Gavin Smith Poker Tournament Updates

Gavin Smith Leads After Day 2

Jul 07, '11

Just 42 players remain in the hunt in event no. 56, the $1,500 no-limit hold’em tournament.

Leading the way into the “schedule final day” is Gavin Smith, who is stacked with 864,000 in chips. He is followed closely behind by James Boyle, Ryan Go, Hasan Anter and Jason Gravatt.

Other notables still in contention include Bryn Kenney, Bryan Paris and Andy Philacheck. The action will resume at 2:30 p.m. and Card Player will have live updates from the final table.

Player Tags: Gavin Smith

Day 1 Starts at 5:00 p.m.

Jun 30, '11

Welcome to event no. 52, the $2,500 mixed hold’em event. Last year, Gavin Smith defeated a field of 507 to earn his first gold bracelet and $268,238.

Other notables at the final table included Dwyte Pilgrim (eighth), Daniel Idema (seventh), Jarred Solomon (sixth), Jamie Rosen (fifth), MIchael Michnik (fourth) and Timothy Finne (third).

Be sure to check back later for all of the official prize pool information, as well as overnight chip counts.

Player Tags: Gavin Smith

James Bord Defeats Gavin Smith

Mar 05, '11

Gavin Smith went into his match confident, but is now out after committing his stack with a straight and flush draw.

Bord called with a set and it held to send Smith to the rail. Bord moves on to the Sweet 16 to take on the winner of the match between Andrew Robl and Emmitt Smith.

Player Tags: Gavin Smith,   James Bord

Gavin Smith Defeats Gus Hansen

Mar 04, '11

Gus Hansen was short stack and forced to move in with middle pair, but Gavin Smith made the call with top pair, putting Hansen’s tournament life in jeopardy.

The turn and river were blanks and Hansen was eliminated. Smith will now play James Bord in the next round.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Gavin Smith

James Bord Defeats Gavin Smith

Mar 05, '11

Gavin Smith went into his match confident, but is now out after committing his stack with a straight and flush draw.

Bord called with a set and it held to send Smith to the rail. Bord moves on to the Sweet 16 to take on the winner of the match between Andrew Robl and Emmitt Smith.

Player Tags: Gavin Smith,   James Bord

Gavin Smith Defeats Gus Hansen

Mar 04, '11

Gus Hansen was short stack and forced to move in with middle pair, but Gavin Smith made the call with top pair, putting Hansen’s tournament life in jeopardy.

The turn and river were blanks and Hansen was eliminated. Smith will now play James Bord in the next round.

Player Tags: Gus Hansen,   Gavin Smith

Gavin Smith Eliminated in 25th Place ($27,779)

Oct 31, '10

Gavin Smith was all in preflop for 75,000 on the big blind and Nikolai Yakovenko had him covered UTG+1. Their cards:

Smith: A 10
Yakovenko: K Q

Board: K 5 2 5 8

Smith was eliminated on the hand in 25th place and he will take home $27,779 in prize money.

Player Tags: Gavin Smith,   Nikolai Yakovenko

Gavin vs. Mizzi

Oct 31, '10

Gavin Smith raised to 12,000 preflop from early position and Sorel Mizzi reraised to 33,000 right behind him. Smith made the call and the flop fell K 9 2.

Smith checked and Mizzi bet 39,000. Smith made the call and the 2 fell on the turn. Smith checked again, Mizzi bet 58,000, and Smith made the call.

The river fell 9 and Smith checked. Mizzi moved all in for 104,500 and Smith went into the tank for a long time. A crowd of players and media gathered as he pondered the call, but he eventually decided to muck.

After the hand Mizzi was up to 380,000, while Smith was left with 185,000.

Player Tags: Gavin Smith,   Sorel Mizzi

Level 13 Update: Gavin Smith Close to the Top

Oct 30, '10

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

Players Remaining: 43 out of 272

Chip Counts:

1. Mohsin Charania — 445,000
2. Gavin Smith — 350,000
3. Bob Courtney — 340,000
4. Keven Stammen — 300,000
5. Ronald Lee — 275,000
6. Hoyt Corkins — 250,000
7. Jason Mercier — 225,000
8. Thomas Marcehse — 220,000
9. Sorel Mizzi — 200,000
10. Chris Hunichen — 200,000

Average Chip Count: 168,837

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Somerville
John Cernuto
Jacob Bazely
Allen Kessler

Big Hands:

Jason Somerville Eliminated

Jason Somerville moved all in preflop for 42,800 from the hijack and one opponent made the call with on the small blind. Their cards:

Small Blind: A K
Somerville: K Q

Board: 9 8 5 2 J

Somerville was eliminated on the hand.

Howard Lederer Doubles Up

There was a flop that read J 10 6 when UTG bet 15,000 and Howard Lederer made the call from the small blind. The turn fell 4 and Lederer moved all in for 20,800. His opponent tanked but eventually made the call. Their cards:

Lederer: A Q
UTG: Q 9

River: 9

Battle of Big Stacks

Gavin Smith and Ben Klier saw a limped flop of K K 8 and Smith bet 9,200 under the gun after the cards hit the table. Klier made the check-call from the small blind and then both players checked the 3 on the turn and the 10 on the river. Smith flipped over A 7, but his ace-high was a few cards behind the A 9 of Klier.

Left In The Deck:

Poker Tweets

Table Pairings

Table 1: Allen Kessler, Kyle Bowker, Jason Somerville, Howard Lederer

Table 2: Ben Klier, John Cernuto, Chris McCormick, Gavin Smith, Barry Greenstein, Hoyt Corkins, Mohsin Charania

Table 3: Josh Arieh, Thomas Marchese

Table 4: Jason Mercier, Todd Terry, Jake Bazely, Jonathan Aguiar

Table 5: Brock Parker, Sorel Mizzi, Chris Hunichen, Christian Harder

Table 6: Andrew Frankenberger, Keven Stammen, Mike Beasley, Ronald Lee

Player Tags: Howard Lederer,   Gavin Smith,   Jason Somerville

Gavin Smith Eliminated in 25th Place ($27,779)

Oct 31, '10

Gavin Smith was all in preflop for 75,000 on the big blind and Nikolai Yakovenko had him covered UTG+1. Their cards:

Smith: A 10
Yakovenko: K Q

Board: K 5 2 5 8

Smith was eliminated on the hand in 25th place and he will take home $27,779 in prize money.

Player Tags: Gavin Smith,   Nikolai Yakovenko

Gavin vs. Mizzi

Oct 31, '10

Gavin Smith raised to 12,000 preflop from early position and Sorel Mizzi reraised to 33,000 right behind him. Smith made the call and the flop fell K 9 2.

Smith checked and Mizzi bet 39,000. Smith made the call and the 2 fell on the turn. Smith checked again, Mizzi bet 58,000, and Smith made the call.

The river fell 9 and Smith checked. Mizzi moved all in for 104,500 and Smith went into the tank for a long time. A crowd of players and media gathered as he pondered the call, but he eventually decided to muck.

After the hand Mizzi was up to 380,000, while Smith was left with 185,000.

Player Tags: Gavin Smith,   Sorel Mizzi

Level 13 Update: Gavin Smith Close to the Top

Oct 30, '10

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

Players Remaining: 43 out of 272

Chip Counts:

1. Mohsin Charania — 445,000
2. Gavin Smith — 350,000
3. Bob Courtney — 340,000
4. Keven Stammen — 300,000
5. Ronald Lee — 275,000
6. Hoyt Corkins — 250,000
7. Jason Mercier — 225,000
8. Thomas Marcehse — 220,000
9. Sorel Mizzi — 200,000
10. Chris Hunichen — 200,000

Average Chip Count: 168,837

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Somerville
John Cernuto
Jacob Bazely
Allen Kessler

Big Hands:

Jason Somerville Eliminated

Jason Somerville moved all in preflop for 42,800 from the hijack and one opponent made the call with on the small blind. Their cards:

Small Blind: A K
Somerville: K Q

Board: 9 8 5 2 J

Somerville was eliminated on the hand.

Howard Lederer Doubles Up

There was a flop that read J 10 6 when UTG bet 15,000 and Howard Lederer made the call from the small blind. The turn fell 4 and Lederer moved all in for 20,800. His opponent tanked but eventually made the call. Their cards:

Lederer: A Q
UTG: Q 9

River: 9

Battle of Big Stacks

Gavin Smith and Ben Klier saw a limped flop of K K 8 and Smith bet 9,200 under the gun after the cards hit the table. Klier made the check-call from the small blind and then both players checked the 3 on the turn and the 10 on the river. Smith flipped over A 7, but his ace-high was a few cards behind the A 9 of Klier.

Left In The Deck:

Poker Tweets

Table Pairings

Table 1: Allen Kessler, Kyle Bowker, Jason Somerville, Howard Lederer

Table 2: Ben Klier, John Cernuto, Chris McCormick, Gavin Smith, Barry Greenstein, Hoyt Corkins, Mohsin Charania

Table 3: Josh Arieh, Thomas Marchese

Table 4: Jason Mercier, Todd Terry, Jake Bazely, Jonathan Aguiar

Table 5: Brock Parker, Sorel Mizzi, Chris Hunichen, Christian Harder

Table 6: Andrew Frankenberger, Keven Stammen, Mike Beasley, Ronald Lee

Player Tags: Howard Lederer,   Gavin Smith,   Jason Somerville

Gavin Smith Eliminated by David Paredes

Oct 25, '10

David Paredes raised to 950 from under the gun and was called by a player in middle position and Gavin Smith in the big blind.

The flop came down J107 and Smith bet 5,700. Paredes then moved all in fr 13,475 and the other limper folded. Smith called off for his last few thousand and showed 94 for the flopped flush.

Paredes showed JJ for top set and locked up the hand when the turn and river fell 73, giving him the winning full house. Smith was eliminated and Paredes is up to 34,000.

Player Tags: Gavin Smith,   David Paredes

Level 15 Update: Day 3 Ends

Oct 17, '10

NOTE: Day 3 has come to a close and there are 41 players still in the hunt at the WPT Festa al Lago $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event. Play will resume tomorrow at noon PST. Check back in at CardPlayer.com at that time for more live coverage of the event and videos from CardPlayer TV. Stay tuned for official chip counts and a recap of the day’s events.

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 41 out of 335

Chip Counts:

1. Steve O’Dwyer — 910,000
2. Randal Flowers — 795,000
3. Jeff Madsen — 750,000
4. Jason Koon — 705,000
5. Brandon Steven — 670,000
6. Ryan Goindoo — 650,000
7. Andreas Hoivold — 470,000
8. Jared Jaffee — 426,500
9. Daniel Alaei — 415,000
10. Michael Benvenuti — 400,000

Average Chip Count: 326,829

Notable Eliminations:

Steve Brecher
Men Nguyen
Joe Tehan
Gavin Smith

Big Hands:

Gavin Smith Eliminated in 48th Place ($12,896)

Jimmy Tran raised to 17,000 from the hijack and Gavin Smith reraised all in for 47,000 from the cutoff. The two players then revealed their cards after everyone else mucked:

Tran: A J
Smith: 7 7

Board: K 10 9 3 Q

Tran made a Broadway straight, which brought Smith’s tournament run to an end in 48th place. He was awarded $12,896 in prize money.

Owen Crowe Eliminated on the Money Bubble

Owen Crowe was on an extremely short stack when he decided to move all in preflop from late position and Gavin Smith reraised all in over the top of him from the cutoff. Their cards:

Crowe: Q 10
Smith: A K

Board: J 7 4 J 7

Crowe was eliminated on the money bubble after the hand.

Allen Kessler Doubles up Through the Chip Leader

Steve O’Dwyer raised to 13,000 from middle position preflop and Allen Kessler reraised to 50,000 from the hijack. O’Dwyer asked for a count and he was informed that Kessler held 61,000. O’Dwyer moved all in and Kessler made the all-in call. Their cards:

Kessler: A K
O’Dwyer: J J

Board: A 10 7 2 2

Kessler won the hand to double up to 230,000 and O’Dwyer took a hit down to 910,000.

Joe Elpayaa Doubles up on a Long Shot

Joe Elpayaa moved all in under the gun for 68,000 seat 6 made the call from the small blind. Their cards:

Elpayaa: A Q
Seat 6: 8 8

Board: 8 3 2 5 4

Elpayaa doubled up on the hand to survive with 140,000.

Poker Tweets

Player Tags: Jimmy Tran,   Gavin Smith,   Allen Kessler,   Owen Crowe,   Joseph Elpayaa,   Steve O'Dwyer

Level 13 Update: Maria Ho Eliminated after a Strong Fight

Oct 17, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 ante

Players Remaining: 61 out of 335

Chip Counts:

1. Jared Jaffee — 630,000
2. Michael Benvenuti — 620,000
3. Matt Affleck — 610,000
4. Jeff Madsen — 560,000
5. Randal Flowers — 490,000
6. Owen Crowe — 470,000
7. Chad Batista — 430,000
8. Annette Obrestad — 430,000
9. Andreas Hoivold — 410,000
10. McLean Karr — 350,000

Average Chip Count: 81,212

Notable Eliminations:

Matt Marafioti
Jimmy Fricke
Vivek Rajkumar
Chris Bjorin
David Williams
Maria Ho

Big Hands:

Luke Vrabel Doubles Up

Luke Vrabel got the last of his chips into the middle preflop against Erik Cajelais and they flipped over their cards:

Vrabel: Q J
Cajelais: A K

Board: Q 8 3 8 10

Vrabel doubled up on the hand and he held 120,000. Cajelais was left with 60,000.

Luke Vrabel Doubles Up Bobby Suer

There was 10,000 in the pot and a flop that read Q 7 5 when Luke Vrabel checked on the big blind and Bobby Suer bet the pot from the button. Vrabel spent some time in the tank and he eventually raised all in for 45,600. Suer then spent a little time in the tank and decided to call. Their cards:

Suer: Q J
Vrabel: A 2

Turn and River: 4 and 10

Vrabel was knocked down to 62,000 and Suer doubled up to 110,000.

Mario Ho Takes a Fatal Hit

A player in middle position raised to 8,000 preflop and Mario Ho reraised all in from the hi-jack. Gavin Smith then called all in for 35,600 from the button and everyone else got out of the way. Their cards:

Ho: A Q
Smith: K K

Board: 9 7 3 6 5

Smith doubled up and Ho was left with just 8,000 after the hand. She busted a short time later after an admirable fight for survival in the today’s tournament field.

Monnette vs. Makhija

The board read 10 8 4 when John Monnette bet 9,900 from the big blind. Amit Makhija made the call from middle position and the A fell on the turn.

Monnette fired out 12,200 and Makhija went into the tank. He reraised for another 28,800 on top and Monnette went into the tank. He eventually mucked and Makhija won the hand to grow his stack to 270,000. Monnette fell to 370,000.

Poker Tweets

Player Tags: Gavin Smith,   John Monnette,   Maria Ho,   Erik Cajelais,   Amit Makhija,   Bobby Suer,   Luke Vrabel

Level 12 Update: Jared Jaffee Takes The Chip Lead

Oct 17, '10

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

Players Remaining: 65 out of 335

Chip Counts:

1. Jared Jaffee — 640,000
2. Jeff Madsen — 605,000
3. Matt Affleck — 495,000
4. Annette Obrestad — 485,000
5. Owen Crowe — 470,000
6. Michael Benvenuti — 430,000
7. Andreas Hoivold — 415,000
8. Chad Batista — 385,000
9. Trevor Pope — 310,000
10. Men Nguyen — 310,000

Average Chip Count: 81,212

Notable Eliminations:

Tyler Kenney
Jeremy Menard
Cornel Cimpan
Ted Lawson
Jimmy Fricke

Big Hands:

The Maria Ho Show

On the last hand before the break, Maria Ho was all in holding A-Q on a A-J-4 flop, but unfortunately for her, Alex Melnikow had A-4.

The turn and river fell K 9 and Ho was eliminated. Or was she? It turns out, she was called back to the room when it was discovered that she still had 300 in chips remaining.

Back from break, Ho was all in for the ante and won when her 7-5 outflopped Gavin Smith’s A-10. That got her to 2,700 in chips, which were all in on the next hand when her pocket aces held up against two players ace-rags.

After folding a few hands, Ho was all in from under the gun holding K4 against the big blinds K2. The turn gave her the nut flush and all of a sudden she was up past the 23,000 mark.

An orbit later, Ho shoved for her last 17,100 from under the gun and was called by Chad Batista in the small blind. Ho’s AJ outflopped Batista’s pocket sixes and she doubled up to nearly 40,000.

She still has a lot of work to do, but she’s come a long way from having just one ante.

Jimmy Fricke Exits

We didn’t see the action, but according to Jimmy Fricke’s twitter page, he wasn’t able to outdraw Vladimir Shchemelev in an all in situation. Apparently Fricke’s pocket queens ran into pocket aces.

David Sklansky Doubles Up

Barry Greenstein raised to 6,100 from the hijack and Noah Schwartz called on the button. David Sklansky then moved all in for 35,100 in the big blind and Schwartz was the only caller.

Schwartz showed AJ, but he was dominated by Sklansky’s AK. The board rolled out 975QK and Sklansky doubled up to 85,000. Schwartz still has 185,000.

Poker Tweets:

Left In The Deck:

Gavin Smith Having Some Fun With Jeff Madsen

Gavin Smith is having a lot of fun after doubling up twice in this level at the expense of Jeff Madsen. After Madsen was forced to give up a small pot to another opponent, Smith reached over and knocked down his entire fortress of chips.

To add insult to injury, Smith then called the floor over to complain that Madsen wasn’t stacking his chips. The floor reminded Madsen that he needs to keep his chips orderly and the table laughed some more.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Gavin Smith,   David Sklansky,   Maria Ho,   Jimmy Fricke,   Jeff Madsen,   Noah Schwartz,   Alex Melnikow,   Chad Batista

Level 8 Update: Annette Obrestad Moves Into Chip Lead

Oct 16, '10

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 150 out of 328 (Unofficial)

Chip Counts:

1. Annette Obrestad — 380,000
2. Barry Greenstein — 215,000
3. Gavin Smith — 200,000
4. Sorel Mizzi — 195,000
5. Peter Braglia — 190,000
6. Noah Schwartz — 185,000
7. David Peters — 180,000
8. Matt Affleck — 175,000
9. Payman Arjang — 170,000
10. Andreas Hoivold — 165,000

Card Player Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 113,000

Average Chip Count: 87,466

Notable Eliminations:

Arnaud Mattern
Jonathan Aguiar
Steve Sung
Faraz Jaka
Allen Carter

Big Hands:

Gavin Smith Takes Out Arnaud Mattern On Bad Beat

A unknown player raised and Nancy Todd Tyner called from the cutoff. Gavin Smith then called out of the small blind as did Arnaud Mattern in the big blind.

The flop came down 1042 and Smith checked. Mattern bet 8,000 and the preflop raiser called. Tyner folded and Smith check-raised to 37,000.

Mattern then moved all in for 46,000 and the initial raiser folded. Smith made the automatic call and showed KJ, but was in terrible shape against Mattern’s A10.

The turn and river fell 7K and Smith paired his king to chip up to 200,000. Mattern was eliminated.

John Juanda Chips Up Against Michael Kamran

MIchael Kamran raised to 2,400 from early position and John Juanda made the call from the big blind. The flop came down J43 and both players checked.

The turn was the 9 and Juanda bet 4,500. Kamran called and the 6 hit the river. Juanda then bet 8,800 and Kamran thought it over for a few minutes before deciding on a fold.

Kamran now has 35,000 and Juanda chipped up to 65,000.

Nick Grippo Eliminates Steve Sung

In a battle of the extreme short stacks, Steve Sung moved all in and Nick Grippo called, as did another player. Grippo and his opponent checked down a board of J8107 and Grippo’s KQ was enough to take the pot.

Sung was eliminated and Grippo chipped up to 30,000, still way below the average stack in the room.

Maria Ho Takes Out Faraz Jaka

A preflop confrontation saw Maria Ho’s pocket nines hold up against Faraz Jaka’s A-10 to end his tournament run. Ho now has over 90,000 in chips.

Jonathan Aguiar Hits The Rail

Jonathan Aguiar raised to 2,300 from under the gun and his opponent in the big blind made the call. The flop came down 764 and the big blind bet 3,000.

Aguiar moved all in for 19,000 and was called by his opponents pocket threes. Aguiar showed KQ for two overs and a flush draw, but bricked on the turn and river, busting from the tournament.

Poker Tweets

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Gavin Smith,   Maria Ho,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Arnaud Mattern,   Michael Kamran,   Faraz Jaka

Level 15 Update: Day 3 Ends

Oct 17, '10

NOTE: Day 3 has come to a close and there are 41 players still in the hunt at the WPT Festa al Lago $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event. Play will resume tomorrow at noon PST. Check back in at CardPlayer.com at that time for more live coverage of the event and videos from CardPlayer TV. Stay tuned for official chip counts and a recap of the day’s events.

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 41 out of 335

Chip Counts:

1. Steve O’Dwyer — 910,000
2. Randal Flowers — 795,000
3. Jeff Madsen — 750,000
4. Jason Koon — 705,000
5. Brandon Steven — 670,000
6. Ryan Goindoo — 650,000
7. Andreas Hoivold — 470,000
8. Jared Jaffee — 426,500
9. Daniel Alaei — 415,000
10. Michael Benvenuti — 400,000

Average Chip Count: 326,829

Notable Eliminations:

Steve Brecher
Men Nguyen
Joe Tehan
Gavin Smith

Big Hands:

Gavin Smith Eliminated in 48th Place ($12,896)

Jimmy Tran raised to 17,000 from the hijack and Gavin Smith reraised all in for 47,000 from the cutoff. The two players then revealed their cards after everyone else mucked:

Tran: A J
Smith: 7 7

Board: K 10 9 3 Q

Tran made a Broadway straight, which brought Smith’s tournament run to an end in 48th place. He was awarded $12,896 in prize money.

Owen Crowe Eliminated on the Money Bubble

Owen Crowe was on an extremely short stack when he decided to move all in preflop from late position and Gavin Smith reraised all in over the top of him from the cutoff. Their cards:

Crowe: Q 10
Smith: A K

Board: J 7 4 J 7

Crowe was eliminated on the money bubble after the hand.

Allen Kessler Doubles up Through the Chip Leader

Steve O’Dwyer raised to 13,000 from middle position preflop and Allen Kessler reraised to 50,000 from the hijack. O’Dwyer asked for a count and he was informed that Kessler held 61,000. O’Dwyer moved all in and Kessler made the all-in call. Their cards:

Kessler: A K
O’Dwyer: J J

Board: A 10 7 2 2

Kessler won the hand to double up to 230,000 and O’Dwyer took a hit down to 910,000.

Joe Elpayaa Doubles up on a Long Shot

Joe Elpayaa moved all in under the gun for 68,000 seat 6 made the call from the small blind. Their cards:

Elpayaa: A Q
Seat 6: 8 8

Board: 8 3 2 5 4

Elpayaa doubled up on the hand to survive with 140,000.

Poker Tweets

Player Tags: Jimmy Tran,   Gavin Smith,   Allen Kessler,   Owen Crowe,   Joseph Elpayaa,   Steve O'Dwyer

Level 13 Update: Maria Ho Eliminated after a Strong Fight

Oct 17, '10

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 400 ante

Players Remaining: 61 out of 335

Chip Counts:

1. Jared Jaffee — 630,000
2. Michael Benvenuti — 620,000
3. Matt Affleck — 610,000
4. Jeff Madsen — 560,000
5. Randal Flowers — 490,000
6. Owen Crowe — 470,000
7. Chad Batista — 430,000
8. Annette Obrestad — 430,000
9. Andreas Hoivold — 410,000
10. McLean Karr — 350,000

Average Chip Count: 81,212

Notable Eliminations:

Matt Marafioti
Jimmy Fricke
Vivek Rajkumar
Chris Bjorin
David Williams
Maria Ho

Big Hands:

Luke Vrabel Doubles Up

Luke Vrabel got the last of his chips into the middle preflop against Erik Cajelais and they flipped over their cards:

Vrabel: Q J
Cajelais: A K

Board: Q 8 3 8 10

Vrabel doubled up on the hand and he held 120,000. Cajelais was left with 60,000.

Luke Vrabel Doubles Up Bobby Suer

There was 10,000 in the pot and a flop that read Q 7 5 when Luke Vrabel checked on the big blind and Bobby Suer bet the pot from the button. Vrabel spent some time in the tank and he eventually raised all in for 45,600. Suer then spent a little time in the tank and decided to call. Their cards:

Suer: Q J
Vrabel: A 2

Turn and River: 4 and 10

Vrabel was knocked down to 62,000 and Suer doubled up to 110,000.

Mario Ho Takes a Fatal Hit

A player in middle position raised to 8,000 preflop and Mario Ho reraised all in from the hi-jack. Gavin Smith then called all in for 35,600 from the button and everyone else got out of the way. Their cards:

Ho: A Q
Smith: K K

Board: 9 7 3 6 5

Smith doubled up and Ho was left with just 8,000 after the hand. She busted a short time later after an admirable fight for survival in the today’s tournament field.

Monnette vs. Makhija

The board read 10 8 4 when John Monnette bet 9,900 from the big blind. Amit Makhija made the call from middle position and the A fell on the turn.

Monnette fired out 12,200 and Makhija went into the tank. He reraised for another 28,800 on top and Monnette went into the tank. He eventually mucked and Makhija won the hand to grow his stack to 270,000. Monnette fell to 370,000.

Poker Tweets

Player Tags: Gavin Smith,   John Monnette,   Maria Ho,   Erik Cajelais,   Amit Makhija,   Bobby Suer,   Luke Vrabel

Level 12 Update: Jared Jaffee Takes The Chip Lead

Oct 17, '10

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

Players Remaining: 65 out of 335

Chip Counts:

1. Jared Jaffee — 640,000
2. Jeff Madsen — 605,000
3. Matt Affleck — 495,000
4. Annette Obrestad — 485,000
5. Owen Crowe — 470,000
6. Michael Benvenuti — 430,000
7. Andreas Hoivold — 415,000
8. Chad Batista — 385,000
9. Trevor Pope — 310,000
10. Men Nguyen — 310,000

Average Chip Count: 81,212

Notable Eliminations:

Tyler Kenney
Jeremy Menard
Cornel Cimpan
Ted Lawson
Jimmy Fricke

Big Hands:

The Maria Ho Show

On the last hand before the break, Maria Ho was all in holding A-Q on a A-J-4 flop, but unfortunately for her, Alex Melnikow had A-4.

The turn and river fell K 9 and Ho was eliminated. Or was she? It turns out, she was called back to the room when it was discovered that she still had 300 in chips remaining.

Back from break, Ho was all in for the ante and won when her 7-5 outflopped Gavin Smith’s A-10. That got her to 2,700 in chips, which were all in on the next hand when her pocket aces held up against two players ace-rags.

After folding a few hands, Ho was all in from under the gun holding K4 against the big blinds K2. The turn gave her the nut flush and all of a sudden she was up past the 23,000 mark.

An orbit later, Ho shoved for her last 17,100 from under the gun and was called by Chad Batista in the small blind. Ho’s AJ outflopped Batista’s pocket sixes and she doubled up to nearly 40,000.

She still has a lot of work to do, but she’s come a long way from having just one ante.

Jimmy Fricke Exits

We didn’t see the action, but according to Jimmy Fricke’s twitter page, he wasn’t able to outdraw Vladimir Shchemelev in an all in situation. Apparently Fricke’s pocket queens ran into pocket aces.

David Sklansky Doubles Up

Barry Greenstein raised to 6,100 from the hijack and Noah Schwartz called on the button. David Sklansky then moved all in for 35,100 in the big blind and Schwartz was the only caller.

Schwartz showed AJ, but he was dominated by Sklansky’s AK. The board rolled out 975QK and Sklansky doubled up to 85,000. Schwartz still has 185,000.

Poker Tweets:

Left In The Deck:

Gavin Smith Having Some Fun With Jeff Madsen

Gavin Smith is having a lot of fun after doubling up twice in this level at the expense of Jeff Madsen. After Madsen was forced to give up a small pot to another opponent, Smith reached over and knocked down his entire fortress of chips.

To add insult to injury, Smith then called the floor over to complain that Madsen wasn’t stacking his chips. The floor reminded Madsen that he needs to keep his chips orderly and the table laughed some more.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Gavin Smith,   David Sklansky,   Maria Ho,   Jimmy Fricke,   Jeff Madsen,   Noah Schwartz,   Alex Melnikow,   Chad Batista

Level 8 Update: Annette Obrestad Moves Into Chip Lead

Oct 16, '10

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 150 out of 328 (Unofficial)

Chip Counts:

1. Annette Obrestad — 380,000
2. Barry Greenstein — 215,000
3. Gavin Smith — 200,000
4. Sorel Mizzi — 195,000
5. Peter Braglia — 190,000
6. Noah Schwartz — 185,000
7. David Peters — 180,000
8. Matt Affleck — 175,000
9. Payman Arjang — 170,000
10. Andreas Hoivold — 165,000

Card Player Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 113,000

Average Chip Count: 87,466

Notable Eliminations:

Arnaud Mattern
Jonathan Aguiar
Steve Sung
Faraz Jaka
Allen Carter

Big Hands:

Gavin Smith Takes Out Arnaud Mattern On Bad Beat

A unknown player raised and Nancy Todd Tyner called from the cutoff. Gavin Smith then called out of the small blind as did Arnaud Mattern in the big blind.

The flop came down 1042 and Smith checked. Mattern bet 8,000 and the preflop raiser called. Tyner folded and Smith check-raised to 37,000.

Mattern then moved all in for 46,000 and the initial raiser folded. Smith made the automatic call and showed KJ, but was in terrible shape against Mattern’s A10.

The turn and river fell 7K and Smith paired his king to chip up to 200,000. Mattern was eliminated.

John Juanda Chips Up Against Michael Kamran

MIchael Kamran raised to 2,400 from early position and John Juanda made the call from the big blind. The flop came down J43 and both players checked.

The turn was the 9 and Juanda bet 4,500. Kamran called and the 6 hit the river. Juanda then bet 8,800 and Kamran thought it over for a few minutes before deciding on a fold.

Kamran now has 35,000 and Juanda chipped up to 65,000.

Nick Grippo Eliminates Steve Sung

In a battle of the extreme short stacks, Steve Sung moved all in and Nick Grippo called, as did another player. Grippo and his opponent checked down a board of J8107 and Grippo’s KQ was enough to take the pot.

Sung was eliminated and Grippo chipped up to 30,000, still way below the average stack in the room.

Maria Ho Takes Out Faraz Jaka

A preflop confrontation saw Maria Ho’s pocket nines hold up against Faraz Jaka’s A-10 to end his tournament run. Ho now has over 90,000 in chips.

Jonathan Aguiar Hits The Rail

Jonathan Aguiar raised to 2,300 from under the gun and his opponent in the big blind made the call. The flop came down 764 and the big blind bet 3,000.

Aguiar moved all in for 19,000 and was called by his opponents pocket threes. Aguiar showed KQ for two overs and a flush draw, but bricked on the turn and river, busting from the tournament.

Poker Tweets

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Gavin Smith,   Maria Ho,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Arnaud Mattern,   Michael Kamran,   Faraz Jaka

Level 16 Hour Two Update: We're In The Money

Jul 13, '10

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 708 out of 7,319

Average Chip Count: 310,127

Card Player Chip Counts

Adam Schoenfeld — 290,000
Jon Freidberg — 92,000
Shannon Shorr — 355,000
Matt Matros — 375,000
Andrew Brokos — 465,000
Josh Brikis — 1,200,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Matt Affleck – 1,350,000
2. Theo Jorgensen – 1,325,000
3. Duy Le – 1,320,000
4. Martijn Schirp – 1,275,000
5. Bartolome Gomilaromero – 1,200,000
6. Josh Brikis – 1,125,000
7. Filippo Candio – 1,100,000
8. Tony Dunst – 1,060,000
9. Matthew Brown – 1,055,000
10. Phil Galfond – 1,050,000

Notable Eliminations:

Kido Pham
Tim McDonald (Bubble Boy)
Gavin Smith
Amit Makhija
Eric Mizrachi

Big Hands:

Kido Pham Eliminated

Kido Pham moved all-in under-the-gun for his last 35,000 and was called by Josh Brikis.

They were off to the races when Pham showed 88 and Brikis tabled AK. The board ran out 2J710Q. Brikis rivered a straight to end Pham’s tournament just four spots shy of a main event cash.

Makhija Forces a fold

There was a flop of Q84, there was already approximately 85,000 in the middle and a player checked over to Amit Makhija in the hijack seat. Makhija moved all-in for his remaining chips and the television cameras rushed over.

Eventually his opponent folded and Makhija increased his stack to 190,000.

Cunningham Gets Bluffed

Allen Cunningham bet 40,000 into John Ambrust for 40,000 on a flop of AKA. Amburst made the call and the turn card was a 10.

Cunningham now checked and Ambrust put out a bet. Cunningham folded fairly quickly and Abrust showed 8-7, showing a complete airball.

Cunningham slipped to 210,000 and Ambrust is up to 890,000.

Bubble Bursts As Tim McDonald Is Eliminated In 748th Place

Ismail Erkenov raised to 10,000 from the hijack and Tim McDonald repopped to 30,000. Erkenov made the call and the flop came down AA2.

McDonald shoved for 37,500 and Erkenov snapped him off. McDonald tabled QQ but Erkenov flopped the joint as he tabled A2 for a full house.

The turn was the 7, leaving McDonald drawing dead. To add a bit of insult to injury, the river was the Q to give him a dead full house. McDonald earned the distinction of being the 2010 WSOP Main Event bubble boy. He went home with no cash, but did receive a buy-in to the 2011 Main Event.

Amit Makhija Eliminated

Picking up the action after the flop fell 943, Amit Makhija moved all in for 150,000 and the small blind made the call.

Makhija: JJ
Small Blind: A2

Makhija was ahead with the overpair but had to dodge the nut-flush draw and wheel draw. The turn was the 9 and relatively harmless, but the river was the 4 to make the flush and Makhija was out.

Smith Busts

Max Casal put in a raise from the cutoff and Gavin Smith moved in from the big blind for 29,500. The cutoff called and they showed their cards:

Smith: 33
Casal: A6

Smith was racing but fell behind on the AK10 flop. The board finished off 2 and 8 and Smith was eliminated.

Player Tags: Allen Cunningham,   Gavin Smith,   Kido Pham,   Amit Makhija

Level 15 Hour Two Update: Mercier Makes a Mistep

Jul 13, '10

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 801 out of 7,319

Average Chip Count: 274,120

Card Player Chip Counts

Adam Schoenfeld — 290,000
Jon Freidberg — 92,000
Shannon Shorr — 403,000
Tony Dunst — 423,000
Matt Matros — 445,000
Josh Brikis — 880,000
Andrew Brokos — 465,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Theo Jorgensen – 1,275,000
2. Matt Affleck – 1,160,000
3. Martijn Schirp – 1,120,000
4. Bartolome Gomilaromero – 1,080,000
5. Matthew Brown – 1,030,000
6. Duy Le – 1,025,000
7. Isaac Krantz – 1,014,000
8. Phil Galfond – 900,000
9. Gerasimos Deres – 885,000
10. Max Casal – 861,000

Notable Eliminations:

none

Big Hands:

Mercier Takes a Hit

We got to the table just in time to see Jason Mercier playing a big pot. His opponent held AA and Mercier showed A9.

The board ran out 7910QJ and Mercier doubled the player up to over 400,000 and Mercier was left with just 90,000.

Brown Cracks a Million

Matthew Brown cracked the one million chip mark when he got his opponent to move all-in with AQ and he called with 1010.

The board came 94542 and Brown’s pair held up and he moved up to 1,030,000.

Smith Moves All-in and Survives

Action folded to Gavin Smith in middle position and he moved all of his 43,000 chips into the middle and everybody folded around to the blinds. Both players contemplated calling, but eventually folded.

Smith showed KK while he picked up the blinds and antes and is around 57,000.

South Drops One

Cole South raised from the cutoff and the small blind called. Both players checked the flop of QJJ.

The 4 came on the turn and the small blind checked over to South, who bet 18,500. The small blind made it 45,000 and South put in another raise to 138,000. The small blind made the call and they saw the 9 come on the river.

Both players checked and the small blind showed A10, giving him an ace-high flush. South went to go muck his hand, but one of the players at the table asked to see his hand so the dealer flipped up the K5, giving him the king-high flush.

Player Doubles Up Through Phillips

With over 100,000 in the middle, the board read 87Q4 and Carter Phillips bet 63,000.

His opponent moved all-in for 215,000 more. Phillips made the call after a while with A8 and his opponent showed AQ. The 7 on the river and Phillips slipped to 225,000.

Dunst Chips Up Without Showdown

The flop was A109 and Tony Dunst bet out 3,500, which was called by his opponent.

The 5 came on the turn and both players checked to see 6 peel off on the river. Dunst moved all-in for 190,000 and his opponent thought for quite some time before folding. Dunst moved up to 565,000 with the pot.

Shorr Picks On a Girl

Lauren Kling raised to 10,000 from middle position and Shannon Shorr three-bet to 28,000 next to act. Kling made it 60,000 to go and Shorr went into the tank.

Shorr called after a couple of minutes of thought and the flop came Q76 and both players checked. The 7 and fell on the turn and Kling checked again. Shorr thought for almost a full three minutes before firing a bet of 75,000 out into the middle.

Kling folded instantly and slipped to 185,000 while Shorr moves to 460,500.

Player Tags: Gavin Smith,   Shannon Shorr,   Cole South,   Tony Dunst,   Jason Mercier,   Lauren Kling,   Carter Phillips

Level Six Hour Two: Gavin Smith Eliminates a Player

Jul 10, '10

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 2,285 out of 7,319

Chip Counts:

1. Charles Alexandre Sylvestre — 260,000
2. Dave Sands — 233,000
3. Steve Billirakis — 233,000
4. Robert Miller — 212,500
5. Jason DeWitt — 191,300
6. Khamsy Nuanmanee — 182,000
7. Matt Keikoan — 175,000
8. Vanessa Rousso — 170,000
9. Filippo Candio — 167,000
10. Tristan Wade — 160,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Josh Brikis — 97,500
Mike Matusow — 12,700
Roy Winston — 15,000
Jennifer Harman — 34,025
Jeff Shulman – 42,675

Notable Eliminations:

Gavin Smith
Todd Brunson
John Phan

Big Hands:

Richey Chips Up With Set

Brett Richey was heads up when his opponent bet 2,500 on a flop of 1034. Richey called and his opponent checked when the K hit on the turn.

Richey bet 6,000 and his opponent made the call. On the 5 river his opponent checked and Richey bet big — 17,500. His opponent called and Richey turned over 33 for a flopped set.

His opponent mucked and Richey’s stack soared to 140,000.

Swick Knocked Out

Mike Swick of the UFC was down to his last 11,000 or so when he got all in preflop again the player in seat 1. Their hands:

Swick: AQ
Opponent: AK

Swick was trailing and the board ran 69656. His opponent’s king played and Swick was eliminated early in day 2b.

Andy Bloch Eliminated

With the board reading 10269 on the turn, John Moore led out for 4,100 from early position and Andy Bloch raised to 11,600.

After asking how much Bloch had behind, Moore made the call. The river was the 3 and Moore just moved Bloch all in. Bloch made the call and showed 99, giving him a set, but Moore showed A8, giving him the nut flush.

Bloch’s Series comes to a close. He finishes with three cashes, totaling over $100,000 and a couple of near misses deep in some events.

Violette Uses Some Aggression to Earn Chips

Cyndy Violette called a raise from the big blind and saw a flop of 423. Violette led out for 3,000 and was called by the preflop raiser.

The turn was the 9 and Violette bet 6,000, which got a call. The river was the A and she bet 3,000. The bet on the river was enough to win her the pot as her opponent mucked her hand and she increased her stack to 85,000.

Kassela Flushes Opponent

Frank Kassela got his opponent all-in on a flop of Q82. He had his opponent covered and was holding K9. His opponent was drawing dead when he tabled K9.

The turn was the 8 and the river was the 5, which was dealt as a formality before pushing the pot to Kassela. Kassela is up to 135,000 in chips.

Griffin Takes a Hit

Gavin Griffin called a raise of 1,250 from a player in middle position and the player in the cutoff raised to 4,200. The original raiser folded but Griffin raised to around 20,000, enough to put the cutoff player all in. He called. Their hands:

Griffin: 1010
Opponent: KK

Griffin was well behind and found no help on a board that ran 5QJ94. Griffin lost the pot and dropped to around 48,000 in chips.

Pavilion Room Coverage

Gavin Smith Eliminates a Player

Gavin Smith raised to 1300 from middle position and a player on the button move all in for about 13,000 total. Action was folded back to Smith. He insta-called with the AK and was ahead of the AQ of his opponent. The board ran out 10107K4[[suit:diamond] and Smith recorded the knockout. He was at around 100,000 after the hand.

Chris Ferguson Makes the Wrong Call

On a board of A4310 a player in middle position bet 3,500 and Chris Ferguson called. The river brought the 5 and Ferguson’s opponent bet 7,000 this time. Ferguson tanked before finally making the call. His opponent tabled the QJ for a flush and Ferguson mucked. He was at about 40,000 after the hand.

Johnny Lodden Eliminates a Player

Johnny Lodden opened the pot from middle position and a player to his left moved all in for 5,600 total. Lodden tanked before making the call with the K10. He was ahead against the QJ of his opponent. The board ran out 998A2 and Lodden took the pot. He was at 110,000 after the hand.

Ryan D’Angelo Gets Little Respect

On a flop of 865 a player in the small blind bet and Ryan D’Angelo raised. His opponent quickly called. The turn brought the 3 and D’Angelos opponent checked. D’Angelo bet 9,000 and his opponent check-raised to 24,000. D’angelo insta-mucked and his opponent exposed the 1010. D’Angelo vented his frustration after the hand.

Player Tags: Andy Bloch,   Gavin Smith,   Cyndy Violette,   Gavin Griffin,   Brett Richey,   Ryan D'Angelo,   Johnny Lodden,   Mike Swick