Greg Raymer - Live Updates

Big Pot, No Flop

Sep 30, '09

Three of the biggest stacks in the room just happen to all be sitting at the same table in Adolfo Vaeza, Matthew Glantz and Vadim Trincher.

A table broke and Greg Raymer was moved into the empty seat at the table, earning the big blind in the process. Vaeza opened with a raise to 5,000 and Glantz called behind.

As Trincher thought things over, Raymer began to ponder outloud about a dream situation in which his deuces would triple up, perhaps cracking aces in the process. (He hadn’t looked at his hand and wasn’t announcing what he held)

When Trincher decided to reraise to 17,000, however, Raymer easily found a reason to muck. The action was back on Vaeza and he made the call. Then Glantz decided to come over the top with a raise to 60,000.

Trincher instantly folded and Vaeza threw it in shortly after that. As the pot was pushed his way, Glantz playfully ribbed Raymer for thinking out loud and even speculating as to the contents of what was most likely, a very big hand.

Glantz now has 181,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Matthew Glantz

Level 4 Hour 1 Update: Sebok Mixing It Up

Jul 04, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Left: 720 of 873

Chip Counts:

1. Craig Hopkins – 131,000
2. Nick Maimone – 125,000
3. Jim Bookstaff – 118,000
4. Vadim Gruzglin – 118,000
5. Jesse Rios – 110,500
6. Ali Eslami – 90,000
7. Karin Lehoussing – 87,000
8. Jonathan Tare – 75,000
9. Sam Khouiss – 72,000
10. Dave D’Alesandro – 68,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Todd Brunson — 41,000
Mike Matusow — 29,000

Notable Eliminations:

Big Hands

Sebok Mixes It Up

The player under the gun limped in for 300. The next player to act raised to 1,500 and Joe Sebok was next to act. He made the call and everyone else mucked, including the player under the gun.

The flop then fell 764 and both players checked. It was the same story on the 8 turn and J river. Sebok then showed his hand, 22. It was good enough to take the pot as his opponent showed A10 for just ace high.

A few hands later, the flop came down J83. Sebok called his opponent’s all in bet and tabled 54 for a flush draw. His opponent tabled KK and Sebok needed help. The turn didn’t give him anything as it was the 10, but the A on the river made Sebok his flush and he knocked out his opponent, pushing his stack to 64,000.

Raymer Straightens Out His Opponent

A player raised to 950 and the player in the cutoff made the call. The action was then on Greg Raymer on the button, who raised to 3,500. Everyone folded except the cutoff and the flop was 987. Both players checked and saw the 10 fall on the turn.

The cutoff bet 5,000 and Raymer made the call. The river was the 2 and the action was checked to Raymer. He bet another 5,000 and the cutoff called. Raymer tabled KJ for a straight and the cutoff mucked. Raymer raked in the pot and was at 48,000.

Mortensen Getting Short

On a board reading J96Q, Carlos Mortensen bet 5,000. Another player raised to 13,000 and Mortensen made the call. The river was the 2 and the player shoved his entire stack, having Mortensen covered. Mortensen then mucked pocket nines face up, giving up his set. The other player showed K10 for the flush and took the pot, knocking out another player in the hand. Mortensen was down to just 12,000.

Helppi’s Pocket Kings Hold Up, Even With an Ace on Board

Juha Helppi raised to 900 under the gun and got four callers. The flop came AJ6 and everybody checked around. The turn was the 6 and everybody checked again.

The river brought the 6 and now Helppi put out a bet of 1,150 and it folded around to the player in the small blind who cut out a call and put the chips in. Helppi tabled KK and his opponent mucked his cards.

Kravchenko and Raymer Mixing it Up

After some preflop action, three players, including Alex Kravchenko and Greg Raymer see a flop of AQ2. Kravchenko bet 1,500, there was a fold and then Raymer made the call. The turn was the K and both players checked.

The river was the 6 and Kravchenko checked again. Raymer bet 4,000 and after a few moments, Kravchenko mucked. Raymer tabled the AQ, good for two pair.

Just a few hands later, these same two players were sparring again. Raymer checked and called a bet from Kravchenko on the turn and a third player came along for the river.

The final board read KJ9K8. Raymer checked, the other player checked and Kravchenko bet 3,000. Raymer quickly made the call and the third party got out of the way. Kravchenko showed AK and Raymer mucked.

Round 2 goes to Kravchenko.

Jason Young Gets Bluffed

A player under the gun made it 900 to go and got three callers, including Jason Young who called from the button. The flop was K64 and the under the gun player bet 2,100. After there were two folds in between, Jason Young opted to raise to 5,150. After some thought, the under the gun player tossed in the call.

The 7 fell on the turn and both players checked. The 2 was the river card and now the original preflop raiser bets 9,000. “You got two aces?” asked Young before he mucks his hand. His read was a little off as his opponent showed the 54, for just a pair of fours.

Left In The Deck:

It was just announced that 873 players registered for Day 1b of the main event, with 720 remaining. This is down from 1,158 players that registered on Day 1b last year. It appears that people just don’t want to spend their 4th of July holiday in the poker room.

Player Tags: Juha Helppi,   Carlos Mortensen,   Greg Raymer,   Jason Young,   Joe Sebok

Level 3 Hour 1 Update: David Pham Goes Bust

Jul 04, '09

Blinds: 150-300

Chip Counts:

1. Vadim Gruzglin – 125,000
2. Jim Bookstaff – 114,000
3. Jesse Rios – 112,000
4. Sam Khouiss – 80,500
5. Dave D’Alesandro – 68,000
6. Catherine Hearn – 62,000
7. Grant Levy – 60,200
8. Angelo Ricci – 57,500
9. Paris Heard – 57,000
10. Raymond Davis – 55,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Todd Brunson — 50,000
Mike Matusow — 31,000
Stephen Murphy – 6,500

Notable Eliminations:

Jeremiah Smith
David Pham

Big Hands

Brunson Drops A Pot

The player in seat 4 raised to 800 preflop from middle position and the small blind called. Todd Brunson was in the big blind and he decided to come along as well. The flop then fell A83. The action was checked to seat 4 who fired 1,700 into the pot. The small blind mucked but Brunson called.

The turn was the 6 and both players checked. They did the same on the 4 river and seat 4 showed A9 for top pair. Brunson showed the losing 1010 and he was down to 55,000.

King Raymer

Greg Raymer and his opponent in seat 3 tangled in a hand where the pot was over 4,000 preflop. The flop then fell 1074. Seat 3 checked to Raymer who fired 3,500 into the pot. Seat 3 then mucked his hand, surrendering the pot to Raymer.

Raymer then tabled KK. “Every time I reraise you I have two kings,” Raymer said. Seat 3 grinned and Raymer was at 44,000.

The Red Queens

After a flop of Q84, Shaun Deeb’s opponent moved all in for 14,500. Deeb then made the call and the players showed their hands.

Deeb: AQ
Opponent: QQ

Deeb flopped top pair but his opponent made a set of ladies. The turn was the 7 and the river was the 9 and Deeb was down to 25,000 after dropping that pot.

Greenstein Takes One

Barry Greenstein raised to800 preflop from under the gun and the action folded around to the big blind. He made the call and the players saw a flop of A8K. The big blind checked and Greenstein fired 1,000. The big blind made the quick call and the 2 came on the turn. Action was checked to Greenstein again and he bet 3,000. The big blind mucked and Greenstein took the pot, getting his stack to 34,000.

Dragon Slayed

David Pham was nursing a short stack and moved it into the middle against the big blind. The big blind called and tabled AK. Pham showed AA, having his opponent dominated. The flop came K85, giving the big blind a pair but Pham still held the lead.

That all changed on the turn when the K showed up and ruined Pham’s good time. Pham needed the case A to make a full house and double up, but the 6 fell on the river instead and Pham was gone from the main event.

Jeremiah Smith Gone

Jeremiah Smith doubled up very early in day 1, but just a few hours later he went bust. On a board showing A937, Smith moved all in and was called by his opponent. Smith tabled pocket threes for a set, but his opponent showed pocket aces for top set. Smith needed the case three to drop on the river but instead the 9 fell, filling up both players but Smith got the sucker’s end and he was eliminated.

Hoyt Corkins Doubles Up

Hoyt Corkins called 300 preflop and another player raised to 950. Action folded around back to Corkins who shoved for his entire stack of 19,875. The other player made the call and tabled AJ. Corkins was in great shape as he was dominating his opponent with AK.

The flop then came K109, giving Corkins top pair but also giving his opponent a Broadway draw. The turn was the 6 and the river paired the board with the 10 and Corkins doubled up to just over 40,000.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   David Pham,   Barry Greenstein,   Todd Brunson,   Greg Raymer,   Shaun Deeb

Level 2 - Hour 2 Update: Chris Moneymaker Eliminated

Jul 04, '09

Blinds: 100-200

Chip Counts:

1. Vadim Gruzglin — 123,000
2. Jesse Rios — 105,000
3. Sam Khouiss — 79,000
4. Shaun Deeb — 67,000
5. Grant Levy — 65,000
6. Angelo Ricci — 62,000
7. Catherine Hearn — 62,000
8. Save D’Alesandro — 59,000
9. Jeremiah Smith — 58,900
10. Paris heard — 57,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Todd Brunson — 26,100
Mike Matusow — 28,600
Stephen Murphy – 18,100

Notable Eliminations:

Chris Moneymaker
David Steicke
Ralph Perry

Big Hands

Moneymaker Eliminated; Runs Tens Into Aces

After battling from the short stock for most of the day, Chris Moneymaker finally gets it all in (8,000) before the flop against Joe Villacci.

Moneymaker: 1010
Villacci: AA

Board: Q976Q

Moneymaker gets it in behind and fails to improve, he is eliminated from the tournament.

Vadim Trincher Gets Rivered

The player in seat 7 raises to 600 from middle position, Vadim Trincher reraises to 1,800 from the button and seat 7 calls. The flop comes 943, and both players check around. The turn is the 10, Trincher bets 2,000 and seat 7 calls. The river is the 4 and both players check. Seat 7 turns over A4 for trips on the river and Trincher throws his hand into the muck. Trincher is down to 23,000 after this hand.

Greenstein Rivers A Set

On a board of 642AJ, the player in seat 7 bets 2,100 and Barry Greenstein raises 5,000 more. Seat 7 calls and Greenstein turns over JJ for a set on the river. Greenstein rakes the pot and is up to 27,000 in chips after this hand.

Greg Raymer vs. Alex Kravchenko

On a board of A655, Alex Kravchenko bets 300 on the turn, Raymer raises to 1,300 and Kravchenko calls. The river is the 10, and Kravchenko checks. Raymer bets 2,000 and Kravchenko calls. Raymer turns over J5 for trip fives on the turn and rakes the pot. Raymer is up to 24,000 this hand while Kravchenko drops to 28,000 in chips.

David Pham Bluffed

After an under the gun player raised preflop, another player reraised. David Pham put in another raise, making it 3,500. The initial raiser folded and the second raiser called. Pham and his opponent saw a flop of K65. Pham’s opponent bet 6,700 which was almost enough to put him all in. Pham went into the tank before finally making. His opponent exposed the 98 for a gut shot straight flush draw. Pham is at just 6,800.

Alexander Kravchenko Rivers Full House

On a board of K103104, the small blind bet 1,000 and Alexander Kravchenko raised to 3,000. The small blind went into the tank and eventually made the call. Kravchenko exposed the 44 for a rivered full house. Kravchenko is around the starting amount of 30,000.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   Chris Moneymaker,   Greg Raymer,   Alexander Kravchenko,   Vadim Trincher

Level 2 - Hour 1 Update: Chris Ferguson Adds to Stack

Jul 04, '09

Blinds: 100-200

Chip Counts:

1. Dave D’Alesandro — 64,000
2. Jeremiah Smith — 63,000
3. Angelo Ricci — 62,000
4. Talal Shakerchi – 60,000
5. Sam Khouiss — 52,000
6. Alex Jung – 48,500
7. Chris Ferguson – 44,000
8. Allan Vrooman — 40,000
9. Carlos Mortensen — 39,000
10. Juha Helppi – 37,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Stephen Murphy – 18,250
Todd Brunson — 26,100
Mike Matusow — 26,000

Big Hands

Joe Sebok Finally Wins A Pot

Joe Sebok raises from the cutoff and the player in the big blind calls. The flop comes J75, Sebok bets 1,200 and the big blind calls. The turn is the A, both players check around. The river is the 3, and this time Sebok bets 3,300. The big blind folds and Sebok rakes the pot. After this hand he is up to 20,000 in chips.

Chris Ferguson Chips Up

Two players had already limped in the pot when Chris Ferguson raised to 1,000 from the button. Both opponents call and the flop comes J106. The player in the cutoff bets 1,400, Ferguson calls, and the third opponent folds. The turn is the 3, the cutoff bets 2,000 and Ferguson calls. The river is the 10, the cutoff bets 2,000, Ferguson raises to 7,000 and the cutoff calls. Ferguson shows KK and his opponent mucks his cards. Ferguson rakes the pot and is up to 44,000 in chips this hand.

Miracle Hits

An unknown short stacked player moved all in for 5,000 on a flop of 1072 with the J10 and was snap called by the 22 of an opponent. Needing runner-runner to stay alive, the J hit the turn, giving him the short stack top two pair and just four outs to make a full house. The 10 fell on the river, completing the miracle.

Raymer Caught Bluffing

Raymer fired on every street on a board of 1053A9 and was called down each time. The former main event champion bet 3,500 on the end and when he was called he said, “good call, I missed my straight draw.” His opponent tabled the AK for top pair and Raymer mucked. He is down to just 17,000.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Greg Raymer,   Joe Sebok

Level 1- Hour 1 Update: Jeremiah Smith Doubles Early

Jul 04, '09

Blinds: 50-100

Chip Counts:

1. Dave D’Alesandro — 64,000
2. Jeremiah Smith — 63,000
3. Angelo Ricci — 62,000
4. Sam Khouiss — 52,000
5. Allan Vrooman — 40,000
6. Carlos Mortensen — 39,000
7. Kara Scott — 33,600
8. Eddie Sabat — 32,000
9. Alan Smurfit — 30,000
10. Alexander Jung — 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Greg Raymer Gets Sneaky With Aces

With a few limpers already in the pot before him, Greg Raymer checks his option in the big blind to a flop of J84. Raymer bets 400 and the player in seat 6 calls. The turn is the 6, and this time Raymer bets 700, seat 6 calls. The river is the 10, and Raymer bets 2,000. Seat 6 tanks for a while before mucking his cards. “It’s a bad hand to try and win the rock with”, says seat 6. Raymer laughs and turns over AA as he rakes the pot, bringing his chip count up to 32,000 this hand.

Thor Hansen Rivers Vadim Trincher

On a board of Q83J, Vadim Trincher bets 500 on the turn and Thor Hansen calls. The river is the A, Trincher checks and Hansen bets 1,000. Trincher thinks for a minute before calling. Hansen turns over K10 for the Broadway straight on the river. Hansen climbs to 35,000 this hand while Trincher slips back down to even.

Two Players All In

On one of the tables deep in the sea of players, two were all in and another was faced with a tough decision. On a board of 4435, one player held the 54 another held the 54 and the third man had pockets threes. The guy with pockets threes flopped a full house but was massacred when the other two opponents in the hand filled up as well when their trip fours hit their kicker. In the first hour of the day, the player with the pocket threes made the good, yet annoying fold.

Barry Greenstein Loses Small Pot

Barry Greenstein raised under the gun to 300 and got three callers. The flop came 644 and Greenstein led out with 800. Only one opponent called and the 4 hit the turn. Greenstein elected to bet 2,000 and his opponent quickly called. The river brought the Q and Greenstein bet another 2,000 which was quickly called once again. Greenstein tabled two nines but his opponent flipped up two kings. Greenstein is at 24,900.

Jeremiah Smith Doubles Up Early

Jeremiah Smith gets it all in pre-flop with aces against his opponent’s pair of kings. Smith’s aces hold up as he takes an early chiplead here in Level 1 with 60,000+ in chips.

Player Tags: Thor Hansen,   Greg Raymer,   Vadim Trincher,   Jeremiah Smith

Level 4 Update: Jimmy Fricke Increases Stack

Jun 20, '09

Blinds: 200-400

Players Remaining: 239 out of 295

Notable Eliminations:

Peter Eastgate

Big Hands:

Fricke’s Set Holds, Doubles Up

On a flop of J105, there was a bet of 7000 and Jimmy Fricke moved all in for his last 16,975. After a few moments of contemplation, his opponent tossed in the 9975 to make the call.

Fricke showed the 101098, which was good for middle set and an open-ended straight draw. His opponent tabled the KJ910, which was top two pair and a gut-shot straight draw.

The turn was the 9 and the river was the 6, meaning that Fricke’s hand held up and he doubled up. 20 minutes later, against the same opponent, Fricke made quad fives to eliminate him from the tournament.

Raymer Moves All In, Gets a Bunch of Folds

After three limps, John Juanda made it 2600 from the button. Greg Raymer called from the small blind, Dan Shak came along from the big blind, Burt Boutin, Robert Mizrachi and the other limper also made the call.

The flop was AK8 and it was checked to Mizrachi who bet 15,000. It was folded back to Raymer who tanked for a few minutes before moving all in for only another 8500 more. Everybody folded around back to Mizrachi and he instantly mucked his cards, allowing Raymer to take the pot.

Scott Clements Takes a Small Pot

On a flop of K108, Marty Smyth bet out 2400 and was met with a raise to 7000 by Scott Clements. Smyth opted to make the call and the J fell on the turn, which both players checked.

The 5 fell on the river and both players checked again. Clements turned over the 8869, good for middle set and the pot.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Scott Clements,   Jimmy Fricke

Level 14 Update: Raymer Knocks Two Out

Jun 19, '09

Ante: 1,000
Low Card: 2,000
Completion: 5,000
Limits: 5,000-10,000

Players Remaining: 37 out of 164

Chip Counts:

1. Scotty Nguyen – 317,000
2. Yan Chen – 300,000
3. Farzad Rouhani – 288,000
4. Tuan Le – 280,000
5. William Buckley – 239,000
6. Greg Raymer – 215,000
7. John Hennigan – 210,000
8. Claudio Rinaldi – 201,000
9. Anthony Rivera – 190,000
10. Jon Turner – 190,000

Average Chip Count: 132,972

Notable Eliminations:

Tom Schneider
Dario Minieri
David Benyamine

Big Hands:

Le And Lind Get Most Of Sitar’s Chips

Tuan Le: X-X-A8
Dustin Sitar: X-X-96
George Lind III: X-X-106

After fourth street was dealt, the three players capped the action, resulting in each player having 25,000 in the pot just on that street.

Tuan Le: X-X-A87
Dustin Sitar: X-X-96K
George Lind III: X-X-106K

Le bet out 10,000 and both Sitar and Lind made the call. Lind was all in after he called.

Tuan Le: X-X-A879
Dustin Sitar: X-X-96KA
George Lind III: X-X-106K2

Le bet 10,000 and Sitar called. After the river was dealt, Le bet another 10,000 and Sitar made the call. Le then showed J-5-4 in the hole for an 8-low. Sitar showed a pair of nines and the two players chopped the side pot. Lind then turned over 10-10-Q for a set of tens and took the high-end of the main pot while Le took the low half. Sitar was left with just 20,000 in chips and would later be eliminated. Lind would also be eliminated later and Le was at 280,000 in chips.

Benyamine And Sitar Become Fossils

Greg Raymer: 6Q75(84X)
David Benyamine: A10310(98-X)
Dustin Sitar: X-Q7J(AA-X)

David Benyamine and Dustin Sitar were each all in on third street against Greg Raymer. Sitar had the lead with aces in the hole but Raymer made a straight on sixth street to scoop the pot and send his two opponents to the rail. Raymer was at 215,000 after the hand.

Player Tags: Tuan Le,   David Benyamine,   Greg Raymer,   Dustin Sitar,   George Lind III

Level 13 Update: Amnon Filippi, Erik Seidel Eliminated

Jun 19, '09

Ante: 1,000
Low Card: 1,000
Completion: 3,000
Limits: 4,000-8,000

Players Remaining: 47 out of 164

Chip Counts:

1. Tuan Le – 290,000
2. Jeff Lisandro – 195,000
3. Tom Schneider – 188,000
4. Tony Rivera – 168,000
5. Dario Minieri – 145,000
6. Nick Schulman – 135,000
7. Dutch Boyd – 126,000
8. Joe Tehan – 113,000
9. Lyle Berman – 112,000
10. John Turner – 101,000

Average Chip Count: 104,680

Notable Eliminations:

Amnon Filippi
Erik Seidel

Big Hands:

Greg Raymer Doubles Up

Coming back from the dinner break, Greg Raymer was short stacked when he got all his chips into the middle against David Benyamine on fourth street.

Their cards:

Raymer: (A4)4Q38(5)

Benyamine: X-X-53A3-X

Raymer made an ace-high flush to go along with his low. Benyamine had no low and just two pair. Raymer doubled up to 89,000 while Benyamine is at just 40,000.

Amnon Filippi Eliminated

Amnon was all-in and ended up with two pair, sevens and sixes but was no good against the aces and fours of Tom Koral, who is at 56,000 in chips after the hand.

Their cards:

Filippi: (2)(7)6628(7)

Tom Koral: (A)(4)AQ84(J)

Player Tags: David Benyamine,   Greg Raymer,   Amnon Filippi,   Tom Koral

Level 7 Update: Fitoussi Climbs The Chip Counts

Jun 17, '09

Blinds: 400-800

Players Remaining: 128 out of 362

Chip Counts:

1. Jeff Lisandro – 142,000
2. Bruno Fitoussi – 142,000
3. Jesper Hougaard – 125,000
4. Cliff Josephy – 123,000
5. Isaac Baron – 120,000
6. Guillaume Patry – 92,000
7. Andrew Chen – 81,500
8. Nam Le – 76,000
9. David Benyamine – 72,000
10. Steve Sarrafzadeh – 64,000

Average Chip Count: 40,333

Notable Eliminations:

Ross Boatman
Shaun Deeb
Humberto Brenes
Howard Lederer

Big Hands:

Respect The Man Named Giang

Howard Lederer and Chau Giang tangled in a pot. The flop came 865 and Giang led out for 1,600. Howard Lederer gave a little grin and said, “It’s amazing how much respect I show you.” He then showed 1010 and mucked his hand. “Not many people fold that hand.”

Giang smiled and said, “I have nothing.” He raked in the pot and he has more than nothing as his stack stands at 50,000. Lederer was down to 27,000 and would later bust out.

Bruno Takes A Pot

The player in seat 2 raised to 2,100 and the player in seat 4 reraised to 3,600. Action folded to Bruno Fitoussi in the big blind and he made the call. Seat 2 called as well and the flop came 10107 and everyone checked. The turn was the 7 and Fitoussi took control of the hand, firing 8,000. His opponents mucked and Fitoussi raked in the pot, building his stack to 142,000.

No Vacancy In Raymer’s House

On a board reading 958Q and Greg Raymer checked after his opponent in seat 3 checked. The river was the 8 and seat 3 checked again. Raymer then fired 5,000 into the pot and his opponent thought for a few moments. Eventually, he threw in the call and Raymer announced, “Nines full.” He tabled 9910Q to confirm and his opponent mucked. Raymer took the pot and was at 35,000.

Player Tags: Howard Lederer,   Chau Giang,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Greg Raymer

Hour 5 Update: Greg Raymer Eliminated, Chris Ferguson Advances

Jun 13, '09

Hour 5 Update

Players Remaining: 108 out of 256

Completed Round 2 Matches (Winner in Bold):

1. Tom “Durrrr” Dwan vs. Samuel Stein
2. Erik Seidel vs. Adam Junglen
3. Cory Carroll vs. Sorel Mizzi
4. Alec Torelli vs. Jan Maarten Meijer
5. Bryan Pellegrin vs. Will Failla
6. Benjamin Tollerene vs. Greg Raymer
7. Yevgeniy Timoshenko vs. Dmitry Stelmak
8. Benjamin Lamb vs. Scott Seiver
9. Chris Ferguson vs. Jason Somerville
10. Jeff Madsen vs. Joe Serock
11. Adam Ewestein vs. Evelyn Ng
12. Olav von Prince vs. John Juanda
13. Jason Mercier vs. Jesper Petersen
14. Johnny Chan vs. Anthony Guetti
15. Antonio Esfandari vs. Konstantin Puchkov
16. Justin Smith vs. Hoyt Corkins
17. William Thorson vs. Lex Veldhuis

Big Hands:

Greg Raymer Eliminated

Greg Raymer was severly short stacked when he moved all-in with the K6 and was called by the pocket fives of Benjamin Tollerene. Raymer failed to make anything as the board bricked out for the 2005 Main Event Champion.

Sorel Mizzi Eliminated

Sorel Mizzi got it all-in preflop with the AK and was called by the pocket tens of Cory Carroll. Carroll flopped a set of tens and had Mizzi drawing dead on the turn.

Chris Ferguson Eliminates Jason Somerville

Jason Someville moved all-in preflop with the AJ and was quickly called by the pocket queens of Chris Ferguson. The queens held and Ferguson has moved on to round three.

Jeff Madsen Moves On

Jeff Madsen called the all-in preflop bet of Joe Serock with the A9. Serock exposed the K8 for two live cards. The flop was a disaster for Madsen as it came A88, giving Serock trips. Madsen needed to catch one of the remaining aces in the deck to eliminate his opponent. The J hit the turn, keeping Serock alive. However, the dealer pealed off the A on the river, giving Madsen the better full house.

Jason Mercier Advances

Jesper Petersen moved all-in preflop with the K7 and was called by the A10 of Jason Mercier. The flop paired Petersen’s king but Mercier nailed a broadway straight on the turn, eliminating his opponent. Mercier is on to round three.

Justin Smith Eliminates Hoyt Corkins

Corkins moved all-in preflop with the AJ and was called by Justin Smith with the AQ. Smith paired his queen on the flop, making Corkins drawing almost totally dead. Corkins failed to hit running cards to survive and Smith advanced.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Chris Ferguson,   Greg Raymer,   Jason Somerville,   Jeff Madsen,   Jason Mercier,   Justin Smith

Hour 1 Update: Hoyt Corkins First to Advance

Jun 13, '09

Hour 1 Update

Players Remaining: 250 out of 256

Completed Matches (Winner in Bold):

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

Notable Eliminations:

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

Big Hands:

Ng’s Aces Take Big Chunk out of Rajkumar

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

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

Tom Dwan Takes Chunk out of Nam Le

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

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

Hellmuth Explodes After Ace on the River

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

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

His opponent didn’t say a word.

Left in the Deck:

Hoyt Corkins First Winner

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

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

Level 4 Update: Pescatori Not a Believer

Jun 01, '09

Bring In – 200
Completion – 500
Ante – 100
Limits – 500-1,000

Chip Counts:

1. Matt Glantz — 45,000
2. Tim Phan — 44,000
3. Farzad Bonyadi — 41,000
4. Andy Bloch — 39,000
5. Chris Amaral — 39,000
6. Greg Mueller — 39,000
7. Frank Kasella — 39,000
8. Marco Traniello — 38,000
9. Alexander Kravchenko — 37,000
10. David Benyamine — 36,000

Average Chip Count: 30,000

Entrants: 142

Big Hands:

Pescatori Smells A Bluff

Picking up the action on 5th street, here are the cards:

Max Pescatori: X-X-2310
Chris Amaral: X-X-J3K

Amaral bet 500 and Pescatori made the call.

Pescatori: X-X-23104
Amaral: X-X-J3K5

Both players checked. The river was then dealt and Amaral fired 1,000. Pescatori then raised to 2,000 and Amaral three-bet to 3,000. Pescatori called and showed (2AA in the hole for two pair while Amaral showed a whole lot of nothing with Queen high. Pescatori took the pot and was up to 36,000.

Raymer Pushes Ivey Out

Greg Raymer: X-X-6K6
Phil Ivey: X-X-987

After Raymer checked on 4th street, Ivey fired a bet and Raymer called. On the next street, Raymer led out with a bet and Ivey mucked. Ivey was around 30,600 while Raymer was at 20,750.

Glantz Adds to His Stack

Matt Glantz: (1010K)6QQ8
Opponent: (KKA)463J

Glantz and his opponent checked every street and Glantz was able to pick up a small pot with two pair, besting his opponent’s pair of Kings. After the hand, Glantz was around 47,000.

Player Tags: Max Pescatori,   Phil Ivey,   Greg Raymer,   Matthew Glantz,   Chris Amaral

Final Table: Hour Six Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 80,000-160,000 with a 20,000 ante

Players Remaining: 2 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Haxton — 16,495,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 7,520,000

Average Chip Count: 12,060,000

Notable Eliminations:

4. Dani Stern — $548,315
3. Greg Raymer — $774,927

Big Hands:

Isaac Haxton Doubles Through Dani Stern

Dani Stern limped in and Isaac Haxton moved all in for his last 3.1 million or so. Stern made the call and showed 55 and Haxton turned over K7, relieved that he had two live overcards.

The board ran out A6396 and Haxton’s nut flush doubled him up to 6.5 million. Stern took a hit to 1.5 million.

Dani Stern Eliminated in 4th Place ($548,315)

Dani Stern open shoved for his last 1.4 million and Isaac Haxton called in the small blind. Stern showed Q10 and he needed help against Haxton’s AK.

The board came J5222 and Haxton’s ace high was enough to bust Stern in fourth place.

Greg Raymer Eliminated in 3rd Place ($774,927)

Greg Raymer raised to 400,000 and Isaac Haxton reraised to 1.25 million. Raymer then shoved for his entire stack of 8 million and Haxton called, having him very slightly covered.

Raymer showed pocket fives and Haxton revealed the superior pocket nines. The board rolled out KQ1033 and Haxton’s nines took the pot, sending the Fossilman out in third place to a standing ovation. Haxton now has a 2-1 chip lead on Vitaly Lunkin.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Vitaly Lunkin,   Isaac Haxton,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour Five Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante

Players Remaining: 4 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 8,383,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 7,410,000
3. Dani Stern — 4,975,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 3,245,000

Average Chip Count: 6,030,000

Big Hands:

Greg Raymer Climbs to 8 Million

Greg Raymer raised to 300,000 preflop under the gun and Dani Stern made the call on the button. The flop was dealt A43 and Raymer bet 500,000. Stern called the turn fell 4. Raymer and Stern both checked and the river fell 8. Raymer bet 1 million and Stern made the call. Raymer flipped over 52 and Stern mucked. Raymer grew his stack to 8,265,000 after the hand.

Dinner Break

The players are now on their dinner break. They will be returning at 9:20 PDT.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour Four Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante

Players Remaining: 4 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 8,265,000
2. Greg Raymer — 6,240,000
3. Dani Stern — 5,870,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 5,290,000

Average Chip Count: 3,445,000

Notable Eliminations:

5. Justin Bonomo – $413,166

Big Hands:

Dani Stern Doubles Up

Greg Raymer raised preflop to 200,000 from the cutoff and Dani Stern moved all in from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: 77
Stern: A10

Board: QQ4610

Stern doubled up on the hand to survive with 4 million and Raymer held strong with 5,315,000 after the hand.

Justin Bonomo Eliminated in Fifth Place ($413,166)

Justin Bonomo raised to 250,000 under the gun and Isaac Haxton made the call from the small blind. Greg Raymer also called from the big blind and the flop was dealt 1093. Haxton bet 300,000 and Raymer mucked. Bonomo then moved all in for 2,775,000 and Haxton made the call. Their cards:

Bonomo: JJ
Haxton: AA

Turn and River: 2A

Bonomo was eliminated in fifth place and Haxton grew his stack to 7,960,000.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Isaac Haxton,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour Three Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 50,000-100,000 with a 10,000 ante

Players Remaining: 6 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 6,410,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 4,340,000
3. Justin Bonomo — 3,795,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 3,405,000
5. Dani Stern — 3,115,000

Average Chip Count: 3,445,000

Notable Eliminations:

7. Lex Veldhuis – $277,940
6. Alec Torelli – $329,730

Big Hands:

Lex Veldhuis Eliminated in Seventh Place ($277,940)

Greg Raymer raised to 200,000 preflop from the cutoff and Lex Veldhuis reraised all in for 1,265,000 from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: KK
Veldhuis: A7

Board: J62Q10

Veldhuis was eliminated in seventh place and Raymer held 7,665,000 after the hand.

Alec Torelli Eliminated in Sixth Place ($329,730)

Alec Torelli moved all in from the cutoff for 1,055,000 and Isaac Haxton called on the button. Their cards:

Torelli: A2
Haxton: A10

Board: QJ8Q5

Torelli was eliminated in sixth place and Haxton grew his stack to 4,645,000.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Alec Torelli,   Isaac Haxton,   Lex Veldhuis

Final Table: Hour One Update

May 31, '09

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

Players Remaining: 8 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Haxton — 5,945,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 4,545,000
3. Dani Stern — 3,155,000
4. Justin Bonomo — 2,950,000
5. Lex Veldhuis — 2,455,000
6. Alec Torelli — 2,405,000
7. Greg Raymer — 1,690,000
8. Noah Schwartz — 955,000

Average Chip Count: 3,015,000

Notable Eliminations:

9. Ted Forrest – $230,317

Big Hands:

Justin Bonomo Doubles Up

Greg Raymer raised to 150,000 from the button and Justin Bonomo reraised all in for 1,440,000 from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: A8
Bonomo: AJ

Board: K652A

Bonomo doubled up on the hand to 2,985,000 and Raymer took a hit down to 1,785,000.

Dani Stern Doubles Up

Lex Veldhuis raised to 175,000 from the cutoff and Dani Stern moved all in for 1,455,000. Veldhuis made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Veldhuis: AK
Stern: AJ

Board: A95QJ

Stern doubled up to 3,045,000 after the hand.

Ted Forrest Eliminated in Ninth Place ($230,317)

Ted Forrest called in the small blind and Noah Schwartz raised to 400,000 from the big blind. Forest made the all-in call and they flipped up their cards:

Forrest: J10
Schwartz: 33

Board: K9284

Forrest was eliminated in ninth place and Schwartz moved his stack up to 865,000.

Player Tags: Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Noah Schwartz

Level 23 Update: Isaac Haxton Takes Chip Lead

May 30, '09

Blinds: 25,000-50,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 10 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Haxton — 5,520,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 4,030,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 4,200,000
4. Alec Torelli — 2,770,000
5. Greg Raymer — 2,240,000
6. Justin Bonomo — 2,045,000
7. Dani Stern — 1,275,000
8. Ted Forrest — 815,000
9. Noah Schwartz — 550,000
10. Tony G — 350,000

Average Chip Count: 2,192,727

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Isaac Haxton Takes Chip Lead

Alec Torelli raised to 155,000 and Isaac Haxton called. The flop came out Q86 and Torelli checked. Haxton bet 400,000 and Torelli moved all in after some thought. Haxton instantly called and showed 66 for bottom set. Torelli showed QJ and was drawing very thin to take out Haxton.

The turn and river came 103 and Haxton doubled up to 5,520,000. Torelli fell all the way to 2,770,000.

Greg Raymer Ties With Aces

Ted Forrest raised to 100,000 and Greg Raymer moved all in. Forrest insta-called but the excitement was short lived, as both players turned over pocket aces. Raymer picked up two spades on the flop but the drama was dead by the turn and both players chopped up the pot.

Player Tags: Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Alec Torelli,   Isaac Haxton

Level 22 Update: Brian Rast, Brian Townsend, Matthew Marafioti and Keith Lehr Eliminated

May 30, '09

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

Players Remaining: 10 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Alec Torelli — 5,375,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 4,030,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 3,500,000
4. Isaac Haxton – 3,145,000
5. Greg Raymer — 2,995,000
6. Justin Bonomo — 2,045,000
7. Dani Stern- 1,275,000
8. Ted Forrest — 815,000
9. Noah Schwartz – 550,000
10. Tony Guoga- 445,000

Average Chip Count: 2,192,727

Notable Eliminations:

14. Brian Rast ($128,666)
13. Brian Townsend ($128,666)
12. Matthew Marafioti ($172,120)
11. Keith Lehr ($172,120)

Big Hands:

Brian Rast Eliminated in 14th Place ($128,666)

Vitaly Lunkin raised pre-flop to 100,000 from middle position and Brian Rast moved all-in over the top for 420,000 more from the big blind. Lunkin went into the tank and eventually made the call for the majority of his chips and exposed 55. However, Rast had him dominated with KK. The flop was a disaster for Rast however, as Lunkin flopped a full house with three cards of 885. The turn brought the 2 and the river 5 gave Lunkin quads, eliminating Rast close to the final table bubble.

Brian Townsend Eliminated in 13th Place ($128,666)

Brian Townsend shoved all in for his last 800,000 on the button and Alec Torelli isolated behind him. Noah Schwartz tanked in the big blind for a few minutes before making the call himself, putting a huge portion of his stack at risk.

Townsend showed 76, Torelli showed pocket tens and Schwartz showed the best hand with pocket queens. Unfortunately, the board ran out J107104 and Torelli’s quads bumped his stack to 5 million. Schwartz took a hit down to 700,000 and Townsend was eliminated from the tournament.

Matthew Marafioti Eliminated in 12th place ($172,120)

Ted Forrest opened the action with a 120,000 under the gun raise that was re-raised by Isaac Haxton to 375,000 total. Matthew Marafioti was next to act and instantly went all in for 575,000 total. Tony G woke up with AK in the small blind and went into the tank for minutes. Riding a short stack for quite some time, Tony G eventually decided to fold. Isaac immediately called and tabled KK. Marafioti was discouraged as he flipped over QQ. When the players flipped over their cards Tony G said he might have had the odds to call, from the small blind and with his extremely short stack. The flop came A25, putting Haxton well ahead and caused Tony G to pace around the table. The A hit the turn and the J fell on the river, eliminating Marafioti. Haxton is now up to 2,400,000 in chips.

Vitaly Lunkin Wins Huge Double

With very little in the pot, Greg Raymer pushed all in into Vitaly Lunkin for about 1,700,000. Lunkin called immediately to the shock of Raymer. The 2004 Main Event champion exclaimed, “I didn’t think he would call,” as he turned over 66. Lunkin had the perfect read on Raymer and tabled JJ, for a higher pocket pair. With other players at the table saying “nice call” to Lunkin, the flop came out AQK, to put Lunkin far out ahead. The 10 on the turn put Raymer drawing for at best a split pot. The river brought the 10 and Lunkin won a 3,500,000 chip pot.

Keith Lehr Eliminated in 11th Place ($172,120)

Greg Raymer raised and Keith Lehr moved all in for 800,000 from the small blind. Raymer made the call and showed JJ which was racing against Lehr’s AQ. The board ran out king high but failed to connect with Lehr’s hand, sending him to the rail.

Left in the Deck:

The players at the table were trying to work out a short 20 minute break to continue play until one more is eliminated. However, Tony G gave the only dissenting vote to force the rest of the table to take an hour break before resuming play.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Brian Rast,   Keith Lehr,   Vitaly Lunkin,   Isaac Haxton

Level 21 Update: Clark Hamagami, Doshi Suresh, and Davd Baker Eliminated

May 30, '09

Blinds: 18,000-36,000 with a 4,000 chip ante

Players Remaining: 14 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Lex Veldhuis — 5,200,000
2. Justin Bonomo — 3,200,000
3. Alec Torelli — 2,600,000
4. Greg Raymer — 2,100,000
5. David Baker — 1,900,000
6. Ted Forrest — 1,900,000
7. Dani Stern- 1,430,000
8. Isaac Haxton – 1,400,000
9. Noah Schwartz – 1,400,000
10. Brian Rast – 1,160,000

Average Chip Count: 1,608,000

Notable Eliminations:

17. Clark Hamagami ($96,171)
16. Doshi Suresh ($96,171)
15. David Baker ($128,666)

Big Hands:

Doshi Suresh Eliminated by Greg Raymer in 16th Place ($96,171)

Doshi Suresh moved all-in pre-flop and was quickly called by the big stack of Greg Raymer. Suresh tabled A10 and Raymer exposed QQ. The flop came 674, giving Suresh a back door flush draw to go along with his over card. The 10 hit the turn and Raymer was well ahead, looking to dodge the remaining tens and aces in the deck. The 5 fell on the turn and Suresh was eliminated. Raymer is now up to 2,600,000 in chips and could add this prestigious tournament to his poker resume to go along with his main event win a few years ago.

David Baker Eliminated in 15th Place ($128,666)

David Baker raised to 85,000 on the button and Lex Veldhuis reraised to 205,000 from the small blind. Baker moved all in for 1,480,000 and Velhuis called him down. Their cards:

Baker: 66
Veldhuis: JJ

Board: A729A

Baker was eliminated in 15th place and Veldhuis grew his stack to 5.2 million to take the chip lead.

Greg Raymer gets Aces Cracked Twice

Brian Townsend was all in preflop on the small blind for 275,000 and Greg Ramyer had him covered under the gun. Their cards:

Raymer: AA
Townsend: AQ

Board: K109J3

Townsend doubled up on the hand to survive with a Broadway straight and Raymer took a hit on the hand.

A few hands later Keith Lehr was the player all in preflop and once again Raymer had his opponent covered. Their cards:

Raymer: AA
Lehr: K9

Board: K7329

Lehr doubled up on the hand to survive and Raymer couled only watch as his aces were crakced for a second time in a row. Raymer still held 2.1 million after the hand due to the short stacks that he was up against in both cases.

Left in the Deck

- Layne Flack came over from his Omaha 8 or Better to talk with Ted Forrest.

- The tournament staff is currently coloring up the players and adding 50,000 pink chips into play.

Player Tags: David Baker,   Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Brian Townsend,   Keith Lehr,   Lex Veldhuis

Level 19 Day 3 Update: Three Quick Eliminations

May 30, '09

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

Players Remaining: 19 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo — 3,100,000
2. Ted Forrest — 2,586,000
3. David Baker — 2,367,000
4. Greg Raymer — 2,487,000
5. Alec Torelli — 2,225,000
6. Lex Veldhuis — 1,700,000
7. Keith Lehr — 1,257,000
8. Vitaly Lunkin — 1,080,000
9. Matt Marafioti — 1,003,000
10. Isaac Haxton – 1,000,000

Average Chip Count: 1,249,000

Notable Eliminations:

23. Andrew Robl ($71,858)
22. Frank Kassela ($71,858)
21. David Chiu ($71,858)
20. Neil Channing ($71,858)

Big Hands:

Andrew Robl Eliminated in 23rd Place ($71,858)

On the very first hand of the day, Andrew Robl shoved all-in from the button with 63. Greg Raymer quickly called the 200,000 of the very short stack Robl. Raymer turned over A4 and was ahead, but Robl had live cards. The flop wasn’t good for Robl as it came J510. The A on the turn seal Robl’s fate and sent the online pro packing as the first to be eliminated for the day. Raymer is up to almost 2,500,000.

Frank Kassela Eliminated in 22nd Place ($71,858)

Very soon after Robl’s elimination, the short stack of Frank Kassela moved all in for just over 160,000. Brian Townsend called with AA and Frank Casella was well behind with KJ. The flop provided some light for Casella has it came KQ2. The turn provided even more outs for Casella as the 10 fell. Casella was rooting for Townsend to make a set on the river, however the 6 ended his short day 3.

David Chiu Eliminated in 21st Place ($71,858)

Riding a shorter stack of 415,000, David Chiu raised under the gun to 60,000. Alec Torelli, on Chiu’s immediate left, re-raised 92,000 more. Chiu went into the tank, counted out his chips, and eventually just made the call. The flop came A79 and Chiu instantly went all in for about 150,000 more. Torelli instantly called and exposed the QQ. Chiu turned over the A7 and was slightly ahead. Torelli hit perfect on the turn with the 8. Chiu failed to hit his full house to catch up as the 6 hit the river. Torelli’s stack grew to 1,435,000.

Townsend Moves All-in, Thinks He lost

Holding the A8, Brian Townsend moved all-in for about 600,000 from the button and was called by the A10 of Clark Hamagami. Hamagami was well out in front on a flop of J94. The K fell on the turn and Townsend was drawing very thin. The 4 fell on the river, giving the players a split pot because Hamagami’s ten kicker didn’t play. However, Townsend got up from the table and was about to leave, thinking he was knocked out, when players at the table informed him that it was a chop.

Andy Black Doubles Up

Andy Black and Dani Stern got it all-in pre-flop with Black holding 99 and Stern holding an under-pair, 44. Black’s nines held up and he rose to 400,000 in chips.

Tong G Wins a Coin-flip

Alexander Veldhuis raised to 69,000 under the gun and Tony G re-raised all-in for 413,000 more. Veldhuis went into the tank before eventually calling with the KQ. Tony G flipped over the 1010 and the players were off to the races for a million chip pot. The board ran out 87256 and Tony G doubled up to 1,000,000 in chips

Player Tags: David Chiu,   Greg Raymer,   Alec Torelli,   Andrew Robl

Level 17 Update: Getting Close to the Bubble

May 29, '09

Blinds: 9,000-18,000 with a 2,000 ante.

Players Remaining: 29 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo — 2,200,000
2. Greg Raymer — 1,750,000
3. David Baker — 1,530,000
4. Lex Veldhuis — 1,450,000
5. Dani Stern — 1,250,000
6. Vitaly Lunkin — 1,150,000
7. Brian Townsend — 1,060,000
8. Doshi Suresh — 1,000,000
9. Noah Schwartz — 955,000
10. Sorel Mizzi — 940,000

Average Chip Count: 868,965

Notable Eliminations:

Ali Eslami
Alan Sass
Sami Kelopuro
Kirill Gerasimov
Evan McNiff
Marco Johnson
Nam Le

Big Hands:

David Chiu Doubles Through Greg Raymer

Just a few moments into the level, David Chiu was all in holding A-K against the A-9 of Greg Raymer. The board bricked for both players and Chiu doubled up to 260,000. Raymer is still far and away the chip leader with 2.5 million.

Sami Kelopuro Busts to Lex Veldhuis

Lex Vedlhuis raised to 45,000 and Sami Kelopuro moved all in for his last 300,000. Veldhuis made the call and showed AJ for a dominating hand against Kelopuro’s A9.

The board came KK7K8 and Veldhuis came out on top, sending Kelopuro to the rail out of the money. Veldhuis has closed the gap on the chip leaders with 1,405,000.

Alan Sass Hits the Rail

Alan Sass jammed it in preflop with A6 and David Pham made the call with AK. A king on the flop and a blank on the turn had Sass drawing dead. Pham now sits with a slightly healthier 420,000.

Double Elimination For David Baker

Kirill Gerasimov was short stacked and moved all in holding K5. Evan McNiff tried to isolate behind him holding A-8 offsuit. Unfortunately for both players, David Baker woke up with pocket queens behind them and made the call.

The flop came AJ2 giving McNiff the best hand with a pair of aces and Gerasimov the nut flush draw. Visably upset, Baker hit his slim outs on the turn when the Q hit. The river was a safe 7 and Baker took out both players.

Marco Johnson Busts to Justin Bonomo

Marco Johnson was all in holding K10 against the AQ of Justin Bonomo. The board didn’t help Johnson and he exited from the tournament floor. Bonomo now has 2.2 million.

Nam Le Busts In a Suck, Re-Suck Situation

Nam Le got it all in on a AK10 flop holding AJ against the K10 of Dani Stern. The turn was great for Le when the J hit, but the K on the river sent Le to the rail. Stern is now sitting with 1.25 million.

Player Tags: David Pham,   Nam Le,   Kirill Gerasimov,   Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Alan Sass,   Marco Johnson,   David Baker,   Evan McNiff,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour Six Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 80,000-160,000 with a 20,000 ante

Players Remaining: 2 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Haxton — 16,495,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 7,520,000

Average Chip Count: 12,060,000

Notable Eliminations:

4. Dani Stern — $548,315
3. Greg Raymer — $774,927

Big Hands:

Isaac Haxton Doubles Through Dani Stern

Dani Stern limped in and Isaac Haxton moved all in for his last 3.1 million or so. Stern made the call and showed 55 and Haxton turned over K7, relieved that he had two live overcards.

The board ran out A6396 and Haxton’s nut flush doubled him up to 6.5 million. Stern took a hit to 1.5 million.

Dani Stern Eliminated in 4th Place ($548,315)

Dani Stern open shoved for his last 1.4 million and Isaac Haxton called in the small blind. Stern showed Q10 and he needed help against Haxton’s AK.

The board came J5222 and Haxton’s ace high was enough to bust Stern in fourth place.

Greg Raymer Eliminated in 3rd Place ($774,927)

Greg Raymer raised to 400,000 and Isaac Haxton reraised to 1.25 million. Raymer then shoved for his entire stack of 8 million and Haxton called, having him very slightly covered.

Raymer showed pocket fives and Haxton revealed the superior pocket nines. The board rolled out KQ1033 and Haxton’s nines took the pot, sending the Fossilman out in third place to a standing ovation. Haxton now has a 2-1 chip lead on Vitaly Lunkin.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Vitaly Lunkin,   Isaac Haxton,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour Five Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante

Players Remaining: 4 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 8,383,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 7,410,000
3. Dani Stern — 4,975,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 3,245,000

Average Chip Count: 6,030,000

Big Hands:

Greg Raymer Climbs to 8 Million

Greg Raymer raised to 300,000 preflop under the gun and Dani Stern made the call on the button. The flop was dealt A43 and Raymer bet 500,000. Stern called the turn fell 4. Raymer and Stern both checked and the river fell 8. Raymer bet 1 million and Stern made the call. Raymer flipped over 52 and Stern mucked. Raymer grew his stack to 8,265,000 after the hand.

Dinner Break

The players are now on their dinner break. They will be returning at 9:20 PDT.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour Four Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante

Players Remaining: 4 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 8,265,000
2. Greg Raymer — 6,240,000
3. Dani Stern — 5,870,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 5,290,000

Average Chip Count: 3,445,000

Notable Eliminations:

5. Justin Bonomo – $413,166

Big Hands:

Dani Stern Doubles Up

Greg Raymer raised preflop to 200,000 from the cutoff and Dani Stern moved all in from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: 77
Stern: A10

Board: QQ4610

Stern doubled up on the hand to survive with 4 million and Raymer held strong with 5,315,000 after the hand.

Justin Bonomo Eliminated in Fifth Place ($413,166)

Justin Bonomo raised to 250,000 under the gun and Isaac Haxton made the call from the small blind. Greg Raymer also called from the big blind and the flop was dealt 1093. Haxton bet 300,000 and Raymer mucked. Bonomo then moved all in for 2,775,000 and Haxton made the call. Their cards:

Bonomo: JJ
Haxton: AA

Turn and River: 2A

Bonomo was eliminated in fifth place and Haxton grew his stack to 7,960,000.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Isaac Haxton,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour Three Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 50,000-100,000 with a 10,000 ante

Players Remaining: 6 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 6,410,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 4,340,000
3. Justin Bonomo — 3,795,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 3,405,000
5. Dani Stern — 3,115,000

Average Chip Count: 3,445,000

Notable Eliminations:

7. Lex Veldhuis – $277,940
6. Alec Torelli – $329,730

Big Hands:

Lex Veldhuis Eliminated in Seventh Place ($277,940)

Greg Raymer raised to 200,000 preflop from the cutoff and Lex Veldhuis reraised all in for 1,265,000 from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: KK
Veldhuis: A7

Board: J62Q10

Veldhuis was eliminated in seventh place and Raymer held 7,665,000 after the hand.

Alec Torelli Eliminated in Sixth Place ($329,730)

Alec Torelli moved all in from the cutoff for 1,055,000 and Isaac Haxton called on the button. Their cards:

Torelli: A2
Haxton: A10

Board: QJ8Q5

Torelli was eliminated in sixth place and Haxton grew his stack to 4,645,000.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Alec Torelli,   Isaac Haxton,   Lex Veldhuis

Final Table: Hour One Update

May 31, '09

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

Players Remaining: 8 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Haxton — 5,945,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 4,545,000
3. Dani Stern — 3,155,000
4. Justin Bonomo — 2,950,000
5. Lex Veldhuis — 2,455,000
6. Alec Torelli — 2,405,000
7. Greg Raymer — 1,690,000
8. Noah Schwartz — 955,000

Average Chip Count: 3,015,000

Notable Eliminations:

9. Ted Forrest – $230,317

Big Hands:

Justin Bonomo Doubles Up

Greg Raymer raised to 150,000 from the button and Justin Bonomo reraised all in for 1,440,000 from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: A8
Bonomo: AJ

Board: K652A

Bonomo doubled up on the hand to 2,985,000 and Raymer took a hit down to 1,785,000.

Dani Stern Doubles Up

Lex Veldhuis raised to 175,000 from the cutoff and Dani Stern moved all in for 1,455,000. Veldhuis made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Veldhuis: AK
Stern: AJ

Board: A95QJ

Stern doubled up to 3,045,000 after the hand.

Ted Forrest Eliminated in Ninth Place ($230,317)

Ted Forrest called in the small blind and Noah Schwartz raised to 400,000 from the big blind. Forest made the all-in call and they flipped up their cards:

Forrest: J10
Schwartz: 33

Board: K9284

Forrest was eliminated in ninth place and Schwartz moved his stack up to 865,000.

Player Tags: Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Noah Schwartz

Level 23 Update: Isaac Haxton Takes Chip Lead

May 30, '09

Blinds: 25,000-50,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 10 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Haxton — 5,520,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 4,030,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 4,200,000
4. Alec Torelli — 2,770,000
5. Greg Raymer — 2,240,000
6. Justin Bonomo — 2,045,000
7. Dani Stern — 1,275,000
8. Ted Forrest — 815,000
9. Noah Schwartz — 550,000
10. Tony G — 350,000

Average Chip Count: 2,192,727

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Isaac Haxton Takes Chip Lead

Alec Torelli raised to 155,000 and Isaac Haxton called. The flop came out Q86 and Torelli checked. Haxton bet 400,000 and Torelli moved all in after some thought. Haxton instantly called and showed 66 for bottom set. Torelli showed QJ and was drawing very thin to take out Haxton.

The turn and river came 103 and Haxton doubled up to 5,520,000. Torelli fell all the way to 2,770,000.

Greg Raymer Ties With Aces

Ted Forrest raised to 100,000 and Greg Raymer moved all in. Forrest insta-called but the excitement was short lived, as both players turned over pocket aces. Raymer picked up two spades on the flop but the drama was dead by the turn and both players chopped up the pot.

Player Tags: Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Alec Torelli,   Isaac Haxton

Level 22 Update: Brian Rast, Brian Townsend, Matthew Marafioti and Keith Lehr Eliminated

May 30, '09

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

Players Remaining: 10 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Alec Torelli — 5,375,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 4,030,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 3,500,000
4. Isaac Haxton – 3,145,000
5. Greg Raymer — 2,995,000
6. Justin Bonomo — 2,045,000
7. Dani Stern- 1,275,000
8. Ted Forrest — 815,000
9. Noah Schwartz – 550,000
10. Tony Guoga- 445,000

Average Chip Count: 2,192,727

Notable Eliminations:

14. Brian Rast ($128,666)
13. Brian Townsend ($128,666)
12. Matthew Marafioti ($172,120)
11. Keith Lehr ($172,120)

Big Hands:

Brian Rast Eliminated in 14th Place ($128,666)

Vitaly Lunkin raised pre-flop to 100,000 from middle position and Brian Rast moved all-in over the top for 420,000 more from the big blind. Lunkin went into the tank and eventually made the call for the majority of his chips and exposed 55. However, Rast had him dominated with KK. The flop was a disaster for Rast however, as Lunkin flopped a full house with three cards of 885. The turn brought the 2 and the river 5 gave Lunkin quads, eliminating Rast close to the final table bubble.

Brian Townsend Eliminated in 13th Place ($128,666)

Brian Townsend shoved all in for his last 800,000 on the button and Alec Torelli isolated behind him. Noah Schwartz tanked in the big blind for a few minutes before making the call himself, putting a huge portion of his stack at risk.

Townsend showed 76, Torelli showed pocket tens and Schwartz showed the best hand with pocket queens. Unfortunately, the board ran out J107104 and Torelli’s quads bumped his stack to 5 million. Schwartz took a hit down to 700,000 and Townsend was eliminated from the tournament.

Matthew Marafioti Eliminated in 12th place ($172,120)

Ted Forrest opened the action with a 120,000 under the gun raise that was re-raised by Isaac Haxton to 375,000 total. Matthew Marafioti was next to act and instantly went all in for 575,000 total. Tony G woke up with AK in the small blind and went into the tank for minutes. Riding a short stack for quite some time, Tony G eventually decided to fold. Isaac immediately called and tabled KK. Marafioti was discouraged as he flipped over QQ. When the players flipped over their cards Tony G said he might have had the odds to call, from the small blind and with his extremely short stack. The flop came A25, putting Haxton well ahead and caused Tony G to pace around the table. The A hit the turn and the J fell on the river, eliminating Marafioti. Haxton is now up to 2,400,000 in chips.

Vitaly Lunkin Wins Huge Double

With very little in the pot, Greg Raymer pushed all in into Vitaly Lunkin for about 1,700,000. Lunkin called immediately to the shock of Raymer. The 2004 Main Event champion exclaimed, “I didn’t think he would call,” as he turned over 66. Lunkin had the perfect read on Raymer and tabled JJ, for a higher pocket pair. With other players at the table saying “nice call” to Lunkin, the flop came out AQK, to put Lunkin far out ahead. The 10 on the turn put Raymer drawing for at best a split pot. The river brought the 10 and Lunkin won a 3,500,000 chip pot.

Keith Lehr Eliminated in 11th Place ($172,120)

Greg Raymer raised and Keith Lehr moved all in for 800,000 from the small blind. Raymer made the call and showed JJ which was racing against Lehr’s AQ. The board ran out king high but failed to connect with Lehr’s hand, sending him to the rail.

Left in the Deck:

The players at the table were trying to work out a short 20 minute break to continue play until one more is eliminated. However, Tony G gave the only dissenting vote to force the rest of the table to take an hour break before resuming play.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Brian Rast,   Keith Lehr,   Vitaly Lunkin,   Isaac Haxton

Level 21 Update: Clark Hamagami, Doshi Suresh, and Davd Baker Eliminated

May 30, '09

Blinds: 18,000-36,000 with a 4,000 chip ante

Players Remaining: 14 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Lex Veldhuis — 5,200,000
2. Justin Bonomo — 3,200,000
3. Alec Torelli — 2,600,000
4. Greg Raymer — 2,100,000
5. David Baker — 1,900,000
6. Ted Forrest — 1,900,000
7. Dani Stern- 1,430,000
8. Isaac Haxton – 1,400,000
9. Noah Schwartz – 1,400,000
10. Brian Rast – 1,160,000

Average Chip Count: 1,608,000

Notable Eliminations:

17. Clark Hamagami ($96,171)
16. Doshi Suresh ($96,171)
15. David Baker ($128,666)

Big Hands:

Doshi Suresh Eliminated by Greg Raymer in 16th Place ($96,171)

Doshi Suresh moved all-in pre-flop and was quickly called by the big stack of Greg Raymer. Suresh tabled A10 and Raymer exposed QQ. The flop came 674, giving Suresh a back door flush draw to go along with his over card. The 10 hit the turn and Raymer was well ahead, looking to dodge the remaining tens and aces in the deck. The 5 fell on the turn and Suresh was eliminated. Raymer is now up to 2,600,000 in chips and could add this prestigious tournament to his poker resume to go along with his main event win a few years ago.

David Baker Eliminated in 15th Place ($128,666)

David Baker raised to 85,000 on the button and Lex Veldhuis reraised to 205,000 from the small blind. Baker moved all in for 1,480,000 and Velhuis called him down. Their cards:

Baker: 66
Veldhuis: JJ

Board: A729A

Baker was eliminated in 15th place and Veldhuis grew his stack to 5.2 million to take the chip lead.

Greg Raymer gets Aces Cracked Twice

Brian Townsend was all in preflop on the small blind for 275,000 and Greg Ramyer had him covered under the gun. Their cards:

Raymer: AA
Townsend: AQ

Board: K109J3

Townsend doubled up on the hand to survive with a Broadway straight and Raymer took a hit on the hand.

A few hands later Keith Lehr was the player all in preflop and once again Raymer had his opponent covered. Their cards:

Raymer: AA
Lehr: K9

Board: K7329

Lehr doubled up on the hand to survive and Raymer couled only watch as his aces were crakced for a second time in a row. Raymer still held 2.1 million after the hand due to the short stacks that he was up against in both cases.

Left in the Deck

- Layne Flack came over from his Omaha 8 or Better to talk with Ted Forrest.

- The tournament staff is currently coloring up the players and adding 50,000 pink chips into play.

Player Tags: David Baker,   Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Brian Townsend,   Keith Lehr,   Lex Veldhuis

Level 19 Day 3 Update: Three Quick Eliminations

May 30, '09

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

Players Remaining: 19 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo — 3,100,000
2. Ted Forrest — 2,586,000
3. David Baker — 2,367,000
4. Greg Raymer — 2,487,000
5. Alec Torelli — 2,225,000
6. Lex Veldhuis — 1,700,000
7. Keith Lehr — 1,257,000
8. Vitaly Lunkin — 1,080,000
9. Matt Marafioti — 1,003,000
10. Isaac Haxton – 1,000,000

Average Chip Count: 1,249,000

Notable Eliminations:

23. Andrew Robl ($71,858)
22. Frank Kassela ($71,858)
21. David Chiu ($71,858)
20. Neil Channing ($71,858)

Big Hands:

Andrew Robl Eliminated in 23rd Place ($71,858)

On the very first hand of the day, Andrew Robl shoved all-in from the button with 63. Greg Raymer quickly called the 200,000 of the very short stack Robl. Raymer turned over A4 and was ahead, but Robl had live cards. The flop wasn’t good for Robl as it came J510. The A on the turn seal Robl’s fate and sent the online pro packing as the first to be eliminated for the day. Raymer is up to almost 2,500,000.

Frank Kassela Eliminated in 22nd Place ($71,858)

Very soon after Robl’s elimination, the short stack of Frank Kassela moved all in for just over 160,000. Brian Townsend called with AA and Frank Casella was well behind with KJ. The flop provided some light for Casella has it came KQ2. The turn provided even more outs for Casella as the 10 fell. Casella was rooting for Townsend to make a set on the river, however the 6 ended his short day 3.

David Chiu Eliminated in 21st Place ($71,858)

Riding a shorter stack of 415,000, David Chiu raised under the gun to 60,000. Alec Torelli, on Chiu’s immediate left, re-raised 92,000 more. Chiu went into the tank, counted out his chips, and eventually just made the call. The flop came A79 and Chiu instantly went all in for about 150,000 more. Torelli instantly called and exposed the QQ. Chiu turned over the A7 and was slightly ahead. Torelli hit perfect on the turn with the 8. Chiu failed to hit his full house to catch up as the 6 hit the river. Torelli’s stack grew to 1,435,000.

Townsend Moves All-in, Thinks He lost

Holding the A8, Brian Townsend moved all-in for about 600,000 from the button and was called by the A10 of Clark Hamagami. Hamagami was well out in front on a flop of J94. The K fell on the turn and Townsend was drawing very thin. The 4 fell on the river, giving the players a split pot because Hamagami’s ten kicker didn’t play. However, Townsend got up from the table and was about to leave, thinking he was knocked out, when players at the table informed him that it was a chop.

Andy Black Doubles Up

Andy Black and Dani Stern got it all-in pre-flop with Black holding 99 and Stern holding an under-pair, 44. Black’s nines held up and he rose to 400,000 in chips.

Tong G Wins a Coin-flip

Alexander Veldhuis raised to 69,000 under the gun and Tony G re-raised all-in for 413,000 more. Veldhuis went into the tank before eventually calling with the KQ. Tony G flipped over the 1010 and the players were off to the races for a million chip pot. The board ran out 87256 and Tony G doubled up to 1,000,000 in chips

Player Tags: David Chiu,   Greg Raymer,   Alec Torelli,   Andrew Robl

Level 17 Update: Getting Close to the Bubble

May 29, '09

Blinds: 9,000-18,000 with a 2,000 ante.

Players Remaining: 29 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo — 2,200,000
2. Greg Raymer — 1,750,000
3. David Baker — 1,530,000
4. Lex Veldhuis — 1,450,000
5. Dani Stern — 1,250,000
6. Vitaly Lunkin — 1,150,000
7. Brian Townsend — 1,060,000
8. Doshi Suresh — 1,000,000
9. Noah Schwartz — 955,000
10. Sorel Mizzi — 940,000

Average Chip Count: 868,965

Notable Eliminations:

Ali Eslami
Alan Sass
Sami Kelopuro
Kirill Gerasimov
Evan McNiff
Marco Johnson
Nam Le

Big Hands:

David Chiu Doubles Through Greg Raymer

Just a few moments into the level, David Chiu was all in holding A-K against the A-9 of Greg Raymer. The board bricked for both players and Chiu doubled up to 260,000. Raymer is still far and away the chip leader with 2.5 million.

Sami Kelopuro Busts to Lex Veldhuis

Lex Vedlhuis raised to 45,000 and Sami Kelopuro moved all in for his last 300,000. Veldhuis made the call and showed AJ for a dominating hand against Kelopuro’s A9.

The board came KK7K8 and Veldhuis came out on top, sending Kelopuro to the rail out of the money. Veldhuis has closed the gap on the chip leaders with 1,405,000.

Alan Sass Hits the Rail

Alan Sass jammed it in preflop with A6 and David Pham made the call with AK. A king on the flop and a blank on the turn had Sass drawing dead. Pham now sits with a slightly healthier 420,000.

Double Elimination For David Baker

Kirill Gerasimov was short stacked and moved all in holding K5. Evan McNiff tried to isolate behind him holding A-8 offsuit. Unfortunately for both players, David Baker woke up with pocket queens behind them and made the call.

The flop came AJ2 giving McNiff the best hand with a pair of aces and Gerasimov the nut flush draw. Visably upset, Baker hit his slim outs on the turn when the Q hit. The river was a safe 7 and Baker took out both players.

Marco Johnson Busts to Justin Bonomo

Marco Johnson was all in holding K10 against the AQ of Justin Bonomo. The board didn’t help Johnson and he exited from the tournament floor. Bonomo now has 2.2 million.

Nam Le Busts In a Suck, Re-Suck Situation

Nam Le got it all in on a AK10 flop holding AJ against the K10 of Dani Stern. The turn was great for Le when the J hit, but the K on the river sent Le to the rail. Stern is now sitting with 1.25 million.

Player Tags: David Pham,   Nam Le,   Kirill Gerasimov,   Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Alan Sass,   Marco Johnson,   David Baker,   Evan McNiff,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour Six Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 80,000-160,000 with a 20,000 ante

Players Remaining: 2 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Haxton — 16,495,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 7,520,000

Average Chip Count: 12,060,000

Notable Eliminations:

4. Dani Stern — $548,315
3. Greg Raymer — $774,927

Big Hands:

Isaac Haxton Doubles Through Dani Stern

Dani Stern limped in and Isaac Haxton moved all in for his last 3.1 million or so. Stern made the call and showed 55 and Haxton turned over K7, relieved that he had two live overcards.

The board ran out A6396 and Haxton’s nut flush doubled him up to 6.5 million. Stern took a hit to 1.5 million.

Dani Stern Eliminated in 4th Place ($548,315)

Dani Stern open shoved for his last 1.4 million and Isaac Haxton called in the small blind. Stern showed Q10 and he needed help against Haxton’s AK.

The board came J5222 and Haxton’s ace high was enough to bust Stern in fourth place.

Greg Raymer Eliminated in 3rd Place ($774,927)

Greg Raymer raised to 400,000 and Isaac Haxton reraised to 1.25 million. Raymer then shoved for his entire stack of 8 million and Haxton called, having him very slightly covered.

Raymer showed pocket fives and Haxton revealed the superior pocket nines. The board rolled out KQ1033 and Haxton’s nines took the pot, sending the Fossilman out in third place to a standing ovation. Haxton now has a 2-1 chip lead on Vitaly Lunkin.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Vitaly Lunkin,   Isaac Haxton,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour Five Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante

Players Remaining: 4 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 8,383,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 7,410,000
3. Dani Stern — 4,975,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 3,245,000

Average Chip Count: 6,030,000

Big Hands:

Greg Raymer Climbs to 8 Million

Greg Raymer raised to 300,000 preflop under the gun and Dani Stern made the call on the button. The flop was dealt A43 and Raymer bet 500,000. Stern called the turn fell 4. Raymer and Stern both checked and the river fell 8. Raymer bet 1 million and Stern made the call. Raymer flipped over 52 and Stern mucked. Raymer grew his stack to 8,265,000 after the hand.

Dinner Break

The players are now on their dinner break. They will be returning at 9:20 PDT.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour Four Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 60,000-120,000 with a 15,000 ante

Players Remaining: 4 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Vitaly Lunkin — 8,265,000
2. Greg Raymer — 6,240,000
3. Dani Stern — 5,870,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 5,290,000

Average Chip Count: 3,445,000

Notable Eliminations:

5. Justin Bonomo – $413,166

Big Hands:

Dani Stern Doubles Up

Greg Raymer raised preflop to 200,000 from the cutoff and Dani Stern moved all in from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: 77
Stern: A10

Board: QQ4610

Stern doubled up on the hand to survive with 4 million and Raymer held strong with 5,315,000 after the hand.

Justin Bonomo Eliminated in Fifth Place ($413,166)

Justin Bonomo raised to 250,000 under the gun and Isaac Haxton made the call from the small blind. Greg Raymer also called from the big blind and the flop was dealt 1093. Haxton bet 300,000 and Raymer mucked. Bonomo then moved all in for 2,775,000 and Haxton made the call. Their cards:

Bonomo: JJ
Haxton: AA

Turn and River: 2A

Bonomo was eliminated in fifth place and Haxton grew his stack to 7,960,000.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Isaac Haxton,   Dani Stern

Final Table: Hour Three Update

May 31, '09

Blinds: 50,000-100,000 with a 10,000 ante

Players Remaining: 6 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Greg Raymer — 6,410,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 4,340,000
3. Justin Bonomo — 3,795,000
4. Isaac Haxton — 3,405,000
5. Dani Stern — 3,115,000

Average Chip Count: 3,445,000

Notable Eliminations:

7. Lex Veldhuis – $277,940
6. Alec Torelli – $329,730

Big Hands:

Lex Veldhuis Eliminated in Seventh Place ($277,940)

Greg Raymer raised to 200,000 preflop from the cutoff and Lex Veldhuis reraised all in for 1,265,000 from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: KK
Veldhuis: A7

Board: J62Q10

Veldhuis was eliminated in seventh place and Raymer held 7,665,000 after the hand.

Alec Torelli Eliminated in Sixth Place ($329,730)

Alec Torelli moved all in from the cutoff for 1,055,000 and Isaac Haxton called on the button. Their cards:

Torelli: A2
Haxton: A10

Board: QJ8Q5

Torelli was eliminated in sixth place and Haxton grew his stack to 4,645,000.

Player Tags: Greg Raymer,   Alec Torelli,   Isaac Haxton,   Lex Veldhuis

Final Table: Hour One Update

May 31, '09

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

Players Remaining: 8 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Haxton — 5,945,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin — 4,545,000
3. Dani Stern — 3,155,000
4. Justin Bonomo — 2,950,000
5. Lex Veldhuis — 2,455,000
6. Alec Torelli — 2,405,000
7. Greg Raymer — 1,690,000
8. Noah Schwartz — 955,000

Average Chip Count: 3,015,000

Notable Eliminations:

9. Ted Forrest – $230,317

Big Hands:

Justin Bonomo Doubles Up

Greg Raymer raised to 150,000 from the button and Justin Bonomo reraised all in for 1,440,000 from the small blind. Raymer made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Raymer: A8
Bonomo: AJ

Board: K652A

Bonomo doubled up on the hand to 2,985,000 and Raymer took a hit down to 1,785,000.

Dani Stern Doubles Up

Lex Veldhuis raised to 175,000 from the cutoff and Dani Stern moved all in for 1,455,000. Veldhuis made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Veldhuis: AK
Stern: AJ

Board: A95QJ

Stern doubled up to 3,045,000 after the hand.

Ted Forrest Eliminated in Ninth Place ($230,317)

Ted Forrest called in the small blind and Noah Schwartz raised to 400,000 from the big blind. Forest made the all-in call and they flipped up their cards:

Forrest: J10
Schwartz: 33

Board: K9284

Forrest was eliminated in ninth place and Schwartz moved his stack up to 865,000.

Player Tags: Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Noah Schwartz

Level 23 Update: Isaac Haxton Takes Chip Lead

May 30, '09

Blinds: 25,000-50,000 with a 5,000 ante

Players Remaining: 10 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Isaac Haxton — 5,520,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 4,030,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 4,200,000
4. Alec Torelli — 2,770,000
5. Greg Raymer — 2,240,000
6. Justin Bonomo — 2,045,000
7. Dani Stern — 1,275,000
8. Ted Forrest — 815,000
9. Noah Schwartz — 550,000
10. Tony G — 350,000

Average Chip Count: 2,192,727

Notable Eliminations:

None

Big Hands:

Isaac Haxton Takes Chip Lead

Alec Torelli raised to 155,000 and Isaac Haxton called. The flop came out Q86 and Torelli checked. Haxton bet 400,000 and Torelli moved all in after some thought. Haxton instantly called and showed 66 for bottom set. Torelli showed QJ and was drawing very thin to take out Haxton.

The turn and river came 103 and Haxton doubled up to 5,520,000. Torelli fell all the way to 2,770,000.

Greg Raymer Ties With Aces

Ted Forrest raised to 100,000 and Greg Raymer moved all in. Forrest insta-called but the excitement was short lived, as both players turned over pocket aces. Raymer picked up two spades on the flop but the drama was dead by the turn and both players chopped up the pot.

Player Tags: Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Alec Torelli,   Isaac Haxton

Level 22 Update: Brian Rast, Brian Townsend, Matthew Marafioti and Keith Lehr Eliminated

May 30, '09

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

Players Remaining: 10 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Alec Torelli — 5,375,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 4,030,000
3. Vitaly Lunkin – 3,500,000
4. Isaac Haxton – 3,145,000
5. Greg Raymer — 2,995,000
6. Justin Bonomo — 2,045,000
7. Dani Stern- 1,275,000
8. Ted Forrest — 815,000
9. Noah Schwartz – 550,000
10. Tony Guoga- 445,000

Average Chip Count: 2,192,727

Notable Eliminations:

14. Brian Rast ($128,666)
13. Brian Townsend ($128,666)
12. Matthew Marafioti ($172,120)
11. Keith Lehr ($172,120)

Big Hands:

Brian Rast Eliminated in 14th Place ($128,666)

Vitaly Lunkin raised pre-flop to 100,000 from middle position and Brian Rast moved all-in over the top for 420,000 more from the big blind. Lunkin went into the tank and eventually made the call for the majority of his chips and exposed 55. However, Rast had him dominated with KK. The flop was a disaster for Rast however, as Lunkin flopped a full house with three cards of 885. The turn brought the 2 and the river 5 gave Lunkin quads, eliminating Rast close to the final table bubble.

Brian Townsend Eliminated in 13th Place ($128,666)

Brian Townsend shoved all in for his last 800,000 on the button and Alec Torelli isolated behind him. Noah Schwartz tanked in the big blind for a few minutes before making the call himself, putting a huge portion of his stack at risk.

Townsend showed 76, Torelli showed pocket tens and Schwartz showed the best hand with pocket queens. Unfortunately, the board ran out J107104 and Torelli’s quads bumped his stack to 5 million. Schwartz took a hit down to 700,000 and Townsend was eliminated from the tournament.

Matthew Marafioti Eliminated in 12th place ($172,120)

Ted Forrest opened the action with a 120,000 under the gun raise that was re-raised by Isaac Haxton to 375,000 total. Matthew Marafioti was next to act and instantly went all in for 575,000 total. Tony G woke up with AK in the small blind and went into the tank for minutes. Riding a short stack for quite some time, Tony G eventually decided to fold. Isaac immediately called and tabled KK. Marafioti was discouraged as he flipped over QQ. When the players flipped over their cards Tony G said he might have had the odds to call, from the small blind and with his extremely short stack. The flop came A25, putting Haxton well ahead and caused Tony G to pace around the table. The A hit the turn and the J fell on the river, eliminating Marafioti. Haxton is now up to 2,400,000 in chips.

Vitaly Lunkin Wins Huge Double

With very little in the pot, Greg Raymer pushed all in into Vitaly Lunkin for about 1,700,000. Lunkin called immediately to the shock of Raymer. The 2004 Main Event champion exclaimed, “I didn’t think he would call,” as he turned over 66. Lunkin had the perfect read on Raymer and tabled JJ, for a higher pocket pair. With other players at the table saying “nice call” to Lunkin, the flop came out AQK, to put Lunkin far out ahead. The 10 on the turn put Raymer drawing for at best a split pot. The river brought the 10 and Lunkin won a 3,500,000 chip pot.

Keith Lehr Eliminated in 11th Place ($172,120)

Greg Raymer raised and Keith Lehr moved all in for 800,000 from the small blind. Raymer made the call and showed JJ which was racing against Lehr’s AQ. The board ran out king high but failed to connect with Lehr’s hand, sending him to the rail.

Left in the Deck:

The players at the table were trying to work out a short 20 minute break to continue play until one more is eliminated. However, Tony G gave the only dissenting vote to force the rest of the table to take an hour break before resuming play.

Player Tags: Antanas Guoga,   Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Brian Rast,   Keith Lehr,   Vitaly Lunkin,   Isaac Haxton

Level 21 Update: Clark Hamagami, Doshi Suresh, and Davd Baker Eliminated

May 30, '09

Blinds: 18,000-36,000 with a 4,000 chip ante

Players Remaining: 14 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Lex Veldhuis — 5,200,000
2. Justin Bonomo — 3,200,000
3. Alec Torelli — 2,600,000
4. Greg Raymer — 2,100,000
5. David Baker — 1,900,000
6. Ted Forrest — 1,900,000
7. Dani Stern- 1,430,000
8. Isaac Haxton – 1,400,000
9. Noah Schwartz – 1,400,000
10. Brian Rast – 1,160,000

Average Chip Count: 1,608,000

Notable Eliminations:

17. Clark Hamagami ($96,171)
16. Doshi Suresh ($96,171)
15. David Baker ($128,666)

Big Hands:

Doshi Suresh Eliminated by Greg Raymer in 16th Place ($96,171)

Doshi Suresh moved all-in pre-flop and was quickly called by the big stack of Greg Raymer. Suresh tabled A10 and Raymer exposed QQ. The flop came 674, giving Suresh a back door flush draw to go along with his over card. The 10 hit the turn and Raymer was well ahead, looking to dodge the remaining tens and aces in the deck. The 5 fell on the turn and Suresh was eliminated. Raymer is now up to 2,600,000 in chips and could add this prestigious tournament to his poker resume to go along with his main event win a few years ago.

David Baker Eliminated in 15th Place ($128,666)

David Baker raised to 85,000 on the button and Lex Veldhuis reraised to 205,000 from the small blind. Baker moved all in for 1,480,000 and Velhuis called him down. Their cards:

Baker: 66
Veldhuis: JJ

Board: A729A

Baker was eliminated in 15th place and Veldhuis grew his stack to 5.2 million to take the chip lead.

Greg Raymer gets Aces Cracked Twice

Brian Townsend was all in preflop on the small blind for 275,000 and Greg Ramyer had him covered under the gun. Their cards:

Raymer: AA
Townsend: AQ

Board: K109J3

Townsend doubled up on the hand to survive with a Broadway straight and Raymer took a hit on the hand.

A few hands later Keith Lehr was the player all in preflop and once again Raymer had his opponent covered. Their cards:

Raymer: AA
Lehr: K9

Board: K7329

Lehr doubled up on the hand to survive and Raymer couled only watch as his aces were crakced for a second time in a row. Raymer still held 2.1 million after the hand due to the short stacks that he was up against in both cases.

Left in the Deck

- Layne Flack came over from his Omaha 8 or Better to talk with Ted Forrest.

- The tournament staff is currently coloring up the players and adding 50,000 pink chips into play.

Player Tags: David Baker,   Ted Forrest,   Greg Raymer,   Brian Townsend,   Keith Lehr,   Lex Veldhuis

Level 19 Day 3 Update: Three Quick Eliminations

May 30, '09

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

Players Remaining: 19 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo — 3,100,000
2. Ted Forrest — 2,586,000
3. David Baker — 2,367,000
4. Greg Raymer — 2,487,000
5. Alec Torelli — 2,225,000
6. Lex Veldhuis — 1,700,000
7. Keith Lehr — 1,257,000
8. Vitaly Lunkin — 1,080,000
9. Matt Marafioti — 1,003,000
10. Isaac Haxton – 1,000,000

Average Chip Count: 1,249,000

Notable Eliminations:

23. Andrew Robl ($71,858)
22. Frank Kassela ($71,858)
21. David Chiu ($71,858)
20. Neil Channing ($71,858)

Big Hands:

Andrew Robl Eliminated in 23rd Place ($71,858)

On the very first hand of the day, Andrew Robl shoved all-in from the button with 63. Greg Raymer quickly called the 200,000 of the very short stack Robl. Raymer turned over A4 and was ahead, but Robl had live cards. The flop wasn’t good for Robl as it came J510. The A on the turn seal Robl’s fate and sent the online pro packing as the first to be eliminated for the day. Raymer is up to almost 2,500,000.

Frank Kassela Eliminated in 22nd Place ($71,858)

Very soon after Robl’s elimination, the short stack of Frank Kassela moved all in for just over 160,000. Brian Townsend called with AA and Frank Casella was well behind with KJ. The flop provided some light for Casella has it came KQ2. The turn provided even more outs for Casella as the 10 fell. Casella was rooting for Townsend to make a set on the river, however the 6 ended his short day 3.

David Chiu Eliminated in 21st Place ($71,858)

Riding a shorter stack of 415,000, David Chiu raised under the gun to 60,000. Alec Torelli, on Chiu’s immediate left, re-raised 92,000 more. Chiu went into the tank, counted out his chips, and eventually just made the call. The flop came A79 and Chiu instantly went all in for about 150,000 more. Torelli instantly called and exposed the QQ. Chiu turned over the A7 and was slightly ahead. Torelli hit perfect on the turn with the 8. Chiu failed to hit his full house to catch up as the 6 hit the river. Torelli’s stack grew to 1,435,000.

Townsend Moves All-in, Thinks He lost

Holding the A8, Brian Townsend moved all-in for about 600,000 from the button and was called by the A10 of Clark Hamagami. Hamagami was well out in front on a flop of J94. The K fell on the turn and Townsend was drawing very thin. The 4 fell on the river, giving the players a split pot because Hamagami’s ten kicker didn’t play. However, Townsend got up from the table and was about to leave, thinking he was knocked out, when players at the table informed him that it was a chop.

Andy Black Doubles Up

Andy Black and Dani Stern got it all-in pre-flop with Black holding 99 and Stern holding an under-pair, 44. Black’s nines held up and he rose to 400,000 in chips.

Tong G Wins a Coin-flip

Alexander Veldhuis raised to 69,000 under the gun and Tony G re-raised all-in for 413,000 more. Veldhuis went into the tank before eventually calling with the KQ. Tony G flipped over the 1010 and the players were off to the races for a million chip pot. The board ran out 87256 and Tony G doubled up to 1,000,000 in chips

Player Tags: David Chiu,   Greg Raymer,   Alec Torelli,   Andrew Robl

Level 17 Update: Getting Close to the Bubble

May 29, '09

Blinds: 9,000-18,000 with a 2,000 ante.

Players Remaining: 29 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo — 2,200,000
2. Greg Raymer — 1,750,000
3. David Baker — 1,530,000
4. Lex Veldhuis — 1,450,000
5. Dani Stern — 1,250,000
6. Vitaly Lunkin — 1,150,000
7. Brian Townsend — 1,060,000
8. Doshi Suresh — 1,000,000
9. Noah Schwartz — 955,000
10. Sorel Mizzi — 940,000

Average Chip Count: 868,965

Notable Eliminations:

Ali Eslami
Alan Sass
Sami Kelopuro
Kirill Gerasimov
Evan McNiff
Marco Johnson
Nam Le

Big Hands:

David Chiu Doubles Through Greg Raymer

Just a few moments into the level, David Chiu was all in holding A-K against the A-9 of Greg Raymer. The board bricked for both players and Chiu doubled up to 260,000. Raymer is still far and away the chip leader with 2.5 million.

Sami Kelopuro Busts to Lex Veldhuis

Lex Vedlhuis raised to 45,000 and Sami Kelopuro moved all in for his last 300,000. Veldhuis made the call and showed AJ for a dominating hand against Kelopuro’s A9.

The board came KK7K8 and Veldhuis came out on top, sending Kelopuro to the rail out of the money. Veldhuis has closed the gap on the chip leaders with 1,405,000.

Alan Sass Hits the Rail

Alan Sass jammed it in preflop with A6 and David Pham made the call with AK. A king on the flop and a blank on the turn had Sass drawing dead. Pham now sits with a slightly healthier 420,000.

Double Elimination For David Baker

Kirill Gerasimov was short stacked and moved all in holding K5. Evan McNiff tried to isolate behind him holding A-8 offsuit. Unfortunately for both players, David Baker woke up with pocket queens behind them and made the call.

The flop came AJ2 giving McNiff the best hand with a pair of aces and Gerasimov the nut flush draw. Visably upset, Baker hit his slim outs on the turn when the Q hit. The river was a safe 7 and Baker took out both players.

Marco Johnson Busts to Justin Bonomo

Marco Johnson was all in holding K10 against the AQ of Justin Bonomo. The board didn’t help Johnson and he exited from the tournament floor. Bonomo now has 2.2 million.

Nam Le Busts In a Suck, Re-Suck Situation

Nam Le got it all in on a AK10 flop holding AJ against the K10 of Dani Stern. The turn was great for Le when the J hit, but the K on the river sent Le to the rail. Stern is now sitting with 1.25 million.

Player Tags: David Pham,   Nam Le,   Kirill Gerasimov,   Greg Raymer,   Justin Bonomo,   Alan Sass,   Marco Johnson,   David Baker,   Evan McNiff,   Dani Stern