Marco Johnson - Live Updates

Isaac Haxton Doubles Up, Marco Johnson Eliminated

Oct 28, '09

Ronald Lee raised to 2,000 and Isaac Haxton called behind him. Marco Johnson then moved all in for 5,600 from the hijack seat.

Action folded back around to Lee, who reraised to 12,000. After some thought, Haxton moved all in for an additional 28,700 more. Lee went into the tank for a few minutes before finding a call, showing AQ. Johnson showed 77 and Haxton was ahead with KK.

The board came J96103 and Haxton’s hand held to eliminate Johnson and increase his stack to 89,100.

Player Tags: Marco Johnson,   Isaac Haxton,   Ronald Lee

Level 10 Update -- Chat Batista Takes the Lead

Oct 22, '09

Blinds: 1,000-2,000 with a 200 ante

Players Left: 106 of 275

Average Chip Count 155,000

Chip Leaders (Unofficial)

Chad Batista — 425,000
Jason Somerville — 404,000
Corwin Cole — 390,000
Mark Seif — 370,000
Chau Giang — 350,000
Steve Gross — 345,000
Mike Leah — 340,000
Markus Gonsalves — 320,000
Dutch Boyd — 260,000
Eugene Katchalov — 255,000

Card Player Chip Counts

Mike Matusow — 210,000
Barry Shulman — Eliminated

Notable Eliminations:

David Peat
Ted Lawson
Howard Lederer
Barry Shulman

Level Summary:

With the official payouts announced and everyone aware that the winner will take home more than $1.2 million, play seemed to tighten up a bit as the field marched down the homestretch here on day 2.

Recent WSOP Europe Main Event champion Barry Shulman had a rough level 9, dropping to as low as 25,000 before bouncing back a bit when he eliminated high stakes regular David “viffer” Peat.

Peat moved all in on the short stack from under the gun for his last 4,200 and was called by two unknowns and Shulman in late position. The flop came down 8-6-4 and Shulman made an isolation bet, getting heads-up with the all-in Peat.

Peat showed 9-4 and needed help against Shulman’s 6-5. The turn was a 7, giving Shulman the straight but Peat a better straight draw, however the river was an Ace and Peat hit the rail.

Shulman suffered the same fate, however, just moments before the end of the evening when his dominated ace fell to PokerStars Caribbean Adventure winner Poorya Nazari.

Other notables to bust included Ted Lawson and Howard Lederer. Lederer joined Phil Hellmuth and Kenny Tran as very late entrants into this tournament and all three had a very brief stay. Lederer ran pocket jacks into pocket kings and received no help as he packed up and left the room.

Marco Johnson got heads-up with an unknown players on a board reading J-J-7-K-K and was faced with a tough decision for his last 62,000. Johnson took his time as Phil Ivey, Barry Greenstein and Matt Stout looked on and finally made the call. His opponent showed ace high and Johnson scooped the pot with J-9 for the underfull. That pot boosted his stack to nearly 150,000 in chips.

Player Tags: Howard Lederer,   Barry Shulman,   Marco Johnson

Level 4 Update

Aug 22, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Players Remaining: 234 out of 279

Chip Counts:

1. Marco Johnson — 94,000
2. Alexandre Gomes — 94,000
3. Adam Geyer — 85,000
4. Toto Leonidas — 75,000
5. Nick Schulman — 73,000
6. Jonathan Aguiar — 72,500
7. Eugene Katchalov — 71,000
8. Carter King — 71,000
9. Vanessa Rousso — 70,000
10. David Williams — 60,000

Average Chip Count: 35,000

Notable Eliminations:

Beth Shak
Adam Weinraub

Hand of the Level:

Alexandre Gomes Wins Massive Pot

The most recent WPT champion, Alexandre Gomes, is doing his best to go back-to-back. On a board reading AQ743, Gomes bet 15,000 and the cutoff moved all in.

The big blind tanked for a bit before folding and Gomes insta-called with 65 for the nut straight. The cutoff showed 74 for two pair, not realizing he had the second best hand. After being informed, he made the slow walk out of the event center and Gomes moved his stack to a very healthy 94,000.

Level Summary:

About two tables dropped during a relatively quiet fourth level. The blinds are finally starting to pick up, but the players haven’t quite responded and for the most part, the notables in today’s field held strong.

Marco Johnson and Alexandre Gomes share the lead, but both Toto Leonidas and Nick Schulman are riding surges that see them both in the top five of the chip counts.

Ironically, the top three stacks in the room have a history together. Gomes famously sucked out on Johnson at the WSOP, giving Gomes his first bracelet. At the 2009 PokerStars Carribbean Adventure, Gomes sucked out on Adam Geyer in a monster pot that catapulted him to the final table, where he finished fourth.

Player Tags: Adam Geyer,   Marco Johnson,   Alexandre Gomes

Level 11 Update: Rheem Doubles Up Early

Jun 24, '09

Blinds: 1,200-2,400

Players Remaining: 71 out of 275

Chip Counts:

1. Michiel Brummelhuis – 400,000
2. Toto Leonidas – 241,100
3. Masaaki Kagawa – 216,000
4. Kirill Gerasimov – 213,200
5. Darryll Fish – 209,100
6. Davidi Kitai – 190,000
7. Kwang Lee – 182,400
8. Luke Staudenmaier – 182,000
9. Michael Kamran – 180,000
10. Tim Kamran – 180,000

Average Chip Count: 116,917

Notable Eliminations:

Burt Boutin
Lee Markholt
Marco Johnson

Big Hands:

Chino Rheem Quick To Business

Entering the day as the short stack, Chino Rheem wasted little time as he looked down at his hand from under the gun. He pushed his stack of 11,800 into the middle and Marco Johnson made the call. Rheem turned over A10, dominating Johnson’s A9. The flop came down 752 giving Johnson very little help to knock Rheem out. The 7 came on the turn and Johnson could only knock Rheem out by pairing his nine. The 6 fell on the river and Rheem’s hand was good as he doubled up to almost 24,000 while Johnson was down under 10,000 and would bust later in the level.

Don’t Feed The Fish

A player moved all in preflop and Darryll Fish was the only one to look him up. Fish showed A10 while his opponent was dominated with A2. The flop dropped KJ7, giving Fish’s opponent the nut flush draw. The 9 fell on the turn and Fish was still in the lead. The river card was the 6 and Fish held on to knock out his opponent and improve to 210,000 in chips.

Double Dragon: The Revenge Of Keith Lehr

Keith Lehr and David Pham were tangled in a hand where the flop came down J73. Lehr moved all in and Pham made the call.

Pham: K4
Lehr: KJ

Lehr held the lead with top pair and second kicker but Pham had plenty of outs as he had a diamond-flush draw. The turn brought the 8, giving Pham no help and the 6 on the river cemented the hand for Lehr. He doubled to 160,000 while Pham dropped to 98,000.

Player Tags: David Pham,   Chino Rheem,   Keith Lehr,   Marco Johnson,   Darryll Fish

Level 17 Update: Getting Close to the Bubble

May 29, '09

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

Players Remaining: 29 out of 201

Chip Counts:

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

Average Chip Count: 868,965

Notable Eliminations:

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

Big Hands:

David Chiu Doubles Through Greg Raymer

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

Sami Kelopuro Busts to Lex Veldhuis

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

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

Alan Sass Hits the Rail

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

Double Elimination For David Baker

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

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

Marco Johnson Busts to Justin Bonomo

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

Nam Le Busts In a Suck, Re-Suck Situation

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

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

Level 9 Update: Howard Lederer Out

May 28, '09

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with 400 ante

Players Remaining: 106 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Michael DeMichele – 690,000
2. Lex Veldhuis – 625,000
3. Emil Patel 615,000
4. Justin Bonomo 570,000
5. Kyle Wilson 465,000
6. Chris Moneymaker 460,000
7. Alan Sass 440,000
8. Ted Forrest 380,000
9. Alex Jacob 370,000
10. Antonio Esfandiari 365,000

Average Chip Count: 227,000

Notable Eliminations:

Howard Lederer
Cory Zeidman
Dennis Phillips
Brett Richey
Philippe Rouas
Steve Sung
David Einhorn

Big Hands:

Table 70 Is Stacked

In case we haven’t made this clear yet, table 70 may be one of the toughest tournament tables ever assembled. Here is a look at the table:

1. Scott “mastrblastr” Seiver
2. Scotty Nguyen
3. Phil Ivey
4. Brett “get crunk” Richey (Eliminated During the Level)
5. David “The Dragon” Pham
6. Alan “The Usher” Sass
7. Phil Hellmuth
8. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
9. Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis

Phil Ivey Takes 90,000 Pot From Bertrand Grospellier

Bertrand Grospellier raised to 7,200 from under the gun and Phil Ivey reraised to 22,000 from the hijack seat. Grospellier called and both players checked down a board of K5292 until Ivey fired out a 20,000 value bet. Grospellier reluctantly called and mucked his hand when Ivey showed pocket queens.

Ivey is now stacked with 358,000 while Grospellier finds himself with only 57,000. Grospellier picked up some chips later on against Steve Billirakis shortly after without a showdown.

School’s Out for the Professor

Dave Ulliott raised to 6,400 under the gun and the action folded around to Howard Lederer moved all in from the small blind for his last 30,000. Next to act was Jeff Lisandro from the big blind and he made the call. Ulliott got out of the way and Lisandro tabled AK while Lederer showed JJ. The flop was bad news for Lederer as it dropped A7K giving Lisandro top two pair. The 9 and 3 completed the board and Lederer was gone. Lisandro improved his stack to 270,000.

Philippe Rouas Out, Marco Johnson Gets Healthier

Philippe Rouas found himself all in and covered by Marco Johnson. Rouas showed pocket sevens and was racing against the QJ of Johnson. The flop brought a jack and Rouas failed to catch up, busting from the tournament.

Seif and Makhija Chop It Up

Amit Makhija raised to 8,000 preflop from middle position. The action came around to Mark Seif who pushed in most of his chips, election to only keep his black “100” chips in front of him. The bet totaled close to 225,000 and Makhija made the call with his last 118,000. He flipped over AQ while Seif showed AQ. “That was a bad call sir,” Seif joked with Makhija. The board ran out 1098K7 and both players chopped the pot. Seif was at 290,000 while Makhija was around 126,000.

Left in the Deck:

Mike Matusow just walked over to table 62 where Andy Black and Phil Laak are seated. Matusow commenced to poke a little fun at Laak. Black then playfully interrupted “The Mouth,” telling him that making fun of people is not allowed at the World Series of Poker. Matusow countered, saying that making fun of Laak is the exception. All the players laughed and Matusow went back to his table.

Later on, Matusow resumed roaming the room and chatted up Nam Le for a bit while Phil Laak began building an elaborate Stonehenge-like structure with his chips. Yes folks, things are starting to slow down here late in the night.

Player Tags: David Ulliott,   Howard Lederer,   Phil Laak,   Mike Matusow,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Phil Ivey,   Andy Black,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Philippe Rouas,   Marco Johnson

Level 17 Update: Getting Close to the Bubble

May 29, '09

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

Players Remaining: 29 out of 201

Chip Counts:

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

Average Chip Count: 868,965

Notable Eliminations:

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

Big Hands:

David Chiu Doubles Through Greg Raymer

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

Sami Kelopuro Busts to Lex Veldhuis

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

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

Alan Sass Hits the Rail

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

Double Elimination For David Baker

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

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

Marco Johnson Busts to Justin Bonomo

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

Nam Le Busts In a Suck, Re-Suck Situation

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

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

Level 9 Update: Howard Lederer Out

May 28, '09

Blinds: 1,500-3,000 with 400 ante

Players Remaining: 106 out of 201

Chip Counts:

1. Michael DeMichele – 690,000
2. Lex Veldhuis – 625,000
3. Emil Patel 615,000
4. Justin Bonomo 570,000
5. Kyle Wilson 465,000
6. Chris Moneymaker 460,000
7. Alan Sass 440,000
8. Ted Forrest 380,000
9. Alex Jacob 370,000
10. Antonio Esfandiari 365,000

Average Chip Count: 227,000

Notable Eliminations:

Howard Lederer
Cory Zeidman
Dennis Phillips
Brett Richey
Philippe Rouas
Steve Sung
David Einhorn

Big Hands:

Table 70 Is Stacked

In case we haven’t made this clear yet, table 70 may be one of the toughest tournament tables ever assembled. Here is a look at the table:

1. Scott “mastrblastr” Seiver
2. Scotty Nguyen
3. Phil Ivey
4. Brett “get crunk” Richey (Eliminated During the Level)
5. David “The Dragon” Pham
6. Alan “The Usher” Sass
7. Phil Hellmuth
8. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier
9. Steve “MrSmokey1” Billirakis

Phil Ivey Takes 90,000 Pot From Bertrand Grospellier

Bertrand Grospellier raised to 7,200 from under the gun and Phil Ivey reraised to 22,000 from the hijack seat. Grospellier called and both players checked down a board of K5292 until Ivey fired out a 20,000 value bet. Grospellier reluctantly called and mucked his hand when Ivey showed pocket queens.

Ivey is now stacked with 358,000 while Grospellier finds himself with only 57,000. Grospellier picked up some chips later on against Steve Billirakis shortly after without a showdown.

School’s Out for the Professor

Dave Ulliott raised to 6,400 under the gun and the action folded around to Howard Lederer moved all in from the small blind for his last 30,000. Next to act was Jeff Lisandro from the big blind and he made the call. Ulliott got out of the way and Lisandro tabled AK while Lederer showed JJ. The flop was bad news for Lederer as it dropped A7K giving Lisandro top two pair. The 9 and 3 completed the board and Lederer was gone. Lisandro improved his stack to 270,000.

Philippe Rouas Out, Marco Johnson Gets Healthier

Philippe Rouas found himself all in and covered by Marco Johnson. Rouas showed pocket sevens and was racing against the QJ of Johnson. The flop brought a jack and Rouas failed to catch up, busting from the tournament.

Seif and Makhija Chop It Up

Amit Makhija raised to 8,000 preflop from middle position. The action came around to Mark Seif who pushed in most of his chips, election to only keep his black “100” chips in front of him. The bet totaled close to 225,000 and Makhija made the call with his last 118,000. He flipped over AQ while Seif showed AQ. “That was a bad call sir,” Seif joked with Makhija. The board ran out 1098K7 and both players chopped the pot. Seif was at 290,000 while Makhija was around 126,000.

Left in the Deck:

Mike Matusow just walked over to table 62 where Andy Black and Phil Laak are seated. Matusow commenced to poke a little fun at Laak. Black then playfully interrupted “The Mouth,” telling him that making fun of people is not allowed at the World Series of Poker. Matusow countered, saying that making fun of Laak is the exception. All the players laughed and Matusow went back to his table.

Later on, Matusow resumed roaming the room and chatted up Nam Le for a bit while Phil Laak began building an elaborate Stonehenge-like structure with his chips. Yes folks, things are starting to slow down here late in the night.

Player Tags: David Ulliott,   Howard Lederer,   Phil Laak,   Mike Matusow,   Jeffrey Lisandro,   Phil Ivey,   Andy Black,   Bertrand Grospellier,   Philippe Rouas,   Marco Johnson

Marco Johnson Eliminated in 20th Place ($65,370)

Apr 23, '09

Marco Johnson found himself all in for his last 800,000 against Justin Young. Johnson showed A-K and was dominating Young's A-Q, but the turn was a queen, giving Young the better hand.

Young increased his stack to 4,850,000 and Johnson earned $65,370 for his 20th place finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Marco Johnson

Chad Batista Eliminated

Apr 22, '09

Nick Binger raised to 28,000 and Bruno Fitoussi made the call. Chad Batista moved all in from the button for 390,000 and Marco Johnson moved all in over the top of him from the small blind. Binger and Fitoussi mucked and the last two players flipped up their cards:

Batista: QQ
Johnson: AK

Board: KJ5102

Batista was eliminated from the tournament and Johnson jumped his stack up to 1 million.






 

Player Tags: Chad Batista,   Marco Johnson

Marco Johnson Eliminated in 20th Place ($65,370)

Apr 23, '09

Marco Johnson found himself all in for his last 800,000 against Justin Young. Johnson showed A-K and was dominating Young's A-Q, but the turn was a queen, giving Young the better hand.

Young increased his stack to 4,850,000 and Johnson earned $65,370 for his 20th place finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Marco Johnson

Chad Batista Eliminated

Apr 22, '09

Nick Binger raised to 28,000 and Bruno Fitoussi made the call. Chad Batista moved all in from the button for 390,000 and Marco Johnson moved all in over the top of him from the small blind. Binger and Fitoussi mucked and the last two players flipped up their cards:

Batista: QQ
Johnson: AK

Board: KJ5102

Batista was eliminated from the tournament and Johnson jumped his stack up to 1 million.






 

Player Tags: Chad Batista,   Marco Johnson

Level 18 Update

Mar 19, '09

Big Hands:

Marco Johnson Eliminated in 26th Place ($20,000)

Marco Johnson moved all in preflop and Dan O'Brien called him down. Their cards:

Johnson: KQ
O'Brien: AK

Board: 72269

Johnson was eliminated in 26th place and he will take home $20,000 in prize money.

Joe Sebok Eliminated in 25th Place ($20,000)

Joe Sebok moved all in preflop after Farzad Bonyadi raised. Bonyadi called him down and they flipped up their cards:

Sebok: 99
Bonyadi: QQ

Board: AK6AK

Sebok was eliminated in 25th place and he will take home $20,000 in prze money. Bonyadi was awarded the $5,000 bounty for knocking out the shooting star.

Hoyt Corkins Crippled

David Fox moved all in preflop and Hoyt Corkins called him down. Their cards:

Corkins: AK
Fox: A9

Board: 6-5-4-9-brick

Fox doubled up on the hand to 225,000 and Corkins was knocked down to 50,000.

Hoyt Corkins Eliminated in 21st Place ($25,000)

After being crippled Hoyt Corkins moved all in preflop. Vikaly Yarkov called him down and they flipped up their cards:

Corkins: A-Q
Yarkov: 109

Board: Q87JK

Yarkov won the hand with a queen-high straight and he was awarded the $5,000 bounty for eliminating the second-to-last shooting star remaining. Corkins was eliminated in 21st place and he took home $25,000 in prize money.

Player Tags: Hoyt Corkins,   Joe Sebok,   Daniel O'Brien,   Marco Johnson

Marco Johnson Eliminated in 10th Place ($14,070)

Dec 12, '08

Marco Johnson finds himself short stacked and all in against Gualter Salles.

Johnson shows A2 but is dominated by Salles and his A4. The board comes 64297 and Johnson is eliminated in 10th place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Marco Johnson,   Gualter Salles