David Sklansky Poker Tournament Updates

Level 12 Update: Jared Jaffee Takes The Chip Lead

Oct 17, '10

Blinds: 1,200-2,400 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 65 out of 335

Chip Counts:

1. Jared Jaffee — 640,000
2. Jeff Madsen — 605,000
3. Matt Affleck — 495,000
4. Annette Obrestad — 485,000
5. Owen Crowe — 470,000
6. Michael Benvenuti — 430,000
7. Andreas Hoivold — 415,000
8. Chad Batista — 385,000
9. Trevor Pope — 310,000
10. Men Nguyen — 310,000

Average Chip Count: 81,212

Notable Eliminations:

Tyler Kenney
Jeremy Menard
Cornel Cimpan
Ted Lawson
Jimmy Fricke

Big Hands:

The Maria Ho Show

On the last hand before the break, Maria Ho was all in holding A-Q on a A-J-4 flop, but unfortunately for her, Alex Melnikow had A-4.

The turn and river fell K 9 and Ho was eliminated. Or was she? It turns out, she was called back to the room when it was discovered that she still had 300 in chips remaining.

Back from break, Ho was all in for the ante and won when her 7-5 outflopped Gavin Smith’s A-10. That got her to 2,700 in chips, which were all in on the next hand when her pocket aces held up against two players ace-rags.

After folding a few hands, Ho was all in from under the gun holding K4 against the big blinds K2. The turn gave her the nut flush and all of a sudden she was up past the 23,000 mark.

An orbit later, Ho shoved for her last 17,100 from under the gun and was called by Chad Batista in the small blind. Ho’s AJ outflopped Batista’s pocket sixes and she doubled up to nearly 40,000.

She still has a lot of work to do, but she’s come a long way from having just one ante.

Jimmy Fricke Exits

We didn’t see the action, but according to Jimmy Fricke’s twitter page, he wasn’t able to outdraw Vladimir Shchemelev in an all in situation. Apparently Fricke’s pocket queens ran into pocket aces.

David Sklansky Doubles Up

Barry Greenstein raised to 6,100 from the hijack and Noah Schwartz called on the button. David Sklansky then moved all in for 35,100 in the big blind and Schwartz was the only caller.

Schwartz showed AJ, but he was dominated by Sklansky’s AK. The board rolled out 975QK and Sklansky doubled up to 85,000. Schwartz still has 185,000.

Poker Tweets:

Left In The Deck:

Gavin Smith Having Some Fun With Jeff Madsen

Gavin Smith is having a lot of fun after doubling up twice in this level at the expense of Jeff Madsen. After Madsen was forced to give up a small pot to another opponent, Smith reached over and knocked down his entire fortress of chips.

To add insult to injury, Smith then called the floor over to complain that Madsen wasn’t stacking his chips. The floor reminded Madsen that he needs to keep his chips orderly and the table laughed some more.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Gavin Smith,   David Sklansky,   Maria Ho,   Jimmy Fricke,   Jeff Madsen,   Noah Schwartz,   Alex Melnikow,   Chad Batista

Level Four, Hour One: Haxton Getting Low

Jul 05, '10

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 907 of 1,125

Average Chip Count: 37,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Tyler Smith – 156,000
2. Kevin McGowan – 137,000
3. Oliver Daeninckx – 95,000
4. Maria Ho – 83,000
5. Michael Mizrachi – 81,000
6. Corwin Cole – 74,300
7. Jonathan Tare – 74,000
8. Ralph Perry – 72,500
9. Markus Golser – 70,100
10. John Hennigan – 68,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman – 35,200
Allyn Jaffrey Shulman – 27,500
Adam Schoenfeld – 25,200
Lee Watkinson – 28,000
Shannon Shorr – 35,200
Mark Gregorich – 40,250
Diego Cordovez -7,000
Justin Marchand – 33,000

Players Twitter Accounts:

Barry Shulman
Erik Seidel
Maria Ho
Chris Moorman
Beth Shak
Mike Caro
Jamie Rosen

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands:

Haxton Getting Short

Picking up the action on the turn, a player moved in for his last 6,000. The board read 9775 and Isaac Haxton made the call.

Haxton: A7
Opponent: 55

Haxton had trips but his opponent had a full house and the river bricked with the 8 and Haxton was down to 5,500.

Rosen Jumped By Gang Of Ducks

Picking up the action after the board had run out 98252, Jamie Rosen bet 5,000.

His opponent then moved all in for 9,675 and Rosen made the call. Rosen turned over A10 for the nut-flush but his opponent had the real nuts, turning over 22 for quads.

Rosen surrendered the pot and he was at 40,000.

Sklansky Doubles Up

David Sklansky moved all in from the button and he was called by the player in the small blind.

Sklansky: AA
Small Blind: AK

The board ran out 104287 and Sklansky doubled up to 28,000.

Naujoks Has A Nice Set

The player on the button raised to 1,200 and Sandra Naujoks made the call from the big blind. The flop then came down 962 and Naujoks checked.

The button bet 2,100 and Naujoks made the call. The turn was the J and both players checked. The river was then the Q and Naujoks led out for 2,000. Her opponent made the call and Naujoks tabled 66 for middle set on the flop.

Her opponent mucked and she scooped in the pot. She was up to 43,200. Unfortunately for her, she ran into a broadway straight a few hands later and she was back down to 23,500.

Make That Money

Chris Moneymaker raised to 725 from under the gun and one player called.The big blind raised to 3,000 and both opponents called.

The flop came down K62 and the big blind led out for 4,000. Moneymaker was the only caller and the turn was the J.

The big blind checked to Moneymaker and he fired 4,500. The big blind mucked and Moneymaker took the pot, improving to 46,500.

Player Tags: Chris Moneymaker,   David Sklansky,   Isaac Haxton,   Jamie Rosen,   Sandra Naujoks

Level 11 Update: Mike Sexton Eliminated

Jun 19, '09

Ante: 500
Low Card: 700
Completion: 2,500
Limits: 2,500-5,000

Players Remaining: 66 out of 164

Chip Counts:

1. Tuan Le – 202,000
2. Jeff Lisandro – 175,000
3. John Juanda – 133,000
4. Dario Minieri – 132,000
5. Joe Tehan – 130,000
6. Dutch Boyd – 126,000
7. Steve Billirakis – 119,000
8. Lyle Berman – 95,000
9. Amnon Filippi – 91,000
10. Scotty Nguyen – 85,000

Average Chip Count: 70,285

Notable Eliminations:

Mike Sexton
Tim Phan
Norman Chad

Big Hands:

Mike Sexton Eliminated

Mike Sexton was all-in against David Benyamine and David Sklansky.

Their cards:

Sexton: X-X-8JJQ-X

Benyamine: X-X-58K2-X

Sklansky: X-X-54QA-X

After betting between Benyamine and Sklansky, Benyamine exposed the K1010 to take the high, while Sklansky tabled the 8710 to take the low. Sexton was eliminated.

Norman Chad and Todd Brunson Stay Alive

Norman Chad and Todd Brunson were both all-in against an opponent. On the end Chad won the high with a set of fives while Brunson took the low. Brunson is at just 8,500 and Chad was at 5,800 before being eliminated shortly after.

Tim Phan Eliminated

Tim Phan was eliminated when his aces and eights were no good against the quad sixes of his opponent.

Player Tags: Todd Brunson,   David Benyamine,   David Sklansky,   Mike Sexton,   Tim Phan,   Norman Chad

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2B - Level 8 (Hour 2)

Jul 09, '08

Player are now on a 90-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 8:40 p.m.

Blinds/Antes: 400-800-100

Day 2B Players Left: 1,512

Chip Leaders:
Terry Lade - 380,000
Peter Biebel - 350,000
Darryl Bonconi - 280,000
Henning Granstad - 271,000
Alexander Kostritsyn - 270,000
Chad Layne - 242,000
Mohamad Kowssarie - 236,000
Victor Ramdin – 235,000
Diren Yildiz - 230,000
Andy Witek - 230,000
Chris Anzivino - 220,000

Other Notables:
Cliff Josephy – 190,000
Nenad Medic – 160,000
Johnny Chan – 125,000
Evelyn Ng – 125,000
Shun Uchida – 125,000
Shawn Sheikhan – 118,000
Phil Hellmuth – 103,000
Hevad Khan – 95,000
Chris Moneymaker – 93,000
Allen Cunningham – 90,000
Thayer Rasmussen – 78,000
Jean Robert Bellande – 72,000
John D’Agostino – 67,000
Nikolay Evdakov – 65,000
Mike Wattel – 64,000
Ari Engel – 56,000
Jennifer Harman – 48,000
Ryan Daut – 46,000
Matt Vengrin – 44,000
David Daneshgar – 30,000
Clayton Newman – 28,000
Tony Dunst – 10,000

Eliminations:
Michael Binger
Sorel Mizzi

Big Hands and Storylines:

Daut Dodges a Bullet

A player raised from under-the-gun and Ryan Daut, to his left, made the call. The flop was 1083 and Daut called a 3,600 bet. The flop was a fourth diamond, the 5, and both players checked. The river was an offsuit 6 and the under-the-gun player checked to Daut who again checked. Daut showed QQ. His opponent shook his head and said, “horrible turn,” before tabling AJ.

Daut has about 45,000.

Lieu Too Gets Away Unscathed

Liz Lieu raised to 2,400 from middle position and was called by the player in the big blind. Both players checked the KK8 flop. On the 5 turn, the big blind led out for 3,600. Lieu made it 6,000 more and was called. The river was the A and the big blind checked. Lieu checked behind and the hand went to showdown. The big blind turned over K8 for a flopped full house and Lieu mucked. Post-hand discussion centered around what Lieu could have had. The only thing that Lieu would admit to is that she was not on a bluff.

Chan flops set and gets paid by top pair

On a Q-7-6 rainbow flop, Johnny Chan raised his opponent's bet 6,000 more. His opponent, who had a little more than 20,000 left, made the call. A six came on the turn and after his opponent checked Chan bet 10,000. Chan's opponent again though it over for a minute before moving all in for just a few thousand more. Chan called immediately with pocket sevens for a set, and his opponent flipped over K-Q and was drawing dead. After the hand Chan was up to 125,000 chips.

Harman Regrets Fold

Jennifer Harman didn’t need the extra attention, and she didn’t need to see the evidence at the end. Playing from the small blind, Harman and the player on the button were heads-up after a flop of A107. Harman bet large and was called on the flop, and did the same on the turn after the 9 appeared. The 9 on the river completed the flush draw and caused her some concern however, and she checked. The button then bet enough to put Harman all-in for her final 36,200. Harman tanked, and the more she thought, the more cameras and onlookers gathered around. Facing a decision for her tournament life, Harman eventually made the reluctant fold, then held her head in dismay when her opponent showed her the AQ for simply top pair. Harman was able to get a few of her chips back from the same player a few hands later to return over the 40,000 mark.

Sklansky Plays the Shortstack

David Sklansky hasn’t had many chips at any point of the main event, but continues to hang around. After a flop of K76 and a check to him, he bet 3000 and was called. When the turn brought the 4 and action was checked to him again, he bet 5000. His opponent folded, and Sklansky improved to 29,400 in chips.

Rast Releases Hand

Brian Rast continues to cruise with over 120,000 in chips, though he lost a minor battle recently. Rast raised preflop to 2400 from middle position and was called by the player to his immediate left. The small blind also called, and the flop came 862. The small blind checked and Rast bet 5700. The next player then raised to 11,400, which got the small blind to fold. Rast would also release his hand.
 

Player Tags: Johnny Chan,   Jennifer Harman,   David Sklansky

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1C - Level 5, Hour 2

Jul 05, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200/400/50

Day 1C Players Remaining: 1,071 of 1,928

Chip Leaders:

Henning Granstad - 228,000
Arnaud Mattern - 167,000
Howard Berchowitz - 161,000
David Baker - 159,000
Joe Marcal - 143,000
Russell Rosenblum - 141,000
Mike Souza - 136,000
Serj Markarian - 132,000
David Singer - 129,000
Andrew Tisler - 119,000

Notable Eliminations: David Plastik, Andre Akkari, Phil Collins, T.J. Cloutier, Marcel Luske, Sabyl Landrum.

Big Hands and Storylines:

Sklansky Clings to Life

It’s been a slow day for David Sklansky, and it hasn’t picked up any steam in the final level. He has been hovering around the 10,000 chip count for the past few hours, and couldn’t do anything with his blinds in a recent rotation. As big blind, he saw a player in middle position raise to 1050. Sklansky, already in for 400, made the call. After the flop came J87, he folded to a bet of 1,550. He then limped for another 400 the next hand as small blind, but dodged out of the way when the flop came 532. As it turned out, a player pushed all-in with the Q9, was called by a set of fives, then the board ran out JA for the running flush. Sklansky then folded his button and now sits at 9,500.

Binger and Singer in a Zinger of a Humdinger

In the blue section of the Amazon Room, one table became particularly stacked when Card Player P.O.Y. contender Michael Binger joined 2008 World Series of Poker bracelet winner David Singer’s table. The media hovered close by to capture any and all action between the two notable players. In one hand, Binger raised to a total of 1,100 from under the gun, and Singer called as the player next to act. All other players folded, and the flop came down 865. Binger continued his aggression by firing a bet of 1,800 into the pot, causing Singer to release his hand. Singer remained one of the tournament’s largest stacks with over 100,000 in chips, while Binger hovered around 35,000 throughout most of the level.

Jacob turns trips and collects more chips

With the board AQJJ, Alex Jacob bet 2,100 and was called immediately by his opponent. The river was the 7 and Jacob bet 4,600. This time his opponent took a moment to think it over. but he made the call in the end, and Jacob flipped over J10 to take the pot. After the hand Jacob has roughly 20,000 chips.

Awada dodges disaster

With the board 872, Joe Awada raised his opponent's bet of 2,000 to 5,000. His opponent reraised all in, and Awada was clearly frustrated with his situation. He folded J8 and after initially hesitating his opponent flipped over 88. But he can't feel too good about his fold; Awada has just 12,000 chips and is at risk of elimination any time he plays a hand.

When You're Hot . . .

A player in late position raised to 1200 and Brad Booth, on the button, made the call, as did the big blind. The flop came QJ9, and after the first two players checked Booth fired out 3500. The big blind called and the original raiser folded. The 3 fell on the turn, and the big blind checked. Booth, perhaps sensing a trap, checked behind. The river was the 10, creating a four-card straight on board. The big blind checked and Booth bet 5000. The big blind, obviously frustrated by the river, called and flipped over JJ for a set. That was suddenly in second place however, as Booth held 87 for the bottom end straight.

Player Tags: David Singer,   David Sklansky,   Joe Awada,   Brad Booth,   Michael Binger,   Alex Jacob

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1C - Level 5, Hour 1

Jul 05, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200/400/50

Players Remaining: 1,116 of 1,928

Chip Counts:

Henning Granstad - 205,000
Arnaud Mattern - 147,000
David Baker - 145,000
Andrew Tisler - 140,000
Michael Souza - 133,000
Moshin Charania - 122,000
David Singer - 121,000
Howard Berchuwitz - 118,000
Serj Markarian - 115,000
Andrew Brokos - 112,000

Eliminations:

Jared Hamby

Big Hands and Storylines:

Jacob Under the Heat

The table featuring both Alex Jacob and Clonie Gowen is the next due to be broken in the main event, and it can’t come soon enough for Jacob, now down to below 10,000 in chips. After folding both his blinds and the button in the face of raises, Jacob was finally one from the cut-off when he opened the proceedings for 1100. The button called, and that may have persuaded both the small blind and big blind to also look Jacob up. The flop came KJ5, and after both blinds checked Jacob bet 2000 into the pot. The button folded, as did the small blind, but the big blind check-raised all-in, which would have cost Jacob another 5000. With only 8500 in chips remaining, Jacob laid his hand down.

While, Jacob may be happy to change tables, Gowen is likely to be disappointed as she has profited from the situation. As well, David Baker is also sorry to move along, having amassed 145,000 in chips from the current arrangement.

Nenad's Kings Dead, Still Way Ahead

After taking a break from his solitaire game on his iPod, Nenad Medic raised to 1,200 from middle position.  The player next to act reraised to a total of 3,800, and the action folded around back to Medic.  Without delay, Medic tossed enough orange 5,000 chips into the pot to put his opponent all in.  His opponent went into the tank, voicing his concern over the strength of Medic’s hand.  After several minutes, the player made the call and Medic flipped over KK.  “That’s what I thought,” his opponent said as he turned over AQ.  The QJ7 flop brought some hope for the player, and the A on the turn was just enough to overtake the kings.  The 4 on the river failed to improve Medic, and he paid off his opponent to the tune of 6,900 in chips.  Despite the loss, Medic still had over 60,000 in chips during the level.

Board allows Mahmood to take away pot

Ayaz Mahmood raised to 1,500 from early position and a player reraised to 3,000. Mahmood called and checked in the dark on the flop. The flop came A73 and the preflop reraiser checked. The 4 came on the turn and Mahmood bet 4,000. His opponent called and the river was the 4. Mahmood now bet 6,000 and his opponent folded KK face up. Mahmood flashed the K and took down the pot.

Singer takes a hit

David Singer limped into the pot from middle position and saw the flop with both blinds. The flop came A97 and a woman in the small blind bet out 700. The big blind folded and Singer made the call. The turn was the T and she bet 1,200. This time Singer raised to 3,600. She called, and when the river came the 8 she bet out 5,000. Singer thought it over for a couple minutes and ultimately made the call. His opponent flipped over QJ and took down the pot. The small hit to Singer's stack dropped him to around 100,000 chips.

Overbet puts Mercier to the test

Following a flop of A76 Isabelle Mercier bet 1,850 and was raised to 4,000. She made the call and the turn was the J. She checked and her opponent moved all in for 18,025, roughly twice as much as was in the pot. The odd bet had Mercier frustrated, and her opponent -- who had pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and ducked his head down to completely hide -- was offering no clues. Ultimately she folded her hand and opted not to risk any of her remaining 35,000 chips.

Sklansky gets some breathing room

After a player in middle position limped into the pot David Sklansky raised to 1,500. The limper called and the players saw a T82 flop. After his opponent checked, Sklansky moved all in for 8,800 and took down the pot. After the hand he had just under 13,000 chips, about one-third of the average at this point.

Player Tags: Clonie Gowen,   David Singer,   David Sklansky,   Isabelle Mercier,   Nenad Medic,   Alex Jacob,   David Baker

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2B - Level 8 (Hour 2)

Jul 09, '08

Player are now on a 90-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 8:40 p.m.

Blinds/Antes: 400-800-100

Day 2B Players Left: 1,512

Chip Leaders:
Terry Lade - 380,000
Peter Biebel - 350,000
Darryl Bonconi - 280,000
Henning Granstad - 271,000
Alexander Kostritsyn - 270,000
Chad Layne - 242,000
Mohamad Kowssarie - 236,000
Victor Ramdin – 235,000
Diren Yildiz - 230,000
Andy Witek - 230,000
Chris Anzivino - 220,000

Other Notables:
Cliff Josephy – 190,000
Nenad Medic – 160,000
Johnny Chan – 125,000
Evelyn Ng – 125,000
Shun Uchida – 125,000
Shawn Sheikhan – 118,000
Phil Hellmuth – 103,000
Hevad Khan – 95,000
Chris Moneymaker – 93,000
Allen Cunningham – 90,000
Thayer Rasmussen – 78,000
Jean Robert Bellande – 72,000
John D’Agostino – 67,000
Nikolay Evdakov – 65,000
Mike Wattel – 64,000
Ari Engel – 56,000
Jennifer Harman – 48,000
Ryan Daut – 46,000
Matt Vengrin – 44,000
David Daneshgar – 30,000
Clayton Newman – 28,000
Tony Dunst – 10,000

Eliminations:
Michael Binger
Sorel Mizzi

Big Hands and Storylines:

Daut Dodges a Bullet

A player raised from under-the-gun and Ryan Daut, to his left, made the call. The flop was 1083 and Daut called a 3,600 bet. The flop was a fourth diamond, the 5, and both players checked. The river was an offsuit 6 and the under-the-gun player checked to Daut who again checked. Daut showed QQ. His opponent shook his head and said, “horrible turn,” before tabling AJ.

Daut has about 45,000.

Lieu Too Gets Away Unscathed

Liz Lieu raised to 2,400 from middle position and was called by the player in the big blind. Both players checked the KK8 flop. On the 5 turn, the big blind led out for 3,600. Lieu made it 6,000 more and was called. The river was the A and the big blind checked. Lieu checked behind and the hand went to showdown. The big blind turned over K8 for a flopped full house and Lieu mucked. Post-hand discussion centered around what Lieu could have had. The only thing that Lieu would admit to is that she was not on a bluff.

Chan flops set and gets paid by top pair

On a Q-7-6 rainbow flop, Johnny Chan raised his opponent's bet 6,000 more. His opponent, who had a little more than 20,000 left, made the call. A six came on the turn and after his opponent checked Chan bet 10,000. Chan's opponent again though it over for a minute before moving all in for just a few thousand more. Chan called immediately with pocket sevens for a set, and his opponent flipped over K-Q and was drawing dead. After the hand Chan was up to 125,000 chips.

Harman Regrets Fold

Jennifer Harman didn’t need the extra attention, and she didn’t need to see the evidence at the end. Playing from the small blind, Harman and the player on the button were heads-up after a flop of A107. Harman bet large and was called on the flop, and did the same on the turn after the 9 appeared. The 9 on the river completed the flush draw and caused her some concern however, and she checked. The button then bet enough to put Harman all-in for her final 36,200. Harman tanked, and the more she thought, the more cameras and onlookers gathered around. Facing a decision for her tournament life, Harman eventually made the reluctant fold, then held her head in dismay when her opponent showed her the AQ for simply top pair. Harman was able to get a few of her chips back from the same player a few hands later to return over the 40,000 mark.

Sklansky Plays the Shortstack

David Sklansky hasn’t had many chips at any point of the main event, but continues to hang around. After a flop of K76 and a check to him, he bet 3000 and was called. When the turn brought the 4 and action was checked to him again, he bet 5000. His opponent folded, and Sklansky improved to 29,400 in chips.

Rast Releases Hand

Brian Rast continues to cruise with over 120,000 in chips, though he lost a minor battle recently. Rast raised preflop to 2400 from middle position and was called by the player to his immediate left. The small blind also called, and the flop came 862. The small blind checked and Rast bet 5700. The next player then raised to 11,400, which got the small blind to fold. Rast would also release his hand.
 

Player Tags: Johnny Chan,   Jennifer Harman,   David Sklansky

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1C - Level 5, Hour 2

Jul 05, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200/400/50

Day 1C Players Remaining: 1,071 of 1,928

Chip Leaders:

Henning Granstad - 228,000
Arnaud Mattern - 167,000
Howard Berchowitz - 161,000
David Baker - 159,000
Joe Marcal - 143,000
Russell Rosenblum - 141,000
Mike Souza - 136,000
Serj Markarian - 132,000
David Singer - 129,000
Andrew Tisler - 119,000

Notable Eliminations: David Plastik, Andre Akkari, Phil Collins, T.J. Cloutier, Marcel Luske, Sabyl Landrum.

Big Hands and Storylines:

Sklansky Clings to Life

It’s been a slow day for David Sklansky, and it hasn’t picked up any steam in the final level. He has been hovering around the 10,000 chip count for the past few hours, and couldn’t do anything with his blinds in a recent rotation. As big blind, he saw a player in middle position raise to 1050. Sklansky, already in for 400, made the call. After the flop came J87, he folded to a bet of 1,550. He then limped for another 400 the next hand as small blind, but dodged out of the way when the flop came 532. As it turned out, a player pushed all-in with the Q9, was called by a set of fives, then the board ran out JA for the running flush. Sklansky then folded his button and now sits at 9,500.

Binger and Singer in a Zinger of a Humdinger

In the blue section of the Amazon Room, one table became particularly stacked when Card Player P.O.Y. contender Michael Binger joined 2008 World Series of Poker bracelet winner David Singer’s table. The media hovered close by to capture any and all action between the two notable players. In one hand, Binger raised to a total of 1,100 from under the gun, and Singer called as the player next to act. All other players folded, and the flop came down 865. Binger continued his aggression by firing a bet of 1,800 into the pot, causing Singer to release his hand. Singer remained one of the tournament’s largest stacks with over 100,000 in chips, while Binger hovered around 35,000 throughout most of the level.

Jacob turns trips and collects more chips

With the board AQJJ, Alex Jacob bet 2,100 and was called immediately by his opponent. The river was the 7 and Jacob bet 4,600. This time his opponent took a moment to think it over. but he made the call in the end, and Jacob flipped over J10 to take the pot. After the hand Jacob has roughly 20,000 chips.

Awada dodges disaster

With the board 872, Joe Awada raised his opponent's bet of 2,000 to 5,000. His opponent reraised all in, and Awada was clearly frustrated with his situation. He folded J8 and after initially hesitating his opponent flipped over 88. But he can't feel too good about his fold; Awada has just 12,000 chips and is at risk of elimination any time he plays a hand.

When You're Hot . . .

A player in late position raised to 1200 and Brad Booth, on the button, made the call, as did the big blind. The flop came QJ9, and after the first two players checked Booth fired out 3500. The big blind called and the original raiser folded. The 3 fell on the turn, and the big blind checked. Booth, perhaps sensing a trap, checked behind. The river was the 10, creating a four-card straight on board. The big blind checked and Booth bet 5000. The big blind, obviously frustrated by the river, called and flipped over JJ for a set. That was suddenly in second place however, as Booth held 87 for the bottom end straight.

Player Tags: David Singer,   David Sklansky,   Joe Awada,   Brad Booth,   Michael Binger,   Alex Jacob

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1C - Level 5, Hour 1

Jul 05, '08

Blinds/Antes: 200/400/50

Players Remaining: 1,116 of 1,928

Chip Counts:

Henning Granstad - 205,000
Arnaud Mattern - 147,000
David Baker - 145,000
Andrew Tisler - 140,000
Michael Souza - 133,000
Moshin Charania - 122,000
David Singer - 121,000
Howard Berchuwitz - 118,000
Serj Markarian - 115,000
Andrew Brokos - 112,000

Eliminations:

Jared Hamby

Big Hands and Storylines:

Jacob Under the Heat

The table featuring both Alex Jacob and Clonie Gowen is the next due to be broken in the main event, and it can’t come soon enough for Jacob, now down to below 10,000 in chips. After folding both his blinds and the button in the face of raises, Jacob was finally one from the cut-off when he opened the proceedings for 1100. The button called, and that may have persuaded both the small blind and big blind to also look Jacob up. The flop came KJ5, and after both blinds checked Jacob bet 2000 into the pot. The button folded, as did the small blind, but the big blind check-raised all-in, which would have cost Jacob another 5000. With only 8500 in chips remaining, Jacob laid his hand down.

While, Jacob may be happy to change tables, Gowen is likely to be disappointed as she has profited from the situation. As well, David Baker is also sorry to move along, having amassed 145,000 in chips from the current arrangement.

Nenad's Kings Dead, Still Way Ahead

After taking a break from his solitaire game on his iPod, Nenad Medic raised to 1,200 from middle position.  The player next to act reraised to a total of 3,800, and the action folded around back to Medic.  Without delay, Medic tossed enough orange 5,000 chips into the pot to put his opponent all in.  His opponent went into the tank, voicing his concern over the strength of Medic’s hand.  After several minutes, the player made the call and Medic flipped over KK.  “That’s what I thought,” his opponent said as he turned over AQ.  The QJ7 flop brought some hope for the player, and the A on the turn was just enough to overtake the kings.  The 4 on the river failed to improve Medic, and he paid off his opponent to the tune of 6,900 in chips.  Despite the loss, Medic still had over 60,000 in chips during the level.

Board allows Mahmood to take away pot

Ayaz Mahmood raised to 1,500 from early position and a player reraised to 3,000. Mahmood called and checked in the dark on the flop. The flop came A73 and the preflop reraiser checked. The 4 came on the turn and Mahmood bet 4,000. His opponent called and the river was the 4. Mahmood now bet 6,000 and his opponent folded KK face up. Mahmood flashed the K and took down the pot.

Singer takes a hit

David Singer limped into the pot from middle position and saw the flop with both blinds. The flop came A97 and a woman in the small blind bet out 700. The big blind folded and Singer made the call. The turn was the T and she bet 1,200. This time Singer raised to 3,600. She called, and when the river came the 8 she bet out 5,000. Singer thought it over for a couple minutes and ultimately made the call. His opponent flipped over QJ and took down the pot. The small hit to Singer's stack dropped him to around 100,000 chips.

Overbet puts Mercier to the test

Following a flop of A76 Isabelle Mercier bet 1,850 and was raised to 4,000. She made the call and the turn was the J. She checked and her opponent moved all in for 18,025, roughly twice as much as was in the pot. The odd bet had Mercier frustrated, and her opponent -- who had pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and ducked his head down to completely hide -- was offering no clues. Ultimately she folded her hand and opted not to risk any of her remaining 35,000 chips.

Sklansky gets some breathing room

After a player in middle position limped into the pot David Sklansky raised to 1,500. The limper called and the players saw a T82 flop. After his opponent checked, Sklansky moved all in for 8,800 and took down the pot. After the hand he had just under 13,000 chips, about one-third of the average at this point.

Player Tags: Clonie Gowen,   David Singer,   David Sklansky,   Isabelle Mercier,   Nenad Medic,   Alex Jacob,   David Baker

$1,500 Stud 8/b - Final Table - David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th Place ($19,306)

Jun 28, '08

Ante: 2,000
Bring-In: 3,000
Completion: 10,000

Players Left: 7

Chip Counts:
Alessio Isaia: 350,000
Jonas Klausen: 338,000
Ryan Hughes: 250,000
Ron Long: 224,000
Josh Feldman: 200,000
Tim D’Alessandro: 140,000
Thomas Hunt: 54,000

Eliminations:
David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th place ($19,306)

Storylines:

Final Table Set

With the elimination of James Richburg (9th) right before the level change, the final eight players took a half-hour break to prepare for the final table. Here was what the final table (eight-handed) looked like as play began in Level 20.

Seat 1: Tim D’Alessandro - 140,000
Seat 2: Jonas Klausen - 338,000
Seat 3: David Sklasnsky - 66,000
Seat 4: Josh Feldman - 200,000
Seat 5: Ryan Hughes - 400,000
Seat 6: Ron Long - 224,000
Seat 7: Alessio Isaia - 220,000
Seat 8: Thomas Hunt - 31,000

Richburg’s elimination took place at just about 4:00 pm, and preparations for the final table took longer than expected. Cards didn’t get back into the air until about 4:35 pm, and here is what has happened since then…

Big Hands:

Alessio Isaia Takes Chip Lead

Alessio Isaia brought it in with the 2 and Ryan Hughes completed the bet with the 2. Isaia called and continued to bet all the way down through seventh street. Hughes looked him up.

Isaia: 2746 - AJ3
Hughes: 293K - X-X-X

The players had a showdown on the river where Isaia turned over a jack-high flush (high) and a 6-4-3-2-A low, scooping the pot and taking the chip from Hughes with almost 350,000. After the hand, former chip leader Ryan Hughes fell down to just about 250,000.

David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th Place ($19,306)

Down to his last 8,000 in chips, Davis Sklansky called all in with the 8 when Tim D’Alessandro completed the bet with the 4. Ryan Hughes raised the side pot with the 7 and D’Alessandro called.

D’Alessandro: 42AA
Hughes: 7Q105
Sklansky: 8Q67

D’Alessandro and Hughes both checked on fourth and fifth street, D’Alessandro bet on sixth street and Hughes called. Both players checked the river and Alessandro turned over a third ace for trip aces (high) while Hughes showed a 7-5-4-3-2 low. D’Alessandro and Hughes split both the side and main pots as David Sklansky was eliminated in 8th place ($19,306).

Player Tags: Ryan Hughes,   David Sklansky,   Timothy D'Alessandro,   Alessio Isaia

$1,500 Stud 8 - Day 2 Over

Jun 27, '08

Ante: 1,500
Bring In: 2,000
Completion: 6,000

Players Left: 13 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Jonas Klausen: 315,000
Margaret Macre: 218,000
Alessio Isaia: 144,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 128,000
James Richburg: 128,000
Joshua Feldman: 110,000
David Sklansky: 94,000
Dave Brooker: 93,000
Mike Heer: 62,000
Daniel Nicewander: 60,000

Average Stack: 116,638

Eliminations:

14th: Hoang Ta: $8,168
15th: Mickey Seagle: $6,237
16th: Vince Burgio: $6,237
17th: Men Nguyen: $4,752
18th: Larry Kozlove: $4,752

Recap:

It was a night of chopping and grinding. A final could not be decided at the end of Day 2 as play was stopped at the end of level 18 with 13 players left. David Sklansky is amongst those lucky 13 and they will all return Saturday at 3 p.m.  to play all the way down to a champion of seven-card stud hi-low. Tune in to Cardplayer.com for the live updates from the Amazon Room at the Rio.

Big Hands:

Sklansky Makes Quads Again, But Only Good For Half

David Sklansky: 9392(99Q)
Seat 2: 8K46(mucked)
Seat 4: 688J(54A)

On the final hand of the night, Sklansky raised to 12,000 after seat 2 completed to 6,000. Seat 4 called as did seat 2. On 4th street, seat 4 led out and the other two players called. On 5th street, Sklansky made a pair of 9s and led out. His two opponents called. Sklansky led out on the next two streets as well and seat 4 called him down. The player in seat 2 folded his hand on the river and Sklansky showed another pair of 9s in the hole for quads. Seat managed to make an 8-low to get half the pot. Sklansky finished the day with 94,000.

Player Tags: David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - The Master Makes His Exit

Jun 27, '08

Ante: 1,000
Bring In: 2,000
Completion: 5,000

Players Left: 16 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Jonas Klausen: 255,000
Mike Hefer: 165,000
James Richburg: 160,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 115,000
Dave Brooker: 100,000
Margaret Macre: 95,000
David Sklansky: 75,000
Ryan Hughes: 74,000
Hoang Ta: 70,000
Alessio Isaia: 63,000

Average Stack: 96,000

Notable Eliminations:

16th: Men Nguyen: $4,752

Big Hands:

The Master Takes a Hit, Then Knocked Out

Men Nguyen: A8109(A-X-X)
Seat 1: 422J(45Q)

Men Nguyen called down his opponent on every street through 6th. On the river, seat 1 put his remaining 7,000 into the pot and Nguyen jumped in the tank. He took a long time to make his decision. He finally decided to call and his opponent showed the bad news as he turned a 4 for two pair. Nguyen turned over the A for a pair of useless bullets and threw the rest of his hand in the muck. He was down to just around 50,000. He would later go out in 15th place.

Sklansky Getting Low

David Sklansky: 7974(108-X)
Margaret Macre: 68Q4(JJ8)
Seat 7: 7856(56-X)

Margaret Macre brought in. Sklansky and seat 7 each made the call. The rest of the streets resulted in a check-fest. After all was said and done, Macre showed jacks up to take the pot. Sklansky was down to around 55,000.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - Another Knockout For The Master

Jun 27, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break.

Ante: 1,000
Bring In: 1,000
Completion: 4,000

Players Left: 24 of 544

Big Hands:

The Master Knocks Out Another

Men Nguyen: 8657(A47)
Steven Metzger: QA78(Q23)

Men Nguyen put Metzger all in on 5th street and said that he only needed a 7 to complete his low. He got it on sixth street and another on the river for good measure. He made a straight for the high end and a 7-low to scoop the pot and knock Metzger out in 25th place.

Sklansky Takes a Small Pot

Sklansky: 7Q8(X-X)
Seat 7: 78K(mucked)

David Sklansky checked 5th street after his opponent did the same. On 6th street, Sklansky bet 8,000 and his opponent picked up his hole cards, showed them to Sklansky, and threw his hand in the muck. Sklansky was around 35,000.

What You See Is Not Always What You Get

Margaret Macre: A399(3J-2)
Seat 4: 42Q6(KKK)

Margaret Macre led out on every street. She was even raised after 5th street. On the river, she checked and her opponent bet 8,000 and she made the call. When the players turned up their cards, she saw that her opponent was hiding his real hand in his hole cards as he turned over a set of kings in the hole.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - Hellmuth and Traniello Out

Jun 27, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20-minute break.

Ante: 500
Bring In: 500
Completion: 2,000

Players Left: 28 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Thomas Hunt III: 102,000
Chris Bjorin: 91,000
Ryan Hughes: 90,000
Mickey Seagle: 88,000
Joshua Feldman: 87,000
Eugene Katchalov: 71,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 70,000
Margaret Macre: 68,500
Hoang Ta: 65,000
Men Nguyen: 61,000

Notable Eliminations:

32nd: Marco Traniello: $3,638
33rd: Phil Hellmuth: $2,895

Big Hands:

The Ladies' Man

David Sklansky: 65QQ(QQ-X)
Seat 7: 26610(A7-X)

Seat 7 was the aggressor until 5th street when David Sklansky caught the Q. He raised enough to put seat 7 all in for his last 4,900. Sklansky then revealed his two hole cards; QQ. The Q then came on 6th street, giving Sklansky quads. Seat 7 was not dead yet, however, as he still had a low draw. But the river missed him as he mucked his cards and made his way toward the exit.

Men Scoops With Hearts

Men "The Master" Nguyen: KAK4(J3Q)
Seat 2: 5J65(mucked)

Nguyen bet on every street as his opponent called him down to the river. Nguyen showed his nut flush and seat 2 mucked his cards. Before the Nguyen turned over his hole cards, Phil Hellmuth walked over to the table, ranting about how he was losing his chips on the antes.

"That's why I go to the gym," Hellmuth started. "That's why I lift all those weights. To ante off my money."

Nguyen was around 70,000 after the hand, but would lose some of that moments later.

Traniello Busts Along With Hellmuth

Marco Traniello: 91074(mucked)
Jeffrey Burdsall: AQK(X-X) mucked
Brenda Rizer: K9Q6(995)
Men Nguyen: 8387(82J)
Vince Burgio: 23A7(5410)

Picking up the action on 5th street, Traniello was already all in while the other three players contested a side pot. Burdsall got out of the way and then Burgio was all in after 6th street. Nguyen fired a bet into a second side pot against Rizer who called and showed a set of 9s, one-upping Nguyen's set of 8s. Burgio then put both of them in their place by showing the wheel and scooping every pot as Traniello mucked his hole cards and collected his 32nd place prize money. Meanwhile, Phil Hellmuth busted a couple of tables over in 33rd place.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Phil Hellmuth,   Marco Traniello,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - The Master Of Knockouts

Jun 27, '08

Ante: 300
Bring In: 500
Completion: 1,500

Players Left: 38 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Thomas Hunt III: 102,000
Chris Bjorin: 91,000
Ryan Hughes: 90,000
Joshua Feldman: 90,000
Mickey Seagle: 88,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 70,000
Margaret Macre: 68,500
Hoang Ta: 65,000
Men Nguyen: 61,000
Jonas Klausen: 60,000

Average Stack: 36,267

Big Hands:

Sklansky Gets High, Just Whiffs on the Low

David Sklanksy got involved in a hand against the player in seat 3. Their boards ran out like this.

Sklansky: 4J85(734)
Opponent: Q8J2(A36)

Sklansky fired bets on almost every street. On the river, his opponent said, "don't make your straight." Sklansky indicated that he was not going for one and showed a pair of fours, good enough for the high. The battle for the low was now in question as both players had an 8-low. After much rearranging of cards, Seat 3's 8-6 low was just that much better over Sklansky's 8-7 low. They chopped the pot and Sklansky was around 30,000.

Diamonds Rough Up Traniello

Marco Traniello: 1092Q(10-10-X)
Seat 2: 7Q66(mucked)
Seat 5: K84J(A78)

Marco Traniello was involved in a three-way pot. Seat 5 bet out on streets 3-5. On 5th street, Traniello put in a raise, but he could not shake either player. On the river, seat 5 bet again and Traniello called, clearly frustrated. His suspicions were correct as his opponent showed a flush, sending Traniello's set of 10's into the muck and dropping his stack to just under 20,000.

Hellmuth's Straight Good Enough for Half

Phil Hellmuth: K10910(768)
Seat 2: A5K5(623)
Seat 4: 64A10(mucked)
Seat 6: 2J79(856)

Picking up the action after the river, Hellmuth fired out a bet and three players called. Seat 4 decided he had enough and mucked his cards.

"I have a straight," Hellmuth said as he turned up his hole cards. It was good for the high while seat 2 took the other half with a 6-low. Hellmuth was around 28,000.

Knocked Out By a Master

Men "The Master" Nguyen: 7K5Q(559)
Seat 2: 7Q25(X-X-X)

After pump faking a bet on 4th street, Nguyen finally put the player in seat 2 all in for his final 300 in chips. "No more fun," Nguyen said after receiving the 5 on 5th street. His opponent threw his cards in the muck as he could not take down Nguyen's set and he was gone. Nguyen was around 50,000 after the hand.

 

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Phil Hellmuth,   Marco Traniello,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo - Level 2

Jun 26, '08

Players are now on a 20-minute break.

Ante: 25
Bring In: 25
Big Blind: 75
Limits: 75/150

Players Entered: 534

Big Hands:

Slotboom Second Best

Rolf Slotboom appeared to have all kinds of potential. He was showing 4 and joined three others who were showing treys after the initial deal. When Slotboom drew the A on fourth street he led out for 75 and was called by two of the three players. Slotboom added the 5 on fifth street and bet 150, and again he picked up one caller and one fold. The 6 on sixth street appeared to clinch at least a chopped pot for Slotboom, who only needed a card under an eight without pairing up. His opponent was showing 3229. After another bet following the seventh and final card, Slotboom shrugged and showed the bad news. His hole cards included a five and six, which was only good for two pair. His opponent showed Jack-9-8, and his two pair of nines and deuces were good to sweep the pot.

Bellande Scoops Nice Pot

Jean-Robert Bellande took the initiative from the outset, betting from fourth street on after play was checked to him in a heads-up battle. Bellande held the 6 to open, then added the 586. His opponent called to the end, showing J2Q10. After the seventh card was dealt, and another bet was called, Bellande rolled over 8-6-4 for a full house. His opponent mucked his hand.

Sklansky Busts One

David Sklansky busted out a short-stacked David Levi with a decent low and, well, enough of a high. Sklansky was dealt one of  three fours to open, and had the bring-in with the 4. Levi and two other players called, and when Sklansky drew the A on fourth street he led out with the betting and never relinquished the reins, though two players folded to the action. Sklansky added the J on fifth street and the 7 on sixth, which finally put Levi all-in. Sklansky then showed 7-5-2 for a seven-low and pair of sevens for high. Levi, now showing 8527, had QJ3 in the hole and failed to pair up for even half the pot.

With many of the top pros playing in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the same time slot as the stud tournament, it isn't a stacked field in the Brasilia Room. However, John Phan, winner of two gold bracelets already in this WSOP, he was a late arrival to the table featuring Marco Traniello.
 

Player Tags: David Sklansky,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Rolf Slotboom

$1,500 Stud 8/b - Final Table - David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th Place ($19,306)

Jun 28, '08

Ante: 2,000
Bring-In: 3,000
Completion: 10,000

Players Left: 7

Chip Counts:
Alessio Isaia: 350,000
Jonas Klausen: 338,000
Ryan Hughes: 250,000
Ron Long: 224,000
Josh Feldman: 200,000
Tim D’Alessandro: 140,000
Thomas Hunt: 54,000

Eliminations:
David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th place ($19,306)

Storylines:

Final Table Set

With the elimination of James Richburg (9th) right before the level change, the final eight players took a half-hour break to prepare for the final table. Here was what the final table (eight-handed) looked like as play began in Level 20.

Seat 1: Tim D’Alessandro - 140,000
Seat 2: Jonas Klausen - 338,000
Seat 3: David Sklasnsky - 66,000
Seat 4: Josh Feldman - 200,000
Seat 5: Ryan Hughes - 400,000
Seat 6: Ron Long - 224,000
Seat 7: Alessio Isaia - 220,000
Seat 8: Thomas Hunt - 31,000

Richburg’s elimination took place at just about 4:00 pm, and preparations for the final table took longer than expected. Cards didn’t get back into the air until about 4:35 pm, and here is what has happened since then…

Big Hands:

Alessio Isaia Takes Chip Lead

Alessio Isaia brought it in with the 2 and Ryan Hughes completed the bet with the 2. Isaia called and continued to bet all the way down through seventh street. Hughes looked him up.

Isaia: 2746 - AJ3
Hughes: 293K - X-X-X

The players had a showdown on the river where Isaia turned over a jack-high flush (high) and a 6-4-3-2-A low, scooping the pot and taking the chip from Hughes with almost 350,000. After the hand, former chip leader Ryan Hughes fell down to just about 250,000.

David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th Place ($19,306)

Down to his last 8,000 in chips, Davis Sklansky called all in with the 8 when Tim D’Alessandro completed the bet with the 4. Ryan Hughes raised the side pot with the 7 and D’Alessandro called.

D’Alessandro: 42AA
Hughes: 7Q105
Sklansky: 8Q67

D’Alessandro and Hughes both checked on fourth and fifth street, D’Alessandro bet on sixth street and Hughes called. Both players checked the river and Alessandro turned over a third ace for trip aces (high) while Hughes showed a 7-5-4-3-2 low. D’Alessandro and Hughes split both the side and main pots as David Sklansky was eliminated in 8th place ($19,306).

Player Tags: Ryan Hughes,   David Sklansky,   Timothy D'Alessandro,   Alessio Isaia

$1,500 Stud 8 - Day 2 Over

Jun 27, '08

Ante: 1,500
Bring In: 2,000
Completion: 6,000

Players Left: 13 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Jonas Klausen: 315,000
Margaret Macre: 218,000
Alessio Isaia: 144,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 128,000
James Richburg: 128,000
Joshua Feldman: 110,000
David Sklansky: 94,000
Dave Brooker: 93,000
Mike Heer: 62,000
Daniel Nicewander: 60,000

Average Stack: 116,638

Eliminations:

14th: Hoang Ta: $8,168
15th: Mickey Seagle: $6,237
16th: Vince Burgio: $6,237
17th: Men Nguyen: $4,752
18th: Larry Kozlove: $4,752

Recap:

It was a night of chopping and grinding. A final could not be decided at the end of Day 2 as play was stopped at the end of level 18 with 13 players left. David Sklansky is amongst those lucky 13 and they will all return Saturday at 3 p.m.  to play all the way down to a champion of seven-card stud hi-low. Tune in to Cardplayer.com for the live updates from the Amazon Room at the Rio.

Big Hands:

Sklansky Makes Quads Again, But Only Good For Half

David Sklansky: 9392(99Q)
Seat 2: 8K46(mucked)
Seat 4: 688J(54A)

On the final hand of the night, Sklansky raised to 12,000 after seat 2 completed to 6,000. Seat 4 called as did seat 2. On 4th street, seat 4 led out and the other two players called. On 5th street, Sklansky made a pair of 9s and led out. His two opponents called. Sklansky led out on the next two streets as well and seat 4 called him down. The player in seat 2 folded his hand on the river and Sklansky showed another pair of 9s in the hole for quads. Seat managed to make an 8-low to get half the pot. Sklansky finished the day with 94,000.

Player Tags: David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - The Master Makes His Exit

Jun 27, '08

Ante: 1,000
Bring In: 2,000
Completion: 5,000

Players Left: 16 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Jonas Klausen: 255,000
Mike Hefer: 165,000
James Richburg: 160,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 115,000
Dave Brooker: 100,000
Margaret Macre: 95,000
David Sklansky: 75,000
Ryan Hughes: 74,000
Hoang Ta: 70,000
Alessio Isaia: 63,000

Average Stack: 96,000

Notable Eliminations:

16th: Men Nguyen: $4,752

Big Hands:

The Master Takes a Hit, Then Knocked Out

Men Nguyen: A8109(A-X-X)
Seat 1: 422J(45Q)

Men Nguyen called down his opponent on every street through 6th. On the river, seat 1 put his remaining 7,000 into the pot and Nguyen jumped in the tank. He took a long time to make his decision. He finally decided to call and his opponent showed the bad news as he turned a 4 for two pair. Nguyen turned over the A for a pair of useless bullets and threw the rest of his hand in the muck. He was down to just around 50,000. He would later go out in 15th place.

Sklansky Getting Low

David Sklansky: 7974(108-X)
Margaret Macre: 68Q4(JJ8)
Seat 7: 7856(56-X)

Margaret Macre brought in. Sklansky and seat 7 each made the call. The rest of the streets resulted in a check-fest. After all was said and done, Macre showed jacks up to take the pot. Sklansky was down to around 55,000.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - Another Knockout For The Master

Jun 27, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break.

Ante: 1,000
Bring In: 1,000
Completion: 4,000

Players Left: 24 of 544

Big Hands:

The Master Knocks Out Another

Men Nguyen: 8657(A47)
Steven Metzger: QA78(Q23)

Men Nguyen put Metzger all in on 5th street and said that he only needed a 7 to complete his low. He got it on sixth street and another on the river for good measure. He made a straight for the high end and a 7-low to scoop the pot and knock Metzger out in 25th place.

Sklansky Takes a Small Pot

Sklansky: 7Q8(X-X)
Seat 7: 78K(mucked)

David Sklansky checked 5th street after his opponent did the same. On 6th street, Sklansky bet 8,000 and his opponent picked up his hole cards, showed them to Sklansky, and threw his hand in the muck. Sklansky was around 35,000.

What You See Is Not Always What You Get

Margaret Macre: A399(3J-2)
Seat 4: 42Q6(KKK)

Margaret Macre led out on every street. She was even raised after 5th street. On the river, she checked and her opponent bet 8,000 and she made the call. When the players turned up their cards, she saw that her opponent was hiding his real hand in his hole cards as he turned over a set of kings in the hole.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - Hellmuth and Traniello Out

Jun 27, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20-minute break.

Ante: 500
Bring In: 500
Completion: 2,000

Players Left: 28 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Thomas Hunt III: 102,000
Chris Bjorin: 91,000
Ryan Hughes: 90,000
Mickey Seagle: 88,000
Joshua Feldman: 87,000
Eugene Katchalov: 71,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 70,000
Margaret Macre: 68,500
Hoang Ta: 65,000
Men Nguyen: 61,000

Notable Eliminations:

32nd: Marco Traniello: $3,638
33rd: Phil Hellmuth: $2,895

Big Hands:

The Ladies' Man

David Sklansky: 65QQ(QQ-X)
Seat 7: 26610(A7-X)

Seat 7 was the aggressor until 5th street when David Sklansky caught the Q. He raised enough to put seat 7 all in for his last 4,900. Sklansky then revealed his two hole cards; QQ. The Q then came on 6th street, giving Sklansky quads. Seat 7 was not dead yet, however, as he still had a low draw. But the river missed him as he mucked his cards and made his way toward the exit.

Men Scoops With Hearts

Men "The Master" Nguyen: KAK4(J3Q)
Seat 2: 5J65(mucked)

Nguyen bet on every street as his opponent called him down to the river. Nguyen showed his nut flush and seat 2 mucked his cards. Before the Nguyen turned over his hole cards, Phil Hellmuth walked over to the table, ranting about how he was losing his chips on the antes.

"That's why I go to the gym," Hellmuth started. "That's why I lift all those weights. To ante off my money."

Nguyen was around 70,000 after the hand, but would lose some of that moments later.

Traniello Busts Along With Hellmuth

Marco Traniello: 91074(mucked)
Jeffrey Burdsall: AQK(X-X) mucked
Brenda Rizer: K9Q6(995)
Men Nguyen: 8387(82J)
Vince Burgio: 23A7(5410)

Picking up the action on 5th street, Traniello was already all in while the other three players contested a side pot. Burdsall got out of the way and then Burgio was all in after 6th street. Nguyen fired a bet into a second side pot against Rizer who called and showed a set of 9s, one-upping Nguyen's set of 8s. Burgio then put both of them in their place by showing the wheel and scooping every pot as Traniello mucked his hole cards and collected his 32nd place prize money. Meanwhile, Phil Hellmuth busted a couple of tables over in 33rd place.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Phil Hellmuth,   Marco Traniello,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - The Master Of Knockouts

Jun 27, '08

Ante: 300
Bring In: 500
Completion: 1,500

Players Left: 38 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Thomas Hunt III: 102,000
Chris Bjorin: 91,000
Ryan Hughes: 90,000
Joshua Feldman: 90,000
Mickey Seagle: 88,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 70,000
Margaret Macre: 68,500
Hoang Ta: 65,000
Men Nguyen: 61,000
Jonas Klausen: 60,000

Average Stack: 36,267

Big Hands:

Sklansky Gets High, Just Whiffs on the Low

David Sklanksy got involved in a hand against the player in seat 3. Their boards ran out like this.

Sklansky: 4J85(734)
Opponent: Q8J2(A36)

Sklansky fired bets on almost every street. On the river, his opponent said, "don't make your straight." Sklansky indicated that he was not going for one and showed a pair of fours, good enough for the high. The battle for the low was now in question as both players had an 8-low. After much rearranging of cards, Seat 3's 8-6 low was just that much better over Sklansky's 8-7 low. They chopped the pot and Sklansky was around 30,000.

Diamonds Rough Up Traniello

Marco Traniello: 1092Q(10-10-X)
Seat 2: 7Q66(mucked)
Seat 5: K84J(A78)

Marco Traniello was involved in a three-way pot. Seat 5 bet out on streets 3-5. On 5th street, Traniello put in a raise, but he could not shake either player. On the river, seat 5 bet again and Traniello called, clearly frustrated. His suspicions were correct as his opponent showed a flush, sending Traniello's set of 10's into the muck and dropping his stack to just under 20,000.

Hellmuth's Straight Good Enough for Half

Phil Hellmuth: K10910(768)
Seat 2: A5K5(623)
Seat 4: 64A10(mucked)
Seat 6: 2J79(856)

Picking up the action after the river, Hellmuth fired out a bet and three players called. Seat 4 decided he had enough and mucked his cards.

"I have a straight," Hellmuth said as he turned up his hole cards. It was good for the high while seat 2 took the other half with a 6-low. Hellmuth was around 28,000.

Knocked Out By a Master

Men "The Master" Nguyen: 7K5Q(559)
Seat 2: 7Q25(X-X-X)

After pump faking a bet on 4th street, Nguyen finally put the player in seat 2 all in for his final 300 in chips. "No more fun," Nguyen said after receiving the 5 on 5th street. His opponent threw his cards in the muck as he could not take down Nguyen's set and he was gone. Nguyen was around 50,000 after the hand.

 

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Phil Hellmuth,   Marco Traniello,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo - Level 2

Jun 26, '08

Players are now on a 20-minute break.

Ante: 25
Bring In: 25
Big Blind: 75
Limits: 75/150

Players Entered: 534

Big Hands:

Slotboom Second Best

Rolf Slotboom appeared to have all kinds of potential. He was showing 4 and joined three others who were showing treys after the initial deal. When Slotboom drew the A on fourth street he led out for 75 and was called by two of the three players. Slotboom added the 5 on fifth street and bet 150, and again he picked up one caller and one fold. The 6 on sixth street appeared to clinch at least a chopped pot for Slotboom, who only needed a card under an eight without pairing up. His opponent was showing 3229. After another bet following the seventh and final card, Slotboom shrugged and showed the bad news. His hole cards included a five and six, which was only good for two pair. His opponent showed Jack-9-8, and his two pair of nines and deuces were good to sweep the pot.

Bellande Scoops Nice Pot

Jean-Robert Bellande took the initiative from the outset, betting from fourth street on after play was checked to him in a heads-up battle. Bellande held the 6 to open, then added the 586. His opponent called to the end, showing J2Q10. After the seventh card was dealt, and another bet was called, Bellande rolled over 8-6-4 for a full house. His opponent mucked his hand.

Sklansky Busts One

David Sklansky busted out a short-stacked David Levi with a decent low and, well, enough of a high. Sklansky was dealt one of  three fours to open, and had the bring-in with the 4. Levi and two other players called, and when Sklansky drew the A on fourth street he led out with the betting and never relinquished the reins, though two players folded to the action. Sklansky added the J on fifth street and the 7 on sixth, which finally put Levi all-in. Sklansky then showed 7-5-2 for a seven-low and pair of sevens for high. Levi, now showing 8527, had QJ3 in the hole and failed to pair up for even half the pot.

With many of the top pros playing in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the same time slot as the stud tournament, it isn't a stacked field in the Brasilia Room. However, John Phan, winner of two gold bracelets already in this WSOP, he was a late arrival to the table featuring Marco Traniello.
 

Player Tags: David Sklansky,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Rolf Slotboom

$1,500 Stud 8/b - Final Table - David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th Place ($19,306)

Jun 28, '08

Ante: 2,000
Bring-In: 3,000
Completion: 10,000

Players Left: 7

Chip Counts:
Alessio Isaia: 350,000
Jonas Klausen: 338,000
Ryan Hughes: 250,000
Ron Long: 224,000
Josh Feldman: 200,000
Tim D’Alessandro: 140,000
Thomas Hunt: 54,000

Eliminations:
David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th place ($19,306)

Storylines:

Final Table Set

With the elimination of James Richburg (9th) right before the level change, the final eight players took a half-hour break to prepare for the final table. Here was what the final table (eight-handed) looked like as play began in Level 20.

Seat 1: Tim D’Alessandro - 140,000
Seat 2: Jonas Klausen - 338,000
Seat 3: David Sklasnsky - 66,000
Seat 4: Josh Feldman - 200,000
Seat 5: Ryan Hughes - 400,000
Seat 6: Ron Long - 224,000
Seat 7: Alessio Isaia - 220,000
Seat 8: Thomas Hunt - 31,000

Richburg’s elimination took place at just about 4:00 pm, and preparations for the final table took longer than expected. Cards didn’t get back into the air until about 4:35 pm, and here is what has happened since then…

Big Hands:

Alessio Isaia Takes Chip Lead

Alessio Isaia brought it in with the 2 and Ryan Hughes completed the bet with the 2. Isaia called and continued to bet all the way down through seventh street. Hughes looked him up.

Isaia: 2746 - AJ3
Hughes: 293K - X-X-X

The players had a showdown on the river where Isaia turned over a jack-high flush (high) and a 6-4-3-2-A low, scooping the pot and taking the chip from Hughes with almost 350,000. After the hand, former chip leader Ryan Hughes fell down to just about 250,000.

David Sklansky Eliminated in 8th Place ($19,306)

Down to his last 8,000 in chips, Davis Sklansky called all in with the 8 when Tim D’Alessandro completed the bet with the 4. Ryan Hughes raised the side pot with the 7 and D’Alessandro called.

D’Alessandro: 42AA
Hughes: 7Q105
Sklansky: 8Q67

D’Alessandro and Hughes both checked on fourth and fifth street, D’Alessandro bet on sixth street and Hughes called. Both players checked the river and Alessandro turned over a third ace for trip aces (high) while Hughes showed a 7-5-4-3-2 low. D’Alessandro and Hughes split both the side and main pots as David Sklansky was eliminated in 8th place ($19,306).

Player Tags: Ryan Hughes,   David Sklansky,   Timothy D'Alessandro,   Alessio Isaia

$1,500 Stud 8 - Day 2 Over

Jun 27, '08

Ante: 1,500
Bring In: 2,000
Completion: 6,000

Players Left: 13 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Jonas Klausen: 315,000
Margaret Macre: 218,000
Alessio Isaia: 144,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 128,000
James Richburg: 128,000
Joshua Feldman: 110,000
David Sklansky: 94,000
Dave Brooker: 93,000
Mike Heer: 62,000
Daniel Nicewander: 60,000

Average Stack: 116,638

Eliminations:

14th: Hoang Ta: $8,168
15th: Mickey Seagle: $6,237
16th: Vince Burgio: $6,237
17th: Men Nguyen: $4,752
18th: Larry Kozlove: $4,752

Recap:

It was a night of chopping and grinding. A final could not be decided at the end of Day 2 as play was stopped at the end of level 18 with 13 players left. David Sklansky is amongst those lucky 13 and they will all return Saturday at 3 p.m.  to play all the way down to a champion of seven-card stud hi-low. Tune in to Cardplayer.com for the live updates from the Amazon Room at the Rio.

Big Hands:

Sklansky Makes Quads Again, But Only Good For Half

David Sklansky: 9392(99Q)
Seat 2: 8K46(mucked)
Seat 4: 688J(54A)

On the final hand of the night, Sklansky raised to 12,000 after seat 2 completed to 6,000. Seat 4 called as did seat 2. On 4th street, seat 4 led out and the other two players called. On 5th street, Sklansky made a pair of 9s and led out. His two opponents called. Sklansky led out on the next two streets as well and seat 4 called him down. The player in seat 2 folded his hand on the river and Sklansky showed another pair of 9s in the hole for quads. Seat managed to make an 8-low to get half the pot. Sklansky finished the day with 94,000.

Player Tags: David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - The Master Makes His Exit

Jun 27, '08

Ante: 1,000
Bring In: 2,000
Completion: 5,000

Players Left: 16 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Jonas Klausen: 255,000
Mike Hefer: 165,000
James Richburg: 160,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 115,000
Dave Brooker: 100,000
Margaret Macre: 95,000
David Sklansky: 75,000
Ryan Hughes: 74,000
Hoang Ta: 70,000
Alessio Isaia: 63,000

Average Stack: 96,000

Notable Eliminations:

16th: Men Nguyen: $4,752

Big Hands:

The Master Takes a Hit, Then Knocked Out

Men Nguyen: A8109(A-X-X)
Seat 1: 422J(45Q)

Men Nguyen called down his opponent on every street through 6th. On the river, seat 1 put his remaining 7,000 into the pot and Nguyen jumped in the tank. He took a long time to make his decision. He finally decided to call and his opponent showed the bad news as he turned a 4 for two pair. Nguyen turned over the A for a pair of useless bullets and threw the rest of his hand in the muck. He was down to just around 50,000. He would later go out in 15th place.

Sklansky Getting Low

David Sklansky: 7974(108-X)
Margaret Macre: 68Q4(JJ8)
Seat 7: 7856(56-X)

Margaret Macre brought in. Sklansky and seat 7 each made the call. The rest of the streets resulted in a check-fest. After all was said and done, Macre showed jacks up to take the pot. Sklansky was down to around 55,000.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - Another Knockout For The Master

Jun 27, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break.

Ante: 1,000
Bring In: 1,000
Completion: 4,000

Players Left: 24 of 544

Big Hands:

The Master Knocks Out Another

Men Nguyen: 8657(A47)
Steven Metzger: QA78(Q23)

Men Nguyen put Metzger all in on 5th street and said that he only needed a 7 to complete his low. He got it on sixth street and another on the river for good measure. He made a straight for the high end and a 7-low to scoop the pot and knock Metzger out in 25th place.

Sklansky Takes a Small Pot

Sklansky: 7Q8(X-X)
Seat 7: 78K(mucked)

David Sklansky checked 5th street after his opponent did the same. On 6th street, Sklansky bet 8,000 and his opponent picked up his hole cards, showed them to Sklansky, and threw his hand in the muck. Sklansky was around 35,000.

What You See Is Not Always What You Get

Margaret Macre: A399(3J-2)
Seat 4: 42Q6(KKK)

Margaret Macre led out on every street. She was even raised after 5th street. On the river, she checked and her opponent bet 8,000 and she made the call. When the players turned up their cards, she saw that her opponent was hiding his real hand in his hole cards as he turned over a set of kings in the hole.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - Hellmuth and Traniello Out

Jun 27, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20-minute break.

Ante: 500
Bring In: 500
Completion: 2,000

Players Left: 28 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Thomas Hunt III: 102,000
Chris Bjorin: 91,000
Ryan Hughes: 90,000
Mickey Seagle: 88,000
Joshua Feldman: 87,000
Eugene Katchalov: 71,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 70,000
Margaret Macre: 68,500
Hoang Ta: 65,000
Men Nguyen: 61,000

Notable Eliminations:

32nd: Marco Traniello: $3,638
33rd: Phil Hellmuth: $2,895

Big Hands:

The Ladies' Man

David Sklansky: 65QQ(QQ-X)
Seat 7: 26610(A7-X)

Seat 7 was the aggressor until 5th street when David Sklansky caught the Q. He raised enough to put seat 7 all in for his last 4,900. Sklansky then revealed his two hole cards; QQ. The Q then came on 6th street, giving Sklansky quads. Seat 7 was not dead yet, however, as he still had a low draw. But the river missed him as he mucked his cards and made his way toward the exit.

Men Scoops With Hearts

Men "The Master" Nguyen: KAK4(J3Q)
Seat 2: 5J65(mucked)

Nguyen bet on every street as his opponent called him down to the river. Nguyen showed his nut flush and seat 2 mucked his cards. Before the Nguyen turned over his hole cards, Phil Hellmuth walked over to the table, ranting about how he was losing his chips on the antes.

"That's why I go to the gym," Hellmuth started. "That's why I lift all those weights. To ante off my money."

Nguyen was around 70,000 after the hand, but would lose some of that moments later.

Traniello Busts Along With Hellmuth

Marco Traniello: 91074(mucked)
Jeffrey Burdsall: AQK(X-X) mucked
Brenda Rizer: K9Q6(995)
Men Nguyen: 8387(82J)
Vince Burgio: 23A7(5410)

Picking up the action on 5th street, Traniello was already all in while the other three players contested a side pot. Burdsall got out of the way and then Burgio was all in after 6th street. Nguyen fired a bet into a second side pot against Rizer who called and showed a set of 9s, one-upping Nguyen's set of 8s. Burgio then put both of them in their place by showing the wheel and scooping every pot as Traniello mucked his hole cards and collected his 32nd place prize money. Meanwhile, Phil Hellmuth busted a couple of tables over in 33rd place.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Phil Hellmuth,   Marco Traniello,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Stud 8 - The Master Of Knockouts

Jun 27, '08

Ante: 300
Bring In: 500
Completion: 1,500

Players Left: 38 of 544

Chip Leaders:

Thomas Hunt III: 102,000
Chris Bjorin: 91,000
Ryan Hughes: 90,000
Joshua Feldman: 90,000
Mickey Seagle: 88,000
Timothy D'Alessandro: 70,000
Margaret Macre: 68,500
Hoang Ta: 65,000
Men Nguyen: 61,000
Jonas Klausen: 60,000

Average Stack: 36,267

Big Hands:

Sklansky Gets High, Just Whiffs on the Low

David Sklanksy got involved in a hand against the player in seat 3. Their boards ran out like this.

Sklansky: 4J85(734)
Opponent: Q8J2(A36)

Sklansky fired bets on almost every street. On the river, his opponent said, "don't make your straight." Sklansky indicated that he was not going for one and showed a pair of fours, good enough for the high. The battle for the low was now in question as both players had an 8-low. After much rearranging of cards, Seat 3's 8-6 low was just that much better over Sklansky's 8-7 low. They chopped the pot and Sklansky was around 30,000.

Diamonds Rough Up Traniello

Marco Traniello: 1092Q(10-10-X)
Seat 2: 7Q66(mucked)
Seat 5: K84J(A78)

Marco Traniello was involved in a three-way pot. Seat 5 bet out on streets 3-5. On 5th street, Traniello put in a raise, but he could not shake either player. On the river, seat 5 bet again and Traniello called, clearly frustrated. His suspicions were correct as his opponent showed a flush, sending Traniello's set of 10's into the muck and dropping his stack to just under 20,000.

Hellmuth's Straight Good Enough for Half

Phil Hellmuth: K10910(768)
Seat 2: A5K5(623)
Seat 4: 64A10(mucked)
Seat 6: 2J79(856)

Picking up the action after the river, Hellmuth fired out a bet and three players called. Seat 4 decided he had enough and mucked his cards.

"I have a straight," Hellmuth said as he turned up his hole cards. It was good for the high while seat 2 took the other half with a 6-low. Hellmuth was around 28,000.

Knocked Out By a Master

Men "The Master" Nguyen: 7K5Q(559)
Seat 2: 7Q25(X-X-X)

After pump faking a bet on 4th street, Nguyen finally put the player in seat 2 all in for his final 300 in chips. "No more fun," Nguyen said after receiving the 5 on 5th street. His opponent threw his cards in the muck as he could not take down Nguyen's set and he was gone. Nguyen was around 50,000 after the hand.

 

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Phil Hellmuth,   Marco Traniello,   David Sklansky

$1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo - Level 2

Jun 26, '08

Players are now on a 20-minute break.

Ante: 25
Bring In: 25
Big Blind: 75
Limits: 75/150

Players Entered: 534

Big Hands:

Slotboom Second Best

Rolf Slotboom appeared to have all kinds of potential. He was showing 4 and joined three others who were showing treys after the initial deal. When Slotboom drew the A on fourth street he led out for 75 and was called by two of the three players. Slotboom added the 5 on fifth street and bet 150, and again he picked up one caller and one fold. The 6 on sixth street appeared to clinch at least a chopped pot for Slotboom, who only needed a card under an eight without pairing up. His opponent was showing 3229. After another bet following the seventh and final card, Slotboom shrugged and showed the bad news. His hole cards included a five and six, which was only good for two pair. His opponent showed Jack-9-8, and his two pair of nines and deuces were good to sweep the pot.

Bellande Scoops Nice Pot

Jean-Robert Bellande took the initiative from the outset, betting from fourth street on after play was checked to him in a heads-up battle. Bellande held the 6 to open, then added the 586. His opponent called to the end, showing J2Q10. After the seventh card was dealt, and another bet was called, Bellande rolled over 8-6-4 for a full house. His opponent mucked his hand.

Sklansky Busts One

David Sklansky busted out a short-stacked David Levi with a decent low and, well, enough of a high. Sklansky was dealt one of  three fours to open, and had the bring-in with the 4. Levi and two other players called, and when Sklansky drew the A on fourth street he led out with the betting and never relinquished the reins, though two players folded to the action. Sklansky added the J on fifth street and the 7 on sixth, which finally put Levi all-in. Sklansky then showed 7-5-2 for a seven-low and pair of sevens for high. Levi, now showing 8527, had QJ3 in the hole and failed to pair up for even half the pot.

With many of the top pros playing in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the same time slot as the stud tournament, it isn't a stacked field in the Brasilia Room. However, John Phan, winner of two gold bracelets already in this WSOP, he was a late arrival to the table featuring Marco Traniello.
 

Player Tags: David Sklansky,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Rolf Slotboom

$2,500 Triple Draw - Sklansky Gone

Jun 24, '08

Blinds: 3,000-6,000

Players Left: 5 of 238

Chip Leaders:

John Phan - 305,000
Robert Mizrachi - 305,000
Shun Uchida - 196,000
Gioi Luong - 166,000
Ben Ponzio - 154,000

Eliminations: David Sklansky (6th Place)

Big Hands and Storylines:

David Sklansky Running Low

A short stacked and card dead David Sklansky played a few hands all with the same result, as his stack is getting dangerously close to the felt.

David Sklansky Eliminated in Sixth Place ($20,528)

David Sklansky got his last 12,000 in against Robert Mizrachi. Sklansky knew he would need a great card on the third draw after Mizrachi stood pat with 8-7-5-3-2. Sklansky opened up a 6-4-3-2 and would need his final card to be a seven or an eight to double up. Unfortunately, he drew another six to pair up and hit the rail in sixth place.

Robert Mizrachi With the Second Nuts

Robert Mizrachi raised in the small blind and John Phan three-bet. Mizrachi called and drew two. Phan stood pat and announced to the table that he was snowing. Mizrachi then called a bet from Phan and drew two more. Phan stood pat and bet once again. Mizrachi then check-raised, announcing a snow of his own. Phan made the call and Mizrachi stood pat. Phan then faced a tough  decision as he decided to break his hand and drew one. Mizrachi bet and Phan mucked, saying he broke a nine. Mizrachi was gracious enough to show him his 7-6-4-3-2 for the second nuts.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Robert Mizrachi,   David Sklansky

Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Low Ball - Final Table Set

Jun 23, '08

Action has played down to the final table of 6 players. Play will resume Tuesday at 2 p.m. with John Phan, Gioi Luong, Robert Mizrachi, Shunjiro Uchida, Ben Ponzio and David Sklansky still playing for the bracelet.

Final Table Starting Stacks:
John Phan: 294,000
Gioi Luong: 291,000
Robert Mizrachi: 215,000
Shunjiro Uchida: 200,000
Ben Ponzio: 113,000
David Sklansky: 78,000

Eliminations:
7th Place - Billy Baxter (15,054)
8th Place - Steve Sung ($15,054)
9th Place - Mike Wattel ($12,317)

Here are highlights from today's last round of play:

Baxter Bubbles Final Table, out in 7th Place ($15,054)

A short-stacked Billy Baxter  got all in against David Sklansky and Gioi Luong. After Sklansky folded after the second draw Baxter was heads up with Luong and in better shape. Both drew 1 card on the final draw and Luong showed Q-7-6-5-2. Baxter showed 8-5-4-2, but unfortunately for him he drew a queen and was eliminated one spot from tomorrow's final table, making $15,054- a remarkable feat considering he came into today's play 30th in chips out of 30 players.

Wattel Doubles, But Later Eliminated in 9th Place ($12,317)

Mike Wattel got all in against Ben Ponzio right off the bat. Wattel drew 1 on the first draw, 1 on the second and stood pat on the 3rd. Ponzio drew 3, 2, then 1. Wattel showed 8-7-5-4-2 and more than doubled up to stay alive.
A couple hands later Wattel got all in again against Gioi Luong and Ben Ponzio. In the end Ponzio showed a monster, 7-6-4-3-2 and Wattel was gone in ninth place, earning $12,317.

Sklansky Takes Early Pot From Ponzio

After both players took 1 card in the first draw, David Sklansky and Ben Ponzio checked and both took 1 card again on the second draw. Ponzio bet 10,000 and Sklansky called. Sklansky took 1 more on the third draw while Ponzio stood pat. But when Sklansky bet out 10,000 on the end Ponzio quickly folded and Sklansky took a nice early pot.

Wrong Game For Quads

When mucking his hand, David Sklansky brought laughter to the table when he showed quad 9s.

Player Tags: Gioi Luong,   Michael Wattel,   David Sklansky,   Ben Ponzio,   Billy Baxter

$2,500 Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw Lowball - Day 2 - Level 14 Recap

Jun 23, '08

The players are now on an hour-long dinner break

Blinds: 1,300-2,500

Players Left: 18 of 238

Chip Leaders:
John Phan - 156,000
Billy Baxter - 128,500
Shunjiro Uchida - 114,500
David Sklansky - 106,000
Robert Mizrachi - 100,000
Michael Wattel - 96,000
Gioi Luong - 92,500
Greg Raymer - 89,000
Richard Chase - 55,000
Dario Alioto - 54,500

Average Stack: 66,100

Eliminations:
15^th – Raymond Davis
16^th – Juan Luis Velador
17^th – Chau Giang
18^th – Claude Cohen

Big Hands and Storylines:

Billy Baxter’s Tremendous Turnaround

Billy Baxter started today with only 6,000 in chips, slightly more than a single big bet. 30^th of 30 in chips, it didn’t seem like he would make any sort of run today. Astoundingly, Baxter has turned it around completely and now stands at 2^nd in chips with 128,000. Baxter’s rapid rise in the deuce-to-seven event has caused a bit of a conflict however. While his stack grows and grows in the lowball event, his stack is being blinded off in the seniors’ event. Baxter had pre-registered for the seniors’ event assuming that he would bust early in the deuce-to-seven triple draw event. Mr. Baxter seems unperturbed by this development.

Billy Baxter Eliminates Chau Giang

“Cold deck,” Giang repeated as he was eliminated by Billy Baxter in a serious cooler of a hand. Action pre-draw saw four bets by each player and Baxter stood bat from the get-go. Giang drew one on each of the first two draws and then stood pat on the final draw. Giang check-raised Baxter on the final round of betting to get all of his chips in with no. 3: 7-6-5-3-2. Baxter’s good day kept getting better though, as he unveiled a perfect 7-5-4-3-2 to bust Giang. It’s good to be the king.

John Phan eliminates Raymond Davis

John Phan eliminated Ray Davis, moving into the chip lead in the process. It was an unfortunate end to the day for Davis, who had been talking boldly about his final-table aspirations all afternoon long. Davis, standing pat on the final two draws, ran into the 7-5-4-3-2 of Phan. The nut-low propelled Phan to 155,000 in chips, tops on the day.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Gioi Luong,   Robert Mizrachi,   Michael Wattel,   Chau Giang,   David Sklansky,   Shunjiro Uchida,   Claude Cohen,   Greg Raymer,   Richard Chase,   Billy Baxter,   Dario Alioto,   Jose Luis Velador

$2,500 Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw Lowball - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 23, '08

Blinds: 1,000-2,000

Players Left: 18 of 238

Chip Leaders:
Billy Baxter - 148,000
Ray Davis - 117,000
Robert Mizrachi - 116,000
Shun Uchida - 108,000
Steve Sung - 96,000
Gioi Luong - 95,000
John Phan - 84,000
Ben Ponzio - 72,000
James Copeland - 70,000
David Sklansky - 69,000

Average Stack: 66,100

Eliminations:
Chris Vitch
Ralph Perry

Big Hands and Storylines:

Ralph Perry Loses a Pot To... Greg Raymer

Greg Raymer raised to 2,000 from the button and was 3-bet by Ralph Perry in the small blind. Raymer called and drew 1 card while Perry stood pat. Perry bet and Raymer called. Action was the same on the 2^nd go-around. Then when both players stood pat on the third draw, Perry checked, Raymer bet, and Perry called. Raymer took down the pot with 8-6-5-3-2.

Ralph Perry Loses a Pot To... John Phan (and Busts)

First to act, Ralph Perry raised to 2,000. John Phan made it 3,000 from the button, and Perry called. After Perry drew 2 and Phan drew 1, Perry check-called Phan’s bet. On the 2^nd draw, Perry took 2 again and, again, Phan took 1. And, yet again, Perry check-called. Both players took 1 on the final draw and Perry led into Phan. Phan called. Perry tabled 8-7-5-4-2 but he was undercut by Phan’s 8-6-5-4-3. This hand dropped Perry to under 30,000 and he would be knocked out by Phan later in the level.

Baxter Swaps Seats To Table’s Delight

The floorperson told the dealer at table no. 4 that she needed the big blind to move over to table no. 2. The person in the big blind of table 4 happened to be none other than Billy Baxter, and his departure was met by jubilation by those players he would be leaving. Chau Giang greeted the decision with a round of applause. Apparently 5 deuce-to-seven bracelets earns you a lot of respect.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Gioi Luong,   Robert Mizrachi,   David Sklansky,   Shunjiro Uchida,   Ben Ponzio,   Steve Sung,   James Copeland,   Billy Baxter,   Chris Vitch,   Ralph Perry,   European Report

Lowball Done For the Night

Jun 22, '08

Blinds: 500-1,000
Limits: 1,000-2,000

Players Left: 30 of 238

Chip Leaders:

Greg Raymer: 65,000
Ray Davis: 64,000
Shunjiro Uchida: 62,000
James Copeland: 60,000
Steve Sung: 47,000
Bill Chen: 44,000
Mike Wattel: 44,000
George Lind III: 42,000
Von Altizer: 34,500
John Phan: 33,000

Average Stack: 39,667

Notable Eliminations:

Freddy Deeb
Phil Hellmuth
Chad Brown
Shawn Sheikhan

Recap:

The day began with 238 players, most of which were big names. Players like Scotty Nguyen, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Shawn Sheikhan and Annie Duke were just some of the names that could not cut the 2-7 mustard. They were all gone before Day 1 came to a close. But Greg Raymer not only made it to Day 2, he made it as chip leader with 65,000 in chips. Other notables returning for Day 2 include Bill Chen, David Sklansky, Chau Giang, Billy Baxter and John Phan. Players return Monday at 2 p.m. The money will be reached after six players are eliminated. The surviving players will earn at leat $5,474. Players will play down to a final table of six, where they will be guaranteed at least $20,527. For the complete rules of low ball, click here.

Big Hands:

Out in a Flash

The player in seat 4 raised to 2,000 and Ray Davis three-bet to 3,000. Shawn Sheikhan was next to act and made the call, followed by seat 4. Sheikhan took two cards on the first draw while seat 4 and Davis took one. Action was checked to Davis who bet 1,000. Both players called and Sheikhan drew one along with seat 4. Davis stood pat and bet 2,000. Sheikhan hung around while seat 4 got out of the way. Both players stood pat and Sheikhan checked.

After he checked, he flashed his hand to Davis. "Did you just show me a number two?" Davis asked. He then bet 2,000 and was immediately raised by Sheikhan. Davis called, saying that he thought it was a flush. As soon as Davis' call went into the pot, Sheikhan's hand flew into the muck.

"I thought you didn't see it," Sheikhan muttered. "Stevie Wonder would've seen that," Davis replied. He later showed Sheikhan the flashing light of the "Exit" sign as he sent "Sheiky" to the rail.

Mizrachi Takes the Three-Way

Picking up the action on the second draw, Billy Baxter asked for one card. Robert Mizrachi stood pat and Steve Sung opted to draw two cards. Mizrachi then bet 2,000. Sung and Baxter made the call. Baxter and Sung both drew one card on the final draw while Mizrachi stood pat again. Everyone checked and Mizrachi showed 8-7-6-5-2. Baxter and Sung mucked and Mizrachi was up to around 60,000.

Deeb Doubles Up, Then Double Times it Toward the Exit

Freddy Deeb was all in against the player in seat 1. Deeb took one card on the first draw while his opponent took two cards. Both players took one card on the second draw. Deeb then flipped his hand over, 10-7-6-5-2. His opponent drew one more card, but flipped over the K and threw his hand in the muck. Deeb was saved for the moment, doubling to 9,000. But he would not make it to the end of Day 1 as he busted later in the level.

It Takes a Pair

Picking up the action on the final draw, David Sklansky stood pat against his opponent in seat 3, who also stood pat. Both players refused to bet and Sklansky turned over 4-4-7-3-2 for a pair of fours. Normally, a pair is a loser in low ball, but seat 3 turned over a pair of sixes and Sklansky raked in the pot. He was around 25,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Raymond Davis,   Shawn Sheikhan,   David Sklansky,   Steve Sung,   Billy Baxter,   Freddy Deeb

WInding Down

Jun 22, '08

Blinds: 400-800
Limits: 800-1,600

Players Left: 48 of 238

Chip Leaders:

Mike Wattel: 45,500
Steve Sung: 44,000
Greg Raymer: 39,000
Von Altizer: 34,500
John Phan: 33,000
Ray Davis: 31,500
Patrick Poels: 30,000
George Lind III: 29,000
Trung Ly: 29,000
Chris Vitch: 29,000

Average Stack: 24,782

Notable Eliminations: Nick Schulman, David Singer

Big Hands:

Sklansky Does It to Brown

Chad Brown raised to 1,600 from the small blind and Sklansky called from the big blind. Both player drew two cards on the first draw. Brown led out with 800 and Sklansky called. Both players then drew one on the second draw. Brown fired 1,600, but Sklansky hung around. Both players stood pat on the last draw. Brown checked and Sklansky bet 1,600. "What a sneaky Dave," Shawn Sheikhan commented from across the table. Brown mucked his hand and Sklansky was up to 26,000 while Brown was down under 10,000.

A Drunken Razor Still Cuts Deep

The player in seat 5 raised to 1,600 from the cutoff and John "Razor" Phan three-bet to 2,400 from the small blind. Seat 5 made the call and Phan drew one card on the first draw. His opponent drew two and Phan fired 800. Seat 5 called and both players drew one card on the second draw. Phan led out again with 1,600 and was called. Phan stood pat on the final draw while his opponent asked for one. Both players checked and Phan turned over 9-7-5-3-2, good enough to beat the K his opponent flipped over. Phan raked in the pot and, after a couple of words about his play, Phan summed it up in one sentence. "I'm so drunk anyway."

Schulman Trampled by the Wheel

The player in seat 2 raised to 1,600. Nick Schulman three-bet to 2,400 and was called. Both players took two cards on the first draw and then all hell broke loose.

Seat 2 checked and Schulman fired 800. Seat 2 then check-raised to 1,600. Not to be outdone, Schulman three-bet to 2,400. Seat 2 would have none of that and launched a fourth bet to 3,200. Schulman then capped the betting at 3,600. Seat 2 called and both players stood pat on the second draw. Seat 2 led out with 1,600 and Schulman just called. They stood pat again on the third draw and seat 2 bet another 1,600. Schulman called and his opponent showed the nuts, 7-5-4-3-2. Schulman mucked and was left with about 10,000. He was later eliminated.

Sheiky Loves Him Some Philly

Picking up the action on the second draw in a three-way pot, Phil Hellmuth stood pat while Shawn "Sheiky" Sheikhan drew one. Chad Brown completed the action by drawing two. Hellmuth then led out with 800. That bet was quickly stepped on by Sheikhan, who made it 1,600. Brown and Hellmuth called. Hellmuth stood pat again on the final draw while Sheikhan and Brown each drew one card. All players checked the end and Hellmuth turned over 10-6-4-3-2. It was no good though, as Sheikhan turned over 10-5-4-3-2. Brown mucked and Sheikhan was up to around 14,000. "I love me some Philly," Sheikhan said later.

Vegas' Most Wanted

During their time next to each other, Phil Hellmuth and Shawn Sheikhan were heard singing a song that either mentioned Warren G, or was performed by Warren G. Either way, it was like a bad episode of Say What? Karaoke. At least they were keeping it "gangsta," though.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Phil Hellmuth,   David Sklansky,   Nick Schulman

Seif Gone. So is Griffin

Jun 22, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 300-600
Limits: 600-1,200

Players Left: 53 of 238

Chip Leaders:

Mike Wattel: 45,500
Ray Davis: 42,000
Bill Chen: 40,000
Anthony Lellouche: 38,000
Amnon Filippi: 36,000
Trung Ly: 32,000
Chris Vitch: 29,000
George Lind III: 27,800
Thor Hansen: 27,000
Freddy Deeb: 27,000

Average Stack: 22,453

Eliminations: Mark Seif, Gavin Griffin

Big Hands:

Aw Nuts

The player in seat 4 raised to 1,200 before the first draw. Mark Seif three-bet to 1,800 and seat 4 tapped Seif for 2,175. Both players drew one card on the first draw. They did the same on the second draw. On the third draw, Seif drew one and seat 4 stood pat. "I got the nuts," seat 4 said, turning over 7-5-4-3-2. "You got the nuts?" Seif asked. "I can't beat that." He threw his hand in the muck and made his way toward the exit.

Griffin Lives, Temporarilly Anyway

Gavin Griffin put all his chips into the pot against seat 1. On the first draw, both players drew two cards. The second draw saw seat 1 take two cards while Griffin elected to draw one. Seat 1 drew one more card on the final draw while Griffin stood pat. He showed 8-7-5-4-2 and seat 1 mucked. Griffin doubled up to about 5,000 but he was later knocked out permanently by Chad Brown.

Davis Mutes Singer

Ray Davis raised to 1,200 and David Singer three-bet to 1,800. Davis repopped to 2,400 and Singer made the call. Singer drew one on the first draw and Davis stood pat. He then bet 600 and Singer called. Davis stood pat again on the second draw and Singer took one more. Davis fired 1,200 and Singer stuck around. One more card came to Singer and Davis stood pat for the last time. Both players checked and Davis turned over 8-7-5-4-2 and Singer mucked his hand. Singer was around 6,500 while Davis was up to around 42,000.

Oh the Humanity!

Table 5 saw the exit of Gavin Griffin, Mark Seif, and another player. They were replaced by some guys named David Sklansky, Phil Hellmuth and Shawn Sheikhan. There were rumors that those guys were decent card players. They were welcomed to the table by Chad Brown in seat 5. Well, all except Hellmuth who was over at the mixed hold'em event.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Raymond Davis,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Phil Hellmuth,   David Singer,   David Sklansky,   Gavin Griffin

$2,500 Triple Draw - Sklansky Gone

Jun 24, '08

Blinds: 3,000-6,000

Players Left: 5 of 238

Chip Leaders:

John Phan - 305,000
Robert Mizrachi - 305,000
Shun Uchida - 196,000
Gioi Luong - 166,000
Ben Ponzio - 154,000

Eliminations: David Sklansky (6th Place)

Big Hands and Storylines:

David Sklansky Running Low

A short stacked and card dead David Sklansky played a few hands all with the same result, as his stack is getting dangerously close to the felt.

David Sklansky Eliminated in Sixth Place ($20,528)

David Sklansky got his last 12,000 in against Robert Mizrachi. Sklansky knew he would need a great card on the third draw after Mizrachi stood pat with 8-7-5-3-2. Sklansky opened up a 6-4-3-2 and would need his final card to be a seven or an eight to double up. Unfortunately, he drew another six to pair up and hit the rail in sixth place.

Robert Mizrachi With the Second Nuts

Robert Mizrachi raised in the small blind and John Phan three-bet. Mizrachi called and drew two. Phan stood pat and announced to the table that he was snowing. Mizrachi then called a bet from Phan and drew two more. Phan stood pat and bet once again. Mizrachi then check-raised, announcing a snow of his own. Phan made the call and Mizrachi stood pat. Phan then faced a tough  decision as he decided to break his hand and drew one. Mizrachi bet and Phan mucked, saying he broke a nine. Mizrachi was gracious enough to show him his 7-6-4-3-2 for the second nuts.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Robert Mizrachi,   David Sklansky

Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Low Ball - Final Table Set

Jun 23, '08

Action has played down to the final table of 6 players. Play will resume Tuesday at 2 p.m. with John Phan, Gioi Luong, Robert Mizrachi, Shunjiro Uchida, Ben Ponzio and David Sklansky still playing for the bracelet.

Final Table Starting Stacks:
John Phan: 294,000
Gioi Luong: 291,000
Robert Mizrachi: 215,000
Shunjiro Uchida: 200,000
Ben Ponzio: 113,000
David Sklansky: 78,000

Eliminations:
7th Place - Billy Baxter (15,054)
8th Place - Steve Sung ($15,054)
9th Place - Mike Wattel ($12,317)

Here are highlights from today's last round of play:

Baxter Bubbles Final Table, out in 7th Place ($15,054)

A short-stacked Billy Baxter  got all in against David Sklansky and Gioi Luong. After Sklansky folded after the second draw Baxter was heads up with Luong and in better shape. Both drew 1 card on the final draw and Luong showed Q-7-6-5-2. Baxter showed 8-5-4-2, but unfortunately for him he drew a queen and was eliminated one spot from tomorrow's final table, making $15,054- a remarkable feat considering he came into today's play 30th in chips out of 30 players.

Wattel Doubles, But Later Eliminated in 9th Place ($12,317)

Mike Wattel got all in against Ben Ponzio right off the bat. Wattel drew 1 on the first draw, 1 on the second and stood pat on the 3rd. Ponzio drew 3, 2, then 1. Wattel showed 8-7-5-4-2 and more than doubled up to stay alive.
A couple hands later Wattel got all in again against Gioi Luong and Ben Ponzio. In the end Ponzio showed a monster, 7-6-4-3-2 and Wattel was gone in ninth place, earning $12,317.

Sklansky Takes Early Pot From Ponzio

After both players took 1 card in the first draw, David Sklansky and Ben Ponzio checked and both took 1 card again on the second draw. Ponzio bet 10,000 and Sklansky called. Sklansky took 1 more on the third draw while Ponzio stood pat. But when Sklansky bet out 10,000 on the end Ponzio quickly folded and Sklansky took a nice early pot.

Wrong Game For Quads

When mucking his hand, David Sklansky brought laughter to the table when he showed quad 9s.

Player Tags: Gioi Luong,   Michael Wattel,   David Sklansky,   Ben Ponzio,   Billy Baxter

$2,500 Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw Lowball - Day 2 - Level 14 Recap

Jun 23, '08

The players are now on an hour-long dinner break

Blinds: 1,300-2,500

Players Left: 18 of 238

Chip Leaders:
John Phan - 156,000
Billy Baxter - 128,500
Shunjiro Uchida - 114,500
David Sklansky - 106,000
Robert Mizrachi - 100,000
Michael Wattel - 96,000
Gioi Luong - 92,500
Greg Raymer - 89,000
Richard Chase - 55,000
Dario Alioto - 54,500

Average Stack: 66,100

Eliminations:
15^th – Raymond Davis
16^th – Juan Luis Velador
17^th – Chau Giang
18^th – Claude Cohen

Big Hands and Storylines:

Billy Baxter’s Tremendous Turnaround

Billy Baxter started today with only 6,000 in chips, slightly more than a single big bet. 30^th of 30 in chips, it didn’t seem like he would make any sort of run today. Astoundingly, Baxter has turned it around completely and now stands at 2^nd in chips with 128,000. Baxter’s rapid rise in the deuce-to-seven event has caused a bit of a conflict however. While his stack grows and grows in the lowball event, his stack is being blinded off in the seniors’ event. Baxter had pre-registered for the seniors’ event assuming that he would bust early in the deuce-to-seven triple draw event. Mr. Baxter seems unperturbed by this development.

Billy Baxter Eliminates Chau Giang

“Cold deck,” Giang repeated as he was eliminated by Billy Baxter in a serious cooler of a hand. Action pre-draw saw four bets by each player and Baxter stood bat from the get-go. Giang drew one on each of the first two draws and then stood pat on the final draw. Giang check-raised Baxter on the final round of betting to get all of his chips in with no. 3: 7-6-5-3-2. Baxter’s good day kept getting better though, as he unveiled a perfect 7-5-4-3-2 to bust Giang. It’s good to be the king.

John Phan eliminates Raymond Davis

John Phan eliminated Ray Davis, moving into the chip lead in the process. It was an unfortunate end to the day for Davis, who had been talking boldly about his final-table aspirations all afternoon long. Davis, standing pat on the final two draws, ran into the 7-5-4-3-2 of Phan. The nut-low propelled Phan to 155,000 in chips, tops on the day.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Gioi Luong,   Robert Mizrachi,   Michael Wattel,   Chau Giang,   David Sklansky,   Shunjiro Uchida,   Claude Cohen,   Greg Raymer,   Richard Chase,   Billy Baxter,   Dario Alioto,   Jose Luis Velador

$2,500 Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw Lowball - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 23, '08

Blinds: 1,000-2,000

Players Left: 18 of 238

Chip Leaders:
Billy Baxter - 148,000
Ray Davis - 117,000
Robert Mizrachi - 116,000
Shun Uchida - 108,000
Steve Sung - 96,000
Gioi Luong - 95,000
John Phan - 84,000
Ben Ponzio - 72,000
James Copeland - 70,000
David Sklansky - 69,000

Average Stack: 66,100

Eliminations:
Chris Vitch
Ralph Perry

Big Hands and Storylines:

Ralph Perry Loses a Pot To... Greg Raymer

Greg Raymer raised to 2,000 from the button and was 3-bet by Ralph Perry in the small blind. Raymer called and drew 1 card while Perry stood pat. Perry bet and Raymer called. Action was the same on the 2^nd go-around. Then when both players stood pat on the third draw, Perry checked, Raymer bet, and Perry called. Raymer took down the pot with 8-6-5-3-2.

Ralph Perry Loses a Pot To... John Phan (and Busts)

First to act, Ralph Perry raised to 2,000. John Phan made it 3,000 from the button, and Perry called. After Perry drew 2 and Phan drew 1, Perry check-called Phan’s bet. On the 2^nd draw, Perry took 2 again and, again, Phan took 1. And, yet again, Perry check-called. Both players took 1 on the final draw and Perry led into Phan. Phan called. Perry tabled 8-7-5-4-2 but he was undercut by Phan’s 8-6-5-4-3. This hand dropped Perry to under 30,000 and he would be knocked out by Phan later in the level.

Baxter Swaps Seats To Table’s Delight

The floorperson told the dealer at table no. 4 that she needed the big blind to move over to table no. 2. The person in the big blind of table 4 happened to be none other than Billy Baxter, and his departure was met by jubilation by those players he would be leaving. Chau Giang greeted the decision with a round of applause. Apparently 5 deuce-to-seven bracelets earns you a lot of respect.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Gioi Luong,   Robert Mizrachi,   David Sklansky,   Shunjiro Uchida,   Ben Ponzio,   Steve Sung,   James Copeland,   Billy Baxter,   Chris Vitch,   Ralph Perry,   European Report

Lowball Done For the Night

Jun 22, '08

Blinds: 500-1,000
Limits: 1,000-2,000

Players Left: 30 of 238

Chip Leaders:

Greg Raymer: 65,000
Ray Davis: 64,000
Shunjiro Uchida: 62,000
James Copeland: 60,000
Steve Sung: 47,000
Bill Chen: 44,000
Mike Wattel: 44,000
George Lind III: 42,000
Von Altizer: 34,500
John Phan: 33,000

Average Stack: 39,667

Notable Eliminations:

Freddy Deeb
Phil Hellmuth
Chad Brown
Shawn Sheikhan

Recap:

The day began with 238 players, most of which were big names. Players like Scotty Nguyen, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Shawn Sheikhan and Annie Duke were just some of the names that could not cut the 2-7 mustard. They were all gone before Day 1 came to a close. But Greg Raymer not only made it to Day 2, he made it as chip leader with 65,000 in chips. Other notables returning for Day 2 include Bill Chen, David Sklansky, Chau Giang, Billy Baxter and John Phan. Players return Monday at 2 p.m. The money will be reached after six players are eliminated. The surviving players will earn at leat $5,474. Players will play down to a final table of six, where they will be guaranteed at least $20,527. For the complete rules of low ball, click here.

Big Hands:

Out in a Flash

The player in seat 4 raised to 2,000 and Ray Davis three-bet to 3,000. Shawn Sheikhan was next to act and made the call, followed by seat 4. Sheikhan took two cards on the first draw while seat 4 and Davis took one. Action was checked to Davis who bet 1,000. Both players called and Sheikhan drew one along with seat 4. Davis stood pat and bet 2,000. Sheikhan hung around while seat 4 got out of the way. Both players stood pat and Sheikhan checked.

After he checked, he flashed his hand to Davis. "Did you just show me a number two?" Davis asked. He then bet 2,000 and was immediately raised by Sheikhan. Davis called, saying that he thought it was a flush. As soon as Davis' call went into the pot, Sheikhan's hand flew into the muck.

"I thought you didn't see it," Sheikhan muttered. "Stevie Wonder would've seen that," Davis replied. He later showed Sheikhan the flashing light of the "Exit" sign as he sent "Sheiky" to the rail.

Mizrachi Takes the Three-Way

Picking up the action on the second draw, Billy Baxter asked for one card. Robert Mizrachi stood pat and Steve Sung opted to draw two cards. Mizrachi then bet 2,000. Sung and Baxter made the call. Baxter and Sung both drew one card on the final draw while Mizrachi stood pat again. Everyone checked and Mizrachi showed 8-7-6-5-2. Baxter and Sung mucked and Mizrachi was up to around 60,000.

Deeb Doubles Up, Then Double Times it Toward the Exit

Freddy Deeb was all in against the player in seat 1. Deeb took one card on the first draw while his opponent took two cards. Both players took one card on the second draw. Deeb then flipped his hand over, 10-7-6-5-2. His opponent drew one more card, but flipped over the K and threw his hand in the muck. Deeb was saved for the moment, doubling to 9,000. But he would not make it to the end of Day 1 as he busted later in the level.

It Takes a Pair

Picking up the action on the final draw, David Sklansky stood pat against his opponent in seat 3, who also stood pat. Both players refused to bet and Sklansky turned over 4-4-7-3-2 for a pair of fours. Normally, a pair is a loser in low ball, but seat 3 turned over a pair of sixes and Sklansky raked in the pot. He was around 25,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   Raymond Davis,   Shawn Sheikhan,   David Sklansky,   Steve Sung,   Billy Baxter,   Freddy Deeb

WInding Down

Jun 22, '08

Blinds: 400-800
Limits: 800-1,600

Players Left: 48 of 238

Chip Leaders:

Mike Wattel: 45,500
Steve Sung: 44,000
Greg Raymer: 39,000
Von Altizer: 34,500
John Phan: 33,000
Ray Davis: 31,500
Patrick Poels: 30,000
George Lind III: 29,000
Trung Ly: 29,000
Chris Vitch: 29,000

Average Stack: 24,782

Notable Eliminations: Nick Schulman, David Singer

Big Hands:

Sklansky Does It to Brown

Chad Brown raised to 1,600 from the small blind and Sklansky called from the big blind. Both player drew two cards on the first draw. Brown led out with 800 and Sklansky called. Both players then drew one on the second draw. Brown fired 1,600, but Sklansky hung around. Both players stood pat on the last draw. Brown checked and Sklansky bet 1,600. "What a sneaky Dave," Shawn Sheikhan commented from across the table. Brown mucked his hand and Sklansky was up to 26,000 while Brown was down under 10,000.

A Drunken Razor Still Cuts Deep

The player in seat 5 raised to 1,600 from the cutoff and John "Razor" Phan three-bet to 2,400 from the small blind. Seat 5 made the call and Phan drew one card on the first draw. His opponent drew two and Phan fired 800. Seat 5 called and both players drew one card on the second draw. Phan led out again with 1,600 and was called. Phan stood pat on the final draw while his opponent asked for one. Both players checked and Phan turned over 9-7-5-3-2, good enough to beat the K his opponent flipped over. Phan raked in the pot and, after a couple of words about his play, Phan summed it up in one sentence. "I'm so drunk anyway."

Schulman Trampled by the Wheel

The player in seat 2 raised to 1,600. Nick Schulman three-bet to 2,400 and was called. Both players took two cards on the first draw and then all hell broke loose.

Seat 2 checked and Schulman fired 800. Seat 2 then check-raised to 1,600. Not to be outdone, Schulman three-bet to 2,400. Seat 2 would have none of that and launched a fourth bet to 3,200. Schulman then capped the betting at 3,600. Seat 2 called and both players stood pat on the second draw. Seat 2 led out with 1,600 and Schulman just called. They stood pat again on the third draw and seat 2 bet another 1,600. Schulman called and his opponent showed the nuts, 7-5-4-3-2. Schulman mucked and was left with about 10,000. He was later eliminated.

Sheiky Loves Him Some Philly

Picking up the action on the second draw in a three-way pot, Phil Hellmuth stood pat while Shawn "Sheiky" Sheikhan drew one. Chad Brown completed the action by drawing two. Hellmuth then led out with 800. That bet was quickly stepped on by Sheikhan, who made it 1,600. Brown and Hellmuth called. Hellmuth stood pat again on the final draw while Sheikhan and Brown each drew one card. All players checked the end and Hellmuth turned over 10-6-4-3-2. It was no good though, as Sheikhan turned over 10-5-4-3-2. Brown mucked and Sheikhan was up to around 14,000. "I love me some Philly," Sheikhan said later.

Vegas' Most Wanted

During their time next to each other, Phil Hellmuth and Shawn Sheikhan were heard singing a song that either mentioned Warren G, or was performed by Warren G. Either way, it was like a bad episode of Say What? Karaoke. At least they were keeping it "gangsta," though.

Player Tags: John Phan,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Phil Hellmuth,   David Sklansky,   Nick Schulman

Seif Gone. So is Griffin

Jun 22, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break

Blinds: 300-600
Limits: 600-1,200

Players Left: 53 of 238

Chip Leaders:

Mike Wattel: 45,500
Ray Davis: 42,000
Bill Chen: 40,000
Anthony Lellouche: 38,000
Amnon Filippi: 36,000
Trung Ly: 32,000
Chris Vitch: 29,000
George Lind III: 27,800
Thor Hansen: 27,000
Freddy Deeb: 27,000

Average Stack: 22,453

Eliminations: Mark Seif, Gavin Griffin

Big Hands:

Aw Nuts

The player in seat 4 raised to 1,200 before the first draw. Mark Seif three-bet to 1,800 and seat 4 tapped Seif for 2,175. Both players drew one card on the first draw. They did the same on the second draw. On the third draw, Seif drew one and seat 4 stood pat. "I got the nuts," seat 4 said, turning over 7-5-4-3-2. "You got the nuts?" Seif asked. "I can't beat that." He threw his hand in the muck and made his way toward the exit.

Griffin Lives, Temporarilly Anyway

Gavin Griffin put all his chips into the pot against seat 1. On the first draw, both players drew two cards. The second draw saw seat 1 take two cards while Griffin elected to draw one. Seat 1 drew one more card on the final draw while Griffin stood pat. He showed 8-7-5-4-2 and seat 1 mucked. Griffin doubled up to about 5,000 but he was later knocked out permanently by Chad Brown.

Davis Mutes Singer

Ray Davis raised to 1,200 and David Singer three-bet to 1,800. Davis repopped to 2,400 and Singer made the call. Singer drew one on the first draw and Davis stood pat. He then bet 600 and Singer called. Davis stood pat again on the second draw and Singer took one more. Davis fired 1,200 and Singer stuck around. One more card came to Singer and Davis stood pat for the last time. Both players checked and Davis turned over 8-7-5-4-2 and Singer mucked his hand. Singer was around 6,500 while Davis was up to around 42,000.

Oh the Humanity!

Table 5 saw the exit of Gavin Griffin, Mark Seif, and another player. They were replaced by some guys named David Sklansky, Phil Hellmuth and Shawn Sheikhan. There were rumors that those guys were decent card players. They were welcomed to the table by Chad Brown in seat 5. Well, all except Hellmuth who was over at the mixed hold'em event.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Raymond Davis,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Phil Hellmuth,   David Singer,   David Sklansky,   Gavin Griffin