Cyndy Violette Poker Tournament Updates

Level Three Update: Total Prize Pool Announced

Jul 10, '11

NOTE: The field is now on a 90-minute dinner break and they will return at 8:30 p.m.

NOTE: Levels are two hours in length and players are starting with 30,000 in chips. Registration will remain open until the end of the second level.

Players on Day 1D: Approximately 2,809

Blinds: 150-300

Notables Remaining:

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman — 26,000
Matt Matros — 36,000

Featured Poker Tweet — Jeff Shulman

Notables Eliminated This Level:

Bertrand Grospellier
Cyndy Violette
Micah Raskin
Alexander Kostritsyn
Thomas Marchese
Abe Mosseri
Melanie Weisner

Hands:

Prize Pool Announced!

There are 2,809 players in today’s field and that brings the total size of the 2011 main event field to 6,865. The total prize pool stands at 64,531,000 and the first-place prize is $8,711,956. The top 693 players will get prize money in the event. The full payout structure will be released later this evening.

Bertrand Grospellier Eliminated

Tony McCann raised to 1,000 preflop and Bertrand Grospellier reraised all in for 10,500. McCann made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Grospellier: A K
McCann: A A

Board: 9 6 4 2 7

Grospellier was eliminated on the hand.

Featured Poker Tweet — Shannon Elizabeth

Cyndy Violette Eliminated

The flop read 10 5 2 when UTG bet 600 and Cyndy Violette made the call. The turn fell K and UTG bet 600. Violette min-raised to 1,200 and her opponent made the call.

The river fell Q and UTG moved all in. Violette made the all-in call for 2,000 and she turned over 2 2. UTG held A J and Violette was eliminated on the hand.

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Cyndy Violette,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Shannon Elizabeth

Level Six Hour Two: Gavin Smith Eliminates a Player

Jul 10, '10

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 2,285 out of 7,319

Chip Counts:

1. Charles Alexandre Sylvestre — 260,000
2. Dave Sands — 233,000
3. Steve Billirakis — 233,000
4. Robert Miller — 212,500
5. Jason DeWitt — 191,300
6. Khamsy Nuanmanee — 182,000
7. Matt Keikoan — 175,000
8. Vanessa Rousso — 170,000
9. Filippo Candio — 167,000
10. Tristan Wade — 160,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Josh Brikis — 97,500
Mike Matusow — 12,700
Roy Winston — 15,000
Jennifer Harman — 34,025
Jeff Shulman – 42,675

Notable Eliminations:

Gavin Smith
Todd Brunson
John Phan

Big Hands:

Richey Chips Up With Set

Brett Richey was heads up when his opponent bet 2,500 on a flop of 1034. Richey called and his opponent checked when the K hit on the turn.

Richey bet 6,000 and his opponent made the call. On the 5 river his opponent checked and Richey bet big — 17,500. His opponent called and Richey turned over 33 for a flopped set.

His opponent mucked and Richey’s stack soared to 140,000.

Swick Knocked Out

Mike Swick of the UFC was down to his last 11,000 or so when he got all in preflop again the player in seat 1. Their hands:

Swick: AQ
Opponent: AK

Swick was trailing and the board ran 69656. His opponent’s king played and Swick was eliminated early in day 2b.

Andy Bloch Eliminated

With the board reading 10269 on the turn, John Moore led out for 4,100 from early position and Andy Bloch raised to 11,600.

After asking how much Bloch had behind, Moore made the call. The river was the 3 and Moore just moved Bloch all in. Bloch made the call and showed 99, giving him a set, but Moore showed A8, giving him the nut flush.

Bloch’s Series comes to a close. He finishes with three cashes, totaling over $100,000 and a couple of near misses deep in some events.

Violette Uses Some Aggression to Earn Chips

Cyndy Violette called a raise from the big blind and saw a flop of 423. Violette led out for 3,000 and was called by the preflop raiser.

The turn was the 9 and Violette bet 6,000, which got a call. The river was the A and she bet 3,000. The bet on the river was enough to win her the pot as her opponent mucked her hand and she increased her stack to 85,000.

Kassela Flushes Opponent

Frank Kassela got his opponent all-in on a flop of Q82. He had his opponent covered and was holding K9. His opponent was drawing dead when he tabled K9.

The turn was the 8 and the river was the 5, which was dealt as a formality before pushing the pot to Kassela. Kassela is up to 135,000 in chips.

Griffin Takes a Hit

Gavin Griffin called a raise of 1,250 from a player in middle position and the player in the cutoff raised to 4,200. The original raiser folded but Griffin raised to around 20,000, enough to put the cutoff player all in. He called. Their hands:

Griffin: 1010
Opponent: KK

Griffin was well behind and found no help on a board that ran 5QJ94. Griffin lost the pot and dropped to around 48,000 in chips.

Pavilion Room Coverage

Gavin Smith Eliminates a Player

Gavin Smith raised to 1300 from middle position and a player on the button move all in for about 13,000 total. Action was folded back to Smith. He insta-called with the AK and was ahead of the AQ of his opponent. The board ran out 10107K4[[suit:diamond] and Smith recorded the knockout. He was at around 100,000 after the hand.

Chris Ferguson Makes the Wrong Call

On a board of A4310 a player in middle position bet 3,500 and Chris Ferguson called. The river brought the 5 and Ferguson’s opponent bet 7,000 this time. Ferguson tanked before finally making the call. His opponent tabled the QJ for a flush and Ferguson mucked. He was at about 40,000 after the hand.

Johnny Lodden Eliminates a Player

Johnny Lodden opened the pot from middle position and a player to his left moved all in for 5,600 total. Lodden tanked before making the call with the K10. He was ahead against the QJ of his opponent. The board ran out 998A2 and Lodden took the pot. He was at 110,000 after the hand.

Ryan D’Angelo Gets Little Respect

On a flop of 865 a player in the small blind bet and Ryan D’Angelo raised. His opponent quickly called. The turn brought the 3 and D’Angelos opponent checked. D’Angelo bet 9,000 and his opponent check-raised to 24,000. D’angelo insta-mucked and his opponent exposed the 1010. D’Angelo vented his frustration after the hand.

Player Tags: Andy Bloch,   Gavin Smith,   Cyndy Violette,   Gavin Griffin,   Brett Richey,   Ryan D'Angelo,   Johnny Lodden,   Mike Swick

Level One, Hour Two Update: David Benyamine Starts Well

Jul 08, '10

Blinds: 50-100

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Kara Scott – 71,000
2. Brent Baldrey – 65,000
3. Corey Emery – 60,000
4. Alex Aram – 60,000
5. Steve Billirakis – 57,000
6. Aaron Gustavson – 48,000
7. Amanda Musumeci – 47,000
8. David Benyamine – 46,000
9. Bill Chen – 46,000
10. Phil Ivey – 45,700

Card Player Family Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 30,000
Jennifer Harman — 30,000
Steve Zolotow — 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Player Twitter Accounts

Phil Ivey
Doyle Brunson
Jeff Shulman
Bryan Micon
Jonathan Little
Cyndy Violette
Vanessa Rousso
Zachary Clark

Big Hands:

Phil Ivey Faces a Minimum Four-Bet

A player in the cutoff bet 250 and Phil Ivey raised to 800 total. The player in the small blind four-bet to 1,350 and it was folded to the cutoff. She folded and Ivey quickly called.

The flop came 9638 and action went check-check. The 8 fell on the turn and Ivey’s opponent bet 1,200. Ivey insta-called and the 10 landed on the river. The small blind checked and Ivey bet 4,300. Ivey’s opponent deliberated before eventually folding. Ivey was at 34,000 in chips after the hand.

Steve Billirakis Starting off Strong

On a board of 10937 was faced with a 6,000-chip bet. Billirakis called and the river brought the J. Billirakis led out for 4,000 and his opponent called. Billirakis tabled the J9 for two pair. His opponent mucked the KK. Billirakis was up to 54,000 after the hand.

David Benyamine Drops A Pot

David Benyamine raised to 300 preflop and the small blind made the call. The flop came down A63 and both players checked.

The turn was the 6 and the small blind led out with 500. Benyamine made the call and the river was the 8.

The small blind led out with 500 again and Benyamine decided to look him up. The small blind showed A7 for aces and sixes and Benyamine mucked. Despite dropping that pot, Benyamine was off to a strong start with close to 49,000 in chips.

Cindy Violette Takes One Down

Cyndy Violette raised to 300 and was called by two players. The flop came 9dKh5c and Violette bet 1,000 to force out her opponents. She had around 31,500 after the hand.

“This is Our Maaain Event Of The Evening”

Bruce Buffer raised to 350 from middle position and was called by JJ Lui on the button. The flop ran 782 and Buffer led for 525. Lui folded and Buffer chipped back up to around his starting stack of 30,000.

Joe Serock Takes One From Elizabeth

On a 3-way flop of A78 seat 2 checked and so did Joe Serock. Shannon Elizabeth bet 600 and seat 2 folded, but Serock called.

The 7 fell on the turn and Serock led for 1,800. Elizabeth called and the A fell on the river. Both players checked and Elizabeth mucked when she saw Serock’s Q7.

Serock was at around 39,000 after the hand, while Elizabeth dropped to around 23,000.

Hevad Khan Loses a Big One

Hevad Khan called a bet of 2,250 from seat 7 on a board of 599A. On the 6 river Khan checked and seat 7 fired 7,600. There was already a lot in the pot, and Khan tanked for a moment before electing to fold.

He had 26,000 after the hand.

Steve Dannenmann Run Over By Jacks

Steve Dannenmann bet 250 on a board of 36Q7 and was called by seat 1. The button then raised to 1,050 and Dannenmann called, while seat 1 got out of the way.

The K river was checked around and a stubborn moment left Dannenmann and the player on the button refusing to show their cards first. Finally Dannenmann showed 75 for a pair and the button showed JJ for a better pair. After the loss Dannenmann had around 28,000.

Kenny Tran Wins a Pot

Kenny Tran had the button and was tangled up in a pot versus a player in the cutoff. On a board of AK63 the action went check-check. The 8 fell on the river and the cutoff checked. Tran bet 4,000 and the cutoff tanked. He eventually made the call and Tran exposed the 72 for a flush. Tran’s opponent mucked and Tran raked in the pot. He was up to about the starting stack after the hand.

Mizzi Drops One

With 650 in the pot, the board read 10523. Sorel Mizzi fired 350 and the player in seat 9 made the call.

The river was the 3 and Mizzi checked. Seat 9 fired 1,575 and Mizzi threw away his hand. He was at 32,000 after the loss.

Ferguson Can’t Call

Chris Ferguson raised to 600 on the button and the player in seat 5 made the call from middle position. The flop came down 642 and seat 5 checked.

Ferguson fired 1,000 and seat 5 quickly check-raised to 2,000. Ferguson thought for a bit and made the call. The turn was the 4 and seat 5 checked again.

Ferguson thought for a little while longer and bet 3,000. Seat 5 called again and the river was the 10.

Seat 5 took the lead this time, firing 2,500 and Ferguson released his hand. Ferguson was down to 26,000 after dropping that pot.

Rousso Bluffs Off Half Her Stack

Picking up the action after the flop came down Q85, Vanessa Rousso led out with 3,500 and the player in seat 7 made the call.

The turn was the J and Rousso thought long before sliding out 7,000. Seat 7 then tanked and asked Rousso for a count. The rest of the players at the table left as the 20-minute break had begun.

Seat 7 eventually called and the river was the 9. Rousso played with her chips awhile but checked. Seat 7 checked behind and Rousso tabled AK for ace-high. Seat 7 tabled 87 for a pair of eights and a heart draw on the flop.

Rousso dropped a big pot before the break and she was down to 26,000 after starting the hand with close to 49,000.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   David Benyamine,   Cyndy Violette,   Phil Ivey,   Kenny Tran,   Joanne Liu,   Steve Billirakis,   Bruce Buffer,   Vanessa Rousso,   Steve Dannenmann,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Sorel Mizzi,   Hevad Khan,   Joseph Serock

Level Six Hour Two: Gavin Smith Eliminates a Player

Jul 10, '10

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 2,285 out of 7,319

Chip Counts:

1. Charles Alexandre Sylvestre — 260,000
2. Dave Sands — 233,000
3. Steve Billirakis — 233,000
4. Robert Miller — 212,500
5. Jason DeWitt — 191,300
6. Khamsy Nuanmanee — 182,000
7. Matt Keikoan — 175,000
8. Vanessa Rousso — 170,000
9. Filippo Candio — 167,000
10. Tristan Wade — 160,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Josh Brikis — 97,500
Mike Matusow — 12,700
Roy Winston — 15,000
Jennifer Harman — 34,025
Jeff Shulman – 42,675

Notable Eliminations:

Gavin Smith
Todd Brunson
John Phan

Big Hands:

Richey Chips Up With Set

Brett Richey was heads up when his opponent bet 2,500 on a flop of 1034. Richey called and his opponent checked when the K hit on the turn.

Richey bet 6,000 and his opponent made the call. On the 5 river his opponent checked and Richey bet big — 17,500. His opponent called and Richey turned over 33 for a flopped set.

His opponent mucked and Richey’s stack soared to 140,000.

Swick Knocked Out

Mike Swick of the UFC was down to his last 11,000 or so when he got all in preflop again the player in seat 1. Their hands:

Swick: AQ
Opponent: AK

Swick was trailing and the board ran 69656. His opponent’s king played and Swick was eliminated early in day 2b.

Andy Bloch Eliminated

With the board reading 10269 on the turn, John Moore led out for 4,100 from early position and Andy Bloch raised to 11,600.

After asking how much Bloch had behind, Moore made the call. The river was the 3 and Moore just moved Bloch all in. Bloch made the call and showed 99, giving him a set, but Moore showed A8, giving him the nut flush.

Bloch’s Series comes to a close. He finishes with three cashes, totaling over $100,000 and a couple of near misses deep in some events.

Violette Uses Some Aggression to Earn Chips

Cyndy Violette called a raise from the big blind and saw a flop of 423. Violette led out for 3,000 and was called by the preflop raiser.

The turn was the 9 and Violette bet 6,000, which got a call. The river was the A and she bet 3,000. The bet on the river was enough to win her the pot as her opponent mucked her hand and she increased her stack to 85,000.

Kassela Flushes Opponent

Frank Kassela got his opponent all-in on a flop of Q82. He had his opponent covered and was holding K9. His opponent was drawing dead when he tabled K9.

The turn was the 8 and the river was the 5, which was dealt as a formality before pushing the pot to Kassela. Kassela is up to 135,000 in chips.

Griffin Takes a Hit

Gavin Griffin called a raise of 1,250 from a player in middle position and the player in the cutoff raised to 4,200. The original raiser folded but Griffin raised to around 20,000, enough to put the cutoff player all in. He called. Their hands:

Griffin: 1010
Opponent: KK

Griffin was well behind and found no help on a board that ran 5QJ94. Griffin lost the pot and dropped to around 48,000 in chips.

Pavilion Room Coverage

Gavin Smith Eliminates a Player

Gavin Smith raised to 1300 from middle position and a player on the button move all in for about 13,000 total. Action was folded back to Smith. He insta-called with the AK and was ahead of the AQ of his opponent. The board ran out 10107K4[[suit:diamond] and Smith recorded the knockout. He was at around 100,000 after the hand.

Chris Ferguson Makes the Wrong Call

On a board of A4310 a player in middle position bet 3,500 and Chris Ferguson called. The river brought the 5 and Ferguson’s opponent bet 7,000 this time. Ferguson tanked before finally making the call. His opponent tabled the QJ for a flush and Ferguson mucked. He was at about 40,000 after the hand.

Johnny Lodden Eliminates a Player

Johnny Lodden opened the pot from middle position and a player to his left moved all in for 5,600 total. Lodden tanked before making the call with the K10. He was ahead against the QJ of his opponent. The board ran out 998A2 and Lodden took the pot. He was at 110,000 after the hand.

Ryan D’Angelo Gets Little Respect

On a flop of 865 a player in the small blind bet and Ryan D’Angelo raised. His opponent quickly called. The turn brought the 3 and D’Angelos opponent checked. D’Angelo bet 9,000 and his opponent check-raised to 24,000. D’angelo insta-mucked and his opponent exposed the 1010. D’Angelo vented his frustration after the hand.

Player Tags: Andy Bloch,   Gavin Smith,   Cyndy Violette,   Gavin Griffin,   Brett Richey,   Ryan D'Angelo,   Johnny Lodden,   Mike Swick

Level One, Hour Two Update: David Benyamine Starts Well

Jul 08, '10

Blinds: 50-100

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Kara Scott – 71,000
2. Brent Baldrey – 65,000
3. Corey Emery – 60,000
4. Alex Aram – 60,000
5. Steve Billirakis – 57,000
6. Aaron Gustavson – 48,000
7. Amanda Musumeci – 47,000
8. David Benyamine – 46,000
9. Bill Chen – 46,000
10. Phil Ivey – 45,700

Card Player Family Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 30,000
Jennifer Harman — 30,000
Steve Zolotow — 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Player Twitter Accounts

Phil Ivey
Doyle Brunson
Jeff Shulman
Bryan Micon
Jonathan Little
Cyndy Violette
Vanessa Rousso
Zachary Clark

Big Hands:

Phil Ivey Faces a Minimum Four-Bet

A player in the cutoff bet 250 and Phil Ivey raised to 800 total. The player in the small blind four-bet to 1,350 and it was folded to the cutoff. She folded and Ivey quickly called.

The flop came 9638 and action went check-check. The 8 fell on the turn and Ivey’s opponent bet 1,200. Ivey insta-called and the 10 landed on the river. The small blind checked and Ivey bet 4,300. Ivey’s opponent deliberated before eventually folding. Ivey was at 34,000 in chips after the hand.

Steve Billirakis Starting off Strong

On a board of 10937 was faced with a 6,000-chip bet. Billirakis called and the river brought the J. Billirakis led out for 4,000 and his opponent called. Billirakis tabled the J9 for two pair. His opponent mucked the KK. Billirakis was up to 54,000 after the hand.

David Benyamine Drops A Pot

David Benyamine raised to 300 preflop and the small blind made the call. The flop came down A63 and both players checked.

The turn was the 6 and the small blind led out with 500. Benyamine made the call and the river was the 8.

The small blind led out with 500 again and Benyamine decided to look him up. The small blind showed A7 for aces and sixes and Benyamine mucked. Despite dropping that pot, Benyamine was off to a strong start with close to 49,000 in chips.

Cindy Violette Takes One Down

Cyndy Violette raised to 300 and was called by two players. The flop came 9dKh5c and Violette bet 1,000 to force out her opponents. She had around 31,500 after the hand.

“This is Our Maaain Event Of The Evening”

Bruce Buffer raised to 350 from middle position and was called by JJ Lui on the button. The flop ran 782 and Buffer led for 525. Lui folded and Buffer chipped back up to around his starting stack of 30,000.

Joe Serock Takes One From Elizabeth

On a 3-way flop of A78 seat 2 checked and so did Joe Serock. Shannon Elizabeth bet 600 and seat 2 folded, but Serock called.

The 7 fell on the turn and Serock led for 1,800. Elizabeth called and the A fell on the river. Both players checked and Elizabeth mucked when she saw Serock’s Q7.

Serock was at around 39,000 after the hand, while Elizabeth dropped to around 23,000.

Hevad Khan Loses a Big One

Hevad Khan called a bet of 2,250 from seat 7 on a board of 599A. On the 6 river Khan checked and seat 7 fired 7,600. There was already a lot in the pot, and Khan tanked for a moment before electing to fold.

He had 26,000 after the hand.

Steve Dannenmann Run Over By Jacks

Steve Dannenmann bet 250 on a board of 36Q7 and was called by seat 1. The button then raised to 1,050 and Dannenmann called, while seat 1 got out of the way.

The K river was checked around and a stubborn moment left Dannenmann and the player on the button refusing to show their cards first. Finally Dannenmann showed 75 for a pair and the button showed JJ for a better pair. After the loss Dannenmann had around 28,000.

Kenny Tran Wins a Pot

Kenny Tran had the button and was tangled up in a pot versus a player in the cutoff. On a board of AK63 the action went check-check. The 8 fell on the river and the cutoff checked. Tran bet 4,000 and the cutoff tanked. He eventually made the call and Tran exposed the 72 for a flush. Tran’s opponent mucked and Tran raked in the pot. He was up to about the starting stack after the hand.

Mizzi Drops One

With 650 in the pot, the board read 10523. Sorel Mizzi fired 350 and the player in seat 9 made the call.

The river was the 3 and Mizzi checked. Seat 9 fired 1,575 and Mizzi threw away his hand. He was at 32,000 after the loss.

Ferguson Can’t Call

Chris Ferguson raised to 600 on the button and the player in seat 5 made the call from middle position. The flop came down 642 and seat 5 checked.

Ferguson fired 1,000 and seat 5 quickly check-raised to 2,000. Ferguson thought for a bit and made the call. The turn was the 4 and seat 5 checked again.

Ferguson thought for a little while longer and bet 3,000. Seat 5 called again and the river was the 10.

Seat 5 took the lead this time, firing 2,500 and Ferguson released his hand. Ferguson was down to 26,000 after dropping that pot.

Rousso Bluffs Off Half Her Stack

Picking up the action after the flop came down Q85, Vanessa Rousso led out with 3,500 and the player in seat 7 made the call.

The turn was the J and Rousso thought long before sliding out 7,000. Seat 7 then tanked and asked Rousso for a count. The rest of the players at the table left as the 20-minute break had begun.

Seat 7 eventually called and the river was the 9. Rousso played with her chips awhile but checked. Seat 7 checked behind and Rousso tabled AK for ace-high. Seat 7 tabled 87 for a pair of eights and a heart draw on the flop.

Rousso dropped a big pot before the break and she was down to 26,000 after starting the hand with close to 49,000.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   David Benyamine,   Cyndy Violette,   Phil Ivey,   Kenny Tran,   Joanne Liu,   Steve Billirakis,   Bruce Buffer,   Vanessa Rousso,   Steve Dannenmann,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Sorel Mizzi,   Hevad Khan,   Joseph Serock

Level 17: Money Bubble Time

Jun 25, '10

Flop Games: 5,000-10,000 blinds
Stud Games: 2,000 ante, 3,000 bring-in, 10,000-20,000 limits

Players Remaining: 23 out of 241

Average Chip Stack: 314,347

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Brandon Adams – 550,000
2. Marco Johnson – 500,000
3. Carlos Mortensen – 395,000
4. Brian Townsend – 395,000
5. Allen Kessler – 360,000
6. Richard Ashby – 360,000
7. Scott Fischman – 330,000
8. Marco Traniello – 325,000
9. Cuong Do – 325,000
10. Matt Glantz – 273,000

Notable Eliminations:

Annie Duke
Dario Alioto
John Racener
Cyndy Violette
Tommy Hang

Big Hands:

Razz

Annie Duke Eliminated

Annie Duke was responsible for the bring-in and Roman Yitzhaki raised. Duke called for her last 8,000 chips and she was at risk.

Duke had a pair of sixes up and when Yitzhaki turned over a 7-6 low, she mucked her hand and made her way toward the exit.

Johnson Disposes Of Dehkharghani

Ray Dehkharghani bet 10,000 on fourth street and Marco Johnson made the call. Dehkharghani bet 20,000 on fifth street and Johnson made the call. Johnson then took the lead on sixth street with 20,000 and Dehkharghani made the call with the rest of his chips.

Johnson ended up with an 8-7 low, good enough against Dehkharghani’s queen-low and he was eliminated.

Stud

Alioto Shown The Door

Picking up the action on fifth street, Dario Alioto and Scott Fischman were involved in a hand that ended with the rest of Alioto’s chips in the middle. Here is how their boards ran out:

Fischman: (777)8652
Alioto: (Q3J)A3Q5

Fischman hit the slot machine with three sevens to best Alioto’s two pair and he was eliminated. Fischman was at 330,000.

Omaha/8

Mosseri Lifts Some Off Glantz

Michael Chow raised from the cutoff and both Matt Glantz and Abe Mosseri made the call from the blinds. The flop came down QJ7. Glantz led out with 10,000 and raised it up to 20,000.

Chow got out of the way and Glantz made the call. Both players checked the 10 on the turn and the 9 fell on the river. Mosseri check-called 20,000 from Glantz.

Mosseri then showed AQJ8 for a straight to the queen. Glantz mucked and was down to 235,000 while Mosseri was at 170,000.

Hold’em

Cyndy Violette Bursts Bubble, But Chops 24th Place Money

Cyndy Violette moved all in under the gun against Roman Yitzhaki. Here were their cards:

Violette: AQ
Yitzhaki: 22

It was the classic race and the board ran out 653106 and the ducks held on. Violette finally burst the bubble but Tommy Hang was eliminated on the same hand so the two split the 24th place money.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Scott Fischman,   Cyndy Violette,   Abe Mosseri,   Ray Dehkharghani,   Matthew Glantz,   Roman Yitzhaki,   Dario Alioto,   Marco Johnson

Level 15: Mortensen New Chip Leader

Jun 24, '10

Flop Games: 3,000-6,000 blinds
Stud Games: 1,500 ante, 2,000 bring-in, 6,000-12,000 limits

Players Remaining: 41 out of 241

Average Chip Stack: 176,341

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Carlos Mortensen – 540,000
2. Brian Townsend – 411,000
3. Steve Billirakis – 333,000
4. Brandon Adams – 320,000
5. Todd Brunson – 300,000
6. Tommy Hang – 248,000
7. Ray Dehkharghani – 235,000
8. Marco Traniello – 230,000
9. Scott Seiver – 225,000
10. Robert Mizrachi – 221,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jordan Smith

Big Hands:

Stud

Alioto The Ladies Man

Picking up the action on fourth street, Dario Alioto bet 6,000 and Nick Schulman made the call. Alioto then bet 12,000 on fifth street and Schulman called again.

Both players checked on sixth and seventh and Alioto tabled QQQ. Schulman was showing 91078 but couldn’t find any help in his hole cards and mucked.

Alioto was at 140,000 while Schulman was at 106,000.

Razz

Violette Takes One

Richard Ashby completed to 6,000 and Cyndy Violette raised to 12,000. Ashby made the call and Violette fired 6,000 on fourth street. Ashby called once more and Violette led on fifth and sixth for 12,000 each time, despite pairing up on both streets.

Ashby called both bets before both players checked the river. Despite having two pair, Violette managed to make a 9-8 low and Ashby could not beat it. Ashby mucked and Violette took in the pot, improving to 160,000.

Brunson Hits 300k

Todd Brunson, Matt Glantz and Al Barbieri were all involved in a hand. Here is how their boards looked:

Brunson: (XXX)5-9-6-4
Glantz: (XX)5-K-mucked
Barbieri: (XXX)5-8-4-9

Brunson completed to 6,000 and both opponents called. On fourth street, Glantz led out with 6,000 and both opponents called. Barbieri led for 12,000 on fifth street and only Brunson stuck around. Brunson led for 12,000 on sixth street and Barbieri made the call.

On seventh, Brunson led out again for 12,000 and Barbieri released his hand, leaving himself with 50,000. Brunson took in the pot and was at 300,000.

Stud/8

Mortensen Takes The Chip Lead

Carlos Mortensen, Jordan Smith and Dario Alioto all got involved in a hand. Each player saw it to the river with chips going into the middle on every street.

Mortensen turned over a spade flush to go with an 8-7 low and both opponents mucked. Mortensen scooped the pot and he was at 540,000 which was good for the overall chip lead.

Smith was crippled and was eliminated later in the level.

Player Tags: Carlos Mortensen,   Todd Brunson,   Cyndy Violette,   Al Barbieri,   Richard Ashby,   Jordan Smith

Level 11: Negreanu Out

Jun 24, '10

Flop Games: 1,300-2,500 blinds
Stud Games: 500 ante, 700 bring-in, 2,500-5,000 limits

Players Remaining: 93 out of 241

Average Chip Stack: 77,742

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Carlos Mortensen – 175,000
2. Mikael Thuritz – 165,000
3. Steve Billirakis – 160,000
4. Al Barbieri – 159,000
5. Abe Mosseri – 142,000
6. Greg Raymer – 132,000
7. Robert Mizrachi – 130,000
8. Ray Dehkharghani – 130,000
9. John Racener – 128,000
10. Scotty Nguyen – 120,000

Notable Eliminations:

Daniel Negreanu

Big Hands:

Razz

Negreanu Eliminated

Daniel Negreanu was all in on fourth street against Chris Tryba. Here were their boards:

Negreanu: (9-8-Q)4-5-6-5
Tryba: J-9-9-2-3-A-8

Tryba made a 9-8-3 to defeat Negreanu’s 9-8-6 and he was eliminated.

Barbieri Bests Katchalov

Eugene Katchalov completed to 2,500 and Al Barbieri made the call. Katchalov led out on fourth street and fifth street with Barbieri calling him down.

Barbieri then fired 5,000 on sixth street with Katchalov making the call. Both players checked on seventh street and Barbieri tabled a 7-6 low and Katchalov mucked. Barbieri was at 159,000 while Katchalov was at 86,000

Omaha/8

Sorel Mizzi Doubles Up

Sorel Mizzi raised to 5,000 from under the gun and Cyndy Violette repopped to 7,500 from the small blind. Mizzi moved in for the last of his chips and Violette made the call.

Mizzi: AQ74
Violette: A862

The board ran out A6235 and Mizzi hit a wheel to scoop the pot and double to 22,000. Violette was at 11,000.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   Cyndy Violette,   Al Barbieri,   Eugene Katchalov,   Sorel Mizzi

Level 15: Players Survive By Chopping

Jun 07, '10

Blinds: Ante 1,500, Bring-In 2,000, 6,000-12,000 Limits

Players Remaining: 32 out of 170

Average Chip Count: 157,375

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Steve Zolotow – 278,000
2. John Juanda – 270,000
3. George Lind – 260,000
4. Sergey Altbregin – 260,000
5. Alexander Dovzhenko – 245,000
6. Christopher George – 235,000
7. Vladimir Schmelev – 220,000
8. Dario Minieri – 205,000
9. Blair Rodman – 200,000
10. Richard Ashby – 189,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jennifer Harman — 109,000
Phil Hellmuth — 82,000

Notable Eliminations:

Scott Clements

Player’s Twitter Accounts:

Cyndy Violette

Big Hands:

Violette Chops To Stay Alive

Brandon Adams had the bring-in and Cyndy Violette raised behind him. Erik Seidel and Toto Leonidas both joined the fun, making the call. When action got back to Adams he re-raised and everyone called, making it a sizable 4-way pot.

On 4th street Seidel checked to Leonidas who bet, Adams called and Violette raised the last of her chips in. Leonidas re-raised yet again and Seidel got out of the way but Adams called.

Leonidas bet on 5th street, and appeared to be slowing down on 6th street but check-raised Adams’ bet, and once again took over as the first better on the river. Adams made the call and they showed their hands.

Adams: (X-X)-271010-(X)
Violette: (25)-67K9-(4)
Leonidas: (X-X)-QJ6K-(X)

Leonidas showed two pair for the high half of the main pot, but Violette’s down cards showed the best low hand, earning her half the pot to stay alive with around 40,000 in chips.

Leonidas still had around 155,000 in chips and Adams had 140,000 after the hand.

Toto Chops For All His Chips

Picking up the action on seventh street, Brandon Adams bet 12,000 and Toto Leonidas made the call, putting himself all in.

Adams showed (A66)7772 for a full house.

Leonidas tabled (764)10854 for an 8-7 low, as his straight was nullified by Adams’ full house.

Both players chopped the pot and Adams was at 185,000 while Leonidas was at 110,000.

Seidel Chops With Harman To Stay Alive

Jennifer Harman bet 12,000 on fifth street and Erik Seidel made the call. Harman fired another bet of 12,000 on sixth street and Seidel called for the rest of his stack.

Harman was showing A853 while Seidel was showing 10532.

After the river, Harman’s hole cards were AK7 giving her a pair of aces with an 8-7 low. Seidel countered with 862 for an 8-6 low and half the pot.

He was at 54,000 while Harman was just around 70,000.

Player Tags: Erik Seidel,   Toto Leonidas,   Jennifer Harman,   Cyndy Violette,   Brandon Adams

Level 13: Minieri Wins Monster Pot

Jun 07, '10

Blinds: Ante 1,000, Bring-In 1,000, 4,000-8,000 Limits

Players Remaining: 46 out of 170

Average Chip Count: 110,869

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Vladimir Schmelev – 200,000
2. Richard Ashby – 157,000
3. Jason Mercier – 130,000
4. Dan Heimiller – 125,000
5. Matt Lefkowitz – 125,000
6. Robert Mizrachi – 106,000
7. Adam Roberts – 104,000
8. Max Pescatori – 103,000
9. Eli Elezra – 96,000
10. Pat Poels – 93,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jennifer Harman — 61,000
Phil Hellmuth — 112,000
Steve Zolotow — 57,000

Notable Eliminations:

Barry Shulman
Abe Mosseri
Nick Schulman
Mel Judah

Player’s Twitter Accounts:

Cyndy Violette

Big Hands:

Dario Minieri Wins Massive Pot

Cyndy Violette, Dario Minieri and the player in seat 7 tangled in a massive pot. All three players put in four bets on third street.

Dario Minieri then led on fourth street for 4,000 and was called by both players. Minieri led for 8,000 on fifth street and was called twice again.

On sixth street, Minieri bet 8,000. Seat 7 then raised to 16,000 and Violette made the call. Minieri reraised to 24,000 and both opponents called.

Minieri bet 8,000 on seventh and seat 7 made the call while Violette finally had enough and folded.

“Straight,” Minieri announced as he tabled a seven-high straight. His opponent mucked and Minieri took down a 176,000 chip pot. Minieri was at 195,000 after the hand while Violette was at 70,000. Seat 7 was at 168,000.

Abe Mosseri Ousted

Scott Clements led for 8,000 on fifth street and Abe Mosseri moved all in. Clements made the call and here is how their boards ran out.

Clements: (A3J)4567
Mosseri: (A8-X)9983

Clements made a seven-high straight while Mosseri’s two pair flew in the muck as he made his exit. Clements was around 110,000.

Barry Shulman Doubles Up, But Is Later Busted

Barry Shulman was all in on third street against the player in seat 7. Here is how their boards looked.

Shulman: (Q82)QJJ4
S7: (AJ-X)KJ10

Shulman made queens-up and doubled up to about 25,000. Unfortunately for Shulman, that stack would not last as he was eliminated later in the level.

Harman Scoops The Italian

Jennifer Harman bet on 4th street and was called by Dan Heimiller and Max Pescatori. Harman bet again on 5th street and Pescatori called, while Heimiller got out of the way. Pescatori again called Harman’s bet on 6th street, then led out on the river, a bet which Harman called. Their hands:

Heimiller: (X-X)-410K – (FOLD)
Pescatori: (A-7)-865Q-(X)
Harman: (A-Q)-Q845-(6)

Harman’s pair of queens took the high hand and her eight low bested Pescatori’s. She scooped the pot and saw her stack grow to 84,000, while Pescatori’s dropped to around 140,000.

Player Tags: Barry Shulman,   Cyndy Violette,   Abe Mosseri,   Scott Clements,   Dario Minieri

Level 9 Hour 2 Update: Wayans, Violette, Medic, Rajkumar Eliminated

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 1,486 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Amir Lehavot — 610,000
2. Troy Weber — 453,200
3. Dan Bilzerian — 439,500
4. Gabe Walls — 417,900
5. Franklin Grigsby — 369,000
6. John Hammer — 363,000
7. Phil Ivey — 325,000
8. Adam Latimer — 322,000
9. Andreas Altmeyer — 318,000
10. Mike Lesle — 305,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 220,000
Phil Hellmuth – 135,000
Lee Watkinson – 55,000
Adam Schoenfeld – 125,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 28,000
Thomas Keller – 120,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Notable Eliminations:

Marlon Wayans
Alex Kamberis
Nenad Medic
Cyndy Violette
Vivek Rajkumar

Big Hands:

Marlon Wayans Eliminated; Gets One-Outed

Marlon Wayans gets it all in before the flop and is called in one spot. Wayans has pocket kings, his opponent has pocket queens. The flop comes rags with two hearts. The turn is the A, and because Wayans holds the K, he only has one card to fade to double up and stay alive. The river is the Q, and unbelievably, his opponent gets there. Marlon Wayans is eliminated from the main event.

Alex Kamberis Eliminated

Alex Kamberis gets it all in before the flop and gets called by Leo Kam.

Kamberis: K10
Kam: KK

Board: Q107A5

Kamberis was dominated before the flop but managed to pair up his live card. The turn and river failed to help, and Alex Kamberis is eliminated from the tournament.

Cyndy Violette Eliminated

Cyndy Violette got all of her money in on the flop with two pair (queens and nines) against her opponent’s pocket kings. Her opponent spiked a third king on the turn, sending Violette home early in the last level of the night.

Kevin Saul Flops a Monster, Almost Doubles Up

A player at the table comes in for a raise and gets two callers Kevin Saul (button) and the big blind. The flop comes A75, and the original raiser shoves for 116,700. Saul has him covered by 8,000, and tanks for several minutes before making the call. Saul shows J3 for the made flush while his opponent turns over QQ for a pair, no draw. The turn and river are the 6 and the 2, no help for pocket queens as Saul nearly doubles up to just under 250,000 in chips.

Nenad Medic Eliminated

Nenad Medic got it all in for 7,000 on a flop of J84, and got called in two spots. The turn was the 10, the big blind moves all in for the side pot and is called by the third opponent.

Medic: 92
Big Blind: 104
Opponent: QQ

Medic turns an open-ended straight draw (minus two outs) and is up against two pair, a better flush draw and the nut gutshot. The river is the K and Nenad Medic hits the rail.

Noah Boeken Gets Doubled Through

The UTG player open-shoves with the short stack and Noah Boeken looks him up.

Boeken: A10
UTG: J9

Board: Q6697

Boeken gets a good flop, but his opponent pairs on the turn, and doubles through Boeken at the end of the night. Boeken is left with just over 150,000 after this hand.

Eastgate Makes A Strong Late-Night Run

Peter Eastgate was down to just 8 big blinds at one point this level, and now sits in six-figure territory thanks to a late-night fun for the defending champion.

Peter Eastgate gets it all in with 65 on a board of 10526 and is called by J10. The 6 hits the river and Eastgate doubles up here with a full house.

A few hands later and Eastgate covers an all in player with AK against his opponent’s KQ. The board comes A5368, giving Eastgate top pair on the flop and a flush on the turn.

Eastgate is up now to 100,000 in chips after this late-night run.

Vivek Rajkumar Eliminated; Aces Cracked

On a flop of J82, Vivek Rajkumar moves all in and gets one caller.

Rajkumar: AA
Opponent: J2

Rajkumar is out-flopped and will need some help to stay alive. The turn (7) and river (Q) offer no help to Rajkumar who is eliminated in the final minutes of the night.

Player Tags: Cyndy Violette,   Nenad Medic,   Kevin Saul,   Vivek Rajkumar,   Peter Eastgate,   Alexander Kamberis

Level 7 Update: Buss Doing Well

Jun 19, '09

Ante: 200
Low Card: 300
Completion: 1,000
Limits: 1,000-2,000

Players Remaining: 132 out of 164

Chip Counts:

1. Jeff Lisandro – 103,000
2. Josh Mountain – 78,000
3. Lyle Berman – 77,000
4. Dario Minieri – 76,000
5. Dutch Boyd – 72,000
6. Abe Mosseri – 68,000
7. Farzad Rouhani – 62,000
8. Jerry Buss – 62,000
9. David Benyamine – 61,000
10. Daniel Alaei – 59,000

Average Chip Count: 35,396

Notable Eliminations:

John Hanson
Andy Bloch
Jennifer Harman
Jason Mercier

Big Hands:

Violette Survives With A Chop

Chad Brown: X-X-6106Q
Cyndy Violette: X-X-2438

Picking up the action on sixth street, Chad Brown checked to Violette and she bet out 2,000. Brown then raised to 4,000 and Violette reraised to 5,500 and put herself all in. Brown called and turned over (K7) for a flush and Violette showed (A5) for the wheel. Both players started chopping up the chips before the river was even dealt. For the record, Brown received the J and Violette received the 6. Brown was around 30,000 while Violette was still rather short with 10,000.

Forrest Thrown Off The Buss

Ted Forrest: X-X-6KA
Jerry Buss: X-X-845

Picking up the action on fifth street, Jerry Buss bet 2,000 and Forrest made the call.

Ted Forrest: X-X-6KA8
Jerry Buss: X-X-8457

Buss bet another 2,000 and Forrest made the call again. The river was dealt and Buss bet 2,000 again. Forrest thought for a bit and elected to muck his hand. “You wanna see it?” Buss inquired. He then turned over (443) for a set of fours and an 8-low. “I couldn’t beat either of those hands,” Forrest said. Buss was at 70,000 and Forrest was down to 20,000.

Sober Time For Kid Poker

Daniel Negreanu has finished his beer and two mini water bottles have occupied the space the beers used to reside in. He was also involved in a hand with seat 7.

Negreanu: X-X-62
Seat 7: X-X-74

Negreanu bet 1,000 and his opponent raised to 2,000. Negreanu made the call.

Negreanu: X-X-628
Seat 7: X-X-748

Seat 7 bet 2,000 and Negreanu returned the favor from fourth street and repopped to 4,000. Seat 7 made the call.

Negreanu: X-X-628Q
Seat 7: X-X-7487

Seat 7 bet another 2,000 and Negreanu just called this time. The river was dealt and seat 7 bet 2,000 with a call from Negreanu. Seat 7 turned over (29A) for a pair of sevens and an 8-7 low. The pair was good for the high, but Negreanu took the low as he showed (235) for a pair of deuces and a superior 8-6 low. Negreanu was at 22,000 after the chop.

Player Tags: Jerry Buss,   Daniel Negreanu,   Ted Forrest,   Cyndy Violette

$1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low - Level Ten Recap

Jun 27, '08

Note: Players are on a 20-minute break.

Limits: 200 ante, 200 low card, 800-1,600 limits

Players Remaining: 88 of 544

Average Chip Stack: 18,500

Chip Counts:

Thomas Hunt III - 99,000
Hoang Ta - 72,000
Ben Tang - 45,000
Tim D'Alessandro - 43,000
Mike Hefer - 41,000
Debbie Burkhead - 32,000
Marvin Glusac - 31,000
Ryan Hughes - 31,000
Chris Bjorin - 28,000
George Markakis - 27,000

Eliminations:

David Plastik
Cyndy Violette

Hands and Storylines:

Johnston survives with low

Berry Johnson was all in on third street and a woman was all in on fourth street. Another player called with four spades and appeared to have a great chance at knocking both out. He hit his spade flush on fifth street, but Johnston held a low draw. The woman had a pair of queens and a flush draw, but couldn't do better than the flush already out there. Johnston hit his low on sixth street to chop the pot and finish the hand with 8,000 chips.

Violette knocked out

Cyndy Violette was eliminated when she ran into two opponents with a made low hand and pair of jacks. Violette had a chance at beating both hands, but couldn't catch any of her outs.

Hellmuth's boat bests Downing's set of aces

Phil Hellmuth raised T.J. on seventh street after calling on him down on the previous streets. Downing made the call with a set of aces he got on fifth street, but saw that Hellmuth had fives full of sevens to take down the pot. Downing, who is the poker room manager at Tuscany Casino, made his way to the rail after the hand.

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Cyndy Violette,   Berry Johnston,   TJ Downing

Traniello Scoops One

Jun 26, '08

Ante: 100
Bring In: 100
Completion: 400

Players Left: 184 of 544

Chip Leaders:

David Sklansky: 14,000
James Van Alstyne: 13,000
Tony Cousineau: 12,000
Al Barbieri: 12,000
Antanas "Tony G" Guoga: 11,000
Cyndy Violette: 11,000
Andre Boyer: 11,000
Berry Johnston: 10,000
Brett Jungblut: 9,600
Men Nguyen: 9,500

Average Stack: 8,870

Big Hands:

Traniello Scoops a Pot

Marco Traniello's opponent bet on every street and Traniello called him down. They showed their hands.

Traniello: 6489(788)
Opponent: 3263(AA2)

Traniello's set of 8s were good enough to scoop the pot off his opponent's two pair as there was no qualifying low hand.

Singer Grabs a Pot

David Singer raised to 800 and the player in seat 5 made the call. Their boards ran out like this.

Singer: JA58(JQ5)
Opponent: 2898(A510)

Singer bet on every street until the river where both players checked. Singer's pair of jacks topped his opponent's pair of 8s. There was no low hand and Singer scooped the pot to improve his stack to around 10,000.

Hellmuth and Violette Tangle

Phil Hellmuth raised to 800 with an A showing and Cyndy Violette made the call, showing a 2. Their boards then ran out like this.

Hellmuth: AQA6(554)
Violette: 26J6(875)

Hellmuth bet on every street and was called down by Violette, who announced she had and 8-low, much to the dismay of Hellmuth who had aces up. The players chopped the pot and Hellmuth was around 13,000.





 

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   David Singer,   Marco Traniello,   Cyndy Violette

Jesus In Need Of a Ressurection

Jun 26, '08

Ante: 25
Bring In: 25
Completion: 100

Entrants: 543 (Approx.)

Chip Leaders:

Bryan Micon: 6,900
Marco Traniello: 5,200
Stephane Clare: 5,000
Brett Jungblut: 4,600
Yuval Bronshtein: 4,500
Gregory Pappas: 4,400
Tim Vance: 4,150
Maureen Feduniak: 4,000
Sam Grizzle: 3,900
Al Barbieri: 3,800

Big Hands:

Jesus Walks... Into a Flush

Picking up the action on sixth street, Chris Ferguson called a bet by his opponent. On the river, his opponent bet and Ferguson called. Their hands were then turned up.

Ferguson: A895-(A-4-4)
Opponent: A723(--)

Ferguson's opponent had three hearts in the hole. The flush drowned Ferguson's two pair and he was down to around 2,800.

Bellande Survives

Jean-Robert Bellande limped into a four way pot showing 3.

Bellande: 37J5 (627)
Seat 4: 34J2 (36J)
Bellande took control of the betting on fourth, raising Seat 4's bet. He then played passively for the rest of the hand, calling Seat 4's bets on every consecutive street. After some confusion on seventh street as to who was supposed to act first, Bellande managed to get the rest of his chips in the middle only to chop up the pot with the low hand.

Violette Takes One Down

Cyndy Violette bet every street showing J7109 into one player in seat 5, showing 85QJ. Seat 5 continually called until seventh street, at which point he laid his hand down and surrendered the pot to Violette's continued pressure.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Cyndy Violette,   Jean-Robert Bellande

$1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low - Level Ten Recap

Jun 27, '08

Note: Players are on a 20-minute break.

Limits: 200 ante, 200 low card, 800-1,600 limits

Players Remaining: 88 of 544

Average Chip Stack: 18,500

Chip Counts:

Thomas Hunt III - 99,000
Hoang Ta - 72,000
Ben Tang - 45,000
Tim D'Alessandro - 43,000
Mike Hefer - 41,000
Debbie Burkhead - 32,000
Marvin Glusac - 31,000
Ryan Hughes - 31,000
Chris Bjorin - 28,000
George Markakis - 27,000

Eliminations:

David Plastik
Cyndy Violette

Hands and Storylines:

Johnston survives with low

Berry Johnson was all in on third street and a woman was all in on fourth street. Another player called with four spades and appeared to have a great chance at knocking both out. He hit his spade flush on fifth street, but Johnston held a low draw. The woman had a pair of queens and a flush draw, but couldn't do better than the flush already out there. Johnston hit his low on sixth street to chop the pot and finish the hand with 8,000 chips.

Violette knocked out

Cyndy Violette was eliminated when she ran into two opponents with a made low hand and pair of jacks. Violette had a chance at beating both hands, but couldn't catch any of her outs.

Hellmuth's boat bests Downing's set of aces

Phil Hellmuth raised T.J. on seventh street after calling on him down on the previous streets. Downing made the call with a set of aces he got on fifth street, but saw that Hellmuth had fives full of sevens to take down the pot. Downing, who is the poker room manager at Tuscany Casino, made his way to the rail after the hand.

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Cyndy Violette,   Berry Johnston,   TJ Downing

Traniello Scoops One

Jun 26, '08

Ante: 100
Bring In: 100
Completion: 400

Players Left: 184 of 544

Chip Leaders:

David Sklansky: 14,000
James Van Alstyne: 13,000
Tony Cousineau: 12,000
Al Barbieri: 12,000
Antanas "Tony G" Guoga: 11,000
Cyndy Violette: 11,000
Andre Boyer: 11,000
Berry Johnston: 10,000
Brett Jungblut: 9,600
Men Nguyen: 9,500

Average Stack: 8,870

Big Hands:

Traniello Scoops a Pot

Marco Traniello's opponent bet on every street and Traniello called him down. They showed their hands.

Traniello: 6489(788)
Opponent: 3263(AA2)

Traniello's set of 8s were good enough to scoop the pot off his opponent's two pair as there was no qualifying low hand.

Singer Grabs a Pot

David Singer raised to 800 and the player in seat 5 made the call. Their boards ran out like this.

Singer: JA58(JQ5)
Opponent: 2898(A510)

Singer bet on every street until the river where both players checked. Singer's pair of jacks topped his opponent's pair of 8s. There was no low hand and Singer scooped the pot to improve his stack to around 10,000.

Hellmuth and Violette Tangle

Phil Hellmuth raised to 800 with an A showing and Cyndy Violette made the call, showing a 2. Their boards then ran out like this.

Hellmuth: AQA6(554)
Violette: 26J6(875)

Hellmuth bet on every street and was called down by Violette, who announced she had and 8-low, much to the dismay of Hellmuth who had aces up. The players chopped the pot and Hellmuth was around 13,000.





 

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   David Singer,   Marco Traniello,   Cyndy Violette

Jesus In Need Of a Ressurection

Jun 26, '08

Ante: 25
Bring In: 25
Completion: 100

Entrants: 543 (Approx.)

Chip Leaders:

Bryan Micon: 6,900
Marco Traniello: 5,200
Stephane Clare: 5,000
Brett Jungblut: 4,600
Yuval Bronshtein: 4,500
Gregory Pappas: 4,400
Tim Vance: 4,150
Maureen Feduniak: 4,000
Sam Grizzle: 3,900
Al Barbieri: 3,800

Big Hands:

Jesus Walks... Into a Flush

Picking up the action on sixth street, Chris Ferguson called a bet by his opponent. On the river, his opponent bet and Ferguson called. Their hands were then turned up.

Ferguson: A895-(A-4-4)
Opponent: A723(--)

Ferguson's opponent had three hearts in the hole. The flush drowned Ferguson's two pair and he was down to around 2,800.

Bellande Survives

Jean-Robert Bellande limped into a four way pot showing 3.

Bellande: 37J5 (627)
Seat 4: 34J2 (36J)
Bellande took control of the betting on fourth, raising Seat 4's bet. He then played passively for the rest of the hand, calling Seat 4's bets on every consecutive street. After some confusion on seventh street as to who was supposed to act first, Bellande managed to get the rest of his chips in the middle only to chop up the pot with the low hand.

Violette Takes One Down

Cyndy Violette bet every street showing J7109 into one player in seat 5, showing 85QJ. Seat 5 continually called until seventh street, at which point he laid his hand down and surrendered the pot to Violette's continued pressure.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Cyndy Violette,   Jean-Robert Bellande

$5,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud 8/b - Day 2 - Level 17 Recap

Jun 18, '08

Limit: 5,000-10,000, 1,000 ante, 2,000 bring in

Players Left:  21 of 261

Chip Leaders:
Steve Sung - 410,000
Sebastian Ruthenberg - 310,000
Annie Duke – 185,000
Howard Lederer - 170,000
Marcel Luske - 160,000
Alessio Isaia - 145,000
William Kohler - 125,000
Aleaksandr Dzianisau – 125,000
Barry Greenstein - 110,000
Allen Cunningham – 110,000
Chris Ferguson - 100,000

Average Stack: 124,300

Eliminations:
22^nd – Doug Ganger
23^rd – Cyndy Violette
24^th – Hasan Habib

Big Hands and Storylines:

Cunning Call Saves Giang Chips

Allen Cunningham: A434
Chau Giang: A6Q8

We enter this hand on 5^th street where both players checked. Giang bet on 6^th street after getting another low card and Cunningham called. Then, on 7^th street, Cunningham bet out. Giang called, and Cunningham turned over (A)(4)(J) for a full house. Giang shows an ace-high flush and mucks his hand. Though Giang lost the post, his ability to simply call at the close of the hand saved him 10,000 in chips, or more than 10% of his stack of 82,000. Cunningham has run his stack up to 110,000.

Jesus Exacts Revenge on Ruthenberg

After a number of hands in which Sebastian Ruthenberg had gotten the better of him, including one monster pot, Chris Ferguson has finally taken a sizeable pot off of the German:

Ferguson: AJ6J
Ruthenberg: 8853

Ruthenberg bet out on 4^th street, having paired his 8, and Ferguson called. The action went bet-call again on 5^th street. Then on 6^th street Ferguson led out with his pair of jacks showing and was swiftly raised by Ruthenberg. Ferguson called and both players checked the river. Ferguson’s (7)(10)(A) was enough to scoop the pot with aces and jacks, and he added to his stack which now sits at 100,000. The hand put a very minor dent in Ruthenberg’s 310,000 chip stack.

Ruthenberg Reclaims Some, Busts Violette

Cyndy Violette was faced with a difficult decision on 7^th street. With her board reading 7AK8 and facing a bet that would put her all-in, she closely scrutinized Ruthenberg’s board: 10A96. Eventually, with so many chips committed, Violette made the call. Ruthenberg showed (3)(7)(4) for the ten-high flush and he scooped the pot. Violette’s run at a second World Series bracelet has been put to an end for now.

Ganger Busted

David Ganger found himself all-in against David Benyamine on 6^th street, hoping to double up or at least snatch half of the pot to stay alive. But when Benyamine showed (7)(4)355J, Ganger muttered, “I’m drawing dead.” With a naked pair of aces and no low draw, he was indeed drawing dead. Ganger will take home $11,040 for his two days of work.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Annie Duke,   Barry Greenstein,   Hasan Habib,   Allen Cunningham,   Howard Lederer,   David Benyamine,   Chau Giang,   Cyndy Violette,   Marcel Luske,   Steve Sung,   Sebastian Ruthenberg,   Aliaksandr Dzianisau,   Doug Ganger,   William Kohler,   Alessio Isaia,   European Report

$5,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud 8/b - Day 2 - Level 13 Recap

Jun 18, '08

Limit: 2,000-4,000, 500 ante, 500 bring in

Players Left:  56 of 261

Chip Leaders:
Robert Lauria - 132,000
Shahram "Shawn" Sheikhan - 110,000
Steve Sung - 107,000
David Benyamine - 106,000
Matt Grapenthien - 90,000
Jan Suchanek - 83,000
Tim Frazin - 80,000
Chris Ferguson - 78,000
Kirill Gerasimov - 75,000
Alessio Isaia - 72,000

Average Stack: 46,600

Eliminations:

Big Hands and Storylines:

Matusow Motivated

Annie Duke and Mike Matusow were having a lighthearted conversation about how if they could just stay at their table without it breaking for a few hours longer they could sneak into the money. Matusow then added, “I want to win.” He continued, “I just know that every year somebody wins 2 bracelets, and I want to be the one that does it.” He’ll need a bit of help to accomplish that goal though, as he has a below average stack of 35,000. Duke, with 28,000, is in need of some aid too.

Cunningham Scoops Rasmussen

Allen Cunningham just took a nice pot off of Thayer “thay3r” Rasmussen as his broadway straight took the high side of the pot and neither player could make a low:

Cunningham: J10KK
Rasmussen: 6397

Cunningham brought in with the J and called Rasmussen’s raise. On 4^th and 5^th streets Cunningham check-called, but on 6^th street, pairing his king, he bet out. Rasmussen called the bet and both players checked 7^th street. Cunningham showed (A)(J)Q) for a broadway straight (to go along with two pair) and Rasmussen mucked his hand. Cunningham is now at 57,000 while Rasmussen is left with only 15,000.

Everything Coming Up Roses for Violette

Cyndy Violette, who already has a World Series bracelet in Stud 8/b, just busted a very short-stacked opponent. They got their money all-in on 3^rd street. Though her opponent made a straight on 6^th street, Violette made aces full of fours on 7^th street to take down the entire pot and eliminate a player. Violette is sitting at about average with 50,000.

Kill Kirill

Barry Greenstein just won a small pot against Kirill Gerasimov. With Barry’s board reading 546, he fired out against Kirill’s AQJ on both 4^th and 5^th streets. Though Kirill called the first barrel, he laid his hand down following the second. Gerasimov still has the bigger stack though, his 75,000 is more than double Greenstein’s 34,000.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Annie Duke,   Barry Greenstein,   Matt Grapenthien,   Allen Cunningham,   Shawn Sheikhan,   David Benyamine,   Mike Matusow,   Cyndy Violette,   Kirill Gerasimov,   Steve Sung,   Jan Suchanek,   Thayer Rasmussen,   Tim Frazin,   Alessio Isaia

Event 33 - $5,000 World Championship Seven Stud Hi-Low 8OB - Benyamine Brings In, Brings Home Bacon

Jun 18, '08

Ante: 300
Bring In: 500
Limits: 1500-3000

Players Remaining: 64

Eliminations: Shannon Elizabeth, Thor Hansen

Chip Leaders:
Bob Lauria: 115,000
David Benyamine: 95,000
Steve Sung: 84,000
Chris Ferguson: 81,000
Marcel Luske: 77,000
Tim Frazin: 75,000
Robert Mizrachi; 69,000
Alessio Isaia: 68,000
Farzad Rouhani: 66,000
Vegard Nygaard: 65,000

Notable Hands:

Thor Hansen Eliminated

Thor Hansen completed showing 6, and was called by Cyndy Violette showing 8, and by seat 2, who showed K. The control of the betting action changed several times, with Thor betting on fourth, Cyndy taking the lead on fifth, and by sixth street, Thor was all in following a raise from seat 2.

Violette: 8768
Hansen: 64Q3
Seat 2: K233

On seventh, Violette shows A2Q for the low, and Seat 2 shows K29 for kings up, winning the high. Thor Hansen did not manage to make anything out of his hand, and was eliminated.

Matusow Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is

Mike Matusow led the betting action for the entire hand, firing on every street. He fired one last time on seventh, and rolled over his hand with a fist pump on the end: "Kings Full!" His opponent in seat 8 mucked his hand, muttering "I had no way of putting you on that hand."

Matusow: (KK) 7J6K(7)
Seat 8: x-x-489K-x

Matusow scooped the pot, and continued to avoid blowing up.

Benyamine Gets Big

Benyamine brought in with the 4, and Allen Cunningham completed, showing 9. Benyamine then made a raise, which Cunningham called. He called again on fourth, catching 2 after Benyamine paired with 4. On fifth, Cunningham hit the 7 while Benyamine hit another baby, the 3. This time Cunningham folded to the pressure, nodding knowingly when Benyamine flashed A5. Benyamine took the the pot down, building his stack to almost 100,000.

Professor Can't Get Paid

Howard Lederer brought in showing 4. His bet was completed by the player in seat 1, who then called Lederer's raise. Fourth street gave the professor 2 and his opponent J, and again Lederer took control of the betting. On fifth, seat 1 hit the K while the professor caught 6. Unfortunately for the Professor, seat 1 folded. Lederer showed A3.

Players are now on a one hour dinner break.

Player Tags: Allen Cunningham,   Howard Lederer,   David Benyamine,   Mike Matusow,   Cyndy Violette,   European Report

Event 33 - $5,000 World Championship Seven Stud Hi-Low 8OB - Star Studded Stud Field

Jun 17, '08

Ante: 25
Bring In: 25
Limits: 100-200

Players Remaining: 234

Stacked Tables:

Table #3: Kirill Gerasimov, Alex Kravchenko, Chad Brown, David Singer, Cyndy Violette

Table #2: Mike Sexton, Sirous Jamshidi, Phil Ivey

Table #10: Shannon Elizabeth, Allen Kessler, Robert Mizrachi

Notable Hands:

Brown Scoops

Chad Brown called a completion showing 2. He caught 6 on fourth street, and made the 100 bet when threeway action was checked to him. On fifth street he hit 5, and again action was checked to him. He made the large bet of 200, and was called only by Alex Kravchenko. Brown's sixth card was 2, and again he bet and was called by Kravchenko, who now showed 3738 and checked in the dark on seventh. Brown made the last bet on seventh, and Kravchenko made the call.

Brown showed two pair, sixes and twos, to win the high, and played A-2-4-5-6 for the low, scooping a nice pot early in the round.

Negreanu Chops

Daniel Negreanu brought in for 25 showing 6, and called a completion, seeing fourth street with two other players. He led out on fourth after hitting the 8 when action was checked to him and again on fifth when he hit 9. The bet/call pattern continued until seventh street, and the cards were showed down.
Negreanu: 6894A5K, playing A-4-5-6-8 for low, while his opponent made the high with a pair of jacks. They split the pot, and Negreanu returned to practicing his golf grip.

Kravchenko and Singer Chop Up Violette's Money

Alex Kravchenko, Cyndy Violette, and David Singer were all still involved in the hand on sixth street.

Singer: 2698
Violette: 7987
Kravchenko: 75Q7
Singer bet, Violette raised, Kravchenko called, Singer made it three bets, and both opponents called. On seventh street the cards were turned over, and Kravchenko showed buried kings (KK2) to win the high, while Singer showed A4 to complete his low. They chopped the pot, diving a profit composed of Cyndy's bets and the antes.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   David Singer,   Cyndy Violette,   Alexander Kravchenko