Chris Bjorin Poker Tournament Updates

Level Three Update: Lex Veldhuis Eliminates a Player

Jul 07, '11

NOTE: Levels are two hours in length and players are starting with 30,000 in chips.

Players on Day 1A: ~900

Blinds: 150-300

Notables in Field:

Brian Hastings
TJ Cloutier
Doyle Brunson
Matt Affleck
Greg Raymer
Filippo Candio
Matt Glantz
Adam Levy
Faraz Jaka
Tatjana Pasalic
Jason Alexander
Josh Arieh
Vanessa Selbst
Nam Le
Lex Veldhuis
Dutch Boyd
Olivier Busquet

Card Player Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman — 27,500
Josh Brikis — 40,000

Notable Eliminations:

Tom Schneider
Ari Engel
Jeffrey Papola

Hands:

Lex Veldhuis Eliminates a Player

Lex Veldhuis raised to 800 and three people called. Sam Farha made it 4,000. Veldhuis just called. Two folds and one call later the flop came 6-5-3. Farha bets 5,000, and Veldhuis called. The button shoved for 20,000, and Farha called. Veldhuis raised 15,000 more and Farha folded. Veldhuis was up against pocket fours and managed to dodge the outs to build his stack to 85,000.

Annette Obrestad off to Good Start

On a flop of J 9 3 flop, Annette Obrestad bet 1,000 after her opponent checked, and he called. The 3 came on the turn it was once again checked to Obrestad. She bet 2,100 and was called again. The 4 landed on the river, and Obrestad’s opponent bet 6,500. Obrestad called and was shown the K 3. However, she was good with her 8 6 for a flush and was up to 45,000 after the hand.

Matt Affleck Starting off on Wrong Foot

Chris Bjorin checked and Matt Affleck bet 1,200 on a flop of 8 8 4. Bjorin check-raised to 2,500, and Affleck called. The 8 fell on the turn. Bjorin bet 2,500 and Affleck called. The 6 on the river prompted a 7,000-chip bet from Bjorin and it was once again called. Bjorin exposed the 86 for the nuts and Affleck mucked.

Eli Elezra Slips, Still Has a Ton of Chips

Eli Elezra called a 700 preflop raise and the flop came A 10 10. The player bet 1,200 and Elezra called. The J fell on turn, and it was checked to Elezra, who bet 2,200. That bet was called and it was again checked to Elezra after a 4 fell on the river. Elezra bet 5,100 and was check-raised to 10,400. Elezra called and was shown J-10. He mucked and was down to 85,000 after the hand.

TV Feature Table: Doyle Brunson off to Slow Start

Doyle Brunson called 800 from the small blind. The flop came A 5 5 and action went check check. The 4 on the turn promoted a check from Brunson. His opponent bet 1,000 and Brunson mucked. He was down to 20,000 after the hand.

Note: The players are currently on a 90-minute dinner break and will return to their seats at 8:15 local time.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Doyle Brunson,   Eli Elezra,   Annette Obrestad,   Lex Veldhuis,   Matt Affleck

Level 24: Chen Takes Massive Lead Four-Handed; Krause 5th, Bjorin 6th

Jun 28, '11

Ante: 5,000
Low Card: 5,000
Completion: 20,000
Limits: 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 4 out of 363

Average Chip Count: 680,625

Chip Counts:

1. Tommy Chen – 1,830,000
2. Robert Williamson III – 400,000
3. Stephen Su – 260,000
4. Rep Porter – 230,000

Eliminations:

5th. Andreas Krause – $44,693
6th. Chris Bjorin – $33,338

Chris Bjorin Eliminated in 6th Place ($33,338)

Chris Bjorin completed the bet with a 5 on third street and Rep Porter called with a 9.

Bjorin: 8 – 6 – 5 – K – 4 – Q – Q
Porter: A – 2 – 9 – 5 – 8 – J – 3

Porter bet on fourth, fifth and sixth streets and Bjorin called all in on sixth street. Porter made a nine-low on fifth street and improved his hand to an eight-low on the river while Bjorin bricked and was eliminated in 6th place ($33,338).

Andreas Krause Eliminated in 5th Place ($44,693)

Andreas Krause was all in on third street with a 10 against Tommy Chen’s 8.

Krause: 2 – 5 – 10 – Q – J – 6 – 10
Chen: A – 5 – 8 – 10 – 4 – K – 3

Chen made an eight-low on the river to win the pot and Andreas Krause was eliminated in 5th place ($44,693).

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

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Andreas Krause,   Rep Porter,   Tommy Chen

Level 23: Chen Leads Final Six; Smith 7th, Epstein 8th

Jun 27, '11

Ante: 3,000
Low Card: 5,000
Completion: 15,000
Limits: 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 6 out of 363

Average Chip Count: 453,750

Chip Counts:

1. Tommy Chen – 818,000
2. Robert Williamson III – 569,000
3. Stephen Su – 535,000
4. Andre Krause – 320,000
5. Rep Porter – 277,000
6. Chris Bjorin – 210,000

Eliminations:

7th. Matt Smith – $25,228
8th. Scott Epstein – $19,365

Scott Epstein Eliminated in 8th Place ($19,365)

Scott Epstein completed the bet with a 5, Chris Bjorin raised with a 7 and Epstein called.

Epstein: 8 – 2 – 5 – Q – 6 – 5 – 8
Bjorin: A – 2 – 7 – 9 – J – 5 – 10

Bjorin bet on both fourth and fifth streets and Esptein called all in on fifth. Bjorin made a nine-low on sixth street while Epstein bricked out. Scott Epstein was the fist one eliminated in 8th place ($19,365).

Matt Smith Eliminated in 7th Place ($25,228)

Tommy Chen completed the bet with an A on thrd street and Matt Smith called with a 7.
i
Smith: 8 – 5 – 7 – 3 – A – 3 – 2
Chen: 6 – 5 – A – 4 – 2 – 4 – 10

Smith got it all in on sixth street and made a seven-low on the river but Chen made a six-low on the turn to win the pot. Matt Smith was eliminated in 7th place ($25,228).

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

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Scott Epstein,   Matt Smith,   Tommy Chen

Level 22: Rechnitzer 9th; Final Table Now Underway

Jun 27, '11

NOTE: Play resumed today at 3:00pm with 23 players, and with the elimination of Gerard Rechnitzer in 9th place ($15,079), the official eight-handed final table is now underway.

Ante: 3,000
Low Card: 3,000
Completion: 12,000
Limits: 12,000-24,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 365

Average Chip Count: 342,187

Chip Counts:

1. Tommy Chen – 773,000
2. Robert Williamson III – 488,000
3. Andreas Krause – 385,000
4. Matt Smith – 335,000
5. Stephen Su – 312,000
6. Chris Bjorin – 169,000
7. Rep Porter – 162,000
8. Scott Epstein – 119,000

Payouts:

1st. $210,615
2nd. $130,075
3rd. $83,895
4th. $60,788
5th. $44,693
6th. $33,338
7th. $25,228
8th. $19,364

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

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Scott Epstein,   Gerard Rechnitzer,   Andreas Krause,   Robert Williamson III,   Matt Smith,   Stephen Su,   Rep Porter,   Tommy Chen

Level 3 Update: Jason Mercier Doubles Up

Jun 28, '10

Blinds: 50-100

Players Remaining: 449 out 460

Average Chip Count: Not Available

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Greg Raymer — 26,000
2. Joe Serock — 24,000
3. Bertrand Grospellier — 22,000
4. Len Ashby — 21,000
5. Ted Forrest — 20,000
6. Brett Richey — 19,500
7. Barry Greenstein — 18,000
8. Ayaz Mahmood — 17,000
9. Juha Helppi — 16,600
10. Michael Mizrachi — 16,000

Notable Eliminations:

David Paredes

Big Hands:

David Paredes Eliminated

David Paredes bet 1,900 on a A104Q board. Paredes was check-raised by his opponent to 4,500. Paredes moved all in and was called. Paredes tabled the J10105 for a set with a gutshot. His opponent exposed the KQJ6 for the nut straight and a flush draw. The 9 fell on the river and Paredes was gone.

Jason Mercier Doubles Up

A player in the big blind checked a 953 flop. Chris Bjorin and Barry Greenstein checked behind. Jason Mercier bet 450. The big blind check-raised to 1,075. Bjorin and Greenstein folded. Mercier called. The turn brought the A and the big blind bet 3,200. Mercier shoved for 1,575 more with the AA95 for top set. His opponent called with the 7654 for a double gutshot. The 10 on the river was safe for Mercier and he doubled to 8,000. He has one rebuy left.

Left in the Deck:

The prize pool of $2,162,000 has been announced. The top 45 players will win at least $10,226. First place will take home $508,090.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   David Paredes,   Jason Mercier

Final Table Update: Chris Bjorin Eliminated

Jun 23, '10

Stakes: Ante: 3,000 Stakes: 12,000 – 24,000 Bringin: 3,000 Completion: 12,000

Players Remaining: 7 out of 365

Average Chip Count: 391,071

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Mikko Pispala — 540,000
2. Maxwell Troy — 481,000
3. Melville Lewis — 465,000
4. Jennifer Harman Traniello — 370,000
5. Stuart Rutter — 270,000
6. Vladimir Shchemelev — 270,000
7. Frank Kassela — 260,000

Eliminations:

8. Chris Bjorin — $19,686

Big Hands:

Chris Bjorin Eliminated in 8th Place ($19,686)

Chris Bjorin was all in on for 40,000 against Vladimir Shchemelev. Shchemelev’s (A – 4) – (2) was leading Bjorin’s (6 – 5) – (2). Shchemelev’s board stood on the end as (A – 4) – (2 – J – 5 – 3) – (10) for a wheel and eliminating Bjorin in eighth place. Shchemelev was at 270,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Vladimir Shchemelev

Level 17 Update: Master's Stack Grows

May 31, '10

Blinds: 3,000-6,000 with a 500 ante

Players Remaining: 77 out of 4,345

Average Chip Count: 146,460

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Drew Crawford – 640,000
2. Marc Goldman – 265,000
3. Andrew Youngblood – 215,000
4. Jeremiah Degreef – 170,000
5. Nancy Todd Tyner – 161,000
6. Terry Fleischer – 130,000
7. Adam Shuman – 130,000
8. Braxton Dunaway – 130,000
9. Zvi Groysman – 130,000
10. David Vanwert – 126,000

Notable Eliminations:

Lee Markholt – $3,988
Joe Elpayaa – $3,988

Big Hands:

The Master Finds Aces, a Voice, and a Double Up

It seemed like all of a sudden, Men “The Master” Nguyen had all of his chips in the middle preflop and was called by his opponent. His opponent had AK and Nguyen had AA. The board ran out 58329, giving Nguyen the pot and doubling him up to 205,000.

The double up came right as one of his Coronas were arriving to the table. “All you can eat baby,” said Nguyen as he was taking his drink from the waiter. Nguyen has been quite talkative since the newly acquired chips.

Lee Markholt Eliminated

Lee Markholt’s dwindling stack got into the middle with KJ and was up against his opponent’s AQ.

The board was 337910 and Markholt was eliminated.

Elpayaa Runs Into Rockets

Joe Elpayaa got almost all of his chips in the middle after a raising war preflop. Elpayaa turned over QQ and his opponent showed him AA

The board was queen-less for Elpayaa and he was crippled with less than 10,000. He was eliminated a few hands later and.

Chris Bjorin Eliminated

Chris Bjorin open shipped for 48,500 and was called by an opponent. Bjorin tabled the AJ and was up against the pocket nines of his opponent. Bjorin failed to improve and was eliminated.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Lee Markholt,   Joseph Elpayaa

Chris Bjorin Eliminated in 10th Place ($12,194)

Oct 29, '09

Erik Nomberg raised to 30,000 in the cutoff and Glen Chorny called on the button.

Chris Bjorin then called in the big blind and the flop came down AK9. Everyone checked to the turn where the 7 hit the board.

Bjorin bet 30,000, Nomberg folded and Chorny made the call. The river was the 8 and Bjorin checked.

Chorny bet 75,000 and Bjorin quickly moved all in for about 100,000 more. Chorny insta-called and Bjorin turned over KQ, assumingly making a move with the naked nut spade card.

Chorny showed Q6 for the second nuts and Bjorin exited the final table area. Chorny now has the lead with nearly 1 million in chips.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Glen Chorny

Level 23 Update: Three Busts -- Down to Seven

Oct 25, '09

Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Left: 7 of 275

Average Chip Count: 2,357,142

Chip Counts:

1. Shawn Cunix — 3,500,000
2. Freddy Deeb — 3,400,000
3. Tommy Vedes — 2,800,000
4. Jason Lavallee — 1,850,000
5. Craig Crivello — 1,750,000
6. Jason Burt — 1,450,000
7. Aaron Jones — 1,200,000

Notable Eliminations:

10. Chris Bjorin — $47,710
9. Richard Sciuto — $63,610
8. Kido Pham — $89,450

Big Hands:

Chris Bjorin Eliminated in 10th Place ($47,710)

Tommy Vedes raised to 190,000 under the gun and Chris Bjorin (pictured right) reraised all in from early position. Vedes made the call and they turned over their cards:

Vedes: QQ
Bjorin: AK

Board: 105499

Vedes won the pot with pocket queens and Bjorin was eliminated in 10th place.

Richard Sciuto Eliminated in Ninth Place ($63,610)

Richard Sciuto moved all in preflop for 375,000 and Jason Lavallee made the call from the button. Their cards:

Sciuto: 99
Lavallee: KK

Board: J54108

Lavallee won the hand with pocket kings and Sciuto was eliminated in ninth place.

Kido Pham Eliminated in Eighth Place ($89,450)

Shawn Cunix raised to 185,000 from the button and Kido Pham reraised all in for 665,000. Cunix made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Pham: A10
Cunix: AQ

Board: 6434K

Cunix won the hand and Pham was eliminated in eighth place. One more player to go until the final television table is set.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Kido Pham,   Tommy Vedes,   Shawn Cunix,   Jason Lavallee,   Richard Sciuto

Level 22 Update: Slow Going at Bellagio

Oct 25, '09

Blinds: 20,000-40,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Left: 10 of 275

Average Chip Count: 1,650,000

Chip Counts:

1. Freddy Deeb — 2,840,000
2. Shawn Cunix — 2,750,000
3. Tommy Vedes — 2,460,000
4. Jason Lavallee — 2,450,000
5. Jason Burt — 2,400,000
6. Aaron Jones — 1,700,000
7. Chris Bjorin — 950,000
8. Craig Crivello — 680,000
9. Kido Pham — 525,000
10. Richard Sciuto — 300,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Chris Bjorin Doubles Through Aaron Jones

Freddy Deeb raised to 95,000, Tommy Vedes called, Chris Bjorin (pictured right) moved all in and Aaron Jones moved all in behind him to isolate.

Deeb and Vedes folded and Jones showed AQ, which had Bjorin dominated with his QJ.

But the board ran out 108697 to give Bjorin the winning straight and a double up to nearly 1 million in chips.

Richard Sciuto Crippled Without Seeing River

Richard Sciuto raised to 160,000 in the cutoff and Freddy Deeb called from the big blind. Both players checked a board to the turn reading KJ105 and Sciuto bet 175,000, leaving himself with just 125,000 behind.

Nonetheless, Deeb moved all in and Sciuto folded for his last three big blinds. Sciuto later doubled up with pocket queens to stay alive, though he is still short stacked.

Aaron Jones Doubles Up Through Shawn Cunix

Aaron Jones pushed for his last 668,000 in middle position and Shawn Cunix called from the big blind with AK.

Jones showed pocket jacks and the board came a clean queen high to give him the double up to 1,250,000. Cunix is still strong with nearly 2 million.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Tommy Vedes,   Shawn Cunix,   Aaron Jones

Level 19 Update: Glantz, Boyd, and Rajkumar Eliminated

Oct 24, '09

Blinds: 10,000-20,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Left: 12 of 275

Average Chip Count: 1,269,230

Chip Counts:

1. Jason Lavallee — 4,500,000
2. Kido Pham — 1,720,000
3. Shawn Cunix — 1,400,000
4. Jason Burt — 1,370,000
5. Tommy Vedes — 1,250,000
6. Freddy Deeb — 1,100,000
7. Larry Berg — 990,000
8. Aaron Jones — 940,000
9. Steve Brecher — 850,000
10. Chris Bjorin — 650,000

Notable Eliminations:

18. Matt Glantz — $31,805
17. Jeff Blenkarn — $31,805
16. Dutch Boyd — $31,805
15. Vivek Rajkumar — $39,760
14. Robert Tepper — $39,760
13. Matt Stout — $39,760

Big Hands:

Matt Glantz Eliminated in 18th Place ($31,805)

Matt Glantz moved all in preflop and Jason Lavallee made the call. Their cards:

Glantz: AJ
Lavallee: AQ

Board: Q873A

Lavallee won the hand with aces up and Glantz was eliminated in 18th place.

Jeff Blenkarn Eliminated in 17th Place ($31,805)

Chris Bjorin moved all in from the small blind and Jeff Blenkarn made the all-in call for his final 130,000. Their cards:

Bjorin: 86
Blenkarn: A4

Board: J1087J

Bjorin grew his stack to 725,000 and Blenkarn was eliminated in 17th place.

Dutch Boyd Eliminated in 16th Place ($31,805)

Jason Lavallee raised to 52,000 under the gun and Dutch Boyd made the call. The flop was dealt A84. Lavallee bet 20,000 and Boyd made the all-in call for 15,000. Their cards:

Boyd: A10
Lavallee: AK

Turn and River: 56

Lavallee increased his chip lead to 4.4 million and Boyd was eliminated in 16th place.

Vivek Rajkumar Eliminated in 15th Place ($39,760)

Vivek Rajkumar raised to 50,000 under the gun. Jason Lavallee reraised from the cutoff to 140,000. Rajkumar reraised all in for 460,000. Lavallee made the call and they turned up their cards:

Lavallee: AK
Rajkumer: QQ

Board: K5569

Lavallee grew his chip lead once more and now he holds 4.5 million. Rajkumar was knocked out in 15th place.

Rob Tepper Eliminated in 14th Place ($39,760)

Rob Tepper moved all in under the gun for 174,000 and Aaron Jones reraised all in from the button. Everyone else mucked and the two players flipped up their cards:

Tepper: K2
Jones: 1010

Board: A872Q

Jones won the hand with a pair of tens and Tepper was eliminated in 14th place.

Matt Stout Eliminated in 13th Place ($39,760)

Craig Crivello checked a board of J834 from the big blind and Matt Stout moved all in under the gun. Crivello made the call and they turned over their cards:

Crivello: 33
Stout: 1010

River: K

Crivello won the hand to grow his stack to 1 million and Stout was eliminated in 13th place.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Craig Crivello,   Matthew Glantz,   Jeff Blenkarn,   Matt Stout,   Dutch Boyd,   Vivek Rajkumar,   Jason Lavallee,   Aaron Jones

Level 23 Update: Three Busts -- Down to Seven

Oct 25, '09

Blinds: 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Left: 7 of 275

Average Chip Count: 2,357,142

Chip Counts:

1. Shawn Cunix — 3,500,000
2. Freddy Deeb — 3,400,000
3. Tommy Vedes — 2,800,000
4. Jason Lavallee — 1,850,000
5. Craig Crivello — 1,750,000
6. Jason Burt — 1,450,000
7. Aaron Jones — 1,200,000

Notable Eliminations:

10. Chris Bjorin — $47,710
9. Richard Sciuto — $63,610
8. Kido Pham — $89,450

Big Hands:

Chris Bjorin Eliminated in 10th Place ($47,710)

Tommy Vedes raised to 190,000 under the gun and Chris Bjorin (pictured right) reraised all in from early position. Vedes made the call and they turned over their cards:

Vedes: QQ
Bjorin: AK

Board: 105499

Vedes won the pot with pocket queens and Bjorin was eliminated in 10th place.

Richard Sciuto Eliminated in Ninth Place ($63,610)

Richard Sciuto moved all in preflop for 375,000 and Jason Lavallee made the call from the button. Their cards:

Sciuto: 99
Lavallee: KK

Board: J54108

Lavallee won the hand with pocket kings and Sciuto was eliminated in ninth place.

Kido Pham Eliminated in Eighth Place ($89,450)

Shawn Cunix raised to 185,000 from the button and Kido Pham reraised all in for 665,000. Cunix made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Pham: A10
Cunix: AQ

Board: 6434K

Cunix won the hand and Pham was eliminated in eighth place. One more player to go until the final television table is set.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Kido Pham,   Tommy Vedes,   Shawn Cunix,   Jason Lavallee,   Richard Sciuto

Level 22 Update: Slow Going at Bellagio

Oct 25, '09

Blinds: 20,000-40,000 with a 4,000 ante

Players Left: 10 of 275

Average Chip Count: 1,650,000

Chip Counts:

1. Freddy Deeb — 2,840,000
2. Shawn Cunix — 2,750,000
3. Tommy Vedes — 2,460,000
4. Jason Lavallee — 2,450,000
5. Jason Burt — 2,400,000
6. Aaron Jones — 1,700,000
7. Chris Bjorin — 950,000
8. Craig Crivello — 680,000
9. Kido Pham — 525,000
10. Richard Sciuto — 300,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Chris Bjorin Doubles Through Aaron Jones

Freddy Deeb raised to 95,000, Tommy Vedes called, Chris Bjorin (pictured right) moved all in and Aaron Jones moved all in behind him to isolate.

Deeb and Vedes folded and Jones showed AQ, which had Bjorin dominated with his QJ.

But the board ran out 108697 to give Bjorin the winning straight and a double up to nearly 1 million in chips.

Richard Sciuto Crippled Without Seeing River

Richard Sciuto raised to 160,000 in the cutoff and Freddy Deeb called from the big blind. Both players checked a board to the turn reading KJ105 and Sciuto bet 175,000, leaving himself with just 125,000 behind.

Nonetheless, Deeb moved all in and Sciuto folded for his last three big blinds. Sciuto later doubled up with pocket queens to stay alive, though he is still short stacked.

Aaron Jones Doubles Up Through Shawn Cunix

Aaron Jones pushed for his last 668,000 in middle position and Shawn Cunix called from the big blind with AK.

Jones showed pocket jacks and the board came a clean queen high to give him the double up to 1,250,000. Cunix is still strong with nearly 2 million.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Tommy Vedes,   Shawn Cunix,   Aaron Jones

Level 19 Update: Glantz, Boyd, and Rajkumar Eliminated

Oct 24, '09

Blinds: 10,000-20,000 with a 2,000 ante

Players Left: 12 of 275

Average Chip Count: 1,269,230

Chip Counts:

1. Jason Lavallee — 4,500,000
2. Kido Pham — 1,720,000
3. Shawn Cunix — 1,400,000
4. Jason Burt — 1,370,000
5. Tommy Vedes — 1,250,000
6. Freddy Deeb — 1,100,000
7. Larry Berg — 990,000
8. Aaron Jones — 940,000
9. Steve Brecher — 850,000
10. Chris Bjorin — 650,000

Notable Eliminations:

18. Matt Glantz — $31,805
17. Jeff Blenkarn — $31,805
16. Dutch Boyd — $31,805
15. Vivek Rajkumar — $39,760
14. Robert Tepper — $39,760
13. Matt Stout — $39,760

Big Hands:

Matt Glantz Eliminated in 18th Place ($31,805)

Matt Glantz moved all in preflop and Jason Lavallee made the call. Their cards:

Glantz: AJ
Lavallee: AQ

Board: Q873A

Lavallee won the hand with aces up and Glantz was eliminated in 18th place.

Jeff Blenkarn Eliminated in 17th Place ($31,805)

Chris Bjorin moved all in from the small blind and Jeff Blenkarn made the all-in call for his final 130,000. Their cards:

Bjorin: 86
Blenkarn: A4

Board: J1087J

Bjorin grew his stack to 725,000 and Blenkarn was eliminated in 17th place.

Dutch Boyd Eliminated in 16th Place ($31,805)

Jason Lavallee raised to 52,000 under the gun and Dutch Boyd made the call. The flop was dealt A84. Lavallee bet 20,000 and Boyd made the all-in call for 15,000. Their cards:

Boyd: A10
Lavallee: AK

Turn and River: 56

Lavallee increased his chip lead to 4.4 million and Boyd was eliminated in 16th place.

Vivek Rajkumar Eliminated in 15th Place ($39,760)

Vivek Rajkumar raised to 50,000 under the gun. Jason Lavallee reraised from the cutoff to 140,000. Rajkumar reraised all in for 460,000. Lavallee made the call and they turned up their cards:

Lavallee: AK
Rajkumer: QQ

Board: K5569

Lavallee grew his chip lead once more and now he holds 4.5 million. Rajkumar was knocked out in 15th place.

Rob Tepper Eliminated in 14th Place ($39,760)

Rob Tepper moved all in under the gun for 174,000 and Aaron Jones reraised all in from the button. Everyone else mucked and the two players flipped up their cards:

Tepper: K2
Jones: 1010

Board: A872Q

Jones won the hand with a pair of tens and Tepper was eliminated in 14th place.

Matt Stout Eliminated in 13th Place ($39,760)

Craig Crivello checked a board of J834 from the big blind and Matt Stout moved all in under the gun. Crivello made the call and they turned over their cards:

Crivello: 33
Stout: 1010

River: K

Crivello won the hand to grow his stack to 1 million and Stout was eliminated in 13th place.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Craig Crivello,   Matthew Glantz,   Jeff Blenkarn,   Matt Stout,   Dutch Boyd,   Vivek Rajkumar,   Jason Lavallee,   Aaron Jones

Tournament Update (Level 25) -- Action Picks Up, Down to 4 Players

Oct 01, '09

Blinds: 20,000-40,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 4 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Praz Bansi — 2,925,000
Daniel Negreanu — 2,865,000
Jason Mercier — 2,320,000
Barry Shulman — 1,925,000

Average Chip Count: 2,505,000

Notable Eliminations:

8: Matt Hawrilenko — £87,074
7: Antoine Saout — £114,228
6: Chris Bjorin — £150,267
5: Markus Ristola — £200,367

Big Hands:

Matt Hawrilenko Eliminated in Eighth Place (£87,074)

Barry Shulman raised preflop and Matt Hawrilenko moved all in. Shulman made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Hawrilenko: J7
Shulman: AQ

Board: 103368

Hawrilenko was eliminated in eighth place and Shulman grew his stack.

Antoine Saout Eliminated in Seventh Place (£114,228)

Antoine Saout moved all in preflop and Daniel Negreanu called. Their cards:

Negreanu: AQ
Saout: 55

Board: 108427

Saout was eliminated in seventh place and Negreanu continued to build his stack to challenge the chip leaders.

Chris Bjorin Eliminated in Sixth Place (£150,267)

Chris Bjorin moved all in preflop and Daniel Negreanu made the call. Their cards:

Negreanu: AQ
Bjorin: AJ

Board: K10939

Bjorin was eliminated and Negreanu watched his stack climb north of 3 million.

Markus Ristola Eliminated in Fifth Place (£200,367)

Daniel Negreanu raised to 100,000 under the gun preflop and Markus Ristola rereaised all in. Negreanu made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Ristola: K10
Negreanu: A5

Board: Q68KA

Negreanu won the hand to continue a dominant stretch at the final table while Ristola was eliminated in fifth place.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Daniel Negreanu,   Barry Shulman,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Antoine Saout,   Markus Ristola

Tournament Update (Level 23) -- Chris Bjorin Doubles As Well

Oct 01, '09

Blinds: 12,000-24,000 with a 3,000 ante

Players Remaining: 9 out of 334

Chip Counts:

Jason Mercier — 2,255,000
Daniel Negreanu — 1,758,000
Barry Shulman — 1,524,000
Markus Ristola — 1,051,000
Praz Bansi — 866,000
James Akenhead — 815,000
Antoine Saout — 739,000
Chris Bjorin — 572,000
Matt Hawrilenko — 516,000

Average Chip Count: 1,113,333

Notable Eliminations:

NONE

Big Hands:

Chris Bjorin Doubles Up

Daniel Negreanu raised to 56,000 and Chris Bjorin moved all in for 397,000.

Negreanu called with JJ and was racing against Bjorin’s AK.
The board came KQQ82 and Bjorin doubled up to about 800,000.

Negreanu took a hit down to 900,000, but he is still in much better shape than when he began at this final table.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Daniel Negreanu

Level 18 Update: Phil Ivey Eliminated

Jun 09, '09

Blinds: 6,000-12,000

Players Remaining: 20 out of 179

Chip Counts:

1. John Monnette – 624,000
2. Daniel Alaei- 353,000
3. Scott Clements – 288,000
4. Jacobo Fernandez – 275,000
5. Daniel Negreanu – 262,000
6. Alex Kravchenko – 205,000
7. Annie Duke – 190,000
8. Ted Lawson – 156,000
9. Steve Zolotow – 100,000
10. Patt Pezzin – 80,000

Average Chip Count: 268,500

Notable Eliminations:

Phil Ivey

Big Hands:

Phil Ivey Elminated

Phil Ivey raised to 24,000 pre-flop and was re-raised by Scott Clements. Ivey made the call, leaving about 15,000 behind. The flop came KQA, and Ivey bet the last of his remaining chips. Clements quickly called.

Their cards:

Ivey: A392

Clements: AQQ3

Ivey was behind with his flush draw against Clements’ set of queens, but had hopes of catching runner-runner for a low to split the pot. However, the A on the turn had Ivey drawing dead. The meaningless J came and Ivey was eliminated just short of the money. Clements is about average with 288,000.

Chris Bjorin Doubles

On a board of 109A6J, Chris Bjorin was all-in against Pat Pezzin and the huge stack of John Monnette. Bjorin was able to take down the pot to triple up with aces and nines.

Pat Pezzin Losses Massive Pot

On a board of 7654, a player bet 20,000 into Pat Pezzin who re-raised. John Monnette called from the small blind and so did the initial bettor. The 2 hit the river and Monnette checked. The initial bettor on the turn bet 20,000 and Pezzin called. Monnette quickly mucked and the bettor turned over a straight to scoop the whole pot. Pezzin mucked a set of sevens, which he flopped along with the nut flush draw. Pezzin was down to just 21,000 but battled back to 80,000.

John Monnette Wins Three Quarters Of Huge Pot

On a board of 7KK46, John Monnette turned over AK42X, for kings full and the nut low. His opponent exposed AA82 to split the low. After many bets and re-raises, Monnette took the majority of the massive pot and is up to 624,000 in chips.

Left In The Deck:

The players are on a short 10 minute break before resuming action.

Player Tags: Chris Bjorin,   Phil Ivey,   John Monnette,   Scott Clements