Matthew Matros - Live Updates

$10,000 Main Event - Day 6 - Level 24 (Hour 1)

Jul 13, '08

Blinds/Antes: 15,000 / 30,000 / 4,000

Players Remaining: 71 of 6,844

Average Stack: 1.93 million

Chip Counts:

Dennis Phillips - 5,100,000
Nikolay Losev - 4,900,000
Brandon Cantu - 4,800,000
Aaron Gordon - 4,500,000
Nicholas Sliwinski - 4,500,000
Andrew Brokos - 4,500,000
Ivan Demidov - 4,300,000
Tiffany Michelle - 3,700,000
Judet Christian - 3,700,000
Chris Klodnicki - 3,650,000

Recent Eliminations:

72nd place - Daniel Buzgon - $96,500
73rd place - David Benefield - $77,200
74th place - Jamal Sawaqdeh - $77,200
75th place - Keith Hawkins - $77,200
76th place - Lisa Parsons - $77,200
77th place - Mark Wilds - $77,200
78th place - Matt Matros - $77,200
79th place - Bob Whalen - $77,200

Big Hands and Storylines:

Phil Hellmuth’s Penalty Disappears

During the final minutes of last night’s play, Phil Hellmuth berated Christian Dragomir after he won a pot with 104 and cracked Hellmuth’s ace-king.  Although the hand occurred at the end of the night, Hellmuth was assessed a one-orbit penalty to be administered during the first orbit of today’s play.

As the official “shuffle up and deal” announcement was made to start off the day, Hellmuth took his seat at the ESPN featured table and received cards on the first hand and continued to on all subsequent hands of the orbit.  An inquiry by our reporting team was answered with an explanation that the penalty had been “overruled.”  World Series of Poker media director Nolan Dalla informed our tournament reporting team that a statement would be released regarding the overruling within one hour.

Phil won three of the first nine “penalty” hands at his table, bringing well-needed improvement to his struggling chip stack.  He quickly rose to more than 1.5 million in chips.

Update: This morning Phil Hellmuth met with Jack Effel, WSOP Tournament Director, Howard Greenbaum, Harrah's Regional Vice President for Specialty Gaming, and Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the WSOP.  Based on that meeting and an official review of the situation, it was decided that the penalty imposed on Mr. Hellmuth at the conclusion of play last night was excessive.

"Warnings and penalties are intended to correct inappropriate behavior and our rulings should be as fair as possible, given the circumstances," said Pollack. "In this instance, the punishment did not fit the crime.

"Phil has now been warned and put on notice in a way that he never has been."

Sawaqdeh out in 74th place ($77,200), Crilly triples

Preflop, Jamal Sawaqdeh limped in from early position, and then Jamal Kunbuz raised to 125,000. Chris Crilly called from the small blind and Sawaqdeh called as well. After a 764 flop Crilly moved all in. Then Sawaqdeh quickly called all in, and after a minute Kunbuz called. Kunbuz had them both covered and when the cards were flipped up was a big favorite after the flop.

Chris Crilly: TT
Jamal Sawaqdeh: 55
Jamal Kunbuz: AA

Turn/River: TK

As far as the percentages go, Kunbuz went from worst to first on the turn, and then held on when the river was dealt. He nearly tripled up and now has roughly 2.7 million chips. Kunbuz droped to under two million chips after the hand.

Table 4

Flops were hard to come by in the first hour of play at table 4. The first seven hands resulted in late position raises and folds from blinds, and twice Alex Outhred was able to announce all-in after an early position raise, and got his opponents to fold. But then two consecutive hands resulted in a significant chip shift, as well as the first elimination of the day.

Bad Way to Start the Day

Justin Scott raised from early position to 90,000, and table chip leader Nikolay Losev made the call from the small blind. The flop came K62, and after Losev checked, Scott bet 175,000. Losev made the call, and after the Q came on the turn, both players checked. The 6 paired the board on the river, and Losev took the initiative by betting 350,000. Scott made the call and showed AK, but the free river had allowed Losev to hit trips with the A6 and he added to his chip stack.

Scott ran into trouble later in the level as well. He raised to 90,000 preflop and was called by David Saab in the big blind. The Q94 came on board, and both players checked. The 3 was the turn card and again both players checked. The 5 hit the river, and Saab stepped out for a 150,000 bet. Scott called, then mucked when Saab showed him the 88.

Saab Forces First Elimination

The first elimination of the day came courtesy David Saab who raised to 100,000 from the cut-off. Mike Matros then moved all-in from the small blind for 680,000 and Saab called. Saab held 33 while Matros had two overcards with the A7. The flop came paired with the JJ6, giving Matros further outs, as did the 9 on the turn. But the river was a brick, the 4, and Matros was eliminated.
 

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Matthew Matros,   Chris Crilly,   Justin Scott,   David Saab,   Nikolay Losev

$10,000 Main Event - Day 5 - Level 22 (Hour 2)

Jul 12, '08

Players are on a 90-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 9:30 p.m.

Blinds/Antes: 10,000 / 20,000 / 3,000

Players Remaining: 97 of 6,844

Chip Counts:
Nikolay Losev: 3,500,000
Mark Ketteringham: 3,500,000
Tiffany Michelle: 3,300,000
Jamal Kunbuz: 3,300,000
Brandon Cantu: 3,200,000
Aaron Gordon: 3,200,000
James McManus: 3,200,000
Peter Eastgate: 2,900,000
Justin Scott: 2,800,000
Allen Kennedy: 2,700,000

Average Stack: 1,368,800

Big Hands and Storylines:

Should Have Stayed in Bed

Dutch player Yde van Deutekon became an Internet sensation earlier this year when he created a website designed around the premise that people would pay to watch him spend entire days in bed. Sleepingrich.com earned him $19,000 before he travelled to Las Vegas for the WSOP.

Some days it doesn’t pay to get up. Van Deutekon was one from the cut-off and raised to 65,000 preflop. Joe Bishop was in the cut-off and made the call, as did Albert Kim from the button. Both blinds folded. The flop came JJ5, and all three players checked. The 6 came on the turn and Van Deutekon stabbed at the pot with a 90,000 bet. Bishop folded, but Kim made the call. The 7 fell on the river and again Deutekon checked. Kim announced a bet of 250,000 and Deutekon snap-called, announcing he had the nut flush. But lo and behold, he had misread his hand. He actually held AK and had been fortunate to not raise all-in as Kim had him substantially covered. Kim won the pot with J10, and Van Deutekon was left with just under 400,000 in chips.

Full credit to Van Deutekon, he took his misread in stride and was able to laugh about it with the rest of the table.

Aaron Keay Triples Up

Action folded around to Matt Matros, who limped from the cutoff. Aaron Keay, from the button, instantly tossed his last 150,000 into the pot. Phil Hellmuth in the big blind made the call and Matros, after a minute or so of intensely scrutinizing Hellmuth, did the same. The board came off AKK62 and Hellmuth and Matros checked every street. Immediately after Matros checked the river, Keay flipped over 22 for a rivered full house, good enough to take the pot, and pipping Matros’ pocket sevens and Hellmuth’s pocket fours.

Keay is now up to 480,000.

Kostritsyn Has Aces Cracked, Loses Pot Worth 1.2 Million

Alexander Kostritsyn has been having a tough level to say the least. The most expensive hit to his stack came with a board of AJ107 when he and his opponent, Reagan Silber, got it all in. Kostritsyn had Silber’s 616,000 in chips covered, but his AA was no good against Silber’s KQ. Silber seemed apprehensive when he saw Kostritsyn’s hand and feared a board pair on the river. Fortunately for Silber, the river came 2 and he successfully doubled up. The loss left Kostritsyn with approximately 1.5 million in chips.

Herzog Misses on Draw

Jamal Sawaqdeh and Geoffrey Herzog both committed 100,000 to the pot preflop and saw the board come K105. Sawaqdeh then announced all-in for his final 441,000, and Herzog made the call. Sawaqdeh showed KJ for top pair, while Herzog held AQ for the nut flush draw. The 8 came on the turn and Sawaqdeh dodged the river as well when the 4 came down.

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Matthew Matros,   Albert Kim,   Geoffrey Herzog,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Main Event - Day 4 - Level 17 - Hour 2

Jul 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 3,000-6,000-1,000

Players Remaining: 288 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:
Jeremy Joseph - 2,650,000
David Saab - 1,800,000
Suresh Prabhu - 1,300,000
Allen Cunningham - 1,300,000
Clint Schafer - 1,300,000
Tim Taylor - 1,250,000
William Soffin - 1,250,000
Robert Ford - 1,200,000
Jason Su - 1,200,000
Eric Bamer - 1,200,000

Other Notables
Matt Matros – 1,120,000
Mark Vos – 1,100,000
Stephen Kenna – 930,000
Alexander Kostritsyn – 720,000
Gus Hansen – 710,000
Thomas Keller – 630,000
Andrew Teng – 600,000
Ylon Schwartz – 560,000
Hevad Khan – 470,000
Chris Klodnicki – 440,000
Hoyt Corkins – 365,000
Phil Hellmuth – 320,000
Jeff Madsen – 300,000
Craig Marquis – 270,000
Kido Pham – 235,000
David Baker – 230,000
Mike Matusow – 180,000

Average Chip Stack: 475,278

Eliminations:
Dag Mikkelsen

Big Hands and Storylines:

The Table to Avoid

Table 1 in the blue section looks to be the most fearsome (and feared) table in the room. Matt Matros and James McManus each have about 1.1 million, and sandwiched between them is David Benefield who has 800,000.

The table has a brand new chip leader though. David Saab, from Melbourne Australia, just won a race with pocket queens against ace-king offsuit to vault himself to 1.5 million. These four big stacks now sit all in a row: Saab in seat 9, Matros in 1, Benefield in 2, and McManus in the 3 seat.

William Burdick Eliminated by Charalampos Tsaoussis

William Burdick was all-in with his 1010 against Tsaoussis’ AK. The flop – KQ10 – brought a couple of “Oohs” from the table. The turn was the A, turning Tsaoussis’ jack outs into split-pot outs but now giving him a full house draw. The river was the K, giving him the full house and eliminating Burdick. Tsaoussis now has 250,000.

Matusow gambles, down to 200k

With the board A975, Sigurd Eskeland found himself all in against Mike Matusow. Eskeland held AQ, while Matusow held T9 and needed help on the river. But the river was the 6 and Eskeland took down a pot of close to 400,000. After the hand Matusow had about 200,000 chips, less than half the average at this point.

Cantu doubles up Bishop

Joe Bishop was all in after a J-10-8 flop and Brandon Cantu, who is among the chip leaders, made the call. Cantu held A-J and was in terrible shape against Bishop's pocket aces. The turn and river were 10-8 and Bishop doubled up to about 500,000. Cantu now has just over one million chips.

Wrong Read for Ng

There was a raise and reraise preflop, and both Santeri Valikoski and Evelyn Ng saw the flop come down 822. Valikoski stepped out for a bet of 38,000, and Ng made a reraise to 90,000. Valikoski then pushed all-in, forcing Ng to make a decision for 74,000 more. A loss would tumble her down to about 120,000. Unable to believe her opponent, Ng called and showed 66. Valikoski had the goods however, tabling KK. The 5 on the turn and 7 on the river were narrow misses for Ng, but the pot was shipped to native of Finland.

Joseph Continues to Roll

A player in mid-position raised to 18,000 and current chip-leader Jeremy Joseph made the call from the cut-off. The button player also called, along with the big blind. The flop came A55, and after the blind checked, the original raiser bet 28,000. Joseph and the button player both called. The 9 on the turn was checked by all three players, then the K fell on the turn. The first player checked, and Joseph bet 100,000. The button player folded, and the first player couldn’t control his curiosity and called. Joseph flipped over A9 for two pair made on the turn, good enough to take the pot down. The player on the button claimed to hand held KJ for numerous outs after the flop, and had considered a call on the river.


 

Player Tags: Evelyn Ng,   Mike Matusow,   Matthew Matros,   Brandon Cantu,   Sigurd Eskeland,   David Saab,   Jeremy Joseph,   Charalampos Tsaoussis,   Santeri Valikoski,   European Report

$10,000 Main Event - Day 6 - Level 24 (Hour 1)

Jul 13, '08

Blinds/Antes: 15,000 / 30,000 / 4,000

Players Remaining: 71 of 6,844

Average Stack: 1.93 million

Chip Counts:

Dennis Phillips - 5,100,000
Nikolay Losev - 4,900,000
Brandon Cantu - 4,800,000
Aaron Gordon - 4,500,000
Nicholas Sliwinski - 4,500,000
Andrew Brokos - 4,500,000
Ivan Demidov - 4,300,000
Tiffany Michelle - 3,700,000
Judet Christian - 3,700,000
Chris Klodnicki - 3,650,000

Recent Eliminations:

72nd place - Daniel Buzgon - $96,500
73rd place - David Benefield - $77,200
74th place - Jamal Sawaqdeh - $77,200
75th place - Keith Hawkins - $77,200
76th place - Lisa Parsons - $77,200
77th place - Mark Wilds - $77,200
78th place - Matt Matros - $77,200
79th place - Bob Whalen - $77,200

Big Hands and Storylines:

Phil Hellmuth’s Penalty Disappears

During the final minutes of last night’s play, Phil Hellmuth berated Christian Dragomir after he won a pot with 104 and cracked Hellmuth’s ace-king.  Although the hand occurred at the end of the night, Hellmuth was assessed a one-orbit penalty to be administered during the first orbit of today’s play.

As the official “shuffle up and deal” announcement was made to start off the day, Hellmuth took his seat at the ESPN featured table and received cards on the first hand and continued to on all subsequent hands of the orbit.  An inquiry by our reporting team was answered with an explanation that the penalty had been “overruled.”  World Series of Poker media director Nolan Dalla informed our tournament reporting team that a statement would be released regarding the overruling within one hour.

Phil won three of the first nine “penalty” hands at his table, bringing well-needed improvement to his struggling chip stack.  He quickly rose to more than 1.5 million in chips.

Update: This morning Phil Hellmuth met with Jack Effel, WSOP Tournament Director, Howard Greenbaum, Harrah's Regional Vice President for Specialty Gaming, and Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the WSOP.  Based on that meeting and an official review of the situation, it was decided that the penalty imposed on Mr. Hellmuth at the conclusion of play last night was excessive.

"Warnings and penalties are intended to correct inappropriate behavior and our rulings should be as fair as possible, given the circumstances," said Pollack. "In this instance, the punishment did not fit the crime.

"Phil has now been warned and put on notice in a way that he never has been."

Sawaqdeh out in 74th place ($77,200), Crilly triples

Preflop, Jamal Sawaqdeh limped in from early position, and then Jamal Kunbuz raised to 125,000. Chris Crilly called from the small blind and Sawaqdeh called as well. After a 764 flop Crilly moved all in. Then Sawaqdeh quickly called all in, and after a minute Kunbuz called. Kunbuz had them both covered and when the cards were flipped up was a big favorite after the flop.

Chris Crilly: TT
Jamal Sawaqdeh: 55
Jamal Kunbuz: AA

Turn/River: TK

As far as the percentages go, Kunbuz went from worst to first on the turn, and then held on when the river was dealt. He nearly tripled up and now has roughly 2.7 million chips. Kunbuz droped to under two million chips after the hand.

Table 4

Flops were hard to come by in the first hour of play at table 4. The first seven hands resulted in late position raises and folds from blinds, and twice Alex Outhred was able to announce all-in after an early position raise, and got his opponents to fold. But then two consecutive hands resulted in a significant chip shift, as well as the first elimination of the day.

Bad Way to Start the Day

Justin Scott raised from early position to 90,000, and table chip leader Nikolay Losev made the call from the small blind. The flop came K62, and after Losev checked, Scott bet 175,000. Losev made the call, and after the Q came on the turn, both players checked. The 6 paired the board on the river, and Losev took the initiative by betting 350,000. Scott made the call and showed AK, but the free river had allowed Losev to hit trips with the A6 and he added to his chip stack.

Scott ran into trouble later in the level as well. He raised to 90,000 preflop and was called by David Saab in the big blind. The Q94 came on board, and both players checked. The 3 was the turn card and again both players checked. The 5 hit the river, and Saab stepped out for a 150,000 bet. Scott called, then mucked when Saab showed him the 88.

Saab Forces First Elimination

The first elimination of the day came courtesy David Saab who raised to 100,000 from the cut-off. Mike Matros then moved all-in from the small blind for 680,000 and Saab called. Saab held 33 while Matros had two overcards with the A7. The flop came paired with the JJ6, giving Matros further outs, as did the 9 on the turn. But the river was a brick, the 4, and Matros was eliminated.
 

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Matthew Matros,   Chris Crilly,   Justin Scott,   David Saab,   Nikolay Losev

$10,000 Main Event - Day 5 - Level 22 (Hour 2)

Jul 12, '08

Players are on a 90-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 9:30 p.m.

Blinds/Antes: 10,000 / 20,000 / 3,000

Players Remaining: 97 of 6,844

Chip Counts:
Nikolay Losev: 3,500,000
Mark Ketteringham: 3,500,000
Tiffany Michelle: 3,300,000
Jamal Kunbuz: 3,300,000
Brandon Cantu: 3,200,000
Aaron Gordon: 3,200,000
James McManus: 3,200,000
Peter Eastgate: 2,900,000
Justin Scott: 2,800,000
Allen Kennedy: 2,700,000

Average Stack: 1,368,800

Big Hands and Storylines:

Should Have Stayed in Bed

Dutch player Yde van Deutekon became an Internet sensation earlier this year when he created a website designed around the premise that people would pay to watch him spend entire days in bed. Sleepingrich.com earned him $19,000 before he travelled to Las Vegas for the WSOP.

Some days it doesn’t pay to get up. Van Deutekon was one from the cut-off and raised to 65,000 preflop. Joe Bishop was in the cut-off and made the call, as did Albert Kim from the button. Both blinds folded. The flop came JJ5, and all three players checked. The 6 came on the turn and Van Deutekon stabbed at the pot with a 90,000 bet. Bishop folded, but Kim made the call. The 7 fell on the river and again Deutekon checked. Kim announced a bet of 250,000 and Deutekon snap-called, announcing he had the nut flush. But lo and behold, he had misread his hand. He actually held AK and had been fortunate to not raise all-in as Kim had him substantially covered. Kim won the pot with J10, and Van Deutekon was left with just under 400,000 in chips.

Full credit to Van Deutekon, he took his misread in stride and was able to laugh about it with the rest of the table.

Aaron Keay Triples Up

Action folded around to Matt Matros, who limped from the cutoff. Aaron Keay, from the button, instantly tossed his last 150,000 into the pot. Phil Hellmuth in the big blind made the call and Matros, after a minute or so of intensely scrutinizing Hellmuth, did the same. The board came off AKK62 and Hellmuth and Matros checked every street. Immediately after Matros checked the river, Keay flipped over 22 for a rivered full house, good enough to take the pot, and pipping Matros’ pocket sevens and Hellmuth’s pocket fours.

Keay is now up to 480,000.

Kostritsyn Has Aces Cracked, Loses Pot Worth 1.2 Million

Alexander Kostritsyn has been having a tough level to say the least. The most expensive hit to his stack came with a board of AJ107 when he and his opponent, Reagan Silber, got it all in. Kostritsyn had Silber’s 616,000 in chips covered, but his AA was no good against Silber’s KQ. Silber seemed apprehensive when he saw Kostritsyn’s hand and feared a board pair on the river. Fortunately for Silber, the river came 2 and he successfully doubled up. The loss left Kostritsyn with approximately 1.5 million in chips.

Herzog Misses on Draw

Jamal Sawaqdeh and Geoffrey Herzog both committed 100,000 to the pot preflop and saw the board come K105. Sawaqdeh then announced all-in for his final 441,000, and Herzog made the call. Sawaqdeh showed KJ for top pair, while Herzog held AQ for the nut flush draw. The 8 came on the turn and Sawaqdeh dodged the river as well when the 4 came down.

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Matthew Matros,   Albert Kim,   Geoffrey Herzog,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Main Event - Day 4 - Level 17 - Hour 2

Jul 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 3,000-6,000-1,000

Players Remaining: 288 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:
Jeremy Joseph - 2,650,000
David Saab - 1,800,000
Suresh Prabhu - 1,300,000
Allen Cunningham - 1,300,000
Clint Schafer - 1,300,000
Tim Taylor - 1,250,000
William Soffin - 1,250,000
Robert Ford - 1,200,000
Jason Su - 1,200,000
Eric Bamer - 1,200,000

Other Notables
Matt Matros – 1,120,000
Mark Vos – 1,100,000
Stephen Kenna – 930,000
Alexander Kostritsyn – 720,000
Gus Hansen – 710,000
Thomas Keller – 630,000
Andrew Teng – 600,000
Ylon Schwartz – 560,000
Hevad Khan – 470,000
Chris Klodnicki – 440,000
Hoyt Corkins – 365,000
Phil Hellmuth – 320,000
Jeff Madsen – 300,000
Craig Marquis – 270,000
Kido Pham – 235,000
David Baker – 230,000
Mike Matusow – 180,000

Average Chip Stack: 475,278

Eliminations:
Dag Mikkelsen

Big Hands and Storylines:

The Table to Avoid

Table 1 in the blue section looks to be the most fearsome (and feared) table in the room. Matt Matros and James McManus each have about 1.1 million, and sandwiched between them is David Benefield who has 800,000.

The table has a brand new chip leader though. David Saab, from Melbourne Australia, just won a race with pocket queens against ace-king offsuit to vault himself to 1.5 million. These four big stacks now sit all in a row: Saab in seat 9, Matros in 1, Benefield in 2, and McManus in the 3 seat.

William Burdick Eliminated by Charalampos Tsaoussis

William Burdick was all-in with his 1010 against Tsaoussis’ AK. The flop – KQ10 – brought a couple of “Oohs” from the table. The turn was the A, turning Tsaoussis’ jack outs into split-pot outs but now giving him a full house draw. The river was the K, giving him the full house and eliminating Burdick. Tsaoussis now has 250,000.

Matusow gambles, down to 200k

With the board A975, Sigurd Eskeland found himself all in against Mike Matusow. Eskeland held AQ, while Matusow held T9 and needed help on the river. But the river was the 6 and Eskeland took down a pot of close to 400,000. After the hand Matusow had about 200,000 chips, less than half the average at this point.

Cantu doubles up Bishop

Joe Bishop was all in after a J-10-8 flop and Brandon Cantu, who is among the chip leaders, made the call. Cantu held A-J and was in terrible shape against Bishop's pocket aces. The turn and river were 10-8 and Bishop doubled up to about 500,000. Cantu now has just over one million chips.

Wrong Read for Ng

There was a raise and reraise preflop, and both Santeri Valikoski and Evelyn Ng saw the flop come down 822. Valikoski stepped out for a bet of 38,000, and Ng made a reraise to 90,000. Valikoski then pushed all-in, forcing Ng to make a decision for 74,000 more. A loss would tumble her down to about 120,000. Unable to believe her opponent, Ng called and showed 66. Valikoski had the goods however, tabling KK. The 5 on the turn and 7 on the river were narrow misses for Ng, but the pot was shipped to native of Finland.

Joseph Continues to Roll

A player in mid-position raised to 18,000 and current chip-leader Jeremy Joseph made the call from the cut-off. The button player also called, along with the big blind. The flop came A55, and after the blind checked, the original raiser bet 28,000. Joseph and the button player both called. The 9 on the turn was checked by all three players, then the K fell on the turn. The first player checked, and Joseph bet 100,000. The button player folded, and the first player couldn’t control his curiosity and called. Joseph flipped over A9 for two pair made on the turn, good enough to take the pot down. The player on the button claimed to hand held KJ for numerous outs after the flop, and had considered a call on the river.


 

Player Tags: Evelyn Ng,   Mike Matusow,   Matthew Matros,   Brandon Cantu,   Sigurd Eskeland,   David Saab,   Jeremy Joseph,   Charalampos Tsaoussis,   Santeri Valikoski,   European Report

$10,000 Main Event - Day 6 - Level 24 (Hour 1)

Jul 13, '08

Blinds/Antes: 15,000 / 30,000 / 4,000

Players Remaining: 71 of 6,844

Average Stack: 1.93 million

Chip Counts:

Dennis Phillips - 5,100,000
Nikolay Losev - 4,900,000
Brandon Cantu - 4,800,000
Aaron Gordon - 4,500,000
Nicholas Sliwinski - 4,500,000
Andrew Brokos - 4,500,000
Ivan Demidov - 4,300,000
Tiffany Michelle - 3,700,000
Judet Christian - 3,700,000
Chris Klodnicki - 3,650,000

Recent Eliminations:

72nd place - Daniel Buzgon - $96,500
73rd place - David Benefield - $77,200
74th place - Jamal Sawaqdeh - $77,200
75th place - Keith Hawkins - $77,200
76th place - Lisa Parsons - $77,200
77th place - Mark Wilds - $77,200
78th place - Matt Matros - $77,200
79th place - Bob Whalen - $77,200

Big Hands and Storylines:

Phil Hellmuth’s Penalty Disappears

During the final minutes of last night’s play, Phil Hellmuth berated Christian Dragomir after he won a pot with 104 and cracked Hellmuth’s ace-king.  Although the hand occurred at the end of the night, Hellmuth was assessed a one-orbit penalty to be administered during the first orbit of today’s play.

As the official “shuffle up and deal” announcement was made to start off the day, Hellmuth took his seat at the ESPN featured table and received cards on the first hand and continued to on all subsequent hands of the orbit.  An inquiry by our reporting team was answered with an explanation that the penalty had been “overruled.”  World Series of Poker media director Nolan Dalla informed our tournament reporting team that a statement would be released regarding the overruling within one hour.

Phil won three of the first nine “penalty” hands at his table, bringing well-needed improvement to his struggling chip stack.  He quickly rose to more than 1.5 million in chips.

Update: This morning Phil Hellmuth met with Jack Effel, WSOP Tournament Director, Howard Greenbaum, Harrah's Regional Vice President for Specialty Gaming, and Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the WSOP.  Based on that meeting and an official review of the situation, it was decided that the penalty imposed on Mr. Hellmuth at the conclusion of play last night was excessive.

"Warnings and penalties are intended to correct inappropriate behavior and our rulings should be as fair as possible, given the circumstances," said Pollack. "In this instance, the punishment did not fit the crime.

"Phil has now been warned and put on notice in a way that he never has been."

Sawaqdeh out in 74th place ($77,200), Crilly triples

Preflop, Jamal Sawaqdeh limped in from early position, and then Jamal Kunbuz raised to 125,000. Chris Crilly called from the small blind and Sawaqdeh called as well. After a 764 flop Crilly moved all in. Then Sawaqdeh quickly called all in, and after a minute Kunbuz called. Kunbuz had them both covered and when the cards were flipped up was a big favorite after the flop.

Chris Crilly: TT
Jamal Sawaqdeh: 55
Jamal Kunbuz: AA

Turn/River: TK

As far as the percentages go, Kunbuz went from worst to first on the turn, and then held on when the river was dealt. He nearly tripled up and now has roughly 2.7 million chips. Kunbuz droped to under two million chips after the hand.

Table 4

Flops were hard to come by in the first hour of play at table 4. The first seven hands resulted in late position raises and folds from blinds, and twice Alex Outhred was able to announce all-in after an early position raise, and got his opponents to fold. But then two consecutive hands resulted in a significant chip shift, as well as the first elimination of the day.

Bad Way to Start the Day

Justin Scott raised from early position to 90,000, and table chip leader Nikolay Losev made the call from the small blind. The flop came K62, and after Losev checked, Scott bet 175,000. Losev made the call, and after the Q came on the turn, both players checked. The 6 paired the board on the river, and Losev took the initiative by betting 350,000. Scott made the call and showed AK, but the free river had allowed Losev to hit trips with the A6 and he added to his chip stack.

Scott ran into trouble later in the level as well. He raised to 90,000 preflop and was called by David Saab in the big blind. The Q94 came on board, and both players checked. The 3 was the turn card and again both players checked. The 5 hit the river, and Saab stepped out for a 150,000 bet. Scott called, then mucked when Saab showed him the 88.

Saab Forces First Elimination

The first elimination of the day came courtesy David Saab who raised to 100,000 from the cut-off. Mike Matros then moved all-in from the small blind for 680,000 and Saab called. Saab held 33 while Matros had two overcards with the A7. The flop came paired with the JJ6, giving Matros further outs, as did the 9 on the turn. But the river was a brick, the 4, and Matros was eliminated.
 

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Matthew Matros,   Chris Crilly,   Justin Scott,   David Saab,   Nikolay Losev

$10,000 Main Event - Day 5 - Level 22 (Hour 2)

Jul 12, '08

Players are on a 90-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 9:30 p.m.

Blinds/Antes: 10,000 / 20,000 / 3,000

Players Remaining: 97 of 6,844

Chip Counts:
Nikolay Losev: 3,500,000
Mark Ketteringham: 3,500,000
Tiffany Michelle: 3,300,000
Jamal Kunbuz: 3,300,000
Brandon Cantu: 3,200,000
Aaron Gordon: 3,200,000
James McManus: 3,200,000
Peter Eastgate: 2,900,000
Justin Scott: 2,800,000
Allen Kennedy: 2,700,000

Average Stack: 1,368,800

Big Hands and Storylines:

Should Have Stayed in Bed

Dutch player Yde van Deutekon became an Internet sensation earlier this year when he created a website designed around the premise that people would pay to watch him spend entire days in bed. Sleepingrich.com earned him $19,000 before he travelled to Las Vegas for the WSOP.

Some days it doesn’t pay to get up. Van Deutekon was one from the cut-off and raised to 65,000 preflop. Joe Bishop was in the cut-off and made the call, as did Albert Kim from the button. Both blinds folded. The flop came JJ5, and all three players checked. The 6 came on the turn and Van Deutekon stabbed at the pot with a 90,000 bet. Bishop folded, but Kim made the call. The 7 fell on the river and again Deutekon checked. Kim announced a bet of 250,000 and Deutekon snap-called, announcing he had the nut flush. But lo and behold, he had misread his hand. He actually held AK and had been fortunate to not raise all-in as Kim had him substantially covered. Kim won the pot with J10, and Van Deutekon was left with just under 400,000 in chips.

Full credit to Van Deutekon, he took his misread in stride and was able to laugh about it with the rest of the table.

Aaron Keay Triples Up

Action folded around to Matt Matros, who limped from the cutoff. Aaron Keay, from the button, instantly tossed his last 150,000 into the pot. Phil Hellmuth in the big blind made the call and Matros, after a minute or so of intensely scrutinizing Hellmuth, did the same. The board came off AKK62 and Hellmuth and Matros checked every street. Immediately after Matros checked the river, Keay flipped over 22 for a rivered full house, good enough to take the pot, and pipping Matros’ pocket sevens and Hellmuth’s pocket fours.

Keay is now up to 480,000.

Kostritsyn Has Aces Cracked, Loses Pot Worth 1.2 Million

Alexander Kostritsyn has been having a tough level to say the least. The most expensive hit to his stack came with a board of AJ107 when he and his opponent, Reagan Silber, got it all in. Kostritsyn had Silber’s 616,000 in chips covered, but his AA was no good against Silber’s KQ. Silber seemed apprehensive when he saw Kostritsyn’s hand and feared a board pair on the river. Fortunately for Silber, the river came 2 and he successfully doubled up. The loss left Kostritsyn with approximately 1.5 million in chips.

Herzog Misses on Draw

Jamal Sawaqdeh and Geoffrey Herzog both committed 100,000 to the pot preflop and saw the board come K105. Sawaqdeh then announced all-in for his final 441,000, and Herzog made the call. Sawaqdeh showed KJ for top pair, while Herzog held AQ for the nut flush draw. The 8 came on the turn and Sawaqdeh dodged the river as well when the 4 came down.

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Matthew Matros,   Albert Kim,   Geoffrey Herzog,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Main Event - Day 4 - Level 17 - Hour 2

Jul 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 3,000-6,000-1,000

Players Remaining: 288 of 6,844

Chip Leaders:
Jeremy Joseph - 2,650,000
David Saab - 1,800,000
Suresh Prabhu - 1,300,000
Allen Cunningham - 1,300,000
Clint Schafer - 1,300,000
Tim Taylor - 1,250,000
William Soffin - 1,250,000
Robert Ford - 1,200,000
Jason Su - 1,200,000
Eric Bamer - 1,200,000

Other Notables
Matt Matros – 1,120,000
Mark Vos – 1,100,000
Stephen Kenna – 930,000
Alexander Kostritsyn – 720,000
Gus Hansen – 710,000
Thomas Keller – 630,000
Andrew Teng – 600,000
Ylon Schwartz – 560,000
Hevad Khan – 470,000
Chris Klodnicki – 440,000
Hoyt Corkins – 365,000
Phil Hellmuth – 320,000
Jeff Madsen – 300,000
Craig Marquis – 270,000
Kido Pham – 235,000
David Baker – 230,000
Mike Matusow – 180,000

Average Chip Stack: 475,278

Eliminations:
Dag Mikkelsen

Big Hands and Storylines:

The Table to Avoid

Table 1 in the blue section looks to be the most fearsome (and feared) table in the room. Matt Matros and James McManus each have about 1.1 million, and sandwiched between them is David Benefield who has 800,000.

The table has a brand new chip leader though. David Saab, from Melbourne Australia, just won a race with pocket queens against ace-king offsuit to vault himself to 1.5 million. These four big stacks now sit all in a row: Saab in seat 9, Matros in 1, Benefield in 2, and McManus in the 3 seat.

William Burdick Eliminated by Charalampos Tsaoussis

William Burdick was all-in with his 1010 against Tsaoussis’ AK. The flop – KQ10 – brought a couple of “Oohs” from the table. The turn was the A, turning Tsaoussis’ jack outs into split-pot outs but now giving him a full house draw. The river was the K, giving him the full house and eliminating Burdick. Tsaoussis now has 250,000.

Matusow gambles, down to 200k

With the board A975, Sigurd Eskeland found himself all in against Mike Matusow. Eskeland held AQ, while Matusow held T9 and needed help on the river. But the river was the 6 and Eskeland took down a pot of close to 400,000. After the hand Matusow had about 200,000 chips, less than half the average at this point.

Cantu doubles up Bishop

Joe Bishop was all in after a J-10-8 flop and Brandon Cantu, who is among the chip leaders, made the call. Cantu held A-J and was in terrible shape against Bishop's pocket aces. The turn and river were 10-8 and Bishop doubled up to about 500,000. Cantu now has just over one million chips.

Wrong Read for Ng

There was a raise and reraise preflop, and both Santeri Valikoski and Evelyn Ng saw the flop come down 822. Valikoski stepped out for a bet of 38,000, and Ng made a reraise to 90,000. Valikoski then pushed all-in, forcing Ng to make a decision for 74,000 more. A loss would tumble her down to about 120,000. Unable to believe her opponent, Ng called and showed 66. Valikoski had the goods however, tabling KK. The 5 on the turn and 7 on the river were narrow misses for Ng, but the pot was shipped to native of Finland.

Joseph Continues to Roll

A player in mid-position raised to 18,000 and current chip-leader Jeremy Joseph made the call from the cut-off. The button player also called, along with the big blind. The flop came A55, and after the blind checked, the original raiser bet 28,000. Joseph and the button player both called. The 9 on the turn was checked by all three players, then the K fell on the turn. The first player checked, and Joseph bet 100,000. The button player folded, and the first player couldn’t control his curiosity and called. Joseph flipped over A9 for two pair made on the turn, good enough to take the pot down. The player on the button claimed to hand held KJ for numerous outs after the flop, and had considered a call on the river.


 

Player Tags: Evelyn Ng,   Mike Matusow,   Matthew Matros,   Brandon Cantu,   Sigurd Eskeland,   David Saab,   Jeremy Joseph,   Charalampos Tsaoussis,   Santeri Valikoski,   European Report

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Matt Matros Eliminated

Jul 02, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 25,000-50,000, 5,000 ante

Chip Counts:
Farzad Rouhani - 2,220,000
Scott Sitron - 1,955,000
Corwin Cole - 1,750,000
David Daneshgar – 1,625,000
Daniel Heimiller – 400,000

Eliminations:
Sixth Place – Matt Matros ($148,875)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Matt Matros Eliminated in Sixth Place ($148,875)

Corwin Cole, first to act, raised to 125,000 and Matt Matros wasted no time in moving all-in for his 690,000 chips. Cole audibly sighed before making the call and the two showed their cards:

Matros: AQ
Cole: A9

The flop came down K94 and Matros shook his head in disbelief. The 10 on the turn gave Cole the flush and spelled the end of the day for Matros. For his sixth place finish Matros took home $148,875.

Heimiller Chipping Up

Dan Heimiller went from short stack of 400,000 to over a million in chips in a very unorthodox manner. Instead of doubling up on a single hand, Heimiller was steadily chipping up playing post-flop poker, winning 4 out of 5 hands at one point.

Daneshgar Goes To The Break In Style

David Daneshgar raised to 125,000 from under-the gun and he was called by Dan Heimiller on the button. The flop came 1085 and Daneshgar led out for 200,000. Heimiller mulled it over before making a smallish raise to 500,000. Before Heimiller had even finished moving his chips into the pot, Daneshgar moved all-in. Heimiller folded immediately and Daneshgar took down the pot.

That pot brought Daneshgar up to 1,625,000 and ended Heimiller's recent run, knocking him down to around 400,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Scott Sitron,   Corwin Cole

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Courtney and Zaichenko Eliminated

Jul 02, '08

Blinds: 20,000-40,000, 5,000 ante

Chip Counts:
David Daneshgar - 1,910,000
Scott Sitron - 1,820,000
Farzad Rouhani - 1,725,000
Corwin Cole - 1,500,000
Daniel Heimiler - 580,000
Matthew Matros - 495,000

Eliminations:
Seventh Place – Andrey Zaichenko ($112,116)
Eighth Place – Jeff Courtney ($84,546)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Jeff Courtney Eliminated in Eighth Place ($84,546)

Today was just not Jeff Courtney’s day. On three occasions the young man from Lancaster, Pennsylvania got his chips in with a solid hand against Farzad Rouhani, and on three occasions he would lose a big pot.

The final blow took place minutes after returning from a 20-minute break. Rouhani raised to 105,000 and Courtney moved all-in for 475,000 from the button. After a bit of thinking, Rouhani said, “Let’s go,” and made the call, showing AQ, a hand that he had folded earlier in a not too dissimilar situation. He was racing against Courtney’s JJ. The flop was another dagger for Courtney: Q94, and when the turn (4) and river (9) failed to improve his hand, he would be eliminated. For his three days of work, Jeff Courtney took home $84,546.

Corwin Cole Doubles Through Matt Matros

Corwin Cole raised to 100,000 from the cutoff and was called by Matt Matros in the small blind. The flop came AK6 and Matros checked to Cole. Cole bet 135,000 and action was back on Matros. The Yale grad did not take very long before sliding in a stack of green chips totaling 400,000. Cole then moved all-in and was insta-called by Matros. The two showed their hands:

Cole: 66
Matros: QJ

Cole flopped a set of sixes but still needed to dodge Matros’ 11 outs. When the A came on the turn all suspense was dashed. That hand gave Cole the chip lead with 2,115,000. After a couple of hours of patient play as the chip leader, Matros suddenly became the shortstack with 480,000.

Andrey Zaichenko Eliminated in Seventh Place ($112,116)

The table folded around to Andrey Zaichenko who open-shoved for 770,000 on the button. Scott Sitron quickly called from the small blind and Daneshgar folded. Sitron had the goods – KK – but that was not the case for Zaichenko, who showed his 96. Zaichenko would fall even further behind on the KQ2 flop. The 9 turn and A river provided no miracles for the Russian and his day was done. Zaichenko’s seventh place finish was good for $112,116.

Sitron’s timely kings helped propel him to 1,880,000.

David Daneshgar Doubles Through Corwin Cole

Daneshgar raised to 105,000 from the button and Corwin Cole moved all-in from the big blind. Daneshgar was clearly uncomfortable with the decision to be made, first sprawling face down across the table and then standing up with his arms crossed. Trusting his read, Daneshgar made the call with AJ. Cole smiled and turned over 86. An excellent call by Daneshgar for sure, but he was still only a 59 percent favorite going to the flop. The board came A942A and Daneshgar won the hand handily.

Daneshgar’s double up took him to 1,910,000 and Cole took a slight hit, dropping to 1,475,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   European Report,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Musical Chips

Jul 02, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Chip Counts:
Matthew Matros - 1,417,000
Scott Sitron - 1,308,000
Corwin Cole - 1,293,000
Daniel Heimiller - 1,042,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 897,000
Jeff Courtney - 895,000
Farzad Rouhani - 809,000
David Daneshgar - 434,000

Big Hands and Storylines:

Dan Heimiller Doubles Through David Daneshgar

In an action-packed hand, Dan Heimiller would go from short-stack to fourth in chips. Farzad Rouhani raised to 80,000 from under-the-gun. Andrey Zaichenko called and action folded to David Daneshgar who made it 306,000. Dan Heimiller then moved all-in from the small blind. Rouhani reluctantly folded, as did Zaichenko, and Daneshgar made the call. The two showed their hands:

Heimiller: AA
Daneshgar: KK

Heimiller’s aces would hold up on a board of 96246 and his double-up would see him crack the 1 million chip mark, 1,042,000 to be exact. Daneshgar, with 434,000, was left cursing his luck.

Rouhani claimed to have folded pocket jacks on the hand, and Zaichenko pocket eights

Farzad Rouhani Again Doubles Through Jeff Courtney

Action folded around to Farzad Rouhani in the cutoff. He raised to 75,000 and Jeff Courtney made the call in the big blind. The flop was J85 and Courtney led out with a  bet of 150,000. Rouhani cut and re-cut his chips before moving all-in for 472,000. Courtney quickly called and the two showed their cards:

Rouhani: AA
Courtney: KJ

Courtney's top pair and second nut-flush draw must have looked good to him when the flop came out, but it lost almost all of its luster once he saw Rouhani's cards. Courtney was drawing to a non-heart king or a jack, but he was drawing dead after the 9h came on the turn.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Finn Finished

Jul 02, '08

Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Chip Counts:
Matthew Matros - 1,467,000
Scott Sitron - 1,223,000
Corwin Cole - 1,040,000
David Daneshgar - 979,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 970,000
Farzad Rouhani - 966,000
Jeff Courtney - 781,000
Daniel Heimiller - 549,000

Eliminations:
Ninth place – Voitto Rintala ($57,712)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Scott Sitron Doubles Up; Voitto Rintala Crippled

Scott Sitron raised from early position to 60,000 with blinds at 12,000/24,000 and after a few moments of deliberation, Voitto Rintala moved all-in for 544,000, sliding his stack of chips into the middle. Action folded back around to Sintron who made the call, and the two showed their cards:

Rintala: 88
Sitron: QQ

Rintala needed an 8 but it was not to be. The board came out J42JA and Rintala was crippled, his stack reduced to a mere 46,000. After the double-up, Sitron had 1 million in chips.

Voitto Rintala Eliminated in Ninth Place ($57,712)

Moments after the above hand, Rintala moved all-in for his final 46,000. He was called by Jeff Courtney behind him and then again by Farzad Rouhani in the big blind. The flop came down 955 and both players checked. The turn was the Q and Rouhani bet 40,000, leaving himself only 114,000 behind. Courtney, without too much thought, made the call. The river card was the very interesting 5. Rouhani shrugged and declared all-in, placing his final column of chips down onto the table. Courtney quietly called and Rouhani tabled Q5 for quad fives. Rouhani’s double up took him to about 450,000. The Finn, showing pocket sixes, saw his day come to a rather alacritous finish. Rintala was eliminated in ninth place, taking home $57,712.

Farzad Rouhani Doubles Through Jeff Courtney

Farzad Rouhani raised to 67,000 from early position with blinds at 12,000/24,000 and was called by Jeff Courtney and David Daneshgar from the button and small blind respectively. Daneshgar checked the Q32 and Rouhani bet 280,000. Courtney moved all-in, Daneshgar got out of the way and Rouhani called. Rouhani showed AJ for the nut flush draw and an overcard while Courtney turned over KQ for top pair. Rouhani called for a spade or ace on the turn. The turn, however, was the Q, giving Courtney trip queens. Rouhani was one card away from going home until the dealer flipped over the 8 on the river. Rouhani shouted “Yes!” in celebration, and sat back down in his chair. The hand boosted Rouhani to 886,000 and knocked Courtney down to 781,000.

Andrey Zaichenko Doubles Through Corwin Cole

Corwin Cole raised to 75,000 and Andrey Zaichenko raised all-in to 458,000. Action folded back around to Cole who, after some thought, made the call. The two showed their cards:

Zaichenko: KJ
Cole: A10

Cole’s read was good, and his A10 was in the lead. He remained in the lead on the AK5 flop, but things got a bit dicey for him when the 9 came on the turn, giving Zaichenko a flush draw. The river did not bring the flush, but the K was enough for Zaichenko to take down the pot, bringing him to 970,000. Cole is still at over 1 million in chips.

 

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Viotto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 20 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Left: 11 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Corwin Cole - 1,450,000
Jeffery Courtney - 1,280,000
Matthew Matros - 875,000
Farzad Rouhani - 720,000
Daniel Heimiller - 710,000
Scott Sitron - 600,000
Voitto Rintala - 530,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 470,000
Todd Hanks - 460,000
David Daneshgar - 420,000

Average Stack: 734,450

Eliminations:
12^th – Brock Mishler
13^th – Joachim Berg-Jensen
14^th – Elliot Smith

Big Hands and Storylines:

Joachim Berg-Jensen Eliminated By Dan Heimiller

Dan Heimiller raised from early position and action folded around to Joachim Berg-Jensen in the small blind. Berg-Jensen shoved for 255,000 and was called by Heimiller. Berg-Jensen had AK but Heimiller had QQ and a slight lead. The flop was ten-high and rainbow, and Berg-Jensen was left to catch either an ace or king on the turn/river to take down the pot and continue on in the tournament. The turn was the 2 and Berg-Jensen was down to one final card. The river was the 3 and that was all she wrote for Berg-Jensen.

Heimiller Eliminates Another

Brock Mishler opened the betting by moving all-in on the button for approximately 200,000. Dan Heimiller made the call from the big blind and then two showed their cards:

Mishler: J10
Heimiller: A8

The board came down 7735Q and Heimiller’s ace-high would hold up to take down the pot, eliminating Mishler.

This pot brought Heimiller’s stack to nearly 1,300,000, but he would later be cut down to 710,000 after a failed bluff attempt against Jeffery Courtney.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney,   Brock Mishler,   Joachim Berg-Jensen,   Todd Hanks

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 19 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 8,000-16,000

Players Left: 14 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Matthew Matros - 1,025,000
Corwin Cole - 895,000
Daniel Heimiller - 830,000
Farzad Rouhani - 720,000
Jeffery Courtney - 630,000
Gary Biggar - 623,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 620,000
Voitto Rintala - 530,000
Todd Hanks - 460,000
David Daneshgar - 420,000

Average Stack: 577,075

Eliminations:
15^th – Cody Slaubaugh
16^th – Lars Sundberg
17^th – Daniel Hughes
18^th – Eric Jolly
19^th – Petter Frannson
20^th – Richard Kirsch

Big Hands and Storylines:

Corwin, For The Win

The players redrew at 18 players, and despite the full 9-handed tables in play, table 1 was still packed with action. Elliot Smith raised to 40,000 from middle position and Scott Sitron, on his left, raised to 110,000. Corwin Cole, after a moment’s thought, moved all-in for 328,000. Eric Jolly then called all-in. Smith folded and Sitron called, having everyone covered. The three showed their hands:

Scott Sitron: AA
Corwin Cole: QQ
Eric Jolly: JJ

The flop came 862 and nothing had changed. The turn came K, Sitron was one card away from a massive chip advantage at the table, but the river changed that. The river was the Q and Corwin Cole took down the pot, though you would never know it by his expression. He sat stone-faced, moving only to rake in the monster pot. After the hand, Cole had 950,000, Sitron had 250,000, and Jolly was eliminated... which nobody could deny.

Daniel Hughes Eliminated

Daniel Hughes moved all-in for 145,000 from late position. Andrey Zaichenko moved all-in behind him and everybody else folded. Hughes showed A10 and Zaichenko had QQ. The flop came Q82 and Hughes was drawing almost dead. The 10 sealed his fate and he was eliminated in 17^th place.

Zaichenko Gives Some Back

Action folded around to Gary Biggar in the small blind and he shoved all-in for about 123,000. Zaichenko looked down at his cards in the big blind and he opted to call. The two turned over:

Biggar: A8
Zaichenko: K7

The flop helped out Biggar a lot: A97. The turn, though, was the 10, giving Zaichenko an open-ended straight draw. The river was the blank of all blanks – the 2 – and Biggar doubled up to 250,000. Zaichenko still has about 900,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Richard Kirsch,   Daniel Hughes,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney,   Todd Hanks

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 18 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 6,000-12,000

Players Left:   20 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Dan Heimiller – 1,100,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 750,000
Matthew Matros - 712,000
Farzad Rouhani - 600,000
Scott Sitron - 570,000
Richard Kirsch - 490,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 475,000
Elliot Smith - 380,000
Voitto Rintala - 310,000
Corwin Cole - 282,000

Average Stack: 403,950

Eliminations:
21^st – Martin Cardno
22^nd – Paulo Nunes
23^rd – Joe Neiman
24^th – Dan Harmetz
25^th – Mimi Tran
26^th – Anders Fraulund
27^th – Andrew Garvin

Big Hands and Storylines:

Heimiller Time

Dan Heimiller raised to 40,000 in late position and action folded around to Andrew Garvin in the blinds. Garvin moved all-in for about 180,000. Heimiller insta-called and flipped up AA. Garvin showed 99. The board came 10758K and Garvin was eliminated. Heimiller grew his stack to an even more impressive 1,100,000.

Biggar is Better; Mimi Tran Eliminated

Gary Biggar and Mimi Tran, both short-stacked, got all-in pre-flop. Biggar had Tran dominated with his AQ going against her KQ. The flop came 1044 and the turn was the 6. Going to the river, Tran had only 3 outs, and when the 4 peeled off, her tournament was over. After winning the hand Biggar was up to 175,000.

Set Over Set Propels Rouhani

Farzad Rouhani raised to 36,000 from early position and Andriy Zaichenko made the call from the cutoff. The two saw a flop of 985. Rouhani led out for 32,000 and Zaichenko raised to 100,000. Undeterred by this show of strength, Rouhani moved all-in and was snap-called by Zaichenko. The two turned over their hands:

Rouhani: 99
Zaichenko: 55

Zaichenko did not make quads and he took a big hit, now at 750,000. Rouhani’s double up gives him 600,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Mimi Tran,   Matthew Matros,   Richard Kirsch,   Andrew Garvin,   Dan Harmetz,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Martin Cardno,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Anders Fraulund

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 17 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 5,000-10,000

Players Left:  28 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Matthew Matros - 712,000
Scott Sitron - 570,000
Richard Kirsch - 490,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 410,000
Elliot Smith - 380,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 375,000
Farzad Rouhani - 310,000
Voitto Rintala - 310,000
Joseph Neiman - 310,000
Corwin Cole - 282,000

Average Stack: 288,535

Eliminations:
Ben Spraggons
John McCauley
Esther Garza
Tim Barchie

Big Hands and Storylines:

Sundberg Doubles Up Through Tran

Mimi Tran raised to 30,000 from the button and Lars Sundberg moved all-in from the big blind. It was 49,000 more to Tran and she analyzed her decision. After about 50 seconds of thought, she made the call and the two turned up their cards:

Sundberg: 88
Tran: AQ

The board came 10975J and Sundberg won the hand with a jack-high straight. Sundberg now has 170,000 while Tran is languishing with 100,000.

Matros Keeps Accumulating

Twice during recent rounds, players have attempted to steal the blinds of Matt Matros. On both occasions Matros put in a big raise and forced the players to lay down their hands. Matt Matros did play a hand that went to showdown though. Anders Fraulund raised to 30,000 and this time Matros opted to call in the big blind. Matros checked the 965 flop and called a 45,000 bet from Fraulund. Both players checked when the 6 paired the board. The river was the 7 and Matros led out for 90,000. Fraulund called instantly and when Matros had confirmed this with the dealer he showed A6 for turned trips. Fraulund showed K9 and said, “Good hand.”

Matros has about 700,000. Fraulund is down to 160,000.

Tim Barchie Eliminated By Cody Slaubaugh

Tim Barchie moved all-in from early position and action folded around to Cody “thugmoneymkr” Slaubaugh in the small blind. It was 80,000 more to call for him. Instead of simply calling, he shoved over the raise for about 300,000. The big blind folded and the two showed their hands:

Barchie: A4
Slaubaugh: A6

The flop was perfect for Slaugbaugh: J106. Barchie could not catch up and he was eliminated.

Slaubaugh now has 410,000.

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Mimi Tran,   Matthew Matros,   Richard Kirsch,   Joseph Neiman,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Tim Barchie,   Anders Fraulund

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 16

Jul 01, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 4,000-8,000

Players Left:  35 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Daniel Heimiller - 610,000
Scott Sitron - 570,000
Matthew Matros - 550,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 430,000
Corwin Cole - 404,000
Elliot Smith - 380,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 355,000
Joachim Berg-Jensen - 350,000
Richard Kirsch - 340,000
Anders Fraulund - 330,000

Average Stack: 230,825

Eliminations:
Alvin Zeidenfeld
Gary Marcum
Vanessa Rousso

Big Hands and Storylines:

Matros and Heimiller Butt Heads

Two of the bigger stacks in the tournament, Matt Matros and Dan Heimiller, played a fairly large pot in the last level. Action folded around to Matros in the small blind and he raised it to 24,000. Dan Heimiller made a fairly quick call. The flop ran off 988 and Matros led out with a bet of 35,000. Heimiller made another quick call. Matros checked on the 10 turn and Heimiller bet 80,000. Matros stacked a column of orange chips, pulled them back in toward his stack, and declared himself all-in.

Heimiller was now stuck. He stared at the board, talking to himself, for nearly 7 minutes before Matros called the clock on him. The floorwoman came over and informed Heimiller that he had one minute to make a decision and at the end of the one minute his hand would be ruled dead. No sooner than she had finished her speech, Heimiller folded his hand.

After this confrontation, Matros is up to 520,000. Heimiller would be down to 455,000 but later chipped up to 610,000 to become chip leader.

Cardno Not Card Dead

Alvin Zeidenfeld, action having folded to him, moved all-in from the button for 63,500. Mimi Tran folded and Martin Cardno made a quick call. Zeidenfeld showed QJ and Cardno had A8. The board – K7793 – changed nothing, and Cardno won the hand. After a few moments of counting by the dealer (with some help by Mimi Tran), it was decided that Cardno had more chips and Zeidenfeld was eliminated.  Cardno now has 140,000.

Garvin Stomps, Eliminates Marcum

Gary Marcum moved all-in from middle position for 70,000 and Andrew Garvin made a quick call after action folded around to him. Marcum, without much confidence, showed A8. His pessimism was warranted, however, as Garvin showed AA. There would be no miracle for Marcum as the board rolled out Q549A. Marcum was covered by a few thousand, and he was eliminated. After the hand Garvin was up to 140,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Matthew Matros,   Richard Kirsch,   Andrew Garvin,   Alvin Zeidenfeld,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Scott Sitron,   Martin Cardno,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Gary Marcum,   Anders Fraulund,   Joachim Berg-Jensen

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 15 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 3,000-6,000

Players Left:  52 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Scott Sitron - 560,000
Corwin Cole - 420,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 370,000
Jeffery Courtney - 240,000
Mimi Tran - 230,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 220,000
Daniel Heimiller - 192,000
Gary Marcum - 180,000
Hans Erlandsson - 175,000
Matthew Matros - 168,000
Alvin Zeidenfeld - 163,000

Average Stack: 155,365

Eliminations:
Jason Morgan
John Monnette
Nath Pizzolatto

Big Hands and Storylines:

It’s a Good Day To Have Ace-Queen: Part I

John McCauley raised to 30,000 from the cutoff and the button moved all-in for 120,000. McCauley, who only had 60,000 left behind, made the call with AQ while the button had 66. The flop was J95 and the turn was the 10, giving McCauley an open-ended straight-draw in addition to his two over cards. Before either player even had a chance to soak in the suspense, the dealer turned over the Q, giving McCauley new life in the tournament. After the hand he was up to about 190,000.

It’s a Good Day To Have Ace-Queen: Part II

Corwin Cole raised to 15,000 from early position. A player in middle position called, and the player to his left moved all-in. The dealer counted up the chips and it was 52,000 more to Cole. After only about 20 seconds of thought, Cole made the call. The third player quickly folded and the two showed their hands:

Cole: AQ
Opponent: 88

The flop came K99 and Cole was drawing to six outs. The 5 was unhelpful, but once again, a queen – the Q – appeared on the river to help out ace-queen. Cole's opponent wasted no extra time at the table. He immediately walked over to the payout stand, located a mere 4 or 5 feet from his seat, and informed the tournament officials that he had been eliminated.

Cole is now up to 420,000.

Spraggons’ Kings Crack Aces

Ben “Spraggs” Spraggons and James Morgan got all in pre-flop. Morgan was well ahead with his AA dominating Spraggons’ KK. The flop was harmless: 842. The turn was anything but harmless however. When the K came off the deck Morgan sprung from his chair like it was electrified and began to bemoan his bad luck, “I’m not meant to win this year.” The turn blanked, and just like that Spraggons was up to 90,000. Morgan, down to 30,000, would be eliminated two hands later when his 73 was no match for, what else, KK.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Mimi Tran,   Matthew Matros,   Alvin Zeidenfeld,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Jason Morgan,   Hans Erlandsson,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Gary Marcum,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Matt Matros Eliminated

Jul 02, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 25,000-50,000, 5,000 ante

Chip Counts:
Farzad Rouhani - 2,220,000
Scott Sitron - 1,955,000
Corwin Cole - 1,750,000
David Daneshgar – 1,625,000
Daniel Heimiller – 400,000

Eliminations:
Sixth Place – Matt Matros ($148,875)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Matt Matros Eliminated in Sixth Place ($148,875)

Corwin Cole, first to act, raised to 125,000 and Matt Matros wasted no time in moving all-in for his 690,000 chips. Cole audibly sighed before making the call and the two showed their cards:

Matros: AQ
Cole: A9

The flop came down K94 and Matros shook his head in disbelief. The 10 on the turn gave Cole the flush and spelled the end of the day for Matros. For his sixth place finish Matros took home $148,875.

Heimiller Chipping Up

Dan Heimiller went from short stack of 400,000 to over a million in chips in a very unorthodox manner. Instead of doubling up on a single hand, Heimiller was steadily chipping up playing post-flop poker, winning 4 out of 5 hands at one point.

Daneshgar Goes To The Break In Style

David Daneshgar raised to 125,000 from under-the gun and he was called by Dan Heimiller on the button. The flop came 1085 and Daneshgar led out for 200,000. Heimiller mulled it over before making a smallish raise to 500,000. Before Heimiller had even finished moving his chips into the pot, Daneshgar moved all-in. Heimiller folded immediately and Daneshgar took down the pot.

That pot brought Daneshgar up to 1,625,000 and ended Heimiller's recent run, knocking him down to around 400,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Scott Sitron,   Corwin Cole

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Courtney and Zaichenko Eliminated

Jul 02, '08

Blinds: 20,000-40,000, 5,000 ante

Chip Counts:
David Daneshgar - 1,910,000
Scott Sitron - 1,820,000
Farzad Rouhani - 1,725,000
Corwin Cole - 1,500,000
Daniel Heimiler - 580,000
Matthew Matros - 495,000

Eliminations:
Seventh Place – Andrey Zaichenko ($112,116)
Eighth Place – Jeff Courtney ($84,546)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Jeff Courtney Eliminated in Eighth Place ($84,546)

Today was just not Jeff Courtney’s day. On three occasions the young man from Lancaster, Pennsylvania got his chips in with a solid hand against Farzad Rouhani, and on three occasions he would lose a big pot.

The final blow took place minutes after returning from a 20-minute break. Rouhani raised to 105,000 and Courtney moved all-in for 475,000 from the button. After a bit of thinking, Rouhani said, “Let’s go,” and made the call, showing AQ, a hand that he had folded earlier in a not too dissimilar situation. He was racing against Courtney’s JJ. The flop was another dagger for Courtney: Q94, and when the turn (4) and river (9) failed to improve his hand, he would be eliminated. For his three days of work, Jeff Courtney took home $84,546.

Corwin Cole Doubles Through Matt Matros

Corwin Cole raised to 100,000 from the cutoff and was called by Matt Matros in the small blind. The flop came AK6 and Matros checked to Cole. Cole bet 135,000 and action was back on Matros. The Yale grad did not take very long before sliding in a stack of green chips totaling 400,000. Cole then moved all-in and was insta-called by Matros. The two showed their hands:

Cole: 66
Matros: QJ

Cole flopped a set of sixes but still needed to dodge Matros’ 11 outs. When the A came on the turn all suspense was dashed. That hand gave Cole the chip lead with 2,115,000. After a couple of hours of patient play as the chip leader, Matros suddenly became the shortstack with 480,000.

Andrey Zaichenko Eliminated in Seventh Place ($112,116)

The table folded around to Andrey Zaichenko who open-shoved for 770,000 on the button. Scott Sitron quickly called from the small blind and Daneshgar folded. Sitron had the goods – KK – but that was not the case for Zaichenko, who showed his 96. Zaichenko would fall even further behind on the KQ2 flop. The 9 turn and A river provided no miracles for the Russian and his day was done. Zaichenko’s seventh place finish was good for $112,116.

Sitron’s timely kings helped propel him to 1,880,000.

David Daneshgar Doubles Through Corwin Cole

Daneshgar raised to 105,000 from the button and Corwin Cole moved all-in from the big blind. Daneshgar was clearly uncomfortable with the decision to be made, first sprawling face down across the table and then standing up with his arms crossed. Trusting his read, Daneshgar made the call with AJ. Cole smiled and turned over 86. An excellent call by Daneshgar for sure, but he was still only a 59 percent favorite going to the flop. The board came A942A and Daneshgar won the hand handily.

Daneshgar’s double up took him to 1,910,000 and Cole took a slight hit, dropping to 1,475,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   European Report,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Musical Chips

Jul 02, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Chip Counts:
Matthew Matros - 1,417,000
Scott Sitron - 1,308,000
Corwin Cole - 1,293,000
Daniel Heimiller - 1,042,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 897,000
Jeff Courtney - 895,000
Farzad Rouhani - 809,000
David Daneshgar - 434,000

Big Hands and Storylines:

Dan Heimiller Doubles Through David Daneshgar

In an action-packed hand, Dan Heimiller would go from short-stack to fourth in chips. Farzad Rouhani raised to 80,000 from under-the-gun. Andrey Zaichenko called and action folded to David Daneshgar who made it 306,000. Dan Heimiller then moved all-in from the small blind. Rouhani reluctantly folded, as did Zaichenko, and Daneshgar made the call. The two showed their hands:

Heimiller: AA
Daneshgar: KK

Heimiller’s aces would hold up on a board of 96246 and his double-up would see him crack the 1 million chip mark, 1,042,000 to be exact. Daneshgar, with 434,000, was left cursing his luck.

Rouhani claimed to have folded pocket jacks on the hand, and Zaichenko pocket eights

Farzad Rouhani Again Doubles Through Jeff Courtney

Action folded around to Farzad Rouhani in the cutoff. He raised to 75,000 and Jeff Courtney made the call in the big blind. The flop was J85 and Courtney led out with a  bet of 150,000. Rouhani cut and re-cut his chips before moving all-in for 472,000. Courtney quickly called and the two showed their cards:

Rouhani: AA
Courtney: KJ

Courtney's top pair and second nut-flush draw must have looked good to him when the flop came out, but it lost almost all of its luster once he saw Rouhani's cards. Courtney was drawing to a non-heart king or a jack, but he was drawing dead after the 9h came on the turn.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Finn Finished

Jul 02, '08

Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Chip Counts:
Matthew Matros - 1,467,000
Scott Sitron - 1,223,000
Corwin Cole - 1,040,000
David Daneshgar - 979,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 970,000
Farzad Rouhani - 966,000
Jeff Courtney - 781,000
Daniel Heimiller - 549,000

Eliminations:
Ninth place – Voitto Rintala ($57,712)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Scott Sitron Doubles Up; Voitto Rintala Crippled

Scott Sitron raised from early position to 60,000 with blinds at 12,000/24,000 and after a few moments of deliberation, Voitto Rintala moved all-in for 544,000, sliding his stack of chips into the middle. Action folded back around to Sintron who made the call, and the two showed their cards:

Rintala: 88
Sitron: QQ

Rintala needed an 8 but it was not to be. The board came out J42JA and Rintala was crippled, his stack reduced to a mere 46,000. After the double-up, Sitron had 1 million in chips.

Voitto Rintala Eliminated in Ninth Place ($57,712)

Moments after the above hand, Rintala moved all-in for his final 46,000. He was called by Jeff Courtney behind him and then again by Farzad Rouhani in the big blind. The flop came down 955 and both players checked. The turn was the Q and Rouhani bet 40,000, leaving himself only 114,000 behind. Courtney, without too much thought, made the call. The river card was the very interesting 5. Rouhani shrugged and declared all-in, placing his final column of chips down onto the table. Courtney quietly called and Rouhani tabled Q5 for quad fives. Rouhani’s double up took him to about 450,000. The Finn, showing pocket sixes, saw his day come to a rather alacritous finish. Rintala was eliminated in ninth place, taking home $57,712.

Farzad Rouhani Doubles Through Jeff Courtney

Farzad Rouhani raised to 67,000 from early position with blinds at 12,000/24,000 and was called by Jeff Courtney and David Daneshgar from the button and small blind respectively. Daneshgar checked the Q32 and Rouhani bet 280,000. Courtney moved all-in, Daneshgar got out of the way and Rouhani called. Rouhani showed AJ for the nut flush draw and an overcard while Courtney turned over KQ for top pair. Rouhani called for a spade or ace on the turn. The turn, however, was the Q, giving Courtney trip queens. Rouhani was one card away from going home until the dealer flipped over the 8 on the river. Rouhani shouted “Yes!” in celebration, and sat back down in his chair. The hand boosted Rouhani to 886,000 and knocked Courtney down to 781,000.

Andrey Zaichenko Doubles Through Corwin Cole

Corwin Cole raised to 75,000 and Andrey Zaichenko raised all-in to 458,000. Action folded back around to Cole who, after some thought, made the call. The two showed their cards:

Zaichenko: KJ
Cole: A10

Cole’s read was good, and his A10 was in the lead. He remained in the lead on the AK5 flop, but things got a bit dicey for him when the 9 came on the turn, giving Zaichenko a flush draw. The river did not bring the flush, but the K was enough for Zaichenko to take down the pot, bringing him to 970,000. Cole is still at over 1 million in chips.

 

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Viotto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 20 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Left: 11 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Corwin Cole - 1,450,000
Jeffery Courtney - 1,280,000
Matthew Matros - 875,000
Farzad Rouhani - 720,000
Daniel Heimiller - 710,000
Scott Sitron - 600,000
Voitto Rintala - 530,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 470,000
Todd Hanks - 460,000
David Daneshgar - 420,000

Average Stack: 734,450

Eliminations:
12^th – Brock Mishler
13^th – Joachim Berg-Jensen
14^th – Elliot Smith

Big Hands and Storylines:

Joachim Berg-Jensen Eliminated By Dan Heimiller

Dan Heimiller raised from early position and action folded around to Joachim Berg-Jensen in the small blind. Berg-Jensen shoved for 255,000 and was called by Heimiller. Berg-Jensen had AK but Heimiller had QQ and a slight lead. The flop was ten-high and rainbow, and Berg-Jensen was left to catch either an ace or king on the turn/river to take down the pot and continue on in the tournament. The turn was the 2 and Berg-Jensen was down to one final card. The river was the 3 and that was all she wrote for Berg-Jensen.

Heimiller Eliminates Another

Brock Mishler opened the betting by moving all-in on the button for approximately 200,000. Dan Heimiller made the call from the big blind and then two showed their cards:

Mishler: J10
Heimiller: A8

The board came down 7735Q and Heimiller’s ace-high would hold up to take down the pot, eliminating Mishler.

This pot brought Heimiller’s stack to nearly 1,300,000, but he would later be cut down to 710,000 after a failed bluff attempt against Jeffery Courtney.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney,   Brock Mishler,   Joachim Berg-Jensen,   Todd Hanks

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 19 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 8,000-16,000

Players Left: 14 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Matthew Matros - 1,025,000
Corwin Cole - 895,000
Daniel Heimiller - 830,000
Farzad Rouhani - 720,000
Jeffery Courtney - 630,000
Gary Biggar - 623,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 620,000
Voitto Rintala - 530,000
Todd Hanks - 460,000
David Daneshgar - 420,000

Average Stack: 577,075

Eliminations:
15^th – Cody Slaubaugh
16^th – Lars Sundberg
17^th – Daniel Hughes
18^th – Eric Jolly
19^th – Petter Frannson
20^th – Richard Kirsch

Big Hands and Storylines:

Corwin, For The Win

The players redrew at 18 players, and despite the full 9-handed tables in play, table 1 was still packed with action. Elliot Smith raised to 40,000 from middle position and Scott Sitron, on his left, raised to 110,000. Corwin Cole, after a moment’s thought, moved all-in for 328,000. Eric Jolly then called all-in. Smith folded and Sitron called, having everyone covered. The three showed their hands:

Scott Sitron: AA
Corwin Cole: QQ
Eric Jolly: JJ

The flop came 862 and nothing had changed. The turn came K, Sitron was one card away from a massive chip advantage at the table, but the river changed that. The river was the Q and Corwin Cole took down the pot, though you would never know it by his expression. He sat stone-faced, moving only to rake in the monster pot. After the hand, Cole had 950,000, Sitron had 250,000, and Jolly was eliminated... which nobody could deny.

Daniel Hughes Eliminated

Daniel Hughes moved all-in for 145,000 from late position. Andrey Zaichenko moved all-in behind him and everybody else folded. Hughes showed A10 and Zaichenko had QQ. The flop came Q82 and Hughes was drawing almost dead. The 10 sealed his fate and he was eliminated in 17^th place.

Zaichenko Gives Some Back

Action folded around to Gary Biggar in the small blind and he shoved all-in for about 123,000. Zaichenko looked down at his cards in the big blind and he opted to call. The two turned over:

Biggar: A8
Zaichenko: K7

The flop helped out Biggar a lot: A97. The turn, though, was the 10, giving Zaichenko an open-ended straight draw. The river was the blank of all blanks – the 2 – and Biggar doubled up to 250,000. Zaichenko still has about 900,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Richard Kirsch,   Daniel Hughes,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney,   Todd Hanks

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 18 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 6,000-12,000

Players Left:   20 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Dan Heimiller – 1,100,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 750,000
Matthew Matros - 712,000
Farzad Rouhani - 600,000
Scott Sitron - 570,000
Richard Kirsch - 490,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 475,000
Elliot Smith - 380,000
Voitto Rintala - 310,000
Corwin Cole - 282,000

Average Stack: 403,950

Eliminations:
21^st – Martin Cardno
22^nd – Paulo Nunes
23^rd – Joe Neiman
24^th – Dan Harmetz
25^th – Mimi Tran
26^th – Anders Fraulund
27^th – Andrew Garvin

Big Hands and Storylines:

Heimiller Time

Dan Heimiller raised to 40,000 in late position and action folded around to Andrew Garvin in the blinds. Garvin moved all-in for about 180,000. Heimiller insta-called and flipped up AA. Garvin showed 99. The board came 10758K and Garvin was eliminated. Heimiller grew his stack to an even more impressive 1,100,000.

Biggar is Better; Mimi Tran Eliminated

Gary Biggar and Mimi Tran, both short-stacked, got all-in pre-flop. Biggar had Tran dominated with his AQ going against her KQ. The flop came 1044 and the turn was the 6. Going to the river, Tran had only 3 outs, and when the 4 peeled off, her tournament was over. After winning the hand Biggar was up to 175,000.

Set Over Set Propels Rouhani

Farzad Rouhani raised to 36,000 from early position and Andriy Zaichenko made the call from the cutoff. The two saw a flop of 985. Rouhani led out for 32,000 and Zaichenko raised to 100,000. Undeterred by this show of strength, Rouhani moved all-in and was snap-called by Zaichenko. The two turned over their hands:

Rouhani: 99
Zaichenko: 55

Zaichenko did not make quads and he took a big hit, now at 750,000. Rouhani’s double up gives him 600,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Mimi Tran,   Matthew Matros,   Richard Kirsch,   Andrew Garvin,   Dan Harmetz,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Martin Cardno,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Anders Fraulund

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 17 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 5,000-10,000

Players Left:  28 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Matthew Matros - 712,000
Scott Sitron - 570,000
Richard Kirsch - 490,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 410,000
Elliot Smith - 380,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 375,000
Farzad Rouhani - 310,000
Voitto Rintala - 310,000
Joseph Neiman - 310,000
Corwin Cole - 282,000

Average Stack: 288,535

Eliminations:
Ben Spraggons
John McCauley
Esther Garza
Tim Barchie

Big Hands and Storylines:

Sundberg Doubles Up Through Tran

Mimi Tran raised to 30,000 from the button and Lars Sundberg moved all-in from the big blind. It was 49,000 more to Tran and she analyzed her decision. After about 50 seconds of thought, she made the call and the two turned up their cards:

Sundberg: 88
Tran: AQ

The board came 10975J and Sundberg won the hand with a jack-high straight. Sundberg now has 170,000 while Tran is languishing with 100,000.

Matros Keeps Accumulating

Twice during recent rounds, players have attempted to steal the blinds of Matt Matros. On both occasions Matros put in a big raise and forced the players to lay down their hands. Matt Matros did play a hand that went to showdown though. Anders Fraulund raised to 30,000 and this time Matros opted to call in the big blind. Matros checked the 965 flop and called a 45,000 bet from Fraulund. Both players checked when the 6 paired the board. The river was the 7 and Matros led out for 90,000. Fraulund called instantly and when Matros had confirmed this with the dealer he showed A6 for turned trips. Fraulund showed K9 and said, “Good hand.”

Matros has about 700,000. Fraulund is down to 160,000.

Tim Barchie Eliminated By Cody Slaubaugh

Tim Barchie moved all-in from early position and action folded around to Cody “thugmoneymkr” Slaubaugh in the small blind. It was 80,000 more to call for him. Instead of simply calling, he shoved over the raise for about 300,000. The big blind folded and the two showed their hands:

Barchie: A4
Slaubaugh: A6

The flop was perfect for Slaugbaugh: J106. Barchie could not catch up and he was eliminated.

Slaubaugh now has 410,000.

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Mimi Tran,   Matthew Matros,   Richard Kirsch,   Joseph Neiman,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Tim Barchie,   Anders Fraulund

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 16

Jul 01, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 4,000-8,000

Players Left:  35 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Daniel Heimiller - 610,000
Scott Sitron - 570,000
Matthew Matros - 550,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 430,000
Corwin Cole - 404,000
Elliot Smith - 380,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 355,000
Joachim Berg-Jensen - 350,000
Richard Kirsch - 340,000
Anders Fraulund - 330,000

Average Stack: 230,825

Eliminations:
Alvin Zeidenfeld
Gary Marcum
Vanessa Rousso

Big Hands and Storylines:

Matros and Heimiller Butt Heads

Two of the bigger stacks in the tournament, Matt Matros and Dan Heimiller, played a fairly large pot in the last level. Action folded around to Matros in the small blind and he raised it to 24,000. Dan Heimiller made a fairly quick call. The flop ran off 988 and Matros led out with a bet of 35,000. Heimiller made another quick call. Matros checked on the 10 turn and Heimiller bet 80,000. Matros stacked a column of orange chips, pulled them back in toward his stack, and declared himself all-in.

Heimiller was now stuck. He stared at the board, talking to himself, for nearly 7 minutes before Matros called the clock on him. The floorwoman came over and informed Heimiller that he had one minute to make a decision and at the end of the one minute his hand would be ruled dead. No sooner than she had finished her speech, Heimiller folded his hand.

After this confrontation, Matros is up to 520,000. Heimiller would be down to 455,000 but later chipped up to 610,000 to become chip leader.

Cardno Not Card Dead

Alvin Zeidenfeld, action having folded to him, moved all-in from the button for 63,500. Mimi Tran folded and Martin Cardno made a quick call. Zeidenfeld showed QJ and Cardno had A8. The board – K7793 – changed nothing, and Cardno won the hand. After a few moments of counting by the dealer (with some help by Mimi Tran), it was decided that Cardno had more chips and Zeidenfeld was eliminated.  Cardno now has 140,000.

Garvin Stomps, Eliminates Marcum

Gary Marcum moved all-in from middle position for 70,000 and Andrew Garvin made a quick call after action folded around to him. Marcum, without much confidence, showed A8. His pessimism was warranted, however, as Garvin showed AA. There would be no miracle for Marcum as the board rolled out Q549A. Marcum was covered by a few thousand, and he was eliminated. After the hand Garvin was up to 140,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Matthew Matros,   Richard Kirsch,   Andrew Garvin,   Alvin Zeidenfeld,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Scott Sitron,   Martin Cardno,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Gary Marcum,   Anders Fraulund,   Joachim Berg-Jensen

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 15 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 3,000-6,000

Players Left:  52 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Scott Sitron - 560,000
Corwin Cole - 420,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 370,000
Jeffery Courtney - 240,000
Mimi Tran - 230,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 220,000
Daniel Heimiller - 192,000
Gary Marcum - 180,000
Hans Erlandsson - 175,000
Matthew Matros - 168,000
Alvin Zeidenfeld - 163,000

Average Stack: 155,365

Eliminations:
Jason Morgan
John Monnette
Nath Pizzolatto

Big Hands and Storylines:

It’s a Good Day To Have Ace-Queen: Part I

John McCauley raised to 30,000 from the cutoff and the button moved all-in for 120,000. McCauley, who only had 60,000 left behind, made the call with AQ while the button had 66. The flop was J95 and the turn was the 10, giving McCauley an open-ended straight-draw in addition to his two over cards. Before either player even had a chance to soak in the suspense, the dealer turned over the Q, giving McCauley new life in the tournament. After the hand he was up to about 190,000.

It’s a Good Day To Have Ace-Queen: Part II

Corwin Cole raised to 15,000 from early position. A player in middle position called, and the player to his left moved all-in. The dealer counted up the chips and it was 52,000 more to Cole. After only about 20 seconds of thought, Cole made the call. The third player quickly folded and the two showed their hands:

Cole: AQ
Opponent: 88

The flop came K99 and Cole was drawing to six outs. The 5 was unhelpful, but once again, a queen – the Q – appeared on the river to help out ace-queen. Cole's opponent wasted no extra time at the table. He immediately walked over to the payout stand, located a mere 4 or 5 feet from his seat, and informed the tournament officials that he had been eliminated.

Cole is now up to 420,000.

Spraggons’ Kings Crack Aces

Ben “Spraggs” Spraggons and James Morgan got all in pre-flop. Morgan was well ahead with his AA dominating Spraggons’ KK. The flop was harmless: 842. The turn was anything but harmless however. When the K came off the deck Morgan sprung from his chair like it was electrified and began to bemoan his bad luck, “I’m not meant to win this year.” The turn blanked, and just like that Spraggons was up to 90,000. Morgan, down to 30,000, would be eliminated two hands later when his 73 was no match for, what else, KK.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Mimi Tran,   Matthew Matros,   Alvin Zeidenfeld,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Jason Morgan,   Hans Erlandsson,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Gary Marcum,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Matt Matros Eliminated

Jul 02, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 25,000-50,000, 5,000 ante

Chip Counts:
Farzad Rouhani - 2,220,000
Scott Sitron - 1,955,000
Corwin Cole - 1,750,000
David Daneshgar – 1,625,000
Daniel Heimiller – 400,000

Eliminations:
Sixth Place – Matt Matros ($148,875)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Matt Matros Eliminated in Sixth Place ($148,875)

Corwin Cole, first to act, raised to 125,000 and Matt Matros wasted no time in moving all-in for his 690,000 chips. Cole audibly sighed before making the call and the two showed their cards:

Matros: AQ
Cole: A9

The flop came down K94 and Matros shook his head in disbelief. The 10 on the turn gave Cole the flush and spelled the end of the day for Matros. For his sixth place finish Matros took home $148,875.

Heimiller Chipping Up

Dan Heimiller went from short stack of 400,000 to over a million in chips in a very unorthodox manner. Instead of doubling up on a single hand, Heimiller was steadily chipping up playing post-flop poker, winning 4 out of 5 hands at one point.

Daneshgar Goes To The Break In Style

David Daneshgar raised to 125,000 from under-the gun and he was called by Dan Heimiller on the button. The flop came 1085 and Daneshgar led out for 200,000. Heimiller mulled it over before making a smallish raise to 500,000. Before Heimiller had even finished moving his chips into the pot, Daneshgar moved all-in. Heimiller folded immediately and Daneshgar took down the pot.

That pot brought Daneshgar up to 1,625,000 and ended Heimiller's recent run, knocking him down to around 400,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Scott Sitron,   Corwin Cole

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Courtney and Zaichenko Eliminated

Jul 02, '08

Blinds: 20,000-40,000, 5,000 ante

Chip Counts:
David Daneshgar - 1,910,000
Scott Sitron - 1,820,000
Farzad Rouhani - 1,725,000
Corwin Cole - 1,500,000
Daniel Heimiler - 580,000
Matthew Matros - 495,000

Eliminations:
Seventh Place – Andrey Zaichenko ($112,116)
Eighth Place – Jeff Courtney ($84,546)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Jeff Courtney Eliminated in Eighth Place ($84,546)

Today was just not Jeff Courtney’s day. On three occasions the young man from Lancaster, Pennsylvania got his chips in with a solid hand against Farzad Rouhani, and on three occasions he would lose a big pot.

The final blow took place minutes after returning from a 20-minute break. Rouhani raised to 105,000 and Courtney moved all-in for 475,000 from the button. After a bit of thinking, Rouhani said, “Let’s go,” and made the call, showing AQ, a hand that he had folded earlier in a not too dissimilar situation. He was racing against Courtney’s JJ. The flop was another dagger for Courtney: Q94, and when the turn (4) and river (9) failed to improve his hand, he would be eliminated. For his three days of work, Jeff Courtney took home $84,546.

Corwin Cole Doubles Through Matt Matros

Corwin Cole raised to 100,000 from the cutoff and was called by Matt Matros in the small blind. The flop came AK6 and Matros checked to Cole. Cole bet 135,000 and action was back on Matros. The Yale grad did not take very long before sliding in a stack of green chips totaling 400,000. Cole then moved all-in and was insta-called by Matros. The two showed their hands:

Cole: 66
Matros: QJ

Cole flopped a set of sixes but still needed to dodge Matros’ 11 outs. When the A came on the turn all suspense was dashed. That hand gave Cole the chip lead with 2,115,000. After a couple of hours of patient play as the chip leader, Matros suddenly became the shortstack with 480,000.

Andrey Zaichenko Eliminated in Seventh Place ($112,116)

The table folded around to Andrey Zaichenko who open-shoved for 770,000 on the button. Scott Sitron quickly called from the small blind and Daneshgar folded. Sitron had the goods – KK – but that was not the case for Zaichenko, who showed his 96. Zaichenko would fall even further behind on the KQ2 flop. The 9 turn and A river provided no miracles for the Russian and his day was done. Zaichenko’s seventh place finish was good for $112,116.

Sitron’s timely kings helped propel him to 1,880,000.

David Daneshgar Doubles Through Corwin Cole

Daneshgar raised to 105,000 from the button and Corwin Cole moved all-in from the big blind. Daneshgar was clearly uncomfortable with the decision to be made, first sprawling face down across the table and then standing up with his arms crossed. Trusting his read, Daneshgar made the call with AJ. Cole smiled and turned over 86. An excellent call by Daneshgar for sure, but he was still only a 59 percent favorite going to the flop. The board came A942A and Daneshgar won the hand handily.

Daneshgar’s double up took him to 1,910,000 and Cole took a slight hit, dropping to 1,475,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   European Report,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Musical Chips

Jul 02, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Chip Counts:
Matthew Matros - 1,417,000
Scott Sitron - 1,308,000
Corwin Cole - 1,293,000
Daniel Heimiller - 1,042,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 897,000
Jeff Courtney - 895,000
Farzad Rouhani - 809,000
David Daneshgar - 434,000

Big Hands and Storylines:

Dan Heimiller Doubles Through David Daneshgar

In an action-packed hand, Dan Heimiller would go from short-stack to fourth in chips. Farzad Rouhani raised to 80,000 from under-the-gun. Andrey Zaichenko called and action folded to David Daneshgar who made it 306,000. Dan Heimiller then moved all-in from the small blind. Rouhani reluctantly folded, as did Zaichenko, and Daneshgar made the call. The two showed their hands:

Heimiller: AA
Daneshgar: KK

Heimiller’s aces would hold up on a board of 96246 and his double-up would see him crack the 1 million chip mark, 1,042,000 to be exact. Daneshgar, with 434,000, was left cursing his luck.

Rouhani claimed to have folded pocket jacks on the hand, and Zaichenko pocket eights

Farzad Rouhani Again Doubles Through Jeff Courtney

Action folded around to Farzad Rouhani in the cutoff. He raised to 75,000 and Jeff Courtney made the call in the big blind. The flop was J85 and Courtney led out with a  bet of 150,000. Rouhani cut and re-cut his chips before moving all-in for 472,000. Courtney quickly called and the two showed their cards:

Rouhani: AA
Courtney: KJ

Courtney's top pair and second nut-flush draw must have looked good to him when the flop came out, but it lost almost all of its luster once he saw Rouhani's cards. Courtney was drawing to a non-heart king or a jack, but he was drawing dead after the 9h came on the turn.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Final Table - Finn Finished

Jul 02, '08

Blinds: 15,000-30,000

Chip Counts:
Matthew Matros - 1,467,000
Scott Sitron - 1,223,000
Corwin Cole - 1,040,000
David Daneshgar - 979,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 970,000
Farzad Rouhani - 966,000
Jeff Courtney - 781,000
Daniel Heimiller - 549,000

Eliminations:
Ninth place – Voitto Rintala ($57,712)

Big Hands and Storylines:

Scott Sitron Doubles Up; Voitto Rintala Crippled

Scott Sitron raised from early position to 60,000 with blinds at 12,000/24,000 and after a few moments of deliberation, Voitto Rintala moved all-in for 544,000, sliding his stack of chips into the middle. Action folded back around to Sintron who made the call, and the two showed their cards:

Rintala: 88
Sitron: QQ

Rintala needed an 8 but it was not to be. The board came out J42JA and Rintala was crippled, his stack reduced to a mere 46,000. After the double-up, Sitron had 1 million in chips.

Voitto Rintala Eliminated in Ninth Place ($57,712)

Moments after the above hand, Rintala moved all-in for his final 46,000. He was called by Jeff Courtney behind him and then again by Farzad Rouhani in the big blind. The flop came down 955 and both players checked. The turn was the Q and Rouhani bet 40,000, leaving himself only 114,000 behind. Courtney, without too much thought, made the call. The river card was the very interesting 5. Rouhani shrugged and declared all-in, placing his final column of chips down onto the table. Courtney quietly called and Rouhani tabled Q5 for quad fives. Rouhani’s double up took him to about 450,000. The Finn, showing pocket sixes, saw his day come to a rather alacritous finish. Rintala was eliminated in ninth place, taking home $57,712.

Farzad Rouhani Doubles Through Jeff Courtney

Farzad Rouhani raised to 67,000 from early position with blinds at 12,000/24,000 and was called by Jeff Courtney and David Daneshgar from the button and small blind respectively. Daneshgar checked the Q32 and Rouhani bet 280,000. Courtney moved all-in, Daneshgar got out of the way and Rouhani called. Rouhani showed AJ for the nut flush draw and an overcard while Courtney turned over KQ for top pair. Rouhani called for a spade or ace on the turn. The turn, however, was the Q, giving Courtney trip queens. Rouhani was one card away from going home until the dealer flipped over the 8 on the river. Rouhani shouted “Yes!” in celebration, and sat back down in his chair. The hand boosted Rouhani to 886,000 and knocked Courtney down to 781,000.

Andrey Zaichenko Doubles Through Corwin Cole

Corwin Cole raised to 75,000 and Andrey Zaichenko raised all-in to 458,000. Action folded back around to Cole who, after some thought, made the call. The two showed their cards:

Zaichenko: KJ
Cole: A10

Cole’s read was good, and his A10 was in the lead. He remained in the lead on the AK5 flop, but things got a bit dicey for him when the 9 came on the turn, giving Zaichenko a flush draw. The river did not bring the flush, but the K was enough for Zaichenko to take down the pot, bringing him to 970,000. Cole is still at over 1 million in chips.

 

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Viotto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 20 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Left: 11 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Corwin Cole - 1,450,000
Jeffery Courtney - 1,280,000
Matthew Matros - 875,000
Farzad Rouhani - 720,000
Daniel Heimiller - 710,000
Scott Sitron - 600,000
Voitto Rintala - 530,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 470,000
Todd Hanks - 460,000
David Daneshgar - 420,000

Average Stack: 734,450

Eliminations:
12^th – Brock Mishler
13^th – Joachim Berg-Jensen
14^th – Elliot Smith

Big Hands and Storylines:

Joachim Berg-Jensen Eliminated By Dan Heimiller

Dan Heimiller raised from early position and action folded around to Joachim Berg-Jensen in the small blind. Berg-Jensen shoved for 255,000 and was called by Heimiller. Berg-Jensen had AK but Heimiller had QQ and a slight lead. The flop was ten-high and rainbow, and Berg-Jensen was left to catch either an ace or king on the turn/river to take down the pot and continue on in the tournament. The turn was the 2 and Berg-Jensen was down to one final card. The river was the 3 and that was all she wrote for Berg-Jensen.

Heimiller Eliminates Another

Brock Mishler opened the betting by moving all-in on the button for approximately 200,000. Dan Heimiller made the call from the big blind and then two showed their cards:

Mishler: J10
Heimiller: A8

The board came down 7735Q and Heimiller’s ace-high would hold up to take down the pot, eliminating Mishler.

This pot brought Heimiller’s stack to nearly 1,300,000, but he would later be cut down to 710,000 after a failed bluff attempt against Jeffery Courtney.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney,   Brock Mishler,   Joachim Berg-Jensen,   Todd Hanks

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 19 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 8,000-16,000

Players Left: 14 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Matthew Matros - 1,025,000
Corwin Cole - 895,000
Daniel Heimiller - 830,000
Farzad Rouhani - 720,000
Jeffery Courtney - 630,000
Gary Biggar - 623,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 620,000
Voitto Rintala - 530,000
Todd Hanks - 460,000
David Daneshgar - 420,000

Average Stack: 577,075

Eliminations:
15^th – Cody Slaubaugh
16^th – Lars Sundberg
17^th – Daniel Hughes
18^th – Eric Jolly
19^th – Petter Frannson
20^th – Richard Kirsch

Big Hands and Storylines:

Corwin, For The Win

The players redrew at 18 players, and despite the full 9-handed tables in play, table 1 was still packed with action. Elliot Smith raised to 40,000 from middle position and Scott Sitron, on his left, raised to 110,000. Corwin Cole, after a moment’s thought, moved all-in for 328,000. Eric Jolly then called all-in. Smith folded and Sitron called, having everyone covered. The three showed their hands:

Scott Sitron: AA
Corwin Cole: QQ
Eric Jolly: JJ

The flop came 862 and nothing had changed. The turn came K, Sitron was one card away from a massive chip advantage at the table, but the river changed that. The river was the Q and Corwin Cole took down the pot, though you would never know it by his expression. He sat stone-faced, moving only to rake in the monster pot. After the hand, Cole had 950,000, Sitron had 250,000, and Jolly was eliminated... which nobody could deny.

Daniel Hughes Eliminated

Daniel Hughes moved all-in for 145,000 from late position. Andrey Zaichenko moved all-in behind him and everybody else folded. Hughes showed A10 and Zaichenko had QQ. The flop came Q82 and Hughes was drawing almost dead. The 10 sealed his fate and he was eliminated in 17^th place.

Zaichenko Gives Some Back

Action folded around to Gary Biggar in the small blind and he shoved all-in for about 123,000. Zaichenko looked down at his cards in the big blind and he opted to call. The two turned over:

Biggar: A8
Zaichenko: K7

The flop helped out Biggar a lot: A97. The turn, though, was the 10, giving Zaichenko an open-ended straight draw. The river was the blank of all blanks – the 2 – and Biggar doubled up to 250,000. Zaichenko still has about 900,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Matthew Matros,   David Daneshgar,   Richard Kirsch,   Daniel Hughes,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Jeff Courtney,   Todd Hanks

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 18 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 6,000-12,000

Players Left:   20 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Dan Heimiller – 1,100,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 750,000
Matthew Matros - 712,000
Farzad Rouhani - 600,000
Scott Sitron - 570,000
Richard Kirsch - 490,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 475,000
Elliot Smith - 380,000
Voitto Rintala - 310,000
Corwin Cole - 282,000

Average Stack: 403,950

Eliminations:
21^st – Martin Cardno
22^nd – Paulo Nunes
23^rd – Joe Neiman
24^th – Dan Harmetz
25^th – Mimi Tran
26^th – Anders Fraulund
27^th – Andrew Garvin

Big Hands and Storylines:

Heimiller Time

Dan Heimiller raised to 40,000 in late position and action folded around to Andrew Garvin in the blinds. Garvin moved all-in for about 180,000. Heimiller insta-called and flipped up AA. Garvin showed 99. The board came 10758K and Garvin was eliminated. Heimiller grew his stack to an even more impressive 1,100,000.

Biggar is Better; Mimi Tran Eliminated

Gary Biggar and Mimi Tran, both short-stacked, got all-in pre-flop. Biggar had Tran dominated with his AQ going against her KQ. The flop came 1044 and the turn was the 6. Going to the river, Tran had only 3 outs, and when the 4 peeled off, her tournament was over. After winning the hand Biggar was up to 175,000.

Set Over Set Propels Rouhani

Farzad Rouhani raised to 36,000 from early position and Andriy Zaichenko made the call from the cutoff. The two saw a flop of 985. Rouhani led out for 32,000 and Zaichenko raised to 100,000. Undeterred by this show of strength, Rouhani moved all-in and was snap-called by Zaichenko. The two turned over their hands:

Rouhani: 99
Zaichenko: 55

Zaichenko did not make quads and he took a big hit, now at 750,000. Rouhani’s double up gives him 600,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Farzad Rouhani,   Mimi Tran,   Matthew Matros,   Richard Kirsch,   Andrew Garvin,   Dan Harmetz,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Martin Cardno,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Anders Fraulund

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 17 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 5,000-10,000

Players Left:  28 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Matthew Matros - 712,000
Scott Sitron - 570,000
Richard Kirsch - 490,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 410,000
Elliot Smith - 380,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 375,000
Farzad Rouhani - 310,000
Voitto Rintala - 310,000
Joseph Neiman - 310,000
Corwin Cole - 282,000

Average Stack: 288,535

Eliminations:
Ben Spraggons
John McCauley
Esther Garza
Tim Barchie

Big Hands and Storylines:

Sundberg Doubles Up Through Tran

Mimi Tran raised to 30,000 from the button and Lars Sundberg moved all-in from the big blind. It was 49,000 more to Tran and she analyzed her decision. After about 50 seconds of thought, she made the call and the two turned up their cards:

Sundberg: 88
Tran: AQ

The board came 10975J and Sundberg won the hand with a jack-high straight. Sundberg now has 170,000 while Tran is languishing with 100,000.

Matros Keeps Accumulating

Twice during recent rounds, players have attempted to steal the blinds of Matt Matros. On both occasions Matros put in a big raise and forced the players to lay down their hands. Matt Matros did play a hand that went to showdown though. Anders Fraulund raised to 30,000 and this time Matros opted to call in the big blind. Matros checked the 965 flop and called a 45,000 bet from Fraulund. Both players checked when the 6 paired the board. The river was the 7 and Matros led out for 90,000. Fraulund called instantly and when Matros had confirmed this with the dealer he showed A6 for turned trips. Fraulund showed K9 and said, “Good hand.”

Matros has about 700,000. Fraulund is down to 160,000.

Tim Barchie Eliminated By Cody Slaubaugh

Tim Barchie moved all-in from early position and action folded around to Cody “thugmoneymkr” Slaubaugh in the small blind. It was 80,000 more to call for him. Instead of simply calling, he shoved over the raise for about 300,000. The big blind folded and the two showed their hands:

Barchie: A4
Slaubaugh: A6

The flop was perfect for Slaugbaugh: J106. Barchie could not catch up and he was eliminated.

Slaubaugh now has 410,000.

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Mimi Tran,   Matthew Matros,   Richard Kirsch,   Joseph Neiman,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Voitto Rintala,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Tim Barchie,   Anders Fraulund

$1,500 No-Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 16

Jul 01, '08

Note: The players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 4,000-8,000

Players Left:  35 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Daniel Heimiller - 610,000
Scott Sitron - 570,000
Matthew Matros - 550,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 430,000
Corwin Cole - 404,000
Elliot Smith - 380,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 355,000
Joachim Berg-Jensen - 350,000
Richard Kirsch - 340,000
Anders Fraulund - 330,000

Average Stack: 230,825

Eliminations:
Alvin Zeidenfeld
Gary Marcum
Vanessa Rousso

Big Hands and Storylines:

Matros and Heimiller Butt Heads

Two of the bigger stacks in the tournament, Matt Matros and Dan Heimiller, played a fairly large pot in the last level. Action folded around to Matros in the small blind and he raised it to 24,000. Dan Heimiller made a fairly quick call. The flop ran off 988 and Matros led out with a bet of 35,000. Heimiller made another quick call. Matros checked on the 10 turn and Heimiller bet 80,000. Matros stacked a column of orange chips, pulled them back in toward his stack, and declared himself all-in.

Heimiller was now stuck. He stared at the board, talking to himself, for nearly 7 minutes before Matros called the clock on him. The floorwoman came over and informed Heimiller that he had one minute to make a decision and at the end of the one minute his hand would be ruled dead. No sooner than she had finished her speech, Heimiller folded his hand.

After this confrontation, Matros is up to 520,000. Heimiller would be down to 455,000 but later chipped up to 610,000 to become chip leader.

Cardno Not Card Dead

Alvin Zeidenfeld, action having folded to him, moved all-in from the button for 63,500. Mimi Tran folded and Martin Cardno made a quick call. Zeidenfeld showed QJ and Cardno had A8. The board – K7793 – changed nothing, and Cardno won the hand. After a few moments of counting by the dealer (with some help by Mimi Tran), it was decided that Cardno had more chips and Zeidenfeld was eliminated.  Cardno now has 140,000.

Garvin Stomps, Eliminates Marcum

Gary Marcum moved all-in from middle position for 70,000 and Andrew Garvin made a quick call after action folded around to him. Marcum, without much confidence, showed A8. His pessimism was warranted, however, as Garvin showed AA. There would be no miracle for Marcum as the board rolled out Q549A. Marcum was covered by a few thousand, and he was eliminated. After the hand Garvin was up to 140,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Matthew Matros,   Richard Kirsch,   Andrew Garvin,   Alvin Zeidenfeld,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Scott Sitron,   Martin Cardno,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Elliot Smith,   Corwin Cole,   Gary Marcum,   Anders Fraulund,   Joachim Berg-Jensen

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 15 Recap

Jul 01, '08

Blinds: 3,000-6,000

Players Left:  52 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:
Scott Sitron - 560,000
Corwin Cole - 420,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 370,000
Jeffery Courtney - 240,000
Mimi Tran - 230,000
Cody Slaubaugh - 220,000
Daniel Heimiller - 192,000
Gary Marcum - 180,000
Hans Erlandsson - 175,000
Matthew Matros - 168,000
Alvin Zeidenfeld - 163,000

Average Stack: 155,365

Eliminations:
Jason Morgan
John Monnette
Nath Pizzolatto

Big Hands and Storylines:

It’s a Good Day To Have Ace-Queen: Part I

John McCauley raised to 30,000 from the cutoff and the button moved all-in for 120,000. McCauley, who only had 60,000 left behind, made the call with AQ while the button had 66. The flop was J95 and the turn was the 10, giving McCauley an open-ended straight-draw in addition to his two over cards. Before either player even had a chance to soak in the suspense, the dealer turned over the Q, giving McCauley new life in the tournament. After the hand he was up to about 190,000.

It’s a Good Day To Have Ace-Queen: Part II

Corwin Cole raised to 15,000 from early position. A player in middle position called, and the player to his left moved all-in. The dealer counted up the chips and it was 52,000 more to Cole. After only about 20 seconds of thought, Cole made the call. The third player quickly folded and the two showed their hands:

Cole: AQ
Opponent: 88

The flop came K99 and Cole was drawing to six outs. The 5 was unhelpful, but once again, a queen – the Q – appeared on the river to help out ace-queen. Cole's opponent wasted no extra time at the table. He immediately walked over to the payout stand, located a mere 4 or 5 feet from his seat, and informed the tournament officials that he had been eliminated.

Cole is now up to 420,000.

Spraggons’ Kings Crack Aces

Ben “Spraggs” Spraggons and James Morgan got all in pre-flop. Morgan was well ahead with his AA dominating Spraggons’ KK. The flop was harmless: 842. The turn was anything but harmless however. When the K came off the deck Morgan sprung from his chair like it was electrified and began to bemoan his bad luck, “I’m not meant to win this year.” The turn blanked, and just like that Spraggons was up to 90,000. Morgan, down to 30,000, would be eliminated two hands later when his 73 was no match for, what else, KK.

Player Tags: Daniel Heimiller,   Mimi Tran,   Matthew Matros,   Alvin Zeidenfeld,   Cody Slaubaugh,   Jason Morgan,   Hans Erlandsson,   Scott Sitron,   Andrey Zaichenko,   Corwin Cole,   Gary Marcum,   Jeff Courtney

Pot Limit Hold 'Em Level 3 - Card Player Columnist Climbing

Jun 20, '08

Blinds: 75-150

Chip Counts:

Paul Foltyn: 13,800
Lee Watkinson: 11,000
Nikolay Evdakov: 10,500
Juha Helppi: 10,000
Robert Cheung: 9,500
Benjamin Roberts: 9,000
Gavin Griffin: 8,700
Thomas Wahlroos: 8,500
Chad Brown: 7,400
Chad Batista: 7,200

Eliminations: Carl Olson

Big Hands:

Big Slick Wins Flip, Phan Doubles

John Phan all in for around 2,000 and showed down AK versus his opponent's JJ. The flop saved Phan's tournament, bringing K33 to pair his king. The turn was the 4 and the 9 fell on the river. Phan doubled to around 4,000 in chips.

Matros Takes Chips From Lester

Card Player columnist Matt Matros called the preflop raise from Jason Lester and both players checked the QJ9 flop. The turn was the 2 and Matros bet out 700. Lester made the call and the river brought the 4. Matros again bet, making it 1,600. Lester thought for a while then decided to call. Matros turned over Q9 for two pair and Lester mucked his hand. Matros climbed to around 15,000 after the hand.

Boeken Partial to Flop

After the flop checked around in a multi-way pot, Noah Boeken, first to act, bet 200 on a board of QQ34. The big blind quickly raised him to 400. Boeken made a third raise to 900 and his opponent called. The A spiked on the river and Boeken made a pot-sized bet of 2,500. His opponent rolled his eyes and folded. Boeken flashed Q3 for a flopped full house before snapping his cards into the muck. Boeken's at about 8,000.

Ulliot Puts Squeeze On Grinder

Michael Mizrachi raised to 325, just a quarter more than the minimum, from middle position and garnered four callers. "Devilfish" Dave Ulliot then made a big reraise from the big blind to 1,700 and everyone folded. Mizrachi is barely treading water with 3,500, while Ulliot's up to around 7,000 after that hand.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Matthew Matros,   Jason Lester

Roller Coaster Ride For Kid Poker

Jun 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 1,500-3,000 with 3,000-6,000 betting limits

Players Left: 28 of 480

Chip Leaders:

Richard Li: 120,000
Danny Qutami: 115,000
Ugur Marangoz: 110,000
Tam "Tommy" Hang: 104,000
Hien Tran: 100,000
Henning Granstad: 100,000
Derek Lerner: 91,000
Daniel Makowsky: 90,000
Jody Gararventa: 86,000
Daniel Negreanu: 85,000

Average Stack: 68,571

Big Hands:

Negreanu On A Roller Coaster

Daniel Negreanu had the chip lead, but that reign ended after he took some hits.

Negreanu put a player all in and was ahead with 1010 while his opponent showed KQ. The board showed 8645. "I have a lot of outs," Negreanu's opponent said. The river brought one of his outs, the 2 and he hit his flush. Negreanu was down to 100,000 at that point, but he would go further south.

After a flop of 825, Negreanu bet 3,000 and was called by one opponent. The 8 on the turn brought another bet from Negreanu, this one 6,000. His opponent called again. The 10 came on the river and Negreanu gave up, checking. His opponent checked and flipped AK, one upping Negreanu's AQ. Negreanu was down to 88,000 at that point, but he would get some of those chips back from the same opponent.

With a board reading J1073, Negreanu fired 6,000 and was called. The river brought the 9 and Negreanu fired another shot of 6,000. His opponent folded and Negreanu was back over 100,000.

Matros Doubles Up

Matt Matros was all in against one opponent. He turned over pocket 8's, giving him a winning set on the turn. He was up to around 35,000 in chips

Filippi Making the Rounds

Amnon Filippi is back in the tournament area. He busted out of the tournament some hours ago but he has returned and been chatting it up with some of the players still scrapping to reach the final table.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Matthew Matros,   Amnon Filippi

$2,000 Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 11 Recap

Jun 11, '08

Blinds: 500/1,000

Players Left: 68 of 480

Chip Leaders:
Hien Tran - 69,000
Richard Li - 66,000
Paul Damany - 58,000
Daniel Makowsky - 58,000
Matt Woodward - 50,000
Derek Lerner - 50,000
David Baker - 50,000
Joseph Sanders - 48,000
Ugur Marangoz - 47,000
Danny Qutami - 46,300

Average Stack: 28,250

Eliminations:
J.C. Tran
Tad Jurgens
Shannon Shorr

Big Hands and Storylines:

So Much For Flopping Well

Ayaz Mahmoud raised pre-flop from middle position and was called by Alon Croitoru in the big blind. Croitoru check-called both the AJT flop and the A turn. The river J double-paired the board and Croituro led out for 2,000. Mahmoud angrily paused his iPod, tore off his headphones, and folded K-Q face-up. Croituro showed A-6 to his opponent and Mahmoud only replied, “I know.” Mahmoud still has 40,000 and Croitoru is now up to 27,000.

Chop It Up

In the small blind, Matt Matros called a late-position raise and the flop came down AT3. Matros check-raised the flop and his opponent called. Matros led out at the A turn and was again called. The Q river went check-check and the two flipped over their cards:

Matros: T9
Opponent: JT

The queen counterfeited the other player’s kicker and Matros was able to take half the pot. The chop was particularly important to Matros, who only has about 17,000 left.

Everything’s Coming Up Rosen

Douglas Rosen raised from the button and was called by the big blind. On a K65 flop, the big blind checked, Rosen bet, and the blind check-raised. Rosen called and both players checked the 4 turn. When the river card came the 5, the big blind bet and Rosen made the call. The big blind showed 77cd but conceded the pot when Rosen turned over TTcd. Rosen now has 33,000.

Player Tags: Ayaz Mahmood,   J.C. Tran,   Danny Qutami,   Matthew Matros,   Ugur Marangoz,   Matt Woodward,   Joseph Sanders,   Douglas Rosen,   Tad Jurgens,   Shannon Shorr,   Hien Tran,   Alon Croitoru,   Daniel Makowsky,   Derek Lerner,   Richard Li,   Paul Damany

$2,000 Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 9 Recap

Jun 11, '08

Blinds: 300/600

Players Left: 116 of 480

Chip Leaders:
Daniel Negreanu – 50,000
Daniel Makowsky - 49,200
Eric Buchman - 46,500
Alon Croitoru - 33,700
Casey McCarrell - 31,600
Ayaz Mahmood - 30,700
Brendan Taylor - 30,300
Hien Tran - 30,100
Ardell Willis - 30,000
David Rood - 29,300

Average Stack: 16,550

Eliminations:
Brad Augsburger

Big Hands and Storylines:

Negreanu’s Ascent Continues

Daniel Negreanu started the day 4^th in chips but has quickly risen to become chip leader. In the first hand, Negreanu, from the small blind, called Lee Nelson’s pre-flop raise. On a J97 flop, Negreanu check-raised Nelson, who decided to call and see the turn. Negreanu bet out at the 8 turn, garnering another call from Nelson. The river brought the 8 and Negreanu fired another barrel. Nelson had had enough though, and folded quickly. Nelson was left with only 10,000 after the hand.

Only a few hands later Negreanu’s luck would continue. An Tran raised under-the-gun and was met with a three-bet from Negreanu on the button. Tran called and the pair saw a QJJ flop. Negreanu was checked to and forced Tran out of the pot with a bet. “Two tens, boss,” stated Negreanu, who confirmed his statement by tossing his cards in face-up. Negreanu has chipped up to about 50,000 after today’s first round of play.

Don’t Mess with Matros

Matt Matros opened the betting with a raise from the cutoff and was quickly met with a re-raise from Jed Dickerson on the button. Matros called the bet and checked a Q76 flop. After Dickerson made a continuation bet, Matros raised him, causing Dickerson to lay down his hand. After this hand Matros’ stack was boosted to a hearty 28,000. Dickerson is languishing with only 12,000.

Mike Patrick Doubles off Hawrilenko

Shortstack Mike Patrick raised to 1,200 from middle position and got one caller in Matt Hawrilenko from the small blind. Hawrilenko check-called the 754 flop. He checked again on the J turn, and after Patrick had bet, asked to see how much he had left. Patrick lifted his hands to reveal a paltry 700 left behind. Hawrilenko tossed in his chips to make the call. The river was the 8 and Hawrilenko again checked. Patrick put in his final chips and Hawrilenko shook his head and folded. Hawrilenko is now left with 11,000 in chips while Patrick was able to double his stack to about 7,000.

Player Tags: Ayaz Mahmood,   Daniel Negreanu,   Eric Buchman,   Matthew Matros,   An Tran,   Casey McCarrell,   Ardell Willis,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Brendan Taylor,   Lee Nelson,   Hien Tran,   Alon Croitoru,   Daniel Makowsky,   Jed Dickerson,   Mike Patrick,   David Rood,   Brad Augsburger

Limit Hold 'Em Level 8 recap

Jun 10, '08

Blinds: 300-500
Limits: 500-1,000

Players Remaining: 125-480

Average Chips: 15,360

Chip Leaders:

Erich Bucanan: 51,500
Stuart Patterson: 42,000
Daniel Makowsky: 40,000
Daniel Negreanu: 34,000
J.C. Tran: 33,000
Brendan Taylor: 31,000
Casey McCarrell: 29,000
Derek Lerner: 22,000
David Baker: 19,400
Ayaz Mahmood: 17,700

Big Hands:

Card Player Columnist Still Alive

When Card Player columnist Matt Matros finally got his short stack into the middle, his pocket queens were well ahead of his opponent's 1010, and a queen on the turn ensured he'd be sticking around for awhile longer. He's up to about 5,000.

Violette Out

Cyndy Violette was eliminated when her opponent's ace queen paired the queen.

Tran Bests Chang

In one hand, JC Tran gave a pretty good illustration of why he's closing in on the tournament chip leader: After opening for a raise in early position, the player to Tran's left reraised, and Tommy Chang called on the button. The flop came down AK9 and Tran checked. The player in seat 3continued, Chang called and Tran called. The turn brough the 7 and checks from both Tran and seat 3. Chang bet 1,000. Tran called and seat 3 got out of the way. The river pretty much bricked with the 3, and both players checked. "King," boomed Tran, showing KJ for second pair, good enough to take down a pot worth about 9,000. Tran is up to 25,000.


 

Player Tags: Matthew Matros,   Cyndy Violette

Roller Coaster Ride For Kid Poker

Jun 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 1,500-3,000 with 3,000-6,000 betting limits

Players Left: 28 of 480

Chip Leaders:

Richard Li: 120,000
Danny Qutami: 115,000
Ugur Marangoz: 110,000
Tam "Tommy" Hang: 104,000
Hien Tran: 100,000
Henning Granstad: 100,000
Derek Lerner: 91,000
Daniel Makowsky: 90,000
Jody Gararventa: 86,000
Daniel Negreanu: 85,000

Average Stack: 68,571

Big Hands:

Negreanu On A Roller Coaster

Daniel Negreanu had the chip lead, but that reign ended after he took some hits.

Negreanu put a player all in and was ahead with 1010 while his opponent showed KQ. The board showed 8645. "I have a lot of outs," Negreanu's opponent said. The river brought one of his outs, the 2 and he hit his flush. Negreanu was down to 100,000 at that point, but he would go further south.

After a flop of 825, Negreanu bet 3,000 and was called by one opponent. The 8 on the turn brought another bet from Negreanu, this one 6,000. His opponent called again. The 10 came on the river and Negreanu gave up, checking. His opponent checked and flipped AK, one upping Negreanu's AQ. Negreanu was down to 88,000 at that point, but he would get some of those chips back from the same opponent.

With a board reading J1073, Negreanu fired 6,000 and was called. The river brought the 9 and Negreanu fired another shot of 6,000. His opponent folded and Negreanu was back over 100,000.

Matros Doubles Up

Matt Matros was all in against one opponent. He turned over pocket 8's, giving him a winning set on the turn. He was up to around 35,000 in chips

Filippi Making the Rounds

Amnon Filippi is back in the tournament area. He busted out of the tournament some hours ago but he has returned and been chatting it up with some of the players still scrapping to reach the final table.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Matthew Matros,   Amnon Filippi

$2,000 Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 11 Recap

Jun 11, '08

Blinds: 500/1,000

Players Left: 68 of 480

Chip Leaders:
Hien Tran - 69,000
Richard Li - 66,000
Paul Damany - 58,000
Daniel Makowsky - 58,000
Matt Woodward - 50,000
Derek Lerner - 50,000
David Baker - 50,000
Joseph Sanders - 48,000
Ugur Marangoz - 47,000
Danny Qutami - 46,300

Average Stack: 28,250

Eliminations:
J.C. Tran
Tad Jurgens
Shannon Shorr

Big Hands and Storylines:

So Much For Flopping Well

Ayaz Mahmoud raised pre-flop from middle position and was called by Alon Croitoru in the big blind. Croitoru check-called both the AJT flop and the A turn. The river J double-paired the board and Croituro led out for 2,000. Mahmoud angrily paused his iPod, tore off his headphones, and folded K-Q face-up. Croituro showed A-6 to his opponent and Mahmoud only replied, “I know.” Mahmoud still has 40,000 and Croitoru is now up to 27,000.

Chop It Up

In the small blind, Matt Matros called a late-position raise and the flop came down AT3. Matros check-raised the flop and his opponent called. Matros led out at the A turn and was again called. The Q river went check-check and the two flipped over their cards:

Matros: T9
Opponent: JT

The queen counterfeited the other player’s kicker and Matros was able to take half the pot. The chop was particularly important to Matros, who only has about 17,000 left.

Everything’s Coming Up Rosen

Douglas Rosen raised from the button and was called by the big blind. On a K65 flop, the big blind checked, Rosen bet, and the blind check-raised. Rosen called and both players checked the 4 turn. When the river card came the 5, the big blind bet and Rosen made the call. The big blind showed 77cd but conceded the pot when Rosen turned over TTcd. Rosen now has 33,000.

Player Tags: Ayaz Mahmood,   J.C. Tran,   Danny Qutami,   Matthew Matros,   Ugur Marangoz,   Matt Woodward,   Joseph Sanders,   Douglas Rosen,   Tad Jurgens,   Shannon Shorr,   Hien Tran,   Alon Croitoru,   Daniel Makowsky,   Derek Lerner,   Richard Li,   Paul Damany

$2,000 Limit Hold'em - Day 2 - Level 9 Recap

Jun 11, '08

Blinds: 300/600

Players Left: 116 of 480

Chip Leaders:
Daniel Negreanu – 50,000
Daniel Makowsky - 49,200
Eric Buchman - 46,500
Alon Croitoru - 33,700
Casey McCarrell - 31,600
Ayaz Mahmood - 30,700
Brendan Taylor - 30,300
Hien Tran - 30,100
Ardell Willis - 30,000
David Rood - 29,300

Average Stack: 16,550

Eliminations:
Brad Augsburger

Big Hands and Storylines:

Negreanu’s Ascent Continues

Daniel Negreanu started the day 4^th in chips but has quickly risen to become chip leader. In the first hand, Negreanu, from the small blind, called Lee Nelson’s pre-flop raise. On a J97 flop, Negreanu check-raised Nelson, who decided to call and see the turn. Negreanu bet out at the 8 turn, garnering another call from Nelson. The river brought the 8 and Negreanu fired another barrel. Nelson had had enough though, and folded quickly. Nelson was left with only 10,000 after the hand.

Only a few hands later Negreanu’s luck would continue. An Tran raised under-the-gun and was met with a three-bet from Negreanu on the button. Tran called and the pair saw a QJJ flop. Negreanu was checked to and forced Tran out of the pot with a bet. “Two tens, boss,” stated Negreanu, who confirmed his statement by tossing his cards in face-up. Negreanu has chipped up to about 50,000 after today’s first round of play.

Don’t Mess with Matros

Matt Matros opened the betting with a raise from the cutoff and was quickly met with a re-raise from Jed Dickerson on the button. Matros called the bet and checked a Q76 flop. After Dickerson made a continuation bet, Matros raised him, causing Dickerson to lay down his hand. After this hand Matros’ stack was boosted to a hearty 28,000. Dickerson is languishing with only 12,000.

Mike Patrick Doubles off Hawrilenko

Shortstack Mike Patrick raised to 1,200 from middle position and got one caller in Matt Hawrilenko from the small blind. Hawrilenko check-called the 754 flop. He checked again on the J turn, and after Patrick had bet, asked to see how much he had left. Patrick lifted his hands to reveal a paltry 700 left behind. Hawrilenko tossed in his chips to make the call. The river was the 8 and Hawrilenko again checked. Patrick put in his final chips and Hawrilenko shook his head and folded. Hawrilenko is now left with 11,000 in chips while Patrick was able to double his stack to about 7,000.

Player Tags: Ayaz Mahmood,   Daniel Negreanu,   Eric Buchman,   Matthew Matros,   An Tran,   Casey McCarrell,   Ardell Willis,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Brendan Taylor,   Lee Nelson,   Hien Tran,   Alon Croitoru,   Daniel Makowsky,   Jed Dickerson,   Mike Patrick,   David Rood,   Brad Augsburger

Limit Hold 'Em Level 8 recap

Jun 10, '08

Blinds: 300-500
Limits: 500-1,000

Players Remaining: 125-480

Average Chips: 15,360

Chip Leaders:

Erich Bucanan: 51,500
Stuart Patterson: 42,000
Daniel Makowsky: 40,000
Daniel Negreanu: 34,000
J.C. Tran: 33,000
Brendan Taylor: 31,000
Casey McCarrell: 29,000
Derek Lerner: 22,000
David Baker: 19,400
Ayaz Mahmood: 17,700

Big Hands:

Card Player Columnist Still Alive

When Card Player columnist Matt Matros finally got his short stack into the middle, his pocket queens were well ahead of his opponent's 1010, and a queen on the turn ensured he'd be sticking around for awhile longer. He's up to about 5,000.

Violette Out

Cyndy Violette was eliminated when her opponent's ace queen paired the queen.

Tran Bests Chang

In one hand, JC Tran gave a pretty good illustration of why he's closing in on the tournament chip leader: After opening for a raise in early position, the player to Tran's left reraised, and Tommy Chang called on the button. The flop came down AK9 and Tran checked. The player in seat 3continued, Chang called and Tran called. The turn brough the 7 and checks from both Tran and seat 3. Chang bet 1,000. Tran called and seat 3 got out of the way. The river pretty much bricked with the 3, and both players checked. "King," boomed Tran, showing KJ for second pair, good enough to take down a pot worth about 9,000. Tran is up to 25,000.


 

Player Tags: Matthew Matros,   Cyndy Violette

Three Tables

Jun 14, '07

Ayaz Mahmood flopped a set of Kings on the last hand before the break, turned a full house and got all of his money into the pot. Following that double up the $100 chips were raced off the table.  After the color up, the players went on a 15 minute break.  Once the break had finished it was decided that play will continue tonight until just after 2am PST.

 

In unusual situation, the two chip leaders butted heads with four tables remaining.  Scott Clements and Justin Scott got all of their money in on the flop, with Clements ahead with bottom set against Scott’s flush draw.  Scott hit the flush, but the board paired on the river, and Clements now has over $250,000, when the average stack is merely $50,000

 

Eric Lynch, and Johnny Chan have pushed their stacks to around $90,000, while Burt Boutin, Matt Matros, and Arnold Spee continue to hang on.  They have redrawn the final three tables, for the last hour of play.

Player Tags: Ayaz Mahmood,   Arnold Spee,   Burt Boutin,   Matthew Matros,   Johnny Chan,   Scott Clements,   Justin Scott,   Eric Lynch

Clements Still King

Jun 14, '07

Scott Clements is still in command of his table.  Given that this event had a smaller buy-in compared to some of the other events, the payouts are still particularly small.  It seems no one is going to be satisfied with only a cash in this event, and they are now playing very close to the vest.

Johnny Chan has gotten his chip stack into the average range, as has Arnold Spee.  Matt Matros and Eric Lynch both are on life support, and will need a few double ups to keep things going.

There are currently 38 players remaining on 5 tables.

Player Tags: Arnold Spee,   Matthew Matros,   Johnny Chan,   Scott Clements,   Eric Lynch

Bubble Looms

Jun 14, '07

There are currently 57 players left on 7 tables.  Play has tightened up considerably.  Several notable names have fallen in the last hour of play, including Chris Ferguson, Josh Arieh, and Noah Boeken.

Arnold Spee has been enjoying some good fortune at his table.  Seated in the 2 seat, he's enjoying getting the better of the 1 seat Matt Matros.  Spee made a large pre-flop reraise against Matros, taking down the pot with a continuation bet on the flop.  A few hands later the two tangled again.  Matros debating making a call on the river, and ultimately mucked.  Spee was playfully upset, showing Matros that he had the nut flush as he raked in the pot.

Scott Clements, the current chip leader is having a great time at his table.  He lamented that no one will play with him as he took down one pot pre flop.  A few hands later he folded a hand on the river, and his opponent showed him a straight flush.  He seems to be dodging the bullets, and he has about $115,000 in chips.

Ten-time bracelet winner Johnny Chan is still alive, but he is getting short on chips. 

Players are on a break until 10:45

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Chris Ferguson,   Arnold Spee,   Matthew Matros,   Noah Boeken,   Scott Clements