John Hanson - Live Updates

David Bach Wins $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship

Jul 01, '09

The conclusion of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. world championship in two parts:

David Bach Takes Back the Chip Lead

Hold’em

John Hanson raised from the button and David Bach made the call. The flop was dealt 774 and Bach bet. Hanson made the call and the turn fell 2, once again Bach bet and Hanson made the call. The river was dealt 3 and Bach bet out again. Hanson made the call one last time and then Bach turned over A5 for the nut flush. Hanson mucked his hand and Bach charged back into the chip lead.

David Bach Wins 2009 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship ($1,276,802)

Razz

John Hanson brought it in and David Bach completed. Hanson then raised, Bach reraised, and Hanson made the call. Bach bet out on fourth street and Hanson made the all-in call. Their cards:

Bach: (74)6AAQ(9)
Hanson: (85)9J65(2)

Bach made a 9-7 low to beat out Hanson’s 9-8 low to win the hand and the tournament. Hanson was awarded $789,199 for his runner-up finish (he also finished in third place in this event in 2007). Bach was awarded his first gold bracelet, $1,276,802, and his name will be added to the Chip Reese memorial trophy.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Hanson Takes Back the Lead

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 125,000-250,000 Limits — 250,000-500,000
Stud Games: Ante – 50,000, Bring-In – 70,000, Completion – 250,000, Limits – 250,000-500,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 7,530,000
2. John Hanson – 6,875,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Number of big bets in the average stack: 14.20

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands

John Hanson Climbs Back into Play

Stud 8OB

John Hanson brought it in and David Bach completed. Hanson raised and Bach made the call. Fourth street saw Bach check-raise Hanson, who made the call. Fifth street saw Bach check, Hanson bet, and Bach call. Bach led for a bet on sixth street and Hanson made the call. Bach checked on seventh street, Hanson bet, and then Bach made the call. Both players then opened up thier hands:

Bach: (J8)Q329(5)
Hanson: (K5)9748(3)

Hanson showed down a king-high flush and an 8-7 low to scoop the pot and bring himself back from the brink of elimination.

John Hanson Scoops a Pot to Take Back the Lead

Stud 8OB

David Bach brought it in and John Hanson completed. Bach then raised and Hanson made the call. Hanson check-called a bet on fourth street, and then bet out on fifth street. Bach made the call. On sixth street Hanson bet out again and Bach made the call. More of the same on seventh street, with Hanson making a bet and Bach making the call. Their cards:

Bach: (X-X)65Q8
Hanson: (X-X)7872

Hanson flipped over A76 on the end and Bach mucked to his opponent’s trip sevens and 8-7 low. Hanson scooped the pot and took back the chip lead, marking the fifth lead change in heads-up play.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Day Update: David Bach Getting Close to Victory

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 100,000-200,000 Limits — 200,000-400,000
Stud Games: Ante – 50,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 200,000, Limits – 200,000-400,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 12,600,000
2. John Hanson – 1,865,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Number of big bets in the average stack: 17.75

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands

David Bach Makes a Nice Call with Ace High

David Bach raised on the button and John Hanson made the call. The flop was dealt 543 and Hanson checked. Bach bet and Hanson made the call. Both players checked the J on the turn and the Q followed on the river. Hanson bet out for 400,000 and Bach made the call. Hanson turned up K7 and Bach showed A9. Bach made the call with ace-high to win the pot and grow his chip stack to eight figures.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: We're Going Nowhere

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 100,000-200,000 Limits — 200,000-400,000
Stud Games: Ante – 50,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 200,000, Limits – 200,000-400,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 8,600,000
2. John Hanson – 5,805,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Number of big bets in the average stack: 17.75

Notable Eliminations:

None

Action Summary

John Hanson charged back to even in chips with David Bach as 7 a.m. in the morning approached (their fourth hour of heads-up play). Bach was able to stave off the fifth lead change of the heads-up final and his chip lead currently stands steady at 8.6 million.

There are now just three spectators left in the stands as the final table has now been playing for 17 hours, and most of that has featured little to no table talk among the players. In other news, the final table just crossed the 400-hand threshold.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: David Bach in the Lead After Heads-Up Seesaw

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 90,000-180,000 Limits — 180,000-360,000
Stud Games: Ante – 40,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 180,000, Limits – 150,000-360,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 10,200,000
2. John Hanson – 4,205,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Action Summary

The chip counts stood at exactly even when heads-up play began, with each player holding 7.1 million. During the first hour of play between the final two Hanson charged into the lead, holding a 2-1 chip lead over Bach. Then the counts traded places, with Bach growing his stack close to 10 million. The chip lead seesawed back to Hanson once again, but thanks to another dominant run in Omaha eight-or-better Bach charged in front once again, holding a 2-1 chip lead as the hour approached six a.m.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Erik Sagstrom Eliminated in 3rd Place

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 75,000-150,000 Limits — 150,000-300,000
Stud Games: Ante – 30,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 150,000, Limits – 150,000-300,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 7,100,000
2. John Hanson – 7,100,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Notable Eliminations:

3. Erik Sagstrom — $522,394

Big Hands

Omaha/8

Erik Sagstrom Eliminated In Third Place($522,394)

John Hanson raised to 300,000 from the button and David Bach made it 450,000 from the small blind. Erik Sagstrom made the call and Hanson called as well. The flop then came down K76 and Hanson led out with 150,000. Bach made the call and Sagstrom raised 75,000 more, putting himself all in. Hanson then three-bet and Bach made the call. The turn was the J and Hanson bet 300,000. Bach called and both players checked the K on the river. Hanson then showed 88X-X and it was good enough to take down the pot. Sagstrom mucked and he was eliminated.

Player Tags: David Bach,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Huck Seed Eliminated In 5th Place

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 50,000-100,000 Limits — 100,000-200,000
Stud Games: Ante – 20,000, Bring-In – 30,000, Completion – 100,000, Limits – 100,000-200,000

Players Remaining: 4 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. John Hanson – 7,740,000
2. Erik Sagstrom – 3,540,000
3. David Bach – 2,400,000
4. Vitaly Lunkin – 1,100,000

Average Chip Count: 3,695,000

Notable Eliminations:

5. Huck Seed — $276,610

Big Hands

Hold’em

Huck Seed Eliminated In Fifth Place($276,610)

Vitaly Lunkin limped in from early position and Erik Sagstrom raised to 200,000 from the button. John Hanson called from the small blind and Huck Seed called all in from the big blind.

The players saw a flop of A410 and Sagstrom bet 100,000. Hanson raised to 200,000 and Lunkin called, as did Sagstrom. The turn was the Q and Lunkin fired 200,000. Hanson and Sagstrom both called and the river was the 5.

Everyone checked and Hanson showed AJ for top pair and everyone, including Seed, mucked. Seed made his exit in fifth place, pocketing $276,610.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson,   Vitaly Lunkin

Final Table Update: Ville Wahlbeck Eliminated In 6th Place

Jun 30, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 40,000-80,000 Limits — 80,000-160,000
Stud Games: Ante – 20,000, Bring-In – 20,000, Completion – 80,000, Limits – 80,000-160,000

Players Remaining: 5 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin – 3,870,000
2. David Bach – 3,560,000
3. Erik Sagstrom – 2,795,000
4. John Hanson – 2,280,000
5. Huck Seed – 1,770,000

Average Chip Count: 2,855,000

Notable Eliminations:

6. Ville Wahlbeck — $219,655

Big Hands

Hold’em

Seed With The Heavy Firepower

Huck Seed raised to 160,000 from under the gun and Erik Sagstrom made the call from the small blind. John Hanson also called from the big blind and the flop came down Q105. Seed bet 80,000 and Sagstrom mucked, but Hanson made the call.

The turn was the K and both players checked. The river was the Q and Hanson fired 160,000. Seed quickly made the call and showed down AA, good enough to take down the pot.

Wahlbeck Survives All In

Ville Wahlbeck raised to 160,000 from the button and John Hanson raised to 240,000 from the big blind. Wahlbeck four-bet to 320,000 and Hanson capped the action at 400,000. Wahlbeck called the last of his chips into the pot and showed down KQ. Hanson showed down KQ and a pot that started with great action ended with a thud as the board ran out K81010A. Both players chopped the pot and play resumed.

Omaha/8

Ville Wahlbeck Finally Succumbs, Eliminated In Sixth Place($219,655)

Wahlbeck kept finding ways to survive, but in the end David Bach would have no more of his nonsense. Wahlbeck raised preflop to 160,000 and Bach made the call from the big blind. The flop came down J34 and Bach checked to Wahlbeck who bet 80,000. Bach then raised to 160,000 and Wahlbeck made the call. The turn was the K and Bach fired 160,000.

Wahlbeck called his last 135,000 and showed 7532 for a straight draw and 7-low draw. Bach showed AJ43 for two pair. Wahlbeck had outs, but the 4 on the river was not one of them and he was eliminated in sixth place.

Bach Takes Down A Monster

Huck Seed limped from under the gun and action folded to David Bach on the button. He raised to 160,000 and John Hanson made the call from the big blind. Seed also called and the players saw a flop of J74. Action was checked to Bach who fired 80,000. Hanson then raised to 160,000 and Seed three-bet to 240,000. Bach and Hanson called and the turn was the 10. Action was checked to Bach again and he bet 160,000. Both opponents just called this time and the river was the J. Bach fired another bet and Hanson called, while Seed got out of the way.

Bach then tabled J4A2 for a full house and Hanson mucked. Bach took down the huge pot and was at 3.8 million.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   David Bach,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Dinner Break

Jun 30, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 30,000-60,000 Limits — 60,000-120,000
Stud Games: Ante – 15,000, Bring-In – 20,000, Completion – 60,000, Limits – 60,000-120,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 3,760,00
2. Erik Sagstrom — 3,395,000
3. John Hanson — 3,075,000
4. Huck Seed — 1,730,000
5. David Bach — 1,185,000
6. Ville Wahlbeck — 955,000

Average Chip Count: 525,375

Big Hands

STUD/8

Seed Scoops to Stay Alive

Vitaly Lunkin brings it in with the 2, Ville Wahlbeck completes the bet with the 8, Hanson calls with the J, Seed calls with the 7 and Lunkin folds.

Wahlbeck: X-X-8710Q
Hanson: X-X-J2K
Seed: X-X-7A69

Seed bets out on fourth street and gets two calls. He bets out again on fifth street, this time Wahlbeck calls and Hanson folds. Seed continues to bet on both sixth and seventh street with Wahlbeck continuing to call. Seed turns over A53, scooping the pot with a pair of aces (high) and a 7-low.

Left in the Deck

The remaining six players will take a ninety-minute dinner break and will return at approximately 8:50 pm PDT.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Ville Wahlbeck,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Lunkin Maintains Commanding Chiplead

Jun 30, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 30,000-60,000 Limits — 60,000-120,000
Stud Games: Ante – 15,000, Bring-In – 20,000, Completion – 60,000, Limits – 60,000-120,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 4,715,000
2. Erik Sagstrom — 3,320,000
3. John Hanson — 3,030,000
4. David Bach — 1,195,000
5. Huck Seed — 1,140,000
6. Ville Wahlbeck — 1,105,000

Average Chip Count: 2,375,000

Big Hands

STUD/8

Sagstrom Scoops Wahlbeck

Huck Seed brings it in with the 3, Ville Wahlbeck calls with the J, Erik Sagstrom completes the bet with the A, Seed folds and Wahlbeck calls.

Sagstrom: X-X-A85J
Wahlbeck: X-X-JKK2

Sagstrom bet on fourth street and Wahlbeck called. Wahlbeck paired his king on fifth street, checking to Sagstrom. Sagstrom bets and Wahlbeck calls. Both players check on sixth street and Sagstrom bets the rivers, Wahlbeck calls.

Sagstrom turns over A99 for two pair, scooping the pot.

HOLD’EM

Lunkin vs. Hanson

Ville Wahlbeck raises before the flop, Erik Sagstrom, John Hanson and Vitaly Lunkin all call.

The flop comes Q104, Lunkin bets and everyone calls.

The turn is the 9, and this time Hanson bets out. Lunkin calls as both Sagstrom and Wahlbeck fold.

The river is the 3, Hanson bets and Lunkin calls. Lunkin turns over QQK10 for a set of queens and rakes the pot.

OMAHA/8

Lunkin Continues to Pad His Lead

Action folds around to the button and Vitaly Lunkin raises, Ville Wahlbeck calls.

The flop comes 777, Lunkin bets and Wahlbeck calls.

The turn is the 6 and both players check.

The river is the J, and once again both players check. Lunkin turns over AK33 for a small full house, raking the pot and bringing his commanding chiplead to well over 5 million this hand.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson,   Vitaly Lunkin

David Bach Wins $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship

Jul 01, '09

The conclusion of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. world championship in two parts:

David Bach Takes Back the Chip Lead

Hold’em

John Hanson raised from the button and David Bach made the call. The flop was dealt 774 and Bach bet. Hanson made the call and the turn fell 2, once again Bach bet and Hanson made the call. The river was dealt 3 and Bach bet out again. Hanson made the call one last time and then Bach turned over A5 for the nut flush. Hanson mucked his hand and Bach charged back into the chip lead.

David Bach Wins 2009 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship ($1,276,802)

Razz

John Hanson brought it in and David Bach completed. Hanson then raised, Bach reraised, and Hanson made the call. Bach bet out on fourth street and Hanson made the all-in call. Their cards:

Bach: (74)6AAQ(9)
Hanson: (85)9J65(2)

Bach made a 9-7 low to beat out Hanson’s 9-8 low to win the hand and the tournament. Hanson was awarded $789,199 for his runner-up finish (he also finished in third place in this event in 2007). Bach was awarded his first gold bracelet, $1,276,802, and his name will be added to the Chip Reese memorial trophy.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Hanson Takes Back the Lead

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 125,000-250,000 Limits — 250,000-500,000
Stud Games: Ante – 50,000, Bring-In – 70,000, Completion – 250,000, Limits – 250,000-500,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 7,530,000
2. John Hanson – 6,875,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Number of big bets in the average stack: 14.20

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands

John Hanson Climbs Back into Play

Stud 8OB

John Hanson brought it in and David Bach completed. Hanson raised and Bach made the call. Fourth street saw Bach check-raise Hanson, who made the call. Fifth street saw Bach check, Hanson bet, and Bach call. Bach led for a bet on sixth street and Hanson made the call. Bach checked on seventh street, Hanson bet, and then Bach made the call. Both players then opened up thier hands:

Bach: (J8)Q329(5)
Hanson: (K5)9748(3)

Hanson showed down a king-high flush and an 8-7 low to scoop the pot and bring himself back from the brink of elimination.

John Hanson Scoops a Pot to Take Back the Lead

Stud 8OB

David Bach brought it in and John Hanson completed. Bach then raised and Hanson made the call. Hanson check-called a bet on fourth street, and then bet out on fifth street. Bach made the call. On sixth street Hanson bet out again and Bach made the call. More of the same on seventh street, with Hanson making a bet and Bach making the call. Their cards:

Bach: (X-X)65Q8
Hanson: (X-X)7872

Hanson flipped over A76 on the end and Bach mucked to his opponent’s trip sevens and 8-7 low. Hanson scooped the pot and took back the chip lead, marking the fifth lead change in heads-up play.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Day Update: David Bach Getting Close to Victory

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 100,000-200,000 Limits — 200,000-400,000
Stud Games: Ante – 50,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 200,000, Limits – 200,000-400,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 12,600,000
2. John Hanson – 1,865,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Number of big bets in the average stack: 17.75

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands

David Bach Makes a Nice Call with Ace High

David Bach raised on the button and John Hanson made the call. The flop was dealt 543 and Hanson checked. Bach bet and Hanson made the call. Both players checked the J on the turn and the Q followed on the river. Hanson bet out for 400,000 and Bach made the call. Hanson turned up K7 and Bach showed A9. Bach made the call with ace-high to win the pot and grow his chip stack to eight figures.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: We're Going Nowhere

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 100,000-200,000 Limits — 200,000-400,000
Stud Games: Ante – 50,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 200,000, Limits – 200,000-400,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 8,600,000
2. John Hanson – 5,805,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Number of big bets in the average stack: 17.75

Notable Eliminations:

None

Action Summary

John Hanson charged back to even in chips with David Bach as 7 a.m. in the morning approached (their fourth hour of heads-up play). Bach was able to stave off the fifth lead change of the heads-up final and his chip lead currently stands steady at 8.6 million.

There are now just three spectators left in the stands as the final table has now been playing for 17 hours, and most of that has featured little to no table talk among the players. In other news, the final table just crossed the 400-hand threshold.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: David Bach in the Lead After Heads-Up Seesaw

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 90,000-180,000 Limits — 180,000-360,000
Stud Games: Ante – 40,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 180,000, Limits – 150,000-360,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 10,200,000
2. John Hanson – 4,205,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Action Summary

The chip counts stood at exactly even when heads-up play began, with each player holding 7.1 million. During the first hour of play between the final two Hanson charged into the lead, holding a 2-1 chip lead over Bach. Then the counts traded places, with Bach growing his stack close to 10 million. The chip lead seesawed back to Hanson once again, but thanks to another dominant run in Omaha eight-or-better Bach charged in front once again, holding a 2-1 chip lead as the hour approached six a.m.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Erik Sagstrom Eliminated in 3rd Place

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 75,000-150,000 Limits — 150,000-300,000
Stud Games: Ante – 30,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 150,000, Limits – 150,000-300,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 7,100,000
2. John Hanson – 7,100,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Notable Eliminations:

3. Erik Sagstrom — $522,394

Big Hands

Omaha/8

Erik Sagstrom Eliminated In Third Place($522,394)

John Hanson raised to 300,000 from the button and David Bach made it 450,000 from the small blind. Erik Sagstrom made the call and Hanson called as well. The flop then came down K76 and Hanson led out with 150,000. Bach made the call and Sagstrom raised 75,000 more, putting himself all in. Hanson then three-bet and Bach made the call. The turn was the J and Hanson bet 300,000. Bach called and both players checked the K on the river. Hanson then showed 88X-X and it was good enough to take down the pot. Sagstrom mucked and he was eliminated.

Player Tags: David Bach,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Huck Seed Eliminated In 5th Place

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 50,000-100,000 Limits — 100,000-200,000
Stud Games: Ante – 20,000, Bring-In – 30,000, Completion – 100,000, Limits – 100,000-200,000

Players Remaining: 4 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. John Hanson – 7,740,000
2. Erik Sagstrom – 3,540,000
3. David Bach – 2,400,000
4. Vitaly Lunkin – 1,100,000

Average Chip Count: 3,695,000

Notable Eliminations:

5. Huck Seed — $276,610

Big Hands

Hold’em

Huck Seed Eliminated In Fifth Place($276,610)

Vitaly Lunkin limped in from early position and Erik Sagstrom raised to 200,000 from the button. John Hanson called from the small blind and Huck Seed called all in from the big blind.

The players saw a flop of A410 and Sagstrom bet 100,000. Hanson raised to 200,000 and Lunkin called, as did Sagstrom. The turn was the Q and Lunkin fired 200,000. Hanson and Sagstrom both called and the river was the 5.

Everyone checked and Hanson showed AJ for top pair and everyone, including Seed, mucked. Seed made his exit in fifth place, pocketing $276,610.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson,   Vitaly Lunkin

Final Table Update: Ville Wahlbeck Eliminated In 6th Place

Jun 30, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 40,000-80,000 Limits — 80,000-160,000
Stud Games: Ante – 20,000, Bring-In – 20,000, Completion – 80,000, Limits – 80,000-160,000

Players Remaining: 5 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin – 3,870,000
2. David Bach – 3,560,000
3. Erik Sagstrom – 2,795,000
4. John Hanson – 2,280,000
5. Huck Seed – 1,770,000

Average Chip Count: 2,855,000

Notable Eliminations:

6. Ville Wahlbeck — $219,655

Big Hands

Hold’em

Seed With The Heavy Firepower

Huck Seed raised to 160,000 from under the gun and Erik Sagstrom made the call from the small blind. John Hanson also called from the big blind and the flop came down Q105. Seed bet 80,000 and Sagstrom mucked, but Hanson made the call.

The turn was the K and both players checked. The river was the Q and Hanson fired 160,000. Seed quickly made the call and showed down AA, good enough to take down the pot.

Wahlbeck Survives All In

Ville Wahlbeck raised to 160,000 from the button and John Hanson raised to 240,000 from the big blind. Wahlbeck four-bet to 320,000 and Hanson capped the action at 400,000. Wahlbeck called the last of his chips into the pot and showed down KQ. Hanson showed down KQ and a pot that started with great action ended with a thud as the board ran out K81010A. Both players chopped the pot and play resumed.

Omaha/8

Ville Wahlbeck Finally Succumbs, Eliminated In Sixth Place($219,655)

Wahlbeck kept finding ways to survive, but in the end David Bach would have no more of his nonsense. Wahlbeck raised preflop to 160,000 and Bach made the call from the big blind. The flop came down J34 and Bach checked to Wahlbeck who bet 80,000. Bach then raised to 160,000 and Wahlbeck made the call. The turn was the K and Bach fired 160,000.

Wahlbeck called his last 135,000 and showed 7532 for a straight draw and 7-low draw. Bach showed AJ43 for two pair. Wahlbeck had outs, but the 4 on the river was not one of them and he was eliminated in sixth place.

Bach Takes Down A Monster

Huck Seed limped from under the gun and action folded to David Bach on the button. He raised to 160,000 and John Hanson made the call from the big blind. Seed also called and the players saw a flop of J74. Action was checked to Bach who fired 80,000. Hanson then raised to 160,000 and Seed three-bet to 240,000. Bach and Hanson called and the turn was the 10. Action was checked to Bach again and he bet 160,000. Both opponents just called this time and the river was the J. Bach fired another bet and Hanson called, while Seed got out of the way.

Bach then tabled J4A2 for a full house and Hanson mucked. Bach took down the huge pot and was at 3.8 million.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   David Bach,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Dinner Break

Jun 30, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 30,000-60,000 Limits — 60,000-120,000
Stud Games: Ante – 15,000, Bring-In – 20,000, Completion – 60,000, Limits – 60,000-120,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 3,760,00
2. Erik Sagstrom — 3,395,000
3. John Hanson — 3,075,000
4. Huck Seed — 1,730,000
5. David Bach — 1,185,000
6. Ville Wahlbeck — 955,000

Average Chip Count: 525,375

Big Hands

STUD/8

Seed Scoops to Stay Alive

Vitaly Lunkin brings it in with the 2, Ville Wahlbeck completes the bet with the 8, Hanson calls with the J, Seed calls with the 7 and Lunkin folds.

Wahlbeck: X-X-8710Q
Hanson: X-X-J2K
Seed: X-X-7A69

Seed bets out on fourth street and gets two calls. He bets out again on fifth street, this time Wahlbeck calls and Hanson folds. Seed continues to bet on both sixth and seventh street with Wahlbeck continuing to call. Seed turns over A53, scooping the pot with a pair of aces (high) and a 7-low.

Left in the Deck

The remaining six players will take a ninety-minute dinner break and will return at approximately 8:50 pm PDT.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Ville Wahlbeck,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Lunkin Maintains Commanding Chiplead

Jun 30, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 30,000-60,000 Limits — 60,000-120,000
Stud Games: Ante – 15,000, Bring-In – 20,000, Completion – 60,000, Limits – 60,000-120,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 4,715,000
2. Erik Sagstrom — 3,320,000
3. John Hanson — 3,030,000
4. David Bach — 1,195,000
5. Huck Seed — 1,140,000
6. Ville Wahlbeck — 1,105,000

Average Chip Count: 2,375,000

Big Hands

STUD/8

Sagstrom Scoops Wahlbeck

Huck Seed brings it in with the 3, Ville Wahlbeck calls with the J, Erik Sagstrom completes the bet with the A, Seed folds and Wahlbeck calls.

Sagstrom: X-X-A85J
Wahlbeck: X-X-JKK2

Sagstrom bet on fourth street and Wahlbeck called. Wahlbeck paired his king on fifth street, checking to Sagstrom. Sagstrom bets and Wahlbeck calls. Both players check on sixth street and Sagstrom bets the rivers, Wahlbeck calls.

Sagstrom turns over A99 for two pair, scooping the pot.

HOLD’EM

Lunkin vs. Hanson

Ville Wahlbeck raises before the flop, Erik Sagstrom, John Hanson and Vitaly Lunkin all call.

The flop comes Q104, Lunkin bets and everyone calls.

The turn is the 9, and this time Hanson bets out. Lunkin calls as both Sagstrom and Wahlbeck fold.

The river is the 3, Hanson bets and Lunkin calls. Lunkin turns over QQK10 for a set of queens and rakes the pot.

OMAHA/8

Lunkin Continues to Pad His Lead

Action folds around to the button and Vitaly Lunkin raises, Ville Wahlbeck calls.

The flop comes 777, Lunkin bets and Wahlbeck calls.

The turn is the 6 and both players check.

The river is the J, and once again both players check. Lunkin turns over AK33 for a small full house, raking the pot and bringing his commanding chiplead to well over 5 million this hand.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson,   Vitaly Lunkin

David Bach Wins $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship

Jul 01, '09

The conclusion of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. world championship in two parts:

David Bach Takes Back the Chip Lead

Hold’em

John Hanson raised from the button and David Bach made the call. The flop was dealt 774 and Bach bet. Hanson made the call and the turn fell 2, once again Bach bet and Hanson made the call. The river was dealt 3 and Bach bet out again. Hanson made the call one last time and then Bach turned over A5 for the nut flush. Hanson mucked his hand and Bach charged back into the chip lead.

David Bach Wins 2009 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship ($1,276,802)

Razz

John Hanson brought it in and David Bach completed. Hanson then raised, Bach reraised, and Hanson made the call. Bach bet out on fourth street and Hanson made the all-in call. Their cards:

Bach: (74)6AAQ(9)
Hanson: (85)9J65(2)

Bach made a 9-7 low to beat out Hanson’s 9-8 low to win the hand and the tournament. Hanson was awarded $789,199 for his runner-up finish (he also finished in third place in this event in 2007). Bach was awarded his first gold bracelet, $1,276,802, and his name will be added to the Chip Reese memorial trophy.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Hanson Takes Back the Lead

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 125,000-250,000 Limits — 250,000-500,000
Stud Games: Ante – 50,000, Bring-In – 70,000, Completion – 250,000, Limits – 250,000-500,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 7,530,000
2. John Hanson – 6,875,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Number of big bets in the average stack: 14.20

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands

John Hanson Climbs Back into Play

Stud 8OB

John Hanson brought it in and David Bach completed. Hanson raised and Bach made the call. Fourth street saw Bach check-raise Hanson, who made the call. Fifth street saw Bach check, Hanson bet, and Bach call. Bach led for a bet on sixth street and Hanson made the call. Bach checked on seventh street, Hanson bet, and then Bach made the call. Both players then opened up thier hands:

Bach: (J8)Q329(5)
Hanson: (K5)9748(3)

Hanson showed down a king-high flush and an 8-7 low to scoop the pot and bring himself back from the brink of elimination.

John Hanson Scoops a Pot to Take Back the Lead

Stud 8OB

David Bach brought it in and John Hanson completed. Bach then raised and Hanson made the call. Hanson check-called a bet on fourth street, and then bet out on fifth street. Bach made the call. On sixth street Hanson bet out again and Bach made the call. More of the same on seventh street, with Hanson making a bet and Bach making the call. Their cards:

Bach: (X-X)65Q8
Hanson: (X-X)7872

Hanson flipped over A76 on the end and Bach mucked to his opponent’s trip sevens and 8-7 low. Hanson scooped the pot and took back the chip lead, marking the fifth lead change in heads-up play.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Day Update: David Bach Getting Close to Victory

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 100,000-200,000 Limits — 200,000-400,000
Stud Games: Ante – 50,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 200,000, Limits – 200,000-400,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 12,600,000
2. John Hanson – 1,865,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Number of big bets in the average stack: 17.75

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands

David Bach Makes a Nice Call with Ace High

David Bach raised on the button and John Hanson made the call. The flop was dealt 543 and Hanson checked. Bach bet and Hanson made the call. Both players checked the J on the turn and the Q followed on the river. Hanson bet out for 400,000 and Bach made the call. Hanson turned up K7 and Bach showed A9. Bach made the call with ace-high to win the pot and grow his chip stack to eight figures.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: We're Going Nowhere

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 100,000-200,000 Limits — 200,000-400,000
Stud Games: Ante – 50,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 200,000, Limits – 200,000-400,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 8,600,000
2. John Hanson – 5,805,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Number of big bets in the average stack: 17.75

Notable Eliminations:

None

Action Summary

John Hanson charged back to even in chips with David Bach as 7 a.m. in the morning approached (their fourth hour of heads-up play). Bach was able to stave off the fifth lead change of the heads-up final and his chip lead currently stands steady at 8.6 million.

There are now just three spectators left in the stands as the final table has now been playing for 17 hours, and most of that has featured little to no table talk among the players. In other news, the final table just crossed the 400-hand threshold.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: David Bach in the Lead After Heads-Up Seesaw

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 90,000-180,000 Limits — 180,000-360,000
Stud Games: Ante – 40,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 180,000, Limits – 150,000-360,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 10,200,000
2. John Hanson – 4,205,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Action Summary

The chip counts stood at exactly even when heads-up play began, with each player holding 7.1 million. During the first hour of play between the final two Hanson charged into the lead, holding a 2-1 chip lead over Bach. Then the counts traded places, with Bach growing his stack close to 10 million. The chip lead seesawed back to Hanson once again, but thanks to another dominant run in Omaha eight-or-better Bach charged in front once again, holding a 2-1 chip lead as the hour approached six a.m.

Player Tags: David Bach,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Erik Sagstrom Eliminated in 3rd Place

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 75,000-150,000 Limits — 150,000-300,000
Stud Games: Ante – 30,000, Bring-In – 50,000, Completion – 150,000, Limits – 150,000-300,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. David Bach – 7,100,000
2. John Hanson – 7,100,000

Average Chip Count: 7,100,000

Notable Eliminations:

3. Erik Sagstrom — $522,394

Big Hands

Omaha/8

Erik Sagstrom Eliminated In Third Place($522,394)

John Hanson raised to 300,000 from the button and David Bach made it 450,000 from the small blind. Erik Sagstrom made the call and Hanson called as well. The flop then came down K76 and Hanson led out with 150,000. Bach made the call and Sagstrom raised 75,000 more, putting himself all in. Hanson then three-bet and Bach made the call. The turn was the J and Hanson bet 300,000. Bach called and both players checked the K on the river. Hanson then showed 88X-X and it was good enough to take down the pot. Sagstrom mucked and he was eliminated.

Player Tags: David Bach,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Huck Seed Eliminated In 5th Place

Jul 01, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 50,000-100,000 Limits — 100,000-200,000
Stud Games: Ante – 20,000, Bring-In – 30,000, Completion – 100,000, Limits – 100,000-200,000

Players Remaining: 4 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. John Hanson – 7,740,000
2. Erik Sagstrom – 3,540,000
3. David Bach – 2,400,000
4. Vitaly Lunkin – 1,100,000

Average Chip Count: 3,695,000

Notable Eliminations:

5. Huck Seed — $276,610

Big Hands

Hold’em

Huck Seed Eliminated In Fifth Place($276,610)

Vitaly Lunkin limped in from early position and Erik Sagstrom raised to 200,000 from the button. John Hanson called from the small blind and Huck Seed called all in from the big blind.

The players saw a flop of A410 and Sagstrom bet 100,000. Hanson raised to 200,000 and Lunkin called, as did Sagstrom. The turn was the Q and Lunkin fired 200,000. Hanson and Sagstrom both called and the river was the 5.

Everyone checked and Hanson showed AJ for top pair and everyone, including Seed, mucked. Seed made his exit in fifth place, pocketing $276,610.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson,   Vitaly Lunkin

Final Table Update: Ville Wahlbeck Eliminated In 6th Place

Jun 30, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 40,000-80,000 Limits — 80,000-160,000
Stud Games: Ante – 20,000, Bring-In – 20,000, Completion – 80,000, Limits – 80,000-160,000

Players Remaining: 5 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin – 3,870,000
2. David Bach – 3,560,000
3. Erik Sagstrom – 2,795,000
4. John Hanson – 2,280,000
5. Huck Seed – 1,770,000

Average Chip Count: 2,855,000

Notable Eliminations:

6. Ville Wahlbeck — $219,655

Big Hands

Hold’em

Seed With The Heavy Firepower

Huck Seed raised to 160,000 from under the gun and Erik Sagstrom made the call from the small blind. John Hanson also called from the big blind and the flop came down Q105. Seed bet 80,000 and Sagstrom mucked, but Hanson made the call.

The turn was the K and both players checked. The river was the Q and Hanson fired 160,000. Seed quickly made the call and showed down AA, good enough to take down the pot.

Wahlbeck Survives All In

Ville Wahlbeck raised to 160,000 from the button and John Hanson raised to 240,000 from the big blind. Wahlbeck four-bet to 320,000 and Hanson capped the action at 400,000. Wahlbeck called the last of his chips into the pot and showed down KQ. Hanson showed down KQ and a pot that started with great action ended with a thud as the board ran out K81010A. Both players chopped the pot and play resumed.

Omaha/8

Ville Wahlbeck Finally Succumbs, Eliminated In Sixth Place($219,655)

Wahlbeck kept finding ways to survive, but in the end David Bach would have no more of his nonsense. Wahlbeck raised preflop to 160,000 and Bach made the call from the big blind. The flop came down J34 and Bach checked to Wahlbeck who bet 80,000. Bach then raised to 160,000 and Wahlbeck made the call. The turn was the K and Bach fired 160,000.

Wahlbeck called his last 135,000 and showed 7532 for a straight draw and 7-low draw. Bach showed AJ43 for two pair. Wahlbeck had outs, but the 4 on the river was not one of them and he was eliminated in sixth place.

Bach Takes Down A Monster

Huck Seed limped from under the gun and action folded to David Bach on the button. He raised to 160,000 and John Hanson made the call from the big blind. Seed also called and the players saw a flop of J74. Action was checked to Bach who fired 80,000. Hanson then raised to 160,000 and Seed three-bet to 240,000. Bach and Hanson called and the turn was the 10. Action was checked to Bach again and he bet 160,000. Both opponents just called this time and the river was the J. Bach fired another bet and Hanson called, while Seed got out of the way.

Bach then tabled J4A2 for a full house and Hanson mucked. Bach took down the huge pot and was at 3.8 million.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   David Bach,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Dinner Break

Jun 30, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 30,000-60,000 Limits — 60,000-120,000
Stud Games: Ante – 15,000, Bring-In – 20,000, Completion – 60,000, Limits – 60,000-120,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 3,760,00
2. Erik Sagstrom — 3,395,000
3. John Hanson — 3,075,000
4. Huck Seed — 1,730,000
5. David Bach — 1,185,000
6. Ville Wahlbeck — 955,000

Average Chip Count: 525,375

Big Hands

STUD/8

Seed Scoops to Stay Alive

Vitaly Lunkin brings it in with the 2, Ville Wahlbeck completes the bet with the 8, Hanson calls with the J, Seed calls with the 7 and Lunkin folds.

Wahlbeck: X-X-8710Q
Hanson: X-X-J2K
Seed: X-X-7A69

Seed bets out on fourth street and gets two calls. He bets out again on fifth street, this time Wahlbeck calls and Hanson folds. Seed continues to bet on both sixth and seventh street with Wahlbeck continuing to call. Seed turns over A53, scooping the pot with a pair of aces (high) and a 7-low.

Left in the Deck

The remaining six players will take a ninety-minute dinner break and will return at approximately 8:50 pm PDT.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Ville Wahlbeck,   John Hanson

Final Table Update: Lunkin Maintains Commanding Chiplead

Jun 30, '09

Flop Games: Blinds — 30,000-60,000 Limits — 60,000-120,000
Stud Games: Ante – 15,000, Bring-In – 20,000, Completion – 60,000, Limits – 60,000-120,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 95

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 4,715,000
2. Erik Sagstrom — 3,320,000
3. John Hanson — 3,030,000
4. David Bach — 1,195,000
5. Huck Seed — 1,140,000
6. Ville Wahlbeck — 1,105,000

Average Chip Count: 2,375,000

Big Hands

STUD/8

Sagstrom Scoops Wahlbeck

Huck Seed brings it in with the 3, Ville Wahlbeck calls with the J, Erik Sagstrom completes the bet with the A, Seed folds and Wahlbeck calls.

Sagstrom: X-X-A85J
Wahlbeck: X-X-JKK2

Sagstrom bet on fourth street and Wahlbeck called. Wahlbeck paired his king on fifth street, checking to Sagstrom. Sagstrom bets and Wahlbeck calls. Both players check on sixth street and Sagstrom bets the rivers, Wahlbeck calls.

Sagstrom turns over A99 for two pair, scooping the pot.

HOLD’EM

Lunkin vs. Hanson

Ville Wahlbeck raises before the flop, Erik Sagstrom, John Hanson and Vitaly Lunkin all call.

The flop comes Q104, Lunkin bets and everyone calls.

The turn is the 9, and this time Hanson bets out. Lunkin calls as both Sagstrom and Wahlbeck fold.

The river is the 3, Hanson bets and Lunkin calls. Lunkin turns over QQK10 for a set of queens and rakes the pot.

OMAHA/8

Lunkin Continues to Pad His Lead

Action folds around to the button and Vitaly Lunkin raises, Ville Wahlbeck calls.

The flop comes 777, Lunkin bets and Wahlbeck calls.

The turn is the 6 and both players check.

The river is the J, and once again both players check. Lunkin turns over AK33 for a small full house, raking the pot and bringing his commanding chiplead to well over 5 million this hand.

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Erik Sagstrom,   John Hanson,   Vitaly Lunkin

Level 11 Update: David Baker, Bruno Fitoussi Eliminated

Jun 16, '09

Blinds: 1,300-2,500

Players Remaining: 70 out of 185

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Muelller – 155,000
2. Jen Harman – 155,000
3. Josh Arieh – 145,000
4. Lex Veldhuis – 134,000
5. Eli Elezra – 105,000
6. Todd Brunson – 105,000
7. David Benyamine – 102,600
8. Chino Rheem – 97,000
9. Doyle Brunson – 90,000
10. Chad Brown – 88,000

Average Chip Count: 60,989

Notable Eliminations:

David Baker
Bruno Fitoussi
David Pham
Brandon Adams
Mike Sowers
Maya Geller
Joe Cassidy

Big Hands:

John Hanson Doubles Up

After the short stack of David Webb was already all-in, John Hanson bet out from the small blind on a board of A68. Chan Brown called from the cut-off and Nick Frangos called from the button. All four players saw a J hit the turn and Hanson checked. Chad Brown bet and Frangos quickly mucked. Hanson immediately check raised all-in and Brown made the call. Hanson tabled the JJ for a turned set of jacks while Brown exposed the drawing dead AQ. The river brought the 8 and Hanson won with a full house, more than doubling in the process.

Player Tags: Chad Brown,   Nikolaos Frangos,   John Hanson

Level 15 Update: Tim Phan, Bruno Fitoussi Eliminated

Jun 11, '09

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 17 out of 96

Chip Counts:

1. Vince Musso — 345,000
2. Nick Schulman — 330,000
3. Ville Wahlbeck — 275,000
4. John Juanda — 262,000
5. Roland de Wolfe — 250,000
6. Archie Karas — 220,000
7. Dan Harmetz — 190,000
8. Justin Smith — 183,000
9. David Benyamine — 162,000
10. Michael Binger — 145,000

Average Chip Count: 169,411

Notable Eliminations:

Mark Weitzman
Anton Allemann
Tim Phan
Bruno Fitoussi
Lamar Wilkinson

Big Hands:

Mark Weitzman Eliminated by John Juanda

John Juanda raises to 12,000 before the draw and Mark Weitzman moves all in behind him for an additional 500. Juanda calls.

Both players draw one card each.

Weitzman draws a 10-8-7-3-2 while Juanda makes a 10-6-5-4-3. Juanda rakes the pot, eliminating Mark Weitzman right after the break. Weitzman was eliminated in 22nd place, and as a result, the remaining 21 players will re-draw for seats at the final three tables.

Bruno Fitoussi Eliminated by Michael Binger

After battling with the short stack the entire night, Bruno Fitoussi finally gets is all in for just under 25,000 from under the gun. Michael Binger calls from middle position, as does David Banyamine from the big blind.

Both Fitoussi and Benyamine draw one card each as Binger stands pat.

Benyamine checks the side pot, Binger bets 40,000 and Benyamine folds. Binger turns over 7-5-4-3-2 and eliminates Bruno Fitoussi from the event.

Anton Allemann Eliminated by Dan Harmetz

Anton Allemann moves all in from the button and Dan Harmetz calls from the big blind.

Allemann draws one card as Harmetz stands pat.

Harmetz turns over a made 10-9-6-5-3 while Allemann falls just short, drawing to a
10-9-7-5-4. Harmetz rakes the pot, eliminating Anton Allemann from the tournament.

Bobby Bellande Doubles Up

On a consistent downswing since the dinner break, Bobby Bellande prepares to make his last stand as he moves all in for 25,000 from the cutoff. John Hanson calls from the big blind, he has Bellande covered.

Both players draw one card each.

Hanson had the best draw with a 7-5-4-2 against Bellande’s 9-8-4-2, but as Bellande draws a 10, Hanson pairs his seven. Bellande doubles ups this hand while John Hanson falls down to just 40,000 in chips.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   David Benyamine,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Mark Weitzman,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Michael Binger,   John Hanson

Level 14 Update: Eric Kesselman Eliminated

Jun 11, '09

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with a 700 ante

Players Remaining: 22 out of 96

Chip Counts:

1. Vince Musso — 275,000
2. Roland de Wolfe — 262,000
3. Nick Schulman — 235,000
4. Max Pescatori — 220,000
5. John Juanda — 191,000
6. Justin Smith — 198,000
7. Archie Karas — 165,000
8. Michael Binger — 165,000
9. John-Robert Bellande — 160,000
10. David Benyamine — 144,000

Average Chip Count: 130,909

Notable Eliminations:

Pat Bueno
Eric Kesselman

Big Hands:

Nick Schulman vs. John Hanson

Nick Schulman raises to 9,000 from the button, John Hanson reraises to 25,000 from the big blind and Schulman calls.

Both players stand pat.

Hanson bets 35,000 after the draw and Schulman tanks for a few minutes before making the call with 97532. Hanson mucks his cards and Schulman rakes the pot. Schulman climbs up the leaderboard with 235,000 this hand while Hanson falls down to 60,000 in chips.

Eric Kesselman Eliminated by Tim Phan

Eric Kesselman gets it all in before the draw for 50,000 and change. Tim Phan calls and has him covered.

Kesselman stands pat with a J-10-6-5-2 while Phan draws one card. Phan draws to a 10-8-6 low and eliminates Eric Kesselman from the tournament.

Karas Draws Three, Makes the Best Hand

Roland de Wolfe raises to 10,000 before the draw, Ville Wahlbeck calls behind him and Archie Karas calls from the big blind.

First to draw, Karas draws three cards while both de Wolfe and Wahlbeck each draw one.

Wahlbeck bets 27,000, Karas calls and de Wolfe folds. Wahlbeck turns over 9-6-4-3-2, but Karas shows 8-7-4-3-2 and rakes the pot.

Doug Booth Doubles Through Nick Schulman

Nick Schulman raises to 9,000 before the draw and Doug Booth moves all in for just about 50,000. Schulman calls and has him covered.

Schulman stands pat while Booth draws one card. Schulman turns over a made 10-7-5-3-2 while Booth draws to a 9-8-7-6-2. Booth doubles up to over 100,000 in chips this hand while Schulman takes a little dip.

Left in the Deck

The remaining 22 players will take a twenty-minute break at the completion of this level as the tournament staff races off the 100 chips.

Player Tags: Archie Karas,   Tim Phan,   Ville Wahlbeck,   Roland de Wolfe,   John Hanson,   Eric Kesselman,   Nick Schulman

Level 7 Update: John Hanson Eliminated

Jun 08, '09

Blinds: 500-1,000

Players Remaining: 160 out of 179

Chip Counts:

1. Scott Clements – 67,000
2. Sammy Farha – 53,000
3. Freddy Deeb – 53,000
4. Jason Lester – 52,000
5. Annie Duke – 50,000
6. John D’Agostino – 49,000
7. Phil Hellmuth – 49,000
8. David Benyamine – 49,000
9. John Hennigan – 48,000
10. Vitaly Lunkin – 43,000

Average Chip Count: 33,563

Notable Eliminations:

John Hanson
Jen Harman

Big Hands:

Howard Lederer Scoops A Pot

With the 73QA Howard Lederer scooped the pot against Pat Pezzin on a board of 8Q5J3. Lederer took the low and won the high with queens and threes. Lederer is now up to 22,000 after the hand.

John Hanson Eliminated

Chau Giang and the short stack John Hanson got it all-in pre-flop.

Their cards:

Giang: A3107

Hanson: K1058

The board ran out 4J233, giving Giang trip threes and a 7-4-3-2-A for a winning low. The 2007 HORSE third place finisher has been knocked out late in the evening on day one of Event No. 18.

Player Tags: Howard Lederer,   Jennifer Harman,   Pat Pezzin,   John Hanson

Into the Morning

Jun 28, '07

Razz

The game was now razz and the limits had increased to the gargantuan levels of $250,000-$500,000 by this point.

Tired?

“You guys tired yet? I feel like I just woke up,” said Freddy Deeb as the hour approached 4 a.m.

Training Wheels

Freddy Deeb and Bruno Fitoussi got involved in a large pot and Deeb turned over the wheel after a $500,000 bet on the river. Fitoussi mucked his hand and Deeb jumped into the chip lead once again. Ever have déjà vu?

John Hanson Eliminated in Third Place ($852,480)

Freddy Deeb raised to $1 million on sixth street and John Hanson made the call. This pot committed him for all his chips and he made the all-in call when Deeb raised again on the river. Deeb showed a 6-5 low to take down the pot and eliminate Hanson, who held a 8-7 low. Hanson was eliminated in third place and he took home $852,480 in prize money. The players then went on a short break before the start of the heads-up match.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Late Late Night with Fitoussi, Hanson, and Deeb

Jun 28, '07

Hold’em

The players returned from the break and the game was back on hold’em.

Leader Board

Bruno Fitoussi: $6,400,000
Freddy Deeb: $4,630,000
John Hanson: $3,840,000

Jacked

Bruno Fitoussi turned over pocket jacks on a board of J 10 6 2 9. John Hanson could only muster 10-9 for two pair and Fitoussi scored a nice pot.

Late Night Guest

Phil Hellmuth then showed up to watch the final table action. He was announced to the crowd, which was noticeably smaller at this point of the night, and shared an embrace with Fitoussi.

Hanson Revival Tour

On a board of 9 7 2 K John Hanson bet $400,000 and Bruno Fitoussi called after thinking for a moment. The river brought the 10 and Fitoussi checked. Hanson bet $400,000 again and Fitoussi called. Hanson flipped up K-Q and Fitoussi mucked.

Afraid of the Dark

On a board of 10 7 4 10 Bruno Fitoussi bet $400,000 and Freddy Deeb called. Deeb then checked in the dark. “I’m afraid to see the next card,” said Deeb. Fitoussi bet another $400,000 after the 10 was peeled off the deck and Deeb made the call. Fitoussi showed two ladies in the hole and Deeb mucked.

Omaha Split

The game was now Omaha eight-or-better.

Never Mind

On a board of 5 3 2 8 Q Freddy Deeb checked, Bruno Fitoussi bet $400,000, and John Hanson called. Deeb then raised to $800,000, and Fitoussi reraised to $1.2 million. Hanson abandoned ship, and Deeb reraised again to $1.6 million. Fitoussi then capped the pot with a reraise to $2 million and Deeb called. After all of that, both players turned up A-4 for a wheel. Chop it up.

Hanson Doubled Up…Again 

John Hanson moved all in for $340,000 with J 8 4 7 on the board. Freddy Deeb made the call and flipped over Q Q 7 3. Hanson turned up K 9 7 6. The river brought the 10 and once again Hanson sucked out to a straight to survive. This mobilized his cheering section in support of the victory. Nick Schulman had now joined the family and friends of Hanson to support him.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Late Night with Fitoussi, Hanson, and Deeb

Jun 28, '07

Seven-Card Stud

It was now time, once again, for seven-card stud.

Deeb Getting Deep

Freddy Deeb picked up another pot off of John Hanson and his stack continued to increase its depth.

Ready for the Long Haul

“Are you ready for the night,” asked Bruno Fitoussi with a bright smile on his face. Tournament director Sam Minutello made an inaudible response then Fitoussi continued to joke with him. “So boring,” he said at one point.

Deeb Levels the Playing Field

Freddy Deeb effectively leveled the playing field when he made a $360,000 bet with approximately $2.5 million sitting in the middle of the table. Bruno Fitoussi then went into the tank. He stood up, stretched, put his hands on his hips and shifted back and forth in a flabbergasted display. He eventually called and turned over aces and queens. Deeb turned over three threes and took the largest pot of the night. He also picked up the next pot to take the chip lead.

Game Change – Dealer Change

A new dealer then came to the table and he would be dealing a new game, seven-card stud eight-or-better.

A Late-Night Meeting of the Minds

Isabelle Mercier re-surfaced in the audience and Bruno Fitoussi went over to speak with her in between hands for a period of time.

Hanson Doubled Up

Freddy Deeb bet $360,000 and John Hanson raised to $720,000. Deeb reraised to $1.08 million and Hanson called on fifth street. On sixth street Hanson bet $360,000 and Deeb raised $200,000 more, which was enough to put Hanson all in. Hanson made the all-in call and turned up tens and eights. Deeb flipped over kings and sevens and he had Hanson dead to rights. Hanson sucked out on the river though, and made a queen-high straight to double up.

Break Time

The players then went on a 15 minute break.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Into Tomorrow

Jun 28, '07

Back to Omaha

The game was once again Omaha eight-or-better.

Merry-go-Round

The Omaha level is playing in a very round-about way. Bruno Fitoussi takes a pot off John Hanson, and then Hanson returns the favor. Freddy Deeb takes a pot off of Fitoussi, and then Fitoussi returns the favor. Hanson takes a pot off Deeb, and then Deeb returns the favor. And repeat.

Moving Day

Hanson keeps asking to move the seats around. To which, Freddy Deeb said, “I finally have a lucky seat; I’m not going to move now.”

The Deeb Scoop Special

Freddy Deeb just scooped a pot with a 6-5 low and a ten-high flush. He took down a large pot from Bruno Fitoussi, who, despite his large stack has been unable to shut the door on his competitors' meager chip stacks.

Break Time

The players then went on a 15 minute break.

Razz

The players switched to razz when they returned from the break.

Leveling Effect

As the levels came one after another into the night, the chip stacks of the three remaining players drew closer to one another:

Bruno Fitoussi: $6,605,000
John Hanson: $5,155,000
Freddy Deeb: $3,110,000

Un-Leveling Effect

Bruno Fitoussi and Freddy Deeb then got involved in a monster pot. They each had over $1 million invested in their hands on the river. That was when Fitoussi showed a 9-7 low to narrowly defeat the 9-8 low that Deeb possessed.

Deeb Grabs a Monster

A few hands later Freddy Deeb made amends for his prior misfortune and grabbed $900,000 from John Hanson with a 10-7 low. The chips were really flying during the final minutes of razz action.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Into the Night

Jun 28, '07

Amnon Filippi Eliminated in Fourth Place ($586,080)

The third try was not the charm for Amnon Filippi when he moved all in for the third time after the dinner break. Bruno Fitoussi called him down and Filippi flipped over queens and sixes on sixth street. Fitoussi showed a nine-high spade flush. Filippi would need to catch a spade, a queen, or a six to survive. None of the above fell on the river and Filippi hit the rail in fourth place. He walked away with $586,080 in prize money and the entourage of poker professionals sweating him filed out of the final table area.

The Final Trio

Bruno Fitoussi: $10,280,000
Freddy Deeb: $2,270,000
John Hanson: $2,250,000

Big Fish

Bruno Fitoussi took yet another large pot off of John Hanson and Freddy Deeb said, “You’re the biggest fish I’ve seen in my life, and the luckiest, but it’s OK, because you’re a nice guy.”

Break Time

The players then went on a 15 minute break.

Hold’em Returns

The final three players were now playing hold’em once again, and Fitoussi continued to build his fortress.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

After Dinner

Jun 28, '07

Kenny Tran Eliminated in Fifth Place ($444,000)

As suspected, Kenny Tran was all in on the first hand after the dinner break and he was eliminated by Amnon Filippi. Tran finished in fifth place and he took home $444,000 in prize money. He will put that prize money to good use, and he will donate 10 percent of it to his extended family in Vietnam.

Amnon Doubles Up

With the blinds, limits, and antes reaching astronomical proportions, Amnon Filippi was all in now and Freddy Deeb had him covered. Filippi doubled up when he made a 6-4 low.

Seven-Card Stud

After Filippi doubled up the game switched over to seven-card stud.

Fitoussi Rising

Bruno Fitoussi had been building a fortress over the last hour. He now had almost $7 million, which is more than twice his closest competitor.

Stud Eight-or-Better

The game then switched to seven-card stud eight-or-better.

Amnon Doubles Up Again

Amnon Filippi was once again all in, and this time John Hanson had him covered. Luckily for Filippi, he made an 8-6 low, and an ace-high to scoop both the high and the low pots. He survived, and J.C. Tran, Steve Sung, Kirk Morrison, Paul Darden, and company cheered in approval.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   Kenny Tran,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Into Dinner

Jun 28, '07

Hold’em Up

The game was now hold’em once again and the players took their seats after the break.

Fire it Up

Kenny Tran was fired up when he took down a pot with an A-J high over his opponent’s J-9 high. He got up from the table and shouted celebrations. He then went over to his group of supporters and continued the merriment.

Save Your Quarters

Freddy Deeb moved all in on the turn with K 7 5 6 out on the board. Both John Hanson and Bruno Fitoussi called. The river brought the 3 and Hanson checked. Fitoussi bet $200,000 and Hanson called. Fitoussi flipped over A K to take the high pot with an ace-high flush. Fitoussi also had an A-2 for the nut low, but Deeb also held an A-2 to quarter the low pot. Deeb survived, but was holding on by a thread at this point.

Deeb Survives with Fives

Freddy Deeb bet $200,000 on a flop of Q J 5 and Amnon Filippi made the call. Kenny Tran also called and the 5 was peeled off the deck on the turn. Deeb moved all in for $80,000 and Filippi folded. Tran called and Deeb turned up A 5 5 3 for quad fives. Tran turned over A Q 10 2 and the A was dealt on the river. Deeb doubled up yet again to survive.

Razz

The game was then switched to razz for the last level before the dinner break.

Deeb Keeps Fighting

Freddy Deeb was all in again. This time he pushed on sixth street for $230,000 and Kenny Tran called him down. Deeb turned up a 7-5 low and Tran was drawing dead when revealed a 9-8 low. Deeb has given the HORSE final table a breath of life as he struggled to survive. He has been successful thus far with his aggressive short-stack strategy.

Fitoussi Builds Strength

More and more chips were finding their way over to Bruno Fitoussi’s side of the table. In a recent pot he picked up yet another multi-$100,000 chunk of chips when he revealed a 6-5 low. Filippi mucked his hand at the site of Fitoussi’s strength. After that acquisition Fitoussi solidified himself as the chip leader.

Kill Kenny

Freddy Deeb bet $240,000 and Kenny Tran made the call. This left Tran with only $30,000. Deeb raised in the dark and Tran mucked his hand. Tran was crippled beyond reprieve after the hand.

Dinner Bell

The tournament clock was then paused and the player went to dinner until 9:00 p.m.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   Kenny Tran,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Hour Three

Jun 28, '07

Lull in the Action

The rest of the razz level passed by with few large pots going to a showdown, opponents usually bet their lone adversary off the pot by sixth street. John Hanson was playing particularly aggressive during this time, and he had solidified his spot as an aggressive force at the table.

Studs

The five remaining players were now playing seven-card stud.

Hanson Rolls

In a pot that began with all five players initially, Freddy Deeb, and John Hanson got involved in a war of raises. Deeb ended up mucking on seventh street, so the hand did not go to a showdown. Hanson did manage to pick up over $800,000 on the hand and he is now the chip leader at the final table.

Eight-or-Better

The game of stud remained the same, but the final table contestants were now playing the eight-or-better version. The split game produced a lot of split pots. Not a lot of chips moved around the table during this game.

Leader Board

John Hanson: $3,535,000
Amnon Filippi: $3,310,000
Freddy Deeb: $2,625,000
Bruno Fitoussi: $2,160,000
Kenny Tran: $1,360,000

Break Time

The players then went to a 15 minute break.

Player Tags: John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Hour Two

Jun 28, '07

Break Time

The rest of Omaha eight-or-better transpired uneventfully and the players then went on a fifteen minute break.

Razz

The players returned from break and the game was now razz.

Hanson Makes a Wheel

John Hanson picked up a large pot when he made a wheel during the early stages of razz. He picked up over $700,000 in the hand ,off of David Singer.

Deeb in the Lead

Freddy was now the chip leader with over $4 million. Amnon Filippi held over $3.5 million in second, and Singer was now the low man on the totem pole.

David Singer Eliminated in Sixth Place ($337,440)

David Singer got it all in on fourth street and Bruno Fitoussi made the call. Fitoussi flipped up Q-8-4-2 and Singer revealed J-10-8-5. When the dust settled on seventh street, Fitoussi had made an 8-7 low, and Singer was eliminated in sixth place. He took home $337,440 in prize money.

Leader Board

Freddy Deeb: $3,930,000
Amnon Filippi: $3,450,000
John Hanson: $3,355,000
Kenny Tran: $2,340,000
Bruno Fitoussi: $1,700,000

Player Tags: David Singer,   Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson

Hour One

Jun 28, '07

Thor Hansen Eliminated in Eighth Place ($188,256)

Thor Hansen predictably moved all in on his extremely short stack and both Amnon Filippi and John Hanson called. Hanson bet Filippi off the side pot then he turned over queens and jacks. Thor turned over sevens and fives and he was eliminated in eighth place. He took home $188,256 in prize money.

Hold’em Half Hour

After the elimination of Hansen the game was switched to hold’em and the blinds were $30,000-$60,000.

Rail Birds

T.J. Cloutier, last year’s H.O.R.S.E. runner-up Andy Bloch, Isabelle Mercier, Gavin Smith, Paul Darden, Chau Giang, J.C.Tran, Chris McCormack, Michael Gracz, and Joe Sebok were all present to sweat the action before the final table began. Sebok said he had only $1,500 remaining in the event he entered today, but he was more concerned with sweating his father, Barry Greenstein.

Chip Movement

Freddy Deeb became active during the hold’em level and he continued to add to his stack. With the elimination of Thor Hansen, Barry Greenstein had effectively become the short stack in the tournament. Daniel Negreanu came by to check on the action as the hold’em level expired and he was announced to the crowd. Kid Poker then made a hasty retreat amid the cheers of his introduction

Road to Omaha

The game was then switched to Omaha eight-or-better, but the blinds stayed at $30,000-$60,000, with $60,000-$120,000 limits.

Greenstein Takes a Risk

Barry Greenstein moved all in preflop and Bruno Fitoussi called him down. Fitoussi turned over A K 8 4 and Firoussi showed down A J 10 6. The board was dealt 10 5 2 A A and Fitoussi made aces full of tens to take the high pot. Unfortunately for Greenstein, he made an 8-low to claim the low pot and survive.

Barry Greenstein Eliminated in Seventh Place ($259,296)

The dual action of John Hanson and Amnon Filippi calling an all-in bet continued to be a deadly combination for the person at risk for his tournament life. This time Barry Greenstein was covered by the two on a flop of Q 9 9. Both players checked the side pot and the 9 fell on the turn. Filippi bet Hanson off the side pot with a $120,000 raise on the turn and Hanson mucked his hand. Greenstein then turned up A 10 5 4 and Filippi flipped over A Q J 6. Greenstein then got up from the table and Freddy Deeb said, “Hold it, hold it, hold it, sit down.” Greenstein conceded to Deeb’s lament and the river brought the 4. Greenstein was eliminated in seventh place, and he took home $259,296 in prize money.

Player Tags: Thor Hansen,   Barry Greenstein,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Into the Morning

Jun 28, '07

Razz

The game was now razz and the limits had increased to the gargantuan levels of $250,000-$500,000 by this point.

Tired?

“You guys tired yet? I feel like I just woke up,” said Freddy Deeb as the hour approached 4 a.m.

Training Wheels

Freddy Deeb and Bruno Fitoussi got involved in a large pot and Deeb turned over the wheel after a $500,000 bet on the river. Fitoussi mucked his hand and Deeb jumped into the chip lead once again. Ever have déjà vu?

John Hanson Eliminated in Third Place ($852,480)

Freddy Deeb raised to $1 million on sixth street and John Hanson made the call. This pot committed him for all his chips and he made the all-in call when Deeb raised again on the river. Deeb showed a 6-5 low to take down the pot and eliminate Hanson, who held a 8-7 low. Hanson was eliminated in third place and he took home $852,480 in prize money. The players then went on a short break before the start of the heads-up match.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Late Late Night with Fitoussi, Hanson, and Deeb

Jun 28, '07

Hold’em

The players returned from the break and the game was back on hold’em.

Leader Board

Bruno Fitoussi: $6,400,000
Freddy Deeb: $4,630,000
John Hanson: $3,840,000

Jacked

Bruno Fitoussi turned over pocket jacks on a board of J 10 6 2 9. John Hanson could only muster 10-9 for two pair and Fitoussi scored a nice pot.

Late Night Guest

Phil Hellmuth then showed up to watch the final table action. He was announced to the crowd, which was noticeably smaller at this point of the night, and shared an embrace with Fitoussi.

Hanson Revival Tour

On a board of 9 7 2 K John Hanson bet $400,000 and Bruno Fitoussi called after thinking for a moment. The river brought the 10 and Fitoussi checked. Hanson bet $400,000 again and Fitoussi called. Hanson flipped up K-Q and Fitoussi mucked.

Afraid of the Dark

On a board of 10 7 4 10 Bruno Fitoussi bet $400,000 and Freddy Deeb called. Deeb then checked in the dark. “I’m afraid to see the next card,” said Deeb. Fitoussi bet another $400,000 after the 10 was peeled off the deck and Deeb made the call. Fitoussi showed two ladies in the hole and Deeb mucked.

Omaha Split

The game was now Omaha eight-or-better.

Never Mind

On a board of 5 3 2 8 Q Freddy Deeb checked, Bruno Fitoussi bet $400,000, and John Hanson called. Deeb then raised to $800,000, and Fitoussi reraised to $1.2 million. Hanson abandoned ship, and Deeb reraised again to $1.6 million. Fitoussi then capped the pot with a reraise to $2 million and Deeb called. After all of that, both players turned up A-4 for a wheel. Chop it up.

Hanson Doubled Up…Again 

John Hanson moved all in for $340,000 with J 8 4 7 on the board. Freddy Deeb made the call and flipped over Q Q 7 3. Hanson turned up K 9 7 6. The river brought the 10 and once again Hanson sucked out to a straight to survive. This mobilized his cheering section in support of the victory. Nick Schulman had now joined the family and friends of Hanson to support him.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Late Night with Fitoussi, Hanson, and Deeb

Jun 28, '07

Seven-Card Stud

It was now time, once again, for seven-card stud.

Deeb Getting Deep

Freddy Deeb picked up another pot off of John Hanson and his stack continued to increase its depth.

Ready for the Long Haul

“Are you ready for the night,” asked Bruno Fitoussi with a bright smile on his face. Tournament director Sam Minutello made an inaudible response then Fitoussi continued to joke with him. “So boring,” he said at one point.

Deeb Levels the Playing Field

Freddy Deeb effectively leveled the playing field when he made a $360,000 bet with approximately $2.5 million sitting in the middle of the table. Bruno Fitoussi then went into the tank. He stood up, stretched, put his hands on his hips and shifted back and forth in a flabbergasted display. He eventually called and turned over aces and queens. Deeb turned over three threes and took the largest pot of the night. He also picked up the next pot to take the chip lead.

Game Change – Dealer Change

A new dealer then came to the table and he would be dealing a new game, seven-card stud eight-or-better.

A Late-Night Meeting of the Minds

Isabelle Mercier re-surfaced in the audience and Bruno Fitoussi went over to speak with her in between hands for a period of time.

Hanson Doubled Up

Freddy Deeb bet $360,000 and John Hanson raised to $720,000. Deeb reraised to $1.08 million and Hanson called on fifth street. On sixth street Hanson bet $360,000 and Deeb raised $200,000 more, which was enough to put Hanson all in. Hanson made the all-in call and turned up tens and eights. Deeb flipped over kings and sevens and he had Hanson dead to rights. Hanson sucked out on the river though, and made a queen-high straight to double up.

Break Time

The players then went on a 15 minute break.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Into Tomorrow

Jun 28, '07

Back to Omaha

The game was once again Omaha eight-or-better.

Merry-go-Round

The Omaha level is playing in a very round-about way. Bruno Fitoussi takes a pot off John Hanson, and then Hanson returns the favor. Freddy Deeb takes a pot off of Fitoussi, and then Fitoussi returns the favor. Hanson takes a pot off Deeb, and then Deeb returns the favor. And repeat.

Moving Day

Hanson keeps asking to move the seats around. To which, Freddy Deeb said, “I finally have a lucky seat; I’m not going to move now.”

The Deeb Scoop Special

Freddy Deeb just scooped a pot with a 6-5 low and a ten-high flush. He took down a large pot from Bruno Fitoussi, who, despite his large stack has been unable to shut the door on his competitors' meager chip stacks.

Break Time

The players then went on a 15 minute break.

Razz

The players switched to razz when they returned from the break.

Leveling Effect

As the levels came one after another into the night, the chip stacks of the three remaining players drew closer to one another:

Bruno Fitoussi: $6,605,000
John Hanson: $5,155,000
Freddy Deeb: $3,110,000

Un-Leveling Effect

Bruno Fitoussi and Freddy Deeb then got involved in a monster pot. They each had over $1 million invested in their hands on the river. That was when Fitoussi showed a 9-7 low to narrowly defeat the 9-8 low that Deeb possessed.

Deeb Grabs a Monster

A few hands later Freddy Deeb made amends for his prior misfortune and grabbed $900,000 from John Hanson with a 10-7 low. The chips were really flying during the final minutes of razz action.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Into the Night

Jun 28, '07

Amnon Filippi Eliminated in Fourth Place ($586,080)

The third try was not the charm for Amnon Filippi when he moved all in for the third time after the dinner break. Bruno Fitoussi called him down and Filippi flipped over queens and sixes on sixth street. Fitoussi showed a nine-high spade flush. Filippi would need to catch a spade, a queen, or a six to survive. None of the above fell on the river and Filippi hit the rail in fourth place. He walked away with $586,080 in prize money and the entourage of poker professionals sweating him filed out of the final table area.

The Final Trio

Bruno Fitoussi: $10,280,000
Freddy Deeb: $2,270,000
John Hanson: $2,250,000

Big Fish

Bruno Fitoussi took yet another large pot off of John Hanson and Freddy Deeb said, “You’re the biggest fish I’ve seen in my life, and the luckiest, but it’s OK, because you’re a nice guy.”

Break Time

The players then went on a 15 minute break.

Hold’em Returns

The final three players were now playing hold’em once again, and Fitoussi continued to build his fortress.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

After Dinner

Jun 28, '07

Kenny Tran Eliminated in Fifth Place ($444,000)

As suspected, Kenny Tran was all in on the first hand after the dinner break and he was eliminated by Amnon Filippi. Tran finished in fifth place and he took home $444,000 in prize money. He will put that prize money to good use, and he will donate 10 percent of it to his extended family in Vietnam.

Amnon Doubles Up

With the blinds, limits, and antes reaching astronomical proportions, Amnon Filippi was all in now and Freddy Deeb had him covered. Filippi doubled up when he made a 6-4 low.

Seven-Card Stud

After Filippi doubled up the game switched over to seven-card stud.

Fitoussi Rising

Bruno Fitoussi had been building a fortress over the last hour. He now had almost $7 million, which is more than twice his closest competitor.

Stud Eight-or-Better

The game then switched to seven-card stud eight-or-better.

Amnon Doubles Up Again

Amnon Filippi was once again all in, and this time John Hanson had him covered. Luckily for Filippi, he made an 8-6 low, and an ace-high to scoop both the high and the low pots. He survived, and J.C. Tran, Steve Sung, Kirk Morrison, Paul Darden, and company cheered in approval.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   Kenny Tran,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Into Dinner

Jun 28, '07

Hold’em Up

The game was now hold’em once again and the players took their seats after the break.

Fire it Up

Kenny Tran was fired up when he took down a pot with an A-J high over his opponent’s J-9 high. He got up from the table and shouted celebrations. He then went over to his group of supporters and continued the merriment.

Save Your Quarters

Freddy Deeb moved all in on the turn with K 7 5 6 out on the board. Both John Hanson and Bruno Fitoussi called. The river brought the 3 and Hanson checked. Fitoussi bet $200,000 and Hanson called. Fitoussi flipped over A K to take the high pot with an ace-high flush. Fitoussi also had an A-2 for the nut low, but Deeb also held an A-2 to quarter the low pot. Deeb survived, but was holding on by a thread at this point.

Deeb Survives with Fives

Freddy Deeb bet $200,000 on a flop of Q J 5 and Amnon Filippi made the call. Kenny Tran also called and the 5 was peeled off the deck on the turn. Deeb moved all in for $80,000 and Filippi folded. Tran called and Deeb turned up A 5 5 3 for quad fives. Tran turned over A Q 10 2 and the A was dealt on the river. Deeb doubled up yet again to survive.

Razz

The game was then switched to razz for the last level before the dinner break.

Deeb Keeps Fighting

Freddy Deeb was all in again. This time he pushed on sixth street for $230,000 and Kenny Tran called him down. Deeb turned up a 7-5 low and Tran was drawing dead when revealed a 9-8 low. Deeb has given the HORSE final table a breath of life as he struggled to survive. He has been successful thus far with his aggressive short-stack strategy.

Fitoussi Builds Strength

More and more chips were finding their way over to Bruno Fitoussi’s side of the table. In a recent pot he picked up yet another multi-$100,000 chunk of chips when he revealed a 6-5 low. Filippi mucked his hand at the site of Fitoussi’s strength. After that acquisition Fitoussi solidified himself as the chip leader.

Kill Kenny

Freddy Deeb bet $240,000 and Kenny Tran made the call. This left Tran with only $30,000. Deeb raised in the dark and Tran mucked his hand. Tran was crippled beyond reprieve after the hand.

Dinner Bell

The tournament clock was then paused and the player went to dinner until 9:00 p.m.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   Kenny Tran,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Hour Three

Jun 28, '07

Lull in the Action

The rest of the razz level passed by with few large pots going to a showdown, opponents usually bet their lone adversary off the pot by sixth street. John Hanson was playing particularly aggressive during this time, and he had solidified his spot as an aggressive force at the table.

Studs

The five remaining players were now playing seven-card stud.

Hanson Rolls

In a pot that began with all five players initially, Freddy Deeb, and John Hanson got involved in a war of raises. Deeb ended up mucking on seventh street, so the hand did not go to a showdown. Hanson did manage to pick up over $800,000 on the hand and he is now the chip leader at the final table.

Eight-or-Better

The game of stud remained the same, but the final table contestants were now playing the eight-or-better version. The split game produced a lot of split pots. Not a lot of chips moved around the table during this game.

Leader Board

John Hanson: $3,535,000
Amnon Filippi: $3,310,000
Freddy Deeb: $2,625,000
Bruno Fitoussi: $2,160,000
Kenny Tran: $1,360,000

Break Time

The players then went to a 15 minute break.

Player Tags: John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Hour Two

Jun 28, '07

Break Time

The rest of Omaha eight-or-better transpired uneventfully and the players then went on a fifteen minute break.

Razz

The players returned from break and the game was now razz.

Hanson Makes a Wheel

John Hanson picked up a large pot when he made a wheel during the early stages of razz. He picked up over $700,000 in the hand ,off of David Singer.

Deeb in the Lead

Freddy was now the chip leader with over $4 million. Amnon Filippi held over $3.5 million in second, and Singer was now the low man on the totem pole.

David Singer Eliminated in Sixth Place ($337,440)

David Singer got it all in on fourth street and Bruno Fitoussi made the call. Fitoussi flipped up Q-8-4-2 and Singer revealed J-10-8-5. When the dust settled on seventh street, Fitoussi had made an 8-7 low, and Singer was eliminated in sixth place. He took home $337,440 in prize money.

Leader Board

Freddy Deeb: $3,930,000
Amnon Filippi: $3,450,000
John Hanson: $3,355,000
Kenny Tran: $2,340,000
Bruno Fitoussi: $1,700,000

Player Tags: David Singer,   Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson

Hour One

Jun 28, '07

Thor Hansen Eliminated in Eighth Place ($188,256)

Thor Hansen predictably moved all in on his extremely short stack and both Amnon Filippi and John Hanson called. Hanson bet Filippi off the side pot then he turned over queens and jacks. Thor turned over sevens and fives and he was eliminated in eighth place. He took home $188,256 in prize money.

Hold’em Half Hour

After the elimination of Hansen the game was switched to hold’em and the blinds were $30,000-$60,000.

Rail Birds

T.J. Cloutier, last year’s H.O.R.S.E. runner-up Andy Bloch, Isabelle Mercier, Gavin Smith, Paul Darden, Chau Giang, J.C.Tran, Chris McCormack, Michael Gracz, and Joe Sebok were all present to sweat the action before the final table began. Sebok said he had only $1,500 remaining in the event he entered today, but he was more concerned with sweating his father, Barry Greenstein.

Chip Movement

Freddy Deeb became active during the hold’em level and he continued to add to his stack. With the elimination of Thor Hansen, Barry Greenstein had effectively become the short stack in the tournament. Daniel Negreanu came by to check on the action as the hold’em level expired and he was announced to the crowd. Kid Poker then made a hasty retreat amid the cheers of his introduction

Road to Omaha

The game was then switched to Omaha eight-or-better, but the blinds stayed at $30,000-$60,000, with $60,000-$120,000 limits.

Greenstein Takes a Risk

Barry Greenstein moved all in preflop and Bruno Fitoussi called him down. Fitoussi turned over A K 8 4 and Firoussi showed down A J 10 6. The board was dealt 10 5 2 A A and Fitoussi made aces full of tens to take the high pot. Unfortunately for Greenstein, he made an 8-low to claim the low pot and survive.

Barry Greenstein Eliminated in Seventh Place ($259,296)

The dual action of John Hanson and Amnon Filippi calling an all-in bet continued to be a deadly combination for the person at risk for his tournament life. This time Barry Greenstein was covered by the two on a flop of Q 9 9. Both players checked the side pot and the 9 fell on the turn. Filippi bet Hanson off the side pot with a $120,000 raise on the turn and Hanson mucked his hand. Greenstein then turned up A 10 5 4 and Filippi flipped over A Q J 6. Greenstein then got up from the table and Freddy Deeb said, “Hold it, hold it, hold it, sit down.” Greenstein conceded to Deeb’s lament and the river brought the 4. Greenstein was eliminated in seventh place, and he took home $259,296 in prize money.

Player Tags: Thor Hansen,   Barry Greenstein,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Into the Morning

Jun 28, '07

Razz

The game was now razz and the limits had increased to the gargantuan levels of $250,000-$500,000 by this point.

Tired?

“You guys tired yet? I feel like I just woke up,” said Freddy Deeb as the hour approached 4 a.m.

Training Wheels

Freddy Deeb and Bruno Fitoussi got involved in a large pot and Deeb turned over the wheel after a $500,000 bet on the river. Fitoussi mucked his hand and Deeb jumped into the chip lead once again. Ever have déjà vu?

John Hanson Eliminated in Third Place ($852,480)

Freddy Deeb raised to $1 million on sixth street and John Hanson made the call. This pot committed him for all his chips and he made the all-in call when Deeb raised again on the river. Deeb showed a 6-5 low to take down the pot and eliminate Hanson, who held a 8-7 low. Hanson was eliminated in third place and he took home $852,480 in prize money. The players then went on a short break before the start of the heads-up match.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Late Late Night with Fitoussi, Hanson, and Deeb

Jun 28, '07

Hold’em

The players returned from the break and the game was back on hold’em.

Leader Board

Bruno Fitoussi: $6,400,000
Freddy Deeb: $4,630,000
John Hanson: $3,840,000

Jacked

Bruno Fitoussi turned over pocket jacks on a board of J 10 6 2 9. John Hanson could only muster 10-9 for two pair and Fitoussi scored a nice pot.

Late Night Guest

Phil Hellmuth then showed up to watch the final table action. He was announced to the crowd, which was noticeably smaller at this point of the night, and shared an embrace with Fitoussi.

Hanson Revival Tour

On a board of 9 7 2 K John Hanson bet $400,000 and Bruno Fitoussi called after thinking for a moment. The river brought the 10 and Fitoussi checked. Hanson bet $400,000 again and Fitoussi called. Hanson flipped up K-Q and Fitoussi mucked.

Afraid of the Dark

On a board of 10 7 4 10 Bruno Fitoussi bet $400,000 and Freddy Deeb called. Deeb then checked in the dark. “I’m afraid to see the next card,” said Deeb. Fitoussi bet another $400,000 after the 10 was peeled off the deck and Deeb made the call. Fitoussi showed two ladies in the hole and Deeb mucked.

Omaha Split

The game was now Omaha eight-or-better.

Never Mind

On a board of 5 3 2 8 Q Freddy Deeb checked, Bruno Fitoussi bet $400,000, and John Hanson called. Deeb then raised to $800,000, and Fitoussi reraised to $1.2 million. Hanson abandoned ship, and Deeb reraised again to $1.6 million. Fitoussi then capped the pot with a reraise to $2 million and Deeb called. After all of that, both players turned up A-4 for a wheel. Chop it up.

Hanson Doubled Up…Again 

John Hanson moved all in for $340,000 with J 8 4 7 on the board. Freddy Deeb made the call and flipped over Q Q 7 3. Hanson turned up K 9 7 6. The river brought the 10 and once again Hanson sucked out to a straight to survive. This mobilized his cheering section in support of the victory. Nick Schulman had now joined the family and friends of Hanson to support him.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Late Night with Fitoussi, Hanson, and Deeb

Jun 28, '07

Seven-Card Stud

It was now time, once again, for seven-card stud.

Deeb Getting Deep

Freddy Deeb picked up another pot off of John Hanson and his stack continued to increase its depth.

Ready for the Long Haul

“Are you ready for the night,” asked Bruno Fitoussi with a bright smile on his face. Tournament director Sam Minutello made an inaudible response then Fitoussi continued to joke with him. “So boring,” he said at one point.

Deeb Levels the Playing Field

Freddy Deeb effectively leveled the playing field when he made a $360,000 bet with approximately $2.5 million sitting in the middle of the table. Bruno Fitoussi then went into the tank. He stood up, stretched, put his hands on his hips and shifted back and forth in a flabbergasted display. He eventually called and turned over aces and queens. Deeb turned over three threes and took the largest pot of the night. He also picked up the next pot to take the chip lead.

Game Change – Dealer Change

A new dealer then came to the table and he would be dealing a new game, seven-card stud eight-or-better.

A Late-Night Meeting of the Minds

Isabelle Mercier re-surfaced in the audience and Bruno Fitoussi went over to speak with her in between hands for a period of time.

Hanson Doubled Up

Freddy Deeb bet $360,000 and John Hanson raised to $720,000. Deeb reraised to $1.08 million and Hanson called on fifth street. On sixth street Hanson bet $360,000 and Deeb raised $200,000 more, which was enough to put Hanson all in. Hanson made the all-in call and turned up tens and eights. Deeb flipped over kings and sevens and he had Hanson dead to rights. Hanson sucked out on the river though, and made a queen-high straight to double up.

Break Time

The players then went on a 15 minute break.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Into Tomorrow

Jun 28, '07

Back to Omaha

The game was once again Omaha eight-or-better.

Merry-go-Round

The Omaha level is playing in a very round-about way. Bruno Fitoussi takes a pot off John Hanson, and then Hanson returns the favor. Freddy Deeb takes a pot off of Fitoussi, and then Fitoussi returns the favor. Hanson takes a pot off Deeb, and then Deeb returns the favor. And repeat.

Moving Day

Hanson keeps asking to move the seats around. To which, Freddy Deeb said, “I finally have a lucky seat; I’m not going to move now.”

The Deeb Scoop Special

Freddy Deeb just scooped a pot with a 6-5 low and a ten-high flush. He took down a large pot from Bruno Fitoussi, who, despite his large stack has been unable to shut the door on his competitors' meager chip stacks.

Break Time

The players then went on a 15 minute break.

Razz

The players switched to razz when they returned from the break.

Leveling Effect

As the levels came one after another into the night, the chip stacks of the three remaining players drew closer to one another:

Bruno Fitoussi: $6,605,000
John Hanson: $5,155,000
Freddy Deeb: $3,110,000

Un-Leveling Effect

Bruno Fitoussi and Freddy Deeb then got involved in a monster pot. They each had over $1 million invested in their hands on the river. That was when Fitoussi showed a 9-7 low to narrowly defeat the 9-8 low that Deeb possessed.

Deeb Grabs a Monster

A few hands later Freddy Deeb made amends for his prior misfortune and grabbed $900,000 from John Hanson with a 10-7 low. The chips were really flying during the final minutes of razz action.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Into the Night

Jun 28, '07

Amnon Filippi Eliminated in Fourth Place ($586,080)

The third try was not the charm for Amnon Filippi when he moved all in for the third time after the dinner break. Bruno Fitoussi called him down and Filippi flipped over queens and sixes on sixth street. Fitoussi showed a nine-high spade flush. Filippi would need to catch a spade, a queen, or a six to survive. None of the above fell on the river and Filippi hit the rail in fourth place. He walked away with $586,080 in prize money and the entourage of poker professionals sweating him filed out of the final table area.

The Final Trio

Bruno Fitoussi: $10,280,000
Freddy Deeb: $2,270,000
John Hanson: $2,250,000

Big Fish

Bruno Fitoussi took yet another large pot off of John Hanson and Freddy Deeb said, “You’re the biggest fish I’ve seen in my life, and the luckiest, but it’s OK, because you’re a nice guy.”

Break Time

The players then went on a 15 minute break.

Hold’em Returns

The final three players were now playing hold’em once again, and Fitoussi continued to build his fortress.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

After Dinner

Jun 28, '07

Kenny Tran Eliminated in Fifth Place ($444,000)

As suspected, Kenny Tran was all in on the first hand after the dinner break and he was eliminated by Amnon Filippi. Tran finished in fifth place and he took home $444,000 in prize money. He will put that prize money to good use, and he will donate 10 percent of it to his extended family in Vietnam.

Amnon Doubles Up

With the blinds, limits, and antes reaching astronomical proportions, Amnon Filippi was all in now and Freddy Deeb had him covered. Filippi doubled up when he made a 6-4 low.

Seven-Card Stud

After Filippi doubled up the game switched over to seven-card stud.

Fitoussi Rising

Bruno Fitoussi had been building a fortress over the last hour. He now had almost $7 million, which is more than twice his closest competitor.

Stud Eight-or-Better

The game then switched to seven-card stud eight-or-better.

Amnon Doubles Up Again

Amnon Filippi was once again all in, and this time John Hanson had him covered. Luckily for Filippi, he made an 8-6 low, and an ace-high to scoop both the high and the low pots. He survived, and J.C. Tran, Steve Sung, Kirk Morrison, Paul Darden, and company cheered in approval.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   Kenny Tran,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Into Dinner

Jun 28, '07

Hold’em Up

The game was now hold’em once again and the players took their seats after the break.

Fire it Up

Kenny Tran was fired up when he took down a pot with an A-J high over his opponent’s J-9 high. He got up from the table and shouted celebrations. He then went over to his group of supporters and continued the merriment.

Save Your Quarters

Freddy Deeb moved all in on the turn with K 7 5 6 out on the board. Both John Hanson and Bruno Fitoussi called. The river brought the 3 and Hanson checked. Fitoussi bet $200,000 and Hanson called. Fitoussi flipped over A K to take the high pot with an ace-high flush. Fitoussi also had an A-2 for the nut low, but Deeb also held an A-2 to quarter the low pot. Deeb survived, but was holding on by a thread at this point.

Deeb Survives with Fives

Freddy Deeb bet $200,000 on a flop of Q J 5 and Amnon Filippi made the call. Kenny Tran also called and the 5 was peeled off the deck on the turn. Deeb moved all in for $80,000 and Filippi folded. Tran called and Deeb turned up A 5 5 3 for quad fives. Tran turned over A Q 10 2 and the A was dealt on the river. Deeb doubled up yet again to survive.

Razz

The game was then switched to razz for the last level before the dinner break.

Deeb Keeps Fighting

Freddy Deeb was all in again. This time he pushed on sixth street for $230,000 and Kenny Tran called him down. Deeb turned up a 7-5 low and Tran was drawing dead when revealed a 9-8 low. Deeb has given the HORSE final table a breath of life as he struggled to survive. He has been successful thus far with his aggressive short-stack strategy.

Fitoussi Builds Strength

More and more chips were finding their way over to Bruno Fitoussi’s side of the table. In a recent pot he picked up yet another multi-$100,000 chunk of chips when he revealed a 6-5 low. Filippi mucked his hand at the site of Fitoussi’s strength. After that acquisition Fitoussi solidified himself as the chip leader.

Kill Kenny

Freddy Deeb bet $240,000 and Kenny Tran made the call. This left Tran with only $30,000. Deeb raised in the dark and Tran mucked his hand. Tran was crippled beyond reprieve after the hand.

Dinner Bell

The tournament clock was then paused and the player went to dinner until 9:00 p.m.

Player Tags: Bruno Fitoussi,   Kenny Tran,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Hour Three

Jun 28, '07

Lull in the Action

The rest of the razz level passed by with few large pots going to a showdown, opponents usually bet their lone adversary off the pot by sixth street. John Hanson was playing particularly aggressive during this time, and he had solidified his spot as an aggressive force at the table.

Studs

The five remaining players were now playing seven-card stud.

Hanson Rolls

In a pot that began with all five players initially, Freddy Deeb, and John Hanson got involved in a war of raises. Deeb ended up mucking on seventh street, so the hand did not go to a showdown. Hanson did manage to pick up over $800,000 on the hand and he is now the chip leader at the final table.

Eight-or-Better

The game of stud remained the same, but the final table contestants were now playing the eight-or-better version. The split game produced a lot of split pots. Not a lot of chips moved around the table during this game.

Leader Board

John Hanson: $3,535,000
Amnon Filippi: $3,310,000
Freddy Deeb: $2,625,000
Bruno Fitoussi: $2,160,000
Kenny Tran: $1,360,000

Break Time

The players then went to a 15 minute break.

Player Tags: John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb

Hour Two

Jun 28, '07

Break Time

The rest of Omaha eight-or-better transpired uneventfully and the players then went on a fifteen minute break.

Razz

The players returned from break and the game was now razz.

Hanson Makes a Wheel

John Hanson picked up a large pot when he made a wheel during the early stages of razz. He picked up over $700,000 in the hand ,off of David Singer.

Deeb in the Lead

Freddy was now the chip leader with over $4 million. Amnon Filippi held over $3.5 million in second, and Singer was now the low man on the totem pole.

David Singer Eliminated in Sixth Place ($337,440)

David Singer got it all in on fourth street and Bruno Fitoussi made the call. Fitoussi flipped up Q-8-4-2 and Singer revealed J-10-8-5. When the dust settled on seventh street, Fitoussi had made an 8-7 low, and Singer was eliminated in sixth place. He took home $337,440 in prize money.

Leader Board

Freddy Deeb: $3,930,000
Amnon Filippi: $3,450,000
John Hanson: $3,355,000
Kenny Tran: $2,340,000
Bruno Fitoussi: $1,700,000

Player Tags: David Singer,   Bruno Fitoussi,   John Hanson

Hour One

Jun 28, '07

Thor Hansen Eliminated in Eighth Place ($188,256)

Thor Hansen predictably moved all in on his extremely short stack and both Amnon Filippi and John Hanson called. Hanson bet Filippi off the side pot then he turned over queens and jacks. Thor turned over sevens and fives and he was eliminated in eighth place. He took home $188,256 in prize money.

Hold’em Half Hour

After the elimination of Hansen the game was switched to hold’em and the blinds were $30,000-$60,000.

Rail Birds

T.J. Cloutier, last year’s H.O.R.S.E. runner-up Andy Bloch, Isabelle Mercier, Gavin Smith, Paul Darden, Chau Giang, J.C.Tran, Chris McCormack, Michael Gracz, and Joe Sebok were all present to sweat the action before the final table began. Sebok said he had only $1,500 remaining in the event he entered today, but he was more concerned with sweating his father, Barry Greenstein.

Chip Movement

Freddy Deeb became active during the hold’em level and he continued to add to his stack. With the elimination of Thor Hansen, Barry Greenstein had effectively become the short stack in the tournament. Daniel Negreanu came by to check on the action as the hold’em level expired and he was announced to the crowd. Kid Poker then made a hasty retreat amid the cheers of his introduction

Road to Omaha

The game was then switched to Omaha eight-or-better, but the blinds stayed at $30,000-$60,000, with $60,000-$120,000 limits.

Greenstein Takes a Risk

Barry Greenstein moved all in preflop and Bruno Fitoussi called him down. Fitoussi turned over A K 8 4 and Firoussi showed down A J 10 6. The board was dealt 10 5 2 A A and Fitoussi made aces full of tens to take the high pot. Unfortunately for Greenstein, he made an 8-low to claim the low pot and survive.

Barry Greenstein Eliminated in Seventh Place ($259,296)

The dual action of John Hanson and Amnon Filippi calling an all-in bet continued to be a deadly combination for the person at risk for his tournament life. This time Barry Greenstein was covered by the two on a flop of Q 9 9. Both players checked the side pot and the 9 fell on the turn. Filippi bet Hanson off the side pot with a $120,000 raise on the turn and Hanson mucked his hand. Greenstein then turned up A 10 5 4 and Filippi flipped over A Q J 6. Greenstein then got up from the table and Freddy Deeb said, “Hold it, hold it, hold it, sit down.” Greenstein conceded to Deeb’s lament and the river brought the 4. Greenstein was eliminated in seventh place, and he took home $259,296 in prize money.

Player Tags: Thor Hansen,   Barry Greenstein,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Amnon Filippi,   John Hanson,   Freddy Deeb