Jason Lester Poker Tournament Updates

Level 23: Unofficial Final Table Begins Now

Jul 06, '11

NOTE: Play ended last night at just after 5:00am and resumed this afternoon at approximately 3:30pm. The final nine players combined at one table, and with the elimination of just one more player, the official eight-handed final table will be set.

Triple Draw 2-7 – Hold’em – Omaha 8:
Blinds: 50,000-100,000
Limits:100,000-200,000

Razz – Stud – Stud 8:
Ante: 20,000
Bring-In: 30,000
Completion: 100,000
Limits:100,000-200,000

No-Limit Hold’em – PLO (No Ante):
Blinds: 25,000-50,000 with a 15,000 ante

Players Remaining: 9 out of 128

Average Chip Count: 2,133,333

Chip Counts:

1. Minh Ly – 5,215,000
2. Brian Rast – 2,660,000
3. Matt Glantz – 2,535,000
4. George Lind – 2,315,000
5. Phil Hellmuth – 2,245,000
6. Owais Ahmed – 1,425,000
7. Ben Lamb – 1,180,000
8. Jason Lester – 920,000
9. Scott Seiver – 725,000

Payouts:

1st. $1,720,328
2nd. $1,063,034
3rd. $665,763
4th. $482,058
5th. $376,750
6th. $300,441
7th. $243,978
8th. $201,338
9th. $168,529

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

Player Tags: Minh Ly,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jason Lester,   Brian Rast,   Ben Lamb,   Scott Seiver,   Owais Ahmed,   George Lind

Level 23 Update: The Durrr Roller Coaster is Over

Jul 03, '10

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Remaining: 14 out of 346

Average Chip Count: 741,428

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Miguel Proulx – 2,040,000
2. Dmitry Stelmak – 1,148,000
3. Jason Mercier – 884,000
4. Ludovic Lacay – 805,000
5. Alessio Isaia – 748,000
6. Daniel Alaei – 704,000
7. Matthew Wheat – 680,000
8. Ville Mattila – 560,000
9. Danny Wong – 535,000
10. Stephen Pierson – 525,000

Notable Eliminations:

Blair Rodman – $31,288
Tom Dwan – $31,288

Big Hands:

Durrrr Eliminated

Tom Dwan raised to 70,000 from the cutoff and Matthew Wheat called out of the big blind.

The flop came 76J and Wheat check-called Dwan’s all-in of 130,000.

Wheat showed K854, giving him all sorts of draws and Dwan showed Q987, giving him a pair and a straight draw.

The turn was the 2, but the 8 on the river gave Wheat a straight and left Dwan with just the main event to win his bracelet bets.

Blair Rodman Eliminated

After a limp from Tervor Uyesugi in the small blind, Blair Rodman raised 60,000 in the big blind. Uyesugi made the call and the flop came 3J7.

Uyesugi checked and called Rodman’s pot-sized bet of 120,000. The turn was the 7 and Uyesugi led out for Rodman’s last 35,000. Rodman made the call and showed 7965, giving him trip sevens, but was up against the J742, giving him a full house.

The A river was a formality since Rodman was already drawing dead and Uyesugi took the pot.

Jason Lester Eliminated

Alessio Isaia raised to 60,000 and Jason Lester moved all-in for 90,000 total from the small blind. Isaia tossed in the call and showed KKJ6 and was ahead of Lester’s AQQ10.

The board ran out 105428, keeping Isaia in the lead and eliminating Lester. Lester will take home $31,288 for his efforts.

Player Tags: Blair Rodman,   Jason Lester,   Tom Dwan

Level 22 Update: Durrr Slips, Hellmuth Clinging, and Devilfish Busts

Jul 03, '10

Blinds: 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 18 out of 346

Average Chip Count: 576,666

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Miguel Proulx – 1,900,000
2. Dmitry Stelmak – 970,000
3. Jason Mercier – 810,000
4. Ludovic Lacay – 805,000
5. Danny Wong – 645,000
6. Tom Dwan – 640,000
7. Daniel Alaei – 590,000
8. Ville Mattila – 571,000
9. Matthew Wheat – 560,000
10. Ben Blackmore – 460,000

Notable Eliminations:

David Ulliott – $24,815
John Racener – $24,815

Big Hands:

John Raener Eliminated

Dmitry Stelmak raised to 30,000 from middle position and John Racener moved all-in for his last 90,000 on the button. Stelmak made the call and showed Q1087 and was up against Racener’s AA75.

the board ran out 1039Q8, which gave Stelmak two pair to trump the aces of Racener.

Devilfish Hits the Rail

Tom Dwan raised to 42,000 in the hijack and Daniel Alaei called from the cutoff. David Ulliott called from the small blind and they saw a flop of 5810.

Ulliott moved all-in for 103,000 and Dwan raised the pot to isolate Ulliott against Alaei. Dwan showed QQ96 and was behind Ulliiott’s KJ105.

The turn was the 4, keeping Ulliott in the lead, but the Q on the river gave Dwan a set and the pot.

Jason Lester Doubles

Jason Lester limped in from middle position and Ludovic Lacay made it 56,000 from the cutoff. Lester called and they saw a flop of Q108.

Lester moved all-in and Lacay made the call. Lester showed A1052 and Lacay showed KKAQ.

The turn was the 9, keeping Lacay in the lead, but the Q on the river completed Lester’s flush to double him up to 270,000. Lacay falls to 817,000.

Stelmak Doubles Through Durrrr

Tom Dwan raised from early position and Dmitry Stelmak called from the cutoff. The flop came 242 and Dwan bet 53,000. Stelmak raised to just 110,000 and Dwan took his time before making the call.

The turn was the 2. Dwan checked and Stelmak bet 61,000. Dwan took his time before making the call again.

The river was the 8 and Dwan checked again. Stelmak moved all-in for 260,000 and Dwan thought for a good three minutes before pushing across enough chips for the call.

Dwan mucked when Stelmak showed J1082, giving him quads.

Dwan is down to 640,000 and Stelmak is up to 970,000.

Hellmuth’s Pressure Gets a Fold

Phil Hellmuth raised from under-the-gun to 47,000 and was called by Blair Rodman in the cutoff and Alessio Isaia from the big blind.

The flop came 78Q and Hellmuth moved in for his last 140,000. Rodman went into the tank before folding and Isaia quickly folded after Rodman.

After Rodman told Hellmuth he was close to calling, Hellmuth claimed he had aces.

Player Tags: Blair Rodman,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jason Lester,   Tom Dwan,   Ludovic Lacay,   Dmitry Stelmak

Level 19 Update: A Couple Eliminations Already

Jul 03, '10

Blinds: 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 26 out of 346

Average Chip Count: 346,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Tom Dwan – 910,000
2. Julio Marines – 675,000
3. Danny Wong – 563,000
4. Ville Mattila – 540,000
5. Ludovic Lacay – 528,000
6. Seamus Cahill – 495,000
7. Daniel Harmetz – 490,000
8. Miguel Proulx – 468,000
9. Dmitry Stelmak – 448,000
10. Alessio Isaia – 443,000

Notable Eliminations:

Shawn Hattem – $19,839
Fabrice Soulier – $19,839
Nenad Medic – $19,839

Big Hands:

Jason Lester Doubles Up

Jason Lester raised to 24,000 from the button and Leandro Pimentel called from the small blind.

The flop came 10104 and Lester bet 24,000 and was called by Pimentel. The turn was the 3 and after Pimentel checked again, Lester moved in for his last 72,000 and was called by Pimentel.

Pimentel showed A437 and was behind Leter’s KKJ9.

The river was the 2 and Lester doubled up to 267,000.

Fabrice Soulier Eliminated

Fabrice Soulier raised on the button to 19,000 and Ville Mattila three-bet to 61,000 from the big blind. Soulier made the call and the fop came A37.

Mattila led out with a bet of 45,000 and Soulier moved in and was called by Mattila. Mattila showed KKJ5 and was ahead of Soulier’s JJ610.

The turn was the A and the river was the 10 and Soulier missed his diamond or a jack and was eliminated.

Dwan Slips Up

Dmitry Stelmak and Tom Dwan limped in before Stephen Pierson raised the size of the pot from the small blind. Stelmak and Dwan both called and the flop came 2K6.

Pierson moved all in for his last 105,000 and Dwan made the call. Dwan tabled K2J8 and Pierson showed AA67.

Dwan had two pair, but Pierson had aces and a flush draw. The 6 on the turn gave Pierson a flush and the 5 kept Pierson’s flush in the lead and Dwan slipped to 740,000, while Pierson climbed to 340,000.

Player Tags: Jason Lester,   Fabrice Soulier,   Tom Dwan

Level 18 Update: Money Bubble Bursts

Jun 22, '10

Blinds: 5,000-10,000

Players Remaining: 26 out of 268

Average Chip Count: 309,230

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Peter Jetten – 684,000
2. Clement Thumy – 616,000
3. Sam Stein – 531,000
4. Thomas Marchese – 522,000
5. James Calderaro – 509,000
6. Marc Inizen – 492,000
7. Nathan Doudney – 465,000
8. Nikolai Yakovenko – 463,000
9. Dani Stern – 425,000
10. Alexander Kuzmin – 424,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Lester

Big Hands:

Makhija Busts Minnullin

Albert Minnullin raised to 25,000 from the button and Amit Makhija reraised from the big blind. Minnullin then came over the top with all of his chips and Makhija made the call.

Minnullin tabled QJ but was dominated by Makhija’s AQ.

The board ran out AJ910A to give Makhija trip aces and send Minnullin out the door. Makhija was at 184,000.

Calderaro Doubles Through Thumy

Clement Thumy raised to 17,000 and James Calderaro made the call from the cutoff. The flop came down Q33 and Thumy bet 18,000. Calderaro called and the 7 came on the turn.

Both players checked and the river was the 9. Thumy bet 56,000 and Calderaro shoved for 110,000. After a few moments of thought Thumy called.

Calderaro then tabled 77 for a full house and Thumy mucked. Calderaro doubled to 590,000 while Thumy was down to 420,000.

Jason Lester Busts, Hand For Hand Commences

Jason Lester found himself all in preflop against Peter Jetten. Lester was holding AK, but was in deep trouble against Jetten’s KK.

The board ran out 85577 and Lester was eliminated.

With his elimination the field was down to 28, resulting in the beginning of hand-for-hand play until the money bubble bursts.

Mike Matusow Triples Up And Bursts Money Bubble In Process

Mike Matusow moved all in for 33,000 before the flop and Ilya Bulychev moved all in right behind him. Both players were called by Konstantin Bucheri.

Matusow tabled AK, Bulychev showed KQ and Bucheri showed AQ.

The board ran out 987108 and Matusow’s ace-high held up. He tripled up to over 100,000 and Bulychev was the bubble boy as he lost the side pot with Bucheri.

After Surviving Bubble, Matusow First To Cash

Marc Inizen put in a raise preflop and Mike Matusow moved in from the small blind. Inizen called, tabling J10. Matusow was dominating as he showed A10.

But the flop came down J22 and Matusow was behind the 8-ball. The board finished off 98 and Matusow was the first player to earn some money in event no. 38.

Player Tags: Mike Matusow,   Jason Lester,   James Calderaro,   Amit Makhija,   Ilya Bulychev,   Albert Minnullin,   Clement Thumy

Level 11: Naujoks Takes Down A Pot

Jun 21, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000

Players Remaining: 76 out of 268

Average Chip Count: 105,789

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Daniel Smith – 342,000
2. Sirous Jamshidi – 320,000
3. Martin Kabrhel – 315,000
4. Thomas Marchese – 295,000
5. Nikolai Yakovenko – 236,000
6. John Dwyer – 220,000
7. Vitaly Lunkin – 212,000
8. John Duthie – 202,000
9. Shawn Keller – 193,000
10. Dani Stern – 175,000

Notable Eliminations:

David Ulliott

Big Hands:

Schoenberg Can’t Call

Picking up the action on the turn, the player in seat 2 bet 6,400 and Erica Schoenberg made the call. Two other players in the hand mucked and the river was the K.

The player in seat 2 counted out some chips and bet 12,600. Schoenberg thought for a few moments and then released her hand.

She was at 70,000 after taking that slight hit to her stack.

Ulliott Takes It Down, But Busts Later

Picking up the action after the board had run out A47A7, David Ulliott fired a bet of 15,000 into the pot.

The player in seat 9 took a session in the tank and eventually decided to muck. Ulliott raked in the pot and he was at 60,000.

Unfortunately for Ulliott, he was eliminated later in the level.

Naujoks Gets One

Sandra Naujoks raised to 4,000 from early position and the player in seat 8 made the call. Seat 3 also called from the big blind and the three players saw a flop of 854.

The action was checked to Naujoks who fired 12,000 into the pot. Both of her opponents quickly mucked and Naujoks took in the pot.

Naujoks was at 40,000 after taking down that pot.

Lester Takes One Off Liu

Jason Lester raised to 4,800 from late position and J.J. Liu made the call from the big blind. The flop came down 1082 and Liu checked.

Lester bet 6,500 and Liu quickly released her hand. Lester took in the pot and he was 74,000 while Liu was down to 52,000.

Player Tags: Jason Lester,   Erica Schoenberg,   Sandra Naujoks

Jason Lester Eliminated in 12th Place ($56,439)

Apr 22, '10

Scotty Nguyen raised to 67,000 under the gun and Nikolay Evdakov made the call from the button. Jason Lester moved all in from the big blind for 400,000 and Nguyen made the call. Evdakov mucked and the two live players turned over their cards:

Nguyen: AK
Lester: 1010

Board: K7276

Nguyen won the hand with a pair of kings and he grew his stack to 1,410,000. Lester was eliminated in 12th place and he took home $56,439.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Jason Lester,   Nikolay Evdakov

Final Table Update: Eugene Todd, Jason Lester Eliminated

Jun 25, '09

Blinds: 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 5 out of 275

Chip Counts:

1. Kirill Gerasimov – 2,450,000
2. Davidi Kitai – 1,950,000
3. Eric Baldwin – 1,600,000
4. John Kabbaj – 1,320,000
5. J.C. Alvarado – 1,200,000

Average Chip Count: 1,650,000

Notable Eliminations:

7. Eugene Todd ($93,085)
6. Jason Lester ($110,431)

Big Hands:

Eugene Todd Eliminated in 7th Place ($93,085)

From the cutoff, Jason Lester raised to 200,000. Eugene Todd was next to act on the button and went all-in for 440,000 total. Lester quickly called. Todd exposed the A7 and was dominated by the AJ of Lester. The flop came Q86 and Lester kept his advantage. The 8 hit the turn, giving Todd some outs for a chop. However, the 7 fell on the river and he doubled up to 1,000,000. Lester is down to just 350,000.

Just a few hands after the double up, J.C. Alvarado raised to 160,000 under the gun and Eugene Todd reraised to 600,000 in middle position. Kirill Gerasimov went all-in over the top from the small blind. Alvarado mucked and Todd called the rest of his chips off. Gerasimov exposed the QQ and was well ahead of the AQ of Todd. Todd needed to get lucky once again to stay alive in the tournament. The board ran out 87232, eliminating Todd in 7th place. Gerasimov is now up to 2,440,000.

Jason Lester Eliminated in 6th Place ($110,431)

Jason Lester moved the last of his short stack of 230,000 into the middle. Davidi Kitai called from the button with the A5. Lester tabled the J10 and was in decent shape to make a double up. The flop was no help for Lester as it came 933. The Q hit the turn and Lester was down to just one more card. The 7 fell on the river and he was gone in 6th place. Kitai is now at 1,950,000.

Player Tags: Jason Lester,   Kirill Gerasimov,   Eugene Todd,   Davidi Kitai

Final Table Update: Lester Doubles Up, Darryll Fish Eliminated In 9th Place

Jun 25, '09

Blinds: 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 275

Chip Counts:

1. John Kabbaj – 2,100,000
2. Davidi Kitai – 1,500,000
3. Isaac Haxton – 1,200,000
4. Eric Baldwin – 1,020,000
5. Eugene Todd – 690,000
6. Kirill Gerasimov – 590,000
7. J.C. Alvarado – 580,000
8. Jason Lester – 580,000

Average Chip Count: 1,032,500

Notable Eliminations:

9. Darryll Fish — $77,136

Big Hands:

Jason Lester Doubles Through J.C. Alvarado

Action folded around to J.C. Alvarado in the small blind. He decided to bet the pot, putting 120,000 into the middle. Jason Lester was next to act in the big blind and he moved all in for 175,000 total. Alvarado made the call and both players turned up their hands.

Alvarado: 109
Lester: AA

Board: 765K8

Lester’s aces held up and he doubled up to 580,000.

Darryll Fish Eliminated In 9th Place($77,136)

Darryll Fish raised to 120,000 from the small blind preflop. J.C. Alvarado was in the big blind and moved all in, having Fish covered. Fish made the call and the players turned over their hands.

Fish: A8
Alvarado: 77

Board: J94Q2

The board gave Fish a gutshot straight draw on the turn but the river bricked and he was the first player eliminated from the final table.

Player Tags: Jason Lester,   Darryll Fish

Level 19 Update: Brummelhuis 21st, Simon 20th, Seidel 19th

Jun 25, '09

Blinds: 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 18 out of 275

Chip Counts:

1. John Kabbaj — 2,226,000
2. J.C. Alvarado — 910,000
3. Kirill Gerasimov — 623,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 506,000
5. Darryll Fish — 505,000
6. Davidi Kitai — 498,000
7. Vanessa Rousso — 419,000
8. Billy Kopp — 384,000
9. Ken Lenaard — 377,000
10. Eric Baldwin — 334,000

Average Chip Count: 458,333

Notable Eliminations:

21. Michael Brummelhuis — $24,066
20. Sam Simon — $24,066
19. Erik Seidel — $24,066

Big Hands:

Michael Brummelhuis Eliminated in 21st Place ($24,066)

Michael Bruemmelhuis gets it all in before the flop against J.C. Alvarado.

Brummelhuis: A8
Alvarado: AK

Board: 632910

The board bricks and Alvarado’s A-K high is good. Alvarado rakes the pot as the overnight Day 1 and most of Day 2 chipleader, Michael Brummelhuis is eliminated in 21st place ($24,066).

Sam Simon Eliminated in 20th Place ($24,066)

Sam Simon raises to 56,000 from the button and Mohsin Charania puts in a reasise from the the small blind. Simon calls all in; Charania has him covered.

Simon: A8
Charania: JJ

Board: KQ92Q

Sam Simon fails to improve and is eliminated in 20th place ($24,066).

Erik Seidel Eliminated in 19th Place ($24,066)

Erik Seidel gets it all in pre-flop for 80,000 against Jason Lester; Seidel is covered.

Seidel: KJ
Lester: JJ

Board: A8269

Seidel flops a flush draw but fails to improve by the river and is eliminated in 19th place ($24,066).

Left in the Deck

With Erik Seidel’s 19th place elimination, the final eighteen players have re-drawn to new seats at the final two tables. Seidel’s elimination also marked the first pay jump of this event, players are now guaranteed to cash for at least $32,209.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Jason Lester,   Sam Simon,   Michiel Brummelhuis

Final Table Update: Eugene Todd, Jason Lester Eliminated

Jun 25, '09

Blinds: 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 5 out of 275

Chip Counts:

1. Kirill Gerasimov – 2,450,000
2. Davidi Kitai – 1,950,000
3. Eric Baldwin – 1,600,000
4. John Kabbaj – 1,320,000
5. J.C. Alvarado – 1,200,000

Average Chip Count: 1,650,000

Notable Eliminations:

7. Eugene Todd ($93,085)
6. Jason Lester ($110,431)

Big Hands:

Eugene Todd Eliminated in 7th Place ($93,085)

From the cutoff, Jason Lester raised to 200,000. Eugene Todd was next to act on the button and went all-in for 440,000 total. Lester quickly called. Todd exposed the A7 and was dominated by the AJ of Lester. The flop came Q86 and Lester kept his advantage. The 8 hit the turn, giving Todd some outs for a chop. However, the 7 fell on the river and he doubled up to 1,000,000. Lester is down to just 350,000.

Just a few hands after the double up, J.C. Alvarado raised to 160,000 under the gun and Eugene Todd reraised to 600,000 in middle position. Kirill Gerasimov went all-in over the top from the small blind. Alvarado mucked and Todd called the rest of his chips off. Gerasimov exposed the QQ and was well ahead of the AQ of Todd. Todd needed to get lucky once again to stay alive in the tournament. The board ran out 87232, eliminating Todd in 7th place. Gerasimov is now up to 2,440,000.

Jason Lester Eliminated in 6th Place ($110,431)

Jason Lester moved the last of his short stack of 230,000 into the middle. Davidi Kitai called from the button with the A5. Lester tabled the J10 and was in decent shape to make a double up. The flop was no help for Lester as it came 933. The Q hit the turn and Lester was down to just one more card. The 7 fell on the river and he was gone in 6th place. Kitai is now at 1,950,000.

Player Tags: Jason Lester,   Kirill Gerasimov,   Eugene Todd,   Davidi Kitai

Final Table Update: Lester Doubles Up, Darryll Fish Eliminated In 9th Place

Jun 25, '09

Blinds: 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 275

Chip Counts:

1. John Kabbaj – 2,100,000
2. Davidi Kitai – 1,500,000
3. Isaac Haxton – 1,200,000
4. Eric Baldwin – 1,020,000
5. Eugene Todd – 690,000
6. Kirill Gerasimov – 590,000
7. J.C. Alvarado – 580,000
8. Jason Lester – 580,000

Average Chip Count: 1,032,500

Notable Eliminations:

9. Darryll Fish — $77,136

Big Hands:

Jason Lester Doubles Through J.C. Alvarado

Action folded around to J.C. Alvarado in the small blind. He decided to bet the pot, putting 120,000 into the middle. Jason Lester was next to act in the big blind and he moved all in for 175,000 total. Alvarado made the call and both players turned up their hands.

Alvarado: 109
Lester: AA

Board: 765K8

Lester’s aces held up and he doubled up to 580,000.

Darryll Fish Eliminated In 9th Place($77,136)

Darryll Fish raised to 120,000 from the small blind preflop. J.C. Alvarado was in the big blind and moved all in, having Fish covered. Fish made the call and the players turned over their hands.

Fish: A8
Alvarado: 77

Board: J94Q2

The board gave Fish a gutshot straight draw on the turn but the river bricked and he was the first player eliminated from the final table.

Player Tags: Jason Lester,   Darryll Fish

Level 19 Update: Brummelhuis 21st, Simon 20th, Seidel 19th

Jun 25, '09

Blinds: 8,000-16,000

Players Remaining: 18 out of 275

Chip Counts:

1. John Kabbaj — 2,226,000
2. J.C. Alvarado — 910,000
3. Kirill Gerasimov — 623,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 506,000
5. Darryll Fish — 505,000
6. Davidi Kitai — 498,000
7. Vanessa Rousso — 419,000
8. Billy Kopp — 384,000
9. Ken Lenaard — 377,000
10. Eric Baldwin — 334,000

Average Chip Count: 458,333

Notable Eliminations:

21. Michael Brummelhuis — $24,066
20. Sam Simon — $24,066
19. Erik Seidel — $24,066

Big Hands:

Michael Brummelhuis Eliminated in 21st Place ($24,066)

Michael Bruemmelhuis gets it all in before the flop against J.C. Alvarado.

Brummelhuis: A8
Alvarado: AK

Board: 632910

The board bricks and Alvarado’s A-K high is good. Alvarado rakes the pot as the overnight Day 1 and most of Day 2 chipleader, Michael Brummelhuis is eliminated in 21st place ($24,066).

Sam Simon Eliminated in 20th Place ($24,066)

Sam Simon raises to 56,000 from the button and Mohsin Charania puts in a reasise from the the small blind. Simon calls all in; Charania has him covered.

Simon: A8
Charania: JJ

Board: KQ92Q

Sam Simon fails to improve and is eliminated in 20th place ($24,066).

Erik Seidel Eliminated in 19th Place ($24,066)

Erik Seidel gets it all in pre-flop for 80,000 against Jason Lester; Seidel is covered.

Seidel: KJ
Lester: JJ

Board: A8269

Seidel flops a flush draw but fails to improve by the river and is eliminated in 19th place ($24,066).

Left in the Deck

With Erik Seidel’s 19th place elimination, the final eighteen players have re-drawn to new seats at the final two tables. Seidel’s elimination also marked the first pay jump of this event, players are now guaranteed to cash for at least $32,209.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Jason Lester,   Sam Simon,   Michiel Brummelhuis

Vivek Rajkumar Eliminated

Jul 14, '08

On a flop of AQ7, Jason Lester checked to Rajkumar on his left, who also checked. The turn was the 8 and Lester checked again. Rajkumar tossed out a bet of 16,000 and Lester moved all-in for an additional 23,900. Rajkumar was baffled by the check-raise. He went into the tank and, before calling, told Lester, “I have no idea what you have.”

Lester turned over AQ for top two pair and Rajkumar turned over KK. The river was no help to Rajkumar, and he was left with only 1,500 chips. A few hands later he would be eliminated.









 

Player Tags: Jason Lester,   Vivek Rajkumar

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,   Jason Lester

Back From Dinner; 100 To Go

Jul 10, '07

350 or Bust

The official announcement is that we will play five levels today or down to 350 players.  There are currently 450 at 50 tables, and the cries of "All in and called" are ringing through the air regularly.

Here Goes...Eliminations

Jeff Madsen, "Miami John" Cernuto, Tom McEvoy, James Van Alstyne, and David Einhorn have all been eliminated in the last level.  Madsen pushed his last $27,000 in with A 9, but he couldn't outrace his opponent's pocket fives and headed for the door. 

Cernuto's elimination was witnessed on the feature table, Cernuto was all in preflop with 10 10 against his opponent's Q 9.  Cernuto was safe through the turn as the board read 7 5 3 5, but the river was a cruel Q, and Cernuto received a nice hand from the spectator's as he left. 

Van Alstyne lost a huge pot to one of the chip leaders Avi Cohen, when his flopped two pair was out run by Cohen's nut flush on the turn.  With only a few chips Van Alstyne was eliminated a few hands later. 

David Einhorn, who last year donated all of his 18th place prize money to Parkinson's research, was the darling of the ESPN crews all day.  He was invovled in a three-way all-in hand that went to Steven O'Dwyer, who flopped a full house to bust Einhorn, and double through another player. 

McEvoy butted heads with Old School visionary Todd Phillips, and had the worst of it the whole way.  McEvoy's K-Q couldn't catch up to Phllips's A-K and the field is now light one more Main Event Champion.

Lester Bounces Back

Jason Lester started the level in ominous fashion, losing a race with A-Q against pocket Jacks after his opponent ended up with quads.  Then Lester got a repreive.  Lester raised to $7,000 from middle position, the player in Seat 4 reraised to $17,000 from the button, and Lester called.  The flop was Q 7 2, Lester pushed all in for his last $19,400, and Seat 4 called.  Seat 4 had J J and Lester held A 9.  The turn  5 was no help, but the river 3 completed Lester's flush, and he breathed a sigh of relief.  A few hands later Lester continued his punishment of seat 4 when he got him to pay off a $15,000 value bet on the river when Lester flopped a set of nines.

Duthie Breaks One

PokerStars representative John Duthie raised preflop to $6,000 from the cutoff and the player in Seat 8 called from the small blind.  On the A 10 8 flop Duthie made  a large bet that sent Seat 8 into the tank.  After a clock was called Seat 8 made the call.  The turn was the Q, and Seat 8 moved all in quickly, and Duthie called just as swiftly.  Duthie showed A K while Seat 8 was way behind with A 3.  The river was an innocuous 5, and Duthie collected the chips.

Euro Roundup
There is probably an average of one European per table, the majority English, as play moves towards conclusion for the day.

Hendon Mobster Joe Beevers took a hit from $113,000 to $52,000 in chips, Donnacha O'Dea has edged up slightly to $42,600, former Main Event finalist George McKeever is struggling but sitting patiently on $23,400 in chips sharing a table with Adam Noone and Bo Sehlstedt, Wille Tann jumped from $282,000 to $320,000 in chips, Conor Tate has $130,000 in chips and Julian Gardner has $87,000.

The ever colourful Jac Arama is enjoying plenty of laughs with his table and is sitting on $228,000 in chips.

Maguire Doubles Up

Tobey Maguire managed to double up in one of those dream situations.  With the board reading K 9 3 2, Maguire checked, his opponent in Seat 8 bet $13,000 and after a few minutes Maguire called.  The A fell on the river, and Maguire checked again.  Seat 8 moved all in and Maguire called for less.  Seat 8 held 9 9 for a set, but Maguire had a better set with K K, and he took the pot.
Notable Chip Counts

Kenny Tran	495,000
Minh Ly	212,000
Berry Johnston	191,000
Robert Mizrachi	159,000
Scotty Nguyen	74,000
Joe Tehan	74,000
Nam Le	57,100
David "The Dragon" Pham	49,000
John Hennigan	36,100

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Tom McEvoy,   David Einhorn,   Jason Lester,   John Duthie,   James Van Alstyne,   Tobey Maguire,   Todd Phillips,   Jeff Madsen,   Avi Cohen

Hour Four Update

Jun 10, '07

Your First Half of Hour Four...
Has been lost, thanks to computer problems.  Heres a quick rundown of what was lost.  Very vivid description of Humberto Brenes doubling up and Travis Rice busting in 6th place. 

Blinds Raised
The blinds have been raised to $20,000-$40,000.

Jason Lester Doubles Up
Jason Lester raises to $130,000 and Joe Patrick reraises to $400,000.  Lester makes the call for his last $290,000 and tables AJ.  Lester shows 99 and board comes 10522J.  Lester spikes a jack on the river to double up keep the table six handed.  

Jeffrey Lisandro Takes Out Two
Joe Patrick raised to $140,000, Jeff Lisandro reraised to $300,000 and Jason Lester moved all in for his last $580,000.  Patrick made the call as did Lisandro.  Patrick tabled 77, Lester AK and Lisandro QQ.  The flop came JJ9 and the queens were the best hand at the time.  The turn was the 6, and Lisandro was one card away from eliminating two players.  The best hand actually held when river came 6 sending both Patrick and Lester home.  Because he has less chips, Patrick took 5th place and won $99,142 while Lester was eliminated in 4th and took down $132,813. 

Here are the Three handed chip counts:

Jeff Lisandro -- $1,995,000
Allen Cunningham -- $1,660,000
Humberto Brenes -- $325,000

Player Tags: Allen Cunningham,   Jason Lester,   Travis Rice,   Joe Patrick

Hour One Update

Jun 10, '07

Sweet Cranium Accessories (Yes, that is a Mitch Hedberg reference) :
Aside from the usual poker site headgear, two players have some interesting head wear.  Allen Jaffray is wearing a nice black lady's hat with a red flower, it looks more like something that Allyn Jaffrey Shulman would wear.  Apparently it was worn by Steve Sun when he won the 2000 Tournament of Champions and Jaffary hoped to pick up a little more luck by wearing it today.  Gavin Griffin has once again dyed his hair pink in support of breast cancer.  His girlfriend is a survivor and rumor is the money he has received for wearing Pokerstars gear at the final table will be donated to charity.

Who is the King?
Humberto Brenes raised and Jason Lester reraised to $170,000.  Brenes called going all in for his last $156,000.  Lester tables JJ, and Brenes raised his two cards in the air and yelled, "Who is the king!"  He then plopped two black kings, KK down on the felt sparking the crowd to go wild.  The board came 8227.  On the river some of the crowd started chanting, "Jack, Jack, Jack,"  Brenes pointed his shark at them then jabbed in a fencer's pose.  The river was the 10, Brenes' kings held and he doubled up to over $310,000.

Rio Media Connection Down
The wireless Internet connection at the Rio is down, luckily Cardplayer.com coverage of this event is off an air card and therefore will continue uninterrupted.

Break and Color Up
There has been a break. 

Out of Magic?
Alan Jaffray has been eliminated 9th for $31,800.  He raised to $70,000 and Gavin Griffin reraised to $150,000.  Jaffray pushed all in with AJ and Griffin called with KK.  The board came 9548J, Jaffray cannot beat kings and is sent home in 9th place.  

Player Tags: Humberto Brenes,   Allyn Jaffrey Shulman,   Jason Lester,   Gavin Griffin

And Then There Were Nine

Jun 09, '07

Play has ended in day two of the $5,000 Pot Limit Hold 'Em event. The final nine players are Jeff Lisandro, Jason Lester, Allen Cunningham, Gavin Griffin, Travis Rice, Joe Patrick, Alan Jaffray, Humberto Brenes, and Keith Lehr. The final table will begin tomorrow at 3 p.m. This will be the second year in a row that Jason Lester will be at the final table for this event, last year was able to outlast 378 players to take down the bracelet.

The main attraction during this level of play was the back and forth battle between Humberto Brenes and Joe Sebok. Brenes was up to his usual antics, singing and dancing and saying who knows what about sharks, all the while betting large and using his stack to his advantage. Earlier in the round Sebok and Brenes were involved in a hand in which Sebok folded to an all in bet by Brenes. Brenes showed the A and told Sebok that "he didn't have a chance." Several hands later the two butted heads again, this time with negative consequences for Sebok. Brenes pushed all in from the button and stood up and made a two handed gesture to do so. The small blind, Keith Lehr, hadn't returned from dinner yet so his hand was folded and his blind put into the middle. Sebok called from the big blind for $80,000. Sebok showed KJ and Brenes yelled out, "Blackjack hand baby!" and turned over 83. Brenes called out for an eight and the flop was 873. Brenes freaked out and starts playing with his shark toy again. Sebok, all but drawing dead, gets up from the table. The turn is the 5 and the river brings the 8 to fill up Humberto's boat. Sebok was eliminated in 11th place, earning $21,512.

Chris Sandrock was the 10th place finisher, also taking home $21,512. Sandrock was all in with pocket fives against Joe Patrick who had two black aces. The 5 on the river gave Sandrock trips, but it also gave Patrick the ace high flush.

Tune back in to CardPlayer.com to see what happens on the final table and to see who will make history.

Player Tags: Allen Cunningham,   Jason Lester,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Gavin Griffin,   Joe Sebok,   Chris Sandrock,   Travis Rice,   Joe Patrick

Monster Lay Downs

Jun 08, '07

Level 2 has brought us some big eliminations and some even bigger emerging chip stacks. Sorel Mizzi managed to pick off Tong G and Tuan Le back to back-to-back within a half hour’s time, and as a result he has amassed roughly $45,000 in chips.

Allen Kessler was the next one to hit the rail when he pushed all-in on a flop of Q87. The player in seat 10 made the call and flipped over Q8 against Kessler’s AQ. The turn and river bring the 10 and the 3, no help to Kessler as his opponent’s two pair holds up. Filling his empty seat was Brett Jungblut who joins the table already in progress with David Willamson III, Eugene Todd, T.J. Cloutier, Eric Froehlich, and defending champion, Jason Lester. Despite being surrounded by all of this talent and their accompanied bracelets, an unknown player in seat 10 is starting to build some real momentum. After eliminating Kessler and stealing a few pots with some big raises, he gets the ultimate sign of respect by T.J. Cloutier. I’m not sure if it was a sign of respect or just a case of knowing when to get out of the way when a player is running good, but none the less, Cloutier throws A-K into the muck pre-flop against this guy. T.J. Cloutier raises $625 before the flop and Seat-10 re-pots it for another $1,275 more. T.J thinks for a minute and flips over AK and says to the table, “I’m throwing this away because he’s running so good.” Brett Jungblut seemed shocked by T.J.’s lay down and although you can argue the move, no on can argue how good Seat-10 is running right now. Seat-10 shows T.J. pocket jacks, as he’s eliminated a few pros, scared some more off of their hands, and now sits with well over $40,000 in chips.

Aaron Been went into the tank for almost eight minutes during the break when Jennifer Harman put him to a decision for all of his chips. The flop comes AJ2 and Been bets $2,000. Harman re-raises the size of the pot for a total of $7,500. Been deliberates for almost eight minutes before showing A-K and tossing it into the muck.     

Roughly 330 players remain as we head into Level 3.

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier,   Brett Jungblut,   Allen Kessler,   Jason Lester,   Jennifer Harman,   Eugene Todd,   Eric Froehlich,   Aaron Been,   Sorel Mizzi

Cards Are in the Air

Jun 08, '07

Today kicks off Event 13, the $5,000 World Championship of Pot-Limit Hold’em. Play starts at 12:00p.m. with blinds of $25-$50. Levels will last sixty minutes each with one fifteen minute break every two levels. Last year’s event had a total entry of 378 players where Jason Lester won the bracelet and pocket $550,764 for his first place finish.

Keep checking back at Cardplayer.com for more live updates and your favorite Pro Blogs.

Player Tags: Jason Lester