Barny Boatman Poker Tournament Updates

Day 1A Summary Spotlight

Jan 22, '11

A few tables from Day 1A have been flown upstairs from the poker room due to the large turnout today. There are three tables going adjacent to the $100,000 Challenge in Studio 3. Among the players seated upstairs are former Aussie Millions champion Stewart Scott and Joe Cassidy.

Some big names who were late arrivals in today’s main event field include
Full Tilt pros Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan, who have increased the star power of the Day 1A field considerably. Ivey made a big hand shortly after he took his seat in the field in a pot against Terrance Chan. Ivey held pocket threes on a 7-7-A-3-K and he used the full house to grow his stack to 30,000.

Dan Smith is still holding strong with 39,000, but he has been surpassed by a few players on the leader board, including Barny Boatman, who holds 65,000. Some other players who have made an early exit on Day 1A include Benny Spindler and Raymond Rahme.

Player Tags: Barny Boatman,   Phil Ivey

How Thorson Got his Chips

Sep 29, '10

Here are some more details from one of the biggest hands of the day that led to Barny Boatman’s early exit and the ascension of William Thorson on the leader board.

Boatman raised to 300 under the gun and the button reraised 500. William Thorson and one other player called in the blinds. Boatman reraised to 2,100 and only Thorson joined him to see a K-J-3 flop. Thorson checked and Boatman bet 2,000. A 10 fell on the turn and Thorson checked again. Boatman bet 7,000 and Thorson called.

The river brought a 4 and Boatman moved all in for 17,000. Thorson made the call and Boatman was caught bluffing with 8-5. Thorson showed down Q-J to win the hand and effectively double up at 57,000.

Player Tags: Barny Boatman,   William Thorson

Barny Boatman Bluffs and Busts

Sep 29, '10

Barny Boatman bluffed off his stack during the first level of the day into William Thorson, who gladly called him down. Boatman held 8-5 diamond in the hand and he is now out of the tournament. Thorson is now the early chip leader with 60,000.

Player Tags: Barny Boatman,   William Thorson

Level 20 Update: Down to a Dozen

Sep 27, '10

Blinds: 6,000-12,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 12 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Ronald Lee — 1,826,000
2. Dan Fleyshman — 1,777,000
3. James Bord — 1,609,000
4. Roland de Wolfe — 1,312,000
5. Fabrizio Baldassari — 1,010,000
6. Nicolas Levi — 786,000
7. Daniel Steinberg – 526,000
8. David Peters — 472,000
9. Andrew Pantling — 430,000
10. Brian Powell — 295,000
11. Marc Inizan — 264,000
12. Arnaud Mattern — 130,000

Average Chip Count: 692,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Marc Inizan Doubles Up

Dan Steinberg raised to 27,000 preflop from the cutoff and Marc Inizan reraised all in. Brian Powell made the call on the button and Steinberg mucked. Their cards:

Powell: A K
Inizan: A J

Board: J J 2 5 8

Inizan doubled up to 530,000 after the hand and Powell held less than 500,000.

Hoyt Corkins Eliminated in 15th Place (£42,454)

Hoyt Corkins raised to 35,000 preflop from the cutoff and Fabrizio Baldassari reraised to 102,000 on the button. Corkins reraised to 212,000 and then Baldassari moved all in. Corkins made the all-in call and the two players flipped over their cards:

Corkins: A Q
Baldassari: K K

Board: 10 4 2 Q 5

Corkins was eliminated on the hand in 15th place (£42,454) and Baldassari grew his stack to 1,010,000.

Clint Coffee (14th Place) and Barny Boatman (13th Place) Eliminated on the same Hand

Clint Coffee and Barny Boatman moved all in ahead of Roland de Wolfe preflop and he made the call, covering both of his opponents. Their cards:

De Wolfe: A A
Coffee: A J
Boatman: A K

Board: K 10 4 9 8

Coffee and Boatman were eliminated in 14th place and 13th place respectively and they each took home £42,454. De Wolfe rocketed his stack to 1,312,000 just before the break.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Barny Boatman,   Roland de Wolfe,   Brian Powell,   Marc Inizan,   Clint Coffee

Level 16 Update: Into the Dinner Break

Sep 26, '10

NOTE: The field is now on a 90-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 8:45 p.m. local time (12:45 p.m. PST).

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 28 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Andrew Pantling — 1,300,000
2. Phil Ivey — 699,000
3. Dan Fleyshman — 695,000
4. Nicolas Levi — 634,000
5. Bojan Gledovic — 605,000
6. Daniel Steinberg — 605,000
7. Arnaud Mattern — 480,000
8. David Peters — 442,000
9. Marc Inizan — 375,000
10. Ronald Lee — 367,000

Average Chip Count: 346,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

James Mitchell Eliminated in 31st Place (₤21,106)

James Mitchell moved all in on a flop of 7 4 2 and Marc Inizan made the call. Their cards:

Micthell: 9-9
Inizan: 10-10

Turn and River: 3 and 6

Mitchell was eliminated on the hand in 31st place and he will take home ₤21,106 in prize money.

Freddy Deeb Eliminated in 30th Place (₤21,106)

Roland de Wolfe raised preflop from the small blind and Freddy Deeb reraised all in from the big blind. De Wolfe made the call and they flipped over their cards:

De Wolfe: K 8
Deeb: 9 9

Board: Q J 10 A

De Wolfe made a Broadway straight on the turn and that brought an end to Deeb’s tournament in 30th place. He will take home ₤21,106 in prize money.

Boatman Gets Chatty

Ivey bets 12,500 from late position and Barny Boatman raises it to 37,500 from the hijack. Ivey calls and the flop comes J 10 7. Both players check and the turn is the Q. Ivey checks and Boatman bets 35,500. Ivey calls and the river is the 8. Ivey checks and Boatman moves all in. Ivey asks how much it is and the answer is 175,000. He sits back and contemplates the call. Boatman then turns to him and says, “Were you trap-checking me on the flop?” Straight away Ivey gets very animated and starts repeating the question – “Was I trap-checking you on the flop?” He’s almost laughing as he stares at Boatman to figure out if he’s playing mind games. After a few minutes he decides to pass and Boatman adds a good few more chips to his stack.

Bryn Kenney Eliminated in 29th Place (£21,106)

Bryn Kenney bets 13,000 from the cut-off and Phil Ivey makes it 40,000 from the small blind. Kenny pops it to 80,000 and after about 30 seconds Ivey quietly says, “I’m all in.” Kenney insta-calls and flips over K K. Ivey shows A 8 and the board is dealt 10 10 9 J A. Not only did Ivey hit his ace but it was a club giving him a flush. He adds about 170,000 to his stack.

De Wolfe and Blom at it Again

Coming in preflop but slightly late into the action. Viktor Blom bets 28,500 from the button and Roland de Wolfe makes it 65,000 from the small blind. There is about 21,000 in the middle. It comes back to Blom who takes some time to think. One of the other players then calls the clock and Blom asks, “Who called time?” The player leans forward, picks up his short stack and says, “I can’t handle the blinds going up.” “You show?” Blom says to de Wolfe. “I told you I’d show!” says de Wolfe. “Promise?” asks Blom and then folds. De Wolfe shows him pocket jacks and moves up to 245,000.

Blom bets 12,000 on a flop of 7 6 2. De Wolfe bends forward to try and see Blom’s hooded face, and then makes the call. The turn is the J and both players check. The river is the 3 and Blom bets 52,000. De Wolfe leans forward once again and takes a good hard look at him. Eventually, he calls and Blom shows 10 10. De Wolfe mucks and his stack moves back down again.

Player Tags: Barny Boatman,   Phil Ivey,   Roland de Wolfe,   Freddy Deeb,   Bryn Kenney,   James Mitchell,   Viktor Blom

Level 12 Update: Day 2 Ends

Sep 25, '10

NOTE: Day 2 has come to a close and the remaining field will return tomorrow at noon local time (4 a.m. PST). Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events. Tomorrow, the field will play down to the final 27 or through six levels, whichever comes first. Tomorrow will also feature the final game in the high roller heads-up final match between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy to decide who will take home the gold bracelet for event No. 4. The best-of-three match is tied 1-1.

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 66 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Viktor Blom — 443,200
2. Darren Woods — 442,300
3. Thomas Bichon — 372,500
4. Andrew Pantling — 316,000
5. Arnaud Mattern — 300,000
6. Phil Ivey — 289,300
7. Nick Schulman — 281,000
8. David Peters — 280,000
9. David Baker — 250,000
10. Nicolas Levi — 250,000

Average Chip Count: 157,272

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Baldwin
Phil Laak
Praz Bansi
Dag Palovic
Tony Cousineau

Big Hands:

Daniel Negreanu is Really Good at the WSOP Europe

Daniel Negreanu furthered his efforts to make a third WSOP Europe final table during the last level of the night. In a recent hand Negreanu checked a Q 8 3 K board and David Peters bet 15,700. Negreanu made the call and the river brought the J. Negreanu took the initiative this time and bet 45,000. Peter mucked and his stack dropped to 280,000. Negreanu held 156,000 after the hand, more than enough for him to make some moves with tomorrow.

Eric Baldwin Eliminated

The reigning Card Player Player of the Year, Eric Baldwin, has busted out of the tournament during the last level of the day. He opened a pot from the cutoff for 7,000 and Quinn Do reraised to 20,000 from the small blind. Baldwin moved all in and Do made the call. Their cards:

Baldwin: A 10
Do: 9 9

Board: Q 7 5 2 5

Baldwin lost the hand and Do grew his stack to 136,000.

Phil Laak Eliminated

Phil Laak was eliminated from the tournament when his A-K ran into pocket fours and there was no help on the board for the Unabomber. He still leaves London with his first gold bracelet. Making for a successful jump across the pond.

Praz Bansi Eliminated

Praz Bansi moved all in for 33,100 preflop and Remy Biechel made the call. Their cards:

Bansi: 9 9
Biechel: A Q

Board: Q 8 5 J K

Bansi was eliminated after the hand and Biechel held 130,000.

Arnaud Mattern Takes a Nice Pot off Barny Boatman

Barny Boatman raised to 5,100 under the gun and Arnaud Mattern reraised to 14,400 from middle position preflop. Boatman made the call and then both players checked a K 8 3 flop. The turn fell 7 and Boatman checked. Mattern bet 13,000 and Boatmn made the call. The river fell 8 and Boatman checked again. Mattern bet 26,000 and Boatman went into the tank. He eventually made the call but mucked his cards when Mattern revealed A K. Boatman dropped to 110,000 after the hand and Mattern held 300,000.

Quintessential Cousineau

Tony Cousineau was down to his final 14,000 when he decided to call a bet from Clint Coffee that was devised to put him all in. Cousineau was in the lead with pocket queens against the A-3 of Coffee, but the board brought a third ace and Cousineau was eliminated.

Player Tags: Tony Cousineau,   Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Laak,   Barny Boatman,   Quinn Do,   Eric Baldwin,   Arnaud Mattern,   Praz Bansi,   Remy Biechel

Level 5 Update: The Fall of Hellmuth

Sep 23, '10

Blinds: 200-400 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 99 out of 137 (unofficial)

Chip Counts:

Arnaud Mattern – 130,000
Nicolas Levi – 123,000
Faraz Jaka – 110,000
Pascal LeFrancois – 90,000
Ross Boatman – 85,000
Filippo Candio – 85,000
Leo Margets – 80,000
Rémy Biechel – 80,000
Almira Skripchenko – 76,000
Simon Persson – 74,000

Average Chip Count:

41,515

Notable Eliminations:

Phil Hellmuth
Teddy Sheringham

Big Hands:

Hellmuth’s Day is Done

It was in a battle of the blinds that Phil Hellmuth lost most of his stack. Anthony Newman was the small blind and the Poker Brat was the big. We came in with the board showing 9 8 6 J 2. Newman bet 10,000 on the river and Hellmuth made the call only to see Newman flip over a pair of eights for a flopped set. Hellmuth raised his cards high in the air before mucking, so J-10 could clearly be seen, but then mucked.

He was left with just under 6,000 after the hand but it wasn’t long before he got the remainder in. Leo Margets bet 1,100 from early position and Hellmuth announced, “All in”. Margets made the call and showed pocket aces, while Hellmuth revealed pocket nines. The board fell 10 6 4 4 Q and Hellmuth hit the rail – just a few hours aftermaking his grand entrance to a live rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” accompanied by some Gaga lookalikes and a large brass band.

Boatman Bullies His Way

With 7,000 in the pot and a flop of 7 7 2 showing, Barny Boatman bets 4,000 from the small blind and then glances at Jonathan Aguiar who calls. The turn is the Q and both players check. The river is the J and Boatman bets 10,000. Aguiar mucks with a sigh and his stack falls to 40,300. Boatman currently has 63,000 in chips.

Jeffrey Lisandro Doubles Up

Scott Montgomery on the small blind bet enough chips to put Jeffrey Lisandro all in under the gun with a K Q 6 3 9 board sitting on the table. Lisandro made the call and he flipped over 3 3. Montgomery held K Q and he won the pot to double up to 47,000.

John Juanda Doubles Up

John Juanda reraised all in after Toby Lewis opened the action preflop. Lewis decided to make the call and the two players flipped over their cards:

Juanda: 9 7
Lewis: A 6

Board: 9 6 5 3 Q

Juanda won the hand to double up to 20,000 and Lewis fell to 19,000.

High Roller Heads-Up Report — First Match Drags

The £10,350 heads-up high roller event has reached the final match between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy from an initial field of 103. The winner will take home the top prize worth £288,409 and the runner-up will take home £178,211 and some deflated hopes.

First Match: Hansen has had the advantage for most of the first match in the heads-up final but Collopy continues to hang tough. In a hand after the first break Collopy bet 36,000 on a flop of A A 6 and Hansen raised to 83,000. Collopy made the call and the turn fell 7.

Collopy checked and Hansen bet 114,000. Collopy made the call after some deliberation and the river fell 2. Collopy checked, Hansen checked as well, and Collopy flipped over A 4. Collopy held 1.2 million after the hand and Hansen was still on top with 2.6 million. This last hand is a microcosm of the match thus far. It could be a long final if things get to the third game.

Here are the results so far for this event:

3: Ram Vaswani — £96,212
3: Andrew Feldman — £96,212
5: Daniel Negreanu — £47,045
5: Kevin Eyster — £47,045
5: Huck Seed — £47,045
5: Neil Channing — £47,045
9: Howard Lederer — £22,847
9: Martin Kabrhel — £22,847
9: McLean Karr — £22,847
9: Saar Wilf — £22,847
9: Andrew Robl — £22,847
9: Phil Ivey — £22,847
9: Marius Torbergson — £22,847
9: Sondre Svaniek — £22,847

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Barny Boatman,   Jonathan Aguiar

Level 20 Update: Down to a Dozen

Sep 27, '10

Blinds: 6,000-12,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 12 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Ronald Lee — 1,826,000
2. Dan Fleyshman — 1,777,000
3. James Bord — 1,609,000
4. Roland de Wolfe — 1,312,000
5. Fabrizio Baldassari — 1,010,000
6. Nicolas Levi — 786,000
7. Daniel Steinberg – 526,000
8. David Peters — 472,000
9. Andrew Pantling — 430,000
10. Brian Powell — 295,000
11. Marc Inizan — 264,000
12. Arnaud Mattern — 130,000

Average Chip Count: 692,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Marc Inizan Doubles Up

Dan Steinberg raised to 27,000 preflop from the cutoff and Marc Inizan reraised all in. Brian Powell made the call on the button and Steinberg mucked. Their cards:

Powell: A K
Inizan: A J

Board: J J 2 5 8

Inizan doubled up to 530,000 after the hand and Powell held less than 500,000.

Hoyt Corkins Eliminated in 15th Place (£42,454)

Hoyt Corkins raised to 35,000 preflop from the cutoff and Fabrizio Baldassari reraised to 102,000 on the button. Corkins reraised to 212,000 and then Baldassari moved all in. Corkins made the all-in call and the two players flipped over their cards:

Corkins: A Q
Baldassari: K K

Board: 10 4 2 Q 5

Corkins was eliminated on the hand in 15th place (£42,454) and Baldassari grew his stack to 1,010,000.

Clint Coffee (14th Place) and Barny Boatman (13th Place) Eliminated on the same Hand

Clint Coffee and Barny Boatman moved all in ahead of Roland de Wolfe preflop and he made the call, covering both of his opponents. Their cards:

De Wolfe: A A
Coffee: A J
Boatman: A K

Board: K 10 4 9 8

Coffee and Boatman were eliminated in 14th place and 13th place respectively and they each took home £42,454. De Wolfe rocketed his stack to 1,312,000 just before the break.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Barny Boatman,   Roland de Wolfe,   Brian Powell,   Marc Inizan,   Clint Coffee

Level 16 Update: Into the Dinner Break

Sep 26, '10

NOTE: The field is now on a 90-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 8:45 p.m. local time (12:45 p.m. PST).

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 28 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Andrew Pantling — 1,300,000
2. Phil Ivey — 699,000
3. Dan Fleyshman — 695,000
4. Nicolas Levi — 634,000
5. Bojan Gledovic — 605,000
6. Daniel Steinberg — 605,000
7. Arnaud Mattern — 480,000
8. David Peters — 442,000
9. Marc Inizan — 375,000
10. Ronald Lee — 367,000

Average Chip Count: 346,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

James Mitchell Eliminated in 31st Place (₤21,106)

James Mitchell moved all in on a flop of 7 4 2 and Marc Inizan made the call. Their cards:

Micthell: 9-9
Inizan: 10-10

Turn and River: 3 and 6

Mitchell was eliminated on the hand in 31st place and he will take home ₤21,106 in prize money.

Freddy Deeb Eliminated in 30th Place (₤21,106)

Roland de Wolfe raised preflop from the small blind and Freddy Deeb reraised all in from the big blind. De Wolfe made the call and they flipped over their cards:

De Wolfe: K 8
Deeb: 9 9

Board: Q J 10 A

De Wolfe made a Broadway straight on the turn and that brought an end to Deeb’s tournament in 30th place. He will take home ₤21,106 in prize money.

Boatman Gets Chatty

Ivey bets 12,500 from late position and Barny Boatman raises it to 37,500 from the hijack. Ivey calls and the flop comes J 10 7. Both players check and the turn is the Q. Ivey checks and Boatman bets 35,500. Ivey calls and the river is the 8. Ivey checks and Boatman moves all in. Ivey asks how much it is and the answer is 175,000. He sits back and contemplates the call. Boatman then turns to him and says, “Were you trap-checking me on the flop?” Straight away Ivey gets very animated and starts repeating the question – “Was I trap-checking you on the flop?” He’s almost laughing as he stares at Boatman to figure out if he’s playing mind games. After a few minutes he decides to pass and Boatman adds a good few more chips to his stack.

Bryn Kenney Eliminated in 29th Place (£21,106)

Bryn Kenney bets 13,000 from the cut-off and Phil Ivey makes it 40,000 from the small blind. Kenny pops it to 80,000 and after about 30 seconds Ivey quietly says, “I’m all in.” Kenney insta-calls and flips over K K. Ivey shows A 8 and the board is dealt 10 10 9 J A. Not only did Ivey hit his ace but it was a club giving him a flush. He adds about 170,000 to his stack.

De Wolfe and Blom at it Again

Coming in preflop but slightly late into the action. Viktor Blom bets 28,500 from the button and Roland de Wolfe makes it 65,000 from the small blind. There is about 21,000 in the middle. It comes back to Blom who takes some time to think. One of the other players then calls the clock and Blom asks, “Who called time?” The player leans forward, picks up his short stack and says, “I can’t handle the blinds going up.” “You show?” Blom says to de Wolfe. “I told you I’d show!” says de Wolfe. “Promise?” asks Blom and then folds. De Wolfe shows him pocket jacks and moves up to 245,000.

Blom bets 12,000 on a flop of 7 6 2. De Wolfe bends forward to try and see Blom’s hooded face, and then makes the call. The turn is the J and both players check. The river is the 3 and Blom bets 52,000. De Wolfe leans forward once again and takes a good hard look at him. Eventually, he calls and Blom shows 10 10. De Wolfe mucks and his stack moves back down again.

Player Tags: Barny Boatman,   Phil Ivey,   Roland de Wolfe,   Freddy Deeb,   Bryn Kenney,   James Mitchell,   Viktor Blom

Level 12 Update: Day 2 Ends

Sep 25, '10

NOTE: Day 2 has come to a close and the remaining field will return tomorrow at noon local time (4 a.m. PST). Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events. Tomorrow, the field will play down to the final 27 or through six levels, whichever comes first. Tomorrow will also feature the final game in the high roller heads-up final match between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy to decide who will take home the gold bracelet for event No. 4. The best-of-three match is tied 1-1.

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 66 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Viktor Blom — 443,200
2. Darren Woods — 442,300
3. Thomas Bichon — 372,500
4. Andrew Pantling — 316,000
5. Arnaud Mattern — 300,000
6. Phil Ivey — 289,300
7. Nick Schulman — 281,000
8. David Peters — 280,000
9. David Baker — 250,000
10. Nicolas Levi — 250,000

Average Chip Count: 157,272

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Baldwin
Phil Laak
Praz Bansi
Dag Palovic
Tony Cousineau

Big Hands:

Daniel Negreanu is Really Good at the WSOP Europe

Daniel Negreanu furthered his efforts to make a third WSOP Europe final table during the last level of the night. In a recent hand Negreanu checked a Q 8 3 K board and David Peters bet 15,700. Negreanu made the call and the river brought the J. Negreanu took the initiative this time and bet 45,000. Peter mucked and his stack dropped to 280,000. Negreanu held 156,000 after the hand, more than enough for him to make some moves with tomorrow.

Eric Baldwin Eliminated

The reigning Card Player Player of the Year, Eric Baldwin, has busted out of the tournament during the last level of the day. He opened a pot from the cutoff for 7,000 and Quinn Do reraised to 20,000 from the small blind. Baldwin moved all in and Do made the call. Their cards:

Baldwin: A 10
Do: 9 9

Board: Q 7 5 2 5

Baldwin lost the hand and Do grew his stack to 136,000.

Phil Laak Eliminated

Phil Laak was eliminated from the tournament when his A-K ran into pocket fours and there was no help on the board for the Unabomber. He still leaves London with his first gold bracelet. Making for a successful jump across the pond.

Praz Bansi Eliminated

Praz Bansi moved all in for 33,100 preflop and Remy Biechel made the call. Their cards:

Bansi: 9 9
Biechel: A Q

Board: Q 8 5 J K

Bansi was eliminated after the hand and Biechel held 130,000.

Arnaud Mattern Takes a Nice Pot off Barny Boatman

Barny Boatman raised to 5,100 under the gun and Arnaud Mattern reraised to 14,400 from middle position preflop. Boatman made the call and then both players checked a K 8 3 flop. The turn fell 7 and Boatman checked. Mattern bet 13,000 and Boatmn made the call. The river fell 8 and Boatman checked again. Mattern bet 26,000 and Boatman went into the tank. He eventually made the call but mucked his cards when Mattern revealed A K. Boatman dropped to 110,000 after the hand and Mattern held 300,000.

Quintessential Cousineau

Tony Cousineau was down to his final 14,000 when he decided to call a bet from Clint Coffee that was devised to put him all in. Cousineau was in the lead with pocket queens against the A-3 of Coffee, but the board brought a third ace and Cousineau was eliminated.

Player Tags: Tony Cousineau,   Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Laak,   Barny Boatman,   Quinn Do,   Eric Baldwin,   Arnaud Mattern,   Praz Bansi,   Remy Biechel

Level 5 Update: The Fall of Hellmuth

Sep 23, '10

Blinds: 200-400 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 99 out of 137 (unofficial)

Chip Counts:

Arnaud Mattern – 130,000
Nicolas Levi – 123,000
Faraz Jaka – 110,000
Pascal LeFrancois – 90,000
Ross Boatman – 85,000
Filippo Candio – 85,000
Leo Margets – 80,000
Rémy Biechel – 80,000
Almira Skripchenko – 76,000
Simon Persson – 74,000

Average Chip Count:

41,515

Notable Eliminations:

Phil Hellmuth
Teddy Sheringham

Big Hands:

Hellmuth’s Day is Done

It was in a battle of the blinds that Phil Hellmuth lost most of his stack. Anthony Newman was the small blind and the Poker Brat was the big. We came in with the board showing 9 8 6 J 2. Newman bet 10,000 on the river and Hellmuth made the call only to see Newman flip over a pair of eights for a flopped set. Hellmuth raised his cards high in the air before mucking, so J-10 could clearly be seen, but then mucked.

He was left with just under 6,000 after the hand but it wasn’t long before he got the remainder in. Leo Margets bet 1,100 from early position and Hellmuth announced, “All in”. Margets made the call and showed pocket aces, while Hellmuth revealed pocket nines. The board fell 10 6 4 4 Q and Hellmuth hit the rail – just a few hours aftermaking his grand entrance to a live rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” accompanied by some Gaga lookalikes and a large brass band.

Boatman Bullies His Way

With 7,000 in the pot and a flop of 7 7 2 showing, Barny Boatman bets 4,000 from the small blind and then glances at Jonathan Aguiar who calls. The turn is the Q and both players check. The river is the J and Boatman bets 10,000. Aguiar mucks with a sigh and his stack falls to 40,300. Boatman currently has 63,000 in chips.

Jeffrey Lisandro Doubles Up

Scott Montgomery on the small blind bet enough chips to put Jeffrey Lisandro all in under the gun with a K Q 6 3 9 board sitting on the table. Lisandro made the call and he flipped over 3 3. Montgomery held K Q and he won the pot to double up to 47,000.

John Juanda Doubles Up

John Juanda reraised all in after Toby Lewis opened the action preflop. Lewis decided to make the call and the two players flipped over their cards:

Juanda: 9 7
Lewis: A 6

Board: 9 6 5 3 Q

Juanda won the hand to double up to 20,000 and Lewis fell to 19,000.

High Roller Heads-Up Report — First Match Drags

The £10,350 heads-up high roller event has reached the final match between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy from an initial field of 103. The winner will take home the top prize worth £288,409 and the runner-up will take home £178,211 and some deflated hopes.

First Match: Hansen has had the advantage for most of the first match in the heads-up final but Collopy continues to hang tough. In a hand after the first break Collopy bet 36,000 on a flop of A A 6 and Hansen raised to 83,000. Collopy made the call and the turn fell 7.

Collopy checked and Hansen bet 114,000. Collopy made the call after some deliberation and the river fell 2. Collopy checked, Hansen checked as well, and Collopy flipped over A 4. Collopy held 1.2 million after the hand and Hansen was still on top with 2.6 million. This last hand is a microcosm of the match thus far. It could be a long final if things get to the third game.

Here are the results so far for this event:

3: Ram Vaswani — £96,212
3: Andrew Feldman — £96,212
5: Daniel Negreanu — £47,045
5: Kevin Eyster — £47,045
5: Huck Seed — £47,045
5: Neil Channing — £47,045
9: Howard Lederer — £22,847
9: Martin Kabrhel — £22,847
9: McLean Karr — £22,847
9: Saar Wilf — £22,847
9: Andrew Robl — £22,847
9: Phil Ivey — £22,847
9: Marius Torbergson — £22,847
9: Sondre Svaniek — £22,847

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Barny Boatman,   Jonathan Aguiar

Level 20 Update: Down to a Dozen

Sep 27, '10

Blinds: 6,000-12,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 12 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Ronald Lee — 1,826,000
2. Dan Fleyshman — 1,777,000
3. James Bord — 1,609,000
4. Roland de Wolfe — 1,312,000
5. Fabrizio Baldassari — 1,010,000
6. Nicolas Levi — 786,000
7. Daniel Steinberg – 526,000
8. David Peters — 472,000
9. Andrew Pantling — 430,000
10. Brian Powell — 295,000
11. Marc Inizan — 264,000
12. Arnaud Mattern — 130,000

Average Chip Count: 692,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Marc Inizan Doubles Up

Dan Steinberg raised to 27,000 preflop from the cutoff and Marc Inizan reraised all in. Brian Powell made the call on the button and Steinberg mucked. Their cards:

Powell: A K
Inizan: A J

Board: J J 2 5 8

Inizan doubled up to 530,000 after the hand and Powell held less than 500,000.

Hoyt Corkins Eliminated in 15th Place (£42,454)

Hoyt Corkins raised to 35,000 preflop from the cutoff and Fabrizio Baldassari reraised to 102,000 on the button. Corkins reraised to 212,000 and then Baldassari moved all in. Corkins made the all-in call and the two players flipped over their cards:

Corkins: A Q
Baldassari: K K

Board: 10 4 2 Q 5

Corkins was eliminated on the hand in 15th place (£42,454) and Baldassari grew his stack to 1,010,000.

Clint Coffee (14th Place) and Barny Boatman (13th Place) Eliminated on the same Hand

Clint Coffee and Barny Boatman moved all in ahead of Roland de Wolfe preflop and he made the call, covering both of his opponents. Their cards:

De Wolfe: A A
Coffee: A J
Boatman: A K

Board: K 10 4 9 8

Coffee and Boatman were eliminated in 14th place and 13th place respectively and they each took home £42,454. De Wolfe rocketed his stack to 1,312,000 just before the break.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Barny Boatman,   Roland de Wolfe,   Brian Powell,   Marc Inizan,   Clint Coffee

Level 16 Update: Into the Dinner Break

Sep 26, '10

NOTE: The field is now on a 90-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 8:45 p.m. local time (12:45 p.m. PST).

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 28 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Andrew Pantling — 1,300,000
2. Phil Ivey — 699,000
3. Dan Fleyshman — 695,000
4. Nicolas Levi — 634,000
5. Bojan Gledovic — 605,000
6. Daniel Steinberg — 605,000
7. Arnaud Mattern — 480,000
8. David Peters — 442,000
9. Marc Inizan — 375,000
10. Ronald Lee — 367,000

Average Chip Count: 346,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

James Mitchell Eliminated in 31st Place (₤21,106)

James Mitchell moved all in on a flop of 7 4 2 and Marc Inizan made the call. Their cards:

Micthell: 9-9
Inizan: 10-10

Turn and River: 3 and 6

Mitchell was eliminated on the hand in 31st place and he will take home ₤21,106 in prize money.

Freddy Deeb Eliminated in 30th Place (₤21,106)

Roland de Wolfe raised preflop from the small blind and Freddy Deeb reraised all in from the big blind. De Wolfe made the call and they flipped over their cards:

De Wolfe: K 8
Deeb: 9 9

Board: Q J 10 A

De Wolfe made a Broadway straight on the turn and that brought an end to Deeb’s tournament in 30th place. He will take home ₤21,106 in prize money.

Boatman Gets Chatty

Ivey bets 12,500 from late position and Barny Boatman raises it to 37,500 from the hijack. Ivey calls and the flop comes J 10 7. Both players check and the turn is the Q. Ivey checks and Boatman bets 35,500. Ivey calls and the river is the 8. Ivey checks and Boatman moves all in. Ivey asks how much it is and the answer is 175,000. He sits back and contemplates the call. Boatman then turns to him and says, “Were you trap-checking me on the flop?” Straight away Ivey gets very animated and starts repeating the question – “Was I trap-checking you on the flop?” He’s almost laughing as he stares at Boatman to figure out if he’s playing mind games. After a few minutes he decides to pass and Boatman adds a good few more chips to his stack.

Bryn Kenney Eliminated in 29th Place (£21,106)

Bryn Kenney bets 13,000 from the cut-off and Phil Ivey makes it 40,000 from the small blind. Kenny pops it to 80,000 and after about 30 seconds Ivey quietly says, “I’m all in.” Kenney insta-calls and flips over K K. Ivey shows A 8 and the board is dealt 10 10 9 J A. Not only did Ivey hit his ace but it was a club giving him a flush. He adds about 170,000 to his stack.

De Wolfe and Blom at it Again

Coming in preflop but slightly late into the action. Viktor Blom bets 28,500 from the button and Roland de Wolfe makes it 65,000 from the small blind. There is about 21,000 in the middle. It comes back to Blom who takes some time to think. One of the other players then calls the clock and Blom asks, “Who called time?” The player leans forward, picks up his short stack and says, “I can’t handle the blinds going up.” “You show?” Blom says to de Wolfe. “I told you I’d show!” says de Wolfe. “Promise?” asks Blom and then folds. De Wolfe shows him pocket jacks and moves up to 245,000.

Blom bets 12,000 on a flop of 7 6 2. De Wolfe bends forward to try and see Blom’s hooded face, and then makes the call. The turn is the J and both players check. The river is the 3 and Blom bets 52,000. De Wolfe leans forward once again and takes a good hard look at him. Eventually, he calls and Blom shows 10 10. De Wolfe mucks and his stack moves back down again.

Player Tags: Barny Boatman,   Phil Ivey,   Roland de Wolfe,   Freddy Deeb,   Bryn Kenney,   James Mitchell,   Viktor Blom

Level 12 Update: Day 2 Ends

Sep 25, '10

NOTE: Day 2 has come to a close and the remaining field will return tomorrow at noon local time (4 a.m. PST). Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events. Tomorrow, the field will play down to the final 27 or through six levels, whichever comes first. Tomorrow will also feature the final game in the high roller heads-up final match between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy to decide who will take home the gold bracelet for event No. 4. The best-of-three match is tied 1-1.

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 66 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Viktor Blom — 443,200
2. Darren Woods — 442,300
3. Thomas Bichon — 372,500
4. Andrew Pantling — 316,000
5. Arnaud Mattern — 300,000
6. Phil Ivey — 289,300
7. Nick Schulman — 281,000
8. David Peters — 280,000
9. David Baker — 250,000
10. Nicolas Levi — 250,000

Average Chip Count: 157,272

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Baldwin
Phil Laak
Praz Bansi
Dag Palovic
Tony Cousineau

Big Hands:

Daniel Negreanu is Really Good at the WSOP Europe

Daniel Negreanu furthered his efforts to make a third WSOP Europe final table during the last level of the night. In a recent hand Negreanu checked a Q 8 3 K board and David Peters bet 15,700. Negreanu made the call and the river brought the J. Negreanu took the initiative this time and bet 45,000. Peter mucked and his stack dropped to 280,000. Negreanu held 156,000 after the hand, more than enough for him to make some moves with tomorrow.

Eric Baldwin Eliminated

The reigning Card Player Player of the Year, Eric Baldwin, has busted out of the tournament during the last level of the day. He opened a pot from the cutoff for 7,000 and Quinn Do reraised to 20,000 from the small blind. Baldwin moved all in and Do made the call. Their cards:

Baldwin: A 10
Do: 9 9

Board: Q 7 5 2 5

Baldwin lost the hand and Do grew his stack to 136,000.

Phil Laak Eliminated

Phil Laak was eliminated from the tournament when his A-K ran into pocket fours and there was no help on the board for the Unabomber. He still leaves London with his first gold bracelet. Making for a successful jump across the pond.

Praz Bansi Eliminated

Praz Bansi moved all in for 33,100 preflop and Remy Biechel made the call. Their cards:

Bansi: 9 9
Biechel: A Q

Board: Q 8 5 J K

Bansi was eliminated after the hand and Biechel held 130,000.

Arnaud Mattern Takes a Nice Pot off Barny Boatman

Barny Boatman raised to 5,100 under the gun and Arnaud Mattern reraised to 14,400 from middle position preflop. Boatman made the call and then both players checked a K 8 3 flop. The turn fell 7 and Boatman checked. Mattern bet 13,000 and Boatmn made the call. The river fell 8 and Boatman checked again. Mattern bet 26,000 and Boatman went into the tank. He eventually made the call but mucked his cards when Mattern revealed A K. Boatman dropped to 110,000 after the hand and Mattern held 300,000.

Quintessential Cousineau

Tony Cousineau was down to his final 14,000 when he decided to call a bet from Clint Coffee that was devised to put him all in. Cousineau was in the lead with pocket queens against the A-3 of Coffee, but the board brought a third ace and Cousineau was eliminated.

Player Tags: Tony Cousineau,   Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Laak,   Barny Boatman,   Quinn Do,   Eric Baldwin,   Arnaud Mattern,   Praz Bansi,   Remy Biechel

Level 5 Update: The Fall of Hellmuth

Sep 23, '10

Blinds: 200-400 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 99 out of 137 (unofficial)

Chip Counts:

Arnaud Mattern – 130,000
Nicolas Levi – 123,000
Faraz Jaka – 110,000
Pascal LeFrancois – 90,000
Ross Boatman – 85,000
Filippo Candio – 85,000
Leo Margets – 80,000
Rémy Biechel – 80,000
Almira Skripchenko – 76,000
Simon Persson – 74,000

Average Chip Count:

41,515

Notable Eliminations:

Phil Hellmuth
Teddy Sheringham

Big Hands:

Hellmuth’s Day is Done

It was in a battle of the blinds that Phil Hellmuth lost most of his stack. Anthony Newman was the small blind and the Poker Brat was the big. We came in with the board showing 9 8 6 J 2. Newman bet 10,000 on the river and Hellmuth made the call only to see Newman flip over a pair of eights for a flopped set. Hellmuth raised his cards high in the air before mucking, so J-10 could clearly be seen, but then mucked.

He was left with just under 6,000 after the hand but it wasn’t long before he got the remainder in. Leo Margets bet 1,100 from early position and Hellmuth announced, “All in”. Margets made the call and showed pocket aces, while Hellmuth revealed pocket nines. The board fell 10 6 4 4 Q and Hellmuth hit the rail – just a few hours aftermaking his grand entrance to a live rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” accompanied by some Gaga lookalikes and a large brass band.

Boatman Bullies His Way

With 7,000 in the pot and a flop of 7 7 2 showing, Barny Boatman bets 4,000 from the small blind and then glances at Jonathan Aguiar who calls. The turn is the Q and both players check. The river is the J and Boatman bets 10,000. Aguiar mucks with a sigh and his stack falls to 40,300. Boatman currently has 63,000 in chips.

Jeffrey Lisandro Doubles Up

Scott Montgomery on the small blind bet enough chips to put Jeffrey Lisandro all in under the gun with a K Q 6 3 9 board sitting on the table. Lisandro made the call and he flipped over 3 3. Montgomery held K Q and he won the pot to double up to 47,000.

John Juanda Doubles Up

John Juanda reraised all in after Toby Lewis opened the action preflop. Lewis decided to make the call and the two players flipped over their cards:

Juanda: 9 7
Lewis: A 6

Board: 9 6 5 3 Q

Juanda won the hand to double up to 20,000 and Lewis fell to 19,000.

High Roller Heads-Up Report — First Match Drags

The £10,350 heads-up high roller event has reached the final match between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy from an initial field of 103. The winner will take home the top prize worth £288,409 and the runner-up will take home £178,211 and some deflated hopes.

First Match: Hansen has had the advantage for most of the first match in the heads-up final but Collopy continues to hang tough. In a hand after the first break Collopy bet 36,000 on a flop of A A 6 and Hansen raised to 83,000. Collopy made the call and the turn fell 7.

Collopy checked and Hansen bet 114,000. Collopy made the call after some deliberation and the river fell 2. Collopy checked, Hansen checked as well, and Collopy flipped over A 4. Collopy held 1.2 million after the hand and Hansen was still on top with 2.6 million. This last hand is a microcosm of the match thus far. It could be a long final if things get to the third game.

Here are the results so far for this event:

3: Ram Vaswani — £96,212
3: Andrew Feldman — £96,212
5: Daniel Negreanu — £47,045
5: Kevin Eyster — £47,045
5: Huck Seed — £47,045
5: Neil Channing — £47,045
9: Howard Lederer — £22,847
9: Martin Kabrhel — £22,847
9: McLean Karr — £22,847
9: Saar Wilf — £22,847
9: Andrew Robl — £22,847
9: Phil Ivey — £22,847
9: Marius Torbergson — £22,847
9: Sondre Svaniek — £22,847

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Barny Boatman,   Jonathan Aguiar

Level 20 Update: Down to a Dozen

Sep 27, '10

Blinds: 6,000-12,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Remaining: 12 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Ronald Lee — 1,826,000
2. Dan Fleyshman — 1,777,000
3. James Bord — 1,609,000
4. Roland de Wolfe — 1,312,000
5. Fabrizio Baldassari — 1,010,000
6. Nicolas Levi — 786,000
7. Daniel Steinberg – 526,000
8. David Peters — 472,000
9. Andrew Pantling — 430,000
10. Brian Powell — 295,000
11. Marc Inizan — 264,000
12. Arnaud Mattern — 130,000

Average Chip Count: 692,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

Marc Inizan Doubles Up

Dan Steinberg raised to 27,000 preflop from the cutoff and Marc Inizan reraised all in. Brian Powell made the call on the button and Steinberg mucked. Their cards:

Powell: A K
Inizan: A J

Board: J J 2 5 8

Inizan doubled up to 530,000 after the hand and Powell held less than 500,000.

Hoyt Corkins Eliminated in 15th Place (£42,454)

Hoyt Corkins raised to 35,000 preflop from the cutoff and Fabrizio Baldassari reraised to 102,000 on the button. Corkins reraised to 212,000 and then Baldassari moved all in. Corkins made the all-in call and the two players flipped over their cards:

Corkins: A Q
Baldassari: K K

Board: 10 4 2 Q 5

Corkins was eliminated on the hand in 15th place (£42,454) and Baldassari grew his stack to 1,010,000.

Clint Coffee (14th Place) and Barny Boatman (13th Place) Eliminated on the same Hand

Clint Coffee and Barny Boatman moved all in ahead of Roland de Wolfe preflop and he made the call, covering both of his opponents. Their cards:

De Wolfe: A A
Coffee: A J
Boatman: A K

Board: K 10 4 9 8

Coffee and Boatman were eliminated in 14th place and 13th place respectively and they each took home £42,454. De Wolfe rocketed his stack to 1,312,000 just before the break.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Barny Boatman,   Roland de Wolfe,   Brian Powell,   Marc Inizan,   Clint Coffee

Level 16 Update: Into the Dinner Break

Sep 26, '10

NOTE: The field is now on a 90-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 8:45 p.m. local time (12:45 p.m. PST).

Blinds: 2,500-5,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 28 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Andrew Pantling — 1,300,000
2. Phil Ivey — 699,000
3. Dan Fleyshman — 695,000
4. Nicolas Levi — 634,000
5. Bojan Gledovic — 605,000
6. Daniel Steinberg — 605,000
7. Arnaud Mattern — 480,000
8. David Peters — 442,000
9. Marc Inizan — 375,000
10. Ronald Lee — 367,000

Average Chip Count: 346,000

Notable Cashes:

Big Hands:

James Mitchell Eliminated in 31st Place (₤21,106)

James Mitchell moved all in on a flop of 7 4 2 and Marc Inizan made the call. Their cards:

Micthell: 9-9
Inizan: 10-10

Turn and River: 3 and 6

Mitchell was eliminated on the hand in 31st place and he will take home ₤21,106 in prize money.

Freddy Deeb Eliminated in 30th Place (₤21,106)

Roland de Wolfe raised preflop from the small blind and Freddy Deeb reraised all in from the big blind. De Wolfe made the call and they flipped over their cards:

De Wolfe: K 8
Deeb: 9 9

Board: Q J 10 A

De Wolfe made a Broadway straight on the turn and that brought an end to Deeb’s tournament in 30th place. He will take home ₤21,106 in prize money.

Boatman Gets Chatty

Ivey bets 12,500 from late position and Barny Boatman raises it to 37,500 from the hijack. Ivey calls and the flop comes J 10 7. Both players check and the turn is the Q. Ivey checks and Boatman bets 35,500. Ivey calls and the river is the 8. Ivey checks and Boatman moves all in. Ivey asks how much it is and the answer is 175,000. He sits back and contemplates the call. Boatman then turns to him and says, “Were you trap-checking me on the flop?” Straight away Ivey gets very animated and starts repeating the question – “Was I trap-checking you on the flop?” He’s almost laughing as he stares at Boatman to figure out if he’s playing mind games. After a few minutes he decides to pass and Boatman adds a good few more chips to his stack.

Bryn Kenney Eliminated in 29th Place (£21,106)

Bryn Kenney bets 13,000 from the cut-off and Phil Ivey makes it 40,000 from the small blind. Kenny pops it to 80,000 and after about 30 seconds Ivey quietly says, “I’m all in.” Kenney insta-calls and flips over K K. Ivey shows A 8 and the board is dealt 10 10 9 J A. Not only did Ivey hit his ace but it was a club giving him a flush. He adds about 170,000 to his stack.

De Wolfe and Blom at it Again

Coming in preflop but slightly late into the action. Viktor Blom bets 28,500 from the button and Roland de Wolfe makes it 65,000 from the small blind. There is about 21,000 in the middle. It comes back to Blom who takes some time to think. One of the other players then calls the clock and Blom asks, “Who called time?” The player leans forward, picks up his short stack and says, “I can’t handle the blinds going up.” “You show?” Blom says to de Wolfe. “I told you I’d show!” says de Wolfe. “Promise?” asks Blom and then folds. De Wolfe shows him pocket jacks and moves up to 245,000.

Blom bets 12,000 on a flop of 7 6 2. De Wolfe bends forward to try and see Blom’s hooded face, and then makes the call. The turn is the J and both players check. The river is the 3 and Blom bets 52,000. De Wolfe leans forward once again and takes a good hard look at him. Eventually, he calls and Blom shows 10 10. De Wolfe mucks and his stack moves back down again.

Player Tags: Barny Boatman,   Phil Ivey,   Roland de Wolfe,   Freddy Deeb,   Bryn Kenney,   James Mitchell,   Viktor Blom

Level 12 Update: Day 2 Ends

Sep 25, '10

NOTE: Day 2 has come to a close and the remaining field will return tomorrow at noon local time (4 a.m. PST). Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s events. Tomorrow, the field will play down to the final 27 or through six levels, whichever comes first. Tomorrow will also feature the final game in the high roller heads-up final match between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy to decide who will take home the gold bracelet for event No. 4. The best-of-three match is tied 1-1.

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 66 of 346

Chip Counts:

1. Viktor Blom — 443,200
2. Darren Woods — 442,300
3. Thomas Bichon — 372,500
4. Andrew Pantling — 316,000
5. Arnaud Mattern — 300,000
6. Phil Ivey — 289,300
7. Nick Schulman — 281,000
8. David Peters — 280,000
9. David Baker — 250,000
10. Nicolas Levi — 250,000

Average Chip Count: 157,272

Notable Eliminations:

Eric Baldwin
Phil Laak
Praz Bansi
Dag Palovic
Tony Cousineau

Big Hands:

Daniel Negreanu is Really Good at the WSOP Europe

Daniel Negreanu furthered his efforts to make a third WSOP Europe final table during the last level of the night. In a recent hand Negreanu checked a Q 8 3 K board and David Peters bet 15,700. Negreanu made the call and the river brought the J. Negreanu took the initiative this time and bet 45,000. Peter mucked and his stack dropped to 280,000. Negreanu held 156,000 after the hand, more than enough for him to make some moves with tomorrow.

Eric Baldwin Eliminated

The reigning Card Player Player of the Year, Eric Baldwin, has busted out of the tournament during the last level of the day. He opened a pot from the cutoff for 7,000 and Quinn Do reraised to 20,000 from the small blind. Baldwin moved all in and Do made the call. Their cards:

Baldwin: A 10
Do: 9 9

Board: Q 7 5 2 5

Baldwin lost the hand and Do grew his stack to 136,000.

Phil Laak Eliminated

Phil Laak was eliminated from the tournament when his A-K ran into pocket fours and there was no help on the board for the Unabomber. He still leaves London with his first gold bracelet. Making for a successful jump across the pond.

Praz Bansi Eliminated

Praz Bansi moved all in for 33,100 preflop and Remy Biechel made the call. Their cards:

Bansi: 9 9
Biechel: A Q

Board: Q 8 5 J K

Bansi was eliminated after the hand and Biechel held 130,000.

Arnaud Mattern Takes a Nice Pot off Barny Boatman

Barny Boatman raised to 5,100 under the gun and Arnaud Mattern reraised to 14,400 from middle position preflop. Boatman made the call and then both players checked a K 8 3 flop. The turn fell 7 and Boatman checked. Mattern bet 13,000 and Boatmn made the call. The river fell 8 and Boatman checked again. Mattern bet 26,000 and Boatman went into the tank. He eventually made the call but mucked his cards when Mattern revealed A K. Boatman dropped to 110,000 after the hand and Mattern held 300,000.

Quintessential Cousineau

Tony Cousineau was down to his final 14,000 when he decided to call a bet from Clint Coffee that was devised to put him all in. Cousineau was in the lead with pocket queens against the A-3 of Coffee, but the board brought a third ace and Cousineau was eliminated.

Player Tags: Tony Cousineau,   Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Laak,   Barny Boatman,   Quinn Do,   Eric Baldwin,   Arnaud Mattern,   Praz Bansi,   Remy Biechel

Level 5 Update: The Fall of Hellmuth

Sep 23, '10

Blinds: 200-400 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 99 out of 137 (unofficial)

Chip Counts:

Arnaud Mattern – 130,000
Nicolas Levi – 123,000
Faraz Jaka – 110,000
Pascal LeFrancois – 90,000
Ross Boatman – 85,000
Filippo Candio – 85,000
Leo Margets – 80,000
Rémy Biechel – 80,000
Almira Skripchenko – 76,000
Simon Persson – 74,000

Average Chip Count:

41,515

Notable Eliminations:

Phil Hellmuth
Teddy Sheringham

Big Hands:

Hellmuth’s Day is Done

It was in a battle of the blinds that Phil Hellmuth lost most of his stack. Anthony Newman was the small blind and the Poker Brat was the big. We came in with the board showing 9 8 6 J 2. Newman bet 10,000 on the river and Hellmuth made the call only to see Newman flip over a pair of eights for a flopped set. Hellmuth raised his cards high in the air before mucking, so J-10 could clearly be seen, but then mucked.

He was left with just under 6,000 after the hand but it wasn’t long before he got the remainder in. Leo Margets bet 1,100 from early position and Hellmuth announced, “All in”. Margets made the call and showed pocket aces, while Hellmuth revealed pocket nines. The board fell 10 6 4 4 Q and Hellmuth hit the rail – just a few hours aftermaking his grand entrance to a live rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” accompanied by some Gaga lookalikes and a large brass band.

Boatman Bullies His Way

With 7,000 in the pot and a flop of 7 7 2 showing, Barny Boatman bets 4,000 from the small blind and then glances at Jonathan Aguiar who calls. The turn is the Q and both players check. The river is the J and Boatman bets 10,000. Aguiar mucks with a sigh and his stack falls to 40,300. Boatman currently has 63,000 in chips.

Jeffrey Lisandro Doubles Up

Scott Montgomery on the small blind bet enough chips to put Jeffrey Lisandro all in under the gun with a K Q 6 3 9 board sitting on the table. Lisandro made the call and he flipped over 3 3. Montgomery held K Q and he won the pot to double up to 47,000.

John Juanda Doubles Up

John Juanda reraised all in after Toby Lewis opened the action preflop. Lewis decided to make the call and the two players flipped over their cards:

Juanda: 9 7
Lewis: A 6

Board: 9 6 5 3 Q

Juanda won the hand to double up to 20,000 and Lewis fell to 19,000.

High Roller Heads-Up Report — First Match Drags

The £10,350 heads-up high roller event has reached the final match between Gus Hansen and Jim Collopy from an initial field of 103. The winner will take home the top prize worth £288,409 and the runner-up will take home £178,211 and some deflated hopes.

First Match: Hansen has had the advantage for most of the first match in the heads-up final but Collopy continues to hang tough. In a hand after the first break Collopy bet 36,000 on a flop of A A 6 and Hansen raised to 83,000. Collopy made the call and the turn fell 7.

Collopy checked and Hansen bet 114,000. Collopy made the call after some deliberation and the river fell 2. Collopy checked, Hansen checked as well, and Collopy flipped over A 4. Collopy held 1.2 million after the hand and Hansen was still on top with 2.6 million. This last hand is a microcosm of the match thus far. It could be a long final if things get to the third game.

Here are the results so far for this event:

3: Ram Vaswani — £96,212
3: Andrew Feldman — £96,212
5: Daniel Negreanu — £47,045
5: Kevin Eyster — £47,045
5: Huck Seed — £47,045
5: Neil Channing — £47,045
9: Howard Lederer — £22,847
9: Martin Kabrhel — £22,847
9: McLean Karr — £22,847
9: Saar Wilf — £22,847
9: Andrew Robl — £22,847
9: Phil Ivey — £22,847
9: Marius Torbergson — £22,847
9: Sondre Svaniek — £22,847

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Barny Boatman,   Jonathan Aguiar

Level 13 Hour Two Update: Boatman Ousted, Greenstein Doubles

Jul 13, '10

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

Players Remaining: 1,125 out of 7,319

Average Chip Count: 195,173

Card Player Chip Counts

Barry Shulman — 170,000
Adam Schoenfeld — 80,000
Jon Freidberg — 106,000
Shannon Shorr — 431,500
Tony Dunst — 400,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. James Carroll – 803,000
2. Imari Love – 741,100
3. Gerasimos Deres – 733,700
4. Filippo Candio – 727,300
5. Max Casal – 687,200
6. Arie Kilper – 666,200
7. Andrew Brown – 657,700
8. Johnny Lodden – 656,400
9. Johnny Chan – 636,000
10. Josh Brikis – 616,900

Notable Eliminations:

Barny Boatman
Matt Savage
Kathy Liebert

Big Hands:

Barny Boatman’s Day 4 Cut Short

On one of the first hands of the day, Barny Boatman moved all in for 54,800 after the flop had come down 842. One player called and then Chad Wutke reshoved for 120,000 more to isolate Boatman.

It worked as the other player mucked and Wutke tabled 99 for an overpair. Boatman tabled 65 for an inside straight draw.

The turn and river each added a queen to the board, bricking out for Boatman and he was eliminated early on.

Shorr-line Drive

Picking up the action after the board had run out 33243 a player was all in for 30,000.

Shannon Shorr was putting him at risk with pocket jacks and they held up against the ace-king of the all in player.

Shorr scored the knockout and he was at 431,500.

Duke Slips

Picking up the action after the flop came down QQ9, the cutoff fired 7,400 and Annie Duke made the call from the button.

The turn was the K and both players checked. The river was 8 and the action was checked to Duke. She bet 11,000 and the cutoff made the call.

Duke mucked as her opponent showed AK for two pair. She was down to about 140,000.

Schoenberg Folds to Aggression

The player under-the-gun raised to 7,500 and the player in the cutoff made the call. Erica Schoenberg was in the small blind and decided to make it an additional 16,000.

The under-the-gun player called and the cutoff tanked for two minutes before making the fold. The flop came 963 and Schoenberg led out for 26,500.

After just a few seconds, her opponent made it 65,500, which essentially put Schoenberg to a decision for her stack. Schoenberg took a few minutes before letting her hand go and she dropped to 70,000 in chips.

Greenstein Doubles

Barry Greenstein got all-in preflop and was a huge favorite for his tournament life.

Greenstein showed QQ and his opponent showed 99. The flop was huge for Greenstein as it came K8Q and Greenstein had his opponent drawing to runners.

The turn was the 9, which gave his opponent a lesser set, and one out going to the river. The river was the 4 and Greenstein doubled up to 158,000.

South’s Stack Moves South

Cole South raised to 5,500 and called a three-bet to 17,500 from the player on the button.

The flop came Q62 and both players checked. The turn was the 8 and South checked and called a bet of 25,000 from his opponent. The river was the J and both players checked again.

South showed pocket nines, but his opponent got there on the river when he showed the J9. South now has 457,000 in chips.

Cunningham Gets Rockets to Double

Allen Cunningham scored a double up when he got all-in preflop with AA and his opponent held AK.

The board ran out 103585 and Cunningham doubled up to 175,000.

Savage Eliminated

Vitaly Lunkin raised to 6,000 under-the-gun and Matt Savage moved all-in for his last 35,000. It folded to David Frazee on the button who moved all-in over the top and had Lunkin covered.

Lunkin went deep into the tank for quite a while. Eventually, after double checking his cards, he tossed his hand into the muck. Frazee and Savage went to showdown and Savage didn’t like what he saw.

Savage had AQ and was up against Frazee’s KK. The board came out 29562 and Savage was eliminated.

Shulman Drops A Big One

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read J839 and the player in seat 3 fired 36,000 into a pot holding over 70,000.

Barry Shulman threw in the call and the river was the Q. Seat 3 fired another bet, this one about 56,000. Shulman made the call as the ESPN cameras looked on.

Seat 3 tabled JJ for top set on the flop and Shulman simply mucked. He was down to 170,000 after the hand.

Tran Takes One Down

After the board ran out A9786, Theo Tran fired 25,500 into a pot holding about 70,000.

His opponent in seat 1 thought it over but then threw his hand in the muck, surrendering the pot to Tran.

Tran added to his stack with the win and he was at 195,000.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Barry Greenstein,   Allen Cunningham,   Barry Shulman,   Barny Boatman,   Shannon Shorr,   Theo Tran,   Erica Schoenberg,   Cole South

Level Three, Hour One: Brian Rast Eliminates a Player

Jul 07, '10

Blinds: 150-300

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Barny Boatman – 140,000
2. David Williams – 107,000
3. Johnny Chan – 80,000
4. Alex Outhred – 68,000
5. Robert Mizrachi – 67,000
6. Leo Margets – 64,300
7. Matt Woodward – 64,000
8. Kai Paulsen – 58,000
9. Carlos Mortensen – 57,600
10. Pieter de Korver – 55,500

Card Player Chip Counts:

Steve Murphy — 37,800
Christina Lindley — 45,500
Dani Stern — 40,000
Tony Dunst — 19,400

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands:

Brian Rast Eliminates a Player

A player moved all in for 4,450 on a board reading 9872. Brian Rast made the call. Rast tabled the QQ while his opponent exposed the Q10. Rast was fading a number of outs to eliminate his opponent. The J on the river filled one the draws for Rast’s opponent. Rast was down to 38,000 after the hand.

Kristy Gazes With the Knockout

Kristy Gazes got a short-stacked opponent all in preflop and showed QQ against her opponent’s AQ.

The flop ran 102K, giving her opponent a straight draw for more outs. The turn brought the 10 and only a jack or an ace on the river could save her opponent. Instead, the 4 came and Gazes held on for the knockout. She had around 34,000 after the hand.

Kling Looking Good, Chipping Up

Lauren Kling called a bet of 3,550 from her opponent on a flop of AJ7. Both players checked the 9 on the turn, and when the 10 landed on the river Kling’s opponent bet 6,000.

Kling raised to 17,000, sending her opponent into the tank for some time. He eventually folded and Kling saw her stack grow to around 50,000.

Boatman Soars Up The Leaderboard

Entering the action late, Barny Boatman called his opponent’s all in bet on a board of J84K2. Their hands:

Boatman: JJ
Opponent: KJ

Boatman raked a nice pot and is now one of the chip leaders on day 1c with 140,000.

Vicky Coren Eliminated by Big Slick

Vicky Coren got her short stack all in preflop against the player in seat 5. Their hands:

Coren: JJ
Opponent: AK

It was a coin flip situation, but the first card out wasn’t good for Coren. The flop came KQ9, pairing her opponent and leaving her in need of another jack or a ten for a straight. It wasn’t meant to be, as the 7 hit on the turn and the 3 completed the board, eliminating Coren.

Coren was unable to cash at the 2010 WSOP. Follow her on twitter.

Madsen Survives For The Moment

The player in seat 5 raised to 675 preflop and two players called from late position. The action was then on Jeff Madsen on the button and he moved all in for 6,700.
Seat 5 then reshoved to isolate Madsen and the other two callers mucked. Here were their hands:

Madsen: AK
Seat 5: AK

Both players had the same hand but Madsen needed to fade clubs. The board ran out 87254 and Madsen survived his all in with a chop. He was at 7,800 after the hand.

Pavilion Room Update

Jennifer Leigh Doubles Up

Jennifer Leigh was all in on a board of Q972. She was called by an opponent with the AQ for top pair. Leigh tabled the AA and was far ahead. The 9 on the river was safe and Leigh doubled to 44,000.

Player Tags: Kristy Gazes,   Barny Boatman,   Jeff Madsen,   Victoria Coren,   Lauren Kling

Level 13 Hour Two Update: Boatman Ousted, Greenstein Doubles

Jul 13, '10

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

Players Remaining: 1,125 out of 7,319

Average Chip Count: 195,173

Card Player Chip Counts

Barry Shulman — 170,000
Adam Schoenfeld — 80,000
Jon Freidberg — 106,000
Shannon Shorr — 431,500
Tony Dunst — 400,000

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. James Carroll – 803,000
2. Imari Love – 741,100
3. Gerasimos Deres – 733,700
4. Filippo Candio – 727,300
5. Max Casal – 687,200
6. Arie Kilper – 666,200
7. Andrew Brown – 657,700
8. Johnny Lodden – 656,400
9. Johnny Chan – 636,000
10. Josh Brikis – 616,900

Notable Eliminations:

Barny Boatman
Matt Savage
Kathy Liebert

Big Hands:

Barny Boatman’s Day 4 Cut Short

On one of the first hands of the day, Barny Boatman moved all in for 54,800 after the flop had come down 842. One player called and then Chad Wutke reshoved for 120,000 more to isolate Boatman.

It worked as the other player mucked and Wutke tabled 99 for an overpair. Boatman tabled 65 for an inside straight draw.

The turn and river each added a queen to the board, bricking out for Boatman and he was eliminated early on.

Shorr-line Drive

Picking up the action after the board had run out 33243 a player was all in for 30,000.

Shannon Shorr was putting him at risk with pocket jacks and they held up against the ace-king of the all in player.

Shorr scored the knockout and he was at 431,500.

Duke Slips

Picking up the action after the flop came down QQ9, the cutoff fired 7,400 and Annie Duke made the call from the button.

The turn was the K and both players checked. The river was 8 and the action was checked to Duke. She bet 11,000 and the cutoff made the call.

Duke mucked as her opponent showed AK for two pair. She was down to about 140,000.

Schoenberg Folds to Aggression

The player under-the-gun raised to 7,500 and the player in the cutoff made the call. Erica Schoenberg was in the small blind and decided to make it an additional 16,000.

The under-the-gun player called and the cutoff tanked for two minutes before making the fold. The flop came 963 and Schoenberg led out for 26,500.

After just a few seconds, her opponent made it 65,500, which essentially put Schoenberg to a decision for her stack. Schoenberg took a few minutes before letting her hand go and she dropped to 70,000 in chips.

Greenstein Doubles

Barry Greenstein got all-in preflop and was a huge favorite for his tournament life.

Greenstein showed QQ and his opponent showed 99. The flop was huge for Greenstein as it came K8Q and Greenstein had his opponent drawing to runners.

The turn was the 9, which gave his opponent a lesser set, and one out going to the river. The river was the 4 and Greenstein doubled up to 158,000.

South’s Stack Moves South

Cole South raised to 5,500 and called a three-bet to 17,500 from the player on the button.

The flop came Q62 and both players checked. The turn was the 8 and South checked and called a bet of 25,000 from his opponent. The river was the J and both players checked again.

South showed pocket nines, but his opponent got there on the river when he showed the J9. South now has 457,000 in chips.

Cunningham Gets Rockets to Double

Allen Cunningham scored a double up when he got all-in preflop with AA and his opponent held AK.

The board ran out 103585 and Cunningham doubled up to 175,000.

Savage Eliminated

Vitaly Lunkin raised to 6,000 under-the-gun and Matt Savage moved all-in for his last 35,000. It folded to David Frazee on the button who moved all-in over the top and had Lunkin covered.

Lunkin went deep into the tank for quite a while. Eventually, after double checking his cards, he tossed his hand into the muck. Frazee and Savage went to showdown and Savage didn’t like what he saw.

Savage had AQ and was up against Frazee’s KK. The board came out 29562 and Savage was eliminated.

Shulman Drops A Big One

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read J839 and the player in seat 3 fired 36,000 into a pot holding over 70,000.

Barry Shulman threw in the call and the river was the Q. Seat 3 fired another bet, this one about 56,000. Shulman made the call as the ESPN cameras looked on.

Seat 3 tabled JJ for top set on the flop and Shulman simply mucked. He was down to 170,000 after the hand.

Tran Takes One Down

After the board ran out A9786, Theo Tran fired 25,500 into a pot holding about 70,000.

His opponent in seat 1 thought it over but then threw his hand in the muck, surrendering the pot to Tran.

Tran added to his stack with the win and he was at 195,000.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Barry Greenstein,   Allen Cunningham,   Barry Shulman,   Barny Boatman,   Shannon Shorr,   Theo Tran,   Erica Schoenberg,   Cole South

Level Three, Hour One: Brian Rast Eliminates a Player

Jul 07, '10

Blinds: 150-300

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Barny Boatman – 140,000
2. David Williams – 107,000
3. Johnny Chan – 80,000
4. Alex Outhred – 68,000
5. Robert Mizrachi – 67,000
6. Leo Margets – 64,300
7. Matt Woodward – 64,000
8. Kai Paulsen – 58,000
9. Carlos Mortensen – 57,600
10. Pieter de Korver – 55,500

Card Player Chip Counts:

Steve Murphy — 37,800
Christina Lindley — 45,500
Dani Stern — 40,000
Tony Dunst — 19,400

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands:

Brian Rast Eliminates a Player

A player moved all in for 4,450 on a board reading 9872. Brian Rast made the call. Rast tabled the QQ while his opponent exposed the Q10. Rast was fading a number of outs to eliminate his opponent. The J on the river filled one the draws for Rast’s opponent. Rast was down to 38,000 after the hand.

Kristy Gazes With the Knockout

Kristy Gazes got a short-stacked opponent all in preflop and showed QQ against her opponent’s AQ.

The flop ran 102K, giving her opponent a straight draw for more outs. The turn brought the 10 and only a jack or an ace on the river could save her opponent. Instead, the 4 came and Gazes held on for the knockout. She had around 34,000 after the hand.

Kling Looking Good, Chipping Up

Lauren Kling called a bet of 3,550 from her opponent on a flop of AJ7. Both players checked the 9 on the turn, and when the 10 landed on the river Kling’s opponent bet 6,000.

Kling raised to 17,000, sending her opponent into the tank for some time. He eventually folded and Kling saw her stack grow to around 50,000.

Boatman Soars Up The Leaderboard

Entering the action late, Barny Boatman called his opponent’s all in bet on a board of J84K2. Their hands:

Boatman: JJ
Opponent: KJ

Boatman raked a nice pot and is now one of the chip leaders on day 1c with 140,000.

Vicky Coren Eliminated by Big Slick

Vicky Coren got her short stack all in preflop against the player in seat 5. Their hands:

Coren: JJ
Opponent: AK

It was a coin flip situation, but the first card out wasn’t good for Coren. The flop came KQ9, pairing her opponent and leaving her in need of another jack or a ten for a straight. It wasn’t meant to be, as the 7 hit on the turn and the 3 completed the board, eliminating Coren.

Coren was unable to cash at the 2010 WSOP. Follow her on twitter.

Madsen Survives For The Moment

The player in seat 5 raised to 675 preflop and two players called from late position. The action was then on Jeff Madsen on the button and he moved all in for 6,700.
Seat 5 then reshoved to isolate Madsen and the other two callers mucked. Here were their hands:

Madsen: AK
Seat 5: AK

Both players had the same hand but Madsen needed to fade clubs. The board ran out 87254 and Madsen survived his all in with a chop. He was at 7,800 after the hand.

Pavilion Room Update

Jennifer Leigh Doubles Up

Jennifer Leigh was all in on a board of Q972. She was called by an opponent with the AQ for top pair. Leigh tabled the AA and was far ahead. The 9 on the river was safe and Leigh doubled to 44,000.

Player Tags: Kristy Gazes,   Barny Boatman,   Jeff Madsen,   Victoria Coren,   Lauren Kling

Level 17: Dwan Rolling, Hellmuth Doubles

Jul 03, '10

Blinds: 2,500-5,000

Players Remaining: 44 out of 346

Average Chip Count: 235,909

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Tom Dwan – 660,000
2. Ludovic Lacay – 490,000
3. Shawn Hattem – 470,000
4. Phil Hellmuth – 430,000
5. Miguel Proulx – 392,000
6. Dmitry Stelmak – 380,000
7. Michael Binger – 380,000
8. Ville Mattila – 360,000
9. Jonathan Cantor – 340,000
10. John Racener – 330,000

Notable Eliminations:

Barny Boatman

Big Hands:

Dwan Sinks Boatman

Tom Dwan raised to 13,000 from under the gun and Barny Boatman made the call from the small blind. The flop came down JJ9 and both players checked.

The turn was the 8 and Boatman checked again. Dwan then fired 19,000 and Boatman shoved for 40,000. Dwan made the call and they turned over their hands.

Dwan: AQ104
Boatman: A973

Dwan had turned a straight while Boatman was drawing to the nut-flush. The river was the 5 and Boatman was eliminated. Dwan was at 590,000.

Ulliott Drops A Big Pot, Then Doubles

David Ulliott raised to 20,000 from the button and Daniel Harmetz repopped it from the small blind. Ulliott then moved all in and Harmetz made the call.

Ulliott: AA54
Harmetz: AKQJ

The board ran out J105Q6 and Harmetz turned broadway to double up and crack Ulliott’s aces. Ulliott was under 100,000 after taking that hit. He would later double up to 150,000.

Hellmuth Doubles Up, Cripples Akenhead

Phil Hellmuth limped in from the cutoff and James Akenhead called from the small blind. Julio Marines then popped it to 33,000 from the big blind and both opponents called.

The flop came down Q73 and all three players checked. The turn was the 9 and Akenhead led out with 130,000. Marines folded but Hellmuth moved all in and Akenhead called.

Hellmuth turned over KQJ9 for top two pair and draws to a straight and a flush. Akenhead turned over A1088 for a straight draw and a dead flush draw.

The river was the 10 and Hellmuth improved to a king-high straight to double up to 430,000. Akenhead was hurting with just 65,000

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Barny Boatman,   Tom Dwan

Barny Boatman Eliminated in 33rd Place ($40,855)

Apr 22, '09

Christian Harder raised to 58,000 under the gun and Andrew Lichtenberger made the call from middle position. Barny Boatman then moved all in and Harder mucked. Lichtenberger made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Licthenberger: KK
Boatman: 108

Board: AJ34A

Boatman was eliminated on the hand in 33rd place and he will take home $40,855 in prize money. Lichtenberger was up to 1,420,000 after the hand.






 

Player Tags: Barny Boatman,   Christian Harder,   Andrew Lichtenberger