Chris Moore Poker Tournament Updates

Level 32-33 Update: Lars Bonding and Chris Moore Eliminated Early -- Down to 14 Players

Jul 19, '11

Note: Play will continue until the field reaches 9 players.

Blinds: 100,000-200,000 with a 30,000 ante

Players Remaining: 14 out of 6,865

Average Chip Count: 14.7 million

Chip Leaders:

1. Anton Makievskyi — 31,970,000
2. Eoghan O’Dea — 26,475,000
3. Pius Heinz — 24,935,000
4. John Hewitt — 19,760,000
5. Phil Collins — 18,360,000
6. Ben Lamb — 14,910,000
7. Martin Staszko — 13,450,000
8. Samuel Holden — 10,505,000
9. Matt Giannetti — 10,115,000
10. Badih Bounahra — 9,840,000

Eliminations:

15. Andrey Pateychuk — $478,174
16. Ryan Lenaghan — $378,796
17. Sam Barnhart — $378,796
18. Kenny Shih — $378,796
19. Aleksandr Mozhnyakov — $302,005
20. Gionni Demers — $302,005
21. Chris Moore — $302,005
22. Lars Bonding — $302,005

Featured Poker Tweets:

Bryan Devonshire
Philip Collins
Ben Lamb

Hands:

Lars Bonding Eliminated in 22nd Place ($302,005)

Lars Bonding got the last of his chips into the middle of the table when the flop read 7-4-3 and he held pocket aces in the hole. Unfortunately for the pro his opponent Konstantinos Mamaliadis held pocket fours. The set held and Bonding was the first player to be eliminated on day 8, falling in 22nd place, which was good for $302,005.

Featured Poker Tweet — Lars Bonding

Chris Moore Eliminated in 21st Place ($302,005)

Anton Makievskyi raised to 350,000 preflop and Chris Moore reraised to 1 million. Anton then moved all in and Moore made the all-in call. Their cards:

Anton: A 10
Moore: K-K

Board: A 8 3 6 Q

Anton won the hand and he grew his chip lead to 24 million. Moore was eliminated in 21st place and he took home $302,005 in prize money.

Aleksandr Mozhnyakov Eliminated in 19th Place ($302,005)

Sam Barnhart raised to 550,000 from the cutoff and Aleksandr Mozhnyakov reraised all in for his final 1.5 million. Barnhart made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Barnhart: A 10
Mozhnyakov: K Q

Board: 4 4 3 J 2

Mozhnyakov was eliminated in 19th place on the hand and he will now take home $302,005 in prize money. Barnhart grew his stack to 6,245,000 after the hand.

Sam Barnhart Eliminated in 16th Place ($378,796)

Sam Barnhart raised to 550,000 from middle position preflop and Pius Heinz reraised all in from the small blind for 5.51 million. Barnhart was then forced to make an all-in call for 4 million. Their cards:

Barnhart: 9 9
Heinz: K K

Board: J 4 3 10 8

Barnhart won the WSOP Circuit National Championship event at the start of the summer and he ends it with an impressive 16th place finish in the main event. He will take home $378,796 in prize money.

CardPlayer TV — Day 7 Recap

Player Tags: Lars Bonding,   Chris Moore,   Ryan Lenaghan,   Samuel Barnhart,   Anton Makiievskyi

Level 5 Update -- Late Arrivals Make Early Exits

Mar 06, '11

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 123 out of 154

Chip Counts:

1. Brcue Antman — 80,000
2. Kenny Lawson — 75,000
3. Arnaud Mattern — 70,000
4. Allen Kessler — 55,000
5. Daniel Negreanu — 50,000
6. Dwyte Pilgrim — 40,000
7. Ray Henson — 40,000
8. Michael Kazt — 40,000
9. David Baker — 40,000
10. John Hennigan — 40,000

Notable Eliminations:

Daniel Alaei
Chris Moore
Nikolay Evdakov

Big Hands:

Three Pros Down

Two professional players who entered the tournament late on day 1B have already been eliminated. They are Daniel Alaei and Chris Moore, and they were joined on the rail by Nikolay Evdakov during level five.

Ray Henson Gets Aggressive

The big blind bet 2,375 with a 10 8 5 flop sitting on the table and Ray Henson raised to 5,300 on the button. Men Nguyen got out of the way on the small blind and the big blind went into the tank. He eventually made the call and then the turn fell K. Henson bet 6,500 and his opponent mucked.

David Baker vs. Amit Makhija

There was 11,500 in the pot and the board read Q 8 7 Q 6 when David Baker bet 9,000 on the button. Amit Makhija went into the tank and eventually mucked the Q face up on the table. Baker flashed the Q 8 as he collected the pot.

Poker Tweet — Daniel Negreanu

Player Tags: Ray Henson,   David Baker,   Daniel Negreanu,   Daniel Alaei,   Chris Moore,   Amit Makhija,   Nikolay Evdakov

Level 15 Update: Down to the Money Bubble

Aug 23, '10

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

Players Remaining: 46 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Phil Collins — 1,100,000
2. Andrew Frankenberger — 715,000
3. Jared Jaffee — 560,000
4. Kyle McCammond — 490,000
5. Micah Raskin — 370,000
6. Jonathan Little — 355,000
7. Erica Schoenberg — 350,000
8. Elliot Smith — 337,000 (pictured right)
9. John Smith — 325,000
10. Tom Braband — 320,000

Average Chip Count: 251,086

Notable Eliminations:

Tim Phan
Chris Moore
Jordan Young

Chip Movers and Shakers

Phil Collins continues to pace the field and he became the first millionaire in the tournament during the last level of play. The rest of the top 10 stayed stable, but Andrew Frankenberger is keeping pace with the chip leader to pull away from the field by growing his stack to 715,000. Players that are hoping to limp into the money on a short stack and then attempt to double up include Michale Benvenuti, Allen Kessler, and Ali Eslami.

Big Hands:

Phil Collins Battles with Jordan Young

Jordan Young bet 12,500 after a fop of 875 hit the table and Phil Collins made the call. The turn fell 3 and Young bet 22,500. Collins made the call and the river fell 2. Young checked and Collins went into the tank before placing a bet of 65,000 on the table. Young folds and Collins won the hand to grow his stack to 985,000. Young dropped down to 340,000.

Joe Sebok Eliminates John Wrona

Tom Lee raised to 12,000 under the gun and John Wrona moved all in from middle position for 52,000. Joe Sebok moved all in over the top of everyone from the cutoff and Lee mucked after spending some time in the tank. The two live players then flipped over their cards:

Wrona: QQ
Sebok: KK

Board: J7653

Sebok won the hand with pocket kings and Wrona was eliminated. Sebok held 182,000 after the hand.

Chris Moore Eliminated by Jonathan Aguiar

Chris Moore moved all in preflop from the button and Jonathan Aguiar made the call on the small blind. Their cards:

Moore: 62
Aguiar: A10

Board: AKJ68

Moore was eliminated on the hand and Aguiar grew his stack to 160,000.

Tim Phan Eliminated

Andrew Frankenberger raised from middle position preflop and Tim Phan made the call. The flop was dealt J75 and Frankenberger bet 16,000. Phan raised to 40,000 total and Frankenberger reraised all in. Phan made the all-in call and they flipped over their cards:

Frankenberger: KK
Phan: QJ

Turn and River: 5A

Frankenberger was up to 840,000 after the hand and Phan was eliminated.

Marco Johnson Doubles Up

Tom Braband raised to 10,000 under the gun and Marco Johnson moved all in from the cutoff. Braband made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Johnson: AQ
Braband: AK

Board: A64QJ

Johnson doubled up on the hand to 190,000 and Braband held 315,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Tim Phan,   Joe Sebok,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Chris Moore,   Marco Johnson,   Tom Braband,   Phil Collins,   Jordan Young

Level 9 Update: Big Name Bustout Bonanza

Aug 22, '10

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 136 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Raymond Dolan — 245,000
2. Brian Patrick — 238,000
3. Tom Braband — 218,000
4. Soi Nguyen — 217,000
5. Vinnie Vinh — 190,000
6. Justin Young — 185,000
7. Marco Johnson — 175,000
8. David Sands — 161,000
9. Manuel Reyes — 160,000
10. Tim Phan — 150,000

Average Chip Count: 84,926

Notable Eliminations:

Melanie Weisner
Matt Keikoan
Tim West
William Reynolds
Shane Schleger
Scott Clements
Shawn Buchanan
Bary Greenstein
David Oppenheim

Chip Movers and Shakers

Raymond Dolan has taken control of the top spot in the tournament with 290,000. Manuel Reyes is still strong with 238,000. David Sands made the largest gain during the last level and he now holds 130,000. Some players on bustout watch include Dan Heimiller, Allen Bari, Scott Clements, and Steve Brecher.

Big Hands:

Tim West Eliminated

There was a flop of KJ5 sitting on the table and 6,000 to sweeten the pot when Chris DeMaci checked in the small blind. Tim West bet 3,500 from the button and DeMaci check-raised to 10,200. West reraised all in for 25,000 and DeMaci made the call. Their cards:

DeMaci: Q9
West: AK

Turn and River: 106

DeMaci won the hand to grow his stack to 88,500 and West was eliminated after the hand.

Quads for Chainsaw

Allen Kessler was all in with pocket nines preflop and he had his opponent covered, who held A-10 in the hole. Kessler flopped quads and yet he still found a way to complain about it, saying that although it was the first time he had been dealt quads in a live tournament that he wished it had come in a hand against an opponent with more chips. Kessler held 108,000 after the hand.

Ted Lawson Doubles Up

Ted Lawson was all in on a flop of 652 with AQ in the hole and his opponent held pocket jacks. The turn and river fell 5Q and Lawson won the hand to double up to 84,000.

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

Barry Greenstein was all in preflop with A-K in the hole against the pocket queens of Chris Moore. An ace fell on the flop but another queen popped up on the river to give Moore a set. He built his stack to 140,000 and Greenstein was eliminated.

Joe Hachem Doubles Up

The flop read 987 when the small blind checked and Joe Hachem bet 3,000 from early position. The small blind check-raised all in and Hachem made the all-in call for 21,600. Their cards:

Hachem: 1010
Small Blind: J3

Turn and River: JA

Hachem doubled up to 50,000 on the hand.

Left in the Deck:

Big Name Bustout Bonanza

Multiple high-profile professionals have busted out of the tournament during the last level and they have diminished the star power of the event to a degree. Barry Greenstein, David Oppenheim, Scott Clements, Shawn Buchanan, Shane Schleger, and Tim West have all recently hit the rail.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Ted Lawson,   Allen Kessler,   Joe Hachem,   Chris Moore,   Tim West

Level 15 Update: Down to the Money Bubble

Aug 23, '10

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

Players Remaining: 46 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Phil Collins — 1,100,000
2. Andrew Frankenberger — 715,000
3. Jared Jaffee — 560,000
4. Kyle McCammond — 490,000
5. Micah Raskin — 370,000
6. Jonathan Little — 355,000
7. Erica Schoenberg — 350,000
8. Elliot Smith — 337,000 (pictured right)
9. John Smith — 325,000
10. Tom Braband — 320,000

Average Chip Count: 251,086

Notable Eliminations:

Tim Phan
Chris Moore
Jordan Young

Chip Movers and Shakers

Phil Collins continues to pace the field and he became the first millionaire in the tournament during the last level of play. The rest of the top 10 stayed stable, but Andrew Frankenberger is keeping pace with the chip leader to pull away from the field by growing his stack to 715,000. Players that are hoping to limp into the money on a short stack and then attempt to double up include Michale Benvenuti, Allen Kessler, and Ali Eslami.

Big Hands:

Phil Collins Battles with Jordan Young

Jordan Young bet 12,500 after a fop of 875 hit the table and Phil Collins made the call. The turn fell 3 and Young bet 22,500. Collins made the call and the river fell 2. Young checked and Collins went into the tank before placing a bet of 65,000 on the table. Young folds and Collins won the hand to grow his stack to 985,000. Young dropped down to 340,000.

Joe Sebok Eliminates John Wrona

Tom Lee raised to 12,000 under the gun and John Wrona moved all in from middle position for 52,000. Joe Sebok moved all in over the top of everyone from the cutoff and Lee mucked after spending some time in the tank. The two live players then flipped over their cards:

Wrona: QQ
Sebok: KK

Board: J7653

Sebok won the hand with pocket kings and Wrona was eliminated. Sebok held 182,000 after the hand.

Chris Moore Eliminated by Jonathan Aguiar

Chris Moore moved all in preflop from the button and Jonathan Aguiar made the call on the small blind. Their cards:

Moore: 62
Aguiar: A10

Board: AKJ68

Moore was eliminated on the hand and Aguiar grew his stack to 160,000.

Tim Phan Eliminated

Andrew Frankenberger raised from middle position preflop and Tim Phan made the call. The flop was dealt J75 and Frankenberger bet 16,000. Phan raised to 40,000 total and Frankenberger reraised all in. Phan made the all-in call and they flipped over their cards:

Frankenberger: KK
Phan: QJ

Turn and River: 5A

Frankenberger was up to 840,000 after the hand and Phan was eliminated.

Marco Johnson Doubles Up

Tom Braband raised to 10,000 under the gun and Marco Johnson moved all in from the cutoff. Braband made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Johnson: AQ
Braband: AK

Board: A64QJ

Johnson doubled up on the hand to 190,000 and Braband held 315,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Tim Phan,   Joe Sebok,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Chris Moore,   Marco Johnson,   Tom Braband,   Phil Collins,   Jordan Young

Level 9 Update: Big Name Bustout Bonanza

Aug 22, '10

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 136 out of 462

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Raymond Dolan — 245,000
2. Brian Patrick — 238,000
3. Tom Braband — 218,000
4. Soi Nguyen — 217,000
5. Vinnie Vinh — 190,000
6. Justin Young — 185,000
7. Marco Johnson — 175,000
8. David Sands — 161,000
9. Manuel Reyes — 160,000
10. Tim Phan — 150,000

Average Chip Count: 84,926

Notable Eliminations:

Melanie Weisner
Matt Keikoan
Tim West
William Reynolds
Shane Schleger
Scott Clements
Shawn Buchanan
Bary Greenstein
David Oppenheim

Chip Movers and Shakers

Raymond Dolan has taken control of the top spot in the tournament with 290,000. Manuel Reyes is still strong with 238,000. David Sands made the largest gain during the last level and he now holds 130,000. Some players on bustout watch include Dan Heimiller, Allen Bari, Scott Clements, and Steve Brecher.

Big Hands:

Tim West Eliminated

There was a flop of KJ5 sitting on the table and 6,000 to sweeten the pot when Chris DeMaci checked in the small blind. Tim West bet 3,500 from the button and DeMaci check-raised to 10,200. West reraised all in for 25,000 and DeMaci made the call. Their cards:

DeMaci: Q9
West: AK

Turn and River: 106

DeMaci won the hand to grow his stack to 88,500 and West was eliminated after the hand.

Quads for Chainsaw

Allen Kessler was all in with pocket nines preflop and he had his opponent covered, who held A-10 in the hole. Kessler flopped quads and yet he still found a way to complain about it, saying that although it was the first time he had been dealt quads in a live tournament that he wished it had come in a hand against an opponent with more chips. Kessler held 108,000 after the hand.

Ted Lawson Doubles Up

Ted Lawson was all in on a flop of 652 with AQ in the hole and his opponent held pocket jacks. The turn and river fell 5Q and Lawson won the hand to double up to 84,000.

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

Barry Greenstein was all in preflop with A-K in the hole against the pocket queens of Chris Moore. An ace fell on the flop but another queen popped up on the river to give Moore a set. He built his stack to 140,000 and Greenstein was eliminated.

Joe Hachem Doubles Up

The flop read 987 when the small blind checked and Joe Hachem bet 3,000 from early position. The small blind check-raised all in and Hachem made the all-in call for 21,600. Their cards:

Hachem: 1010
Small Blind: J3

Turn and River: JA

Hachem doubled up to 50,000 on the hand.

Left in the Deck:

Big Name Bustout Bonanza

Multiple high-profile professionals have busted out of the tournament during the last level and they have diminished the star power of the event to a degree. Barry Greenstein, David Oppenheim, Scott Clements, Shawn Buchanan, Shane Schleger, and Tim West have all recently hit the rail.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Ted Lawson,   Allen Kessler,   Joe Hachem,   Chris Moore,   Tim West

Level Five, Hour One: Lisandro Eliminated

Jul 08, '10

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Julian Foussard – 168,000
2. Dan Springfield – 153,000
3. Frank Gu – 149,000
4. Khamsy Nuanmanee – 148,000
5. Eric Blair – 140,000
6. Aaron Gustavson – 140,000
7. David Benyamine – 134,000
8. Gary Brown – 128,000
9. Vanessa Rousso – 128,000
10. Jason Mercier – 118,000

Card Player Family Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 9,900
Steve Zolotow — 42,600
Jen Harman — 33,150

Big Hands:

Lisandro’s Aces Crack, He Busts

The player in seat 8 raised to 1,200 and when action folded to Jeff Lisandro he raised to 3,200. Seat 8 called and they saw the flop come 3Q4.

Lisandro bet out 4,000 and seat 8 called. The turn then brought the 4 and Lisandro led again for 6,000. Seat 8 raised to 16,000, essentially putting Lisandro all in. Lisandro thought for a moment and moved all in for just a bit more. Seat 8 called.

“Your queens are good,” Lisandro said as he flipped over AA. He was correct, as seat 8 showed QQ for the flopped set and turned full house. Lisandro was dead to an ace on the river, and he was not happy about his bad luck. “Just put it out there,” he demanded, instead of waiting for the ESPN crew’s thumbs up to continue. It was the 10 and Lisandro stormed away from the Amazon room, eliminated late on day 1d.

Lisandro had three cashes at the 2010 WSOP for around $90,000, including one final table appearance. Check out his results here.

Ivey Doubles up Opponent

Entering the action late, Phil Ivey had an opponent all in and at risk for 12,075 on a flop of AJ10. Their hands:

Ivey: K9
Opponent: A8

Ivey held a straight draw and flush draw, but he was still trailing his opponent’s pair of aces. The turn was the J and the 3 on the river didn’t fill Ivey’s draws. He lost the pot and dropped to around 25,000 in chips.

Rousso Surrenders The Double Up

Picking up the action after the flop, the board read A98. The player in seat 3 ended up all in for 7,350 and Vanessa Rousso made the call.

Rousso: 107
Seat 3: A9

Seat 3 flopped two pair but Rousso had an open-ended straight draw. The turn was a blank with the 3 and the river bricked as well with the 8 and seat 3 doubled up.

Rousso dropped the rare pot but she still had 128,000.

Pavilion Room Update

Sorel Mizzi Doubles Up an Opponent

On a flop of 10106 Sorel Mizzi bet and his opponent moved all in for 24,275 more. Mizzi tanked before making the call with the AA. His opponent exposed the J10 for trip tens. The turn and river both bricked for Mizzi and he was made a short stack with about 9,000 left.

Chris Moore Drops a Pot

A player in middle position bet and got one caller. Chris Moore three-bet to 3,000 more. The original bettor called and the player in the middle folded. After the flop, Moore’s opponent bet out and Moore released. He was at around the starting stack after the hand.

Player Tags: Jeffrey Lisandro,   Phil Ivey,   Vanessa Rousso,   Chris Moore,   Sorel Mizzi

Chris Moore Eliminated in 31st Place ($39,366)

Mar 01, '10

Level 20 — 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante

Chris Moore raised to 20,000 from the cutoff preflop and Andras Koroknai reraised to 62,000. Moore reraised all in for 345,000 and Korknai made the call. Their cards:

Moore: 77
Koroknai: AJ

Board: J8210A

Moore was eliminated in 31st place and he will take home $39,366 in prize money. Moore had a successful run here at the Commerce during the L.A. Poker Classic. He won the $10,000 heads-up championship (pictured right) two days before the start of the main event.

Player Tags: Chris Moore

Level 9 Update -- Erica Schoenberg on the Rise

Feb 27, '10

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 218 out of 745

Chip Counts:

1. Eugene Katchalov — 290,000
2. Daniel Negreanu — 245,000
3. Masaaki Kagawa — 170,000
4. Shawn Buchanan — 165,000
5. Jon Luu — 145,000
6. Lisa Hamilton — 140,000
7. Mickey Mills — 140,000
8. Carlos Mortensen — 140,000
9. Erica Schoenberg — 130,000
10. Steve Sung — 125,000

Average Chip Count: 68,349

Notable Eliminations:

Amit Makhija
Nam Le
Mike Leah
JC Tran
Tuan Le
Erik Seidel
Joe Hachem
Faraz Jaka

Big Hands:

Erica Schoenberg Stacking Chips

A pot worth 12,000 sat on the table alongside a board of J76410 when seat 4 bet 6,000 from the hi-jack. Erica Schoenberg raised to 20,000 and her opponent went into the tank. She eventually made the call and Schoenberg turned over AJ. Seat 4 mucked and Schoenberg now holds a stack worth 140,000. She is currently among the chip leaders in the tournament.

Mark Seif Takes a Hit

On a flop of Q85 Mark Seif bet 20,000 from the hi-jack and his opponent made the all-in call UTG+1 for 15,900. Their cards:

Seif: A5
Opponent: 1010

Turn and River: 4 and K

Seif took a hit as his opponent doubled up at his expense and he now holds 118,000.

Men Nguyen Doubles Up

Men Nguyen moved all in preflop for 14,500 from the small blind and one opponent called him down on the button. Their cards:

Nguyen: A8
Opponent: A10

Board: K8625

Nguyen doubled up on the hand to survive.

Chris Moore Doubles Up

Chris Moore just took a slight hit when he doubled up an opponent. He was all in with J9 and his opponent held AJ. The board read J42610 on the river and Moore watched his stack fall to 62,000.

Daniel Negreanu Doubles Up

Daniel Negreanu raised to 1,800 from middle position and the button made the call. William James also made the call from the big blind. The flop was dealt 5-3-2 with two clubs and James checked. Negreanu bet 3,500 and the button mucked. James check-raised to 9,700 and Negreanu reraised to 24,700. James reraised all in and Negreanu faced an all-in call. He quickly called all in and the two players flipped over their cards:

Negreanu: 43
James: 8-3

Turn and River: 4-K

Negreanu won the hand with two pair to double up and grow his stack to 240,000. James was crippled after the hand and he busted out of the tournament a short time later.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Men Nguyen,   Daniel Negreanu,   Chris Moore,   Erica Schoenberg

Chris Moore Eliminated in 31st Place ($39,366)

Mar 01, '10

Level 20 — 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante

Chris Moore raised to 20,000 from the cutoff preflop and Andras Koroknai reraised to 62,000. Moore reraised all in for 345,000 and Korknai made the call. Their cards:

Moore: 77
Koroknai: AJ

Board: J8210A

Moore was eliminated in 31st place and he will take home $39,366 in prize money. Moore had a successful run here at the Commerce during the L.A. Poker Classic. He won the $10,000 heads-up championship (pictured right) two days before the start of the main event.

Player Tags: Chris Moore

Level 9 Update -- Erica Schoenberg on the Rise

Feb 27, '10

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 218 out of 745

Chip Counts:

1. Eugene Katchalov — 290,000
2. Daniel Negreanu — 245,000
3. Masaaki Kagawa — 170,000
4. Shawn Buchanan — 165,000
5. Jon Luu — 145,000
6. Lisa Hamilton — 140,000
7. Mickey Mills — 140,000
8. Carlos Mortensen — 140,000
9. Erica Schoenberg — 130,000
10. Steve Sung — 125,000

Average Chip Count: 68,349

Notable Eliminations:

Amit Makhija
Nam Le
Mike Leah
JC Tran
Tuan Le
Erik Seidel
Joe Hachem
Faraz Jaka

Big Hands:

Erica Schoenberg Stacking Chips

A pot worth 12,000 sat on the table alongside a board of J76410 when seat 4 bet 6,000 from the hi-jack. Erica Schoenberg raised to 20,000 and her opponent went into the tank. She eventually made the call and Schoenberg turned over AJ. Seat 4 mucked and Schoenberg now holds a stack worth 140,000. She is currently among the chip leaders in the tournament.

Mark Seif Takes a Hit

On a flop of Q85 Mark Seif bet 20,000 from the hi-jack and his opponent made the all-in call UTG+1 for 15,900. Their cards:

Seif: A5
Opponent: 1010

Turn and River: 4 and K

Seif took a hit as his opponent doubled up at his expense and he now holds 118,000.

Men Nguyen Doubles Up

Men Nguyen moved all in preflop for 14,500 from the small blind and one opponent called him down on the button. Their cards:

Nguyen: A8
Opponent: A10

Board: K8625

Nguyen doubled up on the hand to survive.

Chris Moore Doubles Up

Chris Moore just took a slight hit when he doubled up an opponent. He was all in with J9 and his opponent held AJ. The board read J42610 on the river and Moore watched his stack fall to 62,000.

Daniel Negreanu Doubles Up

Daniel Negreanu raised to 1,800 from middle position and the button made the call. William James also made the call from the big blind. The flop was dealt 5-3-2 with two clubs and James checked. Negreanu bet 3,500 and the button mucked. James check-raised to 9,700 and Negreanu reraised to 24,700. James reraised all in and Negreanu faced an all-in call. He quickly called all in and the two players flipped over their cards:

Negreanu: 43
James: 8-3

Turn and River: 4-K

Negreanu won the hand with two pair to double up and grow his stack to 240,000. James was crippled after the hand and he busted out of the tournament a short time later.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Men Nguyen,   Daniel Negreanu,   Chris Moore,   Erica Schoenberg

Championship Match Summary

Feb 24, '10

The championship match between Chris Moore and Vivek Rajkumar began a little tentatively, but that probably had more to do with the low 100-200 blinds than the nerves of the two players. Here is a look at how the big hands of the match played out:

Moore Knocks out one of Rajkumar’s Legs

A flop of K 3 2 sat on the table along with 4,200 in the pot when Moore bet 2,000. Rajkumar went into the tank on the button and then made the call. Both players checked the 4 on the turn and the river fell 3. Rajkumar bet 3,600 and Moore reraised all in for 13,500 more after thinking for a minute. Rajkumar mucked and Moore jumped out to a quick lead with 26,000.

Rajkumar’s Stack Falls to Four Figures

A flop of A 10 7 sat on the table along with 2,800 in the pot and both players checked before the 3 fell on the turn. Rajkumar bet 2,500 and Moore made the call. Both players then checked the K on the river and Moore flipped over Q 10. Rajkumar mucked and his stack dropped to 8,500.

Queen-Jack is Nice Twice for Moore

On a board of K J 6 10 with 1,000 in the pot Rajkumar bet 700 from the button and Moore made the call. Both players then checked the A on the river and Moore revealed Q J. Rajkumar mucked and his stack fell to 6,500.

A few hands later Rajkumar opened the post-flop action once again on the turn. This time a board of K Q 9 2 sat on the table along with an 800 pot when Rajkumar bet 500. Moore made the call on the button and the J fell on the river. Rajkumar bet 1,700 and Moore made the call. Moore flipped over Q J and once again Rajkumar mucked. His stack was below 5,000 after the hand.

Chris Moore Wins the L.A. Poker Classic $10,000 Heads-Up Championship ($152,200)

Vivek Rajkumar opened the action after a flop of K 7 5 sat on the table by betting 500 on the button into a pot of 800. Moore check-raised to 1,600 total and Rajkumar counted out his remaining chips before making the call.

The 2 fell on the turn and Moore bet 5,000, which was enough to put Rajkumar all in. He made the all-in call and they flipped over their cards:

Rajkumar: K 7
Moore: Q 8

River: 9

Moore won the hand and the tournament with a turned flush and he takes home the championship after falling in second place against Rajkumar last year. Moore takes home the first-place prize worth $152,200, a $10,000 seat in the L.A. Poker Classic main event, the iconic cowboy championship trophy, and a championship watch. Rajkumar made a valiant effort to defend his heads-up title and takes home $76,100 in second place.

Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events and check back on Friday for coverage of the $10,000 World Poker Tour no-limit hold’em championship at the L.A. Poker Classic at Commerce Casino.

Player Tags: Chris Moore,   Vivek Rajkumar

A Miraculous Rematch in the Championship

Feb 24, '10

Do you believe in miracles?

Well, you would have to if you thought this could happen two years in a row. Chris Moore has won the winner’s side of the bracket and Vivek Rajkumar has won the loser’s side of the bracket once again at the $10,000 heads-up no-limit hold’em championship event at the L.A. Poker Classic at Commerce Casino.

For the second year in a row Rajkumar will have to beat Moore twice heads up if he hopes to win the championship trophy, a $10,000 seat in the main event, and the first-place prize money ($152,200). Moore needs to beat Rajkumar once to win the prize for himself and he will be keen to exact some revenge on the defending champion.

The championship match will begin at 10:15 p.m. Check back at that time to follow along with the action.

Player Tags: Chris Moore,   Vivek Rajkumar

Winner's Bracket -- Final Match Summary

Feb 24, '10

In the first big hand that took place between Chris Moore and Aaron Jones the two players built a nice pot while the board ran out K 10 9 7 4. Moore bet 4,700 on the river and Jones made the call. Moore showed down K 9 to defeat the pocket aces of Jones. That took Jones down to 12,500 early and Moore held the lead with 27,500.

A few hands later, with a flop of A 8 7 on the board and 3,300 in the pot Jones bet 1,700 and Moore raised to 4,000 from the button. Jones went into the tank and eventually mucked. He now held just 8,000 and needed to double up. That would happen for him a short time later.

Moore bet 2,000 preflop and Jones made the call from the button. The flop was dealt 9 8 5 and Moore checked. Jones bet 1,200 and Moore raised to 10,000. Jones called all in and they turned over their cards:

Jones: 7 6
Moore: K 8

Turn and River: J 2

Jones won the hand to double up and the match continued once anew. Jones was able to figth back for a while but his stack began to shrink again. He made his last stand after Moore raised to 1,000 on the button a few minutes later. Jones raised all in for 9,000 total and Moore made the call. Jones held A-3 but Moore had him dominated with A-Q. Jones will have another chance to win the loser’s bracket in the championship match on that side of the format, but even if he wins Moore will be waiting for him in the overall final for the event.

Player Tags: Chris Moore,   Aaron Jones

Winner's Bracket -- Final 4 Summary

Feb 24, '10

The matches on the winner’s side of the bracket played out relatively quickly this afternoon, with both winners making short work of the match.

Aaron Jones vs. Michael Binger: Aaron Jones flopped top two pair on a K-J-8 flop against Michael Binger in the the final hand of their match. Jones checked the flop and Binger bet 2,100. Jones check-raised to 12,000 and Binger made the all-in call. Jones revealed his K-J and Binger held K-5. The turn and river were blanks and Jones advanced to the final on the winner’s side of the bracket.

Chris Moore vs. Anthony Guetti: Chris Moore has steamrolled into the final on the championship side of the bracket for the second year in a row thanks to another dominant run of victories. On the final hand of his final four match he limped on the button with J 6 and Anthony Guetti checked with J-5. The flop was dealt J-10-4 and Guetti bet 400. Moore raised to 1,300 and Guetti made the call. A deuce fell on the turn and Guetti bet 2,200. Moore raised all in and Guetti made the all-in call. The river changed nothing and Moore won the hand to advance.

Player Tags: Michael Binger,   Chris Moore,   Aaron Jones

Level 5 Update: Day 1 Ends

Dec 14, '09

NOTE: Day 1 has come to an end and play will resume at noon PST tomorrow.

Blinds: 300-600 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 240 out of 292 (unofficial)

Chip Counts:

1. Darryll Fish — 220,000
2. Jon Turner — 215,000
3. David Woo — 205,000
4. Billy Kopp — 190,000
5. Antonio Esfandiari — 185,000
6. David Benyamine — 175,000
7. Joe Serock — 160,000
8. Cory Carroll — 155,000
9. Adam Geyer — 150,000
10. Soheil Shamseddin — 135,000

Card Player Chip Counts

Barry Shulman — busted

Average Chip Count: 73,000

Notable Eliminations:

Mohsin Charania
Paul Wasicka
Jeff Madsen
Chad Brown
Tuan Le
Mel Judah
Scott Montgomery

Big Hands:

Markus Gonsalves Doubles Up

A player in middle position raised to 1,050 preflop and Steve Brecher made the call on the button. Markus Gonsalves reraised to 5,400 from the small blind and middle position reraised to 10,625. Brecher mucked and Gonsalves moved all in for 53,825. His opponent made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Gonsalves: KK
Opponent: QQ

The board was dealt Q43K to give Gonsalves a set and the river changed nothing. Gonsalves doubled up on the hand and he now holds 110,000.

Kevin Saul gets Doubled Through

Kevin Saul (pictured left) raised to 1,600 preflop and the button reraised to 4,400. Saul made the call and the flop was dealt K66. Saul checked and the button bet 7,500. Saul check-raised an additional 12,000 and the button made the all-in call. Their cards:

Saul: K10
Opponent: AA

Turn and River: 9 and J

Saul lost the hand and after counting out the chips to double up his opponent he held 50,000.

Barry Shulman Eliminated

A flop of Q93 sat on the table when Barry Shulman (pictured right) bet 3,500 and Chris Moore made the call. Olav Sachsen raised to 13,500 and Shulman reraised to 23,500. Moore made the call and Sachsen mucked. The 4 fell on the turn and Shulman checked. Moore moved all in and Shulman made the all-in call for his final 21,000. Moore turned over J10 for an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw and Shulman showed 32 for bottom pair and a flush draw. The 8 fell on the river to give Moore a flush and Shulman was eliminated right before the end of day 2.

POY Update

All five of the top contenders in the POY race have made it through to day 2. Here is a look at how they faired during the first day of the tournament:

Soheil Shamseddin: 135,000
Yevgeniy Timoshenko: 125,000
Cornel Cimpan: 112,000
Eric Baldwin: 90,000
Jason Mercier: 55,000

Player Tags: Barry Shulman,   Kevin Saul,   Chris Moore,   Markus Gonsalves,   Olav Sachsen

Level 4 Update: Field Size Nears 300 Mark

Dec 14, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 260 out of 290 (unofficial)

Chip Counts:

1. Darryll Fish — 200,000
2. Billy Kopp — 185,000
3. Jon Turner — 180,000
4. David Benyamine — 170,000
5. Cory Carroll — 155,000
6. James Mackey — 140,000
7. Soheil Shamseddin — 135,000
8. Isaac Baron — 115,000
9. John Cernuto — 115,000

Card Player Chip Counts

Barry Shulman — 72,000

Average Chip Count: 67,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jean Gaspard
Scott Seiver
Corwin Cole

Big Hands:

What Was Tuan Holding?

We caught up with this hand on the river, with a board showing A423A.

Tuan Le bet 11,000 and Amit Makhija moved all in for 53,000, covering Le’s final 21,000 in chips. Le agonzied over his decision for over four minutes while Makhija remained silent and still. Eventually, Le folded and kept his remaining chips. Makhija neglected to show.

Let’s Chop It

A player raised, David Chiu reraised and Christian Harder put in yet another raise. The original player folded and Chiu decided to just call.

The flop came out J83 and both players got their remaining chips in the middle. Chiu was hoping for Harder to show pocket kings, but instead, both players were disappointed to find out they were both holding pocket aces. The inconsequential turn and river came and both players chopped the pot for a small profit.

Chris Moore Should’ve Folded

Chris Moore raised to 1,100 in middle position and was called by an unknown opponent and Barry Shulman in the big blind. The flop came out J87 and both Shulman and Moore checked to their opponent who bet 2,600.

Moore was the only caller and both players checked the turn when the J fell. The river was the Q and Moore’s opponent bet 3,500. Moore took about 30 second before calling and mucked when he was shown KJ. Nonetheless, Moore still stands strong with 76,000 in chips.

Left In The Deck:

Action In Bobby’s Room

The tournament is going strong now with nearly 290 players, but the action in Bobby’s Room adjacent to the poker room is doing just as well with both tables at capacity.

Currently, Doyle Brunson, Lyle Berman, Phil Ivey, David Oppenheim and Eric Sagstrom are competing for huge stakes.

Player Tags: Tuan Le,   David Chiu,   Chris Moore,   Amit Makhija,   Christian Harder

Hour 1 Update: Hoyt Corkins First to Advance

Jun 13, '09

Hour 1 Update

Players Remaining: 250 out of 256

Completed Matches (Winner in Bold):

1. Jason Mercier vs. David Daneshgarr
2. Hoyt Corkins vs. Vadim Trincher
3. Vivek Rajkumar vs. Evelyn Ng

Notable Eliminations:

Vadmim Tricher, David Chiu, David Daneshgar, Vivek Rajkumar, Erick Lindgren

Big Hands:

Ng’s Aces Take Big Chunk out of Rajkumar

Vivek Rajkumar raises to 600 on the button and Evelyn Ng re-raises to 1700. After some thought, Rajkumar four-bets to 5200 and Ng made the call. They see a flop of 1054 and Ng leads out for 4500. Rajkumar made the call and the K fell on the turn.

Ng checked and Rajkumar fired out 10,500 and Ng instantly check-raised all in. Rajkumar made the call and showed 54, which was ahead of Ng’s AA. That is, until the A fell on the river and Rajkumar was left with 7000.

Tom Dwan Takes Chunk out of Nam Le

On a board of 495J, Nam Le checked and called 2800 from Tom “Durrrr” Dwan and the Q fell on the river.

Le checked again and this time Dwan bet 7600. After a couple minutes of deliberation, Le decided to make the call. Dwan turned over the J5, good for two pair, and Le mucked his hand.

Hellmuth Explodes After Ace on the River

After a preflop raise, Phil Hellmuth and his opponent see a flop of K76. After his opponent checked, Hellmuth bet 3000, and his opponent called. The turn was the 9 and the river was the A.

Both streets were checked down and Hellmuth’s opponent turns up A 6. Hellmuth jumped out of his seat, momentarily halting his massage as he began one of his trademarked rants. “You hit your miracle on the river and you checked it. Well played,” said Hellmuth.

His opponent didn’t say a word.

Left in the Deck:

Hoyt Corkins First Winner

Just 17 minutes into the day, Vadmin Trincher lost to Hoyt Corkins, making him the first player to be eliminated in the tournament.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Evelyn Ng,   Gavin Smith,   Kenny Tran,   Greg Raymer,   David Daneshgar,   Vadim Trincher,   Chris Moore,   Tom Dwan,   Jeff Garza,   Vivek Rajkumar,   Isaac Haxton