Kenny Tran - Live Updates

Level 9 Update -- Field Stands at 275

Oct 22, '09

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Left: 139 of 275 (Official)

Average Chip Count 118,705

Chip Leaders

Steve Gross — 405,000
Corwin Cole — 390,000
Chad Batista — 360,000
Jason Sommerville — 360,000
Chau Giang — 350,000
Mike Leah — 340,000
Markus Gonsalves — 320,000
Chino Rheem — 315,000
Justin Young — 290,000
Mark Seif — 270,000

Card Player Chip Counts

Mike Matusow — 210,000
Barry Shulman — 65,000
Jennifer Harman — Eliminated

Notable Eliminations:

Jennifer Harman
James Van Alstyne
Phil Hellmuth
Paul Wasicka
Hoyt Corkins
Isaac Haxton
Isaac Baron
Brian Rast
Beth Shak
Allen Cunningham
Nick Schulman
Men Nguyen
Matt Graham
Kenny Tran
Yevgeniy Timoshenko

Level Summary:

The official number of players in the tournament stands at 275 and the total prize pool is more than $4 million. The full payout structure has yet to be released, but it should be out soon.

There were 30 players that decided to skip the first day of play here at Bellagio enter the tournament on day 2. Two of the biggest names in the field that decided to take this approach have already busted out of the tournament. Phil Hellmuth entered the field during level 7, but before level 9 came to a close he was eliminated. Two hands where Hellmuth held A-K ultimately led to his demise. Both hands were coin flips and each time Hellmuth lost the flip. On Hellmuth’s final hand Dee Loung held pocket jacks to send him to the rail.

Kenny Tran jumped into play near the end of level 9 and he lasted only a few minutes after his stack was blinded down to 48,000. Tran moved all in preflop KQ and Steve Gross made the call with 77. The board fired out A22K7 and Tran was quickly eliminated by the full house of Gross. The hand took the chip stack of Gross up to 405,000, which is good for the chip lead with one level left on day 2.

One of the best hands of the level involved Justin Young. He opened a pot for a raise from early position and the button called. The flop fell 875 and Young led out for 6,500. His opponent made the call and the turn fell Q. Young bet 13,500 and the button called again. The river fell 2 and Young fired out 25,000. The button raised to 75,000 and Young went into the tank. He eventually made the call and his opponent instantly mucked. Young flipped over A10 as he collected the pot and grew his stack to 290,000.

Player Tags: Phil Hellmuth,   Justin Young,   Kenny Tran,   Lee Duong,   Steve Gross

Level 24 Hour 2 Update: Kenny Tran Eliminated

Jul 13, '09

NOTE: There was a 20-minute break after this level and play will commence at 10:50 p.m. PDT.

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Remaining: 82 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Darvin Moon – 7,500,000
2. Antonio Esfandiari – 5,600,000
3. Antoine Saout – 5,430,000
4. Ludovic Lacay – 5,200,000
5. Charlie Elias – 4,750,0005.
6. Tommy Vedes – 4,550,000
7. Billy Kopp – 4,500,000
8. Jeff Duvall – 4,410,000
9. Steve Begleiter – 4,400,000
10. Eugene Kathchalov – 4,200,000

Average Chip Count: 2,375,853

Card Player Chip Count:

Jeff Shulman – 3,750,000

- Shulman continues to hold steady above the 3.5 million mark. His stack is currently in 11th place.

Notable Eliminations:

86. Kenny Tran – $57,991

Chip Movers and Shakers

- Benjamin Jensen jumped his stack to 2.4 million in a hand where he made trip aces against Fabrice Soulier. Soulier was knocked down to 2.17 million.

- Adam Bilzerian grew his stack to 2.66 million when he snapped up a pot that was over 800,000 against Tom Schneider. Bilzerian bet 550,000 on a Q-Q-5 flop and Schneider mucked. Schneider was down to 1.135 million after the hand.

- Ludovic Lacay held strong near 5.2 million, thanks to his pocket tens making a straight on the river to match the Broadway straight of Craig Boyd (A-10) on a K-Q-J-2-A board. Boyd held 2.6 million after the hand.

Big Hands

Blair Rodman Doubles Up

Phil Ivey raised to 80,000 and Blair Rodman shoved all in for 362,000 total. Action was folded back around to Ivey who made the call. Ivey exposed the A9 while Rodman exposed the 88. The board ran out K10462, as Rodman’s eights held up. Rodman is still short with 780,000.

Dennis Phillips Wins Million Chip Pot

Thai Tran raised preflop to 70,000 and Dennis Phillips reraised to 180,000. Steve Sanders made the call and action was back to Tran. He didn’t just call, instead he put out a raise to 605,000. Action was back to Phillips, who went into the tank and eventually announced all in for 1,900,000 total. Sanders quickly folded and Tran went into the tank before mucking. Phillips collected the million chip pot without having to see a flop. Phillips is now at 3,000,000.

Kenny Tran Eliminated 86th Place ($57,991)

With less than 500,000 Kenny Tran chose to move all in with the A5 and was called by the 88 of Joseph Cada. The board offered no salvation as it ran out 43396. Cada is at 2,580,000.

Darvin Moon Wins Monster Pot

Darvin Moon limped from early position and Chris Bach raised to 175,000. Jamie Brown reraised to 375,000 from the button. Moon limped in with a huge hand and made it 1,000,000 to go. Bach folded and Brown thought for awhile before going all in with his last 1,400,000. Moon snap called and exposed the AA. Brown tabled the dominated KK. The board ran out 653J8 as Brown received no help and was eliminated from the main event. Moon is at 7,500,000 and the chip leader.

Antonio Esfandiari Eliminates Opponent

Antonio Esfandiari raised preflop and was repopped by Wesley Ismay. Esfandiari made the call and both players saw a flop of 755. Esfandiari bet 400,000 and Ismay called. The K hit the turn and Esfandiari once again bet out, this time for 700,000. Ismay reraised all in for 2,000,000 total. Esfandiari made the call and exposed the AK and had his opponent’s Q-9 drawing dead. The meaningless 6 fell on the river and Esfandiari is now at 5,600,000.

Joe Sebok Doubles Up Again

Billy Kopp raised 80,000 in middle position and Joe Sebok moved all in for 301,000 from the button. Action was folded back to Kopp who made the call. Kopp exposed the Q7 while Sebok tabled the 99. The board ran out 107435 and Sebok survived the double up. He is at 680,000 while Kopp is down to 4,100,000.

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Blair Rodman,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Kenny Tran,   Joe Sebok,   Dennis Phillips,   Ludovic Lacay

Level 24 Hour 1 Update: Phil Ivey Surging

Jul 13, '09

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Remaining: 91 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Ludovic Lacay – 5,650,000
2. Darvin Moon – 5,550,000
3. Antoine Saout – 5,281,000
4. Eugene Kathchalov – 5,200,000
5. Charlie Elias – 4,750,000
6. Steve Begleiter – 4,720,000
7. Billy Kopp – 4,500,000
8. Tommy Vedes – 4,400,000
9. Wesley Ismay – 4,000,000
10. Jeff Shulman – 3,700,000

Average Chip Count: 1,928,911

Card Player Chip Movement:

Jeff Shulman has been moved to a new table with Tom Schneider and Ludovic Lacay both on his left. He has held steady during the last hour.

Notable Eliminations:

98. Hac Dang – $47,003
96. Noah Boeken – 47,003

Chip Movers and Shakers

- Kasper Cordes was eliminated when his A-K ran into the pocket eights of Scott Cook, which had made top set when Cordes moved the last of his chips into the middle.

- Jonathan Tamayo used pocket aces to grow his stack to more than 3 million.

- Dennis Phillips picked up more than 300,000 to grow his stack to just over 2 million.

Big Hands

Kenny Tran Doubles Up

The short stack of Kenny Tran moved all in preflop with the 66 and was called by the A9 of Grayson Ramage. The flop came A64, giving Tran a set and putting him way out in front. The J hit the turn and the 7 fell on the river, doubling him up to just 500,000.

Phil Ivey Eliminates Hac Dang

Hac Dang raised to 80,000 preflop and action was folded around to Phil Ivey who reraised to 260,000. Dang decided to move all in for 620,000 total and Ivey made the quick call. Dang exposed the QQ and was dominating the JJ of Ivey. The flop seemed like destiny for Ivey as it came J94, putting him way out in front with his top set. The 5 on the turn put Dang in danger of being eliminated by perhaps the best player left in the tournament. The 7 fell on the river and Ivey knocked out Dang, bringing his stack up to 3,260,000.

Ludovic Lacay Hits Miracle, Wins Huge Double Up

Hamid Nourafchan raised 100,000 preflop from middle position. Action was folded to Ludovic Lacay in the big blind. He made it 350,000 total and Nourafchan quickly moved all in. Lacay made the call for the rest of his 2,800,000 chip stack. Lacay tabled the KK, but Nourafchan exposed the AA. Lacay needed to get lucky but had to listen to the fact that someone else at the table folded a king. The flop came JJ5, and Lacay needed massive help. The 4 hit the turn and Lacay was down to the case king in the deck. The miracle hit as the K fell, doubling him up to a massive 5,650,000. Nourafchan would have had a massive chip lead but is now down to 2,400,000.

Eugene Katchalov Eliminates Opponent

Bernhard Perner went all in for 295,000 under the gun and Eugene Katchalov went into the tank from early position. He eventually made the call and tabled the AJ and was behind against the AK of Perner. The flop came A99, offering some split possibilities for Katchalov. The 5 hit the turn and Perner needed to dodge just one more card to double up. However, the J on the river sent him to the rail and saw Katchalov’s stack soar to 5.2 million.

Joe Sebock Doubles Up

Joe Sebock moved all in preflop for 154,000 and was called by Frank Rusnak on the button. Sebock exposed the 55 and was up against the AQ of his opponent. The board ran out 88739 and Sebock is up to 393,000.

Noah Boeken Eliminated

After a flop of 1052, Noah Boeken checked and Kevin Schaffel checked. Hung Pham was next to act and he threw out a bet of 190,000 Boeken thought about it for awhile and then moved all in to put his tournament at risk. Action was back on Schaffel who made the fold. Pham made the quick call. Pham exposed the 1010, as Boeken saw his opponent had a set against his 56. Needing a heart to stay alive or runner-runner quads, Boeken was dismayed when the 8 hit the turn. The Q on the river ended his hopes and he was sent to the rail. Pham is now at 3,250,000.

CardPlayer TV: Eugene Katchalov

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Phil Ivey,   Kenny Tran,   Eugene Katchalov,   Joe Sebok,   Ludovic Lacay

Level 18 Hour 1 Update: Schneider And Hinkle Score Early Knockouts

Jul 12, '09

Blinds: 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 372 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Matt Affleck – 2,100,000
2. Blair Hinkle – 2,000,000
3. Ben Lamb – 2,000,000506
4. Kevin Schaffel – 1,760,000
5. Berhard Perner – 1,675,000
6. Ludovic Lacay – 1,608,000
7. Tom Lutz – 1,600,000
8. James Akenhead – 1,572,000
9. Charlie Elias – 1,540,000
10. Miika Puumalainen – 1,492,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 314,000

Average Chip Count: 506,026

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Kimber
Thor Hansen
C.K. Hua

Big Hands:

Schneider Eliminates Burt With Big Slick

Tom Schneider and Keith Burt got all of their money in preflop and their hands were turned over. Schneider held AK and Burt showed 97.

The board ran out 52226, leaving Burt with just nine-high and giving Schneider the pot. Burt is eliminated from the tournament, while Schneider’s stack is increased to 950,000.

Sebok’s Bluff Picked Off

Hieu Luu raised to 20,000 preflop and was called by Joe Sebok from the small blind. The flop was 533 and Sebok checked. Luu fired 30,000 which was called by Sebok.

The turn was the 8 and both players checked. The 9 fell on the river and Sebok bet 70,000 and was called by Luu. Sebok showed A10 and Luu turned over pocket tens to take the pot.

Blair Hinkle Doubles One Opponent Up, Makes A Profit Anyway

Oliver Klatt moved all in preflop and the action folded to Isidro Martinez. He moved all in having Klatt covered and the action was on Blair Hinkle. He then came over the top for all of his chips, having both men covered. Everyone else mucked and the hands were turned up.

Martinez: QQ
Hinkle: KK
Klatt: 99

Hinkle was in great position to score a double knockout, but the flop came down J94, giving Klatt a set of nines. The turn was the A and the river was the J, scoring a triple up for Klatt. However, he only had 125,000 total, leaving a small dent in Hinkle’s stack. Hinkle won the side pot against Martinez and after all the chips were counted, Hinkle made a profit out of the deal, his chips around 2 million.

Benyamine Takes A Big Pot

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read 9336 and Sarne Lightman fired 150,000 into a pot of over 225,000. David Benyamine took a few seconds to count out his stack, then moved all in for 135,000 more.

Lightman then took a tank session of his own and decided to muck his hand, surrendering the large pot to Benyamine. Benyamine was around 680,000.

Kenny Tran Gets Bluffed

Kenny Tran raised to 23,000 from early position and was three-bet by a player in late position to 100,000. Tran went into the tank for several minutes before making the call.

The flop came J49 and Tran checked to his opponent. His opponent didn’t make any movements and was just staring around the room, until the dealer informed him that Tran had checked and the player decided to go all in. Tran fairly quickly folded and folded pocket queens face up. To his dismay, his opponent turned over A10, for just ace-high.

Phillips Knocks Out Mighty Thor

Dennis Phillips and Thor Hansen got all of their chips into the middle preflop and Phillips had the best of it when he turned over AK against Hansen’s KQ.

Hansen said he was good with the ladies, but his mojo was a little low today as the board ran out 75675, keeping Phillips’ big slick in the lead and eliminating a tough opponent from the tournament.

Player Tags: Thor Hansen,   David Benyamine,   Tom Schneider,   Kenny Tran,   Joe Sebok,   Blair Hinkle

Level 24 Hour 2 Update: Kenny Tran Eliminated

Jul 13, '09

NOTE: There was a 20-minute break after this level and play will commence at 10:50 p.m. PDT.

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Remaining: 82 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Darvin Moon – 7,500,000
2. Antonio Esfandiari – 5,600,000
3. Antoine Saout – 5,430,000
4. Ludovic Lacay – 5,200,000
5. Charlie Elias – 4,750,0005.
6. Tommy Vedes – 4,550,000
7. Billy Kopp – 4,500,000
8. Jeff Duvall – 4,410,000
9. Steve Begleiter – 4,400,000
10. Eugene Kathchalov – 4,200,000

Average Chip Count: 2,375,853

Card Player Chip Count:

Jeff Shulman – 3,750,000

- Shulman continues to hold steady above the 3.5 million mark. His stack is currently in 11th place.

Notable Eliminations:

86. Kenny Tran – $57,991

Chip Movers and Shakers

- Benjamin Jensen jumped his stack to 2.4 million in a hand where he made trip aces against Fabrice Soulier. Soulier was knocked down to 2.17 million.

- Adam Bilzerian grew his stack to 2.66 million when he snapped up a pot that was over 800,000 against Tom Schneider. Bilzerian bet 550,000 on a Q-Q-5 flop and Schneider mucked. Schneider was down to 1.135 million after the hand.

- Ludovic Lacay held strong near 5.2 million, thanks to his pocket tens making a straight on the river to match the Broadway straight of Craig Boyd (A-10) on a K-Q-J-2-A board. Boyd held 2.6 million after the hand.

Big Hands

Blair Rodman Doubles Up

Phil Ivey raised to 80,000 and Blair Rodman shoved all in for 362,000 total. Action was folded back around to Ivey who made the call. Ivey exposed the A9 while Rodman exposed the 88. The board ran out K10462, as Rodman’s eights held up. Rodman is still short with 780,000.

Dennis Phillips Wins Million Chip Pot

Thai Tran raised preflop to 70,000 and Dennis Phillips reraised to 180,000. Steve Sanders made the call and action was back to Tran. He didn’t just call, instead he put out a raise to 605,000. Action was back to Phillips, who went into the tank and eventually announced all in for 1,900,000 total. Sanders quickly folded and Tran went into the tank before mucking. Phillips collected the million chip pot without having to see a flop. Phillips is now at 3,000,000.

Kenny Tran Eliminated 86th Place ($57,991)

With less than 500,000 Kenny Tran chose to move all in with the A5 and was called by the 88 of Joseph Cada. The board offered no salvation as it ran out 43396. Cada is at 2,580,000.

Darvin Moon Wins Monster Pot

Darvin Moon limped from early position and Chris Bach raised to 175,000. Jamie Brown reraised to 375,000 from the button. Moon limped in with a huge hand and made it 1,000,000 to go. Bach folded and Brown thought for awhile before going all in with his last 1,400,000. Moon snap called and exposed the AA. Brown tabled the dominated KK. The board ran out 653J8 as Brown received no help and was eliminated from the main event. Moon is at 7,500,000 and the chip leader.

Antonio Esfandiari Eliminates Opponent

Antonio Esfandiari raised preflop and was repopped by Wesley Ismay. Esfandiari made the call and both players saw a flop of 755. Esfandiari bet 400,000 and Ismay called. The K hit the turn and Esfandiari once again bet out, this time for 700,000. Ismay reraised all in for 2,000,000 total. Esfandiari made the call and exposed the AK and had his opponent’s Q-9 drawing dead. The meaningless 6 fell on the river and Esfandiari is now at 5,600,000.

Joe Sebok Doubles Up Again

Billy Kopp raised 80,000 in middle position and Joe Sebok moved all in for 301,000 from the button. Action was folded back to Kopp who made the call. Kopp exposed the Q7 while Sebok tabled the 99. The board ran out 107435 and Sebok survived the double up. He is at 680,000 while Kopp is down to 4,100,000.

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Blair Rodman,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Kenny Tran,   Joe Sebok,   Dennis Phillips,   Ludovic Lacay

Level 24 Hour 1 Update: Phil Ivey Surging

Jul 13, '09

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Remaining: 91 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Ludovic Lacay – 5,650,000
2. Darvin Moon – 5,550,000
3. Antoine Saout – 5,281,000
4. Eugene Kathchalov – 5,200,000
5. Charlie Elias – 4,750,000
6. Steve Begleiter – 4,720,000
7. Billy Kopp – 4,500,000
8. Tommy Vedes – 4,400,000
9. Wesley Ismay – 4,000,000
10. Jeff Shulman – 3,700,000

Average Chip Count: 1,928,911

Card Player Chip Movement:

Jeff Shulman has been moved to a new table with Tom Schneider and Ludovic Lacay both on his left. He has held steady during the last hour.

Notable Eliminations:

98. Hac Dang – $47,003
96. Noah Boeken – 47,003

Chip Movers and Shakers

- Kasper Cordes was eliminated when his A-K ran into the pocket eights of Scott Cook, which had made top set when Cordes moved the last of his chips into the middle.

- Jonathan Tamayo used pocket aces to grow his stack to more than 3 million.

- Dennis Phillips picked up more than 300,000 to grow his stack to just over 2 million.

Big Hands

Kenny Tran Doubles Up

The short stack of Kenny Tran moved all in preflop with the 66 and was called by the A9 of Grayson Ramage. The flop came A64, giving Tran a set and putting him way out in front. The J hit the turn and the 7 fell on the river, doubling him up to just 500,000.

Phil Ivey Eliminates Hac Dang

Hac Dang raised to 80,000 preflop and action was folded around to Phil Ivey who reraised to 260,000. Dang decided to move all in for 620,000 total and Ivey made the quick call. Dang exposed the QQ and was dominating the JJ of Ivey. The flop seemed like destiny for Ivey as it came J94, putting him way out in front with his top set. The 5 on the turn put Dang in danger of being eliminated by perhaps the best player left in the tournament. The 7 fell on the river and Ivey knocked out Dang, bringing his stack up to 3,260,000.

Ludovic Lacay Hits Miracle, Wins Huge Double Up

Hamid Nourafchan raised 100,000 preflop from middle position. Action was folded to Ludovic Lacay in the big blind. He made it 350,000 total and Nourafchan quickly moved all in. Lacay made the call for the rest of his 2,800,000 chip stack. Lacay tabled the KK, but Nourafchan exposed the AA. Lacay needed to get lucky but had to listen to the fact that someone else at the table folded a king. The flop came JJ5, and Lacay needed massive help. The 4 hit the turn and Lacay was down to the case king in the deck. The miracle hit as the K fell, doubling him up to a massive 5,650,000. Nourafchan would have had a massive chip lead but is now down to 2,400,000.

Eugene Katchalov Eliminates Opponent

Bernhard Perner went all in for 295,000 under the gun and Eugene Katchalov went into the tank from early position. He eventually made the call and tabled the AJ and was behind against the AK of Perner. The flop came A99, offering some split possibilities for Katchalov. The 5 hit the turn and Perner needed to dodge just one more card to double up. However, the J on the river sent him to the rail and saw Katchalov’s stack soar to 5.2 million.

Joe Sebock Doubles Up

Joe Sebock moved all in preflop for 154,000 and was called by Frank Rusnak on the button. Sebock exposed the 55 and was up against the AQ of his opponent. The board ran out 88739 and Sebock is up to 393,000.

Noah Boeken Eliminated

After a flop of 1052, Noah Boeken checked and Kevin Schaffel checked. Hung Pham was next to act and he threw out a bet of 190,000 Boeken thought about it for awhile and then moved all in to put his tournament at risk. Action was back on Schaffel who made the fold. Pham made the quick call. Pham exposed the 1010, as Boeken saw his opponent had a set against his 56. Needing a heart to stay alive or runner-runner quads, Boeken was dismayed when the 8 hit the turn. The Q on the river ended his hopes and he was sent to the rail. Pham is now at 3,250,000.

CardPlayer TV: Eugene Katchalov

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Phil Ivey,   Kenny Tran,   Eugene Katchalov,   Joe Sebok,   Ludovic Lacay

Level 18 Hour 1 Update: Schneider And Hinkle Score Early Knockouts

Jul 12, '09

Blinds: 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 372 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Matt Affleck – 2,100,000
2. Blair Hinkle – 2,000,000
3. Ben Lamb – 2,000,000506
4. Kevin Schaffel – 1,760,000
5. Berhard Perner – 1,675,000
6. Ludovic Lacay – 1,608,000
7. Tom Lutz – 1,600,000
8. James Akenhead – 1,572,000
9. Charlie Elias – 1,540,000
10. Miika Puumalainen – 1,492,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 314,000

Average Chip Count: 506,026

Notable Eliminations:

Jeff Kimber
Thor Hansen
C.K. Hua

Big Hands:

Schneider Eliminates Burt With Big Slick

Tom Schneider and Keith Burt got all of their money in preflop and their hands were turned over. Schneider held AK and Burt showed 97.

The board ran out 52226, leaving Burt with just nine-high and giving Schneider the pot. Burt is eliminated from the tournament, while Schneider’s stack is increased to 950,000.

Sebok’s Bluff Picked Off

Hieu Luu raised to 20,000 preflop and was called by Joe Sebok from the small blind. The flop was 533 and Sebok checked. Luu fired 30,000 which was called by Sebok.

The turn was the 8 and both players checked. The 9 fell on the river and Sebok bet 70,000 and was called by Luu. Sebok showed A10 and Luu turned over pocket tens to take the pot.

Blair Hinkle Doubles One Opponent Up, Makes A Profit Anyway

Oliver Klatt moved all in preflop and the action folded to Isidro Martinez. He moved all in having Klatt covered and the action was on Blair Hinkle. He then came over the top for all of his chips, having both men covered. Everyone else mucked and the hands were turned up.

Martinez: QQ
Hinkle: KK
Klatt: 99

Hinkle was in great position to score a double knockout, but the flop came down J94, giving Klatt a set of nines. The turn was the A and the river was the J, scoring a triple up for Klatt. However, he only had 125,000 total, leaving a small dent in Hinkle’s stack. Hinkle won the side pot against Martinez and after all the chips were counted, Hinkle made a profit out of the deal, his chips around 2 million.

Benyamine Takes A Big Pot

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read 9336 and Sarne Lightman fired 150,000 into a pot of over 225,000. David Benyamine took a few seconds to count out his stack, then moved all in for 135,000 more.

Lightman then took a tank session of his own and decided to muck his hand, surrendering the large pot to Benyamine. Benyamine was around 680,000.

Kenny Tran Gets Bluffed

Kenny Tran raised to 23,000 from early position and was three-bet by a player in late position to 100,000. Tran went into the tank for several minutes before making the call.

The flop came J49 and Tran checked to his opponent. His opponent didn’t make any movements and was just staring around the room, until the dealer informed him that Tran had checked and the player decided to go all in. Tran fairly quickly folded and folded pocket queens face up. To his dismay, his opponent turned over A10, for just ace-high.

Phillips Knocks Out Mighty Thor

Dennis Phillips and Thor Hansen got all of their chips into the middle preflop and Phillips had the best of it when he turned over AK against Hansen’s KQ.

Hansen said he was good with the ladies, but his mojo was a little low today as the board ran out 75675, keeping Phillips’ big slick in the lead and eliminating a tough opponent from the tournament.

Player Tags: Thor Hansen,   David Benyamine,   Tom Schneider,   Kenny Tran,   Joe Sebok,   Blair Hinkle

Hour 7 Update: Kenny Tran, Layne Flack, Bertrand Grospellier Eliminated

Jun 14, '09

Hour 7 Update

Players Remaining: 64 out of 256

Completed Round 2 Matches (Winner in Bold):

1. Tom “Durrrr” Dwan vs. Samuel Stein
2. Erik Seidel vs. Adam Junglen
3. Cory Carroll vs. Sorel Mizzi
4. Alec Torelli vs. Jan Maarten Meijer
5. Bryan Pellegrin vs. Will Failla
6. Benjamin Tollerene vs. Greg Raymer
7. Yevgeniy Timoshenko vs. Dmitry Stelmak
8. Benjamin Lamb vs. Scott Seiver
9. Chris Ferguson vs. Jason Somerville
10. Jeff Madsen vs. Joe Serock
11. Adam Ewestein vs. Evelyn Ng
12. Olav von Prince vs. John Juanda
13. Jason Mercier vs. Jesper Petersen
14. Johnny Chan vs. Anthony Guetti
15. Antonio Esfandari vs. Konstantin Puchkov
16. Justin Smith vs. Hoyt Corkins
17. William Thorson vs. Lex Veldhuis
18. Vanessa Rousso vs. Emil Patel
19. Steve Zolotow vs. Anton Allemann
20. Jamin Stokes vs. Layne Flack
21. Evan Roberts vs. Kenny Tran
22. Michael Baxter vs. Jared Ingles
23. Brock Parker vs. Jonathan Aguiar
24. Matt Hawrilenko vs. Robert McLaughlin
25. David Pham vs. Mark Teltscher
26. James D’Ambrosio vs. Bertrand Grospellier
27. Benjamin Sprenger vs. Gavin Smith
28. Alexey Popov vs. Kenneth Middleton
29. Jonathan Jaffe vs. Mohsin Charania
30. Dario Minieri vs. Alexander Venovski
31. Scott Fischman vs. Scott Montgomery
32. Shawn Buchanan vs. Benjamin Francisco
33. Noah Schwartz vs. Scott Baumstein
34. Mike Caro vs. Joe Cappello
35. Matt Woodward vs. Lance Treankler
36. Terrence Chan vs. Tommy Chen
37. Nathanael Poysti vs. Stanislav Alekhin
38. Michael Pesek vs. Kenneth Shei
39. Shaun Deeb vs. Branden Hampton
40. Jessie Martin vs. Andrew Zaichenko
41. Roberto Romanell vs. Bryn Kenny
42. Brian Lemke vs. Steven Levy
43. Albert Iversen vs. Domen Pinteric
44. Jamie Armstrong vs. Ramin Henke
45. Alex Keating vs. Steven Silverman
46. Benjamin Spindler vs. John Tabatabai
47. Dmitry Lesnoy vs. Taylor Caby
48. Dragan Galic vs. Daniel Illingworth
49. Steven Crawford vs. Andrew Feldman
50. Nicholas Rampone vs. Tariq Rahim
51. Joao Vide Barb vs. Roman Yitzhaki
52. Nathan Doudney vs. Anthony Roux
53. Jason Senti vs. Philippe Dauteuil
54. Michael Banducci vs. Thomas Marchese
55. John Duthie vs. Stuard Marshak
56. Jeff Garza vs. Matt Giannetti
57. Andrew Lichtenberger vs. Joseph McGowen
58. Justin Filtz vs. Olivier Busquet
59. Dustin Woolf vs. Richard Anthony
60. Steve O’Dwyer vs. Johannes Steindl
61. Masaaki Kagawa vs. Francois Safieddine
62. Kyle Brossia vs. Aaron Wilt

Big Hands:

Kenny Tran Eliminated

Last year’s champion raised preflop and Evan Roberts re-raised enough to put Tran all-in. Tran went into the tank before eventually calling the last 30,000 of his remaining chip stack. Roberts exposed pocket eights while Tran tabled the A8. The board ran out 94248, as Tran failed to improve. Event No. 29 will have a new bracelet winner this year.

Brock Parker Advances

All the chips were in the middle with Brock Parker holding the A10 against the A6 of Jonathan Aguiar. The board ran out 872KJ. Parker’s hopes of a third bracelet this World Series of Poker are still alive.

Bertrand Grospellier Eliminated

With the high blinds, Bertrand Grospellier got it all-in preflop with king-queen and was up against the ace-six of James D’Ambrosio. The French pro failed to catch anything and was eliminated. Grospellier is still without a bracelet.

Player Tags: Kenny Tran,   Brock Parker,   Jonathan Aguiar,   Bertrand Grospellier,   James D'Ambrosio,   Evan Roberts

Hour 1 Update: Hoyt Corkins First to Advance

Jun 13, '09

Hour 1 Update

Players Remaining: 250 out of 256

Completed Matches (Winner in Bold):

1. Jason Mercier vs. David Daneshgarr
2. Hoyt Corkins vs. Vadim Trincher
3. Vivek Rajkumar vs. Evelyn Ng

Notable Eliminations:

Vadmim Tricher, David Chiu, David Daneshgar, Vivek Rajkumar, Erick Lindgren

Big Hands:

Ng’s Aces Take Big Chunk out of Rajkumar

Vivek Rajkumar raises to 600 on the button and Evelyn Ng re-raises to 1700. After some thought, Rajkumar four-bets to 5200 and Ng made the call. They see a flop of 1054 and Ng leads out for 4500. Rajkumar made the call and the K fell on the turn.

Ng checked and Rajkumar fired out 10,500 and Ng instantly check-raised all in. Rajkumar made the call and showed 54, which was ahead of Ng’s AA. That is, until the A fell on the river and Rajkumar was left with 7000.

Tom Dwan Takes Chunk out of Nam Le

On a board of 495J, Nam Le checked and called 2800 from Tom “Durrrr” Dwan and the Q fell on the river.

Le checked again and this time Dwan bet 7600. After a couple minutes of deliberation, Le decided to make the call. Dwan turned over the J5, good for two pair, and Le mucked his hand.

Hellmuth Explodes After Ace on the River

After a preflop raise, Phil Hellmuth and his opponent see a flop of K76. After his opponent checked, Hellmuth bet 3000, and his opponent called. The turn was the 9 and the river was the A.

Both streets were checked down and Hellmuth’s opponent turns up A 6. Hellmuth jumped out of his seat, momentarily halting his massage as he began one of his trademarked rants. “You hit your miracle on the river and you checked it. Well played,” said Hellmuth.

His opponent didn’t say a word.

Left in the Deck:

Hoyt Corkins First Winner

Just 17 minutes into the day, Vadmin Trincher lost to Hoyt Corkins, making him the first player to be eliminated in the tournament.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Evelyn Ng,   Gavin Smith,   Kenny Tran,   Greg Raymer,   David Daneshgar,   Vadim Trincher,   Chris Moore,   Tom Dwan,   Jeff Garza,   Vivek Rajkumar,   Isaac Haxton

Event No. 29 Begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday

Jun 13, '09

Event No. 29 ($10,000 heads-up no-limit hold’em world championship) will begin at 5 p.m. PDT on Saturday, June 13. Players will begin the round 1 (event is capped at 256 entries) with 30,000 in tournament chips and blinds will begin at 100-200. Breaks will take place between rounds. Here is a look at the schedule for the event:

NOTE: The first and second round will take place at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on day 1. Day 2 and the final day will each begin at 2 p.m., with subsequent match times being determined on day 2 and the final day.

Saturday, June 13, 5 p.m.: Day 1 (first two rounds)
Sunday, June 14, 2 p.m.: Day 2 (rounds of 64, 32, and sweet 16)
Monday, June 15, 2 p.m.: Elite Eight down to a champion

In 2008 this event attracted 256 players and the champion was Kenny Tran, who took home $539,056 in prize money. CardPlayer.com will bring you full live updates, top-ten chip counts, and results each day from this marquee event.

Player Tags: Kenny Tran

Level 11 Update: Ivey And Tran Ousted

Jun 11, '09

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 400 ante

Players Remaining: 31 out of 96

Chip Counts:

1. Vince Musso – 222,000
2. Roland de Wolfe – 195,000
3. Jean-Robert Bellande – 160,000
4. David Benyamine – 160,000
5. Justin Smith – 140,000
6. Patrick Bueno – 140,000
7. Ville Wahlbeck – 140,000
8. Tim Phan – 126,000
9. Nick Schulman – 120,000
10. John Juanda – 110,000

Average Chip Count: 80,000

Notable Eliminations:

Phil Ivey
Kenny Tran
Sorel Mizzi
Greg Mueller

Big Hands:

Phil Ivey Eliminated By Steve Sung

Ivey moved all in and was called by Steve Sung. After all was said and done, Ivey showed down a Jack-low. It was not good enough, however, as Sung showed a 10-low and Ivey was knocked out of the tournament. Sung’s stack improved to just over 60,000 in chips.

Phan Chips Up

The player in seat 1 raised to 5,500 from the small blind and Tim Phan made the call from the big blind.

Draw: Seat 1 draws 1 card, Tim Phan draws 1 card

After the draw, seat 1 checked and Phan fired 13,000. Seat 1 mucked and Phan took in the pot, improving to 118,000.

Juanda Drops Some Chips

Mark Weitzman raised before the draw and action folded around to John Juanda. He then repopped it to 100,000 straight. Weitzman went into the tank for a very long time before finally sticking his remaining 40,000 into the middle. It was then time for the players to decide how many cards to draw.

Draw: Juanda stands pat, Weitzman stands pat

Juanda revealed 10-8-5-4-2, but Weitzman tabled 8-7-6-5-3 and he doubled up to almost 90,000. Juanda dropped down to 134,000 after the hand.

Gin!

The player in seat 4 raised to 5,200 and Jean-Robert Bellande made the call.

Draw: Seat 4 draws 1 card, Bellande draws 1 card

After the draw, seat 4 checked and Bellande fired 16,000 into the pot. Seat 4 tanked for a long time and then decided to call. “Gin!” Bellande announced after he turned over 7-5-4-3-2 for the absolute nuts. Seat 4 mucked and Bellande collected the pot and he was at 140,000.

Oh My God! They Killed Kenny!

Kenny Tran’s tournament life is now over. After a raise to 4,300 and a call prior to the draw, Justin Smith popped it to 21,000 to go. Tran then looked down at his hand and moved in for just 2,000 more. The original raiser and caller folded but Smith put in the extra two yellow chips.

Draw: Smith Draws 1 card, Tran stands pat

Tran tabled his 9-7-5-4-2 low and awaited to see what Smith drew. The bad news was revealed as Smith showed 8-6-5-3-2 and Tran was shown the door. Smith improved his stack to 140,000 in chips.

Lady Luck On Benyamine’s Side

Erica Schoenberg stopped by earlier to show some support to her significant other David Benyamine. That visit put some luck on his side as Benyamine took a nice pot off John Juanda.

Juanda raised to 14,500 before the draw and Benyamine made the call from the button.

Draw: Juanda stands pat, Benyamine draws 1 card

Juanda checked after the draw and Benyamine fired 18,000 into the pot. Juanda made the call and Benyamine showed 9-8-6-3-2. Juanda mucked his hand and Benyamine was up to 160,000 while Juanda was down to 110,000.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   David Benyamine,   Phil Ivey,   Kenny Tran,   Mark Weitzman,   Tim Phan,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Steve Sung,   Erica Schoenberg,   Justin Smith

Level 3 Update: The Field Keeps Growing

Jun 10, '09

Blinds: 100-200 with a 50 ante

Entrants: 96

Chip Counts:

1. Jon Turner – 65,000
2. Freddy Deeb – 49,000
3. Chino Rheem – 48,000
4. Greg Mueller – 45,000
5. Dario Minieri – 44,000
6. Sam Grizzle – 43,000
7. Steve Sung – 41,000
8. Jim Bechtel – 40,000
9. Amnon Filippi – 38,000
10. Archie Karas – 37,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Yan Chen

Big Hands:

The Grizzled Veteran

Action folded around to Allen Cunningham in the small blind. He made it 600 to go and Sam Grizzle made the call from the big blind.

Draw: Cunningham draws 2 cards, Grizzle draws 2 cards

Cunningham led out with 1,050 after the draw. “Did you already use your reload?” Grizzle asked. He then unloaded 9,000 into the pot. “That’s why you were asking me that question,” Cunningham said. He looked at his hand one last time before throwing it into the muck. Grizzle was closing in on 50,000 in chips while Cunningham was down to 27,000.

Kenny Tran In The House

Kenny Tran is one of the many late arrivals in this tournament and has made his presence felt. With the pot holding 3,400 in chips, Tran led out for 7,000 after the draw. The player in seat 2 mucked his hand and Tran took the pot after flexing his muscle. He was up to 34,000.

Ivey Burns Chan

Phil Ivey raised to 600 from the button and Johnny Chan made the call from the big blind. “Hi Johnny,” Ivey said. “Hi there Phil,” Chan responded with a chuckle.

Draw: Chan draws 2 cards, Ivey draws 2 cards

The dealer made a mistake and forgot to burn a card before she gave Chan his cards. There was some confusion as to which card she needed to burn. “I don’t mind which one she burns,” Ivey joked. Chan tried to help the dealer figure out which card needed to be burned, but just threw his hands up in frustration. “Ah hell! I don’t care either,” Chan said. Once that mess was sorted, Chan checked and Ivey fired 1,200. Chan quickly mucked and Ivey improved to 33,000 while Chan held close to 35,000.

With Friends Like These…

Daniel Negreanu has arrived and drawn a seat at the same table as his friend Mike Matusow. It didn’t take them long to get involved in a hand.

Matusow raised to 625 from the cutoff and Negreanu made the call from the big blind.

Draw: Negreanu draws 1 card, Matusow stands pat

Both players checked after the draw and Matusow showed down a 10-low. Negreanu mucked his hand and was back to his starting stack of 30,000. Matusow was up to 26,000.

Schneider Takes One

With 2,400 in the pot, Tom Schneider, Freddy Deeb and Steve Zolotow each had a stake in the hand as the draw approached.

Draw: Deeb draws 2 cards, Zolotow draws 2 cards, Schneider draws 1 card

After everyone received their cards, all three players checked and Schneider showed down a Queen-low. Zolotow and Deeb both mucked and Schneider improved to 31,000 with the pot. Deeb was at 54,000 while Zolotow was down to 22,000.

Left In The Deck:

Stacked Table

As more players arrive to their seats, the tournament has added more tables and moved some players around. One table has the following players residing there:

Seat 1: Steve Zolotow
Seat 2: Erick Lindgren
Seat 3: Tim Phan
Seat 4: Freddy Deeb
Seat 5: Huck Seed
Seat 6: Tom Schneider
Seat 7: Greg Mueller

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Allen Cunningham,   Daniel Negreanu,   Steve Zolotow,   Mike Matusow,   Tom Schneider,   Johnny Chan,   Phil Ivey,   Kenny Tran,   Freddy Deeb

Level 11 Update: Ivey And Tran Ousted

Jun 11, '09

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 400 ante

Players Remaining: 31 out of 96

Chip Counts:

1. Vince Musso – 222,000
2. Roland de Wolfe – 195,000
3. Jean-Robert Bellande – 160,000
4. David Benyamine – 160,000
5. Justin Smith – 140,000
6. Patrick Bueno – 140,000
7. Ville Wahlbeck – 140,000
8. Tim Phan – 126,000
9. Nick Schulman – 120,000
10. John Juanda – 110,000

Average Chip Count: 80,000

Notable Eliminations:

Phil Ivey
Kenny Tran
Sorel Mizzi
Greg Mueller

Big Hands:

Phil Ivey Eliminated By Steve Sung

Ivey moved all in and was called by Steve Sung. After all was said and done, Ivey showed down a Jack-low. It was not good enough, however, as Sung showed a 10-low and Ivey was knocked out of the tournament. Sung’s stack improved to just over 60,000 in chips.

Phan Chips Up

The player in seat 1 raised to 5,500 from the small blind and Tim Phan made the call from the big blind.

Draw: Seat 1 draws 1 card, Tim Phan draws 1 card

After the draw, seat 1 checked and Phan fired 13,000. Seat 1 mucked and Phan took in the pot, improving to 118,000.

Juanda Drops Some Chips

Mark Weitzman raised before the draw and action folded around to John Juanda. He then repopped it to 100,000 straight. Weitzman went into the tank for a very long time before finally sticking his remaining 40,000 into the middle. It was then time for the players to decide how many cards to draw.

Draw: Juanda stands pat, Weitzman stands pat

Juanda revealed 10-8-5-4-2, but Weitzman tabled 8-7-6-5-3 and he doubled up to almost 90,000. Juanda dropped down to 134,000 after the hand.

Gin!

The player in seat 4 raised to 5,200 and Jean-Robert Bellande made the call.

Draw: Seat 4 draws 1 card, Bellande draws 1 card

After the draw, seat 4 checked and Bellande fired 16,000 into the pot. Seat 4 tanked for a long time and then decided to call. “Gin!” Bellande announced after he turned over 7-5-4-3-2 for the absolute nuts. Seat 4 mucked and Bellande collected the pot and he was at 140,000.

Oh My God! They Killed Kenny!

Kenny Tran’s tournament life is now over. After a raise to 4,300 and a call prior to the draw, Justin Smith popped it to 21,000 to go. Tran then looked down at his hand and moved in for just 2,000 more. The original raiser and caller folded but Smith put in the extra two yellow chips.

Draw: Smith Draws 1 card, Tran stands pat

Tran tabled his 9-7-5-4-2 low and awaited to see what Smith drew. The bad news was revealed as Smith showed 8-6-5-3-2 and Tran was shown the door. Smith improved his stack to 140,000 in chips.

Lady Luck On Benyamine’s Side

Erica Schoenberg stopped by earlier to show some support to her significant other David Benyamine. That visit put some luck on his side as Benyamine took a nice pot off John Juanda.

Juanda raised to 14,500 before the draw and Benyamine made the call from the button.

Draw: Juanda stands pat, Benyamine draws 1 card

Juanda checked after the draw and Benyamine fired 18,000 into the pot. Juanda made the call and Benyamine showed 9-8-6-3-2. Juanda mucked his hand and Benyamine was up to 160,000 while Juanda was down to 110,000.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   David Benyamine,   Phil Ivey,   Kenny Tran,   Mark Weitzman,   Tim Phan,   Jean-Robert Bellande,   Steve Sung,   Erica Schoenberg,   Justin Smith

Level 3 Update: The Field Keeps Growing

Jun 10, '09

Blinds: 100-200 with a 50 ante

Entrants: 96

Chip Counts:

1. Jon Turner – 65,000
2. Freddy Deeb – 49,000
3. Chino Rheem – 48,000
4. Greg Mueller – 45,000
5. Dario Minieri – 44,000
6. Sam Grizzle – 43,000
7. Steve Sung – 41,000
8. Jim Bechtel – 40,000
9. Amnon Filippi – 38,000
10. Archie Karas – 37,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Yan Chen

Big Hands:

The Grizzled Veteran

Action folded around to Allen Cunningham in the small blind. He made it 600 to go and Sam Grizzle made the call from the big blind.

Draw: Cunningham draws 2 cards, Grizzle draws 2 cards

Cunningham led out with 1,050 after the draw. “Did you already use your reload?” Grizzle asked. He then unloaded 9,000 into the pot. “That’s why you were asking me that question,” Cunningham said. He looked at his hand one last time before throwing it into the muck. Grizzle was closing in on 50,000 in chips while Cunningham was down to 27,000.

Kenny Tran In The House

Kenny Tran is one of the many late arrivals in this tournament and has made his presence felt. With the pot holding 3,400 in chips, Tran led out for 7,000 after the draw. The player in seat 2 mucked his hand and Tran took the pot after flexing his muscle. He was up to 34,000.

Ivey Burns Chan

Phil Ivey raised to 600 from the button and Johnny Chan made the call from the big blind. “Hi Johnny,” Ivey said. “Hi there Phil,” Chan responded with a chuckle.

Draw: Chan draws 2 cards, Ivey draws 2 cards

The dealer made a mistake and forgot to burn a card before she gave Chan his cards. There was some confusion as to which card she needed to burn. “I don’t mind which one she burns,” Ivey joked. Chan tried to help the dealer figure out which card needed to be burned, but just threw his hands up in frustration. “Ah hell! I don’t care either,” Chan said. Once that mess was sorted, Chan checked and Ivey fired 1,200. Chan quickly mucked and Ivey improved to 33,000 while Chan held close to 35,000.

With Friends Like These…

Daniel Negreanu has arrived and drawn a seat at the same table as his friend Mike Matusow. It didn’t take them long to get involved in a hand.

Matusow raised to 625 from the cutoff and Negreanu made the call from the big blind.

Draw: Negreanu draws 1 card, Matusow stands pat

Both players checked after the draw and Matusow showed down a 10-low. Negreanu mucked his hand and was back to his starting stack of 30,000. Matusow was up to 26,000.

Schneider Takes One

With 2,400 in the pot, Tom Schneider, Freddy Deeb and Steve Zolotow each had a stake in the hand as the draw approached.

Draw: Deeb draws 2 cards, Zolotow draws 2 cards, Schneider draws 1 card

After everyone received their cards, all three players checked and Schneider showed down a Queen-low. Zolotow and Deeb both mucked and Schneider improved to 31,000 with the pot. Deeb was at 54,000 while Zolotow was down to 22,000.

Left In The Deck:

Stacked Table

As more players arrive to their seats, the tournament has added more tables and moved some players around. One table has the following players residing there:

Seat 1: Steve Zolotow
Seat 2: Erick Lindgren
Seat 3: Tim Phan
Seat 4: Freddy Deeb
Seat 5: Huck Seed
Seat 6: Tom Schneider
Seat 7: Greg Mueller

Player Tags: Sam Grizzle,   Allen Cunningham,   Daniel Negreanu,   Steve Zolotow,   Mike Matusow,   Tom Schneider,   Johnny Chan,   Phil Ivey,   Kenny Tran,   Freddy Deeb

Level 13 Update -- Liv Boeree Chips Up

Apr 21, '09

Level: 13

Blinds: 2,000-4,000 with a 500.

Player Remaining: 100 out of 338

Average Chip Count: 337,000

Notable Chip Counts:

Steve Sung -- 1,165,000
Steve Billirakis -- 1,100,000
Jean-Noel Thorel -- 840,000
David Singer -- 820,000
Nenad Medic -- 680,000

Notable Eliminations:

Danny Wong
Ted Lawson
Berry Johnston
Mohsin Charania
Layne Flack
Shaun Deeb
Tom Dobrilovic
Tony Cousineau
Steve Zolotow
Nam Le
Joe Sebok
Matt Brady

---

Key Hands:

Kenny Tran Doubles Up

Kenny Tran doubled up to 225,000 after he rivered two pair, jacks and deuces against Dutch Boyd. Boyd put him all in on the river and mucked after seeing his opponent's superior hand, leaving himself with just over 255,000.

Liv Boeree Takes Out Danny Wong

Danny Wong made his move preflop with A-J but ran into Liv Boeree's A-K. The board gave both players an ace but Boeree's kicker prevailed to send Wong to the rail. Boeree increased her stack to 330,000.

Steve Sung Continues To Build His Stack

Steve Sung's A-Q dominated and eliminated Joe Sebok's A-J to build his stack to 1,165,000.

---

Card Player TV

Card Player TV talked to Steve Sung during the last break about being one of the chip leaders.

Player Tags: Kenny Tran,   Dutch Boyd,   Danny Wong,   Liv Boeree

Level 16 Update

Mar 18, '09

Big Hands:

Kenny Tran Eliminated

Robert Fox bet 15,000 from the small blind on a board of A102K and Kenny Tran made the call in the big blind. The river fell 5 and Fox moved all in. Tran called all in and they flipped up their cards. Tran mucked when Fox showed down J3 and he was knocked out of the tournament just short of the money.

Slow Bubble Play

Play on the money bubble has been slugging along for more than 45 minute with no end in sight. There are multiple short stacks left in the field that are all keeping a close eye on one another.

Vincent Shaw Busts on the Bubble

Vincent Shaw moved all in preflop for 20,000 and both Hoyt Corkins and Farzad Bonyadi called him down. The two live pllayers checked down a board of 1063Q7 and Corkins bet 15,000. Bonyadi got out of the way and Horkins flipped over 98. Shaw mucked his hand and he busted out of the tournament as the bubble boy. Every player left will now walk away with at least $12,500.

In the Money Finishers

45: Wook "Danny" Kim -- $12,500
44: Venkatesh Kirshamoorthy -- $12,500
43: Robert Franscioni -- $12,500
42: Faraz Jaka -- $12,500
41: David Zhang -- $12,500
40: Daniel Urdahl -- $12,500

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Fred Bonyadi,   Kenny Tran

David Oppenheim Defeats Kenny Tran

Mar 07, '09

David Oppenheim has Kenny Tran all in and covered with pocket fours. Tran showed K-Q and their racing for the elite eight.

The board runs out J-8-2-2-9 and Oppenheim's hand holds to advance to the elite eight. He'll take on Huck Seed tomorrow afternoon.

Tran earns $25,000 for his ninth-place tie.

 

 

 

Player Tags: David Oppenheim,   Kenny Tran

CardPlayer TV: Erick Lindgren and Kenny Tran

Mar 07, '09

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Kenny Tran

Kenny Tran Defeats Jennifer Harman

Mar 07, '09

Jennifer Harman and Kenny Tran battled for a long time and each player got their fair share of double up over the course of the match.

Tran held the lead when Harman shipped it in with A-J. Tran woke up with pocket jacks and they held when the board ran out 9-8-7-6-8.

Harman is eliminated and Tran will face David Oppenheim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Jennifer Harman,   Kenny Tran

Kenny Tran Defeats Antonio Esfandiari

Mar 06, '09

Antonio Esfandiari moved all in against Kenny Tran with ace high on a flop where Kenny Tran had made two pair. Tran called the Magician down and his hand held up. Tran eliminated Esfandiari to advance to round two tomorrow.













 

Player Tags: Antonio Esfandiari,   Kenny Tran

David Oppenheim Defeats Kenny Tran

Mar 07, '09

David Oppenheim has Kenny Tran all in and covered with pocket fours. Tran showed K-Q and their racing for the elite eight.

The board runs out J-8-2-2-9 and Oppenheim's hand holds to advance to the elite eight. He'll take on Huck Seed tomorrow afternoon.

Tran earns $25,000 for his ninth-place tie.

 

 

 

Player Tags: David Oppenheim,   Kenny Tran

CardPlayer TV: Erick Lindgren and Kenny Tran

Mar 07, '09

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Kenny Tran

Kenny Tran Defeats Jennifer Harman

Mar 07, '09

Jennifer Harman and Kenny Tran battled for a long time and each player got their fair share of double up over the course of the match.

Tran held the lead when Harman shipped it in with A-J. Tran woke up with pocket jacks and they held when the board ran out 9-8-7-6-8.

Harman is eliminated and Tran will face David Oppenheim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Jennifer Harman,   Kenny Tran

Kenny Tran Defeats Antonio Esfandiari

Mar 06, '09

Antonio Esfandiari moved all in against Kenny Tran with ace high on a flop where Kenny Tran had made two pair. Tran called the Magician down and his hand held up. Tran eliminated Esfandiari to advance to round two tomorrow.













 

Player Tags: Antonio Esfandiari,   Kenny Tran