Bertrand Grospellier Poker Tournament Updates

Level Three Update: Total Prize Pool Announced

Jul 10, '11

NOTE: The field is now on a 90-minute dinner break and they will return at 8:30 p.m.

NOTE: Levels are two hours in length and players are starting with 30,000 in chips. Registration will remain open until the end of the second level.

Players on Day 1D: Approximately 2,809

Blinds: 150-300

Notables Remaining:

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman — 26,000
Matt Matros — 36,000

Featured Poker Tweet — Jeff Shulman

Notables Eliminated This Level:

Bertrand Grospellier
Cyndy Violette
Micah Raskin
Alexander Kostritsyn
Thomas Marchese
Abe Mosseri
Melanie Weisner

Hands:

Prize Pool Announced!

There are 2,809 players in today’s field and that brings the total size of the 2011 main event field to 6,865. The total prize pool stands at 64,531,000 and the first-place prize is $8,711,956. The top 693 players will get prize money in the event. The full payout structure will be released later this evening.

Bertrand Grospellier Eliminated

Tony McCann raised to 1,000 preflop and Bertrand Grospellier reraised all in for 10,500. McCann made the call and they flipped over their cards:

Grospellier: A K
McCann: A A

Board: 9 6 4 2 7

Grospellier was eliminated on the hand.

Featured Poker Tweet — Shannon Elizabeth

Cyndy Violette Eliminated

The flop read 10 5 2 when UTG bet 600 and Cyndy Violette made the call. The turn fell K and UTG bet 600. Violette min-raised to 1,200 and her opponent made the call.

The river fell Q and UTG moved all in. Violette made the all-in call for 2,000 and she turned over 2 2. UTG held A J and Violette was eliminated on the hand.

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Cyndy Violette,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Shannon Elizabeth

Level 30: End of Day 3; Ebanks Leads Moorman Heads-Up

Jun 30, '11

NOTE: Play has ended for the night in accordance with the ten-level rule. The final two players will return at 2:30pm to resume play and will continue until a winner is determined.

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

Players Remaining: 2 out of 474

Average Chip Count: 7,110,000

Chip Counts:

1. Joe Ebanks – 11,015,000
2. Chris Moorman – 3,215,000

Eliminations:

3rd. Bertrand Grospellier – $447,074

Bertrand Grospellier Eliminated in 3rd Place ($447,074)

Bertrand Grospellier button-shoved before the flop for about 1.7 million, Joe Ebanks re-shoved from the small blind and Chris Moorman folded the big blind.

Ebanks had 8 8 against Grospellier’s K 10.

The board came 9 9 5 3 Q, no help for Bertrand Grosppelier who was eliminated in 3rd place ($447,074).

NOTE: With the elimination of Bertrand Grospellier in 3rd place, Chris Moorman took the chip lead going into heads-up play with roughly 7,400,000 to Joe Ebanks’ 6,800,000.

Be sure to check back at 2:30pm for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Bertrand Grospellier,   Joe Ebanks,   Chris Moorman

Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier Wins Event #21 ($331,639)

Jun 15, '11

Steve Landfsih Eliminated in 2nd Place ($204,924)

After an epic heads-up battle in which the chip lead seemed to change nearly every hand, Bertrand Grospellier had finally gained the lead back once again heading into Level 28, and quickly went to work chipping away at Landfish’s stack.

Grospellier won a huge pot that went to a showdown with two pair against Landfish’s single pair and a busted draw. This hand put Grospellier way out ahead, and Landfish on his last life with just 300,000 remaining.

On the final hand of the night, Landfish got the rest of his chips in the pot on third street with an ace-high and three to a flush while Grospellier had just an offsuit jack and some random small cards.

Landfish: A 4 3 J 4 10 7
Grospellier: J 5 9 5 6 6 6

Grospellier open-paired sixes on sixth street and caught a third on the river for trips while Landfish bricked completely. Steve Landfish was eliminated in 2nd place ($204,924) while Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier won his first gold bracelet in Event #21 and the $331,639 grand prize. This win makes Grospellier poker’s fourth Triple Crown winner overall, and the second of this year’s WSOP with Jake Cody already achieving this remarkable feat in the second event of the summer.

Player Tags: Bertrand Grospellier

Level 27: Back And Forth, "ElkY" Leads For The Moment

Jun 15, '11

Ante: 20,000
Low Card: 20,000
Completion: 80,000
Limits: 80,000-160,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 126

Average Chip Count: 1,890,000

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 2,030,000
2. Steve Landfish – 1,750,000

Grospellier Takes Small Lead Into Last level

Grospellier began Level 27 with the chip lead, but Landfish chipped up early a bit, quickly regaining the lead for himself after making trip fives in a big pot that saw a showdown and a lot of chips change hands.

Landfish continued to grind Grospellier down until he got it all in on fourth street with two split pairs (tens and eights) against Landfish’s wired kings. Landfish failed to improve by seventh street and Grospellier was back in the game with 1.7 million, just a little shy of Landfish’s 2.1 million. Grospellier rode that momentum and raised his opponent off of a few pots to regain the chip lead again after whittling down at Landfish’s stack.

Grospellier gave up the chip lead once gain after Landfish made an open pair of nines on fifth street and won a big showdown with two pair. This type of back and forth action continued until Grospellier managed to hold a slight lead heading into Level 28 with just over 2 million to Landfish’s 1.75 million.

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Bertrand Grospellier

Level 26: "ElkY" Mounts Comeback, Takes Big Lead

Jun 15, '11

Ante: 15,000
Low Card: 20,000
Completion: 60,000
Limits: 60,000-120,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 126

Average Chip Count: 1,890,000

Chip Counts:

1. Bertrand Grospellier – 2,990,000
2. Steve Landfish – 790,000

“ElkY” Mounts Incredible Comeback

Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier began heads-up play with a chip deficit of 1.5 million to Steve Landfish’s 2.2 million. Level 25 Saw Grospellier begin a downward spiral that ended with Landfish having a 14:1 chip lead against him with 3.5 million to Grospellier’s 250,000.

Level 26 was much Kinder to Grospellier and he was able to chip back up to 1.4 million before eventually stealing the chip lead from Landfish and reversing the counts. Grospellier won a big pot with a full house against what Landfish claimed was a flush and then open-paired aces on sixth street to take another big pot, cumulatively putting him in the lead with 2.2 million to Landfish’s 1.5 million at that point.

Landfish was able to recover and eventually regained the chip lead with queens-up in a pot that went to a showdown. Grospellier then took down a pot on seventh street with a Broadway straight, ending the level with the chip lead. At this point in the match the average stack was slightly more than 15 BBs, so the back and forth nature of the chip counts could be expected.

Grospellier ended the level on top with just under 3 million to Landfish’s 800,000. With the limits increasing to 80,000-160,000 when the players return from break, Landfish has got a lot of work to do, and quickly, if he is going to challenge the chip lead once again.

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Bertrand Grospellier

Level 24: Landfish Leads Grospellier Heads-Up; Troy 3rd

Jun 14, '11

Ante: 10,000
Low Card: 10,000
Completion: 40,000
Limits: 40,000-80,000

Players Remaining: 2 out of 126

Average Chip Count: 1,890,000

Chip Counts:

1. Steve Landfish – 2,595,000
2. Bertrand Grospellier – 1,190,000

Eliminations:

3rd. Maxwell Troy – $128,314

Maxwell Troy Eliminated in 3rd Place ($128,314)

Maxwell Troy started the level as the short stack with only 500,000, and got it all in on fifth street with a pair of nines against Steve Landfish’s pair of queens.

Troy: 9 4 9 6 10
Landfish: Q 5 Q A 4

Troy failed to improve on either of the next two streets while Landfish double paired fives on the river to win the hand. Maxwell Troy was eliminated in 3rd place ($128,314).

NOTE: Steve Landfish began heads-up play with a chip lead of 2,260,000 to 1,520,000 against Bertrand Grospellier.

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Maxwell Troy,   Bertrand Grospellier

Level 21: Landfish Leads Final Five; Brown 6th, Tang 7th, Tryba 8th

Jun 14, '11

Ante: 5,000
Low Card: 5,000
Completion: 20,000
Limits: 20,000-40,000

Players Remaining: 5 out of 126

Average Chip Count: 756,000

Chip Counts:

1. Steve Landfish 1,400,000
2. Bertrand Grospellier – 900,000
3. Maxwell Troy – 800,000
4. John Hennigan – 775,000
5. Alexander Kostritsyn – 400,000

Eliminations:

6th. Chad Brown – $57,917
7th. Kevin Tang – $47,032
8th. Christopher Tryba – $38,812

Christopher Tryba Eliminated 8th Place ($38,812)

Christopher Tryba came to the official eight-handed final table as the short stack and was eliminated on the first hand. Maxwell Troy brought in the low card with the 3, Chris Tryba completed with the K, Alexander Kostritsyn called with the 5, Troy raised, Tribya made it three-bets, Kostritsyn folded and Troy called. Tryba got the rest of his chips in on fourth street and was behind with one pair of Kings against Troy’s two pairs of jacks and threes.

Tryba: K 9 K 6 A 7 8
Troy: J J 3 3 4K 2

Christopher Tryba bricked on the remaining street and was the first one eliminated in 8th place ($28,812).

Kevin Tang Eliminated in 7th Place ($47,032)

Kevin Tang was on the short stack after Christopher Tryba was eliminated in 8th place, and got it all in on sixth street in this hand shortly after.

Steve Landfish completed with the J and Kevin Tang called with the 8 on third street. Landfish continued to bet through sixth street where Tang was all in with K – Q high against Landfish’s wired pair of nines.

Tang: Q 5 8 7 K 4
Landfish: 9 9 J 7 K 2.

Tang revered the 8 to make a lower pair than Landfish was already showing and was eliminated in 7th place ($47,032). Landfish grabbed the chip lead for the moment with just over 1.1 million this hand.

Chad Brown Eliminated in 6th Place ($57,917)

In the previous hand, Bertrand Grospellier was all in on sixth street with with a pair of kings and a diamond flush draw against Chad Brown’s two pair of aces and threes. Grospellier rivered his flush and doubled through Brown in a 600,000 pot. Brown was left with just over one big bet and got it all in against Maxwell Troy right after.

Brown: 9 9 4 7 5 A
Troy: 9 9 4 Q 2 3

Incredibly enough, both players had the very same hand on third street with a wired pair of nines and a four in the door. Brown was ahead on sixth street with an ace-high to Troy’s queen-high, but failed to improve on the river as Troy paired his deuce and made nines-up. Chad Brown was eliminated in 6th place ($57,917).

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: Maxwell Troy,   Christopher Tryba,   Kevin Tang,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Chad Brown

Level 20: Schulman Eliminated 9th; Final Table Now Underway

Jun 14, '11

NOTE: Play resumed today at 3:00pm with 14 players, and with the elimination of Nick Schulman in 9th place ($32,488), the official eight-handed final table is now underway.

Ante: 3,000
Low Card: 5,000
Completion: 15,000
Limits: 15,000-30,000

Players Remaining: 8 out of 126

Average Chip Count: 472,500

Chip Counts:

1. John Hennigan – 1,103,000
2. Steve Landfish – 1,006,000
3. Bertrand Grospellier – 444,000
4. Alexander Kostritsyn – 394,000
5. Kevin Tang – 193,000
6. Maxwell Troy – 115,000
7. Christopher Tryba – 107,000
8. Chad Brown – 40,300

Payouts:

1st. $331,639
2nd. $204,924
3rd. $128,341
4th. $92,928
5th. $72,627
6th. $57,917
7th. $47,032
8th. $38,812

Be sure to check back hourly for level-by-level updates of this final table.

Player Tags: John Hennigan,   Maxwell Troy,   Christopher Tryba,   Nick Schulman,   Kevin Tang,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Alexander Kostritsyn,   Chad Brown

Phil Galfond Defeats Bertrand Grospellier

Mar 05, '11

Betrand Grospellier was all in holding pocket deuces, but Phil Galfond had him in rough shape with pocket nines.

The nines held and Grospellier was eliminated. Galfond is now in the money and will face the winner between Peter Eastgate and Vanessa Selbst in the Sweet 16.

Player Tags: Phil Galfond,   Bertrand Grospellier

Bertrand Grospellier Defeats Justin Young

Mar 04, '11

At one point, the match between Justin Young and Bertrand Grospellier looked like it would be the shortest in the room. It wound up being the longest.

Young made a wheel early on to crippled Grospellier, but some lucky all ins found Grospellier with the chip lead. On the final hand, Young was all in holding A4 against Grospellier’s pocket kings.

The kings held and Young was eliminated. Grospellier will now face Phil Galfond in the next round.

Player Tags: Justin Young,   Bertrand Grospellier

Phil Galfond Defeats Bertrand Grospellier

Mar 05, '11

Betrand Grospellier was all in holding pocket deuces, but Phil Galfond had him in rough shape with pocket nines.

The nines held and Grospellier was eliminated. Galfond is now in the money and will face the winner between Peter Eastgate and Vanessa Selbst in the Sweet 16.

Player Tags: Phil Galfond,   Bertrand Grospellier

Bertrand Grospellier Defeats Justin Young

Mar 04, '11

At one point, the match between Justin Young and Bertrand Grospellier looked like it would be the shortest in the room. It wound up being the longest.

Young made a wheel early on to crippled Grospellier, but some lucky all ins found Grospellier with the chip lead. On the final hand, Young was all in holding A4 against Grospellier’s pocket kings.

The kings held and Young was eliminated. Grospellier will now face Phil Galfond in the next round.

Player Tags: Justin Young,   Bertrand Grospellier

Level 4 Update: Phil Ivey Shows Up, Takes Chip Lead

Dec 03, '10

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 340 out of 391 (unofficial)

Chip Counts:

1. Phil Ivey — 152,000
2. Antonio Esfandiari — 141,000
3. Michael Gracz — 125,000
4. Jordan Young — 110,000
5. Curt Kohlberg — 110,000
6. Owen Crowe — 95,000
7. Soi Nguyen — 85,000
8. Chris DeMaci — 84,000
9. David Peters — 80,000
10. Allen Carter — 80,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman — 12,000

Average Chip Count: About 46,000

Notable Eliminations:

Michael Binger
Vanessa Selbst

Big Hands:

Jean-Robert Bellande Scores A Double Up

On a flop of 886, Jean-Robert Bellande bet 3,000 before another player raised to 10,000. Bellande moved in for his last 12,000 more and his opponent made the priced in call.

Bellande’s Q-8 was well ahead of pocket nines and they stayed that way as the turn and river fell 73. On his twitter account, Bellande quipped, “I won that coin flip.”

Maria Ho Straightens Out Bertrand Grospellier

Maria Ho raised to 1,225 from late position and Bertrand Grospellier reraised to 2,225 from the big blind.

Ho called and the flop fell 643 and Grospellier checked. Ho bet 2,400 and Grospellier called. The turn was the 10 and both players checked.

The river was the 7 and Grospellier checked once again. Ho bet 7,300 and Grospellier made the call only to muck after seeing Ho’s pocket fives for the rivered straight.

Ho now has 32,000, but Grospellier is still above his starting stack with 48,000.

Player Tags: Jean-Robert Bellande,   Maria Ho,   Bertrand Grospellier

Level 4 Update: ElkY Eliminated

Nov 13, '10

Blinds: 150-300

Players Remaining: 319 (Approximate)

Eliminations:

Nick Binger
Bertrand Grospellier
Jose Barbero
Carter Phillips
Mohsin Charania
Ryan Young
Jonathan Little

Big Hands:

Small Battles Adding Up

The small battles continue to take place at the active table 35. A recent hand saw Maria Ho bet 500 from the hijack on a 8 6 2 flop. Isaac Baron made the call from the cutoff and the 7 fell on the turn. Ho checked, Baron bet 2,200, and after some thought Ho mucked.

Ramdin vs. Rosen Again

Joe Bartholdi (cutoff), Jamie Rosen (small blind), and Victor Ramdin (big blind) all bought a 600-chip ticket to see a flop of K Q 2. They all checked and the turn fell 5. Ramdin bet 1,200 and Bartholdi mucked. Rosen made the call and the river fell 7. Ramdin bet 2,500 and Rosen made a reluctant call. He quickly mucked when Ramdin flipped over K 4 to win the hand.

Saul Grabs Some Quick Chips

Four players checked a limped flop of 10 9 9 and the 4 followed on the turn. Kevin Saul then opened the action for 500 from the small blind and Steve Sung mucked from the big blind. UTG made the call and the button mucked. The river brought the 9 and Saul fired out another 600. His opponent mucked and Saul added a couple thousand to his stack. He is still fighting to get back to a starting stack after a slow start.

Jason Senti Chips Up

There was a flop that read A 7 5 when Jason Senti bet 1,225 from the cutoff. The small blind made the call, leaving himself 9,000 behind, and then both players checked the 4 on the turn. The 3 fell on the river. The small blind checked and Senti fired out 2,100. The small blind hemmed and hawed for a few moments and tossed in the chips for a call. Senti flipped over 4 3 for the “Ugly two pair,” as he put it and grew his stack above where he started today with 30,000.

Poker Tweets

Player Tags: Victor Ramdin,   Maria Ho,   Kevin Saul,   Isaac Baron,   Jonathan Little,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Jamie Rosen,   Jason Senti

Level 10 Update: Players Dropping Like Flies, Down to 10

Jul 04, '10

Blinds: 800-1,600 with a 200 ante

Players Remaining: 10 out of 27

Average Chip Count: 81,000

Tournament Leaderboard:
1. Daniel Negreanu – 180,000
2. Johnny Chan – 160,000
3. Joe Hachem – 150,000
4. Huck Seed – 69,000
5. TJ Cloutier – 61,500
6. Jennifer Harman – 52,000
7. Barry Greenstein – 51,500
8. Erik Seidel – 35,000
9. Howard Lederer – 28,000
10. Annie Duke – 20,000

Notable Eliminations:

Mike Matusow
Chris Ferguson
Antonio Esfandiari
Scotty Nguyen
Allen Cunningham
Bertrand Grospellier

Big Hands:

The Mouth Is Out

We picked up the action on the turn with the board reading KJ105. Mike Matusow was moving all-in and before he could even finish getting the words out of his mouth, Negreanu had already made the call.

Negreanu showed KK, good for top set and Matusow showed K3, giving him top pair and zero chance at winning the hand.

The 6 on the river was a mere formality and Matusow is on his way out of the tournament area. Negreanu chipped up to 160,000

Jesus Can’t Find a Miracle

T.J. Cloutier raised from the cutoff and Chris Ferguson moved all-in on the button. Cloutier called and saw the good shape he was in.

Ferguson tabled 8h8d and Cloutier was way out in front with his 1010.

The board came AKJ27 and you will notice that none of those cards were the 8 that Ferguson was looking for. Ferguson is eliminated while Cloutier is up to 60,000.

Esfandiari Gone

The board read 1074Q and Antonio Esfandiari was getting all of his chips in the middle against Johnny Chan.

Chan tabled 1010, giving him top set, and Esfandiari was drawing dead with AQ. The river was meaningless and the magician will have to wait for another tournament to play.

“I folded sevens, Johnny,” said Jennifer Harman as Esfandiari was parting way with the table.

Scotty Nguyen Eliminated

The action has really picked up in this level. We saw Scotty Nguyen getting all of his chips in on the river, but mucking to Joe Hachem when Hachem showed trip sixes.

Elky Eliminated

Daniel Negreanu raised under-the-gun and Bertrand Grospellier movedl all-in. Negreanu made the call and tabled AK and was off to the races when he saw the 22 of Grospellier.

The board ran out Q73JK and Negreanu eliminated Grospellier, leaving us with just 11 players.

Hellmuth Can’t Hold On Any Longer

Phil Hellmuth was down to just two big blinds when and was in the big blind. Action folded to Howard Lederer in the small blind. Lederer raised and Hellmuth called without looking.

Lederer showed A9 and Hellmuth want to look at his cards after the board was dealt. Negreanu insisted he just turn his cards over and he turned over the 6 while the dealer peeled off the flop of A93.

Hellmuth was going to need help regardless of what his other card was and after the dealer put out the 4 on the turn, Hellmuth revealed his J as his other card and he was officially drawing dead.

The players are combining to one ten-handed table and will be on the money bubble after an extended break.

Player Tags: Scotty Nguyen,   Chris Ferguson,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Howard Lederer,   Phil Hellmuth,   Johnny Chan,   Bertrand Grospellier

Level 9 Update: Bertrand Grospellier Eliminated

Jun 30, '10

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 300 ante

Players Remaining: 90 out of 191

Average Chip Count: 159,166

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. McLean Karr — 515,000
2. Sam Trickett — 470,000
3. Daniel Negreanu — 419,000
4. Dave Sands — 415,000
5. Nick Schulman — 375,000
6. Ariel Schneller — 360,000
7. Isaac Haxton — 340,000
8. Dan Kelly — 290,000
9. Bryn Kenney — 283,500
10. Scott Seiver — 283,000

Notable Eliminations:

Bertrand Grospellier
Kevin MacPhee

Player Twitter Accounts:

Beth Shak
Daniel Kelly
Kevin Saul
Dani Stern
Justin Bonomo
Daniel Negreanu
David Sands

Big Hands:

Bertrand Grospellier Eliminated

Isaac Haxton bet 4,700 from under the gun and Bertrand Grospellier moved all in for 37,000. Haxton made the call. Grospellier tabled pocket sixes but was in horrible shape versus the pocket eights of Haxton. The board ran out 974Q4 and Grospellier was gone. Haxton was up to 340,000 after the hand.

Kevin MacPhee Eliminated

Alex Roumeliotis bet 4,500. Phil Ivey called. Kevin MacPhee moved all in for 25,100. Scott Seiver called. Roumeliotis and Ivey folded. MacPhee tabled the 66 and was in coin flip versus the AQ of Seiver. The board ran out 753J7 and Seiver won the hand, eliminating MacPhee. Seiver was up to 265,500 after the hand.

Player Tags: Bertrand Grospellier,   Isaac Haxton

Level 6 Update: Bertrand Grospellier and Annette Obrestad Double Up

Jun 29, '10

Blinds: 150-300

Players Remaining: 378 out 460

Average Chip Count: 18,254

Tournament Leaderboard:

1. John Cernuto — 67,000
2. John Duthie — 48,000
3. Ted Forrest — 38,000
4. Andrew Brown — 38,000
5. Phil Ivey — 36,000
6. Jesper Hougaard — 35,300
7. Nick Binger — 35,000
8. Mike Matusow — 35,000
9. Kevin Schaffel — 33,000
10. Michael Mizrachi — 30,000

Notable Eliminations:

David Chiu
Sandra Naujoks
Chad Brown
Shaun Deeb

Big Hands:

Bertrand Grospellier Doubles Up

On a flop 1032 Bertrand Grospellier raised all in after a bet from an opponent. His opponent called. The Q fell on the turn and the river brought the 5. Grospellier’s flopped set with the 33Q5 held and he doubled up.

Annette Obrestad Doubles Up

Annette Obrestad was all in with the 101097 on a 73296. Her flush was good enough to double to 38,000.

Left in the Deck:

Players are on a short 20-minute break.

Player Tags: Bertrand Grospellier,   Annette Obrestad