Shannon Elizabeth - Live Updates

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2B - Level 7 (Hr. 1)

Jul 09, '08

Blinds: 300/600 with 75 ante

Eliminations:
Shannon Elizabeth.

Big Hands/Storylines

Hellmuth Catches Bluff

Action folded around to Phil Hellmuth who limped in middle position. His opponent, on the button, raised to 2,700, and Hellmuth made the call. Hellmuth checked in the dark before the 1083 flop and his opponent checked behind. Hellmuth then check-called a 3,200 bet on the J turn. The river was the J and Hellmuth checked again. His opponent thought for a few seconds before betting 5,700. “You’ve got me beat but I can’t lay this down,” said Hellmuth, moments before calling. His opponent rapped the table and showed 42. Hellmuth’s Q10 was good enough to take down the pot. Hellmuth’s epilogue: “Whenever I limp you guys just keep coming after me!”

With the pot Hellmuth increases his stack to about 90,000.

Excellent Call

A player raised from middle position and Jean-Robert Bellande re-raised to 5,600. The other player called and they saw a flop of A88. Both players checked. Both players checked again on the 9 turn. The river was the K and the other player checked. Bellande, sensing a good opportunity to take down the pot, bet 3,500. He was quickly called and turbo-mucked his hand. His opponent tabled KQ. Bellande is now down to 33,000.

D’Agostino Takes One From Gordon

With the board reading 962210 and about 8,000 in the pot, Phil Gordon bet 6,500 into John D’Agostino. D’Agostino thought for a few seconds before making the call. D’Agostino showed 109 for a rivered top two pair. Despite the hit, Gordon still has nearly 55,000. D'Agostino has 40k.

Elizabeth Bows Out

Shannon Elizabeth was shortstacked through the day, and finally elected to move all-in for her remaining 7150 when in the cut-off position and play folded to her. The button made the call however and showed AJ. It was a dominating hand over Elizabeth’s A8. The flop came QQ7, followed by the 6 and the 9, and Elizabeth was finished in the main event for 2008.

Shulman Nurses Shortstack

Jeff Shulman continues to hover around the 7,000 chip mark, looking for the right moment to double up. One attempt, a 2000 raise from the cut-off, resulted in a reraise to 5100 from the small blind, and Shulman folded, now down to 5300 total. However, he managed to steal the blinds and antes on successive hands minutes later to crawl back to around the 7000 mark.

Sheikhan, Chan Doing Battle

One noteworthy table pairing has experienced pros Johnny Chan and Shawn Sheikhan seated together in the Brasilia Room, with Chan to the immediate left of Sheikhan. In one recent hand, it was 2200 preflop with both players and another in the cut-off. A dangerous looking flop of AAK came down and was checked by all three players. After the 7 on the turn, Sheikhan, in the small blind, bet 6000. That brought about a pair of folds.

Min-Raise Enough for Booth

Brad Booth was in the cut-off, and with the blinds at 300/600 he put in a raise to 1200. Both blinds called. The flop came J22, and after both blinds checked Booth bet 3000. It was enough to take down the pot.

Allen Cunningham continues to be among the shortstacks, but after a recent double-up now has 22,000 in chips.

 

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Johnny Chan,   Brad Booth,   Shannon Elizabeth

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1D - Level 3, Hour 2

Jul 06, '08

At the end of this level players go on a 90-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 8:30 p.m.

The payouts have been announced. The total prize pool is $64,333,600 and 666 players will finish in the money. The first-place prize is $9,119,517.

Blinds: 150-300

Day 1D Players Remaining: 2,079 of 2,461

Chip Counts:

Brad Tisdale - 112000
Shawn Cunix - 110000
Mohmad Koowssarie - 100000
Paul Loh - 97000
Victor Ramdin - 94000
Jason Katsutani - 93000
David Oppenheim - 82500
Richie Smith - 77000
Ben Fineman - 72000
Cory Tymich - 71000

Eliminations:

Doyle Brunson
Paul "Eskimo" Clark
Allen Kessler
Phil Ivey
Jennifer Tilly
George Danzer

Big Hands and Storylines:

Dannenmann ends another's dream

After a flop of J92, Steve Dannenmann raised his opponent all in and was called. Dannenmann held AJ and his opponent, with J10, held just two outs. The turn and river were K5 and Dannenmann collected the pot to improve to 55,000 chips.

Dario’s King-Jack Doesn’t Help Stack

In a pre-flop raised heads-up pot, an opponent checked to Dario Minieri on a flop of J88.  Minieri checked behind, and the dealer put down the 2 on the turn.  Again his opponent checked, allowing Minieri to fire a bet of 1,700 into the pot.  His opponent made the call and the 7 came on the river.  Minieri bet 4,500 when checked to for the third time by his opponent.  After some deliberation, Minieri’s opponent called.  “King-jack,” Minieri announced as he turned over his KJ.  “That sucks for both of us,” his opponent said while turning over his own KJ.  “Look at the freeroll!” the player announced as the dealer split the pot between the two, referring to the diamond flush draw he picked up on the turn.

Opponent Out with a Bang, For Now Yang Can Hang

On a flop of 765 in a pre-flop raised pot, defending champion Jerry Yang fired a bet of 2,700 into the pot. His opponent announced a raise and tossed a single orange 5,000 chip across the line. The dealer told him that he would be committed to a minimum raise, and the player complied by adding 400 more. Yang stood up from his seat and studied his opponent. After asking how much he had behind and discovering he had his opponent only slightly covered, Yang dramatically kissed a small photograph of his family (no doubt for the benefit of the rolling television cameras) and moved his chips into the pot. His opponent called and revealed 1010, while Yang turned over KK. The J turn and K river failed to improve the pocket tens, and Yang stood up to hug his opponent. The well-needed pot for Yang boosted his stack to 35,000.

But later in the level Yang's chip stack took a big hit. After limping preflop and facing a reraise, Yang saw his opponent has 13,475 chips behind and put him all in. His opopnent called and had pocket queens, a four-to-one favorite over Yang's pocket threes. The flop was A-8-8, and then the turn was a three. Yang turned away from the table and yelled in celebration. Meanwhile a queen came on the river, giving the 32,000-chip pot to his opponent. After the hand Yang had about 20,000 chips.

Chan Cruising Along

Johnny Chan is dominating his table with a big stack and profiting from it. He raised preflop to 800 and play was folded to the big blind who called. The flop came 877, and when the big blind checked Chan bet another 1000. He was called. The 2 came on the turn and when the big blind checked, Chan responded with a bet of 1800. His opponent folded, and Chan improved to about 62,000 in chips.

Elizabeth gets some breathing room

Shannon Elizabeth raised from under the gun and was called by the big blind. Both the big blind and Elizabeth checked the flop and turn. After her opponent checked on the river with the board A-A-8-7-10, Elizabeth bet 1,500 and was called. She flipped over pocket tens for a full house and took down the pot. After the hand Elizabeth was nearly up to 10,000.

Tilly knocked out

Jennifer Tilly was eliminated when she ran A-K into pocket tens and failed to improve.

Ferguson Sinking Fast

Chris Ferguson is down to below 10,000 chips and has had little if any momentum all day. He recently called an 800 raise from the cut-off position and saw the flop come A63. The original bettor made it 1150 to go and Ferguson made the call. The 7 came on the turn and both players checked, then the 9 fell on the river. The bettor came out for 2800 and Ferguson released his hand, now down to 9500 in chips.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Johnny Chan,   Jennifer Tilly,   Steve Dannenmann,   Shannon Elizabeth

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1D - Level One, Hour Two

Jul 06, '08

Blinds: 50/100

Chip Counts:

Thomas Keller - 56,000
Steve Billirakis - 50,000
Doug Lee - 46,000
Gary Germann - 46,000
Jon Friedberg - 40,500
Robert Cheung - 38,000
Paul 'Eskimo' Clark - 37,500
David Oppenheim - 37,000
David Woo - 37000
Steve Dannenmann - 37,000

Eliminations:

David Williams
Paul Wolfe
Scott Lazar

Big Hands/Storylines

Ferguson Loses Part of Stack, Still Looks Good in Black

On a flop of 863, 2000 World Series of Poker main event champion Chris “Jesus” Ferguson (wearing his trademark black leather duster jacket and hat) checked to his opponent, who made a bet of 2,200.  After deliberating, Ferguson made the call and checked again when the Q fell on the turn.  His opponent checked behind, and the two players took a look at the 5 on the river.  Ferguson continued to check, prompting his opponent to make a bet of 6,000.  Ferguson released his cards electing to protect his remaining 14,650.  Ferguson lost approximately one quarter of his stack in the hand.

Inexperience Shows

In a tournament with approximately 7,000 entrants, one is bound to come across players who have yet to develop the savvy to play in live games. Nils Ericcson is one of those players. Four players limped and Ericcson made it 675 from the small blind. Three players called and they saw a flop of K75. Ericcson led out for a bet of 1,700 and was called by a single player.

At this point Ericcson was noticeably trembling. This was not just a slight spasmodic episode of the hands; Ericcson was in full blown convulsive mode. Ericcson rested his elbows on the table and veiled his mouth with his hands, a prototypical poker gesture if there ever was one, only this one rendered moot by uncontrollable trembling, more befitting of a serial killer in the electric chair than a poker player in a well cushioned, lower-back supporting chair.

The turn card was the innocuous looking 2 and Ericcson bet 4,000. His opponent, still thinking nothing of the earthquake seated two seats to his right, made the call. When the dealer flipped over the Q on the river, Ericcson, shaking but not deterred, moved all in for his final 9,000. His opponent thought long and hard about his decision, staring down the Scandinavian as he did. Apparently whatever read he was getting from the young Ericcson was different from that of the small contingent of poker reporters tableside, and he made the call, showing 55. Ericcson was finally able to unleash all of his energy, theretofore confined to his hands – and head and abdomen and legs – but he did not leap from his chair, nor did he scream or even stand up. He calmly tabled his KK and watched the dealer push the pot in his direction.

Ericcson, now sitting (still) with about 35,000 chips in his charge, will need to quell his physiological tells if he plans on making a deep run in this tournament. Or he can just keep flopping the nuts and getting paid off.

Yang Survives All-in

Jerry Yang won his share of showdowns to capture the 2007 World Series of Poker main event, and he just survived his first of 2008. Yang, already critically low on chips, was in the small blind and limped with five others for 100 to see a flop come 952. Yang and the next two players checked then the player in seat 7 bet 500. Play came to the player on the button, but before he could act, Yang announced “call” out of turn. The button player, still with his option, raised to 1500, and all eyes turned back to Yang. In a familiar ritual to those who watched his 2007 championship run, and with television cameras and photographers jostling for position, Yang tanked, then stood, kissed his family photo, and announced “all-in” for his remaining 6475 in chips. Seat 7 folded, and the player on the button called. Yang showed a flopped flush, holding 107, while the button held 43, a smaller flush, but with an open-ended straight flush. But the defending champ would survive when the turn came 10 and the river brought the 9.

Evdakov Still Thrashes After Ten Cashes

Currently the all time record holder for most cashes in a single World Series of Poker with 10, Nikolay Evdakov started his main event today striving for his 11th.  In one hand, Evdakov raised to 300 total from early position, which brought the camera crews over to record the action.  His lone caller was his opponent in the big blind, who checked a flop of 655.  Evdakov bet again, this time 500, and his opponent folded.

Mortensen Still Up

Carlos Mortensen lost a small pot from the cut-off position, but remains up on the day with about 27,000 in chips. He opened for a raise to 300, which the small blind called, then the big blind reraised to 1000. Mortensen called and the flop came AK8. The big blind led out for 1500 and Mortensen laid his hand down.

Elizabeth Getting to See Flops

Shannon Elizabeth was in the big blind and was one of four players to see the flop for the minimum 100. The cards came Q103. All four players checked and the 3 came on the turn. Elizabeth bet 350 and took the pot. The next hand as small blind Elizabeth was one of four players to see the flop after a raise to 300. The flop came K95, and a late position bet for 550 got Elizabeth and the others to fold.

Day after big win, UFC's Griffin doubles up

With the board Q-10-7-5-Q, UFC fighter Forest Griffin calls all in and flips over pocket sevens for a full house. His opponent mucks and Griffin doubles up to about 30,000 chips. Griffin seemed to hesitate calling on the river, and Johnny Chan said that with full houses you pretty much always have to go with it.

"It's much easier on a computer," Griffin replied. "I don't know what's going on here."

He later added: "So do I have to lose all this before I can go?" Considering Griffin defeated Quinton "Rampage" Jackson last night, one can only imagine what Jackson looks like right now. Griffin has bruises on his forehead and ear, and his right eye is nearly swollen shut.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Carlos Mortensen,   Jerry Yang,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Nikolay Evdakov

$10,000 Main Event - Day 2B - Level 7 (Hr. 1)

Jul 09, '08

Blinds: 300/600 with 75 ante

Eliminations:
Shannon Elizabeth.

Big Hands/Storylines

Hellmuth Catches Bluff

Action folded around to Phil Hellmuth who limped in middle position. His opponent, on the button, raised to 2,700, and Hellmuth made the call. Hellmuth checked in the dark before the 1083 flop and his opponent checked behind. Hellmuth then check-called a 3,200 bet on the J turn. The river was the J and Hellmuth checked again. His opponent thought for a few seconds before betting 5,700. “You’ve got me beat but I can’t lay this down,” said Hellmuth, moments before calling. His opponent rapped the table and showed 42. Hellmuth’s Q10 was good enough to take down the pot. Hellmuth’s epilogue: “Whenever I limp you guys just keep coming after me!”

With the pot Hellmuth increases his stack to about 90,000.

Excellent Call

A player raised from middle position and Jean-Robert Bellande re-raised to 5,600. The other player called and they saw a flop of A88. Both players checked. Both players checked again on the 9 turn. The river was the K and the other player checked. Bellande, sensing a good opportunity to take down the pot, bet 3,500. He was quickly called and turbo-mucked his hand. His opponent tabled KQ. Bellande is now down to 33,000.

D’Agostino Takes One From Gordon

With the board reading 962210 and about 8,000 in the pot, Phil Gordon bet 6,500 into John D’Agostino. D’Agostino thought for a few seconds before making the call. D’Agostino showed 109 for a rivered top two pair. Despite the hit, Gordon still has nearly 55,000. D'Agostino has 40k.

Elizabeth Bows Out

Shannon Elizabeth was shortstacked through the day, and finally elected to move all-in for her remaining 7150 when in the cut-off position and play folded to her. The button made the call however and showed AJ. It was a dominating hand over Elizabeth’s A8. The flop came QQ7, followed by the 6 and the 9, and Elizabeth was finished in the main event for 2008.

Shulman Nurses Shortstack

Jeff Shulman continues to hover around the 7,000 chip mark, looking for the right moment to double up. One attempt, a 2000 raise from the cut-off, resulted in a reraise to 5100 from the small blind, and Shulman folded, now down to 5300 total. However, he managed to steal the blinds and antes on successive hands minutes later to crawl back to around the 7000 mark.

Sheikhan, Chan Doing Battle

One noteworthy table pairing has experienced pros Johnny Chan and Shawn Sheikhan seated together in the Brasilia Room, with Chan to the immediate left of Sheikhan. In one recent hand, it was 2200 preflop with both players and another in the cut-off. A dangerous looking flop of AAK came down and was checked by all three players. After the 7 on the turn, Sheikhan, in the small blind, bet 6000. That brought about a pair of folds.

Min-Raise Enough for Booth

Brad Booth was in the cut-off, and with the blinds at 300/600 he put in a raise to 1200. Both blinds called. The flop came J22, and after both blinds checked Booth bet 3000. It was enough to take down the pot.

Allen Cunningham continues to be among the shortstacks, but after a recent double-up now has 22,000 in chips.

 

Player Tags: Jeff Shulman,   Shawn Sheikhan,   Johnny Chan,   Brad Booth,   Shannon Elizabeth

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1D - Level 3, Hour 2

Jul 06, '08

At the end of this level players go on a 90-minute dinner break. Play will resume at 8:30 p.m.

The payouts have been announced. The total prize pool is $64,333,600 and 666 players will finish in the money. The first-place prize is $9,119,517.

Blinds: 150-300

Day 1D Players Remaining: 2,079 of 2,461

Chip Counts:

Brad Tisdale - 112000
Shawn Cunix - 110000
Mohmad Koowssarie - 100000
Paul Loh - 97000
Victor Ramdin - 94000
Jason Katsutani - 93000
David Oppenheim - 82500
Richie Smith - 77000
Ben Fineman - 72000
Cory Tymich - 71000

Eliminations:

Doyle Brunson
Paul "Eskimo" Clark
Allen Kessler
Phil Ivey
Jennifer Tilly
George Danzer

Big Hands and Storylines:

Dannenmann ends another's dream

After a flop of J92, Steve Dannenmann raised his opponent all in and was called. Dannenmann held AJ and his opponent, with J10, held just two outs. The turn and river were K5 and Dannenmann collected the pot to improve to 55,000 chips.

Dario’s King-Jack Doesn’t Help Stack

In a pre-flop raised heads-up pot, an opponent checked to Dario Minieri on a flop of J88.  Minieri checked behind, and the dealer put down the 2 on the turn.  Again his opponent checked, allowing Minieri to fire a bet of 1,700 into the pot.  His opponent made the call and the 7 came on the river.  Minieri bet 4,500 when checked to for the third time by his opponent.  After some deliberation, Minieri’s opponent called.  “King-jack,” Minieri announced as he turned over his KJ.  “That sucks for both of us,” his opponent said while turning over his own KJ.  “Look at the freeroll!” the player announced as the dealer split the pot between the two, referring to the diamond flush draw he picked up on the turn.

Opponent Out with a Bang, For Now Yang Can Hang

On a flop of 765 in a pre-flop raised pot, defending champion Jerry Yang fired a bet of 2,700 into the pot. His opponent announced a raise and tossed a single orange 5,000 chip across the line. The dealer told him that he would be committed to a minimum raise, and the player complied by adding 400 more. Yang stood up from his seat and studied his opponent. After asking how much he had behind and discovering he had his opponent only slightly covered, Yang dramatically kissed a small photograph of his family (no doubt for the benefit of the rolling television cameras) and moved his chips into the pot. His opponent called and revealed 1010, while Yang turned over KK. The J turn and K river failed to improve the pocket tens, and Yang stood up to hug his opponent. The well-needed pot for Yang boosted his stack to 35,000.

But later in the level Yang's chip stack took a big hit. After limping preflop and facing a reraise, Yang saw his opponent has 13,475 chips behind and put him all in. His opopnent called and had pocket queens, a four-to-one favorite over Yang's pocket threes. The flop was A-8-8, and then the turn was a three. Yang turned away from the table and yelled in celebration. Meanwhile a queen came on the river, giving the 32,000-chip pot to his opponent. After the hand Yang had about 20,000 chips.

Chan Cruising Along

Johnny Chan is dominating his table with a big stack and profiting from it. He raised preflop to 800 and play was folded to the big blind who called. The flop came 877, and when the big blind checked Chan bet another 1000. He was called. The 2 came on the turn and when the big blind checked, Chan responded with a bet of 1800. His opponent folded, and Chan improved to about 62,000 in chips.

Elizabeth gets some breathing room

Shannon Elizabeth raised from under the gun and was called by the big blind. Both the big blind and Elizabeth checked the flop and turn. After her opponent checked on the river with the board A-A-8-7-10, Elizabeth bet 1,500 and was called. She flipped over pocket tens for a full house and took down the pot. After the hand Elizabeth was nearly up to 10,000.

Tilly knocked out

Jennifer Tilly was eliminated when she ran A-K into pocket tens and failed to improve.

Ferguson Sinking Fast

Chris Ferguson is down to below 10,000 chips and has had little if any momentum all day. He recently called an 800 raise from the cut-off position and saw the flop come A63. The original bettor made it 1150 to go and Ferguson made the call. The 7 came on the turn and both players checked, then the 9 fell on the river. The bettor came out for 2800 and Ferguson released his hand, now down to 9500 in chips.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Johnny Chan,   Jennifer Tilly,   Steve Dannenmann,   Shannon Elizabeth

$10,000 Main Event - Day 1D - Level One, Hour Two

Jul 06, '08

Blinds: 50/100

Chip Counts:

Thomas Keller - 56,000
Steve Billirakis - 50,000
Doug Lee - 46,000
Gary Germann - 46,000
Jon Friedberg - 40,500
Robert Cheung - 38,000
Paul 'Eskimo' Clark - 37,500
David Oppenheim - 37,000
David Woo - 37000
Steve Dannenmann - 37,000

Eliminations:

David Williams
Paul Wolfe
Scott Lazar

Big Hands/Storylines

Ferguson Loses Part of Stack, Still Looks Good in Black

On a flop of 863, 2000 World Series of Poker main event champion Chris “Jesus” Ferguson (wearing his trademark black leather duster jacket and hat) checked to his opponent, who made a bet of 2,200.  After deliberating, Ferguson made the call and checked again when the Q fell on the turn.  His opponent checked behind, and the two players took a look at the 5 on the river.  Ferguson continued to check, prompting his opponent to make a bet of 6,000.  Ferguson released his cards electing to protect his remaining 14,650.  Ferguson lost approximately one quarter of his stack in the hand.

Inexperience Shows

In a tournament with approximately 7,000 entrants, one is bound to come across players who have yet to develop the savvy to play in live games. Nils Ericcson is one of those players. Four players limped and Ericcson made it 675 from the small blind. Three players called and they saw a flop of K75. Ericcson led out for a bet of 1,700 and was called by a single player.

At this point Ericcson was noticeably trembling. This was not just a slight spasmodic episode of the hands; Ericcson was in full blown convulsive mode. Ericcson rested his elbows on the table and veiled his mouth with his hands, a prototypical poker gesture if there ever was one, only this one rendered moot by uncontrollable trembling, more befitting of a serial killer in the electric chair than a poker player in a well cushioned, lower-back supporting chair.

The turn card was the innocuous looking 2 and Ericcson bet 4,000. His opponent, still thinking nothing of the earthquake seated two seats to his right, made the call. When the dealer flipped over the Q on the river, Ericcson, shaking but not deterred, moved all in for his final 9,000. His opponent thought long and hard about his decision, staring down the Scandinavian as he did. Apparently whatever read he was getting from the young Ericcson was different from that of the small contingent of poker reporters tableside, and he made the call, showing 55. Ericcson was finally able to unleash all of his energy, theretofore confined to his hands – and head and abdomen and legs – but he did not leap from his chair, nor did he scream or even stand up. He calmly tabled his KK and watched the dealer push the pot in his direction.

Ericcson, now sitting (still) with about 35,000 chips in his charge, will need to quell his physiological tells if he plans on making a deep run in this tournament. Or he can just keep flopping the nuts and getting paid off.

Yang Survives All-in

Jerry Yang won his share of showdowns to capture the 2007 World Series of Poker main event, and he just survived his first of 2008. Yang, already critically low on chips, was in the small blind and limped with five others for 100 to see a flop come 952. Yang and the next two players checked then the player in seat 7 bet 500. Play came to the player on the button, but before he could act, Yang announced “call” out of turn. The button player, still with his option, raised to 1500, and all eyes turned back to Yang. In a familiar ritual to those who watched his 2007 championship run, and with television cameras and photographers jostling for position, Yang tanked, then stood, kissed his family photo, and announced “all-in” for his remaining 6475 in chips. Seat 7 folded, and the player on the button called. Yang showed a flopped flush, holding 107, while the button held 43, a smaller flush, but with an open-ended straight flush. But the defending champ would survive when the turn came 10 and the river brought the 9.

Evdakov Still Thrashes After Ten Cashes

Currently the all time record holder for most cashes in a single World Series of Poker with 10, Nikolay Evdakov started his main event today striving for his 11th.  In one hand, Evdakov raised to 300 total from early position, which brought the camera crews over to record the action.  His lone caller was his opponent in the big blind, who checked a flop of 655.  Evdakov bet again, this time 500, and his opponent folded.

Mortensen Still Up

Carlos Mortensen lost a small pot from the cut-off position, but remains up on the day with about 27,000 in chips. He opened for a raise to 300, which the small blind called, then the big blind reraised to 1000. Mortensen called and the flop came AK8. The big blind led out for 1500 and Mortensen laid his hand down.

Elizabeth Getting to See Flops

Shannon Elizabeth was in the big blind and was one of four players to see the flop for the minimum 100. The cards came Q103. All four players checked and the 3 came on the turn. Elizabeth bet 350 and took the pot. The next hand as small blind Elizabeth was one of four players to see the flop after a raise to 300. The flop came K95, and a late position bet for 550 got Elizabeth and the others to fold.

Day after big win, UFC's Griffin doubles up

With the board Q-10-7-5-Q, UFC fighter Forest Griffin calls all in and flips over pocket sevens for a full house. His opponent mucks and Griffin doubles up to about 30,000 chips. Griffin seemed to hesitate calling on the river, and Johnny Chan said that with full houses you pretty much always have to go with it.

"It's much easier on a computer," Griffin replied. "I don't know what's going on here."

He later added: "So do I have to lose all this before I can go?" Considering Griffin defeated Quinton "Rampage" Jackson last night, one can only imagine what Jackson looks like right now. Griffin has bruises on his forehead and ear, and his right eye is nearly swollen shut.

Player Tags: Chris Ferguson,   Carlos Mortensen,   Jerry Yang,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Nikolay Evdakov

$2,000 No Limit Hold'em - Level Four

Jun 27, '08

Blinds/Antes: 100/200/25

Players Remaining: 2,318

Average Stack:  4,500

Chip Counts:
Benjamin Fineman - 27,000
Jullian Herold - 24,400
Jimmy Ngoc Tran - 16,000
Douglas Carli - 15,000
Peter Feldman - 13,200
David Pham - 13,000
Fu Wong - 12,800
Humberto Brenes - 12,500
Jordan Morgan - 11,500

Recent Eliminations:
Howard Lederer
Beth Shak

Big Hands/Storylines:

Ryan Young Takes a Hit

Ryan Young raised to a total of 650 from the second to act position and received calls by the player in the hijack seat (one to the right of the cut-off) and by the small blind.  The three players took a flop of A105, and the small blind checked.  Young continued to bet, this time to the tune of 1,025.  The last player to act reraised all in for a total of 4,100.  The small blind folded and Young went into the tank, asking the dealer to pull in 1,025 from each player to see how much more it would be to call.  After deliberating for a moment, Young released his hand.  Another player at the table speculated that the winner of the pot had a flush draw.  “I didn’t have hearts,” he replied as he stacked his newfound chips.

Khamar Xaythavone Makes a Tough Call

Joe Hachem raised to 600 total from middle position and was called by Khamar Xaythavone on the button.  The player in the small blind called as well, and the three opponents saw a flop of 542.  The small blind checked, and Hachem checked as well.  Xaythavone made a bet of 1,000 and was instantly check-raised all in by the small blind, who had all players covered.  Hachem disgustedly looked at his hand and tossed his cards into the muck.  Xaythavone looked pained as he deliberated, shaking his head several times as he audibly tried to figure out his opponent’s hand.  After several minutes of deliberation, Xaythavone announced a call and turned over 66.  His opponent revealed 73 for an inside straight draw.  The Kwas dealt on the turn, and the Q on the river meant that Xaythavone had successfully doubled up.

Bill Gazes Wins a Big One

The player under-the-gun called and the action folded to Bill Gazes on the button.  Gazes called, and both blinds completed and checked.  The flop came AK3, and the blinds checked.  The player under-the-gun led out with a bet of 600, and Gazes made the call.  Both blinds folded, and the dealer put down the A on the turn.  The under-the-gun player checked, and Gazes made a bet of 1,500.  His opponent called and the Q appeared on the river.  Again Gazes’ opponent checked, allowing Gazes to make a bet of 2,500.  Gazes’ opponent counted out the chips necessary for a call and tossed them into the pot.  Gazes turned over A8, and his opponent mucked.

Shannon Elizabeth Busts Another

Shannon Elizabeth got it all in pre-flop with her AK against her opponent’s QQ.  Elizabeth won the pot when the K appeared on the turn giving her top pair.

Player Tags: Bill Gazes,   Ryan Young,   Joe Hachem,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Khamar Xaythauone,   European Report

$1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo - Level 1

Jun 26, '08

Ante: 10
Bring In: 15
Complete: 50
Limits: 50/100

Players Entered: 495

Storylines/Big Hands

Cards were in the air a little after the scheduled start time as tournament officials moved the tournament to the Brasilia Room and players were still finding their seats as the event began.

Elizabeth Misses Draw

Shannon Elizabeth had the bring-in with the 5, and was called by three players. Elizabeth added the K on fourth street to take the betting lead, and added the 6 on fifth street. The player to her left had drawn an ace and bet out 100, and when action came to Elizabeth she raised to 200, which drew three calls. Elizabeth added the 4 on sixth street, and the same pattern played out again, with one player folding. Seat 3, to Elizabeth's left, showed Q6A3, while seat 1 showed J835. Play was checked after the final card was dealt, and Elizabeth showed A-K-10, a missed low draw and a pairs of kings for high. Seat 1 held 5-2-2 for two pair and swept the pot.

Judah Spills Early

Mel Judah was in a heads-up battle, and on the surface appeared in OK shape. He showed A-K-K-Q while his opponent showed 9-10-J-2. But Judah was called to the end before being raised, when his opponent showed 9-9-2 in the hole for a full house.

Barbieri Misses Out

Al Barbieri, who claimed second in the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud straight high event earlier in the WSOP, was showing 344Q and bet with his pair of fours until sixth street. Seat 3 was showing 4323, while seat 7 showed 87A7. Sixth and seventh street was checked by all three players, and seat 7 won the high hand with aces and sevens while seat 3 took down the low.

 

Player Tags: Mel Judah,   Al Barbieri,   Shannon Elizabeth

World Championship Omaha High-Low Split 8 or Better - Level 11 - Booth Climbing

Jun 20, '08

Blinds: 1,300-2,500

Players Left: 92 of 235

Chip Counts:
Bob Slezak: 162,000
Soheil Shamseddin: 126,000
Brad Booth: 123,000
Ray Dehkharghani: 109,000
Greg Jamison: 99,000
Shunjiro Uchida: 97,000
Meng La: 95,000
Robert Stevanovski: 93,000
William McMahon: 88,500
Scott Bohlman: 85,000

Eliminations: Gabe Kaplan, Shannon Elizabeth, David Sklansky

Big Hands:

Tough Love for Elizabeth

Tom Love and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson called Shannon Elizabeth's all in bet on a flop of A93 and Ferguson kept firing on the 7 turn and then both players checked the J river. Love showed A-9-5-2 for two pair and the 7-low. Ferguson showed A-7-6-4 and couldn't beat either of Love's hands. Elizabeth showed 10-7-3-2 and was eliminated from the tournament.

Lawson Gone to Monster

Ted Lawson led out 2,500 on a Q85 flop and was called by Gabe Kaplan and Brent Carter. On the 2 turn, Carter bet 5,000 and Gaplan and Lawson called. The river was the 2 and Carter bet 5,000 again and was called by both players.
Carter confidently showed A3K2 for the nut flush and 8-low. Kaplan showed A387 for the same 8-low and Lawson mucked his hand and was eliminated. Carter took 3/4 of the pot and has around 45,000.

Booth Climbs the Ranks

Mel Judah bet 2,500 into a flop of KQ7 and Brad Booth called. The turn was the A, Judah checked and Booth fired 5,000. Judah mucked and Booth continues to accumulate chips, nearing 123,000.

Too Late For Duke

Annie Duke bet 2,500 on a flop of J74 and was called by her opponent. She bet 5,000 when the A came on the turn and was again called. The K came on the river and Duke check-called her opponent. Her opponent showed A932 and Duke mucked her hand. A split second later she said, "Wait! Wait! Pick it up!" but it was too late and her hand was considered dead. She said she may have had a better hand than she thought.

Same Hands Lose to Slightly Better One

Chau Giang bet 2,500 and was called on a AQ10 flop by the players in seat 4 and seat 7. All three players checked the J turn and Q river and showed down their hands.Both Giang and seat 4 showed A-7 as the best cards they could muster from their hands, and seat 7 showed A-9 to take narrowly take the pot.

Player Tags: Annie Duke,   Mel Judah,   Ted Lawson,   Gabe Kaplan,   Chau Giang,   Tom Love,   Brad Booth,   Shannon Elizabeth,   European Report

$5000 Stud 8 or Better - Level 4

Jun 17, '08

Players are now beginning a 30-minute break.

Ante: 50
Bring-In: 75
Limits: 250/500

Players Entered: 261. (Tournament officials have announced that 24 places will be paid, with first place winning $328,762 and 24th earning $11,040).

Chip Leaders:

David Benyamine - 21,000
Mark Gregorich - 21,000
Brett Richey - 19,000
Marcel Luske - 18,400
David Singer - 17,200
Michael Mizrachi - 17,000
Mike Matusow - 16,500
Steve Zolotow - 16,200
John D'Agostino - 16,000
Scott Fischman - 15,800

Eliminations: Tom Schneider

Big Hands:

Elizabeth Draws a Blank

Shannon Elizabeth appeared to increase her draws on every street, but in the end came up empty. She was part of a three-way pot while showing the 56. Seat 3 showed 73, while seat 4 had A2. Betting followed on fifth street, but all players checked on sixth. Elizabeth now had 9865 in front of her for straight and flush potential, while seat 3 had QJ73. Seat 7 had the lone pair showing with A622. But surprisingly it was seat 3 who bet seventh street and took the pot of some 3500 down, showing K-K-J in the hole for two pair. Elizabeth had missed her draws as had seat 7 with all his hearts and low cards.

Lindgren Enjoys New Table

Erick Lindgren, just recently moved to a new table, was one of five players who checked on fourth street, while showing 42. David Benyamine was also in on the action with the Q8. Lindgren added the 8 on fifth street and his bet was only matched by Benyamine and one other. After sixth street Lindgren showed 10842, while Benyamine held Q982. One other player showed J-7-5-3. Lindgren's bet after seventh street drew two calls and he showed 10-8-5 in the hole for two pair, and both opponents mucked.

Jacob Wins a Monster Pot

Alex Jacob was one of three players who called Jennifer Harmon's intial raise to 500 after betting began. Jacob then took the initiative on fifth street, showing 765. Harmon called with Q74, while seat 1 was in play showing A109. Sixth street brought another bet from Jacob, who added the 2 for a four-card low, and calls from Harmon (J) and seat 1 (J). Jacob again bet after seventh street and Harmon folded while seat 1 called. Jacob flipped over 433 for the straight, and his opponent folded his aces.

Brunson Adds to Tally

Seat 4 bet 250 and Todd Brunson reraised to 500 for a heads-up battle. Brunson held A4 through fourth street while his opponent showed 98. Brunson paired his bullet on fifth street drawing the A, and his opponent folded after drawing the J.

Player Tags: Erick Lindgren,   Todd Brunson,   David Benyamine,   Jennifer Harman,   Alex Jacob,   Shannon Elizabeth

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E - Level 13

Jun 12, '08

Limits:

Hold'em/Omaha8b: 2,000-4,000
Razz/Stud/Stud8b: 2,000-4,000

Players Left: 45 of 414

Chip Counts:

Jennifer Harman-Traniello: 120,000
Phil Ivey: 115,000
Doug Ganger: 114,000
James Mackey: 95,000
Tad Jurgens: 93,000
Marco Traniello: 80,000
Hoyt Corkins: 78,000
Alexander Jung: 78,000
Kevin Saul: 76,000
Mandy Calara: 73,000

Average Stack: 55,200

Eliminations: Shannon Elizabeth, Berry Johnston

Big Hands and Storylines:

Razz

A Champion Falls

Berry Johnston was battling a short stack for a long time before gettin gall in against Kevin Saul. Their cards were:
Johnston: K-Q-5-4 (X-X-X)
Saul: 6-6-4-A (9-5-4)
Saul showed a 9-low and Johnston mucked his band and was eliminated.

Ivey Crushes Razz

Phil Ivey has repeatedly raised throughout the razz level, making his opponents fold and taking several small pots. He has around 115,000 in chips.

Hold'em

Broadway Ends the Star's Run

After much deliberation, Shannon Elizabeth called a bet of 4,000 after the turn on a board of KJ10Q. The river brought the 6 and her opponent bet enough to put her all in. Elizabeth looked disgusted but made the call. She showed J-J for a flopped set of jacks, but her opponent had made the broadway straight on the turn with A-K and Elizabeth was eliminated.

Dutchman Flying High

Marcel Luske raised to 4,000 and was called by the player in the small blind. The flop came K63. The small blind checked and Luske bet out 2,000. His opponent called and both players checked the 6 turn card. The A came on the river and Luske immediately bet out 4,000, causing his opponent to shake his head and fold.

Omaha

A Trio of Threes

James Mackey raised to 4,000 and was called by the player in seat 5. The flop came 1083 and Mackey continued his aggressive play, betting 2,000. Seat 5 made the call and the 3 hit on the turn. The player called again and both players checked on the 2 river. Mackey showed 6643 for a set of threes and his opponent angrily tossed his cards high into the air and into the muck. Mackey ended the level well, with around 95,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Phil Ivey,   Marcel Luske,   Berry Johnston,   James Mackey,   Kevin Saul,   Shannon Elizabeth,   European Report

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 10 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Note: The players have just returned from a 20-minute break. In addition, the powers-that-be here at the Rio have just announced that there will be another 20-minute break after two more levels. Then, when the money is reached (which is expected to be soon after) the players will go on an hour-long dinner break.

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  1,000-2,000, 500-1,000 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  1,000-2,000, 200 ante, 300 bring-in,

Players Left:  87 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Alexander Jung - 54,300
Kevin Saul - 51,000
Christopher Gentile- 50,300
Shannon Elizabeth - 44,200
Erich Kollmann - 44,000
Joshua Woolsey - 43,000
David Levi - 43,000
James Mackey - 42,900
Todd Brunson - 42,000
Marc Goodwin – 41,000

Average Stack: 28,550

Eliminations:
Annie Duke
Greg Raymer
Vanessa Rousso

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Gracz Busts Raymer

Greg Raymer, on a short stack, gets all his chips in against Michael Gracz on a J73K9 board. Raymer seemed optimistic about his pair of jacks but was met with bad news when Gracz revealed KK for a set of kings. The newly busted Raymer let everyone know his thoughts about the game that ousted him, shouting, “Limit poker sucks!” Michael Gracz, now with 17,000 chips, might disagree.

Omaha/8b

Glantz Doubles Up

On a board of QT7K3, Matthew Glantz gets it all in against his opponent. Glantz happily tables AJ52 and takes down the whole pot with the broadway straight. Despite this pot, Glantz still has a lot of work to do with only 13,000 chips.

Stud/8b

Aces-Up Propel Luske

Marcell Luske has an opponent all in after 3^rd street and the two reveal their cards:

Luske: (AA)2
Opponent: (QQ)2

Luske’s next card was the 2 and his two-pair would go on to claim the pot. Despite sitting at a table with Todd Brunson and Kevin Saul, Luske has managed to work his way to 37,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   David Levi,   Todd Brunson,   Marcel Luske,   Greg Raymer,   James Mackey,   Matthew Glantz,   Christopher Gentile,   Kevin Saul,   Marc Goodwin,   Erich Kollmann,   Joshua Woolsey,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Alexander Jung

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 9 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  800-1600, 400-800 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  800-1600, 200 ante, 200 bring-in,

Players Left: 112 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Kevin Saul - 57,000
Alexander Jung - 54,300
Christopher Gentile - 50,300
Shannon Elizabeth - 44,200
James Mackey - 42,900
Marc Goodwin - 41,500
Todd Brunson - 38,000
David Levi - 38,000
James Van Alstyne - 36,000
Linda Drucker - 36,000

Average Stack: 22,175

Eliminations:
Mark Vos
Todd Lundwell
Shinchi Chien
J.W. Smith

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Oh the Zhu-manity

Mark Vos got the majority of his 9,000 chips in pre-flop against Yueqi Zhu and the rest went in on a K53 flop. “That’s a good flop for me,” said Vos. It was indeed, as Vos turned over AK. Zhu’s 77 was drawing to two outs. The J on the turn was unimportant, but the river was a stunning 7, eliciting an emphatic “Yes!” from Zhu and causing Vos to spring from his chair and leave the area in incredibly swift fashion. Zhu is now up to quite a hale 35,500.

Omaha/8b

Saul’s Solid Stack Skyrockets

Seated right next to one another, Todd Brunson and Kevin “bel0wab0ve” Saul tangled in a pot. Brunson raised from the small blind and Saul called from the big blind. The flop came AQ4 and Brunson bet into Saul. Saul called and the duo saw a 3 turn. Brunson checked this time, but called after Saul’s bet of 1,600. Brunson wasn’t so keen about the 6 on the river apparently, as he check-folded, dropping his stack down to 39,000. Kevin Saul’s stack of 57,000 is now top among the chip leaders.

Mark Roland Doubles Up

After a great deal of betting pre-flop and on the flop, Mark Roland found himself all in against Max Pescatori on a 1043 flop. Pescatori declared that he had nut-nut and flopped over A633, a decidedly non-nut hand but still good for a set of threes. Mark Roland showed the goods however (as good as a series of draws can be anyway), revealing AA72 for the nut flush draw, a gutshot straight draw and the nut low draw. The river was the 9, which didn’t help Roland at all. But the J on the river was Roland’s saving grace, giving him the entire pot and doubling him up to 14,000. Pescatori’s loss drops him to 18,000.

Player Tags: David Levi,   Max Pescatori,   Todd Brunson,   James Van Alstyne,   J.W. Smith,   James Mackey,   Mark Roland,   Christopher Gentile,   Kevin Saul,   Marc Goodwin,   Mark Vos,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Alexander Jung,   Linda Drucker,   Zhu Yueqi,   Shinchi Chien

Event 22 - H.O.R.S.E - Level 8 - End of Day

Jun 11, '08

Play is done for the day. 136 players will return tomorrow at 3 p.m. to play down to the final table.

Blinds/Antes:

Hold'em-Omaha 8: 300-600
Razz-Stud-Stud8: 100 ante, 200 bring-in, 600 completion

Players Left: 136 of 414

Average Chip Stack: 18,265

Eliminations: David Benyamine, Andy Bloch, Allen Kessler

Chip Counts:

Kevin Saul: 35,000
Shannon Elizabeth: 34,500
Marc Goodwin: 30,500
James Mackey: 30,000
Josh Arieh: 28,000
Marco Traniello: 27,000
Max Pescatori: 27,000
James Van Alstyne: 27,000
Paul Sexton: 27,000
Annie Duke: 26,000

Big Hands:

Stud 8

Rousso Loses Big, Wins Bigger

Vanessa Rousso got well over half her chips in the pot in this hand:
Rousso: A-9-8-K (6-7-X)
Seat 4: 10-8-J-2 (J-J-X)
Rousso left the table angrily after losing to her opponent's set of jacks, explaining that she had low, straight and flush draws and missed all of her outs.

Still furious after losing a big pot with so many out, Rousso put all but a few thousand of her chips in a 3-way pot the very next hand. The players' cards were:
Rousso: J95J (642)
Seat 4: K-5-4-3 (K-A-5)
Seat 6: 10-Q-A-5 (Q-Q-6)
Rousso's flush beat seat 4's two pair and seat 6's set of queens, and Rousso nearly trippled back up. As she collected her new chips she explained sarcastically that you had to play bad cards to win.

Judah Triples Up

Mel Judah committed all of his chips in a 3-way pot. The player's cards were:
Judah: A-Q-4-3 (A-J-9)
Seat 4: A-Q-Q-9 (5-X-X)
Marcel Luske: 10-3-5-K (X-X-X)
To the surprise of the table, Judah's pair of aces was enough to win the entire pot and triple up.

Dangerous Beauty

Showing Q2J10, Shannon Elizabeth bet out and got her opponent to fold his hand. She smiled and collected her chips. She ended the level among the chip leaders with around 34,500 in chips.

Hold'em

River Straight Puts Jett on Life Support

Facing a bet on a board of 10988J, Chip Jett thought long and hard before electing to call. His opponent showed 75 for a straight and Jett tossed his cards in the muck and was knocked down to around 8,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Mel Judah,   Chip Jett,   Vanessa Rousso,   Shannon Elizabeth

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E - Level 13

Jun 12, '08

Limits:

Hold'em/Omaha8b: 2,000-4,000
Razz/Stud/Stud8b: 2,000-4,000

Players Left: 45 of 414

Chip Counts:

Jennifer Harman-Traniello: 120,000
Phil Ivey: 115,000
Doug Ganger: 114,000
James Mackey: 95,000
Tad Jurgens: 93,000
Marco Traniello: 80,000
Hoyt Corkins: 78,000
Alexander Jung: 78,000
Kevin Saul: 76,000
Mandy Calara: 73,000

Average Stack: 55,200

Eliminations: Shannon Elizabeth, Berry Johnston

Big Hands and Storylines:

Razz

A Champion Falls

Berry Johnston was battling a short stack for a long time before gettin gall in against Kevin Saul. Their cards were:
Johnston: K-Q-5-4 (X-X-X)
Saul: 6-6-4-A (9-5-4)
Saul showed a 9-low and Johnston mucked his band and was eliminated.

Ivey Crushes Razz

Phil Ivey has repeatedly raised throughout the razz level, making his opponents fold and taking several small pots. He has around 115,000 in chips.

Hold'em

Broadway Ends the Star's Run

After much deliberation, Shannon Elizabeth called a bet of 4,000 after the turn on a board of KJ10Q. The river brought the 6 and her opponent bet enough to put her all in. Elizabeth looked disgusted but made the call. She showed J-J for a flopped set of jacks, but her opponent had made the broadway straight on the turn with A-K and Elizabeth was eliminated.

Dutchman Flying High

Marcel Luske raised to 4,000 and was called by the player in the small blind. The flop came K63. The small blind checked and Luske bet out 2,000. His opponent called and both players checked the 6 turn card. The A came on the river and Luske immediately bet out 4,000, causing his opponent to shake his head and fold.

Omaha

A Trio of Threes

James Mackey raised to 4,000 and was called by the player in seat 5. The flop came 1083 and Mackey continued his aggressive play, betting 2,000. Seat 5 made the call and the 3 hit on the turn. The player called again and both players checked on the 2 river. Mackey showed 6643 for a set of threes and his opponent angrily tossed his cards high into the air and into the muck. Mackey ended the level well, with around 95,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Phil Ivey,   Marcel Luske,   Berry Johnston,   James Mackey,   Kevin Saul,   Shannon Elizabeth,   European Report

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 10 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Note: The players have just returned from a 20-minute break. In addition, the powers-that-be here at the Rio have just announced that there will be another 20-minute break after two more levels. Then, when the money is reached (which is expected to be soon after) the players will go on an hour-long dinner break.

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  1,000-2,000, 500-1,000 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  1,000-2,000, 200 ante, 300 bring-in,

Players Left:  87 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Alexander Jung - 54,300
Kevin Saul - 51,000
Christopher Gentile- 50,300
Shannon Elizabeth - 44,200
Erich Kollmann - 44,000
Joshua Woolsey - 43,000
David Levi - 43,000
James Mackey - 42,900
Todd Brunson - 42,000
Marc Goodwin – 41,000

Average Stack: 28,550

Eliminations:
Annie Duke
Greg Raymer
Vanessa Rousso

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Gracz Busts Raymer

Greg Raymer, on a short stack, gets all his chips in against Michael Gracz on a J73K9 board. Raymer seemed optimistic about his pair of jacks but was met with bad news when Gracz revealed KK for a set of kings. The newly busted Raymer let everyone know his thoughts about the game that ousted him, shouting, “Limit poker sucks!” Michael Gracz, now with 17,000 chips, might disagree.

Omaha/8b

Glantz Doubles Up

On a board of QT7K3, Matthew Glantz gets it all in against his opponent. Glantz happily tables AJ52 and takes down the whole pot with the broadway straight. Despite this pot, Glantz still has a lot of work to do with only 13,000 chips.

Stud/8b

Aces-Up Propel Luske

Marcell Luske has an opponent all in after 3^rd street and the two reveal their cards:

Luske: (AA)2
Opponent: (QQ)2

Luske’s next card was the 2 and his two-pair would go on to claim the pot. Despite sitting at a table with Todd Brunson and Kevin Saul, Luske has managed to work his way to 37,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Michael Gracz,   David Levi,   Todd Brunson,   Marcel Luske,   Greg Raymer,   James Mackey,   Matthew Glantz,   Christopher Gentile,   Kevin Saul,   Marc Goodwin,   Erich Kollmann,   Joshua Woolsey,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Alexander Jung

$3,000 H.O.R.S.E.- Day 2 - Level 9 Recap

Jun 12, '08

Limits:
Hold’em/Omaha8b:  800-1600, 400-800 blinds
Razz/Stud/Stud8b:  800-1600, 200 ante, 200 bring-in,

Players Left: 112 of 414

Chip Leaders:
Kevin Saul - 57,000
Alexander Jung - 54,300
Christopher Gentile - 50,300
Shannon Elizabeth - 44,200
James Mackey - 42,900
Marc Goodwin - 41,500
Todd Brunson - 38,000
David Levi - 38,000
James Van Alstyne - 36,000
Linda Drucker - 36,000

Average Stack: 22,175

Eliminations:
Mark Vos
Todd Lundwell
Shinchi Chien
J.W. Smith

Big Hands and Storylines:

Hold’em

Oh the Zhu-manity

Mark Vos got the majority of his 9,000 chips in pre-flop against Yueqi Zhu and the rest went in on a K53 flop. “That’s a good flop for me,” said Vos. It was indeed, as Vos turned over AK. Zhu’s 77 was drawing to two outs. The J on the turn was unimportant, but the river was a stunning 7, eliciting an emphatic “Yes!” from Zhu and causing Vos to spring from his chair and leave the area in incredibly swift fashion. Zhu is now up to quite a hale 35,500.

Omaha/8b

Saul’s Solid Stack Skyrockets

Seated right next to one another, Todd Brunson and Kevin “bel0wab0ve” Saul tangled in a pot. Brunson raised from the small blind and Saul called from the big blind. The flop came AQ4 and Brunson bet into Saul. Saul called and the duo saw a 3 turn. Brunson checked this time, but called after Saul’s bet of 1,600. Brunson wasn’t so keen about the 6 on the river apparently, as he check-folded, dropping his stack down to 39,000. Kevin Saul’s stack of 57,000 is now top among the chip leaders.

Mark Roland Doubles Up

After a great deal of betting pre-flop and on the flop, Mark Roland found himself all in against Max Pescatori on a 1043 flop. Pescatori declared that he had nut-nut and flopped over A633, a decidedly non-nut hand but still good for a set of threes. Mark Roland showed the goods however (as good as a series of draws can be anyway), revealing AA72 for the nut flush draw, a gutshot straight draw and the nut low draw. The river was the 9, which didn’t help Roland at all. But the J on the river was Roland’s saving grace, giving him the entire pot and doubling him up to 14,000. Pescatori’s loss drops him to 18,000.

Player Tags: David Levi,   Max Pescatori,   Todd Brunson,   James Van Alstyne,   J.W. Smith,   James Mackey,   Mark Roland,   Christopher Gentile,   Kevin Saul,   Marc Goodwin,   Mark Vos,   Shannon Elizabeth,   Alexander Jung,   Linda Drucker,   Zhu Yueqi,   Shinchi Chien

Event 22 - H.O.R.S.E - Level 8 - End of Day

Jun 11, '08

Play is done for the day. 136 players will return tomorrow at 3 p.m. to play down to the final table.

Blinds/Antes:

Hold'em-Omaha 8: 300-600
Razz-Stud-Stud8: 100 ante, 200 bring-in, 600 completion

Players Left: 136 of 414

Average Chip Stack: 18,265

Eliminations: David Benyamine, Andy Bloch, Allen Kessler

Chip Counts:

Kevin Saul: 35,000
Shannon Elizabeth: 34,500
Marc Goodwin: 30,500
James Mackey: 30,000
Josh Arieh: 28,000
Marco Traniello: 27,000
Max Pescatori: 27,000
James Van Alstyne: 27,000
Paul Sexton: 27,000
Annie Duke: 26,000

Big Hands:

Stud 8

Rousso Loses Big, Wins Bigger

Vanessa Rousso got well over half her chips in the pot in this hand:
Rousso: A-9-8-K (6-7-X)
Seat 4: 10-8-J-2 (J-J-X)
Rousso left the table angrily after losing to her opponent's set of jacks, explaining that she had low, straight and flush draws and missed all of her outs.

Still furious after losing a big pot with so many out, Rousso put all but a few thousand of her chips in a 3-way pot the very next hand. The players' cards were:
Rousso: J95J (642)
Seat 4: K-5-4-3 (K-A-5)
Seat 6: 10-Q-A-5 (Q-Q-6)
Rousso's flush beat seat 4's two pair and seat 6's set of queens, and Rousso nearly trippled back up. As she collected her new chips she explained sarcastically that you had to play bad cards to win.

Judah Triples Up

Mel Judah committed all of his chips in a 3-way pot. The player's cards were:
Judah: A-Q-4-3 (A-J-9)
Seat 4: A-Q-Q-9 (5-X-X)
Marcel Luske: 10-3-5-K (X-X-X)
To the surprise of the table, Judah's pair of aces was enough to win the entire pot and triple up.

Dangerous Beauty

Showing Q2J10, Shannon Elizabeth bet out and got her opponent to fold his hand. She smiled and collected her chips. She ended the level among the chip leaders with around 34,500 in chips.

Hold'em

River Straight Puts Jett on Life Support

Facing a bet on a board of 10988J, Chip Jett thought long and hard before electing to call. His opponent showed 75 for a straight and Jett tossed his cards in the muck and was knocked down to around 8,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Mel Judah,   Chip Jett,   Vanessa Rousso,   Shannon Elizabeth

$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha - Level 1 recap

Jun 10, '08

Blinds: 25/50

Players: 750

Recent Eliminations: Shannon Elizabeth

Big Hands:

No Perfect 10 for Elizabeth

Movie star Shannon Elizabeth was playing just the second hand dealt at her table to begin the tournament. From the small blind, she was one of four players in for 175 preflop. The flop came 885 and all four players checked. The turn brought the 10 and Elizabeth led out for 400. The big blind called while the other two players folded. The K came on the river and Elizabeth bet 800, atr which point the big blind raised all-in. Elizabeth called and showed 8-5 for a flopped full house. The big blind held QQ1010, for a better full house spiked on the turn. During the hand Erick Lindgren took his seat at the table, and within 15 minutes he had eliminated another player.

Bleznick Call Comes Home

The big blind raised to 450 and six players called, including the small blind noting that the pot odds dictated a call. The flop came 643, and the small blind pushed all-in. It was folded to Jared Bleznick in seat 6, who called his final 1525 in chips. The small blind held 7543 for a flopped straight along with two pair. Bleznick held AQJ6 for the nut flush draw. It came on the turn with the 10 and the river bricked, allowing Bleznick to scoop a monster.

Lee Still Alive

Doug Lee was a late arrival and lost the bulk of his chips early, but he was one of four callers to see a flop for 125. The flop came 1065 and Lee checked from the small blind. Seat 5 bet 300 and Lee called. The 6 paired the board on the turn and Lee bet out 500, enough to take down the pot.

Katja Thater Crushed in First Round

On a board of 1085, 2007 bracelet winner Katja Thater got it all in against a short-stacked opponent. He flipped over A742 for the nut flush, and Thater turned over QQ92 for a lesser flush. Katja still had ways of winning the pot via the J for a queen-high straight flush and running cards for a full house. The turn and river failed to deliver, and Thater was left with less than 1,000 in chips.

Phil Gordon Check-Raised, Gives Up on Pot

In a multi-way limped pot, Phil Gordon made a bet of 200 into a flop of Q54. After all other opponents folded, the player on Gordon's right check-raised him an additional 1,000. Gordon deliberated but released his hand, leaving him with 2,100 in chips.

Shulman knocks one out

Allyn Jaffrey Shulman raised to 150 and the player to her immediate left called. The two players saw the flop come 64K. Shulman checked and her opponent moved all in for just 225. Shulman called with A10106, while her opponent held A542. The turn and river were J and 6, giving the pot to Shulman. It was a good level for Shulman; after the hand she had about 7,500 chips.

Player Tags: Allyn Jaffrey Shulman,   Phil Gordon,   Doug Lee,   Jared Bleznick,   Katja Thater,   Shannon Elizabeth

$2,000 Omaha High-Low Split - Level 5

Jun 08, '08

Blinds: 100-200 (Moving Up To 150-300)
Stakes: 200-400 (Moving Up To 300-600)

Players Remaining: 375

Chip Leaders:

Scott Clements: 19,000
Jordan Morgan: 18,750
Matthew Glantz: 16,800
John Juanda: 14,400
David Chiu: 12,700
Mike Matusow: 12,000
Ed Fernandez: 10,000
Men Nguyen: 9,700
Justin Bonomo: 8,900
David Williams: 8,400

Average Chip Stack:  5,995

Big Hands:

Hanging With The Boys... And The Master

Shannon Elizabeth and Men Nguyen tangled with the player in seat 4 and Elizabeth was the only one who came away empty handed. On a 8873 board, Elizabeth bet 400 and was called by both opponents. The 7 came on the river and Elizabeth check-folded after Nguyen bet and the other player called. Nguyen showed A7109 for the high hand and his opponent showed A2Q9 for the low hand, chopping the pot.
A few hands later, Elizabeth was involved in a 3-way pot in which she showed down A7X X on a K8277 board, giving her a rivered set good enough for the high pot. Her opponent showed 5-4 X X for the low.

Table Control

David Chiu is controlling his table and gathering chips with ease. Chiu raised to 400 preflop and got one caller. After a A84 flop, Chiu bet and his opponent instantly folded. Chiu had around 12,000 after the level.

Ramdin Gets Full

On a 6-3-3-K-6 board, Victor Ramdin showed down A-K-10-3 for a full house and his opponent mucked, giving Ramdin the whole pot. The win gave him around 10,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Men Nguyen,   Victor Ramdin,   David Chiu,   Shannon Elizabeth