Brian Townsend Poker Tournament Updates

Level 21 Update: Bustouts Galore

Jun 25, '10

Blinds:

Flop Games: 20,000-40,000 limits
Stud Games: 5,000 ante, 5,000 bring-in, 20,000-40,000 limits

Players Remaining: 9 out of 241

Average Chip Count: 803,333

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Marco Johnson – 1,680,000
2. Matt Glantz – 1,400,000
3. Eugene Katchalov – 870,000
4. Carlos Mortensen – 780,000
5. Ian Gordon – 690,000
6. Scott Fischman – 515,000
7. Nick Schulman – 385,000
8. Marco Traniello – 325,000
9. Richard Ashby – 300,000

Notable Eliminations:

16. Brandon Adams – $26,459
15. Roman Yitzhaki – $26,459
14. John Hennigan – $31,851
13. Michael Chow – $31,851
12. Cuong Do – $39,078
11. Steve Billirakis – $39,078
10. Brian Townsend – $48,638

Big Hands:

Brandon Adams Eliminated

Omaha 8

Brandon Adams got the last of his chips in the middle against Marco Johnson on a flop of 7-5-3.

Adams had the A-A-K-J, giving him just dry aces with no low draw, and Johnson flopped two pair and a low with his A-8-5-3. The turn was a 2 and the river was a 10 to eliminated Adams and vault Johnson to the top of the chip counts.

Roman Yitzhaki Eliminated

Omaha 8

Matt Glantz raised preflop on the button and Roman Yitzhaki three-bet from the big blind. Glantz called and the two saw a flop of Q74. There were a ton of raises that led to Yitzhaki being all-in.

Glantz showed the AA55 and Yitzhaki held the AQ92. Glantz had an over pair and a bad low draw and Yitzhaki had top pair and the nut low draw.

The turn was the J and the river was the K, meaning no low was possible and Yitzhaki was eliminated.

Johnson Rolling

Razz

Marco Johnson completed and then bet fourth and fifth street against Eugene Katchalov. Katchalov led out on sixth and was raised by Johnson with their boards looking like this.

Johnson: (X-X)-4-7-5-10-(X)
Katchalov: (X-X)-2-9-7-4-(X)

Johnson fired another bullet on the river and Katchalov folded. Katchalov fell to 880,000 and Johnson is up to 1,200,000.

Hennigan Eliminated

Stud

We missed the exact details of the hand, but a very short stacked John Hennigan was all-in against Michael Chow. At the end of the hand, Chow was stacking chips and Hennigan was walking away from the table.

Michael Chow Eliminated

Stud

Michael Chow completed and was raised by Marco Johnson. Chow made the call and got all of his chips in the middle by fifth street against Johnson.

Chow: (A-7)-A-8-6-Q-(2)
Johnson: (J-J)-2-J-6-3-(7)

Chow’s aces never improved and Johnson continued to cruise as he made trip jacks to eliminated Chow.
Cuong Do Eliminated

Stud 8

Cuong Do was down to his last 11,000 after calling bets the whole way down from Scott Fischman in a stud hand and having to fold the river. He got his last 11,000 in the middle on third against Brian Townsened. The boards ran out like this.

Do: (K-10)-A-8-5-6-(X)
Townsend: (6-5)-7-10-9-9-(8)

Townsend made a straight and left Do drawing dead on his river card to eliminated Do in 12th place.

Steve Billirakis Eliminated

Stud 8

Steve Billirakis got the last of his chips in the middle on sixth street against Ian Gordon.

Billirakis: (5-5)-8-5-4-8-(9)
Gordon: (A-7)-7-7-2-A-(K)

Both players made full houses, but Gordon’s sevens full of aces trumped Billirakis’ fives full of eights and Billirakis was eliminated in 11th as we inch closer to the final table.

Brian Townsend Eliminated

Scott Fischman raised from the cutoff and Brian Townsend three-bet from the button. Carlos Mortensen then made it four bets from the big blind. Fischman folded and Townsend made the call.

The flop was Q32 and Mortensen bet out 20,000. Townsend raised his remaining chips and it was only a little more to Mortensen who made the call.

Townsend showed A3 and was up against the JJ of Mortensen.

The Q came on the turn and the 5 on the river kept Mortensen in the lead and Townsend was eliminated in tenth place, leaving the final nine players to re-draw to the unofficial final table of nine.

Player Tags: John Hennigan,   Eugene Katchalov,   Brandon Adams,   Roman Yitzhaki,   Brian Townsend,   Cuong Do,   Marco Johnson,   Michael Chow

Level 18 Update: Chainsaw Gone, Fischman Surges

Jun 25, '10

Blinds:

Flop Games: Limits 12,000-24,000
Stud Games: 3,000 ante, 3,000 bring-in, 12,000-24,000

Players Remaining: 19 out of 241

Average Chip Count: 380,526

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Marco Johnson – 770,000
2. Cuong Do – 640,000
3. Scott Fischman – 610,000
4. Eugene Katchalov – 525,000
5. Brian Townsend – 515,000
6. Ian Gordon – 483,000
7. Roman Yitzhaki – 429,100
8. Nick Schulman – 402,000
9. Richard Ashby – 350,000
10. Carlos Mortensen – 325,000

Notable Eliminations:

23. Allen Kessler – $21,997
22. Al Barbieri – $21,997
21. Abe Mosseri – $21,997
20. Pawl Andrzejewski – $21,997

Big Hands:

Chainsaw Cut Down

Hold’em

It folded around to Allen Kessler in the small blind who raised and got the last of his chips in the middle preflop against Brian Townsend.

Kessler held JJ and was ahead of Townsend’s K8. The board ran out A103K3 and the king on the turn gave Townsend the pot as Kessler becomes the day’s first casualty.

Fischman Scoops a Big One

Stud 8

Brian Townsend: (X-X)-8-2A3-(X)
John Hennigan: (X-X)-Q-5-3
Richard Ashby: (X-X)-K-7-4
Scott Fischman: (X-X)-2-7-4-6-(X)

Richard Ashby led on fourth street and all three players called. Townsend took the lead and bet out on fifth and was only called by Fischman. Townsend checked and called a bet from Fischman on sixth and seventh.

Fischman turned over the 8-4-2 in the hole to show two pair and an eight-low to scoop the pot. Fischman moved up to 610,000 and Townsend fell to 550,000.

Abe Mosseri Eliminated

Hold’em

Abe Mosseri was very short and got the last of his chips in the pot against Matt Glantz. Glantz showed AK and Mosseri was in bad shape showing the A9.

The board came 7Q6410 which kept Glantz’s big slick in the lead and is up to 230,000 in chips while Mosseri is sent home with almost $22,000 for his time.

Crazy Marco Gets Best of Brunson

Omaha 8

Marco Johnson raised from the cutoff and was called in position by Todd Brunson on the button. Johnson bet every street on a board that came off 66658 and Brunson called him down the whole way.

Johnson showed JJA2, giving him a big full house and the nut low. Brunson mucked his hand and fell to 115,000, while Johnson soared to 770,000

Player Tags: Scott Fischman,   Todd Brunson,   Allen Kessler,   Abe Mosseri,   Matthew Glantz,   Brian Townsend,   Marco Johnson

End Of Day 2

Jun 25, '10

After nearly two hours of hand-for-hand play, the field has finally reached the money and play has concluded for the day.

Cyndy Violette and Tommy Hang each had the distinction of bursting the bubble as they busted on the same hand after holding on for so long. With the double elimination on the bubble, both players chopped the $21,997 for 24th place.

There were 169 players who returned on day two and only 23 of them survived. Notables who made their exit included Daniel Negreanu, Chris Ferguson, Erik Seidel and Erick Lindgren.

Brian Townsend leads the names of notables still alive. He is near the top of the leaderboard but has others like Carlos Mortensen, Marco Johnson and Nick Schulman nipping at his heels.

Players will return at 3 p.m. to play down to a champion at level 18. The average stack is 314,347 and every player who busts is guaranteed $21,997.

Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com as we bring you hourly live updates from the final day of event no. 43.

Player Tags: Brian Townsend

Level 13: Lindgren, Binger, Ferguson Out

Jun 24, '10

Flop Games: 2,000-4,000 blinds
Stud Games: 1,000 ante, 1,000 bring-in, 4,000-8,000 limits

Players Remaining: 58 out of 241

Average Chip Stack: 124,655

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Steve Billirakis – 340,000
2. Brian Townsend – 284,000
3. Brandon Adams – 255,000
4. Robert Mizrachi – 225,000
5. Carlos Mortensen – 220,000
6. Eric Sclavos – 210,000
7. Richard Ashby – 205,000
8. Eugene Katchalov – 200,000
9. Andrew Pantling – 185,000
10. John Racener – 175,000

Notable Eliminations:

Erick Lindgren
Michael Binger
Chris Ferguson
Justin Smith
Joe Hachem
Tom Schneider

Big Hands:

Stud

Townsend More Studly Than Lindgren

Picking up the action on fifth street, Brian Townsend bet 8,000 and Erick Lindgren made the call. It was the same story on sixth and seventh street and here were their boards:

Townsend: (876)4883
Lindgren: (muck)7J26

Townsend’s trip-eights caused Lindgren to muck his hand and Townsend took the pot. He was at 300,000 while Lindgren was down to just 22,500.

Hold’em

Barbieri Flushes Smith

Justin Smith raised to 8,000 from under the gun and Daniel Alaei made the call from the cutoff. Al Barbieri was in the big blind and threw in the extra 4,000 to see a flop. It came down 753.

Barbieri bet 4,000 and Smith raised to 8,000. Alaei got out of the way and Smith made the call. The turn was the Q and Barbieri led out with 8,000. Smith called and the 10 came on the river.

Barbieri bet another 8,000 and Smith called. Barbieri turned over 92 for a flush and Smith mucked. Barbieri took the pot and was at 150,000 while Smith was down to 61,000. Smith would bust later in the level on a seven-card stud hand.

Lindgren Busts

A few hands after losing to Brian Townsend, Erick Lindgren was all in holding QQ. He was up against Greg Raymer’s AJ and Andrew Brown’s KQ.

The flop came down K54, giving Brown top pair and Raymer the nut-flush draw. The turn was the 9 and Lindgren needed the case queen to stay alive. But the K fell on the river and Lindgren was eliminated.

Omaha/8

Billirakis Fills Up

Steve Billirakis raised to 8,000 from the cutoff and Scotty Nguyen called from the button. Phil Galfond tagged along from the big blind and the flop came down K84. Billirakis bet 4,000 and both opponents called.

The turn was the 4 and Billirakis bet 8,000. Both players called and the 4 came on the river. Billirakis bet 8,000 more and Nguyen was the only caller.

Billirakis turned over AAJ5 for a full house and Nguyen mucked. Billirakis was up to 280,000 while Nguyen was around 85,000.

Jesus Walks

Scotty Nguyen raised to 8,000 and Chris Ferguson made the call from the big blind. The flop came down KQ3 and both players checked. The 6 fell on the turn and both players went nuts.

Ferguson’s chips eventually all got into the middle and he turned over KJ105 for top pair and a broadway draw. Nguyen turned over A662 for a set of sixes and the nut-low draw. The 7 on the river gave no help to Ferguson and he was eliminated. Nguyen was up to 170,000 after the knockout.

Razz

Michael Binger Eliminated

Michael Binger found himself all in against James Mackey. Binger was drawing to a 9-7 low but paired jacks and had to settle for a jack-low. The 9-7 would not have made a difference, however, as Mackey made a 9-4 low and Binger made his exit from the tournament.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Chris Ferguson,   Erick Lindgren,   James Mackey,   Steve Billirakis,   Michael Binger,   Phil Galfond,   Brian Townsend

Level 21 Update: Bustouts Galore

Jun 25, '10

Blinds:

Flop Games: 20,000-40,000 limits
Stud Games: 5,000 ante, 5,000 bring-in, 20,000-40,000 limits

Players Remaining: 9 out of 241

Average Chip Count: 803,333

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Marco Johnson – 1,680,000
2. Matt Glantz – 1,400,000
3. Eugene Katchalov – 870,000
4. Carlos Mortensen – 780,000
5. Ian Gordon – 690,000
6. Scott Fischman – 515,000
7. Nick Schulman – 385,000
8. Marco Traniello – 325,000
9. Richard Ashby – 300,000

Notable Eliminations:

16. Brandon Adams – $26,459
15. Roman Yitzhaki – $26,459
14. John Hennigan – $31,851
13. Michael Chow – $31,851
12. Cuong Do – $39,078
11. Steve Billirakis – $39,078
10. Brian Townsend – $48,638

Big Hands:

Brandon Adams Eliminated

Omaha 8

Brandon Adams got the last of his chips in the middle against Marco Johnson on a flop of 7-5-3.

Adams had the A-A-K-J, giving him just dry aces with no low draw, and Johnson flopped two pair and a low with his A-8-5-3. The turn was a 2 and the river was a 10 to eliminated Adams and vault Johnson to the top of the chip counts.

Roman Yitzhaki Eliminated

Omaha 8

Matt Glantz raised preflop on the button and Roman Yitzhaki three-bet from the big blind. Glantz called and the two saw a flop of Q74. There were a ton of raises that led to Yitzhaki being all-in.

Glantz showed the AA55 and Yitzhaki held the AQ92. Glantz had an over pair and a bad low draw and Yitzhaki had top pair and the nut low draw.

The turn was the J and the river was the K, meaning no low was possible and Yitzhaki was eliminated.

Johnson Rolling

Razz

Marco Johnson completed and then bet fourth and fifth street against Eugene Katchalov. Katchalov led out on sixth and was raised by Johnson with their boards looking like this.

Johnson: (X-X)-4-7-5-10-(X)
Katchalov: (X-X)-2-9-7-4-(X)

Johnson fired another bullet on the river and Katchalov folded. Katchalov fell to 880,000 and Johnson is up to 1,200,000.

Hennigan Eliminated

Stud

We missed the exact details of the hand, but a very short stacked John Hennigan was all-in against Michael Chow. At the end of the hand, Chow was stacking chips and Hennigan was walking away from the table.

Michael Chow Eliminated

Stud

Michael Chow completed and was raised by Marco Johnson. Chow made the call and got all of his chips in the middle by fifth street against Johnson.

Chow: (A-7)-A-8-6-Q-(2)
Johnson: (J-J)-2-J-6-3-(7)

Chow’s aces never improved and Johnson continued to cruise as he made trip jacks to eliminated Chow.
Cuong Do Eliminated

Stud 8

Cuong Do was down to his last 11,000 after calling bets the whole way down from Scott Fischman in a stud hand and having to fold the river. He got his last 11,000 in the middle on third against Brian Townsened. The boards ran out like this.

Do: (K-10)-A-8-5-6-(X)
Townsend: (6-5)-7-10-9-9-(8)

Townsend made a straight and left Do drawing dead on his river card to eliminated Do in 12th place.

Steve Billirakis Eliminated

Stud 8

Steve Billirakis got the last of his chips in the middle on sixth street against Ian Gordon.

Billirakis: (5-5)-8-5-4-8-(9)
Gordon: (A-7)-7-7-2-A-(K)

Both players made full houses, but Gordon’s sevens full of aces trumped Billirakis’ fives full of eights and Billirakis was eliminated in 11th as we inch closer to the final table.

Brian Townsend Eliminated

Scott Fischman raised from the cutoff and Brian Townsend three-bet from the button. Carlos Mortensen then made it four bets from the big blind. Fischman folded and Townsend made the call.

The flop was Q32 and Mortensen bet out 20,000. Townsend raised his remaining chips and it was only a little more to Mortensen who made the call.

Townsend showed A3 and was up against the JJ of Mortensen.

The Q came on the turn and the 5 on the river kept Mortensen in the lead and Townsend was eliminated in tenth place, leaving the final nine players to re-draw to the unofficial final table of nine.

Player Tags: John Hennigan,   Eugene Katchalov,   Brandon Adams,   Roman Yitzhaki,   Brian Townsend,   Cuong Do,   Marco Johnson,   Michael Chow

Level 18 Update: Chainsaw Gone, Fischman Surges

Jun 25, '10

Blinds:

Flop Games: Limits 12,000-24,000
Stud Games: 3,000 ante, 3,000 bring-in, 12,000-24,000

Players Remaining: 19 out of 241

Average Chip Count: 380,526

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Marco Johnson – 770,000
2. Cuong Do – 640,000
3. Scott Fischman – 610,000
4. Eugene Katchalov – 525,000
5. Brian Townsend – 515,000
6. Ian Gordon – 483,000
7. Roman Yitzhaki – 429,100
8. Nick Schulman – 402,000
9. Richard Ashby – 350,000
10. Carlos Mortensen – 325,000

Notable Eliminations:

23. Allen Kessler – $21,997
22. Al Barbieri – $21,997
21. Abe Mosseri – $21,997
20. Pawl Andrzejewski – $21,997

Big Hands:

Chainsaw Cut Down

Hold’em

It folded around to Allen Kessler in the small blind who raised and got the last of his chips in the middle preflop against Brian Townsend.

Kessler held JJ and was ahead of Townsend’s K8. The board ran out A103K3 and the king on the turn gave Townsend the pot as Kessler becomes the day’s first casualty.

Fischman Scoops a Big One

Stud 8

Brian Townsend: (X-X)-8-2A3-(X)
John Hennigan: (X-X)-Q-5-3
Richard Ashby: (X-X)-K-7-4
Scott Fischman: (X-X)-2-7-4-6-(X)

Richard Ashby led on fourth street and all three players called. Townsend took the lead and bet out on fifth and was only called by Fischman. Townsend checked and called a bet from Fischman on sixth and seventh.

Fischman turned over the 8-4-2 in the hole to show two pair and an eight-low to scoop the pot. Fischman moved up to 610,000 and Townsend fell to 550,000.

Abe Mosseri Eliminated

Hold’em

Abe Mosseri was very short and got the last of his chips in the pot against Matt Glantz. Glantz showed AK and Mosseri was in bad shape showing the A9.

The board came 7Q6410 which kept Glantz’s big slick in the lead and is up to 230,000 in chips while Mosseri is sent home with almost $22,000 for his time.

Crazy Marco Gets Best of Brunson

Omaha 8

Marco Johnson raised from the cutoff and was called in position by Todd Brunson on the button. Johnson bet every street on a board that came off 66658 and Brunson called him down the whole way.

Johnson showed JJA2, giving him a big full house and the nut low. Brunson mucked his hand and fell to 115,000, while Johnson soared to 770,000

Player Tags: Scott Fischman,   Todd Brunson,   Allen Kessler,   Abe Mosseri,   Matthew Glantz,   Brian Townsend,   Marco Johnson

End Of Day 2

Jun 25, '10

After nearly two hours of hand-for-hand play, the field has finally reached the money and play has concluded for the day.

Cyndy Violette and Tommy Hang each had the distinction of bursting the bubble as they busted on the same hand after holding on for so long. With the double elimination on the bubble, both players chopped the $21,997 for 24th place.

There were 169 players who returned on day two and only 23 of them survived. Notables who made their exit included Daniel Negreanu, Chris Ferguson, Erik Seidel and Erick Lindgren.

Brian Townsend leads the names of notables still alive. He is near the top of the leaderboard but has others like Carlos Mortensen, Marco Johnson and Nick Schulman nipping at his heels.

Players will return at 3 p.m. to play down to a champion at level 18. The average stack is 314,347 and every player who busts is guaranteed $21,997.

Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com as we bring you hourly live updates from the final day of event no. 43.

Player Tags: Brian Townsend

Level 13: Lindgren, Binger, Ferguson Out

Jun 24, '10

Flop Games: 2,000-4,000 blinds
Stud Games: 1,000 ante, 1,000 bring-in, 4,000-8,000 limits

Players Remaining: 58 out of 241

Average Chip Stack: 124,655

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. Steve Billirakis – 340,000
2. Brian Townsend – 284,000
3. Brandon Adams – 255,000
4. Robert Mizrachi – 225,000
5. Carlos Mortensen – 220,000
6. Eric Sclavos – 210,000
7. Richard Ashby – 205,000
8. Eugene Katchalov – 200,000
9. Andrew Pantling – 185,000
10. John Racener – 175,000

Notable Eliminations:

Erick Lindgren
Michael Binger
Chris Ferguson
Justin Smith
Joe Hachem
Tom Schneider

Big Hands:

Stud

Townsend More Studly Than Lindgren

Picking up the action on fifth street, Brian Townsend bet 8,000 and Erick Lindgren made the call. It was the same story on sixth and seventh street and here were their boards:

Townsend: (876)4883
Lindgren: (muck)7J26

Townsend’s trip-eights caused Lindgren to muck his hand and Townsend took the pot. He was at 300,000 while Lindgren was down to just 22,500.

Hold’em

Barbieri Flushes Smith

Justin Smith raised to 8,000 from under the gun and Daniel Alaei made the call from the cutoff. Al Barbieri was in the big blind and threw in the extra 4,000 to see a flop. It came down 753.

Barbieri bet 4,000 and Smith raised to 8,000. Alaei got out of the way and Smith made the call. The turn was the Q and Barbieri led out with 8,000. Smith called and the 10 came on the river.

Barbieri bet another 8,000 and Smith called. Barbieri turned over 92 for a flush and Smith mucked. Barbieri took the pot and was at 150,000 while Smith was down to 61,000. Smith would bust later in the level on a seven-card stud hand.

Lindgren Busts

A few hands after losing to Brian Townsend, Erick Lindgren was all in holding QQ. He was up against Greg Raymer’s AJ and Andrew Brown’s KQ.

The flop came down K54, giving Brown top pair and Raymer the nut-flush draw. The turn was the 9 and Lindgren needed the case queen to stay alive. But the K fell on the river and Lindgren was eliminated.

Omaha/8

Billirakis Fills Up

Steve Billirakis raised to 8,000 from the cutoff and Scotty Nguyen called from the button. Phil Galfond tagged along from the big blind and the flop came down K84. Billirakis bet 4,000 and both opponents called.

The turn was the 4 and Billirakis bet 8,000. Both players called and the 4 came on the river. Billirakis bet 8,000 more and Nguyen was the only caller.

Billirakis turned over AAJ5 for a full house and Nguyen mucked. Billirakis was up to 280,000 while Nguyen was around 85,000.

Jesus Walks

Scotty Nguyen raised to 8,000 and Chris Ferguson made the call from the big blind. The flop came down KQ3 and both players checked. The 6 fell on the turn and both players went nuts.

Ferguson’s chips eventually all got into the middle and he turned over KJ105 for top pair and a broadway draw. Nguyen turned over A662 for a set of sixes and the nut-low draw. The 7 on the river gave no help to Ferguson and he was eliminated. Nguyen was up to 170,000 after the knockout.

Razz

Michael Binger Eliminated

Michael Binger found himself all in against James Mackey. Binger was drawing to a 9-7 low but paired jacks and had to settle for a jack-low. The 9-7 would not have made a difference, however, as Mackey made a 9-4 low and Binger made his exit from the tournament.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Chris Ferguson,   Erick Lindgren,   James Mackey,   Steve Billirakis,   Michael Binger,   Phil Galfond,   Brian Townsend

End Of Day 1

May 29, '10

Day 1 of the Players Championship is officially over. There were 116 entrants by the end of the dinner break and 110 of them will return Saturday at 3 p.m. for Day 2.

Dan Shak had the distinction of being the first player eliminated from the tournament after he was crippled in a hand against Dan Kelly. Tom Dwan, Andrew Brown, Marc Karam, Greg Mueller and Brian Townsend would follow Shak out the door before the day was over.

The unofficial chip leader after Day 1 is David Oppenheim with about 305,000. Others in contention include Erik Sagstrom with 280,000; Justin Bonomo with 255,000 and Barry Greenstein with 240,000.

Stay tuned to Cardplayer.com for a recap of today’s events as well as all of the live updates for Day 2 of the Players Championship.

Player Tags: Barry Greenstein,   David Oppenheim,   Erik Sagstrom,   Justin Bonomo,   Tom Dwan,   Brian Townsend

Level 5 Hour 2: Johnny Chan Out

Jul 07, '09

Blinds: 200-400 with a 50 ante

Day 2A Field: 1,476

Chip Counts:

1. Samer Rahman – 145,000
2. Nick Maimone – 142,000
3. Redmond Lee – 140,000
4. Tom Schneider – 133,000
5. Fabrice Soulier – 130,000
6. Jim Bookstaff – 120,575
7. Craig Hopkins – 118,150
8. Jani Sointula – 113,000
9. Daniel Makowsky – 100,200
10. Lana Maier – 95,0000

Notable Eliminations:

Johnny Chan
Jennifer Tilly
Brian Townsend
Katja Thater
Barry Shulman
Jon Turner

Big Hands:

The Orient Express Derailed

Johnny Chan moved all in for 6,000 from the big blind. Matthew Woodward had limped in earlier and made the call. Chan tabled A4 while Woodward was in better shape with 99.

The board ran out K8Q10Q and Chan was eliminated from the 2009 main event.

Tilly Counterfeited, Sent Out

Jennifer Tilly moved all in after a flop 876 and was called by an opponent holding 99. Tilly tabled 86 for two pair.

The turn was the Q, holding Tilly’s lead but the 7 counterfeited her hand and sent her packing.

Laak Gets Bombed

After a flop of 843, a player bet 5,600 and another player in middle position called. The action was then on Phil Laak who shoved for over 53,000. Jani Sointula was also in the hand from the small blind and he made the call. The other players folded and Laak tabled K3 for the second nut flush draw and bottom pair. Sointula showed A6 for the nut flush draw.

Sointula made no flush on the turn, but did hit the 6 to take the lead. Laak was in trouble and the river was the 8, dropping Laak’s stack to just 11,000.

Brian Townsend Gone

Brian Townsend got his stack all in preflop with Q9. He was called by one player holding pocket jacks and Townsend needed help. The flop came down A103, giving little help to Townsend. The turn was the J, giving his opponent a set but Townsend outs to a straight. But the river bricked for Townsend and he was gone.

Thater Hammered Down, Then Busts

Katja Thater had her opponent all in on the turn with the board reading 928J. Her opponent was holding A7 for the nut flush draw and a gutshot straight draw, plenty of outs. But Thater held two of those outs to a straight as she held 1010.

Despite that, the 10 managed to fall on the river and Thater’s opponent doubled up. Thater was steaming after the hand, left with only 10,000 in chips. She would lose the rest of those later in the level.

Brunson Drops Chips

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read AK66. Todd Brunson was first to act and checked his option. His opponent bet 2,600 and Brunson made the call. The river was the 7. Brunson checked again and his opponent bet 5,100. Brunson called and was shown the bad news as his opponent flipped over 77 for a full house on the river. Brunson mucked and was under 30,000.

Don’t Bluff Me, I’m Kara Scott

A player in middle position raised to 1,025 preflop. The action folded to Kara Scott on the button. She raised to 3,000 and her opponent called. The flop was A2Q and action was checked to Scott. She bet 4,000 and her opponent came along. The turn was the 2 and Scott’s opponent led out for 6,700. Scott made the call and the river was the 6. Scott faced another bet, this one over 17,000.

She made the call and her opponent mucked his hand. She tabled A3 for two pair and built her stack up to 63,000.

Player Tags: Todd Brunson,   Phil Laak,   Johnny Chan,   Jennifer Tilly,   Brian Townsend,   Katja Thater,   Kara Scott

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 20 Update: Andy Black and Matthew Glantz Eliminated

May 30, '09

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 chip ante

Players Remaining: 17 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo — 3,500,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 3,000,000
3. Alec Torelli — 2,600,000
4. Greg Raymer — 2,000,000
5. David Baker — 1,900,000
6. Ted Forrest — 1,900,000
7. Isaac Haxton – 1,400,000
8. Dani Stern- 1,170,000
9. Brian Rast – 1,160,000
10. Brian Townsend – 500,000

Average Chip Count: 1,400,000

Notable Eliminations:

19. Andy Black ($71,858)
18. Matthew Glantz ($96,171)

Big Hands:

Andy Black Finds a Lucky Flop, Horrible Turn, Eliminated in 19th Place ($71,858)

With less than 10 big blinds, Andy Black moved all-in for just under 300,000. The action was folded to Dani Stern, who instantly called with AK. Black was disgruntled and turned over a dominated AJ. The flop was magic for Black as it came AJ6. The visibly excited Black had his emotions change when the devastating K hit on the turn, giving Stern a better two pair. The 5 fell on the river and and Black was eliminated in 19th place.

Tony G Doubles Up

Severely short stacked, Tony G moved all-in pre-flop with 33 and was called by the 22 of Isaac Haxton. The board ran out A5658 and Tony G doubled through Haxton to 400,000 in chips.

Alex Veldhuis Makes Big All-in Bet

Brian Townsend raised pre-flop to 75,000 and Alec Torelli re-raised from the cut off to 185,000. Action was folded to Alex Veldhuis in the big blind who moved all in for about 1,800,000 total. Torelli tanked for a few minutes before finally folding to the large bet from Veldhuis.

Matthew Glantz Eliminated in 18th Place ($96,171)

Alex Veldhuis and Matthew Glantz saw a flop of Q22. The two players got all the chips into the middle with Glantz holding Q9 against the superior AQ of Veldhuis. Glantz failed to hit his kicker as the board ran out and was sent to the rail right before the 20 minute break. Veldhuis is now up to 3,000,000 in chips.

Tony G Doubles Up Again

Isaac Haxton and Tony G were once again tangled up in a pot with Tony G holding the 1010 and Haxton with AQ. The flop was scary for Tony G, as it came 2105, giving him top set but Haxton the nut flush draw. The 4 hit the turn and Tony G was safe. The Q fell on the river and Tony G doubled up to 870,000.

Left In The Deck

Players are on a 20 minute break and will play 2 more levels before a dinner break.

Player Tags: Matthew Glantz,   Andy Black,   Brian Townsend,   Isaac Haxton,   Lex Veldhuis

Level 14 Update: Mike Matusow Eliminated

May 29, '09

Blinds: 5,000-10,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 44 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Brian Townsend – 1,470,000
2. Lex Veldhuis – 1,320,000
3. Greg Raymer – 1,300,000
4. Justin Bonomo – 1,270,000
5. Matthew Glantz – 1,058,000
6. Brian Rast – 1,020,000
7. Ted Forrest – 1,020,000
8. Chris Moneymaker – 920,000
9. Isaac Haxton — 785,000
10. Frank Kassela — 750,000

Average Chip Count: 548,181

Notable Eliminations:

Emil Patel
Huck Seed
Mike Matusow
Bruno Fitoussi

Big Hands:

Huck Seed is Eliminated

On a board of 75AQ, Huck Seed checked from the small blind to Alec Torelli on the button. Torelli fired out 37,000 and Seed called. The river was the J and the action went check-check. Torelli said, “I think you got me,” and Huck turned over the 107. To Torelli’s surprise he rivered Seed, and exposed J10 for a pair of jacks. Seed was severely short stacked and moved all-in the next hand with 76 from the button only to be called by Greg Raymer in the small blind with K9. Seed failed to hit and was knocked out of Event 2 of the World Series of Poker.

Nam Le Doubles Up

Nam Le and Sorel Mizzi got it all in on the flop with Le holding the 107 and Mizzi holding the KQ. The board read 89J, with Le holding a straight but leaving Mizzi with a lot of outs. Those outs failed to arrive on the turn and river, and Le doubled up to around 700,000.

Mike Matusow Eliminated

Mike Matusow raised to 25,000 preflop from the big blind and Keith Lehr reraised enough to put Matusow all in under the gun. Matusow made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Matusow: 77
Lehr: A10

Board: Q84KA

Matusow was eliminated on the hand and Lehr moved up to 600,000.

Matthew Glantz Flops a Set

On a board of J9AQ6, Matthew Glantz fired a big river bet into Evan McNiff. McNiff mulled it over before finally calling. Glantz turned over the 99 for a set of nines and raked in the 500,000 chip pot. Glantz is no over 1,000,000 in chips.

Brian Townsend Eliminates Emil Patel

Emil Patel and Brian Townsend got it all-in pre-flop with Patel holding AK and Townsend holding 1010. The flop of 7103 was perfect for Townsend, as Patel was drawing dead with no back door draws. Townsend is up to 1,500,000 in chips.

Left In The Deck:

Table 60 is a stacked table with pros Greg Raymer, Andrew Robl, Vanessa Rousso, Steve Zolotow, Brian Rast, Alec Torelli and formerly Bruno Fitoussi before he was eliminated and Andrew Black before he was moved.

The players are on a 60 minute dinner break. The action tonight will conclude when they have reached 18 players or have played four more levels.

Player Tags: Nam Le,   Huck Seed,   Steve Zolotow,   Mike Matusow,   Greg Raymer,   Matthew Glantz,   Emil Patel,   Brian Townsend,   Keith Lehr,   Alec Torelli,   Sorel Mizzi,   Evan McNiff

Level 12 Update: Brian Townsend Builds a Huge Stack

May 29, '09

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

Players Remaining: 67 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Alex Veldhuis – 1,090,000
2. Brian Townsend – 950,000
2. Brian Rast – 910,000
3. Justin Bonomo- 760,000
4. Chris Moneymaker – 700,000
6. Ted Forrest – 690,000
7. Matthew Marafioti – 540,000
8. Alec Torelli – 494,500
9. JC Tran- 491,000
10. Andy Black- 470,000

Average Chip Count: 354,706

Notable Eliminations:

Doyle Brunson
Kenny Tran
Lee Markholt
John Duthie
Matt Giannetti
Adam Junglen
Michael DeMichele
Chris Mooreman
David “Devil Fish” Ulliott

Big Hands:

Chau Giang Doubles Up

Facing a 26,500 button raise from Andrew Robl, Chau Giang moved all in pre-flop for 45,000 more. Robl was committed and quickly called with the A10 and Giang was happy to see he had his opponent dominated with the AK. The board ran out Q643K and Giang doubled up to a modest stack of 146,000.

Chris Moneymaker Avoids Disaster

Chris Moneymaker raised pre-floped and Humberto Brenes just called. The flop brought the A and both played the hand cautiously until Moneymaker made a 25,000 bet on the river that Brenes quickly called. Moneymaker turned over pocket queens and Brenes exposed pocket kings to take the small pot. Moneymaker exclaimed, “I got lucky with that flop,” and Brenes said, “Yes you did.”

Brian Townsend Wins a Huge Pot

On a board of A87103 with 330,000 already sitting in the pot, Brian Townsend bet 300,000, leaving just 45,000 in his stack. Mark Seif then went into the tank for a few minutes on the button. Seif was sitting on a stack of 415,000 and he decided to make the call after some deliberation. Townsend flipped over AK and Seif mucked. Seif took a huge hit down to 115,000 after the hand and Townsend’s stack grew to 975,000.

Chris Moore Busts One

Chris Moore (UTG) and his opponent on the small blind got it all in preflop. Their cards:

Moore: AA
Small Blind: 99

Board: 854JJ

Moore won the hand and sent his opponent packing.

Michael DeMichele Sent to the Rail

On a board of 810585, Alexander Veldhuis put Michael DeMichele all in. DeMichele looked disgusted and tanked for quite some time before calling with pocket aces. Veldhuis exposed 88 for quads to eliminate DeMichele.

Brian Rast Gets Lucky to Double Up

On a flop of 75A, Brian Rast got it all in against the A5 of Bruno Fitoussi. The turn brought the Q, giving the online cash game player extra outs. The Q fell on the river and Rast rivered a better two pair to double up to about 650,000.

David “Devil Fish” Ulliott is Eliminated

On the very next hand after Brian Rast’s huge double up, the short stack David Ulliott raised pre-flop to 25,000 with pocket kings. Rast min-raised to 50,000 and Ulliott went all-in instantly. Rast called and exposed 77 and Ulliott tabled pocket kings. The flop was a disaster for Ulliott, as it came A67. Ulliott failed to connect with a higher set and was sent home.

Table 60 is running hot

At the same table and a hand after Rasts double up and Ulliot’s elimination, Greg Raymer called the all-in of Ville Wahlbeck. Raymer showed AJ and Wahlbeck exposed pocket kings. Kings were no good once again as Raymer flopped an ace and built his stack to around 300,000.

Left in the Deck:

Mike Matusow is entered in the Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better tournament that is running simultaneously and has ran over to the other table to see a hand.

Players went to a 20 minute break, and will return to play more 2 more levels before a 60 minute dinner break later this evening. After the break they will play four levels or down to 18 players, whichever comes first.

Card Player TV

Check out this video from CardPlayer TV with chip leader Lex Veldhuis.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Humberto Brenes,   Chris Moneymaker,   Chau Giang,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Greg Raymer,   Brian Rast,   Chris Moore,   Brian Townsend,   Andrew Robl

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 20 Update: Andy Black and Matthew Glantz Eliminated

May 30, '09

Blinds: 15,000-30,000 with a 4,000 chip ante

Players Remaining: 17 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Justin Bonomo — 3,500,000
2. Lex Veldhuis — 3,000,000
3. Alec Torelli — 2,600,000
4. Greg Raymer — 2,000,000
5. David Baker — 1,900,000
6. Ted Forrest — 1,900,000
7. Isaac Haxton – 1,400,000
8. Dani Stern- 1,170,000
9. Brian Rast – 1,160,000
10. Brian Townsend – 500,000

Average Chip Count: 1,400,000

Notable Eliminations:

19. Andy Black ($71,858)
18. Matthew Glantz ($96,171)

Big Hands:

Andy Black Finds a Lucky Flop, Horrible Turn, Eliminated in 19th Place ($71,858)

With less than 10 big blinds, Andy Black moved all-in for just under 300,000. The action was folded to Dani Stern, who instantly called with AK. Black was disgruntled and turned over a dominated AJ. The flop was magic for Black as it came AJ6. The visibly excited Black had his emotions change when the devastating K hit on the turn, giving Stern a better two pair. The 5 fell on the river and and Black was eliminated in 19th place.

Tony G Doubles Up

Severely short stacked, Tony G moved all-in pre-flop with 33 and was called by the 22 of Isaac Haxton. The board ran out A5658 and Tony G doubled through Haxton to 400,000 in chips.

Alex Veldhuis Makes Big All-in Bet

Brian Townsend raised pre-flop to 75,000 and Alec Torelli re-raised from the cut off to 185,000. Action was folded to Alex Veldhuis in the big blind who moved all in for about 1,800,000 total. Torelli tanked for a few minutes before finally folding to the large bet from Veldhuis.

Matthew Glantz Eliminated in 18th Place ($96,171)

Alex Veldhuis and Matthew Glantz saw a flop of Q22. The two players got all the chips into the middle with Glantz holding Q9 against the superior AQ of Veldhuis. Glantz failed to hit his kicker as the board ran out and was sent to the rail right before the 20 minute break. Veldhuis is now up to 3,000,000 in chips.

Tony G Doubles Up Again

Isaac Haxton and Tony G were once again tangled up in a pot with Tony G holding the 1010 and Haxton with AQ. The flop was scary for Tony G, as it came 2105, giving him top set but Haxton the nut flush draw. The 4 hit the turn and Tony G was safe. The Q fell on the river and Tony G doubled up to 870,000.

Left In The Deck

Players are on a 20 minute break and will play 2 more levels before a dinner break.

Player Tags: Matthew Glantz,   Andy Black,   Brian Townsend,   Isaac Haxton,   Lex Veldhuis

Level 14 Update: Mike Matusow Eliminated

May 29, '09

Blinds: 5,000-10,000 with a 1,000 ante

Players Remaining: 44 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Brian Townsend – 1,470,000
2. Lex Veldhuis – 1,320,000
3. Greg Raymer – 1,300,000
4. Justin Bonomo – 1,270,000
5. Matthew Glantz – 1,058,000
6. Brian Rast – 1,020,000
7. Ted Forrest – 1,020,000
8. Chris Moneymaker – 920,000
9. Isaac Haxton — 785,000
10. Frank Kassela — 750,000

Average Chip Count: 548,181

Notable Eliminations:

Emil Patel
Huck Seed
Mike Matusow
Bruno Fitoussi

Big Hands:

Huck Seed is Eliminated

On a board of 75AQ, Huck Seed checked from the small blind to Alec Torelli on the button. Torelli fired out 37,000 and Seed called. The river was the J and the action went check-check. Torelli said, “I think you got me,” and Huck turned over the 107. To Torelli’s surprise he rivered Seed, and exposed J10 for a pair of jacks. Seed was severely short stacked and moved all-in the next hand with 76 from the button only to be called by Greg Raymer in the small blind with K9. Seed failed to hit and was knocked out of Event 2 of the World Series of Poker.

Nam Le Doubles Up

Nam Le and Sorel Mizzi got it all in on the flop with Le holding the 107 and Mizzi holding the KQ. The board read 89J, with Le holding a straight but leaving Mizzi with a lot of outs. Those outs failed to arrive on the turn and river, and Le doubled up to around 700,000.

Mike Matusow Eliminated

Mike Matusow raised to 25,000 preflop from the big blind and Keith Lehr reraised enough to put Matusow all in under the gun. Matusow made the call and they flipped up their cards:

Matusow: 77
Lehr: A10

Board: Q84KA

Matusow was eliminated on the hand and Lehr moved up to 600,000.

Matthew Glantz Flops a Set

On a board of J9AQ6, Matthew Glantz fired a big river bet into Evan McNiff. McNiff mulled it over before finally calling. Glantz turned over the 99 for a set of nines and raked in the 500,000 chip pot. Glantz is no over 1,000,000 in chips.

Brian Townsend Eliminates Emil Patel

Emil Patel and Brian Townsend got it all-in pre-flop with Patel holding AK and Townsend holding 1010. The flop of 7103 was perfect for Townsend, as Patel was drawing dead with no back door draws. Townsend is up to 1,500,000 in chips.

Left In The Deck:

Table 60 is a stacked table with pros Greg Raymer, Andrew Robl, Vanessa Rousso, Steve Zolotow, Brian Rast, Alec Torelli and formerly Bruno Fitoussi before he was eliminated and Andrew Black before he was moved.

The players are on a 60 minute dinner break. The action tonight will conclude when they have reached 18 players or have played four more levels.

Player Tags: Nam Le,   Huck Seed,   Steve Zolotow,   Mike Matusow,   Greg Raymer,   Matthew Glantz,   Emil Patel,   Brian Townsend,   Keith Lehr,   Alec Torelli,   Sorel Mizzi,   Evan McNiff

Level 12 Update: Brian Townsend Builds a Huge Stack

May 29, '09

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

Players Remaining: 67 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Alex Veldhuis – 1,090,000
2. Brian Townsend – 950,000
2. Brian Rast – 910,000
3. Justin Bonomo- 760,000
4. Chris Moneymaker – 700,000
6. Ted Forrest – 690,000
7. Matthew Marafioti – 540,000
8. Alec Torelli – 494,500
9. JC Tran- 491,000
10. Andy Black- 470,000

Average Chip Count: 354,706

Notable Eliminations:

Doyle Brunson
Kenny Tran
Lee Markholt
John Duthie
Matt Giannetti
Adam Junglen
Michael DeMichele
Chris Mooreman
David “Devil Fish” Ulliott

Big Hands:

Chau Giang Doubles Up

Facing a 26,500 button raise from Andrew Robl, Chau Giang moved all in pre-flop for 45,000 more. Robl was committed and quickly called with the A10 and Giang was happy to see he had his opponent dominated with the AK. The board ran out Q643K and Giang doubled up to a modest stack of 146,000.

Chris Moneymaker Avoids Disaster

Chris Moneymaker raised pre-floped and Humberto Brenes just called. The flop brought the A and both played the hand cautiously until Moneymaker made a 25,000 bet on the river that Brenes quickly called. Moneymaker turned over pocket queens and Brenes exposed pocket kings to take the small pot. Moneymaker exclaimed, “I got lucky with that flop,” and Brenes said, “Yes you did.”

Brian Townsend Wins a Huge Pot

On a board of A87103 with 330,000 already sitting in the pot, Brian Townsend bet 300,000, leaving just 45,000 in his stack. Mark Seif then went into the tank for a few minutes on the button. Seif was sitting on a stack of 415,000 and he decided to make the call after some deliberation. Townsend flipped over AK and Seif mucked. Seif took a huge hit down to 115,000 after the hand and Townsend’s stack grew to 975,000.

Chris Moore Busts One

Chris Moore (UTG) and his opponent on the small blind got it all in preflop. Their cards:

Moore: AA
Small Blind: 99

Board: 854JJ

Moore won the hand and sent his opponent packing.

Michael DeMichele Sent to the Rail

On a board of 810585, Alexander Veldhuis put Michael DeMichele all in. DeMichele looked disgusted and tanked for quite some time before calling with pocket aces. Veldhuis exposed 88 for quads to eliminate DeMichele.

Brian Rast Gets Lucky to Double Up

On a flop of 75A, Brian Rast got it all in against the A5 of Bruno Fitoussi. The turn brought the Q, giving the online cash game player extra outs. The Q fell on the river and Rast rivered a better two pair to double up to about 650,000.

David “Devil Fish” Ulliott is Eliminated

On the very next hand after Brian Rast’s huge double up, the short stack David Ulliott raised pre-flop to 25,000 with pocket kings. Rast min-raised to 50,000 and Ulliott went all-in instantly. Rast called and exposed 77 and Ulliott tabled pocket kings. The flop was a disaster for Ulliott, as it came A67. Ulliott failed to connect with a higher set and was sent home.

Table 60 is running hot

At the same table and a hand after Rasts double up and Ulliot’s elimination, Greg Raymer called the all-in of Ville Wahlbeck. Raymer showed AJ and Wahlbeck exposed pocket kings. Kings were no good once again as Raymer flopped an ace and built his stack to around 300,000.

Left in the Deck:

Mike Matusow is entered in the Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better tournament that is running simultaneously and has ran over to the other table to see a hand.

Players went to a 20 minute break, and will return to play more 2 more levels before a 60 minute dinner break later this evening. After the break they will play four levels or down to 18 players, whichever comes first.

Card Player TV

Check out this video from CardPlayer TV with chip leader Lex Veldhuis.

Player Tags: Mark Seif,   Humberto Brenes,   Chris Moneymaker,   Chau Giang,   Bruno Fitoussi,   Greg Raymer,   Brian Rast,   Chris Moore,   Brian Townsend,   Andrew Robl

Main Event Day 1b - So Long Sammy

Jul 05, '08

Note: Players are now on a 90 minute dinner break.

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Chip Leaders:
Michael Martin: 98,800
Brian Rast: 94,500
Brad Booth: 90,000
Diogo Borges: 84,000
Igor Ioffe: 78,000
Clonie Gowen: 77,000
Leonardo Emperador: 74,000
Rajesh Vohra: 73,000
Jeff Madsen: 72,000
Kara Scott; 66,000

CP Chip Counts:
Mike Matusow: 41,400
Rolf Slotboom: 43,000
Marcel Luske: 8,200
Bertrand Grospellier: 20,000
Michael Binger: 8,800
Mark Gregorich: 3,375

Eliminations: Sam Farha, Marco Traniello, Joe Tehan, Justin Bonomo, Isaac Haxton

Notable Hands:

Townsend Gets All In To Bet Out Opponent

Brian Townsend raised bet 1,500 on a flop of 653 and the player in seat 4 raised to 4,200. Townsend made the call and the 3 fell on the turn. Townsend checked and seat 4 bet 7,500. Townsend tanked for several minutes, eventually taking out his earbuds and sighing before pushing his entire stack all in - about 16,000 more. His opponent, in return, didn't take long to fold his hand and give the pot to Townsend. Townsend is down from the last break, but still healthy with around 43,000 in chips.

Luske Happy To Take Opponent's Chips

Marcel Luske bet 1,500 when the player in seat 1 checked on the flop of 932. Seat 1 called but checked again on the K turn. Luske again bet 1,500 on the turn, telling his opponent with a smile, "Still only 1,500." Seat 1 made the call and the J hit on the river. Seat 1 checked and Luske said he wanted to value bet, but changed his mind and checked as well. He showed KQ and his opponent flashed his hand briefly to Luske before mucking.

Tony Korfman Eliminated

The player in seat 8 limped into the pot as did Sirous Jamshidi from seat 9. Tony Korfman raised to 1,300 and seat reraised to 4,000. Jamshidi got out of the way and Korfman went into the tank. "Well, it looks like there will be no operation for little Jimmy," as Korfman reraised another 1,650 and all in. Seat 8 made the call and both players turned over their cards.

Korfman: AQ
Seat 8: AK

Board: K7338

Korfman was behind from the start, shoving from the short stack with the worst of it. Failing to receive any help from the board, Tony Korfman made an early exit here today less than a half hour until the dinner break. One would have thought it was a final table and not a Day 1 the way Korfman was greeted as he left the room. The players at his table getting out of their seats to shake his hand as he made his untimely exit.

If at First You Don't Succeed, Try Try Again

Preflop, Jeff Madsen raised to 900 from the cutoff and the player in seat 2 moved all in for 7,600 more from the button. The blinds folded and action was back on Madsen. He thought for a while, then threw his hand in the muck.

On the next hand, action folded around again to Madsen who made it 900 from the hijack and the player in seat 5 was the only one to call from the big blind. The flop came K92 and seat 5 checked. Madsen fired 1,425 into the pot. Seat 5 then check-raised to 2,850 and Madsen tanked again. After much thought, he came over the top, pushing out a large tower of chips that totaled about 23,000. Seat 5 took his turn in the tank. He decided to muck, showing the K. Madsen then showed a card of his own, as he flashed the 3 to his opponent. Seat 5 was livid and Madsen took the pot, improving his stack to 72,000.

Why'd You Play With Sammy? Farha Eliminated
The under the gun player in seat 6 raised to 1,200 before the flop, immediately striking up a repartee with Sammy Farha who sat two seats to his left. Sammy looked at him and smiled, saying "This could be it," and tossing in his call. No one else was interested in playing the hand, and the two players went heads up to the flop. The dealer placed J32 on the felt, and Farha's opponent quickly led out for 2,200. Sammy called without much hesitation, and the two continued to talk. The turn brought the Q. "How much did I bet last time?" asked the under the gun player, who then announced another bet, this time for 4,600. Sammy called once again, continuing to smile wryly at his opponent as he stared him down. The river brought an innocent looking 7, as well as an all-in shove from seat 6 for nearly 30,000, who started yelling "Rebuy!" and talking to Sammy about his plans for the dinner break. He continued to chatter incessantly, talking about earlier hands and his plans for that evening. Sammy continued to stare him down, asking "Are you bluffing?" This prompted a stream of talk about Sammy's lucky cigarette. Farha stacked and restacked his chips, counting them and contemplating his move. A large collection of railbirds came to perch by the table as the gravity of the situation became noticeable. Eventually, after several minutes of fast talk, Sammy moved his chips into the center of the table, making the call. His opponent showed KQ for turned top pair. Sammy simply smiled, turned over AJ, and made his way out of the room. Seat 6 raked in the huge pot, and continued to chatter excitedly about how brilliantly he had played the hand.

 

Player Tags: Marcel Luske,   Sam Farha,   Brian Townsend,   Jeff Madsen

$10,000 Main Event - Isabelle Mercier Doubles Up

Jul 05, '08

Note: Players went on break at 4:30 p.m. and have just returned to play with the blinds at 150-300.

Blinds/Antes: 100-200

Chip Leaders:
Clonie Gowen: 70,000
Rhett Butler: 63,000
Carl Henriksson: 62,000
Jeff Madsen: 59,000
Brian Townsend: 59,000
Rajesh Vohra: 58,000
Sam Farha: 53,000
Chris Moneymaker: 51,650
Jared Brintz: 50,000
Dennis Jacobs: 48,500

CP Chip Counts:
Mike Matusow: 41,400
Rolf Slotboom: 35,000
Isaac Haxton: 31,000
Marcel Luske: 19,800
Michael Binger: 18,100
Mark Gregorich: 15,200
Bertrand Grospellier: 3,500
Gavin Griffin: 3,000

Big Hands:

Mercier Doubles Up

Starting the hand with about 15,000, Isabelle Mercier was staring at a board showing K4103. She checked to her opponent who fired 3,000 into the pot. Mercier check-raised to 9,000. Her opponent then shoved all in, having Mercier covered. Mercier called all of her chips into the middle and turned over 1010 for a set on the flop. Her opponent showed AK for top pair with top kicker. Mercier had her opponent drawing dead and the 9 fell on the river to complete the board. Mercier doubled to about 30,000.

Townsend Wins Race To K.O. Opponent

Sitting with around 53,000 Brian Townsend raised to 600 from late position only to have the short-stacked player in seat 5 move all for around 2,400. Townsend made the call and showed AK. His opponent showed 55 and they were in a race situation. The flop was good for seat 5, running 987. But the turn brought the K ,connecting with Townsend to give him the best hand. The river 3 missed both players and Townsend sent his opponent to the rail while increasing his stack to 56,000.

Markus Lehmann Wins a Nice Pot

Markus Lehmann raised to 600 from the cutoff and the player on the button made the call as did the player in the big blind. The flop came 1084, and the action was checked around to Lehmann who bet 1,200. The player on the button folded the hand while the player in the big blind made the call. The turn was the 4 and once again the big blind checked to Lehmann who this time bet 2,300. The big blind called and the river was the Q. Both players checked the river, the big blind turned over 86 for two pair (eight and fours) while Lehmann showed a better two pair (tens and fours). Lehmann raked another nice pot, bringing his current chip count to just about even, or 20,000.

Player Tags: Isabelle Mercier,   Markus Lehmann,   Brian Townsend

Huck Seed Moves On

Mar 01, '08

On a flop of 10-7-5 Brian Townsend and Huck Seed get it all in. Townsend shows 6-5 and Seed is ahead with Q-10. The turn and river blank for Townsend and he is eliminated. Seed moves on to the sweet sixteen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Brian Townsend

David Pham Gets a Bad Beat

Feb 29, '08

David Pham is all in with pocket nines against the 10-9 offsuit of Brian "sbrugby" Townsend. The flop comes 10-10-7 and Pham is drawing to a chop. The turn is a five and that kills Pham's chances as Townsend advances to the next round.

Player Tags: David Pham,   Brian Townsend

Huck Seed Moves On

Mar 01, '08

On a flop of 10-7-5 Brian Townsend and Huck Seed get it all in. Townsend shows 6-5 and Seed is ahead with Q-10. The turn and river blank for Townsend and he is eliminated. Seed moves on to the sweet sixteen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Huck Seed,   Brian Townsend

David Pham Gets a Bad Beat

Feb 29, '08

David Pham is all in with pocket nines against the 10-9 offsuit of Brian "sbrugby" Townsend. The flop comes 10-10-7 and Pham is drawing to a chop. The turn is a five and that kills Pham's chances as Townsend advances to the next round.

Player Tags: David Pham,   Brian Townsend

Play Finally Begins

Jun 19, '07

Play has finally gotten underway  in the heads up event. Here is the recap of hour one.

Sick Match-Ups

Max Pescatori vs. Patrik Antonius
Freddy Deeb vs. Daniel Negreanu
Dan Harrington vs. Howard Lederer
Kristy Gazes vs. Rene Angelil
Davidson Matthews vs. Kenna James
Isabelle Mercier vs. John Phan
Amir Vahedi vs. Clonie Gowen
Jon "PearlJammer" Turner vs. Jason Strasser
Jennifer Harman vs. Ted Forrest

Flushes Over Flushes

David Williams won his match on the first hand, when he flopped the nut flush draw and his opponent flopped a pair and the second nut flush draw.  They got involved in a raising war, getting all the money in on the flop.  Williams caught his flush and had his opponent drawing dead going into the river.  Williams might nor have gotten one of the controversial byes, but he got the next best thing.  Brian Townsend got involved in a similar hand. Unfortunately for Townsend, he was on the second-nuts side, and found himself out of the tournament within half an hour of starting.

Winners

Shannon Elizabeth, Jennifer Tilly, Evelyn Ng, Antonio Esfandiari and Bill Chen all won their first match.  Chen won his match when he got all his money on on a flop of A Q 7 with the K Q against his opponents' A 9. The turn brought his opponent two pair with the 9, but the 4 on the river completed Chen's flush and gave him the victory.

Pescatori vs. Antonius

The Max Pescatori versus Patrik Antonius match has been a roller coaster.  Pescatori was down to only $2,000 after his A Q ran into Antonius' Q 6 with a board of Q 10 6 3.  He was able to fight back slowly, and eventually doubled back up to almost even when he got Antonius to call his all-in after his 9 9 connected with the board of Q J 9 3 Q.

Action continues in round one, with many great matches still going on.  Make sure to check back for more hourly updates here at Cardplayer.com.

Player Tags: Max Pescatori,   David Williams,   Patrik Antonius,   Brian Townsend