, Mikael Thuritz bet 1,200 and Andy Bloch made the call. They were dealt seventh street and Thuritz bet another 1,200.

Bloch made the call showing 1072Q. Thuritz had 8654 and turned over (765) for the straight.

Bloch surrendered the pot and was down to his last 5,000.

Lederer Can’t Call

Picking up the action on fifth street, Howard Lederer led out with 1,200 and Brandon Adams jacked it up to 2,400. On sixth street, Adams did the betting with 1,200 and Lederer called.

On seventh street, Adams fired another bullet of 1,200 while showing 910A5.

Lederer took a session in the tank with 86Q4. He eventually released it into the muck and Adams took the pot. He was at almost 70,000 while Lederer was under 10,000. He would bust later in the level.

Dwan Jacks Up Dehkharghani

Picking up the action on sixth street, Ray Dehkharghani bet 1,200 and Tom Dwan made the call. On seventh street, Dehkharghani bet another 1,200 and Dwan threw in the call.

Dehkharghani tabled JJ from his hole cards and Dwan had that beat as he showed 5544.

Dwan took the pot and was around 34,000.

Razz

Lex Veldhuis Out

Lex Veldhuis led the betting on sixth and seventh street and the player in seat one made the call.

Veldhuis was all in with his bet on seventh and tabled 8-5-4-2-A. Seat 1 tabled his hand, which the dealer mixed up. Whatever it was, it was better than an 8-5 and Veldhuis was eliminated.

Player Tags: Andy Bloch,   Howard Lederer,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Brandon Adams,   Mikael Thuritz,   Tom Dwan,   Lex Veldhuis

Level 21 Update: Bustouts Galore

Jun 25, '10

Blinds:

Flop Games: 20,000-40,000 limits
Stud Games: 5,000 ante, 5,000 bring-in, 20,000-40,000 limits

Players Remaining: 9 out of 241

Average Chip Count: 803,333

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Marco Johnson – 1,680,000
2. Matt Glantz – 1,400,000
3. Eugene Katchalov – 870,000
4. Carlos Mortensen – 780,000
5. Ian Gordon – 690,000
6. Scott Fischman – 515,000
7. Nick Schulman – 385,000
8. Marco Traniello – 325,000
9. Richard Ashby – 300,000

Notable Eliminations:

16. Brandon Adams – $26,459
15. Roman Yitzhaki – $26,459
14. John Hennigan – $31,851
13. Michael Chow – $31,851
12. Cuong Do – $39,078
11. Steve Billirakis – $39,078
10. Brian Townsend – $48,638

Big Hands:

Brandon Adams Eliminated

Omaha 8

Brandon Adams got the last of his chips in the middle against Marco Johnson on a flop of 7-5-3.

Adams had the A-A-K-J, giving him just dry aces with no low draw, and Johnson flopped two pair and a low with his A-8-5-3. The turn was a 2 and the river was a 10 to eliminated Adams and vault Johnson to the top of the chip counts.

Roman Yitzhaki Eliminated

Omaha 8

Matt Glantz raised preflop on the button and Roman Yitzhaki three-bet from the big blind. Glantz called and the two saw a flop of Q74. There were a ton of raises that led to Yitzhaki being all-in.

Glantz showed the AA55 and Yitzhaki held the AQ92. Glantz had an over pair and a bad low draw and Yitzhaki had top pair and the nut low draw.

The turn was the J and the river was the K, meaning no low was possible and Yitzhaki was eliminated.

Johnson Rolling

Razz

Marco Johnson completed and then bet fourth and fifth street against Eugene Katchalov. Katchalov led out on sixth and was raised by Johnson with their boards looking like this.

Johnson: (X-X)-4-7-5-10-(X)
Katchalov: (X-X)-2-9-7-4-(X)

Johnson fired another bullet on the river and Katchalov folded. Katchalov fell to 880,000 and Johnson is up to 1,200,000.

Hennigan Eliminated

Stud

We missed the exact details of the hand, but a very short stacked John Hennigan was all-in against Michael Chow. At the end of the hand, Chow was stacking chips and Hennigan was walking away from the table.

Michael Chow Eliminated

Stud

Michael Chow completed and was raised by Marco Johnson. Chow made the call and got all of his chips in the middle by fifth street against Johnson.

Chow: (A-7)-A-8-6-Q-(2)
Johnson: (J-J)-2-J-6-3-(7)

Chow’s aces never improved and Johnson continued to cruise as he made trip jacks to eliminated Chow.
Cuong Do Eliminated

Stud 8

Cuong Do was down to his last 11,000 after calling bets the whole way down from Scott Fischman in a stud hand and having to fold the river. He got his last 11,000 in the middle on third against Brian Townsened. The boards ran out like this.

Do: (K-10)-A-8-5-6-(X)
Townsend: (6-5)-7-10-9-9-(8)

Townsend made a straight and left Do drawing dead on his river card to eliminated Do in 12th place.

Steve Billirakis Eliminated

Stud 8

Steve Billirakis got the last of his chips in the middle on sixth street against Ian Gordon.

Billirakis: (5-5)-8-5-4-8-(9)
Gordon: (A-7)-7-7-2-A-(K)

Both players made full houses, but Gordon’s sevens full of aces trumped Billirakis’ fives full of eights and Billirakis was eliminated in 11th as we inch closer to the final table.

Brian Townsend Eliminated

Scott Fischman raised from the cutoff and Brian Townsend three-bet from the button. Carlos Mortensen then made it four bets from the big blind. Fischman folded and Townsend made the call.

The flop was Q32 and Mortensen bet out 20,000. Townsend raised his remaining chips and it was only a little more to Mortensen who made the call.

Townsend showed A3 and was up against the JJ of Mortensen.

The Q came on the turn and the 5 on the river kept Mortensen in the lead and Townsend was eliminated in tenth place, leaving the final nine players to re-draw to the unofficial final table of nine.

Player Tags: John Hennigan,   Eugene Katchalov,   Brandon Adams,   Roman Yitzhaki,   Brian Townsend,   Cuong Do,   Marco Johnson,   Michael Chow

Level 19 Update: Scotty Nguyen and Todd Brunson Bust

Jun 25, '10

Blinds:

Flop Games: 15,000-30,000 limits
Stud Games: 3,000 ante, 5,000 bring-in, 15,000-30,000 limits

Players Remaining: 16 out of 241

Average Chip Count: 451,875

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Eugene Katchalov – 830,000
2. Marco Johnson – 810,000
3. Brian Townsend – 730,000
4. Ian Gordon - 700,000
5. Nick Schulman – 610,000
6. Michael Chow – 530,000
7. Richard Ashby – 450,000
8. Cuong Do – 350,000
9. Matt Glantz – 315,000
10. Scott Fischman – 310,000

Notable Eliminations:

19. Scotty Nguyen – $21,997
18. Todd Brunson – $21,997
17. Robert Mizrachi – $21,997

Big Hands:

Scotty Nguyen Eliminated

Razz

This hand took place at the very end of the last level. Scotty Nguyen got the last of his chips in on third street against Carlos Mortensen. Their boards ran out like this.

Nguyen: (5-7)-4-K-8-8-(10)
Mortensen: (6-2)-7-A-8-J-(4)

Nguyen bricked off after starting good on third and Mortensen ended up making a 7-6 low, which was plenty good enough for the pot.

Todd Brunson Eliminated

Stud

We caught up with the action with Todd Brunson already with the last of his chips in the middle against Brandon Adams and the hole cards were already face up.

Brunson: (K-Q)-7-3-J-5-(2)
Adams: (5-8)-J-3-10-K-(K)

Adams paired up on the river to eliminated Brunson now his chip stack is up to 240,000.

Chow Scoops

Stud 8

On sixth street all the boards looked like this.

Michael Chow: (X-X)-6-Q-7-7
Carlos Mortensen: (X-X)-9-10-J-2
Brandon Adams: (X-X)-9-6-5-6

There was already 200,000 in the middle when Carlos Mortensen bet out and was raised by Brandon Adams. After tanking for a little bit, Michael Chow put in a third raise. Both his opponents, although visibly shocked, called to see the river. Everybody checked around on seventh street and Chow turned over A-A-2, giving him aces-up.

Mortensen and Adams both mucked and Chow scooped the pot, moving him up to 530,000. Adams fell to 200,000 and Mortensen fell to 270,000.

Robert Mizrachi Eliminated

Omaha 8

Robert Mizrachi and Nick Schulman saw a flop of 1085 and they got three bets in. The turn came the 3, which made a low possible and they got another three bets in which resulted in Mizrachi being all-in.

Mizrachi showed the AK94, giving him a good low and a flush, but Schulman showed the AAQ2, giving him the nut flush and the nut low. Mizrachi was drawing dead and was eliminated and Schulman grew his stack to 610,000.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Carlos Mortensen,   Todd Brunson,   Brandon Adams,   Michael Chow

Level Five: Players Start To Fall

Jun 23, '10

Flop Games: 300-600 blinds
Stud Games: 100 ante, 200 bring-in, 600-1,200 limits

Players Remaining: 228 out of 241

Average Chip Stack: 31,711

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Brandon Adams – 70,000
2. Marco Johnson – 59,000
3. Dario Alioto – 52,000
4. John Racener – 52,000
5. Chad Brown – 50,000
6. Jason Lester – 49,000
7. Carlos Mortensen – 49,000
8. Todd Brunson – 48,500
9. David Baker – 45,000
10. Chris Amaral – 45,000

Notable Eliminations:

Lex Veldhuis
Howard Lederer
David Bach

Big Hands:

Stud

Bloch Gets Short

Picking up the action on sixth street, Mikael Thuritz bet 1,200 and Andy Bloch made the call. They were dealt seventh street and Thuritz bet another 1,200.

Bloch made the call showing 1072Q. Thuritz had 8654 and turned over (765) for the straight.

Bloch surrendered the pot and was down to his last 5,000.

Lederer Can’t Call

Picking up the action on fifth street, Howard Lederer led out with 1,200 and Brandon Adams jacked it up to 2,400. On sixth street, Adams did the betting with 1,200 and Lederer called.

On seventh street, Adams fired another bullet of 1,200 while showing 910A5.

Lederer took a session in the tank with 86Q4. He eventually released it into the muck and Adams took the pot. He was at almost 70,000 while Lederer was under 10,000. He would bust later in the level.

Dwan Jacks Up Dehkharghani

Picking up the action on sixth street, Ray Dehkharghani bet 1,200 and Tom Dwan made the call. On seventh street, Dehkharghani bet another 1,200 and Dwan threw in the call.

Dehkharghani tabled JJ from his hole cards and Dwan had that beat as he showed 5544.

Dwan took the pot and was around 34,000.

Razz

Lex Veldhuis Out

Lex Veldhuis led the betting on sixth and seventh street and the player in seat one made the call.

Veldhuis was all in with his bet on seventh and tabled 8-5-4-2-A. Seat 1 tabled his hand, which the dealer mixed up. Whatever it was, it was better than an 8-5 and Veldhuis was eliminated.

Player Tags: Andy Bloch,   Howard Lederer,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Brandon Adams,   Mikael Thuritz,   Tom Dwan,   Lex Veldhuis

Level 10 Update: Brandon Adams Eliminated

Jun 10, '10

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 53 out of 101

Average Chip Count: 57,169

Card Player Chip Counts:

Daniel Negreanu – 80,000
Todd Brunson – 82,000
Doyle Brunson – 32,500
Steve Zolotow – 15,500

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Anton Allemann – 130,000
2. Tommy Vedes – 102,000
3. Homan Houshiar – 93,000
4. David Baker – 89,000
5. Brett Richey – 86,000
6. Tom Dwan – 82,000
7. Todd Brunson – 82,000
8. Eric Kesselman – 82,000
9. Billy Baxter – 81,000
10. Daniel Negreanu – 80,000

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Mizrachi
Dan Heimiller
Brandon Adams
Mike Matusow

Big Hands:

Dwan Picks off Zolotow

The action folded to Steve Zolotow on the button and raised to 3,200.

Tom Dwan was in the big blind and stared at Zolotow for a good minute before grabbing enough chips to make a raise to 11,800.

Zolotow joked about his hand as he showed the K-K-8-3-2 and tossed his hand in the muck. Zolotow slipped to 48,000 and Dwan climbed to over 55,000.

Raymer Gets the Better of Phan

The action folded around to Raymer in the small blind and raised to 2,500. Loi Phan made the call in the big blind and both players drew one card.

Raymer fired 3,500 after the draw and Phan made the call. Raymer tabled the 8-7-6-4-3 to take the pot. Raymer increased his stack to 24,000 and Phan dropped to 12,000.

Negreanu Pairs Up, Still Takes Pot

Daniel Negreanu made it 4,000 from under-the-gun and was called by Anton Allemann from the big blind. Both players drew one before both players checking after the draw.

Alleman showed a pair of sixes and Negreanu tabled the 8-6-4-5-5, for a pair of fives and then pot.

“Nobody had any heart,” Negreanu added as his stack improved to 68,000.

Brandon Adams Eliminated

Brandon Adams moved all-in for his last 11,700 from the cutoff and Negreanu called from the big blind.

Neagreanu stood pat as he showed the J-8-7-6-5 and Adams drew one and showed the 6-4-3-2. Adams could only muster up a Q from the dealer and Negreanu was sent to the rail, while Negreanu improves to 80,000.

Raymer Makes the Nuts

Mike Watts raised to 2,500 under-the-gun and Greg Raymer made the call before Stephen Chidwick three-bet to 10,500. Watts folded and Raymer made the call.

Chidwick stood pat and Raymer drew one. Raymer squeezed out the one card before moving all-in for 39,000 causing Chidwick to fold. Raymer showed Chidwick he made a good fold as he tabled 7-5-4-3-2.

Kesselman Knocks Out Two

Mark Dickstein raised to 3,000 from the cutoff and Mike Matusow raised all-in for 19,400 from the small blind. Eric Kesselman called as well from the big blind and Dickstein moved all of his chips into the middle for not much more.

Matusow drew two cards, Kesselman drew one, and Dickstein drew one.

Matusow showed the A-8-7-5-3, Kesselman showed the 10-9-7-6-2, and Dickstein tabled the J-8-4-3-2. Kessleman’s 10 was good for the pot and Matusow and Dickstein have been sent home earlier than they had hoped.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Steve Zolotow,   Mike Matusow,   Greg Raymer,   Brandon Adams,   Tom Dwan

Level 16: Juanda Scoops, Takes Chip Lead

Jun 08, '10

Blinds: Ante 2,000, Bring-In 2,000, 8,000-16,000 Limits

Players Remaining: 23 out of 170

Average Chip Count: 212,500

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. John Juanda – 390,000
2. Gary Benson – 350,000
3. Vladimir Schmelev – 310,000
4. Blair Rodman – 270,000
5. Dario Minieri – 265,000
6. George Lind – 260,000
7. Christopher George – 250,000
8. Steve Zolotow – 230,000
9. Allen Kessler – 225,000
10. Brandon Adams – 220,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jennifer Harman — 109,000

Notable Eliminations:

Scott Clements
Jason Mercier
Erik Seidel
Dan Heimiller
Cyndy Violette
Phil Hellmuth

Big Hands:

Juanda Scoops Adams And Harman, Harman Tilts

John Juanda, Brandon Adams and Jennifer Harman each put in four bets on third street. Juanda then led out on every street, getting called down by both players until sixth street when Harman mucked.

Here were their boards:

Adams: (742)7332
Harman: (Muck)KQJ6
Juanda: (852)6AAA

Adams had two pair but bricked on the river to try and make a low. Juanda’s exposed three aces were good enough for the scoop and he had an 8-6 low to boot.

“What are you doing,” Harman exclaimed to herself. “I had a 7-4.”

Juanda took down the pot and was closing in on 400,000 while Adams was at 170,000 and Harman was down to just 40,000.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Jennifer Harman,   Brandon Adams

Level 15: Players Survive By Chopping

Jun 07, '10

Blinds: Ante 1,500, Bring-In 2,000, 6,000-12,000 Limits

Players Remaining: 32 out of 170

Average Chip Count: 157,375

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Steve Zolotow – 278,000
2. John Juanda – 270,000
3. George Lind – 260,000
4. Sergey Altbregin – 260,000
5. Alexander Dovzhenko – 245,000
6. Christopher George – 235,000
7. Vladimir Schmelev – 220,000
8. Dario Minieri – 205,000
9. Blair Rodman – 200,000
10. Richard Ashby – 189,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jennifer Harman — 109,000
Phil Hellmuth — 82,000

Notable Eliminations:

Scott Clements

Player’s Twitter Accounts:

Cyndy Violette

Big Hands:

Violette Chops To Stay Alive

Brandon Adams had the bring-in and Cyndy Violette raised behind him. Erik Seidel and Toto Leonidas both joined the fun, making the call. When action got back to Adams he re-raised and everyone called, making it a sizable 4-way pot.

On 4th street Seidel checked to Leonidas who bet, Adams called and Violette raised the last of her chips in. Leonidas re-raised yet again and Seidel got out of the way but Adams called.

Leonidas bet on 5th street, and appeared to be slowing down on 6th street but check-raised Adams’ bet, and once again took over as the first better on the river. Adams made the call and they showed their hands.

Adams: (X-X)-271010-(X)
Violette: (25)-67K9-(4)
Leonidas: (X-X)-QJ6K-(X)

Leonidas showed two pair for the high half of the main pot, but Violette’s down cards showed the best low hand, earning her half the pot to stay alive with around 40,000 in chips.

Leonidas still had around 155,000 in chips and Adams had 140,000 after the hand.

Toto Chops For All His Chips

Picking up the action on seventh street, Brandon Adams bet 12,000 and Toto Leonidas made the call, putting himself all in.

Adams showed (A66)7772 for a full house.

Leonidas tabled (764)10854 for an 8-7 low, as his straight was nullified by Adams’ full house.

Both players chopped the pot and Adams was at 185,000 while Leonidas was at 110,000.

Seidel Chops With Harman To Stay Alive

Jennifer Harman bet 12,000 on fifth street and Erik Seidel made the call. Harman fired another bet of 12,000 on sixth street and Seidel called for the rest of his stack.

Harman was showing A853 while Seidel was showing 10532.

After the river, Harman’s hole cards were AK7 giving her a pair of aces with an 8-7 low. Seidel countered with 862 for an 8-6 low and half the pot.

He was at 54,000 while Harman was just around 70,000.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Toto Leonidas,   Jennifer Harman,   Cyndy Violette,   Brandon Adams

Level 14: Mercier Knocks Out Two

Jun 07, '10

Blinds: Ante 1,000, Bring-In 2,000, 5,000-10,000 Limits

Players Remaining: 41 out of 170

Average Chip Count: 124,390

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Vladimir Schmelev – 280,000
2. Dario Minieri – 250,000
3. Alexander Dovzhenko – 245,000
4. Blair Rodman – 230,000
5. Christopher George – 200,000
6. Richard Ashby – 200,000
7. John Juanda – 195,000
8. Mike Sexton – 190,000
9. Jason Mercier – 180,000
10. Alessio Isaia – 170,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jennifer Harman — 65,000
Phil Hellmuth — 75,000
Steve Zolotow — 130,000

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Mizrachi
Eli Elezra
Barry Greenstein
Max Pescatori

Player’s Twitter Accounts:

Cyndy Violette

Big Hands:

Minieri And Zolotow Chop

Dario Minieri and Steve Zolotow each put in four bets on 5th street. Minieri led out on sixth street for 10,000 showing 101055.

Zolotow made the call showing AA73. Both players checked the river and Minieri tabled his hole cards, A85, for a full house.

Zolotow turned his J86 for an 8-low and the players chopped the pot. Zolotow was at 130,000 while Minieri was at 250,000.

Greenstein Eliminated

Barry Greenstein was all in against Brandon Adams. Here were their boards:

Greenstein: K88Q42-X
Adams: 101077632

Adams made two pair while Greenstein could only muster a pair of eights and he was sent to the rail.

Mercier Knocks Out Elezra And Mizrachi

Jason Mercier, Robert Mizrachi, Eli Elezra and Adam Roberts were all in a pot that saw Elezra and Mizrachi get all of their chips in on fourth street. Here is how their boards looked:

Elezra: A7Q10
Mizrachi: KQ76
Mercier: AAJ8
Roberts: J932

After the river, Mercier tabled his hole cards, 643, for a pair of aces and an 8-6 low. It was better than Mizrachi’s 8-7 low and both Elezra and Roberts mucked their hands.

Elezra and Mizrachi were out and Mercier was at 180,000.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Barry Greenstein,   Steve Zolotow,   Eli Elezra,   Brandon Adams,   Dario Minieri,   Jason Mercier

Level 12: Pescatori Takes Chip Lead

Jun 07, '10

Blinds: Ante 700, Bring-In 1,000, 3,000-6,000 Limits

Players Remaining: 58 out of 170

Average Chip Count: 87,931

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Max Pescatori – 214,000
2. Alessio Isaia – 187,000
3. Frank Kassela – 157,500
4. Dario Minieri – 136,000
5. Barry Greenstein – 132,000
6. Cyndy Violette – 126,000
7. Glenn Cozen – 123,000
8. Alexander Dovzhenko – 120,000
9. Marco Johnson – 120,000
10. George Lind – 117,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jennifer Harman — 61,000
Phil Hellmuth — 112,000
Steve Zolotow — 57,000
Barry Shulman — 58,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jeffrey Lisandro
Josh Arieh
Chris Ferguson
Scotty Nguyen
Dario Alioto

Note: Players have gone on a 60-minute dinner break and will return at approximately 8:20 p.m.

Player’s Twitter Accounts:

Barry Shulman
Cyndy Violette

Big Hands:

Pescatori Rolls Shulman, Takes Chip Lead

Max Pescatori and Barry Shulman were involved in a hand and here is how their boards looked:

Pescatori: Q752
Shulman: 7533

After the betting on seventh, Pescatori turned over AQ4. It was good enough to scoop the pot as Shulman mucked his hole cards and Pescatori was up to 214,000 to assume command of the chip lead.

Shulman was down to 60,000.

Hellmuth Jacks Up Kessler

Phil Hellmuth completed on third street and Allen Kessler made the call. Hellmuth then checked on fourth and Kessler bet 3,000. Hellmuth called and checked again on fifth street.

Kessler fired 6,000 and Hellmuth made the call. The same happened on sixth and seventh and then they showed down their hands. Kessler turned over two pair, 7744. Hellmuth turned up two pair of his own, JJ33 for the high pot.

Neither player had a low and Hellmuth scooped the pot and was at 70,000 while Kessler was at 40,000.

Adams Takes Big Pot Off Minieri

Picking up the action on fourth street, Brandon Adams and Dario Minieri each put three bets into the pot. Adams then bet 6,000 on fifth street. Minieri called and both players put another three bets in on sixth street.

Minieri then called a bet by Adams on seventh street and Adams turned over his hand:

Adams: (AA7)A553
Minieri: (Mucked)K864

Adams made aces-full and took down the massive pot and he was up to 105,000. Mineiri was at 136,000.

Player Tags: Max Pescatori,   Phil Hellmuth,   Barry Shulman,   Allen Kessler,   Brandon Adams,   Dario Minieri

Level 26: The Master Earns 7th Bracelet

Jun 06, '10

Blinds: Ante 15,000, Bring-in 20,000, Limits 60,000-120,000

Notable Eliminations:
Brandon Adams – 2nd Place – $243,958

Big Hands

The Master Wins 7th Bracelet, Adams Gets Runner Up ($243,958)

Men Nguyen and an extremely low-stacked Brandon Adams agreed to put it all in blind and they watched helplessly as the cards fell. The hands were:

Adams: (A3)-QQ54-(9)
Nguyen: (96)-10KJ6

Seeing that Adams had a pair of queens, the Master took his last card face down as his groupies on the rail crowded around to see him peel up the corner. A queen would give Nguyen a straight, or a king would give him a better pair than Adams’ queens.

“King!” The announcement came as the crowd exploded into celebration. The K was turned over and Men Nguyen earned his 7th bracelet and $394,800 in prize money.

Adams capped an impressive day going from among the low stacks at the start of the day to runner up of the event, taking $243,958 for his work.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Brandon Adams

Level 25: Down To Two

Jun 06, '10

Blinds: Ante 10,000, Bring-in 20,000, Limits 50,000-100,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 2,250,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Men Nguyen — 3,150,000
2. Brandon Adams — 1,300,000

Notable Eliminations:
Steve Billirakis – 3rd Place – $152,788
Nikolay Evdakov – 4th Place – $110,629

Big Hands

Evdakov Out in 4th Place ($110,629)

Men Nguyen, Brandon Adams, and Nikolay Evdakov were three-way going to fourth street. Evdakov bet and both Adams and Nguyen called. Nguyen bet on 5th street and Evdakov raised, making Adams get out of the way. Nguyen re-raised and put Evdakov all in, who called. The hands were:

Evdakov: (AQ)-A7310-(8)
Nguyen: (67)-610Q5-(5)
(X-X)-4-8A-FOLD

The pot to Nguyen to 2.5 million chipos, while Evdakov exited in 4th place.

Billirakis KOed in 3rd Place ($152,788)

Steve Billirakis got the remainder of his short stack in on 3rd street against Men Nguyen. Their hands were:

Billirakis: (10Q)-4J3J-(Q)
Nguyen: (K7)-727J-(9)

Nguyen hit three 7’s, besting the two pair held by Billirakis, sending him to the rail in 3rd place. Left heads up were Brandon Adams and Men Nguyen.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Steve Billirakis,   Brandon Adams,   Nikolay Evdakov

Level 24: Cassidy Out In 5th Place

Jun 06, '10

Blinds: Ante 10,000, Bring-in 10,000, Limits 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 4 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 1,125,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Men Nguyen — 2,150,000
2. Brandon Adams — 980,000
3. Steve Billirakis — 750,000
4. Nikolay Evdakov — 480,000

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands

Aces For Adams

Men Nguyen completed and Brandom Adams raised, with the Master calling. Adams bet first on 4th street and got a call. Nguyen bet first on 5th street and got a call. Both players checked 6th street and Adams led out on the river. Their hands:

Adams: (AA)-26J6-(J)
Nguyen: (X-X)-53510-(X)

Adams’ two pair was good and Nguyen mucked. Nguyen still had the chip lead after the hand, with 2.1 million in chips, but Adams was climbing into contention with 925,000.

Cassidy Falls in 5th Place ($86,461)

Short-stacked and with his back against the wall, Joe Cassidy was heads up with Nikolay Evdakov and got it all in on 4th street. The hands were:

Cassidy:(47)-76108-(Q)
Evdakov: (39)-6942-(A)

A pair of nines was good enough for Evdakov to send Cassidy to the rail in 5th place.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Joe Cassidy,   Brandon Adams,   Nikolay Evdakov

Level 23: Mizrachi Gone in 6th Place

Jun 05, '10

Blinds: Ante 7000, Bring-in 10,000, Limits 30,000-60,000

Players Remaining: 5 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 900,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Men Nguyen — 1,250,000
2. Brandon Adams — 1,050,000
3. Steve Billirakis — 805,000
4. Nikolay Evdakov — 700,000
5. Joe Cassidy — 440,000

Notable Eliminations:

Michael Mizrachi – 6th Place – $68,949

Big Hands

Mizrachi Busts in 6th Place ($68,949)

Losing a couple of hands following the dinner break put Michael Mizrachi in a pickle. He ended up getting all in against Brandon Adams, and the Grinder couldn’t connect. Adams hit two pair to knock Mizrachi out of the event. Their cards:

Mizrachi: (102)-75AJ-(4)
Adams: (10K)-108J5-(K)

Mizrachi finished one better than his runner up in the Players Championship, Vladimir Schmelev, who went out in 7th place. A 6th place finish in this event after winning the Players Championship catapults Mizrachi to the top of the WSOP Player of the Year rankings.

Player Tags: Michael Mizrachi,   Brandon Adams

Level 22: And There Were Six...

Jun 05, '10

Blinds: Ante 5000, Bring-in 7000, Limits 25,000-50,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 750,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Men Nguyen — 1,250,000
2. Nikolay Evdakov — 900,000
3. Brandon Adams — 850,000
4. Michael Mizrachi — 620,000
5. Steve Billirakis — 570,000
6. Joe Cassidy — 490,000

Notable Eliminations:

Vladimir Schmelev – 7th Place – $55,991

Big Hands

Schmelev Hanging On

In a three-way pot against Michael Mizrachi and Nikolay Evdakov, Vladimir Schmelev was all in on 5th street, and his opponenets checked down the rest of the action. They showed:

Schmelev: (A6)-A1089-(7)
Evdakov: (Q2)-57KQ-(MUCK)
Mizrachi: (Q4)-102A4-(MUCK)

Schmelev is hanging tough at this final table, following a 2nd place finish in the $50,000 Players Championship.

Mizrachi Takes Some From Evdakov

After leading out on 4th street, Michael Mizrachi was raised by Nikolay Evdakov and made the call, putting himself all in as the lurking Men Nguyen folded. Their hands were:

Mizrachi: (AQ)-A58Q-(X)
Evdakov: (J10)-JQ64-(MUCK)

The Grinder’s two pair took the pot and he took a sizable pot to increase his stack to around 600,000.

The Master Goes Straight To The Top

Men Nguyen raised and Vladimir Schmelev re-raised and the two were heads up. Schmelev bet on 4th street and Nguyen called. On 5th street Schmelev check-raised the Master and Nguyen called. Schmelev bet the last two streets and Nguyen raised on the end. Schmelev called and they showed down.

Nguyen: (Q-9)-K108J-(2)
Schmelev: (X-X)-A763-(X)

Nguyen took the pot and jumped to 1,150,000 in chips. Schmelev dropped to 115,000 and eliminated soon after.

Schmelev Out in 7th Place ($55,991)

In a 5-way pot, Men Nguyen led out on 4th street, Steve Billirakis folded and Vladimir Schmelev re=raised. Nikolay Evdakov and Brandon Adams folded and Nguyen re-raised Schmelev all in.

Nguyen: (88)-JA3A-(Q)
Schmelev: (K4)-3453-(10)

Nguyen’s two pair took the pot and sent Schmelev to the rail in 7th place.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Michael Mizrachi,   Joe Cassidy,   Steve Billirakis,   Brandon Adams,   Nikolay Evdakov,   Vladimir Shchemelev

Level 21: Billirakis Climbs The Ladder

Jun 05, '10

Blinds: Ante 5000, Bring-in 5000, Limits 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 7 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 643,857

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Brandon Adams — 1,050,000
2. Nikolay Evdakov — 1,000,000
3. Steve Billirakis — 580,000
4. Men Nguyen — 530,000
5. Vladimir Schmelev — 450,000
6. Michael Mizrachi — 400,000
7. Joe Cassidy — 290,000

Notable Eliminations:

Billirakis Pairs Higher Than The Grinder

Steve Billirakis bet on every street and was called by Michael Mizrachi all the way until 6th street. Seeing that Billirakis paired his ace, Mizrachi let his hand go, showing his pair of queens as he did. Their cards:

Mizrachi: (AQ)-103Q9
Billirakis: (Q2)-AJQA

The pot took Billirakis to 550,000. Mizrachi dropped to 400,000.

Cassidy Doubles Through The Master

Joe Cassidy got the last of his chips in on 5th street against Men Nguyen. Nguyen was behind and didn’t improve, giving Cassidy a double up to 300,000. Their cards:

Nguyen: (98)-728J-(A)
Cassidy: (QQ)-3647-(9)

Schmelev Loses Monster Pot

After Brandon Adams completed, Men Nguyen raised, Vladimir Schmelev re-raised and Joe Cassidy raised yet again. Everyone got out of the way except Schmelev.

Cassidy continued the aggression, betting every street and getting called by Schmelev until the very end, when he looked at his last card and finally mucked. Their cards:

Schmelev: (X-X)-783K-(X)
Cassidy: (X-X)-KJ73-(X)

After losing the pot without showing down, Schmelev was on life support with 90,000 in chips. Cassidy boosted to 480,000.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Michael Mizrachi,   Joe Cassidy,   Steve Billirakis,   Brandon Adams

Level 18: Final 9 Decided

Jun 05, '10

Blinds: Ante 3000, Bring-in 3000, Limits 12,000-24,000

Players Remaining: 9 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 450,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Vladimir Schmelev — 1,040,000
2. Nikolay Evdakov — 850,000
3. Brandon Adams — 550,000
4. Michael Mizrachi — 450,000
5. Sirous Jamshidi — 430,000
6. Steve Billirakis — 340,000
7. Joe Cassidy — 310,000
8. Men Nguyen — 270,000
9. Dan Heimiller — 130,000
10. Ray Dehkharghani — 40,000

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Buchman – 12th Place ($32,909)
Ray Dehkharghani – 11th Place ($32,909)
Todd Barlow – 10th Place ($38,676)

Big Hands:

The Grinder Clashes With The Master

Entering the action late, Men Nguyen was heads up against Michael Mizrachi. Nguyen bet on 4th street and the Grinder raised. Nguyen called, and did the same when Mizrachi bet on 5th street. When Mizrachi bet on 6th street, Nguyen took some time to think over the hand, eventually folding and giving the pot to Mizrachi. Their hands:

Mizrachi: (X-X)-7910K
Nguyen: (X-X)-965K

The Grinder lost a previous hand to the Master, but this hand put his chip stack back around 450,000.

Buchman Busts In 12th Place ($32,909)

A short-stacked Eric Buchman completed on third street and was called by the chip leader, Vladimir Schmelev. Buchman led out on 4th street and bet again, getting called. Schmelev connected for a pair of eights on 5th street and put Buchman all in. Buchman called and didn’t improve his buried pair of 4s, busting in 12th place.
The hands were:

Schmelev: (49)-10885-(Q)
Buchman: (44)-Q597-(K)

Shortly after, Schmelev was the first to surpass one million in chips. Looks like he’s ready for another final table at the 2010 WSOP.

Dehkharghani Crippled, Out In 11th Place ($32,909)

Brandon Adams entered the day short on chips, but has since chipped up and in the process knocked out Ray Dehkharghani.

Ray called a raise from Adams on 3rd street, then called Adams’ bet on 4th street. Ray bet out on 5th and 6th street and was called. On the end, Ray slowed down and checked. He didn’t look too happy when he called Adams’ final bet. Their hands were:

Dehkharghani: (X-X)-42K7-(MUCK)
Adams: (J4)-J328(J)

Adams’ trip Jacks took a nice pot and was no longer among the short stacks, holding 400,000 in chips. Shortly after Dehkharghani got all in, again against Adams, and Adams hit a flush to send Dehkharghani out in 11th place.

Barlow Falls in 10th Place ($38,676)

Todd Barlow got all in in a three-way pot and couldn’t improve upon his pair of nines, falling to Joe Cassidy’s two pair. The hands were:

Barlow: (9-9)-J-2-10-8-(3)
Cassidy: (K-K)-5-5-J-9-(10)
Nikolay Evdakov: (X-X)-A-3-6-Q-(X)

With Barlow’s elimination, the final 10 are set.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Eric Buchman,   Michael Mizrachi,   Joe Cassidy,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Todd Barlow,   Brandon Adams

Level 16: Hand-For-Hand Mercifully Ends, Dario Alioto Bubble Boy

Jun 05, '10

Blinds: Ante 2,000, Bring-in 2,000, Limits 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 16 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 281,250

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Michael Mizrachi – 475,000
2. Men Nguyen – 462,000
3. Brandon Adams – 415,000
4. Nikolay Evdakov – 415,000
5. Vladimir Schmelev – 350,000
6. Sirious Jamshidi – 335,000
7. Eric Buchman – 330,000
8. Dario Alioto – 295,000
9. Ray Dehkharghani – 277,000
10. Todd Barlow – 195,000

Notable Eliminations:

Freddie Ellis
Alexander Kostritsyn
Dario Alioto

Big Hands:

Alexander Kostritsyn Doubles Through Brandon Adams, But Is Then Eliminated

Kostritsyn was all in on third street against Brandon Adams. Here is how their boards ran out.

Kostritsyn: (886)9A8-X
Adams: AQ10Q107J

Adams made two pair but Kostritsyn managed to get trip-eights and doubled up to 70,000. Adams, once the massive chip leader at almost 500,000, is down to 240,000.

Unfortunately for Kostritsyn, he would not make it past the level as he was eliminated in 18th place, setting up hand-for-hand play.

Evdakov Slams Heimiller

Nikolay Evdakov took a huge pot off Dan Heimiller to move over 400,000 in chips. Evdakov had the 6 showing and turned over 66 for trips to take a chunk out of Heimiller’s stack.

Heimiller was at 75,000 while Evdakov was at 415,000.

Freddie Ellis Eliminated

The defending champion hung in for a long time, but Brandon Adams delivered the knockout blow and abolished any idea of a repeat champion.

Ellis: (JJ)101073
Adams: (99)492A

Ellis started off with the best of it but Adams hit trip-nines on fourth street and the 2 on the river gave him a full house to knock out the defending champion.

Adams build his stack back up to 415,000 with the pot.

Dario Alioto Bubbles The Money, Eliminated By Men The Master

Dario Alioto nursed a short stack for almost two hours during hand-for-hand play. Finally, he played a pot for all of his chips.

Alioto was responsible for the bring-in of 2,000 and Men Nguyen called. Alioto was showing a 2 while Nguyen showed 7.

Nguyen received a 3 on fourth street whihle Alioto received the K.

“You’ve got two options,” Nguyen said. “You check, I bet; or you bet I raise.”

Alioto decided to bet and Nguyen was true to his word, raising enough to put Alioto all in.

Nguyen turned over (A7) for split sevens while Alioto had nothing. Nguyen held the lead until the river when Alioto flipped over the K to pair his king. Nguyen then sweated his river card and finally turned over the 3 to make two pair and finally burst the money bubble.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Brandon Adams,   Freddie Ellis,   Dario Alioto,   Nikolay Evdakov,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   Dan Heimiller

Level 15: Mizrachi Takes A Chunk Out Of Adams, Assumes Chip Lead

Jun 04, '10

Blinds: Ante 1,500, Bring-in 2,000, Limits 6,000-12,000

Players Remaining: 22 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 204,595

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Michael Mizrachi – 415,000
2. Brandon Adams – 380,000
3. Vladimir Schmelev – 350,000
4. Sirious Jamshidi – 335,000
5. Eric Buchman – 330,000
6. Dario Alioto – 295,000
7. Dan Heimiller – 280,000
8. Ray Dehkharghani – 277,000
9. Men Nguyen – 275,000
10. Nikolay Evdakov – 196,000

Notable Eliminations:

Andy Black
Doyle Brunson

Big Hands:

Mizrachi Trips Up Adams

Brandon Adams led out for 6,000 on fourth street. Michael Mizrachi raised to 12,000 and Adams three-bet to 18,000. Mizrachi made the call and then Adams led out again on fifth street with 12,000.

Mizrachi raised to 24,000 and Adams made the call. Adams slowed down on the next two streets, check-calling bets of 12,000 by Mizrachi.

Mizrachi then turned over 66 to go with his 6 for trip sixes. Adams held aces up, but they went into the muck as Mizrachi took a big pot off the chip leader. Mizrachi took the chip lead, chipping up to 415,000 while Adams was at 380,000 in chips.

Schmelev Not Afraid Of Defending Champion

Vladimir Schmelev bet 12,000 on fifth street and Freddie Ellis came along for the ride. Alexander Kostritsyn was also in the hand but mucked his cards after the Ellis call.

Schmelev led out again with 12,000 on sixth street, his board showing AK64. Ellis called with A1043.

Schmelev bet 12,000 one more time on seventh street and Ellis finally gave up his hand. Schmelev was at just under 300,000 while Ellis was at 120,000.

Doyle Fights Off Elimination Momentarily, But Not For Long

Doyle Brunson bet 6,000 on fourth street and Dan Heimiller made the call. Brunson then moved in for 12,000 on fifth street, his board showing 989.

Heimiller thought for a bit, his board showing A64. He eventually mucked his hand and Brunson survived his brief all-in experience.

“I had a great draw,” Brunson said as he turned his hole cards, J7.

Unfortunately for Brunson, he would be eliminated a few hands later when Yuval Bronshtein rivered a full house against Brunson’s rivered straight.

Player Tags: Doyle Brunson,   Michael Mizrachi,   Brandon Adams,   Freddie Ellis,   Yuval Bronshtein,   Vladimir Shchemelev,   Dan Heimiller

Level 14: Schmelev Knocks Out Seiver, Negreanu Out

Jun 04, '10

Blinds: Ante 1,000, Bring-in 2,000, Limits 5,000-10,000

Players Remaining: 26 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 173,076

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Men Nguyen – 290,000
2. Ray Dehkharghani – 280,000
3. Vladimir Schmelev – 230,000
4. Eric Buchman – 220,000
5. Andy Black – 200,000
6. Yuval Bronshtein – 175,000
7. Dario Alioto – 175,000
8. John D’Agostino – 171,000
9. Michael Mizrachi – 165,000
10. Brandon Adams – 160,000

Notable Eliminations:

Scott Seiver
Daniel Negreanu
Greg Mueller
Matt Glantz
Max Pescatori
Keith Sexton

Big Hands:

Schmelev Knocks Out Seiver

Vladimir Schmelev completed to 5,000 before Scott Seiver raised it to 10,000. Schmelev made the call and led out for 5,000 again on fourth street.

Seiver made the call and then led out on 5th street with 10,000 showing KQ4. Schmelev made the call with his K76.

It was then Schmelev’s turn to lead out for 10,000 when he caught the A on sixth street. Seiver got the 3 and called, putting himself all in.

Schmelev turned over (75) for just a pair of sevens. The 3 did not improve his hand so Seiver needed to only beat the pair. He had turned over (85) for four spades. But the A on the river offered no help and he was out.

Mizrachi’s Kings Best Alioto

Picking up the action on seventh street, Michael Mizrachi was showing AK32 and bet 10,000.

Dario Alioto took a session in the tank, showing J1072. He finally made the call and Mizrachi turned over K75 for just a pair of kings.

It was enough, however, as Alioto threw his hand in the muck and dropped to 130,000. Mizrachi was up to 235,000.

Daniel Negreanu Busts

Daniel Negreanu was all in by fifth street with a board of (KK)3910.

Brandon Adams called him down with a board of (J3)J4K.

Negreanu was ahead with his kings and sixth street was harmless as he caught the 2 and Adams received the 10. But Adams caught the 10 on the river for two pair and Negreanu’s Q did not help him and he made his exit from the tournament.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Michael Mizrachi,   Brandon Adams,   Dario Alioto,   Scott Seiver,   Vladimir Shchemelev

Level 26: The Master Earns 7th Bracelet

Jun 06, '10

Blinds: Ante 15,000, Bring-in 20,000, Limits 60,000-120,000

Notable Eliminations:
Brandon Adams – 2nd Place – $243,958

Big Hands

The Master Wins 7th Bracelet, Adams Gets Runner Up ($243,958)

Men Nguyen and an extremely low-stacked Brandon Adams agreed to put it all in blind and they watched helplessly as the cards fell. The hands were:

Adams: (A3)-QQ54-(9)
Nguyen: (96)-10KJ6

Seeing that Adams had a pair of queens, the Master took his last card face down as his groupies on the rail crowded around to see him peel up the corner. A queen would give Nguyen a straight, or a king would give him a better pair than Adams’ queens.

“King!” The announcement came as the crowd exploded into celebration. The K was turned over and Men Nguyen earned his 7th bracelet and $394,800 in prize money.

Adams capped an impressive day going from among the low stacks at the start of the day to runner up of the event, taking $243,958 for his work.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Brandon Adams

Level 25: Down To Two

Jun 06, '10

Blinds: Ante 10,000, Bring-in 20,000, Limits 50,000-100,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 2,250,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Men Nguyen — 3,150,000
2. Brandon Adams — 1,300,000

Notable Eliminations:
Steve Billirakis – 3rd Place – $152,788
Nikolay Evdakov – 4th Place – $110,629

Big Hands

Evdakov Out in 4th Place ($110,629)

Men Nguyen, Brandon Adams, and Nikolay Evdakov were three-way going to fourth street. Evdakov bet and both Adams and Nguyen called. Nguyen bet on 5th street and Evdakov raised, making Adams get out of the way. Nguyen re-raised and put Evdakov all in, who called. The hands were:

Evdakov: (AQ)-A7310-(8)
Nguyen: (67)-610Q5-(5)
(X-X)-4-8A-FOLD

The pot to Nguyen to 2.5 million chipos, while Evdakov exited in 4th place.

Billirakis KOed in 3rd Place ($152,788)

Steve Billirakis got the remainder of his short stack in on 3rd street against Men Nguyen. Their hands were:

Billirakis: (10Q)-4J3J-(Q)
Nguyen: (K7)-727J-(9)

Nguyen hit three 7’s, besting the two pair held by Billirakis, sending him to the rail in 3rd place. Left heads up were Brandon Adams and Men Nguyen.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Steve Billirakis,   Brandon Adams,   Nikolay Evdakov

Level 24: Cassidy Out In 5th Place

Jun 06, '10

Blinds: Ante 10,000, Bring-in 10,000, Limits 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 4 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 1,125,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Men Nguyen — 2,150,000
2. Brandon Adams — 980,000
3. Steve Billirakis — 750,000
4. Nikolay Evdakov — 480,000

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands

Aces For Adams

Men Nguyen completed and Brandom Adams raised, with the Master calling. Adams bet first on 4th street and got a call. Nguyen bet first on 5th street and got a call. Both players checked 6th street and Adams led out on the river. Their hands:

Adams: (AA)-26J6-(J)
Nguyen: (X-X)-53510-(X)

Adams’ two pair was good and Nguyen mucked. Nguyen still had the chip lead after the hand, with 2.1 million in chips, but Adams was climbing into contention with 925,000.

Cassidy Falls in 5th Place ($86,461)

Short-stacked and with his back against the wall, Joe Cassidy was heads up with Nikolay Evdakov and got it all in on 4th street. The hands were:

Cassidy:(47)-76108-(Q)
Evdakov: (39)-6942-(A)

A pair of nines was good enough for Evdakov to send Cassidy to the rail in 5th place.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Joe Cassidy,   Brandon Adams,   Nikolay Evdakov

Level 23: Mizrachi Gone in 6th Place

Jun 05, '10

Blinds: Ante 7000, Bring-in 10,000, Limits 30,000-60,000

Players Remaining: 5 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 900,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Men Nguyen — 1,250,000
2. Brandon Adams — 1,050,000
3. Steve Billirakis — 805,000
4. Nikolay Evdakov — 700,000
5. Joe Cassidy — 440,000

Notable Eliminations:

Michael Mizrachi – 6th Place – $68,949

Big Hands

Mizrachi Busts in 6th Place ($68,949)

Losing a couple of hands following the dinner break put Michael Mizrachi in a pickle. He ended up getting all in against Brandon Adams, and the Grinder couldn’t connect. Adams hit two pair to knock Mizrachi out of the event. Their cards:

Mizrachi: (102)-75AJ-(4)
Adams: (10K)-108J5-(K)

Mizrachi finished one better than his runner up in the Players Championship, Vladimir Schmelev, who went out in 7th place. A 6th place finish in this event after winning the Players Championship catapults Mizrachi to the top of the WSOP Player of the Year rankings.

Player Tags: Michael Mizrachi,   Brandon Adams

Level 22: And There Were Six...

Jun 05, '10

Blinds: Ante 5000, Bring-in 7000, Limits 25,000-50,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 750,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Men Nguyen — 1,250,000
2. Nikolay Evdakov — 900,000
3. Brandon Adams — 850,000
4. Michael Mizrachi — 620,000
5. Steve Billirakis — 570,000
6. Joe Cassidy — 490,000

Notable Eliminations:

Vladimir Schmelev – 7th Place – $55,991

Big Hands

Schmelev Hanging On

In a three-way pot against Michael Mizrachi and Nikolay Evdakov, Vladimir Schmelev was all in on 5th street, and his opponenets checked down the rest of the action. They showed:

Schmelev: (A6)-A1089-(7)
Evdakov: (Q2)-57KQ-(MUCK)
Mizrachi: (Q4)-102A4-(MUCK)

Schmelev is hanging tough at this final table, following a 2nd place finish in the $50,000 Players Championship.

Mizrachi Takes Some From Evdakov

After leading out on 4th street, Michael Mizrachi was raised by Nikolay Evdakov and made the call, putting himself all in as the lurking Men Nguyen folded. Their hands were:

Mizrachi: (AQ)-A58Q-(X)
Evdakov: (J10)-JQ64-(MUCK)

The Grinder’s two pair took the pot and he took a sizable pot to increase his stack to around 600,000.

The Master Goes Straight To The Top

Men Nguyen raised and Vladimir Schmelev re-raised and the two were heads up. Schmelev bet on 4th street and Nguyen called. On 5th street Schmelev check-raised the Master and Nguyen called. Schmelev bet the last two streets and Nguyen raised on the end. Schmelev called and they showed down.

Nguyen: (Q-9)-K108J-(2)
Schmelev: (X-X)-A763-(X)

Nguyen took the pot and jumped to 1,150,000 in chips. Schmelev dropped to 115,000 and eliminated soon after.

Schmelev Out in 7th Place ($55,991)

In a 5-way pot, Men Nguyen led out on 4th street, Steve Billirakis folded and Vladimir Schmelev re=raised. Nikolay Evdakov and Brandon Adams folded and Nguyen re-raised Schmelev all in.

Nguyen: (88)-JA3A-(Q)
Schmelev: (K4)-3453-(10)

Nguyen’s two pair took the pot and sent Schmelev to the rail in 7th place.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Michael Mizrachi,   Joe Cassidy,   Steve Billirakis,   Brandon Adams,   Nikolay Evdakov,   Vladimir Shchemelev

Level 21: Billirakis Climbs The Ladder

Jun 05, '10

Blinds: Ante 5000, Bring-in 5000, Limits 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 7 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 643,857

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Brandon Adams — 1,050,000
2. Nikolay Evdakov — 1,000,000
3. Steve Billirakis — 580,000
4. Men Nguyen — 530,000
5. Vladimir Schmelev — 450,000
6. Michael Mizrachi — 400,000
7. Joe Cassidy — 290,000

Notable Eliminations:

Billirakis Pairs Higher Than The Grinder

Steve Billirakis bet on every street and was called by Michael Mizrachi all the way until 6th street. Seeing that Billirakis paired his ace, Mizrachi let his hand go, showing his pair of queens as he did. Their cards:

Mizrachi: (AQ)-103Q9
Billirakis: (Q2)-AJQA

The pot took Billirakis to 550,000. Mizrachi dropped to 400,000.

Cassidy Doubles Through The Master

Joe Cassidy got the last of his chips in on 5th street against Men Nguyen. Nguyen was behind and didn’t improve, giving Cassidy a double up to 300,000. Their cards:

Nguyen: (98)-728J-(A)
Cassidy: (QQ)-3647-(9)

Schmelev Loses Monster Pot

After Brandon Adams completed, Men Nguyen raised, Vladimir Schmelev re-raised and Joe Cassidy raised yet again. Everyone got out of the way except Schmelev.

Cassidy continued the aggression, betting every street and getting called by Schmelev until the very end, when he looked at his last card and finally mucked. Their cards:

Schmelev: (X-X)-783K-(X)
Cassidy: (X-X)-KJ73-(X)

After losing the pot without showing down, Schmelev was on life support with 90,000 in chips. Cassidy boosted to 480,000.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Michael Mizrachi,   Joe Cassidy,   Steve Billirakis,   Brandon Adams

Level 18: Final 9 Decided

Jun 05, '10

Blinds: Ante 3000, Bring-in 3000, Limits 12,000-24,000

Players Remaining: 9 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 450,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Vladimir Schmelev — 1,040,000
2. Nikolay Evdakov — 850,000
3. Brandon Adams — 550,000
4. Michael Mizrachi — 450,000
5. Sirous Jamshidi — 430,000
6. Steve Billirakis — 340,000
7. Joe Cassidy — 310,000
8. Men Nguyen — 270,000
9. Dan Heimiller — 130,000
10. Ray Dehkharghani — 40,000

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Buchman – 12th Place ($32,909)
Ray Dehkharghani – 11th Place ($32,909)
Todd Barlow – 10th Place ($38,676)

Big Hands:

The Grinder Clashes With The Master

Entering the action late, Men Nguyen was heads up against Michael Mizrachi. Nguyen bet on 4th street and the Grinder raised. Nguyen called, and did the same when Mizrachi bet on 5th street. When Mizrachi bet on 6th street, Nguyen took some time to think over the hand, eventually folding and giving the pot to Mizrachi. Their hands:

Mizrachi: (X-X)-7910K
Nguyen: (X-X)-965K

The Grinder lost a previous hand to the Master, but this hand put his chip stack back around 450,000.

Buchman Busts In 12th Place ($32,909)

A short-stacked Eric Buchman completed on third street and was called by the chip leader, Vladimir Schmelev. Buchman led out on 4th street and bet again, getting called. Schmelev connected for a pair of eights on 5th street and put Buchman all in. Buchman called and didn’t improve his buried pair of 4s, busting in 12th place.
The hands were:

Schmelev: (49)-10885-(Q)
Buchman: (44)-Q597-(K)

Shortly after, Schmelev was the first to surpass one million in chips. Looks like he’s ready for another final table at the 2010 WSOP.

Dehkharghani Crippled, Out In 11th Place ($32,909)

Brandon Adams entered the day short on chips, but has since chipped up and in the process knocked out Ray Dehkharghani.

Ray called a raise from Adams on 3rd street, then called Adams’ bet on 4th street. Ray bet out on 5th and 6th street and was called. On the end, Ray slowed down and checked. He didn’t look too happy when he called Adams’ final bet. Their hands were:

Dehkharghani: (X-X)-42K7-(MUCK)
Adams: (J4)-J328(J)

Adams’ trip Jacks took a nice pot and was no longer among the short stacks, holding 400,000 in chips. Shortly after Dehkharghani got all in, again against Adams, and Adams hit a flush to send Dehkharghani out in 11th place.

Barlow Falls in 10th Place ($38,676)

Todd Barlow got all in in a three-way pot and couldn’t improve upon his pair of nines, falling to Joe Cassidy’s two pair. The hands were:

Barlow: (9-9)-J-2-10-8-(3)
Cassidy: (K-K)-5-5-J-9-(10)
Nikolay Evdakov: (X-X)-A-3-6-Q-(X)

With Barlow’s elimination, the final 10 are set.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Eric Buchman,   Michael Mizrachi,   Joe Cassidy,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Todd Barlow,   Brandon Adams

Level 16: Hand-For-Hand Mercifully Ends, Dario Alioto Bubble Boy

Jun 05, '10

Blinds: Ante 2,000, Bring-in 2,000, Limits 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 16 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 281,250

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Michael Mizrachi – 475,000
2. Men Nguyen – 462,000
3. Brandon Adams – 415,000
4. Nikolay Evdakov – 415,000
5. Vladimir Schmelev – 350,000
6. Sirious Jamshidi – 335,000
7. Eric Buchman – 330,000
8. Dario Alioto – 295,000
9. Ray Dehkharghani – 277,000
10. Todd Barlow – 195,000

Notable Eliminations:

Freddie Ellis
Alexander Kostritsyn
Dario Alioto

Big Hands:

Alexander Kostritsyn Doubles Through Brandon Adams, But Is Then Eliminated

Kostritsyn was all in on third street against Brandon Adams. Here is how their boards ran out.

Kostritsyn: (886)9A8-X
Adams: AQ10Q107J

Adams made two pair but Kostritsyn managed to get trip-eights and doubled up to 70,000. Adams, once the massive chip leader at almost 500,000, is down to 240,000.

Unfortunately for Kostritsyn, he would not make it past the level as he was eliminated in 18th place, setting up hand-for-hand play.

Evdakov Slams Heimiller

Nikolay Evdakov took a huge pot off Dan Heimiller to move over 400,000 in chips. Evdakov had the 6 showing and turned over 66 for trips to take a chunk out of Heimiller’s stack.

Heimiller was at 75,000 while Evdakov was at 415,000.

Freddie Ellis Eliminated

The defending champion hung in for a long time, but Brandon Adams delivered the knockout blow and abolished any idea of a repeat champion.

Ellis: (JJ)101073
Adams: (99)492A

Ellis started off with the best of it but Adams hit trip-nines on fourth street and the 2 on the river gave him a full house to knock out the defending champion.

Adams build his stack back up to 415,000 with the pot.

Dario Alioto Bubbles The Money, Eliminated By Men The Master

Dario Alioto nursed a short stack for almost two hours during hand-for-hand play. Finally, he played a pot for all of his chips.

Alioto was responsible for the bring-in of 2,000 and Men Nguyen called. Alioto was showing a 2 while Nguyen showed 7.

Nguyen received a 3 on fourth street whihle Alioto received the K.

“You’ve got two options,” Nguyen said. “You check, I bet; or you bet I raise.”

Alioto decided to bet and Nguyen was true to his word, raising enough to put Alioto all in.

Nguyen turned over (A7) for split sevens while Alioto had nothing. Nguyen held the lead until the river when Alioto flipped over the K to pair his king. Nguyen then sweated his river card and finally turned over the 3 to make two pair and finally burst the money bubble.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Brandon Adams,   Freddie Ellis,   Dario Alioto,   Nikolay Evdakov,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   Dan Heimiller

Level 15: Mizrachi Takes A Chunk Out Of Adams, Assumes Chip Lead

Jun 04, '10

Blinds: Ante 1,500, Bring-in 2,000, Limits 6,000-12,000

Players Remaining: 22 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 204,595

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Michael Mizrachi – 415,000
2. Brandon Adams – 380,000
3. Vladimir Schmelev – 350,000
4. Sirious Jamshidi – 335,000
5. Eric Buchman – 330,000
6. Dario Alioto – 295,000
7. Dan Heimiller – 280,000
8. Ray Dehkharghani – 277,000
9. Men Nguyen – 275,000
10. Nikolay Evdakov – 196,000

Notable Eliminations:

Andy Black
Doyle Brunson

Big Hands:

Mizrachi Trips Up Adams

Brandon Adams led out for 6,000 on fourth street. Michael Mizrachi raised to 12,000 and Adams three-bet to 18,000. Mizrachi made the call and then Adams led out again on fifth street with 12,000.

Mizrachi raised to 24,000 and Adams made the call. Adams slowed down on the next two streets, check-calling bets of 12,000 by Mizrachi.

Mizrachi then turned over 66 to go with his 6 for trip sixes. Adams held aces up, but they went into the muck as Mizrachi took a big pot off the chip leader. Mizrachi took the chip lead, chipping up to 415,000 while Adams was at 380,000 in chips.

Schmelev Not Afraid Of Defending Champion

Vladimir Schmelev bet 12,000 on fifth street and Freddie Ellis came along for the ride. Alexander Kostritsyn was also in the hand but mucked his cards after the Ellis call.

Schmelev led out again with 12,000 on sixth street, his board showing AK64. Ellis called with A1043.

Schmelev bet 12,000 one more time on seventh street and Ellis finally gave up his hand. Schmelev was at just under 300,000 while Ellis was at 120,000.

Doyle Fights Off Elimination Momentarily, But Not For Long

Doyle Brunson bet 6,000 on fourth street and Dan Heimiller made the call. Brunson then moved in for 12,000 on fifth street, his board showing 989.

Heimiller thought for a bit, his board showing A64. He eventually mucked his hand and Brunson survived his brief all-in experience.

“I had a great draw,” Brunson said as he turned his hole cards, J7.

Unfortunately for Brunson, he would be eliminated a few hands later when Yuval Bronshtein rivered a full house against Brunson’s rivered straight.

Player Tags: Doyle Brunson,   Michael Mizrachi,   Brandon Adams,   Freddie Ellis,   Yuval Bronshtein,   Vladimir Shchemelev,   Dan Heimiller

Level 14: Schmelev Knocks Out Seiver, Negreanu Out

Jun 04, '10

Blinds: Ante 1,000, Bring-in 2,000, Limits 5,000-10,000

Players Remaining: 26 out of 150

Average Chip Count: 173,076

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Men Nguyen – 290,000
2. Ray Dehkharghani – 280,000
3. Vladimir Schmelev – 230,000
4. Eric Buchman – 220,000
5. Andy Black – 200,000
6. Yuval Bronshtein – 175,000
7. Dario Alioto – 175,000
8. John D’Agostino – 171,000
9. Michael Mizrachi – 165,000
10. Brandon Adams – 160,000

Notable Eliminations:

Scott Seiver
Daniel Negreanu
Greg Mueller
Matt Glantz
Max Pescatori
Keith Sexton

Big Hands:

Schmelev Knocks Out Seiver

Vladimir Schmelev completed to 5,000 before Scott Seiver raised it to 10,000. Schmelev made the call and led out for 5,000 again on fourth street.

Seiver made the call and then led out on 5th street with 10,000 showing KQ4. Schmelev made the call with his K76.

It was then Schmelev’s turn to lead out for 10,000 when he caught the A on sixth street. Seiver got the 3 and called, putting himself all in.

Schmelev turned over (75) for just a pair of sevens. The 3 did not improve his hand so Seiver needed to only beat the pair. He had turned over (85) for four spades. But the A on the river offered no help and he was out.

Mizrachi’s Kings Best Alioto

Picking up the action on seventh street, Michael Mizrachi was showing AK32 and bet 10,000.

Dario Alioto took a session in the tank, showing J1072. He finally made the call and Mizrachi turned over K75 for just a pair of kings.

It was enough, however, as Alioto threw his hand in the muck and dropped to 130,000. Mizrachi was up to 235,000.

Daniel Negreanu Busts

Daniel Negreanu was all in by fifth street with a board of (KK)3910.

Brandon Adams called him down with a board of (J3)J4K.

Negreanu was ahead with his kings and sixth street was harmless as he caught the 2 and Adams received the 10. But Adams caught the 10 on the river for two pair and Negreanu’s Q did not help him and he made his exit from the tournament.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Michael Mizrachi,   Brandon Adams,   Dario Alioto,   Scott Seiver,   Vladimir Shchemelev