Robert Williamson III Poker Tournament Updates

Level 25: Robert Williamson III Eliminated in 4th Place ($60,788)

Jun 28, '11

Ante: 5,000
Low Card: 7,000
Completion: 25,000
Limits: 25,000-50,000

Players Remaining: 3 out of 363

Average Chip Count: 907,500

Chip Counts:

1. Tommy Chen – 1,079,000
2. Stephen Su – 856,000
3. Rep Porter – 798,000

Eliminations:

4th. Robert Williamson III – $60,788

Robert Williamson III Eliminated in 4th Place ($60,788)

Robert Williamson was all in on fifth street with a J – 10 against Rep Porter’s J – 9.

Williamson: J – 4 – 10 – 2 – 3 – Q
Porter: A – 6 – 9 – J – 5 – 10

Porter made a ten-low on sixth street and even further improved his hand with an 8 on seventh street. Williamson threw his river card into the muck and Rep Porter won the pot. Robert Williamson III was eliminated in 4th place ($60,788).

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Robert Williamson III,   Rep Porter

Level 22: Rechnitzer 9th; Final Table Now Underway

Jun 27, '11

NOTE: Play resumed today at 3:00pm with 23 players, and with the elimination of Gerard Rechnitzer in 9th place ($15,079), the official eight-handed final table is now underway.

Ante: 3,000
Low Card: 3,000
Completion: 12,000
Limits: 12,000-24,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 365

Average Chip Count: 342,187

Chip Counts:

1. Tommy Chen – 773,000
2. Robert Williamson III – 488,000
3. Andreas Krause – 385,000
4. Matt Smith – 335,000
5. Stephen Su – 312,000
6. Chris Bjorin – 169,000
7. Rep Porter – 162,000
8. Scott Epstein – 119,000

Payouts:

1st. $210,615
2nd. $130,075
3rd. $83,895
4th. $60,788
5th. $44,693
6th. $33,338
7th. $25,228
8th. $19,364

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Scott Epstein,   Gerard Rechnitzer,   Andreas Krause,   Robert Williamson III,   Matt Smith,   Stephen Su,   Rep Porter,   Tommy Chen

Level Four: David Benyamine Eliminated

Jun 23, '10

Flop Games: 300-500 blinds
Stud Games: 100 ante, 200 bring-in, 500-1,000 limits

Players Remaining: 238 out of 241

Average Chip Stack: 30,378

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Dario Alioto – 59,000
2. David Oppenheim – 52,000
3. Marco Johnson – 50,000
4. Brett Richey – 44,500
5. Jimmy Fricke – 44,000
6. Vitaly Lunkin – 43,000
7. James Mackey – 43,000
8. Maria Ho – 40,000
9. David Chiu – 40,000
10. Tom Dwan – 40,000

Notable Eliminations:

David Benyamine
Dan Heimiller

Big Hands:

Omaha/8

Benyamine Eliminated

David Benyamine had a very short stack coming into this hand of Omaha 8-or-better. He raised to 1,000 preflop and received two callers.

The flop came down J85 and the action was checked to Benyamine and he bet 500. Both opponents made the call and the 2 fell on the turn.

Action was checked to Benyamine again and he threw his last 700 into the pot. Both opponents called and the K came on the river.

The player in seat 3 bet and seat 1 mucked. Seat 3 then tabled KJ4-A for two pair and a 8-5 low.

Benyamine showed A10102 for a pair of tens and he was eliminated.

Willimason Takes A Pot

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read Q22K. Robert Williamson III, David Williams and seat 6 were all involved and they all checked.

The 6 fell on the river and Williamson bet 1,000. Williams mucked, as did seat 6.

“Aces take it baby,” Scotty Nguyen said from seat 4. Williamson took in the pot and he was at 38,000.

Razz

Juanda’s Cards Worse Than Grey’s

John Juanda completed to 500 and David Grey was the only caller. Juanda led out on fourth street and Grey tagged along again.

Juanda bet 1,000 on fifth street and Grey called once more. Juanda then paired threes on sixth street and Grey led into Juanda with 1,000. Juanda called and the river was dealt.

Grey led out for 1,000 again and Juanda called.

Juanda then tabled an 8-6-3-2-A and Grey mucked. Juanda took the pot and he was at 43,000 while Grey was at 33,000.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   David Benyamine,   David Grey,   Robert Williamson III

Level 11: Huck Seed is Gone, So Is Williamson and Hellmuth

May 30, '10

Blinds:

Flop/Limit Games: 3,000-6,000 blinds; 6,000-12,000 stakes
Stud Games: 1,500 ante, 2,000 bring-in, 6,000-12,000 limits
No Limit Hold’em/PLO: 700 ante, 1,500-3,000 blinds

Players Remaining: 54 out of 116

Tournament Leaderboard

1. Kirk Morrison – 740,000
2. Mikael Thuritz – 650,000
3. Erik Sagstrom – 635,000
4. Andy Bloch – 560,000
5. Alexander Kostritsyn – 510,000
6. Steve Zolotow – 495,000
7. Robert Mizrachi – 480,000
8. Brett Richey – 425,000
9. Noah Boeken – 390,000
10. John Cernuto – 379,000

Average Chip Count: 322,222

Notable Eliminations:

Huck Seed
Robert Williamson III
Hoyt Corkins
Michael Binger
Isaac Haxton
Phil Hellmuth
Amnon Filippi

Big Hands:

Pot Limit Omaha

Seed Planted Out of Tournament

Huck Seed took a stand with his short stack when he raised to 9,600 preflop only to have Hasan Habib reraise to 27,000. Seed called and the flop came 764. Huck bet 7,500, leaving only 35,000 behind. Habib raised enough to put Seed all in and he called.

Seed showed 9652 for two pair and a straight draw, but was against Habib’s AKK7. The Q and J fell on the turn and the river and Seed was eliminated.

Habib’s stack increased to around 158,000.

Andy Bloch Cripples Williamson III In Massive Pot

We caught up with this hand on the river after Robert Williamson III shouted, “Aces against aces. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Andy Bloch was all in for his last 231,000 with AAJ8. Williamson III called him with AAK10.

The board had run out KQ2Q5, giving Bloch a flush and hammering Williamson’s stack down to just 1,500. He would be eliminated on the next hand while Bloch was well over 600,000 in chips after the hand.

Razz

Clements Takes One Off Haxton

Picking up the action on seventh street, Scott Clements bet 12,000 and Isaac Haxton contemplated about what to do.

After some thought he decided to muck his 10-9-8-7 up cards.

“Show the bluff,” Haxton pleaded.

Clements obliged showing his hole cards, (9-7-3) to go with his K-Q-7-4 that was showing for a Queen-low. Clements was around 150,000 after the hand.

Stud/8

Nguyen Scoops Lisandro

We caught this hand on seventh street. Scotty Nguyen fired 12,000 into the pot and Jeffrey Lisandro made the call.

“Straight,” Nguyen announced. He tabled A376547.

Lisandro mucked his AQ106 and Nguyen took the pot. He was at 195,000.

No Limit Hold’em

Jesus Gets Called Down

Allen Bari raised to 7,000 preflop and Chris Ferguson made the call from the big blind. The flop came down Q94 and both players checked.

The turn was the J and Ferguson led out with 11,000. Bari made the call and the two players saw the 3 fall on the river.

Ferguson tried one more time, firing 28,000 into the pot. Bari thought for a bit and decided to look Ferguson up. Sure enough, Ferguson tapped the table and showed A5 for a whole lot of nothing.

Bari tabled 1010 and took down the pot. He was up to 180,000 after starting the hand with 140,000. Ferguson dropped form 350,000 to 300,000.

2-7 Triple Draw

Sagstrom Takes Massive Pot

Eli Elezra, Erik Sagstrom, Nikolay Evdakov and Phil Ivey all had five bets in the pot prior to the first draw.

Elezra and Ivey drew two cards while Sagstrom and Evdakov drew one apiece. Sagstrom then bet and received three calls.

Eveyone took one card on the next draw and the action checked around.

Elezra, Sagstrom and Ivey each took one card on the last draw while Evdakov stood pat. Sagstrom then bet and received a call from Evdakov. Ivey folded but Elezra raised to 24,000. Sagstrom made it three bets to 36,000 inducing a fold from Evdakov. Elezra called and Sagstrom turned over the nuts, 7-5-4-3-2 to take down the massive pot and grow his stack to around 640,000.

Limit Hold’em

Alaei Busts Another Opponent

Daniel Alaei raised to 12,000 preflop and the short-stacked seat 7 raised to 18,000. Alaei called and the seat 7 put his remaining chips in blind before the flop. The flop came 887, and Alaei called and showed 98 for trips. Seat 7 showed K9, and following a turn of 3 and a river of A, he was eliminated.

Alaei boosted his stack to around 400,000.

Hellmuth Busted

After a flop of K63, Phil Hellmuth and Chris Ferguson each put 18,000 into the middle.

The turn was the 4 and Hellmuth checked and Ferguson bet 12,000. Hellmuth called for the remainder of his stack and turned over A6 for second pair. It was not enough, however, as Ferguson showed KQ for top pair.

The river was the 7, giving Hellmuth no help and he was eliminated just before the conclusion of Day 2. Ferguson’s stack was up to 470,000.

Card Player TV: See what Alaei had to say about the tournament.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Chris Ferguson,   Andy Bloch,   Hasan Habib,   Huck Seed,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Daniel Alaei,   Allen Bari,   Erik Sagstrom,   Scott Clements,   Robert Williamson III,   Isaac Haxton,   Nikolay Evdakov

Level Three: Mizrachi Under 100k

May 28, '10

Blinds

Flop Games: 600-1,200; 1,200-2,400 Stakes
Stud Games: 300 ante; 300 bring-in; 1,200-2,400 limits
No Limit Hold’em: 100 ante; 300-600

Players Remaining: 115 out of 116

Notable Chip Counts:
Barry Greenstein- 194,000
Daniel Negreanu- 170,800
Andy Bloch- 144,100
Mat Glantz- 98,000

Eliminations:

None

Note: The prize pool was announced as the official field has reached 116 players. There will be 16 places paid with 16th place receiving $98,331. The winner of the Players Championship will win the Chip Reese Trophy and $1,559,043

Big Hands:

No Limit Hold’Em

Hastings Grinds Down Mizrachi

On a board showing 8525, Michael Mizrachi bet 6,600 from the big blind. The action was then on Brian Hastings in the cutoff and he raised it to 19,300.

Mizrachi made the call and the river brought the 10.

Mizrachi checked to Hastings who fired 45,000. Mizrachi took a massive session in the tank before finally releasing his hand.

Hastings took the pot and was around 200,000. Mizrachi was down to 85,000.

Oppenheim’s reraises build, take big pot

Seat one raised preflop to 1500 and David Oppenheim reraised to 4400. Seat one called and the flop came J64. Seat one led out with a bet of 6600 and Oppenheim called.
The 6 fell on the turn and seat one led out once again with 7200. Oppenheim repopped it to 13000 and the pot was hovering around 45000.
Seat one tanked for a couple full minutes while rolling his two remaining 25000 chips, before folding and giving Oppenheim a nice pot.

Mizzi Sings The Blues, Sung Calls Bluff

On a board showing K1067, Sorel Mizzi bet 2,600 from the big blind. Steve Sung made the call from the cutoff and Scott Clements and Jason Mercier mucked.

The river was the 4 and Mizzi fired one more barrel, this one 5,500. Sung made the call and Mizzi lightly tapped the table.

“You got me,” he said to Sung.

Sung showed A10 and took the pot, improving his stack to 173,000. Mizzi was down to 144,000.

Hasan Habib trips up Chen

On a board of KJ887, Hasan Habib bets 10,500 and Bill Chen quickly calls. Habib shows A8 for trips and Chen mucked.

Limit HE

Chopped Up

On a board showing 962, Dario Minieri bet 1,200 and Greg Raymer made the call. The turn brought the J and both players checked.

The J fell on the river and Minieri took a stab at the pot with a 2,400 bet. Raymer quickly called and Minieri showed AK.

“You will get half,” Raymer said.

He tabled AK and the players split the pot. Raymer was at 140,000 after the hand while Minieri was at 145,000.

Kelly Straightens Out Super Dario

Dan Kelly raised to 2,400 preflop from the button. Dario Minieri raised to 3,600 from the small blind and Kelly made the call.

The flop came down J105 and Minieri led out with 1,200. Kelly raised to 2,400 and Minieri fired one more barrel to 3,600. Kelly called and the Q fell on the turn.

Minieri slowed down, checking to Kelly who bet 2,400. Minieri called and Kelly showed down A10 for a Broadway straight. Minieri mucked and was down to 132,000 while Kelly improved to 190,000.

Williamson’s Queens Stay True

In a limped pot Todd Brunson was heads up against Robert Williamson III heading into a flop of 934.

Brunson checked and Williamson bet 1200.

Brunson called and both players checked the A on the turn.

When the 9 landed on the river Brunson bet out 2400. Williamson looked confused but elected to make the call. Brunson flipped up the 4 for nines and fours, leaving his other card hidden. A surprised Williamson said, “Oh! I can beat that!” and flipped over QQ for a better two pair and the win.

Omaha 8OB

Elezra Forces Out The Mouth

Ted Forrest entered a pot along with Mike Matusow, Alexander Kostritsyn and Eli Elezra. On a flop of 1022 Matusow bet 1200 and Elezra raised him to 2400. All other players folded and Matusow called the raise. The K hit on the turn and Matusow checked to Elezra who bet out 2400, forcing Matusow to fold.

Lunkin’s stack takes a hit

Robert Mizrachi raised to 2,400 preflop and Vitaly Lunkin made the call. The flop fell J99 and Mizrachi led out with 1,200. Lunkin raised to 2,400 and Mizrachi instantly repopped it to 3,600.

Lunkin tanked for a few moments and then let his hand slide into the muck. Mizrachi took down the pot and was hovering around 100,000. Lunkin fell to 153,000.

Harman Blows Past Boeken

On a board of J628, Jennifer Harman bet 2400 and was called by Noah Boeken. The 5 s fell on the river and Boeken quickly checked to Harman who bet out 2400 again. Boeken took his time and folded, giving Harman the pot. Her stack sits healthy, while Boeken’s is dwindling.

Seven Card Stud

See Chen Win
Showing A4, Bill Chen bet 1200 and was called by Michael Binger, who showed 84. Chen bet again when he was dealt the 2 to Binger’s A, and Binger folded.

Negreanu’s two pair takes it

John Monnette bet every street heads up against Daniel Negreanu. The cards fell as follows:
Negreanu: X-2-4-k-J
Monnette: X-8-A-A-5
After the 7th card was dealt to each player it was checked down and Negreanu showed 2K for two pair, and Monnette shook his head and mucked.

Matusow Falling

Mike Matusow and fellow Full Tilt pro Erick Lindgren were paired up in a large pot. Lindgren fired away on each street, finally forcing Matusow to fold the (X-X)(X)K287. Lindgren mucked his (X-X)(X)J29Q and raked in the pot. Matusow is down to 79,500.

Pot-limit Omaha

Zolotow Wins

On a board of J102, Steve Zolotow checked and Ralph Perry bet 8,000. Zolotow went into the tank and finally made the call. The Q fell on the river and Zolotow checked once again. Perry bet 18,000 this time and Zolotow deliberated for awhile before making the call. Perry didn’t expose his hand and Zolotow tabled the A898 for the nut flush. Perry mucked and Zolotow grew his stack to 160,000 while Perry is down to under 100,000.

Player Tags: Hasan Habib,   Daniel Negreanu,   Ted Forrest,   Todd Brunson,   David Oppenheim,   Steve Zolotow,   Mike Matusow,   Michael Mizrachi,   Jennifer Harman,   Greg Raymer,   John Monnette,   Noah Boeken,   Bill Chen,   Steve Sung,   Michael Binger,   Robert Williamson III,   Dario Minieri,   Vitaly Lunkin,   Ralph Perry,   Sorel Mizzi,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   Brian Hastings

Level 11: Huck Seed is Gone, So Is Williamson and Hellmuth

May 30, '10

Blinds:

Flop/Limit Games: 3,000-6,000 blinds; 6,000-12,000 stakes
Stud Games: 1,500 ante, 2,000 bring-in, 6,000-12,000 limits
No Limit Hold’em/PLO: 700 ante, 1,500-3,000 blinds

Players Remaining: 54 out of 116

Tournament Leaderboard

1. Kirk Morrison – 740,000
2. Mikael Thuritz – 650,000
3. Erik Sagstrom – 635,000
4. Andy Bloch – 560,000
5. Alexander Kostritsyn – 510,000
6. Steve Zolotow – 495,000
7. Robert Mizrachi – 480,000
8. Brett Richey – 425,000
9. Noah Boeken – 390,000
10. John Cernuto – 379,000

Average Chip Count: 322,222

Notable Eliminations:

Huck Seed
Robert Williamson III
Hoyt Corkins
Michael Binger
Isaac Haxton
Phil Hellmuth
Amnon Filippi

Big Hands:

Pot Limit Omaha

Seed Planted Out of Tournament

Huck Seed took a stand with his short stack when he raised to 9,600 preflop only to have Hasan Habib reraise to 27,000. Seed called and the flop came 764. Huck bet 7,500, leaving only 35,000 behind. Habib raised enough to put Seed all in and he called.

Seed showed 9652 for two pair and a straight draw, but was against Habib’s AKK7. The Q and J fell on the turn and the river and Seed was eliminated.

Habib’s stack increased to around 158,000.

Andy Bloch Cripples Williamson III In Massive Pot

We caught up with this hand on the river after Robert Williamson III shouted, “Aces against aces. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Andy Bloch was all in for his last 231,000 with AAJ8. Williamson III called him with AAK10.

The board had run out KQ2Q5, giving Bloch a flush and hammering Williamson’s stack down to just 1,500. He would be eliminated on the next hand while Bloch was well over 600,000 in chips after the hand.

Razz

Clements Takes One Off Haxton

Picking up the action on seventh street, Scott Clements bet 12,000 and Isaac Haxton contemplated about what to do.

After some thought he decided to muck his 10-9-8-7 up cards.

“Show the bluff,” Haxton pleaded.

Clements obliged showing his hole cards, (9-7-3) to go with his K-Q-7-4 that was showing for a Queen-low. Clements was around 150,000 after the hand.

Stud/8

Nguyen Scoops Lisandro

We caught this hand on seventh street. Scotty Nguyen fired 12,000 into the pot and Jeffrey Lisandro made the call.

“Straight,” Nguyen announced. He tabled A376547.

Lisandro mucked his AQ106 and Nguyen took the pot. He was at 195,000.

No Limit Hold’em

Jesus Gets Called Down

Allen Bari raised to 7,000 preflop and Chris Ferguson made the call from the big blind. The flop came down Q94 and both players checked.

The turn was the J and Ferguson led out with 11,000. Bari made the call and the two players saw the 3 fall on the river.

Ferguson tried one more time, firing 28,000 into the pot. Bari thought for a bit and decided to look Ferguson up. Sure enough, Ferguson tapped the table and showed A5 for a whole lot of nothing.

Bari tabled 1010 and took down the pot. He was up to 180,000 after starting the hand with 140,000. Ferguson dropped form 350,000 to 300,000.

2-7 Triple Draw

Sagstrom Takes Massive Pot

Eli Elezra, Erik Sagstrom, Nikolay Evdakov and Phil Ivey all had five bets in the pot prior to the first draw.

Elezra and Ivey drew two cards while Sagstrom and Evdakov drew one apiece. Sagstrom then bet and received three calls.

Eveyone took one card on the next draw and the action checked around.

Elezra, Sagstrom and Ivey each took one card on the last draw while Evdakov stood pat. Sagstrom then bet and received a call from Evdakov. Ivey folded but Elezra raised to 24,000. Sagstrom made it three bets to 36,000 inducing a fold from Evdakov. Elezra called and Sagstrom turned over the nuts, 7-5-4-3-2 to take down the massive pot and grow his stack to around 640,000.

Limit Hold’em

Alaei Busts Another Opponent

Daniel Alaei raised to 12,000 preflop and the short-stacked seat 7 raised to 18,000. Alaei called and the seat 7 put his remaining chips in blind before the flop. The flop came 887, and Alaei called and showed 98 for trips. Seat 7 showed K9, and following a turn of 3 and a river of A, he was eliminated.

Alaei boosted his stack to around 400,000.

Hellmuth Busted

After a flop of K63, Phil Hellmuth and Chris Ferguson each put 18,000 into the middle.

The turn was the 4 and Hellmuth checked and Ferguson bet 12,000. Hellmuth called for the remainder of his stack and turned over A6 for second pair. It was not enough, however, as Ferguson showed KQ for top pair.

The river was the 7, giving Hellmuth no help and he was eliminated just before the conclusion of Day 2. Ferguson’s stack was up to 470,000.

Card Player TV: See what Alaei had to say about the tournament.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Chris Ferguson,   Andy Bloch,   Hasan Habib,   Huck Seed,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Daniel Alaei,   Allen Bari,   Erik Sagstrom,   Scott Clements,   Robert Williamson III,   Isaac Haxton,   Nikolay Evdakov

Level Three: Mizrachi Under 100k

May 28, '10

Blinds

Flop Games: 600-1,200; 1,200-2,400 Stakes
Stud Games: 300 ante; 300 bring-in; 1,200-2,400 limits
No Limit Hold’em: 100 ante; 300-600

Players Remaining: 115 out of 116

Notable Chip Counts:
Barry Greenstein- 194,000
Daniel Negreanu- 170,800
Andy Bloch- 144,100
Mat Glantz- 98,000

Eliminations:

None

Note: The prize pool was announced as the official field has reached 116 players. There will be 16 places paid with 16th place receiving $98,331. The winner of the Players Championship will win the Chip Reese Trophy and $1,559,043

Big Hands:

No Limit Hold’Em

Hastings Grinds Down Mizrachi

On a board showing 8525, Michael Mizrachi bet 6,600 from the big blind. The action was then on Brian Hastings in the cutoff and he raised it to 19,300.

Mizrachi made the call and the river brought the 10.

Mizrachi checked to Hastings who fired 45,000. Mizrachi took a massive session in the tank before finally releasing his hand.

Hastings took the pot and was around 200,000. Mizrachi was down to 85,000.

Oppenheim’s reraises build, take big pot

Seat one raised preflop to 1500 and David Oppenheim reraised to 4400. Seat one called and the flop came J64. Seat one led out with a bet of 6600 and Oppenheim called.
The 6 fell on the turn and seat one led out once again with 7200. Oppenheim repopped it to 13000 and the pot was hovering around 45000.
Seat one tanked for a couple full minutes while rolling his two remaining 25000 chips, before folding and giving Oppenheim a nice pot.

Mizzi Sings The Blues, Sung Calls Bluff

On a board showing K1067, Sorel Mizzi bet 2,600 from the big blind. Steve Sung made the call from the cutoff and Scott Clements and Jason Mercier mucked.

The river was the 4 and Mizzi fired one more barrel, this one 5,500. Sung made the call and Mizzi lightly tapped the table.

“You got me,” he said to Sung.

Sung showed A10 and took the pot, improving his stack to 173,000. Mizzi was down to 144,000.

Hasan Habib trips up Chen

On a board of KJ887, Hasan Habib bets 10,500 and Bill Chen quickly calls. Habib shows A8 for trips and Chen mucked.

Limit HE

Chopped Up

On a board showing 962, Dario Minieri bet 1,200 and Greg Raymer made the call. The turn brought the J and both players checked.

The J fell on the river and Minieri took a stab at the pot with a 2,400 bet. Raymer quickly called and Minieri showed AK.

“You will get half,” Raymer said.

He tabled AK and the players split the pot. Raymer was at 140,000 after the hand while Minieri was at 145,000.

Kelly Straightens Out Super Dario

Dan Kelly raised to 2,400 preflop from the button. Dario Minieri raised to 3,600 from the small blind and Kelly made the call.

The flop came down J105 and Minieri led out with 1,200. Kelly raised to 2,400 and Minieri fired one more barrel to 3,600. Kelly called and the Q fell on the turn.

Minieri slowed down, checking to Kelly who bet 2,400. Minieri called and Kelly showed down A10 for a Broadway straight. Minieri mucked and was down to 132,000 while Kelly improved to 190,000.

Williamson’s Queens Stay True

In a limped pot Todd Brunson was heads up against Robert Williamson III heading into a flop of 934.

Brunson checked and Williamson bet 1200.

Brunson called and both players checked the A on the turn.

When the 9 landed on the river Brunson bet out 2400. Williamson looked confused but elected to make the call. Brunson flipped up the 4 for nines and fours, leaving his other card hidden. A surprised Williamson said, “Oh! I can beat that!” and flipped over QQ for a better two pair and the win.

Omaha 8OB

Elezra Forces Out The Mouth

Ted Forrest entered a pot along with Mike Matusow, Alexander Kostritsyn and Eli Elezra. On a flop of 1022 Matusow bet 1200 and Elezra raised him to 2400. All other players folded and Matusow called the raise. The K hit on the turn and Matusow checked to Elezra who bet out 2400, forcing Matusow to fold.

Lunkin’s stack takes a hit

Robert Mizrachi raised to 2,400 preflop and Vitaly Lunkin made the call. The flop fell J99 and Mizrachi led out with 1,200. Lunkin raised to 2,400 and Mizrachi instantly repopped it to 3,600.

Lunkin tanked for a few moments and then let his hand slide into the muck. Mizrachi took down the pot and was hovering around 100,000. Lunkin fell to 153,000.

Harman Blows Past Boeken

On a board of J628, Jennifer Harman bet 2400 and was called by Noah Boeken. The 5 s fell on the river and Boeken quickly checked to Harman who bet out 2400 again. Boeken took his time and folded, giving Harman the pot. Her stack sits healthy, while Boeken’s is dwindling.

Seven Card Stud

See Chen Win
Showing A4, Bill Chen bet 1200 and was called by Michael Binger, who showed 84. Chen bet again when he was dealt the 2 to Binger’s A, and Binger folded.

Negreanu’s two pair takes it

John Monnette bet every street heads up against Daniel Negreanu. The cards fell as follows:
Negreanu: X-2-4-k-J
Monnette: X-8-A-A-5
After the 7th card was dealt to each player it was checked down and Negreanu showed 2K for two pair, and Monnette shook his head and mucked.

Matusow Falling

Mike Matusow and fellow Full Tilt pro Erick Lindgren were paired up in a large pot. Lindgren fired away on each street, finally forcing Matusow to fold the (X-X)(X)K287. Lindgren mucked his (X-X)(X)J29Q and raked in the pot. Matusow is down to 79,500.

Pot-limit Omaha

Zolotow Wins

On a board of J102, Steve Zolotow checked and Ralph Perry bet 8,000. Zolotow went into the tank and finally made the call. The Q fell on the river and Zolotow checked once again. Perry bet 18,000 this time and Zolotow deliberated for awhile before making the call. Perry didn’t expose his hand and Zolotow tabled the A898 for the nut flush. Perry mucked and Zolotow grew his stack to 160,000 while Perry is down to under 100,000.

Player Tags: Hasan Habib,   Daniel Negreanu,   Ted Forrest,   Todd Brunson,   David Oppenheim,   Steve Zolotow,   Mike Matusow,   Michael Mizrachi,   Jennifer Harman,   Greg Raymer,   John Monnette,   Noah Boeken,   Bill Chen,   Steve Sung,   Michael Binger,   Robert Williamson III,   Dario Minieri,   Vitaly Lunkin,   Ralph Perry,   Sorel Mizzi,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   Brian Hastings

Level 9 Update: Williamson Busts

Jun 17, '09

Blinds: 600-1,200

Players Remaining: 90 out of 362

Chip Counts:

1. Ralph Perry – 155,800
2. Jeff Lisandro – 150,000
3. Cliff Josephy – 140,000
4. Steve Sarrafzadeh – 132,000
5. Jesper Hougaard – 130,000
6. Mortiz Schmejkal – 126,000
7. Sorel Mizzi – 125,000
8. Tex Barch – 123,000
9. David Ulliott – 110,000
10. Bruno Fitoussi – 92,000

Average Chip Count: 55,000

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Williamson III
Kathy Liebert

Big Hands:

Williamson’s Heart Broken On The River

Preflop, Robert Williamson was all in and received two callers, including Sorel Mizzi. “I don’t even want to look,” Williamson announced as he turned his head away from the board. “It won’t make a bit of difference.”

The flop came down K98 and the player in seat 4 put out a bet. Mizzi mucked his hand and then the players turned over their hands.

Williamson: K9Q10
Seat 4: AAJ5

Williamson got a great flop and was in the lead. The turn was even better when the K gave him a full house. But Williamson should have kept his head turned away as the A was the death card for Williamson and he was eliminated.

Fitoussi Straightens Out His Opponent

On a board showing QJ96, Bruno Fitoussi bet 5,400 and his opponent in seat 4 made the call. The river brought the K and Fitoussi fired another shot, this one worth 12,000. His opponent tanked for a bit and then decided to make the call. Fitoussi turned over A10QJ for Broadway on the river. His opponent mucked and Fitoussi was at 85,000.

Clements Falters

Scott Clements raised to 7,200 preflop and his opponent in the big blind made the call, putting himself all in.

Clements: AA83
Big Blind: K987

Board: 1010657

Clements was ahead with the bullets for most of the way but his opponent hit the money card on the river as the 7 gave him a straight to crack Clements’ aces. Clements surrendered the pot and he was down to 34,000.

Benyamine Tangles With Hougaard

After David Ulliott called 1,200 from the hijack, Jesper Hougaard raised to 4,000 preflop from the cutoff and the button folded. David Benyamine was next to act in the small blind and he reraised to 9,500. Ulliott mucked and Hougaard made the call.

The flop came down 952 and the action was passive enough as both players checked. The 2 on the turn ignited a fuse as Benyamine fired 10,500. Hougaard then tanked for a few minutes and came back with two towers worth 50,000. Benyamine quickly released his hand and he was down to 40,000 while Hougaard improved to 128,000.

Player Tags: David Benyamine,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Scott Clements,   Robert Williamson III,   Sorel Mizzi,   Jesper Hougaard

Level 8 Update: Black Drops Some Chips Then Goes Bust

Jun 17, '09

Blinds: 500-1,000

Players Remaining: 99 out of 362

Chip Counts:

1. Cliff Josephy – 166,000
2. Jeff Lisandro – 142,000
3. Isaac Baron – 120,000
4. David Ulliott – 109,000
5. Sorel Mizzi – 100,000
6. Ralph Perry – 91,000
7. Tex Barch – 90,000
8. Jesper Hougaard – 85,000
9. Andrew Chen – 81,500
10. Nam Le – 76,000

Average Chip Count: 50,417

Notable Eliminations:

Ted Lawson
Michael Binger
Isaac Haxton
Greg Raymer
Andy Black

Big Hands:

Black Muscled Off Hand, Loses Half Of His Chips

In a three way pot totaling 6,000 Andrew Black and his two opponents saw a flop of KK3. The player in seat 1 led out with 6,000 and Black raised to 18,000 total. Seat 4 mucked and the action was back on seat 1. He then reached for two stacks and raised 30,000 more. Black went in the tank for a bit and eventually decided to cut his losses and muck his hand. He was down to just 14,000. He would later lose the rest of those chips and make his exit from the tournament.

Big Names, Small Pot

Robert Williamson III, Hoyt Corkins and Nikolay Evdakov each called 1,000 preflop. The flop then came down J97 and everyone checked. The turn brought the 2 and Williamson decided to lead out, firing 2,500 into the 4,000 pot. Evdakov mucked and Corkins followed suit. Williamson took the pot but was still quite short with 13,000. Evdakov was at 22,000 and Corkins was at 65,000.

Perry Wins As Clock Is Called On Opponent

After a flop of AQ9 hit the felt, the player in seat 6 fired 10,500 into the pot. All other players in the hand folded except for Ralph Perry. After a few minutes of thought, he raised to 35,000 total. The action was back on his opponent and he took a massive tank session. After more the six minutes, the clock was finally called and he had one minute to decide what to do with his holding. Not long after the clock was called, he released his hand and Perry took the pot, improving to 90,000.

Ride With The Devil

On a flop of Q72, David Ulliott moved all in and was called by Jesper Hougaard.

Hougaard: AQ87
Ulliott: KK107

Ulliott was trailing Hougaard’s two pair but the 5 on the turn gave him a flush and the 3 on the river offered no help to Hougaard. Ulliott was at 110,000 after the double while Hougaard was at 88,000.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Andy Black,   Robert Williamson III,   Ralph Perry,   Jesper Hougaard,   Nikolay Evdakov

Level 10 Update

Mar 16, '09

Big Hands:

Robert Williamson III Eliminated

Robert Williamson III moved all in with pocket nines preflop and Wil Wilkinson called him down with pocket queens. The board ran out Q-9-4-10-7 and Williamson was eliminated. Wilkinson was awarded the $5,000 bounty for winning the set-over-set confrontation.

Layne Flack Eliminated

Layne Flack moved all in preflop with pocket queens and one opponent called him down with pocket aces. The board ran out K-6-6-10-7 to eliminate Flack in the closing minutes of the night.

Shawn Buchanan Eliminated on the Final Hand

Shawn Buchanan was not one of the bounty players today, but that didn’t stop him from becoming the first player in the tournament to profit from his trip to San Jose, California. Buchanan eliminated David Singer, Jamie Gold, and Marco Traniello on day 1A to make $15,000 in bounties. On the very last hand of the night Buchanan was all in with 109. Chad Brown called him down with K10. The board fell QJJ8A and Buchanan was eliminated on the final hand of play.

Player Tags: Layne Flack,   Shawn Buchanan,   Robert Williamson III

Robert Williamson III Eliminated

Feb 15, '09

Robert Williamson III was eliminated shortly after the return from dinner.
















 

Player Tags: Robert Williamson III

$50,000 H.O.R.S.E - Level 4

Jun 25, '08

Players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds:
Hold'em: 600-1,200
Omaha 8: 600-1,200
Razz: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion
Stud: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion
Eight or Better: 300 ante, 300 bring-in, 1,200 completion

Chip Counts:
Ray Dehkharghani: 190,000
James Mackey: 185,000
Ralph Perry: 170,000
Shawn Sheikhan: 167,000
Chris Reslock: 152,000
Minh Ly: 152,000
Greg Mascio: 152,000
Steve Sung: 150,000
Rafi Amit: 150,000
Bill Chen: 148,000

Storylines:

The Drunken Fan

It's late, it's Vegas, and during the level a drunken spectator was thrilled to be able talk (yell) over the rail to Scotty Nguyen and express his admiration. Clearly excited to see poker's superstars in person, the man later noticed Tony G and began to tell Tony how great he is, to which Tony just smiled and gave two thumbs up. This made the drunk's night. Too bad he won't remember it in the morning...

Hold'em

Hansen Strong Out Of The Small Blind

David Williams raised and the player in seat 2 re-raised all preflop. Gus Hansen, sitting in the small blind, made the call and so did Williams. The flop came 1077, Hansen checked, David Williams checked and seat 2 bet out. Hansen quickly re-raised, Williams folded and seat 2 folded AK face up. Hansen didn't show and just raked his chips while talking about how he played the hand.

Friedman's Pair of Aces Beats Dwan

Perry Friedman bet and was called by Tom Dwan on every street of a A65108 board. Friedman flipped over A4 for a pair of aces, and it was good enough to take the pot.

Omaha 8

Mackey Takes One From Some Tough Competition

On a flop of A106 James Mackey checked and David Singer bet. Both Andy Bloch and Mackey made the call. The J came on the turn and Mackey checked again, allowing Singer to bet. Bloch made the call and Mackey said raise, then put in some more chips. Singer didn't hear Mackey say raise and the floor was called to the table. The dealer explained to the floorman that he did indeed hear Mackey say raise before he put his chips in, then he said it again while putting them in. The floorman said the raise stood and Singer and Bloch both made the call. The players checked the 3 river card and Mackey turned over AK4Q for the nut straight. When he saw Mackey's hand Bloch laughed and mucked. Singer also mucked and Mackey won a nice three-way pot again two of the better H.O.R.S.E players in the tournament. At the end of the level he sat with around 185,000 in chips.

Flack Scoops

Layne Flack raised from late position and was called by Hasan Habib, Justin Bonomo and John Cernuto. The flop came 973 and action was checked to Flack who bet out. Both Habib and Bonomo called, but Cernuto folded. The turn was the 10 and action was again checked to Flack who bet out. Both opponents made the call again and the river brought the 7. Action checked to Flack, he bet, Habib called and Bonomo folded.
Flack turned over 9-9-A-4, giving him a set of nines to scoop the entire pot.

Brown Missteps

The player in seat 2 bet the A108 flop and Chad Brown made the call. On the 2 turn card seat 2 bet and Brown raised. Both players checked the 4 river and Brown turned over A-8-4-6. His opponent showed A-10-5-7. There was some brief confusion as to who got what, but the dealer explained that Brown's opponent had the best two pair and low hand because Brown had not made a low hand.

Razz

Sheikhan Ready To Gamble

Shawn Sheikhan bet out on every street and was called by the player in seat 4. Their cards were:
Sheikhan: 4A23 (K-9-6)
Seat 4: 58J3 (A-4-8)

Sheikhan went ahead and bet blind after being dealt the final card. He showed a big hand - 6-low. Seat 4 paired his 8 on the end and Sheikhan took down a big pot.
After the hand Sheikhan told the table, "You guys want to gamble - I'll gamble."
Sheikhan had around 167,000 in chips.

Stud

Forrest Takes Monster Pot From Hellmuth

Ted Forrest bet every street and was called by Phil Hellmuth all the way down to seventh street. Hellmuth took off his sunglasses to look at his last down card. He put out a bet and started to put his shades back on but stopped dead in his tracks when Forrest raised him. A frustrated Hellmuth made the call and Forrest turned over his hand. Their cards were:
Forrest: QQ5A (Q-J-5)
Hellmuth: 764K (X-X-X)

Seeing Forrest's three queens, Hellmuth quietly slid his cards into the muck.

Stud 8

An Aggressive Galfond Bets Out Ivey and Williamson

Phil Galfond bet on fifth and sixth street and was called by Robert Williamson III and Phil Ivey. When Galfond led out on the end, Ivey mucked his hand and Williamson looked pained as he thought over his decision.
Galfond: AKQJ (X-X-X)
Ivey: 59QK
Williamson III: 82J9 (X-X-X)

Williamson eventually mucked, and Dwan started to infer about his friend Galfond's hand. Galfond smiled and the table laughed when he showed only one card - the 7.

Player Tags: Andy Bloch,   Hasan Habib,   Gus Hansen,   Ted Forrest,   Layne Flack,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Phil Hellmuth,   David Singer,   Phil Ivey,   Perry Friedman,   David Williams,   James Mackey,   Justin Bonomo,   Robert Williamson III,   Tom Dwan

$50K H.O.R.S.E. - Level 1

Jun 25, '08

Note: The players are on a scheduled twenty-minute break and will return around 7 pm to resume play in Level 2.

Blinds/Antes:
Hold'em-Omaha 8/b: 300-600
Razz-Stud-Stud 8/b: 100 ante, 200 bring-in, 600 completion

Players: 144

Chip Leaders:
Gus Hansen: 141,000
John Monnette: 131,000
James Mackey: 125,000
Ray Davis: 122,000
Isabelle Mercier: 120,000
T.J. Cloutier: 118,000
Tom McCormack: 117,000
Suk Sung: 116,000
Keith Sexton: 115,000
Perry Friedman: 114,000

Big Hands:

Table 13 - Dewey Tomko Sitting in Robert Williamson's Seat, Negreanu Gets Aggressive

Hold'em
Lucky # 13 is currently home to Ralph Perry, John Hennigan, Dewey Tomko, Phil Galfond, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, and Perry Friedman. However, it was eventually brought to the dealer's attention that Dewey Tomko was sitting in the wrong seat. After double checking the seat cards, Dewey Tomko was supposed to be sitting at Table 15-seat 3, not Table 13-seat 5. Tomko got up to find his right seat as Robert Williamson III sat down in his rightful seat at Table 13. Confusion or not, this didn't stop Daniel Negreanu from becoming extrememly aggressive during the first limit hold'em portion of Level 1.

Daniel Negreanu raised to 1,200 from the cutoff and Ralph Perry called from the small blind. The flop came AQ8, and both players checked. The turn was the 3 and Perry bet 1,200. Negreanu raised to 2,400 and Perry folded his hand after a minute in the tank. Negreanu raked this pot along with the next two pots after a series of uncontested raises.

Schulman Gives Half to Fitoussi

Omaha 8/b
Nick Schulman raised to 1,200 from the button and Bruno Fitoussi called from the big blind. The flop came AJ8, and Schulman bet 600, Fitoussi called. The turn was the A, Schulman fired 1,200 at the pot, Fitoussi called. The river was the 3, and once agin Schulman bet 1,200, Fitoussi called. They turn over their hands.

Schulman: A865
Fitoussi: KJ52
Schulman flopped two pair and turned the full house (aces full of eights) while Fitoussi flopped middle pair. Fitoussi made a qualifying low hand on the river and Schulman had to give him half the pot.

Harman Takes a Good Pot From Oppenheim on the River

Razz
Lyle Berman brought it in for 200 with the Q, Jen Harman completed the bet to 600 with the 2, David Oppenheim called the raise with the 2, and Berman folded.

Harman: 2938 - A75
Oppenheim: 274J-X-X-X

Harman bet the entire way with Oppenheim calling her down through the river. Harman turned over the 7-5-3-2-A low and raked the pot, Oppenheim mucked his hand.

Negreanu's Aggression Still Paying Off

Stud

Heading back to Table 13, it appeared as if Negreanu had not slowed down at all, completing the bring-in to 600 with the Q exposed. John Hennigan called the raise with the K, as did Ralph Perry with the A, and Robert Williamson with the 10.

Perry: A96 - fold
Hennigan: K1076 - X-X-X
Williamson: 105J9 - K108
Negreanu: Q983 - Q-X-X

Negreanu continued to bet the maximum through sixth street. Perry folded on fifth street while both Hennigan and Williamson called for a showdown. All three players checked the river and opened their hands in turn. Williamson turned over a busted straight draw and a pair of tens. Hennigan mucked and Negreanu turned over a pair of queens. Negreanu raked a huge pot for only having one pair.

Freddy Deeb Defending His Title

Stud 8/b

Deeb completed the bet to 600 with the 7and the player in seat 1 called the raise with the 4.

Deeb: 7852 - Q88
Seat 1: 4664 - X-X-X

Deeb took the betting lead from the start and continued to bet the entire way down. Seat 1 looked a little confused on the river as Abe Mosseri asked the table what game they were playing. "What game is this now? Stud Hi-Low?" Deeb said, "Why don't you be quiet, maybe the guy is playing the wrong game." Seat 1 called him down anyway, failing to improve his two pair on the river and Deeb turned over two more eights for trips. Seat 1 also failed to make a low hand, paying off the defending champ as Freddy raked another nice pot.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Nick Schulman,   Robert Williamson III,   Freddy Deeb,   Ralph Perry

$10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better - Day 2 - Level 15 Recap

Jun 20, '08

Blinds: 3,000-6,000

Players Left:  35 of 235

Chip Leaders:
David Benyamine - 325,000
Greg Jamison - 305,000
Chau Giang - 300,000
Mike Matusow - 230,000
Toto Leonidas - 220,000
Ram Vaswani - 195,000
Danny Dang - 190,000
Bob Slezak - 190,000
Hieu Ma - 180,000
Pat Rao - 170,000

Average Stack: 134,300

Eliminations:
Robert Williamson III
Soheil Shamseddin

Big Hands and Storylines:

Crunch Time

We’re down to 35 players here in the Brasilia Room and with 27 places playing, play should start to tighten up not too long from now. Though the field is still littered with seasoned professionals who are looking for more than a 27^th place finish, short stacks who are unlikely to mount a deep run might start to play a bit more conservatively.

All Bets Are Off

Mike Matusow asked David Benyamine, seated directly behind him, how many chips he had. After Benyamine informed him that he had 325,000 in front of him, Matusow remarked, “You’ve got 100,000 more than me. I’ll take +130 for $10,000.” Benyamine’s response: “I don’t bet with broken men.”

Ouch.

And There’s Poker Too!

Robert Williamson III was eliminated in a three-way pot involving Mike Matusow and James Van Alstyne. Matusow and Van Alstyne split the pot and Williamson was left shaking his head in disappointment.

At the table across the aisle, Soheil Shamseddin was eliminated by Max Pescatori. On a board of QJ96A, Shamseddin showed QQ108 for a straight along with a set of queens, but he was outdone by the Italian’s A1082. Pescatori, conversing about Italy’s chances against Spain in Sunday’s Euro 2008 quarterfinals, is now up to 165,000.

Brunson on the Move

Not only has Doyle Brunson taken a new seat at the table of Max Pescatori, Brad Booth, and Berry Johnston, but his chips have been on the move as well. Brunson dropped almost half of his chips during the last level, falling from 250,000 all the way to 130,000.

Player Tags: Trai "Danny" Dang,   Toto Leonidas,   Bob Slezak,   Tony Ma,   Pat Rao,   Max Pescatori,   David Benyamine,   Mike Matusow,   Doyle Brunson,   Greg Jamison,   Ram Vaswani,   Chau Giang,   Robert Williamson III,   Soheil Shamseddin

$5000 Stud 8 or Better - Level 3

Jun 17, '08

Ante: 50
Bring In: 50
Limits: 200/400

Players Entered: 261

Big Hands:

Booth Can't Connect

Brad "Yukon" Booth was part of four-way action after the initial round of betting, showing the K. After the initial bring-in was raised to 200, Booth wento to 400, then had the player in seat 2 reraise to 600, showing the 5. Booth called and received the Q while his opponent received the 9. They continued to bet through sixth street, Booth eventually with KQJ7. After the final card was dealt, Booth bet 600 and was again raised to 1200. His opponent was showing 9875. Booth called, and learned his opponent had the 6 in the hole for a straight, and Booth mucked.

Lederer and Williamson III Chop

Four players played for 200, and on fourth street Robert Williamson III took the lead with 66 up. Howard Lederer was showing A9. The two other players called again and Williamson III was dealt a third six, the 6. Lederer drew the 2 and the two players were suddenly heads-up. Williamson III added the 5, Lederer the 7, and in the end they chopped with Williamson's trips good for high.

Todd Brunson Take it Down

It appeared that both Todd Brunson and Chris Ferguson were on low draws through fourth street. Brunson opened with the A2 while Ferguson had 23 showing. Brunson added the 8 on fifth street while Ferguson had the J. Both added another 400 to the pot, and Brunson was dealt the 3 to increase his low chances. Ferguson was counterfeited with the 2 and made the fold.

Schneider Takes a Hit

Tom Schneider opened things to 200 and was raised by seat 7 to 400 before calling. After fourth street Schneider showed KA while his opponent held A5. Schneider continued to call after getting the 8 on fifth street, and his opponent the 7. Sixth street didn't appear to help Schneider, getting the 3 while his opponent added the 8. But Schneider called a seventh street bet as well, to see his opponent held 432 in the hole for the A-5 straight.

There are a number of tough tables in the field, but table 25 may be the toughest with Todd Brunson, Eric Seidel, Erick Lindgren and Chris Ferguson all present.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Howard Lederer,   Todd Brunson,   Tom Schneider,   Robert Williamson III