Gavin Griffin Poker Tournament Updates

Gavin Griffin Chips Up

Jan 25, '11

Middle position raised to 3,100 preflop and Gavin Griffin made the call from the small blind. The flop fell K K Q and middle position bet 5,500. Griffin made the call and then both players checked the 2 on the turn and the 7 on the river.

Griffin flipped over pocket jacks and they were good to win the hand when his opponent mucked. Griffin grew his stack over 150,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Gavin Griffin

Gavin Griffin Hits The Rail Courtesy of Steven Karp

Nov 15, '10

Gavin Griffin just ran his pocket nines into the AQ of Steven Karp for an all in preflop confrontation.

The board brought Karp an ace and Griffin was eliminated from the tournament. Karp is now stacked with nearly 300,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Gavin Griffin,   Steve Karp

Level Six Hour Two: Gavin Smith Eliminates a Player

Jul 10, '10

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 2,285 out of 7,319

Chip Counts:

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

Card Player Chip Counts:

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

Notable Eliminations:

Gavin Smith
Todd Brunson
John Phan

Big Hands:

Richey Chips Up With Set

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

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

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

Swick Knocked Out

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

Swick: AQ
Opponent: AK

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

Andy Bloch Eliminated

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

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

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

Violette Uses Some Aggression to Earn Chips

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

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

Kassela Flushes Opponent

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

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

Griffin Takes a Hit

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

Griffin: 1010
Opponent: KK

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

Pavilion Room Coverage

Gavin Smith Eliminates a Player

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

Chris Ferguson Makes the Wrong Call

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

Johnny Lodden Eliminates a Player

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

Ryan D’Angelo Gets Little Respect

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

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

Level Five Hour One: Laak's Stack Takes Big Blow

Jul 06, '10

Blinds: 200-400 with a 25 ante

Number of Entrants 1,489

Average Chip Count 37,888

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Robert Miller – 150,000
2. James Danielson – 148,000
3. Phil Galfond – 141,000
4. Gabe Walls – 138,000
5. Alex Kostritsyn – 126,000
6. Jim Collopy – 125,000
7. Jason DeWitt – 121,000
8. Tristan Wade – 120,000
9. Jon Van Fleet – 118,600
10. Kido Pham - 117,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 39,000
Michael Piper – 14,000
Josh Brikis – 90,000

Notable Eliminations

None

Big Hands:

Laak Loses a Huge Pot

On a flop of 945, Tristan Wade checked to Phil Laak who bet 10,000. Wade check-raised to 25,000 and Laak moved all in, having Wade covered. Wade called all in for around 60,000. Their hands:

Laak: 45
Wade: 99

Both players hit the flop in a big way, but Wade’s flopped set was well ahead of Laak’s two pair. The turn and river didn’t help and Laak took a big blow to his massive stack. Fortunately for him, he had accumulated enough chips today so that he was still healthy with 58,000 after the hand.

Wade had around 120,000.

Small Pockets Good For Cahail

Blake Cahail raised to 1,000 preflop and was called by seat 1. The flop fell 659 and both players checked.

The 10 came on the turn and Cahail checked to seat 1, who bet 1,700. Cahail called and the 3 landed on the river. Both players checked and Cahail showed a simple 44. It was good enough, and he took a pot and chipped up above 75,000.

Griffin Lets One Go

Gavin Griffin called a bet from seat 7 on a flop of 86J. On the 7 turn, seat 7 bet 3,200 and Griffin called.

The K fell on the river and seat 7 reached for chips. he bet 6,200 and as soon as they hit the middle of the table Griffin looked pain. He eventually mucked and still had around 90,000 in chips.

Hamby Gets Bluffed

On a flop of K49, Jared Hamby led out for 800 and was called by the player on the button. The turn was the A and Hamby led out again, this time for 1,300 and was once again called.

The A fell on the river and this time Hamby opted to check. The player on the button bet 6,000 and Hamby went deep into the tank. Several minutes went by and was truly torn at what to do.

After a long period of though, Hamby let his hand go. The player on the button showed 89 and showed his busted flush draw. Hamby claimed he folded the king-high flush draw, which gave him top pair on the flop as well. Hamby is still very healthy in chips though.

Langmann Moving in the Right Direction

There were 8,600 chips in the middle on the turn with the board reading 2K3A. There was a check and Florian Langmann checked behind.

The A fell on the river and Langmann’s opponent bet out as 2,200. Langmann made the call and showed KJ. It was just ahead of his opponent’s K10 and Langmann increased his stack to 96,000.

Mitchell Gets Action on Aces

A player in early position raised to 2,000 and Nick Mitchell called from the button. The flop came 9610 and the original raiser bet 5,000 and Mitchell raised to 20,000, which covered his opponent.

His opponent made the call very quickly and showed JJ and Mitchell showed AA. The turn was the 2 and the 4 was the river card, to boost Mitchell to 50,000.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Gavin Griffin,   Tristan Wade,   Jared Hamby,   Florian Langmann,   Blake Cahail,   Nick Mitchell

Level Two Hour Two Update: Galfond Doubles, Collopy Surging

Jul 06, '10

Blinds: 100-200

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Jim Collopy – 86,000
2. Todd Witteles – 72,000
3. James Dempsey – 70,000
4. Phil Laak – 60,000
5. Jean-Robert Bellande – 55,000
6. Kevin Saul – 55,000
7. Marco Johnson – 54,000
8. Minh Ly – 52,000
9. Brandon Adams – 49,000
10 Dan Kelly – 48,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 32,500

Notable Eliminations

Justin Young
Jamie Gold

Big Hands:

Galfond Gets Lucky

On a flop of 1038, Phil Galfond check-called a bet from his opponent and the 3 came on the turn.

Galfond then check-raised the turn all-in for his remaining 9,000 and was called by his opponent. Galfond was not in good shape when he turned over his K10 and his opponent turned up the QQ.

The river was the 10, however, giving Galfond the best hand and doubling him up to 37,000.

Shchemelev Doubles

On the river, the board read 99Q85 and there was already 10,000 in the middle. Vladimir Shchemelev moved all-in for his last 13,275 and his opponent made the call.

Shchemelev showed AA and his opponent mucked. Shchemelev doubled up to 36,500.

Vlad The Impaler

Shchemelev was at it again a little later. He raised to 600 from late position and the player in the big blind made the call.

The flop came 5K10 and the big blind checked to Shchemelev who bet 1,000. The big blind called and the 9 fell on the turn. The big blind checked again and Shchemelev fired 3,000 into the pot. The big blind sighed and eventually folded.

Shchemelev had around 40,000 after the hand.

Collopy Scoops Big One

Jim “Mr_BigQueso” Collopy got all-in preflop and turned over KK. He was in great shape against his opponent’s QQ.

The board ran out 710J37, keeping Collopy in the lead and the player with pocket queens hit the rail. One of the other two players at the table cliamed that he folded the other two kings after the hand was over.

Collopy now has 85,000 and looks to be the biggest stack in the room.

Adams Scares Off Best Hand

Three players limped in, including Brandon Adams, and the player in seat 1 raised to 1,500. One player folded and seat 3 and Adams called.

The flop came J89 and seat 1 led out for 2,500. Seat 3 folded and Adams raised to 6,500. Seat 1 thought and decided to give Adams respect for a big hand, showing the table QQ as he folded.

Adams showed a weaker AJ as he scooped the pot and admitted that he didn’t think seat 1’s hand was very strong.

With that, Adams had around 49,300 in chips.

Griffin Multitasking Well

On a three-way flop of JK4 action checked to Gavin Griffin who bet 1,200. Everyone folded to Griffin, who after stacking his chips went immediately back to reading a book on his Kindle.

Between reading breaks Griffin has chipped up to around 40,000.

Player Tags: Gavin Griffin,   Brandon Adams,   Phil Galfond,   Vladimir Shchemelev

Level Six Hour Two: Gavin Smith Eliminates a Player

Jul 10, '10

Blinds: 250-500 with a 50 ante

Players Remaining: 2,285 out of 7,319

Chip Counts:

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

Card Player Chip Counts:

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

Notable Eliminations:

Gavin Smith
Todd Brunson
John Phan

Big Hands:

Richey Chips Up With Set

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

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

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

Swick Knocked Out

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

Swick: AQ
Opponent: AK

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

Andy Bloch Eliminated

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

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

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

Violette Uses Some Aggression to Earn Chips

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

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

Kassela Flushes Opponent

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

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

Griffin Takes a Hit

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

Griffin: 1010
Opponent: KK

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

Pavilion Room Coverage

Gavin Smith Eliminates a Player

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

Chris Ferguson Makes the Wrong Call

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

Johnny Lodden Eliminates a Player

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

Ryan D’Angelo Gets Little Respect

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

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

Level Five Hour One: Laak's Stack Takes Big Blow

Jul 06, '10

Blinds: 200-400 with a 25 ante

Number of Entrants 1,489

Average Chip Count 37,888

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Robert Miller – 150,000
2. James Danielson – 148,000
3. Phil Galfond – 141,000
4. Gabe Walls – 138,000
5. Alex Kostritsyn – 126,000
6. Jim Collopy – 125,000
7. Jason DeWitt – 121,000
8. Tristan Wade – 120,000
9. Jon Van Fleet – 118,600
10. Kido Pham - 117,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 39,000
Michael Piper – 14,000
Josh Brikis – 90,000

Notable Eliminations

None

Big Hands:

Laak Loses a Huge Pot

On a flop of 945, Tristan Wade checked to Phil Laak who bet 10,000. Wade check-raised to 25,000 and Laak moved all in, having Wade covered. Wade called all in for around 60,000. Their hands:

Laak: 45
Wade: 99

Both players hit the flop in a big way, but Wade’s flopped set was well ahead of Laak’s two pair. The turn and river didn’t help and Laak took a big blow to his massive stack. Fortunately for him, he had accumulated enough chips today so that he was still healthy with 58,000 after the hand.

Wade had around 120,000.

Small Pockets Good For Cahail

Blake Cahail raised to 1,000 preflop and was called by seat 1. The flop fell 659 and both players checked.

The 10 came on the turn and Cahail checked to seat 1, who bet 1,700. Cahail called and the 3 landed on the river. Both players checked and Cahail showed a simple 44. It was good enough, and he took a pot and chipped up above 75,000.

Griffin Lets One Go

Gavin Griffin called a bet from seat 7 on a flop of 86J. On the 7 turn, seat 7 bet 3,200 and Griffin called.

The K fell on the river and seat 7 reached for chips. he bet 6,200 and as soon as they hit the middle of the table Griffin looked pain. He eventually mucked and still had around 90,000 in chips.

Hamby Gets Bluffed

On a flop of K49, Jared Hamby led out for 800 and was called by the player on the button. The turn was the A and Hamby led out again, this time for 1,300 and was once again called.

The A fell on the river and this time Hamby opted to check. The player on the button bet 6,000 and Hamby went deep into the tank. Several minutes went by and was truly torn at what to do.

After a long period of though, Hamby let his hand go. The player on the button showed 89 and showed his busted flush draw. Hamby claimed he folded the king-high flush draw, which gave him top pair on the flop as well. Hamby is still very healthy in chips though.

Langmann Moving in the Right Direction

There were 8,600 chips in the middle on the turn with the board reading 2K3A. There was a check and Florian Langmann checked behind.

The A fell on the river and Langmann’s opponent bet out as 2,200. Langmann made the call and showed KJ. It was just ahead of his opponent’s K10 and Langmann increased his stack to 96,000.

Mitchell Gets Action on Aces

A player in early position raised to 2,000 and Nick Mitchell called from the button. The flop came 9610 and the original raiser bet 5,000 and Mitchell raised to 20,000, which covered his opponent.

His opponent made the call very quickly and showed JJ and Mitchell showed AA. The turn was the 2 and the 4 was the river card, to boost Mitchell to 50,000.

Player Tags: Phil Laak,   Gavin Griffin,   Tristan Wade,   Jared Hamby,   Florian Langmann,   Blake Cahail,   Nick Mitchell

Level Two Hour Two Update: Galfond Doubles, Collopy Surging

Jul 06, '10

Blinds: 100-200

Notable Chip Counts:

1. Jim Collopy – 86,000
2. Todd Witteles – 72,000
3. James Dempsey – 70,000
4. Phil Laak – 60,000
5. Jean-Robert Bellande – 55,000
6. Kevin Saul – 55,000
7. Marco Johnson – 54,000
8. Minh Ly – 52,000
9. Brandon Adams – 49,000
10 Dan Kelly – 48,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jon Friedberg – 32,500

Notable Eliminations

Justin Young
Jamie Gold

Big Hands:

Galfond Gets Lucky

On a flop of 1038, Phil Galfond check-called a bet from his opponent and the 3 came on the turn.

Galfond then check-raised the turn all-in for his remaining 9,000 and was called by his opponent. Galfond was not in good shape when he turned over his K10 and his opponent turned up the QQ.

The river was the 10, however, giving Galfond the best hand and doubling him up to 37,000.

Shchemelev Doubles

On the river, the board read 99Q85 and there was already 10,000 in the middle. Vladimir Shchemelev moved all-in for his last 13,275 and his opponent made the call.

Shchemelev showed AA and his opponent mucked. Shchemelev doubled up to 36,500.

Vlad The Impaler

Shchemelev was at it again a little later. He raised to 600 from late position and the player in the big blind made the call.

The flop came 5K10 and the big blind checked to Shchemelev who bet 1,000. The big blind called and the 9 fell on the turn. The big blind checked again and Shchemelev fired 3,000 into the pot. The big blind sighed and eventually folded.

Shchemelev had around 40,000 after the hand.

Collopy Scoops Big One

Jim “Mr_BigQueso” Collopy got all-in preflop and turned over KK. He was in great shape against his opponent’s QQ.

The board ran out 710J37, keeping Collopy in the lead and the player with pocket queens hit the rail. One of the other two players at the table cliamed that he folded the other two kings after the hand was over.

Collopy now has 85,000 and looks to be the biggest stack in the room.

Adams Scares Off Best Hand

Three players limped in, including Brandon Adams, and the player in seat 1 raised to 1,500. One player folded and seat 3 and Adams called.

The flop came J89 and seat 1 led out for 2,500. Seat 3 folded and Adams raised to 6,500. Seat 1 thought and decided to give Adams respect for a big hand, showing the table QQ as he folded.

Adams showed a weaker AJ as he scooped the pot and admitted that he didn’t think seat 1’s hand was very strong.

With that, Adams had around 49,300 in chips.

Griffin Multitasking Well

On a three-way flop of JK4 action checked to Gavin Griffin who bet 1,200. Everyone folded to Griffin, who after stacking his chips went immediately back to reading a book on his Kindle.

Between reading breaks Griffin has chipped up to around 40,000.

Player Tags: Gavin Griffin,   Brandon Adams,   Phil Galfond,   Vladimir Shchemelev

Level 2 Update: Gavin Griffin and Ted Lawson Eliminated

May 30, '10

Blinds: 25-50

Players Remaining: 1,699 out of 4,341

Card Player Chip Counts:

Stephen Murphy – 5,500
Justin Marchand – 4,000

Notable Eliminations:

Gavin Griffin
Ted Lawson

Big Hands:

Devil Fish Takes a Hit

David Ulliott called a raise to 200 from Josh Stern and they saw a flop heads up of K108. Stern bet 400 and was called by Ulliott.

The turn was the 2 and now Stern checked. Ulliott bet 700 and was met with a check-raise all in fro 1,625 more.

“They usually do that,” said Ulliott while he was contemplating a call. Ulliott let it go and has dropped to 3,400.

Dunst Grows Stack Quickly

Tony “Bond18” Dunst was already more than doubled up when he found himself in a great position to add more to his stack.

Dunst’s opponent found a way to get his whole stack in preflop with K-Q and was up against Dunst’s A-Q. The board was friendly to Dunst and kept him in the lead the whole way to propel him to 9,500 in chips.

Chan Gets Best of Griffin

We got to the action a little late, but Gavin Griffin was all in and way ahead of Terrance Chan. Chan held pocket queens, but Griffin had pocket aces. The queen on the river sent Griffin home earlier than he would have liked.

Chan is now up to 11,500 and said “It’s the first time I’m genuinely unhappy to win an all-in in a big tournament.”

Will Failla Wins a Large Pot

Will Failla bet 275 on the button with about 4,000 in his stack and the small blind and a player in early position called. The flop came 552 and the small blind checked. The player in early position bet 200 and Failla raised to 600. The initial bettor called and the 10 fell on the turn. Failla’s opponent bet 500 and Failla made the call. The Q hit the felt and it was checked to Failla bet 600. The bet was quickly called and Failla tabled pocket kings while his opponent mucked A-Q face up. Failla is now up to 5,500.

Hal Lubarsky Wins a Pot

Tony Dunst bet 150 from early position and the player next to act called. Hal Lubarsky made the call on the button with about 1,200 in his stack. The flopped AJ9 and action went check-check to Lubarsky, who went all in for about 800. Both his opponents folded and Lubarsky took the 1,425 chip pot.

Ted Lawson Eliminated

Ted Lawson put his stack of 1,075 into the middle with the 66 and was called by a player holding the 1010. The tens held up and Lawson was gone.

Player Tags: Ted Lawson,   Gavin Griffin,   Will Failla,   Hal Lubarsky,   Tony Dunst

Level 15 Update -- Still Short of the Money, Play Continues

Feb 28, '10

NOTE: Play was scheduled to end at the end of this level today, but it will continue until the money bubble bursts when 72 players remain.

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

Players Remaining: 74 out of 745

Chip Counts:

1. Mark Newhouse — 577,000
2. Tim Begley — 470,000
3. Bob Karnes — 437,000
4. Masaaki Kagawa — 414,000
5. Dan Martin — 400,000
6. Chris Moore — 380,000
7. Annie Duke — 360,000
8. Michael Woo — 335,000
9. Taylor Paur — 314,000
10. Paul Niemela — 240,000

Average Chip Count: 191,025

Notable Eliminations:

Tim West
Gavin Griffin
Tommy Le
David Singer
Brian Devonshire
Lisa Hamilton
Barry Greenstein

Big Hands:

Annie Duke Makes a Nice Move

On a board of 10878 Annie Duke bet 6,600 from the small blind and Eugene Katchalov raised to 20,000 from the big blind. Duke reraised to 45,000 and Katchalove made the call. The 10 fell on the river and Duke fired out 65,000. Katchalov mucked and Duke won the pot to join the chip leaders with a stack worth 360,000.

Negreanu Plays a Huge Pot with Bob Karnes

With 35,000 in the pot with a flop of A86 on the table, Daniel Negreanu checked from late position and Bob Karne bet 15,500 from the cutoff. Negreanu made the call and the turn fell J.

Negreanu checked, Karnes bet 42,000, and Negreanu made the call. The river fell 8 and Negreanu checked again. Karnes bet 50,000 and Negreanu made the call after spending a few minutes in the tank. Karnes flipped over AJ and Negreanu mucked. Karnes grew his stack to 437,000 after the hand.

Barry Greenstein Eliminated

Barry Greenstein raised all in for 30,000 after an opponent bet 5,500 from early position. Another opponent made the call on the button and the original raiser mucked. The two live players then turned over their cards:

Greenstein: 99
Opponent: JJ

Board: 86277

Greenstein was eliminated on the hand.

Gavin Griffin Eliminated

Gavin Griffin raised to 5,500 from the cutoff and the button reraised to 20,000. Griffin reraised all in for 85,000 and his opponent made the call. Their cards:

Griffin: KJ
Opponent: 88

Board: 96646

Griffin was eliminated on the hand.

High Roller Report

The size of the field in the $25,000 high roller no-limit hold-em event has climbed to 40 players and 32 of them remain. Here is a look at the prize pool for the event:

1: $444,600
2: $247,000
3: $148,200
4: $98,800
5: $49,400

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Barry Greenstein,   Daniel Negreanu,   Gavin Griffin,   Eugene Katchalov

Level 11 Update -- Play Slows Down to Start the Day

Feb 28, '10

Blinds: 600-1,200 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 165 out of 745

Chip Counts:

1. Taylor Paur — 333,000
2. Daniel Negreanu — 320,000
3. Vanessa Rousso — 270,000
4. Michael Woo — 250,000
5. Eugene Katchalov — 250,000
6. Daniel Fuhs — 220,000
7. Paul Niemela — 210,000
8. Masaaki Kagawa — 186,000
9. Mark Seif — 180,000
10. Steve Sung — 170,000

Average Chip Count: 90,303

Notable Eliminations:

Bruce Buffer
Christine Lindley
Allen Cunningham

Big Hands:

Robert Mizrachi Takes a Hit

On a board of J72Q5 with 25,000 in the pot, seat 9 bet 18,000 from the button. Robert Mizrachi went into the tank in the big blind and he eventually called. His opponent flipped over pocket jacks and Mizrachi mucked. He held 50,000 after the hand.

Rob Tepper Doubles Up

Patty Sodja bet 3,200 preflop from the cutoff and Rob Tepper raised to 10,000 on the button. Josh Prager reraised to 50,000 from middle position and Sodja mucked. Tepper made the all-in call for 48,800. Their cards:

Tepper: KK
Prager: QQ

Baord: J6575

Tepper doubled on the hand and he survived with more than 100,000.

Christina Lindley Eliminated

Christina Lindley moved all in for 20,500 from the cutoff and her opponent reraised all in on the button. Their cards:

Lindley: A10
Opponent: 99

Board: 93263

Lindley was eliminated on the hand, ending her tournament early on day 3.

Allen Cunningham Eliminated

Kenny Nguyen raised preflop and Allen Cunningham reraised. Nguyen reraised again and Cunningham moved all in for 36,000. Nguyen made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Nguyen: AK
Cunningham: QQ

Board: K92105

Cunningham was eliminated on the hand and Nguyen grew his stack to 130,000.

Gavin Griffin Doubles Up

Gavin Griffin moved all in preflop for 17,500 from middle position and David Baker made the call. Their cards:

Griffin: A7
Baker: 66

Board: A108JK

Griffin makes a pair of aces and he doubled up to 40,000.

Left in the Deck

Play Slows Down a Little Bit

After the race to the rail that ensued on day 2 play has slowed down at the start of day 3 thanks to the generous blind structure of the tournament. The money bubble will still burst today but expect the bust outs to occur at a more reasonable rate today.

Player Tags: Robert Mizrachi,   David Baker,   Gavin Griffin,   Josh Prager,   Christina Lindley

Level 8 Hour 1 Update: Gavin Griffin, Noah Schwartz Eliminated

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 2,095 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber — 405,000
2. Dan Bilzerian — 223,000
3. Jeremiah DeGreef — 210,000
4. James Akenhead — 182,000
5. Josh Arieh — 180,000
6. Hevad Khan — 177,000
7. Bertrand Grospellier — 170,000
8. Chance Kornuth — 170,000
9. Jordan Farmer — 170,000
10. Jeff Lisandro — 165,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 170,000
Phil Hellmuth – 145,000
Lee Watkinson – 57,000
Adam Schoenfeld – 100,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 24,000
Thomas Keller – 123,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Notable Eliminations:

Brett Richey
Lee Childs
Justin Smith
Gavin Griffin
David Sklansky

Big Hands:

Marlon Wayans Chips Up

The player on the button raises to 2,500 before the flop and Marlon Wayans reraises to 5,400 from the small blind.

The flop comes Q32, Wayans checks and the button bets 8,000. Wayans raises to 20,000 and the button folds to the check-raise. Wayans rakes the pot, bringing his stack up to 57,000 this hand.

Dutch Boyd Doubles Up

Dutch Boys gets it all in before the flop for 20,000 against a single opponent.

Boyd: JJ
Opponent: 1010

Board: KQ654

Boyd’s pair of jacks hold up as he doubles through to 40,000 this hand.

Joe Hachem Knocks One Out, Builds Stack

Joe Hachem raises to 2,000 from under the gun and the short stacked player at the tables moves all in behind him for a total of 9,000. Hachem calls and has his opponent covered.

Hachem: 99
Opponent: AK

Board: 108794

Hachem flops an open-ended straight draw and turns a set, eliminating his opponent and climbing up to 77,000 in chips this hand.

Gavin Griffin Eliminated

Gavin Griffin got it all in pre-flop for 12,000 and was called in one spot.

Griffin: KJ
Opponent: AK

Board: Q8275

Griffin is dominated with a weaker king and the board fails to improve his hand. Gavin Griffin is eliminated from the main event.

James Akenhead Eliminates Opponent; Jumps Up Leaderboard

On a flop of 754, the player in the big blind bets 9,900 and James Akenhead calls. The turn is the A, the big blind checks, Akenhead bets 22,500 and the big blind moves all in. Akenhead calls and has him covered.

Akenhead: A5
Opponent: A4

Both players pair their kickers on the flop and their ace on the turn. Akenhead is ahead with the higher two pair, but his opponent still has plenty of outs with the flush draw. The river is the 5, filling Akenhead and surging him up the leaderboard with 182,000 this hand.

Noah Schwartz Eliminated

Noah Schwartz raises to 3,000 before the flop and another player behind him reraises to 15,000. Schwartz moves all in for 28,000 and is called.

Schwartz has A-K suited against his opponent’s pocket eights. The board offers no help to either player as Noah Schwartz is eliminated from the tournament.

Jeff Shulman Doubles Up

On a flop of 852, Jeff Shulman gets it all in with a set of fives against his opponent’s pocket pair of kings. The turn and river are the 3 and the 3, giving Shulman a full house on the river. Shulman doubles up to 170,000 this hand, earning himself a spot on the leaderboard.

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Gavin Griffin,   Joe Hachem,   Dutch Boyd,   Noah Schwartz,   James Akenhead

Level 5 Hour 2 Update: Lisandro Finishes Strong

Jul 06, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Chip Counts:

1. Joe Cada — 187,000
2. Tyler Patterson — 165,000
3. Sebastian Stier — 150,000
4. Chance Kornuth — 148,000
5. Ariel Schneller — 146,000
6. Jeff Lisandro — 145,000
7. Marc Naalden — 135,000
8. Igor Borukhov — 129,000
9. Matthew Palmucci — 125,000
10. Martin El-Kher — 118,000

Notable Eliminations:

Frank Kassela
J.J. Liu
Marcel Luske
Brett Richey
Allen Bari
Matt Savage
Matt Matros

Big Hands

J.J. Liu Eliminated

On a flop of K74, J.J. Liu gets it all in against a single opponent.

Liu: K8
Opponent: K10

Both players flop top pair, Liu is in kicker trouble. The turn and river brick as Liu fails to improve and is subsequently eliminated from the vent.

Gavin Griffin Doubles Up

Gavin griffin gets it all in pre-flop for 12,700 and is called in one spot.

Griffin: 1010
Opponent: QQ

Board: KQ2AJ

Griffin gets it in behind, and his opponent flops top set to boot. The turn gives Griffin a guts-shot, and amazingly he gets there on the river. Gavin griffin doubels up to 25,000+ this hand.

Allen Bari Eliminated

The small blind comes in for a raise and Allen Bari calls from the big blind. The flop comes 942, and Bari gets it all in.

Bari: 1010
Opponent: KK

Both players flop an overpair, Bari is way behind. The turn and river are the 3 and the 2, no help to Allen Bari who is eliminated from the tournament.

Kevin Saul Knocks One Out

Kevin Saul raises to 1,000 from the button, the player in the small blind calls, the player in the big bind raises to 4,200, Saul calls and the small blind folds. The flop comes J810, the big blind leads out for 5,100 and Saul raises to 20,000 (enough to put him all in). The big blind calls and both players turn over their cards.

Saul: Q9
Big Blind: A10

Saul flops the nut straight while his opponent flops top pair with the ace. The turn and river are the 5 and the 6. Saul eliminates his opponent this hand and brings his stack to just under 100,000.

Jeff Lisandro Catches Bluff

On a flop of 732, action was checked to Jeff Lisandro. Lisandro threw out a bet of 3,400 which was called by one of the two players in the hand. The 7 hit the turn and Lisandro’s opponent checked once again. Lisandro checked behind and the 8 fell on the river. Lisdandro’s opponent quickly threw out a bet of 10,000 and Lisandro immediately called. His opponent insta-mucked and Lisandro mucked as well after contemplating briefly whether or not to show his cards. Lisandro is now at 145,000.

Player Tags: Jeffrey Lisandro,   Gavin Griffin,   Allen Bari,   Joanne Liu,   Kevin Saul

Level 3 Hour 2 Update: Lisandro Rolling Through Day 1

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Jeff Lisandro – 125,000
2. Tsai Chen – 96,000
3. Hevad Khan – 94,000
4. Igor Borukhov – 84,000
5. Yan Chen – 80,500
6. Marc Naalden – 79,000
7. David Singer – 78,000
8. Andy Seth – 75,000
9. Suzie Lederer – 73,000
10. Paul Magriel – 68,700

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 24,500

Notable Eliminations:

Tom Dwan Sr.
Lacey Jones

Big Hands:

Griffin On The Good Side of The Flip, Eliminates Opponent

A player under-the-gun raised to 900 and there were a few callers. The action got to Gavin Griffin in the big blind who three-bet him and the under the gun caller instantly moved in the rest of his stack for about 10,000. The action folded back to Griffin who called instantly.

The two players were off to the races as Griffin showed AK and was up against the QQ. The board ran out 10J45Q giving Griffin the nut straight and the pot.

Alex Jacob Makes a Value Bet With the Worst Hand

From early position, Alex Jacob raised to 750 and the player directly to his left made the call. Everybody else got out of the way and the flop was 2210 and both players checked. The turn was the 5 and both players checked again.

The river was the A and Jacobs bet 1,000. His opponent sighed and tossed in the call. Jacobs turned over A6 and was out-kicked by his opponent who showed AJ.

Senior Durrrr Eliminated

Tom Dwan Sr., father of high stakes player Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, has been eliminated from the main event as his AK was all in preflop against his opponent’s AA.

The board bricked out for Dwan and he was sent home in the third level. Hopefully his son will have some pointers for him when he gets home.

Must Be Nice to be Named Jeff Lisandro

Jeff Lisandro was a part of a six-way limped pot. The flop came down K85 and action was checked to Lisandro. He bet 700 and the player in seat 1 called. Everyone else mucked and the turn was the 6. Lisandro firqed 2,100 and it was called again by seat 1. The river was the 2 and Lisandro thought long and hard on how much to bet.

He finally decided on 4,000 and the call was made. Lisandro then tabled 88 for a flopped set and seat 1 mucked. Lisandro took the pot and was around 90,000.

A little later on, the action is picked up on a flop of Q710. The small blind led out for 3,100 and is met with a raise all in of 7,400. Lisandro then puts out enough chips to put the original bettor all in.

The player then goes into the tank for several minutes. He pointed to the 7 and asked Lisandro if he had a set. After three minutes or so, he begrudgingly tossed in his chips. Lisandro turned up AA, but was behind both players as the original bettor had Q10 and the shorter all in player had QQ.

The turn was the J, giving Lisandro a straight draw and a flush draw and the river hit Lisandro square in the face as the K fell, giving Lisandro a straight and the pot. He now has crossed the 100,000 chip mark and very well could be the biggest stack in the room.

Deuce-Four Is Good

Isabelle Mercier limped in preflop along with four other players. The flop then fell 774 and the small blind led out with 800. Mercier and the button were the only callers. The turn was the K and all three players checked. They did the same when the Q fell on the river.

The small blind then showed 24 for two pair and Mercier mucked, as did the button. Mercier was still doing well with around 70,000.

“What A Game”

After a flop of K82, the small blind checked the action to Ylon Schwartz. He bet 1,025 and the small blind called. The turn was the 6 and action was checked again to Schwartz. He bet 2,425 and the small blind called again. The river was the A and Schwartz bet 5,025 after it was checked to him again.

The small blind called and Schwartz tabled AK for top two pair. The small blind then showed AK for the same hand and after all of those fireworks, the players chopped the pot. “What a game,” Schwartz commented after the hand. Schwartz was at 31,000.

The Magic Man Takes On The Prince

Scotty Nguyen raised to 900 from the button preflop and Antonio Tarver made the call from the small blind. The big blind mucked and the two players saw a flop of 743. Tarver led out with 1,500 and the action was on Nguyen. “You outflopped me, baby,” Nguyen told Tarver. He then mucked AQ face up and Tarver took the pot. Tarver was a little under 15,000 while Nguyen was at 47,000.

Watkinson With The Flush

After a flop of QQ5, the player in seat 2 bet 1,200 and Antonio Tarver mucked from the button. Lee Watkinson made the call from the big blind and the 7 fell on the turn. Both players checked and the 4 dropped on the river. Watkinson led out for 3,000 and seat 2 made the call.

Watkinson tabled 93 for a rivered flush and took the pot. He was at 63,000.

Left In The Deck:

The official number of entrants for day 1c has just been released. Today’s number is 1,697 players, bringing the total number of players for the main event is 3,686 so far, with one more day 1 to play. By comparison, day 1c last year brought 1,928 players to the Rio.

Players will be taking a 90 minute dinner break at the end of the level and will return at 8:15 to resume play.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Scotty Nguyen,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Gavin Griffin,   Isabelle Mercier,   Ylon Schwartz,   Alex Jacob,   Antonio Tarver

Level 3 Hour 1 Update: Lederer Off To Rocky Start

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Tsai Chen – 93,000
2. Yan Chen – 85,000
3. Frank Kassela – 75,000
4. Justin Bonomo – 75,000
5. Andy Seth – 71,300
6. Jeff Lisandro – 70,500
7. David Singer – 68,000
8. Paul Magriel – 65,100
9. Suzie Lederer – 65,000
10. James Vanderhaar – 63,200

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 17,500

Notable Eliminations:

Matt Graham
Jacobo Fernandez

Big Hands:

Hawrilenko Takes Another Hit to His Stack

A player under-the-gun raised to 700 and got four callers, including Matt Hawrilenko from middle position. The flop was K47 and the original raiser bet 1,800 and Hawrilenko called.

The turn was the 10 and the river was the 6. Both players checked the turn and the river and Hawrilenko mucked when he was shown K9 and is down to 9,100 in chips.

Dennis Phillips Forces a Fold

With about 17,000 in the pot already, Dennis Phillips was heads-up with his opponent with a board that read A4510.

Phillips bet 10,500 and his opponent thought for nearly five minutes before mucking AK face up on the table. Phillips mucked his hand, but whether or not he had the best hand, he now has 59,000 in chips

Lederer Off To A Rocky Start In Level 3

After a flop of K92, Howard Lederer led out with 2,000 into a pot of 2,500 and his opponent in seat 1 mucked his hand. Lederer was at 23,200 after that hand.

Later, Lederer raised to 1,300 from the button and the small blind immediately reraised to 3,500. It was just in time for the ESPN cameras to arrive at Lederer’s table. After a few moments to think, Lederer mucked his hand and he was at 20,000 early in the level.

Suharto’s Pair Good Enough

Picking up the action on the river, the board showed J42108. Darus Suharto of “November Nine” fame and his opponent checked the action and Suharto showed down 66. It was good as his opponent tabled A6 and Suharto took a pot, moving his stack to 20,000.

McEvoy Gets Best Of Miami John

John Cernuto and Tom McEvoy saw a flop of AQJ. Both players didn’t like the board and checked. The turn was the Q and Cernuto took a stab at the pot, leading out for 1,200. McEvoy stuck around and the players saw the 9 fall on the river.

Cernuto checked and McEvoy did the same behind him. McEvoy showed A6 for two pair and Cernuto mucked. McEvoy was at 17,000 while Cernuto was at 35,000.

Luske Check-Raises To Victory

After a flop of K87, Marcel Luske was first to act and elected to check. His opponent then fired 600 into a 1,500 pot. Luske then pounced, check-raising to 2,000. His opponent glanced at his cards one last time and threw them into the muck. Luske took the pot and was at 42,000.

Danny Wong Flops Two Pair, Gets Little Action

Four players limped for 300 preflop and they all saw a flop of 982. The player in seat 9 fired 500 into the pot and Danny Wong raised to 1,600 from the cutoff. The player under the gun was also in the hand and made the call. Everyone else mucked and the 5 fell on the turn.

The under the gun player checked and Wong bet again, this time 3,600. His opponent mucked and Wong took the pot after showing 98. He was at 36,000 after the hand.

Griffin Takes Another Pot

Gavin Griffin raised to 800 from the hijack position and the small blind made the call. The player in seat 3, who had already limped, made the call as well. The flop then fell 1086 and the action was checked to Griffin. He fired 1,700 into the pot and his opponents quickly mucked their hands. Griffin took the pot and was at 38,000.

Juanda Tries To Give Opponent Discount

Picking up the action after the river, the board read K9878. The action was checked to John Juanda and he bet 3,500. The player in seat 2 mucked his hand and the player in seat 6 was next to act. He reached for his cards to throw them in the muck.

“No!” Juanda exclaimed. “1,000,” he said as he took 2,500 away from his original bet. Seat 6 didn’t bite and his hand finally landed in the muck. Juanda scored the pot and was around 50,000.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Howard Lederer,   Gavin Griffin,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Danny Wong,   Darus Suharto,   Dennis Phillips

Level 2 Hour 2 Update: Daniel Negreanu Eliminated

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 100-200

Chip Counts:

1. Yan Chen – 79,500
2. Frank Kassela – 69,500
3. Andy Seth – 69,000
4. David Singer – 68,000
5. Suzie Lederer – 68,000
6. James Vanderhaar – 63,200
7. Paul Magriel – 63,200
8. David Baker – 60,000
9. Kevin Tokimesa – 60,000
10. Justin Smith – 56,500

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 25,000

Notable Eliminations:

Daniel Negreanu
David Saab
David Chicotsky
Evelyn Ng
Chino Rheem

Big Hands:

Daniel Negreanu Eliminated

Daniel Negreanu called a raise preflop and his opponent bet 4,200 on a flop of 10710.

Negreanu moved all in for 6,075 and his opponent made the call. Negreanu tabled 33 and was behind the QQ of his opponent. The turn was the 6 and the river was the J, ending Neagreanu’s World Series for this year.

As soon as Negreanu busted, the spectator area seemed to clear out as many fans left disappointed to see “Kid Poker” no longer in the main event.

Tarver Takes A Pot

After the board ran out A106210, Antonio Tarver and his opponent each checked their option. Tarver then showed down QQ and took down the pot.

“I turned a flush draw,” his opponent said. Tarver took the pot but was still relatively short with 12,000.

Scotty Knocks One Out

Scotty Nguyen raised to 600 from the cutoff and the player on the button immediately moved all in for 4,200 total. The blinds mucked and Nguyen made the call. The button turned over 77 and Nguyen was racing with 109. The flop came J49 and Nguyen took the lead. The turn was the 8, giving the button a straight draw, but also eliminating a seven as one of his outs as it would make Nguyen a straight.

The river paired the board with the 8 and Nguyen scored the knockout. He took the pot and was at 60,000 in chips.

Miami John Scores A Pot

Picking up the action on the turn, the board showed A3910. The small blind was first to act, but did nothing for a while. This gave time for the ESPN cameras to swarm the table and the dealer finally informed the small blind the action was on him. He checked and John Cernuto bet 6,000 into the pot. The small blind mucked and Cernuto took the pot, his stack at 33,000 after the win.

Liz Lieu Trips Up Opponent In Battle Of The Blinds

Picking up the action after the river, the board read K46A4 and the small blind checked to Liz Lieu. She was in the big blind and she bet out 5,000 into the pot. The small blind called and Lieu tabled 54 for trip fours.

The small blind mucked and Lieu took in the pot. She was at 40,000 after the hand.

Good Bet From Mercier Takes It Down

With 1,500 in the pot preflop, the flop came down 923 and Isabelle Mercier fired 800. The button made the call and the turn brought the K. Mercier led out again, this time with 1,250. “It’s a good bet,” the button said as he released his hand. Mercier took the pot and she was at 53,000.

Evelyn Ng Busts Out

Evelyn Ng was short stacked and moved all in with A5. She was called by one opponent who tabled pocket jacks. The flop came Q83, giving Ng very little help. The turn was the 8 and Ng could only double up by hitting an ace on the river.

The river brought the 9 and Ng was sent to the rail, ending her main event early in day 1c.

Filippi Gets No Action For His Aces

After a flop of J83, the player in the big blind checked to Amnon Filippi, who fired 800 into the pot. The big blind mucked and the pot was pushed toward Filippi.

“Ah, one time,” Filippi said in a frustrated tone. He then tabled AA. Despite getting no action, Filippi was doing well with 44,000 in chips.

Riding The Griffin

Picking up the action on the river, the board read 85310J. There was 6,000 in the pot and Gavin Griffin checked to the player on the button. He bet 5,000 and Griffin took a few moments to think about what to do.

When he finally announced a call, the button said, “I have a five.” Griffin then tabled 99 for a better hand and raked in the pot. He was at 57,000 after taking the pot.

Bill Chen Muscled Out

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read J7K6. The small blind bet 3,000 into a pot of 6,000. Bill Chen made the call from late position and the river was the 3. The small blind led out again, this time with 9,000. Chen mucked his hand and he was at 31,000.

Double Up With A Bullet

The player on the button raised to 1,200 preflop and the small blind folded. Maya Gellar was next to act in the big blind and she moved in for her final 16,000. The button made the call and tabled KK. Normally that’s a bad hand to go up against, but not when you are holding AA as Gellar was.

The board ran out Q6378 and Gellar’s pair of bullets held up. She doubled up to 35,000 in chips.

Hachem Cracks The Cowboys

A player raised to 650 preflop and Joe Hachem made the call. The flop came down 974 and the player fired 950. Hachem called again and the turn was the 3. Hachem called another bet by his opponent, this one 2,200. The river was the 4 and action was checked to Hachem. He bet 6,200 and his opponent called.

Hachem then tabled 54 for trip fours and his opponent showed KK for the losing hand. Hachem took the pot and he was at 38,000.

Fish Hooks Hold for McEvoy

Tom McEvoy raised preflop after a limper from the cutoff and was called by the button, the small blind and the limper.

The flop was AA3 and all four players checked. The turn was the 7 and it was checked to the player on the button who bet 750 and was called by McEvoy.

The river was the 2 and both players checked. McEvoy showed JJ and the player on the button mucked.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Evelyn Ng,   Daniel Negreanu,   Gavin Griffin,   Amnon Filippi,   Isabelle Mercier,   Liz Lieu,   Joe Hachem,   Antonio Tarver,   Maya Gellar-Antonius

Level 1 Hour 1 Update: Juanda Gets Aces Early

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 50-100

Chip Counts:

1. James Vanderhaar – 71,000
2. Kevin Tokimesa – 60,000
3. Terrence Chan – 46,000
4. John Juanda – 42,000
5. Yan Chen – 41,000
6. Lee Watkinson – 35,000
7. John Cernuto – 30,000
8. Abe Mosseri – 30,000
9. Alex Jacob – 30,000
10. Bill Chen – 30,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands:

Griffin Fires Three Barrels

After some action preflop, Gavin Griffin and his opponent saw a flop of 210K. After his opponent checked, Griffin bet 1,300, which was called. The turn was the 7 and Griffin bet 2,100 after his opponent checked, which was called again.

The river was the 4 and his opponent checked one last time. Griffin looked perplexed and then bet 2,100 again. His opponent quickly released his cards and Griffin took the pot.

Juanda Picks Up Aces Early, Wins Pot

On a flop of 962, John Juanda bet 2,500 after his opponent checked, but was met with a check-raise to 7,500. Juanda thought for a minute or so and made the call.

The J fell on the turn and both players checked. The 4 fell on the river and Juanda’s opponent checked a third time. Juanda bet 5,400 and his opponent tossed in a call. Juanda tabled AA and his opponent showed QQ, as he gets on the right side of that cold deck to take the pot.

Bill Chen Goes Up, Bill Chen Goes Down

Bill Chen raised to 225 under the gun and action folded around to the big blind, who made the call. The flop came down J36 and Chen fired 200. The big blind called again and the turn was the 4. Both players checked and the river was the 4. The big blind then led out for 325 and Chen mucked.

A few hands later, a flop of Q48 Chen and his opponent checked with 600 in the pot. The turn then brought the K and Chen fired 325. His opponent mucked and after all of that, Chen was still around 30,000.

Watkinson With Top Two

With four players in the pot, the flop came down J87 and action was checked to seat 6. He bet 300 and Lee Watkinson made the call. Seat 2 mucked and Antonio Tarver mucked his hand. The turn was the 6 and seat 6 fired 1,100. Watkinson made the call and the river brought the A.

Action was checked to Watkinson who bet 1,600. Seat 6 called and Watkinson tabled J8 for two pair and he took down the pot. He was around 35,000.

Allen Kessler Flops A Set

After a flop of A82, a player bet 750 and Allen Kessler made the call. The turn was the 3 and the action was then checked to Kessler. He bet 1,500 and his opponent called. The river was the 9 and the opponent led out with 2,000.

Kessler just called and his opponent tabled A9 for two pair. Kessler then showed 88 for a set and took down the pot.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   John Juanda,   Allen Kessler,   Gavin Griffin

Level 8 Hour 1 Update: Gavin Griffin, Noah Schwartz Eliminated

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 2,095 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber — 405,000
2. Dan Bilzerian — 223,000
3. Jeremiah DeGreef — 210,000
4. James Akenhead — 182,000
5. Josh Arieh — 180,000
6. Hevad Khan — 177,000
7. Bertrand Grospellier — 170,000
8. Chance Kornuth — 170,000
9. Jordan Farmer — 170,000
10. Jeff Lisandro — 165,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 170,000
Phil Hellmuth – 145,000
Lee Watkinson – 57,000
Adam Schoenfeld – 100,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 24,000
Thomas Keller – 123,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Notable Eliminations:

Brett Richey
Lee Childs
Justin Smith
Gavin Griffin
David Sklansky

Big Hands:

Marlon Wayans Chips Up

The player on the button raises to 2,500 before the flop and Marlon Wayans reraises to 5,400 from the small blind.

The flop comes Q32, Wayans checks and the button bets 8,000. Wayans raises to 20,000 and the button folds to the check-raise. Wayans rakes the pot, bringing his stack up to 57,000 this hand.

Dutch Boyd Doubles Up

Dutch Boys gets it all in before the flop for 20,000 against a single opponent.

Boyd: JJ
Opponent: 1010

Board: KQ654

Boyd’s pair of jacks hold up as he doubles through to 40,000 this hand.

Joe Hachem Knocks One Out, Builds Stack

Joe Hachem raises to 2,000 from under the gun and the short stacked player at the tables moves all in behind him for a total of 9,000. Hachem calls and has his opponent covered.

Hachem: 99
Opponent: AK

Board: 108794

Hachem flops an open-ended straight draw and turns a set, eliminating his opponent and climbing up to 77,000 in chips this hand.

Gavin Griffin Eliminated

Gavin Griffin got it all in pre-flop for 12,000 and was called in one spot.

Griffin: KJ
Opponent: AK

Board: Q8275

Griffin is dominated with a weaker king and the board fails to improve his hand. Gavin Griffin is eliminated from the main event.

James Akenhead Eliminates Opponent; Jumps Up Leaderboard

On a flop of 754, the player in the big blind bets 9,900 and James Akenhead calls. The turn is the A, the big blind checks, Akenhead bets 22,500 and the big blind moves all in. Akenhead calls and has him covered.

Akenhead: A5
Opponent: A4

Both players pair their kickers on the flop and their ace on the turn. Akenhead is ahead with the higher two pair, but his opponent still has plenty of outs with the flush draw. The river is the 5, filling Akenhead and surging him up the leaderboard with 182,000 this hand.

Noah Schwartz Eliminated

Noah Schwartz raises to 3,000 before the flop and another player behind him reraises to 15,000. Schwartz moves all in for 28,000 and is called.

Schwartz has A-K suited against his opponent’s pocket eights. The board offers no help to either player as Noah Schwartz is eliminated from the tournament.

Jeff Shulman Doubles Up

On a flop of 852, Jeff Shulman gets it all in with a set of fives against his opponent’s pocket pair of kings. The turn and river are the 3 and the 3, giving Shulman a full house on the river. Shulman doubles up to 170,000 this hand, earning himself a spot on the leaderboard.

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Gavin Griffin,   Joe Hachem,   Dutch Boyd,   Noah Schwartz,   James Akenhead

Level 5 Hour 2 Update: Lisandro Finishes Strong

Jul 06, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Chip Counts:

1. Joe Cada — 187,000
2. Tyler Patterson — 165,000
3. Sebastian Stier — 150,000
4. Chance Kornuth — 148,000
5. Ariel Schneller — 146,000
6. Jeff Lisandro — 145,000
7. Marc Naalden — 135,000
8. Igor Borukhov — 129,000
9. Matthew Palmucci — 125,000
10. Martin El-Kher — 118,000

Notable Eliminations:

Frank Kassela
J.J. Liu
Marcel Luske
Brett Richey
Allen Bari
Matt Savage
Matt Matros

Big Hands

J.J. Liu Eliminated

On a flop of K74, J.J. Liu gets it all in against a single opponent.

Liu: K8
Opponent: K10

Both players flop top pair, Liu is in kicker trouble. The turn and river brick as Liu fails to improve and is subsequently eliminated from the vent.

Gavin Griffin Doubles Up

Gavin griffin gets it all in pre-flop for 12,700 and is called in one spot.

Griffin: 1010
Opponent: QQ

Board: KQ2AJ

Griffin gets it in behind, and his opponent flops top set to boot. The turn gives Griffin a guts-shot, and amazingly he gets there on the river. Gavin griffin doubels up to 25,000+ this hand.

Allen Bari Eliminated

The small blind comes in for a raise and Allen Bari calls from the big blind. The flop comes 942, and Bari gets it all in.

Bari: 1010
Opponent: KK

Both players flop an overpair, Bari is way behind. The turn and river are the 3 and the 2, no help to Allen Bari who is eliminated from the tournament.

Kevin Saul Knocks One Out

Kevin Saul raises to 1,000 from the button, the player in the small blind calls, the player in the big bind raises to 4,200, Saul calls and the small blind folds. The flop comes J810, the big blind leads out for 5,100 and Saul raises to 20,000 (enough to put him all in). The big blind calls and both players turn over their cards.

Saul: Q9
Big Blind: A10

Saul flops the nut straight while his opponent flops top pair with the ace. The turn and river are the 5 and the 6. Saul eliminates his opponent this hand and brings his stack to just under 100,000.

Jeff Lisandro Catches Bluff

On a flop of 732, action was checked to Jeff Lisandro. Lisandro threw out a bet of 3,400 which was called by one of the two players in the hand. The 7 hit the turn and Lisandro’s opponent checked once again. Lisandro checked behind and the 8 fell on the river. Lisdandro’s opponent quickly threw out a bet of 10,000 and Lisandro immediately called. His opponent insta-mucked and Lisandro mucked as well after contemplating briefly whether or not to show his cards. Lisandro is now at 145,000.

Player Tags: Jeffrey Lisandro,   Gavin Griffin,   Allen Bari,   Joanne Liu,   Kevin Saul

Level 3 Hour 2 Update: Lisandro Rolling Through Day 1

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Jeff Lisandro – 125,000
2. Tsai Chen – 96,000
3. Hevad Khan – 94,000
4. Igor Borukhov – 84,000
5. Yan Chen – 80,500
6. Marc Naalden – 79,000
7. David Singer – 78,000
8. Andy Seth – 75,000
9. Suzie Lederer – 73,000
10. Paul Magriel – 68,700

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 24,500

Notable Eliminations:

Tom Dwan Sr.
Lacey Jones

Big Hands:

Griffin On The Good Side of The Flip, Eliminates Opponent

A player under-the-gun raised to 900 and there were a few callers. The action got to Gavin Griffin in the big blind who three-bet him and the under the gun caller instantly moved in the rest of his stack for about 10,000. The action folded back to Griffin who called instantly.

The two players were off to the races as Griffin showed AK and was up against the QQ. The board ran out 10J45Q giving Griffin the nut straight and the pot.

Alex Jacob Makes a Value Bet With the Worst Hand

From early position, Alex Jacob raised to 750 and the player directly to his left made the call. Everybody else got out of the way and the flop was 2210 and both players checked. The turn was the 5 and both players checked again.

The river was the A and Jacobs bet 1,000. His opponent sighed and tossed in the call. Jacobs turned over A6 and was out-kicked by his opponent who showed AJ.

Senior Durrrr Eliminated

Tom Dwan Sr., father of high stakes player Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, has been eliminated from the main event as his AK was all in preflop against his opponent’s AA.

The board bricked out for Dwan and he was sent home in the third level. Hopefully his son will have some pointers for him when he gets home.

Must Be Nice to be Named Jeff Lisandro

Jeff Lisandro was a part of a six-way limped pot. The flop came down K85 and action was checked to Lisandro. He bet 700 and the player in seat 1 called. Everyone else mucked and the turn was the 6. Lisandro firqed 2,100 and it was called again by seat 1. The river was the 2 and Lisandro thought long and hard on how much to bet.

He finally decided on 4,000 and the call was made. Lisandro then tabled 88 for a flopped set and seat 1 mucked. Lisandro took the pot and was around 90,000.

A little later on, the action is picked up on a flop of Q710. The small blind led out for 3,100 and is met with a raise all in of 7,400. Lisandro then puts out enough chips to put the original bettor all in.

The player then goes into the tank for several minutes. He pointed to the 7 and asked Lisandro if he had a set. After three minutes or so, he begrudgingly tossed in his chips. Lisandro turned up AA, but was behind both players as the original bettor had Q10 and the shorter all in player had QQ.

The turn was the J, giving Lisandro a straight draw and a flush draw and the river hit Lisandro square in the face as the K fell, giving Lisandro a straight and the pot. He now has crossed the 100,000 chip mark and very well could be the biggest stack in the room.

Deuce-Four Is Good

Isabelle Mercier limped in preflop along with four other players. The flop then fell 774 and the small blind led out with 800. Mercier and the button were the only callers. The turn was the K and all three players checked. They did the same when the Q fell on the river.

The small blind then showed 24 for two pair and Mercier mucked, as did the button. Mercier was still doing well with around 70,000.

“What A Game”

After a flop of K82, the small blind checked the action to Ylon Schwartz. He bet 1,025 and the small blind called. The turn was the 6 and action was checked again to Schwartz. He bet 2,425 and the small blind called again. The river was the A and Schwartz bet 5,025 after it was checked to him again.

The small blind called and Schwartz tabled AK for top two pair. The small blind then showed AK for the same hand and after all of those fireworks, the players chopped the pot. “What a game,” Schwartz commented after the hand. Schwartz was at 31,000.

The Magic Man Takes On The Prince

Scotty Nguyen raised to 900 from the button preflop and Antonio Tarver made the call from the small blind. The big blind mucked and the two players saw a flop of 743. Tarver led out with 1,500 and the action was on Nguyen. “You outflopped me, baby,” Nguyen told Tarver. He then mucked AQ face up and Tarver took the pot. Tarver was a little under 15,000 while Nguyen was at 47,000.

Watkinson With The Flush

After a flop of QQ5, the player in seat 2 bet 1,200 and Antonio Tarver mucked from the button. Lee Watkinson made the call from the big blind and the 7 fell on the turn. Both players checked and the 4 dropped on the river. Watkinson led out for 3,000 and seat 2 made the call.

Watkinson tabled 93 for a rivered flush and took the pot. He was at 63,000.

Left In The Deck:

The official number of entrants for day 1c has just been released. Today’s number is 1,697 players, bringing the total number of players for the main event is 3,686 so far, with one more day 1 to play. By comparison, day 1c last year brought 1,928 players to the Rio.

Players will be taking a 90 minute dinner break at the end of the level and will return at 8:15 to resume play.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   Scotty Nguyen,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Gavin Griffin,   Isabelle Mercier,   Ylon Schwartz,   Alex Jacob,   Antonio Tarver

Level 3 Hour 1 Update: Lederer Off To Rocky Start

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Tsai Chen – 93,000
2. Yan Chen – 85,000
3. Frank Kassela – 75,000
4. Justin Bonomo – 75,000
5. Andy Seth – 71,300
6. Jeff Lisandro – 70,500
7. David Singer – 68,000
8. Paul Magriel – 65,100
9. Suzie Lederer – 65,000
10. James Vanderhaar – 63,200

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 17,500

Notable Eliminations:

Matt Graham
Jacobo Fernandez

Big Hands:

Hawrilenko Takes Another Hit to His Stack

A player under-the-gun raised to 700 and got four callers, including Matt Hawrilenko from middle position. The flop was K47 and the original raiser bet 1,800 and Hawrilenko called.

The turn was the 10 and the river was the 6. Both players checked the turn and the river and Hawrilenko mucked when he was shown K9 and is down to 9,100 in chips.

Dennis Phillips Forces a Fold

With about 17,000 in the pot already, Dennis Phillips was heads-up with his opponent with a board that read A4510.

Phillips bet 10,500 and his opponent thought for nearly five minutes before mucking AK face up on the table. Phillips mucked his hand, but whether or not he had the best hand, he now has 59,000 in chips

Lederer Off To A Rocky Start In Level 3

After a flop of K92, Howard Lederer led out with 2,000 into a pot of 2,500 and his opponent in seat 1 mucked his hand. Lederer was at 23,200 after that hand.

Later, Lederer raised to 1,300 from the button and the small blind immediately reraised to 3,500. It was just in time for the ESPN cameras to arrive at Lederer’s table. After a few moments to think, Lederer mucked his hand and he was at 20,000 early in the level.

Suharto’s Pair Good Enough

Picking up the action on the river, the board showed J42108. Darus Suharto of “November Nine” fame and his opponent checked the action and Suharto showed down 66. It was good as his opponent tabled A6 and Suharto took a pot, moving his stack to 20,000.

McEvoy Gets Best Of Miami John

John Cernuto and Tom McEvoy saw a flop of AQJ. Both players didn’t like the board and checked. The turn was the Q and Cernuto took a stab at the pot, leading out for 1,200. McEvoy stuck around and the players saw the 9 fall on the river.

Cernuto checked and McEvoy did the same behind him. McEvoy showed A6 for two pair and Cernuto mucked. McEvoy was at 17,000 while Cernuto was at 35,000.

Luske Check-Raises To Victory

After a flop of K87, Marcel Luske was first to act and elected to check. His opponent then fired 600 into a 1,500 pot. Luske then pounced, check-raising to 2,000. His opponent glanced at his cards one last time and threw them into the muck. Luske took the pot and was at 42,000.

Danny Wong Flops Two Pair, Gets Little Action

Four players limped for 300 preflop and they all saw a flop of 982. The player in seat 9 fired 500 into the pot and Danny Wong raised to 1,600 from the cutoff. The player under the gun was also in the hand and made the call. Everyone else mucked and the 5 fell on the turn.

The under the gun player checked and Wong bet again, this time 3,600. His opponent mucked and Wong took the pot after showing 98. He was at 36,000 after the hand.

Griffin Takes Another Pot

Gavin Griffin raised to 800 from the hijack position and the small blind made the call. The player in seat 3, who had already limped, made the call as well. The flop then fell 1086 and the action was checked to Griffin. He fired 1,700 into the pot and his opponents quickly mucked their hands. Griffin took the pot and was at 38,000.

Juanda Tries To Give Opponent Discount

Picking up the action after the river, the board read K9878. The action was checked to John Juanda and he bet 3,500. The player in seat 2 mucked his hand and the player in seat 6 was next to act. He reached for his cards to throw them in the muck.

“No!” Juanda exclaimed. “1,000,” he said as he took 2,500 away from his original bet. Seat 6 didn’t bite and his hand finally landed in the muck. Juanda scored the pot and was around 50,000.

Player Tags: John Juanda,   Howard Lederer,   Gavin Griffin,   Matt Hawrilenko,   Danny Wong,   Darus Suharto,   Dennis Phillips

Level 2 Hour 2 Update: Daniel Negreanu Eliminated

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 100-200

Chip Counts:

1. Yan Chen – 79,500
2. Frank Kassela – 69,500
3. Andy Seth – 69,000
4. David Singer – 68,000
5. Suzie Lederer – 68,000
6. James Vanderhaar – 63,200
7. Paul Magriel – 63,200
8. David Baker – 60,000
9. Kevin Tokimesa – 60,000
10. Justin Smith – 56,500

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 25,000

Notable Eliminations:

Daniel Negreanu
David Saab
David Chicotsky
Evelyn Ng
Chino Rheem

Big Hands:

Daniel Negreanu Eliminated

Daniel Negreanu called a raise preflop and his opponent bet 4,200 on a flop of 10710.

Negreanu moved all in for 6,075 and his opponent made the call. Negreanu tabled 33 and was behind the QQ of his opponent. The turn was the 6 and the river was the J, ending Neagreanu’s World Series for this year.

As soon as Negreanu busted, the spectator area seemed to clear out as many fans left disappointed to see “Kid Poker” no longer in the main event.

Tarver Takes A Pot

After the board ran out A106210, Antonio Tarver and his opponent each checked their option. Tarver then showed down QQ and took down the pot.

“I turned a flush draw,” his opponent said. Tarver took the pot but was still relatively short with 12,000.

Scotty Knocks One Out

Scotty Nguyen raised to 600 from the cutoff and the player on the button immediately moved all in for 4,200 total. The blinds mucked and Nguyen made the call. The button turned over 77 and Nguyen was racing with 109. The flop came J49 and Nguyen took the lead. The turn was the 8, giving the button a straight draw, but also eliminating a seven as one of his outs as it would make Nguyen a straight.

The river paired the board with the 8 and Nguyen scored the knockout. He took the pot and was at 60,000 in chips.

Miami John Scores A Pot

Picking up the action on the turn, the board showed A3910. The small blind was first to act, but did nothing for a while. This gave time for the ESPN cameras to swarm the table and the dealer finally informed the small blind the action was on him. He checked and John Cernuto bet 6,000 into the pot. The small blind mucked and Cernuto took the pot, his stack at 33,000 after the win.

Liz Lieu Trips Up Opponent In Battle Of The Blinds

Picking up the action after the river, the board read K46A4 and the small blind checked to Liz Lieu. She was in the big blind and she bet out 5,000 into the pot. The small blind called and Lieu tabled 54 for trip fours.

The small blind mucked and Lieu took in the pot. She was at 40,000 after the hand.

Good Bet From Mercier Takes It Down

With 1,500 in the pot preflop, the flop came down 923 and Isabelle Mercier fired 800. The button made the call and the turn brought the K. Mercier led out again, this time with 1,250. “It’s a good bet,” the button said as he released his hand. Mercier took the pot and she was at 53,000.

Evelyn Ng Busts Out

Evelyn Ng was short stacked and moved all in with A5. She was called by one opponent who tabled pocket jacks. The flop came Q83, giving Ng very little help. The turn was the 8 and Ng could only double up by hitting an ace on the river.

The river brought the 9 and Ng was sent to the rail, ending her main event early in day 1c.

Filippi Gets No Action For His Aces

After a flop of J83, the player in the big blind checked to Amnon Filippi, who fired 800 into the pot. The big blind mucked and the pot was pushed toward Filippi.

“Ah, one time,” Filippi said in a frustrated tone. He then tabled AA. Despite getting no action, Filippi was doing well with 44,000 in chips.

Riding The Griffin

Picking up the action on the river, the board read 85310J. There was 6,000 in the pot and Gavin Griffin checked to the player on the button. He bet 5,000 and Griffin took a few moments to think about what to do.

When he finally announced a call, the button said, “I have a five.” Griffin then tabled 99 for a better hand and raked in the pot. He was at 57,000 after taking the pot.

Bill Chen Muscled Out

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read J7K6. The small blind bet 3,000 into a pot of 6,000. Bill Chen made the call from late position and the river was the 3. The small blind led out again, this time with 9,000. Chen mucked his hand and he was at 31,000.

Double Up With A Bullet

The player on the button raised to 1,200 preflop and the small blind folded. Maya Gellar was next to act in the big blind and she moved in for her final 16,000. The button made the call and tabled KK. Normally that’s a bad hand to go up against, but not when you are holding AA as Gellar was.

The board ran out Q6378 and Gellar’s pair of bullets held up. She doubled up to 35,000 in chips.

Hachem Cracks The Cowboys

A player raised to 650 preflop and Joe Hachem made the call. The flop came down 974 and the player fired 950. Hachem called again and the turn was the 3. Hachem called another bet by his opponent, this one 2,200. The river was the 4 and action was checked to Hachem. He bet 6,200 and his opponent called.

Hachem then tabled 54 for trip fours and his opponent showed KK for the losing hand. Hachem took the pot and he was at 38,000.

Fish Hooks Hold for McEvoy

Tom McEvoy raised preflop after a limper from the cutoff and was called by the button, the small blind and the limper.

The flop was AA3 and all four players checked. The turn was the 7 and it was checked to the player on the button who bet 750 and was called by McEvoy.

The river was the 2 and both players checked. McEvoy showed JJ and the player on the button mucked.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Evelyn Ng,   Daniel Negreanu,   Gavin Griffin,   Amnon Filippi,   Isabelle Mercier,   Liz Lieu,   Joe Hachem,   Antonio Tarver,   Maya Gellar-Antonius

Level 1 Hour 1 Update: Juanda Gets Aces Early

Jul 05, '09

Blinds: 50-100

Chip Counts:

1. James Vanderhaar – 71,000
2. Kevin Tokimesa – 60,000
3. Terrence Chan – 46,000
4. John Juanda – 42,000
5. Yan Chen – 41,000
6. Lee Watkinson – 35,000
7. John Cernuto – 30,000
8. Abe Mosseri – 30,000
9. Alex Jacob – 30,000
10. Bill Chen – 30,000

CardPlayer Chip Counts:

Matt Matros – 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands:

Griffin Fires Three Barrels

After some action preflop, Gavin Griffin and his opponent saw a flop of 210K. After his opponent checked, Griffin bet 1,300, which was called. The turn was the 7 and Griffin bet 2,100 after his opponent checked, which was called again.

The river was the 4 and his opponent checked one last time. Griffin looked perplexed and then bet 2,100 again. His opponent quickly released his cards and Griffin took the pot.

Juanda Picks Up Aces Early, Wins Pot

On a flop of 962, John Juanda bet 2,500 after his opponent checked, but was met with a check-raise to 7,500. Juanda thought for a minute or so and made the call.

The J fell on the turn and both players checked. The 4 fell on the river and Juanda’s opponent checked a third time. Juanda bet 5,400 and his opponent tossed in a call. Juanda tabled AA and his opponent showed QQ, as he gets on the right side of that cold deck to take the pot.

Bill Chen Goes Up, Bill Chen Goes Down

Bill Chen raised to 225 under the gun and action folded around to the big blind, who made the call. The flop came down J36 and Chen fired 200. The big blind called again and the turn was the 4. Both players checked and the river was the 4. The big blind then led out for 325 and Chen mucked.

A few hands later, a flop of Q48 Chen and his opponent checked with 600 in the pot. The turn then brought the K and Chen fired 325. His opponent mucked and after all of that, Chen was still around 30,000.

Watkinson With Top Two

With four players in the pot, the flop came down J87 and action was checked to seat 6. He bet 300 and Lee Watkinson made the call. Seat 2 mucked and Antonio Tarver mucked his hand. The turn was the 6 and seat 6 fired 1,100. Watkinson made the call and the river brought the A.

Action was checked to Watkinson who bet 1,600. Seat 6 called and Watkinson tabled J8 for two pair and he took down the pot. He was around 35,000.

Allen Kessler Flops A Set

After a flop of A82, a player bet 750 and Allen Kessler made the call. The turn was the 3 and the action was then checked to Kessler. He bet 1,500 and his opponent called. The river was the 9 and the opponent led out with 2,000.

Kessler just called and his opponent tabled A9 for two pair. Kessler then showed 88 for a set and took down the pot.

Player Tags: Lee Watkinson,   John Juanda,   Allen Kessler,   Gavin Griffin

Level 9 Update: Greg Mueller Eliminated (Stud)

Jun 05, '09

Level Structure:

2-7 triple draw, limit hold’em, and Omaha 8OB: 800-1,500 blinds and 1,500-3,000 limits

7-card stud, razz, and 7-card stud 8OB: 300 ante, 500 bring-in, with a 1,500 completion and 1,500-3,000 limits

no-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha: 400-800 blinds with a 200 ante

NOTES: Games change every eight hands. Two players will be forced to sit out during 2-7 triple draw each hand.

Players Remaining: 120 out of 194

Chip Counts:

1. John Hanson — 172,000
2. David Oppenheim — 143,000
3. Daniel Negreanu — 121,300
4. Jimmy Fricke — 108,200
5. Eric Froehlich — 100,100
6. Brandon Adams — 96,200
7. Doyle Brunson — 95,000
8. Patrick Bueno — 93,400
9. Tommy Hang — 92,900
10. Alexandre Gomes — 92,500

Average Chip Count: XXX

Notable Eliminations:
Greg Mueller

Big Hands:

STUD
Greg Mueller; Busted by Hennigan, Eliminated by Miami John

Greg Mueller got involved in a huge pot with with a board of X-X-K284 against John Hennigan and a board of X-X-K8Q8. There is a series of bets and raises on the river, Mueller ultimately deciding just to call Hennnigan’s raise, leaving himself with just 200 behind. Hennigan turns over QQA for a full-house and Mueller mucks, claiming to have trips. Hennigan rakes the pot and brings his chip count up to 75,000 this hand while Mueller is left with just 200.

The very next hand and Mickey Appleman opens the pot for 500 with the 2. Greg Mueller calls all in for 200 with the 8, Nick Schulman completes the bet to 1,500 with the K and Miami John Cernuto calls with the 10.

Cernuto hits the J and bets 1,500 as Schulman folds the 7. Cernuto rakes the side pot and both him and Mueller turn over their cards.

Mueller: 478364-X
Cernuto: 10J55A73

Mueller tells the dealer to deal his last card face-down as he wants “…to squeeze it”, he says. He turns over a Q for a pair of fours, not to be outdone by Cernuto’s pair of fives. Mueller is eliminated from the tournament as Cernuto climbs up to 50,000 in chips after this hand.

Chau Giang vs. Gavin Griffin

Chino Rheem opens the pot for 500 with the 4 and Gavin Griffin completes the bet to 1,500 with the 9. Chau Giang raises to 3,000 with the 4, Rheem folds and Griffin calls.

Giang: X-X-410
Griffin: X-X-95

Giang checks, Griffin bets 1,500, Giang calls.

Giang: X-X-4102
Griffin: X-X-956

Giang bets 3,000 and Griffin calls.

Giang: X-X-41028
Griffin: X-X-956Q

Giang bets 3,000 on sixth street and Griffin calls. Giang bets another 3,000 on the river and Griffin calls. Giang turns over AA8 for two pair and Griffin mucks. Giang rakes the pot and is up to 40,000 this hand while Griffin falls down to just 12,000.

STUD/8

David Chiu vs. Jeff Madsen

David Gray opens the pot for 500 with the 5 and Jeff Madsen completes the bet to 1,500 with the 6. David Chiu raises to 3,000 with the K, Gray folds and Madsen calls.

Madsen: X-X-62
Chiu: X-XKQ

Chiu bets 1,500 and Madsen calls.

Madsen: X-X-629
Chiu: X-XKQA

Chiu bets 3,000 and Madsen folds. Chiu turns over AK for a pair of kings. Chiu is up to 34,000 this hand while Madsen drops down to just 15,000.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Greg Mueller,   David Chiu,   Chau Giang,   Gavin Griffin,   Jeff Madsen

Level 3 Update: Dario Minieri Eliminated

May 28, '09

Blinds: 400-800 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 180 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Ted Forrest — 310,000
2. Antonio Esfandiari — 305,000
3. Scott Seiver — 300,000
4. Justin Bonomo — 275,000
5. Jeff Lisandro — 270,000
6. Tony G — 260,000
7. Vivek Rajkumar — 255,000
8. Lex Veldhuis — 240,000
9. Brian Townsend — 225,000
10. Matthew Glantz — 220,000

Average Chip Count: 134,000

Notable Eliminations:

Dario Minieri
Jonathan Little
Peter Jetten
Sergey Rybachenko
Christian Harder
Ted Lawson
Dwyte Pilgrim
Per Ummer
Steve Gross

Big Hands:

David Singer Takes a Pot From Lex Vuldhuis

Davis Singer opens the pot for 2,200 from middle position and Lex Veldhuis calls from the button. The flop comes KQ7, Singer bets 4,500 and Veldhuis calls. The tuen is the 3, and Singer bets 11,000. Veldhuis mucks and Singer rakes the pot. After this hand, Singer climbs to 130,000 while Veldhuis falls to 110,000 in chips.

Dario Minieri is Eliminated

Matthew Glantz and Dario Minieri got it all in on the flop of J98, with Minieri holding 88 and Glantz having him covered with 99.

Alec Torelli Wins Pot

On a board of AKJ6, Torelli bet 50,000 on the turn from the small blind into J.C. Tran on the button. Tran thought about it briefly and then folded.

Shawn Buchanan Gets Something Going

After a pre-flop raise, and with about 10,000 now in the pot, Shawn Buchanan bets 6,500 on a fop of 442. Freddy Deeb calls and the turn is the 5. Buchanan bets 13,000 and Deeb folds. Buchanan rakes the pot, winning back some of the chips he gave to Deeb earlier in the day. After this hand Buchanan is up to 72,000 while Deeb falls to 130,000.

JC Tran Buys a Pot With a Bet on the River

Gavin Griffin raises to 2,400 from middle position and JC Tran calls from the small blind. The flop comes 775, Griffin bets 3,500 and Tran calls. The turn is the K, and both players check around. The river is the 2, and this time Tran leads out for 6,000. Griffin mucks and Tran rakes the pot. Tran is up to 140,000 this hand while Griffin falls just under the 100,000 mark.

Daniel Negreanu Folds on the River

On a board of AK98, Negreanu bet 15,000 into David Steicke, who called. The river brought the 5 and Negreanu checked. Steicke thought for awhile and then bet 20,000 into the 50,000 chip pot. Negreanu immdediately looked disgusted and went into the tank saying, “You must have a flush.” Negreanu eventually folded and Steicke said he had a flush and gut shot straight draw on the turn. Negreanu is down to under 40,000 in chips.

Left In The Deck:

Phil Hellmuth has just taken his seat after an almost 3 level absence.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Daniel Negreanu,   Phil Hellmuth,   Shawn Buchanan,   Gavin Griffin,   Matthew Glantz,   Dario Minieri,   Freddy Deeb,   Alec Torelli