John Racener - Live Updates

Level 9 Hour 1 Update: Tom "Durrrr" Dwan, David Plastik Eliminated

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 1,661 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber — 475,000
2. John Hammer — 360,000
3. Andreas Altmeyer — 318,000
4. Amir Lehavot — 280,000
5. Brian Lemke — 275,500
6. Bertrand Grospellier — 250,000
7. Brennan Hanson — 243,000
8. Adam latimer — 242,000
9. Dan Bilzerian — 237,000
10. Kenny Tran — 225,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 170,000
Phil Hellmuth – 125,000
Lee Watkinson – 80,000
Adam Schoenfeld – 125,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 28,000
Thomas Keller – 120,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Notable Eliminations:

Tim Vance
Bill Chen
Bernard Lee
Tom “Durr” Dwan
David Plastik

Big Hands:

Alexander Kostritsyn Breaks 100,000

On a flop of 1084, a player at the table moves all in and Alexander Kostritsyn calls.

Kostritsyn: K10
Opponent: 85

Kostristsyn flops top pair while his opponent flops middle pair. The turn and river are the 7 and the 4, no help for Kostritsyn’s opponent who is eliminated. Kostritsyn is up to 125,000 after this hand.

Tom “Durrr” Dwan Eliminated

On a flop of 5-4-2 with two spades, there is a bet and then a raise to 8,000 before Tom Dwan moves all in for 22,000. He is called in both spots. The turn and river were a 7 and a 10 as Dwan turns over pocket kings. His opponent shows a straight on the river and Tom Dwan is eliminated from the tournament.

Tim Phan Doubles on the River

On a board of 10325, Tim Phan gets it all in and is called by one opponent.

Phan: 54
Opponent: J10

Phan flops a an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw while his opponent flops top pair. Phan turns a pair for even more outs, and gets there with the A on the river. Tim Phan doubles up to 60,000 this hand.

Jordan Morgan Eliminates Opponent

Action folds around to the small blind who moves all in on the short stack. Jordan Morgan calls from the big blind and has him covered.

Morgan: Q10
Opponent: J3

Board: 863104

Morgan turns over top pair as he eliminates his opponent and brings his chip count up to 55,000 this hand.

Nick Binger Gets Doubled Through

One player at the table gets it all in pre-flop and is covered by Nick Binger.

Binger: AQ
Opponent: K10

Board: K10937

Binger is out flopped when his opponent pairs his king. Binger is doubled through this hand but stills has 100,000 or so.

Esfandiari Runs Over Table

The player under the gun raises to 3,500 and Antonio Esfandiari calls from the small blind. The flop comes A65, Esfandiari bets 4,200 and his opponent calls. The turn is the 10, and both players check. The river is the J, Esfanidiari bets 22,000 and his opponent folds. Esfandiari rakes another pot and builds his stack up to 164,000 at the moment.

David Plastik Eliminated

David Plastik just flopped a queen-high flush and got it all in against pocket aces. The turn put four spades on the board, his opponent holding the ace of spades. David Plastik is eliminated from the tournament.

Kevin Saul vs. John Racener

John Racener raises from under the gun, Kevin Saul reraises to 5,500, Racener three-bets to 13,500 and Saul calls. The flop comes A72, Racener bets 15,000 and Saul calls. The turn is the 10, Racner checks, Saul moves all in for 44,000 and Racener folds after several minutes in the tank. Saul rakes the pot, climbing up to 112,000 this hand while Racener slips down to 92,000.

Player Tags: David Plastik,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Tim Phan,   Kevin Saul,   Jordan Morgan,   Tom Dwan,   Nick Binger,   John Racener,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level 4 Hour 2 Update: Ivan Demidov, Paul Snead Eliminated

Jul 06, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Chip Counts:

1. Dutch Boyd – 133,000
2. Blair Hinkle – 120,800
3. Chad Brown – 105,000
4. Adam Schoenfeld – 103,200
5. Prahlad Friedman – 92,000
6. Josh Arieh – 82,500
7. Phil Ivey – 82,000
8. John Racener – 79,000
9. Matthew Hilger – 68,000
10. Jeff Shulman – 56,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matthew Hilger – 68,000

Notable Eliminations:

Ivan Demidov
Paul Snead
Grant Hinkle
Mimi Tran
Jared Hamby

Big Hands

Ivan Demidov Eliminated

The player on the button raises to 1,200, Ivan Demidov reraises to 5,450, Dwayne Stacey calls from the big blind and the player on the button folds his hand. The flop comes 1065, Demidov moves all in for 225 and Stacey calls.

Demidov: 76
Stacey: 66

The case six flops, giving Demidov middle pair and Stacey middle set. The turn and river are the 5 and the 5, no help to last year’s runner-up who is now eliminated from the tournament.

Paul Snead Eliminated

On the flop of 1097 Paul Snead was all in with an unknown player versus John Racener.

Their cards:

Racener: K2
Snead: 106
Unknown: QJ

The 6 fell on the turn, giving Racener his king-high flush. Snead turned two pair and had four outs to make a full house while the unknown player was drawing dead. However, the 4 hit the river and Snead was eliminated. Racener is now at 79,000

Phil Ivey Eliminates an Opponent

Phil Ivey called the 8,825 chip all in of Ketul Nathwani. Ivey tabled the AQ while Ketul exposed the AJ. The board ran out 863K9, as Ivey took the pot and is up to 82,000.

Cornel Cimpan Folds to All In

On a board of 86658, Cornel Cimpan called a 3,500 bet from a player in middle position. The 10 fell on the river and the same player bet all in for 15,500. Cimpan went into the tank before finally mucking. The recent winner of the L.A. Poker Classic is at 60,000 in chips.

Shawn Cunix Can’t Lose

On a flop of 876, the player in the small blind bets 1,500, the player in seat 3 calls and the dealer burns and turns the 6. Shawn Cunix objects, calling for a floorperson as the turn card was dealt before he was able to act. The floorman comes over and makes the ruling. The turn card is pulled back, and Cunix raises all in for a total of 10,000 from the button. The small blind tanks for several minutes before releasing the hand. Seat 3 also folds as Cunix rakes the pot, revealing 96 for the open-ended straight flush draw.

Glen Chorny Wins Pot by Limping In

Glen Chorny was the beneficiary of perhaps the worst possible dealer miscue.

Chorny limped in for 300 and action was folded around to a player in the cutoff who raised the 800. Both blinds folded and the dealer took the cutoff’s hand and mixed the cards together, leaving Chorny with his hand. Clearly not realizing Chorny had limped in, the dealer started moving the pot over to the cutoff. When everyone realized what she was doing, she stopped and a floor person was called over. About five minutes later, after much debating and recounting of the mistake, the floor staff ruled that Chorny wins the pot since he was the only one left with a live hand after the dealer mixed the raiser’s hand in with the deck. Chorny offered to just take back his 300 and let the cutoff take his raise back and the rest of the pot, but Chorny was awarded the pot which included the 800 raise from the cutoff. The player who had 800 chips taken by the dealer looked visibly upset. The same type of ruling would happen regardless of the bet size.

Left in the Deck:

The players are currently on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Cornel Andrew Cimpan,   Paul Snead,   John Racener,   Glen Chorny,   Ivan Demidov,   Dwayne Stacey

Level 9 Hour 1 Update: Tom "Durrrr" Dwan, David Plastik Eliminated

Jul 08, '09

Blinds: 500-1,000 with a 100 ante

Players Remaining: 1,661 out of 6,494

Chip Counts:

1. Troy Weber — 475,000
2. John Hammer — 360,000
3. Andreas Altmeyer — 318,000
4. Amir Lehavot — 280,000
5. Brian Lemke — 275,500
6. Bertrand Grospellier — 250,000
7. Brennan Hanson — 243,000
8. Adam latimer — 242,000
9. Dan Bilzerian — 237,000
10. Kenny Tran — 225,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Jeff Shulman – 170,000
Phil Hellmuth – 125,000
Lee Watkinson – 80,000
Adam Schoenfeld – 125,000
Matthew Hilger – did not report
Steve Zolotow – 28,000
Thomas Keller – 120,000
Max Pescatori – 47,300
Justin Rollo – did not report

Notable Eliminations:

Tim Vance
Bill Chen
Bernard Lee
Tom “Durr” Dwan
David Plastik

Big Hands:

Alexander Kostritsyn Breaks 100,000

On a flop of 1084, a player at the table moves all in and Alexander Kostritsyn calls.

Kostritsyn: K10
Opponent: 85

Kostristsyn flops top pair while his opponent flops middle pair. The turn and river are the 7 and the 4, no help for Kostritsyn’s opponent who is eliminated. Kostritsyn is up to 125,000 after this hand.

Tom “Durrr” Dwan Eliminated

On a flop of 5-4-2 with two spades, there is a bet and then a raise to 8,000 before Tom Dwan moves all in for 22,000. He is called in both spots. The turn and river were a 7 and a 10 as Dwan turns over pocket kings. His opponent shows a straight on the river and Tom Dwan is eliminated from the tournament.

Tim Phan Doubles on the River

On a board of 10325, Tim Phan gets it all in and is called by one opponent.

Phan: 54
Opponent: J10

Phan flops a an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw while his opponent flops top pair. Phan turns a pair for even more outs, and gets there with the A on the river. Tim Phan doubles up to 60,000 this hand.

Jordan Morgan Eliminates Opponent

Action folds around to the small blind who moves all in on the short stack. Jordan Morgan calls from the big blind and has him covered.

Morgan: Q10
Opponent: J3

Board: 863104

Morgan turns over top pair as he eliminates his opponent and brings his chip count up to 55,000 this hand.

Nick Binger Gets Doubled Through

One player at the table gets it all in pre-flop and is covered by Nick Binger.

Binger: AQ
Opponent: K10

Board: K10937

Binger is out flopped when his opponent pairs his king. Binger is doubled through this hand but stills has 100,000 or so.

Esfandiari Runs Over Table

The player under the gun raises to 3,500 and Antonio Esfandiari calls from the small blind. The flop comes A65, Esfandiari bets 4,200 and his opponent calls. The turn is the 10, and both players check. The river is the J, Esfanidiari bets 22,000 and his opponent folds. Esfandiari rakes another pot and builds his stack up to 164,000 at the moment.

David Plastik Eliminated

David Plastik just flopped a queen-high flush and got it all in against pocket aces. The turn put four spades on the board, his opponent holding the ace of spades. David Plastik is eliminated from the tournament.

Kevin Saul vs. John Racener

John Racener raises from under the gun, Kevin Saul reraises to 5,500, Racener three-bets to 13,500 and Saul calls. The flop comes A72, Racener bets 15,000 and Saul calls. The turn is the 10, Racner checks, Saul moves all in for 44,000 and Racener folds after several minutes in the tank. Saul rakes the pot, climbing up to 112,000 this hand while Racener slips down to 92,000.

Player Tags: David Plastik,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Tim Phan,   Kevin Saul,   Jordan Morgan,   Tom Dwan,   Nick Binger,   John Racener,   Alexander Kostritsyn

Level 4 Hour 2 Update: Ivan Demidov, Paul Snead Eliminated

Jul 06, '09

Blinds: 150-300 with a 25 ante

Chip Counts:

1. Dutch Boyd – 133,000
2. Blair Hinkle – 120,800
3. Chad Brown – 105,000
4. Adam Schoenfeld – 103,200
5. Prahlad Friedman – 92,000
6. Josh Arieh – 82,500
7. Phil Ivey – 82,000
8. John Racener – 79,000
9. Matthew Hilger – 68,000
10. Jeff Shulman – 56,000

Card Player Chip Counts:

Matthew Hilger – 68,000

Notable Eliminations:

Ivan Demidov
Paul Snead
Grant Hinkle
Mimi Tran
Jared Hamby

Big Hands

Ivan Demidov Eliminated

The player on the button raises to 1,200, Ivan Demidov reraises to 5,450, Dwayne Stacey calls from the big blind and the player on the button folds his hand. The flop comes 1065, Demidov moves all in for 225 and Stacey calls.

Demidov: 76
Stacey: 66

The case six flops, giving Demidov middle pair and Stacey middle set. The turn and river are the 5 and the 5, no help to last year’s runner-up who is now eliminated from the tournament.

Paul Snead Eliminated

On the flop of 1097 Paul Snead was all in with an unknown player versus John Racener.

Their cards:

Racener: K2
Snead: 106
Unknown: QJ

The 6 fell on the turn, giving Racener his king-high flush. Snead turned two pair and had four outs to make a full house while the unknown player was drawing dead. However, the 4 hit the river and Snead was eliminated. Racener is now at 79,000

Phil Ivey Eliminates an Opponent

Phil Ivey called the 8,825 chip all in of Ketul Nathwani. Ivey tabled the AQ while Ketul exposed the AJ. The board ran out 863K9, as Ivey took the pot and is up to 82,000.

Cornel Cimpan Folds to All In

On a board of 86658, Cornel Cimpan called a 3,500 bet from a player in middle position. The 10 fell on the river and the same player bet all in for 15,500. Cimpan went into the tank before finally mucking. The recent winner of the L.A. Poker Classic is at 60,000 in chips.

Shawn Cunix Can’t Lose

On a flop of 876, the player in the small blind bets 1,500, the player in seat 3 calls and the dealer burns and turns the 6. Shawn Cunix objects, calling for a floorperson as the turn card was dealt before he was able to act. The floorman comes over and makes the ruling. The turn card is pulled back, and Cunix raises all in for a total of 10,000 from the button. The small blind tanks for several minutes before releasing the hand. Seat 3 also folds as Cunix rakes the pot, revealing 96 for the open-ended straight flush draw.

Glen Chorny Wins Pot by Limping In

Glen Chorny was the beneficiary of perhaps the worst possible dealer miscue.

Chorny limped in for 300 and action was folded around to a player in the cutoff who raised the 800. Both blinds folded and the dealer took the cutoff’s hand and mixed the cards together, leaving Chorny with his hand. Clearly not realizing Chorny had limped in, the dealer started moving the pot over to the cutoff. When everyone realized what she was doing, she stopped and a floor person was called over. About five minutes later, after much debating and recounting of the mistake, the floor staff ruled that Chorny wins the pot since he was the only one left with a live hand after the dealer mixed the raiser’s hand in with the deck. Chorny offered to just take back his 300 and let the cutoff take his raise back and the rest of the pot, but Chorny was awarded the pot which included the 800 raise from the cutoff. The player who had 800 chips taken by the dealer looked visibly upset. The same type of ruling would happen regardless of the bet size.

Left in the Deck:

The players are currently on a 20 minute break.

Player Tags: Cornel Andrew Cimpan,   Paul Snead,   John Racener,   Glen Chorny,   Ivan Demidov,   Dwayne Stacey

Final Table Update: Ruiz 8th Place, Racener 7th, Black 6th

Jun 14, '09

Blinds: 10,000-20,000

Players Remaining: 5 out of 198

Chip Counts:

1. Scott Clements — 1,443,000
2. Brett Richey — 500,000
3. Roland de Wolfe — 490,000
4. Robert Campbell — 440,000
5. Alexander Kravchenko — 120,000

Average Chip Count: 594,000

Notable Eliminations:

8. Armando Ruiz III — $32,105
7. John Racener — $36,200
6. Andy Black — $42,993

Big Hands

Armando Ruiz III Eliminated in 8th Place ($32,105)

Armando Ruiz III raises to 56,000 before the flop and Brett Richey reraises enough to put Ruiz all in. Ruiz calls all in and both players turn over their cards.

Ruiz: AQ32
Richey: AA97

Board: KK88J

Richey scoops the pot with aces up, there is no qualifying low hand. Armando Ruiz III is eliminated in 8th place ($32,105).

John Racener Eliminated in 7th place ($36,200)

On a flop of 1042, John Racener bets 40,000 and Robert Campbell calls. The turn is the 9, Racener moves all in and Campbell calls.

Racener: A983
Campbell: A732

Both players had a pair on board and a nut-flush draw. Campbell spiked the 3 on the river for the nut-flush (high hand), also making an A-7 low to scoop the pot. John Racener is eliminated in 7th place ($36,200).

Andy Black Eliminated in 6th place ($42,993)

Andy Black raises the pot before the flop and Robert Campbell re-pots behind him, enough to put Black all in. Black calls all in and both players turn over their cards.

Black: AA43
Campbell: AA54

Board: QJ976

Both players get it all in with suited aces and Campbell makes a flush on the river, scooping the pot as there is no qualifying low hand. Andy Black is eliminated in 6th place ($42,993).

Player Tags: Brett Richey,   Scott Clements,   Andy Black,   John Racener

John Racener Eliminated in Ninth Place ($25,150)

Feb 20, '09

The match between Steve Sung and John Racener has finally come to an end. Racener got really short and committed his chips after flopping top pair of eights with A-8. Sung held a heart flush draw and decided to go with it.

Sung hit his flush and Racener is eliminated in a tie for ninth, earning $25,150.

Sung moves on and will now face Steve Billirakis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Steve Sung,   John Racener

Amit Makhija Eliminated in 7th Place ($35,000)

Feb 20, '09

Steve Sung is still battling John Racener to determine our final ninth place finisher, but the next match between Amit Makhija and Vivek Rajkumar has already been determined.

Rajkumar built an early lead and slowly grinded Makhija until the final hand came down. Makhija bet a pair of eights on the river and Rajkumar put him all in. After Makhija had gone through all his options, he decided to call all in and saw the bad news as Rakumar turned up the nut flush.

Makhija is eliminated in a tie for 7th place for $35,000. Rajkumar advances to the final six.

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Steve Sung,   John Racener

John Racener Eliminated

Sep 15, '08

Joe Sebok raised from the button and John Racener reraised all in from the blinds. Sebok didn't want to call with his weak ace, but Racener didn't have enough to get him off the hand.

As it turns out, Sebok's A-3 was dominated by Racener's A-Q. The board came out safely until the river when a trey spiked to send Racener packing. Sebok is now sitting with over 150,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: Joe Sebok,   John Racener

$2,500 E.O. - John Racener Out

Jun 07, '08

Players Left: 5

Chip Counts:

Big Hands and Storylines:

John Racener Eliminated in 6th Place ($37,481)

John Racener bets until he is all in against Farzad Rouhani. Racener draws to 9653(KK3) , but his kings up couldn't beat Rouhani as he drew the nut flush with 3A2Q10. Racener was eliminated in sixth place.

Changing Gears and Directions

Farzad Rouhani is continuing to play aggressively, and it has worked out as he increases his chip lead over the rest of the table.  Meanwhile, Yueqi Zhu has taken a few hits along the way and is neare the felt.

 

 

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Yueqi Zhu,   John Racener

$2,500 E.O. - Mizrachi and Mowczan Hit the Rail

Jun 07, '08

Chip Counts:

Big Hands and Storylines:

Michael Mizrachi Eliminated in 8th Place ($24,095) - Stud 8/b

Michael Mizrachi was all in holding 72Q3(A2J) against Yueqi Zhu who held 4A910(66Q). Despite holding numerous low draws and pair draws, Mizrachi airballs seventh street and is eliminated by Zhu's lowly pair of sixes.

Daniel Mowczan Eliminated in 7th Place ($28,557) - Omaha 8/b

John Racener, Daniel Mowczan and Tom Chambers saw a flop of QJ7. Chambers bet, Mowczan called all in and Racener called. The turn was the J and both players checked. The river was the 10 and Racener bet. Chambers folded and Racener revealed AK62 for a broadway straight to take the pot and eliminate Mowczan in seventh place.
 

NOTE: The players then went on a 20-minute break before returning to increased blinds.


 

Player Tags: Michael Mizrachi,   Daniel Mowczan,   Yueqi Zhu,   Tom Chambers,   John Racener

$2,500 E.O. - Doubling Up

Jun 07, '08

Players Left: 8

Chip Counts:

Big Hands and Storylines:

Yueqi Zhu Doubles Up - Stud 8/b

Yuequi Zhu gets all of his chips in the middle holding 26A4(35J) against Miami John Cernuto's 5543A56. Cernuto's trip fives and 6-low aren't enough to beat Zhu's wheel. Shu scoops the pot and doubles up to 295,000.

Miami John Cernuto Doubles Up - Omaha 8/b

John Racener raised preflop and Miami John Cernuto made the call. The flop came QQ3 and Racener bet once more. Cernuto raised and Racener called. Both players checked the 6 on the turn and the river was the 3. Racener bet and Cernuto raised. Racener made the call, but mucked when Cernuto showed him A263. Racener flashed a Queen and is now down to 70,000.

Daniel Mowczan Doubles Up - Omaha 8/b

Daniel Mowczan is all in against Greg Pappas. Mowczan shows AJ93 and is up against Pappas' A44K. The board runs out K52A4 and Mowczan makes the wheel on the river to double up with a scoop.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Yueqi Zhu,   John Racener

Omaha 8 / Stud 8 Level 18

Jun 06, '08

Stud 8: 1,500 ante, 2,000 bring in, 6,000-12,000 limits
Omaha 8: 3,000-6,000 blinds, 6,000-12,000 limits

Players Remaining:  11 of 388

Average Chip Stack: 176,000

Chip Counts:

Farzad Rouhani - 305,000
Tom Chambers - 265,000
Greg Pappas - 195,000
John Racener - 180,000
Brandon Cantu - 167,000
James Van Alstyne - 146,000
John Cernuto - 137,000
Michael Mizrachi - 110,000
Daniel Mowczan - 98,000
Tad Jurgens - 98,000
Yueqi Zhu - 12,000

Eliminations:

Matthew Graham
Mark Gallo

Big Hands:

John Racener makes incredible call

James Van Alstyne, on the button, raised preflop and bet on the flop, turn and river. With the board 93K7T, Racener thought for a couple minutes before finally making the call. Van Alstyne said "nice call" and Racener flipped over A5Q3for only a pair of threes. Van Alstyne mucked, and Racener collected the chips while everyone look on it shock. Eventually, Mizrachi mentioned that he could have been bluffing and still won the hand, and Van Alstyne replied that he had had to think about it to make sure that he had actually l

Cantu scoops pot, cripples Zhu

With the board showing K3A62 in Omaha 8, Yueqi checked and Brandon Cantu checked behind him. Zhu showed 7-7-5-5, while Cantu held A-K-9-4 to scoop the pot with two pair and a six low. After the hand Zhu was down to under 10,000 chips.

Mattew Graham out in 12th

Matthew Graham, who already had a short stack, back-to-back hands did him in. First, against Yueqi Zhu, who had even fewer chips and was all in, he lost in Omaha 8 with A23T to Zhu's AA76 when Zhu flopped a club flush. Then, in stud 8, Graham was all in before fourth street and lost to Brandon Cantu's two pair, aces and tens.

Player Tags: Matt Graham,   Brandon Cantu,   Yueqi Zhu,   John Racener

$2,500 E.O. - John Racener Out

Jun 07, '08

Players Left: 5

Chip Counts:

Big Hands and Storylines:

John Racener Eliminated in 6th Place ($37,481)

John Racener bets until he is all in against Farzad Rouhani. Racener draws to 9653(KK3) , but his kings up couldn't beat Rouhani as he drew the nut flush with 3A2Q10. Racener was eliminated in sixth place.

Changing Gears and Directions

Farzad Rouhani is continuing to play aggressively, and it has worked out as he increases his chip lead over the rest of the table.  Meanwhile, Yueqi Zhu has taken a few hits along the way and is neare the felt.

 

 

Player Tags: Farzad Rouhani,   Yueqi Zhu,   John Racener

$2,500 E.O. - Mizrachi and Mowczan Hit the Rail

Jun 07, '08

Chip Counts:

Big Hands and Storylines:

Michael Mizrachi Eliminated in 8th Place ($24,095) - Stud 8/b

Michael Mizrachi was all in holding 72Q3(A2J) against Yueqi Zhu who held 4A910(66Q). Despite holding numerous low draws and pair draws, Mizrachi airballs seventh street and is eliminated by Zhu's lowly pair of sixes.

Daniel Mowczan Eliminated in 7th Place ($28,557) - Omaha 8/b

John Racener, Daniel Mowczan and Tom Chambers saw a flop of QJ7. Chambers bet, Mowczan called all in and Racener called. The turn was the J and both players checked. The river was the 10 and Racener bet. Chambers folded and Racener revealed AK62 for a broadway straight to take the pot and eliminate Mowczan in seventh place.
 

NOTE: The players then went on a 20-minute break before returning to increased blinds.


 

Player Tags: Michael Mizrachi,   Daniel Mowczan,   Yueqi Zhu,   Tom Chambers,   John Racener

$2,500 E.O. - Doubling Up

Jun 07, '08

Players Left: 8

Chip Counts:

Big Hands and Storylines:

Yueqi Zhu Doubles Up - Stud 8/b

Yuequi Zhu gets all of his chips in the middle holding 26A4(35J) against Miami John Cernuto's 5543A56. Cernuto's trip fives and 6-low aren't enough to beat Zhu's wheel. Shu scoops the pot and doubles up to 295,000.

Miami John Cernuto Doubles Up - Omaha 8/b

John Racener raised preflop and Miami John Cernuto made the call. The flop came QQ3 and Racener bet once more. Cernuto raised and Racener called. Both players checked the 6 on the turn and the river was the 3. Racener bet and Cernuto raised. Racener made the call, but mucked when Cernuto showed him A263. Racener flashed a Queen and is now down to 70,000.

Daniel Mowczan Doubles Up - Omaha 8/b

Daniel Mowczan is all in against Greg Pappas. Mowczan shows AJ93 and is up against Pappas' A44K. The board runs out K52A4 and Mowczan makes the wheel on the river to double up with a scoop.

Player Tags: John Cernuto,   Yueqi Zhu,   John Racener

Omaha 8 / Stud 8 Level 18

Jun 06, '08

Stud 8: 1,500 ante, 2,000 bring in, 6,000-12,000 limits
Omaha 8: 3,000-6,000 blinds, 6,000-12,000 limits

Players Remaining:  11 of 388

Average Chip Stack: 176,000

Chip Counts:

Farzad Rouhani - 305,000
Tom Chambers - 265,000
Greg Pappas - 195,000
John Racener - 180,000
Brandon Cantu - 167,000
James Van Alstyne - 146,000
John Cernuto - 137,000
Michael Mizrachi - 110,000
Daniel Mowczan - 98,000
Tad Jurgens - 98,000
Yueqi Zhu - 12,000

Eliminations:

Matthew Graham
Mark Gallo

Big Hands:

John Racener makes incredible call

James Van Alstyne, on the button, raised preflop and bet on the flop, turn and river. With the board 93K7T, Racener thought for a couple minutes before finally making the call. Van Alstyne said "nice call" and Racener flipped over A5Q3for only a pair of threes. Van Alstyne mucked, and Racener collected the chips while everyone look on it shock. Eventually, Mizrachi mentioned that he could have been bluffing and still won the hand, and Van Alstyne replied that he had had to think about it to make sure that he had actually l

Cantu scoops pot, cripples Zhu

With the board showing K3A62 in Omaha 8, Yueqi checked and Brandon Cantu checked behind him. Zhu showed 7-7-5-5, while Cantu held A-K-9-4 to scoop the pot with two pair and a six low. After the hand Zhu was down to under 10,000 chips.

Mattew Graham out in 12th

Matthew Graham, who already had a short stack, back-to-back hands did him in. First, against Yueqi Zhu, who had even fewer chips and was all in, he lost in Omaha 8 with A23T to Zhu's AA76 when Zhu flopped a club flush. Then, in stud 8, Graham was all in before fourth street and lost to Brandon Cantu's two pair, aces and tens.

Player Tags: Matt Graham,   Brandon Cantu,   Yueqi Zhu,   John Racener

John Racener Eliminated

Mar 17, '08

John Racener has busted out of the tournament during level 8.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player Tags: John Racener

Clonie Bested By The Devil

Jun 13, '07

Early on in level 9 Clonie Gowen found herself crippled by a cooler.  In a three-way pot Gowen called in early position raise from the button with 44, the player in the big blind called as well. The flop came A 6 4, the big blind moved all in, the pre-flop raiser folded, and Gowen called, leaving herself with less than $10,000 behind.  The big blind flipped up 66.  The turn J and river 8 were no help to Gowen and she remains on life support. 

Meanwhile John Racener, Dustin “Neverwin” Woolf, and Jan Sorenson have been very active trading chips at their table.  On a board of A 3 2 6 8, Woolf bet out $15,000 on the river, drawing a call from Sorenson.  Woof showed AQ, and Sorenson mucked. 

Meanwhile in a three-way pot, with a flop of K 7 2, Racener led out with a $3,400 bet from the small blind, Woolf called from the big blind, as did Sorenson from the cut-off. Racener fired $13,600 after the 10 hit on the turn, Woolf folded, Sorenson quickly moved all in, and Racener folded just as quickly. Racener was able to gain back some ground isolating a short stack all in, and having his A-J hold up against K-Q.

 
The 16 remaning tables are nine handed, with 144 players remaining. Notable eliminations include, Howard Lederer, Antonio Esfandiari, and Minh Ly

Player Tags: Minh Ly,   Antonio Esfandiari,   Howard Lederer,   Clonie Gowen,   Jan Sorensen,   Dustin Woolf,   John Racener

Chip Up, Or Chip Out

Jun 09, '07

It seems several pros have adopted a very wishy-washy attitude regarding any one player's chances against such a large field.  Several pros have been stating that they are simply trying to reach a certain number of chips or go broke by the 5pm HORSE event.  J.C. Tran is among those, finding himself all in with the worst of it three times in the last level.  First Tran found himself all in with Q-J suited against A-J, finding an 8 on the river to complete his nut straight.  Next he was up against John Racener on a flop of 982, Tran had 87 to Racener's AA.  The turn 8 bailed Tran out, and Racener missed his two-out redraw with the 10on the river.  Finally Tran's luck ran out as he pushed on a flop of J63 with A5 getting a call from his opponent with 44.  The 4 cut Tran's outs to two, and the J on the river ended Tran's day.  Other players to hit the rail included "Minneapolis Jim" Meehan, David Williams, Ed Moncada, and Gavin Smith.

Anthony Reategui was on the bad end of large pot at his mine-filled table.  In a five-way raised pot with a flop of 1075, Reategui led out with a pot-sized bet of $2,200, only to have two players move in behind it.  Reategui called quickly stating he had the right kind of hand for this pot.  Reategui showed A9, while the other two tabled 55 and 89.  The flop and turn came 7 and 9, filling up Reategui's opponent.  Phil Hellmuth also managed to create sufficient drama for his legion of railbrids, despite the event being in its early stages.  After Hellmuth raised preflop, two players moved all in over the top of his raise.  Hellmuth pondered the call.  He would be all-in himself, but he was getting 6 to 1 on his money.  Finally he folded his A-Q offsuit face-up.  His opponents showed pocket nines and pocket sevens, showing Hellmuth was getting the right price to call.  Both players ended up with sets by the river and Hellmuth patted himself on the back.

The official numbers have been released.  A total of 2,628 players entered today, generating a prize pool of $3,587,220 dollars.  The top 270 players will finish in the money, with 270th place receiving $3,049, and 1st place bagging $637,254.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   Edward Moncada,   Phil Hellmuth,   Gavin Smith,   Jim Meehan,   David Williams,   John Racener

Play Moving Fast

Jun 09, '07

Play has been moving considerably fast despite the overwhelming amount of entrants in today’s event. Tables have been breaking at an alarming rate, and all alternates have now been seated. With such a large field today, it is unusual to see many stacked tables, but as time has taught us, being an alternate is the easiest way to get stuck at a tough table. Alternate Table 44 is now host to Huck Seed, Erick Lindgren, Anthony Reategui, and Chris Bell.

There has however been one strong table from the start of the day with J.C. Tran sitting in the 2 seat followed by David Plastik to his left and John Racener to his left. Tran took an early chip lead at his table, bringing his stack up to roughly four times the starting amount, and although Tran may have most of the chips, it was David Plastik with all the moves. Within minutes of Level 2, Plastik had already pushed all-in several times, two of which were back-to-back from his blinds. The table folds to the button who limps in the pot followed by Tran in the small blind and Plastik checks his option in the big blind. The flop comes 854, and Tran and Plastik both check to the button who makes it $550 to go. Tran folds and Plastik looks this guy square in the eyes and pushes all-in. The button folds his hand.

The very next hand the player in Seat-10 raises to $325 and David Plastik makes the call, this time from the small blind. The flop comes K96, and Plastik checks to Seat-10 who bets $700. And for the second time in two hands, Plastik check-raises his opponent all-in and takes down the pot.

Some early eliminations include John Gale and Shannon Shorr. John Gale went broke in a three-way pot when he called a pre-flop raise of $425. The flop comes 1094 and Gale leads out for $750, leaving himself with only $900 behind it. The player in Seat-5 smooth calls his bet. The turn brings the A and Gale quickly moves all-in, but not as quickly as Seat-5 can make the call and flip over 1010 for a set against Gale’s AQ. The Q hits the river, not that it matters as John Gale is eliminated in Level 2.

Keep your browsers locked on CardPlayer.com for more updates and your favorite Pro Blogs.

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   David Plastik,   Erick Lindgren,   Huck Seed,   Chris Bell,   John Gale,   Anthony Reategui,   John Racener

Full House

Jun 09, '07

The Amazon is at max capacity with all 258 tournament tables being used for this event.  Only one hour into the event twelve alternate tables have been seated, amounting to 120 alternates in the first hour.  So far the field looks thin in terms of professional players.  Many of them may be taking a break to take a shot at this afternoon's HORSE event.  But with many alternates yet to be seated who knows.  The entrants to this event have already reached 2,700.  We will have to see if that number will reach 3,000 before registration closes. 

Despite the lighter field there are a few tables containing more than one familiar face.  Table 204 houses Player of the Year frontrunner J.C. Tran, John Racener, and David Plastik.  Racener received a double up courtesy of Tran early in action today.  In a three-way pot with a flop of AQ8, Racener pushed all-in after Tran called the seat 9's raise of 625.  Tran and made the call and Racener had him crushed with 88 to Tran's AK.  Tran picked up some outs with the K on the turn, but the 5 hit on the river to send the pot to Racener. 

Also seen in the poker room are writer/director Kevin Smith, David Williams (two tables down from his mom Shirley), Jared Hamby, and recent bracelet winner Burt Boutin.  Keep your browser with Card Player today as we follow the progress of Freddy Deeb, Erica Schoenberg, and Chris Bell in our Pro Blogs.

Official numbers will be posted as soon as they are announced

Player Tags: J.C. Tran,   David Plastik,   Burt Boutin,   David Williams,   Chris Bell,   Shirley Williams,   Erica Schoenberg,   Jared Hamby,   Freddy Deeb,   John Racener