Jason Alexander Poker Tournament Updates

Level Four Update: Vanessa Selbst Eliminated

Jul 07, '11

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

Players on Day 1A: 700 of 897

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Notables in Field:

Jani Sointula
Scott Montgomery
Johhny Lodden
Brian Hastings
TJ Cloutier
Eli Elezra
Filippo Candio
Matt Glantz
Faraz Jaka
Tatjana Pasalic
Jason Alexander
Nam Le
Lex Veldhuis
Dutch Boyd
Olivier Busquet
Soi Nguyen
George Danzer
Billy Baxter
Maria Ho

Card Player Chip Counts:

Barry Shulman — 28,000
Josh Brikis — 81,000

Notable Eliminations:

Greg Raymer
Vanessa Selbst
Doyle Brunson
Adam Levy
Matt Affleck
Vinny Vinh
Josh Arieh
John Hennigan

Hands:

Vanessa Selbst Eliminated

The flop read 7 3 2 when the small blind checked before Vanessa Selbst bet 1,300 UTG+1. Jason Alexander then raised to 2,900 from middle position.

The small blind mucked and Selbst then went into the tank before moving all in for 18,625. Alexander made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Selbst: 7 6
Alexander: 2 2

Turn and River: 9 and Q

Alexander won the hand with his set of deuces and Selbst was eliminated on the hand. The Seinfeld star now holds over 100,000 in chips and he is near the top of the leader board.

Barry Shulman Takes a Hit

The cutoff raised to 800 and Barry Shulman reraised to 2,000. The cutoff reraised to 4,500 and Shulman made the call.

The flop brought the Q 5 2 and Shulman checked. The cutoff bet 5,200 and Shulman took a peak at his cards before tossing them into the middle. Shulman is still holding level at his starting stack.

Official Day 1A Field

There are officially 897 players who entered the main event on day 1A. There are now 700 of them still in the running coming back from the dinner break.

Meet Your Chip Leader — Ronnie Jackson

Middle position raised 900 preflop and Ronnie Jackson reraised to 2,600 from the cutoff. The button and the original raiser both called and the flop rolled out A 10 8.

Middle position checked and Jackson bet 7,000. Both of his opponents made the call and the turn fell 8. Middle position checked and Jackson bet 15,000 this time around. The button decided to get out of the way at this point but middle position decided to make an all-in call for his final 8,000. Their cards:

Jackson: 10 10
Middle Position: A J

No ace fell on the river so Jackson was good with a full house. Middle position was eliminated while Jackson grew his stack to 150,000.

Isaac Haxton Takes a Hit to 6,000

Isaac Haxton thought he was sailing smooth with a jack in the hole on a J 8 3 7 6 board but his opponent who was all in held pocket sixes to win the pot and double up. After he paid up to his opponent Haxton was down to 6,000.

Josh Brikis on the Boat

Middle position raised to 650 and Josh Brikis made the call from the cutoff, the small blind also made the call. The flop fell 9 9 6 and the small blind checked. Middle position bet 1,400 and Brikis and the small blind each made the call.

The turn fell 6 and all three players checked. The river fell K and Brikis opened up the betting with a bet worth 3,500. The small blind mucked and middle position made the call.

Brikis flipped over 6 5 for the full house and his opponent mucked his cards. Brikis climbed to 90,000 after the hand.

Featured Poker Tweet — Faraz Jaka

Player Tags: Barry Shulman,   Jason Alexander,   Vanessa Selbst,   Isaac Haxton,   Josh Brikis

Level 4 Update -- Jason Alexander Out

Mar 06, '11

Blinds: 150-300

Players Remaining: 131 out of 154

Chip Counts:

1. Brcue Antman — 80,000
2. Kenny Lawson — 75,000
3. Arnaud Mattern — 70,000
4. Allen Kessler — 55,000
5. Daniel Negreanu — 50,000
6. Dwyte Pilgrim — 40,000
7. Ray Henson — 40,000
8. Michael Kazt — 40,000
9. David Baker — 40,000
10. John Hennigan — 40,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jason Alexander

Big Hands:

Eddy Sabat Wins a Nice Pot

The flop read Q 4 3 when the hi-jack bet to 2,300 and the cutoff made the call. Eddy Sabat then raised to 5,000 from the big blind and both of his opponents made the call. All three players then checked the A on the turn.

The river fell A and the the hi-jack bet 6,200. The cutoff mucked and Sabat went into the tank. He eventually made the call and flipped over Q J. The hi-jack turned over 6 5 and Sabat collected the pot with the winning hand.

Pilgrim vs. Hennigan

The board read 10 8 2 9 when John Hennigan bet 4,000 from the big blind. Dwyte Pilgrim made the call from the button and the 8 fell on the river. Hennigan bet 5,500 and Pilgrim made the call after a short time in the tank. Hennigan flipped over Q 7 and Pilgrim mucked, giving Hennigan the pot.

Poker Tweet — Kathy Liebert Channeling Charlie Sheen

Player Tags: Kathy Liebert,   John Hennigan,   Jason Alexander,   Dwyte Pilgrim

Level 3 Update -- Jennifer Tilly Out and Jason Alexander In

Mar 06, '11

Blinds: 100-200

Players Remaining: 140 out of 154

Chip Counts:

1. Allen Kessler — 60,000
2. David Baker — 40,000
3. Ali Eslami — 40,000
4. John Hennigan — 36,000
5. Men Nguyen — 35,000
6. Barry Greenstein — 34,000
7. David Peters — 33,000
8. Dwyte Pilgrim — 30,000
9. Daniel Negreanu — 30,000
10. Jason Alexander — 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Jennifer Tilly

Big Hands:

Jason Alexander Joins the Field

Actor Jason Alexander has jumped into the tournament. A few other late additions include Daniel Alaei and Chris Moore.

Daniel Negreanu vs. David Peters

The flop read 9 7 3 when David Peters bet 1,125 from the big blind. Daniel Negreanu made the call from late position. The 6 fell on the turn and Peters bet 3,025. Negreanu went into the tank and made the call. The 6 fell on the river and Peters bet 6,025. Negreanu mucked and said, “I had so many outs, hearts and the open-ended straight draw.”

Matt Affleck vs. John Hennigan

There was 5,200 in the pot and the board read J 4 3 8 2 when Matt Affleck bet 5,000 under the gun. John Hennigan then check-raised to 12,000 from the big blind. Affleck mucked and Hennigan grew his stack to 44,000.

Arnaud Mattern Eliminates One

The flop fell 8 8 8 and Arnaud Mattern bet 5,000 from the button. A player under the gun made an all-in call against the Team PokerStars pro and they flipped over their cards:

Mattern: 7 7
Opponent: A 9

Turn and River: 5 and 5

Mattern won the hand and his opponent was eliminated.

Player Tags: Daniel Negreanu,   David Peters,   Jason Alexander,   Arnaud Mattern,   Matt Affleck

Liv Boeree Defeats Jason Alexander

Mar 04, '11

Liv Boeree jumped out to a quick lead in her match with Jason Alexander at the featured table, but she needed some luck to move on to the round of 32.

Alexander was all in holding pocket queens and looked good to double up against Boeree’s A6, but the board fell A6433 to give Boeree the pot and the match.

She will now face the winner between Olivier Busquet and Dwyte Pilgrim in the round of 32.
Read more: http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2011-nbc-national-heads-up-poker-championship/nbc-national-heads-up-poker-championship/

Player Tags: Jason Alexander,   Liv Boeree

Level Three, Hour Two: Lisandro Loses Big One, Still Healthy

Jul 08, '10

Blinds: 150-300

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Khamsy Nuanmanee – 132,000
2. Brent Baldrey – 128,000
3. Paul Noriega – 112,000
4. Anh Van Nguyen – 98,000
5. David Benyamine – 87,000
6. Lyle Berman – 87,800
7. Dan Heimiller – 87,500
8. Victor Mendicuti – 76,000
9. Steve Billirakis – 70,500
10. Eddie Sabat – 68,000

Card Player Family Chip Counts

Jeff Shulman — 7,300
Steve Zolotow — 39,500
Jen Harman — 59,800

Big Hands:

Lisandro Loses a Big One

Jeff Lisandro called a large bet on a flop of 4AJ and when the 3 fell on the turn his opponent bet 5,000. Lisandro again called and the 7 fell on the river. This time, both players slowed and checked the end. Their hands:

Lisandro: AK
Opponent: AJ

Lisandro had flopped top pair but his opponent flopped top two pair. Lisandro lost the pot and dropped to around 23,000 in chips.

Ivey Bullies Table Out of Pot

In a limped three-way pot Phil Ivey bet 600 after the flop of 569. Both of his opponents called and quickly checked to him on the 9 turn.

Ivey bet 1,800 this time and seat 3 folded, while seat 4 smiled and looked at Ivey, seemingly happy to be losing another pot to the best. He folded and Ivey took it down.

Ivey had around 25,000 after the hand.

Mercier Keeps Rolling

The player under the gun raised to 800 and the small blind made the call. Jason Mercier was in the big blind and called as well and the three players saw the flop come down K87.

Both blinds checked to the player under the gun and he fired 1,500. Mercier was the only caller and the turn was the 10. Both players checked and the 5 fell on the river.

Both players checked again and Mercier showed 65 for a busted straight draw but a rivered pair of fives. It was good as his opponent mucked and Mercier was at 72,000.

Greenstein Muscled Out

Picking up the action after the flop, the board read J42. The player in seat 1 fired 1,000 and Barry Greenstein made it 2,000.

Seat 1 then shoved for the rest of his stack. Greenstein had a perplexed look on his face after the move, then shrugged his shoulders and mucked. He was at 38,000.

Pavilion Room Coverage

Chris Ferguson Wins a Pot

With about 6,000 in the pot on a board of J763 Chris Ferguson bet 5,000 and his opponent went into the tank. Ferguson’s opponent asked him if he would show but once he didn’t get a response from the poker pro he folded and tabled the 99 for a pair of nines. Ferguson flashed 7-3 for two pair and raked in the pot. He was at 38,000 after the hand.

Fred Goldberg Drops a Pot

A player bet into Fred Goldberg on the river. Goldberg made the call and his opponent tabled Q-J for the nut straight. Goldberg mucked and was down to 15,025 after the hand.

Sheikhan Doubles Up

Shawn Sheikhan moved his short stack all in on a flop of K73 and was called by the player in seat 2. Their hands:

Sheikhan: K10
Seat 2: QQ

Sheikhan held the lead and his opponent was in trouble with only two queens or running hearts remaining as his saving grace. The 6 and 9 finished the board and Mr. Sheikhan doubled up to around 17,000.

Arieh With the Huge Double Up

Jason Potter raised to 725 and Josh Arieh three-bet it to 1,900. The player on the button called, but Potter got out of the way.

The flop ran 492 and Arieh bet out 2,325. The button player raised to 6,600 and Arieh made the call. On the Q turn Arieh checked and the button bet 10,000. Arieh moved all in for 19,400 and the button called. Their hands:

Arieh: 56
Opponent: KK

Arieh held the flopped flush and his opponent was drawing dead. The 4 finished the board and Arieh doubled up to 57,500.

Varkonyi Chipping Up

The 2002 winner of the main event Robert Varkonyi bet 7,000 on a board of 9810K and was called by one player. Varkonyi bet 7,000 again on the 7 river and his opponent tanked, eventually folding.

Varkonyi had around 47,000 after the hand.

Jason Alexander Wins Big One With Kings

Jason Alexander bet 1,000 on a flop of 253 and was called by one player. The 2 came on the turn and Alexander bet 5,000 into the pot.

His opponent called and the Q finished the board. Alexander checked for the first time and his opponent bet 7,000. Alexander called and they showed their hands:

Alexander: KK
Opponent: JJ

Both players held high pocket pairs, but Alexander’s was best. He took the pot and boosted his stack to 33,000.

J.C. Tran Wins a Pot

J.C. Tran bet 700 preflop and was called by the player directly to his left. The flop came 9-7-7 and Tran bet 4,075. His opponent quickly folded and Tran raked in the pot. He was up to 48,000 after the hand.

David Saab Takes Some off Kenny Tran

Kenny Tran bet 800 and David Saab three-bet to 2,000. Tran thought about it for awhile before making the call. The flop came K54 and action went check-check. The 2 fell on the turn and Tran checked again. Saab fired out a bet of 7,000 and Tran went into the tank. He eventually decided to muck his hand. He was at 30,000 after the hand while Saab increased his stack to 60,000.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Chris Ferguson,   Barry Greenstein,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Phil Ivey,   Robert Varkonyi,   Fred Goldberg,   Jason Alexander,   Jason Mercier

Level 13 Hour 2 Update: Elky Over a Million!

Jul 10, '09

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

Players Remaining: 930 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,200,000
2. Owen Crowe – 1,030,000
3. Gabe Walls – 873,000
4. Ludovic Lacay – 870,000
5. Brennan Hanson – 670,000
6. James Akenhead – 660,000
7. Alexander Kostritsyn – 620,000
8. Brian Powel – 620,000
9. Tony Cavezza – 620,000
10. Kenny Tran – 590,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Phil Hellmuth – 500,000
Jeff Shulman – 175,000
Thomas Keller – out

Average Chip Count: 195,015

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Mizarachi
Amit Makhija
Alexia Portal
Nam Le
Dutch Boyd

Big Hands:

Betrand Grospellier Wins the Largest Hand of the Tournament so Far

A board of 972KA and 40,000 sat on the table when Jerry Wong bet 33,000. Bertrand Grospellier raised to 133,000 and then Wong moved all in for 250,000 more. Grospellier made the call and then flipped over 99. Wong showed down KQ and he was eliminated from the tournament. Grospellier won the huge pot and he now holds 1.1 million as the chip leader.

Jason Alexander Grabs Some Chips

Jason Alexander raised to 7,500 preflop from the hi-jack Christian Heich raised to 22,000. The flop came 862 flop and Alexander bet 20,000. Heich raised to 56,000 and Alexander tanked for a minute before he reraised all in for 131,600 more. Heich tanked and then mucked. Alexander grew his stack to 300,000.

Vitaly Lunkin Doubles Up

Vitaly Lunkin was faced with a preflop raised from the cutoff and decided to reraise to 18,000. The cutoff quickly announced he was all in for 81,150 total and Lunkin quickly called. The cutoff announced he was sick of being reraised by Lunkin and tabled the 75. Lunkin exposed the AQ and was ahead. The flop came 1098, and Lunkin was still in front with ace-high but his opponent had a massive drawing hand with a flush draw and straight draw. The 6 hit the turn and gave the cutoff a straight. The 6 fell on the river and Lunkin lost the 85,000 chip pot. Lunkin is down to 85,000.

Betrand Grospellier Dominating

Elky has been dominating his table since his massive surge to the chip lead. Grospellier raised preflop and was called by an opponent in the big blind. The flop came 833 and the big blind checked to Elky who elected to check behind. The 2 hit the turn and the big blind checked. Elky bet 6,500 and his opponent made the call. The 4 fell on the river and the big blind checked. Elky checked behind and the big blind exposed the A-10 but was no good against the A-J of Elky. Elky has been raising almost every hand and is running through his table. Elky is at 1,200,000.

Alex Kostritsyn Takes One Down

On a flop of K53, Phill Hellmuth bet 16,000 from middle position and Alex Kostritsyn called from the button. Josh Arieh elected to call from the small blind. The turn brought the 8 and action was checked around. The river brought the 4 and action was once again checked around. Arieh exposed the 64 for a busted straight draw but a rivered pair of fours. Hellmuth didn’t show and said he just had a five. Kostritsyn exposed the 77 to take down the pot. Kostritsyn is at 620,000.

Peter Eastgate Eliminates Opponent

The defending main event champion got all the chips into the middle with the AK and was up against the 88. The board ran out AQ10J9 as Eastgate eliminated his opponent and is at 375,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jason Alexander,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Peter Eastgate,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level 4 Hour 1 Update: Jerry Yang Eliminated

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 921 out of 1116

Chip Counts:

1. Dragan Galic – 110,000
2. Jeff Williams – 100,000
3. Jeremy Ausmus – 88,000
4. Radek Stockner – 88,000
5. Eli Elezra – 84,300
6. Kevin Stammen – 74,000
7. Bryan Colin – 72,000
8. Michael Kamran – 72,000
9. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman – 40,000
10. Barry Shulman – 28,500

Notable Eliminations:

Jerry Yang, Perry Friedman, Darryl Dicken

Big Hands:

Jerry Yang Eliminated

A short stacked Jerry Yang was all in preflop with J7 and was up against his opponent’s AK. Yang caught a good flop when it came 789, but the K on the turn put Yang in a bad spot.

Yang’s fate was sealed as the 4 fell on the river. Yang’s quest for a a second main event title will have to be postponed for at least another year.

Mark Gregorich Takes A Pot

On a board showing 10535, Mark Gregorich and his opponent checked with the pot around 4,000. The river was then the K and the action was checked to Gregorich. He bet 3,500 and his opponent went into the tank. After some thought, he said, “I’ll let you have it,” and mucked his cards. Gregorich raked in the pot and he was at 41,300.

By George!

The player in seat 6 opened the action for a raise to 1,150 and action folded around to Jason Alexander. He then reraised to 3,200 and seat 6 made the call. The flop then fell J52 and the action was checked to Alexander. He fired 6,000 and seat 6 came over the top, moving all in for 26,500. Alexander took a session in the tank and then pushed in the call.

Seat 6 showed 86 for a made flush and Alexander turned over 1010. He needed a lot of help and the J paired the board on the turn. The river then brought the J, giving Alexander a backdoor full house and the massive pot. He was at 84,500 after the hand.

Brad Garrett then had a little fun with his friend. “Wow,” he started. “As bad as your game is buddy, that’s incredible.” The table had a laugh and Alexander left his chips strewn about in front of him. “I’ll be back,” he joked, pretending to walk away from the table. “Yeah, to the pharmacy,” Garrett joked again. After all of this, Garrett forgot to input his ante and the dealer asked him to do it. “I’m sorry sweetheart,” he said. “Can I just get a minute to absorb what just happened.” Garrett then placed his ante in and play continued.

Duthie Shows Some Heart

Picking up the action on the turn, action was checked to John Duthie with the board showing Q7510. He fired a bet of 2,000 and his three opponents quickly mucked. Duthie took in the pot, but was still below his starting stack with just 20,000 in chips.

Michael Gracz Doubles His Opponent

Michael Gracz called his opponent’s all in bet, totaling around 24,000. Here were their hands.

Gracz: AK
Opponent: JJ

Board: J536A

Gracz hit his ace, but unfortunately for him it was after his opponent flopped a set. Gracz took a hit down to 50,000.

Those Flush Draws Will Cost You

After a flop of 724, Steve-Paul Ambrose called his opponent’s all in bet of about 21,000. Ambrose showed J9 for a flush draw, but his opponent held AA and Ambrose needed help. The turn was the 2 and the river was the 5 and Ambrose lost a big chunk of his stack, going down to 15,000.

Affleck Gets Opponent to Fold a Set

Matt “mcmatto” Affleck, the winner of the $3000 SCOOP event on PokerStars, and his opponent on the button got in 5600 preflop and took a flop of AKQ. Affleck bet 6500 and was called by the player on the button.

The turn was the 4 and Affleck bet 11,200 and was called. The river was the 5 and Affleck bet 24,000 of his 26,000 stack. The player on the button stood up and announced that he had a set and was seriously considering folding it. “This is disgusting,” said the player on the button as he agonized with his decision.

Finally, after a few minutes of thought, he tossed the QQ face up into the muck. Even though the entire table begged Affleck to show his hand, he did not oblige and tossed his hand into the muck without showinig.

Left In The Deck:

There were 1,116 players in day 1a for this year’s main event. This is down just slightly from last year’s numbers, as there were 1,297 players in 2008.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Mark Gregorich,   Steve Paul Ambrose,   Jerry Yang,   Jason Alexander

Level 3 Hour 2 Update: Deeb, Vos Eliminated

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Dragan Galic – 110,000
2. Jeff Williams – 100,000
3. Jeremy Ausmus – 88,000
4. Radek Stockner – 88,000
5. Eli Elezra – 84,300
6. Keven Stammen – 74,000
7. Bryan Colin – 72,000
8. Michael Kamran – 72,000
9. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman – 40,000
10. Barry Shulman – 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Freddy Deeb, Matt Glantz, Nelly, Chris Moorman, Mark Vos, Gabe Kaplan

Big Hands:

Freddy Deeb Busted By Keven Stammen

Three players were in a pot that saw a flop of KQ4 hit the felt. Keven Stammen fired 2,200 and Freddy Deeb made the call, as did another player. The turn was the 10 and everyone checked. The river was the Q and Deeb led out with 6,000. The other player in the hand folded, but Stammen repopped it to 37,000 total. Deeb only had 11,000 behind and made the call.

Deeb then tabled AJ for a Broadway straight, but Stammen showed KQ for a full house and Deeb’s main event was over.

Chris Moorman Gone

The player in the small blind limped in and Chris Moorman moved all in. The small blind called and the players tabled their hands.

Small Blind: AK
Moorman: JJ

Board: A4437

Moorman was outflopped and could not catch up the rest of the way and his main event was cut short on day 1.

Mark Vos Ousted

Mark Vos raised to 700 preflop and action folded around to Peter Hedlund. He reraised to 3,000 and Vos came back over the top, moving in for 8,450. Hedlund called and showed down AK. Vos tabled QQ and things were looking good for Vos. But the turn brought another ace to the party and Vos couldn’t hit his set on the river and he was eliminated.

Jerry Yang Doubles Up

A player in middle position raised to 850 and Jerry Yang all in 3,925. Action folded around to the middle position player. He made the call and Yang showed KQ. The middle position player showed 22 and the flop fell QQ3.

The player in the big blind then announced that he had folded a deuce. The turn was the K, filling up Yang and the river was the case 2. Yang doubled to 8,000.

Prerry Friedman Cracks Aces, Eliminates Opponent

Perry Friedman took a flop heads up against his opponent and the flop fell 998. After a series of bets and raises all of the money got in and the cards were turned face up.

Friedman showed K9, which was miles ahead of the AA of his opponent. The turn was the 7 and the river was the 8, giving Friedman a full house and the pot.

Nines Are No Good For Alexander

Jason Alexander raised from the hijack position and was called by the small blind. The flop was A104 and both players checked. The turn was the 6 and the small blind checked again.

Alexander decided it was time to bet and put out 1500 into the middle. He was met with a check-raise to 3500 from the small blind. After some thought, Alexander put in the call. The river was the 8 and both players checked.

Alexander tabled the 99, but the small blind turned over AQ and took the pot.

Veldhuis With A Stone Cold Bluff

Over at the feature table, the flop came down 432 and the action was checked to Lex Veldhuis. He fired 2,300 and his opponent made the call. The turn was the 9 and action was checked to Veldhuis again. He fired 6,000 more chips into the pot and his opponent stuck around. The river was the A and action was checked again to Veldhuis. He then moved all in for over 40,000, having his opponent covered. This induced a fold and Veldhuis then tabled K6 for absolutely nothing. He raked in the pot and was at 70,000.

Yang Doubles Up Again

After being moved to a new table, Jerry Yang made it 900 to go preflop and was three-bet by Steve Paul-Ambrose to 2550. Yang called and they saw a flop of 2K8 and Steve Paul-Ambrose put out enough to put Yang all in.

Yang put in the call and said “This is the hand I won the World Series with,” said Yang as he tabled the 88, giving him middle set. Steve Paul-Ambrose showed the 99 and needed to improve to take the pot.

The turn was the K and the 5, doubling up Yang to 17,000.

Player Tags: Perry Friedman,   Peter Hedlund,   Mark Vos,   Jerry Yang,   Jason Alexander,   Freddy Deeb,   Keven Stammen,   Lex Veldhuis,   Chris Moorman

Level 13 Hour 2 Update: Elky Over a Million!

Jul 10, '09

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

Players Remaining: 930 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,200,000
2. Owen Crowe – 1,030,000
3. Gabe Walls – 873,000
4. Ludovic Lacay – 870,000
5. Brennan Hanson – 670,000
6. James Akenhead – 660,000
7. Alexander Kostritsyn – 620,000
8. Brian Powel – 620,000
9. Tony Cavezza – 620,000
10. Kenny Tran – 590,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Phil Hellmuth – 500,000
Jeff Shulman – 175,000
Thomas Keller – out

Average Chip Count: 195,015

Notable Eliminations:

Robert Mizarachi
Amit Makhija
Alexia Portal
Nam Le
Dutch Boyd

Big Hands:

Betrand Grospellier Wins the Largest Hand of the Tournament so Far

A board of 972KA and 40,000 sat on the table when Jerry Wong bet 33,000. Bertrand Grospellier raised to 133,000 and then Wong moved all in for 250,000 more. Grospellier made the call and then flipped over 99. Wong showed down KQ and he was eliminated from the tournament. Grospellier won the huge pot and he now holds 1.1 million as the chip leader.

Jason Alexander Grabs Some Chips

Jason Alexander raised to 7,500 preflop from the hi-jack Christian Heich raised to 22,000. The flop came 862 flop and Alexander bet 20,000. Heich raised to 56,000 and Alexander tanked for a minute before he reraised all in for 131,600 more. Heich tanked and then mucked. Alexander grew his stack to 300,000.

Vitaly Lunkin Doubles Up

Vitaly Lunkin was faced with a preflop raised from the cutoff and decided to reraise to 18,000. The cutoff quickly announced he was all in for 81,150 total and Lunkin quickly called. The cutoff announced he was sick of being reraised by Lunkin and tabled the 75. Lunkin exposed the AQ and was ahead. The flop came 1098, and Lunkin was still in front with ace-high but his opponent had a massive drawing hand with a flush draw and straight draw. The 6 hit the turn and gave the cutoff a straight. The 6 fell on the river and Lunkin lost the 85,000 chip pot. Lunkin is down to 85,000.

Betrand Grospellier Dominating

Elky has been dominating his table since his massive surge to the chip lead. Grospellier raised preflop and was called by an opponent in the big blind. The flop came 833 and the big blind checked to Elky who elected to check behind. The 2 hit the turn and the big blind checked. Elky bet 6,500 and his opponent made the call. The 4 fell on the river and the big blind checked. Elky checked behind and the big blind exposed the A-10 but was no good against the A-J of Elky. Elky has been raising almost every hand and is running through his table. Elky is at 1,200,000.

Alex Kostritsyn Takes One Down

On a flop of K53, Phill Hellmuth bet 16,000 from middle position and Alex Kostritsyn called from the button. Josh Arieh elected to call from the small blind. The turn brought the 8 and action was checked around. The river brought the 4 and action was once again checked around. Arieh exposed the 64 for a busted straight draw but a rivered pair of fours. Hellmuth didn’t show and said he just had a five. Kostritsyn exposed the 77 to take down the pot. Kostritsyn is at 620,000.

Peter Eastgate Eliminates Opponent

The defending main event champion got all the chips into the middle with the AK and was up against the 88. The board ran out AQ10J9 as Eastgate eliminated his opponent and is at 375,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Josh Arieh,   Phil Hellmuth,   Jason Alexander,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Peter Eastgate,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level 4 Hour 1 Update: Jerry Yang Eliminated

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 921 out of 1116

Chip Counts:

1. Dragan Galic – 110,000
2. Jeff Williams – 100,000
3. Jeremy Ausmus – 88,000
4. Radek Stockner – 88,000
5. Eli Elezra – 84,300
6. Kevin Stammen – 74,000
7. Bryan Colin – 72,000
8. Michael Kamran – 72,000
9. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman – 40,000
10. Barry Shulman – 28,500

Notable Eliminations:

Jerry Yang, Perry Friedman, Darryl Dicken

Big Hands:

Jerry Yang Eliminated

A short stacked Jerry Yang was all in preflop with J7 and was up against his opponent’s AK. Yang caught a good flop when it came 789, but the K on the turn put Yang in a bad spot.

Yang’s fate was sealed as the 4 fell on the river. Yang’s quest for a a second main event title will have to be postponed for at least another year.

Mark Gregorich Takes A Pot

On a board showing 10535, Mark Gregorich and his opponent checked with the pot around 4,000. The river was then the K and the action was checked to Gregorich. He bet 3,500 and his opponent went into the tank. After some thought, he said, “I’ll let you have it,” and mucked his cards. Gregorich raked in the pot and he was at 41,300.

By George!

The player in seat 6 opened the action for a raise to 1,150 and action folded around to Jason Alexander. He then reraised to 3,200 and seat 6 made the call. The flop then fell J52 and the action was checked to Alexander. He fired 6,000 and seat 6 came over the top, moving all in for 26,500. Alexander took a session in the tank and then pushed in the call.

Seat 6 showed 86 for a made flush and Alexander turned over 1010. He needed a lot of help and the J paired the board on the turn. The river then brought the J, giving Alexander a backdoor full house and the massive pot. He was at 84,500 after the hand.

Brad Garrett then had a little fun with his friend. “Wow,” he started. “As bad as your game is buddy, that’s incredible.” The table had a laugh and Alexander left his chips strewn about in front of him. “I’ll be back,” he joked, pretending to walk away from the table. “Yeah, to the pharmacy,” Garrett joked again. After all of this, Garrett forgot to input his ante and the dealer asked him to do it. “I’m sorry sweetheart,” he said. “Can I just get a minute to absorb what just happened.” Garrett then placed his ante in and play continued.

Duthie Shows Some Heart

Picking up the action on the turn, action was checked to John Duthie with the board showing Q7510. He fired a bet of 2,000 and his three opponents quickly mucked. Duthie took in the pot, but was still below his starting stack with just 20,000 in chips.

Michael Gracz Doubles His Opponent

Michael Gracz called his opponent’s all in bet, totaling around 24,000. Here were their hands.

Gracz: AK
Opponent: JJ

Board: J536A

Gracz hit his ace, but unfortunately for him it was after his opponent flopped a set. Gracz took a hit down to 50,000.

Those Flush Draws Will Cost You

After a flop of 724, Steve-Paul Ambrose called his opponent’s all in bet of about 21,000. Ambrose showed J9 for a flush draw, but his opponent held AA and Ambrose needed help. The turn was the 2 and the river was the 5 and Ambrose lost a big chunk of his stack, going down to 15,000.

Affleck Gets Opponent to Fold a Set

Matt “mcmatto” Affleck, the winner of the $3000 SCOOP event on PokerStars, and his opponent on the button got in 5600 preflop and took a flop of AKQ. Affleck bet 6500 and was called by the player on the button.

The turn was the 4 and Affleck bet 11,200 and was called. The river was the 5 and Affleck bet 24,000 of his 26,000 stack. The player on the button stood up and announced that he had a set and was seriously considering folding it. “This is disgusting,” said the player on the button as he agonized with his decision.

Finally, after a few minutes of thought, he tossed the QQ face up into the muck. Even though the entire table begged Affleck to show his hand, he did not oblige and tossed his hand into the muck without showinig.

Left In The Deck:

There were 1,116 players in day 1a for this year’s main event. This is down just slightly from last year’s numbers, as there were 1,297 players in 2008.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   Mark Gregorich,   Steve Paul Ambrose,   Jerry Yang,   Jason Alexander

Level 3 Hour 2 Update: Deeb, Vos Eliminated

Jul 03, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Dragan Galic – 110,000
2. Jeff Williams – 100,000
3. Jeremy Ausmus – 88,000
4. Radek Stockner – 88,000
5. Eli Elezra – 84,300
6. Keven Stammen – 74,000
7. Bryan Colin – 72,000
8. Michael Kamran – 72,000
9. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman – 40,000
10. Barry Shulman – 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Freddy Deeb, Matt Glantz, Nelly, Chris Moorman, Mark Vos, Gabe Kaplan

Big Hands:

Freddy Deeb Busted By Keven Stammen

Three players were in a pot that saw a flop of KQ4 hit the felt. Keven Stammen fired 2,200 and Freddy Deeb made the call, as did another player. The turn was the 10 and everyone checked. The river was the Q and Deeb led out with 6,000. The other player in the hand folded, but Stammen repopped it to 37,000 total. Deeb only had 11,000 behind and made the call.

Deeb then tabled AJ for a Broadway straight, but Stammen showed KQ for a full house and Deeb’s main event was over.

Chris Moorman Gone

The player in the small blind limped in and Chris Moorman moved all in. The small blind called and the players tabled their hands.

Small Blind: AK
Moorman: JJ

Board: A4437

Moorman was outflopped and could not catch up the rest of the way and his main event was cut short on day 1.

Mark Vos Ousted

Mark Vos raised to 700 preflop and action folded around to Peter Hedlund. He reraised to 3,000 and Vos came back over the top, moving in for 8,450. Hedlund called and showed down AK. Vos tabled QQ and things were looking good for Vos. But the turn brought another ace to the party and Vos couldn’t hit his set on the river and he was eliminated.

Jerry Yang Doubles Up

A player in middle position raised to 850 and Jerry Yang all in 3,925. Action folded around to the middle position player. He made the call and Yang showed KQ. The middle position player showed 22 and the flop fell QQ3.

The player in the big blind then announced that he had folded a deuce. The turn was the K, filling up Yang and the river was the case 2. Yang doubled to 8,000.

Prerry Friedman Cracks Aces, Eliminates Opponent

Perry Friedman took a flop heads up against his opponent and the flop fell 998. After a series of bets and raises all of the money got in and the cards were turned face up.

Friedman showed K9, which was miles ahead of the AA of his opponent. The turn was the 7 and the river was the 8, giving Friedman a full house and the pot.

Nines Are No Good For Alexander

Jason Alexander raised from the hijack position and was called by the small blind. The flop was A104 and both players checked. The turn was the 6 and the small blind checked again.

Alexander decided it was time to bet and put out 1500 into the middle. He was met with a check-raise to 3500 from the small blind. After some thought, Alexander put in the call. The river was the 8 and both players checked.

Alexander tabled the 99, but the small blind turned over AQ and took the pot.

Veldhuis With A Stone Cold Bluff

Over at the feature table, the flop came down 432 and the action was checked to Lex Veldhuis. He fired 2,300 and his opponent made the call. The turn was the 9 and action was checked to Veldhuis again. He fired 6,000 more chips into the pot and his opponent stuck around. The river was the A and action was checked again to Veldhuis. He then moved all in for over 40,000, having his opponent covered. This induced a fold and Veldhuis then tabled K6 for absolutely nothing. He raked in the pot and was at 70,000.

Yang Doubles Up Again

After being moved to a new table, Jerry Yang made it 900 to go preflop and was three-bet by Steve Paul-Ambrose to 2550. Yang called and they saw a flop of 2K8 and Steve Paul-Ambrose put out enough to put Yang all in.

Yang put in the call and said “This is the hand I won the World Series with,” said Yang as he tabled the 88, giving him middle set. Steve Paul-Ambrose showed the 99 and needed to improve to take the pot.

The turn was the K and the 5, doubling up Yang to 17,000.

Player Tags: Perry Friedman,   Peter Hedlund,   Mark Vos,   Jerry Yang,   Jason Alexander,   Freddy Deeb,   Keven Stammen,   Lex Veldhuis,   Chris Moorman

$10,000 Main Event - Costanza Sent Back to Jerry's Apartment

Jul 03, '08

Blinds/Antes: 150-300

Chip Leaders:

Jonah Rogers: 86,200
Yan Chen: 85,000
Blair Hinkle: 75,000
David Rheem: 75,000
Nate Eaton: 72,000
Eric Sfez: 71,000
Jeremiah Smith: 67,400
Max Greenwood: 66,775
Barry Shulman: 35,700
Shannon Shorr: 26,700

Eliminations: Dan Harrington, Jason Alexander, Roy Winston, Matt Stout, Lyle Berman, Katja Thater, Jan Von Halle, Raymond Rahme, Taylor Caby

Big Hands:

No Soup For You! Jason Alexander Eiminated

On a board of 9435, the player in seat 3 moved all in for 5,900 and Jason Alexander made the call. Bryan Colin came over the op and moved all in behind him. Colin had both seat 3 and Alexander covered. Alexander thought for a minute before making the crying call as he committed the rest o his chips into a three-way all in pot with one card to come. Alexander turned over AA for the overpair while Colin showed A2 for the wheel. Alexander saw the bad news and said, "Oh you mother!" Seat 3 threw his hand into the muck before the river  card (3) was even dealt. Both seat 3 and Alexander were eliminated this hand as Colin raked a monster pot, bringing his chip count to 88,000.

Sebok Takes a Hit

Joe Sebok raised to 900 and the player in seat 8 made the call from the big blind. The flop came Q85 and seat 8 checked to Sebok. He fired 1,100 and seat 8 min-raised to 2,200. Sebok made the call and the turn was the 6. Both players checked and the K came on the river. Seat 8 led out with 3,000 and Sebok quickly mucked. His stack was around 26,000.

Winston Gone

On a flop of J87, Roy Winston checked and his opponent bet 2,300. John Cernuto was also in the hand and he called from the button. Winston was next to act, and act he did. He pushed in for his remaining 10,000 and his opponent made the call. Cernuto mucked his hand and Winston showed J10 for top pair and a gutshot straight draw. His opponent turned over AJ for top pair and top kicker. The turn was the 3, taking some outs away from Winston. He needed a 10 or a 9 that was not a heart to stay alive. The river was the 5 and Winston was eliminated.

Kido Pham Adds to his Stack

On a board reading J433, the player in seat 5 checked to Kido Pham. As Pham thought about what to do, his opponent tried to convince him to see a free card. Pham showed his gentle side, agreeing to check. The river was the A and seat 5 checked again. Pham had enough softness, grabbing a big stack of yellow "1,000" chips and moving them toward the middle. Before they got there, seat 5 mucked and Pham took in the pot. His stack was around 60,000.

J on the River No Good for J.J.

Before the flop, J.J. Liu opened for a raise only to have the player in seat 3 move all-in behind her. J.J. made the call, showing 77 against her opponent's monster hand, J8. The board ran out AQ22....J, giving her opponent the double up to around 14,000 in chips. Welcome to the Main Event.

Bossman Bullies Table

Barry Shulman opened with a raise to 800, and was called by only one player on the button. On a flop K85, Shulman led out again for 1,500, muscling his lone opponent out of the pot. Shulman's stack increased to 34,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Barry Shulman,   Kido Pham,   Joe Sebok,   Roy Winston,   Jason Alexander

$10,000 Main Event - Gromenkova On Top

Jul 03, '08

Blinds/Antes: 50-100

Chip Leaders:
Sevetlana Gromenkova: 49,500
Jose Luis Velador: 47,500
Dustin Dirksen: 37,000
Rocco Lazazzaro: 41,000
Dale Pinchot: 31,500
Freddy Deeb: 31,000
Alec Torelli: 22,000
Roy Winston: 21,000
Shannon Shorr: 18,000
Barry Shulman: 16,100

Big Hands:

Tom "Durrr" Dwan Doubles Up

On a flop of 875, the player in seat 3 made a bet and Tom Dwan raised 900 more. Seat 3 went into the tank for a bit, asked Dwan how much he had left after the raise (9,300), and then went back into the tank for another minute or so before moving all in. Dwan isnta-called with 88 for top set while seat 3 showed 99 for the overpair. The turn and river brought the A and the J, no help to either player as Dwan doubles up to about 22,000. Dwan is black in the black!

Jason Alexander Doubles Up

On a flop of 963, and with ESPN cameras in his face, Jason Alexander got it all in with 99 against his opponent in seat 4 who was holding 1010. Alexander flopped top set (nines) to seat 4's overpair (tens). The turn and river brought the 7 and A, no help to either player as Alexander eliminated one of his opponents and brought his chip count up to 36,000.

Counterfeit

Svetlana Gromenkova, 2008 WSOP Ladies' Event champion, moved all in on a flop of 1087. Her opponent in seat 3 made the call and turned over 108 for top two pair on the flop. Gromenkova turned over JJ for an overpair and a heart draw. "No heart!" the player in seat 3 shouted. It turned out a heart was the least of his worries as a 7 counterfeited seat 3's two pair. Gromenkova was in good shape and the A cemented the hand for her. She doubled up to almost 36,000.

Sowers Uses the Back Door

The player in seat 6 raised to 300 in late position and Mike Sowers made the call from the button. The flop came AK6 and both players checked. The turn was the K and seat 6 bet 500. Sowers made the call and the 10 fell on the river. Seat 6 checked and Sowers bet 1,600, which his opponent called. Sowers then turned over QJ for a backdoor flush and raked in the pot. He was around 30,000 after the hand.

Smith Can't Get There

The player in seat 1 raised to 300 under the gun and action folded around to Gavin Smith in the big blind. He made the call and both players saw a flop of 1058. Smith checked and seat 1 bet 400. Smith made the call and the 6 showed up on the turn. Smith checked and called his opponent's bet of 1,200. The river was the 8 and Smith checked again. Seat 1 kept on the pressure, betting 2,500 and Smith had enough as he quickly mucked. His stack was back down to his original 20,000.

A Set for Stout

On a board of 1077, the player in seat 8 bet 600 and Matt "All In at 420" Stout made the call. The turn was the 5 and both players checked. The river was the K and Stout led out with 1,000. Seat 8 called and Stout turned over 76 for a set on the flop. Seat 8 mucked and Stout was around 22,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Gavin Smith,   Svetlana Gromenkova,   Tom Dwan,   Jason Alexander,   Matt Stout,   Mike Sowers

$10,000 Main Event - The Early Going

Jul 03, '08

Blinds/Antes: 50-100

Big Hands:

Jason Alexander on Broadway?

Jason Alexander limped into a pot from late position and the player in the cutoff raised to 400. Action folded back around to Alexander who made the call. The flop came KQJ, and both players checked. The turn was the 10, and Alexander fired 500 into the pot. The player in the cutoff folded his hand and Alexander raked the pot.

Eric Froehlich Caught Lying

With plenty of money in the pot on a board of A75J5, Eric Froehlich fired out a 3,300 bet on the river. His opponent in seat 4 tanked for a few minutes before making the call. Froehlich instantly threw his cards into the muck, conceding the hand as a confused seat 4 raked the pot. There was a little banter over whether or not seat 4 had to show his hand considering that Froehlich mucked, but in the end seat 4 briefly flashed his cards before the floor person could get there to make an official ruling.

Wasicka With An Early Pot

On a board reading 8829, Paul Wasicka bet 600 and his opponent in seat 8 called. The river was the A and both players decided to check. Wasicka then showed down 66 for two pair and his opponent threw his hand in the muck. Wasicka took a nice sized pot and was up around 24,000.

Galfond Moved Off His Hand

After a flop came down 863, the player in seat 1 bet 450. Phil Galfond raised to 1,175 and his opponent repopped it for 3,000 more. Galfond went in the tank and decided to lay his hand down. He was down to around 19,000 after the hand.

The Girl Next Door

In a huge field like this one, it is rare to look around and find a familiar face. But that is not the case for David Benyamine. He is sitting in seat 1 at table 39 in the orange section of the Amazon Room. One table over at table 38, his fiance Erica Schoenberg was sitting in seat 2. The same is true for Barry Shulman over in the blue section as his wife Allyn Jaffrey Shulman is sitting one table over.

Player Tags: Allyn Jaffrey Shulman,   David Benyamine,   Barry Shulman,   Paul Wasicka,   Eric Froehlich,   Phil Galfond,   Jason Alexander,   Erica Schoenberg

Level 4 Update

Jul 08, '07

An hour after the dinner break and there are 1,320 players remaining with an average chip stack of $26,409.

Chad Brown’s ATM
Chad Brown might want to consider bringing the player in seat 9 at his table to all of his tournaments.  This guy has been taking some serious punishment, and Brown is treating him like his personal cash machine.  In one hand Brown, bet $2,000 from the small blind with the board reading 8 5 2, and the players in seats 9 and 10 called.  The turn was the 9, Brown bet $6,000, Seat 9 called, and Seat 10 folded.  The river was the 3, Brown checked, Seat 9 bet $8,000, and Brown called.  Seat 9 announced, “Good call” as he showed Q J.  Brown showed K 8, and raked the pot.  A few hands later Brown was able to take another pot off of Seat 9 getting a value bet of $10,000 on the river with the board reading Q-7-5-10-3.  Getting the call Brown showed Aces and Seat 9 mucked again.  Brown has about $110,000 in chips, and he is cruising.

Gordon’s Bullets
Phil Gordon taught one player that its not always good to defend your blinds.  After a pre-flop raise by Gordon, the player in the small blind called.  The flop was 10 4 3, the small blind checked, Gordon bet $2,600, and the small blind called.  The turn was the 3, the small blind checked, Gordon bet $4,500, and the small blind called.  The river was the 7, the small blind bet about $7,000, and Gordon called.  Gordon showed A A, and his opponent mucked.  Gordon has about $45,000, but he still can’t get off Jason Alexander’s back.

Costanza Can’t  Miss
Jason Alexander doubled up right after the players returned from dinner and it wasn’t without a few snide remarks from his nemesis, Phil Gordon. On a flop of K K J, Alexander moved all-in for $12,925 and the player in seat no. 3 made the call. Alexander turned over K 10 for trips while seat no. 3 showed J J for a full house. The 10 hit the turn, giving Alexander a better full house and this is when Phil Gordon chimed in with, “Ohhh, come on, what a turn!” The river brought the Q and Jason Alexander doubled up to well over the average stack.

PokerStarlets Chip Up
www.pokerstars.com team members are running good today, with Katja Thater and Vanessa Rousso setting the pace in Level 4. Katja Thater survived an all-in race right after the dinner break. Thater moves all-in for $13,700 before the flop with A K and the player in seat no. 6 made the call with a pocket pair of jacks. The board came K 8 7 2 5, with a king in the window giving Thater the best pair and the win. Thater doubles up this hand to almost $30,000 in chips.

Vanessa Rousso limped from middle position when the player in seat no. 3 raised to $2,500. Rousso made the call and the flop came 9 5 5. Rousso checks to seat no. 3 who bets $5,000. Rousso comes over the top and moves all-in, getting seat no. 3 off of his hand and puts another $7,000 in her stack.

Think Pink
Gavin Griffin used position to his advantage to take down a nice pot.  The player in seat 5 at his table raised from middle position to $1,650, and Griffin called from the button.  The flop came 9 3 2, Seat 5 bet $3,700, and Griffin called.  The turn was the J, Seat 5 bet $7,700, Griffin raised to $30,000 (effectively putting Seat 5 all-in), and Seat 5 folded after a few minutes. Griffin, and his pink faux-hawk, have about $85,000 in chips.

Keep your browsers locked on CardPlayer.com for more updates and your favorite Pro Blogs.

Player Tags: Phil Gordon,   Gavin Griffin,   Vanessa Rousso,   Jason Alexander,   Katja Thater

Dinner Break

Jul 08, '07

The remaining players have just gone on dinner break and will return at 8:30 to Level 4 and a blind in crease to $200-$400 with a $50 ante.

Level 3 Eliminations

Andy Bloch

Andy Bloch made a pre-flop raise of $2,800 and the player in seat no. 7 made the call. The flop came K 9 3, and both players checked around. The turn brought the Jd and Bloch bet out $5,000. Seat no. 7 re-raised and moved all-in, Bloch called (Seat no. 7 had Bloch covered). Seat no. 7 turns over A 10 for the ace-high flush and Bloch showed K K for top set. The river brought the 4 and Andy Bloch was eliminated halfway through Level 3.

Jennifer Tilly

Jennifer Tilly was also eliminated in level 3 when she moved all-in on the flop with Q-J for an open-ended straight draw and her opponent called her down with pocket aces. Tilly did not improve on the board and that was the end of her run at this year’s main Event.

John “Tex” Barch

In a three—handed pot and on a flop of A 8 8, all players checked around to the turn. The turn brought the 2 and Tex Barch moved all-in for $5,500. One player dropped out while seat no. 8 called instantly. Barch turned over A J for aces-up while seat no. 8 showed 9 8 for trips. The river brought the 8 and seat no. 8 catches the case eight to make quads and send Barch to the rail.    

No Soup for Phil!

www.PokerStars.com team member, Jason Alexander limped into a pot and Phil Gordon checked his option in the big blind. The flop came 10-3-2, and Gordon bet out. Alexander raised and Gordon called. The turn brought another 10 and this time Phil bet out and Alexander just called. The river brought a 5 and Alexander gets the rest of his money in the pot. Gordon pays him off with trip tens, but it wouldn’t come without a little trash talk from the pro when he saw Alexander turn over pocket fives for a full house in the river. Needless to say, Gordon was pissed and Alexander was delighted, but everyone was laughing again soon enough. 

Dicken Gets Rivered

Darrell Dicken was the next pro to catch a horrible beat on the river. On a flop of Q 10 8, Dicken led out with $1,700 and te player in seat no. 9 moves all-in for $16,300 more. Dicken made the call and turned over Q 10 while his opponent showed Q 9. The turn brought the 6 giving seat no. 9 a flush draw along with the gutshot straight draw to the river. The river brought the J, giving seat no. 9 his straight and allowing him to double through Dicken. Dicken wasn’t too happy after this hand either, but he just shook it off and got right back to business.

J.C. Tran Doubles Up

J.C. Tran was finding a little more luck in the deck and doubled up from the short-stack during Level 3. Tran got it all in pre-flop with A-Q against an opponent’s pair of sixes. Tran hit an ace on the turn and managed to double the size of his stack heading into dinner.

Chris Ferguson Knocks One Out

On a flop of A 10 4, Chris Ferguson bet out $3,000 and the player in seat no. 6 moves all-in for $1,750 more. Ferguson calls with A Q while his opponent shoed A J. The turn and river brought the 5 and the 7, no help to his opponent as Ferguson gets another confirmed kill under his belt and cushions his stack before dinner.

Players will return from dinner at 8:30 p.m., so be sure to check back with CardPlayer.com for more updates and your favorite Pro Blogs.

Notable Chip Counts

Gavin Griffin	86,300
Allen Cunningham	58,000
Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson	45,000
Phil Gordon	43,400
Steve Dannenmann	38,000
Darrell "Gigabet" Dicken	31,500
Chris Moneymaker	30,000
Toto Leonidas	27,800
JC Tran	26,000
Robert Varkonyi	24,000
Humberto Brenes	19,000
Kenna James	18,500
Katja Thater	18,500
David Sklansky	18,000
Amir Vahedi	16,500
Todd Brunson	9,000
T.J. Cloutier	8,000
Chau Giang	8,000

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Chris Ferguson,   Phil Gordon,   John Barch,   Jennifer Tilly,   Darrell Dicken,   Jason Alexander

Hour One

Jul 08, '07

Day 1C of the World Series of Poker main event boasts the largest starting field thus far with 1,706. Many big name professionals and celebrities were in the mix as players took their seats. It took a mere 23 minutes for the first bustout to be announced, which rustled cheers from the crowd. Cheers were also heard when some of the past WSOP champions were introduced. There was an intermingling of cheers and boos for the declaration of Jose Conseco’s participation. Light heavyweight champion of the world, Antonio Tarver, announced to the crowd, “Just so you know, this is the only chance you have to knock me out.” Music star Nelly was one of the day one contestants as well; it appeared that the diamond-encrusted watch he was wearing could have paid for every single player in the room’s buy-in. Poker regular, Jason Alexander, was another one of the stars to add an additional level of excitement to the room.

Those were just the celebrities playing, the cast of professional player was even more impressive. Five former world champions started their quest for another title today. Among them was team www.pokerstars.com member, Greg Raymer, as well as Brad Daugherty, Robert Varkonyi, Chris Ferguson, and the poker boom catalyst himself, Chris Moneymaker.

Top professionals in the game were also in the hunt for their first world title. Phil Ivey was seated at a table with Joe Cassidy. Here is a how things have played out on Ivey’s table every couple of hands: Ivey raised preflop and everyone at the table folded their hand. To quote the words of Ali G, “Respect.” J.C. Tran was also in the field and he picked up an early pot when he raised $300 on a flop of 9 3 2 with seven players involved in the hand. That bet induced all but one of them to fold, and then both Tran and his opponent checked down the 4 on the turn, and the 2 on the river. J.C. turned over J 9, while his opponent showed pocket sevens. J.C. picked up the pot and was crusining early.

A couple of couples were playing today as well, Phil Laak and Jennifer Tilly started their main event voyage today, as did Allen Cunningham and Melissa Hayden. Laak picked up an early pot with a well-timed bet of $1,275 on the river of a board that read 8 7 4 5 K. His opponent folded and Laak picked up a $2,000 pot.

Also playing today are (take a deep breath), Todd Bruson, Phil Gordon, Mike Matusow, Bill Edler, Chad Brown, Toto Leonidas, Shannon Shorr, Bradley Berman, Tim Phan, Jon Friedberg, Vanessa Rousso, Rene Angelil, J.C. Alvarado, Men “The Master” Nguyen, Nick Schulman, Chau Giang, Steve Dannenman, Kristy Gazes, Erik Cajelais, Darrell Dicken, Burt Boutin, Rafe Furst, Humberto Brenes, “Gentleman” John Gale, Gavin Griffin, Tex Barch, Ted Lawson, Jim Pechac, Ciaran O’Leary, Bill Gazes, Joe Pelton, Steve Brecher, Katja Thater, Amir Vahedi, Daniel Alaei, and Mark Gregorich. Most of these professionals sit by their lonesome, with nine of their new, amateur best friends in tow. Two professional players who have managed to be seated at the same table are Amnon Filippi and Kenna James. Great table draw.

Keep your browser locked on CardPlayer.com for all the day 1C action.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Chris Ferguson,   Phil Laak,   Chris Moneymaker,   Phil Ivey,   Brad Daugherty,   Greg Raymer,   Robert Varkonyi,   Jason Alexander

Day 1C Set to Begin

Jul 08, '07

The third day one of the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event is set to kick off at 12 p.m. Tournament officials have declared that there are 1,706 registered entrants today and if everyone shows up it will be the largest starting field yet. Players are just now sauntering into the Amazon room and waiting to take their seats.

Play continued last night into the early hours of the morning and will surely do so tonight as well. A field of 1,545 yesterday was whittled down to just over 600. Expected in today's field are actors Jason Alexander and Shannon Elizabeth, Amnon Filippi, Antonio Esfandiari, Gavin Griffin, Mike Matusow and Phil Ivey.

Players are taking their seats and the cards are just about to hit the felt. Stay with CardPlayer.com to follow all the action and get a feel for the tournament from the perspective of those playing in our Pro Blogs.

Player Tags: Antonio Esfandiari,   Mike Matusow,   Phil Ivey,   Gavin Griffin,   Amnon Filippi,   Jason Alexander,   Shannon Elizabeth