T.J. Cloutier - Live Updates

Level 12 Update

Mar 18, '09

Big Hands:

T.J. Cloutier Eliminated

T.J. Cloutier moved alll in on a flop of J53 with KJ in the hole and Chris Moore called him down with AA. The turn and river fell 49 and Cloutier was knocked out of the event. Moore collected the $5,000 bounty.

Joe Sebok Doubles Up

Joe Sebok moved all in preflop with A-K and one opponent called him down with pocket queens. The board rattled off K-J-2-4-7 and Sebok doubled up to survive with 120,000.

Allen Cunningham Eliminated

Allen Cunningham moved all in on a board of A10769 and Kent Washington called him down. Their cards:

Washington: K2
Cunningham: muck

Cunningham left the tournament area and Washington collected the $5,000 bounty.

Jennifer Harman Eliminated by Paul Wasicka

Early position raised to 3,500 and Jennifer Harman moved all in from late position preflop. Paul Wasicka reraised all in over the top of Harman and early position folded. The final two players then flipped up their cards:

Harman: A6
Wasicka: AQ

Board: 107535

Harman was eliminated on the hand and Wasicka collected the $5,000 bounty.

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier,   Allen Cunningham,   Jennifer Harman,   Paul Wasicka,   Joe Sebok

T.J. Cloutier Eliminated

Nov 05, '08

T.J. Cloutier's pocket nines ran into his opponent's pocket aces and has been eliminated from the tournament.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier

$10,000 Main Event - Cloutier Being Aggressive

Jul 05, '08

Blinds/Antes: 100-200

Chip Leaders:

Rhett Butler: 63,000
Carl Henriksson: 62,000
John Strzemp: 58,600
Clonie Gowen: 58,300
Brad Booth: 56,000
Adam Zinn: 51,000
Bryan Devonshire: 49,500
Dmitri Nobles: 48,000
Matt Hawrilenko: 45,000
Jared Brintz: 42,000

Card Player Counts:

Rolf Slotboom: 32,000
Mike Matusow: 27,800
Isaac Haxton: 21,200
Mark Gregorich: 20,300
Marcel Luske: 19,800
Michael Binger: 18,100
Gavin Griffin: 6,500
Bertrand Grospellier: 3,500

Eliminations: Mike Sexton, Daniel Alaei, Max Pescatori, Dustin Woolf, Davidi Kitai

Big Hands:

Makhija Runs Into Bullets

Amit Makhija raised to 600 from the cutoff before the flop. Seat 9 called from the button and the player in seat 1 reraised to 1,700 from the small blind. Action came back to Makhija, who made the call. Seat 9 got out of the way and the flop came down J106. Seat 1 led out with 3,000 and Makhija made the call. The turn paired the board as the J hit the felt. Seat 1 thought for a long time before deciding to move all in for 10,200. Makhija took his own time to think, but he eventually called and showed 99. Seat 1 turned over AA and Makhija was in trouble. He needed to hit a two-outer to take the pot, but the 8 fell on the river and Makhija trasported almost half of his stack to seat 1. He started the hand with almost 27,000 in chips and ended it with just 12,000.

Le Gets Pushed Out

Nam Le raised to 650 before the flop from middle position. The player in seat 4 made the call from the hijack position and everyone else folded. The flop came down 10105 and Le fired a continuation bet of 800. Seat 4 immediately made his move as he pushed all in for 5,025 more. Le went in the tank as camera crews rushed over to the table. Le looked at his hand a couple of times and finally mucked. He was down to 28,000.

Cloutier Sends His Opponent's Ladies into the Muck

T.J. Cloutier raised to 600 from middle position preflop and seat 4 made the call from the button. The player in seat 6 also called from the big blind and everyone saw a flop of 1087. Cloutier fired 1,000 into the pot of 1,800 and the button called. The player in the big blind got out of the way and the 4 came on the turn. Cloutier kept up his aggression as he fired 3,000 into the pot. The button turned over his hand, QQ, and released it into the muck. "I'll let you win this hand," he told Cloutier. "Oh, you had me beat," Cloutier says as he showed the 10. Regardless, Cloutier raked in the pot and improved to 14,000 in chips.

Quack, Quack, Quack

In a limped four-way pot, the flop came J22. Action checked to the player in seat 6 who fired 600. John D'Agostino made the call and the other players folded. The turn brought the 5 and both players checked. When the 4 fell on the river, D'Agostino bet 1,500 and his opponent made the call. D'Agostino showed K2 for a set of ducks. His opponent mucked and D'Agostino's stack grew to about 40,000.

Medic Doubles Up

Nenad Medic raised to 600 preflop and was called by the player in the big blind. The flop came down 832. Medic bet 1,000 after the big blind checked. The big biind then check-raised to 2,500. Medic repopped to 6,000 and the big blind put Medic all in. Medic called and showed 83, ahead of his opponent's 99. The turn was the Q and the river was the 5 and Medic doubled up to around 24,000.

We Told You Not to Play With Sam Farha

A player in middle position raised to 700 and Farha made the call. The player on the button jumped in as well and the flop came down Q86. The initial bettor checked, as did Farha. The button then fired 1,100 into the pot. The initial bettor folded and Farha raised to 4,100. The button looked at Farha, frowned, nodded, looked at his hand and threw it into the muck. Farha was up to 45,000.

Online Poker LIve at the WSOP

The Brasilia Room has apparently been designated as the "online room." Players like Chad "lilhodem954" Batista, Adam "Roothlus" Levy, Jonathan "driverseati" Tamayo, David Benefield and Philip "uscphildo" Collins are all going to work there.

Chad Batista Hammered Down By Big Slick

After Batista raised to 550 preflop, another player pushed all in for 3,000. Batista made the call and showed QJ. His opponent turned over big slick, AK and hit the flop of K74. Batista needed running cards to win the pot, but the K on the turn sealed the deal and Batista was drawing dead. The meaningless river was the 6 and Batista dropped to around 9,000 in chips.

Collins Picked Off

Collins was involved in a hand where he bet 1,000 on a board of K746. He was called by the player in seat 2. When the J hit on the river, Collins fired 3,500 and seat 2 went into the tank. He eventually said that he couldn't put Collins on a real hand so he made the call. Collins showed 65 for a pair of sixes. Seat 2 showed K8 for top pair to rake in the pot. After the loss, Collins had around 20,000.

Teltscher Teaches Tiffany A Lesson

Brit Mark Teltscher was a match for Tiffany Michelle's aggression when he called every bet on ever street including 4,000 on the river. The board read A-A-K-7-2 and Teltscher went into the tank finally calling. Michelle looked a little downbeat. "You got an Ace?" she asked and went to muck her cards. Teltscher flipped over A-3 for trip aces and Michelle's bluff had gone badly awry. After the hand she was down to 34,000 and the Englishman was up to 26,000.

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier,   Nam Le,   John D'Agostino,   Amit Makhija,   Philip Collins

$1,500 No Limit Hold'em - Action After the Break

Jun 30, '08

Blinds/Antes: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Left: 910 of 2,693

Chip Leaders:

Scott Seiver: 38,000
Bryan Devonshire: 23,000
Lou Esposito: 23,000
Grant Levy: 22,300
Richard Kirsch: 20,000
Vanessa Rousso: 19,000
David Pham: 18,000
Erica Schoenberg: 17,400
Mimi Tran: 15,000
Peter Marr: 15,000

Average Stack: 8,878

Eliminations: Humberto Brenes, Kathy Liebert

Big Hands and Story Lines:

Schoenberg Speaks!

Erica Schoenberg was very stoic at her table. Her poker face could not be tampered with. She engaged in little conversation with anyone at her table for the first four hours of the tournament. That all changed when T.J. Cloutier was moved to her table. He arrived and immediately engaged Schoenberg in conversation. After half a day of hardly saying a word and having the same expression on her face, Schoenberg smiled and laughed as she talked with Cloutier. It was a short lived moment, however, as their table was broken up moments later.

Old School Aggression

Before the table was broken, the player in seat 2 was under the gun and raised to 1,025 total. Action folded around to T.J. Cloutier in the big blind. Cloutier wasted little time in taking his entire stack of around 5,500 and pushing it into the middle. The player in seat 2 mucked quickly and Cloutier took the pot. He put his stack of around 7,000 into the rack he was supplied by the floor person and made his way to a new table.

Jesus Leaves Opponent Hanging, Momentarily Anyway

On a flop that dropped J93, the player in seat 3 moved all in and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson was next to act. Ferguson asked for a count, then looked over at seat 7 who was next to act. Ferguson made the call and seat 7 got out of the way. The player in seat 3 turned over AJ while Ferguson showed AJ. The player in seat 3 figured they would chop and put his fist out to bump with Ferguson. But Ferguson stopped his opponent, pointing to the A in Ferguson's hand. Once the the 9 eliminated any possibility of a flush, Ferguson completed the fist bump and a laugh was had by all at the table.

Brenes Ousted

Humberto Brenes moved all in with 1010 against an opponent who called with AK. Brenes was looking good after the flop fell 932. But the turn put a bullet in Brenes' heart as the A hit the felt. The 8 on the river sent Brenes to the rail for good.

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier,   Humberto Brenes,   Chris Ferguson,   Erica Schoenberg

$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. - End of Day 2

Jun 26, '08

Note: Play has concluded for Day 2 and the remianing 67 players will return tomorrow at 3 pm to Level 12 with blinds of 3,000-6,000 and antes of 1,500 with a 2,000 bring-in and a 6,000 completion.

Blinds/Antes:
Hold'em-Omaha 8/b: 2,500-5,000
Razz-Stud-Stud 8/b: 1,000 ante, 2,000 bring-in, 5,000 completion

Players Left: 67 of 148

Chip Leaders:
Patrick Bueno: 445,000
Barry Greenstein: 415,000
Lyle Berman: 415,000
Joseph Michael: 410,000
Bill Chen: 380,000
Mike Wattel: 380,000
Steve Zolotow: 370,000
Chris Reslock: 360,000
Minh Ly: 345,000
Doyle Brunson: 340,000
Average Stack: 220,896

Eliminations: Michael Binger, John Monnette, T.J. Cloutier, Ted Forrest, Todd Brunson, Mike Matusow, Tom Schenider

Big Hands:

Hold'em

T.J. Cloutier Crippled Then Eliminated

On a flop of K-J-6, T.J. Cloutier bet out and Lyle Berman raised. Cloutier just called and the turn was a queen. Cloutier led out again and Berman raised again. This time Cloutier reraised and Berman capped it. Cloutier called and the river was another jack. Cloutier bet out again, Berman raised and Cloutier just called after a moment of deliberation and with a somewhat confused look on his face. Berman turned over pocket queens for queens full of jacks while Cloutier showed K-J for jacks full of kings. Cloutier threw his hand into the muck and said, "Mother F@#Ker, that was a $50,000 hand!" Cloutier was of course refering to the buy-in not the pot size, as this hand left him crippled and pretty much killed his tournmanet life. That hand just cost Cloutier his $50,000 buy-in.

Now crippled and left with less than 10,000 in chips, Cloutier got it all in a few hands later against Alex Kostritsyn. The money went in pre-flop and both palyers turned over their cards,

Cloutier: 103
Kostritsyn: A4  
Board: KJ7J7

Cloutier was so short stacked that he literally had to get it all in this hand. No help on the board and T.J. Cloutier was eliminated by Lyle Berman although Kostrtisyn officially got the kill.

Omaha 8/b

Todd Brunson Eliminated by Gabe Kaplan

Gabe Kaplan raised from middle position, Todd Brunson called the raise as did Katja Thater from the big blind. The flop came QJ5, and Kaplan bet. Both Brunson and Thater called. The turn was the 2 and this time Thater bet out. Kaplan raised, Brunson called all in for his last 20,000 and Thater called the raise. The river was the 9 and Thater checked to Kaplan who bet. Thater called and Kaplan turned over a pair of queens, winning both the side and main pots as Thater mucked her hand and Todd Brunson made his exit.

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier,   Todd Brunson,   Lyle Berman,   Gabe Kaplan

Cloutier Out, Men Nguyen May Follow

Jun 12, '08

Blinds/Antes: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante moving to 600-1,200 with a 100 ante

Players Left: 180 of 1,344

Chip Leaders:

Tom Braband: 97,000
Matt Erhlich: 94,000
Allen Le: 90,000
Dustin Dirksen: 88,000
Barry Greenstein: 78,000
David Gent: 57,000
Andrew Jeffreys: 54,000
Stephane Tayar: 50,000
Scott Bohlman: 50,000
Emanuel: Failla: 45,000

Average Stack: 29,867

Big Hands:

Cloutier Gone

The player in seat 9 raised and T.J. Cloutier moved all in for around 12,000. His opponent went into the tank for a while. Finally, he decided to make the call. Cloutier showed 66 while his opponent showed 99. The flop came A210 and Cloutier had one foot out the door. The 9 on the turn swept his other foot from under him and tossed him out with the railbirds.

Master of Disaster

Men "The Master" Nguyen has fallen from grace. He was once amongst the chip leaders but has since seen his stack dwindle. With plays like the following, it is no wonder as to why.

Preflop, a player moved all in and Nguyen thought about a call. He took plenty of time and then decided to gamble as he called and turned over 108. His opponent showed A7 and the board ran out A3466. After that, the man who was once in the top 10 was hovering at just 14,000, about half of the average stack in the room.

The Nines Have It

On a board showing K92. Phil Hellmuth and his opponent checked to the turn which brought the J. Both players checked again and the 6 dropped on the river. Hellmuth bet 1,000 and his opponent mucked. Hellmuth gave a grin and a sigh as he showed his opponent his cards. He told the table that he had a nine and was hoping to lure his opponent into betting. Hellmuth was around 15,000 after the hand.

A Good Book

Scotty Nguyen has been reading ever since he returned from the 20 minute break. He may have been trying to blow off some steam after his pocket kings ran into pocket aces just before the break came. His stack was hammered, but while reading his Card Player magazine, he was back up to a few decent sized stacks.

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier,   Scotty Nguyen,   Men Nguyen,   Phil Hellmuth

$5,000 No-Limit Hold'em - Level 1

Jun 11, '08

Blinds/Antes: 25/50

Players Remaining: 714

Average Stack: 10,000

Notable Chip Counts:
Scotty Nguyen - 10,000
Chad Brown - 10,000
Huck Seed - 10,000
Phil Laak - 10,000
Greg Mueller - 10,000
Johnny Chan - 10,000
Phil Ivey - 10,000
Joe Hachem - 10,000
Michael Binger - 10,000
Dario Minieri - 10,000

Big Hands/Storylines:

Last Year’s Field Beaten Within First Level

Last year’s field of 640 has already been beaten within the first level of play. At the end of level one, 704 entrants had registered for this event. Registration will remain open until the end of the second level.

Jennifer Tilly Loses One Early

Having arrived at her table during the first few hands of level one, Jennifer Tilly raised to 150 from under-the-gun and was called by her opponent to the left. All other players folded, and the two saw a flop of J102. Tilly bet 300 and her opponent made it 800 to go. Tilly called and checked the 6c on the turn. Her opponent bet 1,800, and Tilly paused briefly before mucking her hand. Her opponent showed 1010, and Tilly remarked that she had folded a jack. She expressed that she had been hoping to make two pair on the turn. “Little did I know the only thing that would save me was a jack,” Tilly added. Tilly is of course mistaken, as a jack would have given her opponent a full house.

William Chen Drags a Large Pot

On a flop of QQ6, William Chen bet 325 and was called by his lone opponent. The 4 on the turn brought a bet of 500 from Chen and another call from his opponent. The river was the 2, and this time Chen fired out 1,100. His opponent deliberated for a while, but ultimately called. Chen turned over 44 for a full house, and his opponent mucked his hand.

The Quietest Man in Poker?

One of the particularly stacked tables in the blue section of the Amazon Room includes Lee Watkinson, T.J. Cloutier, and Allen Cunningham. The ESPN cameras quickly focused in on the action, including a boom microphone operator who took aim on Cunningham. Watkinson made a remark about the microphone. “The quietest man in poker and they put a microphone on him,” added Cloutier.

Brenes Dodges a Monster

Humberto Brenes limped from early position and later was one of three callers of a raise to 300 by the button. The flop came K86 and the three players checked to the button who bet 200.  All three players, including Brenes, called. The turn was the 8 and the small blind bet out 800. The under-the-gun player and Brenes both folded while the button called. The river brought the 5 and the small blind bet 2,100. The button simply called before showing KK for a monster full house.

Bonomo Can't Get Away

Justin Bonomo and three other players saw a flop of 873. The small blind and big blind checked over to Bonomo who fired out a bet of 700 from his perch in middle position. The button called, as did the big blind. On the turn, the small blind came to life and bet 2,200 after the dealer flipped the 4. Bonomo simply called and the button folded. The J on the river didn't slow the small blind down any. He continued his betting, this time to the tune of 3,500. Bonomo thought only momentarily before making the call. The small blind turned over 65 for the turned straight which was enough to topple Bonomo's flopped top-set with 88. This early cooler leaves Bonomo with only 3,700 going into level 2.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   T.J. Cloutier,   Humberto Brenes,   Allen Cunningham,   Justin Bonomo,   Jennifer Tilly,   Dario Minieri,   European Report

2,500 NLHE - Day 1 - Cloutier Ousts Another, Fricke Hammered on River

Jun 07, '08

Blinds/Antes: 100-200 moving to 100-200 with a 25 Ante

Players Left: 960 of 1,397

Chip Leaders:

Anthony Chatelain: 19,000
Jason Somerville: 17,000
Humberto Brenes: 12,000
Nenad Medic: 11,700
Jamie Gold: 11,000
Craig Gray: 10,700
Michael Craig: 9,300
Chris Ferguson: 8,200
Johnathan Little: 7,000

Average Stack: 7,276

Eliminations: Gavin Smith, Dmitri Nobles, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier

Big Hands:

Harrington Avoids the Back Door

Before the break, Courtney Harrington got involved in a pot with three other players, who each paid 325 before the flop. The flop came J84. Harrington, who was in the small blind, checked and one opponent bet 800. Another player called and Harrington moved in his entire stack of 4,000, having both opponents covered. The initial bettor folded and the second player called for his last 2,500.

Harrington showed J9 for top pair and one card to a flush, while his opponent showed 65 for a gutshot straight draw and a backdoor spade draw. The turn was a spade, but the river came with a blank and Harrington's stack improved to 8,000.

T.J. Hooks Another

After an opponent raised, T.J. Cloutier pushed all in, having his opponent covered. His opponent called and showed down 99 and Cloutier showed the fish hooks, JJ. The board ran out 642K and a blank on the river. Cloutier eliminated his opponent and his stack was up to 20,000.

Elezra Loves the Ladies...

On a board of J-9-3-2-5, Eli Elezra made a bet of 800. He was called by one opponent. Elezra showed QQ. His opponent threw his cards into the muck and Elezra was up to 7,500.

...But They are so Cruel to "gobboboy"

Jimmy "gobboboy" Fricke raised to 600 before the flop and was called by two players. The flop came 1032. Fricke bet 1,200 and both players folded, leaving Fricke to rake the pot and improve his stack to around 11,000. But the tide turned for Fricke on the very next hand.

Fricke raised to 700 before the flop. He was reraised by one opponent, and Fricke came over the top all in, having his opponent covered. His opponent made the call and Fricke showed KK and was in great shape over his opponent's QQ. The board started rather innocently, running out J94J. But the river was the Q and Fricke's stack was cut in half. He now sits around the starting stack of 5,000.

Photo at right Courtesy of Jeff "yellowsub86" Williams

Jesus Rising

Facing a raise, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson repopped it to 1,750 before the flop. His opponent mucked and Ferguson was up to around 12,000 in chips.

Vahedi Muscles Out Rousso, Eliminates Opponent

With the player in seat 7 already all in, Vanessa Rousso and Amir Vahedi each made the call. The flop came 543. Rousso bet 1,475 and Vahedi went into the tank. After thinking for a couple of minutes, Vahedi reached back and shoved his stack all in. Rousso removed the green "25" chip that was capping her cards and threw her hand into the muck. Vahedi still had to deal with the all in player who tabled pocket 10's. Vahedi turned over 33 for a set on the flop. The turn was the 8 and the river was the J and Vahedi improved to over 15,000 in chips.

The Aces Are Doing the Paddling

Michael Binger and his opponent checked a board of AQ777. Binger showed down A9 for a full boat, sevens full of aces and his opponent mucked. Binger took the pot and moved up to 7,000.

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier,   Chris Ferguson,   Eli Elezra,   Michael Binger,   Jimmy Fricke,   Courtney Harrington

2,500 NLHE - Day 1 - Madsen Gone, Cloutier Going Strong

Jun 07, '08

Note: Players are now on a 20 minute break and will return with the blinds at 100-200.

Blinds/Antes: 50-100

Entrants: Approx. 1,396

Eliminations: Roland De Wolfe, Andrew Black, Paul Darden, Jeff Madsen

Big Hands:

Rousso Shows Cowboys

With the board showing J43, Vanessa Rousso fired 1,700 into the pot. Her opponent in seat 8 went into the tank. He took a couple of minutes before deciding to throw his hand into the muck. Rousso squeezed her cards in her hand, and then the K squirted out into the middle of the table face up. Rousso showed the K that remained in her right hand. Her stack was around 6,000 after the hand.

Ignominious Triple Up for Kitzis

Early in round 2 three players got it all in on a board reading Q53: Daniel Kitzis with AA; an unknown opponent holding 42 for an open ended straight draw and running flush possibilities; and a third, whose 53 was in the lead, but vulnerable, with bottom two pair. The A peeled off on the turn, giving his opponent the straight and Kitzis trips; and the 5 on the end filled up both players but gave Kitzis a higher full-house. Kitzis, who looked as though he might be heading for the rail, now has more than 12,000 in chips. Kitzis' opponent with the smaller full house was so digusted he slammed his cards down on the table, provoking a one orbit time-out from the tournament director.

Boyd Back In Business

Dutch Boyd smooth called a raise of 350 in position, then fired 400 when the action was checked to him on a flop of J74, and the original raiser called. The 9 on the turn drew two checks. After the board paired on the river when the 4 came off, the original better led out for 500, and Boyd moved in for his last 1,300. "Did you miss?" asked his opponent, who reluctantly called. Boyd showed QQ and took down a pot worth more than 4,000.

Later, the board showed 57649 and Boyd bet over 4,000. Jeff Madsen tanked for such a long time, that he decided to call the clock on himself. It was a joke, but seconds later he declared to the table, "Okay, I fold." Boyd showed Madsen the 9 and took the pot. He was around 6,000 after the pot. Madsen was down to just 1,300 in chips.

Canadian Cowboys

The player in seat 2 raised to 225 before the flop. The action folded to Gavin Smith, who repopped it to 625 total. Seat 2 made the call and the flop came 553. Smith led out with 800 and seat 2 went into the tank. When he finally made a decision, all his chips were in the middle of the pot. Smith called and turned KK. Seat 2 turned over 1010. The turn was the 2 and the 7 sent seat 2 up the river and out on the rail. Smith was over 15,000 after the hand.

Cloutier Takes Early Lead, Busts Madsen

After three way pot, which included the great TJ Cloutier, was checked around on a flop of A44, the firework show began on the turn, when the deceptive 7 hit. After a flurry of raises, all three players were all in, and it was Cloutier in the lead, with 77 for a sevens full house. His opponents had, respectively, AK and A4. A fourth seven spiked on the river--as if Cloutier needed it.

Later, Jeff Madsen moved all in for 1,300 and was called by T.J. Cloutier. Cloutier showed AA and Madsen was in trouble with 88. His flush draws were covered by Cloutier's aces and Madsen needed to catch one of the remaining 8's or hit a miracle straight to survive. The board ran out KK2J4 and Madsen made his exit. Cloutier was around 15,000.

Scott Ian Doubles Up Wih Jacks

The player in seat 9 raised to 300 and Anthrax front man, Scott Ian reraised to 1,000 from the cutoff. Seat 9 pushed over the top and Ian callled all in for 1,325 more.

Seat 9: 88
Ian: JJ
Board: Q7694

Ian got it all in with the best hand. Jacks held up and Scott Ian doubled up to about 5,500.

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier,   Gavin Smith,   Vanessa Rousso,   Dutch Boyd,   Jeff Madsen,   Scott Ian

No Limit Hold 'Em Shootout - Level 2

Jun 06, '08

Blinds:

150-300 ante 25

 

Notable Eliminations: Chad Batista, Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey, Shane Schleger, Josh Arieh, Amir Vehedi, JC Alvarado, Barry Shulman

Big Hands:

Phil Ivey Gone

After Phil Ivey called a preflop raise, he led out on a flop Qd93 for 2,000. Seat 5 raised to 6,000, and Ivey moved all in for a few thousand more, drawing a call. It was off to the races: Ivey showed Q9 for top two pair, while his opponent revealed 98, drawing live to a diamond flush. The K spiked on the turn, pushing Ivey to the brink, and the 3 on the river provided no help. Ivey, who was mid-massage at the time, graciously paid his masseuse before exiting.

Joe Sebok On Fire

After Seat 5 fired 3,000 on a flop of 86 6, Joe Sebok called. The 7 came off on the turn and Seat 5 went into the tank for long enough that Sebok asked the dealer whether he had checked or not. Seat 5 answered by announcing, "All in"; and Sebok immediately called with 88 for a flopped full house. Seat 5 showed 99, drawing slim, and the river changed nothing. Sebok is healthy early, with over 32,000 in chips.

Berger Wamboozles Murphy

Dmitri Nobles raised from under the gun to 600 and Seat 7 and John Murphy both called. Fred Berger reraised an additional 2450, and Dmitri and seat 7 folded, while John Murphy moved all in. Berger made the call with QQ, well ahead of Murphy's 99. The board offered no help to Murphy, who was eliminated.

Froelich in Business

Eric Froelich was called by one opponent after he moved in on a board of J7226. Froelich showed KJ and his opponent mucked. Froelich is up to 24,000.

Vahedi, Shulman Out

On a flop of 109 4, Amir Vahedi moved his short stack into the middle and was quickly called by one opponent. Vahedi's opponents showed J9, slightly ahead of Q8 for a gutshot and flush draw. The 8 gave Vahedi additional hope, but the 5 on the bounced him from the tournament.

Big Bossman Barry Shulman moved all in preflop and was called by two players, including Evelyn Ng. After both players checked down a board of Q985K, Ng showed A7, and Shulman mucked his hand. Ng is up to about 35,000 in chips.

Of Note:

- Antonio Esfandiari, sighting T.J. Cloutier, asked for a hug; T.J. countered with an offer of a handshake, prompting Esfandiari to reraise with a proposition to kiss Cloutier on the cheek. Cloutier laughed, saying, "No way, Jose," and walked away.

- After Chad Brown congratulated Erick Lindgren for his bracelet win in the Mixed Hold 'Em Event two days ago, Lindgren walked over to Brown's table to thank him, only for Humberto Brenes to inquire what he was being congratulated for. "I did 18 jumping jacks without falling over," Lindgren joked, and the table burst into laughter. Lindgren then began negotiating with tablemate Mike Matusow for the terms of a wager on the NBA finals.

Player Tags: T.J. Cloutier,   Evelyn Ng,   Barry Shulman,   Phil Ivey

$1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em - Hour 3

Jun 02, '08

Blinds: $75-150

Players Left: 386

Eliminations: Lee Watkinson, Erik Seidel, TJ Cloutier

Chip Counts:

Kevin O'Donnell: 22,000
Andy Philacek: 17,100
Stuart Rutter: 15,000
Bart Tichleman: 10,800
Robby Lipkin: 10,800
Benjamin Fineman: 9,400
David Levi: 8,000
Tom McEvoy: 8,000
Steve Paul-Ambrose: 7,800
Dewey Tomko: 7,500



Big Hands:

Tilly Eliminates Another Player

Jennifer Tilly, already a big stack, bet 1,000 after a flop of Q83 and was check-raised all in by the big blind for 1,400 more. Tilly called with KQ, ahead of her opponent's Q10. Tilly survived the turn and river, bringing her up to more than 15,000 in chips.

Brenes Sucks Out Big

Humberto Brenes, calling for his tournament life on a board of 63K5, was woefully behind with K10 against his opponent's KJ. The 10 came on the river, though, and Brenes was still alive.

A few hands later Brenes was all-in again, showing A2. His opponent tabled 109 and the board ran out Q65A3, and Humberto's sharks kept swimming, sitting atop twice as many chips.

Watkinson Gone

Lee Watkinson opened to 425 from middle position. After the action folded around, the big blind popped it another 950, prompting Watkinson to move all in for his last 1700. His opponent called with QQ, even money against Watkinson's AK, but the board stayed down, bouncing Watkinson from the tournament.

Sklanksy All In

David Sklansky, who moved all in for 1275 on a board of 977K, was called reluctantly by his opponent with J10. Slansky's AA had to fade eight outs, but the 4 on the river wasn't one of them, chipping up Sklansky to more than 4,500.

Singer Sends Another Player to the Felt

A player in middle position raised to 525 and was reraised by Singer, who sat immediately to his left, to 2,000. The player called and the flop showed KKJ. Both players checked, and the dealer turned the A. The original raiser checked and Singer bet another 2,000. The player check-raised all-in for only a few hundred more, and Singer called instantly. The player showed K9 for a set of kings, but was well behind the flopped full house of Singer's JJ. The river brought the Q and Singer's hand held up. Singer's stack was up to around 10,000 after the hand.

Cloutier Eliminated

"This time I'm raising," said Cloutier from the small blind, after the button had raised 400. Cloutier raised the pot to 950, and then the button reraised another 2850 over the top of that. Cloutier looked disgusted but called, then checked after a flop of QQ6 and folded when the button bet enough to put him all in. That hand took him down to 1600; and before the level was over he was gone.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   T.J. Cloutier,   Humberto Brenes,   Erik Seidel,   Jennifer Tilly